March 8, 2025

Welcome to The Sidebar, a new feature at The Broken Typewriter where you will find a collection of news briefs, that despite their small size, are relevant to the North Peace. Hope you enjoy this addition!

Data taken in city’s cyber incident

On February 25, 2025, the City of Fort St. John discovered that an unauthorized third party had gained access to a portion of the city’s network encrypting certain data.

In response, the city disconnected their systems from the internet and engaged cybersecurity experts to assist with containment, remediation, and conduct a forensic investigation.

The investigation will take some time to complete, while that is going on, the city’s priority remains the protection and security of information in its care.

While most systems and services were offline for several days, including phones and email, they have been largely restored over the past week.

“We are continuing to bring operations back online in a secure manner and thank you for your support and patience. Over 75% of front-facing services have been restored, with the remainder expected to come online in the next few days,” a statement from the city about the incident read.

The cybersecurity experts uncovered evidence that a small subset of the city’s data was taken by the unauthorized third party during the incident.

The city is reviewing and validating the subset of data involved to determine if any sensitive personal information was affected.

If the investigation determines that sensitive personal information has been impacted, the city will notify those affected.

The City of Fort St. John has established a webpage www.fortstjohn.ca/cyber-incident that will be updated with additional information as it becomes available.  

Be Brave and Shave on Bluey Day

For more than 25 years, Fort St. John and area residents have participated in the largest peer-to-peer fundraising event in the community. The 966 participants have stepped up to have their heads shaved, raising over $2.4 million in the process.

These funds stay in the community, supporting the purchase of essential medical equipment for early cancer diagnosis and treatment in Fort St. John.

Through the Fort St. John Community Cancer Centre, one of only two clinics in northeastern BC, patients receive systemic cancer therapy. According to the FSJ Hospital Foundation’s press release, the Community Cancer Centre is presently managing 120 active treatment cases and 20 follow-ups.

Bluey Day fundraising has advanced Fort St. John Hospital’s capacity to diagnose and treat cancer. Through acquisitions of diagnostic and treatment equipment, patients can access the same level of care available in larger centers, within the comfort of their home community.

Bluey Day is scheduled to take place on May 24, at Centennial Park, and the Hospital Foundation invites everyone to join in and make a difference.

People who choose to participate in Bluey Day will spend the next few months growing their hair and collecting pledges from the community, on Bluey Day they will then have their head shaved.

This act of bravery shows their support for family, friends and the community. For more information and to register, please visit Bluey Day – Fort St. John.

Prophet River First Nation to partner in data centre project

Prophet River First Nation, located 100 km south of Fort Nelson, has entered into a Letter of Intent with ABCT Pacific (VCC) Ltd., to pursue the construction and operation of a large-scale data centre in the Fort St. John area.

According to a press release about the project, the Fort St. John area with energy sources such as the Site C Dam, as well as the cooler climate, make it a uniquely qualified area for a project of this size.

The demand for technology-based data storage, such as that associated with the growth of Artificial Intelligence, makes the establishment of data centres a necessity.

“We are extremely honoured and proud to be working with Prophet River First Nation, Chief Askoty and the Band Council on this very vital and exciting opportunity,” said ABCT Pacific’s co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, Phil Kershaw.

“This is a very timely and important innovation to the British Columbia economy. It speaks to vision, reconciliation and economic diversity going forward”

Prophet River First Nation will be the majority owner of the project.

“This is a unique and forward-looking opportunity that speaks to economic development that will benefit Prophet River First Nation, its people and operations,” said Prophet River Chief Valerie Askoty.

“It gives us tremendous involvement in the rapidly growing information economy, and we see it as a win, win, win for Prophet River FN, Fort St. John area and British Columbia in general.”

ABCT Pacific (VCC) Ltd., was incorporated in 2022 and focuses on strategically growing British Columbia’s most innovative clean technology companies by investing in early stage cleantech innovators in industries.

The location, size, scope and capital cost of the data centre will be determined through a feasibility process.

RCMP seize drugs, cash in FSJ

Two people are in police custody pending an investigation following an incident on March 6 at 12:20 p.m., in the vicinity of 100 Street and 102 Avenue in Fort St. John.

The pair were arrested following a traffic stop, and the passenger, fled the vehicle and failed to stop for police when they told the youth he was under arrest. A short foot pursuit ensued and the passenger, who was found to be in possession of a quantity of drugs and cash, was apprehended.

The driver and passenger were arrested for possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking.

While the investigation continues, the pair remain in custody and police are asking anyone who has any information in this matter to contact the Fort St. John RCMP at 250-787-8100. If you wish to remain anonymous, please call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or submit a tip online.