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WHL:

The Prince George Cougars found themselves scoreless after a 3-0 loss in last night’s (Friday) pre-season game against the Blazers in Kamloops.

We finish the pre-season tomorrow in Quesnel. pic.twitter.com/zPuBFiqEWl

— Prince George Cougars (@PGCougars) September 13, 2025

The Cougars will try to pick up their first pre-season win tonight in Quesnel against the Blazers at 5.

The Cougars’ regular season begins on September 19th against the Portland Winterhawks, with the full schedule here.

BCHL:

It was a high scoring pre-season game between the Prince George Spruce Kings and the Langley Rivermen yesterday.

The Spruce Kings managed to tally 7 goals to stay ahead of the Rivermen who picked up 6.

Spruce Kings win a wild one, 7-6 over Langley in pre-season action pic.twitter.com/V4VtKxPgq4

— Prince George Spruce Kings (@SpruceKings) September 13, 2025

The road trip continues for the Spruce Kings, wrapping up their pre-season against the Chilliwack Chiefs tonight at 6.

The Spruce Kings regular season schedule is here.

BC Football Conference:

The Prince George Kodiaks host the Valley Huskers tonight at 6 at Masich Place Stadium.

The Kodiaks can clinch their first-ever playoff spot with a win.

With just three regular season games left, Prince George is in 3rd place in the 7-team league with the top four to advance to the playoffs.

The Kodiaks schedule and results can be found here.

More info on the BCFC can be found here.

Canada West Soccer:

The UNBC Timberwolves men’s and women’s soccer teams had a tough go during yesterday’s match-ups.

Starting with the women’s team, they fell to the UBC Okanagan Heat 6-0.

They’ll now have a three game road trip, starting with Thompson Rivers WolfPack on Saturday at 1 p.m..

The men’s team hosted the Saskatchewan Huskies, falling 3-1.

Their next game will be in Calgary against the Dinos on Saturday at 1 p.m..

The Canada West women’s soccer schedule is here.

The Canada West men’s soccer schedule is here.

CFL:

Two games remain for week 15 of the CFL regular season, with both being played today.

As the Edmonton Elks visit Toronto to face the Argonauts at noon.

Then at 4:00, the Saskatchewan Rouhgriders host the Montreal Alouettes.

The CFL schedule are here.

MLB:

The Toronto Blue Jays will hit the mound this afternoon at 12:07, hosting the Baltimore Orioles.

The MLB schedule and results are here.

The MLB standings are here.

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The RDCK will be hosting their annual Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Round Up event in Creston on Sunday, Sept. 28, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Creston Landfill.

Residents will be able to dispose of their household hazardous waste material for free.

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The East Kootenay Foundation for Health (EKFH) is partnering with health foundations across the Southern Interior to raise funds for the expansion of JoeAnna’s House in Kelowna this fall.

JoeAnna’s House was built to keep families together during a medical crisis. It has 20 family rooms and is a lifeline for families coming in from out-of-town to receive care at Kelowna General Hospital.

Since opening its doors in 2019, over 2,539 families from 308 different Interior BC towns have been welcomed for 24,317 overnight stays.

One-fifth of those families have come from communities across the East Kootenay.

There is a constant waitlist for accommodation and the need to expand JoeAnna’s House has arisen. Plans are now underway to add 10 new rooms to JoeAnna’s House. This will allow more families from across the East Kootenay and Interior BC to stay together when they need it most.

EKFH believes that health care is always better when we are together. We will be collecting donations in support of JoeAnna’s through September and October and encourage all our donors and supporters to come together to ensure that our families have a safe, compassionate place that they can comfortably call home when they must travel to Kelowna for medical care.

To learn more about different ways to give to the JoeAnna’s House expansion through EKFH, please visit ekfh.ca or call 250-489-6481.

To learn more about the care provided by JoeAnna’s House and the expansion plans, please visit joeannashouse.com.

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The City of Trail will seek $4.6 million from a provincial fund to twin a watermain on Charles Lakes Drive.

City council gave its blessing last week to submitting the application to the Strategic Priorities Fund, which is administered by the Union of BC Municipalities.

In a memo, city staff said the watermain is a “critical piece of infrastructure,” which leads from the water treatment facility in Sunningdale. If it fails, most of the city is affected, including the regional hospital.

The city has a plan for the project almost completed. If they are successful with the grant application, it would cover the entire cost of the project.

But virtually every other local government is also seeking a piece of the same pie, which awards up to $7 million per project. For example, Rossland is applying for the full amount to upgrade its Wagon Road sewer line while the Regional District of Central Kootenay is hoping for a grant to offset the cost of adding a second sheet of ice to the Castlegar and District Recreation Complex.

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One of the most memorable games in Trail’s hockey history had the RCMP on high alert due to its potential “off-ice intrigue,” according to a story in the latest issue of The Hockey News.

On Jan. 27, 1960, more than 5,000 people crammed themselves into the Cominco Arena to watch a much-anticipated exhibition match between the Moscow Selects, featuring some of the Soviet Union’s top players, and the powerhouse Trail Smoke Eaters.

But as writer Ron Verzuh explains in his four-page story, a previously untold drama was playing out off the ice, against the backdrop of the Cold War.

The Soviet team was on a 10-city tour of Canada and riding a three-game winning streak when it arrived in Trail. A significant number in the overflow crowd were rooting for Moscow. As Verzuh explains, about 1,500 local Doukhobors had given the Soviet team a warm welcome, feting them at a dinner in Grand Forks. The players were also thrilled to go shopping and otherwise experience Western culture.

Outwardly, it was a peaceful visit and a goodwill tour. But as Verzuh discovered, the RCMP were keeping close tabs on the players and the Doukhobors they were interacting with. Verzuh found a police report that linked two bombings during the Selects’ visit to the Sons of Freedom sect: “[T]here is a definite connection with the setting of the bombs and the visit,” the police said.

According to Vancouver Sun reporter Dick Beddoes, “Gossip spread that there might be a bombing if the Russians lost, but the wild rumour did not become a solid fact.”

Police had also long kept an eye on local union organizer Harvey Murphy, who was openly communist, even during the Red Scare of the 1950s. Local 480 of the International Union of Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers made the Selects honorary members, and Murphy presided over the ceremony.

It’s not clear if Murphy actually went to the game, but probably not if Pierre Berton is to be believed. In a notorious Maclean’s magazine story Berton wrote in 1951 about organized labour in Trail, he claimed Murphy’s associates steered him clear of hockey games and movies “because he’s apt to take his eyes off the screen or blueline at crucial moments to talk shop.”

Verzuh said in an interview that the Hockey News story came out of unrelated research he was doing on Murphy. “It was completely unassociated with what the story ended up being, and yet there it was: it fell out of the archives and into my hands,” he said.

Verzuh himself was there on that memorable night, but he doesn’t remember much about it. “My memory doesn’t serve me super well, but I think my dad and I went,” he said. “I was only about 12, but it was the thrill of a lifetime for a lot of us to see the teams go out on the ice, and particularly the Russians.”

Spoiler alert: the Smoke Eaters won 7-6. Moscow ended up with five wins and five losses on its tour. The following year, Trail beat the Soviets to clinch the World Hockey Championship.

The magazine with Verzuh’s story can be ordered here.

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Operating for over 100 years is already a milestone, yet the Quesnel Hospital Auxiliary is celebrating 115 years of supporting its community.

The Auxiliary’s contributions to date have exceeded $2 million, encompassing everything from producing the doctors’ and nurses’ uniforms to acquiring a Resusci-Anne Simulator doll for CPR instruction back in the 1980s, and providing furniture for the palliative care and the hospice house.

More contributions include purchasing video games and toys for the Children’s Ward in 1986, and a Fetal Heart Monitor in 1991. The Auxiliary also fundraised more than $70,000 to purchase a Mammography Machine in 1998.

The Auxiliary has been operating in Quesnel since before the current hospital was named G.R. Baker Memorial. Its list of contributions, the Hospital Auxiliary has fundraised and purchased, can go on, and all of the funds were raised through bake sales, tag days, dances, grants, and local organizations such as the Quesnel Community Foundation.

The Community Foundation, the Quesnel Lion’s Club, and the Hospital Auxiliary partnered this year to purchase 34 rental TVs to be installed in patient rooms.

“ It takes a community to support everything, like churches and then hospitals, everybody volunteered,” says Auxiliary Coordinator JoAnn Houston.

“Didn’t matter how old you were. You were in there doing something right for someone else. That’s where all that mentality comes from, and I think over the 115 years, we’ve managed to sustain that.”

To honour the 115th anniversary, the Quesnel Hospital Auxiliary is hosting the North Area Fall Conference from September 12 to September 14.

72 Auxiliary members, coming from more than 17 various communities in the North, will be gathering at the Seniors Centre, and visiting G.R. Baker, and the Quesnel Auxiliary Gift Shop.

The conference will feature three guest speakers, one of whom will present on the Purple Crying Campaign, which relates to Shaken Baby Syndrome.

The Quesnel Auxiliary is making and collecting purple baby touques and hats to give to new parents and expectant mothers. The hats will include emergency contact information to help spread awareness that Shaken Baby Syndrome has increased since COVID.

An invitation for all knitters, sewers, crocheters, and all fabric artisans to make purple hats and touques has been sent out by the Quesnel Auxiliary. Completed items can be dropped off at the Auxiliary Gift Shop, where new purple yarn can also be found and taken to make items.

The Quesnel Auxiliary is primarily run by volunteers, and is always looking for more members.

“10 volunteers would allow us to run things a bit more comfortably,” says Auxiliary President Louis Bealieu. “There are many things we do at the Auxiliary, all volunteer and community-run. No help is unwanted.”

The Hospital Auxiliary very much appreciates the help of the Quesnel Communities over its 115 years. Houston says long-established businesses have been a huge help to the Auxiliary over the years, such as Willis Harper hosting the Auxiliary’s annual Christmas Bake Sale.

“This town is fabulous,” Houston says. “It makes me emotional. It is very rare that we ever get a ‘no’ when we ask for help. There are so many places that help, like the seniors centre for our conference this year. We [The Quesnel Hospital Auxiliary] would not be around still if it weren’t for how generous our community has been over the years.”

At this year’s North Area Fall Conference, there will also be a silent auction held, door prizes, and entertainment by the Old Time Fiddlers.

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Elections B.C. says a candidate from the Courtenay-Comox riding in the 2024 provincial election is being fined $150.

The penalty is against Arzeen Hamir, who ran for the Green Party of British Columbia in 2024, for lacking an authorization statement for sponsored advertising.

An enforcement notice from Elections B.C. indicates the penalty is linked to approximately 200 flyers which were distributed in the riding during the election campaign in October, 2024.

Hamir issued a response in July saying the authorization statement was inadvertently removed from the flyers before they were printed and distributed, Elections B.C. notes the statement was added to all remaining flyers after the issue had been brought to her attention.

Elections B.C. ruled Hamir contravened section 231 of the Election Act and the fine is being applied under Section 231.02 of that act., their investigation revealed no deliberate attempt to circumvent the legislation.

– Article contains files from Elections BC

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The Prince George RCMP reopened the parking lot near the intersection of Victoria Street and Patricia Boulevard at 1:00 this morning (Friday).

This comes after an explosive device was found in the area yesterday.

Police say the device was examined by the Explosives Disposal Unit and was found to be inert.

The person the device was located on was arrested and held in custody until he could attend a bail hearing.

The file remains under investigation.

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The brother and sister duo of Grace Dove and Joe Syme of Prince George are among the final four teams who will compete in the final episode of the Amazing Race Canada.

The finale of the 11th season airs at 9pm Pacific Time on Tuesday where the challenge takes place in Collingwood, Ontario.

Dove, who is an actress by trade, told Vista Radio the Prince George episode was a unique experience even though they didn’t place the highest.

“One of the challenges, we were at the swimming pool and of course, I had spent many days there after school and with my friends on the weekends and so one of our challenges was to do an aerobics class. I have zero dance background and that showed in the episode so I struggled,” laughed Dove.

“It’s funny because I didn’t feel the strongest and it was a tough episode for me but we made sure to have a comeback after that.”

“You don’t know where you are going until the morning of and then all of a sudden you are travelling all the way up to the Arctic or you are travelling across the country and it is day after day and the pressure really builds.”

The actress admitted the cross-country journey that has spanned five provinces and one territory takes its toll more than people realize.

“I thought I knew what I was getting into but you really don’t when you are on it. It is harder than you could ever imagine – lots of fun but I think that I didn’t quite know what I was getting into until we were in it.”

“That is the part you don’t see on TV is that there is no time to stop and rest.”

During the local episode, the Prince George Hospice Society hosted a watch party in support of Dove and Syme, a move that generated quite a bit of buzz in the community that occurred on August 12th.

Dove and Syme couldn’t be more thankful for all the support shown by friends, family and viewers who have followed them every step of the way.

“From Prince George, from our friends and family in Canim Lake and how many messages I am getting and how many people are sending me screen shots and that they are watching. It’s so cool because I had no idea how many people would tune in and watch us.”

“I am so glad that I had this opportunity to spend the time with my brother. I moved from Prince George after high school and have lived in Vancouver for 15 years. Joe is still in Prince George so the amount of time that we really get to spend together is a few days here and there over the holidays. But, it’s been nothing like this so to really spend time and connect without our cell phones or the outdoor world in this game, competing in this was so special that we had this time to re-connect.”

The sibling duo won two out of the ten legs.

The grand prize includes a $250,000 cash payout, a trip around the world, and two 2025 Chevrolet Blazer EV SS vehicles.

Dove plans on using her share of the prize money to finish her pilot’s license while her brother – who is a diamond driller will “buy a haunted amusement park.”

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A mayoral candidate in Nelson’s 2022 civic election has been fined under the Local Elections Campaign Financing Act. 

John Buffery was fined $950 by Elections BC for accepting a $1,250 contribution from Baldface Lodge. 

A report published Sept. 10 found the contribution to be prohibited, as businesses are not eligible to donate to a candidate’s campaign under the act. 

Elections BC investigator Adam Barnes said Buffery was contacted in June 2023 about a $3,209 deficit between expenses and income reported on his final disclosure statement. 

Barnes said Buffery filed his disclosure in January 2023, listing expenses of $5,459 and contributions totalling $2,250, which included the Baldface donation. 

Elections BC notified Buffery the contribution was prohibited and requested he file a supplementary report correcting his disclosure.  

He was directed to list the Baldface money as a prohibited contribution, return the funds and raise new, eligible donations to replace the ineligible amount. 

In July 2024, Barnes said Buffery submitted a supplementary report showing he had returned the $1,250 to Baldface in July 2023. He also reported two new eligible contributions. 

Elections BC officially launched an investigation in April 2025. Buffery was notified and responded the following month, asking for an extension to respond and saying the incident was not motivated by malice. 

“You responded to the NOI confirming receipt and asking for an extension in your response until mid-May due to work obligations,” Barnes wrote in his report. 

“You also indicated that your campaign was grassroots and ran without a team and that there was no malice or profit from you personally.” 

Barnes said he attempted to contact Buffery for several weeks after sending the notice of investigation in April, without success. 

Buffery was given a June 30 deadline to respond, with a warning that his co-operation would factor into any penalties. 

“The investigator stated your co-operation serves as a significant factor when determining any administrative monetary penalties and that, if they did not receive a response by the deadline, they would proceed with writing the investigation report with the information available.” 

Barnes said Elections BC had not received a response by the June 30 deadline. Staff followed up on July 15, advising the investigation report would close on July 18.  

Buffery was told his failure to show evidence that the Baldface contribution had been returned left Elections BC to proceed with penalties. 

Buffery responded on July 16, saying he ran his campaign and vetted all contributions himself. He said a few concerned citizens helped him and that he believed if he could not raise funds it was his responsibility to cover costs. 

He added that the owner of Baldface is a personal friend and he had no documentation showing the funds were returned. 

Barnes asked Buffery to clarify whether the money had been repaid and to provide proof. If not, Buffery was directed to return the funds immediately. 

Buffery later provided evidence of a $1,250 e-transfer to Baldface dated July 21, 2025. 

Barnes concluded Buffery did not return the ineligible donation within the required 30 days.

Elections BC fined him a total of $925 – $550 for taking the money and $375 for failing to return it promptly.  

Want to get your business noticed? Have you considered advertising through your local radio station? Speak to one of our sales agents and find out how radio advertising can boost your business today. Call 250-365-7600 or email Vista Radio.

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Cranbrook’s arena and aquatic centre is staying as the Western Financial Place with the signing of a new naming deal.

Recreation and culture director Trevor Thors said they signed a new five year deal.

“In 2012 was the original and it expired in 20222, so we’ve had some temporary naming rights agreement until Sept. 1 of this year where we entered into another five year naming rights agreement with Western Financial Group,” he said.

Thors said the city receives $40,000 each year under the agreement, which they hope to use on some improved signage in the near future.

Councillor Lynnette Wray said this partnership helps keep one of Cranbrook’s most important facilities operational.

“We host so many amazing events here from hockey, concerts, the pool and a private gym,” she said.

“It’s one of the centre pieces of our community and we really appreciate the support from Western Financial Group so it’s a great day and a real positive for our community.”

Over the full term the city will receive $200,000.

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Cops For Cancer Tour de North will be holding a community barbeque in Fort St James tomorrow (Saturday).

Riders began their 850 kilometre tour this morning (Friday) in Prince George, raising money for paediatric cancer research, and will be cycling to Prince Rupert by September 18th.

Over the past two decades, Tour de North has raised $3.5 million, and have raised over $216,000 so far this year, with a goal of $250,000.

The community barbeque will be at the Community Hall, from noon to 1 p.m..

More information about the ride and where to donate can be found on the Cops for Cancer Tour de North website here.

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St Joseph students traded in the classroom for sunshine today as they walked for a cause, raising funds and awareness for cancer research in the 45^th annual Terry Fox Run.

This year’s campaign promotes two simple words- finish it- with a message to help complete what Terry Fox started.

“The Terry Fox Foundation raises so much money for cancer research and families,” said Laura Bowden, physical education teacher at St Joseph School.

“We want to keep Terry’s legacy alive and every year we do our toonie for Terry, and that adds up over 45 years.”

For Grade 4 student Baylon, it’s a few steps for a big cause.

“The Terry Fox run is good because we’re helping people who need the money for cancer,” said Baylon.

While classmate Callie was walking for those she loves.

“My mom’s grandma and my mom’s grandpa both died from cancer and the same thing with my dad’s side so I’m running for all of them.”

The Terry Fox Run will take place in many communities next weekend, so feel free to lace up and help make a difference.

There are runs scheduled for Sept. 28 in Creston, Christina Lake, Grand Forks and Kimberley.

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The BC Wildfire Service has implemented an Area Restriction Order for the Tsetzi Lake wildfire (G41658), located in the VanJam Fire Zone.

It said the order took affect today (Friday) at noon, and will remain in force until the earlier of Oct. 15, 2025 or until the Order is rescinded.

The areas within the order include:

Point A
Starting at the intersection of Kluskus Forest Service Road (FSR) & FSR 12D009.1000. From Coordinate A (53° 8.354′, -125° 4.595′) travel 35.54km East at a bearing of 90.64 to a point where FSR Blue 9000 meets Kluskus Blue FSR at Coordinate B (53° 8.069′, -124° 32.734′).
Point B
Travel 2.67km South at a bearing of 180.70 to a point on Euchiniko Lakes at Coordinate C (53° 6.640′, -124° 32.783′).
Point C
Travel approximately 27.79km West-Southwest along the North shore of Euchiniko Lakes until it meets West Road (Blackwater) River, West along the North bank of the West Road (Blackwater) River until meeting Tsacha Lake, continuing West along the North shore to a point where it meets West Road (Blackwater) River at Coordinate D (53° 0.469′ -124° 55.442′).
Point D
Continue travelling 12.22km West at a bearing of 272.09 degrees to a point at the end of OOTSA/GREEN 14000 Road at Coordinate E (53° 0.701′, -125° 6.362′)
Point E
Travel approx. 17.86km North along Ootsa/Green 14000 Road until meeting Ootsa Extension, continuing North until the FSR name changes to Kluskus FSR on to Point A (53° 8.354′, -125° 4.595′)

The size of the area restriction reflects the continued need to protect the public in areas where there are ongoing fire suppression activities.

Those who don’t comply with the restricted area requirements may be given a $1,150 violation ticket.

More information and a full map of the Area Restriction Order can be found on the BC Wildfire Service website here.

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The Smithers Art Gallery is featuring two indigenous artists through the month of September.

The first is Arlene Ness from Gitxsan with the show “Carving the Cosmos: Gitxsan Stories in Form and Flow.”

“This exhibition highlights a beautiful sculptural panel with a carved moose bone inlay and a female figure amongst the cosmos,” said Gallery Manager Jenna Savage.

Her other work features Gitxsan form line designs including a wood panel print.

Sharing the space is Tlinkit artist Blake Lepine from Whitehorse, Yukon with “The Lines Unfold the Light.”

“It depicts a blend of both traditional Tlinkit art and modern contemporary work,” said Savage.

Tonight, (Friday) the gallery is hosting an opening reception from 7:00 to 9:00 with both artists in attendance.

The show runs until October 10th.

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Three fires are still out of control in the East Kootenay, while all others are either held or under control.

The Silver Basin fire is still the largest at 490 hectares. The lightning-caused fire was discovered on Aug. 28, and the evacuation alert and area restriction remains in place.

The Kidd Creek Blaze by Yahk is slightly smaller at 450 hectares. This fire was discovered on Sept. 2 and is believed to be human-caused. An area restriction remains in place.

The final out of control fire is near Fernie.

The Galbraith Creek fire is lightning caused, under one hectare and was discovered on Sept. 10.

The Heikos Creek fire near Fernie and Upper Finley Creek fire by Canal Flats are both being held.

Door Cutoff Road fire near Grasmere and the Tatley Creek blaze by Invermere are under control.

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The mayor of Port Hardy is expressing concerns with the community’s connectivity following a Telus outage earlier this month which left several homes and businesses without phone services. 

According to Emergency Info B.C., service was unavailable in Alert Bay, Campbell River, Port Alice, Port Hardy, Port Mcneill, Quatsino, Sayward, Tahsis and Woss during the widespread outage on September 3. 

Port Hardy Mayor Patricia Corbett-Labatt says many residents were distressed through the service interruption, and updates from Telus were sporadic.  

“[Residents] had no idea what was going on” says Corbett-Labatt. “When some text messages started coming in from Telus, they didn’t come to everybody.” 

During the almost 10-and-a-half-hour outage, Telus customers were unable to contact 911. 

“[The outage] made us much more aware how important Telus is to our community,” says the mayor. “We need to not be so dependent on one provider.”   

She adds the district hasn’t gotten to a point of discussing alternative providers, but have previously considered other options.  

“We know that the Connected Coast project has been working at connecting everyone on the coast” says Corbett-Labatt, adding “that would be another agency that could be a provider.” 

Telus says the outage was caused by vandalism to its infrastructure. 

– Article includes image from District of Port Hardy Facebook page

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Results from a recent Town of Ladysmith poll show more than half of respondents thought the Ladysmith Spring cleanup was effective and efficient and want the service to continue.  

The poll was conducted by the Town from Aug. 21 to Sept. 5 to gather feedback about the 2025 Spring Clean-up, and where improvements could be made.  

Communication and engagement specialist Nicholas Pescod says those who participated in the survey provided some great feedback, and staff will keep all surveys in mind for the future.  

“The Town thanks all of those who took the time to complete the survey,” says Pescod. “The feedback was respectful, constructive and identified several areas for improvement.”  

A total of 162 respondents answered the survey and found 85 per cent of them used the service, and while only 33 per cent of them had an excellent impression 66 per cent felt it was poor to fair. 

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The Smithers Steelheads are gearing up to start the 2025/26 Central Interior Hockey League season.

The team ended last season in sixth place of the eight teams, and last out of the six teams in the playoffs.

“It’s going to be hard for us to compete and say we will beat one of the [top] four teams every game but hopefully we can get the odd win against them,” said Head Coach Dave Tucker.

He added players are excited to start the new season and with several returning from the previous season.

“Every year, guys come and go so you’ll see some new faces through the year and some you’ll know from last year,” Tucker said.

Last year was the first one Tucker coached for the Steelheads and hopes to use what he’s learned in that time to continue improving the team.

The team’s first game is September 20th in Hazelton against the Wolverines.

It’s first home game is set for October 10th against the Quesnel Kangaroos.

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The postal workers union is upping the ante in its fight for a new contract from Canada Post.

Today (Friday), CUPW announced a ban on neighbourhood mail, which includes flyers from places like Canadian Tire or pizza restaurants.

Local CUPW 812 President, Nicole Chouinard told Vista Radio the move will hurt Canada Post a lot more than it will the union.

“Neighbourhood mail is something that we are hoping Canada Post is driven enough to comeback to the negotiating table because it benefits them significantly more than it does us.”

She added the move will have minimal impact on the customer who is waiting on regular mail such as a parcel.

“We feel that being able to continue to deliver mail is very important and being able to deliver passports, parcels, things that really matter to people. We want to be able to do that.”

Chouinard mentioned most homeowners would get the neighbourhood mail in their mailbox every third day, but as of now that will cease to happen.

No new talks are scheduled between the two sides.

Canada Post issued a counter-statement saying this decision will impact the thousands of Canadian businesses that reach their customers with information and offers through the mail.

The postal company recently reported a second-quarter loss of $407 million, marking the Corporation’s largest loss before tax in a single quarter.

From 2018 to the second quarter of 2025, the company has posted cumulative losses from operations of more than $5 billion

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Residents in the Red Bluff and the Lhtako Dene Nation will only have to put their recycling at their curbs starting in October.

Curbside collection will begin on October 7, and RecycleBC will be providing residents with three new reusable bins, two blue and one grey, to set out at residents’ curbs. The bins will be delivered on the weekend of September 20 and 21, and will come with a 2025-2026 recycling guide sheet.

There will be three separate material categories that residents will sort their recycling. The Blue Bins will have paper and containers, and the Grey Bin will be glass.

Curbside collection will take place every two weeks on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, depending on the resident’s service area. The recycling guide provided by Recycle BC will have the information on which areas will be serviced on which days.

Materials that will not be accepted in the curbside bins are flexible plastics (plastic bags, chip bags, and bubble wrap), and foam packaging (the rigged foam packaging for electronices and appliances). Residents will need to continue to drop these types of items off at the Quesnel Recycling Centre, on Carson Road.

More information on accepted materials, and to find the schedule for the Red Bluff and Lhtako Dene Nation curbside collection can be found on RecycleBC’s website, and the CRD’s website.

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Changes are coming to the way Trail handles its Communities in Bloom program following the departure of the local group’s longtime chair.

City council this week agreed to provide oversight of the program through a new committee and find a consultant to create a long-term plan for the city’s flowerbeds. But they declined to hire two new staff members, preferring instead to stick with a model that sees much of the planting and maintenance contracted out.

Trail has participated in Communities in Bloom, a national beautification program, since 2001, and in that time has received several provincial and national awards. Local efforts have been led by a volunteer-run committee. The City of Trail provides support and controls the annual budget, but isn’t involved in day-to-day operations.

According to a memo to council from city staff, maintenance of the city’s 140 flowerbeds has been contracted to M.B. Landscape Designs of Nelson since 1995. The contract, which expires in October, was worth $133,250 this year. The city also budgeted $145,000 for Communities in Bloom services and materials this year, of which a little over two-thirds went to contractor Rachel Brown to look after planting and maintenance of various planters, pots, hanging baskets, and window baskets.

The staff memo explained that in 2012, a report reviewing the city’s committee system flagged the governance of Communities in Bloom as an area of concern, because it didn’t operate with direct oversight from council. It recommended Communities in Bloom become a non-profit society. However, no action was taken.

The city looked at its committee structures again last year, and Communities in Bloom was raised again. However, the group indicated it wasn’t interested in seeking non-profit status. The matter came to a head after Dan Rodlie, their driving force for over 23 years, resigned in July, and no one was prepared to take his place.

City staff recommended to council this week that Communities in Bloom become a committee of council, based on a suggestion by the organization’s national body. After a lengthy discussion, council accepted that idea.

