smithers interior news, march 02, 2016

NO CHARGES IN BB GUN SHOOTINGVictims choose restorative justice instead of criminal charges.

NEWS/A3

FEDS APPROVE REFUGEE PLANHazelton sponsors receive OK from federal immigration authority.

THREE RIVERS/A23

SPECIAL OLYMPICS SKIER IN NFLD.Torben Schuffert goes to Corner Brook nationals to see friends and compete.

SPORTS/A9

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Affordable housing SAGA endsBy Alicia BridgesSmithers/Interior News

Smithers Mayor Taylor Bachrach and Skeena-Bulkley Valley MP Nathan Cullen have promised to push for more investment in affordable housing after a local community group ran out of funding to campaign for a new complex.

Volunteers from the Smithers Action Group Association (SAGA) had been working for ten years to develop a supportive living complex, which would provide staff assistance for people who need help to stay housed.

Over the years, the non-profit society had commissioned a feasibility study, preliminary plans for the complex, and a report based on the findings of a 2014 survey of the homeless population.

But on Feb. 10, SAGA’s board of directors voted to dissolve the society due to a lack of funding and

resources.“Our decision to dissolve the society has been

a very difficult one,” said SAGA president Joanne Voss.

“It comes at a time when issues of homelessness are as important as ever in this community and the need for supportive housing must remain a top priority.”

Voss said any development would rely on provincial funding from BC Housing.

“They haven’t come forward with any money so far and the last that I spoke to them they talked about it being a couple of years down the road,” said Voss.

“SAGA was just a small group, five of us, and had no funding so we couldn’t hire anybody, so we just found that it was getting to be a bit much for those few of us that were on the board of directors.”

By Chris GareauSmithers/Interior News

Ranger Park Nature Pre-School is holding two open houses as Smithers council mulls its fate.

The open houses are on March 8 and 18 at the Ranger Park building on Sixteenth Avenue. In between, council is holding a public meeting to hear what residents have to say about the possible closure of the subsidized pre-school.

The committee of the whole on March 14 will be less formal than

most, with plenty of opportunity for those who come to town hall to have their say, according to CAO Anne Yanciw.

She added that the open houses are an effort to increase the continually declining enrolment at the pre-school, which last faced closure in 2014 but was saved after many residents bemoaned its loss.

That public support did not translate to more kids joining. This fall saw 103 kids participate, down from 121 in 2014 and 205 in 2011.

See LEADERS on A4

Angelika Langen from the Northern Lights Wildlife Society holds black bear cubs Nutmeg and Pepper, who are being nursed at the shelter after they were Angelika Langen from the Northern Lights Wildlife Society holds black bear cubs Nutmeg and Pepper, who are being nursed at the shelter after they were orphaned near 100 Mile House. The brothers are among four infant cubs being cared for at the shelter near Smithers. Story, A14.orphaned near 100 Mile House. The brothers are among four infant cubs being cared for at the shelter near Smithers. Story, A14.

Ranger Park opens house as council decides its fate

See PRE-SCHOOL on A5

Alicia Bridges photo

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A2 www.interior-news.com The Interior News Wednesday, March 2, 2016

Safety reminder after avalanche deathsBy Alicia BridgesSmithers/Interior News

Thirty minutes. That’s roughly the maximum amount of time a person usually has to be rescued from an avalanche.

After a series of avalanche-related deaths in B.C. this year, Bulkley Valley Search and Rescue (BV SAR) is reminding the public not to venture into the backcountry without proper equipment and training.

Five snowmobilers died when they were caught in a torrent of snow in the Renshaw area near McBride on Jan. 29.

On Feb. 10, another snowmobiler, 30, died in an avalanche west of Golden.

The string of avalanche tragedies has prompted public safety warnings from Avalanche Canada, the BC Coroners Service and Emergency Preparedness Minister Naomi Yamamoto.

BV SAR president Fred Oliemans called on Bulkley Valley residents to ensure they heed the warning.

He said Avalanche Canada was a good source of information about the risk in this area, but stressed that conditions could change quickly.

“It depends on weather events, temperature, snow events, all that kind

of thing, so anyone who goes into the backcountry needs to have a transceiver, a shovel and a probe and the knowledge on how to use that stuff for self-rescue,” said Oliemans.

BV SAR recently received a $7,500 grant from the Chris Markoff Memorial Fund to purchase winter survival avalanche equipment.

The fund was established to support B.C. search and rescue teams in honour of the late Chris Markoff, who died in a hiking accident near Kitimat in 2002.

Oliemans said the new equipment would help the team with its focus on strengthening the local avalanche response team.

“We’re doing a lot of training and we’re doing a lot of practising this year,” said Oliemans.

“We had two [avalanche] responses last year that went okay but we realized that there’s more and more people getting out in the backcountry, and we are going to unfortunately be called on again, so we just want to be ready.”

BV SAR has been called to one rescue so far this winter season.

A team of about 10 SAR members were in the process of launching a search for a missing skier when he was found by friends.

Oliemans said in the case of an

avalanche, having the knowledge to self-rescue is crucial because it takes SAR at least two hours to prepare, fly and locate the party.

“If there is an avalanche and somebody gets buried, if the party cannot self-rescue and get that person dug out within 15 minutes or maximum half an hour, the chances of that person surviving are very, very slim,” he said.

The Hankin-Evelyn Backcountry Recreation area near Smithers attracts about 3,000 outdoor enthusiasts to snowshoe, cross-country and alpine ski in uncontrolled land.

Bulkley Backcountry Ski Society co-president Erin Hall said her organization, which manages Hankin-Evelyn, promoted avalanche awareness by providing educational opportunities.

“We do host two or three sessions throughout the winter where we bring in professionals to provide educational opportunities for folks,” said Hall.

Those opportunities include avalanche awareness discussions and rescue practice sessions in the field.

Hall said the area was used by a combination of locals and tourists who travel to ski there.

She believes the majority of people who use the area are well-educated and equipped.

By Alicia BridgesSmithers/Interior News

A justice worker whose son was allegedly shot at with a pellet gun by one of his classmates has explained why she does not want the suspect to go through the court system.

Her child was one of three Smithers Secondary School students shot at by a male suspect in a Dodge van as they walked through the Kentucky Fried Chicken parking lot on Highway 16. The incident occurred during the school lunch hour on Feb. 16.

Not long after, the teens were targeted again outside the nearby A&W Restaurant, where the justice worker’s son was hit in the knee with a pellet, but not seriously injured.

The targeted students reported the incidents to the school, whose principal contacted police later that day.

The shooter was allegedly one of four people, including three high school students, in the van.

Smithers RCMP arrested a teenager who allegedly used an Airsoft pistol in the attack, but the mother of the teen struck by the pellet asked police not to press charges.

His mother, who will not be named in this story to protect the identity of her son, is employed in the justice field in Smithers.

She works specifically in restorative justice, which victims can choose as an alternative to criminal charges.

The process brings together victims and suspects in a meeting designed to encourage accountability, understanding, healing and closure.

Although the mother said she was angry about what had happened to her son, but she does not believe pursuing criminal charges would be the best approach.

“I’ve seen so many kids go through the criminal justice system and learn nothing, and the victim is often unheard,” she said.

“This way we have the opportunity to ask the questions we need to ask, the hard questions, and get the answers and hopefully bring some clarification ... there’s just so many questions around it.”

The mother said she had seen comments posted on social media calling for harsher punishment, but she said the restorative justice process could still

enforce consequences for a suspect. “I don’t think the public realizes that

even though you go through a restorative justice process [it] doesn’t mean there’s no consequences,” she said.

She believes community service and a public apology would be appropriate punishment for the person who shot at her son.

A parent of another student shot at in the drive-by said she was angry when she heard what had happened.

“What if it was a real gun that they shot around in the school areas?” she said.

“And what really ticked me off is that they did it twice.”

She said her child had not wanted to talk about the incident with her at home. The mother was pleased the restorative justice process would give the victims a chance to explain how they were affected.

“They’d hear our side of what kind

of trauma that they put our children through,” she said.

Smithers RCMP Staff Sgt. Rob Mitchell said restorative justice was a quick and effective resolution that considered the suspect’s young age.

“Ultimately it is hoped that the suspects would agree to never participate in this sort of incident again and there is usually a commitment, they are expected to commit to that,” he said.

All three students who were allegedly in the car have been suspended indefinitely, with the date of their return to school to be determined by senior SSS and school board office staff.

Bulkley Valley School District superintendent Chris van der Mark said the school had employed its harshest penalty against the three students who were allegedly in the vehicle.

He said it was the first time the school has referred a suspension to the board in four years.

“What that speaks of is that we don’t see incidents like this involving the safety of students,” said van der Mark.

“At the end of the day, the school has determined, in their opinion, the incident jeopardized the safety of others, so that’s the measuring stick.”

van der Mark said expulsion was not an option at SSS but the school could enforce conditions on the students’ return to school.

He said it was too early to say if the students would be subject to any counselling or remediation measures.

“We try really hard to keep students in school, it’s not in anybody’s interest to have kids expelled, that’s why it’s pretty hard to do,” he said.

“At the end of the day we want students to be aware of how their actions impact themselves and, of course, those around them and that we have a responsibility as a community to interact appropriately and pro-socially.”

www.interior-news.com A3 The Interior News Wednesday, March 2, 2016

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Council brief: PIR industrial zone approved, rec fees up, gifts policy


Smithers council had another busy night last Tuesday, approving a heavy industrial zone, raising recreation fees and limiting its gifts policy to efforts that will become Town-owned property.

Pacific Inland Resources’ (PIR) application to rezone some of its property to heavy industrial passed third reading, but with added limits. It also has one more vote at the next council meeting to go before the Town’s Official Community Plan and zoning bylaw are officially changed.

