Premier Christy Clark and Environment Minister Mary Polak plug in an electric car at an announcement of the government's latest climate change plan in Richmond Aug. 19.
A B.C. Liberal operative was out with the online spin hours before Premier Christy Clark confirmed the much-leaked news in a Friday afternoon announcement at an obscure location in Richmond.
The, er, freeze is continuing for B.C.’s ground-breaking, world-saving carbon tax, which hasn’t changed since before Clark was elected in 2013.
The spin was Olympic-themed, with a picture labeled to show B.C. as a swimmer far out in the lead in the pool, to symbolize that it’s the other provinces that need to catch up in the race to save the planet.
Clark has been saying that for years, and there is merit to it. Even without a tax on “process emissions” such as from cement kilns, B.C.’s carbon tax encourages imports of non-taxed cement from the U.S. and China.
Alberta business professor Andrew Leach, who advised the Stephen Harper and then Rachel Notley governments on greenhouse gas policies, summed up the problem this way.
“Until the rest of the world has policies that impose similar cost, you’re not actually reducing emissions to the extent you think,” Leach said. “You’re just displacing the emissions and the economic activity to other jurisdictions.”
Alberta is moving to join B.C. with a modest carbon tax, but the NDP government plans to spend the proceeds rather than return them in income tax as B.C. has done. And Washington state and most of the rest of the world have no carbon tax as such, so their businesses benefit from B.C.’s “climate leadership.”
B.C.’s foreign-funded eco-radical community was, needless to say, appalled. The Pembina Institute’s Matt Horne and career protesters Tzeporah Berman and Merran Smith were named to the premier’s advisory committee last year, along with business, academic and aboriginal representatives.
They concluded that increases to B.C.’s broad-based tax on carbon fuels should resume its upward march in 2018.
Other committee members, including the mayors of Surrey, Comox and Burns Lake, were not heard from. Public discussion on this issue is now reduced to a staged conflict between those who demand a holy war on deadly carbon dioxide “pollution,” and those who don’t care if their grandchildren perish in a hell-fire of fossil fuel use.
We’ve just come off another El Nino year, like the hot year of 1998. Regular readers will recall the last time I discussed this topic was this spring, where I questioned the premier’s dire warnings of another horrendous forest fire season.
What followed has been one of the slowest forest fire seasons in the last decade, although dry conditions have finally emerged this month. Climate predictions, like next week’s weather forecast, are less than consistent.
I am regularly sent messages calling me a “climate change denier,” the nonsense term that continues to be used by federal Environment Minister Catharine McKenna among many others. I know of no one who denies that climate is always changing, at times dramatically.
If you wish to believe that paying an extra seven cents a litre for gasoline in B.C. is helping to slow the very gradual increase in temperatures we’re seeing in the northern hemisphere, you are free to do so.
You may even be persuaded to take a government subsidy and buy an expensive, short-range electric car. Me, I’m off to Prince Rupert and Revelstoke pretty soon, so I’ll stick with my little four-cylinder gas sipper for now.
Hydro-powered B.C. represents a small fraction of the less than two per cent Canada contributes to global greenhouse gas emissions. We’re not the problem, and no, the world is not looking to us for guidance.
Tom Fletcher is B.C. legislature reporter and columnist for Black Press. Email: tfletcher@blackpress.ca Twitter: @tomfletcherbc


Premier Christy Clark isn't going into next year's election with a promise to jack up Canada's only significant carbon tax


Guns seized from visitors entering Canada at the Huntington-Abbotsford border crossing, 2014.
Canadian Border Services Agency has seen a 116 per cent increase in the number of firearms seized in the Pacific Region in the first half of 2016.
With a 10 per cent increase also recorded in the Prairie region, the CBSA is working with U.S. officials on a firearms awareness campaign to remind Americans about restrictions on bringing guns into Canada.
"Attempting to smuggle firearms across the border can result in immediate forfeiture, hefty fines and even significant jail time," said Kim Scoville, CBSA's regional director general for the Prairie region.
Visitors entering the border inspection line should declare any firearms at their first opportunity. Border services officers will take possession of the weapon if it is declared, but the visitor has the option of shipping it back under CBSA supervision or surrendering it without prosecution.
The RCMP has procedures for visitors bringing firearms into Canada


Guns intercepted at Pacific region border crossings up 116 per cent compared to this time last year


OTTAWA – Contract talks continue between Canada Post and its largest union, but neither side is hinting as to whether any progress has been made.
A federally appointed mediator has been meeting with the two sides since Friday to try to reach a deal.
The Canadian Union of Postal Workers says if there is no deal by midnight, it would begin job action on Monday by having its members refusing to work overtime on a rotating basis, starting in Alberta and the Northwest Territories.
CUPW served 72 hour strike notice Thursday night, accusing Canada Post of forcing a labour disruption by refusing to bargain in good faith.
The two sides have been deadlocked for months on the issues of pay scales for rural letter carriers and proposed changes to pensions for future employees.
A CUPW news release says the initial job action will cause little disruption to Canada Post customers and that its members will still be delivering mail every day.
The Canadian Press

Postal workers union give details of job action if no deal is reached Sunday


Talks continue, with rotating overtime ban set to begin Monday if no agreement by midnight Sunday


ICBC wants to increase basic auto insurance rates by 4.9 per cent – the fifth straight annual increase – as it continues to grapple with rising numbers of crashes, claims and dramatically increasing costs.
The typical driver will pay $3.50 a month or $42 a year more for basic insurance if the hike is approved.
But the corporation is also raising optional rates by 2.8 per cent so the average customer who buys both basic and optional insurance with ICBC will see their insurance bill rise $5 a month, or $60 a year.
ICBC CEO Mark Blucher said the basic rate hike would have been much worse – 15.5 per cent translating into a $130 annual premium increase – had the province not approved another major transfer of $472 million from the optional to the basic side of operations.
A compounding factor has been the long decline of interest rates, which result in less investment income revenue to ICBC.
"These external pressures have really created a perfect storm and it's a really significant challenge for the organization," Blucher said in an interview Thursday.
ICBC had raised rates 5.5 per cent a year ago, and the province's rate smoothing policy requires the annual change be within 1.5 per cent of the previous year's increase.
The number of crashes has climbed 15 per cent in two years and damage claims are up 11 per cent.
Vehicles are increasingly reliant on technology and expensive materials that have become more costly in recent years as the loonie sagged against the U.S. dollar.
Despite much safer vehicles, injury claims have soared to $2.4 billion, up 60 per cent from $1.5 billion in 2008.
"We've seen no evidence that these strong trends are abating," Blucher said. "In fact, if anything, they're continuing to escalate going forward."
Blucher also noted there are more cars on the road in B.C. today – 3.1 million up from 2.8 million in 2011 – and people are driving more because of cheaper gas, contributing to more accidents, particularly in densifying urban areas.
And he pointed to personal injury lawyers as an aggravating cause of ICBC's spiralling claims costs.
"B.C. is the only province in Canada where you can sue another motorist for even a minor traffic accident," Blucher said, noting an increase in lawyer-represented claims and advertising by injury law firms.
Internal operating costs have been cut by $186 million a year, and ICBC is counting on more savings ahead, through its modernization program, by more aggressively combatting insurance fraud and from a hoped-for drop in distracted driving as motorists respond to stiffer penalties.
But transfers from the optional side to bolster the basic side will likely be needed for the foreseeable future, Blucher said, because basic premiums can't keep up with rising costs.
In a surprise move, the B.C. government will this year forgo extracting its usual $160-million annual dividend from ICBC's optional side into general revenue.
"Forgoing the dividend this particular year is one strategy amongst a litany of others we're employing to get that basic trate increase down," Transportation Minister Todd Stone said.
Stone said the $514 million the province has transferred out of ICBC in dividends since 2012 is small compared to the $1.4 billion over the same period that has been shifted from the competitive optional side to basic to apply downward pressure on basic rates.
The minister would not say if the government would permanently give up the ICBC dividend.
Adrian DIx, the NDP critic for ICBC, said the dividends to government have exceeded $1.2 billion since 2010 and predicted they'll resume after next year's election because the BC Liberals are "addicted" to using ICBC as a "profit centre."
Dix said the reliance on shifting huge amounts of capital from optional to basic raises troubling questions.
"Next year they've got to find that $472 million," Dix said. "What they've done is create a disaster at ICBC and their only hope is to deceive the voters until after the election."
He said ICBC's new move to hire more claims staff underscores problems with completing the computer modernization that was supposed to make operations more efficient.
"The transformation project has taken longer than World War 2 and is not close to finished."
ICBC's basic rates rose 11.2 per cent in 2012 and at least five per cent every year since.
The new rate hike is subject to B.C. Utilities Commission approval.
ICBC Rate Pressure Charts

ICBC seeks 4.9 per cent basic rate hike as crashes, costs climb


$60 a year increase for most drivers once optional auto insurance increase is included


You have already participated in this poll. Thank you!
Last Week's Question of the Week Final Results Would you support an increase in homeowner taxes as an alternative to paid parking at the hospital? Yes 52 %
No 47 %


