Eleventh Street remains first choice for third river crossing By Philip RoundEcho Staff

Eleventh Street remains the preferred location for a third road crossing of the Courtenay River, according to the final report of consultants looking at the city’s transportation needs over the next 25 years and now adopted by the City Council.

The idea of driving a new four-lane highway over the river at some point to ease growing volumes of traffic on both the Fifth and 17th Street Bridges has been an option for 20 years, and after more recent studies 11th Street still remains the #1 choice of engineers.

But if and when such a bridge - and the necessary approach road improvements - ever gets built will be guided not only by the pace of traffic growth but also finding the money to build it - last time the cost was estimated, it was put at $30 million.

The eventual bill will be heavily influenced by whether The Slough remains in use as a mooring for tall-masted boats for the long term, necessitating a bridge deck that can be raised from time to time.

The City already owns some of the land it would need if the project is ever to progress, but further acqui-sitions would be required, especially on the Cliffe Avenue side of the river.

Before council voted to accept the full report on all its transportation options, questions were again raised about whether a new crossing south of the 17th Street Bridge might be a better option than 11th Street, to help siphon off a lot of the traffic going to and from Comox before it gets anywhere near downtown.

Councillor Starr Winchester asked if an extension of 29th Street - the Comox Valley Parkway - out over the estuary, mainly on a causeway, had been evaluated so a link could be made not only with Comox Road but also up the hill to McDonald Road.

Consultant Jennifer Armstrong said that had been looked at, and it would certainly have the advantage of reducing travel time for many drivers.

But the ballpark cost of building such a long link would be at least twice that of a bridge over the river itself, and there would also be very significant environ-mental impacts to consider when cutting across the estuary.

Together, they were two major factors against that location as a crossing point, but if it was not for them 29th Street would - in pure transportation terms - be very close to if not the very top choice, she added.

(Continued on page 2)

By Philip RoundEcho Staff

In a bid to boost its case, the com-pany wanting to build a major resi-dential development on rural land close to Stotan Falls has been col-lecting signatures of people enjoy-ing the river this summer.

For 3L Developments Inc., Kabel Atwall told the Echo they were ask-ing people if they supported the river and its banks becoming public parkland.

He accepted the petition did not spell out what 3L wanted in return for such a land donation to Comox

Valley Regional District, but he believed it was a useful exercise.

So far more than 1,000 signatures have been gathered, he said, which was a clear demonstration that peo-ple appreciated the offer of land 3L had made as part of its wider proj-ect between the Puntledge and Browns Rivers.

However, the Echo has not heard any voices raised suggesting a river-front park would be a bad idea; the opposition relates to the proposed development further back.

Although the river in that area has been used informally as a park for decades, its bed and neighbour-

ing bank at that location are actual-ly privately owned by 3L. At any time, the company could choose to permanently block public access and divide up the property to sell to other owners.

And much as it would like to see parkland dedicated at Stotan Falls, the regional district has reaffirmed it is not willing to progress an amendment to the Comox Valley Regional Growth Strategy that could pave the way for an intensive devel-opment.

3L’s most detailed plans indicate it would like permission for 700 or more homes as well as some com-

mercial property in the area.Atwall said 3L remained willing

to be flexible, offering to compro-mise on the scale and extent of the development, while still offering substantial areas of riverfront land as parkland.

But to move anything forward required at least an RGS amend-ment process to be initiated.

“We won’t get everything we want; they won’t get everything they want - but we still believe there is a way forward,” he said. “But it’s a one-way conversation when you’re talking to a wall.”

The regional district has taken

legal advice on its stand not to ini-tiate the RGS amendment process, as 3L has previously threatened to pursue the matter through the courts.

The CVRD has since publicly noted the procedure it followed to get to this point was “reasonable and appropriate” and it stands by it.

The decision keeps faith with a core policy of the RGS - which draws a line down the Puntledge as the limit of urban development - to manage sprawl and protect rural areas from intensive development, at the very least until the strategy comes up for review after five years.

3L collecting signatures to support riverside park

Transformative ‘Atmosphere’ at Cumberland’s newest music festival

By Drew A. PennerEcho Staff

Atmosphere Gathering was a weekend to remember as some of Canada’s top talent touched down and chilled out in the Village of Cumberland for a weekend of cre-ativity, bass music and interaction. Conscious hip hoppers Chali 2na and Blackalicious, electronic heavy-weights A Tribe Called Red and Erica Dee and critically acclaimed acts like Tanya Tagaq - and many more - were collected into an easy-going mix to delight people of all ages.

“It’s all about blending the differ-ent artforms,” said Vig Schulman, of Cumberland Village Works, one of the organizations behind the festival which attracted about 1,200-1,500 people in the inaugural year. “We were going in this year to test the waters.”

The event attracted music fans and curious festivalgoers from far and wide. While many of the part-iers came from Vancouver and Victoria for Atmosphere, others came from further afield. Some trav-elers from Montreal and Saskatchewan made a point of arranging a stop in the Comox Valley because of the quality of tal-ent and the promise of an enriching festival experience. At least one person even flew in from Southeast Asia to be on hand for the event.

(Continued on page 2)

A relaxed atmosphere permeated the grounds to the sounds of electronic and live music over the weekend.

Tanya Tagaq displayed some impressive Inuit throat singing chops during this Sunday evening performance at the big top.

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A2 Comox Valley Echo Tuesday, August 19, 2014

News

For the latest Comox Valley Weather visit: www.comoxvalleyecho.com

Comox Valley Weather

Tuesday, 19 August

A mix of sun and cloud. Fog patches dissipating in the

morning. High 23°C.

Wednesday, 20 August

Cloudy. Low 13°C. High 21°C.

Thursday, 21 August

A mix of sun and cloud.Low 15°C. High 20°C.

Friday, 22 August

Sunny.Low 12°C. High 23°C.

Saturday, 23 August

Sunny.Low 12°C. High 25°C.

HOMEQUITY BANK

(Contiued from page 1)

Winchester said she had heard that on environmental grounds alone such a route would never be approved, but if there was some way of addressing that con-cern she felt sure it would be a better option for reducing overall congestion.

In addition to a third crossing, other new road projects high-lighted in the report’s vision for the next 25 years include the north connector realignment between Piercy Road and the Island Highway (including a new

bridge over the Tsolum); a connec-tor route behind Superstore between Back Road and the Island Highway ‘bypass’ to relieve some of the pressure on Ryan Road; a new north Courtenay road from Veterans Memorial Parkway to Anderton Road that would also access the proposed Raven develop-ment lands; various new roads within Crown Isle to open further areas of the estate; and a new con-nector road through development

lands just starting to open up in south Courtenay.

There are also several road-wid-ening projects in the vision, includ-ing most of Ryan Road from Back Road to CFB Comox, and the Island Highway from the proposed new link road behind Superstore to 17th Street Bridge, and a short stretch of the same road south of 31st Street. The possibility of widening the Island Highway north of Courtenay is also a potential project, depend-

ing on future traffic growth. Questioned by Coun. Doug Hillian about the possible pedestrianiza-tion of Fifth Street, or the introduc-tion of a one- way system in down-town, Armstrong said neither was considered appropriate.

But she noted the report did include proposals for ‘complete streets’ to improve roads in and out of downtown for all users - includ-ing pedestrians and bike riders - and creating what she called ‘active

public realms’ with facelifts and better signage and facilities.

Although the council has now adopted the 25-year plan, each spe-cific project suggested will need to be voted on as and when the time comes to progress it.

But the City now considers it has a detailed framework and policy manual to guide its priorities on transportation and land use issues for the next quarter-century.

Eleventh Street remains first choice for third river crossing

(Continued from page 2)

The festival was a success because it allowed attendees to get out of their comfort zone and day-to-day routine in order to experience some-thing invigorating, Schulman said.

“People live a life in this culture probably more robotically than they’d like to,” he said. “I feel like it’s really part of connecting with what’s real.”

Multiple council members attended Atmosphere, with mayor Leslie Baird even post-ing a picture of the inside of the big top on her Facebook page.

“I was actually there during the week when they were putting the tent up like a lot of other people,” she said, noting it’s important to have all ages events such as this in the community since Cumberland has so many young families. “I like to see things like this happen because people deserve to have a good time.”

However, she noted over the weekend she fielded a number of noise complaints from Villagers who were concerned about the bass more than the music itself. If people had expe-rienced any issues over the weekend and want-ed to express that they would need to put their grievances in writing, she noted.

“We will be dealing with that issue,” she said, adding the festiva-lgoers were upbeat and friendly. “The people that were in attendance

when I was there were very nice and very talk-ative.”

There were a few growing “challenges” this year, including an airline losing track of musi-cal performer gear in two separate incidents.

But the show must go on and accommodations were made so the performance could go ahead smoothly.

Saturday was certainly the high water mark both artistically and attendance-wise, as revel-ers walked around the grounds and soaked up the sunshine.

The Kumugwe Dancers from K’ómoks First Nation played during the opening ceremonies but also introduced A Tribe Called Red, with Rob Everson, the elected chief, flowing feathers into the crowd. Although A Tribe Called Red was down one man - DJ NDN wasn’t able to attend due to a family emergency - DJ Bear Witness took over his duties behind the decks to produce a truly transformative spectacle for the energetic masses in attendance.

They transitioned from the traditional KFN dancers to their mélange of dance music styles from a solid pow-wow drum beat to breakbeats fluidly.

The circus element of the event was in full force with a carnival-like food booth set-up next to the communal eating area, aerial performers and fabulous costumes in every direction.

“The circus is just different people collaborat-ing,” Schulman said, commenting on the grand carnival traditions of days of yore - something on plain display at Atmosphere. “Your visual senses were being stimulated by people circus-ing.”

He was referring in part to an elaborate rou-tine by a pair of silk rope acrobats who did a sensual routine above the crowd to the heavy dub of the Librarian. It was as if a storyline was built into the music - and yet the performers had not rehearsed to the track.

Francisco “Pancho” Pace, 66, of the Rio Samaya Band said he didn’t know what to expect when he was asked to come, but ulti-mately he was pleased by what he saw.

“I don’t drink, I don’t smoke and I don’t do drugs,” he said. “I’ve been there for three days form beginning to the end.

The man who moved to Canada from Argentina said he felt the music festival was geared to everyone.

“It was beautiful and harmonic and clean,” he said. “It was nice.”

Authorities reported no significant fire haz-ard or safety issues relating to the music festi-val.

“Overall I thought it went pretty good,” said Mike Williamson, the manager of protective services for the Village. “It was pretty calm - a pretty relaxed atmosphere.”

The festival has already brought a noticeable economic boost to the Village of Cumberland. Businesses such as the Patch, Seeds and the Wandering Moose have all reported a signifi-cant boost in traffic and sales throughout the weekend and into Monday.

Transformative ‘Atmosphere’ at Cumberland’s newest music festival

Chali 2na lit up the stage with his rapping

By Drew A. PennerEcho Staff

Authorities are warning residents and visitors to be cautious after four cougar sightings were reported in the Cumberland area over the past few days. The various viewings have been spread out between the Coal Creek and Trent Main area, and in one case the cougar even chased after a trail rider.

