Houston Today, January 06, 2016

By Chris GareauBlack Press

The Liberal fed-eral government was elected this fall on a platform that includ-ed changing the way Canadians elect mem-bers of Parliament. What that system should look like has been a point of con-

tention among voters and federal parties, but Skeena-Bulkley Valley MP Nathan Cullen believes there is a way to make sure the best system is chosen: try one out and see if we like it.

“I’ve nuanced it a bit and said, just in the experience in B.C., that we should try it for an

election or two, and then give people a full vote: Do you like the

new system we have, or do you want to re-vert back?” explained

Cullen last week.“There’s a lot of

resistance to change

when you don’t prop-erly know what change is going to look like. I remember this when STV [single transfer-able vote] was being debated here, it was re-ally hard for people to grasp in real terms.”

Concerns like hav-ing a local representa-tive to connect with any concerns or issues

was something Cullen said he heard when changing how British Columbians vote was being debated.

“There’s some ex-periences out there that says you test drive these things; you give it a shot and if it doesn’t work out, you give people a sort

Houston prepares for new doctor

Cullen supports test run elections, to find a voting system that’s best

By Xuyun ZengHouston Today

Houston is preparing for the coming of a new doctor.

Coun. Tom Stringfellow updated council on Dr. Onoura Odoh, the new doctor slated to come to Houston.

S t r i n g f e l l o w reported his � ndings from the Northern Health Physician Committee meeting on Dec. 8, noting that they are working at ensuring a smooth settlement into town for Dr. Odoh.

“The biggest problem we have is trying to � nd the doctor a house,” said Stringfellow. “He’s working with a realtor in town and trying to � nd a house.”

“He wants to rent, not buy.”

Dr. Odoh is currently undergoing the � nal stage of the Practice Ready Assessment, a year-

old provincial scheme that fast-tracks international doctors into practice.

The � nal stage is a practicum where a licensed doctor assesses him on his performance.

According to economic development of� cer Maureen Czirfusz, who was at the meeting stated that there has been “very positive feedback about Dr. Odoh during his practicum. Dr. Odoh is great with patients and their care plans.”

““The biggest problem

we have is trying to find the doctor a

house...” - Coun. Tom Stringfellow

““There’s a lot of resistance to change when you don’t properly know what

change is going to look like.” - Nathan Cullen, Skeena-Bulkley Valley MP

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Houston is voted

Submitted photoSEARCH & RescueHouston Search and Rescue was called out the evening of Dec. 28 to help extract two young people from the trail to the Alpine Cabin at the Morice Nordic Ski Trails. After snowshoeing all day, the two had not reached the cabin destination and at 6 p.m. that day turned around to go back. With darkness and exhaustion setting in they used their cell phone and called for help. Houston Search and Rescue got four local snowmobilers to pickup Clayton and Rebecca Tait. Trail conditions to the Alpine were tough as the snowshoe pair sank in over their knees in the powder snow.Clayton and Rebecca thanked Search and Rescue and local volunteers who helped get them off the mountain.

Publications Mail Registration#0040028607

See VOTING on Page 2

See page 3 for info‘SLEDTOWN’

NEWS2 www.houston-today.com Wednesday, January 6, 2016 Houston Today

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of fail-safe where you say ‘we can go back to the old first-past-the-post,” said Cullen.

When asked if this trial and error approach was risky, Cullen said the place to start was consider-ing if the current sys-tem is working prop-erly.

“A lot of the evi-dence says that it’s not: people’s enthusiasm, voter participation, all those things,” said Cullen.

“We’ve had this sys-tem for 150 years. If we were to switch over for four to eight years,

it’s just a moment in time, really.”

The NDP MP add-ed that another way to

avoid parties seeking the best system that would help them win is to come up with prin-

ciples before specifics.“I’m willing to say

we have a preferred system, the NDP does, we think it’s a good one. But we’ll step back from that and say ‘come up with the three to five most important tests that a new system must meet. Questions like proportionality or the vote being re-flected in the House of Commons, direct representation — that you have somebody there on your behalf directly, and then once those principles are set up, then you come up with the system,’ ” ex-plained Cullen.

Evidence says the current voting system is not working

File Photo


Forget the 100-mile diet.

Students at the Silverthorne Elementary school will enjoy lunches from just metres away once their indoor aeropon-ics garden starts pro-ducing vegetables.

They installed three Tower Garden Systems last Friday and hope to see it pro-duce a variety of crops in the weeks to come.

“We’re putting them together and we have about 90 plants that we’re going to be planting and we’re hoping it will help sus-tain our hot lunch pro-gram,” said principal Bev Forster. “Mostly we’re going to be do-ing lettuce because that would be easy to grow.”

They also hope to grow swiss chard, to-matoes, cucumbers, strawberries and green beans and zucchini.

Forster added that school’s Parent Advisory Committee is also funding a small salad bar to supple-ment the school’s lunch program.

“I was looking at it last year and part of it was trying to cre-ate something that was sustainable,” said Forster. “I have a friend who grows them in Kelowna and I just think it’s an amazing product. It’s all self-contained, it’s got the lights and ev-erything. It comes on wheels, it’s moveable.

It’s perfect in a class-room.”

“I don’t know of any other schools that are doing it in the District.”

An expert from

Kelowna came to the school to setup the towers and plant seed-lings last Friday.

Forster hopes that the produce will fully supply the salad bar’s

required ingredients.The total cost of

the system is about $3,800. The school raised the money from a $2,500 grant, sup-port from the School

District Board Office and local fundraising.