KINGSTON, Ont. â€” The Tragically Hip mixed fan favourites, newer songs and some politics on Saturday night during the final show of their "Man Machine Poem" tour.
Lead singer Gord Downie, who started the show wearing a metallic silver suit and hat with a "Jaws" T-shirt underneath, hugged and kissed his bandmates before they stepped on stage at the K-Rock Centre in the group's hometown of Kingston, Ont.
Minutes earlier, as the raucous sold-out crowd waited for the band to emerge, an impromptu rendition of O Canada broke out and a banner reading "Thank You Prime Minister Downie!" was passed around the arena.
The band immediately gave fans what they wanted to hear, starting their set with four straight hits from the classic album "Fully Completely:" opener "50 Mission Cap," followed by "Courage (for Hugh MacLennan)," "Wheat Kings" and "At the Hundredth Meridian."
The Hip then segued into their latest album "Man Machine Poem," with four tracks including the single "In a World Possessed by the Human Mind."
Before "Machine," Downie launched into one of his trademark onstage rants, calling out to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who was in the crowd for the show. Trudeau's official photographer tweeted a photo of the prime minister and Downie embracing before the concert.
"Well, you know, prime minister Trudeau's got me, his work with First Nations. He's got everybody. He's going to take us where we need to go," Downie said from the stage.
"It's going to take us 100 years to figure out what the hell went on up there," he continued, "but it isn't cool and everybody knows that. It's really, really bad, but we're going to figure it out, you're going to figure it out."
Many anticipate this will be the band's final tour, given the recent news that Downie is battling terminal brain cancer.
Before performing the "Road Apples" song "Fiddler's Green," Downie seemed to reference the outpouring of support from fans in the wake of his diagnosis.
"Thank you, people, for keeping me pushing and keeping me pushing," he said, which prompted a "Gordie!" chant from the audience.
After playing 21 songs, Downie and his fellow bandmates â€” guitarists Rob Baker and Paul Langlois, bassist Gord Sinclair and drummer Johnny Fay â€” embraced and prepared to retire for a pre-encore break. Downie was left alone on stage to take in the roaring ovation.
After returning for a few more songs, Downie again spoke about his fondness for Trudeau.
"Thank you to the prime minister for coming to our show, it really means a lot to all of us," he said.
"We're in good hands, folks, real good hands. He cares about the people way up North, that we were trained our entire lives to ignore, trained our entire lives to hear not a word of what's going on up there. And what's going on up there ain't good. It's maybe worse than it's ever been, so it's not on the improve. (But) we're going to get it fixed and we got the guy to do it, to start, to help.
"Thank you everybody. Thanks for listening to that. Thanks for listening, period. Have a nice life."
David Friend, The Canadian Press

Downie calls out to Trudeau during Tragically Hip's final show of tour


Tragically Hip kick off tour's final show with fan favourites


Revelstoke dam on the Columbia River is due to have a sixth water turbine added, but Site C is BC Hydro's priority today.
BC Hydro is going ahead with its planned four per cent rate increase this year and deferring more debt to future years as it revises its electricity demand forecast downward.
The provincially-owned utility has not asked for an increase in its government-imposed rate plan despite a revised demand forecast with $3.5 billion less revenue over the next 10 years. BC Hydro has filed a three-year plan with the B.C. Utilities Commission that would increase rates four, 3.5 and three per cent in the next three years. The four per cent increase is already showing up on customer bills as an interim increase.
With the Site C dam on the Peace River and other upgrades amounting to $2 billion a year, the plan includes additional deferred debt until 2023, when Site C is due to be completed. BC Hydro CEO Jessica McDonald said the long-term nature of capital projects means its capital cost savings don't start until the next decade.
BC Hydro has also cut some of its familiar Power Smart activities, such as the fridge buy-back plan and incentives for energy efficient light bulbs.
McDonald said BC Hydro is seeing lower revenues due to two warm winters and downturns in mining and forest products. It still projects growing overall demand as population and economic growth continue.
NDP energy critic Adrian Dix said the new deferred debt represents roughly $500 for each of BC Hydro's two million customers, and it is a political move to get the B.C. Liberal government past next year's election.
The 10-year rates plan imposed by Energy Minister Bill Bennett in 2013 overstated demand to justify the construction of Site C, and translates to a 28 per cent rate increase. It allows the utilities commission to regain control over approving customer rates by 2020, after five years of political direction.
Dix said with the new demand forecast and commodity prices expected to remain low, BC Hydro should have added a sixth turbine to its Revelstoke dam for $450 million before embarking on the $9 billion Site C project.


Four per cent rate hike already in effect, more to come as BC Hydro looks for savings to offset slow industrial demand


State Of Indiana Nursing Home Regulations


Veterans Home classic car show brings out auto enthusiasts for hot dogs, root beer and fun


Recount in District 3 County Commissioner race yields same results


Airport to host Fly-In, Drive-In Pancake Breakfast Sept. 10


Schools, towns to see contests at 2016 polls


Schutz, Davis win first Stein-Holding Contest


City puts Sunday liquor question on 2016 ballot


Seven Luverne youth attend business camp sponsored by KAHR Foundation


Luverne School District student enrollment grows


Fifteen new starters start in Adrian, Ellsworth, Luverne


Four corners facelift moves to W-2 corner


Time capsule dedicated for 9-11 anniversary; will be opened in 10 years


Photo by: Provided The suspect in today's robbery at Central Illinois Bank was described as a black male, possibly in his mid-to-late 30’s, approximately 5-5 to 5-8, with a thin build. The suspect was wearing a gray shirt and dark blue hat. Image
Image
CHAMPAIGN — Champaign police have identified a man they say robbed a Champaign bank just after noon Tuesday.
Champaign police detectives have identified the alleged robber as Carlos K. Davis, 40, formerly of Champaign.
A warrant has been issued for Davis' arrest for aggravated robbery, with bond set at $100,000.
Police said the man entered Central Illinois Bank, 302 W. Springfield Ave., about 12:20 p.m. and demanded money. He didn’t display a weapon but implied he had one.
“There were no customers in the bank, just two employees,” said Lt. Dave Shaffer.
The robber handed the teller a note.
“He specifically asked for cash and got away with an undisclosed amount,” Shaffer said.
After getting the money, he ran to the northwest, witnesses told police.
He was described as black, thin, in his mid-to-late 30s, about 5 feet, 5 inches, to 5 feet, 8 inches tall. He was wearing a gray shirt and dark blue hat, witnesses told police.
Shaffer said the bank photo of the robber and information from people who know Davis led to the warrant for his arrest.
Anyone with information is asked to call Champaign police at 217-351-4545. Callers may remain anonymous by calling Crime Stoppers at 217-373-8477 or by texting “CCTip” plus the information to CRIMES (274637).

UPDATED: Police identify Champaign bank robber


CHAMPAIGN — Champaign police have identified a man they say robbed a Champaign bank just after noon Tuesday.Champaign police detectives have identified the alleged robber as Carlos K. Davis, 40, formerly of Champaign.A warrant has been issued for Davis' arrest for aggravated robbery, with bond set at $100,000.


URBANA — The future of the University of Illinois' American Indian Studies program is under review following the departure of its longtime director, Robert Warrior, and most of its faculty.
Warrior, a leader of the unsuccessful campaign to reinstate Steven Salaita at the UI, recently accepted an endowed professorship at the University of Kansas in English and American studies.
History Professor Adrian Burgos Jr., who specializes in the history of sport and U.S. minorities, has been named interim director of the program.
He will lead a review to determine its future scope and structure, working with an advisory group of faculty and staff who maintain close ties to it.
"Adrian's job is to work with the people who have a stake in American Indian Studies, to come up with a plan for several options for what we could do next," said Martin Camargo, associate dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
The Salaita case took a huge toll on the program. The UI's decision to withdraw his tenured job in American Indian Studies in 2014 after his angry tweets about Israel raised widespread concerns about free speech and academic freedom.
Faculty members in American Indian Studies felt particularly vulnerable, following years of tensions about Chief Illiniwek.
Two years ago, the program had seven core faculty members. By last fall, it was down to two, including Warrior.
Two faculty members, Vicente Diaz and his wife, Tina Delisle, had taken new jobs at the University of Minnesota. The UI had to make counter-offers to retain two others, who asked to move to other UI departments where they had joint appointments. Professor Jodi Byrd is now in English and gender and women's studies, and Professor Matt Gilbert moved to history.
Native American poet Joy Harjo, who held a part-time appointment in American Indian Studies, accepted a position at the University of Tennessee. And Professor Jenny Davis has since moved to anthropology, where she had a joint appointment.
"As of now, there are no faculty in American Indian Studies," Camargo said.
Warrior's appointment at Kansas has been in the works for some time; he had also been recruited by Minnesota.
Warrior said an endowed professorship — which are increasingly hard to come by in his field — was a "tremendous opportunity" that was too good to pass up. He is now the Hall Distinguished Professor of American Literature & Culture. He also grew up in Kansas, and the move brings him closer to the Osage community, where he still owns a home.
But he was also ready to leave Illinois.
"For me personally Kansas is an environment that is free of so much of the controversy that I think just made it very difficult to be at Illinois," Warrior said, adding that he's looking forward to having no responsibilities other than being a scholar.
College administrators consulted last spring with the three professors who moved to other UI departments, as well as the program's affiliated faculty, before selecting Burgos as interim director, officials said. The faculty members had suggested several people outside the program who could help them think through options, Camargo said.
Burgos said he's met with the faculty members one-on-one, and the group held a retreat just before the semester began, the first in a series of meetings planned this semester. They are committed to rebuilding American Indian Studies and maintaining classes in the meantime, he said.
The program is offering two courses this fall — an introduction to American Indian studies, taught by Gilbert, and a course on "indigenous thinkers" taught by one of the program's three postdoctoral scholars, Burgos said. A third is planned next semester.
"I was just very much energized by their commitment to the program. They all know full well what the last three or four years have been like on campus," he said.
The hope is to share a report with Camargo next semester and ultimately get authorization from administrators to begin searches to hire new faculty, Burgos said.
Camargo said the college will make a decision about the program's future after receiving the report.
Burgos said the group has to draft a hiring plan outlining what areas of research the program will focus on and possible collaborations with other departments.
"How do we rebuild with so many significant scholars in the field who just left? It's like you lost your starting lineup," said Burgos, who has written books on the Negro leagues and Latinos in baseball.
"We're talking All-Stars. American Indian Studies was a leading unit in the field across the Americas. And now we have to rebuild."
When the Salaita case hit, Warrior had begun the process of upgrading the program to a full department. Hired as director in 2008, he had helped put the program on the map by broadening its focus to indigenous studies, focusing not only on American Indians in North America but other indigenous cultures and issues as sovereignty and identity, Burgos said.
Other programs in American Indian studies are now following suit, he said.
"That's part of our conversation here: is that the direction we want to continue? That's ultimately a decision that I think this faculty will have to decide," he said.
He said American Indian Studies fulfills a vital role by educating students and the wider community about the experience, historical contributions, and continued significance of American Indians in society and North American history.
Camargo feels strongly that the program should continue in a substantial way, whether in its current form, as a department or something else.
"It's been an important part of the college, and of the university, for all kinds of reasons," Camargo said. "I hope that we can move forward. I don't know whether we'll be able to get to where we once were. If so it'll take a long time for that to happen, because of the damage that was done."
In a statement when Burgos was appointed, interim Chancellor Barbara Wilson said, "Our American Indian Studies Program has endured a difficult few years. It remains an important part of LAS and our campus community, and it plays a critical role in helping us understand and learn from our collective history. I'm confident that Professor Burgos will help the program experience important renewal as we go forward."

