Invermere Valley Echo, May 11, 2016

invermerevalleyecho.com A1Wednesday, May 11, 2016 The Valley Echo

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REGISTRATION NO. 78567Hoobanoff heads to Junior A Hawks

Valley Visitor Centres see more international touristsSTEVE HUBRECHT

[email protected]

There’s been a large jump in the num-

ber of international tourists visiting

B.C. in 2016, a trend that local visitors

centres are seeing out here in the Co-

lumbia Valley.

The latest provincial visitor numbers,

according to a recent provincial Minis-

try of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training

press release, show that number of

international visitors (which includes

American tourists) is up 16.2 per cent

compared with last year — an increase

of 39,246 visitors.

Both Visitor Centres in the valley told

The Echo they’ve seen an increase in in-

ternational tourists, although the Colum-

bia Valley Visitor Centre reported just a

slight increase, while the Radium Visitor

Centre reported a signifi cant increase.

“Last year at this point, we’d had 45

international visitors, if you include

Americans, and so far this year we’ve

had 51, so we’re up a bit,” said Colum-

bia Valley Visitor Centre manager Kathy

Tyson on Thursday, May 5th, adding

that the fl ow of such visitors has in-

creased recently, with a three having

arrived that day, and another three

having arrived the

day before.

“All of them were

Americans head-

ing to Alaska and,

in terms of interna-

tional visitors, that’s

typically what we

get (at the Columbia

Valley Visitor Cen-

tre) — Americans heading up across

the border, through Banff and Jasper

on their way up to Alaska,” said Tyson.

She added that although Americans

make up the bulk of the centre’s inter-

national visitors, they do see tourists

from other parts of the world.

“We always get a good group of Ger-

mans. They are typically young and

travelling all around Canada, and

last year in particular, there defi nite-

ly seemed to be quite a lot of visitors

from the Netherlands,” she said, add-

ing the Visitor Centre at the Crossroads

also sees a number

of tourists from Ja-

pan and China, and

gets its fair share of

visitors from Aus-

tralians and New

Zealand.

Tourism Radium

manager Kent Kebe

told The Echo that

although most of the Radium Visitor

Centre’s tourists come from Alberta or

other parts of B.C., it has seen a jump

in the number of international tourists

so far this year, with 552 parties of in-

ternational visitors (360 of them, or 55

per cent, American) having stopped

in at the centre from January through

April 2016, compared with 339 such

parties (232 of them American) in Janu-

ary through April 2015 — a 53 per cent

increase.

The centre gets an average number of

2.2 visitors per parties, so in terms of

individual visitor numbers that trans-

lates to 1,214 international visitor so

far in 2016 compared with 792 in the

fi rst four months of 2015.

“It’s quite an increase, and it’s been

absolutely busy here,” said Kebe. “I

think it has a lot to do with the low

Canadian dollar, especially for the

Americans.”

Kebe said that, similar to the Columbia

Valley Visitor Centre, the Radium Visitor

Centre gets a healthy dose of Europeans.

“There are a lot of Germans,” he said.

“We always know the tourist season

has truly started when we starting see-

ing Germans and Swiss.”

“We always know

the tourist season

has truly started when we

starting seeing Germans

and Swiss.”KENT KEBE

MANAGER, TOURISM RADIUM

See A4

The 2nd annual Pooch Plunge at

Fairmont Hot Springs Resort was graced

with beautiful summer weather on May 7th, and raised $1,581.80 for local

animal rescue groups GALS and ICAN.

PHOTO BY KATIE WATT

Crown of the Continent courts Columbia Valley3

Visit columbiavalleyarts.com for our current events calendar, or call 250-342-4423 · Pynelogs Cafe - Open Tuesday to Saturday 11 to 4 pm

Nine Lives Would Not Do The Life of Leo GrillmairWednesday May 25, 7:30 pm at Pynelogs

Tickets at the door

A2 invermerevalleyecho.com Wednesday, May 11, 2016 The Valley Echo

Geoff HillMaxWell Realty Invermere

[email protected]

250-341-7600

OCALL EWSNWilmer soccer fi eld upgrade earns CBT grant

STEVE HUBRECHT

[email protected]

The Columbia Basin Trust recently an-

nounced the projects that were successful

in receiving the Trust’s new Recreation Infra-

structure Grants.

The three-year $9 million program, which

was announced this past January, will give

out a combined total of $3.5 million this year

for 42 projects across the Kootenay region,

including a soccer fi eld enhancement in

Wilmer.

Absent from the list of recipients is the

Westside Legacy Trail, which had applied to

the grant.

“We were denied, and other projects got the

money,” confi rmed Greenways Trail Alliance

executive director Mark Halwa.

The Wilmer soccer fi eld enhancement will

see $1,500 spent putting up permanent soc-

cer goal posts in the Wilmer community’s

soccer fi eld.

The Echo attempted to get further comment from the Columbia

Basin Trust on the Wilmer project, but was unable to reach anyone

for comment prior to press deadline, although the Trust did issue a

press release on the grants in general.

“We’re pleased to provide grants to such a wide range of projects

that will help people stay fi t and enjoy where we live,” said Trust

president and chief executive offi cer Neil Muth in the press release.

“Supporting residents to lead active, healthy lifestyles is one of our

strategic priorities, and developing the amenities that help them do

so is an important step.”

The grant is meant to provide fi nancial support to help communi-

ties and groups build new recreation infrastructure or upgrade exist-

ing recreation infrastructure.

Amounts distributed to the 42 projects ranged from the $1,500 for

the Wilmer soccer goal posts (the lowest amount given to any one

project) to $500,000 for the planned new Aq’amnik education cen-

tre and gymnasium at the Aq’am First Nation outside of Cranbrook,

which was the highest amount given to any one project.

The granting program’s next intake session is now open, and the

deadline for those wanting to apply to this intake is Monday, July

11th. To fi nd out more or download the guidelines, visit www.cbt.org/

recreationapply.

Snapshot

ALLEY

VALLEY

VSnapshot

SAFETY STEWARDS… In light of the wildfi res ranging in northern B.C. and Alberta, it’s no wonder the Columbia Valley Emergency Preparedness Fair at the

Windermere Fire Hall on Saturday, May 7th was a bustling event. Becky Green with her children James and Lucy were among the crowds to tour the booths hosted

by representatives from BC Ambulance, the RCMP, Columbia Valley Search & Rescue, BC Wildfi re Service, Canadian Disaster Animal Response Team, Holistic

Emergency Preparedness and the RDEK Emergency Program, who showcased a wide range of rescue equipment plus there were demonstrations, activities for

kids and more. PHOTO BY ERIC ELLIOTT


19 - 24th Avenue South, Cranbrook BC V1C 3H8Ph: 250-489-2791 • 888-478-7335

The Regional District of East Kootenay (RDEK) Board of Directors is considering an application by Kennellys Property Co. Ltd. to amend the Upper Columbia Valley Zoning Bylaw. If approved, the bylaw will amend the text of the RES-1(A) Recreation Residential Zone to permit the use of park model trailers and recreational vehicles for seasonal accommodation on the subject property located on the Whiteswan Lake Forest Service Road.

Bylaw No. 2693 cited as “Regional District of East Kootenay – Upper Columbia Valley Zoning Bylaw No. 900, 1992 – Amendment Bylaw No. 311, 2016 (Whiteswan Lake / Kennellys Property Co. Ltd.)” is amended to add park model trailer and recreational vehicle to the list of permitted uses on the subject property.

A public hearing will be held at: Columbia Ridge Community Centre 6890 Columbia Lake Road

Fairmont Hot Springs, BC Tuesday, May 24, 2016 at 7:00 pm

The Board has delegated the holding of this hearing to the Directors for Electoral Area F, Electoral Area G, and the Village of Canal Flats.

If you believe that your interest in property is affected by the proposed Bylaw, you may prior to the hearing:

• inspect the Bylaw and supporting information at the RDEK office in Cranbrook from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm Monday through Friday, excluding statutory holidays;

• mail, fax or email written submissions to the addresses/numbers shown below; or

• present written and/or verbal submissions at the hearing.

SUBMISSIONS CANNOT BE ACCEPTED AFTER THE PUBLIC HEARINGAll submissions will form part of the public record and will be published in a meeting agenda posted online. Personal contact information such as phone and email will be removed from written submissions. Questions about the disclosure of your personal information may be referred to the Corporate Officer at 250-489-2791 or 1-888-478-7335.

This notice is not an interpretation of the Bylaw. For more information, contactJean Terpsma, Planning Technician at 250-489-0314 or toll free at 1-888-478-7335 or email [email protected].

PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE - BYLAW 2693Bylaw Amendment

Whiteswan Lake/Kennellys Property Co. Ltd

Regional District of East Kootenay

OCALL EWSNNational Geographic helping

market Columbia ValleySTEVE HUBRECHT

[email protected]

The Crown of Continent Geotourism Council

and Kootenay Rockies Tourism recently gave

a joint presentation to local tourism and hotel

operators, showcasing their new website and

other new digital tools.

The Wednesday, April 27th presentation

was held at the Columbia Valley Chamber of

Commerce and saw Crown of the Continent

Geotourism project co-ordinator Sheena Pate

and Kootenay Rockies Tourism manger of busi-

ness development Wendy Van Puymbroeck ex-

plain about the Crown of the Continent’s new

tourism website, which promotes destinations

in southeastern B.C., southwestern Alberta

and northwestern Montana.

The pair also talked about Crown of the Conti-

nent’s new Trip Plan tool (which allows visitors

to the area to plan out itineraries by linking to-

gether different destinations and experiences

based on their own interests); and the Geotour-

ism Destination badges it plans to distribute

(both physically and digitally) to businesses

and organizations featured on the website,

which the the businesses can then display in

their stores.

