Pine Pass#Highway

Azouzetta Lake is a scheduled stop for BC Bus North.{{cite web| url=https://bcbus.ca/schedules-and-fares/bus-schedule-between-prince-george-fort-st-john | title=BC Bus North | website=www.bcbus.ca}}

Informed by First Nations guides, a deserter from the Simon Fraser party crossed the pass in 1806. In attempts from the east in 1873 and west in 1875, surveyors Charles Horetzky and Alfred Richard Cecil Selwyn, respectively, failed to rediscover the pass. Joseph Hunter was successful from the west in 1877,{{cite web| url=http://collectionscanada.gc.ca/pam_archives/index.php?fuseaction=genitem.displayItem&rec_nbr=3789508&lang=eng&rec_nbr_list=1539432,1603147,3264491,3789508,1295466,808624,3559153,1543375,3559144,3611180 | title=Pine River Pass survey, 1877 | website=www.collectionscanada.gc.ca}} and George Dawson crossed with a pack train of over 90 horses and mules in 1879.{{cite web| url=http://calverley.ca/article/15-010-highlights-of-chetwynd-districts-early-history | title=Chetwynd district history | website=www.calverley.ca}}

The Canadian Pacific Survey during 1879 favoured the Peace Pass or Pine Pass owing to the traffic readily generated by the fertile country,{{cite web| url=http://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2016/bcp-pco/Z1-1880-3-1-eng.pdf | pages=22, & 89–90 | title=Report of the Canadian Pacific Railway Royal Commission Volume III | year=1882 | website=www.gc.ca}} but being too far north, the Canadian Pacific Railway ultimately chose the Kicking Horse Pass. By the 1910s, the CPR was back surveying in the Peace and Pine passes,Fort George Tribune, 7 Jan 1911 leaning toward the latter.Fort George Herald, 14 Jan 1911

The Grand Trunk Pacific Railway charter specified the Peace Pass, Pine Pass or such other Rocky Mountains pass which was most convenient and practicable. After surveying the first two options during 1906–07, which encompassed {{convert|560,000|acre|km2}} of arable land east of the Rockies, the company opted for the "bleak sterile" country east of the Yellowhead Pass.{{sfn|Leonard|1996|pp=62–63}} No doubt motivated by the possibility of securing a "branch" line to Vancouver later (which proved unsuccessful), this decision hindered the Canadian Northern Railway, whose intention to follow this route was publicly known.{{sfn|Leonard|1996|pp=68–69}}

Railway companies that aborted proposals to build through the Pine Pass included: the Naas & Peace River Railway,Fort George Tribune, 24 Dec 1910 the Pine Pass Railway,Fort George Herald, 29 Apr 1911{{cite web| url=http://collectionscanada.gc.ca/pam_archives/index.php?fuseaction=genitem.displayItem&rec_nbr=1294577&lang=eng&rec_nbr_list=3264489,1294517,3307844,3307843,4876272,1549695,3328547,1669974,3308438,1294577 | title=Pine Pass Railway Co. | website=www.collectionscanada.gc.ca}} the Pacific & Hudson's Bay Railway,Fort George Tribune, 17 Oct 1914 the Edmonton, Dunvegan & Bella Coola Railway,Fort George Tribune, 16 Nov 1912 and the B.C. & Dawson Railway.Prince George Citizen, 27 Jan 1984 (55)

File:BCRAIL BC-22 near Pine Pass, Garbitt, BC on September 18, 1987, West Coast Railway Excursion Special (22650551190).jpg

