October is Library Month

Libraries are more than just a place to find books. Libraries promote cultural awareness, engage in the community, provide educational programs and support freedom of expression, Fort St. John Public Library’s Director of Library Services, Matthew Rankin told Council on Monday.

“The purpose of Library Month is to draw attention to libraries and our value to communities and people’s lives. It’s not just about books,” Rankin said. “The 2024 theme is Libraries for Life.”

The Library has a wide variety of materials across many collections, from Adult fiction and non-fiction; through Young Adult fiction, non-fiction, and graphic novels; Junior &Children’s fiction, picture books, Christian books; and CDs, Audiobooks, DVDs, the digital book collection and musical instruments.

“We have a ton of new special collections. The newest one we have is a bunch of STEM kits that we were able to purchase through the Summer Reading Club donations. We also have a wonderful patron donate eight ukeleles, so our music collection has started as well,” Rankin said.

In addition to the collections, the Library offers a variety of programming for all ages, and Rankin says one of the programs they’re most proud of is the Teen Nights the Library hosts in partnership with the North Peace PRIDE Society. “PRIDE Teen Night has been very successful,” said Rankin.

The Library is home to children’s programs including Storytimes for babies and toddlers, as well as family programming like D&D nights, Summer Reading Club, and Rankin is pleased to announce the return of the Adult craft nights now that the Library has a new programmer.

“D&D nights have exploded, we had close to 30 people last week, and we hope to expand that even further.”

For homebound book lovers, the Library has access services where books can be delivered directly to community members in their homes in Fort St. John, Area B or C, within a 20 km radius March to October; but only within a 10 km radius of the city from November through February.

Funded primarily through gaming grants and the Peace River Regional District, the Library also offers the Click Program, which teaches basic computer skills in 45-minute one-on-one sessions in the Connectivity Centre at the Library.

The FSJ Public Library is located in the North Peace Cultural Centre, and is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and is closed on Sundays and Mondays. For more information about programming and other services, contact the Library at 250-785-3731, or visit the website.

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FSJ Proclaims Rail Safety Week – September 23-29

Safety is CN Rail’s top concern, according to a presentation given by Shawn Lussier, CN’s Fort St. John Transportation Manager.

Lussier said that “Every year more than 2,100 North Americans are killed or seriously injured because of unsafe behaviour around tracks and trains. Every one of these incidents and deaths are preventable.

“At CN, safety is our top priority. Every employee deserves to go home safely. Every community needs to know they will not be put in harms way. We are unwavering in our commitment to achieving zero fatalities, zero serious incidents and zero harm within our operations.”

Through collaborative efforts and community engagement, CN strives to foster a culture of safety and prevent accidents. With this in mind, and to help raise awareness about the importance of rail safety, Lussier asked Council to proclaim September 23-29 Rail Safety Week in Fort St. John.

The Centennial Park Stage will be lit up in red, CN’s signature colour, in recognition of Rail Safety Week.

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District of Taylor rejects request for Rail Safety Week proclamation

The request to proclaim September 23-29 as Rail Safety Week was also received by the District of Taylor’s council, which had a far different reaction to CN’s proposed proclamation.

Councillor Desirae Graziano was the first to comment on the request, “We can’t support this when they’re [the tracks] so dangerous.”

The state of the tracks is one of the biggest complaints the District receives, Graziano noted.

Graziano is referring to the rail crossing on the Alaska Highway in Taylor, which has posed a safety issue for months. There is a large hole which leads drivers often to either slow right down, stop or drive around when they reach the tracks, which Taylor Council says poses safety issues that will only get worse once winter arrives.

“Safety is not just words on a piece of paper. We’ve been asking for them to address the situation,” said Taylor Mayor Brent Taillefer. “It’s on the highway, and I believe that come winter, it’s bad enough now, but when we get those big chunks of ice that are going to fall off the trucks, it’s going to be nasty and not safe.”

Taillefer says he’s emailed CN several times and they’ve said they’ll come fix it but haven’t so far.

“We’ve got very long weeds that are dying and are a fire hazard, that they still haven’t cut,” he added.

Council decided to send a letter to CN Rail, advising the company that they’re not able to support the proclamation when the tracks in the community are in such a state.

“When you guys show us that you’re actually committed to safety, then we’ll be happy to support it,” said Graziano.

“This is a safety issue. It’s not an ask, it’s a need,” said Councillor Michelle Turnbull.

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City seeking input on updated OCP

Residents are invited and encouraged to participate in the Official Community Plan (OCP) engagement process, to help shape the future of Fort St. John as it grows.

