ALASKA HIGHWAY NEWS

By Karla Marsh Special to the AHN What was Fort St. John like in 1942? Ralph Pomeroy is pictured with John Quelle. (Photos courtesy of the Fort St. John North Peace Museum) It was a little like a scene from an old western movie. It's dirt streets were bordered by wooden sidewalks, and hitching posts still kept horses from wandering, while locals did their business at the bank, the general stores or the trading post. You could say that it was a sleepy frontier town, but it

There was a little bit of everything in the room at Peace Gallery North on Oct. 22, from children’s books and poetry to northern ranch stories, mysteries and plenty of conversation in between. Emily Fehr, Valerie Ross, Sylvia Lloyd and Ronnie Roberts were featured during An Evening With Authors, guest hosted by Colleen Brown, each bringing a different background, style and reason for putting words on a page. That variety is part of what makes nights like this work. Fehr is

A Saturday morning in one Fort St. John neighbourhood started with the sound of gunfire. Fort St. John RCMP were called to the 10000 block of 96 Avenue around 7:25 a.m. on Oct. 24, after people living in the area reported hearing several shots. Police say their early investigation shows the shots were fired at a residence. No one was hurt, and at this point, RCMP are still trying to figure out who was responsible. “Discharging firearms in a residential neighbourhood p

More than 11 years after Raymond Chalifoux disappeared from Fort St. John, police have confirmed that human remains found near Old Fort earlier this year were his. Chalifoux was reported missing on May 25, 2015, after leaving the Fort St. John Hospital against the recommendations of medical staff. An extensive investigation followed, but police were never able to determine where he had gone. The case remained open for more than a decade. Then, on June 8 of this year, human re

Find Your Why! Just like that, summer is over, and fall is well on its way! For me, that means my days of orientation and mobility training will likely be limited, as travelling independently in the snowy months is not appealing to me…not yet! Last week, my instructor dropped me off downtown in the area where we have been practising fixed travel. The drop-off was purposeful and intended to showcase my skills. I was basically lost within set parameters. I was somewhere between

Written by Linda Chisholm I am writing to share my experience with ICBC’s Enhanced Care no-fault model and the recent hearing held to review the legislation. A hearing was scheduled during September 21- September 24, to review the legislation surrounding ICBC’s Enhanced Care no-fault model. Submissions were invited from British Columbians and organizations to share their experiences—both good and bad—with Enhanced Care. Seven MLAs were appointed to the committee, representi

Fort St. John will have a new mayor and a council table with plenty of familiar faces after voters had their say Saturday. Newly elected Fort St. John Mayor Trevor Bolin and outgoing Mayor Lilia Hansen shake hands following the announcement of the 2026 municipal election results at the Fort St. John Legion on Saturday, Oct. 17. Preliminary results from the City of Fort St. John show four incumbent councillors returning for another term, with Gord Klassen, Sarah MacDougall, Ji

Suzon Anne has been keeping paintbrushes busy around the North Peace lately. The Fort St. John artist has been hosting paint nights around the community, giving people a chance to sit down for a couple of hours, follow along step by step and leave at the end of the evening with something they painted themselves. The Alaska Highway News happened to run into Suzon recently while leaving an opening reception at Peace Gallery North, as she was getting ready for another paint nigh

Courtnall Apsassin was golfing with his mother when he learned the company he started three years ago had won a provincial Indigenous Business Award. She was right beside him when the news came through on a Microsoft Teams call, and had been the one to nominate his business. Photo of Courtnall Apsassin from BC Achievement Foundation website. "My first reaction was honestly disbelief, followed by an overwhelming feeling of pride and excitement," Apsassin told the Alaska Highwa

Bear Flat Dispatch. October 15, 2026. Thanks to Premier Eby, we are stuck with having an unnecessary and expensive provincial election happening concurrently with the regularly scheduled municipal elections. However, the Conservatives should thank our Premier for pulling their fractured party together where they themselves were failing miserably, although that newfound solidarity may yet prove to be fragile. Anyway, such is the hand we were dealt. There are many issues at s

