4 News WWW.PGCITIZEN.CA | WEDNESDAY, JULY 29, 201 5 CITIZEN PHOTO BY BRENT BRAATEN Workers have begun construction of 42 new condominium units at Magnolia Garden on the Park on Ingledew Street. Construction permits reach $53.6M Mark NIELSEN Citizen staff mnielsen@pgcitizen.ca Permits for $53.6 million worth of construction have been taken out at city hall so far this year, according to a staff report. That’s down from $59 million seen by the same point last year, but so far 61 permits for $17.4 million worth of new single family homes have been issued, compared to 46 permits for $12.5 million by the end of June 2014. By far the largest project so far this year is located at the Magnolia Garden on the Park condominium complex at 2055 Ingledew St. on the edge of Fort George Park. In May, a permit was taken out to add 42 units, worth a total of $8 million, to the complex. The next largest is the new cross-dock warehouse near the north end of the runway at Prince George Airport. The value of that work has been set at $4 million, according to the report, although the Prince George Airport Authority has said the final cost will be $5.5 million for the 25,000-square-foot facility. The values assigned to build- ing permits are for the cost of the structure and do not include the cost of the mechanical equipment. Other major projects include the Prince George Native Friendship Centre’s Ketso Yoh youth shelter at 140 Quebec St., worth $3.6 million, repairs worth $2.5 million to the Latitude apartment building at 3172 Westwood Dr., where a fire ripped through a section of the 32-unit building a year-and-a-half ago, and tenant improvements worth $2.3 million at the Wood Innovation and Design Centre at 499 George St. Quesnel hosting Skyfest air show Frank PEEBLES Citizen staff The forecast is for hot, sunny weather and mostly clear skies this weekend. That’s the kind of atmospheric ground in which an airshow grows. The roar of jets and props can already be heard around the Quesnel Airport as the acts arrive and warm up for Quesnel Skyfest 2015. It’s a solid schedule of military and civilian acts that spilled off the original drawing board onto Friday night as well. “For the first time, a twilight flight event will kick off Quesnel’s Skyfest this year,” said event spokesperson Sharon MacDonald. “It will include a pyro show in the darkness and did you know it was a full moon that night? The second full moon of July - a true Blue Moon, just for us.” The lineup for this year’s event includes: • Royal Canadian Air Force Snowbirds • Royal Canadian Air Force CF-18 Demo Team • Canadian Armed Forces Parachute Team, the SkyHawks • Flash Fire Jet Truck - Chris and Neal Darnell • Bud Granley and the T-6 Harvard • Super Dave Mathieson • John Melby in his Pitts biplane • Jack Erickson’s P-51 Mustang • Marcus Paine’s biplane stunts • Kent Pietsch’s 37-foot wingspan Interstate Cadet • The luxury cars of Precision Exotics • Manfred Radius in a sailplane • biplane stunts by Stefan Trischuk • Fire and effects by AV8FX Pyrotechnics • Sound effects and public address system by Mach 1 Productions “It is unbelievable to get all three of those acts together from the Canadian military. We are so lucky and happy to have the Snowbirds, CF-18s and the SkyHawks,” said MacDonald. “After that, it’s a stellar lineup of civilian acts and I want to point out that even the preshow is going to be amazing to see because we have a Ferrari or a Lamborghini racing a plane (trips in these sports cars can be purchased for $200 to drive or ride), and I can’t wait to see that. You also get a static display that lets you get right up close to the aircraft you see in the sky, which is not normal for airshows. But we want you to be able to get a close-up view on the ground, too.” The play-by-play will be called by professional broadcaster and airshow commentary specialist Ric Peterson and the coming and going of movements in the sky will be co-ordinated by Prince George’s own skyboss Donna Flynn featured this past year on Discovery Channel’s 12-part prime time feature program Air Show. “It’s hard to believe how fast this has happened,” since the first Skyfest was only in 2010, “but we have become one of the biggest airshows in all of Canada,” said MacDonald. “We have really put Quesnel and north-central B.C. on the international map.” The twilight show on Friday starts at 7 p.m. while showtime is 10 a.m. each day on Saturday and Sunday. Camping passes can be purchased, and there is a range of ticket options for individuals and families for each day or the weekend. For more information visit quesnelskyfest.ca or download the new Quesnel Skyfest App. Navy cadet's trip could be beached Frank PEEBLES Citizen staff fpeebles@pgcitizen.ca There is only so much navy cadets can learn in land-locked Prince George and now their annual trip to the salty sea has been put in jeopardy. The kids aged nine to 12 who sign up for the youth leadership group centred on the Royal Canadian Navy learn military basics of our armed forces (parade skills, first aid, etc.) and they also get exposed to nautical skills. A lot of that is theory, and there are lakes around for some practical knowledge. What’s best for naval knowledge, though, is hands-on experience and the local children of Navy League Cadets of Canada 142-Aurora (Prince George) were set to head off to naval summer camp in Vancouver. “We are completely non-profit. We get no funding from the Department of National Defense,” said commanding officer Tom Taylor, whose day job is a maintenance supervisor at Canfor. “The cadets fund raise throughout the year for the Legion and for ourselves. Our yearly budget is always tight.” When the corps set out to take all the kids to join the B.C.-wide navy cadet gathering this long weekend it started well, but a glitch hit their plans. “To do this we require a bus to take us to Vancouver. In order for us to afford this, we need a volunteer bus driver. To drive the coach, the bus driver must work for Diversified Transportation (the company that owns the bus),” Taylor explained. “This year we had one driver that drove for us last year. He unfortunately had to back out. A second generous soul stepped up and filled the gap. She unfortunately had to take another job just two weeks before camp. She has tried to get a replacement with no luck. This left us only one option. We have to hire a Diversified driver. This was not in our budget.” The price tag for a trip of that duration is $2,500. The 142-Aurora kids have started a GoFundMe campaign to cover this expense that will otherwise be borne by the families, many of whom have tight household budgets to begin with. “Our kids love this camp as they get to leave town and meet other cadets from the province,” said Taylor. The bus rolls for Vancouver on Thursday. More than 150 kids from across the province will ren-dez-vous there for four days of sailing, marksmanship, outdoor adventure training, a tour of the naval base HMCS Discovery, and much more. To donate (they have already passed $1,000 in support), go to the GoFundMe website and search with the title Prince George Navy League In Need or directly log on to: www.gofund-me.com/zvv78c. Tott family thanks community for support The Canadian Press SHILO, Man. — The family of a Prince George reservist who died on a military base in Manitoba says Pte. Kirby Tott felt privileged to serve his country. Tott, who was 25, died Saturday while learning to reinforce a trench at Canadian Forces Base Shilo. The military says Tott suddenly collapsed and there were no vehicles or equipment involved. An autopsy is underway to determine the cause of death. Tott was a corrections officer at Prince George Regional Correctional Centre, who belonged to a reserve regiment called the Rocky Mountain Rangers. In a statement issued through the military, his family says Tott was driven to help others. “Kirby was loved by his family and friends alike - he always brought a smile to our faces and our hearts,” the statement read. “He enrolled in the military because of his natural need to help others. After completing his time in the army he intended to apply for the RCMP. TOTT “Our family would like to recognize and thank the community for their generous outpouring of sympathy since we received the news of his tragic passing - we have felt very loved and supported during this trying time.”