“If it goes well, we’ll fundraise again for another three, so each classroom grows a garden,” she added.

News staff/Houston TodaySilverthorne Elementary School has installed three Tower Garden Systems to teach their students gardening skills, sustainability, and they hope to grow a variety of vegetables for their school’s salad bar at the same time.

Silverthorne gets indoor garden systems

VOTING from Page 1

COMMUNITYHouston Today Wednesday, January 6, 2016 www.houston-today.com 3

School District 54’s Kindergarten

Registration is a little early this year!

Kindergarten registrations will be accepted during the week of January 18-22, 2016 at all of SD#54’s elementary schools for entry into school in September 2016 for children who will be � ve (5) years old on or before December 31, 2016. Registration during this time is required to assist for planning and organizing of our local schools.

Proof of age (original birth certi� cate) & BC Care Card must be presented at the time of registration. Registration in regular school programs should take place at a resident’s neighbourhood school (see list below).

If you have any other questions, please call your neighbourhood elementary school.

Lake Kathlyn Elementary 7620 Highway 16 WestSmithers, BC250-847-9427

Muheim Memorial Elementary3659 – 3rd AvenueSmithers, BC250-847-2688

Walnut Park Elementary4092 Mountainview Dr.Smithers, BC250-847-4464

Bulkley Valley Educa-tion Connection7620 Highway 16 WestSmithers, BC250-847-9427

Telkwa Elementary1000 Hankin AvenueTelkwa, BC250-846-5851

Silverthorne Elementary3455 – 13th AvenueHouston, BC250-845-2228

Twain Sullivan Elementary1771 Hungerford DriveHouston, BC 250-845-2227

2016

xxx

x

Full schedule of events including free Literacy Brunch, street hockey, curling, skiing, snowshoeing, ice � shing and the bon� re and treats

sledding kickoff!

FULL SCHEDULE IS COMING SOON!

Questions, comments, or tosponsor or volunteer contact

Dawn Potvin at 250-845-01291or Sally Sullivan at 250-845-9321

MARK YOUR CALENDAR!February 5-8, 2016

Egan to attend prestigious music program

Houston wins SledTown title


Houston’s Indra Egan is stepping up to a very prestigious mu-sic summer training program.

The second-year University of Manitoba music stu-dent has passed a three-stage audition in November and will at-tend a six-week train-ing program in May called Opera NUOVA that culminates in the production of three operas and a musical.

“Working in the mu-sic world as I do, and studying in the music world, Opera NUOVA is like everyone wants to get in and it’s con-stantly being talked about,” said Egan.

This is the first year Egan applied for the program and she got in.

“They only take a handful of pianists from across the coun-try,” said Egan. “So ba-sically what they do is they go to all the major Canadian cities in ev-ery province and then hold auditions.”

During the audi-tions, she faced tough competition.

“There would have been people competing who were in Master’s programs, people who have graduated from school, and they would have been from all

over. I know personally people who auditioned from McGill, from UBC, from U of T,” said Egan.

At the auditions, Egan had to prove her-self by playing a couple of pieces with a singer, and she had to sight-read fluently.

“You also have to play an excerpt from an opera in the audi-tion, and you have to actually sing all the

parts of the opera at the same time while you play so that they can see whether or not you would have the skills to coach an opera which involves not only playing the music, but also coaching the sing-ers on how to sing it,” said Egan.

“Basically, when you’re the pianist for an opera, you are not just going and playing the piano. That’s why the audition is so intense,

because it involves what’s called ‘vocal coaching’, which is also training the singers in diction.”

Egan elaborated that “diction” referred to ac-curate pronunciation of words in various lan-guages. She also needed to make sure her sing-ers had the “right notes and phrasing.”

During the six-weeks starting May 21, Egan will spend six-days-a-week, 12 hours daily, training in Edmonton.

“The training pro-gram is working on those shows,” she said. “You have six weeks to put on these four shows. It is very intensive. So it’s basically learning-through-doing, which is what makes it such a good program.”

“I will be work-ing on all four of the shows but my primary assignment is an opera called La bohème by [Giacomo] Puccini.”

Egan feels very ex-cited about performing La bohème.

“It’s an opera that I went to see a long time ago when I was very young and I’ve always been very passionate about, because it came to Prince George actu-ally about 10 years ago, so one of the first op-eras I’ve ever saw,” she said.

For Egan, this pro-gram represents a step in her development as

a musician. She hopes to get a Master’s in col-laborative piano in the future.

“If I keep learning

at the rate that I have been for the last few years, that would be an exciting place to be in a few years.”

Submitted photoIndra Egan is excited to perform La boheme at Opera NUOVA.

Photo submitted

Taylor Wandler stands with his sled in the Telkwa Range meadows. This photo was taken last year.

Houston voted favourite SledTown in British Columbia and Western Canada!!Submitted

The Houston Snowmobile Club would like to thank all the people right across BC and western Canada for voting Houston favourite Sledtown. To go up against some of BC’s big-gest snowmobile destination areas is a huge ac-complishment but then to beat out the other en-tire western provinces, well that just says it all, wow! A big thanks to Koocanusa Publications who hosts the annual contest and Through SnoRiders magazine promotes snowmobiling right across western Canada.

Houston Snowmobile Club is hosting a Celebration Barbeque at the Dungate snowmo-bile cabin on January the 16, 2016 starting at 11:00 a.m. Come out and celebrate with us, all snowmobilers are welcome.