A $400-million expansion of Enbridge’s Westcoast natural gas pipeline system has cleared a major regulatory hurdle, with construction now expected to get underway early next year just southwest of Taylor. Supplied photo The Canada Energy Regulator has approved the Birch Grove Program, which will add roughly 32 kilometres of 36-inch pipeline alongside the existing system, about 16 kilometres southwest of the community. Westcoast Energy Limited Partnership, an Enbridge affili

By Karla MarshAlaska Highway News Lucy Laboucane first crossed the Peace River in 1921. She crossed in a row boat and she remembers that there was still ice on the water. Twenty years later, thousands of American soldiers would also cross the Peace River, by rowboat, by ferry and, after several years of construction, by bridge. Lucy and her husband settled in Fort St. John where they raised a family of 17 children. Although she was busy and didn't have much time to socializ

Original Song by Laura Vinson (RedWing) Story by Sheri Fulton Quilt # 6 submitted photo She liked to drive fast the last half mile to the crest of the hill and then let her foot off the gas to coast down to the turnoff. That way she could descend into the valley like a swan, gliding in for a landing on the lake, or today, more like a prodigal child falling back into her family’s particular dysfunction. “Oh, the sun always shines on the home place….I can still see it comin

Peace Gallery North welcomed a good crowd Saturday afternoon for the opening of Lindsay Jardine’s first solo exhibit, a show that moves pretty comfortably between northern landscapes, bright colour and work that doesn’t mind being a little silly. The title probably gives away the idea better than anything else. The Duality Between Seriousness and Silliness opened Oct. 3, bringing together Jardine’s acrylic work in a show that can have you slowing down for one painting and smi

Fort St. John has one little guy still making his way through the 2026 Baby of the Year competition, and his family is hoping some support from home can help keep him there. Fifteen-month-old Stetson Loewen of Fort St. John is the last remaining Peace Region baby in the running for the 2026 Baby of the Year competition. (Submitted photo by Ashlyn Loewen ) Fifteen-month-old Stetson Loewen was entered by his parents, Ashlyn and Tyrell Loewen, who have both called Fort St. John

There were a lot of big trucks making their way through Fort St. John on Oct. 1, but this time they weren’t hauling much of anything. Drivers gathered near the UFA frontage road that morning before heading out together along the Alaska Highway, eventually turning down 100 Street and making their way toward the Fort St. John Curling Club as part of a rally focused on fuel prices and the growing cost of keeping trucks on the road. Numerous trucks took part in the slow roll, e

Northern Rockies RCMP are looking for witnesses and video footage after a shooting on the Fort Nelson First Nation Reserve left one person seriously injured late last month. Police say they first became aware of the incident around 2:40 a.m. on Sept. 26, after receiving reports of a fight near the 5000-block of Dene Etene Road. When officers arrived at the residence, they learned one person had been shot and had already been taken to hospital. The victim suffered serious,

Chetwynd RCMP say an investigation that began mid September led to two search warrants being executed Sept. 19, with officers seizing suspected drugs, cash and a vehicle from two homes in the community. RCMP Photo of a unit overlooking Chetwynd, B.C. Police searched residences in the 5100-block of 42 Street Northeast and the 4700-block of Wabi Crescent as part of the investigation. Five adults were taken into custody while officers were at the two properties. Four were la

One Bite at a Time By Kim Rose “For me, this one is personal. I grew up on our family trapline. I started school late because we were still out there. In this photo, I was about five years old and my brother was three. Trapping wasn't something we watched from the outside. It was part of how our family lived, learned and sustained ourselves. Today, I hold my own trapping certification and remain a strong advocate for preserving the knowledge, traditions and opportunities that

If you’ve been to a car show, parade or community event around Fort St. John lately, there’s a decent chance you’ve seen Justin and Brianne Lagassé with the vehicle they’ve been using to carry a pretty important message. The couple have spent the past several months raising money and awareness around suicide prevention and mental health, bringing the car with them as they compete and attend events around the North Peace. The Alaska Highway News most recently ran into them a