The buffer of trees around the parcel to be used was set at the greater width of either 50 metres or the western

boundary of the BC Hydro right-of-way, and 75 metres on the southern boundary as a compromise between the 50 metres the company was asking for, and the 100 metres Regional District of Bulkley Nechako director Mark Fisher and some of the neighbours requested.

An amendment to include the word “undisturbed” with the treed boundary was passed unanimously.

The main concern from residents during the public hearing Feb. 9 was the possibility of a grinder being used, which they said would be much too loud for the idyllic rural setting. PIR management said they wanted to keep the option of using a grinder in the future open, but that its exclusion would not affect immediate

plans to use the area as a wood waste separation area.

That wood waste is destined to be used as fuel to produce electricity at the plant. Some would also go into a new landfill area, but PIR hopes to cut landfill use to zero.

PIR will also not be able to store logs on the parcel until fire hydrants are installed, according to fire chief Keith Stecko. The company’s concept plan says it does not have immediate log storage plans.

The vote on the rezoning was passed unanimously, with Councillor Shelley Browne opposed to the amendment because the tree buffer was smaller than Fisher’s request.

Rec fees upRecreation fees are

set to be raised after the first three readings passed unanimously at the meeting.

During the budget process, council approved that field user fees increase by 10 per cent, youth arena fees go up 10 per cent, and adult arena fees rise 5 per cent. A new family ice user rate of $125 per hour for youth and adults was also included.

Also added to Town fees was a new daily rental fee of $100 for the under-utilized Ranger Park building.

Gifts policyOrganizations have

been using the Town as a conduit to give donations to non-charitable organizations, but still get tax receipts. Council decided to end the practice by only administering and

receiving grants for projects that improve Town assets, or assets that will be owned by the Town when completed, like the planned skatepark expansion.

Housing still a priority: leadersBC Housing said it needed a business case to

provide funding for the project. “BC Housing was in preliminary discussions with

SAGA about an affordable housing development in Smithers,” said spokesperson Rajvir Rao in a written response to questions.

“We received a preliminary ‘Need and Demand’ study from SAGA, and advised them to provide a business case for the project that defines its financial viability and identifies the individuals, and why they need shelter, to ensure the proposed project could adequately serve the target clients.”

But without additional funding, Voss said SAGA could not afford to conduct new research or prepare new plans.

Last year, the Town of Smithers purchased property on the corner of Queen Street and Railway Avenue for future affordable housing developments.

Mayor Bachrach said at the time the two lots could be a potential location for the SAGA project.

The Town also committed to work with SAGA to identify a location for the project in its Strategic Priorities report for 2015-2018.

In a statement released last week, SAGA said it hoped Town council and community organizations would continue working to establish supportive housing in Smithers.

Mayor Bachrach said the Town would keep pursuing funding from BC Housing, but the development concept could change.

“The project we were working on with SAGA was a fairly broad concept, and essentially they had identified a population they felt needed a housing solution,” said Bachrach.

“We had started looking at some other models that had worked in other communities.

“In terms of having a detailed plan, we just weren’t at that stage yet.”

Bachrach said the Town still hoped to prepare the “affordable housing plan and implementation strategy” included in the town’s Strategic Priorities

report for 2015-2018. “A plan could reflect our strategy, but council’s

focus is really on identifying the gaps in the housing spectrum and then coming up with projects that fill those gaps,” he said.

“Our sense is that one of the gaps right now exists between the emergency shelter and market rentals.”

Bachrach said he hoped to raise the issue with Skeena-Bulkley Valley MP Nathan Cullen, who recently held a town hall meeting asking for public input on how to spend future federal infrastructure funds.

Cullen said he planned to hold the Trudeau government to its commitment to prioritize affordable housing as part of a promised ten-year investment in social infrastructure.

“The new government has indicated their willingness, and so for communities like Smithers, if the community comes forward and says this is a top priority, I’ll work with the local groups, the local council, to make it a reality,” said Cullen.

He said the type of development would depend on who was leading the project.

Dik Tiy Housing Society, a partnership between High Road Services Society and Smithers and Area Recycling Society, is already working towards building a 17-unit housing project for seniors and people with disabilities.

The complex would be located on the corner of Main Street and Sixteenth Avenue.

Dana Gorbahn is the chief executive of High Road, which helps people with developmental disabilities live more independently.

He said if the Main Street project was successful, his organization would consider working with the Town to operate a supportive living complex.

“We’re going to continue to look for affordable housing and that could be for the homeless or those with mental health needs,” he said.

“We’ll continue to advocate on behalf of that development, so if SAGA has stepped out of that, we may look at working with the Town on another project.”

From SAGA on Front

NEWSwww.interior-news.com A5 The Interior News Wednesday, March 2, 2016

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RECREATION SITES AND TRAILS BCNotice to all Contractors-Request for Expression of Interest

Recreation Sites and Trails BC, Nadina-Skeena District is seeking qualified contractors for the upcoming season.

Submissions will form a select invite list. From this list, quotes will be requested on various projects that come up throughout the 2016-2017 fiscal year. Projects may include but are not limited to:

• Site/trail maintenance in remote areas (Kispiox and Morice areas)-installation of outhouses, signs and tables; carpentry services; painting; garbage removal; cleaning; brushing

• GPS’ing trails, creating maps (GIS)• Site/Trail planning, layout, design• Structure design and installation (bridges, platforms, boardwalks, kiosks etc)• Danger tree assessment and abatement• Equipment rental

Applicant contractors should have a 4x4 vehicle to access work sites and provide all tools and equipment necessary to carry out works. Some projects may require transporting of large heavy structures such as large kiosks. A means to load, transport and unload these items is not provided, so applicants must be ready to use adequate improvisations to carry out the work and not damage structures. Standards will be provided and must be followed for each project. All contractors must have WCB coverage and carry adequate liability insurance.

Interested contractors must submit details of their company, including hourly rates. A list of equipment/tools and skills would be appreciated. Please highlight qualifications and experience, especially previous experience with recreation or Parks projects. From the list above please specify what project types you have experience with.

The Nadina-Skeena District manages public recreation on Crown Land from Burns Lake north and south, to the Morice-south of Houston and including Granisle and Babine Lake, Smithers region then west to the Hazeltons and Kispiox areas.

Please send or drop off your expression of interest and company information no later than March 4, 2016 to: Joanne Williams, Recreation Sites and Trails BC,

Bag 6000, 3333 Tatlow Road, Smithers, B.C. V0J 2N0Phone 250-847-6360

By Rod LinkBlack Press

What had been one of the more promising planned liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects in the Northwest has been shelved.

In a brief statement as part of its 2015 fourth quarter financial results, AltaGas, a partner in the Douglas Channel LNG project at Kitimat, announced the halt.

The decision “was due to adverse economic conditions and worsening global energy price levels,” said AltaGas in its financial results statement released today.

Douglas Channel LNG would

have been among the smallest of the various LNG projects planned, but also one of the more feasible because it would have been fed by the natural gas pipeline already serving the region through Pacific Northern Gas, an AltaGas subsidiary. That pipeline runs through Smithers.

The project would have seen the LNG facility built on a floating platform.

Meanwhile, AltaGas said it was advancing on one of its other energy export plans, that being to ship propane from northeastern B.C. on railcars to an export terminal at Ridley Island near Prince Rupert.

It expects to make a final investment decision on that project later this year.

LNG project shelved

New pre-school monthly feeAnother change being made,

more than a year after the last closure consideration, is the implementation of monthly enrolment for the April to June session — which could be the pre-school’s last.

Parents up to this point had to pay the full quarter-year fee up front, which the instructors and many who came to fight the closure in 2014 said limited enrolment.

A decision by council would come

at a regular council meeting, which Yanciw said would be either March 22 or April 5.

Mayor Taylor Bachrach said the process is to avoid the uproar caused by the last closure threat happening in camera, behind closed doors. He added that the numbers “speak for themselves.”

“And at a certain point, we have to ask ourselves whether we’re the best-positioned organization to provide the service,” said Bachrach.

From RANGER on Front

OPINIONSA6 www.interior-news.com The Interior News

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NEWSInteriorTHE

2010C A N A D I A NCOMMUNITYNEWSPAPERAWARD 2013

C A N A D I A NCOMMUNITYNEWSPAPERAWARD 2014

I’d like to add a few more details to Nikki Skuce’s Feb. 17 Guest View

regarding the staking and exploration of claims in B.C.

Staking a mineral claim and being granted a permit to mine are completely different processes. On average, it takes 28 years to move from initial claim staking to mine status. In addition, only one out of every 2,500 grassroots claim projects reach mine status. Most claims are abandoned early on when work indicates

little of interest in terms of mineral resources. The following information does not include placer, coal or oil and gas claims.

As stated in the guest editorial, to stake a claim in B.C. you must be 18, have $25/year ($500 for a company) to pay for a free miner’s certificate (FMC) and have access to the Internet (Mineral Titles Online). You also need a BCeID to gain access to this site, which tracks all of your usage. Once on the site, you may stake any available claim block: it will cost you $0.40/hectare and grant you subsurface rights for one year. After this initial year, to keep this claim, you must either a) perform exploration work on the claim block/property equivalent to $5/ha/year (up to 10 years) or b) pay cash-in-lieu at a rate of $10/ha/year. These rates double after years two and three.

If your claim overlaps an area that contains a refuge, reservation, area of interest, or other Ministry project (that

you didn’t notice on the map), you will receive a letter in the mail making you aware of this and encouraging early contact with affected parties.

