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It is truly a sad day for us here at the Prince George Free Press, and for the community of Prince George. As of May 1, the Prince George Free Press will cease publishing. The first issue of the Free Press hit the streets on October 31, 1994 and the last issue today, May 1, 2015 … just over 20 years of telling the stories of Prince George. But it’s sad for the community as well. Two newspapers is good for a community. Having two newspapers provides readers with different perspectives on the...

Mayor Lyn Hall is right when he says that the city is in a precarious situation when it comes to the farmer’s market foofaraw. No one can fault city council for not wanting to play referee in a dispute that is deep-rooted (sorry, couldn’t resist the pun) and has seen a lot of bad blood between the two groups. It’s not the city’s job to iron out the mess. That would hold true if the city wasn’t forcing the issue between the two groups. Council, following up on a myPG ‘visioning’ session, has...

This week marks a bit of a milestone for me. Last night I sang my swansong at the Prince George Chamber of Commerce. After four years on the board of directors, three-and-a-half of those on the executive committee, I am no longer on the board. It was by choice, however I did have to deliver a financial report last night, so after that my decision to not run again might have been timed perfect. As former Chilcotin author, columnist, newspaperman, and MP Paul St. Pierre used to say about his...

If you’ve been to any rallies opposing the Northern Gateway Pipeline over the past few years, you probably noticed the police presence. Yup, they’re always there. Granted, the anti-pipeline rallies in Prince George are large and police are often there to block traffic so protestors and cars don’t have to share the road. Public safety is a good thing. However, attendees at the rally will also often notice that the police are there videotaping the proceedings. And this was happening long...

You will likely hear that the media is over-blowing concerns about the Conservative government’s new anti-terror bill. Well, the media does have, to use a sports cliché, some skin in the game. If you are wondering why the media hate this bill (even Conservative apologist Nathan Geide has some concerns), it’s because history has shown that when police states emerge, the media is first to come under attack. No one is suggesting that Prime Minister Stephen Harper is going to start rolling out...

There are a few things emerging at the inquest into the deaths of Alan Little and Glenn Roche. One of the first things that is becoming clear is that the mill was in dire need of being cleaned. Workers have testified that clean-up crews were being pilfered for production. Senior managers have yet to testify, but will likely have their own story as to how clean-up was handled. But, there are some pretty damning stories. Donald Zwozdesky talked about an exit door that had so much sawdust...

The fireworks that have been bringing the 2015 Canada Winter Games to a close each night are a wonderful celebration of the days events. Fireworks are always a wonderful celebration. Who doesn’t love fireworks? Actually, there are a handful of guys in town for whom the nightly fireworks display are anything but a celebration. The fireworks bring them back, each night, to a night three years ago when their lives changes forever. We’re coming up on the three-year anniversary of the explosion...

As many as 20 Conservative MPs may be on the hot seat in the latest round of political shenanigans involving taxpayer-funded mail-outs. This issue isn’t a new one as several NDP MPs got caught using taxpayer-funded mail-outs for partisan political bumf. And, the issue has been around prior to this government. And yet, however, no government seems to do anything about it other than appoint committees to investigate and harrumph mightily when the other guys get caught. The latest foofaraw is...

  Ale be seeing you next year. OK, that was pretty bad, but appropriate following last weekend’s Kiwanis Alefest. In case you missed it, and there’s a good chance you did because the inaugural event sold out in early December, it was terrific. Craft breweries from around the province, and the Yukon, were represented and patrons got to taste all kinds of wonderful beer with great, innovative names such as Lead Dog Ale from Yukon Brewing in Whitehorse and Hounds of Barkerville, from, of...

Back when Whitey first arrived with those darn firesticks and I was a cub reporter at a newspaper in the Kootenays, I did stories on the allocation fights between resident and non-resident hunters. The issue is back in the news as, just before Christmas, the province increased the allocations for hunters from out-of-province, most of whom are taken out into the wilds by guide-outfitters. As the resource (i.e. hunt-able animals) are finite, an increase to one group of hunters means a...