The Crown of the Continent geotourism

project, in partnership with National

Geographic, is promoting Invermere and

other communities in B.C., Alberta and

Montana.

IMAGE SUBMITTED

“(The geotourism project) helps highlight

what makes Invermere unique. What we are

trying to do is highlight the distinct nature of

each community in the Crown of the Continent

area,” Pate told The Echo, adding the project

is partnered with National Geographic, which

means the project brings huge brand recogni-

tion to many of the area’s smaller communities.

“(Leveraging the National Geographic brand)

is a big piece of the project,” she said. “It can

help the Columbia Valley, for instance, rise

above other parts of B.C.”

The Crown of the Continent Geotourism

Council was formed in 2007 by tourism bu-

reaus, businesses and conservation organi-

zations initially centred around Montana’s

Glacier National Park and Alberta’s Waterton

Lakes National Park.

That scope has since broadened to include

what participants call the greater Crown of the

Continent area (encompassing large tracts of

northwestern Montana, as well as the moun-

tainous part of southeastern B.C. and south-

western Alberta lying south of Banff and Koo-

tenay National Parks).

Several months after the council began, it was

approached by National Geographic — which

had ranked the Crown highly on a list of places

that still retains much of their traditional char-

acter but were, in National Geographic’s eyes,

threatened by the likelihood of big box store-

style development.

A partnership to promote visitor experienc-

es, conservation and sustainable business

practices was launched. The effort targets

visitors that the Geotourism Council labels as

“geotravellers”, which it defi nes as those with

an interest in sustainability and conservation.

Participation in the program is free and much

of the content for the Crown of the Continent

Geotourism Council’s website is generated by

local residents of the various communities.

“Our content is deemed as ‘a travel guide to

the places most respected and recommended

by locals.’ This is the exact type of content that

geotravellers trust and are looking for. This

hyperlocal content combined with the Nation-

al Geographic brand is extremely valuable to

Invermere and the Columbia Valley and can

be leveraged in a variety of ways,” said Pate.

“Through our program, we’re able to highlight

hyperlocal experiences online and with a phys-

ical map guide.”

Part of the reason for the recent visit to In-

vermere (and similar visits to other East Koo-

tenay communities) was to “encourage the at-

tendees to become ‘fi eld experts’ and submit

their favourite local places to visit,” said Van

Puymbroeck.

The Geotourism Council partners with al-

ready-established tourism organizations, such

as Kootenay Rockies Tourism and, as Van

Puymbroeck told The Echo, the two groups

are promoting several of the communities

in the East Kootenay region, including Inver-

mere, as gateway communities to the Crown

of the Continent.

“Essentially (the project is)

free marketing for the region

and Invermere, directed at the

travellers who are interested

in immersing themselves in the

communities they visit,” said

Plate. “These visitors respect

the communities they visit and

are invested in supporting the

well-being of the communities.

They buy local, support small

businesses, contribute to con-

servation efforts, volunteer and

so on.”

The project — through the Na-

tional Geographic brand — will

bring national and international

exposure for Invermere, added

Van Puymbroeck.

Pate said the presentation at

the Columbia Valley Chamber of

Commerce was well-received by

those who attended.

“People were really enthusias-

tic, especially about the new fea-

tures,” she said.

Those interested in

learning more can visit

www.crownofthecont inent .

natgeotourism.com.

(Leveraging the National Geographic brand) is a big

piece of the project. It can help the Columbia Valley,

for instance, rise above other parts of B.C.SHEENA PATE

CROWN OF THE CONTINENT

A4 invermerevalleyecho.com Wednesday, May 11, 2016 The Valley EchoBC EWSNMLA criticizes Ministry of Mines in wake of Auditor General audit

STEVE HUBRECHT

[email protected]

The Auditor General of B.C. released

an audit criticizing the provincial gov-

ernment’s oversight of the mining in-

dustry earlier last week, prompting the

provincial NDP Opposition to call for

the resignation of Minister of Energy

and Mines and Kootenay East MLA Bill

Bennett.

B.C. Auditor General Carol Bellringer

released her Audit of Compliance and

Enforcement of the Mining Sector on

Tuesday, May 3th and said, in the news

release accompanying it, “almost all of

our expectations for a robust compli-

ance and enforcement program were

not met,” and that “the compliance

and enforcement activities of both the

Ministry of Energy and Mines, and the

Ministry of Environment are not set up

to protect the province from environ-

mental risks.”

Bellringer referenced the failure of

the Mt. Polley tailings dam in 2014, say-

ing “to avoid such failures, business as

usual cannot continue.”

“The Auditor General’s report is one

of the most scathing I’ve seen in 12

years of being an MLA. They are usual-

ly technical documents. This is some of

the strongest language I’ve ever seen in

them,” Columbia River-Revelstoke NDP

MLA Norm Macdonald told The Echo.

Macdonald, who is the Opposition

Critic for Energy and Mines, added

the Ministry of Energy and Mines is

the sole organization in the province

that protects the public’s interest

when it comes to mines “and they’ve

simply not been doing the work that’s

needed.”

The auditor general’s news release

said the audit found indications of

major gaps in resources, planning and

tools in both the Ministry of Energy

and Mines and the Ministry of Environ-

ment, such as insuffi cient staff and staff

having to work with cumbersome and

incomplete data systems. The release

stated that, as a result, monitoring and

inspections of mines was inadequate to

ensure mine operators complied with

requirements. The report concluded

with 16 recommendations, including

creating a new independent compli-

ance and enforcement organization,

separate from the Ministry of Mines

and Energy.

“Basically, the report is saying that

the failure that occurred at Mt. Polley

could occur elsewhere across the prov-

ince,” said Macdonald. “There needs to

be a dramatic change, and more rigor-

ous oversight, and so far I don’t see a

willingness for that. The government

is saying they accept the fi ndings, but

then they are arguing against the cen-

tral recommendation (of creating a

independent compliance and enforce-

ment organization for mines). They’ve

made it clear they do not want to go in

that direction.”

Macdonald said , in his view, the Mt.

Polley incident can’t be considered an

accident since it resulted from “slop-

py activities that shouldn’t have taken

place” and added that such incidents

tarnish the reputation of the mining

industry as a whole. The Alaskan gov-

ernment, for instance, has raised ob-

jections about upstream mine develop-

ments in northwestern B.C. ever since

Mt. Polley, he said.

“So there’s not only potential safety

issues and environmental degrada-

tion, but you also make development

of other mines diffi cult, and hamper

the economy and jobs that comes with

them,” said Macdonald.

Provincial leader John Horgan issued

a press release shortly after the Audi-

tor General’s report came out, refer-

encing a comment Bennett had previ-

ously made whereby if his ministry was

negligent in the Mt. Polley incident that

he would resign, and Horgan called on

him to do just that.

“Bill Bennett made that commitment.

This report makes it clear that the min-

istry is to blame and that means the

minister is ultimately responsible. He’s

rejected the call and that is what it is,”

said Macdonald.

But Bennett has a different take on

the matter.

“The NDP is trying to turn the Auditor

General’s report into an investigation,

which it’s not,” he said.

He pointed to two investigations

into the cause of the Mt. Polley tailing

Many of the European visitors

are interested in outdoor activi-

ties such as hiking. This early in

the season, Kebe said the Visitor

Centre often has to tell them that

while the grass may be green in the

valley bottom, most of the best hik-

ing trails in the mountains are still

snowbound.

In addition, the Radium Visitor

Centre also sees a decent number

of people from Australia and New

Zealand, added Kebe.

The Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and

Skills Training press release also

points to the low Canadian dollar

as a reason for the increase in in-

ternational visitors in B.C.

“The latest international visitor

numbers back up what we’ve been

hearing from communities across

the province — they are having re-

cord-breaking seasons,” said pro-

vincial Minister of Jobs, Tourism

and Skills Training Shirley Bond in

the press release.

In the press release, Destination

BC chief executive offi cer Marsha

Walden says the increase in inter-

national visitors is “proof that Brit-

ish Columbia’s vast and powerful

nature, spectacular cities, fabulous

snow conditions and great value

for money are big draws for our

friends south of the border.”

In 2015, 4.9 million international

visitors came to B.C. — a 7.9 per

cent increase compared to 2014.

dame failure – one conducted by an

independent expert engineering panel

(which concluded in January 2015) and

the other conducted by the provincial

chief inspector of mines (which con-

cluded in December 2015).

“It may be hard to understand, but

you have to separate the independent

investigation into the Mt. Polley in-

cident with the Auditor General’s re-

port, which is a general performance

review,” Bennett told The Echo. “The

report is good, but it’s not an investiga-

tion. They are not engineers, they did

not visit the site. The independent pan-

el are engineers, they did visit the site

and it was their task to determine was

the cause (of the tailing dam failure

was). And they were quite clear that

the cause was from foundational mate-

rial (under the dam) in the subsurface,

which, when it’s loaded up, its charac-

teristic changes from something solid

to something like a banana peel.”

In the section of the panel’s investi-

gation report on regulatory oversight,

that panel writes that “additional in-

spections of the tailings storages facili-

ty would not have prevented the (dam)

failure.”

“It’s unfortunate that the Auditor Gen-

eral’s report insinuates that staff levels

have anything to do with the Mt. Polley

disaster. There is absolutely zero evi-

dence in the Auditor General’s report to

back that up,” said Bennett, adding that

the auditor’s report does highlight a lack

of inspectors in 2009, 2010 and 2011,

which is a valid point that needs to be

addressed, but which is not related to

the cause of the Mt. Polley dam failure.

Bennett said many of the recommen-

dations in the Auditor General’s report

are good ones and the ministry is al-

ready in the process of implementing

them, but the ministry is holding off

on creating a independent compliance

and enforcement organization separate

from the ministry.

“We’re not promising to do this until

we do a jurisdictional scan and see if

there is anywhere else in the world that

does it, so we can see have a model and

see how it works, since there are some

really good practical reasons to keep it

in the ministry,” he said.