But except for mayor Colleen Jones, council rejected the idea of adding two people to the city payroll, either as seasonal or full-time employees. City staff had recommended hiring the pair to work on flower beds from April through October and shovel snow from November through March.

The city will instead continue with a model that sees third parties do the gardening, although the next tender invitation is expected to combine what has until now been two separate contracts. The city will also hire a consultant to create an overall plan for the city’s flowerbeds, at a cost of up to $10,000.

The note from city staff warned that creating the new committee of council comes with the risk that some volunteer support might be lost. But changing how the program is structured shouldn’t be interpreted as the city not valuing the work of volunteers or being unhappy with them, city manager Colin McClure told council.

“That absolutely isn’t it,” he said. “It’s more administrative and protection from the city being liable. “We hope we would have that [volunteer] support again. Hopefully it doesn’t dissuade or demoralize anyone.”

Speaking in favour of the select committee, mayor Colleen Jones said there was “a lot of emotion” in the decision. “We’ve worked besides these people for so many years and gotten to know them,” she said. “I don’t want to see the volunteers leave.”

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The Prince George Chamber of Commerce have named the finalists for the 40th annual Business Excellence Awards.

The finalists for the Business Person of the Year Award, sponsored by Fortis, are:

• Bruce Johnston, DesignTIME Solutions
• Stephen Neudorf, MDN Trinity Financial Services Inc.
• Jenn Saunders, Chilako Meats
• Holly Keech, Busy Boss Communications
• Kyndra Farrell, Worth A Shot Mobile Bar and Champagne Events

The finalists for the Business of the Year Award, sponsored by the City of Prince George, are:

• Access Engineering Consultants Ltd.
• MDN Trinity Financial Services Inc.
• The Current Hair Salon and Academy
• CBIG
• Chilako Meats

The recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award, sponsored by Canfor, will go to the Prince
George Citizen in recognition of its 110-year membership with the Chamber. The Citizen joined the Fort George Board of Trade on Dec. 1, 1915.

The finalists in the nine other categories for this year’s Business Excellence Awards are:

Excellence In Entertainment and Attractions, sponsored by Tourism Prince George

• The Caledonia Nordic Ski Club
• The Huble Homestead Historic Site
• The Exploration Place
• Theatre Northwest
• Woodhouse Cottages and Ranch

Excellence In Business Philanthropy, sponsored by Vitreo Minerals

• IREN
• Four Rivers Co-operative
• Rolling Mix Concrete
• Primetime Entertainment
• United Way BC – North

Excellence In Food and Beverage, sponsored by Pacific Western Brewing

• Grama’s Inn
• Northern Lights Estate Winery
• Ivy’s Family Kitchen
• The Open Door Café
• House of Ancestors

Excellence In Promotion and Marketing, sponsored by Kopar Administration

• Blackwood Gifts
• Busy Boss Communications
• Cheeseneeds
• Surge Consulting
• Tyler Macsemniuk Photography and Video

Excellence In Environmental Impact, sponsored by UNBC

• EDI Environmental Dynamics Inc.- Goodsir Nature Park
• Homespun Refillery
• KJM Sales Ltd.
• Wall To Wall

Excellence In Customer Service, sponsored by Canadian Tire

• Baller Food
• Birchwood Veterinary Clinic
• Cait’s Sweet Bites and Beanery
• Lash Lounge by Hannah
• Prince George Florist

The awards will be handed out at a gala event, featuring keynote speaker The Hon. Jody Wilson-Raybould, on Saturday, November 1, at the Prince George Conference and Civic Centre.

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The City of Duncan says it will need to secure funds to move ahead with the Carinsmore Roundabout project.  

City staff have been by council to submit an application to seek $106,000 for utilities upgrades and an additional $441,000 for roadwork via the Canada Community Building Fund to help build the proposed five-leg roundabout.  

A staff report says the current design of the intersection, at Government Street, Cairnsmore Street, and College Street is a high-volume area and installing a new roundabout could reduce traffic flow and accommodate the city’s needs going into the future.  

“The current intersection is complex and a less-than-ideal configuration,” the report says. “The roundabout will be the replacement of the current signalized four-leg intersection, with a five-leg roundabout that will accommodate and convey all required traffic and pedestrians in a safe, controlled manner.” 

The report also notes the proximity of the intersection to a school, gas station and a grocery store, and that completing the new structure would be safer for traffic by will and pedestrians.  

“Crosswalks will be added to all legs with centre refuge in splitter islands to minimize crossing distances,” the report says. “It will also increase traffic flow capacity, lower traffic speeds, reduce conflict angles and improve lighting, reducing the risk for serious collisions and injuries.” 

The city originally budgeted over $2 million in 2022, but costs have climbed to $2.32 million for construction and an additional 14 per cent for engineering and construction management fees, bringing the price tag to an estimated $2.653 million. 

The city will submit a grant application for $2.1 million, the project will not move forward if their funding request is not approved. 

Some funds for the roundabout will draw from the Strategic Priorities Fund 2025 if the project gets a green light. 

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More rural Vancouver Island and Gulf Island communities will have access to high-speed internet thanks to new last-mile fibre and transport infrastructure. 

Hundreds of homes will have better internet access, including 129 households on Piers Island, 125 households in rural areas of Texada Island and 500 households in Jordan River, Port Renfrew and the Pacheedaht First Nations’ communities of Gordon River 2 and Pacheena 1. 

“Access to high-speed internet strengthens families, empowers communities and supports the growth of our province,” said Dana Lajeunesse, MLA of Juan de Fuca-Malahat. “We’re committed to levelling the playing field by providing every household in B.C. equal access to high-speed internet to ensure everyone has the opportunity to thrive in the digital age.” 

The province is investing $4.2 million to the project and the federal government is investing as much as $3.9 million. CityWest, Telus and the First Nation Health Authority will also contribute money to the project 

According to a news release from the province, 95.8 per cent of households in B.C. have access to at least 50/10 megabits per second internet and it is projected 97.8 per cent will have access by 2026.  

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Emergency service crews and Cops for Cancer Tour de North riders were at Heritage Elementary as part of the ride’s kick-off.

The ride, which is over 850 kilometres in distance, raises funds for paediatric cancer research, wrapping up on September 18th in Prince Rupert.

Cops for Cancer Manager Laura Nelson said the best part of the kick-off is getting kids involved.

“The whole point of this is we’re doing it for the kids. We love coming to schools to share this special moment, to share any of these special moments with the kids.”

“It’s also an opportunity to get them learning a little bit about what we’re fundraising for, what we’re doing to help kids just like them out.”

The school also raised $168.32 selling ice cream, which will be going towards Cops for Cancer Tour de North.

Nelson said they’ve raised just over $216,000, with their goal of raising $250,000.

The ride officially began at 11 a.m. at the Prince George Canadian Tire.

More information about the ride and where to donate can be found on the Cops for Cancer Tour de North website here.

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The City of Kimberley will be engaging with the community as they look to implement the housing needs report into the official community plan.

The city completed its housing needs report in December of 2024, where it found Kimberley needs an estimated 544 housing units between 2022-26, 952 units between 2022-31 and 1,706 units between 2022-2014.

The city will be implementing the findings into an updated OCP as well as two zoning bylaws.

More information on the proposed amendments can be found here.

Residents will be able to voice their feedback through an online form, direct discussions with staff and during a public open house.

The open house hasn’t been scheduled yet.

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Emergency water restrictions have been rescinded in Balfour.  

The restrictions were imposed on Sept. 10 following a control issue with the lake pump that prevented delivery of water to the treatment facility. 

The Regional District of Central Kootenay has now completed repairs and water users are permitted to return to normal use.  

However, the RDCK reminds residents that stage 1 Water Conservation Measures remain in place until Sept. 30. 

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The RDEK has moved to Stage 3 watering restrictions for the Holland Creek system, which mean no outdoor watering.

Kinbasket Water and Sewer Company entered Stage 3 and supplies the Holland Creek Water System with its water.

So the Holland Creek system is required to follow suit.

Stage 3 restricts water use for any purpose other than drinking, food preparation and personal hygiene.

The restrictions will be in effect until further notice.

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A day full of paddling races is set to take over local waters this weekend. 

The annual Comox Dragon Boat Festival is Saturday, September 13 at Comox Marina Park, with crews from Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands, and the Lower Mainland taking part. 

President of VI Paddling Tom Arnold said the Comox Valley is becoming a hot spot for dragon boat racing. 

“We’re thrilled to host the Comox Dragon Boat Festival again this year, where athletes of all ages will have a chance to shine.”

Comox Mayor Nicole Minions said they are looking forward to having people gather at Comox Marina Park again for this year’s event. 

“The excitement of this competition, set against the stunning background of the Comox Valley, showcases what makes our community such a special place to host this large event.”

The fast-paced 200 metre sprints will begin around 9:00 a.m. and run until 4:30 p.m., organizers are hoping to see plenty of spectators. 

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RCMP says they are making progress on an investigation into a homicide at Bowen Park a year ago. 

Lee Harland was found dead in the park on Sept. 12, 2024, and police determined it was a homicide. 

“The investigation is advancing, and we believe there are individuals with information that could help us obtain closure and justice for Lee and his family,” said constable Richard Mills of the Nanaimo RCMP Serious Crime Unit.  

Police are asking anyone with information on the man’s death to contact the investigation tip line at 250-734-5480. 

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No one has been busier than Johanna Rathke so far this season in Canada West women’s soccer.

The first-year master’s student from Germany has made an astounding 78-saves for the UNBC Timberwolves through the first six games of the regular season – 47 more than Lethbridge’s Kate Prince who is second.

Rathke is enjoying life in Canada as well as the added recognition from fellow students.

“Everyone next to the field, it is kind of wild people recognize my teammates and myself. They speak to us on the campus like we played a good game on the weekend, and it was kind of nice to see some much appreciation for our university.”

The 22-year-old, who grew up playing the game as a striker, before making the switch to the goal was weighing her post-secondary playing options in Canada and the United States after playing in a semi-pro league in her home country.

“I never played as a goalkeeper on a youth team, I was always a striker because we played on small goals and I didn’t like that. I only played goal on selection teams. I moved back to the goal because I feel like you have more opportunities in a game because everyone wants to come to you.

Rathke admitted due to the hostile political climate south of the border, which includes Donald Trump as president and now the assassination of conservative political commentator Charlie Kirk, coming north was the much safer choice.

“We don’t have university soccer back at home, so I really enjoy that I have better opportunities to combine both because the professors are Ok if you miss a class or your coach is alright with you missing a training session if I have a lab.”

“I feel like Canada is really close to the European style too and I really like that everything seems more professional than in Germany. There is much more money behind stuff and for me back home, I was playing for a third league team, which was the first non-professional league (semi-pro). We didn’t have a lot of money; the players didn’t get paid but we had long distances to travel along with our studies. Nobody cared about work-life balance.”

UNBC has had a strong line of goalkeepers come through its women’s program in recent years such as Brooke Molby and Britt Hinsche.

However, it was Jordan Hall who got the ball rolling once the Timberwolves made the move to U-SPORTS.

She faced an even busier workload from opposing teams turning aside a record 438 saves in her career. This included a heroic 21-save performance against Mount Royal back in 2012.

The Canada West record for saves by a women’s goalkeeper in one season is 148 with Rathke halfway there through six games.

As for Rathke’s idols in between the pipes, the 22-year-old looks to a national hero for inspiration.

“Ann-Katrin Berger because she is a crazy-good goalkeeper and she did really good in the Olympic games, but I also feel there are some other women goalkeepers coming up in the world. Hannah Hampton for England played an amazing European Championship and she is really young and has crazy distribution. She is the person I look up to I would say.”

“I feel in women’s soccer everything is about positioning. A lot of times I will watch men’s soccer because the goalkeepers there don’t have that clean technique or positioning because they are often taller and can deal with mistakes because they can get to balls we can’t when we position wrong.”

As for her academics, Rathke noted the way the Biochemistry program is delivered suits her learning style a lot better.

“On one side, the academic side, we have different models of master’s programs in Germany, where here it is more research-based. Back in Germany, you have a two-year master’s program, but we only spend six months for our thesis and here it is more about the research in the lab.”

The Timberwolves (0-6) host UBC Okanagan (1-2-1) tonight at 5:30 from Masich Place Stadium.

Despite losing a pair at home against the two-time defending national champions from UBC 5-0 and 3-0 last weekend, Rathke is confident they can take the positives including a scoreless first half against the Thunderbirds as momentum into tonight’s match with the Heat.

“That is a win for us at this moment because I feel like even though we didn’t get any points out of the game, the team did really well to improve from the last games before. We had shots on their goal, and we made them struggle and made a big step.”

On the men’s side, UNBC (3-2-1) welcomes Saskatchewan (0-3-1) at 8pm.

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Joanne Siderius joins Summit Radio Afternoon’s with Andrea to discuss the Kokanee Salmon run. They cover history about the area, conservation efforts that have been in progress since the 80’s in efforts to help Kokanee salmon populations continue to grow, and a passionate conversation on how much we can learn from these incredible, resilient fish. Listen to the full interview below.

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Twenty new training seats are being added to UNBC’s nurse practitioner program.

This morning, the provincial government announced it expanded the number of seats at three universities in B.C. which also included UBC (30 seats) and the University of Victoria (15 seats).

In addition, UNBC is receiving $4.1 million dollars in provincial funding for facility renovations.

“As UNBC’s nurse practitioner program has grown to welcome more students, each new graduate will expand access to high-quality, patient-centred care across British Columbia. This growth is particularly meaningful in northern and rural communities, where many graduates choose to practise. Their presence helps ensure residents can receive timely health services close to home while strengthening the province’s overall health system.” – Catharine Schiller, chair of school of nursing, UNBC.

In 2018, the province launched its primary-care strategy to increase patient attachment and access to quality, team-based and person-centred primary-care services throughout the province.

Training more nurse practitioners will help increase B.C.’s network of care and will address gaps in underserved populations, such as those in rural or remote areas.

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With puck drop on the 2025-26 Kootenay International Junior Hockey League season coming on Sept. 19, the KIJHL is providing fans with a preview on the Nelson Leafs.

The Leafs finished third in the Neil Murdoch division last season with a record of 19-23-1-1. They were swept from the opening round of the playoffs by the Beaver Valley Nitehawks.

They enter the season with new head coach Barry Wolff and Dale Hladun heading into his first full season as general manager and director of hockey operations.

Fan will be pleased to see the return of: F- Quinn Ramsay (44-18-19-37), Ty Nykyforuk (40-7-14-21), Connor Hovelkamp (27-8-12-20), Devon Barclay (38-11-8-19), Brendon Hall (26-6-11-17), Cale Nachai (34-5-11-16), Sebastien Conne-Correnti (36-5-9-14), Bradly Boyarski (30-3-3-6), D- Torin Thickson (32-3-7-10), Jackson MacIntosh (38-1-5-6), Julian Laqua (27-2-2-4), G- Dylan Spackman (12 GP 2-8-0 | 4.90 GAA | .889 SP).

Wolff has seen Spackman perform confidently, battling every shot and loose puck. The Red Deer native has also been composed and in 60 minutes of exhibition action, the 5-10, 165-pound goalie has a 1.99 GAA with a .950 SP.

And there are some new rookies comining to the bench: D-Nick Petropoulos – Okotoks Oilers U18AA (31-1-8-9), Chris Woolcott – Foothills Bisons U18AA (34-6-23-29).

Wolff likes their strong core, who are mature and focused.

“They are hungry to continue to learn and improve,” said Wolff. “The players are buying into establishing Leafs Nation, which is a family dynamic. We don’t let family down, we stick up for each other and battle to the end.”

Wolf is motivating players to get better everyday. From the start, coaches have pushed the need for good habits, playing for each other and the “Leafs logo.”

“The young guys are learning how to play at a higher speed, higher compete and battle level,” he said. “It’s still early, but they are learning that every shift, every goal for or against matters.”

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The people of Creston are showing their national pride in a big way, with a billboard on Highway 21, 2km south of Creston.

The sign is simple- ‘Canada is proof the world can be kind, diverse, and breathtakingly beautiful all at once’, supported by a message from the Ktunaxa Nation, which translates to ‘greetings, glad you are here’.

“It is brilliant and we’re just getting overwhelmingly positive responses to it,” said Nancy McLean, president of Celebrate Canada Creston.

McLean said the project came as she wanted to give back to the country she loves so much.

“I was racking my brains on what kind of positive thing I could do in light of all the turmoil that’s going on in our country and I had to do something positive. I started hanging flags around town and down by the border, and that just didn’t seem to be enough,”

After talking to a friend, she found the message she wanted to share and made it happen on a grand scale.

“We put it up as a standalone billboard so that people can see it and feel good, and give them inner pride.”

The family of the late Frank and Charlotte Basil allowed the group, Celebrate Canada Creston, to use the vacant billboard on their land, and within the month they had raised the funds to get it up with support from local business Rook Design Media.

There is currently one billboard in action with plans for more to join soon, as they continue to raise money.

“We’re working on the next one now, donations are coming in, which is enabling us to keep moving forward.”

If you are driving into Creston on Highway 21 you can’t miss the newest red and white sign adding to the scenery.

“Take the message to heart, feel pride and spread the good word about our beautiful country and our beautiful valley, and consider donating if you want to help put up more.”

You can make a donation my contacting [email protected].

Community supporters

Pealow’s
Creston & District Credit Union
Comfort Welding, Activity Base
Hound’n’Mouser
Rook Design Media
Home Hardware
Duck Lake Turf

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The City of Trail has awarded a contract to prepare a tree inventory and assessment to a Delta company.

Bartlett Tree Experts was the highest-ranked of five qualified bidders and will do the work for $58,575 plus tax.

The other bidders were Cathro Consulting of Kaslo, Arbor Pro of Langley, Vincent Treeworks of Glade, and Warden Tree Service of Nelson.

A memo to council said in addition to being the lowest bidder, Bartlett has extensive qualifications, a clear understanding of the city’s objectives, a well-developed approach and efficient schedule, and “exceptional” references from similar projects.

The inventory is expected to create a database of trees in city parks and green spaces. It’s intended to identify risks and help with maintenance planning.

Bartlett will be asked to collect data on each tree including species, size, health, and risk level.

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A vehicle has been seized and a 35-year-old Slocan Park man has been issued a $368 ticket after police responded to a complaint of vehicles “completing burnouts and smoke shows” in a Castlegar parking lot.

Police say they were called Wednesday evening to the 2000 block of Columbia Avenue about “multiple” vehicles driving dangerously.

They spotted a blue Toyota leaving the parking lot, spinning its tires and causing smoke. The vehicle wasn’t able to maintain traction and the back end swung out.

Police stopped the car and ticketed the man behind the wheel for driving without due care. His vehicle was also impounded for a week.

In a news release, police said they spoke to organizers of the event, who don’t condone this behaviour by people who attend their events.

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BC Premier David Eby is singing the praises of a proposed merger between mining companies Teck and Anglo American.

On Thursday, Eby described Anglo American as a “legendary mining company” known around the world, and called Teck a “cornerstone of the mining history and prosperity of Canada.”

The premier said he was delighted the companies have committed not just to come together, but to make their global headquarters in Vancouver. It will be the largest company in the province’s history to be based in BC, he said.

“What that means is not only do we get to benefit from all of the history and amazing contributions of the many generations of people who helped build up Teck in BC, but we add to that the global reach of a company like Anglo American.”

That global reach will come with access to capital markets around the world, Eby said, adding that the deal also means BC is internationally recognized for mining.

“This announcement, this vote of confidence in BC, in our economy, in our role as a hub for Canada’s future is a remarkable thing,” he said.

The deal is expected to be concluded in 12 to 18 months, subject to approval from shareholders of both companies and the federal government.

In making the announcement this week, Teck promised investments of up to $750 million in the Trail operation and said it would explore adding copper processing at the local smelter. It said the deal would also provide an opportunity to “significantly increase germanium and other specialty critical minerals production” in Trail.

For all of his bullishness on the merger, Eby joked there is one thing that bugs him: the proposed name of the amalgamated company, Anglo Teck.

“I don’t for a second want to discount the amazing history and value in the Teck name,” he said. “But I want to float another potential name: Anglo Canadian.”

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Sports by Hartley Friday, September 12th, 2025  (As of 12:05 a.m.)

WHL:

The Prince George Cougars battle the Blazers in their final two pre-season games.

The two teams meet tonight (Friday) at 7:00 in Kamloops and Saturday night at 5:00 in Quesnel.

The regular season for the Cougars will begin on Friday, September 19th when they host the Portland Winterhawks.

The PG Cougars regular season schedule is here.

BCHL:

The Prince George Spruce Kings are on the road for their final two pre-season games; tonight at 7:15 in Langley and Saturday night at 6:00 in Chilliwack.

The Spruce Kings open their regular season on September 19th at Chilliwack with their home opener on Friday, September 26th against Surrey.

The Spruce Kings regular season schedule is here.

The (4-3) Prince George Kodiaks host the (2-4) Valley Huskers Saturday night at 6:00 in the BC Football Conference at Masich Place Stadium.

The Kodiaks can clinch their first-ever playoff spot with a win.

With just three regular season games left, Prince George is in 3rd place in the 7-team league with the top four to advance to the playoffs.

The BCFC standings: Okanagan 7-0, Westshore 6-1, Prince George 4-3, Langley 2-4,
Vancouver Island 2-4, Valley 2-4 and Kamloops 0-7.

The Kodiaks schedule and results can be found here.

More info on the BCFC can be found here.

MLB: 

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150 Mile House Volunteer Fire Department supported BC Wildfire Service crews in responding to a small wild land fire.

The incident happened in the noon hour yesterday (Thursday) at the Big Meadow Forest Service Road south of 150 Mile which was immediately adjacent to the Fire Department’s response area.

Upon arrival of a BC Wildfire Service response officer it was determined that there was no further requirement and the 150 Mile House Volunteer Fire Department supported extinguishment efforts.

BC Wildfire Service often collaborates response efforts with local fire departments to ensure the best and most efficient use of available resources.

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The Evacuation Alert for the Bosk Lake Fire Area 120 kilometres east of Williams Lake has been lifted as of today (September 11).

The Cariboo Regional District Emergency Operations Centre issued the Alert back on September third.

It was for five parcels and five structures in the Bosk Lake Fire Area covering 6,301 hectares.

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The Cowichan Valley School District has decided to weigh in on the BC Transit Strike citing the effects it’s having on students and families.  

According to a staff report, public transit is critical in supporting education across the valley, and the impact of the strike has been severely affecting students facing financial and logistical challenges. 

The report says while the effect of a lack of transit is impacting many across the region, it’s having a severe impact on students enrolled in three programs being offered, including Cowichan Valley Open Learning Centre, Distributed Learning Program, and International Education program.  

Staff say most of the programs have suffered with lack of enrollment because students are having to find alternate modes of transportation and leading to finding another educational option because of the lack of transit. 

Recommendations were made to the board that the district write a letter to the Minister of Labour encouraging their support in obtaining a solution to end the strike. 

In an effort to help end the months-long strike, the provincial government has appointed mediator Vince Ready to meet with the two sides and submit a report. 

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After a two-month-long investigation by the RCMP, 19 people are facing drug trafficking charges in Quesnel.

Quesnel Staff Sergeant Richard Weseen says the Quesnel Crime Reduction Unit’s investigation focused on reducing the toxic drug supply in the community, while holding the drug traffickers responsible “for preying on the vulnerable for their own financial gain” in Quesnel’s downtown core.

Through June and July of 2025, the RCMP was able to purchase illicit drugs from nineteen alleged drug traffickers successfully.

The Crime Reduction Unit also executed search warrants on four properties associated with the drug trade in Quesnel. One property on Lewis Drive, one on West Fraser Road, another on Red Stone Road, and the final one in the 900 block of Front Street.

“Over the course of the investigation, police seized 564 grams of cocaine, 304 grams of fentanyl, 63 grams of methamphetamine, 34 grams of crack cocaine, over 1000 prescription pills, $9815, and seven firearms,” says Weseen.

“The Quesnel Crime Reduction Unit remains committed to reducing community harm through proactive enforcement. By reducing the toxic drug supply and disrupting criminal enterprises, this project is just one example of the Quesnel detachment taking action to prevent overdoses and deaths.”

Police say the investigation is in its disclosure phase, and the charges are pending the approval of the BC Prosecution Service.

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Police in Prince George are requesting the public stay clear of a cordoned off area near the intersection of Victoria Street and Patricia Boulevard due to an active investigation.

Earlier today (Thursday), the Problem Oriented Policing Team had effected an arrest on a suspect for an unrelated investigation and, while searching their belongings incidental to the arrest, officers located an explosive device in the person’s backpack.

For the safety reasons, investigators cordoned off a perimeter at the location and will remain on scene until the Explosive Disposal Unit can attend to the device.

“We want the public to be aware that this event is unrelated to the bomb threats that were delivered to several facilities in Prince George yesterday evening. We ask that they stay away from the area to give police officers room to work safely. Please choose alternate routes when traveling through the area,” stated Corporal Jennifer Cooper, Media Relations Officer for the Prince George RCMP.

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A rally against the spray of herbicide was out front of the Prince George Ministry of Forest office earlier today (Thursday).

The rally, which was in an effort to hold the BC NDP accountable to phasing out herbicides out of forestry, was also a way to educate and bring awareness to reforestation laws in the Province.

James Steidle who organized the rally said they want to see the herbicide spray banned to support wildlife and habitats.

“The consequences are very clear.”

“Sometimes you’ll get surviving aspen and willow directly after the spraying, but when you fast forward 10 or 20 years, those trees start to die out, or the pine trees start to take over everything and you get 100 per cent pine plantation with no diversity, and no food in there for moose, and your berries are gone.”

Steidle mentioned Quebec has banned the use of herbicides in forestry, which he said hasn’t been an end of the world scenario, and has been more or less the same.

Rally participant Floyd Joseph said the spraying also has a trickle effect beyond forestry.

“For them to spray it, people around here don’t understand that when you spray it, it’s all sprayed into the berries, and then it runs down into the watershed, which the fish gets it, and then the elk get it, the moose get it, the bears, all the animals get it.”

Joseph added he joined the rally to hopefully help protect people from picking those berries and harvesting the animals affected by the spraying.

The two hour rally began at noon, with around 30 people in attendance.

More information can be found on Stop the Spray B.C.’s Facebook page or website.

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A man accused of pointing a gun at a woman in a home in the Fairview neighbourhood south of Castlegar has been arrested.

RCMP say they were called Wednesday to the home in the 500 block of 201st Avenue after the victim and a witness fled. They arrested a man who was known to them and was under court conditions not to have firearms.

Sgt. Monty Taylor said in a news release that to ensure public safety, they closed the road. They phoned the man and he left the home and was arrested without incident.

Police obtained a search warrant for the home and located a loaded gun, ammunition, meth, fentanyl, cocaine, and cash.

Laurence Darren Charles McKay, 44, has been charged with two counts of failing to comply with a release order and one count of possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose.

He has made an initial court appearance and remains in custody pending his next court date on Monday. RCMP said they continue to investigate with an eye to recommending more charges to Crown counsel.

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A planned power outage for a large chunk of Powell River will leave the city and some surrounding communities in the dark for several hours Sunday.

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A new leadership group will work to secure investment in ship recycling in the Alberni Valley. NDP MP Gord Johns (Courtenay–Alberni) and Josie Osborne, MLA for Mid Island–Pacific Rim announced the group last week.  

It will bring together First Nation chiefs, Port Alberni’s mayor Sharie Minions, industry leaders and other regional economic and environmental organizations including BC Ferries and Canadian Maritime Engineering. 

“The Alberni Valley is uniquely positioned to attract the infrastructure and business investment needed for ship recycling and dry dock facilities,” said Johns. “With federal nation-building investments on the horizon, increased defence spending and growing demand for world-class vessel recycling, the timing could not be more critical.” 

According to a news release from Johns’ constituency office, there are more than 900 vessels at the end of their service life waiting to be recycled in B.C, including 14 ferries. There are 90 ships that are heavier than 500 tons and the news release says the growing backlog needing recycling poses a significant environmental risk. 

