Closed due to good weather
Summer hours are here but first: CN Rail fires, Prince George in pop culture, and what was the point of the public safety forum?
When I wrote my last newsletter nearly three weeks ago, I called it an extra long weekend as I intended to take the week off and then return to things. That didn’t happen for a variety of reasons: Travel, then illness. and now the weather has just been too nice for me to feel like it. The days are long, the temperatures are in that sweet spot where you can be outside for hours without overheating, and there’s been enough rain that the imminent sense of climate dread that strikes your heart during endless dry spells isn’t there.
I’ve always thought it woud be nice to have a job that would give you time off for a good weather and while I don’t have that, I do have the ability to give myself a little break from this newsletter whenever I want, so that’s what I’m going to do! In the past, I’ve taken the entire summer off but I don’t know if that’s the plan right now — the primary motivator will be how I feel: Are there things that I want to talk out? Or am I off enjoying myself too much that I am not even thinking of it (by the way, don’t mistake this for the notion that when I do write this newsletter it means I’m in a bad state of mind — it’s an enjoyable hobby, but giving myself breaks is part of how I ensure it remains that way).
But before I say goodbye for the summer or I’m motivated to write again, there are some things I wanted to share from the last few weeks, so we’re gonna do that and then it’s schools out for summer (or whenever, we’ll see!)
So what came of the public safety townhall?
As I’ve said one or two times before, I understand the motivation of city council to host a townhall on public safety — I’m sure it’s one of the items that comes across their desks the most often, and that would drive a desire to give folks a place to be heard. My question, from the start, has always been — then what? “Business owner upset about public safety thing downtown” is a staple of our local news outlets, as is “police tell council they need more resources” and “council says province/feds need to do more to help” so I guess I’m just not sure what more is accomplished by having all of those come together in a single night. And while I was unable to attend, that’s certainly what sounds like happened, with a focus on people raising concerns about the homeless encampment, and the city repeating information about the work being done to move those living there into shelters that are under construction so the camp can be dismantled. I actually thought the most insightful reviews of the night came from fellow newsletterer Darrin Rigo, and a Reddit thread on the topic. First, here’s Rigo, under the title “A missed opportunity”:
Beyond just missing representation from Lheidli T’enneh, where was representation on-stage from the organizations like Foundry or The Fire Pit or any of the different supportive organizations? Why were there no advocacy groups presenting on the good work that has been done on the social support end of things? PGNAETA did a survey of our homeless population in 2021 - where was their presentation on the work that is being done to understand these people’s lives and the circumstances that lead to homelessness? No representation from Moccasin Flats to tell us about the supports and services being provided or the initiatives being deployed by those who work on the front lines.
I understand some of them were in the crowd and were able to participate in the Q&A section but I think it’s pretty telling who was given a spotlight for who had a presentation and a spot on the stage.
And I’m going to be a bit specific here:
You know what I believe the community needs more than the RCMP recapping 2 scary stories of boogeyman criminal repeat offenders? Stories of the youth who were born into these broken systems, into families who were struggling with intergenerational trauma as a result of an attempted genocide, who fell into addiction and homelessness because there are no safety nets - who don’t light fires in alleys to be a “nuisance” but because they have no other way of staying warm.
Why was there 0 attempt to generate empathy and compassion for the people who are experiencing homelessness and addiction and instead, a full on attempt to garner sympathy for the City and Emergency Services?
Even more telling on this front, let’s go to Reddit in a thread started by u/t6mileweasel:
I saw one of the RCMP before the meeting ask one of the unhoused, who was writing out a suggestion for the suggestion box, to leave once she was done writing. I have questions about that, but didn't have an opportunity to ask the cop.
…
She wasn't causing trouble - she was quiet and kept to herself, and went up to the table where you could take paper and write suggestions. He sidled up to her while she wrote out her suggestion for the box, then gestured at her waist. I saw that she had a small knife secure in a holster on her hip (along with all of her other worldly possessions). He asked her to either leave it outside or leave altogether. I'm a forester. I often carry a small knife on my hip (not last night, though), and my husband also carries a pocket knife on his belt. I'm sure if I did a show of hands as to who was carrying a pocket or small knife at that meeting last night, given the range of the crowd, I bet a few were.
I wanted to ask the RCMP officer if he saw my knife, if he would ask me to leave or ignore me because I'm a 53 year old white woman looking sporty in a rain jacket.*
Maybe you’re of the belief that ~gestures broadly~ all of this can be tackeld in a real way if you hear primarily/only from business owners, police, and bylaw officers while not including local First Nations, service providers and the actual people experiencing homelessness. But it kind of feels like we’ve been at this for a while from that perspective and it hasn’t been doing so well.
CN under fire.. for fires
Ted Clarke, the Prince George Citizen:
Tamara Colebank was heading home to Hixon from Prince George on Saturday (May 11), when she spotted a red glow coming from bush near the train tracks that run alongside the east side of Highway 97 just past the weigh scales at Red Rock.