The Auditor General’s report also stat-

ed that some mining companies have

not provided enough fi nancial security

deposits to the provincial government

to cover potential reclamation costs if

a mining company defaults on its obli-

gation, adding these deposits are un-

derfunded by about $1 billion, and that

taxpayers could be on the hook if these

deposits are not topped up.

INTERNATIONAL VISITORS from A1

“It may be hard to understand, but you have to

separate the independent investigation into the Mt.

Polley incident with the Auditor General’s report, which is a

general performance review. The report is good, but it’s not an

investigation.”BILL BENNETT

MINISTER OF ENERGY AND MINESKOOTENAY EAST MLA

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PINIONO

UMOURH

Th e beginning of a new eraThe Regional District of

East Kootenay (RDEK) Chief

Administrative Offi cer an-

nounced her retirement sev-

eral months ago and last week

was her last RDEK committee

and board meetings.

Lee-Crane has been with the

RDEK since she arrived in our

front offi ce to do her Mount

Baker High School work ex-

perience placement. Over the

years, she held many posi-

tions within the organization

before becoming the CAO in

1998. The role of the CAO is

to manage the day-to-day op-

erations of the organization as

well as provide support and

resources to the RDEK Board

in setting policy and direc-

tion. It is a tough job with lots

of different demands coming

from within the organization,

the Board and general public.

Over Lee-Ann’s

tenure as CAO,

she has seen many

challenges and

has always moved

the organization

forward, keeping

in mind the best

value for the tax-

payer’s dollars.

On a personal

note, when I fi rst

became a board member in

2008, she was always available

to answer my endless ques-

tions and still is to this day. I

can recall speaking to her at

3 a.m. during our fl oods and

fi re season, working on emer-

gency situations. When the

phone rings in the middle of

the night, it is her

calling to update

me on a situation.

It is during these

times that she is

the calming voice

of reason that

manages to get

the situation un-

der control.

There are 27 re-

gional districts in

British Columbia. Lee-Ann is

very well-respected among

her peers and has provided

her advice on numerous pro-

vincial initiatives. Her leader-

ship has given the RDEK the

reputation of being a very

effective and progressive re-

gional district, one that I’m

proud to have the privilege of

being a part of.

Lee-Ann’s last day at the

RDEK will be at the end of

this month. Taking over the

role of CAO will be Shawn

Tomlin, who is currently the

RDEK’s Chief Financial Offi cer.

While Lee-Ann will be great-

ly missed, I’m confi dent that

Shawn will fi ll those shoes.

Wendy Booth is the Regional

District of East Kootenay Direc-

tor for Area F and vice chair.

She can be reached at wnd-

[email protected] or 250-345-

6155.

PINIONO

UNDOWNRRegional

ENDYWBOOTH

Democracy is worth fi ghting forA recent motion by the Re-

gional District of East Koote-

nay to ask the province not

to allow the Jumbo Glacier

Mountain Resort Municipality

(JGMRM) to have a full voting

seat at the regional board ta-

ble reminds us that the issue

of Jumbo is still not over. Some

of you will be re-reading that

fi rst sentence, trying to take in

how it is actually possible that

a voting seat at the regional

district table for an appoint-

ed mayor from a non-existent

town with no people, no infra-

structure and no future could

even be contemplated.

Yes. In the letters patent

that created the JGMRM and

appointed a paid mayor for a

fake town, they also provided

a seat at the regional district,

making decisions about what

happens to you and your

community.

This was an outrageous situ-

ation from the start. But now,

when it is more clear than ever

that there is no in-

vestor for Jumbo

Resort, and there

never will be, it is

completely ridicu-

lous. People in this

area are not going

to accept that the

appointed mayor

of the fake town of

Jumbo would have

the same voting

rights as someone

who is actually elected.

People want the Jumbo Mu-

nicipality to go away. It has

been a waste of taxpayers’

money, and it never should

have existed in the fi rst place.

It is through foolhardy mea-

sures like the creation of a

fake town that the B.C. Liber-

als have ensured that B.C. tax-

payers have been

one of the largest

investors in Jum-

bo Glacier Resort.

It is time for this

farce to come to

an end.

Show your sup-

port for the Re-

gional District of

East Kootenay’s

(RDEK) request

to change the

letters patent for JGMRM to

prevent the appointed mayor

from having a seat — voting

or non-voting — on the RDEK

board as long as there is no

democratically elected coun-

cil in Jumbo that represents a

minimum permanent popula-

tion and assessed value.

If a change isn’t made by Jan-

uary 1st, 2017, a provincially

appointed person will be mak-

ing decisions on your behalf.

Speak out in support of the

RDEK motion by emailing the

premier at [email protected]

with a CC to my offi ce at norm.

[email protected].

This is a key tenet of repre-

sentative democracy, and it is

worth fi ghting for.

Norm Macdonald is the NDP

MLA for Columbia River Rev-

elstoke. He can be reached by

phone at 1-866-870-4188 and

by email at norm.macdonald.

[email protected].

EPORTRMLA

ORMNMACDONALD

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BC PRESS COUNCIL – The Valley Echo is a member of the British Columbia Press Council, a self-regulatory body governing the province's news-paper industry. The council considers complaints from the public about the conduct of member newspapers. Directors oversee the mediation of complaints, with input from both the newspaper and the complaint holder. If talking with the editor or publisher does not resolve your complaint about coverage or story treatment, you may contact the B.C. Press Council. Your written concern, with doc-umentation, should be sent within 45 days to B.C. Press Council, PO Box 1356, Ladysmith,B.C. V9G 1A9. For information, phone 888-687-2213 or go to www.bcpresscouncil.org

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Phone: 250-341-6299

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822 Cranbrook St. N.Cranbrook, BC

Eric Elliotteric@



NEXT WEEK’S QUESTION:Is Premier Christy Clark’s BC Liberal

Party salary, which she has declared as a “car allowance” in the past, a confl ict

of interest?

P“

n

Pa

of in

QUESTION OF THE WEEKWould you purchase Canadian cheese knowing it

contains diafi ltered milk from the United States?

INVERMEREVALLEYECHO.com

33.3%

YES66.7%

NO

PINIONOState of Canadian

Hockey: there are better days ahead

If you’ve been fl ipping

through your TV guide

lately, you’ll notice some-

thing rather unique. For

the fi rst time since the

1969-70 season, likely the

fi rst time in your TV’s

existence, no Canadian

team will be in conten-

tion for the coveted Stan-

ley Cup.

Adding to that, Com-

missioner Gary Bettman

will present the Cup this

June to a captain of an American team

for the 22nd consecutive season.

It’s been a rather diffi cult time emo-

tionally for Canadian hockey fans, no

doubt. Sure, Canadians have watched

their Olympic teams dominate every

four years, but when it comes to NHL

hockey, it has become hard to watch.

But things are looking up, at least in

theory. With the sadness of fi nishing in

the basement of the League comes the

possibility of higher draft picks in what

looks to be a deep draft according to

NHL scouts.

Last week, the NHL revealed its draft

order in the ever-popular draft lot-

tery. While the Edmonton Oilers didn’t

win this year — they’ve selected fi rst

in three of the last six years — they

slipped to only fourth overall, making

them the sixth Canadian team to select

within the top 10 picks. The only Cana-

dian team outside of the top 10 is the

Ottawa Senators and even they pick

with just the 12th overall selection.

Of course, the Toronto Maple Leafs

headlines this resurgence in Canadian

drafting, winning the fi rst overall selec-

tion this June, if you can handle that.

That said, there’s a signifi cant amount

of promise for other teams in the draft

as well.

The Oilers have the chance to revi-

talize their drafting strategy by select-

ing a defenceman in the fi rst round for

the fi rst time since 2013 when they

selected Darnell Nurse

with the seventh pick.

They could even elect to

trade the pick in hopes

of getting developed

players in return to com-

plement their already

young core.

For teams like the Van-

couver Canucks, the

fi fth overall pick offers

them the chance at a

rebuild if they’re willing

to part ways with some

of their older players like the Sedin

Twins and veteran goaltender Ryan

Miller. Conversely, with many veter-

an pieces still in place, they could

choose to trade in the pick in a last

ditch effort at a Stanley Cup run. No

one’s suggesting that’s the most logi-

cal route, but it certainly exists as an

avenue for exploration.

To the Calgary Flames — the valley’s

closest geographical team — the sixth

pick offers the potential to build on

its already youthful core. Players like

Johnny Gaudreau, Sam Bennett and

Sean Monahan would no doubt wel-

come the addition of another young

running mate as the team continues its

quest to fi nd its true identity and re-

claim a playoff appearance.

This doesn’t even go into mentioning

the possibilities for other Canadian

teams like the Winnipeg Jets, who own

the second overall pick, or the Montre-

al Canadians and Senators, who each

possess picks to build on their current

underperforming cast.

Thus, while playoff hockey may seem

grim this year for us Canadians, the

seeds have been planted for better

days ahead. Give it a little time and

hockey may return to its rightful owner

north of the border. It can only get bet-

ter from here.

Eric Elliott is a reporter for the Inver-

mere Valley Echo and can be reached at

[email protected].

ECORDROff theEECORDCCORRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDRREE

ERIC ELLIOTT

BC EWSNClark’s party pay OK,

commissioner saysTOM FLETCHER

Black Press

Premier Christy Clark’s $50,000-a-year

“leader’s allowance” from the B.C. Liber-

al Party does not breach B.C. law, Confl ict

of Interest Commissioner Paul Fraser has

ruled.

Fraser’s decision was released late

Wednesday (May 4th) in response to a

complaint fi led by NDP MLA David Eby,

who accused Clark of being paid out of

proceeds from “exclusive” fundraising

events where people paid up to $10,000

to meet with her.