“There seems to be a pride of cougars in the region,” said fire chief Mike Williamson. “There’s a male and female and two kittens.”

This follows on the heels of a reported encounter on the Rotary Trail near 17th Street back on June 15. The conservation officer attended the scene but was unable to locate the cougar. The City of Courtenay posted warning signs to advise visitors at Bill Moore Park, Dogwood Park, and the Rotary Trail of the situ-ation.

Williamson noted there have also been infor-mation signs posted on Cumberland trails. These notifications include the time of the last sighting.

You will find signs at the entrance to Railroad

near Allen Lake and at the yellow gate Son utton Road.

And if you come into contact with a cougar it’s important not to shrink away in fear, he added.

“Make yourself big and loud,” he said. “Don’t turn your back.”

The BC’s Ministry of the Environment notes that cougars can have a hard time identifying children as humans and may be attracted to their high-pitched voices, small size and erratic movements.

Cougars also go after livestock, but farmers and ranchers must comply with existing hunt-ing seasons and regulations, even if a cougar comes onto their property - although scare devices such as sound cannons are encouraged.

Officials have been touring the bush areas where the cougars were spotted over the week-end but didn’t manage to see the wild felines.

Back in June a Courtenay family had two cats, one of which was fatally injured, attacked by a small cougar, .

To report a cougar sighting, contact the BC Conservation Office 24 hour, toll free call centre at 1-877-952-7277.

Officials: be on alert for cougarsPride spotted in Cumberland areaComox Valley’s Beachcombers School is

hosting an information session at the Courtenay Library Thursday August 21st at 2:00 pm. The session will discuss the ben-efits of small class sizes and offer informa-tion about Beachcombers School. The ses-sion is free for interested families.

Beachcombers School offers a quality academic curriculum, enriched program-ing, and a supportive and inspired learning environment. Dedicated art and music teachers provide arts programming starting from Kindergarten.

“We encourage students to discover an enthusiasm for learning and we provide a quality academic program,” said Principal Wendy Preston. “We also offer an enriched program that includes arts and coastal sports.”

Beachcombers School is located across from the ocean. It has panoramic views of Baynes Sound from the classrooms and playground. Students watch the oyster fishers come and go from the wharf. The adjacent estuary supports Blue Heron nest-ing grounds, salmon spawning creeks, and a host of migratory sea birds.

“Our beautiful location is such a benefit to students,” said Preston. “Students have so much contact with nature even from the school grounds. And teachers are easily able to take students to the beach and pro-tected estuary nearby. Our science pro-gram really benefits from having such a great location.”

A bus service is a convenient option for parents. It is just a 20 minute bus ride, which compares favourably to other dis-trict routes that are as much as an hour and half long.

Beachcombers is in its 5th year of oper-ation. It was started by educators and par-ents in order to provide a quality and inspired primary program. Currently the school operates from preschool to grade 7. “We are expanding to grade 8 and hope to eventually have a small innovative high school program,” said Preston.

Beachcombers School is operated by a non-profit society and is a member of the BC Federation of Independent Schools.

For more information about Beachcombers School please visit the web-site at www.BeachcombersSchool.ca

Info session at library on Beachcombers School

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News

Comox Valley Echo Tuesday, August 19, 2014 A3

By Philip RoundEcho Staff

Sunnydale Golf Society looks set to secure another year of property tax exemption for the course it runs beside the Island Highway just north of Courtenay.

The exemption would be worth just under $26,000 this year, and would apply to the golf course and buildings with the exception of the pro-shop.

The course qualifies for the discretionary tax break because it is on Crown land, leased to the

Comox Valley Regional District, and it is classed as “a property used principally for public athlet-ic or recreation purposes” run by a non-profit society.

However, CVRD staff noted in a written report: “Commercial golf courses are not eligi-ble for permissive tax exemptions, or any other assistance from local governments, and may feel that Sunnydale has an unfair advantage by receiving a property tax exemption.”

But in answer to a question from Coun. Jon Ambler, chief administrative officer Debra Oakman said finance staff had received no offi-

cial complaint about the concession in the past, and the permissive exemption had been granted for some years.

In its 2014 application, the society indicated the annual tax break meant they had capital funds to improve the quality of the course and replace older equipment.

If it were not to be granted for 2014, the soci-ety would have to consider other revenue sourc-es, an increase in user fees, expense reductions, or deferrals of capital projects and acquisitions.

CVRD’s committee of the whole supported the exemption being made again for this year,

but before the society can be sure in has the concession the full regional district board must endorse the decision later this month. That is expected to be a formality, as the people serving on the committee and on the board are the same.

The committee also supported granting a further year’s property tax exemption to Union Bay Historical Society for the heritage post office and former gaol building it owns and maintains at Union Bay. That concession would be worth about $7,740 this year.

Golf course set for $26,000 property tax concession

Work on widening and ditching the rough gravel section of Huband Road before it gets a more solid surface is proceeding well thanks to the good weath-er of recent weeks. The $200,000 project is being carried on a one-kilo-metre section of the road by highways maintenance contractor Emcon on behalf of the provincial minis-try of highways and infrastructure. Although there was once a logging track through the area that eventually became a single-lane gazetted route, the need to lay a major natural gas pipeline in the locality some years ago resulted in many more trees being felled and a widening and realignment of a section of the road across private land which has only now been purchased to get it in to public own-

ership. As the gas company’s revised route was never decommissioned as originally intended, the province took on responsibility for limited maintenance and grading of what had become a two-lane wide gravel road.Ever-increasing traffic volumes along it has now led to the widening the road prior to giving it a more durable ‘sealcoat’ surface to avoid the constant reap-pearance of potholes after rain and to avoid the clouds of dust that accompany every vehicle in drier weather.* Local resident Peter Wilson tells the Echo the road is named after Billy Huband, who lived in a log cabin in those parts back in the day.

Good weather speeds road improvement project

Eighty-four Comox Valley residents enjoyed a spectacular evening on August 16th, at the Tee Box restaurant in Comox. The Mack Laing Heritage Society held its first fundraising dinner and auction raising in excess of 7,000.

“We had sold out one week before the event and could have sold 20 more tickets if we’d had the space,” notes Frieda Home of the Society. She and Paul Horgen organized the event.

The evening featured a gourmet meal by Tee Box owner, Chef Adrian. Prior to the dinner and auction, guests sampled cheese donated by Natural Pastures and wine donated by Forty Knots winery.

The audience enjoyed literary readings by Area Director Jim Gillis (from Mack Laing’s unpublished manuscript “Baybrook: Life’s Best Adventure”.

Steve Hill, a local playwright, gave a trib-ute to 2013 Nobel Prize winner in Literature Alice Munro, who spent two years writing in residence at Baybrook.

Comox Valley historian and author Richard Mackey read excerpts from his biography, “Hamilton Mack Laing, Hunter and Naturalist”.

Loys Maingon, President of Comox Valley Nature, told the audience about plans for Baybrook, including renovation and use of the building and site for a nature pre-

school, an intrepretive centre and a hub for conservation tourism.

Master of Ceremonies for the evening, auctioneer Jean Rowe, encouraged the audi-ence to bid on over 70 items. Included was a numbered print donated by Robert Bateman, which sold for $850.

There were also two special prints by Alan Brooks, a contemporary and colleague of Laing, and one of the four “Birdmen” of the Comox Valley.

The prints were donated by Betty Brooks, his daughter-in-law. Several books auto-graphed by the authors were also sold in the auction, including an autographed book by Alice Munro.

A number of other local authors donated books to the auction and were present at the event.

Many valley merchants and individuals also donated certificates, gift baskets and other interesting items.

The water colour painting of Baybrook, by Ruth Dickson, the featured artist of the evening, will be used to produce limited edition prints for sale in the future.

“We want to thank all those who contrib-uted items for auction and to all those who opened their pocketbooks and bought the items,” said Kate Panayatof, President of the Society.

Prior to and during the evening, 11 indi-

viduals made special pledges of $10-$1,000, raising an additional $2990.

The Society will make a presentation to Comox Council on Wednesday, August 20 at 5 pm.

It will propose a strategy for the use and

funding of renovations for Baybrook, which will not put any financial burden on the Town of Comox.

For more information on the Society or to become a member, please visit our website: www.macklaingsociety.ca

View of the participants at the Tee Box August 16. (Photo by Lois Maingon)

Mack Laing Heritage Society gains momentum as dinnerand auction huge success

By Michael BrionesEcho Staff

If the teachers’ strike continues by the start of the school year in September, the City of Courtenay is set to provide additional recre-ation services for children to help parents.

Staff submitted this proposal to city council for endorsement, based on its report on Aug. 18 “Children’s Recreation Programs - Parent Save.” They have been consulting with parents who have expessed concerns about the pro-longed teachers’ strike.

The city provides an array of quality recre-ation programs for children of all ages. They include sports, arts, dance, children’s camps, gymnastics, adventure programs, music spe-cial events, and family related activities.

If the teachers’ work stoppage is not settled by the beginning of September, staff has devel-oped a contingency program plan - Parent Saver Program - which will care for children and support parents who may be impacted. It will provide activities for children ages 6-12, Monday to Friday, from 8:30 to 3:30 p.m. Up to 30 children per day can be accommodated.

The program will benefit the children by getting them back into routine of a school day, allowing them to interact with other children, getting them out of the house and being active and exposing them to activities they many not have otherwise had the chance to participate in.

The reasons staff are pushing for the extra programs is to provide support to parents needing to find care for their children so they

are able to work. As there are not enough resources in the community to host all chil-dren while school is out of session, the contin-gency plan will be a valuable addition. It will also increase revenue for children’s programs and a good way of promoting recreational pro-grams for upcoming season.

The revenue the extra programs will gener-ate would be around $3,750 per week. A per day enrolment rate of $40 will also be an option offered to allow maximum flexibility for parents.

The expenditures are projected to be $1,700 per week based on two program staff, supplies and one or two volunteers, plus advertising costs of $300. There will be no negative finan-cial impact on the city’s recreational program operating budget. Programs will be offered until schools are back in session. However, if a program has insufficient enrolments, it could be cancelled.

Meanwhile, there are some developments brewing between the BC Teachers’ Federation and the provincial government. Contract talks have stalled but now veteran mediator Vince Ready has made himself available in an attempt to end the acrimonious labour dis-pute.

A joint statement from the teachers and the B.C. Public School Employers’ Association says Ready met separately with the parties and has indicated his availability.

The union says Ready will monitor the situ-ation and has agreed to resume exploratory talks, or even full mediation if he believes it will be productive.

