New Country, new rules

When we are new in a country, everything is a little bit hard at the beginning. It 's hard to find out how to deal with the simplest day to day tasks. How does the public transportation system work? How to get a driver’s license? Where to look for a job? What neighborhood is better for me to live? What are the fun things to do here? What should I do if I need to see a doctor? Those questions are easy to answer if you are a local, but common doubts if you are not from town and even harder to find the answer if you are a foreigner to the community. I’m experiencing this situation right now in Prince George. I’ve just arrived from Brazil with a work permit visa and a student husband. As a journalist, I’ve decided to share some information that I found out, and that can be helpful for other foreigners, like a big part of UNBCs students.

Because health must be a priority, let’s start from there:

What to do if you need a doctor for some reason?

The first step when you arrive in British Columbia is to apply for the Medical Service Plan (MSP) provided by the Health Insurance BC. It takes three months after the immigrant arrives in BC to be covered by the health system and receive an insurance card. Until then, it is a good idea to get private insurance, since medical care can be expensive here. It costs around $160 for three months of coverage.  

In the city of Prince George, the Immigrant & Multicultural Services Society (www.imss.ca) can help with the applications. The organization has been working in Northern BC for more than 40 years and provides several services for immigrants: such as English classes; knowledge skills and connections related to the work environment; and information about Canadian laws and a citizens rights and responsibilities. “To be served by IMSS is necessary to phone our society to arrange an appointment with our practitioners,” said the IMSS representative.

Students that have a Study Permit can contact the International Department in the university or college for any inquiries. Those that are studying in Canada with a Temporary Resident document are not allowed to require the Medical Service Plan. But if you are here with a work permit, you can apply for that directly by the Health Insurance BC.

Getting the health insurance:

Step 1: Print and fill the application form that can be found on the website: www.health.gov.bc.ca/exforms/msp/102fil.pdf

Step 2: Get copies of the Work or Study Permit, Passport (page with the photo and with the visa)

Step 3: Send all documents by mail to the Health Insurance BC. You can go to any Post Office and ask for a registered letter. That way, you will receive a number and can check whether your documents arrived or not. The address is:

Health Insurance BC, Medical Services Plan,

PO Box 9678 Stn Prov Govt,

Victoria (BC)

V8W 9P7

It’ll take from 6 to 9 weeks to receive the BC Health Card and the invoice, which can be paid in any bank. The BC Insurance costs around $75 per month.

Finding a family doctor:

When you have your MSP, you’ll need a family physician. To find one that is accepting new patients you can research on the website www.cpsbc.ca. It can be helpful to ask friends for indications or visit some walk-in clinic to know if there are any vacancies for new patients as well.

I hope that this information is helpful and make the beginning of the newcomers’ journey in the city of Prince George a little bit easier.

By Fernanda Salla, Volunteer Journalist with CFUR News

This Is Britt A.M., Episode 47, Black History Month and Black Lives Matter

February was Black History Month, and on this first day of March, I hope to continue the conversation of the importance of racial equality and black presence, history, and experience in our society past the month of February. I hope to present today’s tracks, and a Ted Talks interview with the founders of Black Lives Matter, from a place of support and solidarity, with acknowledgement of my privilege as a white person.  

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NUGSS EGM gets heated

NUGSS held their EGM, and many issues came up during it. One of the first things to come up was a controversial agenda amendment, to add a bylaw that would add an Oversight Committee that would be made up of 5 elected students. This item has led to already one board member resigning.

Budget 2016/2017

NUGSS is also currently running a deficit with the Thirsty Moose of approximately $23,005. NUGSS will not be able to cover the deficit, and it is unclear how it will be covered fully. Borrowing funds to cover the deficit was not fully answered, so it may not be off the table.

Restructuring the Board

The NUGSS Board was restructured to be reduced from 11 student representatives to 8 plus the chairperson. A new position would be created by merging the Academic Rep and the VP Social into one position. By cutting the positions, it will affect $8,500 in honorarium

Thirsty Moose Pub

To save the Thirsty Moose Pub from closure, a referendum was proposed. The question that would be asked  "Are you for an increase to the NUGSS Society Fee by way of $6.50 (bringing the total amount to $42.19) to cover the Thirsty Moose Pub's financial losses projected for the future.

This fee is required to make it financial[ly] viable for the Northern Undergraduate Student Society to continue operating the Thirsty Moose Pub; if this referendum fails, management will investigating leasing options starting Fall 2017, with the possibility of total closure if this is not successful."

Due to declining student enrollment at UNBC, The Thirsty Moose on its own can not financially cover its costs purely by is own sales. The fee increase would be permanent to support the financial viability of the Moose, help for repairs and create a contingency fund. The fee would only apply to the Prince George campus and not to the regional ones.