“There may be circumstances where

receiving a political donation places a

Member (of the Legislative Assembly) in

a confl ict or apparent confl ict of interest

situation,” Fraser wrote. “However, the

are generally limited to situations where

a candidate receives a personal campaign

contribution and due to a variety of other

factors, is in a position to ‘return a favour’

to the person who made the donation.”

Fraser added that the Members’ Con-

fl ict of Interest Act “is not a moral code

and I am not an arbiter of what may be

political morality in the campaign fi nance

context.”

Clark has said she inherited the al-

lowance when she became B.C. Liberal

leader in 2011, and it was instituted by

the party when former premier Gordon

Campbell became opposition leader in

1993. The party says Clark’s allowance

is $50,000 for this year and last year, up

from $45,000 a year in 2013 and 2014.

The NDP has pressed the B.C. Liberal

government to ban corporate and union

donations and cap personal donations,

as has been done at the federal level. In

the legislature this week, the opposition

highlighted donations from mining and

oil executive N. Murray Edwards and as-

sociated companies totalling more than

$800,000.

NDP leader John Horgan has also par-

ticipated in private receptions with do-

nors who pay extra. He says his leader’s

allowance has been about $5,000, mainly

to provide him with clothing.

Acknowledging local nursesERIC ELLIOTT

[email protected]

On May 12th, nurses from around

the world will be celebrated with In-

ternational Nurse Day, which falls on

the anniversary of Florence Nightin-

gale’s birth, the founder of modern

nursing.

The International Council of Nurses

commemorates this important day

every year with the production and

distribution of the International Nurs-

es’ Day Kit, which provides education

and public information for use by

nurses everywhere.

Across the Columbia Valley, there

are different kinds of nurses who pa-

tients will encounter to meet their

needs, ranging from registered prac-

tical nurses (RPNs), registered nurs-

es (RNs) and nurse practitioners.

According to Heather Peterson, site

manager at the Invermere Hospital,

there are approximately 75 to 90 nurs-

es who cover the Columbia Valley

area that stretches from Brisco all the

way to Canal Flats.

She said it’s important to take a day

to celebrate their work, which helps

make the community as healthy as it

is.

“Why it’s important is because our

overall health, whether it’s preven-

tion or caring for extreme trauma,

takes a real mixed team to help us

through that continuum of care,” she

said. “These are the folks that are go-

ing to support us to be healthy, to stay

healthy and in times of crisis or when

we’re unwell, will care for us.”

See A16

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Rockies Nick Hoobonoff commits to Nipawin Hawks

ERIC ELLIOTT

[email protected]

It’s been a long journey for former Columbia

Valley Rockies forward Nick Hoobonoff, who

recently committed to the Nipawin Hawks of

the Saskatchewan Junior

Hockey League.

Born in Karagandy, Ka-

zakhstan, Hoobonoff mi-

grated to Canada and was

adopted by his now-par-

ents — Brian and Sylvie

— who live in Canal Flats,

where he currently resides.

At the early age of four,

Hoobonoff was already in

skates on his family’s back-

yard rink before signing up

for organized hockey in the

Columbia Valley.

Working his way through

each successive tier of

minor hockey, Hoobonoff

landed in Cranbrook, play-

ing at the AAA level, while

also seeing action in two games for the Rock-

ies in the 2012-13 season.

The following season, he cemented himself

as a regular in the Kootenay International

Junior Hockey League, this time playing for

the Golden Rockets, where he recorded nine

goals and 28 points in his

rookie season. After spend-

ing another season in Gold-

en, the Rockies acquired

Hoobonoff in time for the

2015-16 season, where he

recorded his highest points

per game total of his junior

career with 25 points in just

28 games.

Despite the Rockies com-

ing up short in the playoffs

this season, head coach

Wade Dubielewicz said he’s

not surprised at Hoobonoff’s

promotion to the Junior A

Saskatchewan Junior Hock-

ey League next season — a

branch of the Canadian Ju-

nior Hockey League.

Nick Hoobanoff (#8) in front of the Golden Rockets’ net at the Eddie Mountain Memorial Arena

in Invermere on February 3rd. The Rockies won 5-1.

PHOTO BY AMANDA NASON

“He’s honestly a coach’s dream

the way he plays, so I’m not sur-

prised at all,” Dubielewicz said.

“What makes Nick special is that

he can play with really good play-

ers and complements them well,

but he can also play that third

line, gritty, grinding, checking

role and kill penalties.”

Hoobonoff credits the Koote-

nay International Junior Hockey

League for developing him into

becoming a two-dimensional

player able to move onto higher

levels of hockey.

“Going through Golden and Co-

lumbia Valley, they’re both really

strong organizations and they

both treat their players really

well so it’s a good place to learn

how to play junior and learn how

to be a professional,” he said.

Hoobonoff said he always had

plans of moving onto Junior A,

but was simply looking for the

right fi t. With the Nipawin Hawks,

he says he thinks he found it.

Last year, Nipawin fi nished with

a 36-17-3 record before losing in

game seven of the Saskatchewan

Junior Hockey League semi-fi nals

against the Melfort Mustangs.

Aside from joining a winning

team, Hoobonoff says he views

this move as a step towards a

bigger jump in his future.

“I’m excited to join the Canadi-

an Junior Hockey League just be-

cause of the prestige that comes

along with it and there’s a lot

more exposure to universities

and colleges, so I’m defi nitely

going to jump into that and work

my way up there,” he said, not-

ing that his end goal is to earn a

scholarship to a Division I school

in the NCAA (National Collegiate

Athletic Association) south of

the border.

For now, there’s a lot of hard

work still ahead that will start

this summer in the weight room,

the defi ning environment for

Hoobonoff next season, Dubiele-

wicz said.

Hoobonoff, to his credit, under-

stands this.

“I’ve often heard the saying

that hockey players, good hock-

ey players anyways, are built in

the summer and that defi nitely

holds true,” he said, adding that

he works on getting bigger, fast-

er and stronger every off-season.

“You see guys in the NHL and

they go just as hard as they do

on the ice as they do in the gym.”

From Kazakhstan to the Co-

lumbia Valley and now Saskatch-

ewan, Hoobonoff’s journey is

certainly unique. Where he goes

next only he can decide.

Nick Hoobanoff’s

2015-16 Rockies photo


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ENTERTODAY!

France revisited: the life lessons of a student exchange

EATUREF

The Saint-Marie Cathedral in the heart of

Bayonne. PHOTO BY KATIE WATT

Catching the sunset in Biarritz.

PHOTO BY KATIE WATT

KATIE WATT

Special to The Valley Echo

Editor’s note: David Thompson Secondary School student

Katie Watt recently returned from France, where she spent

three months as part of a student exchange. Katie’s photogra-

phy is frequently published in both The Echo (she is the pho-

tographer of this week’s cover photograph) and The Pioneer.

I must say that it was quite a challenge staying in

France for three months. The schooling was quite a la-

borious task with the long hours that began at 8 a.m. and

stretched all the way until 6 p.m., much like an average

work day, and with the language barrier it became rather

diffi cult to immediately communicate what I wanted to

say without a lot of effort.

On top of it all, I found that the hardest part was be-

ing apart from family and friends for such a long time —

something I didn’t really think would be an issue when

signing up for the exchange, but by the end I certainly

proved myself to be wrong.

While all these things were challenging, I do not say

them negatively, however. Though it was diffi cult, it was

diffi cult in a good kind of way: one that pushes you to

learn new things and go outside the comfort zone. Of

course, that wasn’t the only good thing I took away from

my trip. I also learned a lot about their culture, interest-

ing lifestyle, and just overall a lot about their country in

comparison to our own.

Oh, right, and the language, too. I certainly did receive

the ultimate French language education, but I admitted-

ly found learning about the different ways in which the

French live to be much more fascinating.

As it quickly became apparent, the French are a very kind,

cheery, beautiful group of people who hardly play into the

Western stereotype, despite eating copious amounts of

bread with every meal, which really, is hardly a bad thing

considering its quality, like nearly all their food there.

Though vegetables are rare in their diet, the meat, soups

and desserts were absolutely incredible, and not only

was their food fantastic, but their style and sense of art

was, too. I won’t go too far into depth with it, but the art

program at the school was much better than ours here

in Canada. While we provide students with easy projects

and little criticism, the program there was far different as

it was instead taught as an academic subject opposed to

an elective. But despite their art program, I did fi nd the

rest of their education system quite diffi cult as the hours

seemed to drag on and on without end, and it seemed

as if they never went too far in depth with their subjects

before moving on. While I did fi nd the schooling part of

the stay to be one of the more challenging aspects, in the

end I admittedly didn’t care too much as I was effi ciently

learning the language and I had four weeks of vacation to

go elsewhere.

Though France is quite a small country — so small, in

fact, that it could fi t within ours nearly 16 times (had Alas-

ka belonged to us and not the Americans) — its regions

seem to be incredibly diverse. Up in the north are the

Alps — the towering mountain range that makes our own

Rockies seem like mere hills in comparison; and down in

the south are sandy beaches with palm trees. I was quite

glad that I got to experience my stay down in the south.

I thought that the change in landscape was amazing with

the rolling hills scattered with old traditional houses, and

sandy beaches that we don’t get the pleasure of enjoying

out here in the interior of British Columbia.

But while I did fi nd all this to be interesting, it was the

unique difference in culture that I thought to be the most

incredible. How the French seem to be so open about ev-

erything, from emotions to public affection, while we are

so unlike that in many ways.

At fi rst, I found it rather odd seeing people kiss so open-

ly in public, and how every greeting must be met with a

peck on the cheek, but towards the end I began to fi nd

it rather enjoyable — I thought that it was something

strangely beautiful in its own unique way. That wasn’t the

only cultural difference, of course, as the French sense of

humour was very interesting, too. It seemed that there,

everything was able to be joked and laughed about.