City staff comes up with plan to help parents affected by strike

A4 Comox Valley Echo Tuesday, August 19, 2014

News

By Blair Qualey

For those who’ve never been,the Vancouver InternationalAuto Show, held every Marchat the Vancouver ConventionCentre, is the largest event of itskind in Western Canada.The show appeals to a wide

range of drivers, from the classiccar enthusiast to the automotive

technology geek and everyone in between.As some of you may know, the New Car

Dealers Association of BC owns the VancouverInternationalAuto Show.We make it our missionto ensure that every event features something foreveryone and includes the latest makes, modelsand technology the industry has to offer.We also incorporate classic cars into the programand events that promote eco-friendly vehicles.It’s not surprising that the event is highlyanticipated each year by the industry, everyday

drivers, and auto enthusiasts alike.To ensure future shows continue to entertain,

impress and inform our guests, we’re excited thatwe’ve hired a new showmanagement team. Theyinclude three of the top auto industry and eventexperts in the country: Jason Heard, Phil Heardand Keith Morgan.For those of you who aren’t familiar with the

Heards – Jason is one of Canada’s most dynamicand experienced show managers. That’s whyhe’s been tapped for the role as manager of theVancouver International Auto Show. His father,Phil, a well-known businessman and eventexpert, is also coming on board as a seniorconsultant.Jason and Phil are promising “a new level

of world-class programming and content” forguests at next year’s event. I have no doubtthey will wow us in 2015, and at future shows.Jason and Phil already produce the Vancouver

Collector Car Show and Auction and have ledsome of BC’s top events, including the MolsonIndy, IDSwest, World Urban Forum and theVancouver International Boat Show.Keith Morgan is a highly respected and

innovative Canadian auto journalist, who willserve as a specialty content consultant at nextyear’s show. I’m very much looking forward towhat Keith comes up with as he incorporates allof the exciting new options now available acrossboth traditional and social media.The addition of these three auto industry

experts, not to mention their incredible depthand breadth of event management experience,will significantly enhance the guest experience atthe show, which is already a major event. It’s notonly the most important event for the automotiveindustry in British Columbia, but also the largesttrade and consumer show in Western Canada.More than 84,500 people came through the

doors at the 2014 show held March 25-30, a five-per-cent increase over 2013. There were morethan 400 vehicles from 30 companies around theworld on display.We’re expecting the 2015 event, which takes

place March 24-29, to be even bigger. If you’venever been to the show, I highly recommend youcheck it out. For those of you who have been inthe past, be sure to come back again next year forwhat promises to be another amazing showcaseof the best the auto industry has to offer.I look forward to seeing you there!For more information on the Vancouver

International Auto Show, please visit:www.VancouverInternationalAutoShow.com.

Blair Qualey is President and CEO of the NewCar Dealers Association of BC. Email him atbqualey@newcardealers.ca.

Changes ensure an exciting 2015 showSpecial Information Supplement

The Vancouver International Auto Show may be eight months away, but planning isalready in high gear to ensure next year’s event is even more exciting than last year

By Drew A. PennerEcho Staff

A 39-year-old homeless man was denied bail in Courtenay Provincial Court Aug. 14 and will have to answer to a series of accusations while in custody.

Colin William Delmars sat in a loose fitting T-shirt sporting a buzz cut and nodded towards the provin-cial court judge as he awaited the result of the show cause hearing.

Despite judge Brian Saunderson of Campbell River commending Jordan Watt of McCullough Blazina Dieno Gustafson & Watt in Victoria for an effective judicial interim release pre-sentation that put his client in the best possible light, the magistrate still couldn’t find the grounds to release the man into the community.

Watt had disputed some of the cir-cumstances presented by Crown pros-ecutor Richard Ellsay while conced-ing others.

Delmars faces a charge of theft under $5,000 in relation to an April 28 incident at Thrifty Foods.

He’s also been charged with mis-chief under $5,000, uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm and will-fully resisting or obstructing a peace officer in regards to an Aug. 10 situa-tion that unfolded at the Salvation Army’s Pidcock House in Courtenay.

In bail hearings defence counsel is responsible for showing “cause” which would allow a judge to release the suspected offender out from behind bars.

A 39-year-old Comox Valley resi-dent was given a more strict jail term after he failed to show up for prison voluntarily.

Ronald Provencher was sentenced to seven days jail for being unlawfully at large when he was supposed to be spending weekends in jail. The Courtenay man was “on the run” from Aug. 8-10 before turning himself in Aug. 13.

A joint submission from duty coun-sel Dennis Evans and Crown lawyer Richard Ellsay was all it took to con-vince the judge the punishment would fit the crime.

“This is an intermittent order he was supposed to serve,” Ellsay said, noting he had also been on a proba-tion order from a sentence handed down by judge Rod Sutton back in July 31, 2014.

“I’m quite content to accept your joint submission,” said Judge Brian Saunderson in Courtenay Provincial Court Aug. 14.

Provencher will receive a day credit for spending Wednesday in an RCMP holding cell.

He had attended prison from Aug. 1-3, allowing him to tick a few days off his original sentence.

Provencher has been in and out of the Courtenay Courthouse, followed by his fiancé for the past few months,

on assault and breach charges, as well as for other reasons.

He has a history of failing to follow the conditions of undertakings and probation orders placed against him.

In this instance he showed up to the police station with a hospital bracelet and claimed he had a concus-sion.

His lover, Melissa Kehler, had been watching the proceedings at the front of the public gallery, right behind where her fiancé sat in the prisoner’s box. She recently moved from Vancouver to the Comox Valley to be with her man, and plans to take his last name.

“I love you,” she said as he was led away to jail.

It hasn’t been an easy month for Charles Cox. The 33-year-old’s broth-er died just two weeks ago. Now he’s been served up135 days in jail for flying off the handle in the aftermath, breaching his probation, assaulting his girlfriend and damaging her vehi-cle.

The problem now, he says, is alco-hol. With everything going on he just can’t stay away from the stuff.

“Since the passing of my brother I started drinking again,” he told Judge Brian Saunderson in Courtenay Provincial Court Aug. 14. “I’m doing the best I can not to drink.”

Cox grew up in a small community on the North Island and started con-suming alcohol as a teenager. He now attends Alcoholics Anonymous regu-larly, but the most recent problems started with his brother’s funeral.

His brother died in Vancouver, but the funeral was held up-Island.

He ended up giving his partner a ride back to Courtenay, while drink-ing and smoking weed along the way.

This escalated to a physical con-frontation and vehicle damage.

Cox pleaded guilty to assault, mis-chief and two breach charges through Campbell River defence lawyer James Hormoth, who noted the confessions were early admissions.

He had been in the same relation-ship since 2011 and it has been any-thing but smooth sailing.

“We’re now on the third conviction for assaulting the same woman,” said Crown prosecutor Richard Ellsay.

The Crown became well acquaint-ed with the victim, since she served as a witness in another case recently. On a previous assault charge the judge gave Cox the right to continue to contact his partner, since she had requested this at the time, to the cha-grin of the Crown.

Cox will serve 90 days for the assault, 30 days concurrent for the mischief and 45 days for the breach-es.

He must attend a relationship course or other counselling as direct-ed. At the behest of Hormoth a drugs and alcohol prohibition was not imposed.

By Drew A. PennerEcho Staff

Cumberland is one of the more popular places to Rest In Peace, but it is about to get more expensive, if the Village follows a suggestion laid out in the new Cemeteries Master Plan. Under current arrange-ments, Cumberland loses about $1,500 a year on its cemetery, although this falls in line with what many other Canadian municipali-ties of a similar size experience.

More people die and are cremat-ed in the Village on average annu-ally than in the rest of the province per capita. Yet there is comparative-ly little space left to accommodate the current and future residents in local cemeteries when they pass away and not enough money com-ing in to sort out the discrepancy.

A new report presented to coun-cil Aug. 11 during a regularly scheduled meeting recommends raising fees by three per cent per year to take advantage of the above average demand for plots from local residents and non-residents (who pay a higher price for the space).

The Cumberland Cemeteries Master Plan, brought to the civic table by Catriona Hearn, of Lees and Associates Cemetery Planners, projects the Village can expect 778 internments over the next 30 years, with 91 per cent needing cremation services and nine per cent going for casket services.

Under the company’s plan vehi-cle and pedestrian traffic would be improved first along with beefing up the range and quality of inter-ment products as well as site aes-thetics for Phase I.

Six years down the road crema-tion interment and operations would then be improved for Phase II. Ten years out Phase III would kick in, prompting the Village to integrate its cemetery into the com-munity’s recreational network with signs and a trail connection to Maple Lake.

As baby boomers pass age 65 they will likely begin to increasing-ly stock up on death products such as cremation packages and ground plots, experts believe.

When Baby Boomers start dying in greater numbers Cumberland’s

death rate is expected to jump from the historical rate of 11.80 per 1,000 to 12.8 per 1,000.

Cumberland’s CAO Sundance Topham was pleased with the docu-ment.

“It’s very comprehensive,” he said.

While some minor changes need to be made to the document includ-ing adding a few graphics and tweaking the names of cemeteries the bigger comments had to do with the approach to the Chinese ceme-tery.

“It’s interesting,” Topham said. “There’s a lot of emotion attached to cemeteries.”

Because of the haphazard way that facility was filled in the past it has added new challenges for cur-rent administrators.

The consulting company recom-mended preventing casket burials there since no one knows where people are and aren’t buried, which didn’t sit well with some council members.

Coun. Conner Copeman said he felt there was still a bit of work to do on the document.

“I was echoing what a lot of the others were saying,” he said, refer-ring to the problems with the Chinese cemetery. “I was a little surprised with some of the ways the Chinese and Japanese cemeteries were being portrayed in the plan.”

He said he also had problems with the way the Village would be expected to borrow money under the proposal.

“The banking in my mind is a little skewed,” he said. “There has to be a way we might be able to work with another municipality.”

Mayor Leslie Baird said it was high time to get started on fixing up the Village’s places of final resting.

“We knew we had issues with the cemetery over the years,” she said. “We sort of let it go by the wayside.”

While the document is only in draft form it represents an important step in the right direction, she added.

“It touched on so many issues we have,” she said, adding the actions outlined in the plan will be a long term process. “It will take years to complete.”

Cumberland gets first look at Cemeteries Master Plan

The Cumberland Cemetery

Support the Tour de Rock ridersat ‘Tour de Miracle’ events

The Tour de Miracle, in support of local Tour de Rock-Cops for Cancer riders goes all this week.

Monday, August 18 - Saturday, August 23

Bring your bike (and helmet of course!) and come on over to Miracle Beach Provincial Park to participate in Tour de Miracle in support of Tour de Rock!. The Tour de Rock riders will be riding over 1000km when they make their journey for the kids in September. We begin on Monday, August 18 and will be recording loops until Saturday, August 23. We want to raise AT LEAST $1 per km that the Tour de Rock riders have to ride!

And every bit counts - RLC Park Services will MATCH dollar for dollar your donations!

Bike Parade Wednesday, August 20 - Join Tour

de Rock rider Chris Kippel and friends at 10:00am on Wednesday, August 20 for our first ever Tour de Miracle Bike

Parade in Miracle Beach Provincial Park. The bike parade will count toward our overall total of loops in an attempt to surpass 1000km collective-ly. Meet our Superhero Tour de Rock rider, get a picture and head out for a group lap around the campground. Cost: by donation.

