Comox Valley Echo - July 1, 2014

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CANADA DAY CAMP-OUT: Jaron Piercy and his younger brother Kyle, with some help from Dad, built this camping/swimming platform last week at Miracle Beach, just a little way down from the provincial park. It’s over 9 ft. from the ground and provides a quiet spot to soak up the scenery.

Hogweed gone hogwild?

By Drew A. PennerEcho Staff

The poisonous Giant Hogweed plant has invaded Courtenay and the entire North Island is at risk of falling prey to its advances, say Courtenay residents. The umbellif-erous species, related to fennel, cow parsley and ground elder, poses serious health hazards, and can cause severe burning, weep-ing blisters and even blinding, according to experts.

It’s been growing in Canada since the 1940s, but only recently have people been spotting the plant more frequently in the Comox Valley.

Jane Gjertsen has already spot-ted the plant in three locations right around her Muir Road home.

“This is bad,” she said. “The reason why its bad is its invasive. “You can get the sap on your skin and it gets exposed to the sun and then it starts to burn.”

Back in 2013 a National Post piece blew the lid on the dangers of the plant.

Because the sap contains toxic chemicals called furanocouma-rins, when bathed in sunlight the skin becomes red - aka phytopho-todermatitis.

Temporary or permanent blind-ness can even arise from ocular exposure.

“The average person knows very little about it,” she said. “It just takes up all the space and it’s huge.”

The plant can grow up to 14 feet tall.

It originally came from the land surrounding the Black and Caspian seas.

Like many dangerous things, it looks beautiful with its umbrella pattern. You can recognize its stems because of purple blotches and hairs.

Courtenay resident Robert Lesage said he knows there’s been issues with the plant in Victoria and has heard about the dangers. He just didn’t know he was in such danger of seeing the plant spread here, as well.

(Continued on page 2) Giant Hogweed blooms on Muir Road in Courtenay.

St. Joseph’s proclaims balanced budget at AGM


Coming off an accreditation review where it scored top marks and proudly proclaiming a balanced budget, St. Joseph’s General Hospital officials pledged to keep things rolling during its Annual General Meeting June 23. Even though it only has a few years before the brand new Comox Valley hospital is up and running administra-tors told members of the public in attendance it’s important to finish strong.

“On the very last day that our doors are open as an acute care hospital, we have to have the same level of care - or better - than we have today. And that’s not an easy process,” said board chair Christopher Kelsey.

(Continued on page 2)

Work continues on finding a future role for the institution

Poisonous plant invades Courtenay,entire North Island may be at risk

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“It is critical that we continue to identify where services need to be enhanced in order to meet the needs of the community and not take our foot off the gas.”

The board revealed key strategic areas - with care and service at the top of the list - as the board goes on a journey to figure out a new life in the coming years.

A partnership with the Comox Valley Hospice Society and Island Health has provided some clues, as four hospice beds were announced last year. But as the region continues to collectively age Kelsey said it’s important to look for where the institution can best fit.

“Our work is to determine what other programs or services might be offered at St. Joseph’s to meet the needs of the community and the region,” he said.

It will be the continued efforts of the whole team that will make the transition possible, said CEO Jane Murphy.

“Our medical staff spend many hours of volunteer time,” she said, noting, “We have over 500 volun-teers that work with us.

“And I love the quote that I found on the internet, ‘When you hand good people possibility they do great things,” and I think that speaks to our family here as St. Joseph’s.”

Murphy acknowledged the difficulties the hospital has faced in improving patient flow and access with-in the hospital.

“This is a challenge in our organization, as it is in British Columbia and across the country to really identify how we can ensure timely access to our patients for needed services and beds,” she said, pointing to the highly variable work environment in the context of a growing and aging population as added factors that strain resources.

For the 2013-14 fiscal year the hospital’s annual operating budget went up to $85.7 million from $82.2 million the previous year.

The administration spent $67.6 million on acute

care (up from $67.5 in 2012/13), representing 79 per cent of the total hospital tab.

Residential care cost $10 million (down from $10.3 million), representing 12 per cent of costs. The men-tal health bill came in at $4.2 million (up from $4.1 million) and corporate costs totaled $3.9 million (up from $3.8 million).

Wages and benefits accounted for 65 per cent of expenditures at $56 million (up from $55.3 million in 2012-13).

The hospital brought in $64 million from Island Health last year (up from $63.4 million in 2012/13), with Medical Services Plan payments reaching $7.9 million (last year it was $7.7 million).

Ambulances arrived more frequently, jumping by nearly 10,000 visits - from 40,910 in 2012/13 to 50,003. There were fewer births this year, that num-ber dropping from 544 to 497. Total emergency room visits went up slightly, from 22,639 to 23,408.

Overall occupancy dropped from 97 per cent last year to 93 per cent this year.

“Last year we saw some good results,” she said, referring to the drop in hospital occupancy and the length of stay. “We’re really spending time talking about how do we make sure there is true humanity in the work that we do.”

The hospital has also completed the fourth year of an expanding program meant to build a culture of patient safety.

“This is really about changing culture - how people think and approach the work they do,” she said.” And changing culture takes time.”

This includes running drills so that when things heat up the medical staff is ready for action.

“Unlike television - which would have you believe there are emergency situations every two minutes - they’re actually quite rare in health care,” she said. “However, when they do occur you want the entire team to be very competent in being able to respond to that.”

(Continued from page 1)

“You get a reaction to the plant if you touch it,” he said. “You get itchy.”

Worse still, he’s not even sure he’d recognize it if he saw it.

More and more counties across the country are beginning to put the plant on the noxious weed list.

A resident of Muir Road who gave her name as Amanda gazes at a group of towering stalks under the afternoon sunlight. She knows the battle community administra-tors are up against. She’s seen that

when the plant is cut down it can grow back again right away.

“I’m not personally worked,” she said. “It’s definitely a concern.”

Useful links:Work Safe BChttp://www.worksafebc.com/ Invasive Plant Council of BChttp://www.invasiveplantcoun-

cilbc.ca/invasive-plants-bc/inva-sive-plant-watch/giant-hogweed

BC Ministry of Agriculture and Lands (Pest Management)

http://www.agf.gov.bc.ca/crop-prot/weedguid/ghogweed.htm

St. Joseph’s looks to the future

Poisonous hogweed invades

By Michael BrionesEcho Staff

The Town of Comox is proceeding with its plan to implement its Comox Downtown Vitalization Program.

Council recently adopted five bylaws for downtown revitalization tax exemption, zoning amendment, building permit amendment, devel-opment application bylaw, and financial plan..

The goal, which, council says, is in line with the town’s Official Community Plan, is to provide incentives to encourage mixed-use commercial and residential develop-ment within downtown to support and increase the town’s economic, social and environmental vitality.

Prior to adopting them last week, council heard a delegation from James Taylor of the Comox Town Residents’ Association, which raised concerns about the expanded area of the program. They asked council to take a “step by step” approach as they fear it would trigger an influx of developments featuring high rise buildings and impact the seaviews and sceneries of the downtown area, which have been the hallmarks of the community.

Taylor said it would be more pru-dent for the town to project a clearer picture of what the community wants to achieve.

“There may be plans, it’s just I’m

not aware what they are,” said Taylor. “It would be great if we could see the plan. I realized it probably is just going to cause consternations when the people start visualizing what the end points look like. But it would be great if we would be able to see that, faced that and talk about that. We would really encourage you to again decrease the size of the area that this applies to.”

Council also received correspon-dence from residents who opposed the program. One was from Marilyn Machum, who said the plan goes against the vision of the people of Comox. She insinuated that four councillors are endorsing this proj-ect because they are either involved in or have strong ties to real estate.

“In my opinion, this constitutes a conflict of interest,” Machum said in her letter. “I am concerned that not enough research and consultation was done before coming up with a plan which includes such sweeping changes to downtown Comox with-out considering the ultimate conse-quences. This is a plan that removes checks and balances which protect our downtown area. A decision of such momentous proportions can’t be made by just seven people. Thousands of people need to be con-sulted, namely the residents of Comox.”

The downtown vitalization pro-gram is one of the strategic priorities

in the 2012-2014 Strategic Plan.The program is proposed to focus

on the Comox Avenue, Port Augusta Street area, and will encourage new higher density, mixed development and, in particular, residential devel-opment downtown.