Johns says he has tabled a motion in Parliament calling for the adoption of ship recycling regulations and guidelines equivalent to the European Union Ship Recycling Regulation.  

“Clear and enforceable standards will be crucial in building social licence for ship recycling on a significant scale,” Johns said. “Communities must know this work will meet the highest environmental and safety standards.” 

The group is facilitated by Brodie Guy, CEO of the Island Coastal Economic Trust. 

“We’re at a pivotal moment,” he said. “Ship recycling represents an opportunity to create lasting economic benefits for coastal communities while ensuring the highest standards of environmental protection and Indigenous stewardship. By working together across governments, industry and communities, we can build a globally respected centre of excellence here in the Alberni Valley.” 

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It was as though the Cariboo KIJHL teams’ rivalry didn’t lose a single hit during the off-season.

The preseason match-up between the Quesnel River Rush and Williams Lake Mustangs on Wednesday, September 10, was a physical one. Between the two teams, there were over 60 hits recorded, with 11 penalties, and the River Rush’s Toren Fron leading the charts in both the hits and penalty minutes categories. It’s like Cariboo KIJHL hockey never left. The game drew in a crowd of 359 to the West Fraser Centre in Quesnel.

The game went down to the wire, with Quesnel winning 5 – 4 in a shootout.

The River Rush opened the scoring with two goals within the opening three minutes. Quesnel’s first goal came from Max Kinnee, assisted by Simon Hamilton and Gavyn Schaufele, on the first power play of the game. Toren Fron scored the Rush’s second goal during the second time the Mustangs were short-handed in the opening period. Jacob McBurnie and Gage Parrell assisted Fron on the second goal.

The Rush controlled most of the first period of the game, but the Mustangs took a big step forward in the second. The Mustangs took over and punched back at Quesnel, scoring the sole goal of the second period, from Brendan Roberts, off assists from Chaz Lucas and Alberto Kellgren. Though the River Rush still outshot the Mustangs during the second period.

Colby Challan for the Rush extended their lead with an unassisted goal while the Rush were short-handed early in the third period. Williams Lake then scored three back-to-back-to-back goals. Chaz Lucas and Sam Bogle both scored off power plays. Then Tate Rigel scored just before the halfway point in the third.

The River Rush put their new big defenseman to the test after the Mustang’s third unanswered goal. The Rush slowed their pace down and took the openings as they could before putting pressure back on in the last quarter of the game. The rush’s number 12, Teigen Kelley, nearly scored on a pseudo-breakaway, which left the home crowd and Kelley himself a bit frustrated. It was Max Kinnee, the goal-scoring starter, who managed to tie the game in the last 40 seconds, to send it to overtime.

A rather uneventful overtime ensued, with neither team registering a single shot on goal, forcing the shootout. Kelley got his redemption as the Rush’s final selected shooter, scoring the game-winner.

Overall, both teams played well. The game was physical as it always seems to be when the Cariboo teams face each other. Both teams skated well for an opening game, and with only 11 penalties recorded, the game’s flow wasn’t bogged down as badly as games in the past. The organizations will have a tough time finalizing their teams’ rosters.

What stood out on both teams the most was goaltending. Quesnel’s Kaleb Miller, from Prince George, and Williams Lake’s Nathen Wilson faced 33 and 32 shots on goal, respectively, and each saved 28 during regulation time.

The next preseason games will take place over the weekend. Williams Lake is on the road to face the 100 Mile House Wranglers on Saturday, September 13, at the South Cariboo Rec Center.

Quesnel had to change their preseason game against the Merritt Centennials tonight due to bus trouble. The Rush will host the Wranglers on Sunday, September 14, at home. The Rush will face the Wranglers again, but on the road in 100 Mile House on Tuesday, September 16.

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The Cowichan District Hospital Foundation has raised another quarter of a million dollars towards their fundraising goal during a sold-out golf tournament.  

The event was held at Cowichan Golf Course and featured a hole-in-one contest where one participant walked away with 10 per cent of the winnings.  

Marketing director for Cowichan District Hospital Foundation Deborah Rogers says it came as a shock to learn that someone had made a hole-in-one, but it was a win-win scenario.  

“Part-way through the day, we got a notification that someone had made the hole-in-one, and we had a cash prize of $50,000,” she says. “Forty per cent of the prize went to the foundation, and the other 10 per cent went to the winner. 

“The gentleman who won the hole-in-one was actually one of the architects of the new hospital.” 

According to Rogers, since the matching campaign began, they’ve been able to raise just over $15 million, and she says with the help of Jim Pattison, the CDHF only needs to raise another $2.5 million.  

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Nelson residents are being asked to help guide the development of a new Liquid Waste Management Plan (LWMP), including where a new treatment plant could go.

The city has launched the first phase of public engagement for its LWMP, which the city described in a press release as a document that guides infrastructure, policies and programs for handling wastewater.

An online survey will be open until Oct. 31, inviting resident feedback on possible treatment plant locations.

Information collected will help shape decisions, including:

• where the treatment facility should be built

• what level of treatment should be targeted

• whether reclaimed water is worth exploring

• what matters most to residents and businesses

Nelson’s current wastewater treatment plan has been in place for more than 50 years, but the city said aging infrastructure and new regulatory standards require a major reinvestment.

“This process is about more than pipes and pumps,” said Colin Innes, director of engineering, capital works and special projects with the city.

“It’s about clean water, a healthy Kootenay River, long-term affordability, and how we protect public spaces, ecosystems and future growth.”

Proposed locations

The city identified six potential sites for the new facility, four of which were long-listed and two shortlisted. Each was evaluated for environmental risk, cost, compatibility with infrastructure and community impact.

The long-listed sites are:

• Railtown (former Canadian Pacific Railway lands)

• former Kootenay Forest Products site

• Canadian Pacific Kansas City Railway lands

• airport lands

The shortlisted sites are the current location at Grohman Narrows and the former landfill site at 70 Lakeside Dr.

Residents are invited to review the pros and cons of the long-listed sites and compare them with the two shortlisted locations.

Considerations included whether the site is on city-owned property, its proximity to housing and whether it is above the flood plain.

The survey is available here.

Paper copies are also available at city hall and the Nelson Public Library.

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A new expansion of recovery services is planned for North Cowichan to help families impacted by addiction in the region. 

Together We Can (TWC) will have tentative support available, starting Oct. 1, and director of planning and development Susan Hogarth says the expansion has been a long time coming, and is so far being well received by members of the community.  

“Expanding into North Cowichan has been a two-year journey of planning, collaboration, and listening to community needs,” she says. “The initiative, developed in collaboration with the Municipality of North Cowichan and CleanupV9L, will help the community by providing focused bed-based recovery services.” 

The initiative has sparked a lot of interest in the Cowichan Valley, and along with local partners (like CleanupV9L) they’re able to identify what steps to take to help identify what challenges communities need to overcome to battle addictions.  

Spokesperson for CleanupV9L Travis Berthiaume says partnerships are essential to developing a localized plan, not only for bed allocation, but also for funding to keep programs like this alive. 

“Through our local CleanupV9L network, we were able to help identify the right location and provide the necessary seed funding to make this program a reality,” he says. “We look forward to continuing our shared commitment to strengthen the health and resilience of our community.”  

North Cowichan mayor Rob Douglas says he stands by supporting any program that helps families battle addictions and offers vital services to those in need.  

“The Cowichan Valley is in urgent need of additional treatment and recovery beds to support individuals battling addictions,” he says. “We’re proud to work with Together We Can as they establish a new facility in our community. 

“As a municipality, we remain committed to advocating for sustained funding from senior levels of government and Island Health.” 

MLA for the Cowichan Valley Debra Toporowski made her comments on the partnership by saying the work and collaboration put into making this centre a reality goes a long way to illustrating the government’s commitment to care.  

“I commend Together We Can for expanding their services to North Cowichan,” she says. “People living with substance abuse challenges in the region can access care closer to home, and we’re fortunate to have TWC in our community doing this.” 

TWC is a leading recovery-based provider across the country and operates over 200 recovery beds and 250 sober living spaces designed to empower individuals in their recovery. 

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Prince George and Vanderhoof RCMP were busy shortly before 6:00 p.m. yesterday (Wednesday), investigating multiple bomb threats to facilities in each community.

The first call was received at the University Hospital of Northern B.C., with two others being made to assisted living facilities in Prince George and one Vanderhoof.

Corporal Jennifer Cooper said officers conducted full investigations throughout the buildings.

“Relevant protocols were enacted at the three locations while we conducted searches. In conjunctions with other investigational factors, we have determined that the bomb threats were both false and related to one another.”

Back on August 21st of this year, the Prince George Courthouse also received a bomb threat, which Cooper said is a concern, as drain on resources.

It’s believed there are no ongoing threats to public safety, and the investigation remains ongoing.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Prince George RCMP at 250-561-3300.

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BC Highway patrol says a Qualicum beach man could have kept his brand-new Porche out of the impound lot if he had shown a bit of restraint.

RCMP stopped the man driving on the Island Highway in Nanoose Bay on Sept. 3, going 144 km/h as it passed two speeding motorcycles.

“Had this driver showed a little restraint, it might have been the motorcycles that were ticketed and impounded,” says Corporal Michael McLaughlin with BC Highway Patrol. “Instead, this driver raced straight into the hassle and lost opportunity of watching his expensive car get impounded for seven days. Whatever his reason for buying that car, it probably wasn’t to watch it sit an impound lot while he takes Uber.”

Police say the driver will face up to $2,500 in penalties when considering the tow, impound, fines and high-risk driver premiums for at least the next three years.

“Speeding is consistently one of the top three causes of fatal collisions in B.C. and is one of BC Highway Patrol’s top enforcement priorities,” reads a news release from RCMP.

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The South Quadra Island Fire Protection service has announced it’s moving forward with a $2.9 million replacement project of fire hall #2 located in Heriot Bay, after receiving provincial approval.

The service received landowner approval for a construction borrowing bylaw through an alternative approval process (AAP) in March.

According to the Quadra Island fire department, the new and improved fire hall will be modelled after other successful designs from across Vancouver Island, meeting modern safety and building standards.

“We’ve secured all the funding and we’re hoping to start construction in March,” says Quadra Island fire chief Sharon Clandening, stating “[the fire hall] is going to make a huge difference to the community, especially in Heriot Bay… the station its replacing has no running water and no septic.”

In a post on social media, the department states it has been approved to issue official tax receipts for donations it receives — making donations tax-deductible and reducing the tax burden for property owners.

“We just recently got designated to have charitable donation status,” says Clandening. “This means we can give tax receipts out to people who give us money, which is exciting because we could never do that in the past.”

The service says the new fire hall will serve the community for 50+ years and construction is aimed to be finished by 2027.

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The Columbia Valley Airport Society has wrapped up another successful open house and fly-in event showcasing the airport’s importance last Saturday, Sept. 6.

“The open house and fly-in event has quickly grown to be one not to be missed in the Columbia Valley,” said Columbia Valley Airport Society President Pascal van Dijk.

The society views the event as an opportunity to educate the public about the airport and its importance in supporting medical flights and fighting local wildfires.

“We’re a volunteer-run operation and run the airport in Fairmont Hot Springs. We get medivacs in, search and rescue and we’re a base for firefighting when it gets busy in the summer,” said society member AnnMarie Deagnon.

“We have about 13 plus volunteers who run the airport.”

The yearly event features raffles, family activities, merchandise and silent auctions with proceeds going to the society.

There was an added bonus this year with pilot Neil Harris performing aerobatic displays.

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Local riders made the podium in the 2025 Canadian Wakesurf and Foiling Nationals at Lake Koocanusa.

“We were excited to welcome over 70 riders from as far west as Vancouver Island and as far east as Ontario competing over two days,” said event organizer, Loree Duczek.

“New this year was the addition of a foiling division, and with bigger divisions and more athletes taking part, it is so good to see this event continuing to grow.”

In the Junior Boys division, Cranbrook’s Boston Rousselle earned the bronze medal.

While, siblings Edward and Amaya Anderson of Golden both reached the podium in their events.

Edward won gold in Amateur Male Skim, while Amaya took silver.

Baynes Lake’s Jason Williamson took silver in the Master’s Male Skim division and Fernie’s Olivia Sombrowski came home with bronze in the Female Outlaw Skim.

One of the world’s most decorated riders, in Fernie’s Caroline Villeneuve won bronze in the Pro Women’s Skim Division.

And Cranbrook brothers Dagen and Ryder Duczek took home gold and silver respectively in the Pro Men’s Canadian Championship.

“One of the special things about this event is the way it brings families and the surf community together,” said Duczek.

“It was so good to see so many families taking part together. From siblings in the same division, to siblings in different divisions and entire families competing, it speaks to the family nature of this sport.”

This event capped off the 2025 Canadian competitive season.

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Construction is set to begin for the F.W. Green home expansion in Cranbrook that will add an additional 88 long-term care beds.

The Ktunaxa Nation conducted a tobacco blessing before the ground breaking this morning.

Lower Kootenay Band Chief Jason Louie said the ceremony is about giving back to the land

“It was fitting that we offer a prayer to the land and I did share a story with the audience about how we can not keep talking from the land without giving back,” he said.

“Since time in memorial, everything we have done as Ktunaxa people, whether it was harvesting and animal, roots or berries, we give back through tobacco.”

East Kootenay Hospital District chair David Wilks said it’s great to see the project reach this point after years of fighting for it.

“It’s been a long time coming. It’s been well over 10 years since this process started, working with various ministers of health and we’ve got it across the finish line. It will be a great benefit to the entire region,” he said.

“I’m really looking forward to seeing it start to develop here. The hardest part was convincing Interior Health that it could be done. I remember talking to the senior leadership at IH and they said there’s no way you’ll get this and I said you watch me.”

There had been talk about having multiple smaller facilities spread around the East Kootenay instead of one large facility, but ultimately the F.W. Green Home expansion was chosen.

Interim Interior Health CEO Sylvia Weir said the larger facility has its benefits, including staffing.

“This provides local access to care but it also provides the benefit that a larger facility can have and that is interactions between the residents but also critical staffing,” she said.

“We need to attract staffing and this is a community we can attract staff to.”

The four-story complex has a total project price tag of $232 million and will have 150 beds.

Phase 1 is expected to be done in 2027, allowing all existing residents to relocate to the new facility. After that, Phase 2 is expected to accept new residents in 2029.

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Cranbrook city council has approved $15,000 to go towards a prescribed burn adjacent to the Canadian Rockies International Airport.

Fire Chief Scott Driver said it will likely take place soon.

“In the next couple of weeks or month there is an opportunity to do a prescribed burn at the airport in partnership with ʔaq̓am.”

He said it should be a relatively simple burn and they will be supported by the BC Wildfire Service.

“There is a lot of ground and surface fuels in the area we are looking to burn along the southwest area of the airport,” Driver added.

“Potentially a night burn so not to disrupt flight services at the airport.”

The burn is being funded through the city’s wildfire mitigation reserve.

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The Regional District of Nanaimo will host an information session ahead of a referendum to borrow money for the purchase of an old school site.  

 The RDN board approved the purchase of the former French Creek School site in April and requires elector approval to borrow up to $824,000. The referendum will be held on Oct. 25 and a drop-in information session on Oct. 1 will give electors in area F a chance to learn more before voting. 

 The information session will be at the Coombs Fairgrounds from 4-7 p.m. There is no presentation planned but anyone who attends will be able to ask questions about the school site acquisition. 

 The French Creek School site is a 3.7-hectare property at 2350 Alberni Highway, currently owned by School District 69. The RDN agreed to purchase it for $1.3 million  

Features of the property include the former French Creek Community School, a gymnasium as well as a field and playground currently utilized as French Creek School Community Park,” reads a news release from the RDN. “If the referendum is approved by eligible electors, future use of the buildings will be determined following public engagement. The field and playground would continue to be utilized as a Community Park for Electoral Area F.” 

The loan, up to 824,000, plus interest, will be repaid in no more than ten years if approved, according to the news release. 

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The seven-day Cops for Cancer Tour de North fundraiser kicks off tomorrow (Friday) in Prince George and Vanderhoof.

The cycling fundraiser is raising money for paediatric cancer research and will wrap up on September 18th in Prince Rupert.

Spokesperson, Alison Fenske told Vista Radio it should be a gruelling but rewarding journey.

“We are riding over 850 kilometres on bicycles. It’s not easy but I am looking forward to the Terrace to Prince Rupert day because it is one the most beautiful stretches of road in British Columbia.”

Fenske added everyone involved is ready to kick off the fundraiser.

“This team, this year is amazing. We have done a ton of rides and a ton of kilometres and we have ridden so many metres of elevation. I don’t think we can be more ready, we are just very excited.”

Fenske, who was part of last year’s Tour de North, which passed through the Peace Region and into the South Cariboo was a great experience and pre–cursor to what lies ahead in 2025.

“We are on these bikes for sometimes eight hours a day and some of the Prince George riders I kind of knew going in. Some of the riders I didn’t know until we got on the bikes together the first day in Dawson Creek. One thing that I wasn’t anticipating was just how close we got, how quickly we got and how much I missed them once we got off the bikes.”

The ride has a little more meaning to it this year after the death of Shane Kelly back in July after being struck by a vehicle during a training ride.

“We talk about him all the time. Everybody has a story about Shane and we have sayings where he used to say all the time, let’s go play bikes.”

“If you were lucky enough to know Shane Kelly, you would know just how amazing of a human being he was. Shane put a lot of heart and soul into everything he did and I feel extremely privileged to be on our team and that I got to call him my friend.”

The Cops for Cancer, Tour de North has raised just shy of $217,000 – well on its way to their fundraising goal of 250-grand.

A media launch event is taking place in Prince George tomorrow morning (Friday) at 9am at Heritage Elementary School on Anderson Road.

A closing media event will be held on the 18th in Prince Rupert at the Crest Hotel on 1st Avenue.

TOUR DATES

Sept 12: Prince George, Vanderhoof

Sept 13: Vanderhoof, Fort St James, Fraser Lake

Sept 14: Fraser Lake, Burns Lake

Sept 15: Burns Lake, Houston, Smithers

Sept 16: Smithers, Witset, New Hazelton

Sept 17 : New Hazeton, Gitwanga, Terrace

Sept 18: Terrace, Prince Rupert

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The Town of Comox is seeking volunteers to help with decision-making for the next edition of the annual Comox Nautical Days Festival.

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Interior Health says a final decision on the long-term plan for laboratory services in Trail won’t be made until early next year.

In the meantime, outpatient laboratory services will continue to be available at the Trail Health Centre, Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., and at LifeLabs at Waneta Plaza, Monday to Friday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Urgent and acute lab services are available at Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital.

In June, Interior Health announced plans to close the downtown lab and move staff to the hospital and LifeLabs, but delayed the move following a public outcry. Trail’s mayor said she was hopeful about finding a resolution.

In a brief statement today, the health authority said it is continuing to talk to community leaders about service options in consultation with the Ministry of Health.

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The Village of Burns Lake is set to see new signage recognizing the Lakes District as an iconic northern B.C. tourism area.

This is being done through the Great Northern Circle Route Signage Program being run by the Northern B.C. Tourism Association.

“The program also involves close collaboration with indigenous communities to ensure they are best acknowledged and included in our signage,” said Economic Development Coordinator Erin Martens.

She added the two signs are being installed to recognize “iconic” landmarks along the circle route with Smithers, Stewart, and Gitanmaax.

The signs have been under construction for the past couple of years and Martens said the village hopes to have them installed before winter comes.

“They will be centrally located along Highway 16 in our RV parking lot,” she said.

One sign will feature indigenous and tourist information on the Lakes District.

The other will have information on the Great Northern Circle Route Signage Program.

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School District 57 gave its three final readings to officially close Giscome Elementary School.

This was during Tuesday night’s public meeting, where Trustees unanimously passed each reading.

Before the final reading, Trustee Shar McCrory said while it isn’t great to close schools, this instance had community support.

“In this case, it was to benefit the students, and I feel that when we were at the public meeting at Giscome School, that we had the support of the community and the parents to make this move with the wellbeing of the students in the focus.”

Trustees made the decision to close the school in late April, after it had been seeing a decline in student enrollment.

During the meeting, Trustees also discussed its Food Infrastructure Program request.

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The St. Mary’s Avenue infrastructure project has been completed in Kimberley, but some new traffic changes are in place.

Portions of St. Mary’s Avenue are now one-way, but traffic can still travel both directions on Spokane Street toward Selkirk High.

Vehicles cannot travel from St. Mary’s Avenue to Spokane Street.

You can turn north onto St. Mary’s Ave, but must turn left or right before reaching Spokane Street.

The upgrade work included underground infrastructure, an updated retaining wall, more parking options and a new sidewalk.

City staff said the changes will take some getting used to and are asking drivers to pay close attention to posted signage.

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The Creston Valley Thunder Cats scored 3 goals in less than 30 seconds last night, as they eased to an 8-2 win over the Nelson Leafs.

Creston took the lead early with Liam Munro finding the net four minutes in. The visitors made it hurt even more, with Grady Clarkson sinking another with six seconds remaining in the first period.

Back on the ice and a fumble by Creston saw Nelson’s Ty Nykyforuk claim their first point of the game, but Thunder Cats’ Keethan Isbister was quick to respond with Creston’s third.

Chase Bambrick capitalized on an empty net in a last minute power play, expanding Creston’s lead 4-1 heading into the final period.

The Leafs saw a glimmer of hope with Parker Toth’s early goal in the third, but that was quickly lost to Creston’s triple within 30 seconds by Chase Bambrick and Holden Parada’s double.

Creston’s Isbister sunk in his second for the game with 5 minutes to go, for a final score of 8-3 for our mid-week match up.

The Leafs are still chasing their first pre-season win, but will have one more opportunity against Creston tomorrow, in Creston.

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A special Open House is taking place today (September 11) at Williams Lake City Hall.

Manager of Economic Development Beth VeenKamp said from 3 pm to 7 pm residents will have the opportunity to come in and meet with members of council and Development Services team to talk about the Draft Official Community Plan (OCP).

Veenkamp said they are looking to hear from as many people as possible because the City wants really good community engagement for this project.

“An Official Community Plan is the largest umbrella guiding document that a municipality will have.

It’s a “blue sky” picture of how we would like to see the community by 2050. It has a lot of elements that seem really big and perhaps hard to achieve but we are looking at it through the lens of a 25-year roll out, so we’re trying to create as much of a vision for our community as possible through this process.”

Veenkamp noted that this is a very important document for the City.

“It’s meant to be A-Political so it’s not necessarily a council strategic plan because this Official Community Plan is going to span several councils. It’s very much the community’s guiding document for the City. The City of Williams Lake has not updated it’s OCP since 2011 and it’s really important that we dig in, do the work, and start dreaming about what the next 25-years are going to look like.”

Veenkamp added that they have a community wide survey that’s available online on the City of Williams Lake website.

“It’s really important to notice that this isn’t just a plan that’s going be for the ten thousand or so residents of Williams Lake. We’re interested if you live in the Cariboo Regional District what your thoughts are as well because of course you use Williams Lake as your community hub. So we’re seeking to have everybody spend a little bit of time, sit down, go through the survey, have a look at the plan and send us in their feedback.”

The new Official Community Plan is streamlined with clear policies, modern housing guides, updated land use designations and zoning that encourages development.

It also includes targets for greenhouse gas reductions and new tools to keep the community safe.

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A new five-year academic plan has been unveiled by UNBC.

The Ready Roadmap: Academic Plan 2025-2031 will reflect the voices of the university community, and underscores the commitment to ensuring exceptional student learning opportunities in our region.

“Students played a vital role in shaping this plan by sharing their experiences, perspectives and ideas, and that’s what makes it so meaningful,” said UNBC graduate and former student-athlete Bella Mesquita, who served on the Academic Plan Advisory and Working Committee.

“It’s a roadmap that puts students at the centre of everything, ensuring their voices are heard and their success is the priority. That kind of commitment makes a real difference in the student experience.”

The academic plan builds on UNBC’s Strategic Plan Ready and emphasizes academic excellence, experiential learning, inclusive growth and the school’s continued leadership across the region and beyond.

It eight key priorities are as follows:

• Driving Strategic Enrolment Growth and Impact
• Empowering Indigenous Voices & Knowledge at UNBC
• Transforming Curriculum and Pioneering Pedagogical Innovation
• Building a Bold and Inclusive Regional Strategy
• Expanding Global Impact through International Strategy
• Optimizing Resource Allocation for Maximum Academic Impact
• Empowering Lifelong Learning and Enhancing the Role of Continuing Studies
• Championing Faculty Excellence and Development

“As UNBC reflects on 35 years of impact, this plan represents the next chapter in the University’s story,” says UNBC President Dr. Geoff Payne.

“UNBC’s future continues to be inspired by the founding principles that launched the institution in 1990: regional relevance, community engagement and academic excellence. I extend my deep gratitude to members of the advisory committee for leading a robust, inclusive process to shape this important roadmap.”

The plan was developed through extensive engagement opportunities on campus and online, with contributions from students, faculty, staff and alumni.

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A Nanaimo RCMP investigation is underway following reports of suspicious activity in the community. 

Police say they’ve been receiving reports of an unknown man in residential neighbourhoods on private property and looking into windows of people’s homes since early August. 

R/Cst. Gary O’Brien said these kinds of incidents can be very unsettling for community members. 

“We want to assure the public that these reports are being taken seriously, and we encourage anyone who observes suspicious activity to contact us right away.”

The prowler reports have come from central and south Nanaimo and have mainly occurred at night, but several have happened in daylight hours. 

Given the concern in the community, investigators are treating the reports as priority incidents and have increased their presence in the affected neighbourhoods. 

RCMP is reminding residents to lock their doors, windows and gates at night, make use of exterior and motion lighting where possible, and review any home security footage and share any relevant findings with investigators. 

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Nanaimo RCMP’s non-emergency line. 

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Prince George Public Library Director Paul Burry says the province needs to do more financially to best support such facilities across the province.

In 2009, provincial funding was cut to 14-million dollars, a decrease of about 20 percent for all 71 library systems in B.C. – an amount that was remained stagnant for the past 17 years.

Burry told MyPGNow.com a popular digital database called Hoopla, which provides access to e-books, audio books, movies and music has seen its costs rises dramatically in a short amount of time.

“When we started using that in 2017, we spent about $12,000 on that and then in 2024, that amount was $34,000. That is over a 180% increase in those seven years.”

During the Union of B.C. Municipalities convention in Victoria this month, delegates will debate a special resolution calling on the province to more than double its core annual funding for libraries to $30 million.

The resolution calls for a dedicated provincial capital fund to help local governments upgrade and expand facilities.

The UBCM conventions from September 22nd to 25th.

Burry noted the one saving grace for their two facilities is the strong relationship they have with the city.

“The City of Prince George not only provides over 90% of our operating funds but in 2021, completed the entrance renovation project on the downtown branch. Right now, we are currently replacing the sky light at our downtown branch.”

“I think there is a good understanding and appreciation for the role library in the community and the municipality is making an investment too make sure we continue to succeed.”

“The library still provides access for free resources in the entire community and to provide a cost-effective way so that everyone has access to the same level of information. Libraries are much more than the buildings and the books and that is something our community understands well,” added Burry.

He noted the province provided $56 million in additional support to libraries since 2020, including a one-time $45-million enhancement grant in two years ago.

Burry said while those were helpful during a time of uncertainty, it didn’t allow for facilities like Prince George to utilize the funding for long-term projects.

“When they are one-time funds, they are great for discreet projects or purchasing new equipment but if you want to plan to increase your services and have ongoing projects then you need more predictability as to what your funding is going to be.”

Other funding streams like the $1-billion Growing Communities Fund has yet to be used by the Prince George Public Library but adds it could be another option down the road.

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Trail’s police chief says the city has a “very mild issue” with open drug use compared to other places in BC, and he believes they have reached the limit of what can be accomplished with enforcement.

RCMP Sgt. Mike Wicentowich made the comments in response to questions this week from city councillor Nick Cashol, a former local police officer himself.

Wicentowich said Trail faces similar issues as other communities, although it is more pronounced than in outlying areas served by his detachment because the city is home to more services for the local homeless population.

He said the opening of a new shelter has greatly reduced open drug use, because people who might have done so before are now housed and have the option of supervised use at the shelter.

