On The Brink Podcast

Jim VanderPloeg is a Primary Care Paramedic in Northern British Columbia and also one of the founders of the Prince George Relay For Life.    In addition to  being passionate about patient care, Jim is also a Critical Incident Peer team member, Co-Chair of OSH Committee  and Driving Evaluator. Jim  is the Northern Public Education Director for the Ambulance Paramedics of B...

Katie Stymiest is the founder of CAKED BY KATIE - a fun and flavourful dairy-free and gluten-free online baking blog.  She is also the content creator for the CAKED BY KATIE social channels, which has hundreds of thousands of followers, both domestic and international.    As a self-taught baker living in Prince George, Katie has a love for fun and funky flavours. She was recent...

Originally from Aberdeen, Scotland, Ben Thomson is the Co-Owner and Operator of HVAC STRONG MECHANICAL.  As a former strongman athlete who competed in the annual Arnold's Classic in Columbus, Ohio, Ben's focus is now on his company, which specializes in installation, service and maintenance of all types of HVAC systems and ducting.    Ben is the epitome of entrepreneurship and...

Rob Schuetz is the President of Industrial Forestry Service (IFS), which is one of the largest natural resource consulting firms operating in British Columbia for the forestry, bioenergy, oil & gas, and mining sectors..    Rob is past-president of the Society of Consulting Foresters of British Columbia. He specializes in the analysis of fibre supplies throughout BC and Alberta and ha...

Amanda Alexander is a community leader and builder in Prince George, who as spent the past 10 years in the CEO role at the YMCA of Northern BC. Amanda has helped facilitate the unification of British Columbia YMCAs and recently transitioned to a new vice president role with YMCA BC.    Amanda is passionate about the YMCA's mission, leading a charity that is dedicated to strengthening the...

Garry Merkel is a member of the Tahltan Nation and a Registered Professional Forester (RPF) with the Association of BC Forest Professionals. His achievements and contributions are numerous and span decades. They include being instrumental in the formation of the Faculty of Forestry’s First Nations Council of Advisors (FNCOA) in 1994 in which he currently serves as co-chair. He also worked with the...

Jordan Yu is a physical education teacher, community builder and founder of the Northern Bounce Sports Academy.   Jordan grew up in Prince George, thriving in the sport of basketball and winning numerous championships and awards. He played varsity basketball for the Capilano Blues  and  University of British Columbia Thunderbirds.  After finishing his varsity athletics career a...

Jenn Cooper is a Media Relations Officer with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in Prince George, British Columbia.   Jenn grew up in the lower mainland of British Columbia and was very surprised to be posted in the North – she’d never traveled farther north than Kelowna before.  Jenn’s first posting was in Terrace, B.C. where she stayed for five years. Jenn and her family mo...

In this solo podcast episode, John Brink discusses why the British Columbia forest industry is in crisis.

Tami van Kalsbeek is over 850 days sober. She is a certified self-love coach, executive assistant, dedicated mother, a grateful recovering alcoholic, empath, and founder of The Soul Project.   Tami has combined these passions and skillsets to support those who are seeking deeper self-awareness, understanding, and growth. Her mission is to empower and heal the lives of women who have live...

David Elstone, RPF, is a professional forester and a highly-regarded industry expert with over 25 years of experience within the forest sector. Recently David has served as Executive Director of the Truck Loggers Association (TLA), advocating on behalf of the British Columbia forest industry's supply chain.    Before the TLA, David worked for 10 years as a senior analyst for ERA For...

As a teenager Brian Fehr began his career working in sawmills across Northern British Columbia. In 1983, in partnership with his father Ike and brother David, he founded a sawmill maintenance and construction company called the BID Group. Over a period of 40 years, the Fehr family transformed the BID Group into a billion-dollar company with thousands of employees from rural communities across Cana...

Mike Bernier was elected MLA for Peace River South in 2013, 2017, and 2020. Mike is currently the Shadow Minister for Forests.  In the past, he has served as Minister of Education, and as Parliamentary Secretary for Energy Literacy and the Environment for the Minister of Environment. He has also served on the Cabinet Committee on Strong Economy.   Before being elected to the Legisla...

