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The labour dispute between the University of Northern B.C. and its faculty association is going to arbitration. Job action ended last week when the university applied to the Labour Relations Board for access to a specialized process, available only for negotiations on a first collective agreement. Labour Relations Board Mediator Trevor Sones has now recommended that the parties settle their outstanding issues via binding arbitration before a single arbitrator or the board. Today the parties...

The United Steelworkers have launched a petition demanding Premier Christy Clark call a public inquiry into the explosions of the Babine and Lakeland sawmills. The renewed call for a public inquiry comes as a coroner’s inquest has been adjourned indefinitely after revelations that the company conducted its own forensic investigation of the Lakeland sawmill explosion and WorkSafeBC rejected the company’s attempt to share it with the agency. The Steelworkers’ legal counsel...

Ben Meisner has been holding politicians to account for many, many years. And that has earned him respect from those same politicians and the community. On Monday night Mayor Lyn Hall extended the city’s well-wishes to Meisner, who fell ill while vacationing in Manitoba last week. “On behalf of council I want to extend our thoughts and our prayers to Ben and Elaine,” Hall said to open Monday night’s council meeting. “Ben’s wish is that he gets back to Prince George and that is our wish as...

The Prince George Cougars can head home knowing that they’ve played two strong games against the Victoria Royals. But with that said, the Cougars are heading home down 2-0 in their first round series. Saturday night in Victoria, the Cougars trailed 2-0, 3-1, and 4-3 and yet with five minutes remaining in the third period the game was tied 4-4. But for a second straight night, 20-year-old Brandon Magee was the difference maker. He broke open the 4-4 tie with his second of the game at 15:47...

This photo by the Prince George Free Press’ Allan Wishart has won the Canadian Community Newspaper Association’s best news feature photo for newspapers with a circulation of more than 12,500.   The photo was shot in October as members of the Duchess Park Condors (in black) and Prince George Polars football teams took part in a moment of silence before the annual P.G. Bowl at Masich Place Stadium. The teams were honouring the memory of Tanya Cruse, who died from cancer a...

Avalanche Canada is issuing a special public avalanche warning for the North Columbia, Cariboos and North Rockies regions. This warning applies to recreational backcountry users and is in effect from March 24 to March 29. A winter of unusual weather has created a complex and unpredictable snowpack, explains Avalanche Canada Public Avalanche Warning Service Manager Karl Klassen. “Avalanches are being triggered both in the newer, surface snow and in deeper layers that formed earlier in the...

WorkSafeBC says it wants more information regarding the suggestion Wednesday that it refused investigative materials prepared by CASE Forensics regarding the April 23, 2012 explosion and fire at Lakeland Mills’ sawmill in Prince George. The inquest into the deaths of Glenn Roche and Alan Little was adjourned following the revelation. “As you may be aware, the coroner has adjourned the inquest into the deaths of Alan Little and Glenn Roche in the April 23, 2012 fire and explosion...

The Prince George and District Music Festival has announced the piano medalists for its annual competition: Piano Medalists Romantic Grade 3 Medal Winners Chloe Bialuski Grade 5 Medal Winners Elise Ryan Grade 6 Medal Winners Olivia Wankling, Justin Corbett Grade 9 Medal Winners Keerthana Vincent Grade 10 Medal Winners Katherine Li, Arsham Javaherdashti Duo Junior Medal Winners Kimberlyn Chow/Stashia Telford Duet Junior Medal Winners Paige Danilec/Sophia Fuller, Erin Rushton/Abigail Smith,...

Line In The Sand, a feature-length documentary which examines the political context which precipitated the pipeline’s approval will have its Canadian premiere in Prince George on March 31. A project press release says the documentary was filmed over two years and that while “highlighting the imminence and uncertainty felt at the local level,” Line In The Sand “lays bare the visceral connection felt by those who call the land home, their struggles to be heard and the...