This week and next, we're conducting two polls on our website regarding your picks for the Prince George newsmaker of the year and news story of the year.
The first poll is already up and running at pgcitizen.ca, asking respondents to pick one of the following five individuals as the newsmaker of the year:
UNBC president Dan Weeks: It was the best of times and the worst of times for UNBC this year. On the plus side, the university celebrated its 25th anniversary and was also recognized by Maclean's magazine as its number one choice, among 19 universities, in the "primarily undergraduate" category. Unfortunately, Weeks also had to deal with a two-week strike by the faculty association, which led to a first contract imposed on the two sides by an arbitrator just last week.
Lakeland inquest coroner Lisa Lapointe: Her job was not an easy one. As the head of an inquest, she and the jury were charged with making recommendations on how to prevent similar accidents in the future, not with finding fault behind the April 23, 2012 sawmill blast and fire that killed two and injured more than 20. Lapointe then had to suspend the inquest for a short time to allow examination of the results of a report into the accident prepared for WorksafeBC by an independent investigator. The inquest ran much longer, as a result of that postponement as well as because of the extensive questioning witnesses were put through by the lawyers for the coroner, the USW, WorksafeBC, Lakeland and the B.C. Safety Authority.
Cariboo-Prince George MP Todd Doherty: Handpicked by Dick Harris to succeed him as the Conservative nominee, Doherty withstood a strong challenge by Tracy Calogheros of the Liberals and Trent Derrick of the NDP to win the riding in the October federal election. In November, Doherty was named to the Opposition shadow cabinet by interim Conservative leader Rona Ambrose to serve as critic on Asia-Pacific Gateway affairs and deputy critic for indigenous affairs.
Lexi Shymanski received the Medal of Bravery from Governor General David Johnston in Edmonton in November. After her mother drove the family car off the road and down an embankment near Jasper on June 8, the five-year-old Prince George girl sprang into action. Unable to rouse her unconscious mom, she unhooked herself from her car seat and climbed barefoot up the steep hill to flag down passersby. Her heroism saved the lives of both her mom and her baby brother, who were both seriously injured in the crash.
Emily Dickson got to know the podium well during the 2015 Canada Winter Games. The 17-year-old Burns Lake biathlete who lives and trains in Prince George won bronze in the 12.5-kilometre individual race, silver in the
7.5 km sprint and gold in both the 10 km pursuit and the 3x6 women's team relay.
These weren't the only names that could have made the 2015 newsmaker short list. Honourable mentions go to:
Murry Krause: The city councillor led the charge to rename Fort George Park to Lheidli T'enneh Memorial Park and he chaired the committee that handled the city's centennial celebrations.
Glen Milkelsen: The general manager of CN Centre kicked off the year with Cirque du Soleil, then followed that up with Marilyn Manson, Shania Twain, Journey and Jason Aldean (definitely something for everybody!), not to mention Paul Brandt and Dean Brody and the return of John Fogerty, the Barenaked Ladies and the Tragically Hip.
Kenny Lally: The latest in a long and proud tradition of top-level boxers to come out of Prince George, Lally took home a bronze medal in boxing at the Pan-Am Games in Toronto.
Go to pgcitizen.ca to vote. Polling will close on Monday, Dec. 28. That's when our last poll of the year will go out, asking readers to choose the top news story of 2015.
We'll share the results of both polls with you online and in our print edition to kick off the new year on Saturday, Jan. 2. 2016.
