ALASKA HIGHWAY NEWS

I was reading a post on Facebook, about an individual who had recently passed their Citizenship Examination. The person was encouraging others, suggesting that the examination was easy---and to the determined, passable. The poster was hoping to inspire. Among the comments was, I am guessing, a Canadian born individual who, while congratulating the original poster, was suggesting that there is more to being Canadian than just passing the exam. To that, another person replied:

A new message now greets travellers making their way through Charlie Lake, after the Rotary Club of Fort St. John dedicated a Peace Pole Sept. 11 at the Ross H. MacLean Rotary R.V. Park. Carrying the words “May Peace Prevail on Earth,” the pole joins an international peace movement whose message dates back to Japan in the 1950’s, with Peace Poles themselves eventually spreading to communities around the world. For Rotary Club of Fort St. John president Patricia Budgell, put

There haven't been many quiet weeks for Fort St. John's Jake Gardner this year, and with another 20 or 25 rodeos possibly still ahead of him through September, our Peace Country cowboy isn't slowing down much yet. When the Alaska Highway News caught up with Gardner Saturday, he was in Ellensburg, Washington, getting ready to ride after already making stops in Plains, Montana, and Walla Walla, Washington, with another trip north to Merritt waiting for him Sunday. “Man, it's

After 20 years at the Canada Post office in the District of Taylor, a familiar face behind the counter worked her final shift Friday, with friends and community members stopping in to make sure she didn't leave without a proper goodbye. Photo from Renate's (on the left) last day at the office. Renate, who has spent the past two decades working at the Taylor post office, officially retired Friday, Sept. 11, bringing a long run behind the counter to an end. Word of her final da

A provincial gang unit called into Fort St. John last month had a busy two weeks in the city, with officers making multiple arrests and seizing seven firearms, suspected drugs, around $16,000 in cash and several other weapons before wrapping up Sept. 5. Photos courtesy of the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit of British Columbia (CFSEU-BC). The Uniform Gang Enforcement Team, or UGET, was brought into the community at the request of Fort St. John RCMP from Aug. 21 to Se

September 11, 2026 By Ken Boon Today the world commemorates the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attack in the US that went on to have further tragic global impacts. Photo: Courtesy of the Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress Everyone remembers where they were and what they were doing when news broke about planes flying into the World Trade Center towers. Arlene did not normally work with us in the log home business, but I had sweet-talked her into helping

With another school year underway across the Peace, those quieter summer mornings around our schools are gone for another year and drivers are once again sharing the road with school buses, young pedestrians, bicycles and plenty of parents making the morning drop-off. Photo from RCMP media release It doesn't take long for those routines to come back, but police recently reminded drivers that September is also a good time to slow things down a little, leave the phone alone and

A program aimed at helping young people in Fort Nelson build healthier relationships and deal with everything from bullying to conflict is getting a little bigger this school year, with more presentations planned across five local schools. S/Sgt Jason Rumming advising partners of the successful application (From left to right: S/Sgt. Jason Rumming (Northern Rockies RCMP), Tabatha Jacobs (NRCDA), Teanna Perry (NRCDA), Acting Mayor Lorraine Gerwing (NRRM), and Roy Tavuyanaygo (

For several months now, you have read the stories of our member groups. Sharing stories of upcoming events, struggles, successes and so much more, personalizing the journey of our non-profit member groups. From Music to Quilting, World Fair and Pride, this column is just getting started, and we hope you have enjoyed it as much as we have writing it! FSJCAC is proud to be a grass roots organization dedicated in supporting and growing Arts and Culture in the North Peace. For

By Karla Marsh Fifty years ago, settlers looking to homestead in the Fort St. John area, followed a dirt trail up from Dawson Creek and crossed the Peace River by ferry. Johnny Cox, left, shakes hands during a presentation in this undated photograph from the Fort St. John North Peace Museum collection. (Fort St. John North Peace Museum photo) After the U.S. Army built the Alaska Highway in 1942, the settlers’ journey became a whole lot easier. The dirt trail was upgraded to a