The Pacific Great Eastern Railway (PGE) was expected to route through the Pine Pass,Fort George Herald: 21 Mar 1914 & 4 Apr 1914Prince George Post, 21 Aug 1915 and the Pine Pass Railway might have been a section of this proposal, or a Canadian Northern Railway one.{{cite web| url=http://collectionscanada.gc.ca/pam_archives/index.php?fuseaction=genitem.displayItem&rec_nbr=1539432&lang=eng&rec_nbr_list=1539432,1603147,3264491,3789508,1295466,808624,3559153,1543375,3559144,3611180 | title=Canadian Northern Railway | website=www.collectionscanada.gc.ca}} A movement lobbying for a Wapiti Pass routePrince George Citizen, 12 Feb 1919 gained no traction.Prince George Citizen, 2 Apr 1919 When the company surveyed the Peace and Pine passes during 1920, the former's circuitous route through Finlay Forks was a recognized deterrent.Prince George Citizen: 2 Apr 1920 & 6 Aug 1920 When the PGE advance stalled, CPR engineers surveyed the Peace Pass/Finlay Forks route in 1923.Prince George Citizen, 7 Jun 1923 Rumours of a possible CPR takeover of the PGE prompted speculation regarding this route being built to handle ore from the Ferguson group of mines, coal from the Peace River canyon,Prince George Citizen, 28 Sep 1928 and Peace Country wheat.Prince George Citizen, 17 Jan 1929

During 1930, when the Northern Alberta Railways extended westward toward Dawson Creek, the CPR was again surveying routes across the Canadian Rockies. Although Monkman Pass was the shortest distance, a more northerly route better served the agricultural lands and mining prospects of the Peace Country. The greater engineering difficulties of the Pine Pass made Finlay Forks preferable.Prince George Citizen: 25 Sep 1930, 27 Nov 1930, 1 Oct 1931 & 15 Mar 1934 In 1945, the PGE formally filed plans for the Pine Pass route, because it was {{convert|100|mi}} shorter,Prince George Citizen, 14 Jun 1945 but lobbying for Finlay Forks continued.Prince George Citizen, 14 Aug 1947

When Monkman Pass was later considered, the northern Peace protested.Prince George Citizen, 19 Jan 1953 With the narrow, precipitous, and loose shale conditions ultimately ruling out the Peace Pass, the Pine Pass option became a certainty,Prince George Citizen: 18 Nov 1954 & 29 Sep 1955 but the selection was theoretically left open by tendering the construction only as far north as the Parsnip River.Prince George Citizen, 4 Aug 1955 However, within months, the government let the grading contracts southPrince George Citizen, 31 Oct 1955 and northPrince George Citizen, 8 Dec 1955 of Azouzetta Lake. The Pine Pass decision angered the Peace Pass supporters,Prince George Citizen, 6 Oct 1955 who at least sought a Finlay Forks spur.Prince George Citizen, 23 Apr 1956

On December 13, 1957, the PGE track-laying machine crossed the Pine Pass summit at Mile 126, then waited at Mile 132 for blasting to finish on the approach to an unplanned {{convert|1/4|mi|m|spell=in|adj=on}} tunnel.Prince George Citizen: 20 Dec 1957 & 20 Jan 1958 Although the completed sections were already in commercial use {{Crossreference|selfref=no|(see #Pipelines_&_High_Voltage_Lines)}}, the rails did not reach Dawson Creek until September 1958.Prince George Citizen, 26 Sep 1958 An inaugural run and golden spike ceremony followed a week later.Prince George Citizen: 30 Sep 1958 & 3 Oct 1958

File:BCRAIL RDCs on East Pine River bridge, Sundance, BC on September 15, 1987, West Coast Railway Excursion (22143738734).jpg

During the 1965/66 winter, a snowdrift derailed the three lead locomotives of a train near the pass.Prince George Citizen, 28 Dec 1965 A crane came up from Squamish to lift the front diesel, and it took two days to reopen the line.Prince George Citizen, 30 Dec 1965 Two months later, an ice buildup on the track derailed two locomotives and a freight car.Prince George Citizen, 7 Feb 1966 In 1967, the PGE carried the 77-ton turbines for the W. A. C. Bennett Dam, which at the time set a record for the highest load in relation to its width transported on the line. The clearance in the Azouzetta Tunnel was {{convert|5|in}}.Prince George Citizen, 29 Jun 1967