Family Fun BBQ and Games - Join us at the Miracle Beach Nature House from 11am - 2pm on Saturday, August 23 for a picnic and BBQ in the park. Miracle Beach Nature House staff will be on hand with games, activities and bike fun. Cost: by donation.

COURT PARADEHomeless man given place to sleep - in custody

Criminal who skipped jail thrown back inside

Man who lost brother assaults partner again

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Community NewsComox Valley Echo Tuesday, August 19, 2014 A5

P E R S O N A L R E A L E S TAT E C O R P O R AT I O N

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Community rallied in 1922 to save the fall fair

The Glenurquhart farm. Photo: Courtesy of the Courtenay and District Museum 989.69.30.

HUNTFor Historyby JUDY HAGEN

“MAKE THE FAIR YOUR AFFAIR - You can’t afford to do otherwise; because it is the Farmers’ one real show window. We have told the world that we can produce in Comox. Here is our chance to prove up.” (The Comox Argus 31 August 1922).

In 1922, the annual Agricultural Fair almost didn’t happen. Two

weeks before, there had been a rumour that there were not enough volunteers to hold the Fall Fair.

Then in the August 24th edition of the Argus it was reported that when the Directors of the Agricultural Association had said they would have to cancel the Fair,

“The news spread like wildfire,” which resulted in an extraordinary meeting at the office of the Creamery Association where Mr. A. Hope Herd volunteered to be the secre-tary with P. Leo Anderton to assist.

Anderton would keep his office open until 9 p.m. to allow everyone to get their entry forms submitted before September 2nd.

The Argus remarked: “It is not nice to hark back to the days of the war but if we could hold a fair during those trying days there is no reason why we cannot make a suc-cess of this year’s agricultural event.”

Within a week, the community had rallied. In the next issue of the Argus (31 August), it was reported that Mr. Geidt would have at least twelve entries in the Jersey cow category.

Purebreds to be exhibited includ-ed two young bulls bred at the Hartland Farm which was also going to exhibit “cows in milk”.

Other farmers who committed to send exhibits included Wm. Urquhart, Bridges Bros., T.D. Smith, R.U. Hurford, J. and R. Williams. Joseph Anderton agreed to show his newly imported herd of Aberdeen Angus cattle.

The Argus reminded the readers: “It is not anybody’s fair - everybody should have an interest in it, because it creates that friendly

rivalry without which life in any community would be deader than a door nail.”

It was announced that logging camps were closing by noon; as well, Gwilt’s and the Economy Lumber Co. mills would close early to allow their crews time to get into town.

The Fair would include an Exhibit by the Dominion Experimental Farm located at Sidney, Industrial Exhibits, side shows, a dance, log rolling com-petition and a baseball game featur-ing Courtenay vs. Powell River.

It was anticipated that a large crowd would come over from Powell River on the coastal steamer, the Charmer, since Wednesday was the regular calling day for Comox.

At 1 p.m. September 6th the fair was opened by the Attorney General, the Honourable A. M. Manson who had been introduced by Courtenay Mayor, Charles Simms.

In his remarks, Mr. Manson said that B.C. had a great diversity of prod-ucts and that it must never be allowed

to be forgotten that agriculture in the province was second only to lumber as the leading economic producer.

The Fair turned out to be an over-whelming success. In total there were 190 Exhibitors with 2250 exhibits, which were only 80% of the number from last year, but the old timers agreed that it was “the best display of orchard fruit that has ever been staged ... the produce exhibited as a whole can compete with anything on the Island”. (Argus 07 September 1922)

Apparently there was a keen com-petition in the orchard fruits. Apple varieties were Gravensteins, Wealthy, Blenheim Orange and Alexanders. The favourite pears were Bartlett, Clapps and Flemish Beauty.

The display of “spuds” was much discussed because they were far supe-rior to those shown last year which most considered remarkable. This year the potatoes were much better quality in spite of an early date for the fair and the summer’s poor

weather. The prize-winning potatoes, submitted by Messrs. Hannah and Stephens, were immediately sent to New Westminster and Victoria to be exhibited at those Fairs.

The Jersey classes were “pro-nounced exceptionally good, show-ing the use of excellent sires on grade cows. The competition for the best dairy cow was as usual very keen. It was won by a Glenurquhart individu-al, a big roomy cow with a great mammary system.” (Argus 07 Sept.)

Along with the agricultural compe-titions were industrial displays and demonstrations, including the latest technology in bee keeping and poul-try sheds. Dr. Briggs judged the Baby Contest selecting baby Foreman as the “most perfect from the eleven specimens.” Capt. Bates organized a very successful miniature shooting range which “added shekels to the association’s coffers.”

Jack Martin won the log rolling contest.

When the coastal steamer, the

Charmer, changed the schedule for that day, stopping at Union Bay, the Powell River team did not arrive. So the baseball match was quickly changed to Courtenay versus Cumberland which resulted in a draw, six runs each.

The dance was so well attended that the Agricultural Hall was almost too full!

When the Comox Agricultural and Industrial Association met after the Fair, they reported that all expenses had been paid, that their deficit from last year was cut in half. The tireless work of the volunteers was much appreciated.

“The secretary (Mr. Hope Herd) went down to the fair grounds at seven o’clock in the morning and remained there until one thirty in the morning when the dance was over. That was the spirit of helpfulness that made the fair a success in spite of many initial handicaps.” (Argus 14 Sept. 1922)

countless hours before and during the Comox Valley Exhibition to put on one of the best antique shows on the island.

At the Comox Valley Exhibition, we host grain-threshing demon-strations twice a day for each day of the fair. Two separators are powered by antique tractors.

Threshing the oats separates the grain from the straw. An antique baler bales the straw that is then sold for cattle bedding etc. Grain grinding is another demon-stration held daily.

The resulting freshly ground whole grain flour is a popular item to buy at the fair.

The activities of a pioneer fami-ly include demonstrations of early washing machines and butter churning.

Antique tractor parades are a big crowd pleaser and are held during the afternoons.

The Glacier Heritage Power & Equipment Club offers free hay wagon rides, to shuttle fairgoers throughout the entire fairgrounds.

The rides operate a half day Friday and all day Saturday and Sunday. Wagon rides are very popular and are constantly in demand for the three-day event.

Anyone interested in antique machinery and preserving the past is welcome to join.

Interest can be of any type - farm machinery, tractors, bulldoz-ers, marine engines, lawn mowers - anything with internal or exter-nal combustion.

You do not have to own equip-ment to become a member.

See us at the Comox Valley Exhibition on Headquarters Rd. in Courtenay.

The fair runs from August 22nd to 24th.

Glacier Heritage Power & Equipment Club is proud to be cel-ebrating its 23rd anniversary of participation in the Comox Valley Exhibition since its founding on the exhibition grounds in 1991.

The Glacier Heritage Power & Equipment Club’s objective has been to preserve and restore antique equipment, and to promote our equipment through exhibitions and demonstrations that show the pioneer way of living.

Demonstrations and displays have included grain threshing, grain grinding, tractor parades, many types of engines, old tools, an old fashioned home, a garage, and a blacksmith shop.

Our engine demonstrations and displays include flywheel engines that were once used for power before the days of electricity. They generated power for cream separa-tors, water pumps and created gen-eral power for machine shop work.

Other engine demos and displays include marine engines, antique outboards, old trucks, and a wide assortment of antique tractors.

Over the past 20 years, our club has also participated in Heritage Days at the Comox Mall, and has displayed equipment at the Campbell River and Courtenay Museums. We have participated in the Cumberland Parade and the Canada Day Parade in Campbell River and Courtenay. We also attend the Black Creek Community Annual Fall Fair.

Our dedicated members spend

The Glacier Heritage and Power Equipment Club will be back again at the Fall Fair this week-end with their popular displays,

Relive the pioneer days at the Fall Fair with Glacier Heritage club

A6 Comox Valley Echo Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Community News

WOODGROVE CENTRE - NANAIMOHOURS: Mon.-Tues. 10:00pm-7:00pm. Wed.-Fri. 10:00am-9:00pm

Sat. 10:00am-7:00pm Sun. 11:00am-6:00pm 250.390.3141

ECHOetc.Black Creek is bringing back the

drive-in, for one night only this August 20th at the Saratoga Speedway.

Part homage to Black Creek’s drive-in history, part fundraiser for Black Creek Community Centre Children’ Programs, and a whole lot of good-old-fashioned family fun, this double-feature movie event starts at 5 p.m. with full concession, mon-ster truck rides, pre-show and draw prizes.

Now Showing: The Lego Movie 8:30 p.m.; Godzilla (2014) 10:15 p.m.

Tickets are $30.00 car load, on sale at all Gas& Go locations (Cumberland General Store, Comox General Store, Ryan Road General Store, Black Creek General Store). Pay via phone at the Black Creek Community Centre, 250-337-5190.

To read a history of our local drive-ins, or for more event information, visit www.blackcreek-cc.com.

Come to the Rialto for a special Doctor Who re-launch with a new Doctor, Peter Capaldi, at the helm of the TARDIS and a thrilling new adventure through space and time.

It’s the perfect opportunity to expe-rience Doctor Who for the first time or for long-time fans to be a part of this highly anticipated season pre-miere with exclusive bonus content.

Two performances: Monday, August 25 at 7:30 pm, and Saturday, August 30 at 12:55 pm.

Tickets on sale now at the Rialto: General $14.95; Children and Seniors $12.95. For more information call (250) 338-5502.

The Comox Seniors are having a Tea Dance on Sept. 14, from 2-4 pm, with music by Schiehallion.

Come to dance, listen to the music or meet your friends for tea and cook-ies. All seniors 55+ are welcome.

The event is at the Seniors Centre, 1801 Beaufort Ave., admission $5 at the door.

Tea Dances will be every second and fourth Sunday. Next one is Sept. 28 with Fiddlejam.

The Merville Grand Mothers are once again asking the community to donate new fabrics, yarns, knitting wool, notions and accessories of all descriptions in preparation for their 2nd Annual Fabulous Fabric Sale.

This event was very popular last year and raised over $4000 for the Stephen Lewis Foundation’s African Grandmothers Campaign.

This year’s sale will take place on November 1 at St Georges Church, downtown Courtenay. Fabric artisans take note.

Donations can be dropped off at the Potters Place,180 5th St., Courtenay between 10 am - 5 pm, Monday to Friday.

The MGMs will also pick up dona-tions from your home. Call Judy 337-5332 or Sally 337-8328.

Prime fundraiser to help protect Cumberland trailsAnyone who appreciates

Cumberland’s network of hiking and mountain biking trails is invit-ed to a special dinner at the Prime Chophouse August 28 to raise money for protecting one of the Valley’s favourite outdoor play-grounds.

The Prime Chophouse and Wine Bar is hosting a “Throwback Thursday” in support of the United Riders of Cumberland (UROC), which is currently working to secure a land access agreement with the forestry companies that own the land. Diners can choose from two dinner specials, five dollars from each of which help UROC ensure Cumberland’s trails are always free to enjoy.

“We’re promoting land access for Comox Valley mountain bikers and really anyone who enjoys using the trails,” says UROC president Mike Manara.

