Fort St. John, British Columbia
Encyclopedia
The City of Fort St. John is a city in northeastern British Columbia
, Canada
. A member municipality of the Peace River Regional District
, the city covers an area of about 22 km² (8 mi²) with 22,000 residents (2011 census). Located at Mile 47, it is one of the largest cities along the Alaska Highway
. Originally established in 1794, as a trading post
, Fort St. John is the oldest European-established settlement in present-day British Columbia. Fort St. John is served by the Fort St. John Airport. The municipal slogan is, Fort St. John: The Energetic City.
). It was established one year after Sir Alexander Mackenzie explored the area in 1793. One of a series of forts along the Peace River
constructed to service the fur trade, it was located southwest of the present site of Fort St. John. The Dunneza
and Sikanni
First Nations
used it as a trading post. It was also used as a supply depot for further expeditions into the territory. The fort closed in 1805. Fort d'Epinette was built in 1806 by the North West Company
. It was renamed Fort St. John in 1821 following the purchase of the North West Company by the Hudson's Bay Company
. This fort was located about 500 metres downstream from the mouth of the Beatton River
, which at that time was known as the Pine River (d'epinette in French
). It was shut down in 1823.
After a lapse of nearly forty years, Fort St. John was reopened in 1860 on the south side of the Peace River, directly south of the present community. It was moved in 1872 by Francis Work Beatton directly across the river. This community lasted until 1925 when the river ceased to be the main avenue of transportation and the fort was moved closer to where settlers were establishing homesteads. The new town was constructed at Fish Creek, northwest of the present community, on the new trail to Fort Nelson
. It did not shut down until 1975. In 1928, C. M. Finch moved his general store
to two quarters of land where he also built a government building to house the land, telegraph and post offices. The present site for the town was firmly established after he donated five acres (20,000 m²) for a Roman Catholic Church
and additional land for a hospital.
The first census to include Fort St. John as a defined subdivision occurred in 1951 and recorded 884 people. The population rapidly increased, doubling almost every 5 years for 15 years so that by 1966 there were 6,749 residents living in the community. Population growth slowed in the 1970s, rising by 1,551 people, from 8,264 in 1971 to 9,815 in 1978. However, by 1981 the population had swelled to 14,337 people, an increase of 4,522 people in just 3 years. A recession in the 1980s kept the population from reaching 15,000 until 1994. However, Fort St. John has managed to become the largest city in the BC Peace, and second largest after Grande Prairie in the entire Peace region, which straddles the boundary between the provinces of BC and Alberta. Since then, the population has continued to rise steadily at about 2% a year.
The latest census
, taken in 2001, recorded 16,034 residents living in 6,155 households and 4,240 families. This was 7% more people than the previous census five years earlier. As seen by the median age almost ten years younger than the provincial median and less than half the proportion of the population over 65 years old, the city has a young population. Of those over 15 years of age in 2001, 45% were married, higher than the 51% provincial average. With 94% of Fort St. John residents being Canadian-born, and 93% with an English-only mother tongue, the town has few visible minorities. Though not included as visible minorities 11% identified themselves as Aboriginal, a higher proportion than the 4% provincial average.
Police protection is contracted to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
which operates a 26 officer municipal detachment and a 10 member rural detachment from the city. In 2005, the municipal detachment reported 4,048 Criminal Code of Canada
offenses, which translates into a crime rate of 228 Criminal Code offenses per 1,000 people, much higher than the provincial average of 125 offenses. During that year, compared to the provincial average, the RCMP reported much higher crime rates in Fort St. John for cocaine, cannabis, non-sexual assaults, property damage, and arson related offences. However, the city had lower crime rates for robbery, theft from motor vehicles, and business break-and-enters.
(extremely close to a subarctic climate
), encompassing frigid winters and warm summers. A predominately southwesterly wind blows through town, with wind speeds averaging around 13.7 km (8.5 mi). Fort St. John uses Mountain Standard Time in the winter and in the summer, and because of its northerly latitude
experiences short daylight hours in the winter and long daylight hours in the summer.