UI's American Indian Studies program under review after director's departure


URBANA — The future of the University of Illinois' American Indian Studies program is under review following the departure of its longtime director, Robert Warrior, and most of its faculty.Warrior, a leader of the unsuccessful campaign to reinstate Steven Salaita at the UI, recently accepted an endowed professorship at the University of Kansas in E


0:44 Jenna Prandini set to run at the Rio Olympics Pause
1:42 Get to know Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson
0:53 What did Trump's ‘Second Amendment people’ comment about Clinton mean?
1:40 45th annual Sierra Mono Museum Pow Wow and Indian Days
2:07 8-4-16 Assemblyman Patterson Adjourns in Memory of Robert Reagan
0:52 CHP helicopter rescues sick hiker from near Edison Lake
1:07 Wildfire erupts in Madera County, mandatory evacuation ordered
1:15 Watch sheriff's copter team rescue teen girl from San Joaquin River
0:55 Sea lion death reported at Fresno Chaffee Zoo
1:03 How to keep your Facebook Newsfeed full of news

Golf team playing for 12th consecutive title


Team has just one senior, but plenty of talent - league MVP Claire Oetinger returns


Etheridge to perform at Chukchansi Sept. 2


Grammy and Academy Award winner Melissa Etheridge will perform at 8 p.m., Friday, Sept. 2, at Chukchansi Gold Resort & Casino.


1:03 How to keep your Facebook Newsfeed full of news Pause
1:11 The daunting task of fire protection against bark beetle destruction
0:50 Postcard from Rio: Prandini siblings ready for Jenna's semifinal
0:44 Jenna Prandini set to run at the Rio Olympics
1:42 Get to know Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson
0:53 What did Trump's ‘Second Amendment people’ comment about Clinton mean?
1:40 45th annual Sierra Mono Museum Pow Wow and Indian Days
2:07 8-4-16 Assemblyman Patterson Adjourns in Memory of Robert Reagan
0:52 CHP helicopter rescues sick hiker from near Edison Lake
1:07 Wildfire erupts in Madera County, mandatory evacuation ordered


Soon property tax bills will be arriving in the mail. Because of Proposition 13, which limits annual increases in property taxes, your bill will not be as frightening as in the bad old days, when increases of 20, 30 or even 50 percent were common.


Madera County Animal Services has adopted innovative programs known as “Best Practices” to help reduce an overwhelming number of healthy cats and kittens at the county animal shelter.


Letters to the Editor - week of August 25


Will quarry affect you?; What has happened to America’s freedom of speech?; YARTS option; On our way to bankruptcy;> Where were the firefighters?


Chukchansi grants could be announced soon


After a delay of nearly three years, leaders of the Picayune Rancheria of the Chukchansi Indians and Madera County representatives are getting closer to announcing the recipients of nearly $1 million in community grants to county schools, non-profit organizations and government.


Compiled by Debby Carter from the archives of Fresno Flats Research Library and the Sierra Star


McClintock decries federal policies, remains Trump supporter during North Fork town hall


Congressman Tom McClintock decried federal environmental policies and remained a supporter of Donald Trump as he took questions from around 25 people at the North Fork Rancheria Community Center Aug. 18.


Season starts with new coach and new offense


Mono casino helped by judge closing case


The North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians scored a legal victory in August when a federal judge declined to delay implementation of procedures that would allow operation of the tribe’s proposed casino north of Madera.


1:50 Keeping Fido cool and safe in hot weather Pause
1:46 Need a quick and easy summer dessert? Try Baked Peaches
1:29 What to know if you meet a rattlesnake
0:50 Postcard from Rio: Prandini siblings ready for Jenna's semifinal
0:44 Jenna Prandini set to run at the Rio Olympics
1:42 Get to know Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson
0:53 What did Trump's ‘Second Amendment people’ comment about Clinton mean?
2:07 8-4-16 Assemblyman Patterson Adjourns in Memory of Robert Reagan
0:52 CHP helicopter rescues sick hiker from near Edison Lake
1:07 Wildfire erupts in Madera County, mandatory evacuation ordered


Sherri Mulkey, teenage son Nathaniel and 9-year-old daughter Anika hike 230 miles in 21 days


0:44 Jenna Prandini set to run at the Rio Olympics Pause
1:42 Get to know Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson
0:53 What did Trump's ‘Second Amendment people’ comment about Clinton mean?
1:40 45th annual Sierra Mono Museum Pow Wow and Indian Days
2:07 8-4-16 Assemblyman Patterson Adjourns in Memory of Robert Reagan
0:52 CHP helicopter rescues sick hiker from near Edison Lake
1:07 Wildfire erupts in Madera County, mandatory evacuation ordered
1:15 Watch sheriff's copter team rescue teen girl from San Joaquin River
0:55 Sea lion death reported at Fresno Chaffee Zoo
1:03 How to keep your Facebook Newsfeed full of news


Some of Cathie's favorite recipes making gnocchi from scratch.


1:03 How to keep your Facebook Newsfeed full of news Pause
1:11 The daunting task of fire protection against bark beetle destruction
0:50 Postcard from Rio: Prandini siblings ready for Jenna's semifinal
0:44 Jenna Prandini set to run at the Rio Olympics
1:42 Get to know Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson
0:53 What did Trump's ‘Second Amendment people’ comment about Clinton mean?
1:40 45th annual Sierra Mono Museum Pow Wow and Indian Days
2:07 8-4-16 Assemblyman Patterson Adjourns in Memory of Robert Reagan
0:52 CHP helicopter rescues sick hiker from near Edison Lake
1:07 Wildfire erupts in Madera County, mandatory evacuation ordered

‘Welcome to ground zero,’ foresters celebrate 100 years in the center of Mountain Area tree mortality


The California Society of American Foresters spent two days in August in Madera County discussing the rise of tree mortality and other issues.


Archery deer season opened Aug. 20 - general season opens Sept. 17


This weekend the country takes a little time out from our normal routine to celebrate Labor Day. It is a day designated by Congress to honor those of us that do the work in this country. Originally the intent was to honor the men and women who are a part of the union movements but, like many things in this country, it has morphed into a day to honor workers.


Close to 150 custom and classic cars and trucks in 21 categories will be proudly displayed 9 a.m. - 2 p.m., Sept. 10 at the Oakhurst Community Park during the Sierra Oakhurst Kiwanis Club’s 14th Annual Run for the Gold Classic Car Show.


Free admission on opening day for active military, seniors, first responders, and chaildre under 12


Since early July, Gayle Basten has served as the new pastor at the New Community United Methodist Church in Oakhurst.


Raymond Tramondo died Aug. 6, 2016 at the age of 95. He was born June 6, 1921 in Jamestown, New York.


Letters to the Editor - week of September 1


Where are the volunteers?, No thank you Vulcan


This Labor Day weekend, families and friends will be celebrating the end of the summer. Sadly, this festive time has also become a dangerous time for America’s roads, as many drunk drivers get behind the wheel after celebrating.


0:50 Postcard from Rio: Prandini siblings ready for Jenna's semifinal Pause
0:44 Jenna Prandini set to run at the Rio Olympics
1:42 Get to know Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson
1:40 45th annual Sierra Mono Museum Pow Wow and Indian Days
2:07 8-4-16 Assemblyman Patterson Adjourns in Memory of Robert Reagan
0:52 CHP helicopter rescues sick hiker from near Edison Lake
1:07 Wildfire erupts in Madera County, mandatory evacuation ordered
1:15 Watch sheriff's copter team rescue teen girl from San Joaquin River
0:55 Sea lion death reported at Fresno Chaffee Zoo
1:03 How to keep your Facebook Newsfeed full of news


The Vulcan Austin Quarry Project, which will be voted on by the Madera County Board of Supervisors at a 9 a.m. public meeting on Sept. 12, will be a 100% devastating project for Madera County if approved.


The Sierra Art Trails open studio tour takes place Sept. 30 - Oct. 2 throughout more than a dozen Yosemite area communities of Eastern Madera and Mariposa counties. This is the largest exhibit of its kind and features a variety of media including painting, photography, jewelry, sculpture, fiber art, woodcarving, ceramics, glass and more.


Shadow Casters host poker run, fundraiser for firefighters Sept. 17


The Sierra Shadow Casters Motorcycle Club will host a poker run and fundraising barbecue Sept. 17 to benefit Madera County Fire Stations 8 and 10.


0:44 Jenna Prandini set to run at the Rio Olympics Pause
1:42 Get to know Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson
0:53 What did Trump's ‘Second Amendment people’ comment about Clinton mean?
1:40 45th annual Sierra Mono Museum Pow Wow and Indian Days
2:07 8-4-16 Assemblyman Patterson Adjourns in Memory of Robert Reagan
0:52 CHP helicopter rescues sick hiker from near Edison Lake
1:07 Wildfire erupts in Madera County, mandatory evacuation ordered
1:15 Watch sheriff's copter team rescue teen girl from San Joaquin River
0:55 Sea lion death reported at Fresno Chaffee Zoo
1:03 How to keep your Facebook Newsfeed full of news


Madeline Carrol Cioffi died Aug. 20, 2016 at the age of 98. She was born Dec. 25, 1917 in Newark, New Jersey.