It is proposed to run for six months initially, with re-evaluation at six-month intervals. It will include a combination of fee reductions, tax exemptions and reduced processing times on applications. The program will also be capped at $50,000 for fee reductions and $50,000 for tax exemptions.

Councillor Barbara Price favoured the residents’ sentiments and also saw the merits of initially starting the program with a smaller area and then reviewing it later. A motion to amend the bylaw to consider the views of the residents was defeated.

Councillor Ken Grant said the Downtown BIA considers the extended area differently from most of the comments they’ve heard.

“Although it looks as though per-haps it’s a big area, really most of it has already built out in its place,” said Grant. “The business communi-ty really looks at this as a really positive step towards getting a more vibrant downtown area.”

Because the program is on a first come, first serve basis, Grant said it creates some urgency for developers to start rather than sit and wait. It’s

going to encourage them to go “faster than slower,” said Grant.

“We’re very encouraged by the fact that we have included these proper-ties in the boundary. I don’t view this as being a large change to what the second report that we had came out. I

thought the first report was a far too small and wouldn’t create the same kind of urgency that we were looking at. These were looked at as add-ons that were kind of natural fit into the program.”

Comox to move ahead with its downtown vitalization program

The Evergreen Club is pleased to present the July 1st Tea Dance on Tuesday July 1st at 2 pm.

This wonderful event is part of Courtenay’s Canada Day celebrations. Originally, The Canadian Daughters group had a long running history organizing it but the torch has since been passed.

Evergreen Club volunteer Bea Tomkinson is the new convenor. Bea says, “The tradition of the Canadian Daughters running this goes back so many years. It’s such a fun afternoon and it’s all free! Free cake, free lemon-ade, free tea, and free coffee! It’s all free!”

It takes place upstairs in the Courtenay Recreation’s Native Sons

Hall also known as the Grand Hall. Live Music will be provided by The Georgia Straight Big Band which offers pure dancing and listening tunes. They play Mega-hits from the Big Band Era, plus Swing and Latin from today’s popular arrangers and composers. From the Count to the Duke, Miller and Gillespie, the Georgia Strait Big Band entertains with music from the most exciting composers of the twentieth century!

Evergreen Club volunteer Gail Flynn stresses, “This is an event that every age group can enjoy!” So gath-er your friends, neighbors, and family and swing by to check out this joyous community gathering. FMI call The Evergreen Club 250-338-1000

Free tea dance with music, cakeon Canada Day at Native Sons

2215 Cliffe Ave., Courtenay338-5411

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NewsComox Valley Echo Tuesday, July 1, 2014 A3


Steve Stanley marched side by side his fel-low teachers last Friday. He was waving a Comox Valley District Association flag among the throng of over 200 Comox Valley teachers on Friday that rallied and demonstrated at the local school board office, marched down 8th Avenue and lined up along the 5th Street bridge.

An array of signs, placards and posters were quite visible from both sides of the road. Some bore vivid and bold messages aimed at the government, calling for a “fair deal for teach-ers” and “better support for kids.”

Stanley has yearned to see these messages become a reality. He has been campaigning for better working conditions for teachers and to have a better education system in the last five years as president of the Comox Valley District Teachers Association. He was hoping to see it happen before he left his post. But it wasn’t meant to be.

Last Friday, Stanley stepped down as presi-dent of the CDTA. Sadly, the teachers and the provincial government are still at loggerheads.

Stanley said he thought the dispute would end when the Supreme Court ruled against the government that it violated the teachers’ con-stitutional rights. Yhe teachers were looking forward for things to change immediately.

“We didn’t think the government would not do it and be taken back to court,” said Stanley, who has been a teacher for 27 years. “We didn’t envision this kind of process unfolding especially when the nurses had a similar rul-ing, was agreed to by the government and set-tled so quickly. We were anticipating that.

“That has been the biggest struggle and we were very hopeful at that time the class size language in the article that was stripped ille-gally from our collective agreement to be given back to us. We didn’t picture it would take another how many years and the battles back in court. We just hope we keep winning and get the government to give in.”

Stanley could have stayed on as president. There is no set term on how long he could serve. He has led the association for five years and a half. It was a tough period for Stanley because of the labour discord that continues to exist today between the BC Teachers’ Federation and the government.

Having to call it a day as president while the teachers are on strike was a bit disappointing for Stanley.

“It would be nice to finish on a happier note,” said Stanley. “The job action the teach-ers are taking, we believe we’re doing the right thing. We’re taking a stand for public educa-tion and communicating that to the communi-ty how valuable we believe it is.”

Stanley said it was time for the CDTA to have a new leader. Taking over as president is vice-president Nick Moore.

Some CDTA members said Stanley was a “quiet” leader but was also solid as a rock.

“He is not rambunctious that would stand up with fist in the air. His leadership, that’s calm and steady, has been very good for the membership,” said Karen Langenmaier.

Highland Secondary shop teacher Jaime Leslie said kudos to Stanley for doing a good job during a turbulent period.

“There were some very, very tough times,” said Leslie. “There has been cut, after cut, after cut. Trying to save the system has not been an easy task at all. Try to lead through all that. We could use some management stepping up as strong as he has stepped up trying to support the kids in the classroom.”

Moore, who has big shoes to fill, said he has learned a great deal from Stanley’s leadership.

“To have Steve’s calming influence on us was really appreciated,” said Moore. “He was able to keep a calm, level head and always give us straight advice and we’re going to miss that.”

When asked how Moore is going to fill Stanley’s shoes, he said, “our job is to repre-sent teachers. All I can say is I will do the best that I can to make sure that our teachers are taken care of. That’s our job.”

This coming school year, Stanley is going back to his job as an English teacher at Mark Isfeld Secondary.

Teachers’ association leader steps down after five years

THREE POTS OF GOLD? Science Daily says single rainbows are inspiring, double rainbows are rare, but tertiary rainbows are elusive. Carol Hanson, a resident of Courtenay, was able to snap this rare occurrence from her patio, located near a bird sancturary. This unusual sighting, many scientists believed, was as fanciful as Leprechaun’s gold at a rainbow’s end. But they’ve been proven wrong. This picture reveals it’s for real.

Road closures will be in effect along 5th Street from Lake Trail and Willemar to Ryan Road starting at 9:00am Tuesday July 1st. This will involve the connecting avenues that cross 5th Street. The public is advised to be aware of this closure and to plan alternate routes using the 17th Street Bridge as the 5th Street Bridge will be closed for the day. The portion of 5th Street from Cliffe Ave. across the 5th Street Bridge to Comox Ave. will remain closed until 4:30 to ensure the safety of all people in Simms and Lewis Park.

At 10 am when the 5th Street Mile begins everyone is asked to keep 5th Street clear of all pedestrian traffic to allow the runners to safely run their race. There is expected to be hundreds of runners and they will not be all running in a pack; people should not walk on 5th Street after 9:45 am. The Grande Parade will start at 10:30am.

To enable people to come to all the activities planned by the July 1st Committee the BC Transit system will be offering rides on Canada Day which will assist in parking prob-lems. The rides will be in very con-venient routes for people parking at Driftwood Mall or the Comox Mall and will be offered at the special rate of $1 per person. This is a great opportunity to experience our Comox Valley transit system!

Information available www.comoxvalleycanadaday.ca

ROAD CLOSURES IN COURTENAY FOR CANADA DAY

Steve Stanley celebrated his last day as president of the Comox Valley District Teachers Association still fighting for “fair deal for teachers” and “better support for kids.” He is seen here with fellow member, Dave Allen, a teacher at G.P. Vanier.

CDTA members describe Stanley as a quiet and calming leader

OpinionsECHO

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Letters to the Editor

Hope the irony isn’t lost on us all


Not long after Hillsborough Resources was issued several new coal licenses in the Woodhus Creek/Oyster River area, they’ve recently submitted a notice of exploration work in the area, to the Ministry of Energy, Mines and Natural Gas ( MoEMNG).

During the course of the exploration permit application review process, the per-mit application was referred by the MoEMNG to the Comox Valley Regional District (CVRD) for comment. At the CVRD board meeting on June 24, 2014, the board voted in favour of a letter and staff report from the CVRD being sent to the MoEMNG on the exploration permit issue.

