CJDC-TV (Dawson Creek, BC)

By The Dawson Creek Trade Show gets underway at the Ovintiv Centre. The event begins Friday evening and will continue over the weekend. A long list of local vendors and community organizations will be present. Visitors can also enjoy delicious food and daily 50/50 prizes. Tickets are $5 per person or free for those over 65 years old or under 5 years old. A full list of vendors is available here. Last weekend, a successful trade show was hosted in Fort St. John at the Pomeroy Event Centre.

The City of Dawson Creek is one step closer to implementing a situation table into the community. At the latest council meeting, the city reviewed a letter from Nina Krieger, the Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General. According to the letter, Dawson Creek is receiving a provincial grant worth $50,000 for a situation table. The initiative brings together frontline workers from different sectors, including non-profit organizations, First Nations and the RCMP.

Leaders in some of British Columbia’s rural communities are calling on the provincial government to support changes to the temporary foreign worker program or businesses will have to start shutting their doors. Tiffany Hetenyi, executive director of the Fort St. John and District Chamber of Commerce, says business owners tell her they will have to start reducing their hours, or close for good, because of staffing shortages.

In an effort to build a stronger local health-care workforce in the Peace Region, high school students got a firsthand look at one of the sectors facing the highest demand. Students from School District 59 and 60 with an interest in the health-care field participated in the Adventures in Health Care program this week. Adventures in Health Care is designed to introduce students to career pathways accessible in the Peace Region.

A Dawson Creek man has been fined $8000 and suspended from angling for two years after being caught fishing illegally and then trying to run from officers. The B-C Conservation Officer Service says the offence happened in April 2024 on a forest service road near Chetwynd. Officers stopped a vehicle while conducting a hunting and fishing compliance inspection.

The number of overdose deaths of First Nations in British Columbia dropped by about a third in 2025 but the population continues to be disproportionately impacted by the province’s toxic drug crisis that has killed more than 18,000 people in the last decade. Dr. Nel Wieman, the chief medical officer with the First Nations Health Authority, said Wednesday that emergency has been used for political gain by some, putting progress at risk.

A Fort St. john man has been fined $4,000 after pleading guilty to hunting a deer on private land. The B.C. Conservation Officer Service says it received a report in November 2023 that a man shot a mule deer north of Fort St. John on private land without the owner’s permission. Timber Cobbett pleaded guilty in court on March 24. In addition to the fine, he was also issued an 18-month probation. The service says the incident happened near an active oil-and-gas worksite with workers on location.

BC Emergency Health Services (BCEHS) is recognizing two STARS members from Grande Prairie following their response to the February mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge. Janice Kirkham, a nurse, and Jeremy Mandoli, a medic, have received Chief Ambulance Officer Commendations for Excellence in Adversity. “The emergency response to the tragic events in Tumbler Ridge involved many courageous and dedicated first responders and support staff across multiple agencies,” BCEHS said.

The Fort St. John Birthing Centre is experiencing a service interruption to maternity services, according to Northern Health. Service is being interrupted for 24 hours starting at 8am Wednesday as a result of a staffing shortage. Northern Health has notified patients about the service interruptions and have been provided with information about what they should do, should they need care. The Fort St. John Hospital emergency department is also ready to receive patients needing urgent care.

On Tuesday, the mayor of Hudson’s Hope expressed frustration with Northern Health’s website, which provides status updates on emergency department closures. As a result, Northern Health says it is changing how information is entered on the website. Mayor Travous Quibell said Tuesday the website needed a human touch to ensure the correct information reaches those who need it the most.