Yosemite Badgers snap 27-game losing streak with 35-0 win over Le Grand


Badges start season with big win before excited hometown crowd


Mustangs prepare for season opener with Sierra


Mustangs continue to prepare for season opener in Tollhouse


1:50 Keeping Fido cool and safe in hot weather Pause
1:46 Need a quick and easy summer dessert? Try Baked Peaches
1:29 What to know if you meet a rattlesnake
0:50 Postcard from Rio: Prandini siblings ready for Jenna's semifinal
0:44 Jenna Prandini set to run at the Rio Olympics
1:42 Get to know Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson
0:53 What did Trump's ‘Second Amendment people’ comment about Clinton mean?
2:07 8-4-16 Assemblyman Patterson Adjourns in Memory of Robert Reagan
0:52 CHP helicopter rescues sick hiker from near Edison Lake
1:07 Wildfire erupts in Madera County, mandatory evacuation ordered


Lisa Neilson recently received some exciting and unexpected news, news that set her on course to fulfilling her life-long dream of “creating a product, flying with it and making it happen.”


About 350 men, woman and children expected to participate in 29th annual event


Even with August heat upon us, wildflowers are providing a kaleidoscope of color practically in our own backyard in Biledo Meadow. California cone flowers, goldenrod and sneezeweed provide a palette of yellow accented by red paintbrush and purple asters.


Plenty of talent returns from last year's 30-5 team


Wherever I travel within this golden state of California, someone introduces me to part of its history. Recently I visited friends in Southern California at the western end of the San Fernando Valley. From the 118 freeway I could see miles of irregular rock formations identified as the Chatsworth Mountains. Just east of those mountains, below those gigantic rock formations, I could see the town of Chatsworth.


Davis pleads no contest in financial elder abuse case


Kathryn “Katie” Davis plead no contest Aug. 29 to a felony charge of financially abusing a senior citizen. Davis is president of the Sierra Senior Center in Oakhurst.


Incumbents mostly fill school board ballot


The Nov. 7, 2016 ballot will be light on Eastern Madera County school board elections, as all but one race will keep incumbents in their seats without opposition.


1:03 How to keep your Facebook Newsfeed full of news Pause
1:11 The daunting task of fire protection against bark beetle destruction
0:50 Postcard from Rio: Prandini siblings ready for Jenna's semifinal
0:44 Jenna Prandini set to run at the Rio Olympics
1:42 Get to know Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson
0:53 What did Trump's ‘Second Amendment people’ comment about Clinton mean?
1:40 45th annual Sierra Mono Museum Pow Wow and Indian Days
2:07 8-4-16 Assemblyman Patterson Adjourns in Memory of Robert Reagan
0:52 CHP helicopter rescues sick hiker from near Edison Lake
1:07 Wildfire erupts in Madera County, mandatory evacuation ordered


Gun rights advocates packed the Yosemite Gateway Restaurant in Oakhurst Aug. 16 to hear updates on how to battle what they feel are “dangerous” steps shaping California into a gun-free state.


0:44 Jenna Prandini set to run at the Rio Olympics Pause
1:42 Get to know Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson
0:53 What did Trump's ‘Second Amendment people’ comment about Clinton mean?
1:40 45th annual Sierra Mono Museum Pow Wow and Indian Days
2:07 8-4-16 Assemblyman Patterson Adjourns in Memory of Robert Reagan
0:52 CHP helicopter rescues sick hiker from near Edison Lake
1:07 Wildfire erupts in Madera County, mandatory evacuation ordered
1:15 Watch sheriff's copter team rescue teen girl from San Joaquin River
0:55 Sea lion death reported at Fresno Chaffee Zoo
1:03 How to keep your Facebook Newsfeed full of news


Frances Hagen is an 84-year-old former schoolteacher and Gold Star parent who lost a son in Vietnam. Mrs. Hagen lives in Oakhurst, where she has resided for more than 40 years.


Are you new to the Mountain Area? Are you perhaps retired and looking for a meaningful outlet where you can contribute to the community while meeting new friends and enjoying the companionship and camaraderie that this club offers?


The girls tennis team at Yosemite High School began its season with three straight wins at home, finished off by a victory over Madera South High School on Monday following victories over Roosevelt and Fresno high schools last week.


Girls water polo team gets come-from-behind win


Down 3-0, Lady Badgers come back for 7-4 win


The girls tennis team at Yosemite High School is a bit more fierce, a bit more motivated, and a bit more experienced this year. And that’s got their head coach confident about a run at the North Sequoia League championship.


Community Calendar - week of September 1


upcoming events and activing in the Mountain Communities of Eastern Madera Count


One hundred years ago today, Aug. 25, the National Park Service came into existence. President Woodrow Wilson signed the legislation creating a federal government oversight agency to protect some of our nation’s most beautiful areas, and from that the service has been expanded to include historic monuments, urban parks, and other places near and dear to Americans.


Cal Fire grants for removal of dead and dying trees


Cal Fire recently released guidelines for a grant program focusing on efforts to remove dead and dying trees that pose a threat to public health and safety.


First year for Yosemite High going 'independent'


This weekend the country takes a little time out from our normal routine to celebrate Labor Day. It is a day designated by Congress to honor those of us that do the work in this country. Originally the intent was to honor the men and women who are a part of the union movements but, like many things in this country, it has morphed into a day to honor workers.


Coarsegold’s Broken Fire caused by bulldozer, Cal Fire says


1:03 How to keep your Facebook Newsfeed full of news Pause
1:11 The daunting task of fire protection against bark beetle destruction
0:50 Postcard from Rio: Prandini siblings ready for Jenna's semifinal
0:44 Jenna Prandini set to run at the Rio Olympics
1:42 Get to know Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson
0:53 What did Trump's ‘Second Amendment people’ comment about Clinton mean?
1:40 45th annual Sierra Mono Museum Pow Wow and Indian Days
2:07 8-4-16 Assemblyman Patterson Adjourns in Memory of Robert Reagan
0:52 CHP helicopter rescues sick hiker from near Edison Lake
1:07 Wildfire erupts in Madera County, mandatory evacuation ordered

Cal Fire investigators on Aug. 24 announced the Broken Fire, which burned 102 acres in Coarsegold starting July 4, was caused by a bulldozer striking a rock in dry grass.


Supervisors to vote on 25% pay hike Sept. 13


The Madera County Board of Supervisors will vote Sept. 13 on whether or not they deserve a pay increase.


David Engstrom earned special honors last week when, for the first time ever, Madera Elks Lodge 1918 chose an investigator for their Officer of the Year award.


0:44 Jenna Prandini set to run at the Rio Olympics Pause
1:42 Get to know Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson
0:53 What did Trump's ‘Second Amendment people’ comment about Clinton mean?
1:40 45th annual Sierra Mono Museum Pow Wow and Indian Days
2:07 8-4-16 Assemblyman Patterson Adjourns in Memory of Robert Reagan
0:52 CHP helicopter rescues sick hiker from near Edison Lake
1:07 Wildfire erupts in Madera County, mandatory evacuation ordered
1:15 Watch sheriff's copter team rescue teen girl from San Joaquin River
0:55 Sea lion death reported at Fresno Chaffee Zoo
1:03 How to keep your Facebook Newsfeed full of news


Columnist Peter Cavanaugh looks at Trump staff changes


Farm and ranch tour; Heritage Days; Bingo at Fresno Flat; Parade sponsorship; Tri-tip BBQ fundraiser; Book signing; EMC SPCA bake sales


Talented team made up of nine juniors and four sophomores


Sheriff’s Office welcomes two to the K9 team


The Madera County Sheriff's Offce added two new K9s to its team on Aug. 29.


Madera County Counsel Regina A. Garza has sent a response to Fresno attorney Christopher A. Brown who is representing property owners in Cascadel Heights unhappy with absentee neighbors who are making their homes available for short-term vacation rentals.


Six fires in the state burn more than 200,000 and destroy 737 structures


Jerome Jacob Henderson died Aug. 6, 2016 at the age of 46. He was born Sept. 20, 1970 in Monterey to James Henderson-Pilling and Annie.


Normajean DuBay died July 12, 2016 at the age of 81. She was born July 30, 1934 in Duluth, Minnesota to Betty and Edward Provost.


John Zingrich and his 1948 Plymouth Business Coupe received the Best of Show award at the Aug. 27 Wasuma Elementary School “Hot August Nights Car Show.”


A routine check-up at the hospital has turned into a nightmare for a Prince Rupert woman.
A month-and-a-half after having an endoscopy to inspect her nose and throat, Joan Dudoward received a letter from Northern Health stating that the endoscope used at the Prince Rupert Regional Hospital was not cleaned properly.
From April until the end of June 2016, the endoscope, which is a flexible tube with a light and a camera used in nonsurgical procedures, was being cleaned with the wrong cleaning solution to disinfect the equipment. There were 104 patients affected and Dudoward was one of them.
“I was majorly stressed out,” she said in an exclusive interview with the Northern View. “I'm a cancer survivor. I try to keep my health up for my mom, I'm a caregiver for a 95-year-old woman.”
Dudoward had gone to the Prince Rupert hospital for an endoscopy on June 29 at 3:30 p.m. after complaining to her physician about reoccurring plugged ears and a sore throat. She received the letter from Northern Health on Aug.24, which stated the error did not impact the diagnostic outcome of the tests and the process error has been corrected.
The letter also states that the BC Centre for Disease Control has been consulted and “the risk of a patient being exposed to a virus as a result of this process error is extremely low.” The contact number for the director of acute care services is offered in case she has any other questions or concerns. Dudoward has many.
She called to find out why the instrument wasn't cleaned, what had happened and how many people had gone through the procedure before and after her. “She said she's not permitted to tell me anything about this,” was the response Dudoward said she received.
The vice-president of medicine for the Northern Health authority, Dr. Ronald Chapman, was quick to respond to media inquiries and stressed the importance of transparency. He said, based on previous experience, once they realized the mistake had occurred they consulted the BC Centre for Disease Control as well as the Northern Health infectious disease specialist in Prince George.
“The risk for the patient is extremely low. We're not concerned that it will at all have any negative impact on their health,” Dr. Chapman said. He added that it's Northern Health's policy to make patients aware even if the risk to them is low. “We believe it's important to be open with those patients and to be fairly transparent so at least they are aware of the mistake. In this case, we don't recommend any particular follow up or tests for the patients.”
This type of process error has happened before, Dr. Chapman confirmed. Not with the same scope, but he said there are many different endoscopes used and each are made by different manufacturers that have various recommendations on how to clean the equipment.
“The health sector is run by human beings and it's fairly complex. If mistakes do happen what we encourage our staff to do is to make management aware so they can learn from that experience,” he said. “I'm happy to say where those mistakes have happened in our environment, a process has been put in place and we haven't had any repetitions after some of those learning experiences.”
For the 104 patients that were affected by this incident, Dr. Chapman said their general practitioners have been notified and if they have any questions they can speak to them and the infectious disease specialist. They can also contact Northern Health's Patient Care Quality Officeto register a complaint.
For Dudoward, who had a bone marrow transplant in 2011 to battle leukemia, she is concerned and has already scheduled a meeting with her physician in early September.
“I'm thinking that my body is not going to be able to fight off infection like I was able to before the cancer because chemo takes a lot out of your body so this is like a bomb exploding in my life,” she said.