If the work you do on the claim does not include any mechanized equipment or invasive geophysical work, and other noted boundary areas do not affect you, you may proceed without notice (but it is always in your best interest to notify other stakeholders early). However, if you wish to dig a trench or a hole with more than a hand trowel, drill and collect core, put in a road or cut down any trees (not including limbing), require a semi-permanent camp to house your workers, in addition to many other limits, you must file a notice of work (NOW) to the government. This triggers consultation with any and all stakeholders affected in and around your claim area, including First Nations, other ministries, guide outfitters, recreational leaseholders, private landowners, etc. I believe there is a minimum of 30 days allowed to respond. Any issues are relayed back to the claim holder and, hopefully, a solution is reached that is agreeable to all. Because of the length of time an NOW can take to work through the consultation system, in conjunction with our short field season, it is not unheard of for projects to be postponed at least a year, if not longer. Once the NOW has been approved (if it has), you must give the government a reclamation bond. This is calculated via a formula that includes how much area you expect to disturb and how much reclamation will be required when you finish. The government holds this bond in trust until you submit a report to them detailing, with photos, your completed reclamation and exiting of the area. If approved, you get your bond back. If not, the Ministry hires someone else to go in and complete the

work, using your bond to pay this third party.When you perform exploration work, you are required to

file a statement of work (SOW) within 365 days of completion, a record of what you did to advance the geologic knowledge of the property. If any technical work was done (mapping, sampling, geophysics, etc), you must also file an assessment report within 90 days of the SOW. This report is reviewed by the government and remains private for one year; after that, the report is published online in the ARIS database and available to the public. There are very exacting requirements for all assessment reports so that as much data as possible is acquired by the government and so that the public can be protected from false reporting (remember BreEx?). To this end, if an assessment report is to be used to advance a project (particularly for a publicly traded company), a qualified person (QP) is required to sign off on the document. This person must have certain qualifications, often including belonging to a professional association, being governed by a code of ethics and overseeing the work done, to put their signature on the report. The Securities Commission outlines QP requirements online.

I have been filing NOWs and writing assessment reports since 2005. I was involved with the government’s reworking of the system to get rid of ‘nuisance stakers’ and high fees for filing geological reports. I am a geoscientist and member of a professional association, bound by a code of ethics. I’ve been in the field since 1994. I’ve also worked with environmental groups and consider Nikki a friend. I love this region. The industry may not have the greatest track record but there is much that has been improved and more that is being done for the future, and many of us care to see it done to the best possible standards. I know we can all work together toward this goal.

Wednesday, March 2, 2016

Web pollShould the Town of Smithers stop subsidizing the pre-school program at Ranger Park?

No59%

Yes41%

Publisher Grant Harris, Editor Chris GareauPublished by Black Press Ltd. 3764 Broadway Avenue, Smithers BC V0J 2N0

Staking a claim and getting a permit completely different

GUEST VIEWAnastasia Ledwon

www.interior-news.com A7 The Interior News

THE INTERIOR NEWS, P.O. Box 2560, Smithers, B.C. 3764 Broadway Ave. • Phone 847-3266Fax 847-2995 NEWS: [email protected] • ADVERTISING: [email protected] TEAM

Nick BriereSales Representative

Jill BolandProduction

Laura BottenFront Office

Diane NikolicOffice Assistant

Chris GareauEditor

Grant HarrisPublisher

Alicia BridgesReporter

Xuyun ZengReporter

Wednesday, March 2, 2016

THE EDITORTO:

Letters to the editor policyLetters are welcomed up to a maximum of 250 words. Letters are subject to editing for clarity, brevity and legality. All letters must include the writer’s name, daytime telephone number and hometown for verifi cation purposes. Anonymous, or pen names will not be permitted. Not all submissions will be published. Letters may be e-mailed to: [email protected].

LETTERS

We have already two categories of Canadians

Editor:

Recently on the news, we were told that the Liberals are going to reverse the decision by the previous government to strip terrorists and the like of their Canadian citizenship because there is “only one category of Canadians.”

Well, sounds nice but we already have two categories: those who are proud to be Canadians, love their country and do their part to make it a welcoming place for new arrivals, and those who would destroy it in order to force the rest of us to believe in whoever or whatever they believe in.

Bad drivers get stripped of their driver’s licence, irresponsible professionals get stripped of their right to teach or practise medicine. Why wouldn’t we be justified to strip terrorists of the very thing they plan to destroy?

Remember the guy on the news who gleefully burned his Canadian passport and said he was “coming to get us?” When the government sends him a replacement passport (if he’s still alive) let’s include a pink shirt in the package and remind him that we just celebrated anti-bullying day. In fact let’s send a whole truck load. A good use of at least my tax dollars.

Thea EwaldSmithers

One of the last things anyone would ever imagine the B.C. government doing is adopting an old NDP

program, but that’s exactly what Energy and Mines Minister Bill Bennett did this month when he announced a five-year, $300-million hydro bill deferment plan for 13 mines owned by six companies.

There’s a price to pay when B.C. Hydro becomes a political tool: the interests of ratepayers can take a backseat to political interests.

Three of the six companies in Bennett’s deal were highlighted in a December Financial Post article, Debt risks mount as Canada’s base metal miners sink deep in the hole.

One could argue that the headline alone justifies Bennett’s move, except there’s no guarantee that B.C. Hydro will ever be repaid.

Last year, Deutsche Bank analyst Jorge Beristain said one of the six companies — Colorado-based Thompson Creek Metals — is “quickly approaching an end-game” with debts of US$832 million.

According to the Financial Post, Teck Resources “has more than US$3.5 billion of debt coming due between 2017 and 2023 and lost its investment-grade credit rating last year.”

Taseko Mines, “has more than $260 million of senior notes coming due in 2019, while a US$30-million secured loan matures this May.”

Imperial Metals owns three of the 13 mines, including Mount Polley. Its controlling shareholder — Murray Edwards — has a net worth of $2.69 billion.

The B.C. Liberal party has done well from them. From 2005 to 2014, the six companies donated $2.8 million to the party.

B.C. Hydro’s contractual obligations with private power producers have ballooned to $56.2 billion.

It’s the gift that keeps on giving for everyone involved, except ratepayers.

In a 2008 call for independent power projects, 75 proponents registered with B.C.

Hydro. They signed agreements with 18 of the proponents in 2010.

From July 1, 2008 to September 30, 2010 — when B.C. Hydro was making its decisions — 14 proponents donated $268,461 to the Liberals. One donated $1,000 to the NDP. Ten of the 14 were successful.

Their before and after donations are interesting.

For the 10 successful proponents, their donations doubled from $112,801 (January 2005 to June 2008) to $229,471.

After the deals were done, they settled back again. Seven donated $112,345 to the Liberals (2010 to 2014).

In 2008, the B.C. Mining Association received a $295,188 grant from the Northern Development Initiative Trust (NDIT) to start making the business case for the Northwest Transmission Line.

NDIT’s Highway 37 Power Line Coalition has 22 private sector partners.

Excluding companies in Bennett’s deferral program, independent power producers and those identified by B.C. Hydro as “potential future mines,” 13 of the 22 donated $962,220 to the Liberals.

There are the nine potential future mines that one day may connect to the line.

Excluding donations from Imperial Metals and Teck, who have interests in three of them, the most generous companies were Goldcorp at $795,700, the Lundin Group ($112,145) and Copper Fox Metals ($93,130).

One of the founding directors of Copper Fox Metals is Hector Mackay-Dunn, who co-chaired the B.C. Liberal’s 2009 election preparation efforts.

MacKay-Dunn is affectionately known in some party circles as Hector the Collector for his prowess at political fundraising.

In all, nine of the companies have donated $1 million to the Liberals and $18,050 to the NDP.

And at the same time the government was imposing hydro rate increases on schools and hospitals in 2014, Bennett announced a $100 million B.C. Hydro initiative for pulp and paper producers to “support investments in

more energy efficient equipment.”The forest industry has donated more

than $4.2 million to the Liberals.Add all the donations of the interested

parties up and it totals more than $9.8 million for the Liberals ($417,185 for the NDP).

Guess who gets saddled with the bill?B.C. Hydro’s contractual obligations

stand at $59.7 billion, not including their debt which has grown from $6.8 billion in 2004 to $16.7 billion last year.

They’ve had to borrow $3.2 billion just to turn around and give it to the B.C. government as dividends.

In 2014, Hydro-Quebec cut a dividend cheque of $2.5 billion for the Quebec government. They didn’t have to borrow money to cover the cheque.

Hydro-Quebec’s rates are the second lowest in Canada. From 2007 to 2015, its cumulative rate increase was 17.1. In B.C., it was 63.2 per cent.

– Dermod Travis is the executive director of IntegrityBC.

What’s good for BC Liberals may not be good for Hydro

ROLLING INTO SMITHERS THE WRONG WAY

A Smithers RCMP of� cer directs traf� c as a tow truck takes away a car that rolled over into the ditch off Highway 16 near Babine Lake Road last Tuesday. Paramedics were on scene to assess the male driver, who was not seriously hurt. RCMP said two kind samaritans stayed at the scene before emergency crews arrived to ensure the driver was OK.

Chris Gareau photo

GUEST VIEWDermod Travis


NEWS

What comes to mind with the word “hospi-tality”?

When I think about hospitality, I think of home. At home, I can dance around look-ing like a complete idiot and my wife is not going to disown me, instead she might join in. At home I can share the deep-est parts of who I am, and trust that I will be heard. A truly hospi-table place is a place where you know that you will be welcomed and loved.

We are approach-

ing Holy Week, the week when Christians throughout the world remember Jesus’ last days on earth. When I think of Holy Week, I think of hospitality. Perhaps it seems odd to talk about hospi-tality during this time when Christians ev-erywhere are remem-bering the violent crucifixion of our Saviour, Jesus. Cru-cifixion was the cruel-est form of execution practiced by Ancient Rome. Victims were hung from a beam of wood with six inch nails in their wrists,

and left until dead. The victims were hung ten feet high, naked, for everyone to see their shame.

Yet One an-cient theologian in-sists that hospitality and crucifixion be-long together. Cyril of Jerusalem said that God “stretched out His hands on the Cross, so that he might embrace the ends of the world.” As Jesus is dying on the cross, his arms are wide open to embrace the world, to hug the world, to welcome us unconditionally into His presence.