She found a spot to turn around and headed in her truck in the northbound lane until she came back to that spot and pulled over and confirmed there was indeed a fire, with two others burning nearby, also right beside the tracks.
Colebank called her friend in Hixon, Gerald Thompson, the Hixon Volunteer Fire Department chief, who told her to immediately call 9-1-1.
“I stayed until I heard the fire truck coming from Red Rock,” said Colebank.
“The train was stopped there. Obviously he put on his brakes for a reason because he knew something was going on.”
Conditions in the forest were dangerously dry after the previous day's hot and sunny conditions that raised thermometers into the mid-20s. Colebank was worried the three fires would spread and develop into a major blaze in the tinderbox conditions.
According to Hilary Erasmus, cultural and communications coordinator for the Regional District of Fraser-Fort George, multiple fires were reported on May 11 to the 9-1-1 dispatcher at about 9:42 p.m.
…
The Citizen is awaiting comment from CN Rail regarding Saturday’s incident.
Abigail Popple, the Rocky Mountain Goat:
The BC Wildfire Service has opened a Fire Origin and Cause Investigation into the May 10th Crescent Spur wildfire, says the Ministry of Forests. CN Rail is under scrutiny for alleged noncompliance with the fire prevention measures required by the Wildfire Act, according to the Province’s Natural Resource Compliance and Enforcement Database.
..
Braaten and other residents of the area believe the May 10th fire – and several smaller fires over the past few years – started alongside the CN-managed railroad tracks running through the community.
According to the above webpage, CN Rail operations near Crescent Spur have been investigated by Natural Resource Officers six times since last June. Five of these investigations have been for alleged noncompliance with the fire prevention regulations set forth in the Wildfire Act. The remaining investigation was for the mishandling of a burning substance.The Province did not respond to The Goat's question about the status of these investigations by presstime.
As the investigation into the May 10th fire is ongoing, CN declined to comment.
Also Ted Clarke, the Prince George Citizen:
In the Fraser Lake district, 160 km northwest of Prince George, at least seven fires have been attributed to trains over the past two years. The most recent happened April 14 in nearby Endako and it was extinguished by Yellowhead Road and Bridge employees working in the area.
Quick responses from Coastal Gas Link fire suppression crews and equipment stationed on the outskirts of the village put out most of those fires near the tracks in 2022 and 2023, but now that the pipeline project in completed the work crews have left the area and that worries Fraser Lake Mayor Sarrah Storey.
That same article really sums things up nicley, via Danielle Alan, the Robson Valley-Canoe (Area H) regional district director:
“They are a law unto themselves. They’ve got a federal mandate and a lot of money is tied up in those rail lines and I’m sure that CN does the best they can, however, they don’t allocate to keep these tracks safe, especially in a changing climate. I’m sure they can do it and it’s just a matter of making it more costly for them not to do it, whether that will be through publicity or federal intervention.
“Public pressure will cost them in terms of PR, especially with everyone terrified of fires these days, or the government needs to step in and start enforcing their own regulations.”
PG pop culture on the national stage
Remember when the Canucks were still in the running for the Stanley Cup? Actor Owen Wilson was in the stands, watching them, and his seatmate was wearing a bit of Prince George pride on his cap:
And over on the TV series Shoresy, actor Keilani Rose was repping her home in a recent scene:
News roundup:
Highlights from the last few weeks….
The band that inspired the song ‘Summer of ‘69’ reunited in Vanderhoof a couple weeks back. Here’s video from the event.
The Treasure Cove Casino had record revenue, pulling in $62.37 million last fiscal year. Given that up to ten percent of the net profits from the casino can go to the local government — and given that this is coming off of several years of COVID restrictions severely eating into that budget — this is good financial news for the city, though your views on gambling may vary.
With the B.C. Conservatives gaining momentum in provincial politics, more and more eyes are turning to Prince George-area MLA John Rustad, a longtime backbencher who became leader of the Conservatives after being kicked out of the B.C. Liberals (now B.C. United) for repeatedly sharing climate change denialism. This profile in the Globe and Mail is probably the best I’ve read in terms of laying out his line of thinking on many things, and this stood out to me:
“I’m told that there’s only one jurisdiction that even comes close to following what we do and that’s North Korea – and it’s not exactly a stellar model, from my perspective, of success in health care,” said Mr. Rustad, who added that his government would immediately fire Provincial Health Officer Bonnie Henry over her support for COVID-19 vaccine mandates.
Mr. Rustad refused to identify the group of medical professionals that provided this analysis.
I’m not sure I’ve ever seen bus stops in the news as much as the last two weeks, but here we are: First with plans to remove a bus stop from outside a Gurdwara used by many seniors (the city is looking into it) and then in a debate over whether UNBC should be considered a “transit-oriented area” and thus open to the construction of high density housing in the immediate vicinity (council says “no”). Here’s a followup Reddit discussion on the latter.
Come From Away is coming to town. I saw it in Toronto and was almost moved to tears, I’ve definitely got tickets to see it again and this is fantastic for the city. In other musical news, Judy Russell will be staging Sweeney Todd.
