PERTH, ONT. — A suspect wanted for second-degree murder in the death of a man in southern Ontario may be camping somewhere in rural British Columbia.

Ontario Provincial Police say 34-year-old Christo Richards of Ottawa died in hospital after being found injured in a park in the town of Perth on April 12.

They say a 46-year-old suspect was charged with conspiracy to commit murder in May, and their investigation has since led to the seizure of two firearms from a rural property in Terrace, B.C.

Police say a 32-year-old from Ottawa has been charged with accessory after the fact to murder, while 34-year-old Joseph Madore is believed to be camping in rural B.C.

Abbotsford police have said Madore has “known associations” in B.C. communities such as Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Richmond and Terrace.

Police say another man, Brayton Kennedy of Ottawa, is also at large and wanted for second-degree murder, but it’s not known where he could be.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 10, 2026.

The Canadian Press

The man accused of murdering Tatjana Stefanski in British Columbia more than two years ago testified Wednesday that he tried to kill himself twice in the hours after her death, by drowning in a lake and by stabbing himself with a kitchen knife found at an empty cabin.

But Vitali Stefanski denied harming his ex-wife or deliberately dumping her remains, saying instead that she stabbed herself in his car and her body later “slipped” from his grasp, the day before it was found off a forestry road outside Lumby in B.C.’s southern Interior, with seven stab wounds to the chest and other injuries.

Stefanski, who has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder at his B.C. Supreme Court jury trial in Kamloops, testified that he “did everything” he could to get her medical help after driving away with her from her home on April 13, 2024.

He described climbing over her through the passenger side of his car, discovering she had been stabbed with his own fishing knife, then heading in a different direction from the nearest hospital because of the way his car was parked.

The court has previously heard that Tatjana Stefanski was found dead the next day, with police testifying that Vitali Stefanski emerged shoeless from the forest, confessed to killing her and pointed officers towards where her body was found. Stefanski denied that account in his testimony, saying he hoped at the time that she was still alive.

The defence rested its case after cross-examination of Stefanski concluded on Wednesday, with closing arguments expected to begin next week.

The court has heard that Tatjana Stefanski’s heart and a lung were pierced by the wounds to her chest and she also suffered 21 “sharp-force injuries” to her arms and legs.

Vitali Stefanski offered no explanation for most of her injuries. He admitted they all occurred after she entered his car, but denied causing any of them when pressed by a prosecutor on Wednesday.

He said under cross-examination that he saw his ex-wife stab herself twice, though the second time appeared accidental because she had begun “twisting” in the passenger seat.

“The first one, I would say (was a) stab wound, and the second one, I would not call it a stab wound. It was a kind of injury,” he said in a heavy accent.

Stefanski said both he and his ex-wife had entered his black Audi through the passenger door, after she approached him at her home with a bloody nose.

He admitted climbing over a passenger was a strange way to access the driver’s seat, but denied Crown lawyer Laura Drake’s suggestion that he did so to ensure she could not leave.

Stefanski also denied pushing her into the car despite Crown lawyers playing a video of a police interview seven weeks later, in which he tells an officer he grabbed his ex-wife and pushed her to get her into the vehicle.

Though he said he “did everything” to try to get his ex-wife medical help after she stabbed herself, he agreed that she was already bleeding profusely before they left the driveway of her home. But he said he did not call 911 or drive toward the Vernon hospital.

“In that situation, (I) was like really scared,” he said when asked why he instead began driving toward Lumby.

He said he made that choice because his car had been parked facing that direction, and they went in search of a medical clinic.

He said it wasn’t until they reached an intersection in the town that he took the knife from her and he realized it was his own fishing knife.

He said he felt “everything from fear to grief” as he described her getting quiet as they lost cell reception driving along Mable Lake Road. At some point, he said, she decided to lie down and stopped responding, which is when he began accepting “she is maybe dead.”

He said he removed her body from the back seat to see if she was alive, but when he tried to put her body back in the car, it “slipped” down the embankment.

“I couldn’t hold it. So, these two fingers on both legs, on both arms, they go now, and I just couldn’t hold it,” he said.
”In that moment, for me, she was somewhere sliding, and I couldn’t see where she’s going.”

Stefanski testified he also threw other items from inside the car down the embankment, including the knife.

The court has heard a bent and bloodied knife was found near the body and it carried the DNA of both Tatjana and Vitali Stefanski.

It was then that the accused said he went in search of help and found two cabins.

“I was sitting down on the porch and there was a kitchen knife and I told the investigator that it’s still there. It’s a box with the knife coming and you can sharpen it and I just think ‘maybe that’s the solution.'”

He said he decided to take his life, stabbing himself once, about an hour after he left his ex-wife’s body. Drake, the Crown lawyer, showed the court a photo of Stefanski’s injury above his belly button.

Stefanski testified he lost consciousness and after waking up the next morning, he walked out of the woods and back onto the forestry road, where he encountered Mounties following a truck towing his bloodied Audi.

He testified on Tuesday that he told an officer he thought his ex-wife may have been dead but was hoping she was still alive, suggesting he was in such a hurry to get help he did not even bother putting on his shoes when he set off that morning.

“I was still hoping. That’s why that day I was walking, I did not even touch my shoes,” he said, adding that when he was walking to where his ex-wife slid down, he thought “maybe somebody found her.”

He said he initially didn’t realize the vehicle he was approaching was a police car, before he saw that his car was being towed and he told an officer it was his.

Stefanski testified that he then took a knife out and put it on the ground in front of the officer before gesturing in the direction of where he left his ex-wife’s body.

“He asked me if she is dead and I said ‘I don’t know, I think so,'” he said on Tuesday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 10, 2026.

Brieanna Charlebois, The Canadian Press

WEST KELOWNA — The First Nations Justice Council in British Columbia has officially launched an effort meant to help Indigenous people navigate the police accountability process in the province.

Judith Sayers, a director with the group, says the Police Accountability Unit aims to help Indigenous people by making sure that their complaints against police are heard.

Sayers, who is also president of the Nuu-Chan-nulth Tribal Council on Vancouver Island, says many Indigenous people don’t feel comfortable approaching the institutions that handle complaints against police, like the Independent Investigations Office of British Columbia.

She says accountability organizations like the Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner serve their purpose, but don’t serve Indigenous people in a way that is needed.

Alexander Kirby, acting managing lawyer of the new unit, says it will help people file police or human rights complaints, pursue court actions and access other legal tools.

Kirby says the unit, which includes two staff lawyers, will also help Indigenous people impacted by police misconduct to navigate the various accountability processes.

Sayers says the unit has already handled more than 200 files since it launched a pilot project two years ago and it is now officially taking cases from across the province, with funding from the Law Foundation of BC.

“We are just trying to provide a service to all of the First Nations that are being victimized by the RCMP, by municipal police forces, and make sure their complaints are heard,” she says.

“A lot of times, people just don’t bother, because they know it is not worth it, or they can’t get anywhere, so we want to give some hope that ‘hey, we have somebody here, who is going to represent you.'”

Figures from the council say that since 2017, Indigenous people are 10 times more likely than white people in Canada to have been killed by a police officer.

Indigenous people make up about 5.1 per cent of Canada’s population but they are 16.2 per cent of the total number of police-involved deaths, the council says.

The organization says it is currently handling 83 active cases, including 35 involving use of force, 11 for illegal search and seizure, eight for illegal arrest and detention, and six files involving wellness checks.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 10, 2026.

The Canadian Press

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — The Ministry of Transportation and Transit (MOTT) has invested over $40 million to improve road conditions in northern B.C.

In a June 9th press release, the province said drivers in northern B.C. will benefit from safer and smoother roads as it advances resurfacing projects on highways and side roads.

According to the ministry, about $45 million will be invested into resurfacing northern highways and local roads during the 2026 construction season. 

The Peace District, which stretches from Fort Nelson to Tumbler Ridge, will undergo 25 kilometres of resurfacing projects. 

“Major resurfacing projects taking place across the region this construction season include key investments along Highway 97 and Highway 27,” said the province.  

Highway 97 resurfacing is underway two hours north of Prince George, between Azouzzata and Mount Solitude. 

A $10.5 million project for 40 kilometres of asphalt resurfacing between Honeymoon Creek Bridge and Big Boulder Creek Bridge is set to be completed by fall 2026.

Highway 27 will undergo 75 kilometres of seal coating, spanning from the Highway 16 junction to the Stuart River Bridge, as well as various Sowchea-area side roads.  

LaPrairie Works was awarded a $6 million contract for the work, which is expected to conclude in fall 2026. 

The province reminds drivers to observe speed limits in construction zones and to follow traffic controllers’ directions. 

To keep up-to-date with road delays and closures, check DriveBC. 

KELOWNA — British Columbia’s animal welfare society says a woman has been banned from owning or living with pets for five years and given 12 months’ probation after pleading guilty to attempting to euthanize a cat with fentanyl.

A statement from the B.C. SPCA says Jayme-Jo Crystal Brooks’ conviction also sets a precedent against at-home euthanasia practices that inflict unnecessary harm.

The society says investigators began looking into Brooks in December 2024 after a veterinarian called the animal helpline to report they had humanely euthanized a cat in critical distress and a necropsy later revealed fentanyl exposure.

The SPCA says it seized two other cats in the woman’s care and both were found to have cocaine, amphetamines, and methamphetamine in their systems.

The society says one of the cats was adopted but the second had underlying health conditions and was euthanized.

Online court records show Brooks was initially charged with causing unnecessary pain and suffering to an animal, failing to provide necessities for an animal and administering a poisonous drug to an animal.

All three charges are dated Christmas 2024 and she pleaded guilty to the poisoning charge last month.

The SPCA says her probation includes counselling or education programs and a requirement to complete 30 hours of community service.

Jamie Wiltse, the SPCA’s regional manager of animal protection services, said in the statement that the case is a huge victory for animal welfare in Canada.

“We often see charges go through at the provincial level under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, but this case was prosecuted under the Criminal Code of Canada,” Wiltse said in the statement.

“A Criminal Code conviction sends a stronger message and reflects a higher level of societal condemnation and accountability, and are typically reserved for the most serious cases. Unlike a provincial offence conviction, a conviction under the Criminal Code carries the consequence of a criminal record.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 10, 2026

The Canadian Press

VANCOUVER — British Columbia Premier David Eby says U.S. President Donald Trump’s latest statement that he’s not looking to renew the trade deal between Canada, the United States and Mexico is a “bit bizarre,” given that the three countries are now in talks on the deal.

Eby says the president’s latest position on the trade pact known as CUSMA feels like a bad sequel to Trump’s 1987 book, “The Art of the Deal.”

The premier made his comments after a virtual First Ministers’ meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney on Wednesday.

Eby says he’s also not sure what Trump actually means, since his understanding of the agreement is that by not renewing CUSMA it would expire in 10 years, or 2036, with an annual review, as opposed to expiring in 16 years.

Trump said Wednesday that the United States doesn’t “need anything that Canada has” and also doesn’t need any goods from Mexico.

Trump also said Canada and Mexico “need everything” that the United States has, and that “they should have to treat us better.”

Last week, Canadian Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc and Mexico’s secretary of economy Marcelo Ebrard sent letters to Washington to call for a 16-year extension of CUSMA without receiving a clear indication of intentions from the Trump administration at the time.

Without the extension, options for the deal’s future include a non-renewal and non-withdrawal option, which triggers the annual review of CUSMA.

The deadline for renewal for the deal is July 1.

Eby says B.C. and Canada would prefer the stability of a 16-year extension, but status quo is fine as well.

“Let’s just get on with business, let’s have both sides respect the agreement, and let’s continue with the existing CUSMA agreement,” he said. “To be blunt, this sequel to ‘The Art of the Deal’ is pretty lame.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 10, 2026.

The Canadian Press

DAWSON CREEK, B.C. — The Dawson Creek Fire Fighters Association is stepping up to support a project in the new Dawson Creek Hospital, inspired by a tragic accident involving one of its own. 

On June 10th, the Dawson Creek Fire Fighters Association donated $10,210 dollars to the Dawson Creek and District Hospital Foundation, according to the foundation’s executive director, Allie Macam.  

Macam said the donation will support furnishing the inpatient lounge at the new hospital.

The Dawson Creek Fire Fighters Association revealed they had been working behind the scenes on a “special project” in a Facebook post on June 4th.

The association said the project was inspired by Captain Brooks Gower, a Dawson Creek firefighter who was hit by a vehicle on Highway 97 in October 2025, and his family’s health journey.

“Due to [Gower’s] accident in October and visiting him in Vancouver General Hospital, we saw the need for and importance of a room like this,” Gary Kerbrat, president of the Dawson Creek Firefighters Charitable Foundation, said in a news release.

According to Kerbrat, the goal of the family room is “to allow for families to spend quality time together to help with the mental healing during their time of crisis.” 

In a conversation with Energeticcity.ca, Kerbrat explained what led to the donation to the project in collaboration with the hospital foundation.

“We had six or seven guys go down and visit [Gower] in the hospital while he was there, and with that….we were able to see the struggles as an outside view on what Trina [Gower’s wife] was dealing with.”

Kerbrat explained how, when firefighters were at Vancouver General Hospital visiting Gower, it seemed like “Trina was almost trapped in the hospital room with Brooks, and unfortunately, they’re just not built for family members to sit in comfort.”

According to Kerbrat, the firefighters’ association reached out to the hospital foundation to see if they could help solve the problem.

Macam said the contribution is a reflection of the Dawson Creek Firefighters Charitable Society’s commitment in supporting families in some of “some of the most difficult and stressful moments of their lives.”

The contribution will also help develop a “comforting and welcoming space” for patients and their families, she said. 

“It is a powerful reflection of the firefighters’ dedication to caring for and supporting our community both inside and outside of emergency response,” Macam continued.

To support the project, the firefighters’ association is holding a raffle for a 2026 Polaris Sportsman 570 ATV. 

Kerbrat explained why people should support the project through the raffle.

“This is a project that I feel not only supports Dawson Creek…it really supports everybody, whether you are from Fort St. John….Chetwynd, Tumbler Ridge, Hudsons Hope, Moberley Lake,” he said. 

“Everybody around this area, even if you’re in Alberta, they come to Dawson, they use our facilities here…all we’re trying to do is make things a little better for people,” Kerbrat continued.  

Tickets for the raffle can be purchased online. The raffle deadline is September 1st at 9:15 a.m., with the draw shortly after at 10 a.m.  

TAYLOR, B.C. — Enbridge and the Ministry of Transportation and Transit (MOTT) are conducting road improvements at the intersection of Alaska Highway and Pingel Creek Road starting mid-June.  

According to a public notice from Enbridge shared in a June 9th Facebook post by the District of Taylor, the road work will “improve road safety, sight lines and long-term reliability for all road users.” 

In June 2025, Enbridge discussed road improvements for the Pingel Creek Road and Alaska Highway intersection with local residents as it began construction of the Aspen Point Program, an expansion of Enbridge company Westcoast Energy’s northeast B.C. natural gas pipeline. 

A local resident told Energeticcity.ca the improvements included plans for a turning lane to reduce the danger posed by larger trucks entering and exiting the highway.

Enbridge also said it had graded and addressed soft spots on Pingel Creek Road, and it was working with MOTT to improve the intersection.

The intersection improvements will support access to Enbridge’s Compressor Station 1B, scheduled for completion in late 2026. 

Enbridge said construction is expected to continue for approximately two months.

The public is advised of temporary traffic disruptions and construction-related impacts, including increased dust and noise. 

Any questions regarding the project can be directed to BCprojects@enbridge.com or 1-833-267-2220.  

POUCE COUPE — The mayor of a small British Columbia village says news of two children dying in a rollover accident involving a utility terrain vehicle has been “devastating.”

Pouce Coupe Mayor Danielle Veach says both families who lost children are well respected and the deaths of the seven-year-old girl and eight-year-old boy are “absolutely tragic.”

Police say the vehicle was being driven by the girl with four other children on board when it rolled over last Thursday.

They say the girl died in hospital, while the eight-year-old passenger was pronounced dead at the scene.

Mounties say the vehicle rolled over several times and covered a “considerable distance,” ejecting some of the children.

A man who identified himself as the father of the girl who died said in a Facebook post on the day of the crash that his family and his nephew’s family had experienced a tragic accident on their farm involving a side-by-side vehicle.

The post initially said the man’s daughter had been taken by air ambulance to Edmonton, but an update said the girl “went to Heaven.”

The mayor said their community is very close-knit.

“Any time any member of our community goes through something that is so tragic, it really does ripple through every single one of us,” Veach said Wednesday in an interview.

“At this time, it’s still so raw. It’s been less than seven days, you know, at this point. I know that the community is really rallying around them, but we’re also really trying to respect the families’ privacy.”

Police say the other children survived the crash with minor injuries.

“As a parent, I cannot fathom the unimaginable and tragic loss these families have suffered,” RCMP Staff Sgt. Kris Clark said in the Mounties’ statement.

“Our hearts go out to everyone who was impacted by this unthinkable event.

Veach said she hasn’t yet reached out to the families of the victims, but understands that they’re being supported by their loved ones and church community.

“I just can’t imagine the overwhelming grief,” she said. “While I’ve not personally reached out, I have definitely kept (them) in my prayers and my thoughts.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 10, 2026.

The Canadian Press

POUCE COUPE, B.C. — A GoFundMe in support of the families of five youth involved in a side-by-side incident has raised over $19,000.

The GoFundMe created by Sarah Burzek on June 5th has raised $19,045 as of 1:12 p.m. on June 10th, surpassing its $10,000 goal.

On June 4th at 1 p.m., Dawson Creek RCMP, ambulance services and the Pouce Fire Department responded to the scene of an incident involving a side-by-side vehicle.

Dawson Creek RCMP Staff Sergeant Shawn Peddle said a child was pronounced dead at the scene. 

Police confirmed on June 9th five youths were in the vehicle at the time of the incident, and several occupants were ejected.  

Shock Trauma and Rescue (STARS) media spokesperson Blake Robert confirmed STARS air ambulance responded to the incident and airlifted a child to Edmonton in critical condition. 

An update on the GoFundMe page confirms 7-year-old Jaydn, who was one of the children involved in the crash, passed away after being taken off life support. 

RCMP confirmed Jaydn, who wasn’t named at the time, passed away on June 6th, “despite the best efforts of medical personnel.” 

“No family is ever prepared for a tragedy like this,” the page read. “As the families focus on grieving, they are also facing significant expenses surrounding travel, time away from work, and other arrangements.” 

On June 9th, Dawson Creek RCMP said they had begun an investigation into the incident, which staff sergeant Kris Clark with the BC RCMP called “unimaginable.”

“Our hearts go out to everyone who was impacted by this unthinkable event,” said Clark.” 

“We are asking for help to ease the financial burden during this heartbreaking time. Any donation, no matter the amount, will go directly toward helping the family navigate the days and weeks ahead,” the GoFundMe page concluded. 

CALGARY — The secretary-treasurer of the Nisga’a Nation in northern British Columbia says there remain few obstacles to a final go-ahead decision for the Ksi Lisims liquefied natural gas plant and export terminal.

“I think we’ve basically cleared almost all hurdles for this project,” Charles Morven told reporters on the sidelines of the Global Energy Show in Calgary on Tuesday.

The $10-billion Ksi Lisims project would be on Nisga’a land in the northwest corner of B.C. near the Alaska border. The lead developer is Houston-based Western LNG; Rockies LNG, a consortium of Canadian natural gas producers, is also part of the plan.

Morven said he sees his community’s participation in LNG as a way to achieve more autonomy.

“That’s what we’re working toward, to build our own financial capital and maybe, somewhere along the line, be able to finance smaller projects on their own without having to wait for other people to do things for us,” he said.

In recent weeks, Ksi Lisims has signed preliminary supply agreements with two German utilities. It also announced three new benefit agreements with other First Nations in the region, two of which have dropped legal challenges against the project’s federal approval.

“We hope it’s a clear path for Canadians to understand that it’s Indigenous people that aren’t standing in front of you, or aren’t standing opposed to you, aren’t standing in a different way,” said Andrew Robinson, chief executive officer of the Nisga’a Nation, during a panel discussion at the conference.

“Sometimes the narrative is always what kills the discussion that is occurring.”

Though the lawsuits from the Metlakatla and Lax Kw’alaams have been withdrawn, one Gitxsan leader vowed to continue fighting B.C.’s approval of the Prince Rupert Gas Transmission pipeline, which would feed into Ksi Lisims.

“It will have irreversible consequences on our culture, identity and livelihood as Gitxsan people,” Hereditary Chief Charlie Wright with the Gitxsan house Luutkudziiwus said in a written statement.

“The province has never properly consulted our Wilp (house) — and we’re prepared to take this issue to the Supreme Court of Canada.”

Several hundred kilometres south along the coast, in Squamish, B.C., the Woodfibre project is about 65 per cent complete, CEO Luke Schauerte said in an interview on the sidelines of the conference. Startup is slated for next year.

Woodfibre is 70 per cent owned by Pacific Energy Corp., which is a unit of Singapore-based RGE group of companies. Enbridge Inc. holds the remaining stake.

Woodfibre’s gas export capacity has all been spoken for by BP, said Schauerte.

The Ksi Lisims agreements with German firms Securing Energy for Europe late last month and Uniper earlier this week send a positive signal, he said.

“The LNG market is technical, it’s sophisticated, it is a complex global trading market. So it provides for things like swaps and offtake agreements that will facilitate that,” he said.

Swap deals — which connect buyers and sellers on opposite ends of the globe — are more common now than they were just a few years ago, said Schauerte.

“I believe that the work that’s being done by the federal government to market Canada as a reliable provider and a secure provider has been coming to fruition now, so I look forward to more of that happening.”

Woodfibre says it is the first industrial project to recognize a non-treaty Indigenous government, the Squamish Nation, as a full environmental regulator.

“I do see Canadian LNG as Indigenous LNG,” Schauerte said.

The only LNG facility currently up and running is the LNG Canada facility in Kitimat, B.C. Cargoes began leaving from the terminal to Asia almost a year ago.

The partners in LNG Canada — Shell and four Asian state-owned firms — are contemplating an expansion that would double the plant’s capacity, with a final investment decision expected by year-end.

Ryan Hickman, Shell’s manager of global gas fundamentals based in Singapore, told the conference that Asian customers are keen to add Canadian gas to their portfolio because it’s sustainable, reliable and affordable.

“This isn’t something that we necessarily are out pushing,” he said. “A lot of buyers are coming to us.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 10, 2026.

Lauren Krugel, The Canadian Press

CHARLIE LAKE, B.C. — This year’s National Junior Finals Rodeo (NJFR) in Oklahoma will have a local athlete in its midst.

Charlie Lake’s Caitlyn Kelly will be at the event, scheduled to run from Sunday, June 21st, to Saturday, June 27th, in Guthrie, Oklahoma.

The eighth grader is one of three athletes set to represent British Columbia at the event, which will include participants from the United States, Mexico, Guatemala and Australia.

Caitlyn said in the statement that the chance to represent her province and country at an international event is “a dream come true,” as well as an “incredible opportunity.”

Caitlyn’s mom, Lara Kelly, spoke to Energeticcity.ca about her daughter’s dedication and passion for rodeo, which began at an early age.

“I grew up on a ranch northeast of Fort St. John,” said Lara. “At the age of 27, [I] started roping and got more into barrel racing when I had kids. [So], both [of] my girls pretty much grew up riding right from birth.”

“It’s just been a part of her life straight from the get-go.”

Caitlyn participated in the BC High School Rodeo Association (BCHSRA) circuit throughout the 2025-26 season, where she achieved success throughout the year.

She finished as the overall BCHSRA leader in breakaway roping, goat tying and team roping.

In addition, she finished as the reserve point leader in both pole and ribbon roping. All this success earned Caitlyn the title of Junior North All-Around Cowgirl.

She then earned the title of Reserve All-Around Cowgirl for the province during her performance at the BCHSRA Junior Provincial Finals in Williams Lake in late May, where Caitlyn won the reserve titles in goat tying and breakaway roping.

Lara says junior rodeo has taught her daughter about responsibility and commitment, and she enjoys the local support Caitlyn gets at events in the region.

“[Rodeo] just gives them so much responsibility and accountability,” said Lara. “Along with practicing for your sport, you also have animals you have to look after and care for. It has been really great for a lot of kids.”

The NJFR is sanctioned by the National High School Rodeo Association (NHSRA), an organization founded in Texas, U.S.A, in 1947. It was later incorporated in Colorado, U.S.A., in 1960.

While high school finals have existed since 1949, the Junior High division featuring younger riders began in 2004, according to its website. 

The NJFR will take place in Guthrie, Oklahoma, from Sunday, June 21st, to Saturday, June 27th. 

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — The city council has appointed elections officers for the upcoming 2026 general local election. 

At the recent June 8th Fort St. John city council meeting, the council appointed the city’s corporate officer, Bonnie McCue, as the chief election officer, while Christina Brace, deputy corporate officer, was appointed as deputy chief election officer. 

This includes any assent voting proceedings as well. 

McCue will also be authorized to appoint additional election officials to conduct the election and any assent voting, in accordance with the Local Government Act. 

According to the report, the chief election officer is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the election, including appointing election officials, establishing voting opportunities, administering candidate nominations and ensuring compliance with applicable legislation. 

This year, the general local election has been scheduled for Saturday, October 17th, 2026. 

City staff said although initial preparations have been done to support the upcoming election, the formal appointment of the elections officers is required to carry out statutory responsibilities.