Fort St. John is the transportation hub of the region. The main highway, Highway 97 (Alaska Highway
), built in 1942 by the United States Army
, runs through the city, north to Fort Nelson, the Yukon, and Alaska. As the highway goes over the Peace River to Dawson Creek, it reduced the community's dependence on the river for transportation. Within the city the streets are laid out in a grid pattern. The main streets are the north-south 100 Street and the east-west 100 Avenue. The rail line that runs by the eastern and northern borders was extended from Chetwynd by the Pacific Great Eastern Railway with the first train arriving in 1958. The only commercial airport between Dawson Creek and Fort Nelson is the Fort St. John Airport located a few miles east of the city. The two runway airport has Air Canada Jazz
and other smaller airlines such as Central Mountain Air
and Swanberg Air
with regularly scheduled flights and North Cariboo Air
providing chartered flights. Greyhound Bus lines
, which has a bus stop in the city, operates a route along the highway, north to Whitehorse
(via Fort Nelson) and south to Dawson Creek.
The city's water and sewer infrastructure pumps water from the Peace River and Charlie Lake
; it is filtered, chlorinated and florinated before being distributed. Sewage is processed in one of two lagoons. The lagoon south of the city releases the processed effluent into the Peace River and the lagoon north of the city releases into the Beatton River. Storm sewer run with the sanitary sewers but is directed into the rivers without going through the lagoons. The city's fire department has volunteer and professional members and cover the city plus five miles (8 km) into the rural areas.
As the urban centre for approximately 50,000 people, much of the region's recreational and cultural facilities are located in town. Within the city, Centennial Park groups much of these facilities in a central location close to residences and businesses. This large park includes the Fort St. John North Peace Museum, the North Peace Leisure Pool, the North Peace Arena (home of the Fort St. John Huskies
), a separate arena for children, an 8-sheet curling rink, as well as an outdoor water park and speed skating oval. Other parks in the area include the city-maintained Fish Creek Community Forest, and about 10 km (6.2 mi) northwest of town the Beatton Provincial Park
and Charlie Lake Provincial Park
. In the center of town is the North Peace Cultural Centre which houses the Fort St. John Public Library, a theatre
, and the Peace Gallery North art gallery.
Fort St. John hosted the BC Winter Games in 1984 and the Northern BC Winter Games in 1975, 1976, 1994, 2000, and 2007. Every August, the Great Canadian Welding Competition is held in Fort St. John, which sees welding artists fill Centennial Park creating statues on the year's given theme. In January the annual High on Ice Winter Carnival has a frozen Centennial Park filled with ice sculptors competing and other special winter-related activities occurring around town.
Fort St. John is served with several regional newspapers. The Alaska Highway News and the Dawson Creek Daily News, both part of the Glacier Media Group (previously owned by Canwest Global), are dailies available in the city. The Alaska Highway News, along with the free weekly and The Northerner, are published in town and focus more on Fort St. John news whereas the Dawson Creek Daily News is published in Dawson Creek. Local free magazine Northern Groove focuses on local music, arts, and live entertainment events in Fort St. John and area and is published monthly. The Northeast News is a free weekly community paper published on Thursday's with news coverage of communities in the Peace Region and is also online at: http://www.northeastnews.ca.
The radio stations broadcasting from Fort St. John include 98.5 Energy FM (CHRX-FM
), 101.5 The Bear FM (CKNL-FM
), 92.5 Sunrise FM (CIAM-FM
) and 100.1 Moose FM (CKFU-FM
), while 890 CJDC AM
is available from Dawson Creek. Also available locally is CBYJ-FM 88.3, repeating CBC Radio One
station CBYG-FM
from Prince George
. Fort St. John only has one terrestrial station, CBCD-TV-3 channel 9, rebroadcasting private CBC Television
affiliate CJDC-TV
from Dawson Creek.
Fort St. John has several community web pages with news, entertainment, sports, classifieds and community events such as www.energeticcity.ca, www.fsjnow.com, and www.northerngroove.com.
is centered in the city. Forestry has become more important to the city since the opening of an oriented strand board
plant in 2005. Agriculture has been the mainstay of the economy servicing and providing a market for the upland prairies.
The 2001 Canadian census recorded 9,985 income-earners over the age of 15 residing in Fort St. John; of these, 4,500 worked full time throughout the year. The high participation rate stems from the relatively young population, much of which was attracted by the area's high-paying oil and gas industry. Its male-female income gap
is large.
