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Wednesday, November 28, 2012 Vol. 56 Issue 48

Celebrating kids through crafts

Page A13

PHOTO BY NICOLE TRIGG/THE ECHOInvermere's Benjamin Thomsen competed in the Lake Louise Winterstart World Cup in Alberta on Saturday (November 24) and Sunday (November 25), tying for 34th place. Up-and-coming skier Martin Grasic, also from Invermere, was a forerunner at the event. For more sports, turn to page A17.

WinterstartNew Jumbo councilaiming high

It’s the beginning of a new chapter for the Jumbo Gla-cier Resort project, and the Province of British Colum-bia has chosen three valley residents to lead the way.

Former Village of Radium Hot Springs mayor Greg Deck will serve as mayor and Nancy Hugunin and Steve Ostrander will serve as councillors, while former town of Golden chief administrative o� cer Phil Taylor will be the municipality’s interim corporate o� cer.

“I’ve been urging the province to � nish this process for a long time, and when the province says, ‘We’re ready to take the next step, are you ready to be part of that and help?’, it’s hard not to contribute when you’re asking people to do something as well,” Deck told � e Valley Echo.

� e inaugural council will have a number of responsibili-ties when they � rst convene on February 19, 2013. Aside from attempting to develop a resort that focuses on the needs of a population that has yet to arrive, council will also have to give strong consideration to the environmental and aboriginal concerns that have held the project back for so many years.

Mayor, two councillors want to work for most positive outcome for entire region

CONTINUES TO 'I HAVE' ON PAGE A2

STEVE JESSELreporter@invermerevalleyecho.com

Nancy Hugunin

Steve Ostrander

Greg Deck

Vol. 56 Issue 48

Martin Grasic makes BC Alpine team

Page A18

A2 www.invermerevalleyecho.com Wednesday, November 28, 2012 The Valley Echo

NEWS

Christmas BureauThe Christmas Bureau of the Columbia Valley is now ready to accept applications for FOOD HAMPERS AND ANGEL GIFTS for Christmas 2012, to be distributed Thursday, December 20, 2012. Application forms are available at The Family Resource Centre, Columbia Valley Employment Centre, Akisqnuk Health Centre, Shuswap Band Office, Canal Flats Headwaters Centre or 250-342-6752. Deadline for requests is Wednesday December 12. To sponsor a family hamper, call Gail at 250-342-6752 or Helen at 250-342-6789; or email Gail at hghoff@telus.netor Helen at hw6789@telus.net to register your commitment by Wednesday, December 12. To donate an Angel Gift, visit the children’s and seniors’ Angel tree in Essential’s Shop (516 13 street) after November 23, or the children’s Angel Tree in Dairy Queen after Friday November 30. Return wrapped and labelled gifts to the stores by the December 15 deadline.

BIGChristmas Craft Sale

Invermere Community HallFriday, November 30th ~ 4 p.m. – 8 p.m.

Saturday, December 1st ~ 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

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Apologies, there is no food being served this year.

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“I think that it’s very, very important that the mayor and the two council-lors who I have appointed have noth-ing to do with the resort development, they have no business ties to the resort proponent, and they will not be al-lowed to do business with this project on a personal level,” said Minister of Community, Sport and Cultural De-velopment Bill Bennett. “They will be under the same restrictions and limitations that any other mayor and council would be under based on our legislation in this province.”

Selection of council members was based on several suitability factors in-cluding local government experience and knowledge of the region, and the term of the appointments is from Feb-ruary 19, 2013 to November 30, 2014.

The background of each of the coun-cil members varies, although they all share the common thread of being long-time East Kootenay residents. Deck was the first mayor of Radium Hot Springs when it was incorporated in December of 1990, and served for 18 years until retiring in 2008. Deck has also served as the chair for the Regional District of East Kootenay for six years, and continues to sit on the board of the Columbia Basin Trust. A long-time supporter of the project since his days as Radium mayor, Deck said no one benefits from the project being rushed along, and that his job

as mayor will be to respect the issues and aspirations of his future residents.

Deck likened any potential develop-ments to a cruise ship, where the envi-ronment flows by with the least possi-ble amount of interaction by humans.

“There are a whole bunch of require-ments, more than any other munici-pality I know, that will have to be met that come from the environmental assessment certificate,” Deck said. “Those have to be carefully adhered to, and I think adhering to those care-fully will minimize what is one of the most controversial issues up there, which is human-wildlife conflict. It’s important to try and design a community from the very start that minimizes those conflicts, and if you build that into the original design you’ll be saving every-body a lot of grief for a very long time.”

Deck acknowledges that without any constituents’ needs to address, the focus of the council will be almost entirely on long-term planning, and said it was important that council bal-ance the needs of the short-term with long-term efficiency. He said that by no means does he want to see sprawl-ing suburbs in Jumbo, but would in-stead aim for something akin to the walled villages of northern Italy and southern France.

“I think that a really well-run, value-

added high quality tourism resource is important to the province,” Deck said. “ … I have very high hopes that a resort as unusual as Jumbo… that has that kind of profile, and has the ability to attract people from much farther than our traditional markets to this region, and I see that as a relatively virtuous circle.”

Hugunin, a Columbia Valley resi-dent for the past 35 years, feels her experience in the business world is part of the reason she was selected to join council. Hugunin is the co-owner

and operator of a construction com-pany and two res-taurants, and is a former president of the Windermere Valley Ski Club.

For the last five years Hugunin has

also worked with regional and provin-cial agencies regarding subdivision consulting and infrastructure approv-als. She said she’s always been sup-portive of the concept of a ski resort in Jumbo, and would like to play a posi-tive role in any future developments.

“I really feel like a strong economy here is what helps us pay for all the other things we want,” said Hugunin. “I’ve had lots of people support me in my life, and I just wanted to support free enterprise.”

Former David Thompson Secondary

photo by Steve JeSSel/the echoThe Invermere Business Committee's annual window decorating contest had a number of local businesses enter this year that revamped their storefronts with a winter holiday theme. Secret judges from the Columbia Valley Arts Council decided on winners in three categories — Three Bears Gift Shop won Most Flashy, Black Star came out on top of Most Christmassy, and Details by JoAnne walked away with Most Awesome. From now until the start of the holidays, The Valley Echo and the Columbia Valley Pioneer will be showcasing a business a week from those that took part just to demonstrate how truly awesome our local business community is. This week in The Valley Echo is Summit Footwear, located at 1209 7th Avenue in Invermere.

Window wonderland

'I have very high hopes': Mayor Deckcontinued from page a1

“One of the most controversial issues up there... is human-wildlife conflict.”

greg deckjumbo glacier resort mayor

continueS to 'councillor' on page a4

Wednesday,November 28, 2012 The Valley Echo www.invermerevalleyecho.com A3

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PHoTo by STeve JeSSel/THe ecHoTwenty or so runners participated in the first annual Movember Mile on Sunday, November 25. The group ran four laps around the DTSS track and raised $250 for Movember, the moustache-growing charity event held during November each year that raises funds and awareness for men's health issues.

Movember madmen

Invermere Community Greenhouse makes a splash at Land Awards

It may not have been declared a winner in this year’s BC Real Estate Foundation’s (BCREF) Land Awards, but according to Groundswell board member Bill Swan, Invermere’s Com-munity Greenhouse was a winner the moment it was nominated as a finalist.

“We’re such a small place doing kind of global level things; it’s some-thing to be proud of,” Swan said.

In early October, The Valley Echo reported that the community green-house located at David Thompson Secondary School in Invermere had been named a finalist in the 2012 BCREF Land Awards in the non-prof-it category.

The Land Awards recognize initia-tives that demonstrate leadership, innovation, and collaboration in sustainable land use in British Co-lumbia. At the Four Seasons Hotel in downtown Vancouver on October 26, this year’s finalists across all the Land Awards categories - non-prof-

it, private and public – gathered for a special gala that recognized and celebrated their efforts as B.C.’s land champions.

The event was MC’d by non-other than Invermere realtor Barry Brown-John, formerly a BCREF chair and governor.

“(Barry) was signing our praises, he was working the room, talking about Invermere and what we’ve pulled off,” chuckled Swan.

Gala attendees also had the oppor-tunity to hear a presentation on eco-friendly living and sustainable land

use by keynote speaker Ed Begley Jr., the American actor and renowned environmentalist, and receive a copy of Begley’s most recent book, which Swan is donating to the Invermere Public Library.

“Rather than just put it in the green-house, I thought we would put it in the community library so people could have a look,” he said.

The greenhouse also benefited from the Land Awards by way of a 90-sec-ond professionally done video — “which is tremendously useful to us,” said Swan — created by the BCREF for each of the finalists. The video can be viewed on YouTube under 2012 Land Awards Finalist — Groundswell Community Greenhouse, and the link has also been posted on Face-book on the Groundswell Network & Community Greenhouse page, where information on the greenhouse’s up-coming events and activities can also be found.

“By going to the Land Awards, I think it’s connected us with a larger audience that understands more about what we’ve been doing,” said Swan. “I think it’s just another mea-sure of the attention the project has received, and the community — it is recognition of the community’s efforts.”

Groundswell pleased with raised profile after Real Estate Foundation gala

NICOLE TRIGGeditor@invermerevalleyecho.com

SubmiTTed PHoToLand Awards keynote speaker Ed Begley Jr.

A4 www.invermerevalleyecho.com Wednesday, November 28, 2012 The Valley Echo

NEWS

Photos with Santa!Global Animal Lovers’

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• Minimum donation $10 to go towards GALs (spaying, neutering, rescuing, and homing animals)

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School graduate Ostrander earned a degree in forestry from the University of British Colum-bia before returning to Invermere to work as a professional forester. For the past 30 years, Ostrander has been employed locally at all levels of forest planning and management while working at various times for the provin-cial government and the forest industry.

Since retiring in 2008, Ostrander continues to work part time as a forest management consultant and as a board member for a num-ber of volunteer organizations, including the Columbia Valley Food Bank, the Lake Wind-ermere District Lions' Club, and the Colum-bia Headwaters Community Forest Initiative. Ostrander said he feels that his experience with forestry and land use issues will help him in his new role as councillor, and added that he wants to see a project that will attract tour-ism and jobs to the valley.

“I’ve been familiar with the project for a long time, and I’ve always viewed it in shades of

grey, not sort of black and white,” Ostrander said. “I’m hoping that I have a positive impact on the whole outcome, but I’m not so naive to think that it’s not going to be a challenge.”

New interim corporate officer Phil Taylor brings a wealth of experience to his new role. A Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy qualified accountant with over 32 years experience in the local government sector, including nearly 20 years at the senior strategic management and corporate level, Taylor has worked primarily for smaller com-munities, and most recently for the town of Golden.

Taylor is retired and said he has no plans to get back into full-time work, but that should council still feel like he was the best choice for the role once his 12-week appointment is up, he would likely return if needed.

“The draft that they provided me, I felt I had the skills to be able to do it properly, legally, and to protect the public interest,” Taylor said. “Basically, it’s an honour to be chosen because it doesn’t come around very often in your career.”

Councillor is a DTSS graduateContinued from Page a2

Future uncertain for backcountry coalition talks

The Columbia Valley Recreation Adviso-ry Council took another incremental step towards a cohesive plan for backcountry use on November 5, despite a continued lack of representation from a number of groups in the motorized sector.

However, with funding from the Co-lumbia Basin Trust (CBT) reaching its end, the future of the committee is un-certain unless another group steps up with additional funds.

At the last meeting, CBT Public Liason Katherine Hamilton said that the CBT had already exhausted $25,000 over the

13-month proceedings, and while mod-erator David Savage has offered to con-tinue his work on a voluntary unpaid ba-

sis, Hamilton said that in order for CBT to continue supporting the process, a num-ber of requirements must be met, most

notably that the committee shows solid signs of progress towards its final goal.

“This is your group, I have my own ideas, but they’re worthless in this room,” Savage told the roughly 25 as-sembled committee members.

While the committee had agreed to look at both finalizing the sectors and working on a landscape unit as a case study at the previous meeting, the is-sue of sector representation was once again shelved in favour of putting pen to paper and working on the case study — the Luxor landscape unit.

After the exercise, the committee de-termined a number of questions to ask when considering landscape units in the future, including what the values and features of each parcel are, who the stakeholders are, and what potential conflicts there might be.

Panorama Mountain Village has received both regional and international recognition lately with the ski resort and Greywolf Golf Course pulling in a number of awards.

“We are thrilled to receive this recognition for our resort,” said Chris Elder, Panorama's director of sales and marketing. “Our team is committed to creating exceptional guest ex-periences and we can’t wait to welcome our guests this winter starting December 14th.

"This is going to be an awesome winter

filled with exciting events, terrain improve-ments and celebrating our 50th anniversary.”

Kootenay Business Magazine presented a grand total of nine awards to Panorama, in-cluding platinum for the ski area, ski shop and snowboard shop, and platinum in the category of Kootenay getaway resort. The resort also received gold for wedding ser-vices and silver for the Mountain Stampede Festival. Greywolf Golf Course was awarded platinum for its driving range and gold for golf course and golf shop.

Internationally, U.S.-based Outside maga-zine ranked Panorama #31 for best Ski Re-sorts in North America, and Panorama was one of only five Canadian Resorts to make the list.

For more information, or to purchase lift tickets for Panorama’s opening day, visit their website at www.panoramaresort.com.

PHoto BY SteVe JeSSeL/tHe eCHoCVRAC coalition members ponder the Luxor landscape unit at the most recent meeting on November 5.

Columbia Basin Trust has spent $25,000 on process

STEVE JESSELreporter@invermerevalleyecho.com

Webinar training to assist busi-nesses with the return to PST is being offered by the provincial government on Thursday (No-vember 29). To register for the session, which will take place from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m., visit www.sbr.gov.bc.ca/applications/PST_Webinars/,where the most up to date schedule and other webinar information can be found. Ad-ditional sessions will be added based on demand.

Additionally, the government has released more than half a dozen publications with easy

step-by-step guidance on the re-implementation of the PST, set for April 1, 2013.

Links to these publications, FAQs, an online sign-up form for one-on-one tax consultations for business, along with additional information about the return to the PST, can be found in the busi-ness outreach section of www.PSTinBC.ca.

Questions about the return to PST can be directed toll-free to 1-877-388-4440, or emailed to CTBTaxQuestions@gov.bc.ca.

The Columbia Valley Chamber of Commerce encourages those who require assistance in this transition to contact their office at 250-342-2844 or email info@cvchamber.ca.

PST preparation availableNICOLE TRIGGeditor@invermerevalleyecho.com

Panorama rakes in awardsLocal mountain resort making a name for itself locally and around the globe

STEVE JESSELreporter@invermerevalleyecho.com

MovemberTo date we are at

$1,996 —$4 short of our goal. Still have lots of time to go to this website, http://m o b ro. c o / c o l u m -biavalleyrcmp, and make a donation. The next donation/pledge puts us over our goal and one step away from my crazy motivation of colour-ing what hair I have left RCMP colors. Why I think of these ideas is beyond me.