The city will be holding a referendum to seek approval for a proposed borrowing initiative for the new aquatics facility, which will be held alongside the election. 

After the appointment of the officers, the city will continue election planning and administrative activities, including confirming voting opportunities, preparing materials, coordinating staffing and ensuring legislative compliance. 

The city staff said preliminary administrative preparations are underway, including a review of election procedures and coordination of internal requirements. 

The city’s approved operating budget will fund the upcoming elections, including any assent voting proceedings. 

Nomination period begins on September 1st, and the campaign period starts on September 19th. 

To read the full report, see below. 

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Northern Health has now opened the application intake period for this year’s Imagine community grants. 

As of June 1st, applications are open to numerous organizations, including non-profit and community organizations, First Nation Bands, health centres and Indigenous organizations.

Local governments, schools and parent advisory councils are also eligible to apply for the grants. 

Northern Health said the grants will provide up to $10,000 for “projects that address community-led health and wellness initiatives while improving the well-being of all northern BC residents.”

Funded projects must support at least one of the following initiatives. 

• Addressing population mental health and wellness
• Prevention and reduction of substance-related harms 
• Promoting physical health and preventing injuries
• Supporting health impacts from climate change
• Improving food security and access to nutritious food 
• Supporting families, youth and children

Northern Health said “strong” projects should focus on a community-identified need, involve community members in planning, reflect local culture, strengths and ways of knowing.

Projects should be inclusive, respectful, welcoming, reduce barriers for participants and “address unfair differences in health where possible.” 

Projects will be given priority if they bring together people and organizations, build or strengthen community relationships, clearly demonstrate how partners will work together and help build skills or leadership among other criteria, according to Northern Health. 

The Charlie Lake Community Garden previously received a $10,000 grant focused on food security, while the Fort St. John and Area Senior Care Foundation’s Reach Out Program received $10,000 towards mental wellness. 

The application period is open until July 5th, with funding released in September. 

For more information on the grants, visit the Northern Health website.

NEW WESTMINSTER — The judge in the case of a B.C. woman who pleaded guilty to assault and sex trafficking is taking time to decide on a sentence.

Lawyers will be meeting next week to set a date for Justice Terence Schultes to sentence Jennifer Stephens after a three-day hearing in B.C. Supreme Court concluded Wednesday.

The Crown prosecutor proposed a 13-year sentence for the 31-year-old, while her lawyer has suggested the judge sentence her to seven years with credit for time already served.

Stephens pleaded guilty last year to multiple charges, including assault causing bodily harm, unlawful confinement, sexual assault with a weapon and several other offences related to sex trafficking of a person under 18.

The court heard that she inflicted violent beatings on her victims and boasted of a client list of 500 people that she refused to sell to other “pimps.”

Stephens’ lawyer Dale Melville told the court his client suffers from intermittent explosive disorder or borderline personality disorder as well as substance-use disorders involving stimulants and alcohol. He said she has been sober while in custody.


Crown counsel Catherine Rose told the judge on Wednesday that in order for someone’s mental health to be a factor in sentencing there needs to be a link between the offences and the mental health concerns.

This case doesn’t have the required detailed and specific medical evidence, she said.

Rose said the judge should put “little weight” on the potential role of others in the situation, pointing to an agreed statement of facts in the case where Stephens acknowledges she arranged and oversaw the sex work and controlled the schedule.

Stephens also told a friend she “did it alone,” when describing the operation, the Crown said.

Melville pointed to a report from police, which says investigators had evidence to support charging another person, but they died of a suspected drug overdose in 2023.

He said another person linked to one of the victims in this case had sex trafficking charges sworn against them in Edmonton.

Melville told the judge that the Crown hasn’t proven beyond a reasonable doubt that Stephens was the “mastermind” in the situation “because we have other players in the game.”

Police in Langley, B.C., started investigating the case in February 2023, beginning with a phone number that was linked to a 13-year-old girl who had been trafficked in Alberta and Kelowna, B.C.

RCMP received a call from a gas station attendant on March 7, 2023, who reported a badly injured and bloody woman.

That woman told police she had been confined inside hotel rooms and assaulted by Stephens and a man over the course of four to five hours.

Stephens met the woman, who was a sex worker, in 2021. The next year, Stephens lured the victim into believing she was a man and began a romantic relationship through texts.

Between March 2022 and March 2023, the woman sent nearly $63,000 to bank accounts controlled by Stephens.

The hearing included playing violent and graphic videos involving Stephens and her victims, and impact statements from her victims who said Stephens inflicted not only physical but psychological trauma that will take a lifetime to work through.

— With files from Brieanna Charlebois

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 10, 2026

Ashley Joannou, The Canadian Press

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Technical issues are causing intermittent data availability in the Peace River region’s weather radar. 

Eleni Armenakis, a spokesperson for Environment and Climate Change Canada, said: “The Spirit River (CASSR) weather radar has been experiencing intermittent data availability since June 1st due to technical issues with the radar.” 

“Despite this issue, Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) is still able to operate the radar for short periods of time in the event of any severe weather events, in support of ECCC meteorologists.”

 Armenakis said ECCC technicians have been working on the issue and are currently on site at CASSR to carry out repairs. 

“When there is a radar outage, ECCC meteorologists continue monitoring the weather by utilizing data from neighbouring radars, as well as additional sources of information, for example, high-resolution satellite data, weather models and surface weather stations, to provide high-quality weather services to people in Canada,” she explained. 

Information and updates on the progress are posted here. 

VANCOUVER — The trial for Adam Kai-Ji Lo, who is facing 11 counts of second-degree murder in the 2025 Lapu Lapu festival attack in Vancouver, has been set to start on April 19, 2027.

Lo has elected against facing a jury in favour of a judge-only trial in British Columbia’s Supreme Court.

The details were set at a case management conference in the same court in Vancouver on Wednesday, with the trial period scheduled to last to Aug. 25 next year.

Lo appeared at the conference via video, wearing a black short-sleeve shirt and remaining largely motionless, only responding with one-word responses and short phrases.

He is also facing 31 attempted-murder charges stemming from the April 26, 2025 attack, in which an SUV drove through the crowd at the Vancouver festival hosted by the city’s Filipino community.

A publication ban has been imposed on details of the pretrial process.

The case was moved to B.C. Supreme Court earlier this year after previously being processed by the provincial court.

A judge there had found last September that Lo was fit to stand trial, after hearing from two forensic psychiatrists.

However, the exact reasons for the fitness ruling, and details of what Lo told the doctors, cannot be published because of the bans.

A media consortium that includes The Canadian Press has challenged the publication ban, but a provincial court judge said last September that a ruling on that application has been delayed.

The attack set off changes and recommendations to improve public safety rules for festivals and community events.

The Lapu Lapu Day festival returned this April at a different location at Vancouver’s Italian Cultural Centre, and focused on reflection and remembrance of the victims of the attack.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 10, 2026.

Chuck Chiang, The Canadian Press

SURREY — Police in Surrey say three men have pleaded guilty and been sentenced over charges stemming from an extortion-related shooting back in February.

The Surrey Police Service says Taranveer Singh got a five-year sentence for reckless discharge of a firearm, while Dayajeet Singh and Harjot Singh received 27 months and 25 months respectively for throwing an explosive substance.

Police say in a statement that the three men were arrested in the early morning hours of Feb. 1, 2026 after a reported shooting outside a home near Crescent Beach.

They say officers with the major crime section and those assigned to the anti-extortion unit known as Project Assurance, were patrolling the neighbourhood when gunfire rang out near Crescent Road and 132 Street.

The statement says the three men were arrested shortly after, not far from where the shooting occurred.

It says Harjot Singh and Dayajeet Singh, both 21, and Taranveer Singh, 19, pleaded guilty in Surrey Provincial Court on Tuesday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 10, 2026

The Canadian Press

LANGFORD — Mounties near Victoria say they are investigating three reports of a violent online group exploiting children and young people.

West Shore RCMP say in a statement that the reports are all similar and involve a group known as 764, which is part of a larger online network known as The Com, which deliberately recruits vulnerable children from ages eight to 17 years old.

Police say The Com network is known to have extreme ideological views, and aims to desensitize children and radicalize them to violence.

They say the group also operates on popular social media and gaming platforms such Discord, Telegram, Roblox, Minecraft, Twitch and others.

Parents are urged to watch for warning signs, which police say include having a new online friend, or network that they are infatuated with or afraid of.

The statement says children can be convinced to take photos of themselves or their siblings in sexually explicit poses, they might harm or kill animals, including family pets, attempt suicide or commit acts of violence.

“Predators use grooming processes that can include establishing trusting or romantic relationships; or using power or coercive tactics to get victims to engage in serious violence, self harm, or gore activities,” police say in a statement.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 10, 2026.

The Canadian Press

Update, 3:15 p.m., Wednesday, June 10th: This story has been updated to include comments from a host of the True North True Crime Podcast

FORT NELSON, B.C. —FORT NELSON, B.C. — The disappearance of a Fort Nelson Indigenous woman from two years ago is the focus of an upcoming episode of a true crime podcast.

Karen Tessier was 57 years old when she was last seen in the community in July 2024. Without a trace, she vanished. Her vehicle was found in the community days later, with no trace of her.

The North District RCMP Major Crimes unit treated the disappearance as highly suspicious, and FNFN has offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to what happened to Tessier.

Husband and wife Graeme and Caitlin Duffy launched the True North True Crime podcast in 2020, with backgrounds in film and television. According to Graeme, the podcast has reached ten million downloads in six years.

In an interview with Energeticcity.ca, he said the podcast is “victim-centred” with the majority of episodes involving victims’ families.

“What we do is we try to work directly with families to help them, to raise awareness of whatever that might be for them,” said Graeme. “Whether it’s searches, GoFundMes [or] petitions.”

“Whatever they need as a call to action is really the direction of the podcast.”

With new episodes released bi-weekly, this week’s focus is on Fort Nelson First Nation (FNFN) resident Karen Tessier’s disappearance.

The Duffys became familiar with the Tessier story through social media posts.

“[Tessier’s] story is one that Caitlin and I had seen on Facebook a lot,” said Graeme. “That is where you’re going to find a lot of information when people are seeking help. “We started seeing Karen’s poster being shared quite a bit.”

Graeme says the Duffys do not approach grieving families to speak on episodes. The reason for this is due to the complex trauma associated with cold case victims and Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG).

He said members of both FNFN and Fort Nelson contacted them about Tessier’s story.  As a result, they were able to contact Tessier’s mother, Elizabeth.

Graeme describes the conversation during the 45-minute episode as “heartbreaking.”

In telling the story, Graeme told Energeticcity.ca that, while most true crime programming is “exploitative,” both he and his wife see value in spotlighting victims’ rather than the culprit, particularly in cases of MMIWG.

“What we want to do is we want to help to give a voice to victims’ families,” said Graeme. “We especially feel that it’s important to tell the stories of Missing and Murdered Indigenous people.”

“We tell Canadian stories, and we would be remiss in our mission if we were not including those stories.”

The episode featuring Karen Tessier will be released on Thursday, June 11th. True North, True Crime is available on all leading podcast platforms.

GOODLOW, B.C. — Goodlow residents are advised of planned power outages beginning June 9th. 

According to a June 9th Facebook post by Goodlow Community, repairs on the 25-kilovolt and 138-kilovolt equipment in the TXB substation will result in temporary power outages in Boundary Lake. 

A substation is a “specialized facility” which transforms voltage levels, switches circuits and regulates power between generation sources and users. 

In a letter sent to residents, Whitecaps Resources said the outages will last up to 12 hours on June 9th, 10th and 11th. 

Outages will be scattered throughout the area, so residents will not necessarily experience disruptions at the same time. 

Residents who require more information on the project or have questions can contact Electrical Specialist Jayson Dekock at 250-262-6717 or jdekock@wcap.ca. 

TUMBLER RIDGE, B.C. — An open house is scheduled for the weekend regarding treaty entitlement lands as it pertains to one northeast B.C. First Nation.

On Saturday, June 13th, the provincial government will host an event at the Tumbler Ridge Community Centre in order to share details about the newest Treaty Land Entitlement (TLE) package of transfer sections involving West Moberly First Nations (WMFN).

A TLE has its roots in the signing of Treaty 8, in which the Canadian Government allocated reserve land to the Treaty 8 Nations in British Columbia, on the foundation of a population-based formula.

First Nations in Treaty 8 territory did not receive the proper lands according to the treaty, prompting several communities – including Doig River First Nation, Blueberry River First Nations, Halfway River First Nation, WMFN and Saulteau First Nations – to file TLE claims with the provincial and federal governments for the lands owed to them.

The five First Nations signed an agreement of TLE claims with the collective government in 2023.

A press release from the province on Tuesday, June 9th, says the event is about “continued public engagement” about the TLEs, which it considers “essential for building awareness, strengthening relationships in the region and advancing reconciliation.”

The first set of new land selection, identified in the statement as Outstanding Lands Package 1, was WMFN identifying new parcels as part of their TLE agreements.

WMFN has identified 13 new parcels of land as part of its TLE agreement, including one in the Tumbler Ridge area.

Display boards, maps, background documents and staff will be on hand to provide information to the free, no-registration drop-in open house. A presentation will be provided at 2 p.m. on Saturday, June 13th.

The open house is scheduled from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, June 13th, at the Tumbler Ridge Community Centre at 340 Front Street in Tumbler Ridge. 

Further information about TLE settlements can be found on the government of B.C.’s website about land transfers.

VICTORIA, B.C. — The provincial government announced today a new option for prospective drivers within B.C.

According to a press release on Tuesday, June 9th, residents can now take the knowledge test required for a learner’s permit online, in addition to the test being offered at Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC) offices province-wide.

B.C. now joins the three Atlantic provinces, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador as the only provinces in the country to offer online learner’s licencing tests.

The testing announcement is part of ICBC’s modernization program, Moving Together 2031, which is designed to expand online services, streamline business processes and upgrade technology.

Examples include a learner’s licence for motorcycles and passenger vehicles, or class 5 to class 8 licences. However, testing for commercial vehicles, or class 1 to 4 will still need to sit the exam in person.

By offering this service, people can eliminate a trip to the nearest ICBC office and reduce wait times for in-person appointments.

B.C. Attorney General Niki Sharma said the announcement is part of the NDP government’s work to modernize ICBC services in order to make them “more convenient, accessible and work better” for British Columbia residents.

“By offering this test online, we are giving new drivers more choice and convenience,” said Sharma in the release.

“Especially people in rural and remote communities used to have to commute far distances to take the test.”

Under the new format, people can complete the test on a computer with a camera that has a secure online connection, as the test is not available on mobile devices. 

Identity checks and digital monitoring will track both the webcam and mouse, ensuring the testing process is secure and fair.

Upon successful completion of the exam, people can visit a nearby driving licensing office to confirm their identity, take a vision test, and have their licence photo and licence issued.

Traditional in-person learner’s licensing will still be available at ICBC offices. For more details, visit ICBC’s website about new drivers.

QUESNEL — Police in British Columbia’s central Interior say the body of a 17-year-old youth has been recovered three days after a vessel capsized at a local lake.

Mounties in Quesnel say the body of the teenage boy from Prince George was recovered from Stony Lake by divers on Tuesday.

The accident happened on Saturday, when police were called to the lake after a report of the capsize.

The boat was carrying four people at the time, and police say three made it to shore safely.

However, police say the teenager operator of the vessel did not surface and couldn’t be located.

No further details on the accident have been released.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 10, 2026.

The Canadian Press

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — A new employment support service has launched in Fort St. John aimed at individuals experiencing “complex barriers” to employment. 

The Landing Place provides “individualized, trauma-informed supports” to people who are experiencing unstable housing, mental health and substance use challenges, according to a statement from Employment Connections North (ECNC). 

Fort St. John was one of 22 communities in British Columbia chosen to offer the Community-Based Employment Services (CBES) program, ECNC said in a press release. 

In April, the province said it would invest more than $18 million over two years to expand CBES in British Columbia, including in Fort St. John. 

CBES works to support those experiencing complex barriers by improving access to employment services and helping them connect more effectively with their communities, the release said. 

The ECNC website refers to CBES as a “voluntary, low-barrier program for adults in Fort St. John who are facing challenges that can make employment difficult right now.” 

Those who are 18 years or older, legally eligible to work in Canada and experiencing housing instability, substance use or mental health challenges may be eligible for the program. 

“People say they feel better and are better off when they have a job and community connections,” said Sheila Malcomson, Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction. “That is why we’re reducing barriers for those who can work, while continuing to support those who cannot.”

Malcomson said community-based employment services in Fort St. John are expanding to help reach more people across the province “on their path to work.” 

According to ECNC, CBES is provided by the Landing Place through “flexible, trauma-informed and culturally safe relationship-based supports.” 

Services offered by the program include community outreach and engagement, support in accessing housing, healthcare and income assistance. 

Participants can also access individualized coaching, skill development, training and work experience opportunities. 

“Employment readiness looks different for each individual,” said Anne McMenamin, ECNC Client Services Manager. “The Landing Place is designed to provide flexible supports that help people build stability and take steps toward their employment goals.” 

Those who attend the program can expect “flexible and no-pressure support,” one-on-one, group, drop-in and outreach options.  

Attendees can also access life skills assistance, employment readiness, steps towards work or training, culturally and peer-supported, responsive spaces and connections to health, housing, community and employment supports. 

ECNC said the program is integrated with the WorkBC system under the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction and that it aligns with the province’s poverty reduction strategy, which aims to reduce overall poverty by 60 per cent by 2034. 

For more information on the Landing Place, visit the ECNC website or call 250-784-0024. 

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — The City of Fort St. John will be writing a letter of support for a blood plasma donor centre in Prince George. 

At the June 8th City of Fort St. John council meeting, the council approved a motion to write a letter of support in reply to a letter the city received from Our Blood Counts, dated May 19th. 

Our Blood Counts is a group of donors, recipients and advocates whose petition calling for a blood plasma donor centre in northern B.C. has garnered 4,200 signatures. 

In the letter the city received, Our Blood Counts said Canada relies “heavily” on American donors and suppliers for medications and blood plasma. It said a plasma donor centre in northern B.C. would address this critical deficiency. 

The letter of support will be addressed to the B.C. Minister of Health, Josie Osborne, the Canadian Blood Services’ (CBS) CEO, Dr. Graham Sher and a resolution of support from the council. 

According to the letter, Prince George had a blood donor centre from 1998 to 2015, with the closest donor centres to northern B.C. in Kelowna, Metro Vancouver or Edmonton, Alberta. 

The group believes northern B.C. can play a role in supporting the CBS’s goal of securing a million new blood donors by 2030. 

So far, the group has received resolutions and letters of support from the Lheidli T’enneh First Nation, the City of Prince George, the BC Nurses Union, the District of Kitimat, Northern Health, and others.  

The group believes the council’s support will show Northern leadership and unity in addressing the need for specialized blood products in B.C. and across Canada. 

To sign Our Blood Counts’ petition, click here. 

To read the full letter, see below. 

POUCE COUPE, B.C. — Dawson Creek RCMP have begun an investigation into a side-by-side incident which led to the death of two children in Pouce Coupe on June 4th. 

According to a press release on June 9th, the Dawson Creek RCMP detachment has begun an investigation into a reported utility terrain vehicle (UTV) rollover in the 13700 block of 207th Road in Pouce Coupe on June 4th at 1:03 p.m. 

Police say five young children were in the vehicle when the driver lost control, causing the vehicle to roll several times, resulting in several occupants being ejected from the vehicle.

On June 8th, Dawson Creek fire chief Marcel Capelle confirmed ambulance services, as well as the Pouce Coupe Fire Department, responded to the incident alongside police. 

An 8-year-old boy was pronounced deceased at the scene, according to Dawson Creek RCMP.

Blake Robert, media representative with Shock Trauma and Rescue (STARS), confirmed another child was airlifted to Edmonton in critical condition. 

RCMP said in the release that a 7-year-old girl later passed away “despite the best efforts of medical personnel. 

The three other occupants of the vehicle reportedly suffered minor injuries.

“As a parent, I cannot fathom the unimaginable and tragic loss these families have suffered,” said Staff Sergeant Kris Clark with the BC RCMP. “Our hearts go out to everyone who was impacted by this unthinkable event.” 

NEW WESTMINSTER — A victim of a British Columbia sex trafficker says she will “never forgive” the woman who manipulated, sexually exploited and assaulted her over the course of a year.

“The physical injuries have mostly healed, but the psychological trauma inflicted will take a lifetime to work through,” said the victim’s impact statement.

Jennifer Stephens, 31, pleaded guilty last year to multiple charges, including assault causing bodily harm, unlawful confinement, sexual assault with a weapon and several other offences related to sex trafficking of a person under 18.

Crown lawyer Catherine Rose read the impact statement to a B.C. Supreme Court judge in New Westminster on Tuesday.

“I didn’t have a voice while I was being beaten and screamed at, but this is my voice now,” the statement said.

“You laughed and thought it was funny when I was beaten. I’m the one laughing now.”

The prosecution has asked for a 13-year prison sentence for Stephens, who the court heard yesterday inflicted violent beatings on her victims and boasted of a client list of 500 people that she refused to sell to other “pimps.”

Stephens’ lawyer Dale Melville told the court Tuesday that the defence’s position was that a total of seven years minus time served is an appropriate sentence.

The impact statement said the victim, who can’t be named, said she was treated like she “wasn’t even human.” She said she is still terrorized by “nightmares, flashbacks, anxiety and depression.”

“I never fought back because you destroyed who I was as a person. Everything that was good about me, you slowly took away day by day, beating by beating, torture by torture.”

She described how Stephens befriended her and eventually tricked her into being exploited. She said she slowly became accustomed to being beaten, saying the less she fought, “the faster it would be over with.”

“You had me under your psychological and physical control until the day I escaped. It wasn’t until I was out from under your control that everything came to light.”

She said eventually, the feelings she suppressed “came at me like I was hit by a semi truck.”

“You treated me like I was nothing but a body to own and feed when we got bored or wanted to have fun, all so you could make some money off me.”

Another victim, who suffered a concussion, severe bruising and cuts around her body and her face after she was assaulted for several hours in July 2023, also had her victim impact statement read to the court on Tuesday.

The statement said her face “was unrecognizable for months” after she was assaulted by Stephens and she still suffers severe panic and anxiety attacks and nightmares that she said feel so real, she can’t tell if she’s “awake or sleeping.”

Police in Langley, B.C., started investigating the case in February 2023, beginning with a phone number that was linked to a 13-year-old girl who had been trafficked in Alberta and Kelowna, B.C.

An agreed statement of facts read out to the court on Monday outlined Stephens’ violent abuse of the victims.

It said Langley RCMP received a call from a gas station attendant on March 7, 2023, who reported a badly injured and bloody woman.

That woman told police she had been confined inside hotel rooms and assaulted by Stephens and a man over the course of four to five hours, the court heard.

The statement said Stephens met the woman, who was a sex worker, in 2021. The next year, Stephens lured the victim into believing she was a man and began a romantic relationship through texts.

More than 3,700 messages were exchanged and the victim sent money to the person she believed was her romantic partner.

Between March 2022 and March 2023, the woman sent nearly $63,000 to bank accounts controlled by Stephens.

“Ms. Stephens engaged in a prolonged campaign of exploitation and manipulation of (the woman), all done for her personal gain,” Rose told the judge on Tuesday.

The agreed statement of facts says the 13-year-old victim had also been advertised on LeoList, an online escort platform. Rose told the court Tuesday that the girl “worked” for Stephens for a total of three weeks.

“This was not an equal business partnership,” Rose said. “Ms. Stephens asserted significant control of this child.”

On Tuesday, Rose noted that Stephens had accepted responsibility by entering guilty pleas instead of engaging in what would have been a lengthy and complex trial, and had agreed to the detailed agreed statement of facts.

But, Rose said, that needs to be viewed in consideration with a pre-sentence report where she “provided alternative versions or minimized her role” in the crimes.

Rose said Stephens had no adult record, but said that should also be “somewhat tempered” by the fact she had omitted telling the pre-sentence author that she had engaged in criminal activity after being released from custody.

The prosecutor had earlier told the court that despite her initial arrest in March 2023, “Stephens continued to try and recruit other vulnerable women to work for service escorts.”

Melville told the judge on Tuesday that he takes a slightly different view of his client’s role in the crimes.

“She has admitted a wide variety of facts that are morally reprehensible. They’re terrible offences, sexual offences against children, but she’s taken responsibility for all of them,” he said of Stephens.

He said his client suffers from intermittent explosive disorder or borderline personality disorder as well as substance-use disorders involving stimulants and alcohol. He said she has been sober while in custody.

Melville said she has also been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and had a history of self-harm and suicidal behaviour.

He said the defence understood she will need “intensive monitoring,” support and targeted interventions to help facilitate rehabilitation.

Melville also argued that his client’s “sexual risk level is low.”

“These crimes involved sex, but sex wasn’t the purpose or the motive behind which she was doing it,” he said.

Videos played for the court on Monday showed some of the violence inflicted on the victims, including a man being pistol-whipped by Stephens, a female victim being whipped by a curtain rod and another showing a man being sexually assaulted.

Other videos included a topless woman being forced to eat dog food, and Stephens and her accomplice assaulting a woman in a bathtub, including stomping on her head and pouring bleach over her.

On Tuesday, Rose said the assaults against the woman Stephens manipulated for more than a year were “humiliating and an affront to (her) dignity.”