If the Moose were not kept by NUGSS, then a public tender would be put forward to the Prince George business community. The leasing discussions that NUGSS need to have in order to do this are still going on with the University. According to the General Manager, Duncan Malkinson, of NUGSS the Board would review various applications and then would suggest a specific vendor to the university for final approval.

Oversight Board

Proponents of the Oversight Board Chris King and Erik Searle 

A purposed motion to adopt an Oversight Board for NUGSS, failed when it was brought forward to a divided student body. A requirement to have 75% of the quorum of the room was needed to pass the bylaw. Even though more students voted for the motion than against there was not enough support on the floor for it.

The motion stated that a student elected board be created to give a level of oversight to the student elect board. The structure is five equal voting members elected by the student body at the same time every year as the regular NUGSS elections. The powers of this board would be: an ability to scrutinize and approve monthly director's reports; to under extreme circumstances, with sufficient grounds, and with the support of at least 4 of the 5 members of the Oversight Board bring a motion of censure, suspension, or impeachment against a member of the NUGSS Board of Directors. The responsibilities would include: to attend monthly meetings and hear monthly reports from the board of directors; to consistently act in the best interest of NUGSS; at least four members of the oversight board must be in attendance to meet quorum. This information is based off "NUGSS Needs an Oversight Board" Facebook page.

Arguments were passionate on both sides of the issue with some students accusing certain members of the board were conducting personal attacks on others. "NUGSS is prone to embezzlement" was used by an NUGSS board member to describe the current state of NUGSS, this is why the Oversight Board is necessary. It should be stated that embezzlement is defined "as theft or misappropriation of funds placed in one's trust or belonging to one's employer". It is unclear if the definition is what is being applied in this case.

According to the proponents of the motion the NUGSS board members, the director reports, need to be reviewed. This is because some members of the NUGSS board member look at the reports as a "tedious bureaucratic mechanism." This would ensure the NUGSS board can ensure that the students who serve on it are spending the 50 hours a week devoted to NUGSS related activities.

A motion which was put forward by Seth Jex was to push this recommendation to next AGM which would be in October 2017. It was defeated after the majority of students wanted to make a decision of the board during the EGM. The motivation for prolonging a decision on this issue was based on accusations made by Jex that the bylaw was containing numerous "errors". The proponents admitted that the errors and amendment could be made to make it a better.

After a 3 hour meeting, the motion did fail however the students who brought forward the motion were happy to see so many students coming out to debate this important issue. It is unclear if this issue will be brought in the upcoming NUGSS election, however, some students who CFUR spoke to seem to believe that it will. It is clear that a majority of the students in the room wanted to see the Oversight Board happen.

Interview with students after EGM

15th Annual Homelessness Marathon - Airs 3am Wednesday Feb. 22nd

The 15th Annual Homelessness Marathon

Airs 3am Wednesday Feb. 22nd to 4:30am Feb. 23rd

Scheduled times below are shown in AST.  Convert times to PST using this convenient online source.

7pm CiTR (Vancouver, BC): Profiles of folk who live and work in the Downtown Eastside live from Megaphone Magazine; along with discussion of the opioid crisis and the resilience/activism with which the community has faced it.

8pm CICK (Smithers, BC): A compilation of interviews from people living on the street and those who provide services to them.

9pm CJSR (Edmonton, AB): Intimate portraits of individuals in academia who have experienced homelessness.

10pm CJSR (Edmonton, AB): Exploring displacement, specifically the challenges faced by newcomers to Canada and the displacement of Edmonton’s homelessness population.

11pm CKUT (Montreal, QC): A discussion featuring the voices of women of colour on homelessness and communities of colour.

12am CKUT (Montreal, QC): An open format space for people to share their experiences.

1am Local-FM (Saint John, NB): The FEMCORE Collective interviews local figures about the role of gender in homelessness. Abigail Smith speaks with Jennifer Megeney from the Coverdale Women’s Centre, and Diane Kerns and Julie Dingwell from AIDS Saint John.

2am CIVL (Abbotsford, BC): A discussion of issues pertaining to homelessness on the West Coast.

3am CHUO (Ottawa, ON): Interviews with people currently experiencing homelessness in Ottawa.

4am CKXU (Lethbridge, AB): Interviews with support workers involved in Lethbridge homelessness initiatives.

5am CFUR (Prince George, BC): Interviews with people working on the front line and people who have, or are presently, experiencing homelessness.

6am CFUZ (Penticton, BC): Focusing on themes of “Sharing When You Have Nothing” and ‘Keeping Your Dignity When You Are Ostracized.”