The Houston Snowmobile Club through grants this past year spent over $56,000.00 on snowmobile trails in the area and an additional $10,000.00 on cabin upgrades and then to be voted favourite Sledtown in western Canada is epic!

In our opinion:

OpinionPublished by Black Press Ltd. 3232 Hwy 16 W,Upstairs Houston MallP.O. Box 899, Houston, B.C. V0J 1Z0

Phone: 250 845-2890 • Fax 250 845-7893News: [email protected]

or: [email protected]: [email protected]

Fees up in 2016Medical Services Plan premiums, electric-

ity bills and vehicle insurance rates are up in 2016, reviving criticism of the

B.C. government’s constant boast about keeping taxes low.

MSP premiums rise from $144 to $150 as of Jan. 1, for a family of three earning more than $30,000 a year. For a single person in the same income group, the rate goes from $72 to $75, with lower rates for lower incomes down to $22,000 a year, where premi-ums drop to zero.

B.C. is now the only province in Canada with a health care fee, and it has risen about 40 per cent since 2010. Premier Christy Clark has defended the fee as a signal to citizens about the enormous cost of providing health care.

BC Hydro rates have been politically dictated since Clark and Energy Minister Bill Bennett in-tervened to cap rate increases in 2013. Hydro rates jumped six per cent after the 2013 election, and are capped at no more than four per cent for 2015 and 2016, after which Bennett has promised to re-turn rate-setting authority to the independent B.C. Utilities Commission (BCUC).

Insurance Corporation of B.C. basic vehicle in-surance went up by 5.5 per cent on Nov. 1, an in-crease still subject to review by the BCUC. That works out to an increase of $3.70 per month added for the average driver.

ICBC had proposed the maximum 6.7 per cent increase to cover increasing costs of personal injury claims and fraud, but the province gave it permission for a one-time transfer of $450 million from its op-tional insurance business to subsidize the basic rate.

In a year-end interview, NDP leader John Horgan stopped short of promising to eliminate MSP premi-ums, but he called it a “regressive tax” that would be part of a broad review of B.C. taxation fairness if he wins the 2017 election.

The Canadian Taxpayers’ Federation says people who bene� t from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s promised middle-class tax cut will see most of those savings eaten up by provincial and municipal tax in-creases.

Trudeau vowed to reduce the federal income tax bracket between $45,282 and $90,563 from 22 per cent to 20.5 per cent, and increase the rate for income over $200,000 from 29 to 33 per cent. The change would provide up to $2,000 in tax relief for middle-income earners, with dual-income house-holds bene� ting most, CTF federal director Aaron Wudrick says.

Municipal taxes are expected to increase across the province in 2016, with local councils prepar-ing to set budgets for the new � scal year that starts April 1. Port Alberni has proposed a seven per cent increase, and the CTF says it hasn’t found any B.C. municipalities yet that propose to freeze or lower property tax rates.

With the rapid rise in property prices continuing in parts of the Lower Mainland, the B.C. Assessment Authority sent out 37,000 letters in December, warn-ing single-family homeowners to brace for a big jump in their assessed value.

-Tom Fletcher, Black Press

A fresh start to a new yearStaring at a blank

page before typing the � rst word for my column reminded me of what I love about New Years: a clean slate and a fresh start.

Okay, so the slate of life can’t be com-pletely clean when we begin a new year, I know that. But it can be tidied up so the fresh start is stronger.

That’s where the beauty of resolution lists come in. They help un-clutter our minds from all the things we want to do and organize them ac-cordingly.

Yet this is where ugliness can also oc-cur when we fail with our lists, even those with only one thing on it.

I’ve always taken this time of year very seriously.

My obsession to setting goals and try-

ing to improve has me doing what most people want to do: get rid of my bad addic-tions and habits that are holding me back. But what’s going to happen if I don’t?

Our propensity as a society is to grumble about the pressures of New Years resolu-tions and surrender to the belief that we usu-ally fail so why bother with them at all.

Of course the al-ternative to that is to remember that it’s not perfection that cre-ates our dreams, it’s persistence.

So you’ve started smoking again or you’ve gone off your

diet already - so what? Falling off the wag-

on is just part of life. Get up, dust yourself off and jump back on again.

Can you tell I’m writing this article more for me than for you? I should paint “Get back on the wagon” with a few exclamation marks on my wall to remind myself how important that is.

A few years ago I had the word “perse-verance” tattooed on my forearm.

I look at it often and it reminds me to keep going and stay the course.

It also reminds me

to pick a nicer font with a thinner needle and double check the spelling the next time I decide to mark my body with permanent ink.

2015 was a tough year for a lot of peo-ple I know, myself in-cluded. That old say-ing that we learn more from our failures than our successes has me believing I’m far wiser than I once was.

But I’m ready to learn less and succeed more in the year 2016 and I wish that for all of you as well.

The other thing I was sadly reminded of this past year is how precious life is and how short it can be - another reason not to beat ourselves up for failing to be perfect.

A quote I have dis-played in my of� ce says this: “Life isn’t

about � nding your-self. Life is about cre-ating yourself.”

Add in there: “Have fun while you do” and it’s the per-fect quote.

Happy New Year and good luck with whatever goals you set, and remember that our fresh starts can start at any mo-ment we choose.

As long as we’re living, there are no limits to how many times we can re-set our fresh start button.