VIDEO: Prince Rupert woman treated with unclean medical equipment, Northern Health, B.C. Centre for Disease Control confirms more than a hundred affected


Two months after having an endoscopy Joan Dudoward received a letter telling her that the endoscope used was not cleaned properly.


BC Ferries sailings have been busier this year, thanks in part to strong tourist traffic and no net fare increase.
BC Ferries plans to continue its campaign of price promotions this fall and next spring in an effort to maintain increased passenger and vehicle traffic.
First-quarter results for the Crown corporation show passenger traffic up 2.5 per cent and vehicle loads up 5.1 per cent for the three months ended June 30, compared with the same period in 2015.
Buoyed by a strong tourist year for B.C. and no net fare increase, BC Ferries carried 5.3 million passengers and 2.1 million vehicles in April, May and June. The 1.9 per cent average fare hike was erased by a reduced fuel surcharge due to long-term contracts for cheaper diesel fuel.
Helped by reduced operating costs and higher retail sales from terminals and on-board gift shops, net earnings were $27 million for the quarter, up from $18.8 million in the same period last year. Revenues were up 4.9 per cent to $219 million, while costs for the quarter went up 1.5 per cent to $178.6 million.
BC Ferries CEO Mike Corrigan released the first-quarter results at the corporation's annual meeting in Victoria, where he also announced that unspecified pricing promotions will be offered this fall and next spring. This year BC Ferries has been offering discounts on over-length vehicles pulling boats or travel trailers.
Corrigan also announced he will be stepping down as CEO at the end of the fiscal year next March. He was promoted in 2012 to replace former CEO David Hahn, and presided over a controversial service review that saw sailings reduced on money-losing routes.
Transportation Minister Todd Stone praised Corrigan for reducing operating costs and embracing new technology, including three new medium-sized ferries using liquefied natural gas fuel that have been built in Poland.
LNG retrofits are also scheduled for the Spirit of B.C. and the Spirit of Vancouver Island, the workhorses of the main Tswassen-to-Vancouver Island route.
Corrigan's term also saw the first cable ferry in the BC Ferries fleet, the Baynes Sound Connector to Denman Island. Stone said the cable ferry cut fuel costs by half.

More discounts coming as BC Ferries traffic rises


Vehicle traffic up 5% with no net fare increase and discounts offered for vehicles pulling boats and travel trailers


Police arrested two men and seized drugs and guns during a check on two men connected with the ongoing Townline Hill conflict.
Two handguns, a mini assault rifle, a variety of ammunition and marijuana, heroin, fake oxycodone and cocaine were seized from a home in the 3200 block of Sisken Drive on August 25, according to the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit (CFSEU). Scales, packaging, cell phones, a laptop computer and brass knuckles were also seized, and two men have now been charged.
The CFSEU says members of its uniform gang enforcement team were checking bail conditions and curfews of individuals at the home when one noticed an assault rifle. Two men were arrested and a subsequent search yielded the various items.
RELATED: Abbotsford-Mission records 15 per cent hike in crime rate
Gagandeep Singh Sandhu, 23, faces a number of charges, including two counts of possession of a prohibited weapon with ammunition and one count each of possession of a controlled substance, possession of a restricted/prohibited weapon, and possession of a firearm knowing its possession is unauthorized.
Sukhvir Singh Sidhu, 24, has been charged with one count of possession of a controlled substance.
“If individuals show disregard for the law and the safety of the public, our officers will be there to ensure that these individuals are dealt with by disrupting their criminal activities and taking their guns and drugs off the streets,” Staff Sgt. Lindsey Houghton, spokesperson for the CFSEU-BC, said in a press release. “Having charges approved against these individuals will now hold them accountable for their actions which have negatively impacted the residents of Abbotsford.”
The conflict is named for Townline Road and adjacent neighbourhoods in which two groups of young men – primarily of South Asian descent – are battling for drug turf.
Three killings have so far been linked to the Townline Hill conflict – the October 2014 drive-by fatal shooting of 18-year-old Harwin Baringh on Sparrow Drive; the September 2015 death of innocent man Ping Shun Ao, 74, who was struck by a stray bullet which had been intended for his neighbour on Promontory Court; and the March 2016 shooting of a 22-year-old man while he was outside a home on Hawthorne Avenue.
In July, police said a shooting that left an SUV pockmarked with bullet holes and sent the occupant to hospital had "all the earmarks" of the conflict.

Guns and drugs seized, two arrested in connection to Townline Hill conflict


Police found two handguns, a mini assault rifle and a variety of ammunition and marijuana during a curfew check on Aug. 26 in Abbotsford.


Re: Tree spikers cling to Lelu Island (B.C. Views, July 20).
Tom Fletcher seems to believe protecting salmon is not only bad, but dishonest. He suggests it’s an effort to cover up an international plot to kill B.C.’s oil and gas opportunities and Alberta’s oilsands.
His column falsely asserts that, along with other groups, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation has “poured money into anti-LNG campaigns in B.C., as they funded opposition to oilsands development before them. Indeed, the record suggests the long project to establish what environmental front groups named the Great Bear Rainforest was a strategy to stop hydrocarbon exports from western Canada, even as U.S. sources ramped up production.”
The foundation’s Wild Salmon Ecosystems Initiative supports groups working to ensure that all factors – social, environmental and economic – are fairly respected in development decisions. It does not fund efforts to stop oil and gas development.
Salmon support a huge economy that provides jobs, social and cultural benefits. And, in British Columbia, unlike many other parts of North America, we still have a chance to keep most salmon watersheds intact. This is why the foundation supports the efforts of communities to protect these fish. This means ensuring that scientific evidence is fully addressed in project development, including siting decisions.
We are proud supporters of the Great Bear Rainforest, not because we are “anti” anything else, but because this is a unique region. Like the Amazon and the Great Barrier Reef, it is recognized by experts around the globe as one of the planet’s most important and unique natural wonders.
It is a region that deserved to be protected on its own merits – a fact so clear that federal, provincial and First Nation governments came together with industry and environmental groups to ensure it would be. To portray this impressive collaboration as an anti-oil and gas does a disservice to the broad array of Canadians and First Nations that prioritized its preservation.
The Moore Foundation supported this as part of our commitment to assist groups that seek to protect wild salmon habitats along the West Coast. People, issues, organizations and funds cross the Canada-U.S. border all the time. There isn’t anything unusual about Canadian environmental groups requesting and receiving donations from international foundations that share the same environmental goals.
Ivan Thompson, B.C. Program Officer, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Vancouver

LETTER: U.S. foundations protecting salmon


Representative of Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation says it doesn't support efforts to stop oil and gas development


A totally spontaneous expression of gratitude breaks out for Premier Christy Clark and Cariboo North MLA Coralee Oakes at the Quesnel rodeo after a rural school fund was announced in June.
Comedian Steve Smith, better known as Red Green, is touring B.C. in September, reprising his popular TV series in which he fixes every conceivable problem with duct tape.
Green’s “I’m Not Old I’m Ripe” tour hits Chilliwack, Victoria, Nanaimo, Courtenay, Surrey, Vernon, Kelowna and Prince George.
His formula for deploying the handyman’s secret weapon has proven so popular that Premier Christy Clark may have been inspired. She’s had quite a flurry of hasty repairs in the last few months. Here’s a recap.
The B.C. minimum wage was starting to lag behind other provinces, even after the overhaul it received in 2015, where annual increases are tied to inflation.
Like Red’s truck tires, there has been a lack of inflation, and a surge of government spending back east leaving B.C. in the dust. B.C.’s wage rose 20 cents last year and was set to go up by another whole dime this fall.
There was that familiar ripping sound in May as Clark and Jobs Minister Shirley Bond announced the September increase will be patched up to 40 cents, with another 40-cent increase next fall. Two wraps should hold it until after the election.
Remember the episode where Red taped two old Hyundai Ponies side by side to make a handyman’s Hummer? The school system has seen that kind of work in recent months.
The first roll was applied by Education Minister Mike Bernier when he announced in March that the ministry’s “fix-it fund” was going from $35 million to $40 million. Then in mid-May, he announced 80 successful projects. The “fix-it fund” had fattened to $45 million, and Bernier was just getting his sleeves rolled up.
Hey school districts, remember the $25 million in “administrative savings” the ministry demanded for the second year in a row? Now that you’ve squeezed that from your budgets, Bernier’s good news at the end of May was that the government’s giving it back to use for “front line services for students.”
One of those services could be “maintaining schools despite falling enrolment in certain regions,” Bernier announced May 31, foreshadowing the next layer of repairs.
Sure enough, a “rural schools fund” was rolled out on June 15. Clark and Cariboo North MLA Coralee Oakes made the announcement in Quesnel, where Kersley and Parkland elementary schools were going to close.
Also eligible for a special fund was Okanagan-Similkameen, where Osoyoos high school students were going to be bused a half hour to Oliver. This is hardly unusual in rural schooling around B.C., but these are swing ridings, you see.
Kootenay Lake district declined the opportunity to keep Yahk elementary open, with an anticipated fall enrolment of zero students. This all comes during the annual ritual combat between the ministry and Vancouver school board over keeping half-empty schools open.
Bernier had one more roll in his overalls. School bus service, one of those things jettisoned or saddled with hundreds of dollars in fees per student as districts scraped up those “administrative savings,” was selectively saved with another $15 million fund announced last week.
There have been a few other country fixes. They’re not going to ban weddings on farms any more, for instance.
That old jalopy in the back yard you’ve been trying to soup up and get back on the road? Soon you can get a collector plate for that thing, which is perfect if you can only get it running once or twice a year.
To paraphrase Red, if the voters don’t find you handsome, they should at least find you handy.
Tom Fletcher is B.C. legislature reporter and columnist for Black Press. Email: tfletcher@blackpress.ca Twitter: @tomfletcherbc