Thrift store theftsOn November 23,

the Columbia Val-ley detachment re-ceived a complaint of a damaged fence at the Thrift Store. It appears that items left for donation are being stolen. Anyone with information is requested to contact the detachment. The money raised at the Thrift Store goes to our local hospital. A separate report with photo will be provid-ed to the media.

Deer put downAlso on the 23rd,

the detachment re-ceived a complaint of a severely injured deer on Merlo Road. Members attended to the scene and due to the injuries sus-tained to the deer it

was put down by the responding member.

Fraud Alert A citizen, while re-

searching on Google, found what appeared to be a lending agen-cy called Citizens Primary Lending Source. The victim contacted the num-bers provided and received a contract. It was, however, re-quested that a sum of money be sent to this company in or-der to obtain a loan insurance. Money was sent but after that no contact could be made. An Internet search resulted in a number of hits of this being a scam. Please do a little homework before dealing with an unknown entity on line.

Hit and run driver found

On November 24, the Columbia Val-ley detachment re-ceived a complaint of a hit and run where a 2001 Ford pick up hit a light standard in Radium at McKay and Main. Direc-tion of travel was provided to the po-lice who located the vehicle within five minutes of the com-plaint on Hwy 93/95. The 24-yearold driver

from Vanderhoof displayed signs of being impaired and was given an ASD demand. The driver blew a fail. The ve-hicle was impounded for 30 days, his li-cence suspended for 90 days and was is-sued a ticket for fail to remain at the scene of an accident.

Woman charged with assault

On November 26, the Columbia Valley detachment mem-bers attended to a complaint of domes-tic abuse assault in

the 1300 block of 8th Avenue. A 23-year-old male was assaulted and observed to have a number of marks on him to indicate an as-sault had taken place. As a result of the in-vestigation a 20-year-old female was arrest-ed and charged with assault. The female will be appearing in Invermere Provincial Court on February 12.

Domestic violence awareness

During the period of November 21 to December 7, a yearly a campaign goes on

to bring awareness of domestic abuse to the forefront in many communities. The detachment unfortu-nately responds to a number of such calls. In many instances the anger that is dis-played is often fueled by alcohol and drugs. Mix this with children involved in the house it becomes much more tragic. The de-tachment has en-gaged with numerous partners in the com-munity to provide not only education and assistance to both

parties but also to become more active in assisting victims of domestic violence.

The “Purple Light Campaign” is one of those initiatives tak-en on by concerned citizens to bring this to the attention of the community that domestic violence has no place in our community. You will observe purple lights throughout the community.

Detachment mem-bers and our com-munity partners will continue to work and

assist all involved in domestic violence. As community members you can show your support by contribut-ing to the Purple Light Campaign when vol-unteers come around and also an opportu-nity to attend a candle light vigil on Decem-ber 6 at 4:45 p.m. at the cenotaph.

Your attendance to recognize and sup-port those in the com-munity that are active in this cause will be appreciated. An op-portunity to see my new hair style also!!!!

Wednesday, November 28, 2012 The Valley Echo www.invermerevalleyecho.com A5

NEWS

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Alert out for RCMP sergeant with streaked hairPolice files from the Columbia Valley RCMP detachment

STAFF SGT. MARKO SHEHOVACSpecial to The Valley Echo

submitted photos The Columbia Valley RCMP Detachment is conducting an ongoing investigation into recent thefts from the Invermere Health Care Auxiliary Thrift Shop and is seeking infor-mation on the two people depicted in these photographs in order to identify them.

submitted photo Columbia Valley RCMP Staff Sgt. Marko Shehovac (left) and Cpl. Grant Simpson were two of almost 50 Southeast District RCMP officers honoured with Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medals on Monday, Novem-ber 19 during a ceremony at St. Eugene Resort, where they were joined by BC Liberal candidate for the Columbia River-Revelstoke riding, Doug Clovechok (centre).

Medallists

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customerservice@inver-merevalleyecho.com

A6 www.invermerevalleyecho.com Wednesday, November 28, 2012 The Valley Echo

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The Valley Echo welcomes all letters to the editor and submissions from community and sports groups, as well as special community columns. Please keep your signed, legible submissions under 500 words. We reserve the right to edit for clarity, taste, legal reasons and brevity. Each submission must contain a daytime phone number and place of residence. Send email sub-missions to editor@invermerevalleyecho.com.

Something on your mind?

Playing it too safe

With all the hoopla around Jumbo Glacier Re-sort, the Radium mill re-opening and Crown land use, local media have had their hands full in the last month.

There has been no shortage of news stories at the local level, and with a provincial election coming up in May, the ongoing verbal sparring between the our current NDP MLA Norm Mac-donald and aspiring BC Liberal candidate Doug Clovechok is keeping current provincial issues and hot topics at the forefront.

But all is quiet on the federal front; at least ac-cording to what can be gathered from MP David Wilks' columns.

Titled "View from the Hill" for Valley Echo read-ers, they are submitted to our editorial depart-ment on a fairly regular monthly basis, and con-vey a Parliament Hill that is industriously, and quietly, working away to improve the quality of life of all Canadians.

From playground funding to awarding medals, from getting tough on crime and immigration fraud to supporting parents of critically ill children and reforming public pensions, the topics of national importance that Wilks is privy to from his time spent in Ottawa and chooses to herald are... safe.

You wouldn't know from reading them that the Conservative government of Canada is coming under fire on a regular basis in mainstream me-dia for its national and international policies.

Although we did learn back in May, when Wilks piped up against the omnibus budget bill, that dissent within the Conservative ranks is not be tolerated. In no time our MP was throwing his full support behind the bill he had previously criticized to constituents.

Now critics are in an uproar over Canada's pro-posed treaty with China, and even Conservative-leaning voters are furiously opposing Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Canada-China For-eign Investment Promotion and Protection Act (FIPPA), which could pave the way for potential Chinese control of Canadian resources. Yet Wilks has been strangely quiet on the subject.

Playgrounds and pensions aside, Wilks could better serve his riding by delving into some of the more controversial, and complex, initiatives his party is spearheading. Playing it too safe could ultimately hurt him in the long run.

Opinions and LettersSomething to say? email

editor@invermerevalleyecho.com

We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Periodical Fund of the Department of Canadian Heritage.

Dear Editor,Thank you to all who attended my

first community birthday party. We were able to raise almost $1,300 for the East Kootenay Brain Injury As-sociation and some toys for our local Christmas Bureau. Also, thank you to all those who helped by donating prizes, food, time, etc.

AG Valley Foods, Auntie Jill and Uncle Keith, Coca Cola, Tanya Beyak, Dee Connell, District of Invermere, Donna Scheffer, David Thompson Secondary School students Alisha, Blair, Caitlin, Grace, Maddison and Siobhan, EKBIA group, face painters Lindsay and Heather, Home Hard-ware, Local View Printing, the “Mad Hatter”, Monkey’s Uncle Toy Store, Nana and Grandpa, Red Apple, Rhonda Franzen, Sunshine Child-care Centre, and of course, Mom and Dad.

If I forgot anyone, I am sorry and you can blame my Mom! See you all again next year!

Braeden GagatekInvermere

Dear Editor,For those of you missing the NHL

season, Mayor Taft delivered an un-expected hat trick in Invermere’s re-cent loss to credibility.

First, he insulted the Province of B.C., declaring that provincial democratic processes aren’t democratic unless you get what you want. Then he in-sulted the former long-term Mayor of Radium (a former RDEK Director and well-respected local businessman) by calling him in effect a “puppet”. To cap off the trifecta, he insulted you the taxpayer, resident and local business community by telling you that all these insults are in your best interest.

Here’s my take on what is in Inver-mere’s best interests:

1. Fix our drinking water system so that it complies with treatment re-quirements;

2. Fix our wastewater system so that it does not contaminate shallow groundwater;

3. Fix our roads and sidewalks and pay proper attention to new roads so that they are built with the proper testing and do not become a mainte-nance liability to the taxpayer;

4. Make it our goal to increase the residency factor; that is, make it our goal to have seasonal occupants spend more time in the valley and actually track that statistic;

5. Revitalize the downtown core to

make it people-friendly, bike-friend-ly and pedestrian-friendly and to de-crease the “alarming” vacancy rate;

6. Take ownership of how Invermere “looks and feels” — non-profit groups shouldn’t have to take the lead in “beautifying” Invermere, that’s an ad-ministrative responsibility;

7. Make it our goal to attract busi-ness and entrepreneurs to Invermere and create opportunities;

8. Provide more support for the non-profit groups that improve the quality of life in Invermere and that develop amenities that benefit resi-dents, tourists, senior citizens, and youth; and

9. Instead of “BC First”, make “Our Town First” our priority.

If we take those nine simple steps, we will find that our resources are suffi-cient to support sound administration, education, medical and infrastructure systems. And we will find that our re-sources are sufficient to support “green” initiatives as part of the free economy.

Nick BerzinsInvermere

Dear Editor,Living in Fernie for 35 years, I have

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

COntinueS tO 'LetterS' On Page a7

Birthday party thank you

In support of Jumbo

NICOLE TRIGGeditor@invermerevalleyecho.com

Mayor scores hat trick

www.invermerevalleyecho.com A7The Valley Echo Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Community Calendar

WED NOV 28•Windermere Com-munity Hall Youth "� ink Tank" 6 p.m. For adults and youth interested or with suggestions for start-ing a Youth Center in Windermere.

SAT DEC 1•Th rift Store Shop-ping Extravaganza, 1 - 4 p.m. •Windermere Com-munity Association Talent Show for all ages, 2 p.m. Cash prizes, admission by donation. 250-341-3383 or info@wind-ermerecommunity.ca to register.

NOV 30DEC 1•BIG Christmas Craft Sale, Invermere Community Hall, $2 entry or food bank item, 4 - 8 p.m. on Friday, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. on Saturday

TUES DEC 4•Cinefest, Pynelogs, doors at 6 p.m., � lm at 7 p.m.

WED DEC 5•Windermere Com-munity Association Bingo, 6 p.m.

UNTIL DEC 7•CV Arts Water-colour Workshop Series by Carol Gor-don, 250-342-4423

FRI DEC 7•Edgewater Elemen-tary Bottle Drive, 1:30 - 5 p.m. drop o� at Pip's, or Online Automotive.

DEC 89•Global Animal Lovers Photos with Santa fundraiser, min. $10 donation, Home Hardware. 4-6 p.m. on Dec 8, 3 - 6 p.m. on Dec 9.

SAT DEC 8•Windermere Health Care Aux-iliary Christmas Luncheon and Bake sale, 1 p.m. - 3 p.m. Windermere Hall. $5. All proceeds to

Invermere Hospital, Columbia House, Palliative Care Suite

SUN DEC 9•Rotary Christmas Dinner for Seniors, 5:30 p.m., Best Western Invermere Inn, call to register 250-342-5566

EVERY SUNDAY•Public Indoor Rock Climbing, Laird School, 5-8 p.m., $5.•Radium Seniors’ Carpet Bowling, 1:30 p.m., Seniors' Hall

2nd SUNDAY•LW Alliance Church Sing and Celebrate, 7 p.m. For more informa-tion call Clarence Stauff er, 250-342-9580

EVERY MONDAY•Gentle drop-in carpet bowling, 1:30 p.m., Seniors' Centre•Cadets, 6:30-9 p.m. for boys and girls, ages 12-17. Cost: FREE (includes uniform). Info: Rick Dendy 250-341-1509.•Duplicate Bridge, 6:30 p.m., Invermere Seniors’ Hall, $2/person. Visitors welcome•EK Brain Injury Support Group, 1-3 p.m., Family Re-source Centre. Info: 250-344-5674

1st & 3rd TUESDAY•OPT clinic, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Inv. Health Unit, 850-10th Ave. Con� den-tial service: low-cost birth control, and STI testing

1st TUESDAY•Invermere Camera Club 7 p.m. Tanya, tanyadeleeuw65@gmail.com

EVERY TUESDAY•Yoga THRIVE- Yoga for Cancer Sur-vivors. Hot springs studio, Fairmont Village Mall. For info call Jan Klimek at 250-342-1195

•Shuswap Bingo at the Shuswap Indian Band Offi ce down-stairs, doors open at 5:30 p.m., early bird at 6:45 p.m., regular games at 7 p.m. • Cubs (8-10 year olds) and Beavers (5-7 year olds), JA Laird, 6 - 7 p.m.

1st & 3rd WED•Scrabble Night at Invermere Public Library. 6 - 8 p.m. Call 250-342-6416

2nd & 4th WED•Seniors' Day at theInvermere Library. Bus provided

EVERY WEDNESDAY• Indoor soccer, DTSS gym. Drop-in, $2, 8:30-10:00 p.m.

EVERY THURSDAY•Cadets, 6:30-9 p.m. for boys and girls, ages 12-17. Cost: FREE (includes uniform). Info: Rick Dendy 250-341-1509•Children's Air Rifl e Program, with the LWDRGC, Inv. Com-munity Hall, 7 - 8:30 p.m., free of charge, ages 6-15. Learn safety, marksman-ship, equipment provided

EVERY FRIDAY•Baby Goose pro-gram for parents and babies up to 18 months. 9:30-11:30 a.m. at Eileen Madson Primary. kandruschuk@cbal.org•Public Indoor Rock Climbing, Laird School, 5-8 p.m., $5.•Preschool Story Time at the Inver-mere Public Library, 10:30 a.m. For info visit invermere.bcli-brary.ca

EVERY SATURDAY•Public Indoor Rock Climbing, Laird School, 5-8 p.m., $5.

THRIFT STORE•Th ursdays 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays, 1 - 4 p.m.

Submit your events: production@invermerevalleyecho.com

Rotary of Radium Hot Springs meets at Radium Resort, Wednesdays at 7 a.m. Ongoing fundraising is going towards the Bicycle Pump Track.

Rotary Club of Invermere meets every Thursday at 11:45 a.m. at the Best Western Invermere Inn. The meeting on Nov 29 is cancelled. A social meeting will be held on Nov 30 at the Royal Canadian Legion in the evening.

Pictured is purchaser Tom from Kicking Horse Coffee, speaking about Fair Trade.

Rotary International

One of the biggest issues that I am hearing about this week is the need for local involvement in decision making on the land base.

� ere have been a number of decisions made recently by government where local people have felt that they were either not consulted or their expressed views were ignored.

But this is not a par-ticularly recent turn of events. Over the last 11 years, many speci� c legisla-tive steps have been taken to remove previous require-ments for local participa-tion in decision making.

In 2003, the BC Liberals passed legislation called the Signifi cant Projects Stream-lining Act which allows projects to be designated as provincially signi� cant and thus override local jurisdic-tion which might hamper

development.Bill 30, also known as the

Ashlu River bill, removed the power of local govern-ments to make decisions on whether or not private power river-diversion proj-ects should go ahead on public lands.

An amendment to the Local Government Act has now allowed the Provincial government to create a Mountain Resort Munici-pality where there are no residents and appoint a mayor and council that may never face election.

