the broken typewriter

Drop your Old Fridge: PRRD landfills go greener with free appliance recycling

A new service at local landfills will allow residents to drop off refrigerated and non-refrigerated items, and other large appliances for free, starting August 15 all Peace River Regional District landfill and Tier 1 transfer stations.

This service is free thanks to a partnership with the Major Appliance Recycling Roundtable (MARR), which manages appliance recycling across BC, working with collectors and communities to provide free appliance disposal and processing.

Accepted items include – Fridges, freezers, ovens, washers, dryers, dishwashers, air conditioners and other major/large appliances.

For a full list of accepted items, please visit largeappliancerecycling.ca

The full list of PRRD landfills and Tier 1 transfer stations can be found by visiting the PRRD’s Landfills & Transfer Station page.

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RCMP warns local employees to beware of new scam

The Fort St. John RCMP are urging the public to beware of a new scam targeting employees in the area, after several incidents were reported to police in the past few months.

The latest incident took place on July 31, 2025, when an employee of a store in Fort St. John was targeted by a fraudster purporting to be their boss. The fraudster convinced the unsuspecting employee to deposit $900 into a Bitcoin ATM to pay for the delivery of a package for the business, and they complied.

By the time the employee realized that they had sent money to a fraudster instead of their boss, the money had been converted into Bitcoin and deposited into the fraudsters’ Crypto Wallet.

“Legitimate businesses are not going to ask you to pay for items or services with cryptocurrencies,” said Constable Christiaan Dreyer, Fort St. John RCMP Media Relations Officer.

“Once your money is converted into Bitcoin, for example, and sent to a fraudster’s Crypto Wallet, there’s an extremely low chance of tracing the money, and next to no chance of recovering it.”

Protect yourself from these scams:

• No legitimate business, bank, or government agency will ever ask you to deposit money into a cryptocurrency machine.
• Scammers often create a sense of urgency and prey on lack of public knowledge regarding cryptocurrencies.
• If someone contacts you and something doesn’t feel right, hang up and contact your supervisor or manager using a trusted phone number.

For a complete list of common scams and how to report them, visit the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.

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Cuppa and conversation with a cop

April’s Coffee with a Cop was so successful, that the Fort St. John RCMP is inviting the public to take part in a second Coffee with a Cop session on Friday, August 22.

“The reception from the public during our first Coffee with a Cop was fantastic,” said Constable Chad Neustaeter, Fort St John RCMP’s Media Relations Officer. 

“This gives the public that didn’t know about it or might not have been able to attend, another opportunity to connect and converse with some of their local neighbourhood Mounties.”

Coffee with a Cop is an international initiative which aims to improve trust and build relationships, one cup of coffee at a time. By providing opportunity for informal one-on-one conversations between the public and local police, it enhances relationships and breaks down barriers.

Multiple members of the Fort St. John RCMP will be at the Canadian Grind – 9315 100 Avenue – from 9 to 11 a.m., on August 22.