Prince George, BC – While today is meant to celebrate fathers everywhere, Northern Health’s Medical Health Officer is encouraging men in the North to use the day as an opportunity to reflect on the lives they’re living.

Dr. David Bowering is reminding men of the importance of staying connected with their families.  He says one of the key challenges, particularly in our region where so many men work in the resource industries, is finding the energy to maintain and foster those connections after spending long hours at a physically demanding job.

"I can tell you as a grandfather and a person who’s getting into the retirement years, that when the work starts to finally wind down and become less important, what really emerges is family," says Dr. Bowering.  "So I think one of the messages of Father’s Day has to be to remember what you’re working for – it’s family.  So if you neglect the family, you’ve kind of blown it."

"Unfortunately, we see lots of men in their 50s and 60s walking around the streets – lots of them are isolated, you can see that they’re lonely, many of them have turned to addictions and various other things to kill their pain," he says.  "It’s far too common and it’s really a sad thing for a man to have spent his youth and his middle adult years and lost those connections that are so important."

"Let’s celebrate (Father’s Day), and let’s think about it at the same time."