“We’re lucky that we’re in a posi-tion to recreate in a working forest on private land; the landowners have been great partners in that respect. What a land access agree-ment will allow us to do is promote the area as a mountain bike destina-tion, create standards in terms of maps and signage and create a for-mal framework for building and maintaining trails.”

In addition to great food and great company, the Prime event will feature a 50/50 draw and silent auc-tion.

Items up for bid will include an entry to next year’s BC Bike Race, valued at more than $2,000, and a dirt jumper mountain bike donated by Norco and Trail Bicycles.

This is the second time in as many years Prime Chophouse has dedicated an evening to UROC; last year, more than $6,000 was raised at the event.

“Groups like UROC are out there doing the legwork so people like us

can enjoy the trails that make the Comox Valley such a great place to live,” says Kory Wagstaff, owner of the Prime Chophouse and Wine Bar, which hosts several Throwback Thursday events each month.

“We’re happy to support the work they do, as we’re happy to support other organizations working to make the Valley a better place.”

The UROC Throwback Thursday event runs from 5:00 until late on August 28 at the Prime Chophouse, located at 1089 Braidwood Road in Courtenay.

To learn more about UROC, or to become a member, visit www.unit-edridersofcumberland.com.

The United Riders of Cumberland are working to preserve land access for mountain bikers

The Prime Chophouse is hosting the fund-raiser for Cumberland trails

Playing hundreds of sold out live shows, the ABBA tribute band Arrival has a sound and stage show that has been honed and fine-tuned to such a degree that they have many times actually been mistaken for the ABBA. You will always find the crowd sing-ing along with all of ABBA’s famous and well know tunes during ARRIVAL’s exciting high energy show.

That’s because every song on Arrival ’s roster was a number one ABBA hit, and Arrival delivers with such incredible and enjoyable authen-ticity, you feel that you are actually witnessing ABBA in Concert.

The band of professional musicians from Vancouver has played many shows all around the world - Las Vegas, Dominican Republic, Toronto, Calgary, Edmonton, and Regina to name a few. You will be amazed at how close Arrival - Canada’s tribute to Abba looks and sounds like the original band. They take you back in time, so you can experience this amazing music all over again.

Outdoor concerts playing at the Comox Valley Exhibition Grounds Fri. Aug. 22 at 8:00 pm. Tickets avail-able for purchase at www.cvex.ca or at 201-580 Duncan Ave.

DREAMS - The Ultimate Tribute to Fleetwood Mac is an authentic sound-

ing, seven piece tribute to Fleetwood Mac. They perform in full costumes, similar to the actual styles worn by the original Fleetwood Mac. This band has performed all over the world.

From the music to the costumes, Dreams portrays Fleetwood Mac with incredible authenticity. This is defi-nitely a show you won’t want to miss.

Formed in 2005, this group of tal-ented, diverse performers came

together with a passion for the music, and a desire to take the ‘Tribute Act’ genre to another level.

When you sit back and reminisce about the 70’s & 80’s music, one of the top bands to grace the charts was Fleetwood Mac. Even today, 30 plus years later, you can still here their music on the radio stations around the world.

It was with that thought in mind that Dreams was born. The fab five are joined by the talents of Stephen

Manning and Bob Van Velzen, com-pleting this grand seven piece live production. The cast of Dreams takes great pride being able to replicate the Fleetwood Mac sound so closely that it’s difficult to tell the difference. Get going and get grooving to Dreams!

Outdoor concert playing at the Comox Valley Exhibition Grounds Saturday, Aug. 23 at 8:00 pm. Tickets available for purchase at www.cvex.ca or at 201-580 Duncan Ave.

ABBA, Fleetwood Mac tribute bands at fall fair

Come back to the drive-in Wednesday

Doctor Who seasonpremiere at the Rialto

Tea dances startingsoon at Comox Seniors

Call for fabric to helpAfrican grandmothers

RULES• Contest closes August 20th at Noon • All entries will be collected from participating

merchants and winner chosen • Draw will take place 4 pm August 22nd • To win you must answer your phone when the Echo

calls • Call backs are not allowed • Entry forms will be

drawn until there is a winner • Shopping spree will be held on Saturday August

30th at 10:30 AM

• A maximum of $200 can be spent at any given participating merchant

• Winner will be driven from Echo office to participating merchants of the winner’s choice by ambassador shuttle

• As the winner has only 2014 seconds ( 33.56 Minutes) to spend $2014 it is recommended you visit participating merchants prior to shopping spree to pre-plan

• Winner must be at least 19 years of age.

THE COMOX VALLEY’SLARGEST LOCALSHOPPING SPREEOF THE CENTURY!One very lucky person will be REWARDED FOR SHOPPING LOCALLY and WIN a $2,014 shopping spree where they will have a total of 2014 seconds (33.56 minutes) to spend $2,014 at any or all participating merchants.

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What’s OnComox Valley Echo Tuesday, August 19, 2014 A7

With summer still going strong, Strathcona Wilderness Institute Society continues its pro-grams in Strathcona Park. The Strathcona Park Wilderness Centre , managed by SWI, at the Paradise Meadows trailhead adjacent to Mt. Washington’s Raven Lodge, is the centre for SWI programs and is open every day for Park and trail information.

A hike to beautiful Hairtrigger Lake in the Forbidden Plateau area is on the schedule for Saturday August 23. This photogenic lake is featured on Strathcona Wilderness Institute’s 2014-1015 calendar which is for sale at the Wilderness Centre. To register for this 8 hr, 18 km long moderately-paced hike, contact coor-dinator@strathconapark.org No pets please on this outing which will start at 8 a.m. from the Wilderness Centre.

On Sunday August 24, expert naturalist & photographer Terry Thormin will guide an Insect ID Nature Walk around Paradise Meadows. Thormin is the retired curator of entomology at Royal Alberta Museum. Meet at the Wilderness Centre at 1 p.m. for this all-ages outing to look at insects of all kinds , and learn about their life cycles.

On Saturday August 30, join SWI volunteer Jana Tomanek for a dog-friendly hike to Croteau Lake lookout. Pre-register at coordi-nator@strathconapark.org for this 14 km, 6-7 hr. slowly-paced hike which will start at 9 a.m. from the Wilderness Centre. Leashes are required for pets in this area, and well-be-haved dogs on leash are welcome.

For all SWI activities, dress for the weather, wear proper footwear, bring lunch or snacks, water, bug spray and sun protection. All SWI activities are by donation, $5-10 suggested. Donations are appreciated to help with the delivery of the programs & the staffing of the Centre.

Visit the SWI website at www.strathcona-park.org for more information on all the pro-grams in Strathcona Park. Up-to-date informa-tion on trail conditions is also on the website, as well as the schedule of guided nature walks, talks & hikes; and the dates that the Centre is open for Park information.

Hairtrigger Lake in Strathcona Park (Photo by Krista Kaptein

Green Comma Butterfly, photographed by Terry Thormin

Late August programs offered at Strathcona Park Wilderness Centre

Watch the ‘Dock Dogs’ take Big Air during competitions at the Fall Fair

The Dock Dogs will be appearing in Courtenay Aug. 22 - 24 at the Comox Valley Exhibition.

This is a very exciting attraction added this year.

Dock Dogs is the world’s premier canine aquatics competition where you can have the most fun with your dogs.

Dock Dogs Canada is dedicated to produc-ing quality events in the best of family envi-ronments.

Here is what the schedule will look like for the event.

Dock Dog Event Schedule:Friday, August 22Onsite Registration/ Practice - 11:30 amBig Air Wave # 1 - 12:30 pmBig Air Wave # 2 - 2:00 pmBig Air Wave # 3 - 4:00 pm

Give DockDogs a try - 5:30 pmSaturday, August 23Onsite Registration/ Practice - 9:00 amBig Air Wave # 4 - 10:30 amBig Air Wave # 5- 12:00 amBig Air Wave # 6 - 2:00 pmExtreme Vertical (All in one Finals) - 4:00

pm Give DockDogs a try - 6:00 pmSunday, Aug. 24 Onsite Registration/ Practice - 9:00 amBig Air Wave # 7 - 10:00 amBig Air Wave # 8 - 12:00 amSpeed Retrieve (All in one Finals) - 2:00

pm Big Air Finals start at 3:15 pm (Pro, Semi-

Pro & Amateur)Sponsored by Woofy’s. For more info go to

www.dockdogs.com

See dogs take ‘big air’ at fair

“Souled Out” is one of Vancouver’s premier dance bands, and will be coming to Crown Isle Resort, Friday, Aug 29th for an outdoor perfor-mance.

The band features 11 musicians performing the very best Soul, R&B, Motown Classics, Funk, Disco and Contemporary songs from the past five decades served up with non-stop musical energy, variety and showmanship at the highest level.

Outstanding vocalists, groove-approved rhythm section and the best horn section in the area - The Airtight Horns - will make everyone want to dance from the first note to

the last. The Valley’s own Rob Petrie and his piano,

will be opening the show from 6 - 8PM, with Souled Out taking the stage at 8pm, with three 45 minute sets, finishing at 11PM.

Purchase a ticket that includes a full prime rib dinner, or just a show ticket and dine a la carte. Ticket details available at www.crown-isle.com or front desk at Crown Isle Golf Resort. Come early, have dinner, enjoy the show, shared tables, no reserved seating, draw prizes, food and beverage available on site, relax while listening to Rob and then take in Souled Out, and dance the night away.

OUTDOOR CONCERT, DANCING WITH ‘SOULED OUT’

OpinionsECHO

THE COMOX VALLEY ECHOAn independently owned and operated

newspaper published by Echo Publications at

407-D Fifth Street, Courtenay, B.C. V9N 1J7

All material herein is protected by copyright. Reproduction in whole or in part is not permitted without written

authorization from the publisher.

Publisher Dave MacDonaldEditor Debra MartinAdvertising Manager Keith CurrieOffice Administrator Deb FowlerCirculation Manager Hedi MacDonaldProduction Manager Ryan GetzPhone 250-334-4722 Fax 250-334-3172Classifieds 250- 334-4215 Circulation 250-334-4734E-mail: echo@comoxvalleyecho.com

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Letters to the Editor

Capt. Bligh was a great seaman

A8 Comox Valley Echo Tuesday, August 19, 2014

The lovely “North Islander” report on the lovely Friendly Cove (Neil Havers, August 12) mentions that Bligh Island was named after William Bligh, Cook’s Navigator on the first British exploration of this coast, and later “gained infamy as Captain on the Bounty mutiny”.

While true, such repeated unqualified references leave very false impression of Bligh. I am sure that many people regard him as an ogre or similar.

In fact, Bligh was both a remarkable seaman and ship’s commander. He learned from his time under Cook both that cleanliness on board was essential to good health - by no means the stan-dard of British navies at that time - and that a diet which was a preventive to scurvy was possible, again not yet prev-alent in Navy ships.

Thus, he insisted that men wash out quarters and “all dark holes and corners, the common receptacle of filth” with a vinegar solution, and that they wash and dry clothes and bedding frequently.