To minimize snow from clogging the track and stalling locomotives, the 1971 dynamiting at Atunatchi Creek widened the right-of-way. The impact on the Azouzetta Lake environment attracted possibly unfair criticism.Prince George Citizen: 14 & 19 May 1971 When a seven-week strike ended in January, 1975, it took several days to remove the snow and ice buildup in the pass before services resumed.Prince George Citizen: 7, 8 & 10 Jan 1975

In 1982, an avalanche risk delayed the removal of a derailed snow plow, which also left two trains stranded in the area.Prince George Citizen, 13 Jan 1982

During the 1990s, 14 empty tank cars derailed {{convert|19|km}} north of Azu village.Prince George Citizen, 13 Jun 1994 A 23-car derailment spilled 2,100 tonnes of sulphur, which the railway sought to bury.Prince George Citizen, 17 Mar 1997 Another 13-car derailment included six liquid natural gas tankers.Prince George Citizen, 3 Aug 1996 A grain-hauling agreement between BC Rail and CNR established equal shipping rates for Peace area grain to Vancouver and Prince Rupert ports.Prince George Citizen, 13 May 1998

A 1923 B.C. Department of Lands map showed a wagon trail through the pass.

In 1930, the district provincial engineer intimated the cheaper Pine Pass route, with an estimated $800,000 cost, would be chosen for a highway. An alternate Peace Pass/Finlay Forks route proposed a connection through Manson Creek to the highway under construction from Fort St. James.Prince George Citizen, 7 Aug 1930 The latter, known as the Turgeon Highway continued to receive federal funding as a mining road,Prince George Citizen: 30 Jun 1938 & 15 Jun 1939 but the public support was behind another option, the Monkman Pass.Prince George Citizen: 1 & 18 Mar 1937 The positions of local members of parliament were ambiguous.Prince George Citizen: 2 Dec 1937, 20 Jan 1938, & 8 Dec 1938

In 1943, the Peace, Pine, and Monkman passes were surveyed. The following year, Premier John Hart announced the decision to reconstruct 117 miles of old road and to construct 157 miles of new road over the Pine Pass. Access to agricultural land and mineral deposits determined the final choice.Prince George Citizen, 17 Feb 1944 In 1945, the project was awarded in two sections: Mile 0 (Summit Lake) to Mile 94 (Azouzetta Lake) for $1,823,555 and Mile 94 to Mile 151 for $1,308,940.Prince George Citizen, 28 Jun 1945 The prime contractor for the southwest section, Campbell Construction, experienced extreme unforeseen difficulties,Prince George Citizen, 19 Sep 1946 and abandoned the uncompleted project.Prince George Citizen: 24 Jun 1948 & 5 Aug 1948 After calling new tenders, the lowest bid of $1,446,831 from W. C. Arnett & Co. was accepted.Prince George Citizen: 28 Oct 1948 & 11 Nov 1948 Fred Mannix & Co. completed their northeast section in 1948. Owing to significant changes to the contract with respect to labour-related issues, both Campbell and Mannix sued the province and reached settlements.Prince George Citizen: 10 & 24 Mar 1949

The modest gravel highway was usable by the fall of 1951,Prince George Citizen: 29 Mar 1951 & 16 Aug 1951 but was barely passable during that winter.Prince George Citizen, 15 Nov 1951 The route officially opened the following summer,Prince George Citizen, 3 Jul 1952 but could be challenging even in fine weather.Prince George Citizen, 31 Jul 1952 In the spring of 1955, the section south of the pass to the Parsnip River was approaching impassibility, with three stretches negotiated by Highway Department equipment towing all traffic.Prince George Citizen, 14 Apr 1955

File:Azouzetta Lake in the Northern Rockies along John Hart Hwy^^Dans les Rocheuses du Nord BC^^Azu Lake in The local slang - panoramio.jpg