“Trail has a very mild issue compared to most communities if you do any type of travelling,” he said. “It’s still an issue, however we don’t have the same level of violence or the same density as a lot of other cities.”

Cashol disagreed. “I think we’re facing a new normal: active, persistent, daily drug use that I’ve seen,” he said, asking how council could help press for increased enforcement.

Wicentowich, however, maintained that Trail is better off than larger centres with much worse problems and that increased enforcement probably isn’t the answer.

“I don’t think we can do more enforcement than we already are,” he said. “We have exhausted the capacity of the law to deal with this issue. We’ve hit a hard wall with the effectiveness of the tools we have now.

“I’ve seen much worse. I’ve seen much more violence. We’re not in the Okanagan or Lower Mainland where drug dealers are killing each other and bodies are showing up.”

Under legislation adopted in BC in 2023, possession of 2.5 grams or less of certain drugs has been decriminalized. Wicentowich says as a result, if police are called to deal with someone using drugs in a public place — who is not otherwise commiting a crime — their approach is to offer referrals to services or treatment. If someone refuses, they can ask be asked to leave. People nearly always comply, he said.

If someone is intoxicated beyond the ability to care for themselves, they will be jailed until sober. However, often when police are called, it’s because someone has passed out. Police deliver Narcan and follow up with paramedics before leaving the scene.

Prior to decriminalization, police routinely seized small amounts of drugs found on a person, but now they have to return those drugs unless there is some other reason not to, Wicentowich said.

“Simply arresting people in the park for using drugs is not the first step,” he said. “It’s not supported by legislation. We’re not going to arrest our way out of this issue. It’s a social issue.”

Wicentowich said more housing and a dedicated safe use site would not stop drug use, but would make it less visible. Another advantage to a supervised site is that it wouldn’t require emergency responders to attend multiple times per day.

“We have to consider a nuanced response,” Wicentowich said. “The government has decided a hammer is not being used on the drug population anymore. It’s more of a scalpel. We’re trying to follow suit. It’s been very challenging.”

Although some provisions in the decriminalization legislation have already been rolled back, Wicentowich said he expects that when the matter comes up for renewal in 2026, there may be further modifications, but he doesn’t expect it to be dropped entirely.

While he said treatment beds can help, they are not a perfect solution either. He cited the example of one local offender who “absconded” from a drug treatment program.

Wicentowich also said he is hopeful the impending addition of a two-officer crime reduction unit in Trail will make a “significant difference” in keeping prolific offenders in check.

“I think there’s more to worry about than homeless people using drugs,” he said. “If we’re going to focus all our resources on that, I don’t think it’s very effective.”

Wicentowich added that homeless people often take the brunt of public concern, but drug use isn’t limited to those on the street, and dealers aren’t necessarily homeless.

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Trail Regional Airport staff will seek a permit to cut down a line of dead Dutch elm trees along Highway 22.

City council heard this week that the big storm on July 31 knocked down four of the trees and damaged sections of the fencing that prevents wildlife from getting onto the runway.

Airport manager Enrico Moehrle raised the issue of the trees a few months ago, noting the hazard that broken limbs posed to the fence.

He said an airport crew quickly removed the downed trees and put in temporary fencing. They have since done a “proper patch and repair” of the fence line, using materials left over from when the fence was originally built.

Moehrle said many similar trees are still standing, but he fears it’s just a matter of time before they suffer the same fate.

He brought the matter up with the province, but was told it isn’t their responsibility, even though the trees are on the government right-of-way, because they didn’t plant them — but no one is sure who did.

The province suspects the trees may have been planted by Cominco, the City of Trail, or the District of Tadanac, which was once involved in the airport’s operation. However, so long as the trees pose no hazard to the highway, the province won’t do anything about them, Moehrle said.

He’s now looking into getting a permit to have them removed, and paying for it out of the airport budget. “It’s our only potential move going forward to prevent further damage,” he said.

While they could move the fence, Moehrle said that would be even more costly. He believes it’s more practical to remove the trees. He received a preliminary estimate of $25,000 to $28,000 to get rid all 20 trees, but now that four are gone, he expects the price might come down a bit.

Passenger numbers up

The number of people flying in and out of the Trail airport was up this summer over last.

Moehrle reported that July saw 2,035 passengers, an increase of 332 over the same month in 2024. There were five flight cancellations, of which three were due to planned maintenance by Pacific Coastal airlines, and two were weather-related.

In August, there were 1,928 passengers, up 268 from a year earlier. There were also five cancellations, of which two were planned, one was weather-related, and two were caused by delays attributed to air traffic control on Vancouver, which had a “massive shortage of personnel” that day.

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There have been a few new wildfires started in the East Kootenay this afternoon, Sept. 10.

The first, just west of Jim Smith Lake, has an Initial Attack Crew responding and a helicopter bucketing. This is marked as currently being held.

The second is off East Kootenay Road #3 north of Fairmont. An Initial Attack team is on route, and aviation support has been assigned, so residents may see activity in the area. This is marked as currently being held.

The final fire, approximately 10 km west of Hosmer is being followed up by the BC Wildfire Service. Still marked as out of control.

There are no significant changes to report on the Silver Basin Wildfire in the Bugaboo area.  The Evacuation Alert and Area Restriction remain in effect.

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Sports by Hartley Thursday, September 11th, 2025  (As of 12:05 a.m.)

WHL:

The Prince George Cougars face off against the Blazers in their final two pre-season games.

The two teams battle Friday night at 7:00 in Kamloops and Saturday night at 5:00 in Quesnel.

The regular season for the Cougars will begin on Friday, September 19th when they host the Portland Winterhawks in the first of a doubleheader at CN Centre.

The PG Cougars regular season schedule is here.

BCHL:

The Prince George Spruce Kings hit the road for their final two pre-season games; Friday night at 7:15 in Langley and Saturday night at 6:00 in Chilliwack.

The regular season opener for the Spruce Kings will be played on September 19th at Chilliwack with their home opener on Friday, September 26th against Surrey.

The Spruce Kings regular season schedule is here.

Canada West Soccer:

The UNBC Timberwolves resume action Friday night in Canada West Soccer with home games at Masich Place Stadium.

The (0-6) UNBC women entertain the (1-2-1) UBC Okanagan Heat at 5:30 while the
(3-2-1) UNBC host the (0-3-1) Saskatchewan Huskies at 8:00.

More on the Timberwolves can be found here.

The Canada West women’s soccer schedule is here.

The Canada West men’s soccer schedule is here.

The Canada West women’s soccer standings are here.

The Canada West men’s soccer standings are here.

The (4-3) Prince George Kodiaks host the (2-4) Valley Huskers Saturday night at 6:00 at Masich Place Stadium.

The Kodiaks, with just three regular season games left, are in 3rd place in the 7-team BC Football Conference with the top four to advance to the playoffs.

The BCFC standings: Okanagan 7-0, Westshore 6-1, Prince George 4-3, Langley 2-4,
Vancouver Island 2-4, Valley 2-4 and Kamloops 0-7.

The Kodiaks schedule and results can be found here.

More info on the BCFC can be found here.

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Effective immediately, emergency water restrictions are being implemented in the Balfour Water System due to a lake pump controls issue preventing delivery of water to the treatment plant.

The RDCK is asking users to limit water use to essential use only (i.e. drinking water, food preparation, no irrigation, minimal laundry/sanitary).

The RDCK appreciates your cooperation in adhering to the water restrictions, and will notify users once regular water use can resume.

For more information, please visit our website at www.rdck.ca/water, or contact the RDCK at (250) 352-8161 or 1-800-268-7325 ext. 8161.

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Hunting season is on the way, and the Prince George RCMP is reminding those traveling with non-restricted firearms on how to prevent the loss of property.

“During the hunting season, Prince George sees many hunters and firearm enthusiasts travelling through the city,” said Cst. Jenna Moore.

“We would like to encourage the public to be mindful of safe storage and transportation of firearms, whether they are making a quick stop or staying overnight.”

While transporting firearms:

• Ensure that your firearm is transported out of sight, either in a locked trunk or lockable compartment.
• If the vehicle does not have a locking trunk or compartment, you must make sure they are out of sight inside the locked vehicle. For example, under the back seat or covered with a blanket.
• Non-restricted firearms must be unloaded during transportation.

Storing them:

• You should not store your firearms in your vehicle overnight.
• Instead, bring your firearms into your hotel or temporary residence with you and place them out of sight and store them unloaded.
• Attach a secure locking device, such as a trigger lock or cable lock, remove the bolt so that the firearm cannot be fired or lock the firearms in a container that is difficult to break into.
• You must also store the ammunition separately from the firearm or in the same locked container as the firearm, if you are traveling with a locking gun case.

Mounties are also recommending removing decals that advertise you own or like guns could also make it more likely you will become a target of theft.

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Fernie City council has approved a loan authorization bylaw to fund the new firehall.

The highly contentious firehall saga is coming to a close after months of discussions and heated feedback from the public.

The main point of concern has been the location, which will be on a portion of Prentice Park.

Mayor Nic Milligan says these are the tough decisions council has been elected to oversee and people’s concerns were taken into account.

“We can potentially build a fire hall for $3.6 million and we were elected to show leadership and popular or unpopular sometimes it feels like the real leadership decisions are unpopular,” he said.

“Hearing people’s voices does not necessarily mean agreeing with what they are proposing. It doesn’t mean we haven’t heard them or haven’t listened. We have listened and I’ve lost a lot of sleep over this.”

Councillor Ted Shoesmith wasn’t in favour of the project as it stands but says he was tempted to vote in favour due to the vitriol directed towards council.

“I’ve got people telling me friends off if you vote this way or that way or we’re going to turn you down in the store if you vote this way or that way. It’s an immense amount of pressure, judgement and scorn being leveled at me and I’m not really happy with any of that,” he said.

“In fact when people try to pressure me in that manner it makes me want to vote against them just to spite them.”

Milligan, councillors Troy Nixon, Kevin McIssac and Kyle Hamilton voted in favour, while councillor Shoesmith and Harsh Ramadass voted against.

Councillor Tracy Audia Kelly abstained.

The total project cost is expected to be $15,901,750.

The city is hopeful they’ll be successful in getting a Canada Community Building Fund grant worth $7 million.

If they get the grant the city would only have to borrow 3.5 million, but the approved loan bylaw is for $12 million as a back up.

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Concerns about the proposed $500-million Hallō development at Granite Point Golf Course pushed Nelson city council to amend its new Official Community Plan (OCP).

The plan was officially adopted Tuesday after a lengthy debate and a public hearing held before the Sept. 9 regular council meeting.

At the hearing, several residents urged council to change section 4.9 of the draft plan, which outlined possible redevelopment of the golf course site.

Nearly 100 letters submitted in advance also asked the city to block the project.

In 2024, Vancouver-based developer Hallō Properties announced plans for a $500-million residential community at the golf course, prompting widespread criticism.

Residents told council Tuesday they worried the project would alter Nelson’s character and affect housing costs.

In response, councillors discussed amending section 4.9 – particularly its wording around a proposed community hub in Rosemont.

“I’d like to change the language of 4.9’s opening paragraph which suggests the intent,” said Councillor Rik Logtenberg.

Logtenberg felt residents had “latched on” to the term commercial hub to oppose the Halo proposal, but he believed they were not against smaller-scale businesses in the neighbourhood.

“Based on what I heard tonight and in the past, it seems to me what the city is imagining for the Rosemont neighbourhood is something that works to the benefit of the Rosemont neighbourhood. I don’t think the community has a problem with an uphill-style market in Rosemont,” he said.

“I think the problem isn’t the commercial hub, it’s the Hallō development. But with a slight amendment to the language, this stresses that we’re doing this for the benefit of the Rosemont neighbourhood.”

City chief administrative officer Kevin Cormack added that the developer does not have zoning approval for the project it has advertised.

“This developer does not have zoning to do anything, there’s no development application, they do not have zoning other than the first units, which have already been approved and can’t be revised,” Cormack said.

“There’s no way for that developer to move forward with some of these plans they have. And when you read the OCP, some of the visions this developer has don’t fit with the OCP.”

Cormack said the draft plan, even before the amendment to section 4.9, did not support the developer’s vision, including policies around seniors housing, affordable housing and integration with the downtown core.

He added that the land has not been rezoned to permit large-scale development.

“There’s no risk of some large development that this particular developer has communicated out there. It doesn’t fit right now and he has no zoning.”

After hours of discussion, council adopted the plan with an amendment to section 4.9.

The paragraph previously read: “Encourage the long-term viability of the golf course by encouraging compatible redevelopment of the site in efforts to encourage a golf-oriented community that is highly integrated into the city.”

It was replaced with: “To support the long-term vitality of the Rosemont neighbourhood by encouraging redevelopment of all the Granite Point redevelopment land-use designation to foster a healthy and diverse community.”

The adopted plan will guide city planning over the next decade.

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Duncan City Council is signalling a green light to make way for a temporary winter shelter in the community.

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Between August 30 and September 8, a car dealership on McLean Street in Quesnel reported several of their vehicles and their building had been damaged by projectiles.

Police said the business sustained several thousands of dollars of damage.

“On September 8, Quesnel RCMP arrested Kyle Webb, a 35 year old Quesnel resident,” North District Corporal Madonna Saunderson said, “Webb has been charged with three counts of Mischief under $5000 in relation to vandalism that occurred on August 30.”

Webb’s next court appearance is set for September 16 in Quesnel.

“These types of acts of vandalism are senseless and leave businesses with significant financial loss.” Staff Sargeant Richard Wessen stated in a release, “The Quesnel RCMP will be assisting the business with avenues to seek restitution.”

Police are continuing their investigation and ask anyone with information relating to this event to call Quesnel RCMP.

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A 25-year-old woman is being sought by local Mounties.

Courtney Patricia Alderman is wanted on three endorsed warrants for the following:

• Theft under $5000 (three counts)
• Breach of undertaking (two counts)

She is described as:

• Caucasian female
• 5’5 (165 cm)
• 139 lb (63 kg)
• Brown hair
• Brown eyes

If you have any information about Alderman’s whereabouts, you are asked to contact the Prince George RCMP or Crime Stoppers.

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Salmo residents will go to the polls on Saturday, Nov. 8 to elect a new village councillor.

The nomination period opens on Sept. 23 and closes at 4 p.m. on Oct. 3. Advanced polling is tentatively scheduled for Oct. 29 at the village office while general voting will be held at the Salmo Valley Youth and Community Centre.

The byelection is being held following the resignation of councillor Melanie Cox in May. It will be the second byelection in the village this term. In January 2023, Todd Wallace stepped down for health reasons. Jonathan Heatlie won a three-way race to replace him.

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School District 57 held its first public meeting of the school year yesterday (Tuesday).

Its Food Infrastructure Program request was approved by the Ministry of Infrastructure, that would help create, improve, or expand infrastructure to feed students.

Superintendent Jameel Aziz said the program is commonly used in the School District.

“We have students at every single school who partake in breakfast and lunch every single day, some schools more so than others.”

“I know in the June meeting, some information was shared, and I believe it was in the neighbourhood of 600,000 or 700,000 meals that were served through the year to students in our School District.”

The program itself has also been growing year-over-year.

Included in the project requests were:

• Refrigerated vehicles to support the delivery of prepared meals from centralized kitchen
  facilities to schools.
• The purchase and installation of new or used kitchen equipment (e.g. refrigerators,
  freezers, dishwashers, stoves, ovens, etc.)
• Electrical, plumbing and ventilation upgrades to accommodate the installation of
  commercial kitchen equipment.
• Improvements to ensure kitchens meet local health authority requirements.
• Equipment and infrastructure to support traditional food gathering and preparation (e.g.
  fishing equipment, smokehouses, non-fur trapping equipment).
• Food storage (refrigerated or dry storage).

Aziz said this will allow them to provide more fresh food to students, helping them move away from prepared foods so students can get better overall health and nutrition.

In its submission summary, five schools were part of the request including Nusdeh Yoh Elementary, Quinson Elementary, McBride Secondary, Buckhorn Elementary, and Vanway Elementary.

The project covers the supply and install of appliances, ventilation and cabinets for kitchen, and Indigenous Cultural and Educational Material & Supplies Land Based Learning, totalling $102,000.

Costs would fall under the Province, though Aziz noted that any deficiencies would be addressed internally.

The public meeting also covered the first three readings to officially close Giscome Elementary School.

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School District 57 held its first public meeting of the school year yesterday (Tuesday).

Trustees approved a recommended motion to submit its 2026/27 Food Infrastructure Program request, which would help with creating, improving, or expanding infrastructure to feed students.

Superintendent Jameel Aziz said the program is commonly used in the School District.

“We have students at every single school who partake in breakfast and lunch every single day, some schools more so than others.”

“I know in the June meeting, some information was shared, and I believe it was in the neighbourhood of 600,000 or 700,000 meals that were served through the year to students in our School District.”

The program itself has also been growing year-over-year.

The project requests include:

• Refrigerated vehicles to support the delivery of prepared meals from centralized kitchen
  facilities to schools.
• The purchase and installation of new or used kitchen equipment (e.g. refrigerators,
  freezers, dishwashers, stoves, ovens, etc.)
• Electrical, plumbing and ventilation upgrades to accommodate the installation of
  commercial kitchen equipment.
• Improvements to ensure kitchens meet local health authority requirements.
• Equipment and infrastructure to support traditional food gathering and preparation (e.g.
  fishing equipment, smokehouses, non-fur trapping equipment).
• Food storage (refrigerated or dry storage).

Aziz said this will allow them to provide more fresh food to students, helping them move away from prepared foods so students can get better overall health and nutrition.

In a submission summary, five schools would be part of the request including Nusdeh Yoh Elementary, Quinson Elementary, McBride Secondary, Buckhorn Elementary, and Vanway Elementary.

The project would cover the supply and install of appliances, ventilation and cabinets for kitchen, and Indigenous Cultural and Educational Material & Supplies Land Based Learning, totalling $102,000.

Costs would fall under the Province, though Aziz noted that any deficiencies would be addressed internally.

The project requests would need to be submitted to the Ministry of Infrastructure by October 1st.

The public meeting also covered the first three readings to officially close Giscome Elementary School.

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Terry Fox Runs are set for Sunday in Smithers and Burns Lake for it’s 45th year.

This year is the first time Organizer Derek Feldmann is taking on the event in Burns Lake.

“It’s an ongoing event that has been very successful,” he said.

“I’ve been attending for many years, volunteering for the last few, and the previous organizers have been doing it for 19 and 26 years.”

The event will happen at the Francois Lake hall with a BBQ, silent auction, and live music along side the run.

150 people participated in the event last year and almost $12,000 was raised for the Terry Fox Foundation.

“Registration for the run starts at 12:00 p.m., run at 1:00 p.m., and the silent auction is ongoing but closes at 3:00 p.m.,” said Feldmann.

The Smithers run is happening again outside the Central Park Building with a BBQ on site.

Registration will start at 1:00 p.m. followed by the run at 2:00.

Last year, the event saw a record breaking 150 people attend and raised $6,200.

Online registration for the Burns Lake event can be found here and the Smithers event here.

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Vanderhoof will be celebrating 100 years during a weekend celebration next summer.

Founded in 1926, Vanderhoof has grown from a small railway settlement into the vibrant heart of BC’s geographical centre.

Organizer, Tom Bulmer told Vista Radio the centennial celebration is on the lookout for some star power.

“We are going to be lining up a major act like maybe a Trooper or a Loverboy or a Tom Cochrane to put some sparkle on the day.”

The community, nestled along the Nechako Valley has dealt with its fair share of adversity including the loss of its Canfor mill.

“That was a tremendous blow to our community but everybody is rebounding back. We are looking at other ways to work with things like that and we have our community forest, which is a beautiful community forest.”

Through it all, the small community still finds a way to punch above its weight.

“We still excel at growing some of the greatest hay the world has ever seen. Nechako Valley Hay has shipped the world over and our agriculture industry is important and strong for this area.”

“If you come to Vanderhoof today and you take a look at the things we have done over the past 100 years we opened up our pump park in our recreation area. Our recreation area in Vanderhoof includes the arena, swimming pool, a skate board park, curling and we will be adding a pickelball court to it next year I believe.”

Historical exhibits, Cowboy poetry along food and dancing is scheduled.

The celebration is set for July 4th and 5th of next year.

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100 Mile House RCMP were instrumental in helping a motorist navigate for help.

On Sunday September 7, police received a report of a single vehicle collision on Canim Hendrix Lake Road.

Sargeant Brian Lamb said a person called saying they had been in a crash but did not know where they were.

“Police relayed instructions on how to complete an SOS on their phone and activated Search and Rescue.” Lamb said, “Police were advised of the location of the SOS from the phone provider and located the vehicle off the road and down an embankment.”

The single occupant had injuries that were not life threatening and was transported to hospital by Emergency Health Services.

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Another surge of graffiti has hit Cranbrook and local police are looking to identify those responsible.

The word “seko” has been tagged on multiple locations around the community.

Police said the cleaning and repair costs are substantial to local businesses.

Police are asking residents if they recognized the individuals pictured.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Cranbrook detachment at 250-489-3471.

The Cranbrook RCMP has had a busy couple of weeks with over 450 attended calls.

Police said an officer was injured but has returned to duty following a foot pursuit of a person breaching a court order.

A prisoner transported to the hospital for medical attention attempted to escape, but was caught following a brief foot chase.

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The 34th annual Take Back the Night March in Prince George is right around the corner.

It is set for September 19th with the event starting from Canada Games Plaza before marching to the Courthouse before wrapping up with an Open Mic night at the Omineca Arts Centre.

Organizer, Tanvi Guhagarkar told MyPGNow.com the event is “to promote living a life free of violence for women.

“What we are seeing right now is an increase in crime against women, trans people as well as people who still live alone or are in bad relationships.”

The event will begin with a series of speakers at 6:30pm.

Take Back the Night is open to and welcomes all allies; however, the march itself is exclusively for persons who identify as women and for children.

The first Take Back the Night on record occurred at The International Tribunal on Crimes against Women in 1976 in Brussels, Belgium.

After the Tribunal, Reclaim the Night arose in Rome in 1976 where 16,000 rapes were recorded. West Germany and England soon followed suit.

Canadian women held their first Take Back the Night event in 1978 in Vancouver organized by the “Fly-By-Night Collective”.

Vancouver Rape Relief held Take Back the Night marches from 1980-1985. Shortly thereafter, in 1992, the first march in Prince George was organized.

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The B.C. Wildfire Service is planning prescribed burns about 45 kilometres northeast of Smithers to prepare for reforestation.

It will be happening on several cut blocks and will take place anytime between September 11th and October 10th.

Smoke may be visible from Wit’at (Fort Babine), Smithers, Smithers Landing, and surrounding areas.

The burns are being done in collaboration with West Fraser Mills which logged about 46 hectares in the winter of 2024/2025.

More information about prescribed burns can be found on B.C. Wildfire’s website.

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Since 2003 September tenth has been recognized as World Suicide Prevention Day in conjunction with the World Health Organization.

“It’s an advocacy and communication based event,” Evan Pantanetti, Crisis Line Coordinator at Canadian Mental Health Association Cariboo-Chilcotin, “aimed at reaching national organizations, governments, and the general public to give a singular message that suicide can be prevented.”

In Williams Lake, Canadian Mental Health Association Cariboo-Chilcotin (CHMA), will be hosting a Lantern Walk this evening (September 10).

“Everyone is welcome to come to our office located on Second Avenue South in the Bank Of Montreal building at 7:45 to make lanterns to remember those we have lost to suicide and to help spread awareness and relive stigma,” Rahne Brunsch, CHMA Team Lead of Crisis Intervention and Prevention said.

At 8:30 a walk will begin going down Second Avenue South and up Oliver Street to City Hall.

“There will be a speech made there to recognize the day as well as a moment of silence to remember those we’ve lost and support those who are currently struggling,” Pantanetti said.

He added that this is the first time they’ve done a walk like this.

“In the past we’ve had events in the Park to raise awareness but this year we wanted to do something special to bring more awareness to it and to bring the community together. We want to let people know that if you’re having those thoughts there are supports you can reach out to and that people do care about you.”

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You may have to choose a different way to pay for food and drink at the CN Centre.

In a Facebook post, the CN Centre announced the arena is going cashless.

All concession and bars, including in the Kin Centre, will only accept debit and credit cards for purchases.

It noted Prince George Cougars 50/50 kiosks, TicketsNorth and the Cougars Den Team store, as well as vending machines will still accept cash.

The first cashless events at the CN Centre will be the Cougars Home Opening Weekend.

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The MP for Courtenay-Alberni is pleased to have his NDP counterparts in our neck of the woods for the federal party’s caucus retreat.

This post was originally published on My Comox Valley Now

The Independent Investigations Office of BC (IIO) has cleared an officer in a police-involved shooting that occurred in Prince George two years ago.

Just before 9:00 p.m. on April 26th, 2023, the Prince George RCMP were called to the 2200 block of Oak Street on a report of a man stabbing people.

The IIO report states Mounties had received a 9-1-1 call saying an individual, referred to as the “Affected Person” or “AP” in the report, had committed stabbings at a residence.

It said the AP had gone along the street and had broken into another home, from which the RCMP received a second 9-1-1 call. He reportedly then left and attempted to enter a third residence nearby.

The report noted the AP was eventually taken into custody, but only after advancing on officers, ignoring commands to drop the knife he was carrying, and being shot by police.

He was taken to hospital with eight gunshot wounds, where he subsequently recovered.

“In this case, there were ample grounds for police to respond urgently to the 911 calls and to place the AP under arrest when they located him,” the report states.

“They had accounts from several civilian sources about the AP’s criminal acts up to that point, as well as their own observations of him.”

According to the IIO, the AP claimed he was attempting to surrender, but the officer took it as a threat.

The report states  while the AP may have intended in his mind to surrender, independent civilian witnesses and the witness officer confirmed he was attempting to flee and break into private residences while armed with a knife.

“The evidence also establishes that after two reasonable but unsuccessful attempts by police to control the AP using a CEW, he moved quickly towards them, still brandishing the knife,” the report said.

“At that point, the officers were facing a threat of death or grievous bodily harm, and their deployment of lethal force was justifiable.”

The matter will not be referred to Crown counsel for consideration of charges.

The full report can be found here.

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Comox Valley RCMP are asking for help to identify a driver who they say is responsible for damaging a rainbow crosswalk in Downtown Courtenay last month. 

Police have released a photo of the truck, dated August 23, around 6:20 p.m., which shows the truck driving onto the Pride-themed rainbow crosswalk on 5th Street at Duncan Avenue. 

Cst. Monika Terragni with the Comox Valley RCMP is asking for anybody with information to contact the detachment to help them understand what took place. 

“Until we have had an opportunity to speak with the driver, we cannot speculate on the motivation behind this incident,” says Terragni. 

Investigators are hoping to identify the driver, the passenger and anyone who witnessed the event or recognizes the truck. 

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Several community safety initiatives are being moved ahead by the Town of Smithers.

This included security patrols of the downtown and temporary overnight sheltering areas, a new bylaw, and infrastructure upgrades.

$350,000 has been allocated from the Resource Benefits Alliance (RBA) for the projects.

“Security personnel will be on site from 7:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. daily and 24 hours on the weekend starting in October,” said Samantha LeBlanc, Communication and Engagement Officer.

She added the security presence will help enhance monitoring and support safety.

The town also announced the adoption of the Parks and Open Space Bylaw.

“It allows our bylaw enforcement officers to more effectively enforce the sheltering rules, clarify expectations, and support the health and safety for all site users,” said LeBlanc.

Council has also allocated RBA funding to improve the infrastructure to help make the shelter area more organized and enhance enforcement efforts.

Included will be bases for allocated tent space which LeBlanc said is to also help with fire safety.

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A bench warrant has been issued for an Alberta man facing dangerous driving charges in a crash near Nelson. According to the BC Prosecution Service, Jivat Aragon-Martinez failed to appear in court as scheduled on Aug. 25.

He waived his right to a preliminary inquiry and was expected to stand trial by judge alone in BC Supreme Court on five charges including dangerous driving, failing to stop for police, resisting a peace officer, and possession for the purpose of trafficking.