The videos were distributed, the prosecutor said, and “we don’t know where they are anymore. That’s out there forever.”

Stephens’ accomplice Michael Giroux pleaded guilty to four charges in Surrey provincial court last year, including unlawful confinement, assault with a weapon and assault causing bodily harm.

Stephens’ sentencing hearing is scheduled to continue Wednesday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 9, 2026.

Brieanna Charlebois, The Canadian Press

Would-be drivers in British Columbia are now allowed to take the knowledge test for their learner’s licence online and at home.

B.C. Attorney General Niki Sharma says the change came into effect on Tuesday.

“This change is about making that first step more accessible, while making sure every new driver is prepared for the road ahead,” she says.

The online exams will apply for passenger vehicles and motorcycles, but people who want to drive commercial vehicles must still pass the knowledge test in person.

Sharma, who announced the change at an ICBC licensing office in Burnaby, B.C., says the new online option gives learning drivers more choice and convenience.

“This is especially good news for people in rural and remote communities who used to have to commute far distances to take the test,” she says.

She says offering online tests will free up space at licensing offices for other in-person appointments such as road tests, while ICBC says moving the knowledge test online is part of a larger modernization program.

The online test will cost as much as the in-person version at $15, and it is the same in terms of material, requiring applicants to correctly answer 40 out of 50 questions.

The government says applicants can complete the test on a computer with a camera and secure internet, but not on a mobile device.

ICBC president Jason McDaniel says ICBC delivers about 300,000 knowledge tests every year, and online testing will reduce in-person testing.

Changes in the knowledge test won’t ease wait times for road tests, he says.

“(But) what it will do is free up for all those other in-office appointments, renewing your licence, new people coming into the province … or people coming in to take the knowledge test,” McDaniel says.

The statement says that people who pass their tests must still visit a licensing office to confirm their identity, as well as take a vision test and photo.

McDaniel says the online version of the knowledge test involves state-of- the-art technology with constant monitoring to detect and prevent cheating.

“We have a list of criteria that must be followed by the test taker in a controlled environment,” he says. Those criteria, he says, include a well-lit room.

A photo taken at the start of the test must match the person, who is in the room taking the test, McDaniel says. “There’s video monitoring the whole time. That’s why you have to have a camera on your computer.”

The testing system also monitors the mouse clicks during the test, he adds.

“You have to stay within the screen, and it monitors that no one else is in the room,” he says.

McDaniel says the Crown corporation is focused on modernizing and enhancing digital services.

“Bringing the knowledge test online is the first step in transforming driver licensing in B.C.,” he says. “We’re also looking ahead to offering online renewals and replacements for B.C. driver’s licences and (British Columbia Identification Cards) starting in 2027, as we continue to put our customers at the centre of everything we do.”

Sharma says the online testing builds on other changes to make government services more accessible and affordable.

They include the graduated licensing program.

Legislation passed this spring removes the requirement for a second road test to obtain a full a Class 5 licence and replaces it with a new 12-month restriction period, during which drivers must demonstrate safe driving behaviour.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 9, 2026.

Wolfgang Depner, The Canadian Press

VANCOUVER — A British Columbia court has ruled that the provincial government did not properly consult with a First Nation before a determination about a major undeveloped gold mine that the nation says “effectively greenlit” the project.

The B.C. Supreme Court says the province did not satisfy its duty to consult the Tsetsaut Skii km Lax Ha Nation in northwestern B.C. before declaring Seabridge Gold’s KSM Mine had been “substantially started” since an environmental assessment certificate was issued in 2014.

The “substantially started” declaration meant the project did not need a new environmental assessment.

Justice Emily Burke says that the determination needs to go back to the Ministry of Environment to reconsider, with the nation given 90 days to present submissions to the province.

The KSM Mine has been called the largest undeveloped gold mining project in the world, and Seabridge Gold says it has spent $1.2 billion on the site, including $208 million since it applied for “substantially started” status in January 2024.

The province granted the determination in July of that year, but the First Nation challenged the decision, saying it was not properly consulted and a man-made pond designed to collect wastewater from the mine would be placed in the nation’s traditional territory.

Chief Darlene Simpson says in a release that the First Nation is pleased with the court’s decision.

“We’re relieved the province is finally required to consult properly, based on its own conclusion that our territory bears the brunt of the environmental risks of the toxic waste dump for the world’s largest gold mine, threatening our pristine traditional waterways,” Simpson says in the statement.

The province’s Environmental Assessment Office says in an email statement that it is reviewing the decision carefully to “determine the implications and next steps.”

“The Environmental Assessment Office remains committed to fulfilling its constitutional duty to consult with First Nations and to meet its legal obligations under the Environmental Assessment Act,” the statement says.

The province had previously argued that proper consultation did take place and it wasn’t required to “formally assess the strength” of the nation’s territorial claims as part of the determination process.

Seabridge Gold chief executive Rudi Fronk says in a statement that the company is “satisfied” that the court also found the substantial-start determination to be reasonable, and work on the mine project will continue while the province undertakes the reconsideration.

“Meanwhile, the permanent physical improvements we have made at KSM which were considered appropriate for the determination have been significantly enhanced,” Fronk says. “We remain appreciative of the continued support of the Nisga’a and Tahltan Nations, and the Gitxsan Hereditary Chiefs Office, for KSM.”

The company has said that the Nisga’a and Tahltan support the project and the original substantially started determination.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 9, 2026.

Chuck Chiang, The Canadian Press

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — A local track star impressed the field at the province’s secondary school track and field championships held in Langley last week.

Kaleb Stevens-Fleming achieved top-ten finishes in the three events he was entered in the BC School Sports Track and Field Provincial Championships, which took place from Thursday, June 4th, to Saturday, June 6th, in the Lower Mainland at McLeod Athletic Park.

Stevens-Fleming had qualified for the long jump, the 200-metre sprint and his specialty, the high jump, at the North Central Zone track championships in Prince George.

The latter jump was an unofficial national record for his age group, but, because of his status with Athletics Canada, it did not count.

Stevens-Fleming’s mom, Tanya Stevens-Fleming, was in the crowd watching her son when he took the high jump with a final height of 1.71 metres.

While short of his mark in Prince George of 1.81 metres, it was enough to secure the gold medal. Kaleb described the moment as “pure joy.”

“After my last jump, and [when I] figured out I won, I felt amazing,” Kaleb told Energeticcity.ca. “The adrenaline was rushing, and I was very proud of myself. [I was] happy my mom could see it.”

Kaleb had other events to compete in as well: in the long jump, he was in the running until the final round, falling short of a gold medal with a distance of 5.71 metres.

Although securing a silver medal, Kaleb noted the distance was a personal best in the event. He finished 9th in the 200-metre overall, with a time of 25.25 seconds.

“For my last jump, I felt I needed to get better,” recalled Kaleb. “Through all my efforts, I just fell short, and I couldn’t do it.”

He added he “can’t wait to start training again” in order for him to become “truly elite.”

Along for the ride was his mom, who admitted she was “extremely nervous” about seeing her son perform on the grandest stage of secondary school sports. 

She did, however, say that her son received additional praise not only for his performances but also for his sportsmanship.

“We are just so proud of the results and how he performed and how he carried himself,” said Tanya. “He was always high-fiving or congratulating his fellow competitors, so it was nice to see.”

Stevens-Fleming was part of a large team from the Northern region who represented both North Peace Secondary School and Bert Bowes Middle School.

The BC School Sports Track and Field Provincial Championships took place from Thursday, June 4th, to Saturday, June 6th, in Langley.

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — A local non-profit committed to family services within the Indigenous community received a huge boost in funds courtesy of Surerus Pipeline.

The Nenan Dane Zaa Deh Zona (Nenan Dane) Family Services Society announced it was the recipient of the company’s community support fund on Monday, June 8th, from a Facebook post, receiving $10,000 courtesy of Surerus.

The society is committed to supporting Indigenous families navigating through colonialist family service systems through its programs, according to its website.

Nenan Dane administrator Hailey Testawitch “had some great connections,” and applied for the funding centred around the organization’s youth and cultural programming, according to executive director Derian Young

Young told Energeticcity.ca that her organization is grateful for the support from a local business.

“A huge thank you to Surerus for investing in us,” said Young. “[For] investing in our youth.”

While Young said that at this point the organization is “still nailing down” where funds will go, Nenan Dane is organizing cultural campouts throughout the summer.

Young did add a post-secondary exploration trip, where youth affiliated with Nenan Dane toured Vancouver and universities in the area, which is possibly where most of the money will go, as Nenan Dane hopes to make it an annual trip.

They toured campuses such as Simon Fraser University, the University of British Columbia and Emily Carr University of Art and Design, sampled some Indigenous cuisine, and became affiliated with Indigenous Services at the schools.

Young said as a result of the visit, two students have either applied or committed to schools in Vancouver to further their education.

“[We were] essentially engaging them,” said Young. “Our biggest thing is when you see yourself literally in the hallways, it’s much easier for you to see yourself there long-term.”

“Now they have those connections with Indigenous departments down there. They will feel much more confident when they get down there. That is something that we want to continue.”

Per its website, Surerus’ Community Support Fund provides financial assistance to community groups “who provide a necessary service that improves quality of life in the community.”

For more information about the Surerus Community Support Fund, see the company’s website. More details about Nenan Dane and its services can be found on the organization’s website or Facebook page.

Vitali Stefanski told the jury in his B.C. Supreme Court trial that Tatjana Stefanski was in his car when he noticed she was holding his knife and moving it away from her belly button.

He described in thickly accented and halting testimony how he watched her “twisting” in the reclined passenger seat of his vehicle then noticing bleeding from her leg.

The court in Kamloops, B.C., has heard that Tatjana Stefanski’s body had seven stab wounds to her chest and multiple “sharp-force injuries” to her arms and legs when it was found down a steep embankment off the side of a forestry road near Lumby, B.C.

Police officers earlier told the trial that Vitali Stefanski appeared alone and barefoot on a forestry road and told them he’d murdered his ex-wife and had tried to kill himself.

Vitali Stefanski said his ex-wife stopped responding as he was driving looking for a hospital, but at some point her body was outside of the vehicle and when he tried to pull her back, she slipped down the embankment.

He told the court that he knew no one would believe what happened and in a panic began throwing other things out of the vehicle, including the fishing knife that she had pulled away from her stomach.

The court has heard that a bent and bloodied knife was found near the body and that it had the DNA of both Tatjana and Vitali Stefanski.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 9, 2026

The Canadian Press

The region is being hit hard by caterpillars this spring with lots of bare poplar trees and greasy roads about. Soon the leaves will grow back, and all will be forgotten, but I have heard that some people will need to replant parts of their gardens because the caterpillars cleaned out what was up.

We normally are not hit too hard here at Bear Flat by caterpillars, but we sure are this year. 

The first I noticed was when one of our trail cameras west of Cache Creek started sending me weird-looking photos that turned out to be a blob of caterpillars on the camera. Then we were getting photos of bears licking up the critters on a driveway. Then the bears progressed to breaking down the smaller poplar trees to get at their food. 

Some of the trees are fairly sized, but the claw marks indicate that they have been climbing up until their weight brings it all down. The photo shows one such culprit eating among broken-down trees.

The final evidence I found was a fresh semi-solid bear turd full of partially digested caterpillars.  Literally the “proof in the pudding” (sorry!).

It seems like our trees are always taking a hit from something. It was 20 years ago this summer when the pine beetle infestation first hit here at Bear Flat. I logged out the dead pine while they were still suitable for the mill. That exposed the formerly sheltered spruce to more direct heat during a long drought period, and many of them have been slowly dying off since then.

On top of that, we have what seems like a small but steady population of spruce beetles that seem to go for the larger trees. Also, our poplar trees in more exposed areas have been dying off for many years due to the drought. I guess the one good thing is that we have not had a major wildfire go through and wipe everything out.

The ground soaked up a lot of moisture this spring from the melting snow, and the cooler temperatures and showers this spring are likely helpful too, so hopefully the trees can rejuvenate a bit this year.  Now if only the poplar trees could survive the latest abuse from black bears, all would be good!

The lead developer of the Ksi Lisims liquefied natural gas project planned for the West Coast has announced benefit agreements with three First Nations in northern British Columbia, two of which it says have withdrawn legal challenges against the $10-billion plant and export terminal.

Houston-based Western LNG distributed three separate press releases Tuesday announcing agreements with the Metlakatla First Nation, Lax Kw’alaams Band and Gitxaala Nation.

The Metlakatla and Lax Kw’alaams filed separate judicial review applications in Federal Court last fall, alleging Ottawa ignored their concerns about the adverse impacts from the $10-billion project planned for Pearse Island, by the border with Alaska.

The Lax Kw’alaams news release said as part of the benefit agreement, which includes procurement opportunities, it has withdrawn its challenge. A spokeswoman for Western LNG later confirmed the Metlakatla had withdrawn its lawsuit as well.

“This agreement reflects the importance of working together to create opportunities that benefit both our members and the broader northwest region,” said Metlakatla chief councillor Robert Nelson in the news release sent by Western LNG. The Metlakatla agreement includes climate initiatives and business opportunities, it said.

“Continuing to advance these foundational agreements with Indigenous Nations helps to build prosperity for communities in northwest B.C. and continues to be a key priority for Ksi Lisims LNG and PRGT,” said Davis Thames, head of Western LNG.

“Collaborating with Nations has been the core of this project since its inception and a major part of what we see as making Ksi Lisims LNG a successful initiative.”

The other Ksi Lisims partners are Rockies LNG, a consortium of Canadian natural gas producers, and the Nisga’a Nation, on whose land the project would be built.

“We have always envisioned the Ksi Lisims LNG project as economically important for the entirety of northwest B.C., and we are pleased to see this vision materializing,” said Eva Clayton, president of the Nisga’a Nation.

Tim Hodgson, the federal natural resources minister, touted the agreements in remarks to the Global Energy Show in Calgary.

“These agreements show that when government’s proponents and Indigenous communities engage seriously in good faith, we can find solutions that benefit everyone,” he said.

“They show that in 2026, we can and should go beyond consultation and invest in real, meaningful partnerships with Indigenous peoples.”

Western LNG also announced the nations had either updated or signed new agreements regarding the Prince Rupert Gas Transmission pipeline, which would feed gas into the Ksi Lisims project, where it would be chilled into a liquid state, enabling it to be shipped overseas.

Ksi Lisims has recently announced preliminary supply deals with German utilities and the partners aim to make a final go-ahead decision this year.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 9, 2026.

Lauren Krugel, The Canadian Press

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — The $5.1 million renovation of a specialized community services centre in Fort St. John is expected to be completed in mid-July. 

In a statement provided to Energeticcity.ca on June 8th, Northern Health said the Fort St. John specialized community service has been closed since 2024 for renovations to ensure it is suitable for its intended long-term use. 

Construction began in January 2025, with June 2025 targeted as the original reopening date. 

The reopening date was later pushed back due to “multiple construction and logistical delays,” according to Northern Health. 

The overdose prevention site and warming centre opened in December 2023 at 10067 100th Avenue, following Northern Health’s announcement of a new location in December 2022. 

In November 2025, the site was the subject of community discussion after a petition opposing its proximity to a daycare was launched. 

Katie MacDonald, a resident of Fort St. John, launched the petition, which acknowledged the need for safe drug consumption locations, but called the decision to open an overdose prevention site near Wiggles and Giggles daycare “irresponsible and concerning.” 

One supporter of the petition called the decision “ludicrous.”

“No sensible person thinks this is a good idea. Stop this from happening in our community,” said another. 

As of June 9th, 2026, the petition has reached 1,052 signatures. 

In an interview with Energeticcity.ca, Wiggles and Giggles general manager Laura Barber called the opening of the site near the daycare “deeply concerning.”

In a November 2025 statement to Energeticcity.ca, Northern Health said it conducted “a significant amount of engagement” around the site, which included a community advisory committee in April 2023. 

“Northern Health runs its OPS in a safe and respectful way for clients, staff, area businesses and the community,” it said. 

Once it reopens, the centre will offer overdose prevention services (OPS) and opioid agonist therapy, as well as adult day treatment.

It will also offer wraparound services to support withdrawal management, provide referrals for treatment and connect individuals to care. 

Services at the centre will be available Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 10067 100th Avenue. 

“The centre will be the first OPS site in the Northern Health region, and among the first in B.C. to offer an indoor inhalation space,” Northern Health said.

“The design features negative-pressure rooms with specialized ventilation systems designed to clear the air rapidly, within 30-60 seconds, to protect staff and other clients from second-hand smoke exposure,” the statement read.

According to Northern Health, the indoor inhalation space will allow all OPS-related activities to take place within the centre. 

The British Columbia Coroners Service’s (BCCS) March 2026 drug toxicity report showed northeast BC recorded 34.7 unregulated drug deaths per 100,000 people, the fifth highest rate in the province.

As of March 2026, smoking was the most common mode of consumption among unregulated drug deaths in Northern Health, with 82 per cent. 

Northern Health also reported 65 per cent of unregulated drug death’s involved the detection of Fentanyl. 

The Peace River North Local Health Area lost 13 people due to unregulated drug deaths in 2025, according to Northern Health. 

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — The City of Fort St. John has awarded a tender worth more than $2 million to upgrade the storm drainage infrastructure. 

During the June 8th City of Fort St. John council meeting, the council awarded the tender of the Lower Bouffioux Coulee Dike Armouring Project to Fort St. John-based Knappett Industries (2006) Ltd. for $2,418,875.00, which is within the authorized budget. 

The city received approximately $4 million from the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) Community Emergency Preparedness Fund Disaster Risk Reduction Grant.  

This grant was awarded in three separate categories, including repairs to the armouring on the sewage outfall, which runs alongside properties in the Old Fort community. 

According to city staff, this project is entirely funded by the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) grant. It will make the city’s stormwater infrastructure more resilient against damage from major climate events. 

The report said the city’s stormwater drainage area in and around the Bouffioux Coulee has been experiencing landslides and erosion issues for decades. 

The city staff noted that, although the work required is simple civil construction, it is located in a “sensitive” ecological area, so the tender for this project was issued under the Best Value Procurement model. 

The city introduced the best-value procurement model in 2021 for complex projects that require consideration of “additional criteria other than price.” 

The tender for this project was issued on March 31st and closed on April 20th. The city received four submissions with tender prices ranging from approximately $2.1 million to $3.5 million. 

The city anticipates the work will be completed within the budget, and unallocated funds will be used, if required, to pay for any additional costs associated with accessing the site through and around the slide on the provincial Old Fort Road. 

According to the report, construction will start in mid-August. 

To read the full report, see below. 

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — The City of Fort St. John has announced parts of 100th Street will be closed on the evening of June 13th to allow for graduation photos.

According to a June 9th Facebook post from the City of Fort St. John, 100th Street will be closed to traffic under the catenary lighting downtown from 11:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. on June 13th.

Other photo locations across the city are available, including Centennial Park, Kin Park, Festival Plaza and the Fish Creek Community Forest. 

For more information on up-to-date road closures or delays, visit DriveBC. 

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — The city has provided a letter of support to the Fort St. John Soccer Club for its BC Gaming Grant Application. 

During the June 8th City of Fort St. John council meeting, city staff attached a letter from Mayor Lilia Hansen to the Fort St. John Soccer Club for a grant application to the provincial government’s Community Gaming Grant program. 

The program allocates commercial gambling grant revenues to non-profit organizations to support ongoing programs and the completion of capital projects that will benefit communities throughout B.C. 

In her letter, Hansen said: “The funds awarded will allow the club to continue providing access to competitive and recreational soccer in the north peace area.” 

She added that this organization “champions” human connection, diversity, fair play and personal athletic advancement. 

“Its work supports the fulfillment of [the] council’s objective to provide and support robust, affordable and accessible wellness and recreation opportunities,” the letter reads. 

“The City of Fort St. John considers the work of this organization to be an invaluable contribution to our community.” 

The letter said the council is pleased to provide this letter of support and wishes the Fort St. John Soccer Club success in its application for a Community Gaming Grant. 

To read the full letter, see below.

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Below are the latest sentences handed down from the Fort St. John, Dawson Creek, and Chetwynd provincial courts between June 1st and June 5th. 

Dawson Creek Provincial Court sentencing, June 2nd

Jeremy Gerald Whitford (born 1995) 

Whitford was found guilty of theft worth $5,000 or under on January 31st, 2026, in Dawson Creek. 

They were handed a conditional discharge, which means the record won’t show a conviction if they meet the conditions set by the judge. Whitford was also handed a 12-month probation order.  

Fort St. John Provincial Court sentencing, June 3rd

Jordie Ernest Acko (born 1980) 

Acko was found guilty of refusal on July 15th, 2025, in Doig. 

They were fined $2,500 and must pay a $750 victim surcharge, which helps crime victims. 

Acko was also handed a one-year driving prohibition. 

Jess Andrew Sadlier (born 1971)

Sadlier was found guilty of driving a motor vehicle without due care or attention on July 17th, 2025, in Fort St. John. 

They were fined $1,500 and must pay a $450 victim surcharge.  

Travis Dion Sharyk (born 1990) 

Sharyk was found guilty of pointing a firearm and possessing a firearm, contrary to the order, on August 31st, 2025, in Fort St. John. 

They were sentenced to 196 days in jail, and a DNA order was issued. Sharyk was subjected to forfeiture, which allows the government to seize property or assets ‘tained’ by crime, and was handed an 18-month probation order and a 10-year firearms prohibition. 

Fort St. John Provincial Court sentencing, June 4th

Kalen Johnathan Johl (born 1986) 

Johl was found guilty of assault and breaching a release order on April 29th, 2026, and September 2nd, 2025, in Fort St. John. 

They were handed a jail-time served sentence, which means the time Johl served in jail awaiting sentencing was counted towards their sentence. 

Johl was also handed a conditional sentence, which is a sentence to be served outside of jail under strict conditions, sometimes called ‘house arrest,’ for four months and a probation order for 36 months. 

Archie Kris Whitford (born 1974) 

Whitford was found guilty of breaching a probation order on March 2nd, 2026, in Fort St. John. 

They were sentenced to four days in jail and given a 24-month probation order. 

Whitford was also found guilty of assault on March 14th, 2026, in Fort St. John. 

They were sentenced to jail time served and given a 24-month probation order. 

Chetwynd Provincial Court sentencing, June 4th

Daylon Byron MacMillan (born 1999) 

MacMillan was found guilty of impaired operation of the vehicle under the influence of alcohol or drugs on April 22nd, 2026, in Chetwynd. 

They were fined $1,000, handed a 12-month driving prohibition, and must pay a $300 victim surcharge. 

Fort St. John Provincial Court sentencing, June 5th

Missouri Clayton Cooper Abney (born 1984) 

Abney was guilty of breaching a probation order on August 27th, 2025, in Fort St. John. 

They were sentenced to jail time served and given a nine-month probation order.

Read previous court reports from Energeticcity.ca here.  

VANCOUVER — British Columbia’s police watchdog has launched an investigation after Vancouver police said officers fatally shot a person while responding to an alleged home invasion involving a hostage.

The Independent Investigations Office says in a statement that Vancouver police were called late Monday to the 3600 block of Commercial Street in East Vancouver after reports of a man running through residents’ backyards.

The IIO statement says the man had then gained entry to one of the homes and took an “uninvolved man” hostage with a weapon.

Vancouver police describe the attack as a “violent” home invasion in their own statement, adding that the suspect was shot and killed at the scene after failed attempts to de-escalate the situation.

Police say the hostage was taken to hospital with injuries and has since been released, while no officers were injured.

The Independent Investigations Office says its investigation into the fatal shooting has started but provided no further information into the case.

The watchdog investigates matters of death or serious harm that may have been the result of the actions or inaction of police.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 9, 2026.

The Canadian Press

HUDSON’S HOPE, B.C. — The head of the newest volleyball program in the peace region sees this off-season as further development for her fledgling program.

The Hudson’s Hope Volleyball Club (HHVC) started last December, after club president and head coach Amber White announced its founding, with players she had coached at  Hudson’s Hope Elementary-Secondary School. 

Jumping straight into competition, the club – nicknamed the Volts – played at the Fort St. John Icebreaker Volleyball tournament in January. 

“Essentially, we just focused on practices, games and tournaments, and put all the club business on the back burner,” said White. “However, this year the focus is to get a more established club.”

As a small community, White had to amalgamate girls aged 13 to 16 to field a competitive squad.

While fielding a younger squad of girls up to 13 is a long-term goal, White says this season she’d like to focus on a team of girls aged 14 to 16.

At last week’s annual general meeting, the Volts also installed new coaches to the program: Hanna Grover and Lana Huxley.

Both coaches bring experience as players and coaches, with Huxley having coached for over three decades, and Grover with experience both on and off the court.

“We may start trying to foster a younger group once we get this team established, that can maybe play next year,” explained White.

While the young squad did experience tournament play, White says they consistently ranked “in the middle” during competitions.

She added a highlight of the season was finishing fourth in their last tournament in Grande Prairie.

White, who received Volleyball BC accreditation for U-15, hopes to continue building sponsorships and connections with the region to give the club an established presence going forward.

For more details about the Hudson’s Hope Volts Volleyball squad or how to register or become a sponsor, please contact White at 778-582-0242.

MISSION, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA — Three people have been arrested in British Columbia’s Fraser Valley after a months-long investigation into an operation allegedly selling illicit drugs directly to youth in the area.

Mission RCMP say police began their investigation earlier this year, when a 16-year-old and their parent notified the Mounties that teenager was able to buy cannabis and psilocybin from a website.

