The Most-Read Stories of 2025

It is officially 2026, which means it’s a great time to look back at 2025 to see what were the most-read stories. From a pipeline expansion to a bear breaking into someone’s house, here are the 10 stories that you read the most in 2025. Also, make sure to check out our Feel-Good Stories from 2025 and Important Stories for 2026 lists as recommended by our reporters.

10. Fish Creek Fire

A large fire broke out north of Fort St. John in Fish Creek Community Forest on May 1st, 2025. Nineteen households were evacuated but no injuries or structural damage was reported. The Fort St John Fire Department led the operation with assistance from the BC Wildfire Service, firefighting crews from Charlie Lake and the North Peace Regional Airport. As part of the article, we also included footage provided to us by readers.

9. Drivers Fined After Tractor-Trailer Breaks Apart

BC Highway Patrol fined multiple drivers after a tractor-trailer broke down while attempting a U-turn. Corporal Michael McLaughlin said an officer was travelling through Fort Nelson on June 19th, 2025, when he discovered the truck carrying a load of mail blocking the road. McLaughlin explained a tow truck was called to tow away the vehicle for further inspection, but after further violations were found, the two truck drivers were ticketed for falsified or incorrect log books. The BC Highway Patrol officer said a competitor truck also tried to take the truck but also received a ticket for driving while using an electronic device.

8. Peace Residents File Complaint Against David Suzuki Foundation

Eight Peace region locals filed a formal complaint over a photograph used by the David Suzuki Foundation to allegedly depict the Montney region. The eight residents submitted a complaint to the Competition Bureau Canada, an independent law enforcement agency which “protects and promotes competition for the benefit of Canadian consumers and businesses.” According to an application for inquiry document published by Deena Del Giusto, the group alleges the foundation falsely represented the B.C. Montney region with a 20-year-old photograph of an oil field in Wyoming, U.S.A. The group accuses the foundation of using the photograph in a misleading manner in order to receive donations.

7. Fort St. John Reacts to B.C. Ostrich Farm Cull

An almost year-long legal battle over an ostrich cull came to an end after the Supreme Court of Canada declined to hear a final appeal from the farm owners. The decision by the court on November 6th, 2025, effectively lifted a stay on the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s (CFIA) complete depopulation and disposal order, issued last December amid an avian influenza outbreak. The order set in motion an overnight operation at Universal Ostrich Farms, where hundreds of ostriches were culled inside a hay bale enclosure under heavy police supervision. Beyond the cull itself, the farm is also entangled in financial disputes. Fort St. John lawyer Steven Cope, representing creditors Rudi George and Roman Stadler, said his clients weren’t paid the $126,399 worth of ostriches they supplied to the farm.

6. Black Bear Squeezes Through Dog Door in “Reverse Goldilocks” Situation

A black bear squeezed through a dog door to eat $500 worth of freezer food – plus about an ounce of weed – while the resident was on vacation in northeast B.C. Ucluelet man Brandon Halvorson was in Dawson Creek when a black bear popped off the plastic cover to his dog door to get into his house and steal the food.

5. LNG Worker’s “Bodily Integrity Violated”

A painter was awarded $2,000 in damages after being subjected to a drug and alcohol test over a minor injury at the Kitimat LNG Canada project. Arbitrator Jitesh Mistry found a worker on the $18 billion project had his right to privacy and bodily integrity violated when he had to do the tests.

4. Tourmaline Gundy Plant Fire

One worker sustained fatal injuries due to a fire at a work camp north of Fort St. John on April 14th, 2025. The fire began when workers at Tourmaline Oil’s Gundy plant, 150 kilometres north of the city, struck a pipe, according to the BC Energy Regulator (BCER). BC Emergency Health Services (BCEHS) says four ambulances responded to a call to the scene and met a company medical van at an inn north of Charlie Lake.

3. Thousands in Fines Issued to Two Truckers

A pair of tandem big-rig drivers faced thousands of dollars in fines after allegedly failing to maintain their aging truck. BC Highway Patrol officers said the two drivers — both Alberta residents — were pulled over in a black semi-truck with no trailer on July 28th, 2025, on Highway 97 near Fort Nelson. Inspecting officers at the scene allegedly found the truck had no functioning rear suspension and the drivers’ logs weren’t in order. Later that same day, the same officer saw the same truck being driven on Highway 97, and pulled it over to reportedly find the same pair of drivers, inaccurate log books and non-functioning rear suspension.

2. Enbridge’s $1.2 Billion Pipeline Expansion

Westcoast Energy, an Enbridge company, announced it is preparing for construction on the Aspen Point Program, an expansion of the company’s T-North section of its natural gas pipeline system in northeast B.C. T-North connects mainlines in Fort Nelson, Fort St. John, Stewart Lake and Boundary Lake, and was one of five projects announced to be fast-tracked by the provincial government in February. Enbridge also began listing and exploring prospective hires for construction.

1. The Klassen Family’s Battle with Lyme Disease

A couple from Alberta were looking for help to pay for treatment to help their daughter who had her “childhood stolen” by Lyme disease. Bentley Klassen began to see symptoms in 2022 and got a confirmed diagnosis in March 2025. Bentley’s symptoms left her unable to attend Clearview Elementary and Junior Secondary School in Goodlow. The family decided to go to Mexico for IV antibiotics and other specialized treatment. In an update on October 22nd, 2025, she received the treatment and her mother, Ashley Klassen, described the experience as both emotional and hopeful. She said the treatments went “really well,” and Bentley went on a three-month home treatment plan. While she continues to experience some setbacks and side effects, Klassen said they’re optimistic about her progress.