On the cross, Jesus arms are wide open, a gesture of invita-tion. Mother Teresa explains the hospital-ity of the cross like this; “When we look at Jesus during His humiliating passion & death we ask—why all this? To what pur-pose? No one, not even Jesus could have gone through all that humiliating suffering if he was not in love.” The heart of the cross is an expression of Je-sus’ love for us—his hospitality.

Telkwa Christian Reformed Church

Joe Ellis250.846.5777

Faith Matters

Submitted by the Smithers Ministerial Association

Have a Story?

250-847-3266Email [email protected]

Find us on Facebook atSmithers Interior News

Let us know

You could win $500 for watching a 20 minute video on concussion. Email [email protected] or visit Bulkley Valley Brain Injury Association’s

Facebook page for details.

Easy Online Contest!


Bulkley ValleyCREDIT UNION

Smithers Bantam Player of the Week

Name: Liam Carroll #29Position: Right Wing Height: 5ʼ10” Weight: 160lbs Age: 13 Years playing hockey: 94 facts about Liam CarrollFavourite player Patrick KanePregame song Till I Collapse- Eminem, My greatest hockey infl uence is Dave Tucker, #1 fan Keelan Frocklage

Smithers Bantam Smithers Bantam Smithers Bantam BANTAM HOT SHOTS

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SmithersMarch 13-18 2016

For the Month of March

50¢

Monday – Friday 9 am – 9 pm • Saturday 9 am – 6 pm • •Sunday & Holidays 10 am – 5 pm • Seniors’ Day every day • 10% off 3752 4th Avenue • Smithers •250.847.4474 (some exclusions may apply)

from every Pharmasave Brand Product purchased will help build the Smithers Public Library’s

Collection of Childrens Classic Books.

Telkwa discusses plan for water towerBy Xuyun ZengTelkwa/Interior News

Telkwa is shifting gears and looking into other ways the village could get a water tower.

On Feb. 4, the Village received news that they have been denied a grant that would partially fund the Trobak water reservoir. Moving forward, the Village will apply for a Build Canada grant and they will also investigate alternatives.

At last Monday’s council meeting, Mayor Darcy Repen said the Village has feedback on how they can strengthen the grant application.

“Specifically, what they would like to see is that we are taking water conservation initiatives and that there’s

buy-in from the community,” said Repen.

He added that the Village could incorporate water conservation education into the Telkwa Barbecue, and do a water leak test to show that the Village has plugged leaks that were highlighted from a report a few years ago.

He also wants a Village water conservation pamphlet to be part of the application.

Repen hopes to see enforcement of bylaws related to water usage.

“One thing that didn’t exist before this council was there was no fine schedule for those who were breaking the bylaw,” he said.

“This summer, my expectation is if someone’s out watering Cottonwood Street in the middle of a stage three water restriction,

we’re going to fine them, and we’re going to include that in our grant application.”

However, council has decided that they need to try to look elsewhere instead of counting on the grants to come through.

“We’ve learned now, this next one that we’re putting in, we can’t count on it, so we got to go ahead with plans on what we can do as a village to solve our water problems,” said Coun. Brad Layton.

To that end, council also discussed Telkwa resident Daryl Hanson’s letter, which spells out a plan to use money accumulated in the Gas Tax Fund to pay for a water tower.

Hanson’s plan proposes that Telkwa pays for the $2.3-million project by contributing $446,469 from

its gas tax reserve, and borrow the remaining $1.9 million.

With a 30-year term at three per cent interest, this makes the annual payments to be around $97,000, which is lower than the $105,884 per year the Village currently receives in gas tax income.

Under this plan, Hanson believes the project can be funded by 2017, and will not result in increased taxes.

However, long-term borrowing would require a referendum under provincial law.

Council responded cautiously, specifically because this would drain most of the gas tax funds.

“The concern is that we will have a lot of other expenses coming up in the next 30 years,” said Repen.

-25

-20

-15

-10

-5

0

Criminal Code Cases

per cent, compared to 2014

Smithers

-13%

Telkwa

-23%

DECREASING CRIME RATES IN 2015Data released by detachment commander Staff Sgt. Rob Mitchell shows crime decreasing in Smithers and Telkwa. Mitchell notes that their priorities lie in four areas: substance abuse, improving police-community relations, violence and traf� c concerns.

Xuyun Zeng illustrations

-30

-25

-20

-15

-10

-5

0

Property Crimes


Smithers

-11%

Telkwa

-28% -20

-15

-10

-5

0

Violent Crimes


Smithers

-10%

Telkwa

-17%

Source: RCMP

www.interior-news.com A9The Interior News Wednesday, March 2, 2016

SPORTS

Community Calendar

To list your nonprofit coming events please drop off your listing at The Interior News, 3764 Broadway Ave., fax us at 250-847-2995, or email [email protected]. More information is available through our Online Community Calendar at www.interior-news.com. Deadline for submissions is Fridays at noon. Maximum 25 words. Limited space is available. We regret we cannot accept items over the phone.

For further information please check our Online Community Calendar at www.interior-news.comYou Are Here by Matt Simmons. Feb 2 to Mar 5, 12-4 pm, Smithers Art Gallery. This multi-media exhibit attempts to artistically translate the idea of being present in the here and now. [email protected], www.smithersart.org, 250-847-3898.Easy Online Contest. Deadline Friday, Oct. 7. You could win $500 for watching a 20 minute video on concussion. Email [email protected] or visit Bulkley Valley Brain Injury Association’s Facebook page for details.Chronic Pain Self-Management Workshop. Wed, Mar 2 to Apr 5, 1-3:30 pm, Healthy Living Centre. CPSMP is a six-session workshop that helps people living with chronic pain and their caregivers. [email protected], 1-866-902-3767, www.selfmanagementbc.ca.Northern Saddle Club Bingo. Thu, Mar 3, 7 pm, The Old Church. Fundraiser for repairs and maintenance of facilities.Brown Bag Lunch. Thu, Mar 3, 12-1 om, Healthy Living Centre. Sheryl Yaremco, RN BHRT on Optimal Health – Protection & Prevention Using BioIdentical Hormones. 250-877-4424.World Day of Prayer – Receive Children. Receive Me.

Fri, Mar. 4, 7 pm, Smithers United Church. Come join our neighbours in celebrating. Refreshments to follow. Edith Illes 250-846-9643.Round Lake Coffeehouse. Sat, Mar 5, 5:30 pm, Round Lake Hall. Dinner by Quick Eats. Music by C’est La Vie, Jon Bjorgan/Tiana Wisselink, Peter Dawson and Eric Anderson.Smithers Film Society Timbuktu. Sun, Mar 6, 6 pm, Roi Theatre. Witty, beautiful and sobering, with a powerful message, it is highly entertaining. Regular admission.Tween Writing Workshops. Fri, Mar 11 & Apr 8, 6:30-8:30 pm, Smithers Public Library. Join local writer Emily Bulmer for a playful exploration of the written word. Ages 10-14. 250-847-3043.Boulder Fest. Sat, Mar 12, BV Regional Pool. Kids competition in the morning, adults in the afternoon. Prizes and snacks to share.Senior Income Tax Clinic. Sat, Mar. 12, 1-4 pm, Pioneer Activity Centre Senior Hall. Call Staffie 250-847-2380 for appointment. Some restrictions may apply.

I would like to express my appreciation and thanks to everyone who has supported me during the last 5 years while I owned Sears Smith-ers. I am so blessed to live in a community where people shop local and support home-town small business. I had such a great time and am very grateful for all the smiling faces I saw every day. Now I ask you to join me in welcom-ing the new owner/operator of Sears Smithers, Jeanette Barrie. I know Jeanette will experience the same blessing from this great community! All the best to you Jeanette.

Special Olympian goes to nationals in N� d.

Torben Schuffert is in Corner Brook, N.L. competing in the Special Olympics.

Xuyun Zeng photo

By Xuyun ZengSmithers/Interior News

Alpine skier Torben Schuffert, 14, from Smithers is competing at the 2016 Special Olympics Canada Winter Games in Corner Brook, N.L. from this Tuesday to Saturday.

Schuffert qualified after placing fourth in the Special Olympics provincials last year in Kamloops, competing in the intermediate giant slalom category.

He went through a rigorous training regime in preparation for his first time at the nationals.

“Go up the ski hills two times a week,” said Schuffert. “[In the summer] I trained for it, I do my sports.”

Schuffert went to track and field and swimming twice

a week each, training under swim coach Gael Jones.

He has also done dry land training.

“He’s actually joining the ski club for that. They let our Special O guys join,” said Schuffert’s mother Sandra.

Schuffert believes the biggest challenge at the Special Olympics are the gates.

“You need to do the turns right at the right time,” he said.

Despite the training regime and challenge at the Special Olympics, Schuffert said he feels “happy” about heading to Newfoundland. He feels excited to meet his friends there.

“Most of them are just really into the friends thing. It’s not really like, ‘Oh, we’re so competitive,’ ” said Sandra. “There are some

competitive ones but Torben is looking forward to meeting his friends that he met last winter.”

Schuffert thoroughly enjoyed the camaraderie he developed with his fellow competitors at the Kamloops provincials.

“I’ve got two friends,” he said. “I met them, I sat on the table, and I saw kids. I talked with them, so I got new friends. I slept with them in the same room,” said Schuffert.

Sandra feels especially proud of Schuffert.

“I think one of the challenges that Torben actually has is his muscle tone is very low, so for him it was really hard for him to ski and get around the gates,” said Sandra. “I think that’s why we are proud that he is skiing, because it’s so hard

for him as compared to some of the skiers up there.”

Schuffert flew to Vancouver to meet his teammates before flying off together to Corner Brook.

“It’s very long,” he said, referring to the distance.

Schuffert’s dad, Marc, will head to Newfoundland, but they will not stay together because Torben will be travelling and staying with Team B.C., while Marc is attending as a spectator.