4 www.houston-today.com Wednesday, January 6, 2016 Houston Today

On a brighter note

Lori Welbourne

On a brighter note

Lori Welbourne

On a brighter On a brighter

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““...our fresh starts can start at any moment we

choose.”

Quinn Jaarsma

“Skating because its so much fun.”

Jay MacLeod

“Tobogganing because its always a fun time with

family and friends.”

Sean Delege

“Hockey because its keeps me fit during the

cold winter days. ”

Arlene Leffers

“Cross-country skiing because its good exercise! Its a fun winter sport to do with my friends and grandchildren. It makes

the winters so much more enjoyable.”

Passages of 2015: Harper’s media war

By Tom FletcherBlack Press

The fall session of the B.C. legislature petered out two days early last week, as the ruling B.C. Liberals and the opposi-tion NDP agreed to turn out the energy-ef� cient lights and head for home.

NDP leader John Horgan skipped the last day and headed to the B.C. Institute of Technology campus in Burnaby. There he an-nounced “PowerBC,” billed as the NDP’s “bold, progressive plan for the future of B.C. en-ergy, with a strong focus on jobs.”

Reporters asked, how many jobs? Horgan said retro� tting public buildings and homes for energy ef� ciency would create jobs all around the province, but he can’t say how many. How much does the plan cost, and does it include subsidiz-ing homeowners to � x their windows and insu-lation? “The costing will be more apparent when we get closer to the elec-tion,” Horgan replied.

Whatever the cost, the NDP plan apparently rests on the assumption that the $9 billion Site C dam project on the Peace River can be stopped by an NDP government

after the 2017 election. That money would be used to build wind and solar generation, and to install a sixth and � nal water turbine at Revelstoke dam.

The chances of Site C being stopped are approaching zero. Construction of an ac-cess road started two months ago, site clear-ing and work camp con-struction a month before that. Energy Minister Bill Bennett says the main dam construction con-tract will be let shortly, followed by the power-house contract next year.

Horgan said remain-ing legal challenges could

slow or stop the project.The West Moberly

and Prophet River First Nations have lost their case against Site C twice, in the B.C. Supreme and Federal Courts, and are appealing. The Doig River and McLeod Lake Indian Bands dropped their challenges, and McLeod Lake’s con-struction company has started work on a Site C contract.

West Moberly Chief Roland Willson staged a dramatic protest at the legislature last spring, bringing a cooler of fro-zen bull trout from a river below the two exist-ing Peace dams, telling

media they were too con-taminated with mercury to eat.

Flooding land for hydro dams does elevate methylmercury levels in water, but BC Hydro provided me with the lat-est study that included � sh samples collected by West Moberly members. It shows average methyl-mercury levels remain be-low federal guidelines for limiting consumption of commercially sold � sh.

It’s an odd coinci-dence that Willson sud-denly made this claim, 47 years after the � rst Peace dam was completed, when he happened to be in court trying to stop

Site C.A coalition of U.S.

and Canadian environ-ment groups is also de-manding that Site C be stopped, using typical arguments to appeal to their low-information donor base. According to the Sierra Club and oth-ers, Site C is not renew-able energy because the (largely idle) farmland it � oods is a “carbon sink.” Forests do store carbon, albeit temporarily, but farmland where the trees have been cleared? This is gluten-free gobblede-gook.

They also trot out the claim that Site C will be used to power lique� ed

natural gas operations. Most proponents so far have said they will use gas for LNG processing, and if they don’t have hydro available for ancil-lary power, they will have to burn more gas.

BC Hydro has just � nished its latest grid upgrade, a second high-voltage transmission line from Merritt to Coquitlam. It adds di-saster reliability to the system that brings pow-er from the Peace and Columbia dams to the Lower Mainland.

If you’re arguing that hydroelectricity isn’t re-newable power, you’ve already lost.

What is your favourite winter

sport? Why?

On theStreet...

OpinionHOUSTON TODAY “Member, B.C. Press Council”Published by Black Press Upstairs Houston MallP.O. Box 899, Houston, B.C. V0J 1Z0

Phone: 250 845-2890 • Fax 250 845-7893News: [email protected]

or: [email protected]: [email protected]

Houston Today Wednesday, January 6, 2016 www.houston-today.com 5

By Tom FletcherBlack Press

I � rst met Stephen Harper when he was running for the Canadian Alliance lead-ership in 2002.

Speaking to a group of Fraser Valley mem-bers concerned that the party had split over the leadership of Stockwell Day, Harper didn’t mince words be-cause a local reporter had showed up on a Saturday morning. He explained his predic-tion that no matter who leads the conservative movement started by Preston Manning, the national media would work against it.

“The press is owned by big-L liberals and staffed by small-L lib-erals,” Harper said. “Preston was too cere-bral; Stock was not ce-rebral enough. I’m not sure where I will be, but the media will always be on the other side.”

Harper’s cold war with national media is a theme that runs through his decade as prime min-ister, peaking in 2015 with the most slanted election coverage I’ve ever witnessed. The cel-ebration continues over Justin Trudeau’s victory, with the supposedly non-partisan federal bureaucracy cheering along with much of the national media.

Harper’s assessment of major newspaper ownership is no longer accurate, except for the Toronto Star. But the dying tradition of own-ers looking up from their accounting ledgers to endorse a political party continued, with the Postmedia chain and the Globe and Mail pointing out that Trudeau’s rash promises didn’t add up.