Community land use plan-ning groups which have de-veloped Integrated Resource Plans have been disbanded and the need for community consultation on land use has been eliminated.

� ese are only a few ex-amples of the ways that this government has taken you

out of the decision-making process. And we’ve seen that the quality of decisions being made has been less-ened as local wisdom has been ignored.

I believe that we need to build resiliency in rural communities and that means that local residents must have a say on how our land base is used. I believe that those who rely on the land base for employment, recreation and the pro-tection of environmental values will make the best decisions.

And that local involve-ment ensures that the public interest is always at the forefront of policy deci-sions, something that has been lacking for too long in British Columbia. 

Norm Macdonald is the NDP MLA for Columbia River - Revelstoke.

Serving public interestMLA Report — Norm Macdonald

witnessed a ski resort double in size, alpine cat-skiing operations expand, new cat-skiing operations added, and other wilderness at-tractions built; all in harmony with our coal mining industries and our environment.Today, Fernie has a strong local economy, has had positive growth in our local resident population, school enrolment has increased, and entrepreneurs have migrated to Fernie to start new businesses. � ere is a buoyant and healthy Main Street, arts community and lo-cal shopping. Wildlife, including grizzlies, are regularly seen on our local hiking and moun-tain biking trails, and the � shing in our rivers remains excellent.High alpine resorts similar to Jumbo have been successful in European towns such as Zermatt or Hintertux, Austria for over 100 years. Per-haps all the individuals who speak against in-vestment should remember the phrase: ‘If you are not growing then you will perish’? Th e Jumbo project will benefi t our entire Rocky Mountain region.

Michael DelichFernie 

Dear Editor,Re: "It’s not about politics", � e Valley Echo, November 21, 2012� e question has been raised by the local spokes-person for the BC Liberal party asking what a “responsible” MLA report should look like. It is suggested that a MLA report should simply be a bragging list. But I reject that assertion.Every two weeks I submit a MLA report that discusses issues that have been raised with me by my constituents. I talk about what matters to them. And I share their perspective.� is bi-weekly report is a chance for constitu-ents to see their views articulated in print. It is a small trickle against an absolute fl ood of tax-payer-funded BC Liberal propaganda.  Surely we do not need more of that.

LETTERS (continued from page A6)

MLA rebuttal

CONTINUES TO 'LETTERS' ON PAGE A8

www.invermerevalleyecho.com A8The Valley Echo Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Holiday Advertising and Editorial Deadlines

Please taken note that our advertising deadlines will change due to Christmas and New Year holidays.

December 26 issueThursday, December 20 at 12 p.m.

January 2 issueFriday, December 21 at 12 p.m.

� e BC Liberal spokesperson goes on to list a number of ‘ac-complishments’ that he feels are appropriate to discuss in a public forum.  He lists speci� c � les, and makes speci� c claims.

What he clearly does not under-stand is that the role of an MLA is a serious one with a code of ethics.

My o� ce receives more than 2,000 contacts a year.  My sta� and I manage hundreds of con-� dential � les.  We work directly with Ministers and ministry sta� , Crown corporations, local gov-ernments, school districts, O� ces of the Legislature and community organizations. 

And we never speak publicly about a case without the express permission of the participants. Ev-ery contact that is made with my o� ce is absolutely con� dential.

� e BC Liberal spokesperson also claims responsibility for bringing many Ministers to the constituency.  What everyone knows is that these Ministers should actually be in the Legisla-ture attending a full Fall Session and answering the people’s ques-tions in Question Period. 

But the BC Liberals are avoid-ing accountability by keeping the Legislature closed.

Representing constituents as the Member of the Legislature is a great honour and privilege that must be treated with respect. � at needs to be understood by those who hold the position and it needs to be understood by those who in-tend to ask for that position.

I will continue to work for my constituents and speak out strongly on their behalf.  If you would like to  get in touch, call 1-866-870-4188 or email norm.macdonald.mla@leg.bc.ca.

Sincerely,Norm Macdonald Columbia River-Revelstoke MLA

Dear Editor,I had a conversation the other

day with Emile Morin, a Colum-bia Valley Community Founda-tion director. Emile is currently a resident of Calgary but lived in Canal Flats for 12 years.

� e subject of our conversation was the Arnold Ellis Scholarship Fund, which both local papers ran a story on recently.

I have been working in connec-tion with public schools since

1985, and I have seen many young people, full of promise, cross the graduation stage. I have very much admired, in all the communities I have worked, the generousity of friends, families, businesses and organizations that seem to go out of their way to ensure that our youth pursuing further opportunity have the help they need to get started. � e stu-dents in the Columbia Valley have traditionally had access to over $50,000 of assistance because of this generosity.

Now, because of the expanded endowment fund created from Mr. Ellis’ estate, the opportunities for assistance for local youth to pur-sue higher education will be great-ly enhanced. Mr. Ellis leaves an incredible legacy to our commu-nities and on behalf of the Board of Education and Sta� of School District No. 6, we wish to express our gratitude for this and also to the Community Foundation for its work in administering the fund. � is is great news for the students and families of the valley.

Paul CarriereSuperintendent, School District

No. 6 (Rocky Mountain)

Dear Editor,Over the past 10 years, the � rift

Shop has been the target of van-dalism and theft.

Last year volunteers donated over 10,000 hours by sorting and sell-ing items that raise money to fund equipment and items that will im-prove the quality of patient care in the valley. � ese services provided will bene� t everyone at some time.

But it will cost hundreds of dol-lars to repair the damage.

So now, this money which has been dedicated to providing worthwhile equipment will have to be redirected to repair damage in� icted to the back of our store.

If people are so desperate and needy for our things, please see Social Welfare — they will give you a voucher and we would be happy to provide items you need.

� ere is no reason for this van-dalism and theft to occur.

We need the public's help to put a stop to this. It has been reported to the RCMP, and we have your pictures on camera!

Jo Anne MyersSecretary, Invermere Health

Care Auxiliary

LETTERS (continued from page A7)

Amendments that elimi-nate conditional sentenc-es for serious and violent crimes — the � nal compo-nent of the Safe Streets and Communities Act — came into force on November 20.

Our government has a strong record of putting vic-tims � rst, getting tough on serious and violent o� end-ers, and keeping our streets and communities safe. House arrest should not be available for o� enders of serious crimes like sexual assault, kidnapping and hu-man tra� cking.

� ose who commit these violent crimes must serve their time behind bars, not in the comfort of their homes and that is exactly the issue this legislation corrects.

� e Criminal Code outlines

the circumstances when a conditional sentence can be imposed. � e amendments in this component of the Safe Streets and Communi-ties Act maintain these con-ditions and expand the list describing when a condi-tional sentence is not avail-able, including: any o� ence for which the law prescribes a maximum penalty of 14 years or life imprisonment; any o� ence prosecuted by indictment and for which the law prescribes a maxi-mum penalty of 10 years imprisonment that results in bodily harm, involves the import/export, tra� cking or production of drugs or in-volves the use of a weapon; and; a listed o� ence pros-ecuted by indictment and for which the law prescribes a maximum penalty of 10

years imprisonment, which means that crimes such as theft over $5,000, breaking and entering, and theft of a motor vehicle are now in-cluded on the list of indict-able o� ences ineligible for a conditional sentence.

� e government intro-duced the Safe Streets and Communities Act on Sep-tember  20, 2011, ful� lling its commitment to expedi-tiously introduce several law-and-order bills aimed at combating crime and terrorism. � e Safe Streets and Communities Act re-ceived Royal Assent on March 13, 2012.

An online version of the legislation can be found at www.parl.gc.ca.

David Wilks is the Con-servative MP for Kootenay-Columbia.

Tougher on crimeView from the Hill — MP David Wilks

Education enhanced

� rift shop targeted

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Valley Echo today!250.342.9216

Wow! My daughter-in-law gave birth to a daughter last week. Having given birth myself to a couple of pretty amazing people (if I do say so myself!), I thought I was prepared for this event.

Uh-uh, no way and not a chance! When a tiny life is placed in your care, life takes on a whole new mean-ing. I’ve been there and it’s incredible. So where does this overwhelming feeling come from when that life is placed in your child’s care? I have to admit, I’ve been set back on my heels. I never expected this. � is little wee person is absolutely perfect in every way — from her gorgeous little toes to the top of her not quite bald

head. She’s no di� erent than anybody else’s perfect baby.

Except that she evokes emotions in me that I didn’t remember existed. � e ma-ternal instinct is indeed alive and well even in those of us beyond child-bearing age. 

I thought I was enjoying the grandma gig with my step-grandchildren, and I am. You may have seen me at the Light Up Night parade, shepherding them along, and we had fun! I do believe the a� ection grows exponentially and they are dearer to me than ever too. 

So I now understand the whole grandma’s picture-book thing — what did we ever do before smart phones? � ere I was at the

hospital, snapping pictures from every angle; the poor kid was not even half an hour old! And now I’m look-ing for people to show those pictures to.

Well, insisting they have a look might be more ac-curate. I have pictures of Mommy and baby, Daddy and baby, and each sibling and baby. But of course I have a favourite... so here you have a picture of Sa-mantha Marie Berry, less than half an hour old in her Grandma’s arms.

Blessings to all the grand-parents out there!

Marilyn Berry is an active member of the valley com-munity and can be reached at maberry7@yahoo.com.

www.invermerevalleyecho.com A9The Valley Echo Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Carbon monoxide preventionNatural gas is used safely and reliably in homes across B.C.

Regular inspection and maintenance is the best way to ensure peak performance of your natural gas appliances — and to prevent carbon monoxide (CO) in the home. Since CO is colourless and odourless, you can install a CO alarm for extra peace of mind.

To learn more about carbon monoxide safety, visit fortisbc.com/co.

FortisBC Energy Inc., FortisBC Energy (Vancouver Island) Inc., FortisBC Energy (Whistler) Inc., and FortisBC Inc. do business as FortisBC. The companies are indirect, wholly owned subsidiaries of Fortis Inc. FortisBC uses the FortisBC name and logo under license from Fortis Inc. (12-315 11/2012)

Grandmotherly feelings for the � rst timeRamble On — Marilyn Berry

Now that most of the bears are asleep, this is a great time to bring a little bit of nature to your back-yard. Whether you are a seasoned birder or you just enjoy the antics of our feathered friends, putting a feeder up is a great way to attract winter birds for close-up viewing.

� ere are a couple of key things to consider before putting up a bird feeder: location, type of feeder, and type of feed.

Place the feeder close to the trunk of a tree, among large, open branches, or el-evate it near a tree to make it attractive and accessible to most birds. Putting the feeder in a tree amongst many small branches is great for small birds, but not good for larger birds. Don’t put the feeder in an open location far away from safety cover, unless you are trying to attract birds that eat other birds.

Make sure the feeder is out of reach of deer, cats, dogs and other hazards.

Placing a feeder on a deck or near a window is a nice way to get close and personal, but don’t forget that birds poop! If you

don’t want bird poop on your deck or your house, don’t put a feeder too close. If you still want to put a feeder up outside a win-dow, make sure you put something on the glass so the birds know it’s there (like window stickers).

Selecting a feeder can seem daunting as there are so many di� erent models. What you need to know is that there are only a few kinds for winter birds. � ere are generalist feed-ers, small seed feeders, and suet feeders.

Generalist feeders can be used with a variety of seeds and are typically characterized by larger openings or trays. � ese are great for seed mixes or — my personal favourite — black oil sun� ower seeds. � ese feeders can attract a variety of winter birds, and are a great option if you only want to maintain one feeder.

Small seed feeders are mostly used with niger seed and have very small open-ings. Some with slightly bigger openings can take � nch mix, as long as there are no larger seeds in the mix. � ese feeders only

attract birds that like to eat these speci� c seeds. Don’t be discouraged if it takes a while before birds start using this type of feeder. Sometimes they � nd it right away, and sometimes they don’t. But once they do � nd it they’ll be back.

Suet feeders are used with suet cakes or plugs, or just hunks of fat, and typi-cally look like a wire cage or wooden block with holes in it to hold the plugs. Many birds like suet, but wood-peckers and jays especially like it. Make sure you put this one up somewhere sturdy if you want to attract these bigger birds.

Try putting up a couple of di� erent kinds of feeders with di� erent seeds and see who shows up. Remember to take your feeder down while the bears are awake. Good luck and happy birding!

Kalista has a diploma in Renewable Resource Management and o� ers en-vironmental education;  in-terpretive nature tours; and consulting in native plant landscaping, sustainable living and urban home-steading. Contact her at 250-270-2440 or kalista.pruden@gmail.com.

Feeding the birdsNature Nut — Kalista Pruden

Looking for a new home or vacation property?

Find all the property listings online at:issuu.com/invermerevalleyecho.com

� e holidays are al-most upon us and the Copper Point Golf Club will once again be doing its part to make sure everyone

in the Columbia Val-ley has a Christmas dinner with its ninth annual Feed the Town event.

“� e goal is to raise

funds and non-per-ishable food items for the food bank, and certainly over the last few years the way the economy is a lot of families could use that,” said Cop-per Point Golf Club general manager Bri-an Schaal.

Taking place at Cop-per Point Golf Club on Sunday (Decem-ber 2) from noon to 6

p.m., Feed the Town is asking anyone and everyone to attend and, if possible, to bring a donation for the Columbia Valley Food Bank with them.

Schaal said a prob-lem they’ve had in the past is that people as-sume the dinner event is only for the needy, however Schaal en-courages everyone to come to the free event if they can, and drop o� either a cash or non-perishable food

bank donation. “We want to make

sure everyone has a Christmas dinner this year,” Schaal said.

On the menu this year will be the usual complement of holi-day vittles including turkey, ham, vegeta-bles, potatoes, soup, salad and of course, pumpkin pie.

Schaal said they’re aiming to feed any-where between 850 and 1,000 people, and to help with that

endeavour they’ll be cooking up at least 26 turkeys and four large hams along with the rest of the food —  he estimates they cooked over 200 pounds of potatoes for last year’s event.

Of course, it takes a mighty number of volunteers to help with cooking all the food and the clean up, and while Schaal said they’re lucky enough to already have a dedi-cated list of volunteers

year after year, they can almost always � nd a job for someone who wants to help out.

“It’s a community initiative, where we all get together and make this happen,” Schaal said. “� ese things can’t go o� without the volun-teers and the dona-tions that we receive.”

For more informa-tion on the event, visit their webpage at www.copperpointgolf.com/feed-the-town.

A10 www.invermerevalleyecho.com Wednesday, November 28, 2012 The Valley Echo

Radium Hot Springs Sunrise Rotary Club

Radium Hot Springs Sunrise Rotary ClubOur commitment is to ‘Service Above Self’

The Club meets at 7 a.m. every Wednesday at the Radium Resort.