The letter, which raised many concerns about the proposed exploration work, also outlined concerns about the proposed work in the Oyster River watershed possi-bly undermining the integrity of the drink-ing water supply to well over a thousand homes in the area. The CVRD also requested that no notice of work for exploratory work in the area be issued.

With the CVRD board previously requesting in June of 2013, that the Hillsborough coal licenses not be issued, I would give high marks to the CVRD board for their leadership, clarity and consisten-cy on the coal issue in the Oyster River area.

The next shoe to drop will be the Golden River Resource coal license applications in the Anderson Lake area (4,725 ha) and the Oyster River area (6,600 ha). These are currently being reviewed by the MoEMNG and will at some point come before the CVRD board for comment as part of the review process.

While it’s estimated the iconic Comox Glacier will disappear within the next 25 years, partly because of climate change,

the coal exploration and mining compa-nies are clearly increasing their interest in the Comox Valley. I can only hope that the irony of this scenario isn’t lost on us all.

John SnyderFanny Bay

Trying to follow the facts of the dispute between BC Teachers (BCTF) and the BC provincial government it seems is almost an exercise in insanity.

Each side releases partial information to gain public sympathy in their ongoing attempts to reach a new contract. The ongoing strife and dysfunctional relation-ship goes back many years. Yet in some other provinces such as Alberta and Saskatchewan teachers ‘strikes are distant memories. Here in BC some tactics on either side don’t make a whole lot of sense: the BCTF expecting a $5,000 signing bonus or the BC government not recognizing that the teachers have not had a raise since July 1, 2010.

On April 13, 2011 teachers won a consti-tutional challenge to legislation passed in 2002 and 2004 that deleted hundreds of provisions from the Provincial Collective Agreement and removed teachers’ right to bargain issues such as class size, class composition and teacher/student ratios in the future. Madam Justice Griffin gave the government 12 months to address the repercussions of the decision. In her find-ings Justice Griffith made following state-ment:

The Court has concluded that the gov-ernment did not negotiate in good faith with the union after the Bill 28 Decision. One of the problems was that the govern-ment representatives were pre-occupied by

another strategy. Their strategy was to put such pressure

on the union that it would provoke a strike by the union.

The government representatives thought this would give government the opportuni-ty to gain political support for imposing legislation on the union. [Summary, p. 3] -and- The government representatives did not engage in meaningful dialogue, listen to the employees’ representations, avoid unnecessary delay, or make a reasonable effort to reach agreement, all factors in assessing good faith consultation: Fraser, at paras. 40-41. I therefore conclude that the process by which Bill 22 was imple-mented did not respect the duty to consult and negotiate in good faith. [para. 398]

Ideally both parties would sit down with a reasonable expectation to come to an agreement.

The teachers were the first to suggest a mediator. Regarding a mediator Education Minister Fassbender said “I have not said that we’re against a mediator,” he said. “If that’s what the BCTF is calling for, we’re more than happy to sit down with them, but we need to stay at the table.”

However, BC Premier Christy Clark was quoted by the Vancouver Province newspa-per:

“I’d be surprised if there would be a mediator, a credible one, who would be prepared to take it on,” Clark said in Dawson Creek, during her latest hard-hat photo-op at a natural-gas operation. “The parties are so far apart. It’s just not close enough for a mediator at this stage.”

These statements by the Premier suggest that this dispute will drag on for much longer.

Ed ZirkwitzRoyston

Letters

I have just read about the salaries being paid out to our regional district reps. I can now see why they want to increase their mandate to four years instead of three.

Salaries of $30,000 to $67,000 a year for a part time job, make me wonder what their hourly wage must be?

I personally believe these three people should be totally emabarrassed. Knowing how greedy some people can be, I know I am being niave.

After paying over $900 as an old age pensioner on my house taxes I am irked to say the least to see it going to line my area director’s pocket. Many people in our area work forty hours per week at hard and tedious jobs and do not make that sum of money.

If our area reps had any sense of community pride they would vote to have their wages cut to come in line with the hours they work. What is enough? Once the snout hits the public trough it seems there is no end to the greed.

I am not going to comment on municipal sala-ries as I am in Area C but the above criticism goes out to all of them. There is obviously no shame when it comes to a free for all at the tax payers expense. I quess there are more Mike Duffys and Pamela Wallins around than I thought.

Mike LazareBlack Creek

The CVRD has finally voted to not accept 3L’s application to apply for a ‘minor’ amendment to the Regional Growth Strategy. So now the follow-ing question needs to be asked and considered before another application is submitted.

Just how is it that an application that disregards the containment boundaries set out in the RGS would ever have been considered within the less stringent criteria of a ‘Minor’ Amendment when it obviously would be a precedent setting application worthy of Major Amendment status?

Grant GordonArea C

Re: Time to sue the Government. So, Ms. Gledhill suggests a class-action suit

against the “Government” brought on behalf of parents of school-aged children. Really?!

Does she not realize that there are many, many people who pay school taxes yet do not have school-aged children at all?

Can those folks be exempted from paying for your child’s education, regardless of current labour issues? I didn’t think so.

Personally, I’ve paid school taxes for decades, and the only time I even see teachers is when they’re sitting on lawn chairs on the picket line.

Len GalCourtenay

There were about 100 teachers, educational assistants, parents, grandparents, kids, grandkids and friends lined up in front of the school board office Tuesday night hoping to give school board trustees information on what class composition looks like and the state of government funding.

Even the unfortunate man who lives across the street from the board office who has had to put up with the constant honking of car horns in support of public education came out and gave the group a “thumbs up”.

The people who weren’t there though, were the school board trustees. Not one stepped out to thank the crowd for standing up for class size so every child gets attention and class composition so that every child gets the help they need. Not one stepped out to thank the crowd for standing up for the quality of free public education.

Even the superintendent of schools kept her head down when she walked into the board office.

The archives of past school board meetings show that the trustees have written a letter to the government but their absence in body and voice to support the crowd on Tuesday night spoke vol-umes.

Karen LangenmaierCourtenay

The teachers strike and lockout should be of concern to everyone because the children are the future and should be encouraged to develop to their fullest potential. It is already difficult for teachers to give their best but with the new gov-ernment demands it will be almost impossible. Other unions working within the government seem to win much larger settlements without much difficulty but teachers are sometimes even belittled through the media as glorified babysitters!

Why is that? This government would like teach-ers to be an ‘essential service’ but they don’t have the same life or death responsibility that health care workers, firemen or police have.

And, if class sizes are increased and too many children with learning disabilities are in the mix, school boards may have to ‘insist’ that those chil-dren are drugged with Ritalin. Disruptive children though can sometimes be the smartest, however, they won’t develop without help but governments don’t want free thinking children, just obedient unquestioning ones. And after graduation most of the special needs could be on medication for life, now who would that serve?

Gary HuntbatchAbbotsford

No shame athigh salaries

BC teacher strike is not fair for local stu-dents, especially for international students. As international students, we are extremely disappointed at the government.

I am an international student from China, and I have been in the valley for 2 years. I am currently studying at Mark R. Isfeld.

I inevitably compare the education sys-tems of China and Canada. The small-sized class shocked me when I had my first math class. Teachers were able to help every stu-dent. But now, the class size is getting big-ger and bigger.

When I put my hand up in my physics class, I have to wait for my turn. Sometimes the bell would ring just before the teacher turned to me.

Moreover, there is no extra help during the lunch time! I can see the sorrow in my physics teacher’s eyes, but he can`t do any-thing about it. Isn’t school supposed to be the place where the teacher teaches and student learns? Why do we need to suffer as a result of this utterly useless current BC government under Don McRae?

I also enjoy all the interesting labs that I did in physics and chemistry class. The teachers here do not only teach formulas and equations, but also help us to find out why and how the formula works.

In physics 11 class, there is a fun lab called “Spaghetti Bridge” and now I heard that because of teacher’s fee cut, so they don`t have money to buy supplies. As a result, students will not have the opportu-nity to do such a fun lab. Three weeks in the row, we have missed school days. It may get even worse - is there going to be a full-week strike? Who knows?

My home brother graduated last year

from the same school, and he had a chance to listen to the candidates who were run-ning for the election.

Some students raised questions regarding pipelines and educations. Don McRae avoided the real question somehow, and made it sound like everything would just get better under his government. Well, we all see it is not!

This is the second teacher strike I have experienced. I mean, is this what the cur-rent BC government refers to as “better”? Some people are not in the team with the teachers. They think teachers just want more money.