In our own lives, many people avoid making jokes about

certain topics because they seem to be afraid of offend-

ing each other. This, however, is hardly true in the French

way of life — it was as if everything from religion to fam-

ily relationships were made fun of. Of course, it did take

some getting use to at fi rst, but in the end it did seem to

be oddly… humbling, in a sense.


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But while all these differences in culture

were very intriguing, perhaps the most inter-

esting difference was the amount of tradition

that still held true in their modern way of life.

When I say that, I don’t mean people riding in

carriages to work opposed to taking transit,

or reading the paper instead of watching tele-

vision — no. By traditional, I mean how their

old ways still seem to wonderfully prevail in

the ways of the new world through their val-

ues, ways of self expression and, interesting-

ly enough, through language, too.

Unlike here, in the cities and towns in France

there are many ancient, beautifully crafted

cathedrals and churches that stand boldly

in the centre of the “ville”, portraying hun-

dreds of years of history, while our country

is hardly even that old to begin with. Driving

through the countryside was amazing, too,

as one could be looking out the window to-

wards a hill where nothing but houses stand

now, but once was full with people suffering

in the Middle Ages from the Black Plague.

Well, that may be a rather dark thought but,

really, it was an incredible concept.

So while my stay certainly did have its chal-

lenges of homesickness, diffi culties in com-

munication, and just adjusting to an entirely

different lifestyle in general, these were also

the benefi ts as they taught me new aspects

of life, and pushed me to try things that oth-

erwise would be outside my comfort zone.

I had a wonderful time getting to meet new

people, and it was great to have the unique

chance to learn about the country and its dif-

ferent regions from the locals’ perspective.

I won’t lie and say that living in a foreign

country for that long wasn’t diffi cult, but in

the end I must say that it was entirely worth it.

An early morning in Bayonne’s local market. PHOTO BY KATIE WATT

EATUREFBiarritz’s scenic shoreline of sand and cliff.

PHOTO BY KATIE WATT

The Eiffel Tower.

PHOTO BY

KATIE WATT

An unexpected

rainfall at the

Sacre Coeur in

Paris, France.

PHOTO

BY KATIE WATT


TREETSTHES

International tourist

numbers are up 50

per cent in Radium —

what’s your reaction

and your guess why?

“It’s great for the valley. Th e downturn in Alberta may be keeping Albertans home, but the low Canadian dollar is probably bringing more Americans in. It keeps our economy running. “

Jake Cameron

“It must be the U.S. dollar. It’s great for a place that relies on tourism dollars. It’s funny, we live in Calgary and see Alberta and Newfoundland (tourist) promotions all the time, but not B.C.”

Dale and Gloria Melenberg

“It’s great. I think it’s because Americans are capitalizing on the low Canadian dollar.”

Theresa Wood

A look back through Th e Valley Echo's archives over the last 50 years

REMEMBER WHEN?

50 years ago (1966):

A square dance

jamboree at the Brisco

Community Hall drew

50 dancers from Brisco,

Windermere, Golden,

Marysville, Cranbrook

and Lake Louise. The

dancers kept the hall

hopping until midnight.


The Windermere

Improvement District

held its annual general

meeting, during which it

decided to raise its water

rates from fi ve dollars a

month to seven dollars

a month. During discus-

sion on the matter, the

district trustees pointed

out that the water fees

had not been raised since

the improvement district

was established in 1962.


Upper Colum-

bia Valley resident and

Southern Outfi tters and

Guides representative

Bill Dubois presented a

$1,000 cheque to Cran-

brook resident and Koo-

tenay Wildlife Heritage

Fund co-founder Carmen

Purdy during a Ducks

Unlimited dinner event.

Dubois praised Purdy’s

efforts to preserve habi-

tat across the Kootenay

region, including here in

the Upper Columbia Val-

ley. Purdy had previous-

ly become locally famous

when he and a handful of

likeminded residents in-

dependently fundraised

thousands of dollars to

buy and distribute feed

and hay for wild elk that

otherwise would have

starved during several

particularly harsh win-

ters. The move explicitly

defi ed Ministry of Envi-

ronment directives and

Purdy said he knew there

was a chance he was risk-

ing going to jail, but that

did not deter him.


The Columbia

Valley Singers and the

Columbia Valley Chil-

dren’s choir gave a joint

performance at the Alli-

ance Church, drawing a

packed audience of more

than 100 people. The

groups performed a va-

riety of musical numbers

both new and old, includ-

ing many from the Broad-

way musical version of

Mary Poppins.


The Inver-

mere-based Spirit of the

Dance troupe peformed

its “Colour Our World

with Dance” show at the

Invermere Community

Hall. The theme was the

1978 fi lm Grease.


The District of In-

vemere was readying for

a public hearing on the

proposed Octagon Prop-

erties Ltd. Waterside de-

velopment, which aimed

to build a hotel con-

ference centre and 570

residential condomium

complex, complete with

its own marina and train

station, in downtown In-

vermere. Local resident

Randy McRoberts was

outraged that people

only had two weeks to

prepare for the hearing.

Invermere chief admin-

strative offi cer Chris

Prosser said the bylaw

associated with the de-

velopment was the most

comprehensive ever

done by the district and

a 1,200-page folder on the

proposal was available

for public review at the

district offi ce.

By Steve Hubrecht

May 2007 — Legion member Edna Godlien welcomed one of the region’s new Canadian citizens at a ceremony held at Da-vid Thompson Secondary School.

ECHO FILE PHOTO


Have an event you’d

like listed? Email it to: production@


THE

WEDNESDAY, MAY 11TH

• Wings Over the Rockies runs May

9th to 15th. Complete event schedule

and online registration at www.

wingsovertherockies.org, in person

at the registration offi ce in Pynelogs

Cultural Centre between 11 a.m. and

1 p.m. or call 250-342-2473 for more

information.

• 11:45 a.m.: The Rotary Club of

Invermere meets every Wednesday

at the Curling Rink.

• 1 p.m.: Duplicate Bridge at Invermere

senior’s hall every Wednesday and

Friday, $2. Everyone welcome.

• 5 - 7 p.m.: Summit Youth Centre

(SYC) YCC Challenges program every

Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

• 6 p.m.: SYC games and trivia night.

• 7 p.m.: Card night at Canal Flats

Seniors Hall every Wednesday.

THURSDAY, MAY 12TH

• 12 p.m.: Seniors Luncheon at

Branch 71 Legion in Invermere. $5.

Reservations Required. Please call

250-342-9281 ext 1227.

• 1:15 p.m.: Play Crib at Canal Flats

Seniors Hall every Thursday.

• 4 - 6 p.m.: SYC Graphics Course.

• 4 - 8 p.m.: SYC open gym. Come play

sports with us. Everyone welcome.

• 5 - 6 p.m.: Wine tasting with Erin

in the Fairmont Hot Springs Resort

lobby every Thursday. Sample four

B.C. wines for $10/person. Ages 19+,

registration not required.

• 6:30 p.m.: Texas Hold Em’

Tournament at the Invermere Legion

every Thursday. $35 buy in.

• 7 p.m.: The Truth About Cancer

Series, #8 Cannabis, Nature’s

Epigenetic switches, Peptides

& Healing with Micronutrient

Therapies. DTSS Theatre. Admission

by optional donation.

FRIDAY, MAY 13TH

• 1 p.m.: Play Canasta at Canal Flats

Seniors Hall every Friday.


Senior’s Hall every Wednesday and


• 6:30 p.m.: Baked Chicken Dinner

at Branch 71 Legion in Invermere.

$17.50. Reservations recommended.

Call 250-342-9517. Meat Draw and

50/50.

• 7:30 p.m.: SYC Karaoke night.

SATURDAY, MAY 14TH

• 9 a.m. - 2 p.m.: Spring Market at

Branch 71 Legion in Invermere. $15/

table. Call 250-688-0640 to reserve.

• 7 p.m.: SYC Movie night and free

popcorn.

MONDAY, MAY 16TH

• Invermere Caregiver’s Support

Group meets on the 3rd Monday

of each month. Contact facilitator

Leanne Brooks at 250-341-5683 for

more information.

• Join SYC for Employment Readiness

Training or Skills for Life! Program.

Must pre register.

• 7 p.m.: Bingo at the Canal Flats Civic

Centre, 1st and 3rd Monday of each

month.

TUESDAY, MAY 17TH

• 1:30 p.m.: Carpet Bowling at Canal

Flats Seniors Hall every Tuesday.

• 4 - 6 p.m.: SYC Cooking night. Join

us for Free Food and nutritional

education.

• 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.: OPT clinic at the

Invermere Health Unit. 1st and 3rd

Tuesday of each month. Confi dential

service: low-cost birth control, and

STI testing.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 18TH

• 8 a.m.: Radium Hot Springs Sunrise

Rotary meets for breakfast every fi rst

and third Wednesday from April thru

October at the Springs Golf Course.

Breakfast $10. Everyone welcome.




• 2 p.m.: Genealogy Group at Columbia

Gardens Coffee Room meets the 3rd

Wednesday of the month.

• 7 - 9 p.m.: Windermere Valley Rural

Range Resource Patrol is holding

their AGM at Lions Hall in Columbia

Valley Chamber of Commerce.

THURSDAY, MAY 19TH

• 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.: Wild Ideas at

Circle Cafe, hosted by Wildsight.

May’s topic is Nature: Are you

getting enough? www.wildsight.ca/

wildideasinvermere.


Series, #9 Cancer Conquerors &

their powerful stories of Victory.

DTSS Theatre. Admission by optional

donation.

• 7 p.m.: Thirsty Thursday Trivia at

Mountainside Grille, FHSR. Come

play some family-friendly trivia,

hosted by Quiz Master Matt Gillett.

$2 entry per person (winner take all).

• 7 p.m.: The Windermere Valley

Minor Hockey is holding their AGM

at the District of Invermere offi ces,

914 - 8th Ave.