Kevin Falcon is the Official Opposition Leader for the BC Liberal Party, elected leader in February 2022. He was then elected as MLA for Vancouver-Quilchena on April 30, 2022. Prior to this, Falcon was elected MLA for Surrey-Cloverdale in 2001, a position he held until 2013. He was born and raised on the North Shore and he graduated from SFU and the Real Estate Program at UBC. When he was first el...

In 2006 Sarrah made the Village of Fraser Lake in North Central BC her home after a lengthy stay in Prince George BC for almost 24 years. Sarrah has a background in Business and Marketing and landed a role in her 20s as the manager of recreation for a municipality which started her on her journey in municipal politics. In 2018 as a Municipal Councillor, Sarrah started departing her many other jobs...

For the past five years, Cristian Silva Zuniga  has been a member of Team Rubicon (Canada and International), a veteran-led disaster response organization,  which has enabled him to assist people on their worst days - locally, nationally and internationally.   On the international front, this past year Cristian travelled with this organization as TRI Lead in a project with US SOUTHC...

Jan Hedberg is a professional forester in Sweden and owner of the company Skogsresor.  In this episode, John Brink and Jan Hedberg spend time comparing the Sweden and British Columbia forest industries.   Since 2002, SKOGSRESOR offers well-organized themed trips across the world with a forest connection. They increase Swedish residents’ global knowledge of FORESTS & WOOD as well as a...

Peter Legge lives his life dream as an internationally acclaimed professional speaker, a bestselling author and as Chairman & CEO of the largest, independently owned media publishing company in Western Canada – Canada Wide Media.   Controlling a network of over 25 magazines, in addition to providing a diverse range of media services and products with over $15 million in annual sales, Pete...

Riley Banzer is the Founder and Owner of Olympus Freerunning, Prince George's first and only Parkour Training Facility.    Parkour is the discipline of moving your body from point A to point B in the fastest most efficient way possible. It is the activity and culture of practicing to pass/overcome obstacles or structures. Parkour can be a fun activity to get in shape or a discipline to c...

Dr. Tracey Lotze is a family doctor providing primary care to a large variety of patients. Rather than being a specialist, she provides general care, specifically in taking care of a family’s healthcare. As such, she has the capability to offer comprehensive medical services for different members of the family, regardless of their sex or age on a continuous basis.  Tracey is a cancer survivor...

Joan Atkinson moved to Mackenzie with her husband and two sons in 1997 and boasts there is no place she would rather live. Both of Joan’s sons and her husband, Jim, work in the Forest Industry in the area, so Joan recognizes the importance of maintaining a strong forest economy in our community.    As the Mayor of Mackenzie, Joan is very enthusiastic about the opportunities of good payin...

Paz Milburn and Peter Weedon are the Lead Organizers of the bi-annual Boogie With The Stars fundraiser.   Boogie with the Stars (BWTS) is part of a fun filled, New Year’s Eve Dinner and Dance held at the Civic Centre in Prince George every two years.  The evening is primarily one of music and dance for everybody, with an excellent dinner, great entertainment, together with a fundrai...

Rob Schuetz is the President of Industrial Forestry Service (IFS), which is one of the largest natural resource consulting firms operating in British Columbia for the forestry, bioenergy, oil & gas, and mining sectors.  Rob is past-president of the Society of Consulting Foresters of British Columbia. He specializes in the analysis of fibre supplies throughout BC and Alberta and has spent...

Finn Scott-Neff hails from the north coast of California and is the President of the UNBC Forestry Club. He is also a very talented musician. Finn got his start playing with the Humboldt Music Academy fiddlers and has played fiddle and classical throughout his childhood. Finn employs his passion for music and personal growth to his daily life and as guest performer with a multitude of other acts,...

Doug Bell is the President and CEO of Northern Lights Estate Winery (Canada’s largest fruit winery) and chair of the Family Fast Group of Companies.   Doug has been a part of Prince George since 1988, and to say he is invested in his community is an understatement. This young difference maker is committed to excellence in the city and is involved in a substantial amount of events, causes and...