“When we heard that he was allowed to go, it actually took us two weeks to make up our mind,” said Sandra. “It’s a cross-country trip, and we as parents are not there, and with special needs, it was a little scary at the beginning.

“But Torben really wanted to go and people down in Vancouver were very supportive.”

Steelheads win game one in CIHL playoffs � nalsBy Xuyun ZengSmithers/Interior News

The Steelheads might have won game one in the best-of-three Central Interior Hockey League finals against the Williams Lake Stampeders, but head coach Tom DeVries knows he cannot rest on his laurels yet.

“See, we don’t play Williams Lake a lot, so we don’t have that big rivalry like we would with Terrace,”

said DeVries. “But we do because we met in the finals a few times and stuff like that, and they beat us a few times, and we beat them a few times.”

“You know, it’s still sweet to win.”

The Steelheads beat the Stampeders 4-1 last Saturday in an away game.

“We had some fantastic goaltending from David Little,” he said. “In the beginning of the game, they were kind of on us and the goalie made some

good saves.”Steelheads’ Mark

Arnold scored the first goal early first period, but the Stampeders tied it up in the second. The Steelheads would then continue to widen the lead, ending up with a 4-1 victory.

Even a third period two-man power play advantage did not provide the opportunity for the Stampeders to redeem themselves.

The game ended with the Steelheads making twice the

number of shots on goal, with 28 as compared to the Stampeders’ 14.

“But, we haven’t won yet,” emphasizes DeVries.

The Steelheads will face their East Division rivals at the Civic Arena this weekend, and DeVries said viewers can expect a different kind of game than the phenomenal semi-finals against Terrace.

“Just a different atmosphere,” he said. “Terrace plays a bit

more physical, they like to hit more, and Williams Lake is more skilled, more puck movement, they’ve got some hockey players.”

“In saying that, they’re still physical but not like Terrace is.”

DeVries is expecting the Stampeders to come up to Smithers with the best they can offer.

“They will come back this weekend with a good team and it’s not a gimme that’s for sure,” he said.

Results1st 2nd 3rd Tot.

1 2 1 4

1st 2nd 3rd Tot.

0 1 0 1

Smithers

Williams Lake

Feb. 27

1st PeriodSSH 18:35-M. Arnold (S. Hassel, G. Currie)2nd PeriodWLS 17:03-M. Lees (S. Sasges, N. Zurak)SSH 10:04-A. DeVries (B. DeVries)SSH 02:58-S. Hassel (L. Perry)3rd PeriodSSH 06:36-Randall Groot (G. Currie, B. DeVries)


SPORTS

A family fun event supporting the Canadian Cancer Society

Rocky Point Park, Port MoodySunday, April 24, 2016

Register today at cancer.ca/daffodildash

#DaffodilDash

15_REV_101_DaffDashFA_colour_5K.indd 1 2015-12-22 10:35 AM

CHALLENGESunday

April 24th 1pm - 4pm

Curling Rink • Heritage Park Sign up NOW!

• yourself • families •• teams •

facebook.com/DaffodilDash/or

www. cancer.ca/daffodil dash

Watch for upcoming details!

Smithers & Area Applaud Yourselves!!With the 2015 year-end behind us, the members of the Bulkley Valley District Hospital Auxiliary Society wish to share with the public that we have donated equipment to our local hospital to the tune of $120,174.00; and before our year end, pledged another $160,541.00 for a total of $280,715.00 for various equipment purchases.

This could not be done without the many helping hands in our community, including those who work in our New to You Thrift store and at our hospital Gift Shop, and not to be forgotten, the many, many individuals who drop off their “gently used” items for us to sell.

If you’re new to the community, or recently retired, and � nd you have some free time…we’re always looking for new members to join us. You must be willing to submit to a criminal check. For more information please call Edith, the Publicity Chair at 250-847-9272, or Winette, our President at 250-847-2049.

ad sp

ace donated

by the Interior N

ews

Employment OpportunitiesSocial / Educational Coordinator

The Family Enhancement Society (FES) requires individuals or contractors for both full and part-time positions to assist with determining the needs and design for post- secondary and family services for the communities of the Lakes District. The resulting document will outline the education and service business plan to meet the needs identified by the communities as well as a strategy for implementation.

Extensive expertise is needed in a variety of areas including: management of post- secondary programs and services; proposal and project design, development, implementation and management; strategic and organizational skills; comprehensive community engagement practices; ensuring Aboriginal direction, cultural, language and historical perspectives are key elements of education and service programs; knowledge of rural and northern program delivery; understanding of post-secondary enrollment and funding models; working knowledge of provincial ministries mandates and related politics; proficient computer and social media experience; proven research and analytical skills; verifiable experience in all aspects of report and technical writing; marketing and promotional knowledge; comprehensive understanding of strategic planning; in depth knowledge of the Lakes District First Nations, local government and the various communities.

Additionally, it is anticipated that the project lead will have a master’s degree in a related discipline and display strong leadership skills within the context of collaboration and partnerships. A demonstrated desire and ability to deliver quality products with a focus on transparency and accountability are also required attributes for this position.

Other applicants will need a combination of post-secondary and direct related experience with the expertise and skill sets noted.

Applications are welcome from individuals or contractors who meet all or most of the experience and attributes above. Please indicate in your cover letter which skill sets or areas of expertise are of the most interest to you. Subsequently, your resume should detail your related experience and training in these areas.

The length of employment terms will be for approximately one year. Several of the part time positions will be on an as needed basis; hence these positions will remain open until filled. The terms and conditions of employment or contracts are dependent on the specific position as well as the successful applicant’s qualifications.

Please submit your resume to: Candice Littlle ([email protected]) OR Lakes District Family Enhancement Society Box 777, Burns Lake, BC V0J 1E0 Attention: Candice Little

The Smithers Men’s Steelhead and Ladies Edelweiss Bonspiels brought eight out-of-town teams to compete on Feb. 19-21.

Local teams Wendy Pierce, Anne Griffith, and Carmen Rasmussen played in a round robin event with Carla Cook from Prince George. Pierce emerged victorious.

Trevor Sandberg’s team skipped by John Pierce defeated Greg Johnstone for the Men’s Steelhead title.

Dennis Rasmussen outlasted Ed Maskiewich for third in the A Event. Alan Parker beat John Kennedy from Terrace to win the B Event.

Klaus Kraft defeated Arnold Amonson from Houston to take third in the B Event.

The Junior team led by Sean Turney curled really well to edge Ken Herman for the C event. The youngsters will compete in the BC High School Provincials March 3-5 in Delta.

Ken Lukens from Burns Lake came out ahead of Dave Peters from Burns Lake for third in the C event.

In the D event, David Mio took top honours over Rick Jones from Kitimat.

Eric Walker’s Kitwanga crew outperformed Gerald Eckland’s squad from Burns Lake for third in the D Event.

However, Gerald still tells the best jokes. Support from the local business community for prizes and food and eager volunteers guaranteed another highly successful bonspiel.

– Contributed by Bob Shiach, Smithers Curling Club icemaker.

Teams gather in town

for curling event

Boardercross heats up Hudson Bay Mountain

U-15 snowboard cross competitors gunning for the � nish.Warren Pali photo


The second snowboard cross event in the Like Me Snowboard Series took place in “gorgeous” conditions last weekend, according to Smithers Snowboard and Ski Club (SSSC) head snowboard coach Warren Pali.

Toan Krauskopf won in the male U-10 category on both days, as did Megan Fraser in the female U-11 category and Kaitlyn Peterson in the female U-15 category.

Tosh Krauskopf won in the male U-12 and U-13 categories, while Colby Graham won in the male U-15 and U-16 categories.

McKinley Groves and Max Levenson won in the U-8 female

and male category respectively.In the 19+ category, Sarah

Belford took first. She was the only racer in her category.

“There were a few other events going on,” said Pali. “[BC Snowboard Association] also had a slopestyle event down in the Lower Mainland as well as another boardercross event in Whistler ... so we didn’t draw a lot of people from the Lower Mainland.”

“But we did draw people from Prince George, which was our farthest competitors.”

Pali estimated that 26-27 competitors showed up to last weekend’s event.

The SSSC will head down to Big White this weekend for the next competition in the Like Me Snowboard Series.

SPORTSwww.interior-news.com A11 The Interior News Wednesday, March 2, 2016

Have your coffee and your news too!

Bring the NEWS home for just 11¢ a day

250-847-3266on-line edition at www.interior-news.com/eeditions

· PRESENTS ·· PRESENTS ·· PRESENTS ·· PRESENTS ·· PRESENTS ·· PRESENTS ·· PRESENTS ·· PRESENTS ·· PRESENTS ·

Karaoke at the Legion!!

Members & Guests Welcome

Friday, March 4th 9pm to 1 am(The first Friday of each month.)

Location: 4124 Railway Avenue, legally described as Lot 1, District Lot 865, Range 5, Coast District Plan PRP13169Public Input: Anyone who believes they will be affected by the proposed permit is invited to submit written comments to Council for consideration prior to the meeting. Written submissions must be received by 3:00 pm on the day the permit is to be considered. Copies: The proposed permit and relevant background information can be viewed at the Town Office, Monday through Friday (except holidays) 8:30 am to 4:30 pm, or online at www.smithers.ca.Contact: For further information contact Alison Watson, Planner, at (250) 847-1600 or [email protected].

Temporary Use Permit TU16-01: To temporarily permit the building to be used for retail sales up to 6 times a year for 1-2 days, during normal working hours and in conjunction with sale days, hold an evening fashion show.

PUBLIC NOTICE Temporary Use Permit Application

A Temporary Use Permit application will be considered on Tuesday, March 8th, 2016, beginning at 6:30 pm in the Council Chambers of the Town Hall, 1027 Aldous Street, Smithers, BC.

Saltos medal in TerraceThe Smithers Saltos

Gymnastics Club sent novice and junior-age competitors to the annual Terrace Peaks Invitational on the weekend of Feb. 20-21.