Aragon-Martinez is accused of crashing a pickup truck just outside of Nelson in August 2024. It’s alleged that his trip from Trail to Nelson at extremely high speed ended with the crumpled vehicle in a ditch after hitting a rock face on Highway 3A just west of Nelson.

One witness told police a pickup almost rear-ended their car, swung out into the opposite lane and barely missed an oncoming pickup near Thrums.

Police say the truck also collided with the back of another vehicle and kept going.

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Spirit of the North Health Foundation’s Festival of Trees will be getting a big upgrade with its new partnership with the CN Centre.

This comes as the festival had been held at the Civic Centre, which had been seeing general admission growth year over year.

Spirit of the North CEO Aimee Cassie said it’s a natural evolution of the event.

“We had maximized all the space that we possibly could at Civic Centre, and win CN, we’re able to grow the areas that are people’s favourite.”

“We can grow the kids area, we can grow vendors in the concourse; big trees, we got way more space for our big trees.”

Glen Mikkelsen, CN Centre Manager said for many people, this event is a tradition and kick-off to the Christmas season.

“That’s just such a treasured component of our community, so I think that’s something we haven’t really experienced in a sense.”

“We have other kinds of events, but to have something that means so much to Prince George and northern B.C., it’s going to be a real honour for us, and we’re really looking forward to it.”

The 32nd annual Festival of Trees will open November 26th and go until November 30th, with tickets available through TicketsNorth at 10 a.m. on Monday.

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The City of Kimberley is applying for two grants that will go towards the Kimberley Avenue reconstruction project and water system planning.

The city is looking to get $241,200 for the integrated water system efficiency and resilience planning project, which will be used to improve the efficiency, reliability and sustainability of the water and wastewater systems.

The city is also applying for $4,977,432 to fund the Kimberley Avenue reconstruction.

Work there will address aging underground utilities, recurring flood risks and roadway safety concerns.

Its scheduled to go ahead next year and will be fully funded if the grant is successful.

If the city does not get it, council would have to approve additional funding or change the scope of the project.

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The Cranbrook Public Library is urging provincial and local governments for increased support to prevent more service cuts.

Chief Librarian Ursula Brigl says provincial support was cut in 2009 and has been frozen since then.

Local government support has steadily increased its contributions, but it hasn’t closed the gap.

The library has already made cuts to service by reducing its services operations by nine hours back in May.

“Staff and board worked together to look at all aspects of operations to identify ways to reduce costs and increase revenue within the constraints that govern all public libraries,” said Brigl.

“The focus was to minimize the negative impacts on library users and our ability to continue to serve as an officially designated community warming and cooling centre as much as possible.”

However, without further support, Brigle said more service cuts are likely.

The Library is now serving 18.5 per cent more people while costs have risen by 36 per cent.

“The Library is serving more people and meeting more complex needs than ever,” she said.

“But funding has fallen so far behind that we’ve already been forced to cut hours just to stay afloat. Without significant new support from both the Province and local governments, deeper cuts to essential services are inevitable.”

They are encouraging users to visit the library and fill out a post card that will be sent to the city, RDEK and provincial officials.

The postcards will be sent at the end of October.

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Do you have something to say about the Town of Creston? Well, you could have the chance to speak directly to the council with their citizen survey.

Every three years, the Town of Creston reaches out to hear directly from our community through a Citizen Survey. This year, 1,500 households were randomly selected to receive the survey in the mail.

“If you find one in your mailbox, please take a few minutes to complete it. Your feedback is essential—without enough responses, the survey results won’t be statistically valid. By filling it out, you’re making sure Creston’s voice is heard loud and clear.” said the Town of Creston.

Didn’t receive one in the mail, but still want to give your input? You can share your thoughts online using this link: https://survey.alchemer-ca.com/s3/50422985/Creston-Citizen-Survey-2025-Open.

While these responses won’t be included in the formal survey report, Mayor and Council will still review every comment to help guide future decisions.

“Thank you for helping shape the future of Creston!”

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Nanaimo is looking for a community member to sit on the board of variance for a three-year term. 

The successful applicant needs a basic understanding of building and zoning regulations, including the city’s zoning bylaw and B.C. building code. They should also have familiarity with interpreting architectural plans and documents. 

“Serving on the board is a great way to contribute to the city’s decision-making process. Anyone who has experience in zoning and building regulations and is ready to bring thoughtful perspectives to the table is encouraged to apply,” said Sheila Gurrie, director of legislative services. 

Applications can be filled out online or can be submitted in-person at city hall. The deadline to apply is Sept. 26. 

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The Trail Smoke Eaters were able to get their first win of the pre-season, scoring 3 goals in the first 6 and a half minutes of the 3^rd period, allowing them to ease to a 6-4 victory over the Cranbrook Bucks. 

The Smoke Eaters will continue their road trip to take on the Vernon Vipers Friday, Sept. 12. Puck drops at 7 p.m.

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The District of Sechelt is looking to residents for suggestions on how it should spend tax dollars. 

The district has launched an online survey to help inform decisions for the 2026 operating and capital budget.  

“The budget 2026 survey is a great way for residents of Sechelt to communicate their comments and suggestions to mayor and council. Your comments could influence council’s decisions about budget 2026, which will be set at the end of this year,” reads a news release from the district. 

Anyone who fills out the survey has a chance to win one of four $25 gift certificates for a Sechelt business. 

More information on the budget and where the district’s money comes from can be found on survey page.

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Smithers and Houston RCMP are on the hunt for Bobby Tyler Quock.

Police said he has a warrant out for breach of a probation order and added this is the fourth warrant issued for him.

Quock is known to actively evate arrest when wanted and has frequented the Smithers and Houston areas.

“Each warrant requires significant resources,” said Acting Sergeant Jim Preston.

“Officers actively search for individuals with outstanding warrants until they are safely located and arrested.”

Quock is described as a 5-foot-10-inch indigenous male with black hair and brown eyes.

Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to contact the Smithers detachment.

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The existing Category 1 campfire prohibition for the Cariboo Fire Centre and Tsilhqot’in (Xeni Gwet’in) Declared Title area will be extended.

It will go in effect at noon tomorrow (September 11) and will remain in effect until September 30 or until the order is rescinded.

A Category 1 campfire is defined as any fire smaller than 0.5 metres high by 0.5 metres wide.

The Cariboo Fire Centre said this prohibition applies to all areas in the Fire Centre that are outside of municipal boundaries.

In addition, it also applies to these land types within municipal boundaries:

Parks, conservancies and recreation areas.

Recreation sites, recreation trails, interpretive forest sites and trail-based recreation areas.

Ecological reserves

Wildlife management areas and private managed forest land.

Category 2 and Category 3 open fires remain prohibited through the entire Fire Centre and Tsilhqot’in (Xeni Gwet’in) Declared Title area.

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You might need to brush up on your roundabout protocol ahead of your next trip to Vancouver Island’s west coast. 

A contract has been awarded to Windley Contracting Ltd. Work on a roundabout at Highway 4 and Beaver Creek Road in Port Alberni, construction will start this fall and take approximately one year to complete. 

The project will replace the current unsignalized intersection with a roundabout to reduce congestion, enhance sight lines, support future traffic demands, and eliminate the need for left turns. 

Multi-use paths, sidewalks, and bike-friendly shoulders will also be installed to make the area safer for cyclists and pedestrians. 

Also, Clutesi Haven Marina will be fitted with widened and reconfigured entrances to improve access and reduce highway congestion. 

Detours, night-time paving, and temporary sidewalk or shoulder closures may be needed during construction, and updates will be posted on DriveBC. 

The project is valued at more than $8 million. 

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The Castlegar Rebels and Beaver Valley Nitehawks reignited their rivalry yesterday when they took the ice in Castlegar.

13 power plays and over 80 shots were split between the two teams, before a last minute goal by defender Hudson Makway gave the Rebels the 4-3 win.

The Rebels will be looking for another win tomorrow, Thursday, Sept. 11, when they host the Spokane Braves from 7 p.m.

And finally, the Rebels and Nitehawks will be back for another face-off on Friday in Fruitvale.

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Around 100 Nelson workers walked off the job yesterday, joining thousands of BC General Employees Union (BCGEU) members across the province who have been on strike for higher wages since Sept. 2.

The BCGEU represents about 34,000 public service workers in the province, from health care to prisons.

There are about 750 BCGEU members in the public service in the West Kootenay region and about 300 in Nelson alone.

About 100 of them are currently striking after the union expanded job action at 22 sites provincewide this week.

Workers have been picketing in front of the Ministry of Children and Family Development’s Child and Family Services office at 566 Stanley St. since Tuesday morning.

BCGEU president Paul Finch said the 100 members on strike locally work at the Ministry of Children and Family Development and the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction.

Their jobs include child protection worker, child and youth mental health clinician, research analyst, income assistance intake worker and street outreach worker.

Finch said that while the union has set essential service numbers and chosen sites for job action with consideration of the needs of British Columbians, he warned it may result in service disruptions.

“BCGEU’s job action has taken great care to ensure the safety and well-being of British Columbians during this strike,” Finch said.

“At the same time, this job action may result in service disruptions. This highlights the critical nature of the work of these public servants.”

Want to get your business noticed? Have you considered advertising through your local radio station? Speak to one of our sales agents and find out how radio advertising can boost your business today. Call 250-365-7600 or email Vista Radio.

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A new small wildfire broke out near Port Alberni Tuesday evening and is being held according to the B.C. Wildfire Service. 

The fire was discovered on September 9 near Yellow Creek and is listed as 0.009 hectares. 

The fire is located in between the Wesley Ridge and the Mount Underwood wildfires. 

There cause of the fire remains under investigation.

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The City of Nelson has welcomed the addition of two striking new sculptures to its public art collection, made possible by the generous donation of Nelson resident Dr. Ken Muth.

Arachnid meets artistry in Gigaspider, a playful sculpture with an environmental message. Previously featured in the 2024 Castlegar Sculpturewalk, Gigaspider, a 10-ft tall sculpture made from old car parts and recycled steel, has found a new habitat on the front lawn of City Hall at 310 Ward Street.

“Gigaspider is a whimsical commentary on our fear of spiders,” notes Simmer in his artist statement. “Most spiders are benign and environmentally important creatures.” Simmer, an Emeritus Librarian at UBC, is known for transforming found materials into imaginative works of art—drawing inspiration from his background in commercial fishing, steel fabrication, and construction, as well as his love of kayaking, sailing, skiing, and hiking.

Dr. Muth’s gift also includes a second sculpture from Castlegar Sculpturewalk, soon to be installed at Lakeside Park. A Song to Mothers by Bonnington-based artist Zen Wang will welcome visitors at the park entrance garden. Depicting a serene mother figure, “the work is a tribute to the nurturing side of the human spirit,” notes Wang. “Mothers are full of hope, love and courage while facing down uncertainty and fear.” Wang, who holds degrees in art and film, comes from a long lineage of Chinese artists, including his grandmother, a celebrated embroiderer, and his grandfather, a sculptor whose tools and books continue to inspire his creative journey.

“These works enrich Nelson’s cultural landscape, offering residents and visitors alike meaningful and inspiring encounters with public art,” said Sydney Black, Chair of the Cultural Development Commission. “We are deeply grateful to Dr. Muth for his generosity in making these additions possible.”

All art donations to the City are reviewed and approved by the City’s Cultural Development Commission and City Council in line with the City of Nelson’s Art in Public Places Policy, which is designed to expand community access to art, raise public awareness, and foster cultural enjoyment.

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Marnie Audia can’t quite believe how smoothly — and quickly — everything has come together.

Earlier this year, Trail city council signed off on $450,000 worth of improvements to Andy Bilesky Park ahead of the 2026 provincial little league baseball championships and 2028 Canadian championships. But most of the work was expected to take place in 2027.

Instead, the plans have been sped up to the point where in a little over two months, both fields have been re-levelled, the larger field now has proper drainage, and this week members of the Trail Smoke Eaters and Beaver Valley Nitehawks will start laying sod.

Audia, a Trail Little League board member and co-chair of the two upcoming tournaments, heard in June what it would cost to level the outfield. “I thought, I have some contractor contacts that would likely do this work in-kind for us,” she said. “And when they agreed and explained their availability, it was to start right away. We couldn’t really pass up the opportunity of all the free work.”

The City of Trail re-allocated $100,000 originally earmarked for Butler Park improvements to help buy irrigation materials, sod, and other things that could not be secured through donation. As the scope of work expanded, about 25 companies and organizations lined up to offer services for free or at a reduced cost. Audia estimates the donations have been worth over $150,000, including dump trucks full of sand. Some companies also provided on-site expertise.

“It’s been surreal because when I’m calling these people, everyone is just saying yes,” she said. “And they don’t have any personal ties, but it’s for the kids, it’s for the community. It’s actually amazing to see what the community has stepped up to do because a lot of it has been on short notice and right in the middle of construction season.

“I was even having contractors call me at night to plan their days. ‘Do you guys need help tomorrow trucking things out?’”

The city’s public works crews have also been highly supportive, Audia added, showing an “adaptability and capability to pivot on what was admittedly a large project dropped on them. All the guys working up here have been great, have a great attitude, and have been instrumental in pulling these final details of the ballpark together.”

The problems at Bilesky Park stemmed from the fact it was built on an old landfill. As the buried garbage settled over the years, it left the field with “a lot of dips and waves.” The smaller field had a four-foot (1.2-metre) grade difference from third base to centre field. In the larger field, water pooled behind the infield, and games often had to be cancelled after heavy rainstorms.

The fields have now been re-graded and dry wells have been buried to provide proper drainage. To complete the first phase of the project, a new irrigation system is being installed and about 62,000 square feet (5,700 square metres) of sod is expected to be laid on Wednesday and Thursday.

Among the work still to be completed: new fencing, laying down infield dirt, and replacing a little building behind home plate on the larger field. They would also like to livestream the provincials next year, but cell service at the park is spotty.

Audia said they’re seeking donations toward operational costs of hosting the tournaments and people with IT skills to help set up a media centre. Anyone who wants to help can contact them at [email protected].

While the work will benefit the upcoming tournaments, Audia said the larger field already met requirements to host provincial events. She said it was equally important to upgrade the small field, which is used by multiple teams daily. Both fields were used this year and work only began once the season ended.

Companies and groups who have been involved in the project include:

• Maple Leaf Power
• Impact Equipment
• Vincent Treeworks
• J-Star Excavations
• Firefighters union
• Simm Excavating
• Power Tech
• FortisBC
• Fortis Gas BC
• YRB
• United Rentals
• West K Concrete
• Trail Smoke Eaters
• Beaver Valley Nitehawks
• Rain Man Irrigation
• Sutco Transportation
• Kepo Transport
• Canadian Tire
• Ferraro Foods

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Sports by Hartley Wednesday, September 10th, 2025

(As of 12:05 a.m. All times listed are PDT)

BCHL:

The Prince George Spruce Kings have come to terms with a couple of 19-year-old forwards.

Spencer Masters played the last two seasons with the Camrose Kodiaks of the Alberta Junior Hockey League.

Last season, he had 39 points, including 17 goals, in 44 games.

Matic Percic played last season in the North American Hockey League with the Chippewa Steel picking up 38 points (14 goals) in 51 games.

Percic, whose older brother Maks played for the Spruce Kings last season, has represented Slovenia in international hockey tournaments.

Spruce Kings ink a pair of forwards https://t.co/NIRVcR4zIb

— My Prince George Now (@mypgnow) September 10, 2025

#

The P.G. Spruce Kings will be on the Lower Mainland for their final two pre-season games; they visit Langley Friday night at 7:15 and Chilliwack Saturday night at 6:00.

The regular season opener for the Spruce Kings will be played on September 19th at Chilliwack with their home opener on Friday, September 26th against Surrey.

The Spruce Kings regular season schedule is here.

WHL:

The Prince George Cougars play their final two pre-season games this week.

They face off against the Blazers Friday night at 7:00 in Kamloops and Saturday at 5 PM in Quesnel.

The regular season for the Cougars will begin on Friday, September 19th when they host the Portland Winterhawks in the first of a doubleheader at CN Centre.

The PG Cougars regular season schedule is here.

Canada West Soccer:

The UNBC Timberwolves are home Friday night in Canada West Soccer at Masich Place Stadium.

The (0-6) UNBC women host UBC Okanagan at 5:30 while the (3-2-1) UNBC entertain Saskatchewan right after at 8:00.

More on the Timberwolves can be found here.

The Canada West women’s soccer schedule is here.

The Canada West men’s soccer schedule is here.

The Canada West women’s soccer standings are here.

The Canada West men’s soccer standings are here.

The (4-3) Prince George Kodiaks host the (2-4) Valley Huskers Saturday night at 6:00 at Masich Place Stadium.

The Kodiaks are in 3rd place in the 7-team BC Football Conference with the top four to advance to the playoffs.

The BCFC standings: Okanagan 7-0, Westshore 6-1, Prince George 4-3, Langley 2-4,
Vancouver Island 2-4, Valley 2-4 and Kamloops 0-7.

The Kodiaks schedule and results can be found here.

More info on the BCFC can be found here.

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The Smithers noon siren will continue sounding in the community to mark the hour.

At tonight’s (Tuesday) town council meeting, a report to have the United Church bell take its place was discussed.

According to the report from Fire Chief Alle Jan de Vries, the fire department received a proposal to have the bell in the church’s building donated to the town.

“I know the siren has been contentious on both side in the past so I wanted to bring this forward and see if we were interested first before going down any road,” said de Vries.

The siren was installed to communicate if a fire had occurred in town and signal firefighters to respond.

Councillor Genevieve Paterson asked if there was a way to communicate an emergency outside Voyent Alert should the internet go down.

“We have had some communication issues with our fibre optic going down in the past where we were close to using the siren because there was a structure fire that day,” the fire chief said.

No motion was put on the table with the report but Councillors Calvin Elliot, Laura Leonard, Sam Raven, Frank Wray, and John Buikema voiced they would prefer to not go ahead with the donation.

One concern shared between Leonard and Raven was staff capacity to take on the project.

“I have sat in this seat long enough to know these things have the potential to balloon. I’m thinking about structural upgrades depending on weight and size and costs for implementation,” said Raven.

“I know that bell is part of our town’s history and I know there’s enough creative people in this community there may be some other way of putting that bell to use,” said Buikema.

Paterson had also voiced some issues with the noon siren she’s experienced living in the community.

“My son naps every day at noon and wakes up at noon because of the siren so that made me think about everyone at the hospital who are struggling to sleep,” she said.

Another point shared was her first experience hearing the siren after moving from Victoria and being panicked thinking there was an emergency.

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Cultural burning will be happening tomorrow (Wednesday) about two kilometres northeast of Gitanyow.

This is being done in collaboration with the B.C. Wildfire Service with traditional and hand ignition tactics being used.

About 15 hectares of area will be burned with smoke visible from the Gitanyow community, Village of Kitwanga, and travelers on Highways 16 and 37.

The burn is being done to reduce hazardous fuels for community protection, promoting forest health and resilience, and increase black huckleberry production.

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It’s time to take out the trash. Well, almost.

The Sunshine Coast Regional District is seeking volunteers to help with its annual Trash Bash later this month.

The post SCRD seeks volunteers for annual Trash Bash appeared first on My Coast Now.

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City of Courtenay crews are getting set to begin work on a new multi-use pathway in the community to grow its active transportation network.

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The 45th annual Terry Fox Run is taking place in Prince George this weekend.

This will be the third time around putting on the event for Organizer Sylvia Masich, who took over in 2023 after finding out no one was putting the event on.

“That first year we saw about 100 participants, and then last year we saw just over 300 participants,” she said.

“This year, it would be really cool to triple that to 900, but even if we see 500, 600 people out there, that would be incredible.”

Masich said they’re hoping to make it bigger and better this year.

“It is the 45th year anniversary of the Marathon of Hope,” she said.

“We’re hoping to have some games, some more refreshments for people just to make it more of a bigger event feel.”

Prince George holds a special place in the story of Terry Fox.

Fox ran in the 1979 Prince George to Boston Marathon, the year before he embarked on the Marathon of Hope across Canada.

“He told his mom that he was training for the Vancouver Sun Run and this was the only road race during the month of September in the province,” Masich said.

“His best friend Doug had family up here, so Terry, Doug and his brother Darryl all drove up to take part in the PG to Boston, and what most people didn’t realize is that Terry had the thought in the back of his mind that he’s going to run across Canada for cancer research, and it was after running, not the 8.5 mile race, the 17 mile race here in Prince George, that Terry knew he was ready to embark on his Marathon of Hope in the spring.”

The run is set for Sunday at Lheidli T’enneh Memorial Park.

More information and registration can be found here.

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100 Mile House RCMP is continuing their investigation of a vehicle fire.

On Thursday September 4th, Police received a report of a vehicle on fire at a commercial property on Highway 24 in Lone Butte.

Police arrived on the scene  where the fire had been extinguished by someone passing through the area and did not result in the vehicle becoming fully engulfed.

Forensic Identification Services attended and conducted a scene examination and further examination of exhibits seized are pending.

Police are investigating this incident as an arson.

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It was a special day for School District 57, staff and students, now getting its new logo after around 50 years.

The logo has different pieces, layers, and meaning, such as the thumbprint-inspired shape, representing a student’s unique learning journey, and ties into the symbolic significance of the hand in Dakelh culture: the sharing of knowledge, respect for the land and care for both past and future generations.

Superintendent Jameel Aziz said this was a much needed change.

“Nobody really resonated with the existing logo, and so it felt that we really did need to do this work, and it was just great to bring everyone together to get all of the input that we did, including the public consultation through our online survey.”

“I really do hope that the finished product resonates with folks, but I know it’ll resonate with our students.”

The redesign survey received nearly 1,300 responses, and had five engagement sessions with nearly 80 participants including secondary students, staff, Indigenous partners, District Parent Advisory Council representatives, and caregivers.

A lot of the common feedback received asked to stay away from a corporate and institutional looking logo, but reflected the geography and landscape under the School District.

Aziz hopes to replace the signage outside of the building with the new logo before snowfall, noting that they already have a quote for it.

The School District will also be getting a new revamped website, which aims to be ready by the end of the month.

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A ‘Bear Aware’ sign near Barkerville Historic Town and Park was stolen over the weekend.

Motorists travelling to the historic town through the summer would have noticed a sign reading “SLOW DOWN: Momma Bear at Work… Do not approach or stop” located along the highway between Bowron Lake Road and Barkerville.

Town Managers say the sign was put in place through the summer to caution motorists of a mother black bear and her cubs that were known to travel along the highway. The Town had also received reports of motorists stopping to try and take photos, and in some cases, exiting their cars to try and feed the animals.

Barkerville’s managers hoped the sign would encourage visitors to be more Bear Aware and practice safer measures when encountering wildlife.

The managers also noted that the costs to get the sign made and installed were to the tune of a few hundred dollars. However, funds allocated to making signage like that are “highly costly” to a non-profit society. Now, having to replace the sign for a similar amount could mean the non-profit’s budget gets stretched even further for the town’s management, and smaller items in the Town’s programming get cut from the town’s budget.

In a social media post, Barkerville said it would “kindly like it[the sign] back” and hopes to see it returned soon.

The Staff of Barkerville would like to pass on that just because the sign is now gone, it does not mean motorists are allowed to stop and approach the Mother Bear, her cubs, or any wildlife seen on the highway to the Town. Motorists must still abide by conservation laws.

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“It’s a huge blow.”

That’s from Downtown PG Executive Director Chrisie Berry in the aftermath of the Crossroads fire that resulted in $1.8 million dollars in damage according to city officials.

In an interview with Vista Radio, Berry said the restaurant was one of the major spark plugs in revitalizing our downtown core.

“There are only a few patios that are down here and it was very popular. All of our businesses down here have faced challenge after challenge when it comes to the crime that is happening downtown and this is just one more drop in that bucket.”

“Something has to change. I haven’t been at this role for very long but in that five months I have seen a drastic increase in what is going on downtown. Things people are talking about.”

Berry noted certain enhancements are coming for the downtown core to make it a much safer place to venture out such as the one-year security camera pilot program, which was inspired by the success seen in Penticton.

The added technology is expected to go online at a later date.

On Thursday, the Ramada also played host to the Business and Retail Crime Forum hosted by local Conservative MLA’s Kiel Giddens (Prince George-Mackenzie), Rosalyn Bird (PG-Valemount) and Sheldon Clare (Prince George-North Cariboo).

“Prior to that event, I took myself and our President Eoin Foley took the MLA’s through a walk through downtown. Those from out of town can get a sense of what it feels like down here.” added Berry.

The same offer has been made to mayor and council.

On Monday, the Prince George RCMP arrested and charged 57-year-old Richard Titchener with arson causing damage to property, and will remain in custody until his next court appearance.

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More size up front continues to be a priority for the Prince George Spruce Kings.

Today (Tuesday), the BCHL club signed 19-year-old forward Spencer Masters.

Masters is 6’2, 205 pounds from Edmonton, Alberta who spent the last two seasons with the Camrose Kodiaks of the Alberta Junior Hockey League.

Last season, Masters scored 17 goals and added 22 assists for 39 points in 44 games. He added two goals and two assists in five playoff games.

“I’m very excited to start the next chapter of my career with Prince George. It is a privilege to be a part of such a solid organization, I’m looking forward to getting on the ice with my new teammates and making an impact. I’m ready to give everything I’ve got on and off the ice to make this team successful.” said Masters in a release.

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The Smithers Fire Department held a BBQ on Saturday and Sunday at the fire hall and at Chandler Park.

This was inspired by the town’s recent Charity Soccer Tournament which ended prematurely due to a medical emergency.

“Between both days, we raised just over $14,000,” said Fire Chief Alle Jan de Vries.

“Smithers came out, supported us very well and there’s a lot of generous individuals as well as business that supported this.”

He added the department planned on having the BBQ held at Chandler Park for the entire weekend to coincide with a youth soccer tournament.

Poor air quality led to the Saturday games being cancelled which led to the BBQ happening at the fire hall that day.

“With the money raised, we are going to assess what can be purchased but at this time, all the money we need to raise has been more than matched,” said de Vries.

The AEDs will be going into the fire chief trucks with one going to the Bulkley Valley Soccer Association.

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Landowners in Creston are being invited to join the fight against poison hemlock – and get paid for it.

The Central Kootenay Invasive Species Society (CKISS) has expanded its Poison Hemlock Patrol program, now allowing private property to be registered as a Private Land Mission.

Poison hemlock poses health, environmental and economic risks.

All parts of the plant are toxic to people and animals, and can cause respiratory failure or deformities in unborn livestock if ingested.

“We’ve talked to farmers in the Creston area who have had this on their property and they’ve actually lost some livestock as a result of the livestock consuming the poison hemlock,” said CKISS program coordinator Laurie Frankcom.

The plant spreads quickly, outcompeting native vegetation and reducing biodiversity.

CKISS launched the patrol program in Creston in June, incentivizing identification and removal of the weed on public land through the Crowdsorsa game-based app.

The app now has a new feature that pays community members up to $4 per sighting by reporting poison hemlock locations.

Residents submit before-and-after photos of poison hemlock they find and remove through the app. After verification, payments are deposited directly into their bank accounts.

Private Land Mission

Until now, the program applied only to infestations on public land, but with the new expansion, private landowners can join the mission now too.

Property owners can register their land in the app and get paid for poison hemlock removal, or they can recruit someone else to do the work.

CKISS can also connect landowners with other registered participants. Only those who physically remove the plant receive payment.

Poison hemlock should not be pulled without protective equipment, which CKISS supplies free of charge.

Program goals

In addition to eradicating the invasive plant, Frankcom said the program will help CKISS map infestations and improve management strategies.

“It’s something that we are looking for the public’s help because in order to create a really good management plan and go and tackle the plant, we need to actually know where it is,” she said.

“That’s why we are turning to the public and asking for them to download the app and get some more reports our way.”

Since the program’s launch in June, dozens of people have signed up, but Frankcom said participation remains low.

“We’ve only had a handful of people actually go out and remove the poison hemlock and receive the rewards,” she said.

“So there’s still about $1,000 up for grabs to people that go out and do that. And we’re going to run this until the end of October.”