He was apparently over-assiduous in insisting on these things, for occasional-ly there were loud outbursts, yet his crew was remarkably free of disease.

In addition to good living conditions, he was aware of the need for exercise, and insisted on dancing for the men in the evenings!

When his men performed especially well, he was not, apparently, reluctant to

praise, and offer a reward of grog. Attempting for a full month to round

Cape Horn against ferocious storms with tremendous seas, he lost not a single man,

Again, this was unusual. Indeed, British Captain George Anson had fifty years before, attempting the same feat, lost three of seven ships, and 300 men from his own flagship alone.

In these terrible conditions, Bligh insisted on fires being maintained below (!) to try to keep clothing and bedding dry. A man on each watch was assigned to the drying duty.

Bligh had to retreat from Cape Horn, but then sailed across 5000 miles of ocean to Cape Town where he re-provi-sioned and re-fitted.

After the mutiny, he again displayed extraordinary leadership of the men cast away with him, and his navigating skills.

He had to enforce rationing of food and water, and keep a careful eye on the rum supply, with which he rewarded the men at key moments, such as after sur-viving ocean storms in their open boat. And yet he navigated his way to the “Dutch East Indies”, 3,600 miles distant.

Bligh was a very flawed man, thin-skinned, and reacting harshly to any hint of criticism (though his men were flogged much less frequently than his peers’).

In England, he became a national hero, and was promoted to Rear Admiral, then to “Vice Admiral of the Blue”.

Hollywood has done his memory a great disservice, yet this may be all that many have learned of him.

Colin ParkComox

If Mt. Polley water is fit to drink, then why not have a glass of this water on the desk of every MLA when the legislature convenes this Fall.

All of our elected representatives will presumably need to take a sip as they debate how best to handle this disaster. If they sip with confidence, then others will. If they hesitate - well ...

Betty DonaldsonCourtenay

I think Dave Mills has inadvertently pointed out why the need for The Northern Gateway Pipeline is so desper-ate and why many won’t support his anti-pipeline referendum.

We need to ship oil to China so they can make us our nylon baseball caps and ship them back to us.

Andrew NicollCourtenay

Letters

I read with great interest Philip Round’s August 16th article entitled “Vote planned on tax to tackle homelessness”.

I would be the first to acknowledge that I know very little about the extent and seriousness of homelessness, but as a resident of the valley, I like most of us, know something about paying taxes.

A recently released Fraser Institute Research Bulletin (Milagros Palacios and Charles Lammam, August 2014) in part states “the total tax bill of the average Canadian family from 1961 to 2013, including all types of taxes, has increased by 1,832 percent since 1961” and that “the average Canadian family now spends more of its income on taxes than it does on basic necessities such as food, shelter and clothing”. Enough already don’t you think?

Rather than using the results of a proposed bal-lot paper referendum “to give clear guidance to elected Regional District officials as to whether voters have an appetite for paying even more property tax”, why won’t our elected officials at all levels of government, show some real leader-ship by freezing current taxation levels and under-take a co-ordinated “zero-based budget” exercise assigning appropriate levels of existing tax dollars and determining which level of government is best suited to deliver the multitude of services governments at all levels are elected to provide.

Roderick Bell-IrvingCourtenay

On Friday Philip Round covered a front page story regarding our elected representatives sug-gesting they are planning on approaching the community at large regarding “homelessness”.

The question we would be asked is if we would be willing to pay to reduce homelessness. This is to be carried out at the same time election ballots are to be counted. This is ludicrous. What intel-ligent person can vote on such a question when no area of government has ever been able to arrest this problem. In our community what would the money be spent on? Are we to vote without any idea of a plan?

Many very impoverished people are provided with a minimum support through welfare. From what I understand many homeless people do not want to have welfare support; it requires some degree of control they are not willing to submit to. From what I have seen, homeless people seem to be able to live an independent sort of life and I have encountered homeless people who have sur-vived within their parameters for 30 years or more, not looking better or worse!

I believe homelessness is a choice some individ-uals feel is their only way to feel enpowered, liv-ing without the restrictions myself and most of the tax paying population accept as the cost of living within society.

Yet the homeless are part of our community and some responsibility for their welfare is accepted. In very cold weather our Christian society opens its doors to their needs. Free lunches are given throughout the year. Many of us give small bits of money, clothes and food to the homeless people here in the Valley. This seems the sort of charity that is accepted, requiring nothing in return.

I certainly think it would be wonderful if there was a facility that provided a safe, private, place for a homeless person to have a good shower etc. but unfortunately if this was provided those same homeless people would not look after it and soon it would be destroyed and/or too filthy.

In my opinion, we should support disadvan-taged people who cannot work, are unfortunately on welfare, or even worse, families who are strug-gling on very little money.

Subsidized basic housing would go a long way to support them. Entice service and religious groups to build low cost rental apartments with grants and tax breaks, would seem to be a good beginning to help those less advantaged in our community. And yes, the tax break that could be given would mean an increased expense which would probably find its way to homeowner’s taxes. I am sure most would accept this solution more readily than study after study on the subject of homelessness.

K. WhitworthCourtenay

I just read Phillip Round’s “Pipeline supporters ‘typically older guys wearing nylon baseball caps” and I would like to thank the councils of Courtenay and Comox for not listening to this person earlier and saving us all from looking at the coverage usually given such crusades.

I am left wondering about two things: Was the headline typical of the speaker or a politician’s slip of the tongue?

Did he refer only to the citizens of Comox and Courtenay as “crazy” or was his speech filled with pejoratives?

By the way ‘older’ fellows are there without their adult children because all their kids have left BC looking for work in a protest free zone. They wear ‘hats’, of any construction or material, to protect their heads from UV rays from the sun that can now get through to the surface of the earth since the Industrial/Military complex has had to cut back on spreading the much needed UV-blocking contrails. Now the only contrails I see are coming from the back of old cars with Green stickers on them - way to pull your share kids.

Old fellow whose wife is constantly handing him hats,

Brian Gordon Courtenay

Get a handleon taxation

By Karen SelickLitigation director Canadian Constitution Foundation

It’s not often that I disagree with Globe and Mail columnist Margaret Wente, but her recent column on Marc Emery (Pot still fails the sniff test) trig-gered one of those rare occasions.

Unlike the “Prince of Pot”, I don’t use marijuana. I never have, and probably never will, even if it were to become legal for recreational use. But then, I don’t use alcohol either. Slowing down my brain just isn’t my cup of tea.

Nevertheless, I have been a staunch admirer of Marc’s ever since I first met him, about 38 years ago, long before he began championing pot legalization. Marc has been a powerful force for liber-ty in Canada on several fronts.

For instance, he helped legalize Sunday shopping by operating his London, Ontario bookstore seven days a week, back when it was illegal to do so. He even went to jail over that issue, after refusing to pay his fines. That four-day stint proved to be merely a practice run for his later five-year marijuana-related imprisonment.

Marc challenged Canada’s obscenity laws by selling banned music tapes. He then racked up a freedom-of-speech vic-tory by publishing a marijuana newslet-ter at a time when the Criminal Code forbade it. An Ontario court eventually struck down that law as contrary to the Charter.

Marc has also contributed to the wel-fare of his fellow Canadians by diligently reporting every penny of income from his marijuana seed business - more than

$4 million cumulatively over the years - and paying federal and provincial income tax on it (at least, if you believe that those governments will spend that tax revenue on Canadians’ welfare, which is questionable. But I digress).

Canada has changed radically since Marc first set out to legalize pot. There are now approximately 40,000 legal medical marijuana users, with some esti-mates saying there will be half a million in 10 years’ time. A survey released last week by the Department of Justice showed that 70 per cent of Canadians want the law softened, either by legaliza-tion or decriminalization. Even the Fraser Institute (the free-market think tank whose name is usually preceded in media reports by the epithet “right-wing”) published a report a decade ago describing the benefits of legalizing pot.

Marc plowed all of his seed sale profits into funding the legalization movement, keeping nothing for himself except what he needed to live on. He made a large donation of seed money (pun intended) to help organizers in Colorado. That state is now one of two (Washington is the other) that have legalized pot for both medicinal and recreational purpos-es. Another 21 U.S. states and the District of Columbia allow medical marijuana. Four other states have decriminalized it, reducing the penalty for possession to fines, rather than a jail sentence and a criminal record. Even John McKay, the former U.S. attorney who prosecuted Marc, has changed his mind and now publicly favours legalization.

While Marc didn’t do this single-hand-edly, there is no question that he was a driving force in the movement. He is at

least partly responsible for the fact that hundreds of thousands of people across North America now have legal access to a medication that helps relieve their pain and epileptic seizures. He can also take credit for keeping hundreds of thousands of people out of jail. He has achieved these victories at great personal cost, doing several stints in Canadian jails before his most recent U.S. imprison-ment.

Wente said that Marc’s no hero, but I disagree. He has shown exceptional courage and perseverance. He has made huge personal sacrifices. His actions have benefitted thousands, if not mil-lions, of people. That’s pretty heroic in my books.

But what about Wente’s charge that Marc is “among the most obnoxious jerks in Canadian public life” and a “relentless self-promoter who’s com-pared himself to Gandhi and Martin Luther King”?

Yup, Marc talks a lot. He talks quickly - too quickly for some people to grasp what he is saying. Sometimes he talks when it’s really somebody else’s turn to talk.

But where’s the rule that says a hero has to be perfect? These are minor flaws, all things considered, especially since most of what Marc says makes extraordi-narily good sense, and is something that people urgently need to hear. And I’ll bet neither Gandhi nor King were perfect, either.

Karen Selick is the litigation director for the Canadian Constitution Foundation. This column is from www.troymedia.com

‘Prince of Pot’ a Canadian hero

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Sports and RecreationComox Valley Echo Tuesday, August 19, 2014 A9

GOLF NEWS

Comox Ladie’s Golf Club played for 2 trophies on Tuesday, August, 12th.

The Florence Filberg Memorial Trophy was won by Mary Ann Aikman with a net score of 66. Pat Schmidt won the Yeomans Putting Plaque with 31 putts.

Low Gross for the day was Suzy Venuta(85), June Fraser(87) and Karen Vanetta(92).

Second Low Net was won by Edith Albrecht(67) and tied for third was Patti Harris and Pat Schmidt with 71.

The hole prizes were won by: Bernice Sutherland - closest to the bucket(Looneyrama), KP #4 - Bernice Sutherland (Tee Box), KP #5 - Mary Ann Aikman, KP #7 - Patti Harris (Panago Pizza), KP #9 -June Fraser (Playtime Gaming) and the longest putt was won by Karen Vanetta.

Saturday, August 16th the weath-er was warm and sunny after Friday’s rain. The course at Glacier Greens was in good shape.