Since 2003, the Radium Rotarians have:

1) Built Rotary Park at the junction where Highway 93 meets Highway 93/95,

2) Provided funds for the construction of one of the bridges on the Sinclair Creek trail system

3) Sponsored student exchanges between local high school students and those of other countries such as Brazil and Japan

4) Provided bursaries for graduating students. 5) Partially funded the lovely lights and trees that decorate the main

streets of Radium each Christmas time6) cleaned Radium’s mile-long hill of debris twice a year with local

Rotarians and friends7) Raised funds to support an internationally project to eradicate polio

worldwide 8) Helped support an orphanage in Honduras.

Do you want to practise

forestry in BC?New forestry designation available now

� e Natural Resource Professional (or NRP) designation is new and recent grads from natural resources conservation programs at the University of BC, � ompson Rivers University and the University of Northern BC can apply today. � e NRP designation will allow you to practise aspects of professional forestry in every corner of the province. You might � nd yourself working for government, consultants, industry, Aboriginal groups and more! For more information and to see which programs qualify, visit our website at www.abcfp.ca.

NEWS

Copper Point is feeding the whole town —again

� e Invermere campus of the College of the Rockies closed on Tuesday, November 20 and Wednesday, November 21 as part of the Cana-dian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) job action that was announced on November 14.

“It’s the only move forward,” College of the Rockies CUPE 2773 President Pam Catsirelis told � e Valley Echo. “� e government has not responded to any of our overtures to re-turn to the bargaining table, or to respond to our last o� er. It’s the actual only response that’s left.”

� e College of � e Rockies joined several of the other BC community colleges on strike, including North Island College, Vancouver Island University, Camosun College and the College of New Caledonia.

According to a CUPE press release, the job action comes after failed last minute e� orts by CUPE to get the provincial government to sign o� on collective agreements with B.C.’s 3,000 CUPE college support workers. CUPE support workers at B.C.’s community colleg-es have been without a contract since 2010. � e unionized workers are looking for a no-concessions four-year deal with two per cent wage increases in the last two years.

“If it wasn’t for government interference in collective bargaining, we would be heading to work this morning with a reasonable contract in our pocket,” CUPE’s BC Colleges Coordina-tor Ian McLean said in the release. “Instead, we are heading for the picket line.”

In Invermere, the campus closed for the du-ration of the job action and all classes during that time were cancelled.

“(We’re hoping) for the government to ac-knowledge that they need to get back to the bargaining table and to settle with all these colleges across B.C.,” Catsirelis said. “It frus-trates me that apparently colleges don’t rate as high on the priority list as other organiza-tions in terms of bargaining.”

Last year's Feed the Town holiday spirit event served up over 200 pounds of potatoes

STEVE JESSELreporter@invermerevalleyecho.com

Strike closed Invermere campusCollege of the Rockies one of several colleges province-wide to take job action

STEVE JESSELreporter@invermerevalleyecho.com

Basin youth grants up for grabs

� e Columbia Basin Trust (CBT) is making $150,000 available for projects that bene� t basin youth this win-ter, and the � rst monthly deadline for applications ar-rives on Friday (December 1).

“We con� rmed in our 2011-2015 Youth Initiatives Stra-tegic Plan that we wanted to continue to support a range of opportunities that allow youth to engage with their communities and one an-other,” said Sabrina Curtis, CBT Director, Sector Initia-tives in a release. “� ese two granting programs will make

funds available for more youth projects.”

� e most immediate grant category, Youth Action Grants (YAG), funds projects that demonstrate youth-led action with positive out-comes. Youth aged 12 to 19 can apply for up to $3,000 for projects, and there will be monthly intakes beginning on December 1. � e second grant, Columbia Basin Youth Grants (CBYG), funds proj-ects that directly bene� t ba-sin youth aged 12 to 29 for up to $15,000. Qualifying applicants for CBYG include registered non-pro� t organi-zations, school districts, First Nations organizations and local governments, as well

as youth aged 15 to 29 with a sponsoring organization. � e � rst deadline for applications to the CBYG is December 17. Applications for grants can be found at www.cbt.org/cbyg, and www.cbt.org/yag, respectively.

Applications to both pro-grams are adjudicated by the CBT’s Youth Advisory Committee (YAC), a group of youth aged 15 to 29 from across the Basin. CBT youth liason Michelle d’Entremont said the group provides a valuable service not only for the CBT in gaining a youth voice for their organization, but also to the youth them-selves, who gain valuable ex-perience.

STEVE JESSELreporter@invermerevalleyecho.com

www.invermerevalleyecho.com A11The Valley Echo Wednesday, November 28, 2012

COMMUNITY

Submit your Christmas recipes!We’re doing a special section in

our December 12 issue and need your recipes! Submit your recipes for holiday treats to production@invermerevalleyecho.com along with your name and phone number.

We also welcome recipes at our office downtown at 530 - 13 Street, Invermere.

250-342-9216530 - 13 Street, Invermereinvermerevalleyecho.com

Making a difference for Columbia Valley kids

Editor's note: This is the second story of a two-part series by guest writer Kate Gibbs on the Alberta Children's Hospital.

Diane Wilson has had a couple of great experiences at the Alberta Children’s Hospital. Her first one was in 1991 when her nine-year-old daughter Marni suf-fered from a concussion, and possibly a cracked skull, after hitting her head on a goal post. After the incident, Diane and Marni were rushed to the Alberta Chil-dren’s Hospital by ambulance where Marni was treated with the upmost care. 

“The doctors made her feel really good,” said Diane.  

Marni could even have her mom sleep right beside her hospital bed every night. 

“Coming from a small town, it was nice a mom could be in the room with her nine-year-old girl,” said Diane. 

Marni was in the hospital for about three days while recovering from her concussion. After finding out that she only had a minor crack in her skull, mother and daughter left the hospital happy that they had such a phenomenal facility when they needed it the most. 

Years later, Diane discovered that her experiences with the Children’s Hospi-tal were not quite over. Her grandson Theo was also rushed there after his parents found out that he wasn’t keep-ing his food down properly. At first his family was sure it was just the flu, but as days went by, Theo’s swallowing reflux-es began to worsen. He was soon taken to Calgary Children’s Hospital by ambu-lance. There, the valve in his stomach was opened and operated on in a one-day procedure. Theo had a full recovery afterwards.   

“Again, it was a phenomenal experi-ence because Mom and Grandma got to

be with him the whole time,” Diane said. “We are very lucky to have that hospital and be able to use it. I always support any of the Children’s Hospital charities I can.”

The Children’s Hospital not only im-pacts the children who go there, but those who have parents working there as well.

Jennifer Chatton’s mom was an em-ployee at the Alberta Children’s Hospital who worked in the mental health depart-ment. Jennifer remembers going to visit her and really enjoying her time there. 

“I always felt like it was a warm and comfortable place,” she said. “It’s a great place where kids can feel safe and that it’s just for them.”  Jennifer continued to visit her mom when she worked for the new Children’s Hospital, the big, bright building you see when you drive into Calgary.  “It looks like it’s made of Lego.” 

The new Children’s Hospital was de-signed by the people who use it the most — the kids!  Builders asked the children what they wanted it to look like. The

kids drew them pictures and they made it happen. Now, it’s really their hospital. 

“It looks like it’s made of Lego,” said Jennifer. “I thought that was really neat.  I think it’s valuable and important.”  

The Alberta Children’s Hospital is a special place for many children who live in this valley. 

The doctors there healed David Thompson Secondary School (DTSS) student Mitchell Prentice’s broken an-kle and they gave DTSS janitor Margaret Crawford’s grandson eye surgery to help his vision. They’ve also helped DTTS support worker Shawn Raven’s niece, who has a curved spine, and DTSS stu-dent Ally Hatalik, who goes for diabetes checkups.

Many people who have used the Chil-dren’s have nothing but good things to say about it. Hopefully it will continue to thrive, and enrich the lives of children all over B.C. and Alberta.

David Thompson Secondary School student Kate Gibbs is a work experience student writing for The Valley Echo.

Alberta Children's Hospital has helped many of ourlocal children

KATE GIBBSSpecial to The Valley Echo

Photo by Steve JeSSel/the

echoDoris Kavanagh browses some of Sophie Timothy's wares during the Elk Park Ranch Christmas Bazaar on Sunday, November 25. More than a dozen vendors showed off a wide range of Christmas-themed crafts and goodies, and the bazaar was held in the barn of the Eaton House just outside Radium.

In the spiritWatershed Management

Here in the Upper Columbia re-gion we have the great privilege to enjoy water bodies that are fish-able, swimmable and drinkable. We also have the rare opportunity to protect intact aquatic ecosys-tems, instead of having to restore degraded ones.

While federal-level protec-tion for freshwater ecosystems is changing through modifications to the Fisheries Act, Environmen-tal Assessment Act and Navigable Waters Protection Act, there is more need than ever for local communities to work together to better protect our shared water resources. Provincial policies put in place through the BC Water Act Modernization in 2013 would provide more opportunities for community involvement in deci-sion-making at a watershed scale.

On December 10, we have the special opportunity to hear from the Okanagan Basin Water Board’s Executive Director, Dr. Anna Warwick-Sears.

Communities in the Okanagan Basin, British Columbia, have dealt with some of the toughest water challenges in Canada, in-cluding multi-year droughts and draw-downs of Okanagan Lake:

all while trying to support a grow-ing population. In response, they have come together to protect their water resources for every-one. Dr. Sears will share stories about the how communities in the Okanagan are working together to protect their water. This conver-sation will hopefully inspire con-versations about what watershed management could look like in the Upper Columbia region.

Join us on Monday, Decem-ber 10 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Copper Point Resort (Quartz III) to learn about the community-driven water management efforts in the Okanagan region and share sto-ries with your neighbours about our precious water resources.

For more information and to RSVP, contact info@lakeambas-sadors.ca or (250) 341-6898. Re-freshments will be provided and everyone is invited — bring your friends!

The Lake Windermere Ambas-sadors are a Society represent-ing a cross-section of commu-nity stakeholders, including local businesses, governments, sea-sonal and year-round homeown-ers, youth and non-government organizations, who share the vi-sion of a healthy Lake Winder-mere with balanced management that supports recreational and traditional uses, fish and wildlife values, and economic prosper-ity in the region. Funding for the community water conversation event has been provided by the Columbia Basin Trust and the Real Estate Foundation of BC.

Lake ambassadors host evening with watershed expert

LAKE WINDERMERE AMBASSADORSSpecial to The Valley Echo

A12 www.invermerevalleyecho.com Wednesday, November 28, 2012 The Valley Echo

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Fresh Professional uses, stocks and sells all natural products. Fresh Professional also supplies

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Look your holiday best

Photo by AngelA krebs/the echo

Located in Fairmont, Fresh Professional Salon & Beauty Outlet provides various beauty services such as hair styling, esthetics, body sugaring and massage. They use all natural products, which they sell from their salon, as well as to other salons and spas.

Something Fresh

Special occasions and parties crop up over the course of a typical year. Be it weddings, birthday parties or anniversa-ry galas, friends and families often gather to celebrate espe-cially momentous events.

Part of the excite-ment of these events is donning formal-wear or cocktail attire and enlisting the help of beauty experts to look your best for these memorable events. Experienced hair stylists and makeup artists can transform your look from basic to glam in a short amount of time, and women of-ten rely on the pro-fessional expertise of cosmetologists to help them create the perfect party look.

April Cornelius, a professional styl-ist and owner of the business Bridal Hair by April (www.br idalhairbyapr i l .com), says, "Usually

the hair stylist and makeup artist work together and have an easy flow of the clients. They work in conjunction to cre-ate looks that are not easily executed by an amateur."

For those with hec-tic social schedules, Cornelius shares her secrets of hair suc-cess to ensure you put your best face forward at the next big occasion.

Preparation and party countdown

Once the decision has been made to use a professional stylist to work on your hair for a special occasion, there are a few things to keep in mind to ensure suc-cess. The first step is finding a stylist with whom you will have a good rapport. Ask your regular salon stylist if he or she does special occa-sion work, or ask for a referral from a friend or family member who has used some-

one in the past.Cornelius warns

against taking drastic measures with your hair within two to three weeks of the event.

"Try not to schedule a cut or color right before the party," she says. "Otherwise you may be stuck with a color or shorter cut than what you want-ed. Also, spend time in advance to talk to your stylist about suggested cuts and colors that may en-hance your hairdo."

Once you get your gown, hair accesso-ries and veil, sched-ule a trial run so that the stylist can walk you through options.

"Hair styles are usu-ally based on the type of dress you are wear-ing, and the stylist can suggest different things," says Corne-lius. "If you choose a style that requires more or longer hair, the stylist can often adjust by using tem-porary hair exten-sions that are not eas-ily detected."

Cornelius notes that women with short hair need not worry about having a hair-style that looks for-mal and fashionable.

"Short hair is easy to style. I like to use side parts and maybe some height at the crown. Using fun,

stylish clips, curls, and headbands are additional ways to dress up the look."

The day of the event

Few things can complicate a style further than not be-ing ready for the styl-ist or using products on your hair that are not conducive to keeping the hair set.

"Hair should not be washed any less than one day before the appointment," says Cornelius. "It is essential that the hair be completely dry before the stylist gets there in order to make the process run more smoothly. He or she cannot spend extra time blowdry-ing the hair, and if it needs to be done it could incur an extra cost."

It is adviseable to use mousse or hair spray in the hair to help set the hairstyle. Avoid the use of hair serums or frizz-fight-ing oils that can cause hair pins or curls not to hold well.

In most cases, a stylist will come equipped with the items he or she needs. If you have discussed any special hair accoutrements, such as rhinestones, beads or clips, have them at the ready.

It can take about an hour to do a hair-style, and if the stylist is working with more than one person for the party, it is impor-tant to be on time for your appointment, or be home if the stylist is coming to you.

Other handy tipsCornelius shares

more first-hand tips that can also make styling go more smoothly.

* If you have very curly hair and need it smooth and prepped for your stylist on your appointment date, try going to a hair salon the day before and have it professionally blown out.

* Print out or bring a magazine clipping to illustrate what type of style you want. Small pictures viewed on a mobile phone are not enough for a stylist to rely on.

* Bring fun accesso-ries, including cobs, pins, or clips, to en-hance your style.

* Wear a button- or zip-down shirt for easy unrobing after your style is done.

* Go to a stylist someone you trust has recommended. You don't want to put a special event style into the hands of someone you don't know.

HEIGHTSShear

Hair Studio

Steven and Amber250.342.7422

17b Wolf CrescentBlack Forest Heights

Expert tips for special occasion hairstyles

www.invermerevalleyecho.com A13The Valley Echo Wednesday, November 28, 2012

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Valley LifePHOTOS BY NICOLE TRIGG/THE ECHO

The United Nations' Universal Children's Day was celebrated on Tuesday, November 20 at the Invermere Com-munity Hall where the 1st Invermere Scouts, Cubs and Beavers put on an amazing kids' craft event that attracted over 100 people. Monkey's Uncle donated supplies while the glue was courtesy of the Sunshine Children's Centre.Clockwise from top left: Kingston Peters, 5, stares intently at his drawing; Barrett Cowles helps out his young son Cassius, 2; Volunteer Tammy Stehr shows Madeleine Mitchell, 6, the correct glueing technique for mak-ing paper flowers.