FRIDAY, MAY 20TH

• 1 p.m.: Play Canasta at Canal Flats

Seniors Hall every Friday.


Senior’s Hall every Wednesday and



YCC Challenges program.

• 7:30 p.m.: SYC Karaoke night.

SATURDAY, MAY 21ST

• 10 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.: Artym Gallery’s

Brian Porter, Steve Tracy, and Vance

Theoret exhibition. Show continues

until May 27th.

• 2 p.m.: Westside Legacy Trail’s Run,

Ride and Rock the Ranch. Enjoy an

afternoon of family fun with free

events from 2 - 5 p.m. Evening Events

start at 5 p.m. and include a silent

auction, pig roast and barn dance for

$50. Tickets available at OurTrail.org/

K2Ranch.

• 10 p.m. - 2 a.m.: Karaoke Night at the

Farside Inn in Fairmont Hot Springs.

SUNDAY, MAY 22ND

• 10 p.m. - 2 a.m.: Hawaiian Beach

Party with DJ Juice at the Farside Inn.

No cover.

MONDAY, MAY 23RD

• Join SYC for Employment Readiness

Training or Skills for Life! Program.

Must pre register.

• 5 - 7 p.m.: SYC YCC Challenges

program.

TUESDAY, MAY 24TH

• 1:30 p.m.: Carpet Bowling at Canal

Flats Seniors Hall every Tuesday.

• 4 - 6 p.m.: SYC Cooking night. Join

us for Free Food and nutritional

education.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 25TH





senior’s hall every Wednesday and



(SYC) YCC Challenges program.

• 6 p.m.: SYC games and trivia night.

• 7 p.m.: Card night at Canal Flats

Seniors Hall every Wednesday.

THURSDAY, MAY 26TH

• 1:15 p.m.: Crib night at Canal Flats

Seniors Hall every Thursday.

• 4 - 6 p.m.: SYC Graphics Course.

• 4 - 8 p.m.: SYC open gym. Come play

sports with us. Everyone welcome.

• 5 - 6 p.m.: Wine tasting with Erin

in the Fairmont Hot Springs Resort

lobby every Thursday. Sample four

B.C. wines for $10/person. Ages 19+,

registration not required.

• 6:30 p.m.: Texas Hold Em’

Tournament at the Invermere Legion

every Thursday. $35 buy in.


Series, Questions & Answers with Ty

& Charlene.DTSS Theatre. Admission

by optional donation.

FRIDAY, MAY 27TH

• 12 p.m.: Soup lunch at the Edgewater • 12 p.m.: Soup lunch at the Edgewater

Legion. $6. Last Friday of each month. Legion. $6. Last Friday of each month.

HOURS

INVERMERE NVERMERE LIBRARYIBRARY

• Tuesday: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m • Tuesday: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m

• Wednesday: 10 a.m - 8 p.m.• Wednesday: 10 a.m - 8 p.m.

• Thurs – Saturday: 10 a.m - 5p.m.• Thurs – Saturday: 10 a.m - 5p.m.

• Story Times: Thurs. 10:30 a.m.• Story Times: Thurs. 10:30 a.m.

Sat. 11 a.m. Sat. 11 a.m.

RADIUM ADIUM LIBRARYIBRARY

• Tuesday: 6 - 8 p.m.• Tuesday: 6 - 8 p.m.

• Wed - Thursday: 1 - 4 p.m.• Wed - Thursday: 1 - 4 p.m.

• Saturday: 10 a.m. - 1p.m.• Saturday: 10 a.m. - 1p.m.

WINDERMERE INDERMERE VALLEY ALLEY MUSEUMUSEUM


INVERMERE THRIFT STOREINVERMERE THRIFT STORE

• Thurs - Saturday: 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.• Thurs - Saturday: 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

RADIUM ADIUM THRIFT HRIFT STORETORE

• Thursday: 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.• Thursday: 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

• Fri - Saturday: 12 - 4 p.m.• Fri - Saturday: 12 - 4 p.m.

SUMMIT UMMIT YOUTH OUTH CENTREENTRE


• Wednesday: 4 - 9 p.m.• Wednesday: 4 - 9 p.m.

• Thursday: 5 - 9 p.m.• Thursday: 5 - 9 p.m.

• Fri - Saturday: 6 - 11 p.m.• Fri - Saturday: 6 - 11 p.m.

FREE tutoring available and FREE tutoring available and

volunteer tutors needed. Contact the volunteer tutors needed. Contact the

Columbia Basin Alliance for Literacy Columbia Basin Alliance for Literacy

[email protected]@cbal.com


CLUES ACROSS

1. Administrative Review Board

4. Not worried

8. Rowan Atkinson played him

10. Stars

11. Indian city

12. North American nation

13. He partnered with Garfunkel

15. Understood

16. Foe

17. Jewish state

18. 2015 postseason hero

21. Largest English dictionary

(abbr.)

22. Goddess of the dawn

23. __ Squad

24. Belonging to a thing

25. Food-related allergic reaction

(abbr.)

26. Car mechanics group

27. Exceed in weight

34. Deserved

35. Singer Th icke

36. Clemencies

38. Critique

39. Resented

40. Type of tissue

41. Passages

42. It comes in a can

43. His heart is in San Francisco

44. Retirement account

CLUES DOWN

1. Belittled

2. Actress King

3. Th ey pour drinks

4. Communicates

5. Take advantage of

6. Take on cargo

7. A stiff drink

9. Actress Watts

10. Natives of the American

Southwest

12. Covered

14. Th e Science Guy Bill

15. Soviet Socialist Republic

17. Contraceptive device

19. Unfastened

20. __ student, learns healing

23. Ties the knot

24. Actor McKellen

25. Optical phenomenon

26. Turf

28. Foot (Latin)

29. Flub

30. Birds settle here

31. Calculator

32. Herbal tea

33. Catch

34. Pitcher Santana

36. Not for vegetarians

37. Japanese novelist

Answers to last week

Sudoku puzzles are formatted as a 9x9 grid, broken down into nine 3x3 boxes. To solve a sudoku, the numbers 1 through 9 must fi ll each row, column and box. Each number can ap-pear only once in each row, column and box. Figure out the order in which the numbers will appear by using the numeric clues already provided in the boxes. The more numbers named, the easier it gets to solve the puzzle!

CANCER – Jun 22/Jul 22You may be expected to step up and care for people all of the time, but this week you’re the one who needs some special attention, Cancer. All you have to do is reach out for assistance.

SCORPIO – Oct 24/Nov 22Scorpio, even though you normally think cooly and collectedly, this week you may be at the end of your rope. Book some time for a little R&R to recharge your batteries.

PISCES – Feb 19/Mar 20Your self-esteem soars this week when you go out of your way to put others’ needs before your own. Act from your heart, Pisces.

GEMINI – May 22/Jun 21Gemini, though you may be content to remain out of the spotlight most of the time, when you engage with others, you really can show just how compel-ling you are.

TAURUS – Apr 21/May 21Taurus, thanks to your hectic schedule, achieving lofty goals this week may be a stretch, so aim for something a little more manageable and celebrate the achievement.

ARIES – Mar 21/Apr 20A restless spirit is the catalyst for a new project, Aries. This week you dive right into something that will take up all of your mental energy. Try to avoid slacking off in other areas.

LIBRA – Sept 23/Oct 23Libra, when things become complicated, you’re the person people often seek to iron out the situation. You have a way of quickly getting to the root of a problem.

VIRGO – Aug 24/Sept 22Listen carefully to your intuition this week, Virgo. Most of the time you can trust that little voice more than outside infl uences. Focus on your dreams for a bit.

LEO – Jul 23/Aug 23Leo, you have many good reasons to throw caution to the wind this week, but you may have to reign in your adventurous spirit just a little bit. You’re an example to others.

AQUARIUS – Jan 21/Feb 18Consider your words before sharing your perspec-tive, Aquarius. You do not want to hurt anyone’s feelings, even if what you have to say is the truth. Word things carefully.

CAPRICORN – Dec 22/Jan 20Capricorn, you have a measured and methodical ap-proach to your goals. This week, though, your sense of fun may take over and steer you off course.

SAGITTARIUS – Nov 23/Dec 21Sagittarius, positive encounters, including an un-expected meeting with an old friend, could make for an interesting week. Your social life is booming.

UDOKUS

ROSSWORDC

OROSCOPESH

RAINB GAMES

Mainly Sunny

Temp: 18o

C

Low: 4o

C

Mainly Sunny

Temp: 16o

C

Low: 4o

C

FRIDAYMay 13

EATHERWWeekend

SATURDAYMay 14

Sunny

Temp: 20o

C

Low: 5o

C

SUNDAYMay 15


CHURCH SERVICES DIRECTORYWINDERMERE

VALLEY SHARED MINISTRY

ANGLICAN-UNITED

100-7th Ave., Invermere250-342-6644

Reverend Laura Hermakinwvsm.ca

Worship, Every Sunday:10:30 a.m. Children and Youth Sunday School

at 10:30 a.m at Christ Church

Trinity, Invermere

1st and 3rd Sunday, March - Dec. 9 a.m. at All Saint’s, Edgewater

2nd Sunday, 7 p.m.: June - Oct. at

St.Peter’s Windermere

ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH

250-342-6167Pastor: Father Gabriel

Confession: 1/2 hr. before Mass

Canadian Martyrs Church712 - 12 Ave, Invermere

Saturdays, 5 p.m.Sundays, 9 a.m.

St. Joseph’s ChurchHwy. 93-95, Radium Hot

SpringsSundays, 11 a.m.

St. Anthony’s MissionCorner of Luck and Dunn,

Canal FlatsSaturdays, 4:30 p.m.

RADIUM CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP

#4 - 7553 Main Street W, Radium

250-342-6633 250-347-6334

Worship Service Sundays, 10 a.m.