As a student I can sure tell you it is not the case. For instance, in some Art classes, teachers buy materials with money from their own pockets. They would be glad to put in extra hours to help students who would like to work on a big project. Same thing for food, physics...you name it.

Classes are getting bigger, students can’t get the help they ought to get...that’s what is causing the problem. And what did our current government do? Pass a law, sup-press the teachers. Good move, Don McRae.

My tuition is 12,750 dollars. International students make significant contributions to the B.C. economy. In 2010, international students spent more than $1.8 billion in B.C, supporting 22,000 jobs and generating $70 million in government revenue. International education was B.C.’s fifth largest export during the year.

A big portion of my parents’ income goes to the tuition in order for me to stay here. If there is a teacher strike, I have nowhere to go - I can only stay home to type this arti-cle. Why don’t I stay in my own home

rather than paying the expensive rent here? Although I am not really good at social studies, I do know that there is a part of tax paid that is for education.

I have heard Canada has the best social care, but how could they not care about children`s future. In China, teacher is the most respected job.

I understand there is a gap between Asian and western culture, but I truly believe it should be all the same for educa-tion. China is a communist country, so there is no union. Therefore there has never been a teacher’s strike.

But how could a democratic country like Canada take away the opportunity for chil-dren to learn. For one teacher strike, it will influence thirty kids per class at school. There are 41,000 teachers in BC, influenc-ing students, which include a large number of international students’ future. Our future cannot be measured by money. We all do not want to see this happening.

We support the reasonable demands, and we hope that the children get a good education. I ask that the government give the rational allocation of educational resources, and we hope the teachers get fair treatment.

But, for whatever reason, no one can deny the children’s right to education.

No one can possibly make nonsense use of the heavy taxes collected from those families working hard day and night to raise their children and hoping their chil-dren can get a fairly good education. Not this government. Not any government.

Rainbow ZhaoCourtenay

An international student’s view on teachers’ strike

DISPUTE WILL DRAG ON

MAJOR NOT MINOR

PAID SCHOOL TAXES FOR YEARS

WHERE WAS THE SCHOOL BOARD?

CHILDREN REALLY ARE THE FUTURE


Isfeld School celebrates record graduation By Philip RoundEcho Staff

A record number of students graduated from Mark R. Isfeld Secondary School this year.

Just over 200 successfully com-pleted their studies, and the vast majority were present for the com-mencement ceremony at the Comox Valley Sports Centre last Wednesday.

Because of the teachers dispute with the government, principal Jeff Taylor and his two vice-principals, Gerald Fussell and Julie Shields, conduced the ceremonies and pre-sented the awards.

But although most were absent, Taylor thanked his teachers for com-piling the individual commentaries on each student that were read out by the vice-principals as graduates appeared on stage to accept their certificates.

Taylor said there had been many challenges to deal with during the year, but Isfeld was known for giv-ing of its best when the competition was on. “And this year we have done our best and shone our bright-est,” he commented.

There had been a crushing weight of expectation on the Class of 2014 because of the successes of classes that had gone before.

But they had risen to every chal-lenge. For example, he had thought last year’s $22,000 raised by stu-dents for the Relay of Life appeal was unbeatable, but the final figure this year was an astounding $29,000.

Taylor said it was customary to give advice to the grads on their next steps to a successful life and career. “But they are so far ahead of where I thought they would be, my advice is to the rest of you: Look out! The Class of 2014 has arrived.”

Before the introduction of the grads individually, two awards were presented. The Four Pillars plaque went to Ethan Glenwright for out-standing achievement in academics, athletics, the arts, and citizenship.

Taylor related several of Glenwright’s achievements, includ-ing being placed second in a global arts event in China - and then only six months later coming third is a totally different global event, this time robotics, in California. He had straight As and a GPA of 4.0 in his studies, with distinctions in the sci-ences and math, and he was also a keen athlete, participating in cyc-lo-cross and running.

For someone who was so talented and committed, it would be under-standable if he had a giant ego, said Taylor, but that was certainly not

Before the commencement ceremony, Isfeld grads were transported in style in a classic car and truck cavalcade from Driftwood Mall to the Comox Valley Sports Centre.

the case. “He is one of the most gra-cious and humble guys you are ever likely to meet,” he commented.

The plaque was presented by David and Lynn Breese, close friends of the Isfeld family - the school being named after Mark R. Isfeld, a Master Corporal with the Canadian Forces who was killed by a landmine while on peace-keeping duties in 1994.

Taylor himself presented the Parent Volunteer Award to Grant Ashlee for outstanding contributions to sports coaching at the school over many years.

This year’s valedictorians were Tom Black and Camille Bourget, who gave the address.

The formal ceremonies concluded with the traditional throwing of caps in the air, followed by a reception for the grads and the many parents, rela-tives, friends and other guests who attended the event.

For more photos please go to the photo galleries at www.comoxvalleyecho.com

Student Ethan Glenwright (left) was presented with the school’s top honour - the Four Pillars Award - by David and Lynn Breese, close friends of the Isfeld family.

The opening parade of the Class of 2014 featured the majority of this year’s 200+ graduates.

Valedictorians Camille Bourget and Tom Black deliver their address.Grant Ashlee receives the Parent Volunteer Award from school principal Jeff Taylor in recognition of outstanding contributions to sports coaching.

Getting ready to ride to grad iin vintage style


News

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I think we provide good service. I’m not going to say that we have 100% service 100% of the time. Everyone has an off day. I would however still like to think that even on an off day we are still pleasant enough to deal with. On the other hand, I can tell you that we are honest 100% of the time. So we will always give you an honest answer and will never do anything that we don’t think is in your best interest. We also do not charge a bench fee for diagnostics, so you can get a repair estimate free of charge. Then you can decide if you would like it fixed or not (sometimes it’s just not worth fixing). If you are looking for a computer company to deal with, it’s always a good idea to do a little research. Ask a friend ask a colleague, ask a neighbour, ask a pro. :)

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Teachers picketing the schools are not getting a paycheque. They are receiving $50 a day strike pay from the B.C. Teachers’ Federation but for some teachers it’s not going to be enough to make ends meet.

There are also concerns that the BC Teachers’ Federation’s strike fund has also ran dry.

The Comox Valley District Teachers Association has found ways to help members who are struggling financially.

Some members had made a noble gesture by donating their strike pay to fellow teachers who need help.

Outgoing CDTA president Steve Stanley said that a hardship fund has been established for members who are in crisis.

“It warms your heart to realize that there are people who are will-ing to give back to their fellow members who may be in more need than they are,” said Stanley. “It’s quite amazing to watch.”

It was the teachers, Stanley said, who voted on this.

“Some of us are at the ends of our career where finances are not as big of an issue,” said Karen Langenmaier, a specialist teacher in the valley. “And to give it back is good for our younger people coming up. It shows them that we care, that we are behind them, that this is not one person, that we’re a group. It’s about solidarity.”

Nick Moore, who will be taking over as CDTA president, said mem-bers received $150 strike pay for the three days, which they received just a couple of days ago.

“Around $3,000 has been donated in the last two days,” said Moore. “We will be redistributing that to teachers and families in need.”

Aside from the donations, Moore said the association has drawn

Valley teachers donate strike pay to help fellow teachers in need

Comox Valley teachers did not picket the schools on the last day of the school year. Instead, they took their job action on the road, starting at the local school board, all the way to the Fifth Street bridge, and ending at Comox Valley MLA Don McRae’s office.

funds from its coffer to buy Thrifty Foods gift cards to help with food and other items.

“We spent over $4,000 of our money that we have saved up from our members’ dues over the year,” said Moore. “We have a special projects fund and this is as special project as you can get.”

Teachers are sacrificing their pay checques for what they believe will be good for the province’s education system and also to improve the working environment of the teachers.

During the three weeks of rotating strikes, the teachers’ pay was cut by 10 per cent and they were not paid on the three days they took part in the rotating strikes.

Majority of full-time teachers in BC get paid for just the 10 months they are teaching during the school year, which officially ended Friday. There are others on 12-month contracts that have a portion of their pay held back to cover salaries over the sum-mer.

From July 9th to the 13th, you’re invited to take in a complimentary movie under the light of the summer stars during Coastal Community’s Sunset Cinema series.

