After 9 Wednesday January 21st 2026

·57 min·5 clips

Shirley Bond welcomes Pat Bell, the common thread linking the Natural Resource Forum, Ukrainian family support, and a local ski hill revival.

The episode begins with host Shirley Bond promoting the local Cold Snap Winter Music Festival before introducing guest Pat Bell, a former provincial politician and longtime friend. Bond frames the conversation around Bell's current passions and community projects. They first discuss the BC Natural Resources Forum, which Bell initiated 23 years ago to bring together resource sectors like forestry, mining, energy, and agriculture to tackle shared land-use challenges. Bell credits Joanne Naransky for executing the idea and notes the forum now attracts record attendance, though he laments the decreased focus on agriculture. The dialogue shifts to forestry policy, where Bell expresses frustration over the cyclical nature of issues like market diversification and permitting, citing examples from his time in government. Bond then steers the topic to Bell's involvement with Ukrainian families displaced by the war. Bell recounts how he and his wife Brenda decided to host a family after the invasion, connecting via Facebook through a local group, and now consider them extended family. After a break, they explore Bell's work with the Hart Ski Hill, where he helped lead a community effort to install a snowmaking system, increasing operational days from 30-40 to over 100 annually and teaching thousands of children to ski. Bell also mentions a special ski night for Ukrainian families. The final segment focuses on Northern Lights Estate Winery, which Bell co-founded after leaving politics. He describes its growth from a concept discussed on a plane to the largest fruit winery in Canada, ranking 27th out of 350 wineries in BC. Bell announces that on February 3rd, Bond and other dignitaries will bottle the winery's one millionth bottle, far exceeding initial expectations. The episode closes with Bell hinting at future projects, including a new Wendy's restaurant, and Bond thanking him for his friendship and community contributions.

As heard by us

A warm Prince George morning show where Cold Snap and Hart Ski Hill become stories of local care.

Prince George comes through as the real subject of this After 9 episode, shaped by two forms of local care: the welcome back to Cold Snap and the effort to keep Hart Ski Hill useful for families.

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Why you'd press play

You get Prince George winter culture, Cold Snap reminders, and a local ski-hill check-in with a grateful sign-off.

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