6:30am Groundwire: A collaborative production of community radio producers across Canada present a collection of pieces relating to homelessness.

7am CFCR (Saskatoon, SK): Laundry List – Women & Gender Topics

7:30am CFCR (Saskatoon, SK): Civically Speaking – Local Saskatoon Civic Politics

8am CFCR (Saskatoon, SK): Snake Mountain Mixtape – Open Music Show

NUGSS under pressure to adopt Oversight Board

The Northern Undergraduate Student Society has been under pressure from a group of students to adopt an Oversight Board. NUGSS has been getting plenty of scrutiny after the AGM in October where they announced the student government body was in deep financial problems. Years of mismanagement of funds and unprofitable years of the Thirsty Moose Pub has led to NUGSS inability to pay certain debt obligations like $100,000 debt to BC Transit for the U - pass.

Related Stories

http://www.cfur.ca/nugss-hits-rough-waters/

http://www.cfur.ca/nugss-goes-into-more-detail/

These financial problems created many shocking announcements for the student body during that meeting. One announcement hit home for many students, and that was the possible closure of the Thirsty Moose Pub, a staple of UNBC life. This has motivated a group of students to ask "how has it come to this?"

Erike Searle and Chris King are two of those students, who plan to bring forward a motion on Wednesday, Feb 22nd's EGM (Extraordinary General meeting). The motion would effectively create a student elected board who would monitor the actions of the NUGSS  Executive Board to ensure they are complying with the wishes of students. The Oversight Board would scrutinize directors reports submitted by the NUGSS executive at the end of every month. According to the Facebook page "NUGSS Needs an Oversight Board" this is what they want to purpose.

"• 5 equal voting members elected by the student body at the same time every year as the regular NUGSS elections Powers: • To scrutinize and approve monthly director's reports • To under extreme circumstances, with sufficient grounds, and with the support of at least four of the five members of the Oversight Board bring a motion of censure, suspension, or impeachment against a member of the NUGSS Board of Directors Responsibilities: • To attend monthly meetings and hear monthly reports from the board of directors • To consistently act in the best interest of NUGSS Quorum: • At least four members of the oversight in must are in attendance to meet quorum" 

CFUR News sat down with Chris King one of the students heading Oversight Board Initiative 

According to King, the goal of this board is monitor what the directors are doing to ensure that proper usage of student funds are happening. There are concerns that current student representatives are claiming hours in their director reports which they are not doing. One of the most provocative parts of the proposal is the one to give powers to the Oversight Board to censure, suspended or impeach a member of the NUGSS Executive Board if the Oversight Board feels it is necessary. When asked about this part of the motion King said the only time a student would be impeached is if there was extremely unprofessional behavior, which has occurred. Example used was a past board where one student was coming to the meetings drunk.

Seth Jex Chair of Over the Edge and someone who is intimately involved in NUGSS spoke with CFUR stating "...this year we saw Johanne [Vice President of External Affairs] [experienced an attempted] impeachment, for missing board meetings. It is stated in the bylaws that if you miss three or more board meetings impeachment can be attempted." CFUR has learned though in the past NUGSS has given leeway to students in missing meetings to accommodate student busy lives. According to Jex if the use of this function is only needed in extream cases then it is unnecessary, this is because it is already in place and has been put to use by the current board.

CFUR has learned that NUGSS has been extremely dysfunctional this year with certain factions working against each other. Ana Saenz Vice President of Internal Affairs has stepped down from here position due to the dysfunctionality of the board. Ana Spoke to CFUR about the problems in NUGSS and why she and other board members are opposing the Oversight Committee.

Ana Saenz the Vice President of Internal Affairs, she is opposition to the Oversight Board

Arctica Cunningham, the President of NUGSS, sat down with CFUR to highlight the various issues being brought forward in the EGM and also the idea of the Oversight Board. When asked about the powers of censure, suspension, and impeachment which will be granted to this Oversight Board, she stated that is one of the areas which has divided the board.

"There are a lot of things that happen behind the scenes of student government organizations. A lot of work happens that if you haven't held a position like that before you don't realize the amount of expertise it takes, mistakes you make before you figure out what you are doing. There are concerns that there wouldn't be an understanding of what has happened behind the sense before a measure [Censure, Suspension, or Impeachment] like that is brought in" Cunningham stated. "I know the students have tried to write this to ensure that these are last ditch efforts."

Currently, NUGSS polices themselves regarding appropriate conduct of the board. However, in the current state of NUGSS, the board is prone to infighting and use of the impeachment mechanism.