It was followed by a second report weeks later, when another parent contacted police and said their teenager had also bought “candy-named gummies” containing psilocybin from the same website.

Police say they prioritized the case due to allegations of illicit drug sales to youth, eventually identifying two addresses in Abbotsford where searches were carried out on May 20.

There, investigators seized packages of suspected marijuana and psilocybin as well as edible products and vapes numbering in the thousands.

Two men and a woman have been arrested and released pending test results on the substances discovered in the search, and police are asking anyone who is aware of similar operations allegedly targeting youth to contact investigators.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 9, 2026.

The Canadian Press

British Columbia health officials say the Canadian who fell ill with hantavirus on a cruise ship stricken with an outbreak earlier this spring has recovered.

A statement from the Office of the Provincial Health Officer says the resident of the Yukon was discharged from hospital late last week.

It says the three other Canadians who have been isolating since last month are being monitored in their 42-day quarantine and are not showing any symptoms.

Officials previously said the four Canadians may have been exposed to the virus aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship.

The outbreak hit the ship during its voyage from Argentina to Antarctica sometime after April 1, following several stops at isolated islands in the South Atlantic.

The Public Health Agency of Canada has said the overall risk to the general population in Canada from the Andes hantavirus outbreak linked to the ship remains low.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 8, 2026.

Aaron Sousa, The Canadian Press

Updated 9 a.m. June 9th, 2026: This article has been updated to remove all identifying information, as the individual discussed in this article has been found by RCMP.

BEAVERLODGE, AB — The Beaverlodge RCMP detachment have found a woman reported as missing on June 8th.

The woman was last seen on Thursday, June 4th, and was reported missing on June 8th, according to a press release.

Anyone with information regarding the person’s whereabouts was asked to contact Beaverlodge RCMP at 780-354-2485. Those who wished to remain anonymous could contact Crime Stoppers toll-free at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS).

TAYLOR, B.C. — The District of Taylor is advising select residents of an upcoming temporary water shutoff.

According to a June 8th Facebook post from the District of Taylor, residents on 101st and 100th streets between 107th and 108th avenues will have their water shut off beginning at 1 p.m. on June 9th. 

The district said the shut-off is due to a required water service upgrade, which shouldn’t last longer than 3 hours.

Residents are encouraged to store water for their household during the shut-off. 

The district apologized for the shut off and said it will turn the water back on as soon as possible. 

The post reminds residents to run their taps for five to 10 minutes if they notice any air or discoloration after the water is turned back on.

Water should clear up and return to normal; if the issue persists, residents are asked to call the district office at 250-789-3392. 

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — The province and Doctors of BC have agreed to a four-year renewal of an agreement that will provide $1 billion to support doctors and patient care in B.C.

According to a June 5th release from the Ministry of Health, the renewal of the Physician Main Agreement will “strengthen patient care and ensure doctors are supported, while respecting the government’s bargaining mandate.”

“This agreement provides more than $1 billion over four years to support doctors and patient care, including $100 million in new funding to address workload increases for doctors paid under contracts,” the release said. 

The province said the agreement will include increased funding for family doctors who provide full-scope care in both rural and remote communities. 

Funding for medical services in rural and remote communities is also increasing significantly, according to the release. 

Northern Health said it was “pleased” to see increased funding in rural and remote communities for rural family doctors and medical services included in the agreement. 

“Northern Health is hopeful this increased funding will assist our efforts to recruit and retain physicians in rural communities across northern B.C.,” it said in a statement provided to Energeticcity.ca. 

Northern Health also said it understands the importance of access to a regular primary care provider and is working to recruit to fill vacancies in northeast B.C. communities. 

“The provincial government has improved hiring pathways for U.S. and internationally trained practitioners, helping remove barriers and shorten timelines,” the statement said.

“While these efforts are helping, the reality is rural and remote communities across B.C. are competing for a limited number of health care providers,” it continued. 

On September 29th, 2022, the Ministry of Health announced an additional 88 seats at the University of British Columbia’s (UBC) faculty of medicine. 

The additional seats included eight new seats in the Northern Medical Program, which is designed to train physicians for northern and rural communities. 

The ministry said over 4,292 eligible doctors voted on the agreement, with 92 per cent supporting it after voting ended on June 4th, 2026.

Josie Osborne, Minister of Health, said both the Government of B.C. and Doctors of BC are focused on strengthening healthcare for residents of B.C.

“This agreement builds on our collaborative relationship with Doctors of BC and physicians, and reflects our common goal of improving patient care while supporting the doctors who deliver it every day.”

Dr. Adam Thompson, president of Doctors of BC, said the agreement will support doctors in delivering the best possible care and the organization is committed to addressing pressures in the health care system while working with the Ministry of Health.

Family doctors who provide maternal care will benefit from increased compensation under a new contract rate, according to the release.

Doctors who provide obstetrical care, which starts at pregnancy up until after childbirth, and gynecological services, as well as pediatric, psychiatric and forensic services, will also see a substantial increase in contract rates.

The province announced the introduction of a new premium for “elective” surgeries which are scheduled for evenings, weekends and statutory holidays. 

Doctors will also receive an increase in compensation for on-call availability.

More information on rural practice programs can be found on the Government of British Columbia website. 

FORT NELSON, B.C. — RCMP in Fort Nelson have seized five kilograms of illegal drugs following a year-long investigation.

According to a June 8th, 2026, news release from the Northern Rockies RCMP, approximately five kilograms of what police suspect to be cocaine were seized as part of an investigation which began in the summer of 2025.

Following the seizure, the evidence was submitted to the Federal Crown for charge assessment. 

41-year-old Basim Mansur of Surrey has now been charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking and possession of a prohibited weapon. 

Northern Rockies RCMP said no further details are available at this time, as the matter is now before the courts. 

According to Court Services Online (CSO), Mansur is scheduled to appear at Fort Nelson Law Courts on June 22nd, 2026, for his first appearance. 

CSO said the offences occurred on May 29th, 2025, in Trutch, B.C, located two hours from Fort St. John and one hour from Fort Nelson.

RCMP are asking anyone with information related to the investigation or any suspected drug trafficking activity in Fort Nelson to contact Northern Rockies RCMP at 250-774-2700 or contact Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477

RICHMOND — Tom Tang, went from being an art teacher and street portraitist in China, to living in a park in Richmond, B.C.

He didn’t quite understand how he ended up there.

“Time all blurs together when you spend a long time wandering on the streets. I don’t know what date it is,” said Tang in his native Shanghainese on a recent Sunday afternoon.

His path took him from teaching at a school in Shanghai, to Canada in the wake of the 1989 Tiananmen Square killings. Marriage, a son and an apartment followed.

When The Canadian Press met him, he was living in a tent in Brighouse Neighbourhood Park, befriending drug dealers and addicts around him.

He said he shared his cigarettes with them, and checked them in their sleep to make sure they were breathing.

A man in a red jacket wearing a gold necklace walked by, and Tang greeted him with a wave. “Hey Tom,” the man responded.

Tang identified him as one of the dealers who roam the park, with whom he has “great relations.”

“Sometimes the drug dealers ask me if I want to try. I say No because I don’t have any money,” laughed Tang. “When people are using (drugs) next to me, I would say, ‘Sorry, I didn’t see anything’ and move away.”

Tang’s tone was light, but outreach worker Hugh Freiberg with Richmond’s Refuge Church knows Tang and said there was a survival mechanism at play. “He tries to get along with everybody so that nobody will rob him or steal his stuff.”

Freiberg said he had compassion for all homeless people, but seniors like Tang — with no substance use or mental health issues — stood out.

“These are people who worked all their lives,“ said Freiberg. “They did nothing wrong, and they ended up on the street, and they’re getting minimal support from the provincial government.”

Tang long dreamt of a permanent place to live, where he could rest easily. The first thing he would do “is sleep for three days and three nights straight,” he said, laughing.

Now, after a year and a half on the streets, Tang finally has more than a flimsy tent in the park to call home.

He moved into a long-term care home last week, a social worker said.

‘I AM NOT WELCOMED BY ANYONE’

A couple of weekends ago, Tang, who has diabetes, was sitting on his walker in the shade, sipping coffee from McDonald’s across from the park.

After almost 40 years in Canada, his belongings occupied two small plastic bags.

“I couldn’t believe I’ve been able to survive so many days being homeless. It’s been so long I can barely remember what it feels like sleeping on a mattress,” said Tang, who’s missing numerous teeth and has a wounded brow.

B.C. seniors advocate Dan Levitt said seniors like Tang, unfamiliar with English or Canadian systems, faced “double jeopardy or triple jeopardy.”

“My heart goes out to Tom and others struggling to access the care and support they need,” said Levitt.

Levitt said Tang’s case highlighted an urgent need to expand long-term care, and seniors’ affordable housing options.

Levitt’s office reported last July that between 2016 and 2025, B.C.’s long-term care wait-list tripled, from 2,381 to 7,212.

Freiberg said Richmond’s main shelter houses 60 people, a third of them seniors, and three-quarters refugees or immigrants. They can only stay 30 days. Then they’re back on the streets.

“We try to keep these people alive and try to minimize their suffering, but the longer that they’re out there, the more stress is caused to their mental and psychological health,” said Freiberg.

He first met Tang outside a convenience store.

“He would come to the 7-Eleven, I would meet up with him and give him a meal every day, and whatever supplies he needed. He was sleeping on a chair in the lobby, and they let him stay there for a while, but eventually asked him to move on,” said Freiberg.

Tang used to teach in Shanghai’s post-secondary public school system. But he dreamt of life abroad, and a long-held desire to immigrate to Canada became reality in 1989 after the Tiananmen Square massacre.

“But the immigration journey has been rough,” said Tang.

He married and had a son and began working as a portraitist in Vancouver’s Stanley Park and Queen Elizabeth Park, charging $20. Occasionally he travelled to Calgary and Toronto to “try his luck.”

“Being a portrait artist doesn’t require much English skill,” chuckles Tang. “I remembered that I once set up my art stand outside of Eaton Centre (in Toronto), and the income was decent. I had great eyesight, and I could still drive many years ago.”

But things went downhill after his 2008 divorce. Tang’s ex-wife sold their two-bedroom Richmond apartment and returned to China.

He lived with his son on Richmond’s Granville Avenue, but when his son moved to the United States, Tang had nowhere to go.

“I am not welcomed by anyone,” says Tang, whose monthly pension is a little more than $1,000.

He tried couch surfing, but eventually his friends’ doors closed. “When you are rich, everyone wants to be your friend, but when you are poor and walking around with a bag of clothes, people all run away,” says Tang.

Tang said he had had no success securing a long-term care bed, being told the wait was more than two years.

An elderly man with a scarred nose interrupted, looking for his friend “Amber.”

He asked if we wanted to share a bowl of marijuana, but Tang turned him down with a smile and he shook our hands before moving on.

Tang gave a tour of his small black tent, next to a Progressive Housing Society facility at the park. It was quite new, a handout from the city, after his last tent was stolen.

“Life is all about experience. Being homeless is also part of the experience,” he said.

Tang said his son lived in New York, pursuing an arts career. Tang was happy to talk but begged this reporter not to contact his son about his “miserable situation.”

“I only want to call him after I get a place to live,” said Tang.

But that reunion may now be a step closer.

A social worker who has helped Tang said on Monday that he had finally moved into a Richmond long-term care home, although the home would not confirm his admission, citing privacy.

Outreach worker Stephanie Scramstad with Refuge Church said media attention had helped get Tang off the streets.

He moved in on June 4 — the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown that brought him to Canada in the first place.

At last, he can sleep easier.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 8, 2026.

Nono Shen, The Canadian Press

NEW WESTMINSTER — Graphic videos played in a New Westminster, B.C., courtroom on Monday prompted a warning from the judge overseeing sentencing of a woman who pleaded guilty to multiple charges in a child sex trafficking case.

The videos seized in the human trafficking case against Jennifer Stephens, 31, were played in court during the first day of her sentencing hearing.

B.C. Supreme Court Justice Terence Schultes cautioned those in the court of the disturbing content of the videos to reconsider whether to watch if they weren’t “battle-hardened by criminal proceedings.”

Crown attorney Catherine Rose told the court that the prosecution is seeking a 13-year prison sentence for Stephens, who pleaded guilty to 17 criminal charges related to sex trafficking of a minor, and several counts of assault.

CAUTION: The following paragraphs contain graphic content some readers may find disturbing.

The videos played in court included a man being pistol-whipped by Stephens, a female victim being whipped by a curtain rod and another showing a man being sexually assaulted with the barrel of a gun.

Another video showed a man being forced to insert his tongue and genitals into a desk fan, and another depicting a topless female victim crawling along a floor and forced to eat dog food.

Another clip played for the court showed Stephens and her accomplice Michael Giroux terrorizing a woman in a bathtub, with Giroux stomping on her head and pouring a liquid over her.

An agreed statement of facts said the substance poured on the woman was bleach.

Giroux pleaded guilty to four charges in Surrey provincial court last year, including unlawful confinement, assault with a weapon and assault causing bodily harm.

The court also heard that Stephens and Giroux poured hot sauce into a trafficking victim’s eyes.

Rose read out the agreed statement of facts at the hearing, outlining Stephens’ violent, drug-fuelled abuse of sex workers, including a 13-year-old girl.

Stephens pleaded guilty in January last year to multiple charges, including assault causing bodily harm, unlawful confinement, sexual assault with a weapon and several other offences related to sex trafficking of a person under 18.

Police in Langley, B.C., started investigating the case in February 2023, beginning with a phone number that was linked to a 13-year-old girl who had been trafficked in Alberta and Kelowna, B.C.

The statement says services from the girl had been advertised on LeoList, an online escort platform.

It says photographs on the website led police to a Langley hotel where the victims lived and worked, and officers later discovered the videos on a phone.

The document says Stephens boasted about having a Snapchat account with “500 clients,” a list she said she refused to sell to other “pimps.”

Rose told the court that the case came together “very quickly,” moving to file “numerous” applications for search warrants after the call came in March 2023 from one of Stephens’ badly beaten victims.

The court heard that a pre-sentence report on Stephens showed that she has “minimized” her role in the offences, denied being the “mastermind” behind the trafficking operation and was using methamphetamine on a daily basis.

Rose said the court will hear impact statements on Tuesday from Stephens’ trafficking victims, who can’t be named under a publication ban.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 8, 2026.

Darryl Greer, The Canadian Press

The prosecution has finished presenting its evidence at a B.C. murder trial with testimony from a pathologist who said the body of a woman killed in April 2024 had multiple wounds on her hands, consistent with “defensive-type” injuries.

Dr. Eric Bol told the jury in the second-degree murder trial of Vitali Stefanski in Kamloops, B.C., that defensive injuries happen when someone uses a part of their body to “ward off a sharp object,” resulting in injuries to their hands or forearms.

Vitali Stefanski has pleaded not guilty to murdering his ex-wife, 44-year-old Tatjana Stefanski, who had been reported abducted before her body was found.

Stefanski’s defence lawyer, Tony Lagemaat, said he would inform the court on Tuesday if he would be presenting evidence in the case.

Bol testified Monday that Tatjana Stefanski’s body had seven stab wounds to her chest, and 14 more superficial “sharp-force injuries” to her arms and legs in addition to the injuries to her hands.

He acknowledged while being cross-examined that injuries on the woman’s hands, while “consistent” with defensive wounds, do not conclusively mean that’s what they were.

Bol said the cause of death was “multiple sharp force injuries,” but the wounds to her chest were “more significant.”

The court heard that Tatjana Stefanski had more than a litre of blood in her chest cavity and that her heart, lungs and diaphragm were injured.

Bol told the jury that the amount of time it takes someone to die from a severe injury is “highly variable” and can depend on factors like the type of injury or the health of the person.

He said some of the injuries to the woman’s body were yellow in colour, rather than red, suggesting they occurred later in the sequence of events or after Tatjana Stefanski’s heart had stopped beating.

The jury trial has already heard that a bent and bloodied knife was found near the body and it had the DNA of both Tatjana and Vitali Stefanski.

Police officers have testified that Vitali Stefanski told them he’d murdered his ex-wife and had tried to kill himself.

During cross-examination by Lagemaat, Bol said he couldn’t comment on the chronological order of the chest stab wounds, nor could he say which wound was responsible for the death, calling it a cumulative effect of those, plus the other more superficial injuries.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 8, 2026

Ashley Joannou, The Canadian Press

QUESNEL — Police say a 17-year-old British Columbia male is believed to have drowned after a boat capsized on a lake in the central Interior.

Mounties in Quesnel say the boat was carrying four people on Stony Lake.

Three of those on board made it to shore, but the vessel’s operator did not surface and has not been found.

Police say the search effort is ongoing.

The operator has been identified as a 17-year-old youth from Prince George, B.C., and his family has been notified.

An underwater recovery team is expected to arrive at the scene Tuesday to assist with the search.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 8, 2026.

The Canadian Press

VANCOUVER — The union representing Metro Vancouver outside workers is asking people to avoid one of the region’s most popular hiking trails as its members put up picket lines.

The Greater Vancouver Regional District Employees’ Union says in a statement that members are picketing the Grouse Grind on Monday and unionized park rangers are expected not to cross their picket line.

Pickets have also gone up at Delta’s Deas Island Regional Park and Langley’s Derby Reach Regional Park, as well as at the Lions Gate Wastewater Treatment Plant in West Vancouver.

Metro Vancouver says in a statement that the Grouse Grind and other picketed parks remain open and residents can expect “no changes in the essential services” provided by the regional district.

The union has been setting up rotating pickets at the regional district’s head office in Burnaby as well as water and wastewater treatment facilities for weeks in an effort to get a new contract.

The last contract between the district and outside workers expired in December 2024, and union president Jesse Medeiros says in a statement that members “need to put increasing pressure” on Metro Vancouver to force a restart of negotiations.

The union says hikers will not be stopped from using the Grouse Grind, but it is asking users to use extra caution without unionized rangers operating and to preferably delay their visits to another day.

“Union members’ jobs affected include park operators and assistants, patrollers and other Grouse Mountain Regional Park workers who fix the trails, remove garbage and keep them is top condition — that won’t be happening on Monday,” Medeiros says.

The union says it continues to abide by operations required by positions designated as essential service by the Labour Relations Board, but most other workers have walked off the job at the picket sites.

The union says no talks are scheduled, although Metro Vancouver notes that the district has recently offered five possible dates to restart negotiations that were rejected by the workers.

The district also says it has also made repeated requests for a mediator to support the talks, but the union has not agreed to those requests.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 8, 2026.

The Canadian Press

POUCE COUPE, B.C. — Two children are dead after an incident involving a side-by-side vehicle last week.

Dawson Creek fire department chief Marcel Capelle told  Energeticcity.ca that ambulance services, the Dawson Creek RCMP and the Pouce Coupe Fire Department were at the scene on the afternoon of Thursday, June 4th at 1 p.m.

Two young children were operating a side-by-side all-terrain off-road vehicle when it rolled over. Dawson Creek RCMP detachment commanding officer, Staff Sergeant Shawn Peddle, confirmed a child was pronounced dead at the scene.

Shock Trauma and Rescue (STARS) Ambulance media representative Blake Robert confirmed that STARS air ambulance was called to the incident, airlifting another child from the scene to Edmonton in critical condition. 

Peddle said the child who was airlifted later passed away on Saturday, June 6th, in the hospital, and the matter is still under investigation.

CHARLIE LAKE, B.C. — The Fort St. John RCMP detachment is seeking the public’s help in locating a stolen vehicle.

Charlie Lake resident Rick Walters took to Facebook on Sunday, June 7th, asking for information with regards to his stolen Jeep.

The vehicle was believed to have been taken between 6:30 and 7 a.m. local time on Sunday, June 7th.

Pictures of the vehicle, along with a red pickup believed to have aided in the theft, were also posted.

BC RCMP media relations representative, Staff Sergeant Kris Clark, confirmed to Energeticcity.ca the vehicle was reported as stolen at 10:15 a.m. on Sunday, June 7th.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Fort St. John RCMP at 250-787-8100.

DAWSON CREEK, B.C. — The Dawson Creek and District Chamber of Commerce has announced a new initiative to highlight businesswomen in the south peace.

Working Women Wednesdays was soft-launched last year, according to the organization’s executive director,  Daneka Hussey-Hughes.

It is to recognize local working women to “bring light to the wonderful women who help build our businesses and economy,” in Dawson Creek, according to a Facebook post.

Hussey-Hughes told Energeticcity.ca the program didn’t “get off the ground” in 2025 because the chamber was undergoing an “internal rebuild.”

“I ran five or six last year,” said Hussey-Hughes. “Then I started stockpiling them, so we could relaunch. I realized very quickly that in the community, you have to go to your businesses to get [nominations].”

“So many of them are one or two-person businesses [where] you really have to go door to door and be like: ‘hey, I am here to help you.”

The Dawson Creek and District Chamber of Commerce is an organization which supports business advocacy, issues, and networking for local businesses and non-profits in the area.

Hussey-Hughes told Energeticcity.ca the chamber currently has 175 businesses registered and supports 2,000-plus employees involved in local organizations.

To qualify for inclusion, the organization must be a chamber member. They must also be a woman and hold a supervisory or management position within the business they represent.

Those nominated will be featured on Wednesdays on the Dawson Creek and District Chamber of Commerce’s social media platforms, using the hashtag #SheisDawsonCreek, and in the organization’s monthly newsletter.

While not being a chamber member does not disqualify a nominee, they must register with the chamber to be considered.

Hussey-Hughes expects nominations to be featured bi-weekly online.

“We have had new businesses sign up because of initiatives like this,” said Hussey-Hughes. “It does increase our membership in a way. It does not mean we don’t feature men, but just on a different day.”

To nominate a local businesswoman for consideration, visit the chamber of commerce’s website or email Hussey-Hughes at executivedirector@dawsoncreekchamber.ca.

SQUAMISH — About two dozen properties near Pemberton, B.C., are under an evacuation alert due to the risk of flooding from a possible glacial lake outburst.

The Squamish-Lillooet Regional District says residents of the properties in the Poole Creek-Gates Lake area need to be prepared to leave on short notice.

The district says the alert was set off after a glacial lake from the Place Glacier reached an estimated depth of 24 metres, about the same level reached last year when an outburst took place.

The alert says an outburst from the lake could create both overland and debris flooding in downstream properties.

The area was flooded in 2024 when a sudden collapse within the glacier created a debris flow that altered the normal drainage path from the mountain, setting off emergency alignment work to restore the normal flow path.

Another outburst happened last year, resulting in some flooding of local riverbanks, although the district says the emergency work done in 2024 successfully prevented water from flooding into Gates Lake and altering the drainage path again.

About 15 properties in the area were placed on evacuation alert in the 2025 outburst event.

“Given the potential threat to public safety and the possibility of impacts to life and safety, residents and property owners in the affected area should be prepared to leave the area on short notice,” the current evacuation alert from the district says.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 8, 2026.

The Canadian Press

BURNABY — The operator of a fuel refinery in Burnaby, B.C., says a small leak of “process water” at its tank farm involving hydrogen sulphide has stabilized significantly and is now contained.

Sunoco LP says in a statement that the leak happened overnight, but it does not say what set off the problem.

It says the company immediately activated its emergency procedures, while Burnaby Fire deployed air monitoring equipment early Monday morning.

Health Canada says hydrogen sulphide smells of rotten eggs and can be toxic but has many natural sources, including volcanoes, hot springs and crude oil deposits.

Confederation Park near the tank farm was closed to the public during the leak, but Sunoco says it has since been reopened.

The refinery produces about 30 per cent of all transportation fuel used in B.C.

The former Parkland refinery, before Sunoco LP took over the operation last year, had previously released a noxious odour during another leak in January 2024 caused by unusually cold weather disrupting operations.

The company says it’s working with emergency responders and is continuously monitoring conditions.

“All required safety and environmental protocols are being followed, and the appropriate regulatory agencies and stakeholders have been notified,” it said Monday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 8, 2026.

The Canadian Press

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — One of the city’s youth pool commissioners won 11 medals at recent swimming championships. 

According to a Facebook post uploaded to the City of Fort St. John Recreation’s page on May 30th, Leonardo Rossi, one of the city’s youth pool commissioners, won 11 medals, five at the BC Divisional Championships and six at the Grande Prairie Divisional Championships. 

The youth pool commissioner serves as the voice of local youth on the North Peace Leisure Pool Commission, helping to influence decisions on pool programming, facility improvements, and youth events. 

Rossi said he was very happy and excited to have won all those medals. 

“Really, it just shows that I put in hard work throughout the season leading up to the main season, I got a lot of best times, and it just shows my hard work,” he added. 

The BC Divisional Championships and the Grande Prairie Divisional Championships, Rossi said, lead up to his upcoming competitive season. 

Rossi said his first competitive meet will be the Summer Divisional Championships, which will start on June 19th in Vernon.

“The next one is the BC Summer Games, which I got selected for, so I will be representing zone eight,” Rossi noted. 

The BC Summer Games will be held in Kelowna from July 22nd to July 26th. 

“What I’m doing right now is, as much as I’m trying to replicate it throughout competitive season,” Rossi noted. “I always like to keep the same routine throughout my whole season to ensure that I have the best competition and best results possible.” 

However, Rossi mentioned his training will become more difficult to prepare for the season. 

“I’ve improved a lot overall. It’s different. After you swim for a long time, it starts to change, and it gets harder, but it’s overall still really fun,” he noted. 