This year, those planning on attending Sunset Cinema in Courtenay will be treated to the wildly popular family hit Frozen. And there won’t be a bad seat in the house, as all films are being shown on a massive, three-storey-high inflatable screen in the great outdoors. Showtime is at dark, and mov-iegoers are encouraged to bring a blanket or lawn chair and claim a spot early.

The movies are free, but if you happen to indulge at Sunset Cinema’s concession stand, your money will help support Coastal Community’s Young Entrepreneur Program. Young Entrepreneurs is an educational, school-based program designed

to help students explore the world of business,while developing valuable life and financial skills.

Helping to ensure that Sunset Cinema runssmoothly is a team of dedicated Coastal Communityemployee volunteers. Tilli Kimler from the Comoxbranch has been volunteering at Sunset Cinemasince it started five years ago. “It’s a fun event!”she says. “Everyone is happy and there are lots offamilies. Plus it’s just great getting together withfellow staff from other locations.”

Coastal Community looks forward to connectingwith island families during this year’s SunsetCinema Series. By all accounts, it’s shaping up tobe another immensely popular event!

Frozen will be shown on Thursday, Jly 10 inCourtenay at Simms Park.

FREE SUNSET CINEMA RETURNS JULY 10 TO COURTENAY

Is there a relationship between diabetes and hearing loss?

Almost 2.5 million Canadians live with diabetes but the link with hearing loss is not clear. A 2012 study recommends that diabetics have their hearing tested because the data showed a greater incidence of hearing loss in the diabetic population. Research continues as to whether it is the disease or the drugs that treat it that may increase the risk for hearing loss. Primary care doctors may not suggest that a person with diabetes have a hearing test because they are more concerned with urgent diabetes health issues. However, research suggests that hearing loss may increase the chance of depression and dementia, potentially adding an even greater load to the burden of diabetes. Our recommen-dation is that if you have diabetes you should arrange to have a hearing test by a qualified Hearing Care Professional.


The combined Comox Valley Echo and Coastal Community Credit Union team won the Comox Valley Boys & Girls Club Charity Golf Tournament with a score of 55 or -17. The Coastal Community Credit Union recently presented a $3,000 donation to the Boys and Girls Club. The team came out for the presen-

tation. (From l to r) Echo publisher Dave MacDonald, CCCU Branch Manager Robert Buckley, CCCU assistant manager Joan Rallison, Kelly Barnie of the Boys & Girls Club, and Echo advertising representative Tim Trottier.


A Comox Valley woman who preyed on a friend of many years by taking her grocery shop-ping while stocking up on items for herself, has been sentenced to 100 hours of community ser-vice.

A three-month conditional sentence order for theft was handed to Maureen Watson in Courtenay Provincial Court June 20, and will require her to be under house arrest for all but four hours a day.

On about 20 occasions over the course of five months Watson, 69, took 94-year-old Lil Anderson around Courtenay to places like Walmart, Costco and Safeway, since the older

lady is legally blind and needs assistance to fill her cupboards.

Eventually Anderson caught on to the scheme, finding her bills were just way too high. A friend took a look at her bank statement, notic-ing double purchases at local grocery stores.

Investigators were able to prove Watson had scored $3,268 in excess goods for her own household out of Anderson’s bank account, and she was forced to pay the money back.

Police matched Costco membership informa-tion with Anderson’s bank card records to con-nect the dots.

Watson originally claimed she was not-guilty to a charge of theft under $10,000 and was to face a judge in BC Supreme Court, but ended up pleading to the lesser charge of theft under

$5,000.While this case involved two people who

knew each other well, the story underscores the broader concerns of elder abuse, said Crown prosecutor John Boccabella.

“The way that this particular offence unfolded is somewhat unique,” he said, adding, “People should be aware that friends of theirs who are elderly and require assistance are vulnerable to crime.”

Woman spent thousands on herself while helping blind senior buy groceries

www.comoxvalleyecho.com


When Roxanne Grant was caught trafficking cocaine in Union Bay you might have thought she would have taken the cue from law enforcement and exited the business, or at least make herself scarce. She had been stopped as a passenger in a vehicle in Union Bay on Aug 13 2013, found with enough coke to lead the sen-tencing judge to ultimately hand her six months in prison for the crime.

But her involvement in the coke trade didn’t come to an end there. Just eight months later police inter-cepted a driver in the middle of cou-riering a delivery to Grant.

Police heard the man on a cell phone frantically trying to get a mes-sage across.

“Ditch it,” he said.On the other end of the line was

Grant, police believed, receiving an instruction to get rid of her contra-band. The RCMP searched the desti-nation property and found a dozen crack pipes, a small crack rock, nine cell phones, a “superbuff” cutting agent used to increase the yield, as well as surveillance monitors. Investigators came across paperwork on which the name “Roxy” was writ-ten, and because an ounce of cocaine was uncovered in the bust, Grant ended up facing a second possession for the purpose of trafficking charge.

In Courtenay Provincial Court June 26, Judge J. Parker MacCarthy gave Grant 12 months for this crime - establishing a global sentence of 18 months, which is what the Crown had been seeking as an appropriate punishment.

Defence Lawyer Robert Yeo did not contest the Crown’s position, since the sentencing range for trafficking has been clearly established by case law, he noted. Yeo painted a picture of his 51-year-old client as an arthrit-ic woman who began to self medi-cate. She grew up in New Brunswick

in a military family and has no history of crime on record. It was when her marriage fell apart and arthritis pain mounted that things took a turn for the worse.

It started with prescription pain med-ication and illegal substances followed not far behind. She continued to spiral deeper into the criminal underworld, as she looked for new ways to support her burgeoning drug addiction.

Because Grant has already been held in custody for about four months, and gets time and a half credit for these days under lock and key, she wound up with 14 months of additional time. This will be more than enough time for Grant to start getting her life back on track, MacCarthy said. “You’re facing a lengthy period of incarceration,” he said, noting she pled guilty to the offences. “If you’re going to be seeking rehabilitation for your drug addiction that’s going to be made available to you.”

A lengthy list of items was ordered forfeited to the Crown under proceeds of crime legislation.

Woman, 51, heads to jail for 14 months for drug trafficking


News


They arrived in classic cars wear-ing tip top duds for the big day. On Thursday, June 26 the 285 GP Vanier Secondary Student graduates gath-ered at their high school in a care-fully designated order, ready to accept their diploma in the rec cen-tre next door where their loved ones waited.

Sandra Puga, 18, was wearing a genuine 1920s dress that had once been her own mother’s.

“It’s pretty awesome,” she said, surveying the other students around her, admitting she was going to try her best “not to fall on stage” like Jennifer Lawrence at the Oscars.

Like so many of her peers she’s off to higher education - the University of Victoria specifically.

For Nik Dunn, 17, he may head to post-secondary as well, but his first goal is to go traveling, hopefully to Norway.

High school has had its ups and downs for Dunn, and he’s learned some important lessons.

His goal for now is to “stop get-ting concussions,” he jokes, adding, “It’s really true.”

Callum Passingham, 18, had some more immediate goals. He couldn’t help but look forward to the dry grad party at Mount Washington later in the evening.

Principal Darren Freeman took to the podium with a serious grin on his face, as he prepared to riff on the day’s theme: “The Best is Yet to Come.”

He turned to esteemed “philoso-pher” Armando Pérez aka pop music’s Pitbull for some relevant advice, although he admitted much of the man’s lyrics seem like gibber-ish. He did, however, notice one part of his “Back in Time” track that res-onated with him - to understand the future by reflecting back on the past.

“That speaks to today’s theme,” he said. “That part makes sense to me.”

The grads have come a long way and that was a fact he didn’t want any of them to miss on such a momentous occasion.

“I want you to take a minute now to think about the past,” he said. “Take a look around at the people you were with when you started this journey in kindergarten.”

Many lessons that will carry these students forward have also been with them since the early years. So he read out some selections from Robert Fulghum’s All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten.

To add to these thoughts he con-tinued with a quote from Dr. Seuss about self-determination, before add-ing his own thoughts to the mix.

“My message to you is simple: Take all of your experiences to date - the good, the bad, the ugly - that is your toolbox filled by your teachers, your parents, your friends. Take con-trol of your future and remember, the best truly is yet to come.”

Valedictorians Kirsten Bradshaw and Connor Gibson created a time-line in their speech of real world events to help students get a sense of how much has changed in their school career in technology, politics and entertainment.