A14 www.invermerevalleyecho.com Wednesday, November 28, 2012 The Valley Echo

250-342-6908 • 1-800-731-1103info@invermerehardware.com

HOURSMonday – Friday 7 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Saturday, 8 a.m. – 6 p.m.Sunday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.www.invermerehomehardware.ca

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Canada’s garden expert in attendance Saturday. It’s a great time to ask all those tough gardening questions.

Arrowhead brewery

will be in house

sampling beer.

Enjoy hot cider punch while at the store.

We will have a gift wrapping service

available.

Jessie Simpkins, our in-house chef will be featuring

many of Anna Olson’s recipes for the entertaining season both Saturday and Sunday. Come check out the

tastiest demo in the valley.

� e paint department will be

DECORATING COOKIES

with any interested children from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Shovel - 5551-271 save $5, now only $13.99

Snow brushes 8678-656, half price while stock

lasts. $3.85

Gloves Cat 90585 reg $8.99 sale $4.89

Sleds 7471-274 reg $21.99 sale $15.49

Natura laundry soap 4527-391, reg. $8.99,

sale $4.49

Tape measure 1048-967

reg. $9.99, sale $3.97

Paper towels 4661-382 Reg. $5.69 Holiday clean up price

$3.79

Sleeping bags Di� erent varieties 50% o�

For example 6365-106 Reg $34.99 sale $17.49

Woods party cooler wocp75005 reg. $59.99

sale $29.99

Rod and Reel kits save 50% o� . Kit 6559-048

reg. $28.99 sale $14.49

Selected Tents –50% o� For example, 6370-020

reg. $139.99 sale $69.996370-465 reg $69.99

sale $34.99

CAMPING CLEAR OUTUp to 50% o� selected merchandise. Too many to list.

Friday, December 7th, 4-8 p.m.

La Galeria IIA friendly and unique shopping experience. Pottery to jam, we’ve got it all!LOTS of in-store specials and draws.

Fairmont Pizza & Ice CreamThe best of both world’s. FREE pizza samples and hot chocolate for the evening.

Fairmont Village Gift ShopSpecials in every department.

Fairmont Mountainside MarketWine tasting and spiced rum eggnog.Samples and snacks.Hot deals in store, mandarins, co� ee, Grade A Turkeys 99/lbs., Happy Hours - 10% o� all beer, wine and spirits.

Smoking Water CaféCo� ee and tea gift ideas. We will be serving complimentary hot apple cider and sweets.

Tranquille Escapes Complete esthetician and massage

Fresh Professional Salon & Beauty OutletHair, esthetics, hair removal and massage.All-natural products available.2 for 1 on selected natural products. We will also be doing mini-demo’s of our services.

From Scratch ~ A Mountain KitchenEat, drink and be merry! Receive the gift of stress-less holiday entertaining! Our elves are here to help you with your gift list, share recipes and show-o� some winter entertaining ideas!

Fairmont Hot Springs Resort Experience endless opportunities for fun – including three resort owned golf courses, a ski resort, trail riding operations, a spa, mini golf, a professional recreation program, and a deluxe RV park.

Columbia Ridge PotteryUnique, handmade pottery created by local artisans.

Fairmont Outdoors (at Fairmont Car Wash)20% o� all vintage cottage signs.

Shopping Night in Fairmont

An evening of fantastic specials and features.

Pick up a passport at any of these locations. Fill your passport and enter to win one of the 5 Grand Prizes. Bring a food bank item and get an extra stamp from any vendor.

Get more online!www.invermerevalleyecho.com

articles • videos • comments • local • provincial

Photos by AngelA Krebs/the echoThe Invermere Companion Animal Network (ICAN)'s comedy gala Raise the Woof at the Invermere Commu-nity Hall on Friday, November 23 attracted a sold-out crowd that was in stiches all night thanks to hilarious performances by three professional comedians. Helium balloons with prizes inside sold for $10 each, raising an additional $2,000, on top of ticket sales and a live auction. All proceeds will go towards a new facility for ICAN.

Raise the Woof

Invermere will once again play host to a world-class DJ next month, as British DJ Featurecast graces the stage at Bud's Bar and Lounge on Thursday, December 6.

"He's not as flamboyant… he does a lot of scratching and sample drop-ping," said Marc Lefebvre of Love Give'r Events. "He seems like a nice figure up there; he's just a good whole-some guy who likes to drop songs."

Hailing from Southampton U.K., Featurecast (aka Lee Mintram) has played some of the biggest music fes-tivals in the world.

He's performed at Canada’s Shamb-

hala Festival, Germany’s Fusion Fes-tival, Serbia’s Summer 3p Festival and the UK’s Bestival, and toured the USA, Australia, Brazil, Canada and all over Europe.

His first single, Composing Blind was released in 2000, and since then Featu-recast has released better than 16 sin-gles and Ep's cul-minating in 2012's full-length album Run for Cover.

"A lot of his mu-sic is feel good and well intentioned," Lefebvre said. "He has some remixes that have some love in them."

For Featurecast's performance at Bud's, tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door, and are available at Bud's and at Syndicate Boardshop.

Lefebvre said he wanted to bring

another DJ to Invermere after the outstanding success of Krafty Kuts, who played Bud's in September, and said he hopes Invermere will wel-come Featurecast with the same enthusiasm.

"People are seeing the worldliness of it all," Lefebvre said. "These guys get to go around the world and play the clubs, the best clubs in the best cit-ies, and we're just so lucky to have these guys touring in our

area and actually caring about playing in small towns. We need to show these guys that we love them too."

For more information on the event, visit Love Give'r Events on Facebook, and to hear Featurecast's music, visit www.soundcloud.com/featurecast.

www.invermerevalleyecho.com A15The Valley Echo Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Arts & Entertainment

Visit columbiavalleyarts.com for our current events calendar, or call 250-342-4423.

What does ARTmean to you?

Cinefest: Tuesday Dec 4th Open Mic Nite: Friday Dec 7 Call for more info 250.342.4423

Do you want to open your own business at the right price?

Have you thought of opening an antique store?

If so, Te Papa Nui Antiques has enough quality merchandise to open up the store of your dreams.

Serious inquiries only please.

Call Elizabeth or Joe at 403-615-6595 or 250-342-0707

Thrift Store Shopping Extravaganza

Saturday, December 1st • 1 p.m. – 4 p.m.Lots of new and specialty items,

gold and silver jewellery. Just in time for Christmas shopping. See you there!

World-class DJ at Bud's Bar and LoungeBritish DJ Featurecasthits the stage December 6

STEVE JESSELreporter@invermerevalleyecho.com

“We're just so lucky to have these guys touring in our area and actually caring about playing in small towns.”

mArc lEfEbvrEgive'r events

submittEd photoDJ Featurecast hails from the UK and is making a stop in Invermere as part of one of his world tours.

� e holidays wouldn't be complete without the annual Big Christmas Craft Sale and with more tables than ever before, this year the fair promises to have a little something for everyone and anyone.

"I had no idea it was going to come to this," laughed long-time organizer Carolyn Barzilay.

Taking place on Friday (November 30) from 4 to 8 p.m. and Saturday (De-cember 1) from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Invermere Community Hall, the fair showcases a massive range of hand-crafted goods. Jams, knitting, pottery, glassware, jewelry, woodwork, origi-nal paintings, and food make up just a fraction of the goods that will be on dis-play, and Barzilay said people are often lined up at the door on Friday evening waiting for the fair to begin. � is year, Barzilay was even forced to remove her complimentary food tables because of the increasing demand for more ven-dor room, some of whom have waited over a year to take part.

"(My favourite part) is seeing all the vendors, and seeing people that I haven't seen since last Christmas," Barzilay said. "Honestly it's the peo-ple… it's literally once a year I get to see some people and have a visit, it's such a positive event and it's so much fun."

Each year Barzilay donates all door admission monies to a number of de-serving organizations, including the Windermere Valley Childcare Society and the Columbia Valley Food Bank. She's raised the admission for the � rst time ever this year from $1 to $2, but said that with how generous people

are in the valley she didn't expect any-one would really mind. � e fair this year will feature vendors at almost 50 tables with a number of new vendors joining the event's regulars.

"It's to showcase local artisans... to have a venue to promote themselves," Barzilay said.

A16 www.invermerevalleyecho.com Wednesday, November 28, 2012 The Valley Echo

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

EARL GREY • Am I handsome, or

what! Only 8 months old, I LOVE people, and

get along with most cats, and dogs. I’m

quite a talkative boy if you’ve been away too long but that’s

just because I want you to know you’ve

been missed! Will YOU come to ICAN

to meet me?

ICAN – Invermere Companion Animal Network

what! Only 8 months old, I LOVE people, and

get along with most

quite a talkative boy if you’ve been away

just because I want

Photo courtesy of Tanya De Leeuw Photography

www.icanhelpapet.com • 250-341-7888www.facebook.com/icanbc

www.icanhelpapet.com250-341-7888

If you wish to visit please contact us.

Adoption Fee: $100 (to help o� set spay/neuter and vet bills)

Invermere Companion Animal Network

Who’s watching your property?RFE provides:• Alarm Systems

monitoring by internet, cellular and landline.• Surveillance Systems, internet based• Custom home theatres• Authorized

Marantz dealer• Russound

sound systems

ALARMS & SOUND

250•342•6549

Table Top Christmas TreesAn anonymous elf in the Columbia Valley

has provided small table sized trees, as a fundraiser for the Christmas Bureau. These trees are going to be available in

December at Valley Foods and Home Hardware, as they have been for the past several years. Very signi� cant

funds raised have helped to provide groceries for hampers not sponsored.

Thanks again Mr. Elf .

Christmas Dinner for Seniors

Sunday, December 9 • 5:30 p.m. Call 250-342-5566

Monday to Thursday between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.

to register, prior to Thurs, December 6Best Western Invermere Inn

Brought to you by the Rotary Club of Invermere

PHOTO BY NICOLE TRIGG/THE ECHO

Scientist, explorer, and author Jon Turk entertained the crowd gathered at the Windermere Lions' Hall on November 20 for the Jumbo Creek Conservation Society AGM with a lively slideshow presentation of his 2011 circumnaviga-tion of Ellesmere Island which landed him and his adven-ture partner Erik Boomer a National Geographic nomina-tion as one of ten “Adventurers of the Year”.

Arctic antics

Craft sale has something for everyoneMore tables than ever before at Big Invermere Christmas Craft Sale

STEVE JESSELreporter@invermerevalleyecho.com

ECHO FILE PHOTOThe 19th annual Big Christmas Craft Sale in Invermere takes place on November 30 and December 1.

The Columbia Valley Rockies faced some high-powered competition this weekend, and when the dust had set-tled the Rockies showed they can hang with the best teams in the league on any given night.

"They can compete with them for sure, there's no doubt, if they play a simple, hardworking game," head coach Ross Bidinger said.

The Rockies were coming off four days of rest since taking the league-leading Nelson Leafs to overtime on November 18, and would face another high-pow-ered squad in the Fernie Ghostriders on Friday (November 23) in Fernie.

After a scoreless first period that saw the Rockies outshot 11-4 , Rockies rookie forward Dustin Boone would break the deadlock with his fifth goal of the season late in the second period. Fernie tied it up before the period was over, but the Rockies again took the lead as the third period opened when for-wards Jerome Thorne and James Price combined to make the score 2-1 with 18 minutes remaining.

Rockies goalie Stewart Pratt had his second straight strong start in net mak-ing 42 saves, but he couldn't stop the Ghostriders from equalizing in the third period, and the Rockies headed to over-time for the second game in a row. This time, however, forward Ryan Henderson made sure there would be a different re-sult than the game before, scoring the overtime winner with just over a minute left to give the Rockies the victory.

"We played really well," Bidinger said. "Goaltending was good, the forwards played an inspired game and the de-fence played a tough game."

The Rockies had little rest before they took on the Beaver Valley Nitehawks the very next night on Saturday (November 24), and a lack of concentration in the first period dug them into an early hole. While the Rockies played the aggres-sor early, Beaver Valley responded by scoring three goals in less than a min-ute midway through the period. The shellshocked Rockies managed to get a goal back before the end of the period when Henderson put home his ninth goal of the season on a rebound in front of the net, but the Rockies still faced an

uphill battle down 3-1 heading into the second period.

"We seem to collapse at certain times," Bidinger said. "The mentality of the kids, they get down and when that happens we pretty much collapse, which is ex-actly what happened against Beaver Valley."

The second period opened pretty even for both teams, but it wouldn't take long for the Nitehawks to add to their lead. Six minutes into the frame Beaver Val-ley forward Kurt Black scored his sec-ond of the game past netminder Brody Nelson, and he completed the hat trick several minutes later on the powerplay to give the Nitehawks a 5-1 lead heading into the final period. The Rockies would

make a game of it in the third thanks to goals by Henderson and Josh Haley, but it proved too little too late and the Rock-ies lost by a final score of 5-3.

"It's just mental preparation and men-tal toughness of the kids, trying to keep everybody positive," Bidinger said. "When guys get down and negative, negative breeds negative, and if we can keep positive as a team and not focus on what's behind us — focus on what we can change the next shift."

Through 27 games, the Rockies sit on 18 points, four points back of the Cres-ton Valley Thunder Cats for fourth in the Eddie Mountain division. The Rockies next host the Kelowna Chiefs on Friday, November 30 in Invermere.

www.invermerevalleyecho.com A17The Valley Echo Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Friday, November 30 7:30 P.M.

Saturday, December 1 7:30 P.M.

Columbia Valley Rockies Home Games:

Thank you to ourmajor sponsors

VS VS

SportsHave a sports tip?

editor@invermerevalleyecho.comor 250-342-9216

Nitehawks escape Invermere with win over RockiesRockies split weekend games versus Fernie and Beaver Valley

STEVE JESSELreporter@invermerevalleyecho.com

pHoto by Steve jeSSel/tHe ecHoColumbia Valley goalie Stewart Pratt makes a save during the first period of the Rockies 5-3 loss to the Beaver Valley Nitehawks on November 24.

For Invermere skier Martin Grasic, the mental side of ski-ing is what separates good from the truly great.

"In skiing it's a lot about confidence," Grasic said. "There's a lot of guys who have the skillset, and it's just about being able to stand in that start gate and understand that it might not be that day that you do it, but you still have to give it your all."

Grasic looks prime to have a big season this year, after five podium finishes and being crowned FIS J1 National Champion-ship in giant slalom in what most people

would describe as a breakout season last year for the 17-year-old skier. Coming off a full off-season of training where he wasn't hampered by lingering injuries, Grasic has just been named to the B.C. Al-pine Ski Team for the second year in a row, and said he sets even higher goals for him-self this year.

"One that kind of keeps popping into my head is I want to score Nor-Am points," Grasic said. "It's a pretty high goal I think but I feel like I'm definitely skiing at a level where I can do that."

