ALASKA HIGHWAY NEWS

By Karla Marsh Special to the AHN Photo of Bill McDonald supplied by the North Peace Museum Bill McDonald was just a boy of eight in the summer of 1942. His older brother had joined the army the summer before and he suspects his family was concerned about events overseas. But to Bill, “the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the war seemed like another world.” Bill’s mother had taught school at Moberly Lake that year and when she and young Bill returned to Fort St. John at the

Firefighters from First Nations across British Columbia were in Fort St. John last week for the 41st Annual B.C. Indigenous Firefighter Competition, bringing teams from across the province to the North Peace for three days of training, teamwork and competition. Photos by Richard Olak The event, hosted by the First Nations’ Emergency Services Society, has been running for more than four decades and gives Indigenous fire departments a chance to train together, learn from one an

A 37-year-old Fort St. John man was arrested after RCMP executed a search warrant on 105 Avenue June 18 as part of a drug trafficking investigation. Photo from Fort St. John RCMP media release According to police, members of the Fort St. John Street Enforcement Team uncovered what they describe as a 3D-printed firearm manufacturing operation during the search. RCMP say roughly 20 firearms were found, some completed and others still being assembled. Sergeant Ian Rissanen, comm

By Karla Marsh Life could be pretty wild and woolly in the Peace Country in 1942 and 43, according to Ernie Jarvis. Ernie moved camps for the Public Road Administration and although he spent a lot of his time in the bush, he did have opportunities to travel the new Alaska Highway and to observe town busting at the seams with soldiers. This photo is of Ernie Jarvis, Clarence Crook and Julius Stokke when they came to the Peace Region in 1928. From what Ernie saw, things were

June is Filipino Heritage Month across Canada, and one of the ways Fort St. John is marking the occasion is through the 8th Annual Filipino Canadian Art and Photography Exhibit currently on display at Peace Gallery North. Curated by Ovvian Castrillo Hill and co-curated by Nixxio Castrillo, the exhibit brings together artists from Fort St. John's Filipino-Canadian community and offers visitors a chance to learn a little more about their neighbours through their work. One of

Between the music, the market and the giant prints being rolled out in the parking lot, there was no shortage of reasons to stop by Bright Nights in June. Artists prepare and apply ink using rollers before being its layed out for a construction roller to make the final roll, successfully creating wonderful prints on Big Print Day in thew North Peace. The annual three-day event was held at the North Peace Cultural Centre and drew a strong turnout throughout the weekend. Art St

For many families in the Peace, the cadet program has become a family tradition, with multiple generations passing through the same organization over the past 80 years. Supplied photo - 2276 RCACC receives the Freedom of the City Proclamation. Current and former cadets, volunteers, officers and supporters all came together in Fort St. John recently to celebrate 80 years of a program that has been part of the community for generations. The celebrations brought together current

Athletes from the Halfway River First Nations Taekwondo program were back on the road at the end of May, travelling to Red Deer, Alberta to compete in the Champions Challenge tournament and take part in a training seminar led by a world-class coach. Back row: Kaitlyn Gladue bronze- poomsae, silver-sparring, Zachary Souvie gold -poomsae silver-sparring Coach Brooklyn Jodoin

The North Peace Rod & Gun Club welcomed shooters from around the region last weekend for the 2026 P.I.T.A. Ram Buckle Shoot. Photo credits: Captured Moments Photography - By Kim Rose According to the club, the event saw a great turnout, with competitors, volunteers and supporters coming together for a busy weekend on the trap line. Like most successful community events, there was plenty happening behind the scenes. The club extended its thanks to the volunteers, scorekeepers,

By Karla Marsh In 1942, Rose Mould had an unusual occupation for a lady. She was a Trapper. Rose Mould sitting on the tree trunk with her husband, Tom, standing and Mrs. Moore in the foreground - Photo from the Fort St. John North Peace Museum Rose and her husband spent their winters harvesting furs and in the spring they travelled to the old Fort Nelson site to take their furs to the trader. In the spring of 1942, when Rose and her husband were coming in from the trapli