They made jokes about the ongo-ing teachers strike, delved down into specific hijinks of individual teach-ers, and paused several times to cap-ture the moment in different forms and share this with the world on social media.

The tenure of the evening was perhaps best captured by Mina Hang, an 18-year-old who admitted to a collage of mixed emotions washing over her.

Heading off to Simon Fraser University she will leave a lot of friends behind but gain a whole lot of independence.

“I get to pick my own schedule,” she said. “I can wake up at 3 p.m. now.”

But for now she’ll savour this moment.

“I’m just really content right now,” she said.

Vanier Grads stride forth under the banner ‘The Best is Yet to Come’

A happy moment on the grad runway walk

Beautiful gowns in every colour of the rainbow for the female grads

Valedictorians Kirsten Bradshaw and Connor Gibson helped give grads a sense of just how much has changed with the world during their scholastic career.

Strutting his style is this happy Vanier grad

Mina Hang said graduation is a bittersweet moment, one she’ll savour nonetheless. Movie poster take-offs on grad theme

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CommunityComox Valley Echo Tuesday, July 1, 2014 A9

No collection required. Great exercise!Call Comox Valley Echo • 250-334-4734or drop by 407-D 5th Street, Courtenay

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6th St. E., AstonRt. 3123 – Nechako, Chemainus, 5th St. E., Cowichan, 6th

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CARRIERS WANTED

Community Futures Strathcona is seeking expressions of interest for Board of Directors.

Community Futures Strathcona is a registered not for profit corporation governed by all regulations and by-laws pertaining to corporations in British Columbia and Canada. The organiza-tion is managed by a General Manager under the direction of a corporate Board of Directors that volunteer their time to promote the activities of the organization within the community and to set organizational policy.

The Board consists of representatives from industry sectors, large and small businesses, and regional agencies. If you are a current or retired business owner, professional or entrepre-neur and are interested in a position on the Board, please visit www.cfstrathcona.ca and click on “About Us”.

Community Futures Strathcona, operates in the Vancouver Island region from Fanny Bay to Sayward and everything in between including Gold River and Tahsis. The major service centres are Campbell River and the Comox Valley. Since inception, Community Futures Strathcona has provided over 900 loans to businesses within our region that has either created or maintained over 3,000 jobs.

Deadlines for submission – July 15, 2014

Futures

ECHOetc.Visit the Comox Valley Monarch

Lions members at the Canada Day celebrations taking place at Lewis Park, Courtenay on July 1st pur-chase your 911 Reflective Address Sign.

A community project by the CV Monarch Lions, the reflective blue address signs (6”x18” aluminum sign with 3” white reflective num-bers on each side) are made from the same tough materials as road signs.

These address signs are so reflec-tive day or night that emergency services don’t struggle to find you when you call for help. Recommended by emergency ser-vices everywhere.

Lion members will be at the Canada Day decorated blue tent to make your 911 Reflective Address Sign while you wait.

They only sell for $40.00 and 100% of proceeds go directly back into the community. Or order your 911 reflective address sign today at www.911reflectivesign.ca or call 250-338-9602.

“If emergency services can’t find you, they can’t help you”

MARS - Mountaine Aviation Rescue Society - is the special guest at this Sunday’s, July 6, Little Red Church Community Market.

The LRCCM is a local, fami-ly-friendly market, offering a variety of crafters, jewelry, beauty & skin-care, health & wellness, textiles, household items, coffee & tea and more.

Check out our FB Page or website to find out how to enter the $25 Gift Card Draw!

Come on out and support your local vendors and have a great day at the Market, Sunday July 6, at 2182 Comox Ave., from 10-3.

Tsolum Reunion Committee wants all our students to know about the reunion planned at the school for Saturday, July 26.

Everyone who ever attended Tsolum School is welcome.

If you did not receive an invita-tion, contact us so you are on the list.

Call Karen at 250-923-2108 or

Bluegrass bonanza fundraiser in MervilleHoly Flyin’ Fiddles, the Big Yellow

Merville hall will be hopping on Thursday, July 3rd as three major acts hit the stage for a hall fundrais-ing concert.

The Lonely Heartstring Bluegrass Band from Boston; super fiddler Pierre Schryer from Ontario; and the Valley’s own Trent Freeman, will play their music to herald in the “Stolen Church and Manse” project.

The Lonely Heartstring Band com-bines instrumental virtuosity and 3-part harmonies with original song-writing and a deep understanding of traditional bluegrass and Appalachian music.

Hailing from Boston MA, the band has become a staple in the New England bluegrass scene and are quickly building momentum in the rest of the country and in Canada. They will even play Beatles repertoire on traditional bluegrass instruments. (www.lonelyheartstringband.com)

Pierre Schryer is one of Canada’s leading traditional fiddlers and has established himself as a gem on the music scene among fans and fellow musicians. He has received numerous titles and awards including Canadian Grand Masters Fiddle Champion and

North American Irish Fiddle Champion. He will enthrall the audi-ence with his beautiful and lyrical tone. (www.pierreschryer.com)

Trent Freeman has played fiddle in the Comox Valley for years as well as touring with bluegrass king John Reischman, Calvin Vollrath, and with his group The Fretless.

He is here in the Comox Valley several times this summer and we are fortunate enough to have him joining the stellar lineup on July 3rd. (www.trentfreeman.com)

You might have noticed the two

buildings that have been moved to the hall grounds?

Well, they are now sitting on new concrete foundations so Phase One of the “Stolen Church” project is near-ing completion.

It has been a real labour of love to get these buildings to where they are but it has been a costly endeavour.

So, the hall is cranking up the fundraising efforts as there are thou-sands of dollars in bills to pay.

We are looking for patriotic Mervillians (and wannabe Mervillians) who will step up to the

plate, buy a Merville Community Association membership and help out with a donation.

There will be further changes to the hall grounds over the next few months that will help to turn the site into a cultural / heritage mecca for the Merville township.

The Merville Historical Committee has been formed to guide this devel-opment and new members are wel-come.

So saddle up Old Paint and come on out to this festival of fun on Thursday.

There will be many door prizes, auction items, a dance area at the back of the hall and refreshments.

You can view the church and manse and imagine what the site will look like when everything is complet-ed.

This is your opportunity to climb on board this Merville train while it is still in the station.

Tickets for the Thursday, July 3rd show at the Big Yellow Merville Hall are available at Long & McQuade, Courtenay and at Blue Heron Books, Comox. Doors open at 7pm and the concert starts at 7:30. Cost is $15.

FMI: 339-4249

THE LONELY HEARTSTRING BLUEGRASS BAND

Blackberry Wood kicks off Filberg Concert SeriesThe 3rd annual Filberg Summer

Concert Series is kicking off with a bang on Thursday July 3rd with the wild musical antics of Blackberry Wood.

Blackberry Wood is a wonderful, secret and magic combination of alt-country-gypsy-circus music. They play a high-energy cabaret spin on dreamy old musical styles adding big juicy modern flavours like ska, rock and roll, blues, hip-hop, gypsy punk and many other irresistible body shakin’ and foot stompin’ sounds.

Blackberry Wood comes down the road like a travelling caravan, with all kinds of wondrous instruments, vocal melodies and fantastically costumed characters. They’ve kicked up dust in towns all over Western Canada, the United Kingdom and parts of the United States.

It’s the kind of music that will hold over in any venue, big or small. Blackberry Wood is the kind of band that will rock out at Glastonbury one weekend, then play a crowded art stu-dio opening the next. Theirs is a thrill-ing live show renowned for its audi-ence participation and they have only one objective in mind, to ensure that you, Mr/Ms Audience Member, are having one heck of a good time.

This is a great way to kick off a musical summer and the whole family is invited. Pack a picnic, bring a blan-ket, call your friends and don’t forget, kids under 12 are free! This is a great way to expose future music lovers to some excellent music. The Filberg Tea House is also offering a special pre-

show menu on concert nights. Reservations are recommended by calling 250 339-0747

Tickets for the Filberg Summer Concert Series are $15 (under 12 years are free). Tickets are avail-able at Laughing Oyster Books and Long & McQuade in Courtenay, Blue Heron Books in Comox or online at www.filberg-festival.com/tickets/. Tickets are also available at the gate, cash only please. The gate opens at 6 pm and the Music starts at 7 pm sharp.