There are 14 public schools in the municipality, but only one secondary school, administered by School District 60 Peace River North
. Northern Lights College
opened a campus in 1981. The 2001 Census estimated that 10% of people in Fort St. John between 20 and 64 years old graduated from a university, less than half of the 24% provincial average and 27% did not graduate from secondary school, 7% higher than the provincial average.
. Three board of education trustees, for representation on School District 60 Peace River North
, are also elected by the city.
Fort St. John is situated in the Peace River North
provincial electoral district and is represented by Pat Pimm
in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
. Pimm replaced long-time MLA Richard Neufeld
who was first elected as a Member of the Legislative Assembly
in the 1991 provincial election
with the BC Social Credit Party
taking 56% of votes cast at the Fort St. John polls and re-elected with Reform BC
in 1996
with 44% support, and with the BC Liberal Party
in 2001
and 2005
with 73% and 59% of Fort St. John polls, respectively. He has served as the Minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources since 2001.
Federally, Fort St. John is located in the Prince George—Peace River
riding, which is represented in the House of Commons
by Conservative Party
Member of Parliament
Bob Zimmer, a former high school teacher who lives in Fort St. John. Prior to Zimmer, the riding had been represented by long-time MLA Jay Hill
, who was born and raised in Fort St. John, and first elected in 1993 and subsequently re-elected in 1997, 2000, and 2004 with 74%, 77%, and 70% support from Fort St. John polls, respectively. Hill was also re-elected in the 2006 and 2008 federal elections. Hill had served as the Government House Leader
and was formerly the Secretary of State and Chief Government Whip, as well as the Whip of the Canadian Alliance Party. Before Hill the riding was represented, from 1972 to 1993, by Frank Oberle
of the Progressive Conservative Party
who served as Minister of State for Science and Technology from 1985 to 1989 and Minister of Forestry from 1990 to 1993.
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. A member municipality of the Peace River Regional District
Peace River Regional District, British Columbia
The Peace River Regional District is a regional district in northeastern British Columbia, Canada. The regional district comprises seven municipalities and four electoral areas. Its member municipalities are the cities of Fort St. John and Dawson Creek, the district municipalities of Tumbler Ridge,...
, the city covers an area of about 22 km² (8 mi²) with 22,000 residents (2011 census). Located at Mile 47, it is one of the largest cities along the Alaska Highway
Alaska Highway
The Alaska Highway was constructed during World War II for the purpose of connecting the contiguous U.S. to Alaska through Canada. It begins at the junction with several Canadian highways in Dawson Creek, British Columbia and runs to Delta Junction, Alaska, via Whitehorse, Yukon...
. Originally established in 1794, as a trading post
Trading post
A trading post was a place or establishment in historic Northern America where the trading of goods took place. The preferred travel route to a trading post or between trading posts, was known as a trade route....
, Fort St. John is the oldest European-established settlement in present-day British Columbia. Fort St. John is served by the Fort St. John Airport. The municipal slogan is, Fort St. John: The Energetic City.
History
Over the years the community has been moved a number of times for varying economic reasons. The present location is thought to be its sixth. The original trading post built in the area was named Rocky Mountain House (not to be confused with the modern Alberta city by that nameRocky Mountain House, Alberta
Rocky Mountain House is a town in west-central Alberta, Canada, approximately west of the City of Red Deer. It is located at the confluence of the Clearwater and North Saskatchewan Rivers, and at the crossroads of Highway 22 and Highway 11 .- History :The town has a long history dating to the...
). It was established one year after Sir Alexander Mackenzie explored the area in 1793. One of a series of forts along the Peace River
Peace River (Canada)
The Peace River is a river in Canada that originates in the Rocky Mountains of northern British Columbia and flows to the northeast through northern Alberta. The Peace River flows into the Slave River, a tributary of the Mackenzie River. The Mackenzie is the 12th longest river in the world,...
constructed to service the fur trade, it was located southwest of the present site of Fort St. John. The Dunneza
Dunneza
The Dane-zaa are a First Nation of the large Athapaskan language group; their traditional territory is around the Peace River of the provinces of Alberta and British Columbia, Canada...
and Sikanni
Sekani
Sekani is the name of an Athabaskan First Nations people in the Northern Interior of British Columbia. Their territory includes the Finlay and Parsnip River drainages of the Rocky Mountain Trench. The neighbors of the Sekani are the Babine to the west, Dakelh to the south, Dunneza to the east, and...