Endorsements were a brief interruption in the media assault on Harper’s record. His government’s plan to welcome 10,000 refu-gees, unveiled way back in January 2015, was portrayed as heart-less and feeble, while

Trudeau’s 25,000 by Christmas represented the generous character of the true Canada.

As it turns out, the Liberals have been hard pressed to reach even the 10,000 mark. But they’ve put out a rash new promise to make it 50,000 at some point in the future, so the me-dia’s new-found message of sunshine, hope and change continues.

Those modest $10 billion annual de� cits that Trudeau promised, and Harper warned against? Borrowing and spending will far ex-ceed that, but we’re as-sured that’s because they were based on in� ated Conservative � nancial

forecasts.In fact, independent

private sector forecasts are now the key refer-ence for government budgets at the federal and provincial level. None of them predicted the further slump in en-ergy prices that contin-ued through 2015.

And cooking the books before an elec-tion isn’t really pos-sible any more, thanks to the establishment of the Parliamentary Budget Of� ce. That was a Harper innovation, along with scheduled elections.

And that Trudeau pledge to raise tax-es on the wealthiest Canadians and use the

proceeds to � nance a tax cut for the middle class? That one didn’t add up either. For one thing, wealthy people have a variety of legal ways to reduce their taxable in-come.

Here’s an actual front-page headline from the Globe and Mail, reporting this unfortunate fact, well after the election: “The way Liberals gauged re-sponse to new tax rate explains gap.” So it was just an understandable oversight, you see.

Trudeau’s star turn in Paris, where he pro-nounced that “Canada is back” in the battle to control the world’s weather? The of� cial

submission from his bloated delegation to the UN climate meet-ings was actually the existing Conservative plan, which includes phasing out coal-� red electricity generation.

Harper generally rep-resented a preference for the individual over the state, a concept that at one time was known as “liberalism.” This was illustrated by his prefer-ence for parents rather than a nanny state to administer child care.

He advocated free trade, small government and low taxes. We’ll see how that legacy survives the new government and its media cheering sec-tion.

Lights out for opponents of Site C damBy Robin Vander HeideRobin Vander HeideRobin Vander HeideRobin Vander HeideBy Robin Vander HeideRobin Vander HeideRobin Vander HeideRobin Vander Heide

NEWS6 www.houston-today.com Wednesday, January 6, 2016 Houston Today

A division of

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HOPE forHOPE forHOPE forforTodayTodayFacing Our Fears

My grandmother never drove a car or rode a bicycle. My parents informed me that when she

was young, she got on the bicycle, fell and never tried again. Later on she tried to drive a vehicle and on her � rst attempt forgot where the brake pedal was and ran over her rose bush. She never tried driving again. Maybe it was fear of being embarrassed, maybe fear of crashing and getting hurt but I am quite sure it was fear that kept her from trying again.

I can understand how she felt as my � rst attempt at driving was similar. I could not even � nd � rst gear and kept stalling the old Austin Healey. It was embarrassing and the temptation was to give up and quit. After many more attempts and God’s help, I was able to learn to drive.

We have many fears. Fear of being failing, fear of being alone, fear of heights, fear of being embarrassed, fear of darkness…the list is endless, especially if we think we must live this life out on our own. We are often paralysed or at least limited by fear.

God’s word, the Bible, is very clear that he has a purpose for all who trust in Him. When the Israelites were in captivity, he promised his people “For I know the plans I have for you….They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope…when you pray I will listen...if you look to me wholeheartedly, you will � nd me.” Jeremiah 29:11,12 NLT

As we surrender in faith to God and allow him to control our lives; as we grow in our personal relationship with him that is available in Christ Jesus, his love and care for us becomes more and more evident. We can then proclaim, “I am in the hands of the Almighty Creator, he is my God, there is none other. Surely he can handle whatever I am facing right now!” With him in the driver’s seat there is no reason to be immobilized by fear.

As we approach another New Year, may you and I face our fears as we � nd our con� dence in the Almighty God.

“Such love has no fear; because perfect love expels all fear.” 1John 4:18 NLT

Submitted by Ken Penner

S ke e n a - B u l k l e y Valley MP Nathan Cullen gave a year-end interview on the year past and what he sees as the future for his NDP party and the Northwest. For the full version, see the Opinion tab at interior-news.com.

Chris Gareau: What do you see as your big-gest accomplishments this year?

Nathan Cullen: Considering the out-come of the last federal election for he party, my reelection up here and the team that we built was, I feel very — satisfied isn’t the right word, but extremely grateful ... We held off a bit of a red wave that was the trend.

Although, I don’t know, it feels strange to point to a reelection as the greatest accom-plishment. I think not having Stephen Harper as our Prime Minister, I don’t take credit for it but I certainly feel bet-ter about the future and some things that matter to me.

CG: With the big disappointment of re-turning to third-party status after being in the lead in the polls at the beginning of the elec-tion campaign — it was quite the drop especial-ly in the last bit — will there be a shake-up in leadership or policy for the NDP in 2016?

NC: That will be

up to our members. We have a convention in April in Edmonton, and part of our consti-tution is we do a lead-ership review. We’d be doing one if we won the election, so we’re doing one, and that will be up to people there to de-cide whether they want a change or continue on with Tom.

I suspect the general feeling is that Tom is secure in his leader-ship, certainly within the caucus. There is the obvious disappoint-ment but I don’t see people making a direct connection to anything in particular he did or didn’t do during the campaign ...