Grasic's first race

of the season falls on December 10, when he takes on some of the best competi-tion in North Amer-

ica during the Audi Coupe Nor-Am Cup. Grasic has competed at the Nor-Am level in the past, but this

season he expects to get more than a few starts at that level. Head coach Bran-don Dyksterhouse

agreed, and said that he was hopeful Gra-sic could make it all the way to world ju-niors this year.

"It's a bit of a long-shot to qualify for world juniors, but I think that he has what it takes, and with a little bit of luck and hard work he should be a member of that team," Dyk-sterhouse said.

Grasic said he was happy with the way the team had fallen into place this year, and was hoping that everyone on the team continues to push each other to bigger and better things. For now, Grasic is itch-ing to get back on the snow and put all his work and training to good use.

"It's exciting, be-cause you've been waiting for it for a while," Grasic said. "You get off snow for a bit and you get ant-sy, I'm pretty excited because I'm pretty optimistic."

A18 www.invermerevalleyecho.com Wednesday, November 28, 2012 The Valley Echo

SPORTS

There is snow on the mountain and everyone is excited for the upcoming season. Please be advised that Panorama Mountain Village is currently in a period of preparation. Until opening day — December 14, 2012 — the mountain is closed for public access. 

Many special hazards exist throughout the mountain. Safety systems, such as closed area markers and mountain safety teams, are not in place at this time.

The resort has seen quite a large number of people us-ing the mountain (ski hill) for recreational use which poses a high risk to both public and staff. In addition to natural hazards there is dangerous machinery operating on the mountain 24 hours a day including, but not limited to the following: snowmaking equipment runs on high pressure air/water supply systems, which would include hoses, and high voltage electricity — this equipment can be started remotely and without notice; grooming machine opera-tors are working as if there are no guests on the mountain so they will not be looking for, or expecting you. In addi-tion, winch cats work with kilometre-long cables under very high tension, not easily visible, and snowmobiles operated by snowmakers, electricians and millwrights are used to access different parts of the mountain — at times they travel fast and are not expecting recreational users.

 In addition to all this equipment operating, we are facili-tating race training — with teams from all over the world — on the lower mountain. When these activities are com-bined the mountain becomes a very busy place. 

Early season snowpack conditions exist throughout the resort and there is a definite threat of avalanches, both

natural and man-made, while our mountain safety team assesses and prepares it for the season. Please stay off all slopes until the resort is fully operational and runs have been opened for your enjoyment.

The village will remain open during the preparatory time. Guest Services hours of operation are 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. daily to pick up Season Passes or SnowCards. The Picnic Café, T-Bar & Grill, and General Store are also open daily.

There’s a long ski and board season ahead and we are excit-ed to welcome you on opening day on Friday, December 14.

Team GP W L T PTS.

Warwick Interiors 11 7 2 2 16

Inside Edge 11 7 4 0 14

Radium Petro 11 5 4 2 12

Huckleberry's 11 5 4 2 12

Kicking Horse 11 5 5 1 11

Finish Line 11 5 6 0 10

Hi-Heat 11 3 7 1 7

Aquair 11 3 8 0 6

Oldtimer Hockey StandingsRegular Season

KIJHL Standings

Team GP W L T PTS.

Fernie Ghostriders 23 16 5 0 34

Kimberley Dynamiters 26 15 11 0 30

Golden Rockets 23 13 9 0 27

Creston Valley 24 9 11 0 22

Columbia Valley Rockies 27 8 17 0 18

Team GP W L T PTS.

Nelson Leafs 26 19 5 1 40

Castlegar Rebels 26 17 5 3 38

Beaver Valley 24 12 10 1 26

Spokane Braves 27 10 15 1 22

Grand Forks Border Bruins 25 3 20 0 8

Kootenay Conference - Eddie Mountain Division

Kootenay Conference - Neil Murdoch Division

submitted photoPanorama's 2012 opening day is on December 14. Until the skiers and snowboarders are asked to stay off the mountain as Panorama prepares for opening day.

Panorama currently closed to general publicPotential safety hazards as Panorama prepares for opening day on Dec. 14

PANORAMA MOUNTAIN VILLAGESpecial to The Valley Echo

Invermere skier ready to make an impressionMartin Grasic named to BC Alpine 2012/13 Men's Ski Team

STEVE JESSELreporter@invermerevalleyecho.com

submitted photo by jim davieInvermere skier Martin Grasic found the podium five times last season and is hungry to repeat his accomplishments.

The Valley Echo Wednesday, November 28, 2012 www.invermerevalleyecho.com A19

Good attitude, that is!You hold an accounting designation (or very close to it or equivalent experience), but your friends and coworkers don’t really think of you as an “accountant”. You know your numbers instinctively, but are keenly interested in being a part of the business’ operations. You always take personal pride in the quality of the information you produce and you can effectively keep many balls in the air at one time in a busy, multi-organization entity. Those are the critical success factors for the Group Controller that will join our team – along with a great sense of humor and the ability to laugh at yourself. You are an accountant, after all.We are a group of companies located in the Invermere area that includes Windermere Water & Sewer, Parr Utilities Ltd. and Point Developments. We are involved in everything from water and sewer utilities to residential and commercial land development and every day puts a different challenge on the desk. Your attention to detail and passion for doing things right the first time is what differentiates you from others. In addition, you will be fluent in a fully computerized environment, willing to dive into research whenever required and be knowledgeable of and up to date on current financial reporting standards in a private company environment. If you’re interested in being part of our team, please get that resume into our hands. This is a permanent part-time role with significant flexibility, but requires a commitment to meeting the deadlines related to our businesses.hr@windermerewater.com

Wanted: A Beancounter with Attitude

Announcements

InformationADVERTISE in the

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reach an incredible number of BC Sportsmen & women.

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Al-Anon - Are you con-cerned about or affected by someone else’s drinking? If so, please join us. Al-Anon meets EVERY Monday in Invermere at 7:15 PM at the Canadian Martyrs Catholic Church, 712 - 12th Ave, (be-hind the Invermere hospital). For information, please call 250-342-8255

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

Children

Daycare CentersLicensed family day care, spots available, full-time or part-time, subsidized children accepted. Hot lunch, nutritious snacks provided. 250-342-9348 or 250-341-1455.

Employment

Business Opportunities

ACCOUNTING & Tax fran-chise. Start your own practice with Canada’s leading ac-counting franchise. Join Pad-gett Business Services’ 400 practices. Taking care of small business needs since 1966. www.padgettfranchises.ca or 1-888-723-4388, ext. 222.OWN A Homecare business! Full Training/Support. A great income potential by helping others. Canadian based. $80K req’d to start. Qualicare.com 888-561-0616.

Career Opportunities

HEAVY DUTY JOURNEYMAN

DIESEL MECHANICrequired in Invermere, B.C.

Permanent full-time position. Wage based on experience. $30 – $38.

Benefit package available. Please fax or email

resume to 250-342-0212

max@maxhelmer.ca

Employment

Career Opportunities

ASSISTANT Manager, Cres-ton Warehouse Facility Indi-vidual with strong work ethic to join fast paced environment. 5-8 yrs logistic/warehousing exp, min 5 yrs mgmt exp. For full ad please see online clas-sifi eds. Please submit applica-tion to: hr@bctree.com

Drivers/Courier/Trucking

LOG TRUCK drivers with off-road experience wanted in Northern Alberta. Immediate openings, good wages, ac-commodation supplied. For-ward resumes: johnwb@telusplanet.net

Education/Trade Schools

LEARN FROM Home. Earn from home. Medical Transcrip-tionists are in demand. Lots of jobs! Enrol today for less than $95 a month. 1-800-466-1535 www.canscribe.com admissions@canscribe.com

Farm WorkersDAIRY, BEEF, Crop, Sheep, Swine, Horticultural work. Live and learn in Europe, Britain, Japan, Australia or New Zea-land. 4-12 month AgriVenture programs available. 1-888-598-4415 www.agriventure.com Canadian farmers may also apply for overseas trainees.

ForestryROCKY MOUNTAIN FIBER- currently seeking timber/land purchase, standing timber, timber harvesting & purchas-ing opportunities (all species, including Douglas Fir) in the Golden, Radium Hot Springs, Invermere and Cran-brook/Kimberly areas (Rocky Mountain and surrounding for-est districts). Please contact 250-688-1651 or email: rockymountainfi ber@gmail.com for details.ROCKY MOUNTAIN FIBER- currently seeks logging con-tractors for stump-to-dump and phase logging/road build-ing in the Kootenays. Various contract opportunities exist in the Golden, Radium Hot Springs, Invermere and Cran-brook/Kimberly areas (Rocky Mountain and surrounding for-est districts). Please contact 250-688-1651 or email: rockymountainfi ber@gmail.com for details.

Help WantedAn Alberta Construction Com-pany is hiring Dozer and Exca-vator Operators. Preference will be given to operators that are experienced in oilfi eld road and lease construction. Lodg-ing and meals provided. The work is in the vicinity of Edson, Alberta. Alcohol & Drug testing required. Call Contour Con-struction at 780-723-5051.Black Forest is looking for a full time server. Previous ex-perience required in fi ne din-ing. Email or drop off resume at careers@blackforestrestau-rant.com (250)-342-9417Required for an Alberta Trucking Company. One Class 1 Driver. Must have a mini-mum of 5 years experience pulling low boys and driving off road. Candidate must be able to pass a drug test and be will-ing to relocate to Edson, Al-berta. Fax resumes to: 780-725-4430

Strands Restaurant is taking applications for a cook.

Evenings and weekends. Apply in person to 250-342-6344 or at

tony@strandsrestaurant.com

Employment

Professional/Management

KURT LeRoy Trucking Ltd., of Campbell River is experiencing a 50% growth of new capital expan-sion over the next year with a new division on the mainland. We need a Highly Motivated experienced CGA to complete monthly cost ac-counting for each division. Payroll of 38-45 employee’s. Subcontrac-tors will vary. Excellent salary and benefi ts. Please e-mail resume’s with driver’s abstract to rleroy@te-lus.net or fax to 250-287-9914.

Trades, TechnicalJOURNEYMAN AUTOMO-TIVE Service Technician. Han-na Chrysler Ltd. in Hanna, Al-berta needs a few more good people. Busy, modern shop. $25-$31/hour + bonus, bene-fi ts. Great community. Inquire or send resume. Fax 403-854-2845; Email Chrysler@telusplanet.net

RED SEAL Diesel Truck and Trailer Mechanic wanted in Northern Alberta. Full time, permanent position. Initial ac-commodation supplied. E-mail: johnwb@telusplanet.net for immediate response.

Services

Health ProductsHERBAL MAGIC. With Herbal Magic lose up to 20 pounds by New Year’s Eve and keep it off. Results Guaranteed! Start today Call 1-800-854-5176.

Financial ServicesDROWNING IN Debt? Helping Canadians 25 years. Lower payments by 30%, or cut debts 70% thru Settlements. Avoid bankruptcy! Free con-sultation. Toll Free 1 877-556-3500 www.mydebtsolution.com

Career Opportunities

Services

Financial ServicesGET BACK ON TRACK! Bad credit? Bills? Unemployed? Need Money? We Lend! If you own your own home - you qualify. Pioneer Acceptance Corp. Member BBB. 1-877-987-1420.

www.pioneerwest.comIF YOU own a home or real estate, Alpine Credits can lend you money: it’s that simple. Your credit/age/income is not an issue. 1-800-587-2161.

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NEED MONEY? No credit checks! No upfront fees! Im-mediate response! Electronic deposits and payments! 1-866-499-5629 www.mynextpay.com

Career Opportunities

Help Wanted Help Wanted

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INDEX IN BRIEFFAMILY ANNOUNCEMENTS

COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTSTRAVEL

CHILDRENEMPLOYMENT

BUSINESS SERVICESPETS & LIVESTOCK

MERCHANDISE FOR SALEREAL ESTATE

RENTALSAUTOMOTIVE

MARINE

WHERE DO YOU TURN

YOUR NEWSPAPER:The link to your community

TO LEARNWHAT’S

ON SALE?

BCDaily

Register Online atwww.bcdailydeals.com

A20 www.invermerevalleyecho.com Wednesday, November 28, 2012 The Valley Echo

WINDERMERE VALLEY SHARED MINISTRYANGLICAN-UNITED

250-342-6644100-7th Avenue, Invermere

www.wvsm.ca Reverend Laura Hermakin

9 a.m.: Worship at All

Saint’s, Edgewater. (1st, 3rd and 4th Sunday)9:30 a.m.: God’s Breakfast

Club10:30 a.m.: Worship at Christ Church Trinity,

Invermere. (Every Sunday)

CANADIAN MARTYRSCATHOLIC CHURCH

Roman Catholic ParishPastor: Father Gabriel

250-342-6167 Invermere250-344-6328 Golden

Confession: 1/2 hour before MassCanadian Martyrs Church

712 - 12 Ave, InvermereSaturday at 7 p.m.Sunday at 9 a.m.

St. Joseph ChurchHighway 93-95, Radium Hot Springs

Sunday at 11 a.m.Sacred Heart Parish

808 - 11 Street, GoldenSunday at 5 p.m.

St. Anthony’s MissionCorner of Luck and Dunn, Canal Flats

Saturday at 4:30 p.m. (served from Kimberly)

RADIUM CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP

For more information call 250-342-6633 or 250-347-6334

Loving God, Loving People

#4 - 7553 Main StreetWest, Radium

Sundays at 10 a.m.

Bible Studies#4 - 7553 Main Street

West, Radium Wednesday 7:00 p.m.

Kids’ Church Edgewater Hall

Thursday 6:30 p.m.

LAKE WINDERMEREALLIANCE CHURCH

326 - 10th Ave. 250-342-9535REV. TREVOR HAGAN

Senior Pastorwww.lakewindermerealliance.org

Sunday, December 2nd

10:30 a.m.FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT

Worship and Life InstructionGuest speaker:

Rev. Dr. Melvyn Sylvester

“K.I.D.S.” Church, for children Age 3 to Grade 1; and Grade 2 to Grade 5, during the Morning

Service.