In 1962, work around Mount Le Moray at the northern end of the pass brought the road up to a standard for grading.Prince George Citizen, 19 Apr 1962 Despite promises regarding the imminent paving of the complete Hart Highway,Prince George Citizen: 24 Jul 1959, 17 Oct 1961 & 25 May 1962 it was not until 1963 that a {{convert|33.2|mi|adj=on}} contract was awarded for the pass and its southern approach,Prince George Citizen: 8 & 27 May 1963 and 1964 for the adjoining {{convert|9.2|mi|adj=on}} northern approach.Prince George Citizen, 20 Jul 1964 By 1977, the {{convert|14|mi|adj=on}} section comprising the pass summit and southern approaches, previously paved in 1964, was beyond repair. The work to replace the base and repavePrince George Citizen: 25 Apr 1977 & 16 Jun 1977 was completed in 1978.Prince George Citizen, 9 Mar 1978 The adjoining {{convert|13.3|km|adj=on}} section north to the rail tunnel was rebuilt and repaved in 1985Prince George Citizen, 30 Mar 1985 at a cost of $12 million.Prince George Citizen, 18 Dec 1985

During 1990–91, three bridges were replaced as part of a widening and straightening project.Prince George Citizen, 30 Jul 1990 Throughout 1994–96, TNL Paving undertook a $10 million reconstruction of the {{convert|11.4|km|adj=on}} Bijoux Falls to Azouzetta Lake section, applying a porous three-inch diameter gravel foundation. When the road was previously rebuilt during 1977–78, the gravel and cement base mixture hindered drainage, which soon caused frost heaves.Prince George Citizen: 25 Jul 1994, 21 Jun 1995, & 2 Nov 1995 During 1997–98, a {{convert|4.2|km|adj=on}} section, which adjoined to the southwest, was rebuilt.Prince George Citizen: 10 Jun 1997 & 10 Oct 1997 In 1998, single pass paving was laid north from Azouzetta Lake to Bennett Creek.Prince George Citizen, 22 May 1998 The following year, Peters Bros. Construction repaved a crumbling {{convert|13|km|adj=on}} section to the south of the pass.Prince George Citizen, 14 Jun 1999

Despite this investment, a report by the Northern Development Initiative Trust pressed for a further $135 million worth of improvements.Prince George Citizen, 2 Jan 2010 During 2010–2011, Cariboo Construction undertook an $18.5 million reconstruction of the remaining {{convert|11.2|km|adj=on}} section north of Bennett Creek to Link Creek, the only portion untouched over the previous 25 years. Replacing two major bridges over the Pine River and two minor ones over creeks,Prince George Citizen, 10 Nov 2009 the total cost was $40 million.Prince George Citizen: 30 Jul 2010 & 25 Aug 2011 In 2011, a two-day stretch of heavy rain caused washouts at 15 sites. More than 100 workers, and more than 60 pieces of equipment, took nearly two weeks to reopen the highway to single-lane traffic.Prince George Citizen, 7 Jul 2011 Five years later, damage from torrential downpours closed the highway for almost a week.Prince George Citizen: 18, 21 & 24 Jun 2016

File:Bijoux Falls 2008.jpg

Established in 1956, the Bijoux Falls Provincial Park is on the southern approach.{{cite web| url=https://apps.gov.bc.ca/pub/bcgnws/names/5051.html| title=BC Geographical Names, Bijoux Falls Park | website=www.gov.bc.ca}}

Purchasing a property in 1952 at Mile 124 ({{cvt|3|mi|order=flip|disp=sqbr}} southwest of Azouzetta Lake), Katherine Winnifred Begallie and Michael Leo Begallie opened Halfway Lodge in 1955.Prince George Citizen: 18 Sep 1952 to 9 Oct 1952; & 28 Mar 1955 to 18 Apr 1955 The following year, a forest fire almost destroyed the building.Prince George Citizen: 16 & 19 Jul 1956 In the early 1960s, a gas pump was installed,Prince George Citizen, 7 May 1963 and Leo married Nora Cunningham.Prince George Citizen, 3 Apr 1961 At the time, Halfway Lodge and Azu Village were the only accommodation in the immediate area.Prince George Citizen, 20 Apr 1966 The pair managed the lodge and café,Prince George Citizen: 30 Mar 1965 & 31 Mar 1966 with Norman and Linda Davis taking over the latter in 1968.Prince George Citizen, 16 Aug 1968