First Nations
First Nations
First Nations is a term that collectively refers to various Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis. There are currently over 630 recognised First Nations governments or bands spread across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. The...
used it as a trading post. It was also used as a supply depot for further expeditions into the territory. The fort closed in 1805. Fort d'Epinette was built in 1806 by the North West Company
North West Company
The North West Company was a fur trading business headquartered in Montreal from 1779 to 1821. It competed with increasing success against the Hudson's Bay Company in what was to become Western Canada...
. It was renamed Fort St. John in 1821 following the purchase of the North West Company by the Hudson's Bay Company
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
. This fort was located about 500 metres downstream from the mouth of the Beatton River
Beatton River
The Beatton River is a tributary of the Peace River, flowing generally east, then south through north-eastern British Columbia, Canada. The river rises at Pink Mountain, about 10 km west of the Alaska Highway hamlet of the same name, and flows 240 km generally east, then south, draining into the...
, which at that time was known as the Pine River (d'epinette in French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
). It was shut down in 1823.
Fort Nelson, British Columbia
Fort Nelson is a town of approximately 5000 residents in British Columbia's northeastern corner. It is the administrative centre of the newly formed Northern Rockies Regional Municipality, a first for BC. The majority of Fort Nelson's economic activities have historically been concentrated in the...
. It did not shut down until 1975. In 1928, C. M. Finch moved his general store
General store
A general store, general merchandise store, or village shop is a rural or small town store that carries a general line of merchandise. It carries a broad selection of merchandise, sometimes in a small space, where people from the town and surrounding rural areas come to purchase all their general...
to two quarters of land where he also built a government building to house the land, telegraph and post offices. The present site for the town was firmly established after he donated five acres (20,000 m²) for a Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
and additional land for a hospital.
Demographics
| Canada 2001 Census Canada 2001 Census The Canada 2001 Census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population. Census day was May 15, 2001. On that day, Statistics Canada attempted to count every person in Canada. The total population count of Canada was 30,007,094. This was a 4% increase over 1996 Census of 28,846,761. In... |
||
| Fort St. John | British Columbia | |
| Median age | 29.6 years | 38.4 years |
| Under 15 years old | 23% | 18% |
| Between 25 and 44 years old | 36% | 30% |
| Over 65 years old | 6% | 14% |
| Visible minority | 3% | 21% |
| Protestant | 38% | 31% |
The latest census
Canada 2001 Census
The Canada 2001 Census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population. Census day was May 15, 2001. On that day, Statistics Canada attempted to count every person in Canada. The total population count of Canada was 30,007,094. This was a 4% increase over 1996 Census of 28,846,761. In...
, taken in 2001, recorded 16,034 residents living in 6,155 households and 4,240 families. This was 7% more people than the previous census five years earlier. As seen by the median age almost ten years younger than the provincial median and less than half the proportion of the population over 65 years old, the city has a young population. Of those over 15 years of age in 2001, 45% were married, higher than the 51% provincial average. With 94% of Fort St. John residents being Canadian-born, and 93% with an English-only mother tongue, the town has few visible minorities. Though not included as visible minorities 11% identified themselves as Aboriginal, a higher proportion than the 4% provincial average.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
which operates a 26 officer municipal detachment and a 10 member rural detachment from the city. In 2005, the municipal detachment reported 4,048 Criminal Code of Canada
Criminal Code of Canada
The Criminal Code or Code criminel is a law that codifies most criminal offences and procedures in Canada. Its official long title is "An Act respecting the criminal law"...
offenses, which translates into a crime rate of 228 Criminal Code offenses per 1,000 people, much higher than the provincial average of 125 offenses. During that year, compared to the provincial average, the RCMP reported much higher crime rates in Fort St. John for cocaine, cannabis, non-sexual assaults, property damage, and arson related offences. However, the city had lower crime rates for robbery, theft from motor vehicles, and business break-and-enters.
Geography and climate
Fort St. John, located on the upland prairies north of the Peace River, experiences a cold humid continental climateHumid continental climate
A humid continental climate is a climatic region typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot summers and cold winters....