Our Head Pro Bill Kelly and his partner Wayne Wood had a little side bet and lost to Len Doyle and his partner Karl Cameron; too bad Bill, it happens to us all.

there were 83 players playing from the blue tees. Here are the results:

HCP 0=111st Low Gross Mike Berger 72,

2nd Bill Kelly 73, 3rd Doug McArthur 76 c/b

1st Low Net Steve Peters 68, 2nd Ron Morrison 69, 3rd Chris Kalnay 71 c/b

Snips Hole #1 Carl Webber, #3 Mike Berger, #4 & #15 (POG) Wayne Ogilvie, #5 & 18 Steve Peters, #6 Rob Borland, #8 Chuck Kennedy, #16 Bill Kelly, #17 Doug McArthur

HCP 12-191st Low Gross Adrian Haut 83,

2nd Warren Brandson 84, 3rd Lyle Torrie 85

1st Low Net Ross Dowe 67, 2nd Ted Sauve 69, #rd Gabe Tremblay 71 c/b

Snips Hole #3 Bill Girard, #4 & #12 Al Murray, #13 Pat Renaud, #15 (POG) Ferg Webster, #17 Lyle Torrie, #18 Gabe Tremblay

HCP 20+1st Low Gross Nick Mykitiuk 89,

2nd Glenn Horsepool 90 c/b, 3rd Keith Allan 91 c/b

1st Low Net Dick Stuart 69, 2nd

The Florence Filberg Memorial Trophy was won by Mary Ann Aikman

Pat Schmidt won the Yeomans Putting Plaque

Paul Schroeder 70 c/b, 3rd Ken Doll 70 c/b

Snips Hole #2 Nick Mykitiuk, #7 (POG) Philip Ball, #13 John Keats, #15 (POG) Wayne Mabee, #18 Keith Allan

Next Saturday the Canadian Pairs and Men’s will play from the white tees and Ladies red tees have to keep 2 cards. Winner of the Pairs will play at Crown Isle on Sept. 27th and 28th. Tee times next week till 9:00 then reverse shotgun. Have fun, till then see ya.

- Submitted by Ron Carter

On a hot and muggy Thursday night there were 20 lady members and guests playing at Comox for the elusive low round of golf.

Evelyn Shaw won Low Gross with 44 on a count back with Karen Vanetta, who won 2nd low gross.

Kathy Branch won low net with 34 and second low net went to Patti Harris, Phyllis Taylor and Suzy Venuta who were all tied at 37.

Low putts with 13 went to Kathy Branch. Our overall Low Gross and Low Net are sponsored by Signature Wines.

The two long putts were won by Kathy Branch and Fran Robinson.

Longest drive (0-23) went to Suzy Venuta (Arizona Gifts): Longest drive (24+) Linda Diamond (Kathy Branch Hair Styling); KP on #14 (0-23) Doris Ellis (Gibby’s Pro Shop); KP #18 (23+) Barb Siska (Tee Box); 3rd shot for all #13 Suzy Venuta (Thrifty’s); Hidden prize- most putts was won by Barb Siska (Chinook Forest Products); Closest to the bucket #10 Ana Fleck (Mid Isle Gifts); Closest to the 150 yard marker Doris Ellis (Mid Isle Gifts).

The newcomer draw went to Sayomie Branch.

The time has changed now to tee off 5:30pm and be there at 5pm. Sign up at the Pro Shop 250-339-4444.

- Submitted by Nancy Riva

51 golfers played the back nine Wednesday night at Comox with the following excellent results:

0-16 low gross Marty Petersen 35, Scott Fraser 35

17+ Low Gross Ian Leakey 39, Ron Pratt 40

Low Nets Rick Siddall, 30, Rick Barrs 31, Rod Nichol 31, Kaj Petersen 32, Brodie Hornstein 32 , Daryl Lewis 32

KP Prizes 10 2nd shot 0-16 John Huisman,

Men’s Club 11 3rd shot 0-16 Kaj Petersen,

Thrifty’s12 Long Drive 0-16 Scott Fraser,

Men’s Club13 2nd shot All Bob Irvine,

Men’s club14 All Dane Petersen, Men’s

Club 15 ALL Matt Slaneff Men’s

Club16 Long Drive 17+ Ron Pratt,

Scott Fraser, Royal LePage, 17 2nd shot 17+ Rod Nichol

Little Caesars Pizza18 All Bob Irvine Shilo Painting/

Glacier GuttersDeuces recorded by Stuart

Holland, John Reddin and Billy Schneider.

Great help from Tyson Pro Shop, and a superb Burger from the Tee Box.

A splendid night for everyone.Please Note next Wednesday start

is 5 for 5.30- Submitted by Vic Crisp

46 golfers played on another super sunny Sunday morning at Comox with the following great results:

0-16 low gross Marty Petersen 72, Nick Usher 73,

17+ low gross Don Gates 80, Fred Tomlinson 82,

Low Nets Andy Dean 62, Keith (Horton ) Welch 64, Jim Eremko 64, Ken Loga 65, Frank Craig 66

KP Prizes 10 2nd shot 0-16 Billy Schneider,

Bowlzy Brkfst Comox Pacific Express11 3rd shot 0-16 Billy Schneider,

Men’s Club12 Long Drive 17+ Dan Buss,

Westview Ford Sales13 2nd shot 0-16 Marty Petersen,

Men’s club14 All Billy Schneider, Men’s Club15 2nd shot 17+ Vernon Dean, Bowlzy Brkfst

Comox Pacific Express16 Long Drive 0-16 Brad Scheck. Westview Ford

sales17 2nd shot 17+ Ian Leakey Men`s Club18 All Billy Wheeldon Men’s ClubWell done Nick Usher, Eagle on #17.Congratulations to Billy Schneider for 3 KP wins.Dave (Woody) Wood wins 2 golf passes to Qualicum.See you on the greens 24th August 8.30 start

- Submitted by Vic Crisp

Sunnydale Thursday Night Ladies Aug. 14th had a lively evening.

Prizes were given to Marilyn Curley for longest drive on #1 and Peggy Ferguson for closet to the tree on the right on #2. Judy Hughes was closet to the pin 2nd shot on #3. Judy Brown was closest to the pin 3rd shot on #5 and she had the longest putt on #7!

The sandtrap on #4 got Monique Fawcett but Monique had the lowest putts of 11 for the night! Most honest golfer was Jill Marshall.

Weekly prize winners were:Rob’s Pro Shop - Joyce Reylea & Corrine InnesBoston Pizza - Judy MannCurls and Cuts - Marilyn CurleyFluids Bar & Grill - Andrea McInnesGreat Canadian Oil Change/Car Wash - Maylene

FriesenIndependent Grocers - Judy HughesInvestors Group/Locals Restaurant - Cathy HamiltonJo Klassen’s Grill - Erma Derkson & Jill MarshallMichaels Off Main - Monique WalkerPanago Pizza - Mary Lynn DoubininQuality Foods-Comox - Willa FusseyRoyston Roasting Co. - Coral TannerSafeway - Louise BustardSunnydale - Myrtle Gibson

Tim Hortons - Maureen MasonDonation/Glove - Sherri HarrisonThursday Night Ladies sign up at 5:00 pm, tee off at 5:30

pm Everyone welcome!

- Submitted by Mary Lynn Doubinin

The best freeride mountain bikers will take to the air on Darren Berrecloth’s signature slopestyle course at Mount Washington.

Mountain biking legend and Island local Darren Berrecloth will be hosting the world’s best freeride moun-tain bikers once again this August 22-23 at Mount Washington Alpine Resort.

The Bearclaw Invitational, Berrecloth’s signature slope-style comp, is renowned for its laid back Island vibe. In this seventh edition of the event, the ante gets raised sig-nificantly with its inclusion in the Freeride Mountain Bike (FMB) Diamond Series. The series features five stops across the globe and showcases the top freeride mountain bikers on the planet who are all vying for the coveted FMB World Champion title.

“I think the riders will have more focus and will be competing at a higher level than we’re used to seeing at the Invitational,” explains Berrecloth. “We’re the third event on a five-event tour so the points at my comp will contribute significantly towards the overall world tour rankings.”

The slopestyle course, which Berrecloth personally built, is already considered a masterpiece. It features large wooden structures, massive dirt jumps and flow that only a rider-built course can obtain. But true to form, Berrecloth has once again made significant tweaks in his search for course-design perfection.

“I’ve given the step-up, step-down feature a face-lift and anybody who knows the course from the previous year or two will see the new work that’s gone into it for this year’s event.”

On top of valuable FMB World Tour points, riders will be competing for a 30K prize purse. Pro qualifiers and seeding will be taking place Friday August 22 at 5pm. The Pro finals will be taking place on Saturday August 23 at 1pm.

For the uninitiated, Slopestyle mountain biking is at the cutting edge of the sport of mountain biking. Progression and raw talent are on full display as riders take to the air

and pull off mind-blowing tricks while displaying superi-or technical skills on their bikes.

The best part about the Bearclaw Invitational Slopestyle is that it’s free for all spectators. To find the slopestyle course, head past the Alpine Lodge at Mount Washington and follow the signs or listen for the crowd!

In addition to the mountain bike action, a beer garden and Marine Harvest salmon BBQ will be operating during the event. An 19+ after party will be held at Ted’s Bar and Grill Saturday evening.

For more information and to check out the full event schedule, head to bearclawinvitational.com.

The 2014-15 Darts Season is fast approaching. The sign-up sheets for the Comox Legion “In House” Men’s and Mixed Leagues are posted in the Navy (Games) Room. The Ladies Wednesday night league will be posted shortly. All are open to members and guests.

Other Branch teams that will be forming, i.e. the Tuesday Night Pub League and the Thursday night Men’s Pub League, are looking for new players. Also coming soon to the Comox Branch is the “Open Mixed Doubles Tournament” on October 18th and the “Annual Turkey Shoot” on November 29th.