Policy side of things, if I reflect on it now, I think our message was a bit contradictory in the end. We had these bold, national, sweep-ing type initiatives: childcare, pharmacare. Yet it ended up being strongly in the frame of balanced budget, and those might have been what we call in politics counter narra-tive: where there’s am-bition and then, it’s not austerity, it’s discipline. Those two things don’t come across as cohe-sive. So in an election where change was the ultimate question, our contrast wasn’t strong enough.

I mean, these things are hard to pull apart at the end. I certainly don’t feel like I have

the definitive answer: if we had done X then we would have won it ... because I’m so B.C.-focused, and in B.C., we bucked the trend a little bit, at least, where we picked up seats here and felt really good about our positioning in the public.

I mean, explain Atlantic Canada. You’re losing people who those communi-ties loved, right? MPs like Megan Leslie, Jack Harris — Jack won with [71 per cent] of the vote last time ... and then to walk around St. John’s and say ‘what do you think of Jack Harris,’ they say ‘love him, great guy, great MP, did his job.’

So I guess we’ve been the beneficiary of waves before, in Quebec, Alberta, and now we were on the other side of it, and that happens.

CG: Turning back to B.C., the province and some businesses who are looking to invest in the North still see LNG as the economic driver for the next couple de-cades. Do you, and can that be balanced with the need to combat cli-mate change?

NC: Well it’s inter-esting because I was just in Paris trying to play a helpful role with the new govern-ment because the new Minister is a rookie Minister and has never been to one of these

things before, and I’ve been to several. Canada has just made some huge commitments in terms of reducing our carbon emissions, and that runs a bit counter to Premier Clark’s am-bition to grow carbon emissions in B.C. How you square the circle? That’ll happen in the next couple of months in a meeting between the premiers and the Prime Minister.

LNG, first of all, the emissions coming out of it if you want to talk the carbon piece, you can’t imagine another atmosphere; you can’t exclude them. They are what they are; they add to the province’s output and that’s reality, other-wise you’re just dream-ing in technicolour.

In terms of the eco-nomic side of your question, I think LNG is not a silver bullet. It cannot and will not an-swer the economic chal-lenges that the province faces. The job numbers just aren’t there. I think the promises made — was it 100,000 jobs — it was just fanciful and not believable.

So if you look at the specifics, break it right down to what’s hap-pening on the ground, I think PETRONAS, that project is in some significant trouble. And it’s always boiled to the same thing: lo-cation. I think they were strongly directed by Harper and Clark

to pick that site. We changed federal law to enable that to go ahead, and I think they were sold a raw deal, actually. They’ve been trying to modify it, you’ve been seeing their very expensive changes. They’re add-ing this and they’ve added that; they’re trying to get around what has always been a problematic location. Problematic for salm-on, for First Nations environmentally. If you were to do it again, I don’t think they would have picked that spot, but the feds and the province pushed them pretty hard.

I’ve had meetings with them just recently and they’re still hope-ful but understand the challenges. And I’ve had meetings with the new Environment Minister, who wants a full understanding because she’s the next one — the EA [envi-ronmental assessment] is now sitting on her desk, and I think she has until February.

So that one’s chal-lenging. Shell [LNG Canada’s planned Kitimat terminal, fed by Coastal GasLink that runs south of the Bulkley Valley], a lot more optimistic; just because they’ve got First Nations buy in, the location isn’t as problematic, the pipe-line doesn’t seem to be as problematic either.

Cullen on the NDP’s future, LNG and the Bulkley Valley


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SPORTS PHOTO FEATURE8 www.houston-today.com Wednesday, January 6, 2016 Houston Today

Many parents, students, alumni, and friends gathered at the Houston Christian School gym on Saturday, December 26th for the 4th Annual HCS Basketball Tournament. Five teams participated in an event that ran throughout the day. The event raised over $1100 for the school. Everyone had a great time watching all of the teams battle for the win.

The winning team (pictured on the left) was (front) Noah Delege, (l to r) Laura Leffers, Tyler Delege, Arnold Groot, Shawn Meints, Hayden Vandenberg, and Evan Delege.

A big thank you to Brendan Leffers for organizing the great event!

4th Annual HCS Fundraiser Basketball Tournament

Robin Vander Heide photos /Houston Today


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Southside Health & Wellness Centre seeks an RN or LPN for casual employment in community health. The Centre endeavors to increase wellness through a system of education, health promotion, disease prevention and treatment that empowers people to make healthy lifestyle choices. Salary commensurate with experience. Willing to train the right person.

Email your cover letter & resume to [email protected],

or FAX to 250-694-3290, ATTN: Aileen Serle.

CASUAL RN OR LPNSouthside Health & Wellness Centre seeks an RN or LPN for part time employment as a Community Health Nurse. The Centre provides a range of acute and primary care services in the southside Community. Salary will commensurate with experience. Willing to train the right person.

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DZE L K’ANT FRIENDSHIP CENTRE SOCIETYThe Dze L K’ant Friendship Centreis seeking qualified applicants for the position of:

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Key Responsibilities Include:Planning and coordinating training events & conference Community research and consultationPlanning & facilitation of family culture camps

QualificationsPreferred education, training and experience

Diploma or degree in social work, counselling, or related discipline or a combination of education and experienceRecent, related experience and education/training in work responding to/addressing domestic violenceRelated experience in community consultation and knowledge of existing resourcesKnowledge of local First Nations culture Valid Drivers License & reliable vehicle a must

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NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

Notice is hereby given that a Public Hearing affecting “Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako Official Community Plan Bylaw No. 1622, 2011” and “Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako Zoning Bylaw No. 700, 1993” will be held January 18, 2016 at 7:00 P.M. in the Topley Community Hall located at 11591 Chester Street in Topley, BC.

“Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako Houston, Topley, Granisle Rural Official Community Plan Bylaw No. 1622, 2011” is proposed to be amended by Bylaw No. 1757 which re-designates part of the application area from Commercial (C) to Rural Residential (RR) to allow the proposed rezoning.

“Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako Zoning Bylaw No. 700, 1993” is proposed to be amended by Bylaw No. 1758 which rezones the application area from the General Commercial (C1) Zone and Small Holdings (H1) Zone to the Rural Residential (R6) Zone. This amendment is to allow the residential use and other uses permitted in the R6 zone and to allow the creation of a parcel which is as small as 1.5 ha.

The subject properties are located at 12003 Highway 118 and 21889 Strimbold Pit Road in the community of Topley, BC and are legally described as “District Lot 2625, Range 5, Coast District Except the South 160 Acres and Except Plans 4672 4870 5169 8353 11579 PRP14464 4042 and EPP13479”; and “Lot 9, District Lot 2623, Range 5, Coast District, Plan 5547.” The subject property is shown cross-hatched and labelled “Application Area” on the map below.

LOCATION MAP FOR BYLAW NO. 1757 & BYLAW NO. 1758

At the Public Hearing all persons who believe that their interest in property is affected by the proposed bylaws shall be afforded a reasonable opportunity to be heard or to present a written submission respecting matters contained in the bylaws that are the subject of the Public Hearing.

Written submissions sent by mail to P.O. Box 820, Burns Lake, BC, V0J 1E0; by fax to (250) 692-1220; or by e-mail to [email protected] must be received by the Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako no later than January 18, 2016 at 1:00 P.M. to be ensured of consideration at the Public Hearing.

The Public Hearing on Bylaw No. 1757 and Bylaw No. 1758 will be chaired by the Director or Alternate Director for Electoral Area ‘G’ as a delegate of the Board. A copy of the Board resolution making the delegation, copies of the proposed bylaws and other relevant information may be inspected at the office of the Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako between the hours of 8:30 A.M. - 12:00 noon and 1:00 P.M. - 4:30 P.M., Monday through Friday, excluding holidays, January 4, 2016 through January 18, 2016 inclusive. A copy of the proposed bylaws and other relevant information will also be made available at the Houston Public Library.

For further information please call the Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako Planning Department at 250-692-3195 or 1-800-320-3339.

This is one of two publications.

“A WORLD OF OPPORTUNITIESWITHIN OUR REGION”37, 3RD Avenue,

PO Box 820, Burns Lake, BC V0J 1E0

www.rdbn.bc.ca

PH: 250-692-3195 TF: 800-320-3339 FX: 250-692-3305

E-MAIL:[email protected]

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$299,000

ONE OF A KIND! Charming 2 story heritage home on a lovely, private, beautifully landscaped 100x180 lot! Completely renovated (inside & out) 3 bedroom home features 2 full baths, hardwood floors in the dining and living room, custom kitchen with heated tile floors. Den or 3rd bedroom on the main with garden doors to a covered deck. 2 spacious bedrooms up with dormers and a full bath and a huge walk in closed off the master bedroom. Detached garage, storage shed and a green house. Beautifully treed lot located near the river, close to walking trails, yet only a few minute walk to down town! All appliances & window coverings included. Call Lia to view 250-845-1147. $224,900

COUNTRY: PURE & SIMPLE! Gorgeous well-kept rancher on just over 5 acres minutes from town. Over 2400 sq ft, 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms. Bright, spacious family room with vaulted ceiling, pellet stove, garden doors to a deck. Beautiful oak cabinets, island and walk in pantry in the kitchen. Covered deck with lots of room for outdoor entertaining! 2 huge shops (36x40 and 25x40) with concrete floors, wired and heated. Storage sheds, lean to, your own private pond, great mountain views. Private location at the end of the road. Small field with posts in. All appliances and window coverings included. Call Lia to view 250-845-1147.

Community Calendar proudly sponsored by


www.bvcu.com

Since May 1941, Bulkley Valley Credit Union has been building a solid financial institution that members from Burns Lake to the Hazeltons have grown to rely on. People helping people is how we began and we strive to remain people-oriented, both in our financial services and through direct involvement with our communities. We are dedicated to local decision-making and local control, key factors in providing the kinds of services that meet the financial needs of individuals and business members alike.

HOUSTON & DISTRICT BRANCH 2365 Copeland Ave.

P.O. Box 1480, Houston Phone: 250-845-7117

HOUSTON COMMUNITY CALENDARThe Houston Legion Branch 249: Meeting: 2nd Monday of the month is Executive, 4th Monday is General Meeting.

Buck Flats Community Development Society, meets every 3rd Sat. evening at 6pm at Andy Pollack’s house (17642) on Buck Flats Rd. All Buck Flats residents are welcome to attend, we discuss issues concerning the Buck fl ats area. Please call Chris Newell at 250-845-3564 for more info.

Houston’s “Love by the Bowl” Soup Kitchen serving healthy homemade soups in two different seatings, 11-12 and 12 -1 on Wednesdays.

TOPLEYTopley Fire Protection Society meetings every second Tuesday of the month at 7:30 pm.