BC VIEWS: Premier Red Green’s fast fixes


Premier Christy Clark has pulled out the duct tape to fix up rural schools, school buses and the minimum wage


By JIM REITH, President Abbotsford Airshow
It is my pleasure to welcome you to the 2016 Abbotsford International Airshow – Heroes of the Skies! Gadgets, special suits, technology and the coolest flying machines… Learn what it takes to be a HERO at the 2016 Abbotsford International Airshow!
From August 12-14, Heroes of the Skies take flight over the Fraser Valley for the 54th annual Abbotsford International Airshow. Watch in awe as we welcome back the world-class Breitling Jet Team from Europe in the second and final year of their North American tour. Explore the McDonald’s Kids Zone and Science World on the Road! Experience Friday’s twilight show and fireworks finale! And, watch in awe as the Screamin’ Sasquatch Jet Waco, Boeing and US Navy Super Hornets, Snowbirds, Skyhawks and others take to the sky!
The Airshow is pleased to welcome the involvement of several key players in the aviation industry, including Lockheed Martin, Boeing and Eurofighter and more. Spectators will see Boeing’s involvement in dramatic fashion – as the aerospace giant will bring two jets to do corporate flying demos with a full array of simulated weapons, a simulation trailer and the test pilot will be available to talk about the exceptional capabilities of the aircraft. Lockheed Martin and Eurofighter are also on-site in various capacities with educational and promotional pieces.
“An aspect of the Airshow’s strategic vision is to strengthen key partnerships with aerospace organizations such as AIAC Pacific who produce an annual Aerospace & Defence trade show in conjunction with our airshow, and the CBAA which will hold its annual convention next year at Abbotsford in conjunction with the airshow as well. Looking to the future, we expect the Abbotsford Airshow will have a major aerospace trade show event occurring in the days prior to the public weekend show in the style of Farnborough and Paris airshows.”
Heroes of the Skies tell the stories of everyday women and men who work hard to make the world a better place, in their own communities and beyond. We are proud to honour them at this year’s Abbotsford International Airshow! Tickets for this action-packed weekend are available at Save-On-Foods or by clicking abbotsfordairshow.com.
Next Generation BC Amateur Photographer of the Year
Finalists for this year’s 4th annual Next Generation BC Amateur Photographer of the Year contest have now been selected. From Vernon to Victoria and from Surrey to Smithers, seventy finalists have been chosen from all corners of BC to move forward and compete in an intense competition at the Abbotsford International Airshow, where they will race against the clock to complete daily photo challenges. Finalists will shoot 10 of their best photographs and/or videos, to be reviewed by a judging panel — one will come out with the title of 2016 Next Generation Amateur Photographer of the Year. Almost 3,000 entries were received from 80 B.C. communities.
Whether you’re a finalist or not, this is a show you won’t want to miss: The Abbotsford International Airshow is world-renowned for its prestigious performers and family-friendly entertainment. The 2016 Airshow on August 12th through 14th will feature two jet teams, (Snowbirds and the European Breitling Jet Teams ) a Friday twilight show with fireworks, the Canadian Forces Skyhawks parachute team, and the US military jet, the Super Hornet to name but a few. More details visit www.abbotsfordairshow.com.
CLICK HERE FOR INTERACTIVE AIRSHOW SPECIAL INCLUDING VIDEO
Photographhs by Ken McAllister - 2015 Next Generation Amateur Photographer of the Year. Photographs featured from the 2015 Abbotsford Airshow.
Congratulations to all of the finalists in the 2016 Next Generation Amateur Photographer of the Year contest, sponsored by London Drugs, the Abbotsford International Airshow, and Black Press. To see photo gallery click here. See you there!


The Abbotsford International Airshow takes place Aug. 12-14 and includes US Navy Super Hornets and the Breitling Jet Team


Solitude in the wilderness is still available in B.C., between holiday weekends when demand peaks at B.C.'s most popular parks.
Foreign visitors and those on package tours are a small fraction of the demand for B.C. Parks campgrounds around the province, but B.C. resident campers are still using a few tricks to get spaces for high-demand parks.
Some have protested the use of online reservations by motorhome tour operators who sell them as part of a package for tourists.
"Our provincial campsites are not products to be sold, they belong to the people of B.C.," Green Party leader Andrew Weaver said this week.
Environment Minister Mary Polak told Black Press numbers are being tracked for the current year, and the proportions haven't changed much. In 2015, fewer than one per cent of reservable B.C. Parks spaces were booked by tour operators, who also use private camping facilities.
Three quarters of reservations are from within B.C. The second highest share is from Alberta at 14 per cent, the U.S. accounts for 3.6 per cent, the rest of Canada 2.8 per cent, and all European countries combined are 6.6 per cent of the total.
The BC Parks system has 10,700 camping spaces in total, and 5,600 are reservable, to manage demand for the most popular spots.
First-come, first-served sites are kept out of the reservation system in some popular locations to accommodate travellers who drop in along the road. For high-demand periods like the recent Canada Day weekend, savvy campers work the reservation system.
At Golden Ears Provincial Park, one group booked for two weeks as soon as the 90-day eligibility window opened, then dropped the first week, giving them the coveted Canada Day weekend dates before they were generally available.
"Every year we look to change things to keep people from cheating, and every year they find new ways," Polak said. "Really the only answer is going to be finding a way to expand the number of sites that we have available."
It's shaping up as a record year for the Discover Camping reservation service, with 92,000 bookings so far this year.
B.C. Parks has added four new sites for this summer. Reservations can be made for Garibaldi Provincial Park in the Whistler area, Ruckle Provincial Park on Saltspring Island, Okanagan Falls Provincial Park, Inland Lake Provincial Park near Powell River and Dry Gulch Provincial Park near Radium Hot Springs.

Provincial campsite rush mostly B.C. residents


Few BC Parks bookings going to commercial operators, solution is more campsite spaces, Environment Minister Mary Polak says


B.C. has 300 seniors' care facilities, and residents and their loved ones are to be surveyed on conditions.
More than 250 volunteers have signed up to compile a survey of seniors in residential care, and B.C.'s Seniors Advocate is looking for more.
The 27,000 seniors living in 300 residential care facilities around the province are being asked about their experience with care home staff, the quality of food, privacy, medications and other conditions.
It's the first comprehensive survey done in B.C., to measure resident satisfaction and provide a "roadmap" for improvements, said Seniors Advocate Isobel Mackenzie.
Interviews will be conducted in person by trained volunteers, and a matching mail-out survey will be sent to each resident's most frequent visitor.
The project is seeking volunteers with a range of professional backgrounds, ages and ethnicities. To apply as a volunteer, visit www.surveybcseniors.org or call the Office of the Seniors Advocate at 1-877-952-3181.


Volunteers to ask seniors about staff, food, privacy, medications and other conditions in residential care


Stephen Colbert records an episode of his U.S. comedy show from Vancouver during the 2010 Olympics, expressing amazement about the lack of igloos in February. Expo 86 and the Olympics were designed to put Vancouver on the world map, and it seems to have worked.
With a bit of grumbling behind the scenes, our 85 MLAs have trekked back to Victoria this week to deal with an emergency summer legislature sitting.
The stated purpose of this brief session is to comply with a demand from Vancouver city council for the ability to impose additional property tax on vacant residential properties.
Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson, a former NDP MLA who likes to direct provincial affairs when he isn’t issuing instructions to Ottawa on pipeline policy, should be careful what he wishes for. B.C. Finance Minister Mike de Jong was happy to drop this hot potato in his lap, and now Vancouver city hall can try to determine who’s vacationing for a few months and who’s holding an investment property while living somewhere else.
When NDP leader John Horgan began calling for a “speculation tax” of 1.5 per cent on “offshore” investments, de Jong cited a Vancouver survey that showed the number of vacant properties in the city was declining, even as prices were climbing rapidly.
Horgan argues that Metro Vancouver is in the grip of a housing “bubble” that must be caused by foreign money.
“If wages have been stagnant for a decade, which they have, where is the revenue coming from to inflate these prices?” Horgan said last week. “It’s coming from somewhere else. And that’s not sustainable over the long term.”
Another point likely to be made repeatedly this week is that the province stopped collecting citizenship and residency data on real estate purchases back in the late 1990s. De Jong changed that this spring and with great fanfare rolled out the first three weeks of sales data from June.
They showed that only three per cent of purchases of B.C. residential real estate were from foreign buyers, mostly from China. They were concentrated in Metro Vancouver, and accounted for about five per cent of the total value, which suggests they were for higher-end properties.
This was assailed from all sides. Not a big enough sample size, doesn’t prove anything, etc.
(De Jong abruptly announced on Monday that they were imposing a 15 per cent additional property transfer tax on foreign buyers. On Tuesday he released another few weeks of foreign buyer data.)
We have one of those situations I call coffee shop consensus. Everybody “knows” it’s Chinese money pouring into B.C., and that many homes are being left empty, even if the actual evidence doesn’t show that.
Seattle has a similar problem with real estate in choice locations, by the way. Down there, the coffee shop consensus seems to be that it’s those darn San Francisco and Silicon Valley grillionaires who are driving up prices beyond the reach of working folks.
Blaming foreigners is a great narrative. We saw the same thing with B.C. campgrounds. Utter nonsense, but it has “truthiness,” as U.S. comedian Stephen Colbert says. Truthiness comes from the gut, not the brain.
In a recent radio interview with CKNW’s combative talk show host John McComb, de Jong put forward another theory. He mentioned that the aim of hosting Expo 86 and the 2010 Winter Olympics was to put Vancouver on the global map, and it seems to have worked.
Whistler has worked as a world destination too, as galling as it may be to those who insist these were all costly failures.
The real estate boom has had ripple effects in Victoria and other urban centres, with bidding wars for choice homes.
And it’s beginning to reverse a long trend of depopulation from small communities and rural areas, as people are forced to look for something they can afford.
And it’s produced an urban building boom, including the rental market. There are worse problems to have.
Tom Fletcher is B.C. legislature reporter and columnist for Black Press. Email: tfletcher@blackpress.ca Twitter: @tomfletcherbc