Rossi, who spends over 18 hours in the pool every week, said: “I like to get my work done as soon as I can at school…And then I can work harder in the pool, so that I don’t have to worry or stress about extra school.” 

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — British Columbia has appointed a special mediator following a strike notice issued by Emergency Communications Professionals on June 5th.

British Columbia’s Minister of Labour, Jennifer Whiteside, has appointed special mediator Vince Ready, as negotiations continue between Emergency Communications Professionals and E-Comm 911, according to a June 6th, 2026, release from the Emergency Communications Professionals of BC. 

“We want to thank the government for recognizing the urgency of this situation and its assistance in appointing the special mediator, and we are ready to move forward with this process,” said CUPE 8911 president Donald Grant.

The release said CUPE 8911 looks forward to working with Ready, who it said has “extensive knowledge and experience dealing with complex contract negotiations.”

CUPE 8911 represents over 700 Emergency Communications Professionals in British Columbia, including 911 operators, call takers, dispatchers and IT and support professionals employed by E-Comm.

In a May strike vote, 95 per cent of CUPE 8911 members voted in favour of a strike, prompting the issuance of a strike notice. 

CUPE 8911 and its employer, E-Comm, will work alongside Ready for up to 10 days, and the union will not proceed with the planned job action at this time, the June 6th release said.

In a June 5th, 2026 press release, the Emergency Communications Professionals of BC said over 700 emergency communications professionals were set to be “in a legal strike position” at 3:29 p.m. on June 8th, 2026. 

The release said the strike notice comes after negotiations failed to develop an agreement which addressed staffing and retention challenges affecting BC’s emergency communications system.

“British Columbians expect that when they call 911, they’ll get the help they need quickly,” said Grant. “But right now, the people who answer those calls are being pushed to their breaking point.”

“Public safety is too important to keep postponing solutions,” Grant said in the June 5th release. 

E-Comm 9-1-1 and CUPE 8911 have been engaged in negotiations for over 20 days since November 2025. 

Negotiation topics include fair wages, safe staffing levels and improved health and wellness supports. 

DAWSON CREEK, B.C. — The police are seeking the public’s help to locate a missing person.

According to a press release by the Dawson Creek RCMP on June 8th, officers are looking for 18-year-old David Harvey, who was reported missing on June 5th, 2026. 

The release said Harvey was last seen on June 4th in Dawson Creek. 

Harvey is described as five feet and 10 inches tall and weighing 115 pounds. He has brown hair and grey eyes. 

The police and his family are concerned about his health and well-being. 

People with any information about Harvey’s whereabouts are urged to contact their local police or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS). 

TUMBLER RIDGE, B.C. — Tumbler Ridge may be known across Canada for a mass shooting that took nine lives in February, but a local event this summer aims to show more about its history.

The Tumbler Tales book launch festival, scheduled for several days in July and August, will pull back the curtain to reveal the community’s legacy. 

Events taking place during that time are a collaboration between the Tumbler Ridge Museum, Tumbler Ridgelines and writer Anne Mullens.

According to the Tumbler Ridge Museum’s programs and events coordinator, Caris Windhausen, plans for the event began late last year.

“[Tumbler Ridge] was one of the last instant towns [in B.C.] that was built up,” Windhausen told Energeticcity.ca. “The plan for August is to launch the book and bring people together to talk about the history of Tumblr Ridge from the 80s to today.”

At the centre of the festival is the book ‘Go North, Reporter,’ an upcoming work by Mullens.

Mullens was a reporter at the Vancouver Sun in the early 1980s, and the book is a collection of her pieces from the construction of what is now Tumbler Ridge.

An ‘instant town’ or planned community, according to the District of Tumbler Ridge’s website, a number of coal deposits were found in the area in the 1970s.

In 1981, an agreement was reached among the provincial government, Denison Mines, Teck Corporation and the Japanese steel industry, allowing the development of Northeast Coal to proceed.

The town, infrastructure and two mines were built from scratch by 1984.

The festival will feature a pancake breakfast, community games, a 1980s-themed dinner and dance and a book signing and reading by Mullens.

Early-bird tickets for the dinner and dance are $55 and are available at the Tumbler Ridge Museum Foundation’s (TRMF) website.

“[It’s about] having some spaces where we can talk and reminisce and consider the past and future of our town,” said Windhausen.

The Tumbler Tales Book Launch Festival will take place between Friday, July 31st, and Sunday, August 2nd. 

For more details, see the news section of the TRMF website.

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Dawson Road Maintenance is asking drivers to slow down and pass with caution as it conducts road work on Highway 103.

According to a June 8th Facebook post by Dawson Road Maintenance, road work will be taking place on BC Highway 103, which connects the Alaska Highway and Goodlow. 

Dawson Road Maintenance said the work will take place from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, June 8th, through Thursday, June 11th.

Road users are encouraged to slow down and pass with caution. 

To keep up-to-date with road closures and delays, check DriveBC. 

HUDSON’S HOPE, B.C. — The emergency department at the Hudson’s Hope Health Centre will be “temporarily closed” for a week. 

The centre’s ER will reopen on Monday, June 15, at 8:30 a.m., according to the Northern Health’s Emergency Department Status page.

The ER was previously closed from 3 p.m. on June 2nd to 11:30 a.m. on June 3rd due to a malfunction with the radiology equipment. 

“Emergency department services at Hudson’s Hope Health Centre are currently experiencing a service interruption due to physician staffing issues,” Northern Health said in a written statement. 

The health authority told Energeticcity.ca on May 29th that it has “successfully” recruited a second physician to the community, who is expected to arrive this summer upon completion of the recruitment process. 

The centre is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., during normal hours, excluding weekends and statutory holidays. 

The health authority urged residents who need emergency care outside normal working hours to call 911 to connect with BC Emergency Health Services for transport to the nearest available hospital. 

SURREY — A British Columbia man who posted video of himself and another man spraying black paint on a rainbow crosswalk in Surrey, B.C., last month has been arrested.

Police in the Metro Vancouver city have not identified the man, who has since been released with conditions, but Amrit Birring says officers visited him on Saturday.

A Facebook post by Birring, the leader of the Freedom Party of B.C., says police did not put him in handcuffs and had him sign his release conditions on the spot.

The statement from the Surrey Police Service says the man has not yet been formally charged with an offence, though Birring -, who has previously confirmed he is the man in the video — says he’s been charged with mischief over $5,000.

Birring says his release conditions include orders that he not come within 500 metres of the rainbow crosswalk at Holland Park and to appear in court on July 28.

Police say the investigation is ongoing, and they expect to forward a report on the case to prosecutors in the next few days for assessment of potential charges.

The vandalism happened on May 30, and police said three men had been identified as suspects.

Birring had posted images and video of himself and another person spraying the crosswalk, while another held a protest sign.

The man has previously run unsuccessfully for mayor in Surrey and as a candidate in federal and provincial elections.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 8, 2026.

The Canadian Press

FORT NELSON, B.C. — The Fort Nelson Community Literacy Society has recognized several organizations for their contributions totalling $132,000. 

As per a Facebook post uploaded to the Fort Nelson Community Literacy Society’s page on June 3rd, Seanah Mollica, the society’s executive director, said she is grateful to recognize several supporters whose generosity is helping create stability for the organization and the people it serves. 

The Peter Gzowski Foundation for Literacy has committed $60,000 for over two years to help fund operations, sustain services and leverage additional funding opportunities. 

In addition, the Alexandra Foundation has provided the society with $20,000 in operational funding this year, which will help the society offer neighbourhood-house-style services to foster connection, belonging and support throughout the Fort Nelson community. 

The Azrieli Foundation will give the society $32,000 over two years for the youth tutoring program, which was on the verge of being discontinued due to funding shortages. 

The society also received an anonymous $20,000 donation from a donor who helped save the youth tutoring program last year. 

Mollica said the program has finally stabilized and is now sustainable for the next three years, which the post said is an incredible milestone for children, youth, families, tutors and staff involved. 

She thanked the organizations for believing in the society’s work, mission and the people it serves. Millica said the society will continue to work hard to honour the investments and ensure funds have the “greatest possible impact.”

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Surerus Pipeline has donated $25,000 to the Fort St. John Royal Canadian Legion.

The legion called the donation “incredibly generous” in a June 5th Facebook post. 

“Their support has made a lasting impact in our community this year and for many years before,” the post said.  

According to the legion, the contribution will support important updates, including improvements to seating and air conditioning, which it says will create a “more comfortable, welcoming and usable space for veterans, members and the entire community.”

The legion wrote the Surerus family’s willingness to give back continues to “strengthen and inspire” the community around them. 

“Thank you for helping us preserve this important gathering place and for investing in the people who call this community home,” the post concluded. 

A second German utility has expressed interest in purchasing liquefied natural gas from the Ksi Lisims project planned for the northern British Columbia coast, as the plant’s partners approach a final go-ahead decision.

Duesseldorf-based Uniper and Ksi Lisims LNG said Monday that they have signed a letter of interest that could see the company buy two million tonnes of gas a year, with deliveries beginning as early as 2032.

The letter of interest outlines key commercial terms for a firmer supply and purchase agreement with Uniper, whose core markets are Germany, the United Kingdom, Sweden and the Netherlands.

Uniper has 18.5 gigawatts of power generating capacity and is a major LNG importer in northwestern Europe. The German government took it over amid the 2022 energy crisis following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but is now in the process of privatizing it.

Diversifying Uniper’s portfolio of LNG supply is a key priority, CEO Michael Lewis said in a news release.

“Canada offers an attractive environment with significant gas resources, strong political stability and reliable regulatory frameworks,” he said.

“We see potential in projects like Ksi Lisims LNG to further enhance the resilience and flexibility of our supply portfolio.”

Houston-based Western LNG is the lead developer and future operator of Ksi Lisims alongside Rockies LNG, a consortium of Canadian natural gas producers, and the Nisga’a Nation, on whose lands the project would be located. The floating plant would export up to 12 million tonnes of LNG per year from the site on Pearse Island, by the Alaska border.

The $10-billion project has regulatory approval but the partners have yet to make a final investment decision. Locking down long-term supply deals is a key step toward that milestone.

“This project, and Europe’s interest in it, demonstrates how energy security, climate responsibility, and community-focused economic development can be achieved together,” said Davis Thames, CEO of Western LNG.

LNG is natural gas that has been chilled into a liquid state, enabling it to be shipped by sea on specialized tankers.

Late last month, German government-owned company Securing Energy for Europe, or SEFE, signed a long-term agreement to buy one million tonnes of LNG per year from Ksi Lisims over an up to 20-year span.

Germany would not seem to be a logical buyer for western Canadian gas based solely on geography, but European countries have looked to source gas from places other than Russia, which had been their dominant supplier, since that country’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

The U.S.-Israel war with Iran has also halted LNG shipments out of the Middle East since late February, striking off another region from Europe’s list of suppliers.

Cargo from Ksi Lisims could travel to Germany via the Panama Canal, provided vessels are small enough, or take the long way around South America or Africa, Tim Hodgson, the federal natural resources minister, said late last month when the deal with SEFE was announced. But more likely are swap deals, where a European buyer could essentially trade cargoes with another company with a ship closer to the destination.

The Uniper-Ksi Lisims announcement is better understood as a “political move” in both Canada and Germany than a genuine energy security advancement, said Alex Walker, energy analytics program manager at Environmental Defence.

“For Ottawa, this signals further momentum of the nation building agenda. For Germany, it helps prove the value of the state-owned Uniper ahead of its sale, reassuring prospective buyers such as the Canada Pension Plan that the company holds long-term supply commitments,” Walker said.

Reuters reported last week that the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board is among the possible bidders for Uniper.

Walker also noted Ksi Lisims’ prospects are clouded by First Nations opposition and pending legal challenges to the project and the pipeline that would feed it.

“Despite what the headlines say, this project is far from a Canadian nation building project waiting to happen.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 8, 2026.

Lauren Krugel, The Canadian Press

LANGLEY, B.C. — North Peace Secondary School’s (NPSS) golf squad had a memorable experience at this week’s BC School Sports AAA provincial championship.

The Grizzlies qualified for the tournament, held at Langley’s GreenTee Country Club, by virtue of capturing their zone championships held at 108 Golf Resort in 108 Mile Ranch in late May by nine strokes.

The school’s vice-principal, Jaclyn McNicol, spoke to Energeticcity.ca about the team’s advancement to facing the top squads in the Lower Mainland at the competition, which wrapped up on Thursday, June 4th.

In a competition of 22 schools, the team finished in 21st place. 

The school had halted the golf program in 2019 and revived it in 2024.

“This is the first year that they’ve qualified for provincials, so I think it was successful,” said McNicol. “They went down there, and there was some really great golf happening.”

The squad consisted of students Carson Arberry, Easton Goulet, Mason McGinnis, Trip Turnbull and Walker Brown, coached by Ryan Galay, Aiden Craig-Steele, Phil Hiscock and Jonah Burridge.

While Hiscock was with them to capture the zone title, Burridge made the trip south and described the team’s experience as positive, receiving compliments from other coaches on the team’s sportsmanship.

“The boys had a lot of fun down there,” said Burridge. “Even though sometimes some of their individual results weren’t exactly what they were hoping for, they handled themselves admirably.”

Scores during the tournament were tabulated by each team’s total score. The Grizzlies ended day one on Tuesday, June 2nd, in a tie for 20th place with Robert Alexander McMath Secondary of Richmond.

Turnbull and McGinnis’ individual rounds placed them in the top 30 overall. Meanwhile, Goulet finished the first day at nine over par, Brown at 24 over par and Arberry at 29 over par.

On day two, both McGinnis and Turnbull continued their consistency and had identical scores from the first day, with Turnbull scoring at four over par and McGinnis at six strokes over par.

McGinnis took 26th position on individual scores, while McGinnis placed 50th. The team’s total score of 338 over par throughout two days had them finish 21st.

The overall team title was captured by Vancouver’s St. George’s Senior School.

McNichol sees a bright future for the NPSS golfing program, given the squad was dormant for several years following the Covid-19 pandemic.

“These past few years have been about rebuilding the program with a group of people who love the sport,” said McNichol. “We believe this will continue in the following years.”

The BC School Sports AAA provincial golf championship took place from Tuesday, June 2nd to Thursday, June 4th in Langley at GreenTee Country Club.

You held up your end of the bargain and paid your rent on time — only to learn your landlord failed to keep up with mortgage payments and the home may need to be sold.

Panic sets in, as you don’t know if you can continue to call this place your home. Experts say there are a number of ways this scenario can play out, but knowing your rights as a tenant when the bank takes over is a critical first step.

Kelly Ho, a certified financial planner at DLD Financial Group, said renters need to consult their provincial tenants act. In many provinces the new owner or the bank is required to continue the tenant agreement if the lease term hasn’t ended, but that may not be true for all jurisdictions, she said.

“It’s really important for the tenant to know their rights and continue acting in good faith and making sure they don’t let anything slip and that everything’s documented,” Ho said.

Douglas Kwan, a lawyer and director of advocacy and legal services at the Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario, said he has seen more queries from tenants about power of sale situations — when a property is put up for sale by a bank — over the last eight months.

He said that’s partly because market rents have dipped while many homeowners face mortgage renewals at higher interest rates, so rental property owners can fall behind more easily.

But tenants often get stuck in the middle, Kwan said.

He often comes across cases where a landlord bullies a tenant to try to save the property, or stops responding to the tenant after receiving a notice from the bank.

“The concerns are just this period of uneasiness where they don’t know where they stand,” Kwan said.

Check with your landlord and find out what’s going on when you receive a letter indicating the power of sale of a property, said Gathya Manoharan, a litigation associate with Nava Wilson LLP in Toronto.

Mostly, there’s not much you need to do unless the lender has asked you specifically to do certain things, she said. For example, a lender could ask the tenant to pay rent directly to them, instead of paying the landlord.

“That’s something you should comply with because that is the right of the lender,” she said.

When a power of sale is initiated in Ontario, the lender effectively becomes the landlord, Manoharan said.

“They essentially step into the shoes of the landlord, so any responsibilities that a landlord normally has, the lender now has,” she said.

Sometimes, a lender may make it seem like the tenant has to vacate the property, Manoharan said. But that’s not really the case. In Ontario, for example, if the lease term hasn’t ended yet, the tenant has the right to stay at the property even when ownership changes hands, she said.

“So long as you’re paying your rent on time, you are fulfilling your obligations under the lease, you’re allowed to stay,” Manoharan said.

In Ontario, a lender putting the property up for sale is required to follow the same protocol as a landlord would. That means providing 60 days’ notice and offering a month’s rent in compensation for breaking the lease, Manoharan said.

But the sale of a home doesn’t automatically allow the new owner to terminate the rental lease, she said. The new owner can only terminate the existing lease if they or their immediate family are choosing to live in that property for at least one year.

But that may not be the case in British Columbia. In that province, the contract between a bank and a homeowner takes precedence over a tenant’s lease, which means both the landlord and the tenant must abide by any court orders.

“If the court orders that the property goes back to the lender, the tenancy just ends immediately upon that order,” said Robert Patterson, a lawyer with the Tenant Resource and Advisory Centre in B.C.

That leaves tenants with fewer options. Patterson said it’s vital for tenants to pay attention to legal proceedings and know what the timeline looks like, which could mean vacating the property on incredibly short notice.

Foreclosures are another avenue a lender can take, filing a claim with the court when a homeowner defaults on payments. A court may order the sale of the home.

“Honestly, in British Columbia, foreclosure is one of the worst ways that a tenancy can end,” he said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 8, 2026.

Ritika Dubey, The Canadian Press

MISSION, B.C. — Fraser Health says services at the emergency department of Mission Memorial Hospital will be temporarily interrupted due to “physician staffing challenges” until Monday morning.

Fraser Health says in a statement that the service interruption will last from 5 p.m. Sunday until Monday morning at 8 a.m.

It says the measure means anyone already waiting to see a doctor at 5 p.m. will be seen before their shift ends at 11 p.m.

The health authority says nurses will still be on site to provide patients with basic care and also assist with potential transfers to another hospital for those in need of urgent care.

Fraser Health says it’s working with B.C. Emergency Health Services to direct patients to other facilities if they require a higher level of care.

Fraser Health says people with potentially life-threatening ailments such as chest pain, breathing difficulties or severe bleeding should call 911 and they’ll be taken to the nearest available and appropriate facility.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 7, 2026

The Canadian Press

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — One member of Save our Northern Seniors (SONS) is speaking out about the issues seniors in northeast B.C. are facing, as the province recognizes B.C. Seniors Week. 

Gail Weber, a 60-year Fort St. John resident and member of the Save Our Northern Seniors (SONS), explained how the organization advocates for seniors.

“Save Our Northern Seniors looks at the whole picture of seniors in the north,” she said. “What we advocate for is better housing, we’ve advocated for better transportation, for better home care, more services to people that are still in their homes.”

Weber explained one of the biggest issues facing seniors in northeast B.C.

“I think probably other than the housing,…… because of our long winters, I would say one of the biggest issues that face seniors is the loneliness.” 

Weber said she wants to see the province better support seniors.

“Improve the housing conditions. We need intermediate care drastically,” she said. “We have people living in their homes that should not be living in their homes. We need intermediate care facilities. We need assisted living.”

“We need more care home facilities, we need to care for our seniors more,” said Weber. 

Weber encourages community members to interact with seniors. 

“Get out and get involved with your seniors, and as seniors, get involved with each other,” she said. “As I [said], one of the biggest issues with seniors is loneliness.”

“Just get a group together to play cards once a week, once a month, Weber said. “Just get together and help alleviate those long winters and the loneliness that comes along with usually living alone.”

“Many seniors have lost their partners, so it’s a lonely life; it’s up to you to fill that void.” 

According to a June 1st release from the Office of the Seniors Advocate, the theme of this year’s B.C. Seniors Week is ‘Experience Matters,’ which highlights the value of a lifetime full of knowledge, perspectives and resilience. 

“Seniors continue to make meaningful contributions through their work, volunteerism, caregiving and leadership,” the release said. 

On October 11th, 2002, a proclamation was made by the Government of British Columbia, recognizing the first week of June as ‘Seniors Week.’

“I think it’s great to have a seniors week,” Weber said. “I think society [would] be amazed at how many seniors volunteer their time for different issues.”

“I think having a seniors week enlightens the seniors as to what’s available for them to help their way of life,” she said. 

The Office of the Seniors Advocate is inviting seniors to share their thoughts and wisdom on its Facebook page. 

“These discussions are an opportunity to highlight the diversity of older adults and encourage intergenerational dialogue,” said Dan Levitt, BC Seniors Advocate. “Selected posts will be highlighted throughout the week.”

According to Levitt, older people provide important perspectives and insight into our lives. 

“Allowing others to benefit from seniors’ experiences, especially younger people, strengthens connections between generations and helps challenge assumptions about ageing,” he said. 

Levitt said many seniors are facing issues such as the rising cost of living, difficulty accessing health and community supports and housing instability. 

Energeticcity.ca reached out to the Ministry of Health for comment but did not receive a response in time for publication.

Welcome to the next installment of the Weekly Review, a series where we mention what’s going on behind the scenes and showcase the previous week’s most-read stories.

If you want to get this review directly in your inbox, all daily newsletter subscribers receive it every Sunday!

Behind the Scenes

Last week, we announced the winners of the 2026 South Peace People’s Choice Awards presented by SL Enterprizes Ltd! While we have done the North Peace People’s Choice Awards since 2024, this was our first year doing the South Peace region. Congratulations to the winners!

Thank you to our sponsors for making these awards possible: SL Enterprizes Ltd, Northern Lights College, Post & Row, The Roadhouse, Ovintiv Events Centre, and Peace FM. Also, thank you to everyone who voted! Our goal with the awards is to showcase the people, businesses, and organizations that make our region a great place to live and we couldn’t do it without you.

If you’ve won an award but you don’t have your certificate yet, you can pick it up at the Ovintiv Events Centre box office. If you share  your award on social media, make sure to tag us: @moosemediafsj. See you next year!

Most-Read Stories of the Week

It’s always interesting to see what the readers of Energeticcity.ca are most curious about. Sometimes it’s a big decision that will impact property taxes, and sometimes it’s a new restaurant coming to town. Here are the most-read stories for the week of May 31 to June 6, 2026:

1. FSJ Sawmill Officially Sold: according to Canfor media relations representatives. The sawmill, planer, pellet plant, and energy systems were sold to Rocky Mountain Salvage on May 29, 2026.
2.  Peace River North MLA Charged: with sexual assault. According to the BC Prosecution Service, Jordan Kealy was charged with one count of sexual assault on June 3, 2026.
3. Court Report: for the week of May 25 to 29, 2026. Included are the latest sentences handed down from the Fort St. John, Dawson Creek and Fort Nelson provincial courts.

To stay up-to-date on local news and events, follow us on Twitter, TikTok, YouTube, or LinkedIn. Want to keep local journalism alive? Become a Supporter!

FORT NELSON, B.C. — Fort Nelson First Nation (FNFN) released more information relating to the mid-week lockdown in the community.

The Chalo School had announced a lockout – a procedure where the school’s doors are locked from the inside of the building – on Thursday, June 4th, for around an hour via its Facebook page.

BC Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) media representatives confirmed to Energeticcity.ca the entire community was in lockdown, but there were “no ongoing concerns.” 

On Thursday evening, June 4th, FNFN’s chief councillor, Archie Harrold, stated on Facebook the afternoon situation was related to a “security-related incident” in which “threats were made” toward the chief and council.

As a precaution, certain FNFN buildings – including the school – were “temporarily restricted.” Harrold went to conclude the matter had been handled after the situation was addressed by the Northern Rockies RCMP detachment.

“The safety and well-being of our members, staff and students remains our highest priority,” wrote Harrold. “At this time, there is no further action required, and it is safe to resume normal activities.”

Energeticcity.ca attempted to reach Harrold for further comment, but did not hear back by publication time.

VICTORIA — British Columbia Labour Minister Jennifer Whiteside has appointed veteran labour mediator Vince Ready to assist in collective agreement negotiations with the union representing 911 emergency operators. 


Whiteside said in a statement on Saturday that Ready has been appointed as a “special mediator” under the province’s labour relations code as 911 call takers represented by CUPE Local 8911 and E-Comm try to come to a new collective agreement.

Whiteside said Ready’s work will last up to 10 days.

She said if a settlement can’t be reached in that time, he can issue “binding recommendations on all outstanding issues.”

Whiteside says she’s thankful to Ready to taking on the job, which had been requested by both parties to come to a deal.

The union, which represents more than 700 emergency communications workers in B.C., issued a 72-hour strike notice Friday after months of unsuccessful talks with E-Comm.

The union said in statement that it welcomes Ready’s appointment.

“We want to thank the government for recognizing the urgency of this situation and its assistance in appointing the special mediator and we are ready to move forward with this process,” said CUPE 8911 president Donald Grant.

The union said it won’t be taking any planned job action “at this time,” after members voted 95 per cent in favour or strike action last month.

It issued a 72-hour strike notice on Friday, but E-Comm confirmed that 911 services wouldn’t be interrupted as emergency dispatchers are essential services.

The employer said in a statement on Friday evening that it had put a “competitive offer on the table,” claiming it “aligns or exceeds many of the recently settled agreements within the public sector.”

It said the offer included better wages, including an hourly top-up for night and weekend shifts and improved annual mental health benefits. 

