Peace News

Aluminum bleachers stolen

Wed, 22 May 2013 17:35:00 GMT

Dawson Creek RCMP are looking for the public's assistance to locate three sets of aluminum bleachers. The bleachers were last seen on the 16th of May at the soccer fields on 116th avenue. They are described as 12 feet long 3 tiered bleachers. Anyone with information is asked to call the Dawson Creek RCMP or Crimestoppers.

Fort St. John begins utility rebate program

Tue, 21 May 2013 23:03:00 GMT

Now that winter is finally over green is beginning to return the formally brown branches of the trees around Fort St. John. Between May 21 and June 21 the city is giving homeowners a chance to cut down on their bills if they plant trees says Community Development Coordinator Stephanie Peters.

"What we want is just home owners to go out and buy their own trees, and they can receive a $50 rebate towards their utility bill. And they can buy up to two trees so it can go up to $100."

Traditionally the city would give away trees and seeds to interested homeowners on Arbor Day, but this year they decided to try to do things a little bit differently in offering the homeowners a rebate for planting their own trees.

"Basically we're just looking for new ideas. We were looking for how we can reach more people in the community, and this we we don't have to pay for the shipping and some other costs so it goes back more to the homeowners, and we can help more people out with this program."

Peters says that through the money the city will save by not buying trees they will be able to give out approximately 300 tree rebates.

Police seek suspects after attempted robbery on school playground

Tue, 21 May 2013 19:44:00 GMT

Fort St. John RCMP are looking for three suspects after an attempted robbery early Sunday morning.

Police say three men approached two people in the playground at CM Finch School at about 2 AM on May 19th.

The suspects demanded money and cell phones, but left empty handed as the targets said they did not have phones.

The three suspects are described as caucasian, in their early 20s, about 5' 10" with short hair. they were wearing white t-shirts and black pants at the time. One of the suspects is described as having a deep husky voice.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Fort St John RCMP at 250-787-8140 or Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477)

Peace Region well represented at Canada Wide Science Fair

Mon, 20 May 2013 00:20:00 GMT

Five young students from the Peace Region made the trip to Lethbridge last week for the Canada Wide Science Fair, returning home on Saturday afternoon.

The event gave students a chance to show off a project they'd been working on, as well as learn about science from instructors and their peers as well.

The Peace is typically well represented at the event each year however this marked the first time that all five of the entrants returned home with a medal for their efforts.

Congratulations to all of the students who took part and represented the Peace Region so well on the national stage.

Dog Show takes over Taylor Arena

Sun, 19 May 2013 21:36:00 GMT

The Fort Saint John Kennel Club held their annual Dog Show at the Taylor Arena this past weekend.

The three day event kicked off on Saturday, running right through to Monday, with over 120 dogs from all over the Peace Region making the trip for the fun event that saw them compete in seven different groups.

Fort Saint John Kennel Club President Megan Thompson said a lot of work goes into hosting such an event, and immediately following the wrap up, all thoughts are on how they'll go about topping it next year.

The show finishes up at 4:00 on Monday afternoon.

Rural students may face bus fee

Fri, 17 May 2013 22:22:00 GMT

Rural students in School District 60 may have to pay a $220 fee to ride the bus next year. The Ministry of Education cut the school's transportation budget of $541,000. The school board has been investigating ways to balance the budget, but without cutting programs this is the one way they can think of to avoid cancelling buses. The school board hosted an open house last night where parents could pitch alternative ideas. Secretary Treasurer Doug Boyd says they are still working on ways to avoid the bus fee.

"We also have enlisted the help of our MLA Pat Pimm, and he has basically said he is going to work with us very closely. So it may be we have to adjust our time table based in the input we can get from him."

The board was hoping to have made a decision on the bus fee earlier this month, but they hadn't received enough feedback. A decision does have to be made by the end of the school year. With current rider-ship the fee won't recover the lost money, and the school district already adds money to transportation costs.

"The initial budget was $541,000 each year ok. In addition to that we are already spending anywhere from $185 - $220,000 over what we were receiving. So the budget that we're looking for is about $720 - $750,000. But the actual cut from the old is about $541,000."

Boyd says that this problem exists in more School Districts than just 60. Some are receiving more money, while others had funding cut. He says that the South Peace is getting ready for a similar situation that will hit them next year.

"School district 59 is South Peace. They are in what we refer to as funding protection. So they're funding budget is going to be up to 98.5% of their last year's budget. So they have another year that they can probably survive without implementing something. But they are already working on how they are going to address it in the following year so we know that those are situations that occur."

Between 30 and 40 people came out to the meeting to air their concerns last night. One of these parents is Brandie Frocklage who was concerned going into the meeting.

"As a bus driver it really concerned me a lot when I first heard about it, but after sitting here tonight listening to a lot of the stories from everybody I'm kind of feeling a little bit better about it."

All of the ideas and concerns brought forward by the community here tonight will be discussed further at the school district meeting on Tuesday night.

Mile Zero Mercy hold Roller Derby Open House

Fri, 17 May 2013 00:01:00 GMT

The Mile Zero Mercy switched things up from their regular Wednesday night training session and invited everyone to come to the Encana Events Centre to learn more about the fast growing sport of Roller Derby.

About a dozen ladies practiced their craft which gave visitors a real look at what it takes to be a roller girl while team spokesperson Carol "Ginga Fightus" Sapergia was on hand to answer any questions newcomers might have.