Who else is coming? Paula Abdul and, of “I Think We’re Alone Now” fame, Tiffany.
The school board balanced its budget — which it is required to by law — by reducing services in several areas, but not making full eliminations in many of the places proposed, ie a counsellor in Valemount. Watch for how these play out in September. Rural communities say they were not consulted in SD57’s budget decisions.
If you’ve been trying to understand all the announcements about hydrogen fueling that have been being made in Prince George in recent years, this writeup in the Logic is the one that helped me best understand it:
Hydrogen technology and electric batteries are duelling power sources for zero-emission trucks. Batteries are a more mature technology, but they can take a long time to charge. Hydrogen can be pumped like diesel and has more energy density, so it takes up less space and weight for the same oomph.
“Going to a battery-powered heavy truck, you would use half of your cargo space to carry your batteries,” Cory said.
But hydrogen suffers as a vehicle fuel, at least in part, because it’s not widely available. HTEC wants to change that.
It already has three fuelling stations in the Lower Mainland and one each in Kelowna and on Vancouver Island. They serve private fleets, but the customer base is growing, said HTEC CEO Colin Armstrong.
“We see [hydrogen] as complementary to battery-electric in pretty much all segments,” he said.
Uber just announced a deal with Toyota to make hydrogen cars available for Vancouver-area drivers to rent. Hydrogen buses have failed before, but they’re making comebacks here and there. Alberta’s trucking industry association is testing several heavy truck models and major manufacturers are experimenting with the technologies; Volvo announced plans for a heavy hydrogen-powered truck just on Thursday.
Starting with short-haul routes around the Vancouver port authority’s container terminal south of the city, Armstrong hopes that studding the highways to Alberta’s major cities (and to Prince George, B.C.) with fuelling stations will make hydrogen truck fleets viable in the western provinces.
And in the Citizen: the case for nuclear energy in Prince George.
This story of a transport trailer hitting a bridge on Foothills is wild.
Recent rain brings some relief for drought conditions, but PG area not out of the woods yet.
New technology allows researchers to understand the effects wildfires have on the snowpack.
Band councillor charged with sexual assault, removed from office.
Why did Madison Scott die? 13 years later, there are still no answers.
Do sellers have the upper-hand once again in Prince George’s housing market?
PG Salvation Army food bank usage has nearly doubled in three years.
Mixed-gender badminton doubles axed in BC high schools, PGSS coach confused and frustrated.
Kids help release white sturgeon into Nechako River for 10th anniversary of recovery program.
The city has spent more than half of its snow-clearing budget for the year.
Councillor Sampson calls for review of on-street parking in downtown and near UHNBC.
City Council seeks volunteer members for Bear Awareness committee.
City to consider sun screen dispensers after hearing from melanoma survivor.
Women’s Coalition in Prince George to hold rally on anniversary of Roe V. Wade.
‘Spirit Bear’ kids’ books and films exhibit opening at Exploration Place.
The Little Prince is back, steaming happily on track at Lheidli T'enneh Memorial Park.
- is going to be showcased in a traveling art exhibit. I have several of her works, this is great.
My summer goal: Get the story behind this tree:
Have any tips? Email northerncapitalnews@gmail.com
This shirt from Art Knapp is pretty cool:
OK that feels like enough to keep you busy for a while. I hope you also get to enjoy some mental downtime and we’ll talk again — September at the latest, but sooner is always possible!
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Send feedback by emailing northerncapitalnews@gmail.com. Find me online at akurjata.ca.
public service announcement: if you have cell service and see a fire, call *5555 on your cell instead of 911. This is to get the 24/7 call centre for BC Wildfire. (Anyone old enough to remember the Zeith 5555 adverts? This is literally how I remembered the cell number when I saw a fire on a hillside in the Kamloops are about 6 week ago.)
A friendly person at the call centre will ask the following information (approximate info will work):
location - closest landmark, intersection, etc
size - size of a house? football field?
rate of spread - is it whipping up a hill side or just kind of sitting while you are looking at it?
fuel - what is the fire burning in? Mature forest? young trees? deciduous trees like aspen or conifers like pine? grass?
smoke/flame - is the smoke white or black? can you see flames?
threat - are there any residential areas, buildings, infrastructure like roads or hydro lines at risk?
action - can you see anyone working on the fire to put it out?
weather - this one isn't in the link below, but I was asked what the weather was (storms? blue skies? wind? temperature?)
Your information is forwarded to BC Wildfire staff and they will follow up with you if necessary. (i.e. you're the first to report, and to confirm any conflicting info they may have). I also received a call from a Natural Resource Officer the following day to go through the information as part of their investigation (the fire I saw was very likely human caused).
https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/safety/wildfire-status/contact-channels/report-a-wildfire
Want to take a moment to appreciate what's shaping up to be an excellent theatre year in PG. Not only are we getting Come From Away and Sweeney Todd, but the 2024-25 Theatre Northwest program is absolutely stacked.