ALASKA HIGHWAY NEWS

The building of dreams: By Karla Marsh In 1942, young Ernie Scanlon left his jos at an aircraft manufacturing plant in Ontario and signed on with a construction company contracted to work on the Alaska Highway. With the company paying the travel expenses, Ernie boarded a train for a long trip across Canada. He met other men on the train destined to labor on the great road and together they arrived at Dawson Creek, the end of the railhead, on July 8, 1942. Ernie was first

Spring in the North is here… kind of. Expect a little bit of everything, just like your week. Photo of the northern lights in Pink Mountain, taken and submitted by Tristan Dille from the Pink Mountain Store. Aries (March 21 – April 19) You’re full of energy, but like a melting snowbank, it’s going everywhere at once. Focus it before you flood your own plans. Taurus (April 20 – May 20) You’re craving stability, but this week’s about as predictable as April weather. Roll with i

By Karla Marsh Ruby Schubert had one of the most interesting jobs a soldier could have on the Alaska Highway. He spent his days on the Trail of ’42 working as a photographer. Although born in Canada, Rudy travelled to the United States to join the U.S. Army. He had tried to enlist in the Canadian Army, but was refused by an officer who objected to Schubert’s German heritage. But it wasn’t long before Rudy returned to Canada. His regiment, the 341 st Engineers, received order

The future is so bright I’ve got to wear shades. Why would a blind woman with no light perception feel she needs to wear shades? Good question. Let’s dive into the answer. Although I still have great conversational etiquette, I sometimes have difficulty making eye contact during a conversation. The sunglasses help remove this awkward barrier for the sighted person who is used to eye contact when conversing. Glasses also protect my eyes when navigating in the wild. I am sure

For the first time in more than 50 years, humans are getting ready to head back toward the Moon onboard the Orion spacecraft. Photo of the ship during final preperations, before taking four of the bravest astronaughts on a journey around the moon and back from NASA.gov NASA’s Artemis II mission is scheduled to launch April 1, and if everything lines up, tomorrow four astronauts will be heading farther from Earth than any crew has gone in decades. It’s the kind of thing we hav

Bear Flat Dispatch. March 26, 2026 Every year the Canada Geese will consistently start showing up here at Bear Flat around March 15th give or take a couple days. That always worked out for them because even if the weather was nasty, they always had open water on the river. That changed with the flooding of the reservoir as it is now all frozen over. However, I guess old habits are hard to kick because the geese are still showing up here at the same time as before. Last year,

A wareness isn’t just about understanding a diagnosis, it’s about seeing the person and celebrating their life while creating a world where everyone belongs. Bensyn Buck during his admission at BC Children's Hospital. There are moments in life which will shape your journey in ways you don’t fully understand at the time, for our family, that moment came when we learned Benny would be born with Down Syndrome. It didn’t change our love for him, not even for a second, but it di

By Karla Marsh Oil exploration was just beginning in the Peace country when the Americans arrived to build the Alaska Highway. It was 1942 and the derrick of the first drilling rig had been raised into the sky between Dawson Creek and Fort St. John. Photo of Rosie and Nels Westergaard, Fort St. John North Peace Museum. Rosie Westergaard was a cook for the first oil rig crew. She was busy turning out three square meals a day for oilmen when another crew stopped at the camp t

Bear Flat Dispatch. March 14, 2026. Occasionally my mind will wander somewhat as I wonder about things. This may prompt me to voice my curiosity or reflection with a somewhat rhetorical question such as “With all of this snow, I wonder what the spring melt and runoff will be like?” Ah yes, rhetorical questions, where there may not be an actual answer required. AI gave me this definition: “A rhetorical question is a question asked to make a point rather than to receive an a

'1942 U.S. Army Visit was fun' By Karla Marsh It was a pleasant time for 11-year-old Elsie Becker and her family when the U.S. Army made a camp near the family's farm at Montney, in 1942. For a brief period of time, the lives of American boys far from home and the lives of a pioneering family would be gently intertwined. There were about one hundred men in the camp, Elsie (now Myhre) recalls, and she remembers them being kind and very friendly towards the family.