BC VIEWS: Housing ‘crisis’ decades in the making


Expo 86, and later the Vancouver Olympics, were designed to put B.C. and Vancouver on the world map


SURREY, B.C. – Fraser Health has launched a poster ad campaign bolstering its ongoing drive to raise awareness of what it says is the overdose crisis in British Columbia.
The posters will be displayed at transit stops, bars and restaurants, and are aimed at recreational and regular drug users, their families and friends.
One message on the stark, black and white posters says: "If you use drugs: Have a plan. Go slowly. Use with a buddy. Carry naloxone."
The posters also offer instructions for anyone finding an overdose victim, directing them to call 911, start emergency breathing and use naloxone, which can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.
Fraser Health says in a news release that it is confident about the effectiveness of the campaign because the posters were tested in focus groups of regular and recreational drug users.
In April, B.C.'s provincial health officer declared a public health emergency linked to the soaring number of opioid overdoses, and the declaration remains in effect.
Dr. Victoria Lee, Fraser Health's chief medical health officer, says the poster campaign is an extension of the health authority's ongoing public awareness campaign, but she says much more has been done to fight overdose deaths.
"We've created new substance-use beds to provide safe and supportive environments for people (who) require additional support on their road to recovery," Lee says in the release.
Over the last 12 to 18 months, Fraser Health has opened 50 new substance-use beds, including a three-bed program for youth and a 12-bed facility for women who are pregnant or have newborns.
A further 97 beds are slated to open by 2017 across the region, which stretches from Burnaby, through Surrey to White Rock and east to Hope.
The announcement of the poster campaign and the update on available substance-use beds comes as Fraser Health prepares to mark International Overdose Awareness Day on Aug. 31.
The Canadian Press

New Fraser Health poster campaign raises awareness of opioid overdoses


Stark posters warn of overdose dangers to be displayed at transit stops, bars and restaurants aimed at recreational drug users


The B.C. government's plan B for income assistance cheques and other time-sensitive documents could be re-activated as the long-running Canada Post labour dispute reaches another deadline.
The Canadian Union of Postal Workers is in a legal position to strike as of Monday, but postponed threatened rotating strike action after weekend talks with a federal mediator. Its initial action would be an overtime ban rather than a full-scale walkout that would disrupt mail delivery.
Canada Post served lockout notice in July, with the two sides far apart on issues including pension changes for future employees and pay for rural carriers.
Income assistance, rent subsidy and other B.C. government payments are not affected if they are direct deposit. For mailed cheques and information, updates on possible postal strike effects to the Ministry of Social Development will be available as necessary at this website or at 1-866-866-0800.
Phone and online contacts are set up for questions about affected provincial departments:
• Ministry of Advanced Education and StudentAidBC online here.
• Ministry of Children and Family Development 1-877-387-7027
• Medical Services Plan payments online here or 1-877-405-4909
• ICBC inquiries 1-800-663-3051
• Family Maintenance and Enforcement program 604-660-2528
• Public Guardian and Trustee online here or 604-660-4444
• Vital Statistics 1-888-876-1633
• WorkSafe BC online here or 1-888-967-5377

B.C. prepares for possible postal disruption


Province has alternatives if Canada Post employees begin strike action


Jordan Bateman, Canadian Taxpayers' Federation
The B.C. government is hearing objections from businesses and individuals faced with increasing Canada Pension Plan contributions in the coming years, and is the last province needed to ratify the increase.
Instead of joining other provinces in meeting the federal government's July deadline to adopt the change, the B.C. government launched a consultation phase expected to run through August. And they are getting push-back on a plan that would increase payroll deductions and employer contributions starting in 2019.
Jordan Bateman, B.C. director of the Canadian Taxpayers' Federation, said he's receiving hundreds of responses to his call to supporters to make their views known to the B.C. government. Most concerned are employers who would pay higher contributions for each of their employees.
Employer and employee contributions are to go up from the current 4.95 per cent of earnings to 5.95 per cent by 2023. For each employee earning $54,900, the employer contribution goes up $7 to $8 per month in each of the first five years of the phase-in.
"Obviously, lots of people are concerned about having to pay more," Bateman said. "But the interesting ones are the small business owners who talk about just how close to the edge they are financially."
B.C. Finance Minister Mike de Jong joined other provinces in agreeing in principle to the expansion in June. Federal Finance Minister Bill Morneau said he is concerned about the decline in workplace pension plans and wants the CPP to move from replacing one quarter of employment income to one third by 2025.
The Canadian Federation of Independent Business surveyed its members nation-wide when the CPP plan was announced, and more than 80 per cent wanted consultation and a delay of implementation. Morneau has indicated he plans to table legislation this fall.
B.C.'s refusal to sign on could derail the federal plan, but it shows little intention of doing so.
"British Columbia is committed to engaging with stakeholders in advance of ratifying the agreement in principle," said the statement from de Jong's office announcing the consultation.
The province's consultation website and feedback address can be found here.


B.C. stands in the way of Justin Trudeau government's plan to hike Canada Pension Plan contributions, but likely not for long


Two men and a mining company in receivership have been charged with 18 pollution infractions related to their shut-down gold mine on an island near Prince Rupert.
Benjamin Mossman and Dirk Meckert are scheduled to appear in Prince Rupert provincial court Sept. 7. Also charged is Banks Island Gold Ltd., which went into receivership after being shut down last year for provincial permit violations.
The Yellow Giant mine was ordered shut down by the Ministry of Environment in July 2015 after a tailings spill was reported on a tip. There is one charge of failing to report a spill of a polluting substance, and the other 17 charges are for failing to comply with permits.
North Coast MLA Jennifer Rice raised the issue in the legislature this spring, after receiving a letter from the Gitxaala First Nation referring to two separate tailings spills. Rice said the ministry did not inspect the operation for 15 months, until receiving a complaint.
NDP mining critic Norm Macdonald told the legislature a worker at the mine "became fed up, put his job on the line, sent the ministry and me a tip and pictures that documented what was going on there."
Energy and Mines Minister Bill Bennett said the mine was shut down when the situation was brought to its attention. The mine's 90 employees lost their jobs.
The province has a $420,000 security bond from the mining company, to provide ongoing monitoring. In March the mines ministry and Banks Island Gold removed explosives from the mine site and in May ministry technical staff assessed the hazardous materials on site.
The B.C. Conservation Officer Service, which recommended the charges, would not comment on the current condition of the Banks Island site, because it is evidence for the prosecution.

Banks Island miners face 18 pollution charges


Gold mine near Prince Rupert shut down last summer for permit violations, owners charged for failing to report spill


Almost a year after B.C. farm weddings were banned due to a crackdown on agricultural land use rules, the B.C. government has clarified what commercial activities are allowed on farmland.
Farmers can host up to 10 commercial weddings, concerts or non-agricultural events per year without a permit from the Agricultural Land Commission. Farmers can take payment to host a wedding or other event as long as no more than 150 guests attend and a list of conditions are met, according to regulations that took effect Tuesday.
To qualify, event hosts must provide all parking on the farm rather than along roads, with no permanent parking lots or structures, and the event must end in less than 24 hours. For more than 10 events a year or exceeding 150 guests, properties with farm tax status must apply to the ALC for a permit.
The new regulation also clarifies ALC policies to allow, with no permit, farm tours and demonstrations, hayrides, corn mazes, pumpkin patch tours, harvest and Christmas fairs and special occasion events to promote farm products.
Agriculture Minister Norm Letnick said the regulation requiring farms to generate at least 50 per cent of its revenue from farm products is also scrapped, after consultation in the past year suggested the new rules instead.
The crackdown on farm weddings came last fall, when the ALC issued stop-work orders to B.C. farms including the Fraser Valley, Kelowna and Vancouver Island.
The restriction came after the province expanded farm uses to allow breweries and distilleries to operate on protected farmland with the same rules used to permit wineries. The rules allowed for processing of farm crops into products such as juice or jam for commercial sale.


No permit required for weddings, festivals on farms if fewer than 150 people attend, says Agriculture Minister Norm Letnick


Doug Kelly, chair of the B.C. First Nations Health Council
With patients in urban areas having difficulty finding a family doctor, the situation in rural B.C. is going from bad to worse, MLAs on the province's health committee were told Monday.
Ed Staples, a member of the B.C. Health Coalition, described his efforts to improve the situation in Princeton, a community of about 5,000 people that four years ago was down to one doctor providing on-call service.
Princeton now has four full-time doctors and two nurse practitioners, but there are still people who can't find a doctor in the region, including Penticton an hour and a half away. A recent search of the College of Physicians and Surgeons website turned up the nearest doctor accepting patients in Courtney on Vancouver Island, Staples said.
Health Match BC, the province's web portal for recruiting doctors, nurses and other health professionals, currently has more than 400 general practitioner vacancies, with 37 communities seeking 85 doctors. The result is "bidding wars" between communities to offer incentives to relocating doctors, and foreign doctors using a rural community as an entry point before relocating to the Lower Mainland, he said.
The B.C. government has announced its latest videoconferencing service for health care, linking psychiatrists with young people in Cranbrook. The service is available twice a month at the local Children and Family Development office, supplementing visits by specialists in communities such as Cranbrook and Princeton. Health Minister Terry Lake says video conferencing and electronic health records are a key part of the solution for reaching patients across B.C.
Doug Kelly, chair of the B.C. First Nations Health Council, told the committee of an Abbotsford doctor who travels to Carrier Sekani territory around Prince George for part of his practice, in a pilot project with Northern Health.
Kelly said video links and nurse practitioners are part of the solution to delivering rural and remote care, but the main obstacle is the business model for doctors that has them cycling through as many as 20 patients an hour to bill enough to cover their office overhead.
Committee members were also reminded that graduating doctors are increasingly reluctant to take on the demands of family practice, especially in smaller communities where they may find themselves on call around the clock.