How to join the mission

1. Download the Crowdsorsa app from Google Play or the Apple App Store.

2. Learn how to identify poison hemlock. The plant can be identified by its smooth, hollow stems marked with purplish blotches.

3. Watch the safety video and pass the short quiz to unlock the mission.

4. Pick up the free safety gear.

5. Locate and remove poison hemlock from your chosen site.

6. Upload photos showing the plant before and after removal to qualify for payment.

For more information, visit CKISS online.

Want to get your business noticed? Have you considered advertising through your local radio station? Speak to one of our sales agents and find out how radio advertising can boost your business today. Call 250-365-7600 or email Vista Radio.

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Jared Young’s third stint in the Majors this season has come to a close.

The New York Mets announced today (Tuesday) Young was optioned to the team’s Triple-A affiliate in Syracuse following last night’s 1-0 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies.

We have made the following roster moves.@clovercommerce | #LGM pic.twitter.com/h3dvWwQ1BD

— New York Mets (@Mets) September 9, 2025

Young was called up to the Major League club on September 2nd, and appeared in three games over the week.

He hit a homerun against Cincinnati in his only at-bat in that stretch.

Good call, Keith! pic.twitter.com/KXrEwNi2J5

— New York Mets (@Mets) September 7, 2025

In 22 games with the Mets this season, Young has posted a .190 batting average on 42 at-bats, hitting four homeruns.

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BC Wildfire Service crews continue to action fires in the Chilcotin.

Fire Information Officer of the Dean Complex, Mikhail Elsay, said the Beef Trail wildfire North of Anahim Lake is estimated to be 12,359 hectares in size.

“Yesterday (Sept 8) crews were able to complete a pretty large scale planned aerial ignition in conjunction with ground crews to secure the South Eastern corner of this fire. Today (Sept 9) crews are going to continue working on where they left off yesterday securing the line, continuing to mop up and extend along Highway 20 to continue containment.”

Elsay said the Dusty Lake wildfire, 8 kilometres South East of Nimpo Lake/25 kilometres South of Anahim Lake, is currently estimated at 6,118 hectares.

“Crews continue to work on the North Eastern flank now. They were able to create containment on the Northern flank and some of the Western flank over the past couple of days. So they are going to continue working to the North building machine guard then following up with hose and some hand ignitions where it makes sense.”

Elsay said containment continues moving to the North East as well as the South as there are crews working on the Southern corner trying continue progressing to the South and the North East on the Dusty Lake wildfire.

The Itcha Lake wildfire 200 kilometres East of Quesnel is estimated to be 40,000 hectares in size.

Puntzi Creek Complex Fire Information Officer, Paula Walbauer, said they currently have 7 firefighters on that fire along with structure protection triaging structures and identifying values in the area.

The Smokey Lake wildfire, North of Tatla Lake, is estimated to be 6,674 hectares in size.

“We have seen a reduced fire behaviour yesterday (Sept 8) and today due to local smoke and cloudier conditions we were witnessing less fire behaviour than we did over the weekend,” Walbauer said, “We have overnight crews working on this fire to monitor and assess as well utilizing hand ignitions along the machine guard to strengthen our containment line along the South East corner of that fire near the community of Tatla Lake.”

Walbauer said they are also utilizing an equipment strike team to assist in containment objectives and continue to establish indirect line towards Martin Lake and tying into their natural features there.

“We have structure protection South of that fire along Highway 20 and we have a mass water system that has been deployed to support our fire suppression activities for Tatla Lake and surrounding infrastructure,” Walbauer added.

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The City of Prince George’s Emergency Operations Centre has been activated as the City welcomes evacuees from the Chilcotin.

There are currently multiple wildfires burning in the western reaches of the Cariboo Fire Centre, which prompted a number of evacuation orders and alerts from the Cariboo Regional District last week.

“Despite the original estimate of about 750 to 1,000 people, we’ve actually only seen about 60 people come in over the weekend,” said Manager of Emergency Operations and EOC Director Tanya Spooner.

Spooner said on Monday they were expecting about 40 more people to arrive, mostly individuals who had spent the weekend in Williams Lake.

Spooner noted most of the evacuees who have come to Prince George came from the Ulkatcho First Nation.

Spooner said the Prince George EOC became aware of potential evacuations on Thursday.

“We actually did start to receive elders or vulnerable people on Thursday, and then we became aware that there would be an evacuation order issued Friday morning late on Thursday night,” she explained.

“Then we’ve seen additional orders throughout the weekend.”

Spooner noted Williams Lake and Kamloops did not have a lot of hotel accommodation available at this time.

“One of the things about Prince George is we are considered the largest host community in the northern part of the province,” she explained.

“Every year we’re sort of designated as, if something big happens, this will be the location people go to.”

Spooner noted this was the first significant evacuation of a community to Prince George this year, but noted the EOC was activated earlier this year to offer supports to hose affected by a fire at an apartment building on the 300 block of Killoren Crescent.

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The City of Cranbrook is applying for a capital infrastructure grant to help construct the Phillips Reservoir bypass pipeline.

The pipeline bypass would allow operations to feed users with water directly from the Gold Creek Dam bypassing the Phillips Reservoir in the event of an emergency.

“The Phillips Reservoir Bypass Pipeline is a critical piece of infrastructure for Cranbrook,” said Mayor Wayne Price.

“By going after this grant, we are working to strengthen our community’s water supply, while taking advantage of other funding sources to reduce the financial impact on our local taxpayers. This is something our staff know about and work very hard to both find and apply for these grants.”

The program can fund up to 100 per cent of eligible costs, to a maximum of $7 million.

The city is confident the project cost will be under $7 million, so if they’re successful there shouldn’t be any extra cost to the city.

If the project cost does increase over $7 million it will be managed through the annual capital works program.

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The Cranbrook RCMP has partnered with Project 529 Garage to help reduce the theft of bikes in the community.

The app allows cyclists to register their bikes by recording important details such as make, model, serial number and photos.

Registered bikes can get a 529 Shield from the local detachment, which acts as both a visible theft deterrent and a quick link to the bike’s registration.

If the bike is stolen an alert can be sent out instantly to police, bike shops and the cycling community, which will dramatically increase the chance of recovery.

“This is about working together,” said staff sergeant Barry Graham.

“When police and the community join forces, we make it harder for thieves and safer for everyone. The launch of 529 Garage here is a big step forward in collaborating to protect what matters to people.”

The detachment has purchased shields and will be providing them free of charge.

They will be hosting a number of registration events in the coming weeks to help cyclists sign up and you can also visit the local detachment anytime Monday to Friday between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.

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The Kimberley RCMP has a new detachment commander following S/Sgt. Steve Woodcox’s departure.

S/Sgt. Dan Biggs has now arrived in the community and is taking over Woodcox’s duties.

He has a wide array of policing experience with time spent in multiple units.

“I did a few years in Squamish, then I went to Sicamous so I have done small town policing,” he said.

“I then went to Surrey which is our biggest detachment and did the major crime unit down there and was promoted to Maple Ridge. I ran one of our investigative teams and one of our drug units.”

He was most recently in the North West Territories.

“I was running one of our plain clothes teams, where we had two teams, a domestic violence/sexual assault unit and a general investigations unit.”

He says Kimberley was his family’s first choice and he’s excited about the opportunity.

“About 14 and a half years of service and this is my sixth detachment so I have bounced around quite a bit. Coming out of the North West Territories this was our number one spot.”

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A community event promoting mental health awareness in Prince George is right around the corner.

The Dallas Werbecky Memorial Mood Walk is taking place on September 20th from 2-5 pm at Lheidli T’enneh Memorial Park and is being hosted by the Canadian Mental Health Association.

Organizer, Kaleena Werbecky told MyPGNow.com the topic of mental health hits close to home after losing her brother in January.

“The idea of the walk came from all of the love I can no longer express to him and it flowed out to a purpose in helping those in the community like him. Unlike physical illnesses, people with mental illness often suffer alone. I want those who are suffering to know that there community is behind them and that resources are available.”

“It’s especially hard for men in our community to open up so I hope when people attend that they aren’t the only ones suffering.”

She added any donations in support of the Suicide Prevention fund will be matched by TC Energy.

“The walk is open and free for all but we are also accepting donations for the Suicide Prevention Fund with the Crisis Centre and CMHA. Any donations made to the fund will be matched,” added Werbecky.

Tomorrow (Wednesday), is World Suicide Prevention Day.

The Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention (CASP) is marking this day by hosting a free and live, virtual event entitled, Indigenous Knowledge and Life Promotion: Changing Narratives on Suicide, featuring guest speakers Elder John Rice and Lindsay DuPré.

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A free film screening highlighting the 2018 flood in Grand Forks will be held at UNBC’s Canfor Theatre.

The film called Trouble in the Headwaters is a 25-minute documentary done by Dan Pierce who shines a light on how industrial logging in places like the Kettle River Watershed has had an impact on the environment and wildlife.

The screening is hosted by Conservation North and spokesperson Michelle Connelly explains how industrial logging has impacted our region.

“We have seen many impacts on biodiversity for the north with several high profile species that have been seriously affected by industrial logging like the Mountain Caribou, Northern Goshawk, these species populations are in trouble because of habitat loss.”

“Unfortunately, roads and logging have contributed to that. I think that people would be interested in learning more about the effects of doing that and looking at better ways of doing things in our region and elsewhere.”

Pierce’s film features the research of Dr. Younes Alila, a civil engineer and professor of forest hydrology at the UBC Faculty of Forestry, who has studied the connection between forestry and flooding for decades.

The screening takes place Saturday at 6pm. Former local MLA Mike Morris will also be in attendance.

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Creston Valley Fire Departments extinguished a wildfire in the area of Lakeview Arrow Creek Road yesterday afternoon, Sept. 8.

Firefighters arrived just before 5 p.m. to a fire in the grass and trees along the roadway, moving towards a home.

Bystanders were actively trying to get the fire under control using a garden hose from the house, with one being injured and sent to hospital for treatment.

Firefighters quickly deployed hoses to extinguish the fire and crews were able to access the area from all sides, ensuring the fire did not spread to surrounding homes.

There were 2 engines, 4 brush trucks, 3 water tenders and 1 command vehicle along with 26 firefighters.

“It was a great turn out of firefighters that were able to quickly action the fire” said Fire Chief Jared Riel. ” I am grateful of their hard work and the support received from bystanders”.

The cause of the fire is undetermined.

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Several homes in rural communities between Campbell River and Gold River are set to see boosted internet connectivity.

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Afternoons with Andrea on Kootenay’s Summit Radio interviews Castlegar RCMP officer Ron George and Nelson representative BC Sherriff Rob Crowder, both riders, about the 2025 ride. They explain what Cops for Kids is all about, how their ride is going so far this year, and where you can donate to support local children in need: copsforkids.org

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Crews with the District of Sparwood have begun annual water flushing operations around the community.

The flushing program cleans out the inside of water mains within the distribution system.

A high velocity of water flow in a single direction scours the inner wall to reduce the build up of any sediment, biofilm, or mineral deposits in the line.

You may notice discoloured water after the flushing takes place.

That can be fixed by running the cold water tap until it runs clear.

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Get used to saying “Anglo Teck.”

Teck Resources has announced a merger with Anglo American, a British multinational mining company headquartered in London.

In a news release, Teck said Anglo Teck will have its global headquarters in Vancouver and corporate offices in London and Johannesburg.

Duncan Wanblad, the CEO of Anglo American will be the CEO of the new company and Teck CEO Jonathan Price will be deputy CEO.

Teck chair Sheila Murray will be the chair of the newly merged company while Anglo American chief financial officer John Heasley will look after the finances.

The deal will require approval from two-thirds of each of Teck’s class A and Class B shareholders, as well as Anglo American Shareholders.

It will also need the federal government’s blessing and other approvals internationally. The two companies expect the merger to be completed within 12 to 18 months.

The move comes a few years after Teck staved off a hostile takeover bid by Glencore, and after it split its business into two companies, Teck Metals and Elk Valley Resources.

Teck has about 1,500 employees at the smelter in Trail, making it one of the largest employers in the West Kootenay.

(MORE TO COME)

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A Victoria multidisciplinary artist will devote a month-long artist residency to telling the story of her grandmother’s teenage years in Nelson — and her secret attempt to become a pilot.

Joyce Smith came to Nelson in 1946 at age 16 when her parents, Michael and Mabel Smith, bought the Golden Gate Cafe in the 500 block of Baker Street. (The same space would later become the Diamond Grill, immortalized in poet Fred Wah’s book of the same name.)

The family lived in an apartment at rear of the restaurant, which was once the annex to the Nelson House hotel. The restaurant had the marketing tag line: “There are two good places to eat: home and here.” 

Joyce and her father were avid hockey fans, who would attend Nelson Maple Leafs games at the Civic Centre, but leave each game a few minutes early so they could run back to the restaurant, fire up the ice cream machine and soda fountain, and reopen to serve the after-game throngs.

But Joyce was hiding something from her parents. Without their knowledge, she had joined the Nelson Flying Club and started learning to fly a plane.

The club was short-lived but had over 100 members. It was led by a former RCAF officer, who provided flying expertise, and his wife, who headed up fundraising. The club put on dances to raise money and was involved with lobbying efforts to get an emergency airstrip in Nelson. Smith wasn’t the only girl involved — some of her friends were also aspiring pilots. Their flying lessons were held in Castlegar, which had the nearest airstrip.

Eventually, however, Smith’s parents found out, and she gave up her aviation dream without earning her license. In 1951, the family moved to Calgary. Decades later, Joyce’s granddaughter Rebecca Cory was enthralled to learn her grandmother had once taken flying lessons.

“This person who was baking me cookies and pie and babysitting me, also at some time in her life, when she was maybe my age, had learned to pilot a plane,” Cory said. “I don’t even know anyone right now who knows how to pilot a plane, let alone in the late 1940s. So it just seemed magical or mysterious, this whole unknown part of her.” 

As she got older, Cory would ask to hear the story again, but her grandmother grew  sheepish. “She would say ‘Oh, I can’t believe I ever told you that story.’ I would tell her ‘It’s my favourite story of yours. Please tell me again.’”  

Now Cory is turning that tale into a graphic novel. Cory explains she took some classes through Emily Carr University’s continuing studies program, including one on graphic novels. An early assignment was to produce a four-page story and her grandmother’s flying lessons jumped to mind.

“I think because there are so many graphic elements, imagining these old planes. She’s pretty sure she flew in a Piper Cub, which was a very popular plane after World War II for private pilots to own and fly.”

Cory had been to Nelson once many years ago, long before she considered drawing her grandmother’s story, but returned recently to gather reference materials by taking photos and visiting the archives. She was able to identify many buildings in her grandmother’s old photos and found a menu from the Golden Gate Cafe.

“The archivists helped me find photos of the time period to use as reference materials, for the cars and other businesses operating at the time and to just get a feel for the time period,” she said.

Over a year ago, Cory did an artist residency where she drafted most of the script, but she hasn’t had much time to work on it since. This month she is taking part in the Similkameen Artist Residency in Keremeos, where she will focus on storyboarding and drawing.

While she hasn’t thought too far ahead about where and how her comic will be presented, she said she would like to publish it or share it online.

Her grandmother, now 95, lives in Victoria. “Her joke is WTB: walking, talking, breathing,” Cory says. “She’s still a firecracker and still is cracking jokes all the time. And a very, very joyful, living-out-loud kind of person.” 

But what does she think of her story being turned into a graphic novel?

“Oh, she’s pretty embarrassed about it. I think now she feels bad that she did not tell her parents [about being in the flying club]. Having raised five kids, she was like, ‘if my kids ever did that, I would probably kill them.’ She can now see it from [her parents’] point of view.”

Even at the time, her grandmother understood her parents were worried about her safety, Cory says, because while she snuck off to take lessons, once caught, she didn’t go back.

Cory would like to hear from anyone who was involved in the Nelson Flying Club or ever ate at the Golden Gate Cafe.

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Trail RCMP say a 64-year-old woman who was hit by a car in a crosswalk at one of the city’s busiest intersections is expected to fully recover.

The woman was struck at the intersection of 2nd Avenue and Bailey Street last Thursday morning. The driver, a 70-year-old city man, was turning eastbound onto the highway from 2nd when the collision occurred.

He said he didn’t see the woman in the crosswalk. She was taken to hospital and treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

The man reportedly did not see the woman in the crosswalk. He received a $167 fine for failing to yield to a pedestrian.

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A 32-year-old Trail man has been charged with stealing chocolate bars from a business in the 700 block of Victoria Street.

Police were called early last Thursday morning. They reviewed video surveillance and identified a suspect, who was under conditions not to be in the business and had an outstanding warrant for his arrest.

An officer located the man and arrested him without incident. He was remanded in custody following a bail hearing. He faces one count of theft under $5,000 and one count of failing to comply with a release order.

He’s due in court today.

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Sports by Hartley Tuesday, September 9th, 2025

(As of 12:05 a.m. All times listed are PDT)

NFL: (Final game in Week 1)

Minnesota Vikings  27  Chicago Bears  24

The NFL schedule and results can be found here.

The (4-3) Prince George Kodiaks have just three regular season games in the BC Football Conference.

They host the (2-4) Valley Huskers Saturday night at 6:00.

The Kodiaks are in 3rd place in the 7-team league with the top four to advance to the playoffs.

The BCFC standings: Okanagan 7-0, Westshore 6-1, Prince George 4-3, Langley 2-4,
Vancouver Island 2-4, Valley 2-4 and Kamloops 0-7.

The Kodiaks schedule and results can be found here.

More info on the BCFC can be found here.

WHL:

The Prince George Cougars play their final two pre-season games this week.

They face off against the Blazers Friday night at 7:00 in Kamloops and Saturday at 5 PM in Quesnel.

The regular season for the Cougars will begin on Friday, September 19th when they host the Portland Winterhawks in the first of a doubleheader at CN Centre.

The PG Cougars regular season schedule is here.

BCHL:

The Prince George Spruce Kings will be on the Lower Mainland for their final two pre-season games; they visit Langley Friday night at 7:15 and Chilliwack Saturday night at 6:00.

The regular season opener for the Spruce Kings will be played on September 19th at Chilliwack with their home opener on Friday, September 26th against Surrey.

The Spruce Kings regular season schedule is here.

Canada West Soccer:

The UNBC Timberwolves are home Friday night in Canada West Soccer at Masich Place Stadium.

The (0-6) UNBC women host UBC Okanagan at 5:30 while the (3-2-1) UNBC entertain Saskatchewan right after at 8:00.

More on the Timberwolves can be found here.

The Canada West women’s soccer schedule is here.

The Canada West men’s soccer schedule is here.

The Canada West women’s soccer standings are here.

The Canada West men’s soccer standings are here.

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The late Montreal Canadiens great Ken Dryden had two links to Trail: he visited the city in 2006 and he was immortalized in a novel set in the area.

In Pete McCormack’s critically-acclaimed Understanding Ken, published in 1998, Dryden is the scapegoat (scapegoaltender?) for a young boy who projects the trauma of his parents’ divorce onto Dryden for sitting out the 1973-74 NHL season to work at a law firm.

McCormack grew up in the West Kootenay, but the book is not strictly autobiographical and his feelings about Dryden’s decision weren’t as intense as his protagonist’s.

“I think all Montreal fans were heartbroken when he wasn’t playing that year,” McCormack said in a phone interview today from his home in Vancouver.

“I mean, we read in the newspaper that he’s playing defense on a rec team in Toronto. Like, what the hell is going on? But no, I didn’t feel that kind of animosity, nor did I project my own journey in my life at that time on Ken that way.”

In the novel’s opening pages, McCormack’s narrator describes Game 7 of the 1971 Stanley Cup final, when Dryden robbed Chicago’s Jim Pappin of an open-net chance to tie the game: “Pappin puts his arms in the air to celebrate the goal. That’s when the goalie pad came out of nowhere. That pad swallowed up the puck like water down the bathtub drain. That pad broke Jim Pappin’s heart and all the Black Hawks’ hearts and my brother’s heart. That was the pad of Ken Dryden. The greatest goalie in the history of the world.”

When he learns Dryden has quit hockey, he is mortified: “Who will play goal? Bunny Larocque? You can’t win with a goalie named Bunny. I feel like I’ve been butt-ended in the gut a million times.”

McCormack did share his young narrator’s reverence for Dryden, both on and off the ice: “The intelligence he brought to the game and the way he thought about it afterwards is just extraordinary,” he said. “He was a really interesting, quirky, and fascinating guy. So it’s a huge loss to the hockey world and to Canada. He represents so many good things about Canada in my eyes.”

McCormack ultimately got a firsthand view of Dryden’s perceptiveness.

“When I wrote Understanding Ken, I wrote him a letter saying, ‘You’re such an important part of my childhood, and this book is sort of an ode to you.’ Even though he comes off as a villain in a certain way in the book, that wasn’t true at all for me as a kid.”

Dryden didn’t respond. But 16 years later, McCormack interviewed Dryden in Toronto for the Sports on Fire documentary series that aired on HBO Canada. The first episode was devoted to the 1972 Summit Series between Canada and the Soviet Union.

“He walks in and says ‘Oh, by the way, my wife read your book. She really liked it.’”

Dryden’s lone visit to Trail came on Sept. 14, 2006, while he was campaigning for the leadership of the federal Liberal party.

On that stop, he was presented with a replica sweater of the Trail Smoke Eaters 1961 World Championship team by team members Norm Lenardon and Dave Rusnell.

Dryden said while he had never been to Trail before, he knew the city’s name well thanks to the Smoke Eaters. “In 1961, at a time when there were only two NHL teams in Canada, for a time the third most-famous hockey team in the country was the Trail Smoke Eaters,” he told the Trail Daily Times.

“Everybody followed the Smoke Eaters, and when they won the World Championship, we knew all the names. We knew Harry Smith and Seth Martin, and Norm and Dave. They were household names to us.”

Reporter Raymond Masleck wrote that Dryden looked “somewhat tired” after months of campaigning and also “rumpled” after Air Canada lost his luggage on a flight to Calgary. Dryden drove to Trail from Cranbrook and declared the leadership race “endless, but terrifically interesting.”

At the time, polls reported Dryden was in third place. He was ultimately eliminated on the second ballot. Stephane Dion ended up winning, but only remained leader for two years.

Dryden died Friday of cancer at age 78.

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On a day where they had their hands full, the Prince George RCMP had to make an interesting traffic stop on Friday.

Officers stopped a man driving a toy car down Fifteenth Avenue near Nicholson Street.

“This was during the morning commute, around 9:00 am, and the streets were very busy at the time,” said Cpl. Jennifer Cooper.

“Our police officer conducted a traffic stop with the vehicle to assess what was happening.”

According to police, any vehicle on a roadway that is powered by anything other than muscular power fits into the definition of a motor vehicle, and requires a licenced driver and insurance.

Mounties say while it might time like an inefficient use of police time to pull over a driver in a toy car, the risk the driver was creating to other motorists who were forced to go around him, coupled with the risk to himself, was enough to warrant police attention.

During the investigation, the officer formed grounds to believe the driver was impaired, and found the driver had a suspended licence.

The driver was arrested for prohibited driving, and an impaired driving investigation ensued.

Two breath samples were provided, both of which were over the legal limit, and the driver was handed a 90-day driving prohibition.

The driver was served with an Appearance Notice, and a court date is scheduled for December.

The file remains under investigation.

This was part of a busy day for the Prince George RCMP, who had to deal with a devastating fire at Crossroads’ downtown location, as well as a motor vehicle collision that saw an ambulance flipped onto its side.

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Campbell River commuters who use Erickson Road should prepare for potential delays through the next few weeks.

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The Village of Cumberland is seeking feedback to help with finalizing its draft Official Community Plan.

Open house events this week will give you a chance to learn about the draft plan and provide feedback, the plan covers several community-minded topics like housing, infrastructure, economic development and more.

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The Municipality of North Cowichan will discuss three applications that have been received for five properties to be considered for permissive tax exemptions at a meeting Tuesday afternoon. 

If granted, the municipality says the exemptions would be included for the 2026 and 2027 tax years and the region could lose over $8,000 in revenue.  

Of the three applications put forward, a staff report says two are from organizations that have previously been granted exemptions and have since acquired new properties.  

Currently, Clements Centre Society receives exemptions on five properties totaling $30,882 in lost revenue, the report says even more revenue could be lost if an exemption is granted.  

“If granted a 100 per cent exemption, the estimated forgone revenue on this property would be an additional $3,819, and if granted a 50 per cent exemption, the estimated forgone revenue would be $1,910,” the society says.  

Other exemptions include Maple Bay Yacht Club, who currently receives a 50 per cent exemption and House of Grace who is requesting an exemption.  

Staff say while they allow permissive tax exemptions, there are concerns linked to granting them. 

“While permissive tax exemptions support valuable community services, each exemption granted adds to the financial pressure on the budget,” reads a report from the society. “As staff work to meet council’s directive to lower taxes, the approval of additional exemptions presents a challenge.” 

Municipality staff recommends that council denies the application, they say any decision to forego revenue significantly hinders their ability to meet their targets.  

If council approves the application, staff say the total revenue lost would be over $8,000 based off the 2025 assessment and tax rates.  

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Prince George residents will have the opportunity to watch an outdoor movie under the twilight skies.

The City is hosting a free screening of Sonic the Hedgehog 3 at 7:30pm at Ron Brent Park.

Residents are encouraged to bring a lawn chair or a blanket to enjoy the flick as it is projected onto a giant inflatable movie screen.

Confirmed food vendors Dirty Pop (serving soda and popcorn) and Risen Sourdough Donuts will be in attendance.

“Parks and recreation staff have worked hard this summer on a number of great events in our parks and green spaces from Movie Under the Stars to Canada Day, which have helped to build community and activate our beautiful outdoor spaces,” said parks recreation supervisor, Robyn McConkey,

“We encourage everyone to join us for one of our final park events of the season this Friday!”

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Quesnel RCMP is alerting the public about a recent circulation of counterfeit currency after reports of several counterfeit bills being passed at local businesses.

The majority of the counterfeit currency collected by police are in denominations of $20 and $100 bills.

Police say several discrepancies between genuine and counterfeit bills were noted including the transparent strip being easily peeled off and the braille on the bill was absent.

Additionally, Police said the counterfeit bills seized have the same serial number that reads “GKD8904638”.

If you come in contact with a suspected one your asked to report it to the Quesnel RCMP or share the information anonymously at Crime Stoppers.

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Edgewood’s Universal Ostrich Farm has delayed the execution of its flock of 400 with a Federal Court of Appeal ruling that buys time in its fight against a cull ordered by the Canadian Inspection Agency.

The farm has been fighting the cull since January after an avian flu outbreak was declared there in December 2024.

The farm lost its appeal to stop the cull in August but last week its lawyer filed for another stay as it seeks a hearing at the Supreme Court of Canada.

The Federal Court of Appeal granted the interim stay in a decision handed down Sept. 6.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has until Tuesday to respond to the motion, and the farm has until Wednesday to file a reply.

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The Prince George RCMP has made an arrest in relation to a motor vehicle incident involving an ambulance and a pickup truck.

Just after midnight on Friday, Frontline Police Officers responded to the incident at the intersection of Carney Street and 15th Avenue.

According to police, initial investigation showed the Emergency Health Services crew was traveling through the intersection when it struck the pickup, which proceeded through the intersection against the light.

On Friday, Mounties had reported the occupants of the truck did not remain at the scene.

“We want to extend our thanks to all the people who provided us with information on this investigation,” said Cpl. Jennifer Cooper.

“As a result of the tips we received, our Investigative Support Team was able to arrest the driver of the pickup truck in connection with this event.”

The driver was released on an Appearance Notice with a future court date.

The investigation remains ongoing.

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Elevated water restrictions have been issued for all users on the Village of Slocan water system, effective immediately. 

The village said recent rainfall on Sunday stirred up heavy silt flow and created operational issues at the treatment plant. 

As a result, residents are asked to cut out all non-essential water use until the system clears.

This includes activities such as lawn and garden sprinkling, excessive laundry, filling pools and car washing. 

The village said it is consuming more water than the plant can produce, which could result in a boil-water notice if not rectified. 