For the members only are the Branch Playdowns and the Zone Darts. Branch playdowns are November 1st and 2nd, the Zones will follow on November 21st 22nd and 23rd. Keep on darting. FMI: Dave 250-339-9592 OR dcwillington@gmail.com

BEARCLAW INVITATIONAL READY TO ROLL

Comox Legion darts getsready for new season

TWO TROPHIES AT COMOX LADIES

FUN CHALLENGE AT GLACIER GREENS

EVELYN SHOW TOPS COMOX LADIES

PETERSONS SHINE AT COMOX

DON GATES HITS HIS YEARLY BEST

LIVELY NIGHT FOR SUNNYDALE LADIES

A10 Comox Valley Echo Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Sports and Recreation

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Offer(s) available on select new 2014/2015 models through participating dealers to qualified retail customers who take delivery by September 2, 2014. Dealers may sell or lease for less. Some conditions apply. See dealer for complete details. Vehicles shown may include optional accessories and upgrades available at extra cost. All offers are subject to change without notice.All pricing includes delivery and destination fees up to $1,665, other fees and certain levies (including tire levies) and $100 A/C charge (where applicable) and excludes licensing, registration, insurance, other taxes and variable dealer administration fees (up to $699). Other dealer charges may be required at the time of purchase. Other lease and financing options alsoavailable. ≠Representative finance example: 0% financing offer for up to 84 months available O.A.C. to qualified retail customers, on approved credit for the new 2015 Forte LX MT (FO541F)/2015 Rio LX MT (RO541F) with a selling price of $16,252/$14,352 and includes delivery and destination fees of $1,485, tire tax and AMVIC fee of $22 and a $1,250 loan rebate. 364 weeklypayments of $45/$39 for 84 months with $0 down payment. Credit fees of $0. Total obligation is $16,252/$14,352. See retailer for complete details. *Cash bonus amounts are offered on select 2014 and 2015 models and are deducted from the negotiated purchase price before taxes. Available on finance, lease or cash purchase offers. Offer varies by trim. Certain conditions apply.$7,000/$5,000/$5,500/$4,000 maximum cash bonus amount only available on the 2014 Sedona EX Luxury (SD75CE)/2014 Sportage SX AT (SP758E)/2014 Rondo EX Luxury 7-seat (RN757E)/2014 Forte SX AT (FO748E). †Loan rebate amounts are offered on select 2014 and 2015 models and are deducted from the negotiated purchase price before taxes. Available on financing offeronly. Offer varies by trim. Certain conditions apply. Offer ends September 2, 2014. See your dealer for complete details. ΔModel shown Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price for 2015 Forte SX (FO748F)/2014 Forte SX (FO748E)/2015 Rio4 SX with Navigation (RO749F)/U.S. Sedona shown, equivalent to a 2014 Sedona EX-L BA (SD75CE)/2014 Sportage SX AT Luxury AWD (SP759E)/2014Rondo EX Luxury 7-seat (RN757E) is $26,695/$26,395/$22,395/$40,095/$38,295/$30,795. Highway/city fuel consumption is based on the 2015 Rio LX+ ECO (A/T)/2015 Forte 1.8L MPI 4-cyl (M/T). These updated estimates are based on the Government of Canada’s approved criteria and testing methods. Refer to the EnerGuide Fuel Consumption Guide. Your actual fuel consumptionwill vary based on driving habits and other factors. The 2014 Kia Sportage received the lowest number of problems per 100 vehicles among small SUVs in a tie in the proprietary J.D. Power 2014 Initial Quality StudySM. Study based on responses from 86,118 new-vehicle owners, measuring 239 models, and measures opinions after 90 days of ownership. Proprietary studyresults are based on experiences and perceptions of owners surveyed from February to May 2014. Your experiences may vary. Visit jdpower.com. Information in this advertisement is believed to be accurate at the time of printing. For more information on our 5-year warranty coverage, visit kia.ca or call us at 1-877-542-2886. Kia is a trademark of Kia Motors Corporation.

Graham Kia Victoria2620 Government Street, Victoria, BC

(250) 360-1111

Courtenay Kia1025B Comox Road, Courtenay, BC

(250) 334-9993

Kia West688 Lougheed Highway, Coquitlam, BC

(604) 931-5425

Richmond Kia3351 No. 3 Road, Richmond, BC

(604) 273-1800

Kia South Vancouver396 Southwest Marine Drive

Vancouver, BC (604) 326-6868

Harris Kia2575 Bowen Road, Nanaimo, BC

(250) 751-1168

Applewood Kia16299 Fraser Highway, Surrey, BC

(604) 635-3010

Applewood Langley Kia19764 Langley By-Pass, Langley, BC

(604) 533-7881

2014 is definitely a year to remember for three local Rugby girls.

Georgia Bellamy, Madi Gold and Lauren Sargent helped their G P Vanier Girls Rugby team win the High School Provincial Championships and were then selected to represent the Vancouver island regional team, Tsunami.

The Tsunami U18 girls also went on to win the Provincial Championship.

Following the Provincials, Gold, Bellamy and Sargent were selected to represent BC in the National Championships which were held in Calgary last week.

The BC U18 girls team were dominant against Alberta, Quebec, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia, before coming up against a very strong team from Ontario.

Having narrowly lost their meet-ing in the round robin stages, the BC team made sure they were fully prepared for their match up with the Cup holders in the final.

After going behind by a try in the dying seconds of the first half, the BC team dug deep in the second half and battled hard.

The hard work and determina-

tion paid off in the second half when BC levelled the score at 7-7.

The BC girls continued to put pressure on the Ontario team and eventually managed to win the opportunity for a penalty kick min-utes before the final whistle.

The kick was converted and the BC U18 girls won the National Championships, topping off a fan-tastic year for the talented trio.

The girls would like to thank their families, friends and sponsors for all their support on this incred-ible journey.

MORE RUGBY MEDALSThere were also three lads from

Vanier on the BC U18 men’s team and they also won the Nationals and a girl on the BC U16 team that won Silver.

The BC U18 men played a three game series against Ontario and won all three games. The Vanier students playing were Foster Dewitt, Brayden Williams and Jimmy Brazier. Dawson German played for the BC U16 team and finished runner-up to a strong Ontario team.

Vanier national medal-winning rugby players with the BC U17 coach and Vanier Rugby Coach Ken Erikson. (Absent from photo: Jimmy Brazier)

Vanier’s national golden girls: Georgia Bellamy, Madi Gold and Lauren Sargent

Vanier rugby girls are golden at U18 NationalsLatest players from local schoolto earn medals

Comox Valley Echo Tuesday, August 19, 2014 A11

A12 Comox Valley Echo Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Louise DeArmond / Co-Owner of Square 1 Travel Plus

Diane Todd / Travel Consultant

Linda Skehor / Travel Consultant Donna Clark – Travel Consultant

Gerti Roither/ Travel Consultant Charmaine Cymbala / Travel ConsultantWendy Harris / Travel Consultant& Accredited Cruise Counsellor

Pamela Reddy – Travel Consultant Susan Davies / Co-Owner of Square 1 Travel Plus

Thank You to ourTravel Partners!

Congratulations to Square 1 Traveland Global Destinations/Travel Plus

on their merger to form 1 travel agency –Square 1 Travel & Cruise

Come by our Open House on Wed - Sat,between 10am - 5pm to say Hi to the new team!

We are taking donations for the SPCA, bring a donation to WIN!2 Agencies are better as 1!

BC Reg # 3140-4

I have been fortunate to visit many parts of the world and

have always thought of retiring once I’ve been on an African

Safari. Well, it is coming true and I will be able to tick #1 off

my Travel Bucket List next month as my husband and I are

fulfilling this dream and travelling to Kenya. We expect to

see the “Big Five” while touring the Masai Mara Game

Reserve, experience a memorable sunrise while floating

across the Serengeti in a Hot Air Balloon and returning home

after relaxing on the exotic island of Zanzibar. Am I ready to

retire…..not a chance!

My Travel Bucket List is overflowing. But at the top of

my list is seeing the Great Wall in China and fingers

crossed, I will climb it this fall, visit Tianaman Square

and finish off with a shopping spree in Hong Kong! My

family and I enjoy the “sun, sand & surf” and during

our spring break holiday to Mexico we swam with the

Giant Sea Turtles - what a treat that was! "We travel

not to escape life but for life not to escape us."

My favourite trip is always the one I’ve just returned

from (Nashville)! The more I travel the more I realize

people are basically the same the world over. Some

of my favourite trips have been: New York, Siena,

Rothenburg, Chiang Mai, Sydney, Auckland and the

Cook Islands. The next ‘must-sees’ on my Travel

Bucket List are the Netherlands, Croatia, and

Botswana… or is that Tahiti, the Galapagos and

Montevideo? “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry,

and narrow-mindedness…” Mark Twain

I was raised in the Comox Valley with dreams of

world travel. Following my high school graduation I

ticked off my first Travel Bucket list destination of

Australia. I lived and worked on the Gold Coast for

one year and traveled all over Queensland. My most

memorable experience was snorkeling the Great

Barrier Reef off the coast of Port Douglas. My

ultimate Bucket List destination is Turkey. My partner

is Turkish, I’ve dreamt of exploring the history and

beauty of Turkey through his eyes!

Randi McKinnon – Travel ConsultantI have visited many wonderful places. If I had to

choose a favorite I would say spending 2 ½ months in

Europe, hiking, cycling and visiting family. More

recent favourites have been Bike and Barge tours of

Holland and along the Mosel River, including France,

Germany and Luxembourg. What a fantastic way to

see the sights, as you pedal along bike paths and

through small towns! As for my Travel Bucket list –

Croatia is right up there, along with Vietnam and

Cambodia. Both of these destinations are in the plans

for the next year.

My love for geography and history along with a great

desire to experience different cultures is what inspired

me to become a travel agent. Favorite memories,

among many, include climbing the Great Wall of China

and visiting Vatican City and the Sistine Chapel. Still

on my Travel Bucket list is a trip to Atlantic Canada,

including Newfoundland and a Galapagos cruise. I

would love to make your travel dreams come true!

Willy van Kemenade - Group Travel Specialist

I have been travelling all over the world since my

early twenties. Many fond travel memories include

trekking through Peru and Bolivia, visiting New

Zealand and the South Pacific while living in

Australia. AND recently Southeast Asia. I am

preparing to fulfill my dream ever since coming to

Canada. Travelling by motorhome all the way to

Newfoundland. Seeing the brilliant fall colours of

the Maritimes. Visits to P.E.I. and Newfoundland,

onwards down the Eastern coast to Florida, across

California and back home. It will be the trip of a

lifetime! Of course, there are still more destinations

on my Travel Bucket List Including Argentina and

Chile. Who knows, one day…..

I have traveled to many countries around the world,

and my love And enjoyment of travel continues……..

Last year I was fortunate to Cruise the Volga River

on a Russian River Cruise…… it was fabulous! My

passion is cruising and to date, my favorite cruise

liner I have been on is Cunard Queen Mary. In the

not to distant future I would like to visit the Panda

Sanctuary in China…… someday, sooner than later!

Having travelled to most corners of the world,

including Egypt, Rome, Paris, Istanbul, China, down

under to Australia, and even the Ukraine, has made

me appreciate diversity of different cultures and

countries. My Travel Bucket list includes Africa, South

America, Japan and Singapore. The most interesting

and/or fascinating Destinations were China, Australia

and Egypt. Travelling the world is my passion and

helping you fulfill your travel dreams, whether

business or pleasure, is a pleasure. The world is

interesting, fascinating, big and beautiful... and the

getting there has never been easier.

In 2010 I was thrilled to cross #2 from my bucket list. Sailing

between Budapest and Amsterdam with Viking River

Cruises. Which stop was my Favourite? It’s hard to choose

between Budapest, Vienna or Cologne. Which taste still

lingers in my mind - was it the Hungarian goulash the

Sachertorte in Vienna or the Nutella-like pancake at the in

Passau? Still on my Travel Bucket list include a

Mediterranean cruise and the full transit of Panama Canal

after the new canal has been completed. Life passes by so

quickly so get out there and travel while you can.

Right from my youth I was introduced to far off places. My father

was in the Air force and our family was fortunate to be posted

overseas in the early ‘60’s. Their promise was while we were

living there we were going to see as much as possible. And we

did! Every long weekend and every holiday our family went on

an adventure to another country in Europe. My Travel Bucket list

over flowing with such places as the Galapagos, Vietnam &

Cambodia and South Africa. My career allows me to meet

many different people and allows me to continue my quest to

travel. Please let me help to fulfil your Travel Bucket dream List!