Video links grow as rural health care shrinks


Small communities have more than 400 doctor vacancies, with 'telehealth' and visiting specialists filling gaps


Wood products exports from Canada to Asia were down 18 per cent in the first six months of 2016, with the biggest decline being softwood lumber from B.C. to China, according to the Seattle-based Wood Resources International.
Lumber sales to China are on pace to drop by 50 per cent this year compared to 2014, as B.C. lumber producers direct their sales to a healthy U.S. lumber market, according to customs data tracked for the Wood Resources Quarterly (www.woodprices.com).
The latest edition notes that by value, 75 per cent of B.C.'s exports to Asia in 2015 and 2016 are in the form of lumber, while 77 per cent of exports from Washington and Oregon are logs.
Asian demand reached a record high in 2013, with China passing Japan as the largest importer of North American wood products in 2011. The B.C. and federal governments promote wood construction in China and Japan, and B.C.'s forest minister is required to conduct an annual trade mission to China, Japan and other Asian countries.
The shift in demand provides extra urgency for talks to renew the Canada-U.S. softwood lumber agreement that expired last year. B.C. sales are booming without the export cap that both Ottawa and Washington have agreed will be required.

Lumber exports shift to U.S. as China sales slump


Asian demand for B.C. wood products peaked in 2013, analyst says China sales on pace for 50 per cent drop


Students return to public school next week, with changes to curriculum and some provincial exams.
Students are returning to class next week in most of B.C.'s public schools, with enrolment expected to be up province-wide for the second year running.
Education Minister Mike Bernier says early forecasts show about 529,000 students, an increase of 2,900 from last year. But that increase is centred on fast-growing school districts, while many rural areas continue to struggle with declining student numbers.
Among changes that parents and students will see this year is a new curriculum in place up to Grade 9, with a test year for changes in the senior grades. Bernier said the new emphasis on collaboration and communication skills does not mean a watering down of the basic skills, and is designed to improve students' ability to work at modern jobs.
Report cards are to continue this school year, but the ministry is reviewing its system with an eye to providing more frequent updates. Parents are being consulted on the changes, Bernier said.
Foundation Skills Assessment tests in grades four and seven are also continuing after years of protests from teacher unions, but that program is also being examined for possible changes. FSA tests will be "enhanced" but not eliminated, Bernier said.
Provincial exams continue for graduates in math and English, but science and social studies will now be assessed at a classroom level rather than school-wide tests, Bernier said.
The ministry provided a series of top-ups to education funding this year, for bus service and to keep selected rural schools from closing. Applications are still being taken for a transportation fund until Sept. 30, requiring districts to drop across-the-board school bus fees to qualify.
Districts may still charge transportation fees for international students or those from outside a school catchment area.
NDP leader John Horgan highlighted the crowding in Surrey school district, where 7,000 students remain in portables despite an expansion program. The NDP says the B.C. government's claim of record per-student funding ignores a reduction of education funding as a share of the provincial economy.
"Since 2001, the B.C. Liberals have dragged public education funding in this province from the second best in Canada to the second worst," Horgan said.

B.C. school enrolment up for second year


Some urban districts struggle with overcrowding, special funds for declining rural schools, bus service to take effect


The B.C. government has approved a master development plan for a new year-round ski resort in the Cariboo Mountains west of Valemount.
Valemount Glacier Destination Resort is a $175 million project led by Oberto Oberti, who designed the Kicking Horse Mountain Resort near Golden and the controversial Jumbo Glacier Resort proposal west of Invermere.
The Valemount plan includes lifts and gondolas that would carry skiers and sight-seers to the summits of Mount Pierre Elliott Trudeau and Mount Arthur Meighen. Its vertical drop of 2,050 metres would be higher than Whistler-Blackcomb and the largest in North America.
"There are very few places in the world, and none in North America, where you go and ride a lift to the very top and the glacier is below you," said Jill Bodkin, a director of the company.
Valemount is a remote community of about 1,000 residents near the Alberta border east of Prince George. The region is west of Jasper National Park, which attracts visitors from around the world.
On the project's website, Oberti says people will travel to Switzerland for this kind of mountain resort experience, so a three-hour drive from Prince George isn't an obstacle to success.
Valemount Mayor Jeanette Townsend called the master plan approval "exciting news." She said the community attracts visitors who stay there to avoid the expensive accommodation in Jasper and the resort will take it to the next level.
Chief Nathan Matthew of the Simpcw First Nation said his community has been involved since the beginning, and he sees the project as an important economic development for the northern part of Simpcw's traditional territory.

B.C. approves Valemount glacier resort plan


Designer of Kicking Horse and Jumbo resorts gets approval to proceed with $175 million project east of Prince George


The union representing most workers at Canada Post has issued a 72-hour notice of job action as it tries to bargain a collective agreement with the Crown corporation.
The Canadian Union of Postal Workers says the notice spells out what actions it is planning, but stops short of a full-blown walkout.
CUPW national president Mike Palecek says Canada Post forced the labour disruption by refusing to accept a request from the federal labour minister to continue negotiations with the help of a special mediator.
But a spokesman for the agency says that's not the case.
The union's strike mandate was set to expire at midnight.
The two sides have been in negotiations for more than nine months but are far apart on key issues including pay equity for rural carriers and proposed changes to the Canada Post pension plan.
The Canadian Press

Postal union issues strike notice after it says Canada Post refused special mediator


Notice means delivery could be cancelled as early as Monday


Modified versions of the 1969 Camaro SS and other popular vehicles will soon be eligible for B.C. collector plates, allowing occasional use for parades and car shows.
The B.C. government is expanding its collector vehicle licence system to include eligible modified cars made between 1958 and 1974, to capture the popular "muscle car" era of the 1960s.
The ICBC collector plate program gives car enthusiasts a lower-cost licence plate that allows occasional use for parades and classic car shows. ICBC plans to take applications starting in 2017 for eligible modified vehicles up to 1974, and replica cars resembling North American production cars from 1942 and earlier.
With strict rules that the cars must be in "collectible condition," changes will take in modified popular cars from the Dodge Duster to the Chevrolet Camaro and Ford Mustang, as well as replicas of the popular Ford "deuce coupe" from the 1930s.
Premier Christy Clark announced a break for older cars this spring, allowing vehicles from 1940 or earlier and their replicas to run without fenders or mud flaps when the highway is dry and paved.
Transportation Minister Todd Stone said the collector car industry is significant for B.C., with registered collector vehicles having doubled to 26,000 in the past 10 years.
"We want to see this specialty vehicle program remain viable, preserve vehicle history and evolve with the times," Stone said. "That's why we are opening up the opportunity to owners of specialty cars within the 'muscle car' era."
Currently, the standard collector plate is available to cars 25 years or older, as well as discontinued or limited production vehicles 15 years or older. It requires a stock engine with no performance enhancements, no rust, dents or "significant wear and tear" of the interior.
Modified vehicles from 1958 or older are currently eligible for collector plates, if they retain the shell of the original body but have parts replaced or modified in the chassis, engine, suspension, steering or brakes.
Owners have to apply for a collector or modified collector plate, with purchase and parts bills, photos and inspection reports.
Applications for collector and modified collector programs are available on ICBC's website, www.icbc.com, and can be dropped off at Autoplan brokers.

Collector program expanding to 'muscle cars'


Collector plates will be available next year for modified as well as stock cars made between 1958 and 1974


Canada's softwood lumber agreement with the U.S. expired last fall, and U.S. interests are pushing to reduce the share allowed to go south.
Premier Christy Clark and other provincial and territorial leaders have written to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, asking him to refute the latest lumber trade action by U.S. interests.
"Unfair and inaccurate allegations of Canadian lumber subsidies" have been made by 25 U.S. Senators to U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman, seeking a reduction in the cap on Canadian lumber sales, the premiers wrote from their meeting in Whitehorse this week.
The premiers cited decisions by the World Trade Organization and NAFTA in 2006 that found Canadian subsidies to be less than one per cent and ineligible for trade action.
Trudeau and U.S. President Barack Obama reported progress on negotiating a new softwood lumber deal after their meeting in Ottawa in late June.
Trudeau and Obama's joint statement acknowledged the increase in cross-border ownership of forest products producers, and said a key feature a new agreement would be "designed to maintain Canadian exports at or below an agreed US. market share to be negotiated."
The last Canada-U.S. softwood lumber agreement expired in the fall of 2015, leaving trade unrestricted as Canadian producers benefit from a stronger U.S. dollar and housing construction.

U.S. Senators 'inaccurate' on lumber claim: Premiers


Premier Christy Clark protests to Prime minister Justin Trudeau about latest claims of softwood subsidy


Cameras were the focus as 70 photographers from across B.C., including Metro Vancouver, the Fraser Valley, Kelowna and Nelson, competed in the fourth annual Next Generation BC Amateur Photographer of the Year Contest at the recent Abbotsford International Airshow.
Sponsored by London Drugs and Black Press Media, the contest took place Aug. 12-14, as participants captured their best air, crowd, static, and wildcard shots.
Photographers experienced close-up action at the airshow including Friday's twilight show, and earned the "hot-side" tour at the airshow where they shot exclusive aircraft including the F-35, CF-18, FA-18, Breitling Jet Team, the Snowbirds and more for a chance to win the title of B.C.'s next Amateur Photographer title.
Awarding categories also include The Best in-air photograph ($750 grand prize), The Best ground/static scene photograph ($500 prize),The Best crowd scene photograph ($250 prize ), The Best video submission ($500 prize) all courtesy of London Drugs and honorary acknowledgement for Best Wildcard entry.
For the People's Choice Award Winner, the time has arrived for the public to vote on their favourite photo and be entered for a chance to win BC Lions game tickets.
For voting and contest information, click here.

Voting open for People's Choice Amateur Photography Competition


Photographers from across the province competed in amateur competition