VALLEY CHRISTIAN ASSEMBLY

Hwy. 93/95 1 km northof Windermere

Pastor:Murray Wittke

Sunday Service10 a.m. Worship & Word

Kid’s Church Provided

Call the office at 250-342-9511for more information.

www.valleychristianonline.com

Sharing TruthShowing Love

Following the Spirit

ST. PETER’SLUTHERAN MISSION

OF INVERMERE

Worship Servicesevery Sundayat 1:30 p.m.

at Christ Church Trinity110 - 7th Avenue,

Invermere

Pastor Rev. Fraser ColtmanPastor Rev. David Morton

1-866-426-7564

CHURCH SERVICES DIRECTORY

Services

Legal ServicesBIG BUILDING Sale. This is a clearance you don’t want to miss! 20x20 $3,985. 25x24 $4,595. 30x36 $6,859. 35x48 $11,200. 40x52 $13,100. 47x76 $18,265 One End wall included. Pioneer Steel 1-800-668-5422 www.pioneersteel.ca

CRIMINAL RECORD? Don’t let it block employment, travel, education, professional, certifi -cation, adoption property ren-tal opportunities. For peace of mind & a free consultation call 1-800-347-2540.STEEL BUILDINGS/Metal buildings 60% off! 20x28, 30x40, 40x62, 45x90, 50x120, 60x150, 80x100 sell for bal-ance owed! Call 1-800-457-2206, www.crownsteelbuildings.ca

Misc ServicesCRESTEEL HVAC

(‘81) LIMITED

Furnace and Heat PumpInstallation

Service and Repair

250-342-6312

Pets & Livestock

Lessons/TrainingPiano lessons-sight reading,

accompaniment 250-347-9668

PetsEASY CHRISTMAS Shopping for pets! No line ups, no cold weather. Deals to Bark about!! Receive 10% off with coupon code: Clubpet10 1-855-839-0555 www.petland.ca

Merchandise for Sale

Heavy Duty Machinery

A- STEEL SHIPPING STORAGE CONTAINERS /

Bridges / EquipmentWheel loaders JD 644E & 544A / 63’ & 90’ Stiff boom 5th wheel crane trucks/Excavators EX200-5 & 892D-LC / Small forklifts / F350 C/C “Cabs”20’40’45’53’ New/ Used/ Damaged /Containers Semi Trailers for Hiway & Storage-Call 24 Hrs 1-866-528-7108 Delivery BC and AB www.rtccontainer.com

A- STEEL SHIPPING STORAGE CONTAINERS /

Bridges / EquipmentWheel loaders JD 644E & 544A / 63’ & 90’ Stiff boom 5th wheel crane trucks/Excavators EX200-5 & 892D-LC / Small forklifts / F350 C/C “Cabs”20’40’45’53’ New/ Used/ Damaged /Containers Semi Trailers for Hiway & Storage-Call 24 Hrs 1-866-528-7108 Delivery BC and AB www.rtccontainer.com

Homebased Products

Doreen’s Avon Xmas Sale Nov 30, Dec 1, Dec 8. 12-7 p.m. 4836 Stanley St. Radium 347-9469

Merchandise for Sale

Misc. for SaleFIREWOOD

Support Rockies Hockey.Fir,Pine, & Larch.

Phone 250-342-6908

HOT TUB (SPA) COVERS. Best price. Best quality. All shapes & colours available. 1-866-652-6837 www.thecoverguy.com/news-paper?

Misc. WantedPrivate Coin Collector Buying Collections, Accumulations, Olympic Gold & Silver Coins + Chad: 250-863-3082 in Town

Real Estate

Acreage for SaleAcreages

“columbiavalleyproperties.com”

Rentals

AcreageSpectacular Riverside Ranch or Eco-lodge Development, www.riverlandquest.com. 250-347-9660

Apt/Condo for Rent2BDRM, 1 1/2 BATH Willow View condo unit for rent, in Canal Flats. Great view, 2 parking stalls, F/S, D/W. Walk-ing distance to arena, park and store. $850 + utilities & D.D., references required. Available immediately. Call (250)349-5306 or (250)489-8389, leave mess.

Invermere Centre Apartments 1 bdrm, 4 piece bath, central location. Laundry on site, N/P N/S 1 yr lease. Call Sharon 250-688-1365. Avail Now!

RADIUM - downtownNew 2 bdrm, 2 full baths in

The Pinewood. 3rd fl oor,fi replace, N/S. $1000/mth,

utilities included. Underground parking.

Available Dec 1.Call Judy 250-345-0225

or 250-341-1903

Radium: Furnished 2 bdm condo for rent. Newer, attrac-tive, 1 block from hwy. All ap-pliances incl. Underground parking, N/S, N/P. Avail now. $900/mth. Long term lease available call 403-860-1740

Radium - Two units Pinewood W building. 2 bdrm, 2 bath, un-derground parking, nicely, fully furnished. All inclusive. Avail now. $900/mth/$1100/mth. Call Lina @ 403-239-6389 or 403-264-2782

Commercial/Industrial

FOR LEASE: 1900 sq. ft. of prime space in Invermere In-dustrial Park. Presently used as a wood working shop. Lease rate is $7.50 per sq. ft., plus triple net, HST and Hydro. Available Jan 1st. Call Gerry (250)341-1202

Rentals

Homes for RentDOUBLE WIDE mobile home 2/3 bdrms incs f/s, w/d, d/w. woodstove, air, storage shed, waterfront on Cameron Lake w/mountain views, located in small well maintained 7 unit mobile home park in Wasa, on-site manager, solid refs only $750/mo.+dd, Call (250)422-3445

Large 4 bdrm, 2 bathroom house, large yard, downtown Inv, W/D, DW, MW, N/S, fi re-place, internet, $1200 + util,

Avail now. 250-341-1650 helmimagic@uniserve.com

Transportation

Auto Financing

DreamTeam Auto Financing“0” Down, Bankruptcy OK -

Cash Back ! 15 min Approvals1-800-961-7022

www.iDreamAuto.com DL# 7557

Cars - Sports & Imports

Dodge Grand Caravan SE 2004. Regularly serviced. New summer + winter tires on rims. Asking $3500. 250-342-9247.

Off Road VehiclesATV’S, UTV’s, Dirt Bikes & Buggies. Kamloops Cartsplus. www.cartsplusbc.com 1-888-371-3946. kamloopscart-splus@shawbiz.ca

19,951

Fetch a Friend from the SPCA today!

That’s how many companion

animals will need loving, new homes this year.

Will you open your home to

one?

spca.bc.ca

Give and SaveUntil December 21, 2012 bring an item for the Columbia Valley Food Bank into the Valley Echo, and you will save 30% on your classi� ed ad running in the same week.

Food Bank into the Valley Echo, and you will save 30% on your classi� ed ad running in the same week.

ColumbiaValleyFoodBank

bcclassified.com

We’re There!

FOR THE AFTERNOONCUP...

NADbank, ComBase: Adults 18+, print and online

DO THE MATH. ADVERTISE IN THE NEWSPAPER.

The Valley Echo Wednesday, November 28, 2012 www.invermerevalleyecho.com A21

A22 www.invermerevalleyecho.com Wednesday, November 28, 2012 The Valley Echo

Market Update

CDN $ Per USD

Oil US$/B

Dow

S&P/TSX

NASDAQ

12,213

13,010

2,967

$88.28

$0.993

2.8%

3.3%

4.0%

1.9%

-0.8%

2.2%

6.5%

13.9%

-10.7%

-2.8%

Level Weekly change Year-to-Date

Building Your Wealth

How do we � nd a solution to our own debt?As I wrote last week, there are a lot of doomsayers

all around us and they are good at speaking words of warning and disaster.

However, there are four questions to ask someone who tries to warn of danger: 1. Is he/she warning of something that exists, or are they trying to sell arti-cles and newspapers? 2. Is she/he trying to give us a more accurate picture about our world than we get ourselves? 3. Is the doomsayer pointing to something we can actually � x? 4. At what point do people get ‘doomed out’ and stop paying attention?

We have all seen situations in which people try to get a response, whether the situation is real or not. Anyone who has had kids can relate to that one. Just so, some people write articles that don’t describe ac-tual situations but try to sell us something or frighten us into buying their story. Or maybe they see a dan-ger we don’t. � ere are very old and common stories talking about ‘prophets shouting aloud to the desert.’

Even when the subject is ‘real,’ it’s very rare to hear anyone actually say what can be done. We have all heard about the increase in household debt, about how dangerous it is, and telling us we should reduce our personal debt. We know how every dollar of debt reduces our � exibility. But how, in the midst of the con� icting things being said, are we really going to discover the truth about our own situation and what we should do?

� en there is the point where something sets in – let’s call it ‘doom fatigue’ – when we just stop listen-ing. Sooner or later, it happens in every situation that does not get resolved. We hear more and more peo-ple shouting about doom and danger, and we stop paying attention.

I suspect we are already at, or even somewhat past, that point when we hear things said about the econ-omy. In a way, we have been lucky in this part of the world, since we have been able to see the impact

clearly when it a� ected our own life or has had on people we know. It was real and we could see it, feel it and experience the consequences. Even then, there were few things being said we could actually either understand or do – and we kept getting more dire warnings, all with no real solution. I believe we are already well into question 4 – the feeling that we are

tired of the warnings and lack of solutions. (In fact, there seems to be a political warning in there, some-where!)

I have personally come to the conclusion that no one has any clearer answer than anyone else – at

least not until we see how this all plays out. So, we are left with a lot of warnings about the danger of exces-sive debt, but few good solutions we can apply to our own situation.

� e only solution I can see is the one I have been suggesting all along. Now, it seems like the best so-lution we can think of, since there don’t seem to be many out there we could follow. We are being forced to look to our own beliefs and values, and to use them as a basis for what we decide to do.

� ere is an interesting phenomenon that might help – if you ask enough ordinary people the distance between, say Calgary and Toronto, the average an-swer will come out very close to the actual distance. Just about any question you can think of will come out the same.

Some will get it right, some wrong, but we already know there will be a range of answers equal to the range of people who try to � nd a solution. � e major-ity of us will get something close to the right solution, and we can work from that start. We have, though, to learn to trust ourselves and each other, and we have to learn to open our eyes and be honest about what we see. � en, we have to go for it. � en, too, we have to � nd ways to help each other through the mistakes we make.

Perhaps that’s not a satisfactory solution. It’s cer-tainly not the ‘right’ solution, but it’s the only one we have in the end. It’s the pioneer way and something our ancestors taught us. Depend on ourselves, on our friends, and then correct any errors.

One of the things the people in my o� ce are best at is helping � nd a solution near right for people and their families, and then to help them make the ad-justments and corrections needed.

After all, few of us get it right on our own, but to-gether we can get it ‘righter’ and that’s what we are after.

www.invermerevalleyecho.com A23The Valley Echo Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Business Profile

The Windermere Valley Museum and Archives

� e Windermere Valley Museum and Archives is managed by a dedicated group of volunteers belonging to the

Windermere District Historical Society.

HoursSeptember 2012 hours now in e� ect

Monday to Friday, Noon to 4 p.m.Winter hours, October 2012

Tuesdays only, noon until 4 p.m. and then again, 7 - 9 p.m.

Or by appointment please Contact Us

Admission by donation

250.342.9769wvmuseum@cyberlink.bc.ca

Our Newsprint is made from

over 50% recycled paper

WE

REDUCE• Share with a friend

• Train the puppy

• Use as packing

•Arts & Crafts paper

REUSEPlease be

responsible and

recycle your paper!

RECYLCE

100% canola based inksWE USE: A cold web offset printing process

which creates no emissions

VALLEY ECHOT he

Reduce long term maintenance costs & monthly utility bills by up to 40% with only an additional 15% upfront cost.

Renovations & New HomesSUSTAINABLE BUILDING PRACTICES

Build smart. Live clean.www.JWFcontracting.com

Local ladies planning for the holiday festivi-ties or a trip down south during the cold win-ter months will definitely want to check out what Cutloose Hair & Tanning Salon has to offer this holiday season. Not only is there tan-ning available to assist with that much-needed base tan, and hairdressing services to give your tired locks a boost, but the sa-lon’s boutique is filled with fun fashion for all seasons.

“A lot of people don’t know the boutique is there,” said owner Brenda Valer. “We bring in a lot of stuff from California and Texas.”

What started out as an array of handbags has developed into one-stop fashion shop com-plete with clothing, shoes, boots, accessories and more.

From designer inspired handbags and high fashion footwear for every season, to styl-ish dresses and outfits for all the upcoming Christmas and New Year parties, Cutloose is currently offering 30 to 50 per cent off on se-lected items, a deal that will continue right through to the new year.  

“Everything is affordable,” Valer said, “and that's the whole point, that you don't have to drive down to Cranbrook… we wanted to be able to offer that here.” 

Apart from the handbags, not many of the boutique’s items — including camisoles, sun-glasses, wallets and hair accessories — are over $50, with most of the shoes ranging be-tween $20 and $35.  

With gift-giving season coming up, Christ-mas packs of nail and hair products are also available, as is the Hempz line, which contains 100 per cent pure natural hemp seed oil, and Moroccanoil body and hair products.

“It's a huge thing right now,” Valer said. “It's made from the Moroccan tree, it's very nourishing, one of the best oils out there.”

Cutloose Hair & Tanning Salon, which has been at its current location since 2001 (Valer originally opened the business in 2009), offers full hair services, from cuts, foils

and colouring to perms, razor cutting and styling with special kids’ and men’s pricing. Unlimited and minute tanning packages round out the sa-lon’s offerings as do wedding party bookings.

“We do everything here,” said Valer. “We’ve always got something for everyone.”

Cutloose Hair & Tanning Salon is located in In-vermere at #4-755 13 Street, and is open 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays. Call 250-342-8880 or drop in to make an appointment.

Cutloose Hair & Tanning Salon brings affordable fashion to Invermere

NICOLE TRIGGeditor@invermerevalleyecho.com

“We do everything here; we've always got something for everyone.”

Brenda valercutloose hair & tanning salon

Fashion boutique and more

Photo By nicole trigg/the echoCutloose owner Brenda Valer brings the fashion from California and Texas to the Columbia Valley.

A24 www.invermerevalleyecho.com Wednesday, November 28, 2012 The Valley Echo

CLUES ACROSS 1. Buttery salad

lettuce 5. Xtreme sport

term “Shred the ___”

9. Superior of an abbey

14. R____y: prayer beads

15. Unaccompa-nied & apart

16. ___ and Diu, Indian

17. Norway’s capital

18. Notice of someone’s death

19. High above 20. 2012 London

Games 23. Optic cover-

ing 24. Mrs. Nixon 25. Turkish title

of respect 26. Eyelid hair 31. Degraded 35. Saudi penin-

sula 36. Small fry 37. Back talk

38. Disposed to inflict pain

41. Put in advance

43. Landed properties

45. Zedong 46. Shellac resin 47. Awaken from

sleep 51. Naval signal-

ling system 56. Ancient

Semitic gods 57. Fleur-de-lys 58. Stomach of

an animal 59. Separates

seating areas 60. 100 = 1

Samoan tala 61. Fante edwo,

yam 62. Jubilant

delights 63. Extinct ratite

birds 64. Coarse file CLUES DOWN 1. Negative

cheers 2. One periodi-

cal 3. Mild and

pleasant 4. Cheatgrass or

downy 5. Rejoiced 6. Person of no

influence 7. Plant source

for indigo 8. Key in again 9. Compatibility

device 10. Indonesian

jewelry island 11. Big man on

campus 12. Stumble-

bums 13. Explosive 21. Dresden

River 22. Mexican

Indian 27. Emit coher-

ent radiation 28. Arab overgar-

ments 29. VI or six 30. Thou ____

sinned 31. French abbot 32. Prevents

entry 33. Be next to 34. Stalk of a

moss capsule 39. Books of

maps 40. Jump upward

or forward 41. Can’t move 42. Covers a

building 44. Division into

factions 45. Boat area

48. Lesion 49. Bonitos

genus 50. Good gosh! 51. Cruise 52. State of com-

fort 53. Young

woman (French)

54. 100-year-old-cookie

55. Exchange 56. Shopping

receptacle

Answer to November 21:

Brain Games

CrosswordNovember 28, 2012

HoroscopeARIES Aries, avoid taking on more than you can handle at work and home this week. When tackling tasks, don’t be afraid to ask for and accept help.