(extremely close to a subarctic climate
Subarctic climate
The subarctic climate is a climate characterized by long, usually very cold winters, and short, cool to mild summers. It is found on large landmasses, away from the moderating effects of an ocean, generally at latitudes from 50° to 70°N poleward of the humid continental climates...
), encompassing frigid winters and warm summers. A predominately southwesterly wind blows through town, with wind speeds averaging around 13.7 km (8.5 mi). Fort St. John uses Mountain Standard Time in the winter and in the summer, and because of its northerly latitude
Latitude
In geography, the latitude of a location on the Earth is the angular distance of that location south or north of the Equator. The latitude is an angle, and is usually measured in degrees . The equator has a latitude of 0°, the North pole has a latitude of 90° north , and the South pole has a...
experiences short daylight hours in the winter and long daylight hours in the summer.
Infrastructure
Alaska Highway
The Alaska Highway was constructed during World War II for the purpose of connecting the contiguous U.S. to Alaska through Canada. It begins at the junction with several Canadian highways in Dawson Creek, British Columbia and runs to Delta Junction, Alaska, via Whitehorse, Yukon...
), built in 1942 by the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
, runs through the city, north to Fort Nelson, the Yukon, and Alaska. As the highway goes over the Peace River to Dawson Creek, it reduced the community's dependence on the river for transportation. Within the city the streets are laid out in a grid pattern. The main streets are the north-south 100 Street and the east-west 100 Avenue. The rail line that runs by the eastern and northern borders was extended from Chetwynd by the Pacific Great Eastern Railway with the first train arriving in 1958. The only commercial airport between Dawson Creek and Fort Nelson is the Fort St. John Airport located a few miles east of the city. The two runway airport has Air Canada Jazz
Air Canada Jazz
Jazz Aviation LP is a Canadian regional airline based at Halifax Stanfield International Airport in Enfield and Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Chorus Aviation....
and other smaller airlines such as Central Mountain Air
Central Mountain Air
Central Mountain Air Ltd. is a Canadian regional airline based in Smithers, British Columbia. It operates scheduled and charter services and transborder services...
and Swanberg Air
Swanberg Air
Swanberg Air is an airline based in Grande Prairie, Alberta, Canada.It operates cargo, scheduled and charter passenger services in Alberta, Saskatchewan and British Columbia.- Destinations :Destinations:* Alberta...
with regularly scheduled flights and North Cariboo Air
North Cariboo Air
North Cariboo Air is an airline based in Fort St. John, British Columbia. It operates general charter services and support flights for oil and geological exploration companies. Its head office is Fort St. John Airport, Fort St. John, British Columbia. ....
providing chartered flights. Greyhound Bus lines
Greyhound Lines
Greyhound Lines, Inc., based in Dallas, Texas, is an intercity common carrier of passengers by bus serving over 3,700 destinations in the United States, Canada and Mexico, operating under the well-known logo of a leaping greyhound. It was founded in Hibbing, Minnesota, USA, in 1914 and...
, which has a bus stop in the city, operates a route along the highway, north to Whitehorse
Whitehorse, Yukon
Whitehorse is Yukon's capital and largest city . It was incorporated in 1950 and is located at kilometre 1476 on the Alaska Highway in southern Yukon. Whitehorse's downtown and Riverdale areas occupy both shores of the Yukon River, which originates in British Columbia and meets the Bering Sea in...
(via Fort Nelson) and south to Dawson Creek.
The city's water and sewer infrastructure pumps water from the Peace River and Charlie Lake
Charlie Lake (British Columbia)
Charlie Lake is a lake in north-eastern British Columbia, Canada, situated west from Fort St. John, along the Alaska Highway. The lake provides the water supply for the city of Fort St. John....
; it is filtered, chlorinated and florinated before being distributed. Sewage is processed in one of two lagoons. The lagoon south of the city releases the processed effluent into the Peace River and the lagoon north of the city releases into the Beatton River. Storm sewer run with the sanitary sewers but is directed into the rivers without going through the lagoons. The city's fire department has volunteer and professional members and cover the city plus five miles (8 km) into the rural areas.