The elevated restrictions will remain in place until further notice. 

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People with low to moderate incomes in Quesnel, including Indigenous Elders, seniors and families will soon have access to safe and affordable housing.

The five-story building on North Fraser Drive will include 35 studio, one and two bedroom homes that will be owned and operated by the Quesnel Tillicum Society when they open in 2027.

“We at the Quesnel Tillicum Society are proud to work with the Province to provide affordable homes for Indigenous families,” Executive Director Tony Goulet stated in a release.

Some of the homes will be accessible or adaptable to meet the needs of seniors and people with mobility requirements.

Tenant selection will be managed by the Society with priority given to Indigenous households with low to moderate incomes.

“This partnership with the Province is an important part of providing our region with housing that supports culture, family, and community,” Goulet stated.

The Province, through BC Housing, provided approximately $23 million toward the project.

Christine Boyle, Minister of Housing and Municipal Affairs, said “These new rental homes will provide stability to people, helping growing families, individuals, seniors, people living with disabilities and Indigenous people find homes that meet their needs.”

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The province is putting $6.7 million into providing free or low-cost adult mental-health or addictions counselling services.

This is through the Community Action Initiative with 44 organizations on the recipient list.

“The Community Action Initiative has been proud to partner with the Province of B.C. to provide grants and capacity building for non-profit organizations that provide counselling services,” said Executive Director Julia Kaisler.

Included is the Dze L K’ant Friendship Centre Society in Smithers and Houston, and the Central Interior Native Health Society which serves various First Nation communities.

Since 2019, over $43 million has been invested into counselling services with 72,000 people accessing it for the first time.

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A 35-year-old driver had their vehicle impounded for going almost double the posted speed limit.

On Friday, Sept. 5, a police officer in the Elk Valley stopped a vehicle going 185 km/h in a 100 km/h zone.

The driver was issued an excessive speeding ticket has their vehicle is impounded for seven days.

Elk Valley RCMP officials said they are continuing to patrol the highway and are urging drivers to slow down.

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The City of Fernie has issued a water quality advisory due to raised turbidity levels.

The water quality is currently at a “fair” rating.

It’s not a boil water notice, but children, the elderly and those with weekend immune systems may want to seek additional protection.

They should boil water for drinking, washing fruits or vegetables, making beverages or ice, or brushing teeth.

Water should be brought to a rolling boil for at least one minute.

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The District of Sparwood will be updating its zoning and off-street parking bylaws after collecting the community’s thoughts.

The bylaws were originally adopted in 1981 and 1988 respectively and are now being updated to improve clarity and address outdated regulations.

The district received 228 survey responses between June 26 and July 31.

73.6 per cent of respondents were familiar with the current bylaws, but only 22.5 per cent had used them for a project.

Nearly half the respondents has a challenging time understanding the bylaws.

District staff said most residents feel parking is adequate across zones, but there are concerns about vehicle congestion and driveway regulations.

The district will be hosting a series of workshops this fall to explore specific issues and collaboratively develop solutions.

The Chamber of Commerce is also conducting a survey with local businesses and the findings will feed into the workshops.

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Despite some recent warm weather, the growth of local fires has started to stall.

The Silver Basin fire in Bugaboo Provincial Park is the largest in the area at 490 hectares and remains in a difficult and mostly inaccessible terrain, and is not currently threatening any structures.

Crews are working along the northern flank using direct attack strategies, while the evacuation alert and area restriction are still in effect.

The Kidd Creek blaze near Yahk is at 310 hectares, but crews have been able to maintain control lines along the southern and eastern flanks.

Aviation and heavy machine equipment are also responding to the fire.

The area restriction around the fire remains in place.

The small Upper Finley Creek fire is considered held, while the Door Cutoff Road fire near Grasmere is under control.

Some rain is expected in the forecast this week which will help slow the growth even more, but lightning could cause new fire starts.

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The Prince George RCMP has made an arrest following Friday’s fire at Crossroad’s Downtown location.

“Our Investigative Support Team was diligently working throughout the weekend to process the evidence collected on this investigation and have arrested 57-year-old Richard Titchener in relation to this event,” said Cpl. Jennifer Cooper.

According to police, Titchener has been charged with arson causing damage to property, and will remain in custody until his next court appearance.

At around 2:30 early Friday morning, PG Fire Rescue Crews were called to Crossroads, and spent much of the day extinguishing the blaze.

No injuries were reported, and there is still no estimate as to the cost of the damage.

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Much of the province is under a special air quality statement due to wildfire smoke.

According to Environment Canada, numerous regions are currently being impacted or are likely to be impacted by the smoke over the next 24-28 hours.

Affected regions span from the Peace in the Northeast, and down into the Southern Interior.

According to BC’s Air Quality Index, today’s (Monday) forecast is anticipating Prince George, Quesnel, and Williams Lake’s index will be above 10, or very high risk.

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Nanaimo city council will consider a development permit for a project that could add 35 units of supportive housing to the south end. 

The six-storey building at 355 Nicol Street would be managed by Snuneymuxw First Nation and the project is a partnership with BC Housing. 

The property is currently vacant and neighbours a vacant city-owned lot at 354 Haliburton Street and a BC Housing owned property at 364 Haliburton Street. 

“Both properties on Haliburton Street will be utilized by the development at 355 Nicol Street for outdoor amenity space and off-site parking,” reads a city staff report. “BC Housing is proposing to incorporate these additional properties into the overall site plan given the limited area of the subject property to accommodate ancillary functions.” 

Council will also consider a lease agreement for 354 Haliburton Street. If approved, the vacant property would be used for outdoor programs for tenants of the 355 Nicol Street Housing project. 

According to a staff report, the lot will be gated and could provide opportunities for community groups to use the space also. It also notes Snuneymuxw First Nation proposed keeping the gates open during the night to allow community access. 

Council will consider the development permit and lease agreement at its Sept. 8 meeting. 

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On a day where they had their hands full, the Prince George RCMP had to make an interesting traffic stop on Friday.

Officers stopped a man driving a toy car down Fifteenth Avenue near Nicholson Street.

“This was during the morning commute, around 9:00 am, and the streets were very busy at the time,” said Cpl. Jennifer Cooper.

“Our police officer conducted a traffic stop with the vehicle to assess what was happening.”

According to police, any vehicle on a roadway that is powered by anything other than muscular power fits into the definition of a motor vehicle, and requires a licenced driver and insurance.

Mounties say while it might time like an inefficient use of police time to pull over a driver in a toy car, the risk the driver was creating to other motorists who were forced to go around him, coupled with the risk to himself, was enough to warrant police attention.

During the investigation, the officer formed grounds to believe the driver was impaired, and found the driver had a suspended licence.

The driver was arrested for prohibited driving, and an impaired driving investigation ensued.

Two breath samples were provided, both of which were over the legal limit, and the driver was handed a 90-day driving prohibition.

The driver was served with an Appearance Notice, and a court date is scheduled for December.

The file remains under investigation.

This was part of a busy day for the Prince George RCMP, who had to deal with a devastating fire at Crossroads’ downtown location, as well as a motor vehicle collision that saw an ambulance tipped onto its side.

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The B.C. Highway Patrol says the north continues to have the highest total of driving bans, criminal charges and drug prohibitions than any other region.

During its Summer Impaired Driving Campaign, removed over 626 drivers from the road province-wide, 146 were from our region.

That’s followed by Metro Vancouver, Sea to Sky, and eastern Fraser Valley: 150, Vancouver Island: 131 (15 were detected impaired by drugs),
Central BC 111 and the Kootenay region: 88 (31 were detected impaired by drugs).

“This year’s Summer Impaired Driving Campaign is a graphic illustration of why we all need to do better staying sober while driving,” said Superintendent Mike Coyle, Operations Officer of BC Highway Patrol.

“Impaired driving is the leading cause of criminal death in BC. It’s simply unacceptable to think that it’s OK to drive while impaired by alcohol or drugs.”

Throughout the province, BC Highway Patrol has been expanding the application of Mandatory Alcohol Screening (MAS).

It allows police officers to demand an immediate breath sample, under section 320.27(2) of the Canadian Criminal Code, from any driver who is lawfully stopped.

There is no longer any need to develop a reasonable suspicion that a driver has alcohol in their system, and the entire process can be done in less than two minutes.

Drivers who refuse the breath demand are committing a criminal offence that leads to penalties similar to impaired driving charges.

The purpose of MAS is:

• To stop drivers who choose to drive while impaired. Everyone needs to know that police can test any driver during any traffic stop;
• To detect impaired drivers who do not show obvious signs of intoxication;
• To reduce alcohol-related crashes, injuries and deaths. In other words, to keep you and your loved ones safe on our roads.

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A wildfire east of Ymir at Cultus Creek has grown to 773 hectares.

The lightning-caused fire sparked on Aug. 30. It began as two separate fires but merged on Sept. 4 into a much larger blaze.

It remains out of control and inoperable, with the BC Wildfire Service saying its location in steep, inaccessible terrain is unsafe for ground crew suppression efforts.

Instead, crews are monitoring and managing the blaze with a combination of techniques aimed at minimizing damage while maximizing ecological benefits from the fire.

The BC Wildfire Service issued an area restriction on Sept. 5 as a result of the blaze. It applies to Crown land within the boundaries described below and shown on the service’s online map.

The restriction area begins at the bridge over Porcupine Creek at the 12-kilometre point on Porcupine Creek Road, then runs uphill due north to the height of land.

It follows the height of land north through Trog Peak and Myth Peak to the top of Baldy Mountain (49°20.65, -117°3.65), then east to follow Laib Creek downstream to the bridge at Next Creek Road.

From there it follows the north side of Next Creek Road southwest along Cultus Creek until the road turns south (49°17.59’N, 116°54.39’W), then heads southwest along the height of land between Cultus Creek and Elmo Creek back to Porcupine Creek at the starting point.

Under an area restriction order, residents are prohibited from entering without prior written authorization from an official designated under the Wildfire Act.

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It’s been just over 6 months since the Urgent and Primary Care Centre (UPCC) opened in Williams Lake.

Clinical Operations Director for the Cariboo Memorial Hospital, Kelly Dillon, said the Centre has averaged about 42 patients a day using a team-based care model.

“When patients walk in a registered nurse will assess them and direct them to the appropriate care and available services. These services may include an in-person or virtual appointment with a Physician or Nurse Practitioner, a social worker, or an Indigenous Patient Navigator at the clinic. As well as other services available in our community such as pharmacies, labs, medical imaging, mental health and substance use supports, and specialists referrals.”

Dillon said the Williams Lake UPCC has supported over 7,978 patient visits since they opened on February 25, 2025.

“The number of people waiting to be seen in the Emergency Department at Cariboo Memorial Hospital has decreased since the Centre opened, and this new service has also helped with the length of time patients who have lower acuity need, or for instances less severe condition in how long they’re waiting for care.”

Dillon added community feedback towards the Urgent and Primary Care Centre has been positive.

“UPCC patients are pleased that they do not have to wait as long to get same day service, or care, for urgent or unexpected health conditions. Staff takes the time to understand each patient’s unique need and connection them with the most suitable supports to improve their health. This includes access to specialized team members such as a social worker and an Indigenous patient navigator who help address a wide range of health and wellness concerns.”

Interior Health is actively recruiting for positions and nurse practitioners at the UPCC in Williams Lake and as recruitment is still ongoing the staffing will vary on a daily basis.

“When fully staffed,” Dillon said, “there will be typically 4 primary care practitioners working daily, so that would be two physicians and two nurse practitioners. Although we are actively recruiting, there may be days when coverage is limited, and when that occurs, patients will be assessed by a registered nurse, and if required, will be referred to Cariboo Memorial Hospital. People may see a virtual physician or nurse practitioner if an in-person option is not available. So overall very good success with the first 6 months of the Urgent and Primary Care Centre’s opening.”

Dillon added that staff have really come together, they support one another, they support the community, they’ve just done a tremendous amount of work and they love what they’re doing.

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The Comox Valley Regional District (CVRD) is inviting the public to two upcoming events to provide feedback about the future of recreation. 

The events are meant to gain public opinion about capital project plans, current programming, and infrastructure upgrades at the Comox Valley Aquatic and Sports Centres. 

Senior Manager of Recreation Services Jennifer Zbinden says they’re looking forward to having the public connect with staff about feedback that’s important to them. 

“Recreation is at the heart of the Comox Valley, and we want to provide the best experience possible for our community,” Zbinden says. 

The events are happening September 22 at the Comox Valley Aquatic Centre from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., and December 3 at the Comox Valley Sports Centre from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. 

Residents who provide feedback of suggestions will be entered to win one of two 10-visit punch passes which can be used at either facility. 

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Flight attendants with Air Canada shot down the airline’s latest wage offer.

The tentative agreement, which ended a strike last month, includes a 12 percent salary hike for most junior flight attendants while senior members would enjoy an eight percent hike.

This is followed by similar raises in later years. CUPE added 99.1 percent of members turned down the proposal arguing flight attendants would still earn less than the federal minimum wage.

The wage issues are now in mediation and CUPE says will be resolved in arbitration if necessary.

The three-day flight attendant strike concluded August 19th with the assistance of a federal mediator after disrupting the travel plans of thousand of customers.

– with files from Vista Radio news wire

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Staffing challenges at the Lakes District Hospital have closed the emergency department until tomorrow (Tuesday) morning.

Northern Health said the interruption started at 8:00 this morning.

Anyone experiencing life threatening emergencies like chest pains, difficulty breathing, or severe bleeding is asked to call 9-1-1 to be taken to the closest available facility.

Non-life threatening emergencies are asked to contact their primary care provider or the Northern Health Virtual Clinic.

Those unsure which number to call can contact HealthLink B.C. at 8-1-1.

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The City of Castlegar will launch its annual vegetation management program today, which will run for six to eight weeks.

The program involves pruning trees and shrubs along the city’s 95 kilometres of roads, sidewalks, and alleyways to maintain clearances so snowplows, loaders, and other winter operations equipment can operate safely and effectively.

While residents are encouraged to manage trees and shrubs on their property, city crews will prune where necessary to maintain proper clearance in public spaces. This may include overhanging vegetation that originates on private property but extends into streets, sidewalks, or alleyways.

“Vegetation management is vital to keeping our roads, sidewalks, and alleyways accessible and safe,” said Crystal Bazar, assistant manager of operations. “We thank residents in advance for their awareness and patience as our civic works team completes this essential work to prepare for winter operations.”

Crews will begin at the city’s north end and move south. You’re asked to watch for crews and equipment and not enter active work areas.

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Nelson’s newest retirement facility has again pushed back its opening date.

The Waterview Retirement Resort, under construction at 611 Vernon St., is now slated to open in 2026.

Work at the site began in fall 2023. The project was originally expected to be finished the following spring.

In March 2024, the developer delayed completion to that fall. Now, more than a year later, the opening has been pushed back again.

Cindy Shaw, marketing director with Vendure Living, told Vista Radio on Sept. 4, 2025, the company is refinancing the building and is now aiming for a 2026 opening.

She said rising construction costs and difficulty accessing materials are behind the delay.

“The delays have been largely due to rising construction costs and challenges in acquiring some of the specialized building materials required. We see this as an opportunity to build an even better community – one that offers comfort, connection and quality of life for seniors in Nelson.”

Shaw said the developer will open a presentation centre next spring for prospective residents to meet the team and learn about available apartment options.

The project will feature 125 suites for people aged 55 and up, with the option to lease supported or independent living units.

It will also include 5,000 square feet of commercial storefront space for lease.

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The Regional District of Fraser-Fort George says residents can expect some delays at the Foothills Boulevard Regional Landfill.

The entrance and exit scales are being replaced this week.

Construction is starting today (Monday) and is expected to be completed by Friday.

During construction, traffic will be reduced to a single, alternating lane in and out of the site.

NorGrow compost will not be available for sale while work is underway.

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An Evacuation Order has been issued for the Smokey Lake Fire Area, west of Williams Lake.

The Cariboo Regional District (CRD)’s Emergency Operations Centre said in a statement that everyone in the area must leave immediately by the evacuation route, and RCMP officers are in the area to expedite the evacuation process.

The CRD says to proceed to Highway 20, then head east to Williams Lake. Upon arriving, proceed to the Emergency Services Centre at the Cariboo Memorial Recreation Complex. Located at 525 Proctor St.

The Evacuation Order covers 85 parcels of land, roughly 67,537 hectares, and will affect 42 structures.

The CRD says the order has been issued due to the dangers of wildfires in the area. The nearest wildfire is the Smokey Lake Wildfire, currently estimated at 5,776.6 hectares in size, and located north of the evacuation area.

More information on what residents should take with them, and updates on the orders and alerts, can also be found on the CRD’s website and the Emergency Operations Centre’s Facebook Page.

Updated information for the Smokey Lake Wildfire and wildfires in the region can be found at the BC Wildfire Service’s website and Wildfire Service App.

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Sports by Hartley Monday, September 8th, 2025

(As of 12:05 a.m. All times listed are PDT)

WHL: (Pre-season games in Hinton, Alberta)

Edmonton Oil Kings  4  Prince George Cougars  1   (Sunday)

The game summary is here.

Edmonton Oil Kings  5  Prince George Cougars  2   (Friday)

The game summary is here.

The Cougars play two more pre-season games, both against the Blazers; Friday night at 7:00 in Kamloops and Saturday at 5 PM in Quesnel.

The regular season for the Cougars will begin on Friday, September 19th when they host the Portland Winterhawks in the first of a doubleheader at CN Centre.

The PG Cougars regular season schedule is here.

BCHL: (Pre-season games in PG)

Spruce Grove Saints  3  Prince George Spruce Kings  2  (OT-Sunday)

The game summary is here.

Spruce Groves Saints   6  PG Spruce Kings  5  (SO-Saturday)

The game summary is here.

The Spruce Kings have two more pre-season games; they visit Langley Friday night at 7:15 and Chilliwack Saturday night at 6:00.

The regular season opener for the Spruce Kings will be played on September 19th at Chilliwack with their home opener on Friday, September 26th against Surrey.

The Spruce Kings regular season schedule is here.

BC Football Conference:

Okanagan Sun  60  Prince George Kodiaks  6   (Saturday in PG)

The loss ended a 3-game win streak for Prince George.

Kodiaks shredded by Okanagan air attack https://t.co/vhO1KGIslm

— My Prince George Now (@mypgnow) September 7, 2025

The (4-3) Kodiaks host the (2-4) Valley Huskers Saturday night at 6:00.

Prince George is in 3rd place in the 7-team league with three games left.

(The top 4 advance to the playoffs)

The BCFC standings: Okanagan 7-0, Westshore 6-1, Prince George 4-3, Langley 2-4,
Vancouver Island 2-4, Valley 2-4 and Kamloops 0-7.

The Kodiaks schedule and results can be found here.

More info on the BCFC can be found here.

Canada West Soccer:

(Men)

Victoria Vikes  1  UNBC Timberwolves  1  (Tie-Saturday)
Victoria Vikes  3  UNBC Timberwolves  1  (Friday)

The (3-2-1) UNBC men host Saskatchewan Friday night at 8:00.

(Women)

UBC Thunderbirds  5  UNBC Timberwolves  0  (Sunday)
UBC Thunderbirds  3  UNBC Timberwolves  0  (Sunday)

The (0-6) UNBC women host UBC Okanagan Friday night at 5:30 and

More on the Timberwolves can be found here.

The Canada West women’s soccer schedule is here.

The Canada West men’s soccer schedule is here.

The Canada West women’s soccer standings are here.

The Canada West men’s soccer standings are here.

NFL: (1st Sunday night game of the season)

Baltimore Ravens  at  Buffalo Bills

Monday Night Football to complete the first week of the season has Minnesota at Chicago (5:15 PT).

The NFL schedule and results can be found here.

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The City of Prince George will be celebrating the CN Centre at the end of the month.

On September 28th, the City will be celebrating the venue’s 30th birthday with an event from 1:00 to 3:30 p.m., which will also include the City’s annual International Students Welcome and Thank You PG Volunteer Appreciation event.

Residents can expect:

• Live music
• Free public skating and equipment rentals sponsored by Architecture 49
• Free food and drinks (wouldn’t be a 30^th celebration without cake!)
• Visit from Mr. PG
• Fun games and giveaways

The event will also feature former City Councillors, the building committee, and suppliers who were a part of making the arena what it is today.

“This is a great way for our staff to bring three City events under one roof,” said Mayor Simon Yu.

“The CN Centre is a beloved facility in Prince George  – nearly everyone in our community has a memory to share about events they’ve attended there. We hope to hear those stories at the Big Celebration Event later this month, meet newcomers to Prince George, and celebrate the dedication of local volunteers!”

The event is just one part of the CN Centre 30th anniversary celebration:

• Bryan Adams, Tuesday, September 23rd
• Brent Butt, Thursday, September 25th
• Welcome Back Cadillac Ranch featuring Fresh Horses, Friday, September 26th
• Trooper, Saturday, September 27th

According to the City, Bryan Adams has sold more tickets than any other artist in the CN Centre’s history.

The event on the 28th is free and open to all residents.

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The annual Parkinson’s SuperWalk in Prince George saw an “overwhelming response” from the community this year.

SuperWalk Coordinator Gina Beddome said they normally get between 75 and 100 people out for the walk, but they were hoping for at least 200.

“There’s an excitement in the air for the number of people now in Prince George that have a better awareness of Parkinson’s Disease, and seem to be wanting to do what they can to help those people with it,” she explained.

“The other is good anticipation for the event and just being more out there and people more aware of what we’re going through with Parkinson’s.”

The SuperWalk had a launch on August 12th, where it was revealed local philanthropist Selen Alpay was diagnosed with Parkinson’s. Beddome said since then, the event has been the talk of the town.

“The Host City now seems to be more attuned to Parkinson’s, to the SuperWalk,” she said.

“It’s actually quite exciting for those of us that have been sort of silently suffering through the years, feeling very much alone with Parkinson’s, that’s all turned around this year and it’s very uplifting.”

Fellow SuperWalk Coordinator Serena Sanghara is advocating for a movement disorder clinic in Prince George.

“That’s very crucial for Northern BC, because we don’t have a clinic up here in the north,” she explained.

She said there are three clinics in BC, in Victoria, Vancouver, and Kelowna.

“Parkinson’s is really prevalent in people over 60, and most of them are seniors with a fixed income,” Sanghara said.

“Financially, it’s really hard for them to go multiple times a year down there, and also paying for their caregiver as well.”

Sanghara added with mobility being a challenge, the travel is challenging as well.

She said finding a neurologist has been a big challenge as well.

“We couldn’t find a neurologist that was willing to work here, we have two neurologists, but they’re quite busy themselves and they have their own waitlist,” Sanghara said

“We have a team now, I can finally say that we have a plan and that we are working with them and we’re trying to bring the clinic as soon as possible to Prince George.”

More information on donating to the Parkinson SuperWalk can be found here.

–With files from Zach Barrowcliff, My Prince George Now

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The third hiker of three has been located deceased after the group fell while hiking Meachen Creek Falls.

On Sept. 1, Kimberley RCMP were alerted by a GPS SOS that three hikers went over Meachen Creek Falls. Frontline officers responded and located a 68-year-old woman deceased approximately halfway down the falls, while the remaining two were not immediately recovered.

The body of a 35-year-old woman was located and recovered the following day.

Since then, a 35-year-old man was located and confirmed deceased.

All three people were Mexican Citizens.

Kimberley RCMP would like to thank the efforts and hours put forth by a collaborating team of Kimberley RCMP Members, RCMP Police Dog Services, RCMP Drone Operations, RCMP Dive Team, BC Ambulance and Coroner Services, Victim Services, Big Horn Helicopters and the many teams of Search and Rescue members.

“Their efforts and skill have been appreciated by visiting members of the deceased family.” said Kimberley RCMP.

“Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the deceased.”

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It was a Saturday night to forget at Masich Place Stadium for the Prince George Kodiaks, as they fell 60-6 to the undefeated Okanagan Sun.

“It was execution, we weren’t our finest for sure,” said Kodiaks Head Coach Jamie Boreham.

The Kodiaks had a promising start, holding the Sun to field goals on the visitors’ first two drives.

After that, the Sun’s passing attack shredded the Kodiaks’ defence, connecting for six touchdown passes through the air on the day.

“We put an emphasis on stopping the run, [Gerren] Hardisty had been a force, so we did that better than we have previously, but our coverage wasn’t where it needed to be,” Boreham said.

“It’s some assignment stuff, it’s understanding where the run is and where the pass is. We need more reps at it to see it. They run it the best in the league and we got to see it first hand.”

The Kodiaks offence didn’t fare much better. Their most successful drive of the first three quarters ended in a muffed punt the Kodiaks recovered at the Sun 35-yard line.

This resulted in a rare Brady Harper miss from 42-yards out.

“Not our night, offence came out flat, didn’t execute, defence held us in early, and we didn’t get them off the field,” said Quarterback Sawyer Thiessen.

“They wore us down, we need to come out and compete harder, right from the jump.”

With the game well out of reach in the fourth quarter, both teams started to play their backups.

For the Kodiaks, the younger players showed a lot of promise.

“It’s always nice to see your younger guys get on the field, not the optimal game that you’re hoping they’re on the field for,” Boreham said.

“You see guys who step up and who are ready to jump in at a moments notice.”

After taking a big, egregiously late hit after the play was blown dead, rookie Quarterback Toby Plett led the Kodiaks to the end zone, finding Myron Brown for a 39-yard touchdown pass for Prince George’s first points of the day.

“I kind of went in with a mindset of 0-0, and somebody had to get the job done,” Plett said.

Plett’s first action in the CJFL did not go as planned. His first drive resulted in a two-and-out, while the second saw a fumble while handing the ball off to his running back.

“Shake it off, go in for the third drive, somebody’s got to put six up, so I went out there and I put six up with 58 seconds left,” Plett said.

The Kodiaks (4-3) are third in the BC Football Conference.

The BCFC standings are here.

The Kodiaks host the Valley Huskers (2-4) Saturday at Masich Place Stadium.

The full Kodiaks schedule is here.

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For the first time in many years, the City of Trail has hired an in-house planning manager.

Chris Buchan, who most recently worked as a senior planner for the Islands Trust, will also serve as the manager of climate action.

In a news release announcing his appointment, the city called him a “seasoned planner with a strong track record in land use, environmental policy, and climate strategy.”

He’s also worked as a planner in Spallumcheen and Prince Rupert, where he worked on major projects including updating official community plans and shaping climate and housing strategies.

City manager Colin McClure said Buchan’s arrival is a “significant milestone” in the city’s commitment to “thoughtful and strategic growth.”

“His expertise and leadership will help us shape a future where smart planning and climate-conscious decisions contribute to a more livable city,” McClure said.

In his new role, Buchan will lead planning and development initiatives, support climate action programs, and help implement Trail’s updated official community plan and zoning bylaw.

Buchan comes to Trail with his wife and two children and said in an interview that in addition to the professional opportunity, he was attracted by the affordability of the community, its outdoors opportunities, and a slower pace of life.

Buchan just started this week, so he is still catching up on the city’s priorities, but he will be leading committees dedicated to accessibility, downtown revitalization, and the OCP.

“I’d really like to work with the community to streamline development,” he said. “Work out the kinks, maybe some community frustrations. There is lots of updated legislation, and we do have some older bylaws. So there is a great opportunity to review and modernize.

“I look forward to drawing on my diverse planning experience to support the city in navigating evolving challenges and opportunities.”

While there is no requirement that municipalities retain professional planners on staff, many communities smaller than Trail have them. Until now, Trail has either combined planning duties with other roles or sought consultants to do the work.

However, the city said it saw the need for a specialized professional to lead planning and development and support climate action. His role is paid for in part through the Local Government Climate Action Program. City council authorized creating the position in April.

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The Kootenay Native Plant Society (KNPS) is excited to welcome Daniel Mosquin of the UBC Botanical Garden as the keynote speaker at its Annual Speaker Series and AGM on Thursday, September 18, from 7:00–9:00 p.m. at the United Church in Nelson (lower hall) and online via Google Meet.

Daniel Mosquin is a renowned photographer, botanist, and scientist from the UBC Botanical Garden.