Bible Studies Wednesdays, 7 p.m.

Kids’ Church Edgewater Hall

Thursdays, 6:30 p.m.

Loving God, Loving People

LAKE WINDERMEREALLIANCE CHURCH

326 - 10th Ave., Invermere250-342-9535

Lead Pastor: Trevor HaganAsso. Pastor: Matt Moore

lakewindermerealliance.orgMay 15th

10:30 a.m. Worship And Life Instruction, “BIBLE – Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth … Guest Speaker, Rev. Brian Derksen, ministering.

K.I.D.S Church for children age 3 to Grade 1; and grades 2-7, during the

morning service.

VALLEY CHRISTIAN ASSEMBLY

4814 Hwy. Drive, 1 km northof Windermere250-342-9511

Pastor: Murray Wittkevalleychristianonline.com

Sunday is Worship Services

10 a.m. Worship & WordKid’s Church Provided

Sharing TruthShowing Love

Following the Spirit

ST. PETER’SLUTHERAN MISSION

OF INVERMERE

100 - 7th Ave., Invermere250-426-7564

Pastor Rev. David Morton

Worship ServicesSundays1:30 p.m.

Christ Church Trinity,Invermere

CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER

DAY SAINTS

5014 Fairway, Fairmont Hot Springs

250-341-5792President: Adam Pasowisty

Columbia Valley Branch

Worship ServicesSundays

10 a.m. - 1 p.m.

The Employment Program of British Columbia is funded by the Government of Canada and the Province of British Columbia.

Explore Your Path to Career Success Land a Great Job Discover a Career Plan for School or Work Based Training Learn About Funding Available Explore Entrepreneurship

Start With Us. We Can Help! www.ekemployment.org 250-341-6889 or 1-855-651-3027 2-1313 7th Ave. (Mon-Fri)

All employment services are free, including a self-serve resource area open to all job seekers. Eligibility criteria applies for other employment supports and services.

Al-Anon - Are you concerned about or affected by someone else’s drinking?

If so, please join us. Al-Anon meets EVERY

Monday at 7:15 PM and Thursday at 1:15 PM at the Canadian Martyrs Catholic

Church, 712 - 12th Ave, (behind the Invermere

hospital). For information, please call 250-342-8255

ALCOHOLICS Anonymous - If alcohol is causing problems or confl ict in your life, AA can help. Call 250-342-2424 for more information. All meetings are at 8 p.m. Invermere: Satur-day, Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday groups - Colum-bia United AA at the BC Ser-vices building, south end, 625 4th Street Invermere. Radium Friendship Group: Friday, Catholic Church. All meetings are open with the exception of Tuesdays.

CANCEL YOUR TIMESHARE. NO Risk Program STOP Mortgage and Maintenance Payments Today. 100% Money Back Guarantee. FREE Consultation. Call Now. We Can Help! 1-888-356-5248

Employment

Business Opportunities

CANADA BENEFIT GROUP - Do you or someone you know suffer from a disability? Get up to $40,000 from the Canadian Government. Toll-free 1-888-511-2250 orwww.canadabene t.ca/free-assessment

For sale A Mobile Offi ce Furniture Maintenance & Repair Company. Est 1993. Located in the N. Okanagan Valley. Large loyal customer base annually. Basic training included in repairs of chairs, desks & fi le cabinets. Ideal for self motivated mechanically minded person-542-3423 Email offi [email protected]

HIP OR KNEE REPLACEMENT? Arthritic Conditions/COPD? Restrictions in Walking/Dressing? Disability Tax Credit $2,000 Tax Credit $20,000 Refund. Apply today For Assistance: 1-844-453-5372.

HIGH PROFIT HIGH CASH PRO-DUCING LOONIE VENDING MACHINES. All on Locations - Turnkey Operation, Perfect Home Based Business. Full Details CALL NOW! 1-866-668-6629, WEBSITE WWW.TCVEND.COM.

DEPUTY DIRECTOROF OPERATIONS

District of Kitimat, exempt staff position with generous compensation. Reporting to the Operations Manager, is responsible for repair and maint. of the municipality’s infrastructure including roads,signage, sidewalks, general clean-up, common services, buildings & fl eet equipment, and assists with municipal water and sewer operations. Candidates will have a Civil Technologist Diploma and 5 years’ senior management experience in a municipal or similar work environment; an Applied Science Tech. Cert. is an asset.

Submit resumes byMay 29, 2016, 4:30 p.m.,to Personnel, District ofKitimat, 270 City Centre, Kitimat, B.C. V8C 2H7,

Fax: 250-632-4995 E-mail [email protected]

Help WantedHelp Wanted Help Wanted

Place of Worship Place of Worship Place of Worship Place of Worship

Announcements Employment Employment Employment

Information Business Opportunities

Career Opportunities

Education/Trade Schools

INTERIOR HEAVY EQUIPMENT SCHOOL. Hands-On Tasks. Start Weekly. GPS Training!

Funding & Housing Avail! Job Aid! Already a HEO?

Get certifi cation proof.Call 1-866-399-3853 or go to:

iheschool.com

START A NEW CAREER in Graphic Arts, Healthcare, Business, Education or Infor-mation Tech. If you have a GED, Call: 855-670-9765

To advertise in print:Call: 250-341-6299 Email: [email protected]

Self-serve: blackpressused.ca Career ads: localworkbc.ca

Browse more at:

A division of

AGREEMENTIt is agreed by any display or

Classified Advertiser requesting

space that the liability of the

paper in the event of failure to

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the advertiser for that portion of

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by the incorrect item only, and

that there shall be no liability in

any event beyond the amount

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publisher shall not be liable for

slight changes or typographical

errors that do not lessen the value

of an advertisement.

Used.ca cannot be responsible

for errors after the first day of

publication of any advertisement.

Notice of errors on the first day

should immediately be called

to the attention of the Classified

Department to be corrected for the

following edition.

Used.ca reserves the right to

revise, edit, classify or reject any

advertisement and to retain any

answers directed to the Used.ca

Box Reply Service and to repay

the customer the sum paid for the

advertisement and box rental.

DISCRIMINATORYLEGISLATIONAdvertisers are reminded that

Provincial legislation forbids the

publication of any advertisement

which discriminates against any

person because of race, religion,

sex, color, nationality, ancestry or

place of origin, or age, unless the

condition is justified by a bona

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COPYRIGHTCopyright and/or properties

subsist in all advertisements and

in all other material appearing

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Permission to reproduce wholly

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ON THE WEB:

INDEX IN BRIEFFAMILY ANNOUNCEMENTS

COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS

TRAVEL

EMPLOYMENT

BUSINESS SERVICES

PETS & LIVESTOCK

MERCHANDISE FOR SALE

REAL ESTATE

RENTALS

AUTOMOTIVE

ADULT ENTERTAINMENT

LEGAL NOTICES

www.habitat.ca

More than 1.5 million Canadian

families are in need of affordable

housing. Your contributions

provides Habitat with the resources

it needs to help families.

DonateToday!

MAKE ANANNOUNCEMENT

WHERE DO YOU TURN

YOUR NEWSPAPER:The link to your community

TO LEARNWHAT’S

ON SALE?


Services

$750 Loans & MoreNO CREDIT CHECKS

Open 7 days/wk. 8am - 8pm 1-855-527-4368

Apply at:www.credit700.ca

GET BACK ON TRACK! Bad credit? Bills? Unemployed? Need Money? We Lend! If you own your own home - you qualify. Pioneer Acceptance Corp. Member BBB.

1-877-987-1420 www.pioneerwest.com

LARGE FUNDBorrowers Wanted

Start saving hundreds of dollars today! We can easily approve you by phone. 1st, 2nd or 3rd mortgage money is available right now. Rates start at Prime. Equity counts. We don’t rely on credit, age or income.

Call Anytime1-800-639-2274 or

604-430-1498. Apply online www.capitaldirect.ca

NEED A LOAN? Own Property? Have Bad Credit? We can help! Call toll free 1 866 405 1228 www.fi rstandsecondmortgages.ca

Business/Offi ce Service

Have you been denied Canada Pension Plan disability benefi ts? The Disability Claims Advocacy Clinic can help you appeal.

Call 1-877-793-3222 Website: www.dcac.ca Email: [email protected]

KOOTENAY MOVING

Long distance household

moving.

Coast to Coast, in Canada.

30 years experience.

778-834-4345

Household ServicesKOOTENAY

DUCT CLEANERSDuct Cleaning

EVERYONE can afford$250 whole home$150 mobile homeNo hidden costs!

Professional & InsuredLocally owned & operatedToll free 1.844.428.0522

Services

Financial Services Moving & Storage

STEEL STORAGE

CONTAINERSFOR SALE OR RENT

[email protected]

604-534-2775

Paving/Seal/Coating

SERVING ALLTHE KOOTENAYS

POWERPAVING

NOTICE

BLACKTOPNOW!

NO JOB TOO SMALL

Driveways & Parking Lots

1-888-670-0066CALL 421-1482FREE ESTIMATES!

CALL NOW!

Merchandise for Sale

Misc. for SaleREFORESTATION NURSERYSEEDLINGS of hardy trees, shrubs, & berries for shelterbelts orlandscaping. Spruce & Pine from $0.99/tree. Free Shipping. Replacement guarantee.1-866-873-3846 or www.treetime.ca

Misc. Wanted999 COINS & BARS.

250-864-3521,I want to buy the coincollection also buying

everything gold or silver. Todd’s Coins 250-864-3521

Garage SalesMULTI FAMILY GARAGE SALE - Friday May 13th to Sunday May 15th. 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., 4880 Burns Avenue, Ca-nal Flats. Children’s toys, fi t-ness and recreation equip-ment, kitchen items and small appliances, furniture and appli-ances, gardening tools and garage tools.

www.habitat.ca

More than 1.5 million Canadian

families are in need of affordable

housing. Your contributions

provides Habitat with the resources

it needs to help families.