TAURUSFamily and romantic endeavors may have been put aside while work issues have been at the forefront, Taurus. It is time to shift priorities.

GEMINIGemini, there’s not much you can do to change the course of this week’s events. You might want to consider swimming with the current instead of against it.

CANCERCancer, overanalyzing your workload is not going to make it disappear any faster. Therefore, simply take your assignments at face value and just get started.

LEONew experiences can be scary at � rst, but many times you will � nd that they are opportunities to learn and grow, Leo. Take full advantage of all opportunities this week.

VIRGOVirgo, although it seems like you have most of your � nancial woes worked out, now is not the time to get too cocky with spending. Being conservative is the way to go.

LIBRALibra, career developments have you riding high and you’re anxious to share your news with the world. This enthusiasm can be a good catalyst for change with others.

SCORPIOScorpio, success may not come easy with a project you’re working on. But rest easy and take solace knowing you have tried things outside of your comfort zone.

SAGITTARIUSSagittarius, avoid confrontations at all costs, as this week you will not come out victorious. Keep a low pro� le and don’t ruf� e any feathers.

CAPRICORNCapricorn, if you think about things too long, there’s a good chance you won’t act at all. Instead, consider your options quickly and then get going on your plans.

AQUARIUSQuality time spent at home or with the family has buoyed your spirits, Aquarius. The next step on your relaxation journey is to book a vacation to a warm area of the world.

PISCESDon’t underestimate your ability to garner quite a following, Pisces. There are many people just waiting to hear what you have to say next.

First week of December

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

Last week’s Sudoku answer -->:

Columbia ValleyWeekend Weather

FridayNovember 30

SaturdayDecember 1

SundayDecember 2

Snow-rainshowersTemp: 4oCLow: 1oCPrecip: 1 mm rain, 1 cm snow

MixedprecipitationTemp: 4oCLow: 0oCPrecip: 1 mm rain, 1 cm snow

Lightsnow

Temp:2oCLow: -1oCPrecip: 5 cm

VALLEY ECHO

T he

invermerevalleyecho.com

250-342-9216customerservice@

invermerevalleyecho.com

www.invermerevalleyecho.com A25The Valley Echo Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Remember When

50 years ago: Two dry-kiln opera-tions began operating at the Simon Ronacher and Son Lumber Company Ltd. yards in Athalmer. The automatic oil-heated kiln had a 40,000 board feet capacity placed in the kiln for 24 to 36 hours. The Ronacher operations em-ployed 16 men at the planer and 18 at the camp located at Shuswap creek. Annual production was 7,000,000 to 8,000,000 board feet of spruce and fir.

45 years ago: Due to a prolonged strike at USA Smelter and lack of mar-ket, Mineral King Mine closed sud-denly. Canada Manpower office from Cranbrook were interviewing several staff. The layoff of approximately 90 men would have a serious economic effect on this area.

40 years ago: The hospital extension officially opened on November 26th. The public was welcome to see the presentation of a bronze plaque and ribbon cutting done officially by F.E. Coy who was the sole medical prac-titioner of the district from 1919 to 1940. The extension meant the hospi-tal went from 24 beds to 31 beds, and old wards were converted into a doc-tors' lounge, a staff dining room, and a playroom for child patients.

25 years ago: Joe Patton received a plaque from Canada Hall of Fame and the Aero Space Museum Association for his close to 60 years of contribu-tion to the field of aviation in Canada.

15 years ago: Roscoe Dalke and Hel-en Metcalfe were the owners of the new “Stedmans” franchise dealership in Invermere that opened on Decem-ber 1, 1977.

5 years ago: Panorama Mountain Village hosted the Telus Women's World Cup Slalom and Giant Slalom. An estimated 40 million people world-wide were expected to watch. Colum-bia Valley resident and Alpine Cana-da's program director Dusan Grasic said it would be a fantastic weekend. Light Up Night was also that weekend with the town and Panorama working together to make it one to remember.

A look back at what's happened in the valley over the last 50 years

RENICE OAKSSpecial to The Valley Echo

Echo filE photo2006 — Shopping in downtown Invermere took on a decided Christmasy flavour Nov. 24 during the IBC's annual Light Up event.

• The Valley Echo has won many provincial and national awards including most recently 2012 Best Ad Design in two categories for both B.C. and the Yukon.

• The Valley Echo has donated over a $100,000 in sponsorship to non-profi t groups in the Columbia Valley in 2011 and plans to do more in 2012.

• We deliver to 2,000 homes and businesses across the Columbia Valley from Canal Flats to Spillimacheen every week.

• The Valley Echo has been the Columbia Valley’s fi rst choice for community news since 1956.

• Black Press is B.C. owned and operated, and started its fi rst newspaper in Williams Lake in the late 1970’s, now with 170 Community Newspapers, 90 of them operating in B.C.

Did you know.....

Est. 1956

Stay tuned for gift Ideas for the whole familyand take the guess work out of shopping!

For Him, For Her, For Kids, and Stocking Stuffers.

Holiday Gift Guide

BROBROCHUCHURESRES CA CATALTALOGUOGUO ESES CONCONTESTESTSTSS PRPR PRRODUOODUCTCTSTSTSCTTSS STSTST STSTTOROOREORRESSSFLYFLYERSSERSS DE DEALSALSS CO COCOUPOPOUPOPOU OONSNS S BROBRRBROOCHUHUCHUUC URERESRESESSS CCACA CCACACC TALALTALTALTALLOGUOGUOGUOGUOGUOGUOGUESESEEESS

your source for FREE coupons

SAVE TIME. SAVE MONEY.

bcclassified.com

Pointand Click

BUY, SHOP, RENT...

I t 's not too late!You can still join the Killer Rollbots for this year's

Fresh Meat intake.If you're interested in joining the team send us an email at

thekillerrollbots@gmail.com or find us on Facebook!

A26 www.invermerevalleyecho.com Wednesday, November 28, 2012 The Valley Echo

Universal Doors & ExteriorsSales • Service • Installation

• Garage Doors • Passage Doors• Truck Doors • Windows • Sunrooms

• Patio Covers • Vinyl Decking• Aluminum Railings • Siding • Soffi t

• Facia • Window Capping • Renovations

Invermere Phone 250-342-6700

To advertise, call: 250-342-9216

• Excavators • Mini-Excavators • Bobcats• Dump Trucks • Water Trucks

• Compaction Equipment • Snow Plow• Sanding Equipment • Crane Truck

• Mobile Pressure Washing & Steam Cleaning• Underground Services• Site Prep & Demolition

• Road Building • Land Clearing• Controlled Burning • Rock Walls

• Rip Rap • Topsoil • Sand & Gravel

CONTRACT OR HOURLYMACHINE RENTALS AVAILABLE

Sholinder & MacKaySand & Gravel

Complete line of aggregate productsfor construction and landscaping

Office: 250-342-6452 • 250-342-3773 Cell: 250-342-5833

Hot Shot Snow Removal Service

Equity Repair & Maintenance Ltd.

Ph: 250-342-5024 Cell: 250-688-5594

24 hour service

RR#3, 954 Swansea Road, Invermere, B.C. V0A 1K3www.equityrepair.ca • rjennix@hotmail.comwww.diamondheatingandspas.com

• Furnaces • Heat PumPs • air conditioning • FirePlaces• Hot tubs • cHemicals

• service & maintenance • gas Fitting

385 Laurier Street Phone: 250-342-7100Invermere, BC Fax: 250-342-7103

Serving the Valley

to give your business maximum exposurefor your advertising dollar?

Call 250-342-9216for more information.

Your search for quality and dependability ends with us.Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning Specialists

Truck Mounted System • Customer Satisfaction GuaranteedDean HubmanCertifi ed Technician250-342-3052

Toll Free: 877-342-3052Invermere, BC V0A 1K3

odysseyrestoration@telus.net

Your search for quality and dependability ends with us.Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning Specialists

Truck Mounted System • Customer Satisfaction GuaranteedDean HubmanCertifi ed Technician250-342-3052

Toll Free: 877-342-3052Invermere, BC V0A 1K3

odysseyrestoration@telus.net

RADIUM HOT SPRINGS ESSO

• Gas • Propane • Diesel • Automotive Repairs • Tires & Batteries • Greyhound

• CAA approved automotive repair •

MECHANICAL REPAIRS AVAILABLE9 a.m. - 5 p.m. 7 Days A Week

250-347-9726 7507 Main Street West

QUALITY AUTO SERVICEYOU CAN TRUST

Lake Auto ServiceALL MAKES • ALL MODELS

AUTOMOTIVE REPAIRS

OPEN MONDAY TO FRIDAY8:30 A.M. - 5:30 P.M.

Main Street • Downtown Invermere250-342-9310

DCS Plumbing & Heating• Plumbing, Repair and Installation• Drain Lines• Hot Water Tanks

250-341-8501Senior Discount

DOUG24-Hour Emergency Service

Kerry Colonna 250-342-5089Located in the Diamond Heating & Spa building in Athalmer

The WaTer & air Company!

Purify the water you drink and the air you breathe!

Water Treatment: filtration and purification

Furnace and Duct cleaning

J. Douglas Kipp, B. Sc. (Pharm.)Laura Kipp, Pharm D.

Irena Sedlakova, B. Sc. (Pharm.)Your compounding pharmacy

Come in and browse our giftware!Open Monday - Saturday • 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

1301 - 7th Avenue, Invermere • 250-342-6612

Lambert-Kipp Pharmacy Ltd.

Environmentally-friendly integrated pest managementAsk about our maintenance programs All work guaranteed

PEST QUESTIONS? Visit our website:WWW.CRANBROOKPESTCONTROL.COM

info@cranbrookpestcontrol.com

Cranbrook Pest Control

250-426-9586 • 1-888-371-6299

Thermal Imaging

Bruce Dehart 250-347-9803 or 250-342-5357

• Complete sewer/drain repairs • Reasonable rates - Seniors’ discount • Speedy service - 7 days a week

• A well-maintained septic system should be pumped every 2-3 years• Avoid costly repairs

Septic Tank PumpingPortable

Toilet Rentals

NEWSEWER

CAMERA

QUALITY AUTO SERVICEYOU CAN TRUST

Lake Auto ServiceALL MAKES • ALL MODELS

AUTOMOTIVE REPAIRS

OPEN MONDAY TO FRIDAY8:30 A.M. - 5:30 P.M.

Main Street • Downtown Invermere250-342-9310

READY MIX CONCRETE• CONCRETE PUMP • SAND & GRAVEL

• HEAVY EQUIPMENT RENTALS • CRANE SERVICE

For competitive prices and prompt service call:

250-342-3268 (plant) 250-342-6767 (office)

Proudly serving the Valley for over 50 years.

� e Valley Echo has put together a 12-month community calendar for the Columbia Valley. Each month, we'll print the following month's

page. To add your community event to the page, email the date, time and location to production@invermerevalleyecho.com by the third

Sunday in each month. For additional information about the calendar and participating in the 2013 edition, please call 250-342-9216.

1-877-873-7467artymgallery.com250-342-7566

250-342-2175kootenayinsurance.ca

Walter J. PearceCertified Financial Planner

CFP, CLU, REBC, GBA

250-341-1524

North Star Hardware & Building Supplies Ltd. Independently owned410 Borden Street • Athalmer250-342-6226

Part of your community

www.rdek.bc.ca

February 2012

March 2012

April 2012

May 2012

July 2012

June 2012

August 2012

September 2012

October 2012

Nov 2012

Dec 2012

Calendar

Sunday Monday Tuesday Thursday Friday SaturdayWednesday

December 20121

82

9

3

10

17

24

15

22

29

11

18

25

16

23

12

19

26

13

20

27

14

21

28

30 31

4 5 6 7Super Sunday Christmas Craft Night, Inv. Public Library, 6 p.m.

Windermere Community Association Bingo, 6 p.m.

Windermere Health Care Aux. Christmas Luncheon & Bake sale, 1 p.m. - 3 p.m. Windermere Hall.GALs Photos with Santa, Home Hardware, 4 - 6 p.m.

Edgewater Elementary Bottle Drive, 1:30 - 5 p.m. drop off at Pip’s, or Online Automotive.Friday Night Shopping, Fairmont Hot Springs

Panorama MountainVillage opens, 9 a.m.

CVCC Holiday Market, 5:30 - 8 p.m., shopping, pizza, beer, Lions’ Hall

CVCC Holiday Market, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m., shopping, refreshments Lions’ HallOutdoor Education Celebration, Fairmont Hot Springs Resort, 1 - 4 p.m.

Fairmont Hot SpringsResort ski hill opens, 9 a.m.

BIG Christmas Craft Sale, Inv. Comm. Hall, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.Thrift Store Shopping Extravaganza, 1 - 4 p.m.WCA all ages Talent Show, 2 p.m. 250-341-3383

GALs Photos with Santa, Home Hardware, 3 - 6 p.m.Rotary Christmas Dinner for Seniors, 5:30 p.m., Best Western Invermere Inn, 250-342-5566

Live Nativity Program,Catholic Church 702 12. Ave.6:30 p.m.

Scrabble Night at Inv. Library, 6 - 8 p.m.

Seniors’ Day at Inv. Library, 1 - 2:15 p.m. Bus provided

DTSS Band in Concert,DTSS Gym, 7 p.m.

Boxing Day

LWDRGC Santa ClausClays Shoot

Christmas Day

New Year’s Eve

Torchlight Parade and

Fireworks Fairmont Ski Area

Bingo, Canal Flats Civic Centre, 7 p.m.

A Water Conversation,Copper Point Resort, 6 - 8 p.m.

Cinefest, “The Lady” Pynelogs, doors at 6 p.m., film at 7 p.m.

Christmas Bingo, Canal Flats Civic Centre, 7 p.m.

530 13 Street, Box 70, Invermere, B.C. V0A 1K0250-342-9216 • invermerevalleyecho.com

530 - 13 Street, Box 70Invermere, B.C.V0A 1K0250-342-9216invermerevalleyecho.com

Photo by: Lila Fodchuk

www.invermerevalleyecho.com A27The Valley Echo Wednesday, November 28, 2012

A28 www.invermerevalleyecho.com Wednesday, November 28, 2012 The Valley Echo

Super SundaySunday, December 2 12 - 4 p.m.

From the Gateway to Downtown Invermere

Shopping Event of the Year!Shop local this Holiday season! Join Santa on Main Street

as he searches for the perfect gi� s to complete his naugh� and nice list.

Presented to you by the Invermere Business Commi� eeof the Columbia Valley Chamber of Commerce