This was the first competition of 2016 for this young team. The Saltos travelled to Terrace with hopes of learning more competition strategy for dealing with travel and the challenges of the away-from-home contests.

The nine athletes opened their season with smiles, style and energy. Each Saltos gymnast stood on the podium and brought back plenty of hardware. All succeeded in achieving a gold, silver or bronze all around performance.

Junior Olympic Level 1Hanna Munroe Gold AASienna Green Silver AAKylie Green Silver AAElsa Castanon Bronze AAJunior Olympic Level 2Chloe Rolufs Gold AA

Emily Cyr Silver AAJunior Olympic Level 3( Nine and under )Clara Pesch Gold AA( 10 to 12 )Ava Morrison Gold AABlaire Kerr Silver AA

The Smithers Saltos had prepared very well for this contest and it paid off. Returning to Smithers were nine confident and smiling competitors.

Saltos’ next regional competition is in May in Prince George.

– Submitted by Smithers Saltos.

Saltos junior 2-3 team (L to R) Blaire Kerr, Clara Pesch, coach Robyn Price, Emily Cyr, coach Nadia Maskiewich, Ava Morrison, Chloe Rolfus. Contributed photo


SPORTS My Valley Winter Photo ContestShare your pics & win great prizes!

See this weeks winner on page A13

Share your pics & win great prizes!

We know that you have amazing photos of life in the beautiful North stored on your cameras and smartphones. Now is the time to share them!

Send us pictures of winter living in the Bulkley Valley, and we will print them in The Interior News every week until the contest ends on April 6. Local professionals will then choose the contest winners, which will beannounced on April 13. Great prizes are up for grabs!

Enter by emailing your images to [email protected]. Or, you can enter by clicking “Contests” at the top of the Smithers Interior News Facebook page, or by following the “Contests” link on our website at www.interior-news.com/contests.

All entries must include your full name, the title of the photograph, a short caption and a contact number. Pictures must be at least 1MB in size, be submitted by the owner, and be allowed to be printed and shared by The Interior News during and after the competition. Any image created principally on computer software or manipulated on com-puter software beyond generally acceptable adjustments for proper repro-duction (such as cropping, sharpening, adjusting brightness and colour) is not acceptable. Adding or subtracting elements to or from an image, or combining multiple images into a single image, are not permitted.

NEWSNNNEWSEWSNNEWSEWSEWSEWSTHEInterior

Bring all your Friends!

Go Cheer your Champions !

Admission:Adults $10.00

Seniors & Children $8.00 at the Door.

Smithers Steelheads

vs Williams Lake Stampeders

Sat., March 5Smithers

ArenaGame Time 7:30 pm

Sun., March 6 1:30 pm(if needed)

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Winter Games results

Seton Kriese

BiathlonGold

Sprint Boys Senior

Super Sprint Boys Senior

BronzeIndividual Boys

Senior

Jesse Smids

Cross-Country Skiing

BronzeTeam Competition

Boys

Smids also participated in the 4x2km mixed relay. The team of four placed fourth.

Team Turney

Curling

BronzeTeam Competition Boys

GymnasticsJenna Veenstra

10th in Balance Beam Female Level 7

27th in All-Around Female Level 7

Highlights of last weekend’s Penticton B.C. Winter Games.

Two wins from Wash.

Tosh Krauskopf holds his duct tape award and prize snowboard after winning at the Legendary Banked Slalom event.

Finestone Photography photo


Smithereens Tosh Krauskopf and Kaitlyn Peterson took first at the Legendary Banked Slalom at Mt. Baker in Washington state Feb. 18-21.

Krauskopf, 11, competed in the Next Generation Boys category and won with a time of 2:18.52, while Peterson, 12, competed in the Junior Girls category with a winning time of 2:34.15.

“I’m beyond excited,” said Jason Krauskopf, Tosh’s dad. “In the

snowboard world, the Baker Banked Slalom is the event.”

Krauskopf and Peterson qualified last year, but the race was cancelled because of a lack of snow.

The two had to go back to race this year.

The 43-corner course requires “a lot of stamina and technique,” according to Jason.

The LBS is one of the most prestigious events. Racers can get in by invitation, through a lottery or by qualifying.

“Just to make it there, and to be part of the festivities is a huge deal,” said Jason.


A & E

Chatters is OPEN!Tuesday -Saturday 4 - 9 pm

For the month of March get 2 Chatters Lasagnas & a Caesar Salad for $30.00*for $2.00 extra add a dessert pizza


You qualify for FREE gifts and coupons if you’ve moved

to the area or had a baby within the last year.

Laura 250-846-5742

It’s absolutely FREE!

Bringing Local Community information & gifts

*Covering Smithers & Area

New Baby?New to Town?

Add your event to our Community Calendar at www.interior-news.com or by emailing

[email protected]

BULKLEY AIRTIMEIt’s a familiar image for Smithers skiers and snowboarders who � ock to Hudson Bay Mountain on a bluebird day, but not one that’s easy to capture in a photo.Betty Bandstra says her image entitled Boarding Bliss on the Hudson Bay represents her family’s Valley winter.

The Interior News will publish one of the entries to our My Valley Winter photo contest every week until the competition ends on April 6. For information about how to enter visit interior-news.com/contests.

Betty Bandstra photo


Only three people have seen the film Sacred Grizzly as it is set to make its debut Friday night in Smithers.

Local filmaker Monty Bassett is premiering the film at the Roi Theatre at 7:30 p.m. as part of a double documentary feature with Bassett’s Leo award-winning film Cliff Hangers, about Mt. Todagin and it’s Stone sheep.

Bassett said he wanted the world premiere in Smithers because so much of the talent behind the film is local: Dan Mesec was the main cameraman, Taylor Fox was editor, Lynnda McDougall is the production manager, and Roy Henry Vickers contributed the story and art for Raven Brings Daylight to the Planet.

Shannon McPhail from Kispiox and Wade Davis

are interviewed in the documentary.

Sacred Grizzly is the last film of an award-winning series called Exotics (Not the Dancers) that examines how exotic habitats create exotic inhabitants, focusing on the volcano Mt. Edziza, Mt. Todagin and it’s Stone sheep, the Grand Canyon of the Stikine, and finally the Sacred Headwaters Basin.

Bassett describes Sacred Grizzly as the story of how the headwaters of three of Canada’s important west coast watersheds, all beginning within metres of each other, is dominion for North America’s biggest and likely most prolific grizzly bear.

Two years in the making, the film follows the grizzly of the Sacred Headwaters region to the coastal fjords, from the mountains of Spatsizi to the Kurzamateen, an area the size of England.

Sacred Grizzly premieres at the Roi Theatre this Friday at 7:30 p.m. Contributed photo

Sacred Grizzly world premiere

A BEAUTY OF A PERFORMANCE

Smithers Secondary School put on seven performances of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast from Thursday to Sunday, selling out the 280-seat Della Herman Theatre � ve times. Left to right: Mrs. Potts (Kye McInnis) calms the beast (Ethan deHoog) with Lumiere (Robyn Doll). Gaston (Sheldon Bell) tries to woo Belle (Chantal Parent). Music and drama students put on the ambitious show directed by Drama teacher Heather Lytle, which included a grand set and amazing lighting, costumes and choreography.

Chris Gareau photos


Imagine continuing your education! See us today .

• T h e H a z e l t o n s • S m i t h e r s • H o u s t o n & D i s t r i c t • L a k e s D i s t r i c t •

COMMUNITY

Seven-week-old black bear cub Nutmeg drinks electrolytes at the Northern Lights Wildlife Shelter near Smithers last week.

Alicia Bridges photo

Second chance for tiny cubsBy Alicia BridgesSmithers/Interior News

With never-used paw pads and tiny eyes that have barely opened, black bear cubs Nutmeg and Pepper appear as fragile as they are cute.

The seven-week-old brothers are currently being bottled-fed at the Northern Lights Wildlife Society after they were rescued near 100 Mile House on Feb. 17.

They were orphaned after workers disturbed their den, causing their mother to flee.

Several attempts were made to reunite the male cubs with their mother, but she never returned.

A Quesnel-based shelter contacted Peter and Angelika Langen from the Northern Lights Wildlife Society, which has rehabilitated more than 300 bears at its property near Smithers.

Angelika Langen said she and Peter called on their network of volunteers to help transport the bears immediately.

“We started driving from here, people started driving from there and in the meantime you get permission from the government that we can take them,” she said.

“We got the call here at eight o’clock in the morning, by 12 o’clock I had the bears in my hands.”

The diminutive brothers, one black and one brown, were just five weeks old when they arrived at NLWS nine days ago.

They require around the clock care and a four-hourly feeding regime comprising specialized formula and electrolytes.

Despite contracting diarrhea last week, the cubs have already doubled in size from less than one kilogram to almost 2 kg.

“You’re always on edge, the first few months is so critical but then they go out there and they do their own thing and some succeed and some don’t,” she said.

Another two male cubs about the same age were rushed to the NWLS property on Saturday after workers driving a backhoe disturbed their den near Smithers.

Despite some criticism of the workers on social media, Langen praised them for digging the cubs out of the ground to save them from suffocation.

“If there is a mistake for whatever reason, and there are some lives that could be saved, then people should feel safe to come to us and not being judged and pulled apart afterwards,” she said.

All of the cubs were named by the public in a competition on social media, including newcomers Chili and Turmeric.

Langen said they were healthy and some were starting to test their wobbly legs for the first time.

“The really tiny one, that’s Turmeric, he’s just so determined,” she said.

“You see him and he stands up on his little legs and he’s just shaking, the whole little body is shaking, but he’s standing.”