Culture, recreation and media
Fort St. John Huskies
The Fort St. John Huskies are a Canadian Junior "B" Ice Hockey team based in Fort St. John, British Columbia, Canada. They are former members of the Peace-Cariboo Jr. B, Jr. A, and Rocky Mountain Junior Hockey League and current members of the Jr. B North West Junior Hockey League of Hockey...
), a separate arena for children, an 8-sheet curling rink, as well as an outdoor water park and speed skating oval. Other parks in the area include the city-maintained Fish Creek Community Forest, and about 10 km (6.2 mi) northwest of town the Beatton Provincial Park
Beatton Provincial Park
Beatton Provincial Park is a provincial park in the Peace River Country of northeastern British Columbia, Canada.-External links:...
and Charlie Lake Provincial Park
Charlie Lake Provincial Park
Charlie Lake Provincial Park is a provincial park in British Columbia, Canada, established on the western shore of Charlie Lake. It is roughly 92 hectares in size.-History and conservation:The park was established May 20, 1964....
. In the center of town is the North Peace Cultural Centre which houses the Fort St. John Public Library, a theatre
Proscenium
A proscenium theatre is a theatre space whose primary feature is a large frame or arch , which is located at or near the front of the stage...
, and the Peace Gallery North art gallery.
Fort St. John is served with several regional newspapers. The Alaska Highway News and the Dawson Creek Daily News, both part of the Glacier Media Group (previously owned by Canwest Global), are dailies available in the city. The Alaska Highway News, along with the free weekly and The Northerner, are published in town and focus more on Fort St. John news whereas the Dawson Creek Daily News is published in Dawson Creek. Local free magazine Northern Groove focuses on local music, arts, and live entertainment events in Fort St. John and area and is published monthly. The Northeast News is a free weekly community paper published on Thursday's with news coverage of communities in the Peace Region and is also online at: http://www.northeastnews.ca.
The radio stations broadcasting from Fort St. John include 98.5 Energy FM (CHRX-FM
CHRX-FM
CHRX-FM is a Canadian radio station that broadcasts a hot adult contemporary format at 98.5 FM in Fort St. John, British Columbia with a rebroadcaster at 95.1 FM in Dawson Creek with the callsign CHRX-FM-1. The station is branded as Sun FM and is owned by Astral Media.The station began broadcasting...
), 101.5 The Bear FM (CKNL-FM
CKNL-FM
CKNL-FM is a Canadian radio station that broadcasts a mainstream rock format at 101.5 FM in Fort St. John, British Columbia. The station is branded as 101.5 The Bear and is owned by Astral Media...
), 92.5 Sunrise FM (CIAM-FM
CIAM-FM
CIAM-FM is a community radio station broadcasting at 92.7 MHz on the FM dial in Fort Vermilion, Alberta, Canada. CIAM-FM is a listener supported community broadcast...
) and 100.1 Moose FM (CKFU-FM
CKFU-FM
CKFU-FM, branded as 100.1 Moose FM, is a Canadian radio station, broadcasting in Fort St. John, British Columbia. The station is one of the few commercial low power FM stations operating in Canada....
), while 890 CJDC AM
CJDC (AM)
CJDC is a Canadian radio station, broadcasting at 890 AM in Dawson Creek, British Columbia. The station, owned by Astral Media, airs a country music format....
is available from Dawson Creek. Also available locally is CBYJ-FM 88.3, repeating CBC Radio One
CBC Radio One
CBC Radio One is the English language news and information radio network of the publicly-owned Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. It is commercial free and offers both local and national programming...
station CBYG-FM
CBYG-FM
CBYG-FM is a Canadian radio station, which broadcasts the programming of the CBC Radio One network in Prince George, British Columbia. The station airs at 91.5 on the FM dial.-History:...
from Prince George
Prince George, British Columbia
Prince George, with a population of 71,030 , is the largest city in northern British Columbia, Canada, and is known as "BC's Northern Capital"...
. Fort St. John only has one terrestrial station, CBCD-TV-3 channel 9, rebroadcasting private CBC Television
CBC Television
CBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...
affiliate CJDC-TV
CJDC-TV
CJDC-TV is a television station in Dawson Creek, British Columbia. It is owned by Astral Media and is the CBC Television affiliate in that city...
from Dawson Creek.
Fort St. John has several community web pages with news, entertainment, sports, classifieds and community events such as www.energeticcity.ca, www.fsjnow.com, and www.northerngroove.com.