Several investors owned the Azu Ski Village, which opened in 1965 and eventually grew into four runs with a T-bar and an {{convert|11|acre|adj=on|order=flip}} weekend cottage subdivision.Prince George Citizen, 5 Jan 2013 The earlier dormitory accommodation, dining facilities,Prince George Citizen: 23 Feb 1967 to 30 Mar 1967; & 20 Apr 1967 and day lodge,Prince George Citizen: 20 Dec 1968 & 3 Jan 1969 were augmented in 1969 with motel units and a new day lodge.Prince George Citizen: 7 Mar 1969 & 30 Nov 1971 Ferdinand (Ferry) Stroble, the proprietor,Prince George Citizen: 3 Dec 1969 & 13 May 1970 requested his ashes be spread on the mountain when he died at 81.Prince George Citizen, 22 Dec 2012 By 1974, the location possessed a liquor licence and gas pumps.Prince George Citizen: 29 Nov 1974 to 4 Dec 1974 Sold in 1979 to Kerry O’Connor, Powder King was launched on an adjacent site to the north.Prince George Citizen: 12 Jan 1979 & 5 Jan 2013

Opened in the early 1950s and for sale in 1963, the Pine Valley Lodge, operating at Mile 171 (an eastern extremity, {{cvt|24|mi|order=flip|disp=sqbr}} west of Chetwynd), comprised cabins, a café and garage. In the 1950s, the next gas station on the way to Prince George was {{convert|85|mi|order=flip}} away at McLeod Lake.Prince George Citizen: 25 Jun 1953; 20 to 28 Feb 1963; & 26 & 27 Sep 1963 Slightly nearer at Mile 93 (a western extremity), Windy Point Lodge opened in 1965, at Mile 97 (Mackenzie turnoff), with a café and Esso pumps.Prince George Citizen, 30 Mar 1965 Also opened later, the Silver Sands Motel at Mile 147 received a liquor licence in 1975.Prince George Citizen, 27 Aug 1975 For sale in 1986, the Silver Sands Lodge comprised a coffee shop, store, gas pumps, tire shop, cabins and rooms.Prince George Citizen: 19 & 20 Mar 1986 A fire destroyed the main lodge in 2014, but spared the cabins.{{cite web| url=https://issuu.com/chetwyndecho/docs/chetwynd_echo_august_13__2014 | title=Chetwynd Echo, 13 Aug 2014 | website=www.issuu.com| date=15 October 2015 }}

The Pine Valley Park Lodge was described as {{convert|14|mi|order=flip}} from Honeymoon Creek,Prince George Citizen, 16 Jun 1977 namely at the north end of Azouzetta Lake. Under a loan default sale in 1977, it comprised lodge accommodation, restaurant and service station.Prince George Citizen: 18 Feb 1977, 7 Apr 1977 & 12 May 1982 Newspaper articles sometimes appear to misname it as the Pine Valley Lodge.Prince George Citizen: 30 Aug 1972, 6 Sep 1972 & 12 May 1982 In the same vein, the Pine Valley Lodge was equally placed at Mile 144.Prince George Citizen: 4, 6, 7 & 9 Jul 1998 It was renamed Azouzetta Lake Lodge, listed for sale in 2002,Prince George Citizen: 27 Apr 2002 & 15 Jun 2002 mothballed in 2012,Prince George Citizen, 21 Jun 2011 and purchased by the Powder King Mountain Resort in 2016.{{cite web| url=http://www.dawsoncreekmirror.ca/regional-news/chetwynd/purchase-of-azouzetta-lake-lodge-a-sign-of-things-to-come-for-powder-king-1.2264444 | title=Dawson Creek Mirror, 26 May 2016 | website=www.dawsoncreekmirror.ca| date=27 May 2016 }}

The Pine Le Moray Provincial Park, on the northern approach, was established in 2000.Prince George Citizen, 10 May 2001

