the broken typewriter

August is upon us . . . in just over a month its back-to-school, the annual pumpkin spice frenzy will begin, we can turn off the A/C and break out the sweaters again.

Between my garden and other summertime things, The Broken Typewriter’s missives have been non-existent this week. Sorry about that. I have been attending events and meetings, so there are stories coming . . . but I’m also working on some larger, more in-depth pieces that involve a whole lot of hurry-up-and-wait for sources to get back to me with the needed info. It’s kind of like watching a 5-day cricket test match. But it will be worth the wait, I promise.

Those stories will include some healthcare, some more about the pool, as well as a couple of interesting features whose ideas came from other events in the North Peace.

News Summary:

Last week (many of these stories are coming too, as soon as all the stupid thistles are dealt with once and for all), we saw Fort St. John City Council vote to establish a homelessness committee to help the homeless situation in the city.

Taylor Council heard that there are now more opportunities to apply for funding through the Community Building Fund. Among these opportunities, is the ability to fund the purchase of new fire trucks.

Since 1912, gold panners have been travelling to Taylor for the World’s Invitational Gold Panning Championships, this weekend is no exception. Events are taking place at Peace Island Park this weekend. Weather looks to be great for this three-day event, which began with the parade today.  Fun continues Saturday with a variety of events, including claim staking, media/celebrity panning, Class B and C event panning, as well as activities and events for kids. Sunday is the Class A panning event, which was won last year by Garrett Gejdos whose family has been participating in the event since 1974.

Tuesday saw MLA Dan Davies’ Rally for Better Healthcare take place at the green space at the corner of 100 Street and 100 Avenue. About a hundred people turned out for that event, including many members of city council, past and present. The hour-long event featured speeches by Davies, Fort Nelson Mayor Rob Fraser, Fort St. John Mayor Lilia Hansen and Hudson’s Hope Mayor Travous Quibell. The rally was intended to raise awareness and call upon the provincial government to do something to ensure that BC’s Emergency Rooms remain open, for the good of all British Columbians.

While the speakers praised the efforts of local healthcare workers to provide this essential service to our residents, they also told stories about the impact the repeated ER closures are having on everyone in the region. Like Mayor Hansen and MLA Davies, I’ve lived here most of my life and never before has the ER been closed. Thanks to the stories from our local municipal leaders, I learned things about healthcare in BC that I’d forgotten, and some new things as well.

Fort St. John Hospital’s ER is closed again tonight – August 2 from 4 p.m. until 5 a.m. on August 3.

Also this week, the Tse’k’wa Heritage Society celebrated the return of artifacts and ancestral remains to the Tse’k’wa National Historic Site (Charlie Lake Caves) which were excavated between the 1970s – 1990s by Simon Fraser University. Elders and Dane-zaa community members were on hand for the private reburial of the ancestral remains, and the return of cultural objects on Wednesday afternoon.

Just in time for the long weekend, the Prince George Fire Centre lifted the campfire ban that had been in place most of the summer. Although the temperature’s supposed to be in the mid-20s this weekend, hopefully it’s cool enough that the fire risk remains lower, and no forest fires result from any campfires.

That’s all for now! Have a great weekend!