Blackberry Wood

Sports and Arts and Culture orga-nizations in the Comox Valley have received $89,000 in Community Gaming Grants from the B.C. Government, Comox Valley MLA Don McRae announced.

“Our local museums do an amaz-ing job preserving and celebrating our past. I encourage local residents and visitors alike to support these organizations by exploring what they have to offer,” McRae said.

“Funding for local sport organiza-tions is a great investment in our community. These associations pro-vide great opportunities for youth and adults in the Comox Valley.”

· The Courtenay and District Historical Society received $40,000 to help host tours and create inter-pretive elements at the museum.

· The Comox Valley Air Force Museum Association received $25,000 for support programs and activities.

· The Comox Archives and Museum Society received $15,000 to help with collection management, research and exhibits.

· The Comox Valley Ringette

Association received $3,000 for its adult program and $3,000 for its youth program.

· The North Island Field Lacrosse Association was awarded $3,000.

“These funds help us preserve the history of our region and communi-ty and they let us engage the public in programs that make that history come alive,” said Deb Griffiths, exec-utive director, of the Courtenay and District Museum.

“Understanding our natural and cultural heritage helps young people understand the future, which bene-fits the whole community.”

These grants have been awarded under the Arts and Culture and Sport categories of the Community

Gaming Grant Program, which allows non-profit organizations to apply for provincial gaming reve-nues from the Ministry of Community, Sport and Cultural Development.

Gaming Grants are also awarded in the categories of Public Safety, Environment and Human and Social Services.

In the 2012/13 fiscal year, our government distributed a total of $135 million in gaming grants for eligible community programs and services.

Organizations interested in apply-ing for Community Gaming Grants can find full application information at pssg.gov.bc.ca/gaming.

Provincial grants benefit Comox Valley community organizations

Monarch Lions sellingsigns at Lewis Park

MARS special guest atThe Little Red Church

Tsolum School reunioncoming up July 26


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411 Anderton Avenue (main upstairs conference hall)

July 15, Tue: 1:30 - 7:30July 16, Wed: 1:30 - 7:30July 17, Thu: 12:30 - 6:30

Next Clinics:K’omoks First Nations Band Hall

3320 Comox Road (Gym at the back of the building)

Aug 19, Tue: 1:30 - 7:30Aug 20, Wed: 1:30 - 7:30Aug 21, Thu: 12:30 - 6:30

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Simon’s Cycles YANA Ride, feel good, do good, look goodRegistration is open for the 2014

Simon’s Cycles YANA Ride.Organizers are hoping to attract more

participants for this annual fundraiser. The ride will take place on August 17 at Marina Park in Comox. There is a route for cyclists of all abilities including 25 km, 50 km, 100 km or a 5 km family ride.

“We are so thankful for all the sup-port that the community provide YANA, the ride is yet another example of how supportive the Comox Valley is of our local families in need.” says Marcie Dumais, Executive Director of YANA.

“We have been working with Simon’s Cycles to repeat the success of last

year’s event.”YANA assisted 112 local families in

2013, funded 290 medical trips, provid-ed over $75,000 in financial assistance and offered homes away from home in Nanaimo, Victoria and Vancouver.

“Last year’s ride raised $28,000. This year, we have a specific goal,” said Patti Fletcher, co-owner of Simon’s Cycles. “We’d like to cover five months of accommodation expenses for families. To do it we’ll need to raise $32,000.”

This year, participants will have the opportunity to buy an exclusive ride jersey.

“This year we are excited to offer a YANA Ride custom designed jersey for

registered participants,” said Fletcher. “This is a not only a great compliment to your active wear, but a fun functional memory piece to a Ride Day that you’ll never forget.”

Simon’s are working with Michael Johnson of Good Thinking Design to deliver the jersey.

The $75 jersey is exclusively avail-able to participants who register for the Simon’s Cycles YANA Ride before Sunday July 6t. To ensure a good fit, visit Simon’s Cycles on Comox Avenue and try one on for size.

For more details, to register, volunteer or to buy a bike jersey, visit: www.yana-comoxvalley.com

CONGRATULATIONS TO MIKE HERSCHMILLER who won the 2014 Kona Dew Commuter Bike. Thanks to all our amazing sponsors and supporters for this year’s Bike to Work Week: Simon’s Cycles, Broken Spoke, 97.3 The Eagle, Comox Valley Echo, 19 Wing Comox, Quality Foods, Water Pure and Simple, Tim Horton’s, Mountain City Cycle, Trail Bicycles, City of Courtenay Green Team, Comox Recreation, Black Creek Community Association, Cumberland Recreation Institute, Comox Valley Cycling Coalition, Sd#71 Strong Start, G.P Vanier Secondary, CVRD Sports and Aquatic Centres and CVRD Transit, Active Comox Valley and K’omoks First Nations.

In her third trimester of pregnan-cy, and after being out of school for two years, Katrina made the plunge and returned to school to complete one out-standing course: grade 12 English.

While many expectant mothers would be on maternity leave at the end of their pregnancy, Katrina pushed forward and attended class-es until two days before baby Ella Grace Pepin was born.

Katrina’s hard work and determi-nation made her the perfect recipi-ent for the programs bursary.

The bursary is awarded to a grad-uate of the Program who plans to pursue a post-secondary course or institution. Katrina plans to attend North Island College in January and pursue a certificate in Early Childhood Education.

For more information or to donate, contact the Coordinator at 250-465-0522 or [email protected]

Twenty-one years ago, the Today’N’Tomorrow Young Parent Program was estab-lished onsite of GP Vanier Secondary School and since its

inception it has seen over 100 graduates.

This year we are pleased to shine a light on graduate Katrina Milford.

Left to right: Kris Welk (TNTLS volunteer), Ana Fleck (TNTLS Board of Directors), Katrina Milford (bursary recipient), Ella Pepin (daughter of bursary recipient) Sandy Milford (mother of bursary recipient), and Katie Nickerson (Coordinator of Young Parent Program).

Bursary for young parent awarded


Cumberland officially selected Golder Associates Ltd. to draw up a Lake Park Master Plan during its regularly scheduled meeting June 25 and will pay the company up to $20,000 for the work. The firm beat out five other proponents with their project pitch that included a proposal for a background review, Cumberland Lake Park site visit, a public input survey, multiple drafts, a public open house and a presen-tation to council.

But some elected officials, including Mayor Leslie Baird, said she wished there was more oppor-tunity for involvement for local residents in the plan.

Staff noted that the summer sea-son will be a perfect time to gather feedback from people who actually visit the park.

However, Baird noted that this would not allow people who have a different vision for the future of the park to have their say.

“We should also have results from people who would use it if there was additional things there,” she said, though she stressed she wasn’t trying to slow things down.

Council set aside $20,000 in the 2014 budget to draw up the for-ward-looking document and the Request for Proposal noted local context, a good planning process inclusive of stakeholders and a solid methodology would be some of the factors used to select the

winning bidder.“This has been something that’s

been on our radar screen for awhile - ever since we signed the first operating contract,” Coun. Roger Kishi said. “I agree with what other members have said around the pro-cess, but I think I’ve heard that staff will take that back to the pro-posed contractor for some tweak-ing of the process.”

But, he said, time is of the essence.

“If we don’t move forward with this now we might lose some time over the summer, particularly when the park is most used,” he said. “We practically have a captive audience there. We should move forward with this. If there are con-cerns about the process throughout

it those can be raised.”Coun. Kate Greening wasn’t pleased

with the amount of public consultation written into the plan so far.

“Where’s the people in all of this?” she said “It bothers me that there isn’t more detail about how it’s going to work.”

Although she said she could support the selection if certain conditions were imposed.

CAO Sundance Topham said that wouldn’t be impossible, since the com-pany already has a set pot of money in place for public outreach.

“We can’t actually put specific condi-tions on this,” he said, noting that feed-back could be provided. “We can pass on the other comments.”

Coun. Greening wondered about the other bids not in front of council.

“This is actually coming to council for us to approve it,” she said. “Staff might have picked it but we didn’t get to see the other five. Maybe the other five had more things we would have liked.”

Topham said staff has jurisdiction in this matter.

“We don’t actually have to bring this to council for approval,” he said. “We do it as a courtesy in regards to making sure that council is aware of the projects we’re moving forward with as a munici-pality.”

