The power of peer work

Hello. It has hit the time of year where I would really like to see some light at the end of the day. IT’S DARK IN THE MORNING ANYWAYS WHO CARES JUST LET IT BE SOMEWHAT LIGHT AT 4:30 IN THE AFTERNOON.

OK, on to today’s newsletter:

• In Monday’s edition, I noted the province is planning on expanding the work done by the Prince George Indigenous Justice Centre. The Prince George Post reports that as a result, the centre is looking to expand into a larger space.

• Eby’s safety plan also includes more funding for peer support workers. Here’s a short documentary about those workers’ efforts in Prince George:

• UNBC says it has been looking into setting up a veterinary program for about a year but the key step is finding another, larger university to partner with.

• School buses continue to be cancelled. “We are unhappy with the service that we are receiving,” says the assistant superintendent, indicating that maybe the district should start looking into other providers.

• The Prince George Cancer Centre is celebrating ten years in the community. It really is a gamechanger for families to not have to travel, or travel as much, for treatment. As Rishi Maharaj put it on Twitter earlier this year, Prince George may soon be the only place in the province where you can both own a home for under $1 million and not have to leave to get cancer treatment.

• In 2020, the city of Prince George sold land near Ospika and Tyner to a Vancouver-based developer with the understanding that they would build high-density housing within two years. Arthur Williams of the Citizen reports that two years later, there’s no sign that construction is taking place.

• Nice website, though. Seems like a good idea, if it goes ahead.

• Meanwhile, a new subdivision is being proposed for Chief Lake Road.

• Joel McKay of Northern Development Initiative Trust writes about the need for more redundancies in northern B.C. phone, internet and trade networks so “the next time a backhoe rips through a fibre line west of Prince George, or a beaver chews through one near Tumbler Ridge, there’s a backup line to make sure the internet is still running” (the beaver thing is a real problem).

• Prince George-based Dene and Carrier artist Crystal Behn has designed a paddle to hang in Government House (the official residence of B.C.’s Lieutenant Governor, where many ceremonies and receptions are held). You can find more of her work on Instagram and TikTok.

• The CN Rail bridge is one of our most photogenic landmarks but don’t get too close or you could wind up in court.

• More hostile architecture (read about the rise of hostile architecture in Prince George).

• The freeze-thaw cycle we’re in has led to increased avalanche risk in the backcountry.

• Looks like a pretty good turnout for yesterday’s World Cup match at the Westwood Pub. I’m still optimistic about Sunday!

• More details on the departure of Keon Raymond as coach of the Prince George Kodiaks football team: The team’s leadership wanted him to move to the city but he wanted to commute in from Calgary.

• I would love to see a similar analysis of the street patios set up in Prince George: Toronto’s Curbside Patios Made 49 Times More Money Than the Parking They Replaced.

• This is Vernon but the headline is to good not to share: Man casually clings onto transport truck for 25+ blocks before falling on B.C. highway.

Ok, here are some tweets about pizza boxes. I will admit to having a copy of the Betualla Burning one on display in my home office!

Talk to you tomorrow.