Economy and education
As the urban center for a rural and farming population of about 12,000 people and home to 18,000 people, Fort St. John is a retail, service and industrial center. The province's oil and gas industry, including the provincial Oil and Gas CommissionOil and Gas Commission
The BC Oil and Gas Commission is an independent, single-window regulatory agency with responsibilities for overseeing oil and gas operations in British Columbia, including exploration, development, pipeline transportation and reclamation....
is centered in the city. Forestry has become more important to the city since the opening of an oriented strand board
Oriented strand board
Oriented strand board, also known as OSB and SmartPly , is an engineered wood product formed by layering strands of wood in specific orientations. In appearance, it may have a rough and variegated surface with the individual strips Oriented strand board, also known as OSB (UK) and SmartPly (UK &...
plant in 2005. Agriculture has been the mainstay of the economy servicing and providing a market for the upland prairies.
| Economy | ||
|---|---|---|
| Rate | Town | Province |
| Unemployment rate | 9.1% | 8.5% |
| Participation rate | 77.9% | 65.2% |
| Poverty rate | 12.1% | 17.8% |
| Average male income | $54,252 | $50,191 |
| Average female income | $31,083 | $35,895 |
The 2001 Canadian census recorded 9,985 income-earners over the age of 15 residing in Fort St. John; of these, 4,500 worked full time throughout the year. The high participation rate stems from the relatively young population, much of which was attracted by the area's high-paying oil and gas industry. Its male-female income gap
Economic inequality
Economic inequality comprises all disparities in the distribution of economic assets and income. The term typically refers to inequality among individuals and groups within a society, but can also refer to inequality among countries. The issue of economic inequality is related to the ideas of...
is large.
There are 14 public schools in the municipality, but only one secondary school, administered by School District 60 Peace River North
School District 60 Peace River North
School District 60 Peace River North is a school district in northeastern British Columbia adjacent to the Alberta border. Its board office is in Fort St. John which is also where the majority of the schools are located...
. Northern Lights College
Northern Lights College
Northern Lights College is an institution that provides post-secondary education to residents of Northern British Columbia. It currently has offices in eight communities, and a working agreement with the University of Northern British Columbia. The college president is D. Jean Valgardson.- List of...
opened a campus in 1981. The 2001 Census estimated that 10% of people in Fort St. John between 20 and 64 years old graduated from a university, less than half of the 24% provincial average and 27% did not graduate from secondary school, 7% higher than the provincial average.
Government and politics
The City of Fort St. John has a council-manager form of municipal government. A six member council, along with one mayor, is elected at-large every three years. In the 19 November 2011 civic election Lori Ackerman was elected mayor, replacing the former newspaper publisher Bruce Lantz who served as mayor between 2008 and 2011. In the 2008 election Lantz had defeated one term mayor and former RCMP officer Jim Eglinski who had defeated the incumbent mayor of 15 years, Steve Thorlakson in 2005. The mayor and one city councillor represent Fort St. John on the Board of Directors of the Peace River Regional DistrictPeace River Regional District, British Columbia
The Peace River Regional District is a regional district in northeastern British Columbia, Canada. The regional district comprises seven municipalities and four electoral areas. Its member municipalities are the cities of Fort St. John and Dawson Creek, the district municipalities of Tumbler Ridge,...
. Three board of education trustees, for representation on School District 60 Peace River North
School District 60 Peace River North
School District 60 Peace River North is a school district in northeastern British Columbia adjacent to the Alberta border. Its board office is in Fort St. John which is also where the majority of the schools are located...
, are also elected by the city.
Fort St. John is situated in the Peace River North
Peace River North
Peace River North is a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Canada. It was created under the name North Peace River by the Constitution Amendment Act, 1955, which split the old riding of Peace River into northern and southern portions for the 1956 B.C....
provincial electoral district and is represented by Pat Pimm
Pat Pimm
Pat Pimm is a Canadian politician, who was elected as a BC Liberal Member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia in the 2009 provincial election, representing the riding of Peace River North. He has lived in Fort St. John, British Columbia and has a business background working at an...
in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia is one of two components of the Parliament of British Columbia, the provincial parliament ....