“We’ve made meaningful efforts to move negotiations forward and have put forth an offer that prioritizes both the employees who deliver these critical services and the public who depend on them,” said Greg Conner, a vice-president with E-Comm. “Our priority is ensuring uninterrupted service for the public while supporting our employees with a fair and sustainable collective agreement.”

The union said on Friday that negotiations had failed to address challenges faced by emergency call takers.

“With wildfire season approaching, the potential for extreme weather events, and increased summer demand, we are entering one of the busiest periods of the year for B.C.’s emergency communications system,” Grant said. “The time to address the staffing crisis facing B.C.’s 911 system is now.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 6, 2026.

The Canadian Press

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Although it might seem like the hockey season just ended, planning for the next edition of Fort St. John Huskies’ hockey has already started to take shape.

The Strike Group North West Junior Hockey League (NWJHL) squad announced its training camp dates, set for Friday, August 21st, to Sunday, August 23rd.

Huskies general manager Jeremy Clothier spoke to Energeticcity.ca about what type of players the club might be on the lookout for when camp begins.

“We are always looking for, obviously, some grit,” said Clothier. “We want guys that can move. We need guys that can skate.”

“We were a big puck possession team, so the more we have the puck, the better. You don’t just want to get the puck and throw it away. We need to be able to move with the puck and get up the ice.” 

The Huskies had a successful campaign last year in the NWJHL, chasing their sixth title in seven seasons, but fell short to the rival La Crete Lumber Barons in a four-game sweep in the finals.

Bolstered by a trade in which they acquired goaltender Ethan Fechter, the Lumber Barons went on to capture the Alberta Hockey Junior B provincial title.

One of the biggest factors in the Huskies’ success last season was their veteran leadership group, but the graduation of several players left huge holes to fill.

They include defencemen Jordan LaGreca and Adam Bourgeois, along with forwards Sam Loewen and Ryan Ungstad.

LaGreca, Bourgeois and Ungstad combined for 45 goals and 75 assists for 120 points in the 2025-26 regular season.

While Loewen did not play in the regular season, he had two goals and two assists for four points in last season’s playoff chase. 

Clothier feels there are local players who are still not full members of the squad and can plug into the mix when training camp opens.

“Some of the local kids that played with the Trackers last year can definitely jump into our lineup and be the impactful players right away,” said Clothier. 

“There have been some kids that we’ve recruited pretty hard this summer that is waiting on a few answers to get back. If they do decide to come here are going to be top-end guys for us.”

Fort St. John Huskies training camp is open to individuals aged 16 to 20 and requires registration, which can be completed on the Fort St. John Huskies website.

Fort St. John Huskies training camp begins on Friday, August 21st, at the Pomeroy Sports Centre and will wrap up on Sunday, August 23rd.
Further information about the Huskies is available on the team’s Facebook page, Instagram page and website.

TUMBLER RIDGE, B.C. — A survivor of the Tumbler Ridge mass shooting is continuing to recover in the hospital. 

According to a post on Maya Gebala’s father, David Gebala’s, Facebook page on June 2nd, Maya’s left eye, which has been closed for a long time, has been gradually improving and now opens about halfway, with both eyelids blinking together. 

Maya was one of the survivors of the February 10th Tumbler Ridge Secondary School shooting, which claimed the lives of eight people. 

She was airlifted to the B.C. Children’s Hospital in Vancouver after she suffered gunshot wounds to her head and neck during the shooting. 

Maya recently underwent a cranioplasty for a prosthetic skull, which was a success.  

“Many of you have been asking about the condition of Maya’s left eye,” David said in his June 2nd update. “I wanted to wait until we had her ophthalmology appointment and some real answers before sharing an update.” 

Maya had her ophthalmology appointment on June 2nd, and the family received the results in the afternoon. 

The post said Maya’s right eye has remained open and shows no damage. 

“She tracks well with it, which confirms she can see out of that eye,” he noted. 

The doctors diagnosed a left cranial nerve palsy, which specifically involves the third cranial nerve. 

He explained: “This nerve helps control the eye’s ability to move inward, toward the nose, and upward.” 

“Because all the nerves work together, they don’t believe this will be completely debilitating; it may just make the eye a little ‘lazier’ than the other. The third cranial nerve also has to do with her eyelid opening, which is why it may not be fully open, but time will tell.” 

The post said Maya’s right eye dilates when light is shone in her left eye, which David said shows communication between both eyes. However, her left eye currently does not react to light. 

“They also noticed something on her optic nerve that they’ll monitor with a follow-up in six months, but overall, they are optimistic that she can see out of her left eye as well,” David said. “Every single day, we get another little piece of our girl back. I’m so proud of her strength and progress.” 

VANCOUVER — A union representing more than 700 emergency communications professionals in British Columbia has issued a 72-hour strike notice after months of negotiations with the employer broke down.

CUPE 8911 says it’s calling on the labour minister to appoint a special mediator to help the union and E-Comm reach a new collective agreement.

The union said last month that its members had voted 95 per cent in favour of giving leadership a strike mandate amid growing concerns about staffing, workload and long-term sustainability of the 911 system.

The union says negotiations had resumed this week, but the sides were unable to make any progress toward a deal.

CUPE 8911 says it will be in a legal strike position as of 3:29 p.m. on Monday, and an essential service order will be in place outlining the level of service that must be maintained during any job action.

E-Comm says emergency communication services will remain uninterrupted following the strike notice, and negotiations will take place over the weekend.

It said in a statement that it supports the requested appointment of a special mediator.

Donald Grant, president of CUPE 8911, says emergency communications professionals are being “pushed to their breaking point.”

“With wildfire season approaching, the potential for extreme weather events, and increased summer demand, we are entering one of the busiest periods of the year for B.C.’s emergency communications system,” Grant said in a statement. “The time to address the staffing crisis facing B.C.’s 911 system is now.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 5, 2026.

The Canadian Press

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — One forestry expert says a report outlining how the industry can achieve stabilization amid change says the federal government has not gone far enough.

On Wednesday, June 3rd, the federal minister of energy and natural resources, Tim Hodgson, released a final report outlining strategies to turn the country’s forestry fortunes around.

The report was conducted by the Canadian Forest Sector Transformation Task Force (CFSTF), which was implemented in January of this year. 

Its aim was to implement a 25-year National Forest Sector Strategy, with the goal of establishing “long-term competitiveness, crowd-in private capital, stabilize employment and communities, and modernize Canada’s forest-based industrial ecosystem to drive transformation,” according to its website.

The report outlines key details such as stabilizing long-term access to cost-competitive fibre, catalyzing transformation and modernization at scale, increasing domestic demand by building more with wood, stabilizing the workforce and supporting communities, defending market access, strengthening trade infrastructure and rebuilding a national forest culture by 2050.

According to a press release, Hodgson also announced enhancements to the Business Development Bank of Canada’s softwood lumber loan guarantee program and new strategies providing direct loans to companies across the forestry sector, including eligible corporations in pulp and paper and harvesting.

The federal government also pledged an additional $400 million to Canada’s Regional Development Agencies, including $300 million under the Regional Tariff Response Initiative, during the Council of Forest Ministers meetings this week in Langford. 

The CFSTF stated in the report that failing to act would “risk” up to $23.5 billion in GDP and 200,000 jobs. 

However, despite the announcements, some critics do remain skeptical. 

Gary Bull, a professor emeritus at the University of British Columbia (UBC), said there are still questions about the province’s fibre supply. He’s also concerned about what an ambitious “civil cultural plan” or harvesting program will look like. 

“A fundamental issue in B.C. is the fibre supply,” said Bull to Energeticcity.ca. “There is [a question] of access to the fibre. [Then] how are you going to grow trees back after fires [and insect disease?”

“I see a little bit of language referring to what each province is going to do differently. From how I read it, [the province] is going to try and have working forests.  I suspect there’s lots going on in Victoria, [but] the announcements we saw does not provide any detail on that.”

Working forests are forestlands where lumber is carefully managed, providing a steady, renewable supply of wood.

According to a story from Resource Works, 21 sawmills have shut down since 2023 – including the recent acquisition of a Canfor sawmill in Fort St. John by Rocky Mountain Salvage.

The mill was announced closed in September 2024, with the facility shuttered by the end of that year.

“[The] reality is we’re going to see smaller mills,” said Bull. “They have to be smaller because there’s just not enough volume of wood to put through the mills that were configured in the 90s and 2000s.”

The complete findings of the CFSTF are available in the report on the task force’s website.

BELLA BELLA — A British Columbia First Nation says a Texas company has agreed to pay more than $12 million in the first portion of a “multi-part settlement” after a grounded tugboat spilled about 110,000 litres of pollutants in central coast waters in 2016.

The Tribal Council at the Heiltsuk Nation says the agreement involves parties including Houston-based liquid marine transport operator Kirby Corp.

The statement posted on social media says Kirby has agreed to pay the Heiltsuk Nation after a court order is issued later this year, and its leadership will attend a washing ceremony in Bella Bella, B.C.

Kirby has also agreed that its vessels will no longer travel through Heiltsuk waters without prior consent.

“This spill affected marine life, food-gathering areas, and access to a place that holds deep cultural meaning,” the statement said.

The tugboat Nathan E. Stewart ran aground near Bella Bella in October 2016 and sank, spilling contaminants into the water, much of it diesel fuel.

A copy of the settlement agreement provided by the Heiltsuk Nation notes the tugboat ran aground after the second mate fell asleep while on deck and forgot to change course.

The First Nation says the spill’s impacts have lasted years, environmentally, economically, culturally and spiritually.

In a separate statement issued Friday, elected chief Marilyn Slett said the settlement amount is small compared with the total losses faced by the First Nation.

“It shows just how inadequate Canada’s oil spill liability and compensation system is when it comes to protecting Indigenous people from catastrophic cultural loss,” Slett said in the statement.

Slett said the nation has yet to settle other claims linked to the spill with the federal government and the federal Ship-source Oil Pollution Fund and called on both parties to come to the table.

“Their absence is glaring as the federal government prepares to consider a pipeline and oil tanker proposal from Alberta that would impact the coastal waters and marine resources Indigenous peoples depend on here in B.C.,” she said.

The Heiltsuk Nation has been prominent in environmental efforts along B.C.’s coast, most recently as one of six Indigenous partners in an agreement with Ottawa and the province to create a 6,700-square-kilometre national marine conservation reserve.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 5, 2026.

The Canadian Press

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — A Fort St. John company has stepped up to support a local outreach store which serves low-income families in the city. 

On June 4th, 2026, the Fort St. John Women’s Resource Society announced in a Facebook post that it received a $20,000 grant from Surerus Pipeline. 

Estefania Albornoz, manager of Fundraising and Community Engagement at the Fort St. John Women’s Resource Society, said the outreach store is the only place in town that provides free services and items.

“We provide clothing, food, hygiene items, household items, some pet food as well,” Albornoz said. “We also organize the Christmas hampers during December [and] we organize back-to-school programs.”

Albornoz said the outreach store costs approximately $245,000 annually to operate. 

The society said Surerus’s grant ensures the store will operate for a full month.

“We are deeply grateful to Surerus Pipeline and the Surerus family for giving back to this community in such a meaningful way,” the post read. “Your support helps ensure people can access essentials with dignity when they need them most.” 

According to Albornoz, the store received over 15,000 visitors in 2025. In December 2025, the Fort St. John Women’s Resource Society projected it would welcome over 18,000 visits in 2026.  

On June 3rd, 2026, the society received over $3,000 from the Hair Bin Salon and Barbershop during its 40th anniversary celebration.  

Albornoz explained the impact the outreach store has on the community.

“It’s key for many families that are struggling that need a bit of help at a moment in their lives,” she said. 

“We have people that might be struggling for money because they need to fix their car, so that takes a lot of money out of their pockets, and they no longer have enough for groceries, so they come that month and ask for some help,” said Albornoz. 

According to Albornoz, donations to services like the outreach store are important because Fort St. John relies on community support. 

“The community itself is very generous,” she said. “I have seen this firsthand…I am very surprised [by] how much people donate.”

The store is open from 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Mondays, and 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Tuesday to Friday. 

Anyone who wishes to donate food or clothing can do so directly at the outreach store at 9912 96 Ave. Donations can be dropped off at the back of the store. 

Monetary contributions, such as checks, can be dropped off at the Fort St. John Women’s Resource Office on 9908 96 Ave. E-transfers can be sent to fundraising@fsjwrs.ca. Donations can also be made on the society’s website. 

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — The Fort St. John Rotary Club has stepped up to support opportunities for local youth.

According to a June 1st Facebook post, the Rotary Club of Fort St. John made a $2,000 donation to the Fort St. John Girl Guides on May 30th.

“We’re proud to support the Girl Guides of Fort St. John with a donation to help keep Camp Darnall operating for another season,” Rotary said in the post.

Camp Darnall, located in Charlie Lake next to Beaton Provincial Park, provides local youth with opportunities to learn, grow, and build friendships while creating lasting memories outdoors, according to the post. 

“We’re pleased to play a small part in helping ensure this special place continues to serve our community for years to come,” the post continued. 

The provisions in the Criminal Code related to people found not criminally responsible by reason of mental disorder have resulted in a system that re-victimizes the family of three murdered children, British Columbia Premier David Eby said.

The premier’s comments on Friday come days after the British Columbia Review Board granted Allan Schoenborn, also now known as Ken John Johnson, a conditional discharge.

Eby said it was an “unbelievable and deeply disturbing case that shook British Columbians to the core.”

Schoenborn was found not criminally responsible for the first-degree murders of his three children — five-year-old Cordon, eight-year-old Max, and 10-year-old Kaitlynne — at their Merritt, B.C., home in 2008.

“The not criminally responsible by reason of mental disorder provisions under the Criminal Code have resulted in a system that continually re-victimizes the family that was affected by Mr. Schoenborn’s horrific crimes,” Eby said.

“The system is not working. And we need to make sure that the family members who are living with the consequences of Mr. Schoenborn’s actions are supported better than they are currently under this federal regime.”

The children’s mother, Darcie Clarke, died in 2019. But the review board has ordered Schoenborn not to have any direct or indirect contact with three others who are only identified in the disposition by their initials.

Under the board’s ruling, Schoenborn will report to a psychiatric clinic and live under supervision, but he must return to the Forensic Psychiatric Hospital in Coquitlam, B.C., if ordered to do so.

The board has yet to release its reasons for making the ruling.

Schoenborn cannot possess a firearm or weapon, use alcohol, cannabis or prohibited drugs, and he must submit to alcohol and drug testing.

A representative for the family of the murdered children called the decision to grant the conditional discharge “baffling,” saying Schoenborn is “more evil than he is ill.”

Eby said he will be contacting the federal government about his concerns with the process.

“It is, I think, disturbing to many British Columbians that Mr. Schoenborn is going to be able to essentially walk free right now and it’s a troubling outcome for a deeply disturbing case and I think evidence that this system needs a serious look from the federal government.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 6, 2026

Ashley Joannou, The Canadian Press

TAYLOR, B.C. — An Alberta-based medical support company is celebrating 20 years of partnership with northern B.C. communities.  

During a June 1st District of Taylor council meeting,  Shock Trauma and Air Response (STARS) presented its annual report to the council, which included a milestone. 

“We thank you for 20 years, and we’re coming up on….the 20th anniversary this year on December 1st of having a base in Grande Prairie to serve northern residents and your entire area,” said Glenda Farnden, Seniors Municipal Relations Liaison with STARS, during the council meeting. 

STARS was created in 1985 by Dr. Greg Powell.

“[Powell] at the time…was the chief of emergency medicine at Foothills Hospital in Calgary…he was presented with a young woman who had just given birth….she bled to death because she could not get to tertiary care in time and this greatly disturbed [Powell] and he said something has to be done, and STARS was born,” Farnden said. 

Farnden explained how STARS works to provide care across Western Canada.

“[A] really key aspect, especially for your area, any rural areas, is the fact that STARS is borderless,” she said. “All 10 helicopters and all crew members across all borders across Western Canada.” 

“We responded last year to the rock slide incident at Banff,” Farnden said. “In the past six or seven years, there have been some very high-level multiple casualty accidents in all provinces across Western Canada, and we have been able to provide interprovincial multiple helicopter response from all different bases.”

According to the report, STARS has completed 85 missions in the Peace River Regional District (PRRD) in the last five years, including four near Taylor. 

During the meeting, the council discussed the importance of STARS. 

“The Peace River Regional District is a massive area….there’s a lot of remote work sites in the Peace River Regional District,” said District of Taylor mayor Brent Taillefer. 

“Also, we have a major highway that runs through here, and there’s incidents when STARS has and will respond to give support to those incidents, so it’s important to have them here to help people that are in need,” Taillefer said.

District councillor Michelle Turbull stated she was a “big supporter” of STARS because a friend of hers “wouldn’t be here today” if it weren’t for the service. 

Since debuting in 1985, STARS has flown over 63,000 missions, 80 per cent of which involve cardiac missions.

Updated 4:30 p.m., June 5th: The article has been updated to reflect a change to the event schedule.

TAYLOR, B.C. — The District of Taylor will be hosting its annual Taylor Hill Climb tomorrow. 

According to a post uploaded to District of Taylor’s Facebook page, the annual hill climb has been scheduled for June 24th, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Taylor Elementary School, located on Birch Avenue East. 

The event was initially scheduled for June 6th, however was postposed to June 24th due to “poor weather conditions approaching the region.”

The hill climb will test participants’ strength and stamina.

The district is inviting people to come cheer participants on and “enjoy the excitement.” 

“Whether you’re competing or supporting, it’s a great way to get active and connect with the community,” the post reads. 

Refreshments, draw baskets and giveaways will be provided, and the post states people of all ages and skill levels are welcome to join. 

For any questions, people can call the district’s Community Services Hub at 250-789-2828. 

SURREY — British Columbia’s premier says a $40-million donation from two entrepreneurs to Simon Fraser University’s school of medicine comes at a critical moment as the province struggles with a shortage of health care workers.

University president Joy Johnson says the donation from Ratana and Arran Stephens is the largest in the university’s history and will support training and research opportunities, with the goal of delivering care to urban, rural and Indigenous communities.

The new school in Surrey campus will be called the “SFU Stephens Family School of Medicine” in honour of the Stephens, who founded the organic food company Nature’s Path in Vancouver.

Premier David Eby says that while B.C. is competing to recruit health care workers from outside the province, it’s not a sustainable approach, and there needs to be a focus on training future workers in B.C. medical schools.

A news release from the school says it will focus on medical education that is centred on community and Indigenous approaches to health care.

Eby says the new school’s philosophy will bring students out into the community and strengthen relationships so they are more likely to stay in B.C. when they graduate.

“Those relationships will be made and will deepen through the students’ time at the school, with the goal that these students, so grounded in the communities, are able to walk out the door with their medical degree in hand and start practising here south of the Fraser,” Eby told reporters at an event announcing the donation in Surrey on Friday.

The medical school opens its doors to its first cohort of 48 students in August.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 5, 2026.

The Canadian Press

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Two bulk water stations will face service disruptions due to a scheduled outage and maintenance starting next week. 

The Feye Spring Water Station, located at 1863 Imperial Avenue, will be temporarily closed from Monday, June 8th, to Thursday, June 11th. This is due to a scheduled outage by the water supply operator.  

The station will reopen for regular services on Friday, June 12th, unless otherwise posted. 

The Boundary Lake Water Station, located at 1105 Cecil Lake Road, will also be temporarily closed due to scheduled maintenance from Monday, June 8th, to Monday, June 22nd. 

The station will resume regular services on Tuesday, June 23rd, unless posted otherwise. 

 Residents are encouraged to prepare water supplies in advance to help prevent shortages and plan to use alternative stations during this time. 

These are two of the five bulk water stations managed by the Peace River Regional District. 

To check for alternative water stations, click here. 

VANCOUVER — A British Columbia man faces 21 weapon and drug possession offences after Canadian border agents discovered a cache of firearms at a Vancouver home.

The Canada Border Services Agency says in a news release that Dylan James Kennedy appeared in a Vancouver court on April 7 and has been released on bail before his trial.

The charges filed on March 31 come after an August 2024 search of a home in Vancouver arising from a border services criminal investigation.

The agency says the search, assisted by Vancouver Police, found six firearms, including 3D printed pistols and a semi-automatic rifle, as well as multiple replica firearms, ammunition and gun parts.

They say their search also found cocaine, ketamine, amphetamines and ecstasy pills.

Kennedy is accused of multiple counts each of careless storage of firearm, drug possession for the purpose of trafficking, possession of unregistered firearms and possession of prohibited firearms.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 5, 2026.

The Canadian Press

TAYLOR, B.C. — The District of Taylor council has approved a request from a local sports league to install a new storage unit.

During a June 1st Council meeting, the District of Taylor Council voted to approve a request from Taylor Slo Pitch to install a C-Can storage unit.

A C-Can, also known as a sea can or shipping container, is a steel box originally designed for freight transportation. 

Taylor Slo-Pitch representative Dustin Mahoney was present at the council to request a zoning variance to allow for the installation of the C-Can storage unit at the District of Taylor ball diamonds.

A variance is an official permit that allows a property owner to bypass strict zoning rules to allow for a specific project.

During the June 1st council session, Dawn McGinn, Interim Deputy Corporate Office, and Mike Farquharson, Community Services Director, presented a staff report on the variance request to the council.

The report states that on May 4th, Mahoney advised that he would like to appear before Council to request a variance under Zoning Bylaw No. 898 2025 to permit the installation of the unit. 

During a May 30th, 2026, meeting between District of Taylor staff and Taylor Slo-Pitch representatives, discussing maintenance requests for the 2026 season, Taylor Slo-Pitch staff asked whether they could place a C-Can by the irrigation vault to store equipment. 

At the meeting, district staff recommended that Taylor Slo-Pitch purchase a shed to store equipment, as installing a C-Can within sight of Highway 97 would be in violation of the district’s zoning bylaw.

Staff said if they wanted to use a C-Can, they would need to apply for an exemption from the bylaw. 

According to Ryan Nelson, Director of Operations with the District of Taylor, the request was approved by the council.

The next steps are for district staff to follow the Zoning Bylaw process to make the request official, Nelson said. 

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — A total of 77.5 hours of emergency department closures were recorded by Northern Health in northeast B.C. in May. 

In May, there were four closures totalling 77.5 hours, during which the emergency department was closed due to “staffing challenges.” 

The emergency department at the Hudson’s Hope Health Centre was closed three times in May. The ER was closed for a week, from May 8th to 19th. The second closure started from May 19th until May 25th and the third closure happened on  May 29th. 

On May 27th, the Dawson Creek and District Hospital ER was closed from midnight to 7 a.m. on May 28th due to staffing challenges. 

In a previous written statement to Energeticcity.ca on May 19th for Hudson’s Hope, Northern Health said: “The service interruption to emergency department services at Hudson’s Hope Health Centre is the result of staffing challenges, which in Hudson’s Hope can occur when physician coverage — or staffing for services that are also essential to providing emergency care (such as nursing, or diagnostics) — are not available.” 

The health authority told Energeticcity.ca it has recruited an international medical graduate (IMG) candidate who is currently in the recruitment process and is expected to arrive over the summer months after the process is complete. 

May saw 114.5 fewer closure hours than April, which recorded 192 hours across eight closures. 

There were no ER closures at the Tumbler Ridge Health Centre, Chetwynd General Hospital, Fort St. John Hospital and Fort Nelson General Hospital in May. 

Energeticcity.ca has been tracking service interruptions at the Hudson’s Hope Health Centre since February, when Northern Health first released its Emergency Department Status website. 

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — British Columbia is set to become the first province to mandate commercial dash cameras. 

According to a May 26th release from the Conservative Party of British Columbia, bill M 217, presented by Kamloops-North Thompson MLA Ward Stamer, has passed third reading, making British Columbia the first jurisdiction in Canada to require dash cameras in commercial vehicles.

Bill M 217, also known as the Dashboard Cameras in Commercial Vehicles Act, is now awaiting royal assent after it passed third reading in the legislative assembly. 

The bill requires outward-facing dash cameras in commercial trucks travelling on B.C. highways, and it will come into effect six months after receiving Royal Assent. 

The call for dashcams followed a series of fatal crashes on Highway 5.

The Conservative Party of British Columbia said the bill was endorsed by the B.C. Trucking Association, noting the commercial driver is not at fault in 75 to 80 per cent of all collisions involving a commercial vehicle. 

The release said cameras facing outward capture evidence immediately, protecting professional drivers and speeding up investigations.

The bill only requires outward-facing cameras, addressing privacy concerns raised about cameras inside the cab.

“This bill started with families along Highway 5 who have buried loved ones after preventable crashes,” Stamer said. “It finishes with B.C. leading the country on commercial vehicle safety.”

“Dash cameras save lives, they hold drivers accountable and they make sure that when a crash happens, the evidence is there, not lost, not disputed and not buried in a year-long investigation.”  

Sandy Threinen, a resident of Fort St. John, offered their thoughts on the bill in a Facebook comment.

“As someone whose loved one drives [a] truck with a company-supplied AI. dash cam, I personally love [it],” they said. 

Threinen said the dash cam notifies drivers of minor infractions, such as rolling a stop sign. 

They also said the camera provides clear proof of when something happened and there are questions about who is at fault.

“The amount of dumb stuff drivers of all vehicles do is staggering, and he’s always got proof,” Threinen said.

They also said that while companies will have to foot the bill for the dashcams, it’s worth it to identify which drivers are a “rolling hazard” and keep them from being blamed if an incident occurs in which they weren’t at fault. 