Festival Plaza was full with colour, music, food, and good conversation on Sunday afternoon as locals gathered for the annual World Fair in Fort St. John. Residents from the community came together on May 31 to explore various cultural displays, performances, meet local organizations, and learn a bit more about the people who call the North Peace home. Visitors traveled from table to table Inside and around the plaza, collecting passport stamps while stopping to chat with v

The Street Enforcement Team (SET) of the Fort St. John RCMP recently conducted a search warrant at a residence in the North Peace, resulting in several suspects being arrested briefly. Photo from the RCMP media release According to the RCMP, they conducted a search warrant at a residence on the 9400 block of 105 Avenue on May 21 in Fort St. John, which they claim is part of their ongoing efforts to target illicit drug trafficking while suppressing gang-related activity. Inv

A new exhibit at Peace Gallery North is inviting visitors to see the Peace Region through the eyes of local artists, with the latest monthly showcase exploring what the idea of “home” means across the region. The gallery recently opened ‘Peace River: Home is...’, an exhibit featuring artists from the Peace River Chapter of the Federation of Canadian Artists. The exhibit began with a well-attended grand opening on May 9, where locals came to view the collection and meet some o

From Mile Zero in Dawson Creek to the edge of the Yukon near Beaver Creek, one local artist is turning a lifetime of Alaska Highway memories into art. Becky of Blind Creek Studios opens The Highway That Built the North on June 6, a collection of eight layered wood pieces inspired by places that have helped shape her journey through the North. Photo by Kim Rose The eight piece collection of layered wood artworks follows the Alaska Highway, hanging through the gallery from sout

Bear Flat Dispatch. May 14, 2026 Arlene and I have had a semi-official private museum here at Bear Flat for about 20 years that has generally operated by word of mouth. It started from a combination of homesteading type artifacts mostly from her family (the Bentley’s), and my log building restoration skills, and has slowly grown from there. When Highway 29 was moved due to the Site C reservoir, our collection of old log buildings suddenly became very visible to the traveling

A Tumbler Ridge volunteer is being recognized for time and energy he has poured into the maintenance of trails around the Tumbler Ridge area this spring. Photo of Chris Van Dijk with his saw at a trail end. Recently the Tumbler Ridge Outdoor Recreation Association named Chris Van Dijk their Volunteer of the Week, highlighting work he has accomplished as the Wolverine Nordic and Mountain Society’s new Trail Maintenance and Work Bee Coordinator. According to the association, Va

As more than 50,000 nurses voted 98 percent in favor of strike action, the healthcare crisis continues to fester according to a release from the Conservative Party of British Columbia. Nurse at BC Children's Hospital with Bensyn and Luna during a long stay during 2025. Six months of negotiations have yet to produce any real or meaningful offer, and the B.C nurses have made it clear they are ready to fight for better working conditions within our province. “Nurses are being pu

Heartfelt vocals ring out from Festival Plaza in Centennial Park, sung by a talented youth whose generational home has become a war-torn country. Brightly coloured flags in various colours and patterns flap proudly in the southwest winds of the Peace Region. Smells to captivate the senses drift from the beautifully decorated tables inside Festival Plaza. The aroma of delicate spices and flavourful bites draw people inside. Visitors hold out their “passport,” determined to col

Written by Karla Marsh Win Baker was a newlywed when she travelled her first mile on the Alaska Highway. Win, along with her husband and two brothers, left their home in Ontario after seeing an ad in a newspaper looking for workers to build the 1500 mile long road. Photo of Winnis and Garnet Baker from Fort St. John North Peace Museum When they reached the huge project, Win’s husband started work as a cat operator for a civilian construction company while Win set up housekeep

The future of the Taylor Bridge isn’t some distant policy debate, it’s a real, immediate concern for people living and working in the Peace. An op-ed written by Chris Gardner, president and CEO of the Independent Contractors and Businesses Association raised serious questions about the condition of the aging structure. The 65-year-old bridge is not just a piece of infrastructure, it’s a lifeline for industry, agriculture, and everyday travel in northeastern B.C. while it carr