The OCP is updated every five years and is a guiding document which outlines the long-term vision for the city, informed by community input. It represents the community’s vision for the future and provides a framework to guide decisions about the growth and development of the city.

“Our Official Community Plan reflects the community’s vision for Fort St. John, and we want to hear from you,” said Mayor Lilia Hansen. “Your feedback will shape how we grow, where we live, and how we create a sustainable and vibrant city for everyone.”

An OCP framework aims to address anticipated needs for at least the next five years, including  residential development; commercial, industrial, institutional, recreational and public land uses; location of major road, sewer and water systems; types of public facilities, including schools, parks, waste treatment and disposal; reduction of GHG emissions policies; and compliance with Provincial legislation.

The province requires that local governments update their OCP every five years, and plan for anticipated housing needs over the next 20 years. Fort St. John’s plan was last updated in 2017 and will be reviewed during the process to make sure it fits with the community’s changing needs and provincial requirements.

One of these provincial requirements, which has already been addressed by council, is the Homes for People Action Plan, designed to expand housing options across BC. In April, Fort St. John updated its Zoning Bylaw to allow for small-scale, multi-unit housing in traditionally single-family neighbourhoods.

Over the next year, city staff will engage with the public at various events and through online platforms, including the city’s Let’s Talk page, and gather input to shape the goals, priorities and objectives for the updated OCP.

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New non-profit charity aims to “work in a different way”

“All of our services are designed to compliment what’s already pre-existing,” Wellness Truth & Family Foundation executive director Lisa Jewell told council on Monday. “We’re doing things in a new way, accepting clients by the family. One family, one file.”

Jewell has been a registered social worker for the past nine years, has worked at the Salvation Army and Women’s Resource Society helping provide a variety of front-line services for clients in the community.

In the course of her career, it became clear that there is a need for more front-line crisis intervention services.

“We have so many barriers, we have current services that are so backed-up and overwhelmed that they could work 16-hours a day and there’s still such a huge need for more services,” she said.

Wellness, Truth & Family Foundation’s mission is to assist women and their families in relearning how to live after experiencing domestic violence, or extensive trauma. Gaining access to counselling is extremely difficult, due to the long waiting lists.

“When women are fleeing domestic violence and or extensive trauma with their families, moms do not relax,” Jewell said. “You’re not focussing on relearning who you are, and you can’t move on with your life if you don’t know who you are and what you want to do.

“We’re going to change that.”

The Foundation is currently seeing about 50 clients per week and contracting out one-on-one counselling to local counsellors. The focus is mainly on low-income families, Indigenous and refugee families, and newcomers to Canada.

In addition to the one-on-one counselling, the Foundation offers group classes for moms on subjects such as self-love, narcissism identification, life skills, and parenting skills. These classes take place in the evenings, starting with dinner at 5 p.m., and the children go to the sensory-friendly Kid Zone in the next room, while the mothers participate in the groups.

There are also groups for teens, including the Teen LGBTQ night, and an at-risk youth group which has led to a few kids being able to leave the foster system and return to their families.

Family Nights have proven popular, and with the rising cost of food, Jewell says teens are taught the value of food budgeting and how to cook within that budget. They will be expanding their hours this month to Saturday and Sunday in order to accommodate families’ work and school schedules.

Medical advocacy is another service offered at the Foundation. Staff can go with the client to doctors appointments and advocate for the client during the appointment, and make sure that follow-ups are done, and remind them of referrals and next appointments.

“We’re helping families re-learn how to live, after the trauma. The front-line agencies can continue doing their good work, and then once families are settled and able to do some of the deeper healing, that’s when we can step in,” Jewell said.

Most of the counselling and other work is done in-house, says Jewell, in an effort to keep their services free. They also work with the counsellors at School District 60, to target not just for the children but the families who are struggling, “because schools always know. They know who needs the extra leg up.”

Donations are essential to the operations of the Foundation, but so is community involvement, Jewell explained. Once a month, a group of teens goes out and cleans up Centennial Park, Pickle Park, getting rid of the garbage lying around.

“It’s just giving back to the community. One of our teen groups is trying to get involved with the Seniors, adopt a Senior, go for companionship and hopefully learn some of the life lessons they have to share,” she said.

Wellness Truth & Family Foundation is located at 10136 100 Street. For more information, or to made use of the Foundation’s services, check out the Foundation’s Facebook page, or email at wellnesstruthfamilies@gmail.com