According to the release, Stamer first called for required dash cameras in 2023 when he was the Mayor of Barriere, B.C. 

FORT ST. JOHN, — A letter raising concerns regarding the Peace Villa expansion is making the rounds in Fort St. John.

According to the letter written by Gail Weber, a member of Save Our Northern Seniors (SONS) and a board member of the North Peace Seniors Housing Society, she is “worried” about the future of seniors in Northeast B.C., particularly those who need immediate services and those who may soon require long-term care. 

In the letter, Weber said: “The need for the third house at Peace Villa in Fort St. John has been on the radar for a very long time.” 

Peace Villa is a long-term care facility operated by Northern Health that offers 127 long-term beds and one respite (temporary) bed.

According to SONS, 74 people were waiting to get into Peace Villa as of January 2026.  

Weber wrote in the letter: “Our community is already facing crisis numbers with respect to the lack of facilities and services for our seniors/elders. 

The expansion of Peace Villa was originally announced by Northern Health on June 24th, 2025. 

On March 9th 2026, Fort St. John mayor Lilia Hansen wrote a letter to the province on the postponement of the expansion in which she called Peace Villa a “cornerstone of seniors’ care.”

On May 5th, 2026, Northern Health provided a written statement to Energeticcity.ca announcing the cancellation of certain contracts related to a planned expansion of the Peace Villa long-term care home. 

In an interview with Energeticcity.ca, Weber explained what she would like to see happen regarding Peace Villa.

“I would like to see them change their mind and re-plan this,” she said. “This is a necessity.”

“We live in an area where we don’t have private care homes; we only have the public ones, which leaves people in the hospital for up to 18 months waiting to get a room in a care home. That’s not acceptable for seniors,” Weber continued. 

Northern Health said it continues to provide a range of services for seniors and individuals who require ongoing care in Fort St. John.

“Access to long-term care is assessed on a priority basis, considering the individual’s needs, current supports and urgency of each client’s situation,” it said. 

According to Northern Health, alternative or interim care options are available for residents seeking long-term care home placements.

These options include home support services, such as assistance with daily activities, bathing, dressing, grooming, and medication assistance. 

Home care nursing, community rehabilitation, adult day programs, medical lifeline alert services and respite care are also available.  

“These care options are intended to allow clients to remain independent in their own homes as long as possible,” said Northern Health. 

Weber said 391 residents have signed the letters to date, but her goal is to reach 1,000 by the end of June 2026.

Weber plans to send the letters in separate shipments, with the first batch going out this week. 

Those interested in signing the letter can do so by picking up a copy at the gift shop at the Fort St. John Hospital. 

To read the full letter, see below.

HUDSON’S HOPE, B.C. — The emergency department at the Hudson’s Hope Health Centre faced a closure for the first time in June. 

According to Northern Health’s Emergency Department Status page, the ER was “temporarily closed” until 11.30 a.m. on June 3rd. 

The department was previously closed on May 29th. 

In a written statement, Northern Health stated the June 2nd service interruption was due to a “radiology equipment malfunction.” 

“Northern Health has repaired the equipment, and the health centre’s emergency department reopened at 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, June 3rd,” the health authority said. 

In a previous statement to Energeticcity.ca on May 29th, the health authority stated it has recruited an international medical graduate (IMG) candidate who is currently in the recruitment process and is expected to arrive over the summer months after the process is complete. 

During normal working hours, the centre is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p .m., excluding weekends and statutory holidays. 

Northern Health urged residents who need emergency care outside of normal working hours to call 911 to connect to BC Emergency Health Services for transport to the nearest available hospital. 

VICTORIA — The British Columbia government and the province’s doctors have agreed on a four-year extension of the labour deal between the two sides.

A joint statement by the B.C. Ministry of Health and Doctors of BC says voting by more than 4,000 doctors on the deal ended Thursday at midnight with almost 92 per cent supporting the deal.

The wording of the deal known as the Physician Main Agreement has not been released but the province says it ensures doctors are available during a time of rising patient demand.

It says some of the agreement’s highlights include more funding for family doctors in rural and remote communities, as well as a dedicated contract rate featuring a significant compensation increase for those providing maternity care.

Compensation will also increase for on-call doctors, with a new premium added for elective surgeries on weekends, evenings and holidays.

The province also says the deal provides more than $1 billion in support for doctors and patient care over its four-year span, with $100 million dedicated to addressing contracted doctors’ workload increases.

Health Minister Josie Osborne says in a statement that the deal underscores both sides’ common goal of providing better care.

Doctors of BC president Dr. Adam Thompson says physicians remain committed to make sure the province’s health care system is “adaptive and responsive” to patients’ needs.

“Our health care system is under enormous strain, and this agreement will help support doctors in delivering the best possible care,” Thompson says.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 5, 2026.

The Canadian Press

PENTICTON — A massive fire that destroyed a care home under construction in Penticton, B.C., is being investigated as suspicious.

RCMP say specialized investigators were only able to access the site Wednesday, a week after the fire that prompted the city to issue an evacuation order and declare a state of local emergency.

Mounties say officers are conducting a criminal investigation and “exploring every possible avenue” to gather evidence and identify those responsible.

The site was supposed to become a 200-bed long-term care facility aimed at addressing acute local demands, and Health Minister Josie Osborne has called the fire “devastating” for the area’s seniors.

Residents of 10 homes nearby were evacuated due to an unstable crane at the site, but they were allowed back this week.

Police say fire investigators were also kept out of the site until it was considered safe this week.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 5, 2026.

The Canadian Press

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Peace River North MLA Jordan Kealy’s return to the Conservative Party of B.C. has been ‘suspended indefinitely’ amid sexual assault charges. 

According to a press release by the Conservative Party of B.C. – Peace River North Riding Association on June 4th, Kevin Hrab, the president, said: “We want to be clear that Mr. Kealy holds no affiliation with the Conservative Party of B.C., furthermore, discussions on his return to the party, given the nature of these charges, are suspended indefinitely.” 

This comes after Kealy was charged with one count of sexual assault for alleged offences, which occurred between January 1st and September 20th, 2024, in Fort St. John, according to the BC Prosecution Service. 

Kealy previously said he had an upcoming meeting with the newly announced leader of the B.C. Conservatives, Kerry-Lynne Findlay, to discuss rejoining the party. Kealy had stated that once he got his membership back, he could be welcomed back into the caucus. 

In the release, Hrab said this news came as a “surprise” to the Conservative Party of B.C. leadership team and caucus. 

The party will not comment on the allegation as this matter is now before the courts, the release said. 

Hrab said: “Mr. Kealy is entitled to due process and will now be afforded the opportunity to defend himself before the court.” 

The board’s focus remains on ensuring the residents of Peace River North and the members of the party have “strong and effective representation” within the Conservative Party of B.C., and that the issues facing constituents are brought to the caucus and the party leadership. 

Kealy’s first appearance at the Fort St. John Law Courts will be on July 6th, 2026. 

BOWEN ISLAND — A former RCMP officer in British Columbia has been charged with sharing sensitive information.

Michael Scoretz is facing 13 charges, including seven counts of breach of trust, after work-related material was allegedly found at his home.

Police say the 47-year-old from Bowen Island, west of Vancouver, was sworn to secrecy under the Security of Information Act, but allege he shared protected and/or classified information with people he was in a relationship with.

Mounties say Scoretz was working with the Pacific Region Integrated National Security Enforcement Team between August 2020 and February 2023.

Scoretz retired last year after joining the RCMP in 2009.

Police say none of the charges involve current national security investigations, nor were any investigations compromised.

RCMP say they won’t release further details as the case is before the courts.

The Canadian Press

LANGFORD — The days of chopping down a tree and paying stumpage fees are on the way out for the timber industry, Canada’s forest ministers have heard, with the hope of a revival pinned on a new task force report.

Corey Hogan, the parliamentary secretary for the minister of natural resources, told a news conference at the end of a Canadian Council of Forest Ministers meeting that he feels a sense of optimism for the industry.

Hogan said Thursday that “unjust” tariffs from the United States and global changes with less demand for products like newsprint, caused a “perfect storm of challenges.”

A final report released this week said the most significant barriers to reviving the industry are homegrown, including excessive regulations, underinvestment in manufacturing, low innovation and poor domestic demand for wood.

Hogan said the federal government will respond “within a matter of days” with an action plan that will lead to a national strategy to “make the forest sector vibrant.”

B.C. Forests Minister Ravi Parmar says the country’s forest ministers agree that the old ways of selling commodity lumber to the Americans won’t work anymore.

“We can no longer be a jurisdiction that competes with Indonesia and Brazil in providing pulp products, because we are losing that battle,” he said.

Parmar said the task force report signals a willingness from the federal government to sit down to work with provinces and territories.

“And in the case of British Columbia, we are going to be eager to get to a table to be able to access those dollars and ensure that we can defend the interests of forestry workers, and we can also ensure that we move this sector here in B.C.,” said Parmar.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 4, 2026.

The Canadian Press

VANCOUVER — A family representative for the victims of child killer Allan Schoenborn says the British Columbia Review Board’s decision to grant him a conditional discharge is “baffling” and reveals shortfalls in the province’s mental health and justice systems.

Board chairperson Geneviève Boudreau says in a ruling that took effect on Tuesday that Schoenborn will report to a psychiatric clinic and live under supervision, but he must return to the Forensic Psychiatric Hospital in Coquitlam, B.C., if ordered to do so.

Schoenborn was found not criminally responsible for the first-degree murders of his three children — five-year-old Cordon, eight-year-old Max, and 10-year-old Kaitlynne — at their Merritt, B.C., home in 2008.

The review board’s disposition says Schoenborn cannot possess a firearm or weapon, use alcohol, cannabis or prohibited drugs, and he must submit to alcohol and drug testing.

Dave Teixeira, who represents the family of the three slain children, says Schoenborn will live in a facility in the Vancouver area, where’s he’s lived for the past year.

He says the family was disappointed but not surprised by the review board’s decision, and that Schoenborn’s violent tendencies and unwillingness to participate in drug and alcohol counselling could pose a risk to the public, as he would be allowed into the community without supervision.

“Allan Schoenborn is more evil than he is ill. He’s more concerned with getting freedom as opposed to getting better,” Teixeira said in a phone interview Thursday.

The review board decision said Schoenborn must “keep the peace and be of good behaviour,” and is forbidden from having direct or indirect contact with three people referred to in the ruling by their initials.

Teixeira said they are family members of the victims.

B.C.’s Ministry of Attorney General said it expects Schoenborn will comply with the board’s ruling.

“Our understanding is that BC Prosecution Service Crown Counsel sought conditions, which were incorporated in the disposition order,” it said in an emailed statement.

Because Crown Counsel and the review board operate independently from the provincial government, the ministry said it could not comment further.

The BC Review Board said in an email Thursday, that the reasons for the disposition are still being processed.

If an accused person who was found not criminally responsible does not pose a significant threat to the safety of the public, a review board is required by law to order an absolute discharge.

Isabel Grant, a professor at the University of British Columbia who specializes in criminal law, said a conditional discharge means the board found Schoenborn poses some degree of risk.

Grant said the adult psychiatric director has the discretion to decide where Schoenborn lives and it is unclear if they need to make that decision public.

“There don’t seem to be a lot of constraints on his liberty,” she said.

Grant said Schoenborn’s supposed unwillingness to participate in drug and alcohol treatment poses concerns if it is recent behaviour, but there are a lot of unknowns until the board publishes its reasoning behind the decision.

She added that when someone is found not criminally responsible, the goal is not to detain them for life.

“It’s to detain them until the risk can be managed in the community,” she said.

Grant said Schoenborn will continue to receive regular reviews until or unless he receives an absolute discharge from the board.

Former B.C. Conservative leader John Rustad said Schoenborn should remain “locked away” in a post on social media on Thursday.

“The Review Board has once again shown that under this NDP government, dangerous people can gradually work their way toward more freedom, even after committing the most unthinkable crimes against children,” he wrote.

Port Coquitlam Mayor Brad West said he was “outraged” by the board’s decision.

“A conditional discharge is not a minor administrative step. It is part of a process that moves him closer to greater freedom,” West said on social media on Thursday.

Steve Kooner, the attorney general critic for the B.C. Conservatives, said the situation highlights a lack of treatment and support options for people under forensic psychiatric care.

“The government is responsible for providing proper resourcing and making sure that there’s proper treatment for individuals who do get released conditionally,” he said in a phone interview Thursday.

Schoenborn changed his name to Ken John Johnson in 2021, prompting the B.C. government to introduce legislation preventing people convicted of serious crimes from changing their name.

Teixeira has said that Darcie Clarke, the mother of Schoenborn’s three children, died in 2019.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 4, 2026.

Marissa Birnie, The Canadian Press

VANCOUVER — Independent legislator Jordan Kealy is denying sexual assault charges that have sunk his expectation that he would be returning to the B.C. Conservative caucus.

The British Columbia Prosecution Service announced on Thursday that Kealy had been charged over allegations dating back to between Jan. 1 and Sept. 20, 2024, ahead of his election to represent Peace River North in October that year.

Kealy said in a statement that he was innocent of the accusation and would prove it in court.

“In the meantime, it will be business as usual, advocating for my constituents and region,” the statement said.

The service said special prosecutor Gail Barnes was appointed on Feb. 9 involving an investigation by the Prince George RCMP into the allegations against Kealy, about offences said to have taken place in Fort St. John.

It said Barnes, a senior Vancouver lawyer in private practice, was appointed to avoid potential improper influence in the administration of justice.

Kealy was charged on Wednesday and is scheduled to make his first court appearance in Fort St. John on July 6.

He left the Conservatives last year to sit as an Independent as he called for the resignation of then-leader John Rustad.

But he said in a statement last week that if Kerry-Lynne Findlay won the leadership of the B.C. Conservatives, he would return to the party.

“If Kerry gets in and she invites me, I might not be an Independent anymore,” he said in a Facebook video posted on May 28.

Two days later, Kealy was on stage with Findlay in Vancouver after she won the leadership on Saturday.

Findlay couldn’t immediately be reached for comment, but Angelo Isidorou, the party’s executive director, said the charges against Kealy were “incredibly serious.”

“Jordan Kealy is an independent MLA and is not joining our caucus or party,” he said.

New Democrat MLA Jennifer Whiteside released a statement on Thursday saying it was inappropriate for someone facing such serious criminal charges to continue to serve as a member of the legislature.

“His constituents deserve an MLA that they can have confidence in and who is focused solely on the job of representing them.”

Whiteside, who’s also the labour minister, said Findlay should tell Kealy to step down immediately.

“She enthusiastically accepted his support throughout the leadership race, including standing on stage with him just days ago. She has been clear about her plans to bring him back into the caucus,” Whiteside said.

She said B.C. residents deserved to know when Kealy was notified of the complaint and when Findlay learned of it.

“The special prosecutor was appointed four months ago. During most of that time, Kealy has been actively campaigning alongside Findlay,” Whiteside said.

“This is the first major test of Kerry-Lynne Findlay’s leadership. British Columbians deserve clear and unequivocal answers from her.”

The prosecution service said that after consulting with Barnes, it concluded that issuing a media statement about Kealy “was appropriate at this time.”

“As these matters are now before the court, neither the special prosecutor nor the BCPS will be releasing additional information or commenting further at this time.”

Kealy is the second sitting B.C. legislator facing criminal charges.

Former B.C. Conservative Hon Chan was charged in March with assault, assault by choking and uttering threats in a case of alleged intimate partner violence, prompting his removal from the party caucus.

The Richmond Centre legislator said he “disagreed with the allegation” and has rejected calls for his resignation.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 4, 2026.

The Canadian Press

CALGARY — Trans Mountain Corp. says oil shipments through its pipelines reached 83 per cent of capacity in the first quarter and is expected to rise to 90 per cent in the second quarter.

The Calgary-based company that operates the pipeline from Alberta to the British Columbia coast says about 737,000 barrels of crude oil passed through the pipeline per day in the three-month period starting this year.

That is down from the 757,000 barrels per day reported in the same quarter last year, but the company says it is due to “temporary market factors, including lower customer demand due to higher freight rates, as well as Trans Mountain’s customers undertaking maintenance operations and third-party disruptions.

The quarterly report also showed that Trans Mountain had adjusted earnings of $552 million before interest, taxes and depreciation, down from $568 million from the same period last year.

The company says the lower capacity and earnings are short term, with demand “strong” for the remainder of 2026 and Trans Mountain is “on track” to meet or exceed its financial and operational commitments for this year.

The report also says Trans Mountain paid $448 million during the first quarter to its owner, the Canadian government, up from $311 million during the same period last year, and the operation has so far returned $2.2 billion in cash to Ottawa since the pipeline expansion was completed in 2024.

Chief executive Mark Maki says in a statement that the pipeline “continues to play an important role in moving Canadian crude oil to global markets,” and that planning is underway to boost capacity by another 300,000 barrels a day.

“The first 90,000 (barrels-per-day) is anticipated to be in service early in 2027,” Maki says.

Oil transport from Alberta to B.C. with the intent of reaching markets in Asia has been in the spotlight nationally, with the federal and Alberta governments recently finalizing elements of an energy accord signed last year.

The Alberta government has set the construction for a potential new pipeline to start as early as September 2027 and deliveries in 2033 or 2034, with a goal of shipping up to one million barrels a day.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 4, 2026.

The Canadian Press

FORT NELSON, B.C. — Energeticcity.ca has learned of a situation in Fort Nelson First Nation (FNFN), amid online reports the community is in a total lockdown.

According to a Facebook post from FNFN’s community school, the Chalo School, on Thursday, June 4th at 12:32 p.m., the school had initiated a lockout procedure at the institution.

This is when the school’s doors are locked from the inside to the public, while classes continue. The hold-and-secure procedure was later lifted, according to a post from the school at 1:40 p.m.

BC Royal Canadian Mounted Police media relations representative, Sergeant Vanessa Munn, confirmed the lockdown of the nation, but told Energeticcity.ca the decision to lockdown the community came from FNFN.

Munn stated “local RCMP were made aware after the fact,” and there “are no ongoing concerns.”

Energeticcity.ca has contacted FNFN offices and will provide more information about this story as it becomes available.

TAYLOR, B.C. — Family tradition and bragging rights will be on the line in the District of Taylor, as the community sets up to host the World Invitational Gold Panning Championships.

The event features participants attempting to separate gold nuggets from dirt and other materials using a pan through two days of competition.

The event to welcome August will mark the 54th edition, according to the recreation programmer for the District of Taylor, Sherri Maycock.

Maycock told Energeticcity.ca the event spans generations, as families flock to watch and participate in the festivities.

“A lot of families do come out and participate,” said Maycock. “We get a lot of people who have been doing this through generations. It’s in their blood [and] it’s what they know.”

The weekend-long festivities will begin with a parade on Friday, July 31st, starting at the Taylor Community Hall at 5 p.m., with float judging.

Floats will then travel down Taylor’s main street, looping around and returning to the hall, beginning at 5:30 p.m.

On Saturday, August 1st,  Peace Island Park will host a craft and vendor market, starting at 9 a.m. and running all weekend.

Maycock also stated there will be wagon rides and pony rides on August 1st, in addition to gold panning demonstrations and a kids’ “candy rush” contest where children will pan and receive a bag of treats.

Demonstrations will also include metal detection and claim staking. 

“We will have volunteers set up,”  said Maycock.  “They will teach you how to pan for gold. So, if you want to enter the competition, but you’re not really too sure how to do it, [showing] what is involved [and] walk through the process.”

“You can do trial runs [to] see if you like it and get a feel for it.”

In competition, participants have to separate the gold and are timed while doing so. Total elapsed time, the number of flakes and skill are what judges will be on the lookout for.

“Everyone who does pan gets their own timer with a stopwatch that stands behind you,” said Maycock. “You have to pay close attention.  Whenever the panner finds gold, they yell gold, and then we clock the times.”

“At the end of the weekend, we’ll find out where everyone scored and placed.”

A highlight of the festivities will include a bannock cooking competition in the evening of August 1st, where contestants will receive ingredients and construct a fire to make the fried-bread treat within a time limit.

Judging for the bannock contest will be based on taste, texture and appearance, says Maycock.

Gold panning classes range from amateur to professional. Class C and Class B competitions will take place on August 1st, while the World Invitational Class A competition will be on Sunday, August 2nd, following a pancake breakfast and church mass in the park.

The 54th World Invitational Gold Panning Championship takes place in Taylor’s Peace Island Park between Friday, July 31st, and Sunday, August 2nd.
For more information on registering or volunteering for the event, email Maycock at smaycock@districtoftaylor.com or call Taylor’s community services hub at 250-789-2828.

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — The Minister of Jobs and Economic Growth met with Fort St. John City Council on June 3rd to discuss important issues in the region.

According to a June 3rd Facebook post by Fort St. John city councillor Trevor Bolin, the Minister of Jobs and Economic Growth, Ravi Kahlon, met with council on June 3rd to discuss topics related to the Peace region.  

“We will never pass up an opportunity to represent the residents of this city when it comes to provincial happenings, especially when it’s a minister, so we jumped at the chance and had a great meeting,” said Bolin.

During the meeting, the council and the minister discussed a number of topics, including jobs, LNG, the proposed pipeline from Alberta through B.C., the Council’s Response Committee on Housing and Emergency Shelter (CRCHES) and the city’s response to encampments. 

An encampment is a group of tents, temporary shelters, or makeshift living quarters set up in a specific location. 

CRCHES was introduced in August 2024 to address homelessness in the city. The committee met virtually with provincial ministers in March 2025 to reduce homelessness. On March 4th, 2025, CRCHES completed a six-month investigation into how to support individuals who become unhoused in the city. 

Bolin reflected on the impact of the June 3rd meeting with Khalon. 

“It was a great meeting, I think we’re very fortunate that it was able to happen, and that the mayor and council were able to attend, because I think meetings like this are vitally important for our community and they will be going into the future as well,” Bolin said.

Being one of the farthest cities from the provincial parliament in Victoria, Bolin said it makes it harder to meet in person with ministers.

“We have our MLA, but when you don’t have an MLA that has a minister’s position, or you don’t have an MLA that’s part of the majority government, it’s more difficult to be able to directly get access to those ministers,” Bolin said. 

According to Bolin, the city has had a number of ministers come up in the last year, and more are making appointments. 

In January 2025, the council met with Adrian Dix, the Minister of Energy and Climate Solutions, to discuss topics including the future of liquid natural gas (LNG) and residents’ desire to accelerate the approval process of the BC Energy Regulator. 

In April 2026, the province announced it was investing in major energy projects across British Columbia, including six in Northeast B.C.

“It’s very clear that the province sees what’s going on as far as the demand for LNG,” Bolin said. 

“We’ve got three or four more LNG facilities coming online over the course of up to and including the next three years,” he continued.

Bolin said the council’s job is to advocate for residents.

“Part of our position as a council, although it’s snow clearing and paving and parks and all that fun stuff, it’s also advocating for what our community, our residents and our businesses need,” he continued.  

Bolin explained he hopes to hear back from the minister on some of the housing ideas shared by the council. 

“We do have housing issues, not only for our seniors with Peace Villa pod number three being cancelled, but we also have issues with transitional housing and different things like that,” Bolin said.

According to Bolin, the council is focused on issues that will help build the community into somewhere people want to live.

“That’s housing, healthcare, jobs, the economy, that’s mental health is another big one, these are all topics that need to be widely discussed in order to make Fort St. John the community we see it as,” Bolin explained.

TUMBLER RIDGE, B.C. — Wind turbine education is the name of the game for a free, family-friendly event taking place in Tumbler Ridge.

In honour of Global Wind Day on Monday, June 15th, Tumbler Ridge’s UNESCO Global Geopark and Visitor Centre will hold a free, family-friendly event, where turbine education will be front and centre.

Seen as a day to celebrate wind energy, Global Wind Day started in 2007 and is organized by WindEurope and the Global Wind Energy Council. 

With connections to palentology, geology and human history, the Global Geopark in Tumbler Ridge was certified as a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Geopark in 2014. 

The real message of the event is not only to educate but also to foster appreciation for alternative power, said the park’s community recreational coordinator, Kyra Bertrand.

“We have 140 wind turbines surrounding our area,” said Bertrand. “We have two different wind farms, one on the way to Chetwynd and going toward Dawson [Creek]…Wind power has been here for many years now.”

The District of Tumbler Ridge hosts the Meikle Wind Farm, owned by Pattern Energy, which will sponsor the event. 

Along with Bear Mountain Wind Park near Dawson Creek, the two farms have enough energy to provide power to 97,000 homes, said Bertrand.

According to the Global Energy Monitor website, Canada ranks ninth in the world in terms of operating wind capacity, with 17,709 megawatts, or 1.6 per cent of global wind power, produced annually.

The event on June 15th will feature a do-it-yourself wind turbine workshop and learning about all aspects of wind turbine energy.

It will be held at the visitor centre at 265 Southgate Street in Tumbler Ridge from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Monday, June 15th, free of charge.

For more details, visit the Tumbler Ridge UNESCO Global Geopark Facebook page and website.

TAYLOR, B.C. — The District of Taylor said it has reduced its energy usage at the Taylor District Ice Centre after installing a new water treatment system. 

During the June 23rd, 2025, Committee of the Whole meeting, Mike Farquharson, Director of Community Services, discussed an opportunity for the district to use funds from the Local Government Climate Action Fund to use REALice technology to improve ice quality at the arena, while providing cost savings. 

The system was expected to reduce the centre’s costs and remove air bubbles and impurities from the water used for resurfacing the rink. 