During 1952, Westcoast Transmission survey crews marked a route through the pass for a natural gas pipeline to the lower mainland.Prince George Citizen: 24 Sep 1951 & 21 Aug 1952 In 1955, the company was granted a two-year extension for completing the $162-million {{convert|650|mi|adj=on}} line, and permission to increase the {{convert|24|in|cm|adj=on}} pipeline diameter to {{convert|80|in|m|adj=on}}.Prince George Citizen, 6 Jun 1955

To construct an oil pipeline through the pass,Prince George Citizen, 18 Apr 1957 pipes were railed there over the recently completed section of the PGE in early 1958.Prince George Citizen, 20 Feb 1958 Western Pacific Products and Crude Oil Pipelines connected Taylor and Kamloops in late 1961.Prince George Citizen: 8 Dec 1961 & 15 Jul 1966

Extending from the W. A. C. Bennett Dam, the 500,000-volt transmission lines through the pass were in place by 1967.Prince George Citizen, 27 Sep 1968

During the 1980s, replacement natural gas pipes were railed to Azu. To facilitate the transmission of higher volumes of gas, the single pipeline was upgraded to narrower pipes laid in dual formation.Prince George Citizen, 15 Sep 1980 With new construction at the ski resort close to the 200-metre-wide transmission corridor, the safety code specified thicker pipes be installed.Prince George Citizen, 4 Sep 1985

Westcoast Energy and the province shared the cost of relocating a {{convert|25|km|adj=on}} section of gas pipelines in 1990.

With the 2011 heavy rain and flooding, Pembina temporarily shut down its oil pipeline as a proactive measure before rectifying erosion and assessing the line for damage.

In the late 1950s, the relay transmitter station for the PGE's new microwave radio system was located at Azouzetta Lake.Prince George Citizen, 30 Sep 1958 Third parties leased channels not required by the railway.Prince George Citizen, 6 Nov 1957

During the late 1980s, the Ministry of Health installed repeater stations in the pass to address reception problems experienced by first responders.Prince George Citizen, 15 Dec 1987 BC Hydro extended the power lines from Honeymoon Creek to connect Azu to the electrical grid. Upfront customer contributions and amortization over a five-year period recovered the $272,000 project cost.Prince George Citizen: 22 Jul 1988, 16 Dec 1988 & 31 May 1989 The regional district approved the installation of a water and sewer system at an amortized cost of $351,440 that was recovered from users over subsequent years.Prince George Citizen, 31 May 1989

The school bus terminated at Honeymoon Creek, but Pine Pass parents were able to extend the route a further {{convert|14|mi|}} to the Azu community from the 1970/71 school year.Prince George Citizen, 9 Sep 1970 When the school board withdrew the service for the 1972/73 year, because of cost,Prince George Citizen: 30 Aug 1972 & 6 Sep 1972 it affected less than 10 students. Withholding their children from school, an unwillingness to compromise, and lobbying,Prince George Citizen: 21 & 27 Sep 1972; 6, 10, 18 & 30 Oct 1972; 22 Nov 1972; & 6 Dec 1972 parents pressured the province to resume the service,Prince George Citizen: 20 Dec 1972 & 3 Jan 1973 which lapsed when no longer required. When a family of four moved to Azouzetta Lake in 1977, the school board agreed to increase the travel allowance to $7.60 per day to cover the parent's drive to connect with the bus,Prince George Citizen, 2 Feb 1977 however, efforts continued to restore a 100 percent subsidy from the province for a bus service.Prince George Citizen, 13 Sep 1978 For the 1989/90 year, despite nine or 10 children living in the village, the school bus connection further withdrew to the Mackenzie turnoff, {{convert|25|mi|}} away.Prince George Citizen, 2 Sep 1989, 20 Oct 1989, & 18 & 22 Nov 1989 From the 1990/91 year, the bus terminus was restored once more to Azu village (Powder King),Prince George Citizen, 1 Sep 1990 but was returned to the Mackenzie turnoff from the 1997/98 year,Prince George Citizen, 8 Sep 1997 because of low ridership. The board rejected a parental plea in 2000 to restore the service.Prince George Citizen: 27 Oct 2000 & 6 Nov 2000

