Recent History – 2000
Feb. 15, 2000
DAWSON CREEK — The latest attempt to have the Peace Country secede from British Columbia and join Alberta is gaining plenty of attention in the Wild Rose province.
Beginning with a front page photo in the Feb. 10 Edmonton Sun of Wednesday’s protest at the Mile Zero Post, the tabloid has given extensive ink to the subject.
Columnist Rick Bell devoted an entire column on Feb. 12 to the issue, interviewing the mayors from both Dawson Creek and Fort St. John and Alaska Hotel owner Charles Kux-Kardos.
The biggest comment was reserved for Alberta premier Ralph Klein. In response to the Dawson Creek banner: “Hey, Ralph! If you like us, just smile,” the premier has a quick response.
“I’m smiling,” says Ralph. “I’m smiling.”
But Klein also warned that bringing the Peace into the Alberta fold won’t be easy.
“We’d have to open the Constitution in order to do it because the borders are already established. But people from Fort St. John and Dawson Creek already shop in Grande Prairie. We would welcome them.”
Meanwhile, in another Feb. 12 story headlined “B.C. gets no Peace”, readers learn that King Signs and Stamps in Edmonton is sending Alberta flags to the B.C. Peace free of charge. They did so after learning that there was a shortage of the Alberta flags in the B.C. Peace.