There are no shortage of activities planned for National Indigenous Peoples Day at Lheidli T’enneh Memorial Park on Saturday.
It will consist of a full lineup of Indigenous artisans, musicians drummers, dancers and activities.
Kym Gouchie, who is one of the organizers for the PG event says everyone is welcome.
Submitted by Kym Gouchie
“I know that there are so many people who feel like there is a divide between our cultures but this provides that bridge and that opening, welcoming space for people to come on in.”
“This is a day where people are welcomed into a space where Indigenous people, culture and teachings and cultural sharing are on display. It’s us showing what we do on a daily basis and that gives a chance to gather people and show who we are.”
Gouchie, a long time Indigenous musician and visual artist, was nominated for the JUNO award for Children’s Album of the Year.
She is kicking off the festivities with a performance at the PG Playhouse Friday evening.
Gouchie is blessed to showcase her talents on such a momentous occasion.
“It’s wonderful to be able to share my music in my community and to inspire the youth of the community or any aspiring musicians that want to step out. I love being able to show what is possible.”
“It’s quite a story and quite a journey that got me here and I love that I am able to share with my new children’s album and getting the kids engaged.”
Gouchie added this year’s day focuses on quality with longer performances instead of a series of shorter ones.
According to the Northern Indigenous Arts Council, the title of the event, Braiding in the Land is a reflection of the Council’s ongoing work to connect Indigenous artists and communities across the North.
A stroke of luck for Phuc Duc (Daniel) Chau landed him into a pile of dough.
Chau purchased a Lotto Max ticket for the May 23rd draw, which ended up scoring him a whopping $40-million jackpot.
“I was at work when I found out,” recalled Chau.
“I was going through my bag to find a cough drop, but I saw that I had two lottery tickets in my bag and decided to scan the tickets, but I needed to update the [BCLC Lotto!] app first. The first ticket I didn’t win anything, but the second said $40 million. I have never seen that many zeroes in my life, ever. I dropped my phone and then called BCLC right away!”
At the time of the prize claim, the Vancouver resident hadn’t yet shared the news of his win.
“My partner doesn’t know yet! I want to share the news with them in a special way.”
Chau shared that his dream has always been to travel the world. “There are so many places I want to go to, so I haven’t fully decided!”
When asked if he will quit his job, Chau said, “I haven’t decided, but I want to continue to support my community in a different way.”
Chau purchased the winning ticket at the 7-Eleven on Imperial Street and Boundary Road in Burnaby.
So far in 2025, B.C. lottery players have redeemed more than $146 million from Lotto Max.
Homeowners in Prince George can help reduce the risk of wildfires with a new program offered by the City starting today (Thursday).
Through the FireSmart BC Wildfire Mitigation Program, residents can get a free visit from a wildfire expert to help assess their home and yard.
The expert will walk through the property with the homeowner, point out potential wildfire risks, and explain practical steps to reduce them, giving personalized tips to make the property safer.
“We’re excited to offer the FireSmart BC Wildfire Mitigation Program here in Prince George.” said Tanya Spooner, Manager of Emergency Programs.
“Community members have a key role in ensuring their own safety during a wildfire, and we hope homeowners will take advantage of the opportunity to work with a wildfire mitigation specialist and take action to reduce wildfire risks to their home.”
Residents have the opportunity to earn a FireSmart certificate upon completion of mitigation actions and a follow-up inspection and may be eligible for insurance incentives or discounts.
The program is in partnership between FireSmart Canada, FireSmart BC, local and provincial governments, Indigenous communities, and the private sector.
More information can be found on the City of Prince George’s website here.
A new report said governments need to double the current pace of home construction across the country if they want to get to 2019 housing affordability levels.
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation says new estimates show that requires up to 480-thousand new homes being built every year for the next decade.
“Doubling the pace of housing construction in Canada is achievable, but not without a significantly larger and modernized workforce, more private investment, less regulation, fewer delays, and lower development costs. It will also require significant innovation in construction technology and growth in labour productivity,” said Aled ab Iorwerth, Deputy Chief Economist for CMHC.
“By estimating housing supply gaps across Canada, our goal is to ensure policymakers from all orders of government, as well as the private sector, understand the scale of the challenge. Systemic changes are essential if we are to double the pace of homebuilding in Canada.”
By province, the most significant housing supply gaps are in Ontario and Nova Scotia, which saw some of the fastest rising housing costs due to the pandemic.
Another is British Columbia.
As for the large cities, CHMC stated Montreal has the largest housing supply gap followed by Ottawa-Gatineau.
– story done by Richard Coffin, Vista Radio news staff
The provincial government is electing to take a back seat when it comes to seatbelts on school buses.
Earlier this week, the Ministry of Transportation issued a statement to Vista Radio noting the School Bus Safety Task Force is not recommending mandatory installation of seatbelts on school buses.
Transport Canada, in partnership with the governments of B.C. and Ontario, conducted pilot projects between 2020 and 2023 in three school districts, including B.C.’s Nanaimo-Ladysmith and Fraser-Cascade.
The pilots studied ways to increase safety on school buses, including the use of seatbelts.
After the pilots ended, the School Bus Safety Task Force worked closely with the school districts involved to produce a consolidated findings report, which was released on the Council of Ministers website on in February of this year.
The statement also read that school buses are considered one of the safest vehicles on the road based on their unique design characteristics, which may not be present in motorcoaches.
These include high-padded impact cushioning seatbacks, seats placed close together that also have strong anchorages, emergency exits, traffic control devices, and enhanced body strength requirements.
One person was sent to the hospital in a helicopter following a single-vehicle rollover south of Quesnel in the morning of June 18.
Quesnel RCMP say they responded to the call of the incident at around 10:30 am in the morning between Marguerite and Macallister, approximately 50 km south of Quesnel.
When arriving on the scene, officers saw that a single pick-up truck with two occupants had rolled over on Highway 97, and the driver was still trapped inside the truck.
Police say Rescue Crews had to close the road for a short period of time as the driver was extracted from the vehicle.
The passenger received minor injuries, and the driver was flown to the hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
Police say the investigation into the cause of the accident is still under investigation.
The road has been reopened since the accident was cleared earlier on June 18.