In 1959, a solo commercial pilot experiencing engine trouble, died on crashing near Mount Le Moray and the PGE right-of-way.Prince George Citizen, 6 Nov 1959

A Beech 35 made an emergency landing at Azouzetta Lake in 1967.{{cite web| url=http://collectionscanada.gc.ca/pam_archives/index.php?fuseaction=genitem.displayItem&rec_nbr=4584339&lang=eng&rec_nbr_list=3611193,3264463,4584339,206933,103455,163547,15950 | title=Aircraft accident, 1967 | website=www.collectionscanada.gc.ca}}

A car crash in 1988 killed the basketball coach and five senior team members from the Bethel Christian School.Prince George Citizen: 10 Mar 1988 & 24 Jun 2016

In 1994, the pilot and the four-firefighter passengers, escaped unhurt from a helicopter crash north of Azu village.Prince George Citizen, 17 Aug 1994 On a curve days later, {{convert|24|km}} north of the village, a truck hauling two tanker trailers overturned, and {{convert|31000|L|gal}} of gasoline and more than {{convert|14000|L|gal}} of diesel spilled into the river.Prince George Citizen: 19 & 24 Aug 1994

During the 1997–98 highway reconstruction project, Dale Rolland Alexander assaulted a flagperson on duty in the early hours of the morning,Prince George Citizen: 1 Oct 1997, 21 Nov 1997, 25 Feb 2000 & 1 Mar 2000 but was not located and remanded in custody until 15 months later.Prince George Citizen: 2 Dec 1998 & 29 May 2001 Bail denied,Prince George Citizen: 21 May 1999, 29 May 1999, 5 Jun 1999 & 11 Dec 1999 his trial commenced in due course,Prince George Citizen: 22, 23, 24 & 26 Feb 2000; & 2, 3 & 4 Mar 2000 and he was found guilty of sexual assault causing bodily harm, sexual assault with a weapon, kidnapping, uttering threats and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose.Prince George Citizen, 7 Mar 2000 Prior to his dangerous-offender assessment, he dismissed his lawyer.Prince George Citizen: 24 Mar 2000 & 20 Apr 2000 The hearings during 2001–02, included the victim impact statement, and noted an unsuccessful appeal, his attitude of denial, an unrelated assault on a police officer, and threatening to kill his former mother-in-law.Prince George Citizen: 5 & 6 Jun 2001; & 5 & 27 Apr 2002 He served a nine-year sentence. After he failed to return to his halfway house in Vancouver, as required under the conditions of his long-term supervision order, a Canada-wide arrest warrant was issued in 2013 for the high-risk sex offender.{{cite news| url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/vancouver-police-launch-canada-wide-search-for-sex-offender/article15184636 | title=Globe & Mail, 31 Oct 2013 | newspaper=The Globe and Mail| date=31 October 2013 }}

During the 2000/01 winter, two snowmobilers died in an avalanche.Prince George Citizen, 5 Jan 2001

In 2014, {{convert|8|km|0}} south of the village at Stack Creek, 58 firefighters and two helicopters contained a {{convert|1625|ha|km2}} wildfire.Prince George Citizen, 5 Sep 2014 Two years later, a semi hauling an explosive substance rolled into a ditch, closing the highway for much of the day.Prince George Citizen: 16 & 17 Nov 2016

{{reflist}}

• {{BCGNIS|16825|Pine Pass}}
• {{cite web | url=http://pgnewspapers.pgpl.ca/fedora/repository |title =Prince George archival newspapers |website=www.pgpl.ca}}
• {{cite book |last=Leonard |first=Frank |title=A Thousand Blunders: The Grand Trunk Pacific Railway and Northern British Columbia |year=1996 |publisher=UBC Press | isbn=9780774805322}}

• {{cite cgndb|id=JBDZF|name=Pine Pass}}

Category:Mountain passes of British Columbia

Category:Hart Ranges

Category:Northern Interior of British Columbia

Category:Peace River Land District