He will be presenting “Plant Communications” in a series of storytelling vignettes of plant communication from root to shoot, to flower and fruit.

“Scientific evidence for plant communication has steadily accumulated over recent years. The well-known colour and fragrance modes of communication have long been known as ways to communicate with animals in particular, but how do plants communicate within themselves? How do they communicate with other plants? Even with the old standbys, is there more to colour than only attracting pollinators and fruit-eaters?”

Daniel invites us to explore the deeper, lesser-known modes of plant signaling, both within themselves and with each other. Could there be more to colour than meets the eye?

We’re also excited to welcome our very own Brenda Beckwith, Ph.D., Senior Scientist with the Kootenay Native Plant Society. Brenda will present an update on our Pollination Pathway Project, now in its fifth year. Her talk, “Pollinator-Plant Messaging,” will highlight recent research findings from local field sites and offer insights into the ongoing relationships between native plants and pollinators in our region.

A brief Annual General Meeting will follow, where members are invited to vote on the board and approve organizational documents.

We look forward to seeing you on Thursday, September 18, in person or online!

Event Details

Time: Thursday, September 18, 2025 from 7:00–9:00 p.m
Location: Nelson United Church, 602 Silica Street
Or join virtually through Google Meet: meet.google.com/urd-zowd-brw

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Sports by Darin, as of 6:00 am, Sunday, September 7th

BC Football Conference:

Okanagan Sun  60  Prince George Kodiaks  6

Toby Plett found Myron Brown for a 39 yard touchdown pass, the Kodiaks’ lone major of the game.

The Kodiaks (4-3) are third in the BC Football Conference.

The BCFC standings are here.

The Kodiaks host the Valley Huskers (2-4) Saturday at Masich Place Stadium.

The full Kodiaks schedule is here.

WHL Preseason:

Prince George Cougars vs. Edmonton Oil Kings (11:00 am PDT) 

The Cougars dropped the first game of the weekend on Friday by a 5-2 score.

BCHL Preseason:

Spruce Grove Saints  6  Prince George Spruce Kings  5 (SO)

The same two teams will play at Kopar Memorial Arena this afternoon. (2:00)

MLB:

Cincinnati Reds  6  New York Mets  3

Jared Young hit a homerun in his only at-bat of the Mets’ loss.

Good call, Keith! pic.twitter.com/KXrEwNi2J5

— New York Mets (@Mets) September 7, 2025

The Mets (76-66)  are second in the NL East, and are sitting in the final NL Wild Card spot.

The San Francisco Giants (72-70) are four games behind.

New York Yankees  3  Toronto Blue Jays  1

The Blue Jays (82-60) are currently on top of the American League.

NFL:

It’s here and it’s glorious 🥹 pic.twitter.com/lZgCj8fvTI

— NFL (@NFL) September 6, 2025

CFL:

Hamilton Tiger-Cats  26  Montreal Alouettes  9

Saskatchewan Roughriders  21  Winnipeg Blue Bombers  13

Edmonton Elks  31  Calgary Stampeders  19

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The Nelson Police Department is warning residents about a recent scam involving fraudulent text messages claiming to be from ICBC.

These messages typically inform recipients that they have an outstanding traffic ticket and provide a link to make a payment.

These texts are not legitimate and are part of a phishing scam designed to steal personal and financial information. ICBC does not send ticket payment requests via text message, and any legitimate traffic violation notices will be issued through official channels.

“We urge the public to be cautious and avoid clicking on any suspicious links,” said Inspector Jason Jewkes. “If you receive a message like this, do not respond or provide any personal information. Delete the message and report it.”

What to Watch For:

• Texts claiming you owe money for a traffic ticket.
• Links directing you to unfamiliar or unofficial websites.
• Requests for personal or banking information.

What You Should Do:

• Do not click on any links in suspicious messages.
• Report the scam to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca.
• Contact ICBC directly if you have questions about your driving record or outstanding tickets.

“We thank the public for remaining vigilant and helping prevent the spread of these scams. Your awareness and caution are key to keeping our community safe.” said Inspector Jewkes.

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Local politicians and firefighters celebrated Kootenay Boundary Regional Fire Rescue’s new fire training centre in Trail on Saturday.

Community members may have noticed smoke pouring from the doors and windows during weekly practice nights — a clear sign that firefighters are gaining essential, hands-on experience in realistic training scenarios.

Opened a few months ago, the state-of-the-art facility represents a significant milestone for the fire service.

“This centre embodies our dedication to progress, leadership, and teamwork — and our ongoing commitment to firefighter safety, and to protecting and serving our communities with excellence,” Fire Chief Dan Derby remarked at the official opening.

For years, local firefighters trained with limited resources, often improvising in challenging conditions, or else headed to other part of the province, Derby said.

The new training centre, at 801 Rossland Avenue, just down the street from the fire hall, is a multi-storey structure made out of shipping containers.

According to a news release, it provides a purpose-built environment to modernize training and prepare crews for the evolving demands of the job. Central to the facility is a propane-fueled live burn room on the second floor, paired with a theatrical smoke system and computerized controls, enabling safe yet realistic fireground training.

Among the things firefighters will be able to use the facility to learn: transitional, indirect, and direct interior fire attacks; door control and ventilation strategies; self-contained breathing apparatus use and firefighter survival skills; and forcible entry on inward and outward-swinging doors.

Additional features enhance the training experience, including anchors and stairways for high-angle rescue and rope operations; confined space props; fully functional sprinkler and standpipe systems; interior wall breach props and moveable partitions for diverse scenarios; and exterior lighting systems for night training.

“This isn’t just a training centre — it’s a proving ground,” Derby said. “It allows our firefighters to face realistic, evolving challenges in a controlled and safe environment so that when the alarm sounds, we are ready.”

A key benefit of the centre is how it brings all fire stations together to train side-by-side. “We may respond from different stations, but this facility reinforces that we are one department — one family — working together to serve and protect our communities.”

Live fire sessions are planned for September and October, alongside specialized courses in confined space and rope rescue. The Rossland training centre is helping firefighters build the real-world skills necessary to meet today’s challenges safely, professionally, and united.

Photos below by Greg Nesteroff/Vista Radio

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Traffic delays are expected after a fire broke out near Buttle Creek, and drivers are being asked to obey traffic signs until further notice.

According to the BC Wildfire Service, the fire was discovered yesterday (Friday) and is now being held, but with responders in the area, it’s anticipated that traffic will be reduced to single alternating lanes near Roberts Lake on Highway 19.

The fire is under one hectare in size, and they say the cause is still under investigation.

One initial attack crew remains on site.

There are currently 16 wildfires out of control in the Coastal Fire region.

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A Sunshine Coast mayor is calling for help from senior governments as some families in Gibsons and West Sechelt prepare to lose childcare spaces in the coming weeks. 

Gibsons mayor Silas White says the closure of 20 spaces for children under three, run through YMCA programs, could leave families without options other than missing work, and adds the coast is in a unique position when it comes to retaining workers. 

“We know there are people who have to move away from the Sunshine Coast because of lack of childcare, and that is something we’ve been working really hard to stop,” White says. “We need workers to have a vital community, and to take care of the aging population.” 

White says it’s time for senior governments to provide targeted support and resources for smaller communities to help with recruitment and retention. 

“Without immediate action to stabilize existing programs and recruit qualified early childhood educators, we risk losing stability for essential services,” he says. 

Some local parents are echoing the mayor’s concerns. 

Parent Chelsea Philip says the October 1st closure of the YMCA’s infant and toddler program could have a devastating impact. 

“Parents are left scrambling for care with no plausible option in the near future,” she says. “The result of this will be a major restriction on services that support our local economy.” 

Sechelt volunteer firefighter Adam Hoult, who has a child enrolled in the program, says the effects of the closure will ripple across the community. 

“When parents can’t work, businesses lose staff, classrooms lose teachers, and emergency services are stretched thinner,” Hoult says. “Everyone feels these closures.” 

The Ministry of Education and Child Care confirms it has been informed by the YMCA about the closures, which are due to staffing shortages. The ministry says staff have been asked to work with the organization to find solutions. 

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Pre-season officially began last night (Friday) for the Prince George Cougars in Hinton, Alberta, where they fell 5-2 to the Edmonton Oil Kings.

The Oil Kings snagged an early goal 1:57 into the first period, with the team extending their lead with another two goals to end the period.

The Cougars outshot the Oil Kings 16-5.

25 seconds into the second period, Cougars forward Dmitri Yakutsenak put the team on the scoreboard, but midway through the period, the Oil Kings managed to get the three goal lead back.

The score remained as it was through the third period until the 19:15 mark, where forward Riley Ashe would net a power play goal, cutting the Oil Kings lead back down to two.

That didn’t last long, as the Oil Kings scored an empty net goal with 16 seconds left in the game.

The Cougars ended the game with the most shots on goal at 33-26.

The two teams play again tomorrow morning at 11.

The Cougars’ regular season begins on September 19th against the Portland Winterhawks, with the full schedule here.

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A wildfire near Buttle Lake has been labelled out of control, and the Coastal Wildfire says they’re still investigating the cause. 

The fire was discovered yesterday, and according to the BC Wildfire Service, the blaze is currently under one hectare in size.  

One initial attack crew is responding to the fire, as well as one helicopter.  

There are currently 37 wildfires in the Coastal Fire region, with 43 per cent of them out of control. 

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Evacuation Alerts have been issued for the Tatla North and South Areas, approximately 220 km west of Williams Lake.

The Tŝilhqot’in National Government and the Cariboo Regional District issued the alerts on the morning of Saturday, September 06.

The Evacuation Alerts cover a combined 455 parcels of land, 209 structures, covering approximately 258,000 hectares of land between the Tatla North and South.

The Regional District states the alerts are due to the potential dangers of wildfires in the area. The Tatla areas are south of the Dusty Lake Fire Area, which was issued an Evacuation Order by the Cariboo Regional District on September 05.

The Dusty Lake Wildfire is approximately 2,800 hectares in size.

Upon receiving an Evacuation Alert, the Cariboo Regional District states, people should prepare:

• A plan to transport all family members or co-workers outside of the area, should the area be brought under evacuation order.
• Make grab-and-go bags for each member of your household to keep essential items readily available for a quick departure. Pack clothing, ready-to-eat food, toiletries, medications, eyeglasses, valuable papers (i.e., insurance), immediate care needs for dependents, and, if you choose, keepsakes (photographs, etc.).
• Ensure that any dependents or pets are prepared for departure. Gather comfort items (blankets, stuffed animals, etc.) for your dependents to make an evacuation less stressful. Gather any kennels or leashes to make transportation safe with your pets.
• Move pets and livestock to a safe area if they cannot be evacuated. Ensure water and feed are available.
• Keep the fuel tanks of personal vehicles full in case a new order is issued.
• Ensure that you have accommodation options for your family, if possible. An Evacuee Reception Centre will be made available if required. Homeowner or tenant insurance may provide greater support than ESS will be able to.
• Monitor reliable news sources for information on evacuation orders and locations of Reception Centres and the CRD’s channels on Facebook and cariboord.ca.
• If you are on an evacuation ALERT or if you have been displaced from your home due to an emergency, please self-register for Emergency Support Services. You will need to sign up for the BC Services Card app to access the self-registration tool, which will reduce wait times for evacuees and assist in the referral process. https://ess.gov.bc.ca/

The Regional District says more information will be issued when available, and will be posted on the District’s Emergency Operations Centre’s Facebook Page and the Regional District’s website. People may also call the Regional District’s Emergency Line at: 1-866-759-4977 for more information, anytime after 8:30 a.m.

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On Wednesday evening (September 3) just after 10:30 the Williams Lake Fire Department was dispatched to a small brush fire near the Stampede Grounds entry.

Deputy Fire Chief Corey Boyd said their first responding duty officer was able to get a quick knockdown with his water tank off the duty truck and ensure the nearest building would not be affected by the fire.

“An engine and tender responded to help finish extinguishing the 20 by 20 fire and dig up hot spots,” Boyd said, “This incident was attended the following morning to investigate a possible cause.”

Findings suggest it was likely human caused though not malicious or intentional.

“It is a reminder of the importance of exercising caution and responsibility when using open flames, especially given the current wildfire conditions,” Boyd said.

A Duty Officer pickup, Engine and Tender along with 7 firefighters where on scene.

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Nanaimo had a busy summer with tourists filling up the city’s hotels. According to Karly Upshall, communications and engagement manager with Tourism Nanaimo, hotels had the highest occupancy rate on record this summer. 

“We have data going back to 2000 and our July and August saw the highest occupancy rates that we have ever seen,” she said. “I think there are probably a few factors leading into that. Nanaimo is getting a lot more attention for being a destination in its own right – historically we have seen people kind of drive through and we have been working really hard to target some of those Vancouverites who are looking for something a little different and that’s what is really resonating for them, is the bit of grit and artistry and authentic, lively and distinctive character that is Nanaimo.” 

Upshall said she believes Canadians choosing to vacation closer to home this year played a role in driving tourism in the city, as well as events that drew crowds. 

Pride and Snuneymuxw days were two highlights she pointed to, as well as the bathtub race – which she says shows a sense of civic pride for people in Nanaimo. 

“The community shows up in ways that make our job particularly easy. We have fantastic attractions and trails and our arts and cultures, and we have some really passionate business owners, an amazing food scene,” Upshall said. 

Tourism Nanaimo launched a new initiative for the fall called “Not a Resort Town,” which aims to promote the idea there is no off season for tourism.  

“This is the first year of our destination development strategic plan and so we have been pretty intentional in planning out our different marketing activities and a big one for us is meetings and events and then the sports tourism as well,” Upshall said. 

Three cruise ships stopped in Nanaimo in the spring and there is one scheduled in October. Upshall said the visits give Tourism Nanaimo a chance to consider ways to condense the Nanaimo experience for people who are not here long.  

The city has also hosted 14 conferences this year and there are still 11 booked before the new year. 

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A special tree planting ceremony was hosted by the City of Prince George at Connaught Hill Park on Thursday, celebrating a grant received from CN and Tree Canada.

According to the City, it was one of 10 communities across Canada to receive $50,000 to enhance the community’s natural environment, improve social well-being, and engage residents who value green spaces.

The grant was used to refurbish the garden next to the new pergola which was recently completed at the park.

“The City is grateful for this contribution from CN and Tree Canada to further enhance the gardens at Connaught Hill Park, which are so beautiful.” said Mayor Simon Yu.

“Prince George is known for its wealth of greenspaces and our City staff have done great work to improve this space for the entire community to enjoy.”

More than 250 plants are now featured in the expanded gardens, including four trees.

City staff are also planting trees throughout the community as part of it’s annual Tree Planting Greening the City project.

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Following several record-breaking wildfire seasons in B.C., 2025 has brought some relief for the Southeast Fire Centre, with year-to-date statistics showing one of the quietest fire seasons in recent memory. 

As of the end of August, the fire centre said it had responded to 149 wildfires in the region, down from 318 in 2024. 

That number is also well below the region’s five-year average of 334 and the 10-year average of 344. 

The total area burned this year is also notably lower – 372 hectares compared to 72,900 in 2024. 

Lightning still leading cause 

About 69 per cent of the fires in the region this year have been lightning-caused and 31 per cent human-caused. 

These statistics are relatively in line with historical trends, although the fire centre noted lightning has not played as dominant a role in 2025 compared with the 85 per cent figure in 2024. 

Reasons behind the slowdown 

Southeast Fire Centre information officer Meghan Graceffo credited the quieter fire season to favourable weather conditions that helped keep fuels moist. 

“The biggest factor that contributed to a quieter fire season in the southeast was the significant rainfalls we had every two to three weeks. This kept fuels relatively moist and the grass greener compared to previous years. This delays, and can prevent, curing,” she said. 

Another key factor was the absence of the “four corners high” weather system, which Graceffo explained typically brings hot, dry, desert-like conditions from the United States into southwest B.C. 

“The four-corners high, which usually resides over the four corners of Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico in July, and sends hot, dry, desert-like air into southeast B.C., was not present except for brief time periods this summer,” she said. 

Shifting lightning patterns 

While the total number of wildfires in the region has been down this year, some areas did see increased lightning activity, which Graceffo noted was unusual. 

“This year, most systems have come from the west or northwest and regions that don’t usually see much thunderstorm activity, like the Boundary, have become more susceptible,” she said. 

Meanwhile, areas that are typically more lightning-prone – such as the Selkirk, Monashee, Valhalla and Rocky Mountain ranges – have experienced shorter dry periods with less warm, moist air coming from subtropical regions, leading to fewer thunderstorms forming. 

Looking ahead 

Graceffo said 2025 has been a recovery year following extreme drought conditions experienced provincewide from fall 2022 through spring 2025 – but the season is not over yet. 

Drought codes and the current buildup index are still below normal compared with historical values for this time of year, meaning the public needs to remain vigilant. 

“Fire season is nearing its end, but it’s still very much fire season and just because it’s been quieter doesn’t mean there is no risk. We ask, as always, for the public to remain mindful and diligent when engaging in any activities that could cause a wildfire,” said Graceffo. 

Across the province, wildfire activity has stayed under the 50th percentile for much of 2025, reflecting stronger fuel moisture and a milder season than in recent years. 

Graceffo added the slower year is likely just a temporary reprieve and not a sign of long-term relief. 

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By most measures, real estate activity in the Kootenay-Boundary was down last month, although prices were up.

According to the Association of Interior Realtors, there were 278 residential sales in the region in August, down from 312 units sold the previous month. However, it was a 0.7 per cent increase on August 2024.

The 429 new listings in the region were down 8.3 per cent compared to the same month the previous year and also down from July’s 462 new listings. Overall active listings stood at 1,779, which was a 4.3 per cent decrease compared to August 2024.

“The slight decline in new and active listings suggests that inventory levels are adjusting, which can help balance supply and demand over the longer term,” association president Kadin Rainville said in a news release.

“Overall, it’s encouraging to see the market maintaining a steady pace, as this points to resilience and positions the region for healthy market conditions moving into the fall.”

The benchmark price, which realtors say is a better representation of value compared to the average or median price as it represents a home of typical attributes, saw percentage increases in the single-family and townhome categories.

Compared to the same month the previous year, there were 2.5 per cent and 3.1 per cent increases respectively, coming in at $627,200 and $528,100. The benchmark price for condominiums decreased 5.1 per cent in year-over-year comparisons, coming in at $314,900.

Total dollar volume of all transactions in the Kootenay-Boundary was $153.2 million, which was up 2.9 per cent over August 2024.

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With puck drop on the 2025-26 Kootenay International Junior Hockey League season coming on Sept. 19, check out your local Beaver Valley Nitehawks.

It’s Landon Uzeloc’s turn as the Nitehawks’ No.1 goalie. Head coach-general manager Terry Jones is counting on the Trail product to guide the team to a season which they hope ends with a KIJHL championship.

“Based on his play last year, we felt like Landon had some of the best stats in the league,” said Jones, of the goalie who went 13-2-0 in 19 regular season games with a 2.30 goals against average and a .927 save percentage.

“However, injuries and illness held him back a little bit. I think he’s poised to be one of the best goalies in the league. We just need him to stay healthy. He was outstanding in the playoffs for us last year.”

Last season the Nitehawks finished second in the Neil Murdoch Division with a record of 30-11-3 in 44 games. They lost in the second round to the eventual KIJHL Teck Cup champion Grand Forks Border Bruins.

Returning Players: F- Ollie Clement (43-19-14-22), Jonas Bourchier (37-14-11-25), Connor Drake (21-7-13-20), Owen Dickson (40-7-13-20), Ty Noseworthy (35-10-8-18), Brock Robertson (21-5-6-11), , D-Ryan Neufeld (42-3-18-21), Liam Ray (captain – 19-5-13-18), Sam Chartres (33-4-10-14), Mason Dixon (34-2-7-9), Jack Bodel (22-1-6-6), Davis Marino (15-0-1-1), G- Landon Uzeloc.

Acquisitions: Jager Marshall (via trade from Red Lake Miners – Superior International Junior Hockey League – 35-8-8-16), Tyler Ferguson (via Trade from Mission City – PJHL – 45-4-5-9)

And for the rookies…

 “We hope they all stand out,” said Jones. “We really like Vance Amyotte, a defenceman from the Lloydminster Lancers U18AAA. He had a great training camp, is a great skater and we feel he can be a solid two-way defenceman.”

There will also be forwards Rhett Newton (Lethbridge United U18 JPHL) and Zackery Uphill (Airdrie Lightning U18AA) to hit the ice and excite them with their physical style.

The Nitehawks have recruited three goalies to battle for the backup position.

This season, Jones senses a hunger from the players.

“I think guys feel like we left a lot on the table last year. We felt like we didn’t give Grand Forks our very best game in the playoffs even though we were competitive with them,” said Jones. “We know we’ve got lots to improve. I feel at this time of year, you’re always excited about the possibilities for your group. A lot of optimism.”

Jones likes that their recruits can potentially be “as strong as our veteran players.” 

“I really like the skill, talent and work ethic they have and how they competed to get to this point,” he added. 

This season, their bench will have a new, yet familiar face on it with alum Jeremy Lucchini as an assistant coach. The 28-year-old played four years in U Sports with York University and professionally in Germany and France. He will work with their defenceman. 

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A local history book 20 years in the making will be launched at the Silvery Slocan Museum in New Denver on Saturday, Oct. 4, at 1 p.m.

The King of Sandon: Murder, Myth, and the Man Behind B.C.’s Greatest Ghost Town is a full-length biography of John Morgan Harris, a mining magnate with a secret past and a complicated legacy.

Local historian and Vista Radio reporter Greg Nesteroff traces Harris’ life from rural Virginia, where he was born into a family of slaveholders, to northern Idaho, where he risked life and liberty to make a name for himself.

Harris arrived in the Slocan in early 1892, as part a wave of prospectors lured by a silver rush, and bought a promising mining claim that turned into his bonanza. While other tycoons spent their fortunes on mansions in urban areas, Harris built an entire city in the wilderness as a monument to himself. He owned the townsite, its principal buildings, power plant, and waterworks.

He was nicknamed the King of Sandon, but his subjects didn’t always see his rule as benevolent. He was frequently in court defending his interests, and one dispute over a mining claim dragged on for years before finally reaching the Privy Council.

When Sandon’s fortunes declined as the mines in the area played out, Harris refused to leave, even as his town crumbled around him. Although new life teased occasionally, his optimism that the city would boom again was never fully justified.

During the book launch, Nesteroff will present a slideshow and explain the book’s long genesis, including his trips to Harris’ birthplace and burial site in Virginia.

“I became interested in Johnny Harris because so many myths were associated with him,” Nesteroff explains. “While some things were said about him that were false, I was surprised that some of the most unlikely things turned out to be true.”

The book lays bare Harris’ darkest secrets and also looks at how, following his death, Sandon nearly faded from existence, only to be discovered by others determined to save what was left.

The book includes 237 photos and illustrations as well as eight specially-created maps. The King of Sandon is available for pre-order on the book’s companion website, kingofsandon.com, which also contains source notes, photo galleries, interviews, and many other special features.

The book will be available in stores throughout the West Kootenay following the launch.

Nesteroff will also speak on the book at the Slocan Valley Historical Society annual general meeting on Saturday, Oct. 18 at 1 p.m. at the W.E. Graham school library in Slocan.

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Columbia Basin residents are invited to camp, explore, and learn with Wildsight along the Columbia River through a ‘Columbia River Conversations’ Field Tour designed around interactive learning.

Taking place in September, participants will learn about the past, present and future of the Columbia River from unique field visits, diverse experts, engaging activities, and through conversation with each other, while camping out at Syringa Creek Provincial Park. 

“The Columbia Basin is a vast and complex watershed with an even more complex future. To understand the issues we face, it’s essential to spend time with the actual places that are involved. And it’s equally important to learn from a wide range of perspectives,” said Program Lead Graeme Lee Rowlands.

“This September, we invite you to connect with others that care about this special watershed as we learn about dam operations, reservoir levels, ecosystem restoration, salmon reintroduction, the Columbia River Treaty, and more.”

The Castlegar Field Tours will take place on Sept. 27 through to Sept. 29.

This experience will be open to the general public for the first time, as Wildsight hopes to recruit diverse groups of participants including local residents, community leaders, artists, writers, natural resource professionals, educators, and others.

Columbia River Conversations is based on Wildsight’s eight years of experience, teaching people about the Columbia River.

Learn more and complete a short application at https://wildsight.ca/columbia-river-conversations/.

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Some families on the Sunshine Coast will need to make new childcare arrangements starting next month.

The B.C. government says it has been told by the YMCA that infant and toddler programs in West Sechelt and Gibsons will close October 1.

The Ministry of Education and Child Care says the YMCA is citing staffing shortages.

Education Minister Lisa Beare says the province knows how important child care is for families and understands the closures will be stressful for those now searching for new arrangements.

Up to 20 spaces could be lost, and ministry staff have been directed to work with the YMCA to look for solutions.

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A second Recruitment and Retention Community session will be taking place later this month in Williams Lake.

Formed last Fall, the Recruitment and Retention Committee’s focus is on attracting and retaining skilled professionals to the area.

“At that time we had 38 participants that collaborated in addressing workforce challenges and strengthening community belonging, those were the two main goals that came out of that session.” Director of the Williams Lake and District Chamber of Commerce, Tamara Garreau said, “At this upcoming session we are going to highlight the progress made by these working groups over the past year and give participants the chance to join in, share ideas, and get involved in shaping future projects.”

Since the Recruitment and Retention Committee’s formation Garreau said every working group lead has been holding regular meetings, usually monthly, and then the core committee made up of all of those leads meet monthly.

“We’ve also been providing updates at the Chamber General Meetings on the work of the working groups and the core Recruitment and Retention Committee. The key goals were ways that we could welcome newcomers to our community, hosting social events is another one, and promoting positive image of Williams Lake.”

The second Recruitment and Retention Community session will be held Wednesday September 17 from 10 am to noon, followed by lunch at the Pioneer Room at Signal Point Gaming in Williams Lake.

Everyone is welcome and space is limited to 80 people.

Garreau said those interested in attending need to RSVP with her by calling 250-392-5025 or emailing [email protected].

This event is being hosted by the Williams Lake and District Chamber of Commerce, City of Williams Lake, and Cariboo Regional District.

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WHL:

The Prince George Cougars begin their preseason with a 5-2 loss to the Edmonton Oil Kings last night (Friday) in Hinton, Alberta.

Final. We wrap up the weekend set on Sunday. pic.twitter.com/IxsGd1cSzP

— Prince George Cougars (@PGCougars) September 6, 2025

Forward Dmitri Yakutsenak scored the Cougars first goal in the second period, with forward Riley Ashe tallying the second in the third period.

The two teams play again tomorrow morning at 11.

The Cougars’ regular season begins on September 19th against the Portland Winterhawks, with the full schedule here.

BCHL:

The Prince George Spruce Kings also begin their pre-season this weekend.

The Spruce Kings host the Spruce Grove Saints tonight at 6, and tomorrow at 2 p.m. from the Kopar Memorial Arena.

PG’s season-opener is September 19th in Chilliwack against the Chiefs.

The Spruce Kings schedule can be found here.

BC Football Conference:

The Prince George Kodiaks are back home at Masich Place Stadium to take on the Okanagan Sun tonight at 6.

The Kodiaks are in 3rd place in the 7-team league.

The Kodiaks schedule and results can be found here.

More info on the BCFC can be found here.

Canada West Soccer:

The UNBC Timberwolves women’s soccer team start the month with a loss, dropping yesterday’s match 3-0 against the UBC Thunderbirds.

They play again tomorrow at noon at Masich Place Stadium.

The men’s team also struggled yesterday, taking a 3-1 loss to the Victoria Vikes.

They remain in the provincial capital, playing again tonight at 7:15.

The Canada West women’s soccer schedule is here.

The Canada West men’s soccer schedule is here.

CFL:

It’s a busy Saturday for week 14 in the CFL regular season, with three games being played.

Starting at 10 a.m., The Montreal Alouettes host the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

Then at 1 p.m., the Saskatchewan Roughriders visit Winnipeg to face the Blue Bombers.

The Calgary Stampeders are on the road to Edmonton, where they play the Elks tonight at 4.

The CFL schedule are here.