29 Years Ago (1990): Starting on Sept. 1, smokers had better checked twice before lighting up in the village. That’s when the village officially became a non-smoking area. Village council adopted their Clean Indoor Act bylaw in May to become effective on Sept. 1. Under the new bylaw, all public places were considered non-smoking unless a sign was posted otherwise. It put the onus on the merchant to decide whether their business will have a designated smoking area, or be smoke-free, reversing the trend that forces non-smokers to look for a non-smoking section.
24 Years Ago (1995): The Cariboo Tribal Council forcefully denounced the activities of unaffiliated natives occupying ranch land near Gustafson Lake. The chiefs of the Canoe Creek and Canim Lake bands condemned the actions of activists, admitting that incidents involving the renegade group are hurting the perception of B.C. Natives. “We don’t know for sure who these people are, but we do know many are from the outside B.C. and possibly from outside Canada,” said Canoe Creek Chief Agnes Snow.
22 Years Ago (1997): The 100 Mile House Special Needs Society was fundraising over the duration of 1997 to purchase equipment for the playground area in Centennial Park that would enable children in wheelchairs to play with their friends. The equipment, from Playworld Systems in Pennsylvania, was scheduled to arrive in 100 Mile House on Aug. 19 after mistaken detours to Edmonton and Williams Lake, according to treasurer Vern Johnson.
12 Years Ago (2007): The newly assembled federal mountain pine beetle committee met to work towards developing criteria and targets for millions of federal dollars pledged to combat the beetle’s spread, strengthen the forestry and provide worker adjustment. The 10-member committee, which included 100 Mile Mayor Donna Barnett (now MLA), was tasked with advising government on how best to spend $200 million in funding for pine beetle projects. “We all discussed concerns, and basically, we’re all on the same page. The communities affected by the pine beetle are the ones that are at the top of the list,” said Barnett.
8 Years Ago (2011): The South Cariboo Labour Council (SCLC) had its operations “suspended” by the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC). SCLC president Norm Provost said the CLC cited non-compliance with its audits and regulations in an Aug. 4 meeting, which was also sent to the local labour councils in Quesnel and Peace River. A new North Central Labour Council (NCLC) based in Prince George was formed by CLC in the fall of 2010, he noted. “They’ve been after our SCLC, the Quesnel Labour Council, the Peace River Labour Council and a few other ones to merge [with NCLC].”