While clubs in Grande Prairie and Fort St. John recently kicked off their seasons, the Mercy is still in its beginning stages and hopes to host their own bout this coming October.

Anyone interested in taking part in Roller Derby is encouraged to head to the Encana Events Centre on Wednesday nights at 6:30.

Duncan cran wins Energy Diet for 2nd year in a row

Thu, 16 May 2013 23:10:00 GMT

After three months and 25 challenges the students at Duncan Cran Elementary are once again victorious in the Energy Diet Challenge. This is the third year of the competition where Shell Canada and Canadian Geographic challenge students across the country to increase their energy efficiency and literacy. Vice Principle and science teacher Christine Todd once again led the kids.

"It feels really great because the kids have worked really hard, and I really appreciate their hard work. And it's really rewarding for them so it's great to see how happy they are that they won again. But for me it wasn't about the winning. It was about them learning about energy and really learning that even though they're children they can make important decisions and teach other people like their parents."

For Todd one of her favourite parts of the challenge is how it brings all of the students together to work on a common goal.

"I want the public out there to know that these kids can do important things, and that they're doing good things for our community. And I love how it shapes and develops our school culture. Everyone is working together. I like to do things school wide. I don't like to just isolate it for one or two different classrooms. It's really important to build that culture for everybody."

In addition to a plaque and a banner the school was awarded a cheque for $3,500. A portion of this money will go to the school, and almost half of it will be donated to various charities that help children.

"$300 is going to the Fort St. John Hospital Foundation, $300 is going to the Stollery Children's Hospital in Edmonton for the Neurosurgeon Kids Fund, $300 is going to the Make a Wish Foundation, $300 to Autism Canada, and $300 to Cystic Fibrosis."

One of the people running the challenge this year is Ellen Curtis with Canadian Geopgraphic. She has been tracking the progress of all the schools over the past three months it quickly became a daily highlight for her.

"Duncan Cran has just been inspirational. Christine Todd and her leadership has just taken them above and beyond. I was so excited to log into my account every morning and see what they've submitted, and see how much they've learned and how they've changed their opinions about how they interact with energy, how Canada uses energy, and how they can make a difference to have a brighter future."

Curtis estimates about 40,000 students took part in the challenge this year, which she says is a large jump in the numbers.

"It was mind blowing to see the engagement. We had 500 classrooms participate last year. About 12,000 students across the country, and to see the engagement this year triple it was incredible."

The Energy Diet Challenge is quickly becoming a tradition at Duncan Cran as the students have been challenged to try to win it for a third year in a row.

Taylor Pool to open this weekend after 2012 hiatus

Thu, 16 May 2013 18:16:00 GMT

The Taylor pool will finally be open this year.

The District of Taylor did not open the pool in 2012 due to a lack of lifeguards. This year, the District got out the word early to attract more applicants for lifeguard positions over the summer. Now Taylor has seven lifeguards on staff.

Tara O'Donnell, Community Services Ddirector for the District of Taylor says the community really missed the pool last year.

"From all the feedback that I've been hearing, they really missed having that pool." O'Donnell adds that many in Taylor were disappointed when they formally announced that they would not have a pool last summer. "The kids were looking forward to it. the parents liked it. it was a great activity for them for the summer".

The Taylor pool will open it's doors on Saturday, May 18th at 1 PM. And that will be a free swim day.

The pool will be open until August 17th. Admission is 3 dollars for adults, and two dollars for kids. A full list of prices, passes, and details are available on the District of Taylor website.

Peace River North losing candidates reflect on election

Thu, 16 May 2013 00:02:00 GMT

Spirits were high at Rhyason Construction for the what attendees thought would be Arthur Hadland's victory party. As the first rounds of ballots began to come in this optimism increased, but as the night progressed it became apparent that Pat Pimm would once again beat Hadland. Around 10 pm the riding was declared for Pimm, leaving Hadland with the bitter taste of defeat.

"The party system is not recognising the power of the North. So we have the fine example of the carbon tax is definitely unwelcome. It puts us in a competitive disadvantage with Alberta. The loss of the school bus funding, I certainly hope that will get rectified and maybe just by the mere fact that we keep raising it that will get reinstated. And I think we really have to do something for our seniors. Whether there's a collective will to do that within a community or we can get some recognition through the party system we can only hope."

As he thanked his supporters Hadland alluded to the possibility of running again in 2017, but at this point nothing is concrete.

"I guess it would depend on family circumstances and where I thought maybe there would be, maybe if there's some collective will to seek real change I would do that. I really feel the party system is failing all of us and that is exemplified in that increasing debt. I mean 12 years ago we went from $34 billion, and today it's $170 billion and it's on the backs of all of us. That's $40,000 for each man, woman and child. I'm concerned about it. I'm surprised the rest of the people aren't. They rewarded that for some crazy reason."

Supporters of NDP candidate Judy Fox-McGuire gathered at the Quality Inn for what was expected to be a banner evening for the party. Despite her loss, and the party's loss provincially Fox-McGuire is still in high spirits.

"You know what I feel good about the campaign that we ran. We ran a positive campaign and we talked to a lot of people about what we wanted to do, and how we wanted to do it. So I mean I'm good with that."

This concludes Fox-McGuire's first foray into politics, but after this past month the people of Peace River North can expect to see her continue to work out in the community.

"Well the biggest thing I guess is that there's a lot of work to still do in our community and make things do and that I've really enjoyed myself. And I've enjoyed sort of stepping outside of my usual role as a probation officer and I'm just going to be getting more involved in the community and making this a better place to be."