SHOGUN SHOWS MEDALSSmithers’ Shogun Dojo’s athletes get a certi� cate from Smithers council last Tuesday for their roles as ambassadors at the World Karate and Kickboxing Commission in Orlando, Fla., where they earned 22 medals. The certi� cate read, “The mayor and council of the Town of Smithers hereby recognize Renshi Marwan Abu Khadra and the students of Shogun Dojo for their remarkable success in international martial arts competitions, and their ongoing role as positive ambassadors for our community.” Chris Gareau photo


COMMUNITY

blackpress.ca

Andrew Franklin, Director of Digital Development

is pleased to announce the appointment of Laura

Baziuk as B.C. Digital Editor.

Laura graduated from Carleton University’s journalism

program in 2007. She worked in various newsrooms,

including the Peace Arch News, the Province, the

Canadian Press, and most recently, CKNW Radio. She

spent four and a half years there, as a reporter and

anchor, and was sent to Tofi no to cover the whale-

watching boat capsizing in 2015.

Laura grew up in south Surrey and lives in Vancouver.

She enjoys reading crime novels, baking and

eating cookies!

Please join us in congratulating

Laura on her appointment as

B.C. Digital Editor.

Laura Baziuk

Black Press Digital

Appointment

Scoreone forsolutions!

Are you 13 to 18 years old and want to see Dan Hamhuis and the Vancouver Canucks in action? Submit a 500-word essay or a poem on a solution you found, or are currently trying to implement, to an issue that you find most pressing in your life or in the life of your friends.

Two Tickets to the March 19 Canucks vs. Blues game (young person and parent/guardian); plus two return Central Mountain Air tickets; and two nights accommodation (double occupancy)

How to Enter Mail: Doug Donaldson, MLA for Stikine, Box 895 Smithers BC V0J2N0 or Box 227 Hazelton BC V0J1Y0. Fax: 250-847-8846 or 250-842-6349. Email: [email protected] In person delivery at the MLA o�ce in Smithers (1175 Main Street) or Hazelton (4345 Field Street)

Deadline: 2016

Questions? Call 250-847-8841 or 250-842-6338

MLA DOUG DONALDSON and DAN HAMHUIS present:

N EW STHEI nterior SMITHERS, B.C.

QUEBEC CULTURE SWAP

Thirty Grades 8-10 students from Smithers Secondary School stayed with families in Saint-Augustine-de-Desmaures, Que. Feb. 5-12 as part of a cultural exchange sponsored by Experience Canada. Twenty-nine Quebec students will stay with host families in Smithers April 22-29. Bulkley Valley Credit Union contributed $500 to the trip.

Contributed photo

No character limit on memories

SPICE OF LIFE

Brenda Mallory

This morning as I checked my email contacts,

I was just tickled to see that someone wanted me to be their friend. Now, isn’t that special? Those in the know already are aware that I had a Facebook connection. What is that all about? I don’t do Facebook. I have no interest in that kind of contact nor do I, in truth, have time to send a cryptic note telling all my “friends” that I had a pork chop for dinner or have bought myself a new pair of pants.

I know that is not all that transpires on that site. People actually keep in touch with family and friends. Lost pets are hooked up with their people.

I came to this topic on the heels of a great coffee session at our local café and bakery. Not a soul reached for a device to check on stuff. The dozen or so older

folks had a number of great stories and experiences to tell the rest of us. The variety of life experiences always amazes me: An old bush pilot, folks who moved here from other places to give the northern experience a try.

One fellow from Switzerland tells us of his many interesting happenings in other places he has lived. He now lives up a mountain road in a beautiful log house that he and his wife built. An old rancher and meat cutter tells a tale or two. A farmer/bus driver combination. Another bus driver who still

plays hockey in his 60s. A cancer survivor shines her happiness on all of us. A couple talented photographers come along just to give us a rounded perspective on life in this area.

So, you see I have this theory if I am always looking at Facebook or whatever, I will not have time to listen to the stories of others. Young people will not be able to make life experience for themselves if they are always mucking about with some sort of device. It takes time to make memories.

Before you role your eyes at me, I do admit to sending email

notes to friends and family. In fact, when I finally stop going on and on about the Facebook issue, I will send a note to three university friends from over 50 years ago. Our lives change and develop as the years roll by. We have too much to say to do it in a limited number of characters.

Talking about friends, thanks to the person who gave me a gift certificate for things at the local café. What a nice thing to do. For all I know, this could be a new friend.

Friend or foe you can send me a note to [email protected] or call 250-846-5095.

ARIES – Mar 21/Apr 20A desire to experience thrills and sen-sory enjoyment is building within you, Aries. You may � nd yourself drawn to anything that seems risky or out of character.

TAURUS – Apr 21/May 21Taurus, you are accustomed to doing everything by the book, but you may be tempted to try something new in the near future. Just be sure not to throw all caution to the wind.

GEMINI – May 22/Jun 21Your schedule this week may be so hectic that others can’t decipher your plans, Gemini. Try to keep those clos-est to you abreast of your activities in the week ahead.

CANCER – Jun 22/Jul 22Circumstances at work that are be-yond your control dominate your thoughts this week, Cancer. Don’t stress out too much and keep a posi-tive attitude.

LEO – Jul 23/Aug 23Relationship dynamics have changed for the better, Leo. Make the most of this positive turn of events and make sure your partner does the same.

VIRGO – Aug 24/Sept 22Your energy levels reach peaks and valleys this week, Virgo. Do your best to make the most of those moments when your energy levels are at their highest.

LIBRA – Sept 23/Oct 23Even your wildest fantasies may not seem so outlandish to you this week, Libra. If you can think it up, you can probably make it happen with a little effort.

SCORPIO – Oct 24/Nov 22Scorpio, you may � nd yourself doing things that would normally be out of your comfort zone. This can be a posi-tive change in the right direction.

SAGITTARIUS – Nov 23/Dec 21Sagittarius, daydream a little this week, but make sure it doesn’t consume all of your energy. Keep your desires in check and weigh the pros and cons of each idea before going forward.

CAPRICORN – Dec 22/Jan 20Capricorn, � nding the right balance is a worthy goal this week. Make a con-certed effort to give ample time to all the people and things that matter to you.

AQUARIUS – Jan 21/Feb 18Aquarius, time may not be on your side, but somehow you will � nd a way to make due. Whenever possible, farm out some of your work or responsibili-ties to others.

PISCES – Feb 19/Mar 20Your creative efforts will not go to waste, Pisces. Someone will recognize your talents and ask you to collabo-rate on an important project.

brings you your Horoscope for the 1st week of March

Driftwood Plaza Next to Louise’s Kitchen Main St. Smithers

ARIES – Mar 21/Apr 20 LIBRA – Sept 23/Oct 23

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ABSIDESADHERENCEAQUARIUSARIESASTROLOGERBIRTHDAYCANCERCAPRICORNCASTCHARTCONSTELLATION

CUSPGEMINIGRIDHOROSCOPEHOUSELEOLIBRALUNARMOONPERSONALITYPHASES

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Solutions on pageA20

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OUR TOWNA16 www.interior-news.com The Interior News Wednesday, March 2, 2016

Like Us ~ www.facebook.com/SmithersInteriorNews ~

Get up-to-date news, event info, classifi eds & more!

By Alicia BridgesSmithers/Interior News

A Smithers woman is fundraising to volunteer with community development and conservation projects in Southeast Asia next month.

Amy VanBarneveld needs $750 to travel to Cambodia with Operation Groundswell (OG), a non-profit organization which combines travel and community service.

VanBarneveld previously volunteered with OG in East Africa, where she assisted at HIV clinics in Kenya and Uganda.

She said it was the first time she had travelled internationally.

“It was crazy; I learned so much about not only my country but how other people suffered so much,” she said.

“I was culture-shocked for weeks and weeks and went out of my comfort zone and experienced that.”

This time around, VanBarneveld has signed up to volunteer at the Tuek Poh Permaculture Education Farm, which aims to educate Cambodians about alternative farming methods which help provide food, shelter, medicine and income.

Her trip will also include a stint at the Elephant Valley Project,

a conservation project in the Mondulkiri region.

VanBarneveld said she was looking forward to volunteering again, and particularly working with animals.

“I just think it’s a good way to invest your money and you’re helping these people and then you’re learning so much about yourself,” she said.

At the time of print, VanBarneveld still needed $165 to embark on the six-week trip, which starts on May 21.

To donate visit ogfundraisingcanada.causevox.com/amy-vanbarneveld.

Volunteering a joy for VanBarneveld

Smithers resident Amy VanBarneveld during a volunteering trip to Africa.