Farquharson addressed the council with an update on the technology in the June 1st Committee of the Whole meeting as part of the Community Services Departmental Update.

According to a staff report presented by Farquharson, the district saved 60,960 kilowatt-hours, equivalent to $1,600.96 from BC Hydro, and 450 gigajoules of piped natural gas (PNG), equal to $ 16,753.72 in 2025/26 compared to 2024/25. 

During the July 7th, 2025, Council Meeting, the District of Taylor Council passed a decision to purchase REALice Technology for $41,529.60. 

“The director of community services brought forward, as recommended by the June 23rd committee of the whole, the request to adopt the purchase of a REALice System for the district arena,” according to Council minutes. 

“Council adopted the resolution and noted that it looks forward to the benefits and cost savings that this investment from the Local Government Action [Fund] will bring to the operation of the arena,” the minutes said. 

The District Ice Centre is located at 9880 Cherry Ave W and is open to the public for ice rentals, which can be booked by contacting the Community Services Hub at 250-789-2828, extension two. 

Ice times are subject to availability on a first come first serve basis. Prices range from $85 an hour for youth to $125 an hour for adults.

Notice is hereby given that the Fort St John Pilot Project’s Forest Operations Schedule #4 (FOS) has been prepared. FOS#4 applies to the Fort St John Timber Supply Area and depicts the proposed location of timber harvesting and road construction activities for the period of the Sustainable Forest Management Plan (SFMP) #4. This includes B.C. Timber Sales and the following coniferous and deciduous tenures held by Participant licensees:

• FL A98271 (Louisiana-Pacific Canada Ltd.)
• FL A99039 (HRH Limited Partnership)
• FL A99038 (HRH Limited Partnership)
• FL A18154 (Canadian Forest Products Ltd.)
• FL A99373 (Halfway River First Nation)

FOS #4 will be available for public review and comment from June 1st, 2026 to August 3rd, 2026. Copies of FOS #4 are available for viewing between 8:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., Monday to Friday at the following locations:

• Louisiana-Pacific Canada Ltd. (Peace Valley OSB): 8220 259 Rd., Fort St John, B.C.
• B.C. Ministry of Forests (B.C. Timber Sales): 9000-17th Street, Dawson Creek, B.C.
• http://fsjpilotproject.com/fos.html (online)

FOS #4 includes some new blocks and roads but the majority of FOS #4 made up of planned cutblocks and roads from FOS #3 that have not yet been developed.

All comments will be reviewed by the Participants and may result in revisions to the proposed Forest Operations Schedule. Prior to the close of the public review period, written comments concerning FOS #4 should be made to the Participants at the following addresses:

Canadian Forest Products Ltd.
Attention: Andrew Tyrrell, RPF
Phone: (250) 793-8858
E-mail: Andrew.Tyrrell@canfor.com

B.C. Timber Sales
9000-17th Street
Dawson Creek, BC V1G 4A4
Attention: Elmer Teschke, RPF
C: (250) 649-2859
E: tpl.ref@gov.bc.ca

Louisiana-Pacific Canada Ltd.
8220 259 Rd.
Fort St John, BC V1J 4M6
Attention: Carmen Anderson, RPF
C: (250) 261-9500
E: Carmen.Anderson@lpcorp.com

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Peace River North MLA Jordan Kealy has been charged with sexual assault, according to the BC Prosecution Service (BCPS). 

“On June 3rd, 2026, Mr. Kealy was charged with one count of sexual assault,” said BCPS. 

“The alleged offences occurred between January 1st and September 20th, 2024, in Fort St. John. The first appearance is on July 6th, 2026, at Fort St. John Law Courts.” 

In an interview with Energeticcity.ca on June 4th, Kealy commented on the allegations and offered a message to his constituents. 

“I’m one hundred per cent innocent, and I will prove it in court,” Kealy said. 

“I’ve spent my career and my life helping others and being respectful of others, and I will continue to do that, and I’ll continue to do my job.”

According to an article published by Global News on June 4th, court documents stated the alleged offences happened in Cecil Lake, north of Fort St. John.

Global News also said Kealy’s constituency office in Fort St. John was closed on the morning of June 4th. 

When asked what the charges mean for his future rejoining the Conservative Party of British Columbia, Kealy said he is waiting for the charges to go through the courts. Kealy left the party in March 2025 after former conservative MLA Dallas Brodie was expelled. 

According to a June 4th release by the BC Prosecution Service (BCPS), a special prosecutor was appointed to an investigation into alleged sexual assault charges against Peace River North MLA Jordan Kealy on February 9th, 2026. 

BCPS stated Gail Barnes was appointed as Special Prosecutor for the investigation being conducted by the North District Prince George RCMP. 

BCPS said the appointment of a special prosecutor is intended to avoid the potential for improper influence in the administration, given the nature of the allegations and the accused’s status as an elected public official. 

“Ms. Barnes is a senior Vancouver lawyer in private practice,” the release said. 

“Her mandate includes providing legal advice to investigators as may be necessary, conducting any related charge assessment and assuming conduct of the prosecution if any charge was approved.” 

According to the release, the matters are now before the court, and BCPS and the Special Prosecutor will not release additional information or provide further comment. 

Energeticcity.ca  will update the story when more information becomes available.

The British Columbia Review Board has granted a conditional discharge for a man convicted in the brutal slayings of his three children.

Chairperson Geneviève Boudreau says Allan Schoenborn is to attend a psychiatric clinic for treatment and stay at the Forensic Psychiatric Hospital in Coquitlam, B.C., if ordered to do so by the board.

Boudreau’s written disposition says Schoenborn must also report any intimate relationships, he must be on good behaviour, and not possess or use any weapons or drugs.

In 2010, Schoenborn was found not criminally responsible for the stabbing and smothering of his three children — aged five, eight and 10 — at their Merritt, B.C., home in 2008.

Schoenborn legally changed his name in May 2021 to Ken John Johnson, a move that led the B.C. government to pass legislation preventing those convicted of serious crimes from changing their names.

Boudreau’s disposition states it will be reviewable in one year’s time.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 3, 2026.

Aaron Sousa, The Canadian Press

VICTORIA — Canada’s forestry sector is the trade “canary in the coal mine” as it faces structural challenges that go beyond Trump-era tariffs, says the federal minister responsible for natural resources.

Tim Hodgson made that comment Wednesday as he unveiled close to $130 million in funding for 56 forestry-related projects across the country.

Hodgson, who is in Langford, B.C., to meet with Canada’s provincial and territorial forest ministers, also released a report suggesting homegrown problems, such as unstable access to fibre and lack of domestic demand that are threatening the industry with an “existential crisis.”

He said the additional funding for the industry is on top of the various supports worth $2 billion, which the federal government has announced since August 2025, to help the sector remain competitive and resilient in the face of American tariffs.

But the minister also said forestry finds itself at a “turning point” and that despite federal support, more than a dozen sawmills employing 2,000 workers have closed since August.

Hodgson said the disruptions facing the industry have also led to 40 curtailments, with 1,000 temporary job losses.

While forestry has been a mainstay of Canada’s economy and the lifeblood of many communities, Hodgson said the industry is in a crisis and needs to change.

“(Rather) than simply extending the sector’s life support, we now must challenge and support it to transform into a modern, thriving industry that can build Canada’s future and achieve sustained, independent prosperity,” he said.

The report released Wednesday was from a task force charged with finding ways to restructure and retool the sector.

It says that while external pressures, most notably sustained U.S. softwood lumber duties, have deepened industry challenges, the “most significant barriers to competitiveness are homegrown.”

The report says obstacles include unstable access to affordable fibre, excessive regulations, persistent underinvestment in manufacturing, weak capacity to innovate, and inadequate domestic demand for wood-based products.

“Absent immediate, co-ordinated, and decisive action, the forest sector faces an existential risk,” it says.

The Forest Products Association of Canada welcomed the report.

Derek Nighbor, the association’s president, said the report offers a playbook, which now needs to be implemented.

“This is the most robust federal government response, we have seen in years to the core issues holding our industry back,” he said in a statement.

U.S. duties and tariffs on softwood lumber add up to around 35 per cent, but no final figure from the U.S. has been determined.

Ravi Parmar, B.C.’s forest minister, said the projects announcement is good news for the forestry sector, its workers and communities that depend on it.

“As Minister Hodgson acknowledged, forestry is facing a difficult period in time, and one would argue, the most difficult period in the history of our country with unfair, unjust duties and tariffs by Donald Trump and the United States government.”

The provincial minister added that the report from the Canadian Forest Sector Transformation Task Force had important findings to get the sector “back on its feet, but also move it, structurally change it from boom and bust to stability and certainty.”

Parmar said the Canadian Council of Forest Ministers will discuss the recommendations of the task force during the next two days and Hodgson said the federal government will eventually publish an action plan, which will serve as the foundation of the forestry strategy.

Of $130 million announced Wednesday, about $67 million will flow into B.C.

The biggest recipient among the 56 projects is the Forest Enhancement Society of BC based in Kamloops, B.C.

It will receive $37 million for a project to increase the use of low-value and residual fibre, by offsetting collection, processing and transportation costs that limit the use of such fibre.

Fibre, which would otherwise be burned, will instead be turned into pulp, bioenergy, and pellets.

The federal minister said that his government is incredibly focused on opportunities across all sectors, including forestry.

The Conservative Party of B.C. says in a statement that the announced level of support for the provincial forestry sector falls short of assistance other provinces have secured for key industries.

Ward Stamer, the party’s critic for forests, said that the B.C. New Democrats should take responsibility for the state of the industry.

“(Instead) of trying to place the blame for mill closures on Donald Trump, Minister of Forests Ravi Parmar should take a look in the mirror,” Stamer says. “Permitting delays, rising costs, and shrinking fibre access have been growing threats to B.C.’s forest industry, but Minister Parmar has ignored them.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 3, 2026.

Wolfgang Depner, The Canadian Press

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — While Greg Stewart captured Paralympic gold in the shot put, his toughest task this week was engaging with elementary school students.

Stewart was at Fort St. John’s Alwin Holland Elementary School on Wednesday, June 3rd, speaking to students as part of the Classroom Champions program.

This is the first year the school has been involved with the initiative, which was launched by American bobsledder Steve Mesler and his sister, Dr. Leigh Parise, in 2009.

Its aim is to match athletes with students to support social and emotional learning and academic performance. 

Born in Victoria without the lower part of his left arm, Stewart told Energeticcity.ca his appearance was part of the program’s year-end celebration, which also featured students from Bert Ambrose Elementary.

At 7-feet-2 inches tall, Stewart said his biggest challenge is not having one arm, but rather his height.

“This has been such a humbling experience,” Stewart told Energeticcity.ca. “The joy [and] the energy of these kids is something I don’t think I’ve ever experienced before.”

“The gratitude they are showing [and] the excitement [they have]. It’s just been such a welcoming experience.”

Stewart has been in contact with students at Alwin Holland since January, said principal Janny Lavoie.

“[Stewart has] come a couple of times on Zoom and done assemblies virtually with our students [and] really worked to support the virtues that our school is learning about and working on,” said Lavoie. “I think we are seeing a larger sense of community happening, and we’re working hard to bring that to our students.”

Assistant principal and gym teacher Palma Vasarhelyi felt Stewart’s mentorship of classes at the school taught the children about resiliency, perseverance and determination.

“I thought it would be really well connected to gym [classes],” said Vasarhelyi. “Obviously, we have a very high-level athlete, who would be wonderful, giving us advice [on] how to handle emotions, sportsmanship and all the virtues that we are working on throughout the year with the students.”

“He has these three-and-a-half-minute videos that talk about a certain topic. That is how I introduced Greg to the students, and then after that we arranged a live conversation through Zoom with Greg, and of course we continue to tie everything to ‘What would Greg do’ [and] ‘how would Greg handle the situation in life?’”

Stewart also took part in a shot put demonstration in the afternoon, where ten-minute stations were set up around the school’s greenspace, including Indigenous handgames, chalk drawing, Indigenous storytelling, tug of war, and more.

The event took place at Alwin Holland Elementary School on Wednesday, June 3rd, and was sponsored by Petronas Canada, which also served a barbecue lunch for students and staff.

VICTORIA — The British Columbia government has extended its pause on new mineral rights claim registrations in the northwestern and north-central regions until 2027 due to ongoing land-use planning with First Nations.

The Ministry of Mining and Critical Minerals says in a statement that the pause, which applies to new mineral and placer claims, was set to expire on Wednesday but has now been extended to Jan. 31 of next year.

The province says existing mineral claims are not affected but registration of new claims and for coal licences will remain on hold.

The government says in a statement that the orders have been suspended for the completion of work with the Tahltan, Taku River Tlingit and Kaska First Nations, and to allow for engagement with industry, local governments and other parties.

The announcement comes as the B.C. government appeals a landmark decision on mineral rights to the Supreme Court of Canada, although a provincial government spokesperson says the issues are unrelated.

The December 2025 ruling by the B.C. Appeal Court approved a challenge by two First Nations of B.C.’s mineral tenure system, finding the government’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, or DRIPA, should be incorporated into provincial laws.

B.C. Premier David Eby has said the ruling puts the province at serious litigation risk and led to a failed attempt in the legislature to suspend portions of DRIPA, an effort that was heavily criticized by Indigenous groups as rolling back reconciliation.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 3, 2026.

The Canadian Press

TAYLOR, B.C. — The Distict of Taylor has approved it’s support for Terus Construction’s application to extend it’s mining operation in the district. 

During a June 1st council meeting, District of Taylor Director of Operations and Approving Officer Ryan Nelson presented a staff report to council on an application submitted by Terus Construction to the Agricultural Land Commission (ALC) for an extension of its current mining operations. 

The proposed mining area comprises 3.67 hectares within an 18.26-hectare mine permit area, excluding a 2.24-hectare asphalt plant area.

The recommended resolution for the requested expansion of the current mining operation was moved by Councillor Desirae Graziano and seconded by Councillor Betty Ponto. 

According to the report, Terus Construction is applying for an extension to their gravel extraction permit until 2043 as well as permission to remove 520,000 cubic metres of aggregate for commercial use. 

Aggregate is a broad term that describes materials such as rock, gravel, sand and recycled stone. 

The report said part of Terus’ application is to demonstrate to the ALC that the company will follow best management practices to protect groundwater, given the proximity of the operation to the Peace River. 

Now that the application has been approved by Taylor council, it will be reviewed by the ALC. 

To read the complete staff report, see below.

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Registration is now open for people to enter their floats for Canada Day. 

According to a Facebook post uploaded to the City of Fort St. John’s website on June 3rd, the city is asking for people to register in advance for the annual parade on July 1st. 

This year, the city said in a post on its website, the festivities will start on June 30th from 6 p.m. to 11:30 p.m., with movies in the park, food trucks, farmers markets and a drone show. 

The city of Fort St. John council, on January 26th, replaced the Canada Day fireworks with a drone show for the 2026 celebration. 

On July 1st, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., there will be a pancake breakfast at the Fire Hall, a Classic Cruiser Car Show and the Canada Day Parade. 

The city is asking people who have registered to have their float in the parade to gather at 10 a.m. on July 1st. The marshalling will take place at 100th Street between 111th Avenue and 107th Avenue. 

At 11 a.m., the procession will travel south on 100th Street and end on 100th Street and 96th Avenue. It will turn into the empty parking lot, where the old Fort Motors was located.

The parade will disband in that area onto 102nd Street. 

Businesses and organizations interested in entering a float should submit their registration by June 22nd, 2026, at 4:30 p.m. 

To register your float and to see the parade float rules, click here.

VANCOUVER — Fisheries Department officials say the bodies of three more grey whales were found in May along British Columbia’s coast, adding to the four others spotted in April.

The department says in an email that the three whales were found along Haida Gwaii’s coast, all reported separately on May 18, May 24 and May 31.

It says sample collection and post-mortem examination of dead whales are conducted with its partners “where possible.”

Four whales were found dead off Vancouver Island within 10 days in April, two of which the department said were in “extremely emaciated” condition.

There have been at least eight grey whales found dead along B.C.’s coast so far this year compared with 11 deaths reported for all of 2019, which was considered a record year.

The department said in April that it expected more such deaths, as the lower food supply in northern feeding grounds last summer may have contributed to their poor conditions and the whales usually don’t feed during winter breeding season.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 3, 2026.

The Canadian Press

KAMLOOPS — The judge in the B.C. Supreme Court murder trial of Vitali Stefanski warned jury members to prepare for graphic evidence as they were shown photos of the body of his ex-wife, found off a forest road in 2024.

Justice Bradford Smith told the jury in the second-degree murder trial that the photos were to help them decide facts like the circumstances before and after Tatjana Stefanski died, but not to cause sympathy for the Crown’s case or prejudice against the accused.

The jury also heard testimony on Wednesday from RCMP forensic investigators who photographed evidence, including Cpl. Robert Riemer, who described having to use a rope tied to a tree stump to get down the steep embankment off the side of a road to reach Tatjana Stefanski’s body.

Crown lawyer Rigel Tessmann has previously told the court that a bent and bloodied knife near the body had the DNA of both Tatjana and Vitali Stefanski and that the victim suffered 21 “sharp force wounds” to her legs, arms and hands as well as seven stab wounds to her chest and ribs that injured her heart and lungs and led to her death.

Along with photos of Tatjana Stefanski’s body and the knife, the jury saw images of plastic and leather knife sheaths, a magazine and a black boot found at the scene.

Details of the bent knife, which was engraved on the blade, were kept as “hold back” evidence, Riemer told the jury, meaning it was only known by a limited number of people involved in the investigation.

Officers testified that Vitali Stefanski appeared shoeless on the forest-service road on the day the body was found in April 2024 and confessed to murdering his ex-wife.

The defence has not presented its case to the jury yet.

Riemer also took photos of Vitali Stefanski at a hospital in Vernon, B.C., on the day the body was found, and he confirmed under cross-examination from defence lawyer Tony Lagemaat that he saw no injuries on the accused other than a small injury on his abdomen.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 3, 2026.

The Canadian Press

OTTAWA — Slashing municipal development charges could help spur building in some of Canada’s most expensive markets but those cuts wouldn’t be enough to fix the affordability gap on their own, according to a new analysis from the federal housing agency.

Development charges are fees cities impose on developers that are mainly used to pay for infrastructure that supports new builds.

The federal government is spending billions of dollars to encourage municipalities to cut development fees in half to boost housing supply and improve affordability.

Cutting or eliminating costly development charges could go a long way toward filling the housing supply gap in the greater Toronto and Vancouver areas, said Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. chief economist Mathieu Laberge.

Laberge published a report Wednesday that says reducing or eliminating development charges could increase the number of viable projects, but the numbers vary by city.

Targeting those fees is not a cure-all for Canada’s housing affordability woes, he found.

“Reducing or even eliminating development charges wouldn’t solve the housing crisis facing Canada,” Laberge wrote.

“While it may incent greater supply, the increase is not enough to reach pre-pandemic affordability levels in many cities.”

In an interview with The Canadian Press, Laberge said slashing development fees could help to make the math work for projects in cities where high costs for financing or land are major barriers to getting shovels in the ground.

Toronto would see a boost of more than 10 per cent to the number of viable projects if development charges were cut by 90 to 100 per cent, the CMHC projections show. That increase moderates to roughly five per cent with a 50 to 60 per cent reduction in development charges.

Eliminating development charges entirely could lead to an extra 10,000 to 16,250 units annually in Toronto, the CMHC says. It estimates that number would fill up to half of the supply gap and reduce housing prices to 2019 affordability levels.

“All in all, development charges change this landscape and they have an impact on both the number of projects that are viable and the number of housing starts down the road,” Laberge said.

CMHC says Burnaby, B.C. would see the biggest bump from the near-elimination of development charges — a 14 per cent increase in viable projects.

In the same scenario, Ottawa would see only a three per cent increase in the number of viable projects.

Laberge said eliminating development fees can pose a fiscal challenge for cities, which rely on those levies to fund local infrastructure. He said those charges do have a place in some cities’ fiscal frameworks, given their modest influence on housing supply.

In recent years, governments have put development fees in their crosshairs as an obstacle to scaling up housing supply across the country.

Mohammad Hussain, spokesperson for the office of Housing Minister Gregor Robertson, said in a media statement Wednesday that the CMHC report affirms that targeting development charges can “reinvigorate housing supply in major cities across Canada.”

In March, the federal government announced plans to split costs with Ontario on a new $8.8-billion funding pool for infrastructure projects. In order to be eligible, municipalities have to cut development charges between 30 and 50 per cent for three years.

The applications portal for that fund opened on Monday. Municipalities must contribute a minimum of 10 per cent of the proposed project’s cost in order to be considered for funding.

Ottawa is working out deals with other provinces under the $51-billion Build Communities Strong Fund announced in Budget 2025.

Laberge pointed out in his report that the structure of development charges varies from city to city, making it hard for builders to compare project costs. The CMHC is working on a cross-Canada benchmark for development charges to address that gap.

“The lack of comparable information also created unrealistic expectations that reducing development charges alone could solve the housing crisis,” Laberge wrote in the report.

In the interview, Laberge said development charges are one tool governments can deploy to help lower the cost of building, but that should be done in concert with regulatory changes and efforts to cut red tape across the country.

“If there was a silver bullet to fix the housing situation we’re in, we’d know about it and we would be on our way to solve the current housing situation,” he said.

Hussain said reducing development charges is only part of the government’s strategy to address housing affordability.

“We have always been clear: addressing Canada’s decades long housing crisis will require multiple solutions across the housing ecosystem,” he said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 3, 2026.

Craig Lord, The Canadian Press

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — The Fort St. John Women’s Resource Society has received a $3,200 donation from Hair Bin. 

On May 30th, The Hair Bin Salon and Barbershop celebrated its 40th anniversary by offering haircuts, facial waxing and a BBQ by donation. 

Estefania Albornoz, manager of fundraising and community engagement for the Women’s Resource Society, said: “During the day, all those activities combined have collected $3,200, and they gave us the money the same day.”

The Women’s Resource Society will be using the donation towards an accessibility project. 

She said: “We need to change the way people can access our buildings.” 

Currently, the Women’s Resource Society building has stairs in the front and ramps at the back. 

“The problem with the ramps in the back is they are not connected to our main services, so [for] people with disabilities, it’s extremely hard for them to access our building and our store,” she explained. 

The society will begin collecting funds from various sources to make the building accessible. It will use funds from the donation and the side-by-side off-road vehicle raffle toward this new project. 

Albornoz said: “We’re going to start a series of activities that go towards [the] project, which is very expensive.” 

The society has been trying to secure funding for at least three years to make its building accessible. 

“We have to prove we have some funds already to receive more from other sources,” she added. 

She said the society applied to the Enabling Accessibility Fund, requesting for $125,000 and received a response from them last week. 

“We were asked for at least $18,000; however, that number is very tricky because they’re asking that money based on quotes we sent three years ago, and we’re pretty sure if we’re going to build those ramps now, [they] are going to be way more expensive, so we have to raise a lot more to be able to complete the project,” Albornoz explained. 

She estimated the society will need to collect $18,720 from other sources. 

The society hopes to raise at least $10,000 from the raffle, and Albornoz said she will have to come up with a full plan of activities. 

When asked if she has a message for the Hair Bin, she said the society is “incredibly grateful” for being chosen as the recipients for he donations and called the salon “great partners and supporters.” 

“We also want to thank all the community that showed up and donated, they were very generous…sometimes, they donated even twice the value of a normal haircut, just to support the fundraiser. So we are very grateful [to] everyone involved.” 

TAYLOR, B.C. — Members of local governments and the Union of B.C. Municipalities (UBCM) First Nations Members are invited to attend a virtual information session on a plan to strengthen the province’s economy. 

On June 8th, Brittny Anderson, Minister of State for Local Governments and Rural Communities, and Ravi Kahlon, Minister of Jobs and Economic Growth, will host a Look West information session from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. 

According to the Government of British Columbia, Look West is a plan to deliver major projects and create good jobs while strengthening B.C. and Canada’s economic security amid economic threats. 

The invitation was extended to the District of Taylor Council during a June 1st council meeting.

The province said the plan is built on three pillars: strengthening its workforce, delivering major projects faster and diversifying markets and growing targeted sectors. 

The information session is open to local government officials and staff, and will offer an overview of the plan, including a question-and-answer period. 

Local government officials and staff who wish to attend the information session are asked to register in advance. 

For more information on the Look West plan, visit the B.C. Government website. 

VICTORIA — Workers at a renowned British Columbia hotel have served strike notice in what is the latest in a series of labour actions taken as the province prepares to welcome World Cup travellers later this month.

Unifor Local 4276 says its members at the Fairmont Empress Hotel in Victoria have notified their employer that picket lines could go up as soon as Saturday.

The group says the notice comes with little movement at the bargaining table even as its members voted 99 per cent in favour of job action on April 1.

The union represents those in housekeeping, maintenance, banquet events and other departments at the Empress, a historic luxury hotel that opened in 1908 on Victoria’s harbourfront and serves as one of the city’s most iconic attractions.

The threat is one of many recent possible disruptions or strike votes in B.C. taken by unions ahead of the FIFA World Cup games starting June 13 in Vancouver.

Since mid-May, workers in B.C.’s 911 call centre, Metro Vancouver and Victoria’s transit operators and Lower Mainland SPCA animal welfare workers have all voted in favour of authorizing job action, while more than 700 Metro Vancouver outside workers conduct rotating strike action.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 3, 2026.

The Canadian Press