CFUR sat down with Arctica Cunningham President of NUGSS

Cunningham also states in the interview that NUGSS was able to pay the $100,000.00 debt to BC Transit with help from UNBC. NUGSS also put in place a debt management police and others to ensure that NUGSS is not spending money or borrowing money without greater consideration. NUGSS also wants to reduce the board size from eleven to eight people. A possible increase of $6.50, to student fees at the Prince George Campus, is also on the table.

The impacts of the EGM are likely to have a bearing on the upcoming NUGSS election. Already CFUR has heard that the position of President will be contested. It is unsure what the outcomes of the EGM will be but it is sure to have students divided.

NUGSS EGM 

Wednesday, Feb. 22 2017

NUSC Space at 11 am

Disability Insurance as a Financial Strategy

We talked to Kevin Plouffe of MPY Financial Strategies here in Prince George to discuss how insurance can actually be used as a financial strategy. Good to know if you're striking it out on your own, you've finished school, starting a new business, are in the work force, or heading into the work force. Whatever industry you're in or headed towards, there is likely a risk associated with it. The opportunity to learn how to mitigate it is here.#howtohedgeyourbets!

You can catch a free seminar on the topic on March 6th @ UNBC's Senate Chambers 1-3 pm @ CNC's Rm 1306 4-6 pm It's open to the public, questions are welcome, with snacks and refreshments provided.

Email or call Wendie to register: wendie@mpyfs.com 250-563-1212

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Petition: Help protect Quesnel Lake!

Do you remember the Mount Polley Mine tailings dam failure in August 2014? This disastrous breach caused the loss of 17 million cubic meters of water and 8 million cubic meters of tailings/materials into Polley Lake, Hazeltine Creek and Quesnel Lake. As a long-term solution for wastewater management,

Imperial Metals is currently proposing to channel the mine's untreated effluent directly into Quesnel Lake.

Folks living in Cariboo communities (Likely, Big Lake, etc.) have put together a petition, urging the provincial government to look closer at potential long-term environmental impacts of this proposal.

You can help protect BC waterways + wildlife by signing this petition.

 It will be delivered to the BC Ministry of Environment, Minister of Environment of BC Mary Polak, and Cariboo North MLA Coralee Oakes. The petition page includes links to learn more about the issue, as well as Mary Polak's contact info.

https://www.change.org/p/the-bc-ministry-of-environment-water-is-precious-tell-the-bc-government-to-stand-up-for-quesnel-lake-and-river?recruiter=645778145&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=share_email_responsive

Post by Dara Campbell

Site C Dam - Perspective of Yvonne Tupper, member of Saulteau First Nation

Yvonne Tupper of the Saulteau First Nation Speaks a Coresspondent at CFUR 88.7 FM in Prince George BC. Since the Peace River in British Columbia's Peace Country area was declared a working river, her family has been drastically affected by development along the river for generations. She shares her perspective on the most recent of British Columbia Hydro's major projects, the 8.8 Billion dollar Site-C Dam. Some information on the topic can be found at these sources: http://www.stakeinthepeace.com/plant-... http://raventrust.com/join-the-circle... https://www.sitecproject.com/ https://lailayuile.com/ http://www.businesspress24.com/direct...

You are encouraged to search out further sources and develop your own conclusions.

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Pic Credit: https://www.instagram.com/k_frank_/ www.mypeaceriver.com

NUGSS goes into more detail

CFUR News reported yesterday after the NUGSS annual general meeting that the organization was coming on hard times. We sat down with Eric Depenau who is the Vice President of Finance for NUGSS.  

Listen to the Full Interview here:

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At present NUGSS is facing a $99,000 dollar deficit and $49,000 short term debt load for a loan taken out in 2010 to deal with operational revenue short falls. The final aspect to the NUGSS debt loan is on $1.8 million for a loan used to renovate the NUSC space when NUGSS originally started leasing the space from UNBC.

The loan which was originally for $100,000 and was from Bank of Montreal was taken out in 2010.

Subleasing the Thirsty Moose space, Degrees coffee shop as well as the office spaces on the top floor of the NUSC are one of a couple options NUGSS is looking at to balance the budget. Other options are raising the prices of food, or even the possible closure of the Thirsty Moose Pub and Degrees. Right now NUGSS is in talks with some outside groups to take over these business however nothing is definitive and they may not even go down that road, Depenau stressed.

Depenau stressed the idea that the past boards of NUGSS did the best job they could with the information they had. He also felt strongly that these austerity should put NUGSS in a better position as long as they also stick to long term planning. It is unclear after this interview if insitutional measures around accountability will be put in place after this trouble but on thing is sure NUGSS is keeping an open mind.

For more information: http://www.cfur.ca/nugss-hits-rough-waters/

*Updated as new information is learned*