Coun. Kishi moved approval, which was seconded by Coun. Gwyn Sproule. Only Coun. Greening opposed the motion.

Golder Associates wins $20,000 for Cumberland park plan

Dawn to Dawn: Action on Homelessness is to receive a $15,654 windfall from Comox Valley Regional District to extend its ‘scattered housing’ rent subsidy program beyond November, when existing funds will likely be exhausted.

The money is the surplus left in the

bank following the winding up of the Comox Valley Housing Task Force.

On Tuesday, regional district board directors agreed with Comox Coun. Tom Grant that the money could be put to good and practical use by Dawn to Dawn, rather than sitting in a reserve fund.

SURPLUS CASH BOOST FOR DAWN TO DAWN

Comox Valley Echo Tuesday, July 1, 2014 A11

CARRIERS WANTEDEARN $$$$$$$$

No Collection RequiredCall COMOX VALLEY ECHO

250−334−4734or drop by 407−D 5th Street, Courtenay

COURTENAYRt. 7124 – 1st, Rod & Gun, Robert Lang Dr.Rt. 7140 – Archery Cr., Timberlane Rd. COMOXRt. 1102A – Bolt, Lindshart, Martin, Noel, AndertonRt. 1103 – Pritchard, Totem, Skeena, OrcaRt. 2103 Summer Sub – Murphy, Beaton, Park (Beside

HospitalRt. 2117 – Comox Ave, Donovan, Balmoral,

Pritchard, JuniperRt. 2125 – Cortez, Sonora, Savory, TexadaRt. 2129 – Sylvan, Parry, Aspen, IdiensRt. 2135 – Denman, QuadraRt. 2144B – Gardener Way, Mason Ave, Potter Pl. CROWN ISLERt. 3120 – Monarch, RoyalRt. 3134 – Crown Isle Dr., Birkshire, SussexVALLEYVIEWRt. 3110 – Back Road, Glen Urquhart, 10th St. E.,

Hobson, 6th St. E., AstonRt. 3123 – Nechako, Chemainus, 5th St. E.,

Cowichan, 6th St. E.Rt. 3135 – Hawk, Swallow, WhiskeyjackRt. 3136 – Bluejay PlaceCOLEMAN ROAD AREARt. 4106 – Sea Terrace, Avonlee, LoxleyMISSION HILLRt. 5110 – Tatton, Virginia, Paula, Adrian


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The happy campers at last year’s Mac Bros Basketball Camp

Hoops fun back at Mac Bros campComox Valley youth basketball

players will have the opportunity to dribble, drive and shoot their way to hoop dreams with the return of the Mac Bros Basketball Camp.

Mac Bros Basketball coaches Ryan and Scott Mackinnon are extremely excited to come back and spend this fun-filled week (July

21-25) in the Valley.“Ryan and I cannot wait to get

back to the Valley and put on another great camp this summer!” commented Scott, who has spent the past year teaching and coaching basketball in Singapore at the Fast Break Academy.

Ryan, who has spent the past

year finishing his education degree in the Valley mentioned, “Basketball is thriving here in the Comox Valley, with so many dedicated coaches, excited and passionate new players, I cannot wait to get into the gym and coach these young ath-letes!”

This is the eighth year the camp

has run in the Valley. The camps are designed for a fun, crazy and unique experience that teaches dis-cipline, importance of teamwork and to have a blast. For example, there are theme days, prizes, camp jerseys, camp videos, contests and lots of other surprises, as well as basketball skill development.

The Dynamic Duo of Coach Rusty MacKinnon and Coach Croc (Cyril Indome) are both returning from teaching and winning various exhibi-tion tournaments in Shanghai, China.

Also, the budding star of the Mount Royal University Men’s team Coach Smiley (Noah Lewis) will be back for another summer. These coaches are ecstatic to bring heaps of energy and excitement to the camp this summer.

MacBros Basketball camp takes pride on ensuring that it provides each camper with a fun, exciting, interesting and engaging opportunity to learn the game. The camp wel-comes participants who are looking to continue to hone their skills or just to try basketball for the first time.

The camp will see the 6-9 year olds going from 9 to 11:30 a.m. at Aspen Elementary, 10-13 year olds from 12:30 to 3 p.m. and the 14-17 year olds from 3:30 to 6 p.m., both at CFB Comox Gymnasium.

You can register by contacting Mac Bros Basketball Camp at 250-339-0661, e-mailing [email protected] or visiting their website at www.macbrosbball.com.

Mac Bros Basketball Camps thank their sponsors Thrifty Foods, 97.3 The Eagle, Happy’s Source for Sports, BodyNetix, Coastal Community Credit Union, Insurance Centres of Vancouver Island, Titanium CrossFit, Comox Valley Youth Basketball Association, Pay It Forward (Mark Isfeld Senior Girls Basketball) and the University of Victoria Vikes Athletics for their generosity and continued support.

- Mac Bros Basketball Camp

Superb scoring in the Wednesday night Stableford event.

1st Mike (slim) Simmons 27 points, Mark Smith 25, Tom Shaw 25, Dave Wood 25, Suds Sutherland 23, Captain Terry Christie 22 points.

Guest appearance of Riley Wheeldon who recorded a magnifi-cent front nine of 28 gross, (2 pars and 7 birdies).

KP Prizes 1 2nd shot All Ken Simmons

Men’s Club2 3rd shot 0-16 Lawry Willis

Boston Pizza3 Long Drive 17+ Dave Wood

Men’s Club4 2nd shot 0-16 Mike (slim)

Simmons BlackFin Pub5 All Jim Eremko Men’s Club 6 2nd Shot 17+ Dave Wood

Chads 7 Long Drive 0-16 Scott Fraser

Scott Fraser Royal Lepage8 2nd shot 17+ Tom Shaw

Thrifty’s9 All Darryl Stowe Shilo

Painting/ Glacier GuttersThanks to John and his staff for

our great course. Don’t forget to record your nine hole scores.

Reminder, Last Call for the North Island Open on July 5/6.

See you July 2nd 5.30 for 6 pm- Submitted by Vic Crisp

EXCELLENT GREENS AT COMOX

GOLF NEWS

Summer has come early this year to Paradise Meadows in Strathcona Park, and the Strathcona Park Wilderness Centre at Paradise Meadows, operated by Strathcona Wilderness Institute Society, has opened for the season.

The Centre is located at the Paradise Meadows trailhead adja-cent to Mt. Washington’s Raven Lodge. This year, thanks to sup-port from the Canada Summer Jobs Program, the Comox Valley Regional District, and BC Parks, the Centre will be open almost every day for Park and trail infor-mation.

The summer programs organized by SWI will be starting with the annual Strathcona Bird Search on Saturday July 5, a hike up toward Mt. Becher.

Expert birding knowledge is not required, but pre-registration is: contact [email protected] to register for this moder-ate 4-5 hr outing.

On Sunday July 6, another annual tradition is the Spring Flora & Fauna Nature Walk in Paradise Meadows, led by expert naturalist Jocie Ingram. Meet at the Wilderness Centre at 1 p.m. This activity is by donation, $5-10 sug-gested.

A new activity this year is an all-day Navigation Workshop at the Wilderness Centre on Saturday July 12. Join experienced members of the Comox District Mountaineering Club, Tim Penney & William Wright, for a morning session on map & compass, includ-ing a moderate hike, and an after-noon session on GPS.

The workshop is $20 and space is limited to 16 participants. Contact [email protected] to register & obtain the participant gear list.

On Sunday July 13, Julian Brooks will guide a hike around the popular Seven Lakes Loop.

Pre-registration is required for this moderate 7-8 hr. hike - contact [email protected] Space is limited to 16 participants, no pets please.

This activity is by donation, $5-10 suggested.

For all SWI activities, dress for the weather, wear proper footwear, bring lunch or snacks, water, bug spray and sun protection.

Wilderness Centre open for the summer

1-800-222-TIPSVISIT OUR WEBSITE:

www.comoxvalleycrimestoppers.bc.ca

CA$HREWARD$CRIMESTOPPERS WILL PAY CASH

REWARDS FOR INFORMATION LEADING TO THE ARREST OF

PERSONS INVOLVED IN CRIMINAL ACTIVITIES IN THE COMOX VALLEY.

Paradise Meadows in Strathcona Park

Documents

Comox Valley Echo - July 1, 2014