Freshwater fishing licenses will be available online through the Wildlife Information and Licensing Data (WILD) system this spring, giving anglers the option of getting their license online or in person. The streamlined service designed for the angling community has arrived ahead of the 2026-27 season, which begins April 1, allowing freshwater fishing licenses to be purchased online through WILD for the first time. Registration for a Fish and Wildlife ID (FWID) is required be

Sunday, March 8, 2026 will be the last time British Columbians see their clocks ‘spring’ forward an hour as B.C. adopts permanent daylight-saving time (DST) and says goodbye to twice a year time change. British Columbian clocks will move ahead an hour for the last time on March 8, beginning the transition to a shared year-round daylight-saving time which will be completed on November 1, when clocks cease to fall back. This will effectively bring many communities in eastern Br

Entrepreneurs and investors from across Northern B.C. will have another chance to connect, as the second annual Northern Angel Summit is set to return later this month. Supplied photo The program which begins on March 23 and runs through June, is organized by the Northern Innovation Network bringing founders and investors together through a pitch competition where the winner receives a $100,000 investment to help grow their business. Applications are still open for up to 24

The BC Coroners Service released their report for unregulated drug deaths in our province throughout 2025 showing a decline in lost lives, however the toll remains high. The report which was recently released states that the number for unregulated drug-toxicity deaths for 2025 was 1,826, which is roughly 21 percent lower than the previous year, 2024, which saw 2,315 fatalities. During the last two months of 2025 the province lost roughly 4.5 lives a day according to their

March 1, 2026, We had some interesting interactions with ‘Flora and Fauna’ in 2025 and no, that is nothing like Thelma and Louise. Supplied photo The south facing hillsides here in the valley are home to prickly pear cactus that briefly flower normally around July 1st. The rain and heat must have lined up just right last year to produce the most prolific production of flowers we have seen that stretched out over an unusually long period of time. On October 12, a doe mule deer

On March 1, 2026, BC PharmaCare National Pharmacare Plan will be launching for provincial residents and will cover the full cost of various diabetes medications and menopausal hormone therapy. According to a recent release form the Province, close to 570,000 British Columbians who are living with diabetes will receive support from this improved coverage as well as roughly 160,000 individuals dealing with menopausal symptoms. “This is a game changer for people who will now

The BC Coroners Service released their report for unregulated drug deaths in our province throughout 2025 showing a decline in lost lives, however the toll remains high. The report which was recently released states that the number for unregulated drug-toxicity deaths for 2025 was 1,826, which is roughly 21 percent lower than the previous year, 2024, which saw 2,315 fatalities. During the last two months of 2025 the province lost roughly 4.5 lives a day according to their

The 40th annual Art Auction Gala is just around the corner, with this year’s event promising a touch of vintage glamour in the North Peace. Painting that will be at the auction on March 7 - Photos submitted Hosted by the Fort St. John Community Arts Council, the milestone event will embrace a Roaring Twenties theme, inviting guests to step into the elegance and energy of the Jazz Age. Attendees can channel their inner flapper and dress in their finest 1920s fashion, though pa

The BC Coroners Service released their report for unregulated drug deaths in our province throughout 2025 showing a decline in lost lives, however the toll remains high. The report which was recently released states that the number for unregulated drug-toxicity deaths for 2025 was 1,826, which is roughly 21 percent lower than the previous year, 2024, which saw 2,315 fatalities. During the last two months of 2025 the province lost roughly 4.5 lives a day according to their

Team Canada Fell to team USA in Overtime of the gold medal game for Olympic hockey, losing a hard-fought game after the toughest tournament in the world. The Canadian Brewhouse was packed from wall to wall at 6AM,as Team Canada went to war against team USA during the Gold Medal Hockey Game on February 22. The Alaska Highway News woke up before the sun to watch the gold medal game at the Canadian Brewhouse, who opened early and provided the community with somewhere to watch th