. Pimm replaced long-time MLA Richard Neufeld
Richard Neufeld
Richard Neufeld is a Canadian Senator for British Columbia. Before his appointment to the Senate, he was a British Columbia Liberal Party Member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia from 1991 to 2008, serving as Minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources in the cabinet of Gordon...
who was first elected as a Member of the Legislative Assembly
Member of the Legislative Assembly
A Member of the Legislative Assembly or a Member of the Legislature , is a representative elected by the voters of a constituency to the legislature or legislative assembly of a sub-national jurisdiction....
in the 1991 provincial election
British Columbia general election, 1991
The British Columbia general election of 1991 was the 35th provincial election in the Province of British Columbia, Canada. It was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The election was called on September 19, 1991, and held on October 17, 1991...
with the BC Social Credit Party
British Columbia Social Credit Party
The British Columbia Social Credit Party, whose members are known as Socreds, was the governing political party of British Columbia, Canada, for more than 30 years between the 1952 provincial election and the 1991 election...
taking 56% of votes cast at the Fort St. John polls and re-elected with Reform BC
Reform Party of British Columbia
The Reform Party of British Columbia is a populist right wing political party in British Columbia, Canada. Although its name is similar to the defunct Reform Party of Canada, the provincial party was founded before the federal party was and it did not have any formal association with...
in 1996
British Columbia general election, 1996
The British Columbia general election of 1996 was the thirty sixth provincial election in the Province of British Columbia, Canada. It was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The election was called on April 30, 1996, and held on May 28, 1996...
with 44% support, and with the BC Liberal Party
British Columbia Liberal Party
The British Columbia Liberal Party is the governing political party in British Columbia, Canada. First elected for government in 1916, the party went into decline after 1952, with its rump caucus merging with the Social Credit Party for the 1975 election...
in 2001
British Columbia general election, 2001
The British Columbia general election of 2001 was the 37th provincial election in the Province of British Columbia, Canada. It was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The election was called on April 18, 2001, and held on May 16, 2001...
and 2005
British Columbia general election, 2005
The 38th British Columbia general election was held on May 17, 2005, to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of British Columbia , Canada. The BC Liberal Party formed the government of the province prior to this general election under the leadership of Premier Gordon Campbell...
with 73% and 59% of Fort St. John polls, respectively. He has served as the Minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources since 2001.
Federally, Fort St. John is located in the Prince George—Peace River
Prince George—Peace River
Prince George—Peace River is a federal electoral district in British Columbia, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1968.-Geography:...
riding, which is represented in the House of Commons
Canadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
by Conservative Party
Conservative Party of Canada
The Conservative Party of Canada , is a political party in Canada which was formed by the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in 2003. It is positioned on the right of the Canadian political spectrum...
Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
Bob Zimmer, a former high school teacher who lives in Fort St. John. Prior to Zimmer, the riding had been represented by long-time MLA Jay Hill
Jay Hill
Jay D. Hill PC is a former Canadian politician and member of the Conservative Party of Canada. He was the Member of Parliament for the riding of Prince George—Peace River from 1993 until his retirement in 2010. He also served as Government House Leader in the Canadian House of Commons during his...
, who was born and raised in Fort St. John, and first elected in 1993 and subsequently re-elected in 1997, 2000, and 2004 with 74%, 77%, and 70% support from Fort St. John polls, respectively. Hill was also re-elected in the 2006 and 2008 federal elections. Hill had served as the Government House Leader
House Leader
In Canada, each political party with representation in the House of Commons has a House Leader who is a front bench Member of Parliament and an expert in parliamentary procedure...
and was formerly the Secretary of State and Chief Government Whip, as well as the Whip of the Canadian Alliance Party. Before Hill the riding was represented, from 1972 to 1993, by Frank Oberle
Frank Oberle, Sr.
Frank Oberle, Sr., PC is a businessman and former Canadian politician.Born in Forchheim near Karlsruhe, Germany, Oberle moved with his family to German-occupied Poland in 1941. There he was placed in a Hitler Youth indoctrination program...
of the Progressive Conservative Party
Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
The Progressive Conservative Party of Canada was a Canadian political party with a centre-right stance on economic issues and, after the 1970s, a centrist stance on social issues....
who served as Minister of State for Science and Technology from 1985 to 1989 and Minister of Forestry from 1990 to 1993.