Heather Konschuh grew up on a Saskatchewan farm with no idea where a love for art might eventually take her, but more than two decades later, that journey has taken the Canadian glass artist from Australia and England to Vancouver, and now, later this month, north to Fort St. John. Some of the hand-blown and sculptural work of Vancouver glass artist Konschuh, who will be in Fort St. John Sept. 26 for the first Arts in Partnership Conference. (Submitted photos) Konschuh will b

A call about a man reportedly yelling and swinging a knife outside in Fort St. John led police to a vehicle early Sunday morning, where officers say they found two firearms, ammunition and a short sword. Fort St. John RCMP say a loaded sawed-off rifle and ammunition were among the weapons seized from a vehicle following a disturbance call early Sunday morning. (Fort St. John RCMP photo Fort St. John RCMP received the report at about 6:21 a.m. on Sept. 6, after someone called

After three landslides at Old Fort, more work is now moving ahead to better understand the risk in the slopes above the community. The PRRD announced Friday, Sept. 4 that the Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness has approved funding for Phase 2, which will look at landslide hazards and risk levels within the Crown land slopes above the community. The work stems from a ministerial order issued by the province on May 21, requiring the regional district to un

Peace Gallery North was a busy little place Saturday afternoon, as local artist David Thiessen opened Divine Instruction, bringing out a pretty good crowd for the first afternoon of his latest exhibit. There is plenty of faith behind the paintings hanging on the walls this time around, with Thiessen looking at biblical teachings, themes and values through his work, while a handwritten statement at the gallery explains a little more about what he hopes people take home with

There are plenty of people doing good things around Fort St. John, and this weekend some of them will get a little time in the spotlight as the city hands out its 19th annual Community Awards. Photo from the 2025 Block Party in Fort St. John, before community awards were announced. This year's list includes 35 nominees from around the community, with individuals, businesses, organizations, volunteer groups and local clubs all recognized for the contribution they have made to

The race for Fort St. John City Hall is beginning to take shape, with eight people having submitted their nomination papers as of Friday, Sept. 4, and several days still remaining for more names to join them. We already know at least two familiar names are planning to run for mayor this fall, with Mayor Lilia Hansen announcing she will seek another term and current Councillor Trevor Bolin also announced on social media that he intends to make a run. Hansen announced earli

Lilia Hansen has been part of Fort St. John for a long time, through business, community organizations, two terms on council and now four years as mayor, and Tuesday morning she made it clear there is still plenty she wants to do for the community she calls home. Hansen was first elected mayor in 2022 after serving two terms as a city councillor, and while she is proud of what Fort St. John has accomplished over the past four years, she also knows there is still plenty of wor

There are probably a few yards, farms and shops around the North Peace with an old lawn mower tucked behind something, a broken appliance nobody has gotten around to hauling away, or maybe a vehicle that's been sitting there long enough nobody remembers the last time it moved. Photo from 2025 Scrap Drive And until Sept. 1, all that old metal can be worth a little more than whatever somebody is paying for scrap, with the Fort St. John Hospital Foundation and ABC Recycling once

Another Food Truck Friday has come and gone in Fort St. John, with people making their way down to Festival Plaza Friday evening for some food, games and another chance to enjoy a northern summer evening while we've still got them. Food Truck Friday was held on the last Friday of July and August this year, bringing local food trucks downtown alongside lawn games, board games and family activities, and really just giving people another reason to spend a few hours together. S

There was a pretty good crowd gathered around the Surerus Ball Diamonds Sunday afternoon, as Murray GM and Fort Motors settled a little friendly rivalry with a softball game that raised more than $3,700 for the North Peace SPCA. Fort Motors walked away with the win, defeating Murray GM 26–15 and earning what the event had advertised as “ultimate bragging rights,” although the final score ended up being only a small part of what happened around the diamond. Along with the mo