Structural Firefi ghting/Hwy Rescue. Interested? Topley Volunteer Fire Dept. is accepting applications. No

experience necessary please contact Byron - F/C 250-696-3348 or come to a Fire Practice Thurs @ 19:00 hrs (7pm).

GRANISLEThe Granisle and District Senior Citizens meet every second and fourth Thursday of the month at 1:30 p.m. at the Seniors Centre.

Granisle Volunteer Fire Department meetings & fi re practices every Tues., 7:00pm at the Fire Hall.

Granisle Church of the Way services are Sundays at 11:00am.

Please keep your announcements as brief as possible. Deadline (faxed or mailed or delivered) is 4 p.m. Thursday. Items are printed or alternated as space permits. Items will be accepted via fax, email or dropped at the offi ce. No phone calls please. More calendar items are listed online and can be submitted or viewed at www.houston-today.com

Super Valu tapes may be donated to the Legion Ladies Auxiliary at drop off boxes at A&W; Shear Delight; Razor’s Edge and Terri-Lynn Hair Creations. The tapes are used as a fund-raiser for the L.A. to the Houston Legion.

Activities for Seniors in Houston at the Seniors Centre: New Horizons FREE swim for Seniors (60+) Dec. 15th to Feb. 23 every Tuesday 9 AM to 10 AM All Seniors invited. Reason: Expanding opportunities for Seniors to become active.

TOPS 1901 meets every Tues.: 8-9:30 a.m. at the Houston United Church. Come join other women who are Taking Off Pounds Sensibly and encouraging a healthy lifestyle.

Coffee Break - an Interactive Women’s Bible Study meet every Tuesday morning from 9:30-11:00 at the Houston Christian Reformed Church, 1959 Goold Road. Childcare is provided. For more info call Margaret: 845-2348, Darlene 845-7438, Evelyn 696-3229.

FightBack.Volunteeryour time,energy andskills today.

Community Calendar proudly sponsored by







Bulkley Valley Credit Union July 2007EPS Logos to be supplied to Newspapers

Pantone colours: Pantone 287 Blue Pantone 356 Green Pantone 139 Harvest

Black/Grey Logo file Colour Logo File

www.bvcu.com

NSince May 1941, Bulkley Valley Credit Union has been building a solid financial institution that members from Burns Lake to the Hazeltons have grown to rely on. People helping people is how we began and we strive to remain people-oriented, both in our financial services and through direct involvement with our communities. We are dedicated to local decision-making and local control, key factors in providing the kinds of services that meet the financial needs of individuals and business members alike.

HOUSTON & DISTRICT BRANCH 2365 Copeland Ave.

P.O. Box 1480, Houston Phone: 250-845-7117

HOUSTON COMMUNITY CALENDARChildcare is provided. For more info call Margaret: 845-2348, Darlene 845-7438, Evelyn 696-3229.

The Houston Legion Branch 249: Meeting: 2nd Monday of the month is Executive, 4th Monday is General Meeting.

Buck Flats Community Development Society, meets every 3rd Sat. evening at 6pm at Andy Pollack’s house (17642) on Buck Flats Rd. All Buck Flats residents are welcome to attend, we discuss issues concerning the Buck � ats area. Please call Chris Newell at 250-845-3564 for more info.

Houston’s “Love by the Bowl” Soup Kitchen serving healthy homemade soups in two different seatings, 11-12 and 12 -1 on Wednesdays.

TOPLEYTopley Fire Protection Society meetings every second Tuesday of the month at 7:30 pm.

Structural Fire� ghting/Hwy Rescue. Interested? Topley Volunteer Fire Dept. is accepting applications. No experience necessary please contact Byron - F/C 250-696-3348 or come to a Fire Practice Thurs @ 19:00 hrs (7pm).

GRANISLEThe Granisle and District Senior Citizens meet every second and fourth Thursday of the month at 1:30 p.m. at the Seniors Centre.

Granisle Volunteer Fire Department meetings & � re practices every Tues., 7:00pm at the Fire Hall.

Granisle Church of the Way services are Sundays at 11:00am.

Please keep your announcements as brief as possible. Deadline (faxed or mailed or delivered) is 4 p.m. Thursday. Items are printed or alternated as space permits. Items will be accepted via fax, email or dropped at the of� ce. No phone calls please. More calendar items are listed online and can be submitted or viewed at www.houston-today.com

The Houston Group to Support Syrian Refugees will meet at 7 pm, Tuesday, January 12, 2016 at the home of Paul Comparelli. All our welcome to discuss fundraising ideas.

Super Valu tapes may be donated to the Legion Ladies Auxiliary at drop off boxes at A&W; Shear Delight; Razor’s Edge and Terri-Lynn Hair Creations. The tapes are used as a fund-raiser for the L.A. to the Houston Legion.

Activities for Seniors in Houston at the Seniors Centre: New Horizons FREE swim for Seniors (60+) every Tuesday 9 AM to 10 AM until Feb. 23 All Seniors invited. Reason: Expanding opportunities for Seniors to become active.

TOPS 1901 meets every Tues.: 8-9:30 a.m. at the Houston United Church. Come join other women who are Taking Off Pounds Sensibly and encouraging a healthy lifestyle.

Coffee Break - an Interactive Women’s Bible Study meet every Tuesday morning from 9:30-11:00 at the Houston Christian Reformed Church, 1959 Goold Road.

Selling your home or business?

Phone: 250 845-2890Email: [email protected]

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Houston Today, January 06, 2016