DonateToday!

FightBack.Volunteeryour time,energy andskills today.


Oh he

y, you

’re lo

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. Offers

only va

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rticipa

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dealers

. Retail

offers

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cancell

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t any tim

e witho

ut notic

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or tran

sfer ma

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invent

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Dealer f

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t the tim

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Retail o

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ily Ren

tal ince

ntives,

the Com

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Upfi t P

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*Until M

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R for up

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nadian

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s the

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aurus,

Edge, Tr

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GT350)

, Tauru

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Cutawa

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F-250 t

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; 2017 F

usion, M

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excludi

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), Explo

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edition

(each a

n “Eligi

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nly one

(1) bon

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s the pu

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Minimum wage gets boost in B.C.ERIC ELLIOTT

[email protected]

British Columbia’s lowest earners received

good news last week as the provincial gov-

ernment announced they would be bringing

in a larger-than-planned increase to the prov-

ince’s minimum wage.

The increase will come in two stages to re-

fl ect the province’s overall economic growth

and ensure all workers benefi t from B.C eco-

nomic success, according to the press re-

lease from the Offi ce of the Premier on May

4th.

The fi rst increase will be 40 cents and will

bring the minimum wage up to $10.85 per

hour, effective September 15th, 2016 with an-

other increase of 40 cents the following Sep-

tember in 2017, bringing the minimum wage

to $11.25. In addition, the province is invest-

ing $2.88 million in new training programs

aimed at young people and small businesses

to help with labour shortages in the province.

“One of the fi rst actions I took when I be-

came premier was to raise the minimum

wage,” Premier Christy Clark said in the

press release. “Raising the minimum wage

twice over the next two years, coupled with

some targeted supports for young people

and businesses, will help everyone share in

the benefi ts of our growing economy.”

Until this change, B.C. had maintained the

lowest working minimum wage in Canada at

$10.45 per hour (up 20 cents from $10.25 pri-

or to September 2015). According to the B.C.

Federation of Labour, there are approximate-

ly 110,000 people living on minimum wage

across the province.

Last year, the B.C government announced a

policy tying the minimum wage to British Co-

lumbia’s Consumer Price Index (CPI), which

measures changes in the price for consumer

goods and services. Based on British Colum-

bia’s 2015 consumer price index, the min-

imum wage this year would have increased

by 10 cents per hour.

The BC Chamber of Commerce voiced its

concern at the larger-than-expected mini-

mum wage increases because of its unpre-

dictability for businesses’ budgets.

“The bottom line is that there needs to be

certainty and predictability so that small

businesses and businesses in general can

plan for their labour costs,” said Susan Clove-

chok, executive director of the Columbia Val-

ley Chamber of Commerce.

Despite the unexpected surprise that some

small businesses may experience, Clovechok

said this increase in minimum wage could be

offset by the government’s reaffi rmed com-

mitment to reduce the small business tax

rate by 40 per cent by 2017-18. This would

mean that a small business that’s incorporat-

ed with $100,000 in active business income

would have its taxes drop from $2,500 to

$1,500, saving $1,000 annually.

MLA Norm Macdonald said that while he

commends the government for taking a step

in the right direction for the province’s low-

est earning workers, there’s still more that

needs to be done to make sure this rate even-

tually becomes a livable wage.

“I think in all the communities in B.C., the

minimum wage, even with the increase,

would be a very diffi cult sum of money to try

and make ends meet,” he said. “There are a

number of costs that are increasing and cer-

tainly 40 cents an hour is not going to keep

up with that, but it is an improvement.”

Other organizations, such as the BC Feder-

ation of Labour, support Macdonald’s notion

that the increase is merely a step in the right

direction.

By the time the increase occurs, B.C. will

have the seventh lowest wage in the coun-

try behind Ontario, Alberta, Manitoba and

all three territories, and will be surpassed

by Prince Edward Island in October when

that province increases its minimum hourly

wage.

“This is just one more missed opportu-

nity for the premier and the government

to do what’s right,” Irene Lanzinger, pres-

ident of the BC Federation of Labour said

BC EWSN

in a press release. “A $10.85 per hour minimum wage leaves a full-

time worker nearly $5,500 below the poverty line. That is simply

unacceptable.”

Instead, the BC Federation of Labour advocates for a minimum

wage of $15 per hour across the province, surpassing the next

closest province or territory by nearly $2.

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There is some merit to giving the

economy’s lowest earners a more

lucrative wage, according to a study

by the International Monetary Fund.

Looking at data from 159 different

countries from 1980 to 2012, research-

ers discovered that when the poorest

20 per cent increase their share of the

total income by just one per cent, the

economy grows much faster in com-

parison to a greater income share to

the wealthiest 20 per cent.

Although Macdonald thinks the

government could have gone higher

with the increase to provide a more

livable wage, he said he understands

that it’s a balancing act from the gov-

ernment’s perspective, trying not to

disrupt economic growth. At the end

of the day, the equation is simple for

him.

“When the government does some-

thing that makes life better for peo-

ple, that needs to be acknowledged.”

Community supports Fort McMurray reliefERIC ELLIOTT

[email protected]

Residents of Fort McMurray, Alberta

had their worst dreams realized on May

3rd as an out-of-control wildfi re ripped

through the city and surrounding area,

destroying thousands of homes in its

wake.

That Tuesday afternoon, the city was

placed under mandatory evacuation

with nearly 80,000 people forced to fl ee

from their homes, with warnings, in

some cases, of only 30 minutes. As of

May 7th, the fi re, stretching over 85,000

hectares, had already destroyed over

1,600 structures with another 19,000

structures under threat, offi cials be-

lieve.

“To see the pictures of Fort McMurray

right now, that could be taken in a war

torn corner of the world instead of our

own backyard, is a reminder of how Ca-

nadians will and must stand together

with our friends and neighbours in this

diffi cult time,” Prime Minister Justin

Trudeau said before the House of Com-

mons on May 5th.

With such little time for people to

evacuate, many were forced to leave

virtually all of their possessions be-

hind, moving away with nothing. Char-

ities such as the Canadian Red Cross

were quick to react to the disaster, tak-

ing donations for those affected, that

had already totalled $11 million by May

7th.

Trudeau announced that the federal

government would match all individ-

ual donations made to the Red Cross,

which the Alberta Government has

also pledged to do.

“I know I speak for all members of this

house and 36 million Canadians when I

say our hearts go out to all the affect-

ed families,” Trudeau said. “We will

get through this tragedy together, as

friends, as neighbours, as Canadians.”

In the Columbia Valley, local business-

es are joining together to do what they

can to help their Alberta neighbours.

Invermere Home Hardware, for exam-

ple, is collecting materials to bring to

the thousands affected by the tragedy.

Owner Al Miller said the team at

Home Hardware held a meeting shortly

after the fi re broke to discuss if there

was any way they would be able to help

out.

“It was a quick meeting,” Miller said.

“We’ve got the ability to do some-

thing here. We’ve got the trucking, the

manpower, so between us all we were

able to put together a plan to collect

the goods and make sure things are

trucked up in our own vehicles on our

own expenses so that everything we

collect will defi nitely go there.”

Miller and his team at Home Hardware

are collecting new clothing, non-per-

ishables, cash and gift certifi cates, and

will personally be delivering it to a lo-

cation that is best suited for drop-off.

He said the decision to help the people

of Fort McMurray was an easy one for

he and his team.

“We believe, that in a lot of cases, we

are the vacation spot for a lot of those

people who work there so we believe

we have a very close connection,” Mill-

er said, mentioning that he knows a

fellow Home Hardware owner in Fort

McMurray who was forced to leave his

place of business like everyone else.

“Certainly your hearts go out to them

and you just suddenly realize that,

‘Hey, we can do something here, we

can step up and we can be a part of it’.”

Similar to Home Hardware, the

Sobeys grocery store in Invermere is

also collecting money and is delivering

much-needed supplies to the people of

Fort McMurray. The Sobeys chain has

also pledged to match all monetary do-

nations to the Red Cross up to $100,000.

Real Storage has been collecting toilet

paper, personal hygiene items, infant

supplies, blankets and towels, as well

as footwear and suitcases/backpacks,

and items can be dropped off at their

site in Windermere. A truck carrying

supplies was slated to leave for Edmon-

ton on May 11th.

Global Animal Lovers (GALs), the

local not-for-profi t organization that

advocates for animal safety, have also

joined the effort, creating a document

located on their Facebook page for

people to fi ll out if they are able to pro-

vide emergency animal placement for

pets and livestock that currently have

no place to go, in support of the Fort

McMurray Society for the Protection of

Cruelty to Animals, which is working to

fi nd homes for animals left behind in

the evacuation and reuniting pets with

their owners.

Miller said it’s been automatic for

people in the valley to help out in sup-

porting Fort McMurray.

“We’ve got a hugely caring communi-

ty here and with what’s transpired up

there, this a huge tragedy for a lot of

people,” he said. “People in Invermere

and the Columbia Valley have a heart

so they’re going to get taken care of.

These are our friends and we want to

make sure they get taken care of.”

Unlike larger urban regions in cities across the country, the Columbia Val-

ley allows nurses within the community to become closer with their patients

and work with them throughout their lives. Peterson said this can have both

positive and negative effects.

“We know the people, and we may know more about them than we want to

know about them,” she said. “There’s also an anonymity that occurs in big-

ger centres. The uniqueness of rural nursing and rural care is that we have

that depth of knowledge of the community and the community’s history and

the people in it and that commitment is really entrenched in us.”

NURSES from A6

MINIMUM WAGE from A15

OMMUNITYC

Invermere Valley Echo, May 11, 2016

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Transcript of Invermere Valley Echo, May 11, 2016