Contributed photo


COMMUNITY

6105 Husky Road, Smithers• 3 bedroom, 3 bathroom, 13+ acres• Creek, view, very private• Covered patio, outbuildings• www.realestatesmithers.com

Leo Lubbers

$175-289,000

Ptarmigan Meadows-Condos• 1 & 2 bedroom deluxe units• Elevator, games & reading room• Covered parking, close to downtown• Rentals & small pets allowed, views

Peter Lund

$378,000

2766 McCabe Road• 62 acres, 15 min from town• 1452 s.f. full basement home• Very private, good views• www.realestatesmithers.com

Leo Lubbers mls r2019365

$299,000

$189,500

1677 First Street, Telkwa• 4 bedrooms + den, 3 bathrooms• ½ acre lot, treed & private• Many updates and well kept• 3 car garage

Sandra Hinchliffe mls r2015605

3839 Eighth Avenue• Solid older home, great lot• 912 sf main, 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom• 864 sf bsmnt, 2 bedroom, workshop• Central location, 99x122 lot

Charlie McClary mls r2035647

NEW LISTING

#80 Hudson Bay MHP• 2 bedroom, 14’ wide mobile home• Addition with rec room• Pressure treated deck,mountain view• Open, bright and cheery

Donna Grudgfield mls r2037939

14424 Round Lake Road• 4 bdrm, 2 bathroom, 2030 s.f. home• 5.25 acres, Round Lake views• Updates to kitchen, flooring, bsmnt• OSBE, double garage, fruit trees

Peter & Karen mls r2017292

224 Viewmount Road• 7.5 acres, fenced & x-fenced, view• Drilled well, outbuildings• 4 bedroom, 3 bathroom, large rooms• www.realestatesmithers.com

Leo Lubbers mls n246359

$59,500 $344,900 $

$319,900

$398,500

$196,500

$375,000

6851 Williams Frontage Rd• Cute, well kept, 2 bedroom rancher• 5 min west of Smithers, great view• Nicely updated, deck, hot tub• www.smithershomes.com

Ron Lapadat mls r2023461

4210 Second Avenue• Family living upstairs, suite down• Kitchen & bathroom reno 2013• Roof & HW boiler done 2013• New deluxe basement suite 2014

Charlie McClary mls r2032881

4419 11th Ave, New Hazelton• Solid 3 bdrm New Hazelton home• Huge 132x120 corner lot• Near downtown/elementary school• Move in ready & affordable

Charlie & Ron mls r2038092

$44,500

#55 Mountainview MHP• 2 bedroom renovated home• Newer vinyl siding & windows• 2 covered accesses, electric heat• Fully fenced yard


$259,900

#7 - 3664 Third Avenue• 2 bedrooms, 2 bathroom condo• Walk-in closet, ensuite, n/g fireplace• Low strata fee, close to mail/shops• www.realestatesmithers.com

Leo Lubbers mls n247697

$100,000

$284,500

4377 Hwy 16, New Hazelton• Former Old Town Pub & Hotel• C-1 commercial zone• 5 lots, great highway exposure• Bring your business here

Sandra Hinchliffe mls C8003191

5166 Nielson Road• Country home, 1080 sf, 2 bedroom• Pristine setting, 5 min to town• Vaulted ceilings, rock fireplace• Open design, detached sauna

Charlie McClary mls n248159

NEW LISTING $69,500$92,900

Stikine Avenue, Telegraph Creek• Overlooking mighty Stikine River• RCMP building, historic townsite• 3 bdrm,2 bath, cells,unfinished bsmt• About 11 hours drive from Smithers

Ron & Charlie mls r2036909

$335,000

20887 Highway 16 W, Smithers• 46.6 acres, 4 bedroom home• 3 pastures, fenced for horses• Toboggan Creek frontage• Spruce forest, many trails


$205,000

1191 Coalmine Road, Telkwa• Affordable 4 bdrm, 2 bath, osbe• Large fenced yard, by park & river• Hardwood floors, sundeck, views• Quick possession is available

Ron Lapadat mls r2014298

$229,000

$344,500

Highway 16, Smithers• 28,800 sf with 240’ of Hwy frontage• Great location• Near high school and KFC• C-3 commercial zone

Sandra Hinchliffe mls n4507490

3768 Twelfth Avenue• 3 bdrm, 2 bathroom, family home• Large lot in the hill section, views• Numerous upgrades,energy efficient• Pantry, workshop, sun room, deck

Karen Benson mls r2004978

NEW LISTING $339,900

1149 Hunter Avenue• 4 bdrm, 3 bath custom built home• Large lot, partially fenced• 3162 sf garage, sundeck• Fam & rec room,great neighborhood

Karen Benson mls r2036860

$264,900

4879 Fourth Avenue• 3 bdrm, 1 bath rancher style home• Subdividable .47 acre, by golfcourse• Carport, paved drive, sewer• www.realestatesmithers.com

Leo Lubbers mls r2013734

$199,500

133 Prairie Road• Cozy ski cabin along Cinderella run• Wood/electric heat, 3 bdrm, 1 bath• Fully furnished, bring your ski gear• www.smithershomes.com

Ron Lapadat mls n243506

$379,000

$320,000

8652 Nouch Frontage Road• Log home & 5 acre hobby farm• Vault ceiling/rock fireplace/4 bdrms• Dble garage/quonset shop/barn/pond• Glacier views, 10 minutes to town

Ron & Charlie mls r2030746

48680 Mill Bay, Granisle• Beautiful home on Babine Lake• Large sundeck, osbe, shop, carport• Vaulted ceiling, bright, open layout• Gardens, greenhouse, full basement

Jantina Meints mls n244386

Peter LundRes. 847-3435

Leo LubbersCell. 847-1292

Ron LapadatCell. 847-0335

Sandra HinchliffeCell. 847-0725

Charlie McClaryCell. 877-1770

Karen BensonCell. 847-0548

Donna Grudgfi eldCell. 847-1228

Kiesha MatthewsCell. 876-8420

Jantina MeintsCell. 847-3144

Real Estate Real Estate Real Estate Real Estate Real Estate Real Estate Real Estate

250-847-5999Bulkley Valley Real Estate Email: [email protected]

Located in the Log Office at 3568 Hwy. 16Each Office Independently Owned & Operated

Pick up your FREE copy of our Real Estate Flyer and our map of the Bulkley Valley. View more of our listings online at www.remaxsmithersbc.ca or on Facebook.

NEWPRICE

NEW LISTING

NEW LISTING

DEADLINE CHANGE

CLOSEDFriday, March 25

All Display Ads andAll Line AdsWednesday,

March 23 at 3 p.m.

BUCKS FOR BOOKS

Bulkley Valley Community Foundation’s Kate Daniels-Howard hands a $350 cheque to Smithers Public Library board member Lorraine Doiron last Tuesday. The foundation is giving $34,000 in grants, bursaries and scholarships in 2016.

Chris Gareau photo

Cocktales Saturday

VIEW FROM THE PORCH

Lorraine Doiron

Saturday, 7:30 p.m. at the Old Church, Cocktales with Maria: Green with Envy. Performance by

Smithers’ own Belladonna, a fire-eating drag queen. Cocktails cash bar plus finger foods provided by Telkwa Real Food Diner and Baeckerei. Tickets $20 at Mountain Eagle Books. This show is for 19 years and older, contains explicit language and mature subject matter. Hosted by the BV Concert Association.

Great stats from Statistics Canada post-federal election report: 77 per cent of Canadians voted in the last election,

compared to 70 per cent in 2011. The number of people aged 18 to 24 increased 12 per cent, and people aged 25 to 34 increased by 11 per cent. Way to go Canada!

Round Lake Coffee House Saturday, doors open at 5:30 p.m. Mexican dinner by Quick Eats ($12), music at 7:30 p.m. ($5) with Hazelton’s C’est La Vie. Jon Bjorgan/Tiana Wisselink, and Peter Dawson/Eric Anderson will also be singing.

March is National Crochet Month. I am ‘hooked’ on crochet. Make this month the time that you teach someone how to crochet. The Craft Yarn Council (craftyarncouncil.com) has great tips and advice for teaching beginners. Hook your stress away!

The Great Big Crunch is March 10. Join in a day of food education in classrooms across the country. At 11:30, students, teachers and community members crunch into apples all at the same time, celebrating Nutrition Month plus calling attention to the importance of healthy school food, food literacy and support for local farmers.

At the Legion Friday, 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. is karaoke. This will be ongoing, first Friday of each month. Burger nights are every Friday from 5:30 – 7 p.m. Not just burgers but your choice of beef dip, french fries, chicken fingers, onion rings, caesar and potato salad. Saturday, March 26 will be an Old Time Dance, starting at 8 p.m.

The Smithers United church is hosting the World Day of Prayer, Thursday at 7 p.m. The theme is “Receive Children, Receive Me.” The service is written by the Women of Cuba, everyone is welcome. Refreshments provided after the service.

Closing with: “We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves strong. The amount of work is the same.” – Carlos Castaneda.


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By Alicia Bridges Hazeltons/Interior News

The Upper Skeena Sponsorship Group is one step closer to bringing a family of Syrian refugees to the Hazeltons after its application and

settlement plan was accepted by Citizenship and Immigration Canada.

The group of about 45 supporters has applied through the United Church of Canada to bring a family of up to six people to the Northwest.

Co-president Neil Erickson

said the sponsorship was non-denominational, but the United Church will help match the group with a family.

“Once the refugee family has been identified, as I understand the process, then what will happen is our file and their files will be linked,” he said.

The group collected the minimum amount to file an application through donations from the public.

It plans to run community fundraisers to raise more money to help the family settle in.

Having started the process in November, Erickson said the

group was excited its application had been approved so quickly.

“It only took two months to get it all together and get our package done so it’s an amazingly supportive group of people here,” he said.

“Hopefully we’ll be pulling this off.”

Hazelton Secondary School students Hailey Spooner, Sarah Theriault and Max Beertema make up the cast of This Is A Play: A Stranger Among Us, which will be performed at HSS on March 3 and 4.

Yet Klare photo

Quirky humour in student playBy Alicia BridgesHazeltons/Interior News

Hazelton Secondary School students will perform a “story in a story” in their upcoming production of This Is A Play: A Stranger Among Us.

Actors Max Beertema, Sarah Theriault and Hailey Spooner have been rehearsing for about six weeks in preparation for the shows at HSS on March 3 and 4.

Yet Klare, who is the co-director alongside Barb Janze, said the play by Daniel MacIvor presented an extra challenge for the young actors because it broke the fourth wall of theatre.

“Normally actors don’t tell the public what goes on in their minds and that does happen in this play,” she said.

“It’s full of really quirky humour and back and forth between the real play ... and the play that’s kind of out of the play.”

Marissa Denny, Julian Stokes and Alexa Thibault make up the crew behind the production.

HSS plans to take the play to the High School Drama Zones in Smithers from March 11-13, and then to a provincial competition in Vancouver.

Admission to the 6:30 p.m. performances at HSS is by donation.

A dessert is included in the show and there will be a loonie auction and silent auction to fundraise for their attendance at the upcoming festivals.

HSS is also rehearsing for its upcoming production of Grease, which is being directed by This Is A Play actor Max Beertema.

Refugee sponsorship application approved

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smithers interior news, march 02, 2016

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