Lake Cowichan Gazette, December 30, 2015

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AWARDED THE HIGHEST GOVERNMENTCRASH SAFETY RATING▲

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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2015 | VOL. 19, NO. 52 | $1 + GST | www.lakecowichangazette.com

Year in Review: CVRD Getting newcomers up to speed

Year in Review: Retreads Busy year hoofi ng it for hikers

Year in Review: One Cowichan Driest summer on record had impact

PAGE 6 PAGE 12 PAGE 13

YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS OFFER GREAT DEALS

Lake Cowichan School students Paisley Lebesque and Keely MacDonald purchase some of the interesting products on sale at the Lake Cowichan School’s Young Entrepreneur Show on Friday afternoon, Dec. 11. The show gave Grade 4 and 5 students from Mrs. Olson’s class a taste of being in business, selling products under $5. See more photos on page 15. [MALCOLM CHALMERS PHOTO]

Two much-maligned AAPs quietly passLEXI BAINAS GAZETTE

The two Cowichan Valley Regional District bylaws that were the subject of consider-able debate at a noisy meeting last month passed the alterna-tive approval process (AAP) and

were adopted Dec. 9 by the CVRD board.

Opponents of the flood manage-ment and the arts and culture funding bylaws could not motiv-ate 10 per cent of the electorate to come out to vote and stop them, so they moved ahead, Lake Cow-

ichan Coun. Bob Day told his col-leagues at a town council com-mittee meeting Dec. 15.

Town CAO, Joe Fernandez, noting that comments have been made by members of the public that the AAP process is not democratic, said that he dis-

agreed with them.“It now takes 10 per cent of the

electorate to defeat a bylaw but that’s not always been the case,” he said. “At one point, 25 per cent was required to defeat a bylaw but it was local government that made representation to the prov-

incial government and that’s how that number went from 25 per cent down to 10 per cent. Now, if 10 per cent of people say no to something, it’s stopped. This is more than democratic, I’d say.”

See REFERENDUMS, Page 2

Mayor Ross Forrest also spoke about the call from certain members of the public for more referendums.

He said he was worried that a small group of people could subject taxpayers to a costly process simply because opinions differ.

“That’s basically what the problem is with the AAP. Some people don’t think that their opinion is being respected or whatever, even in a ref-erendum,” he said.

But, Forrest added, an election should mean something.

“Elected representatives, because they have been successful through a democratic process, should be able to make decisions on behalf of the people who elected them,” he said.

“People have to remember that. You can’t have a referendum every time somebody’s opinions differ. That’s why we have elected officials. Not just at this level but every level. That’s why we go through that elec-tion process.

“All an AAP or referendum does is give them another chance to express themselves. And it is costly. You can’t have that cost every sin-gle time. That’s how I feel about it,” Forrest said.

Day said, “That’s a great perspec-tive. Without that election backing, you’re just another person with an opinion.”

He also noted that critics don’t always realize how much work elect-ed representatives put in to make well-judged decisions.

“Not many members of the pub-lic would want to sit and listen to all the data [we hear] from all the environmental professionals who have spent years training,” he said.

Coun. Tim McGonigle, who has also served as town representative on the CVRD board, looked back on his experience.

“I think the struggle, the differ-ence between municipal and region-al government, is how you can acquire a function and implement a function. [Going to the public] is the only way you can do it at the region-al district, if it’s a new function. You

have to get voter assent somehow and that is how you have to do it. And you’re thinking of the taxpayer in the long run, are you not? Muni-cipalities have a little more luxury in implementing things, unless we have to borrow over five years,” he said.

Day agreed.“In order to develop a street light-

ing function for a subdivision in, say, Sahtlam, you have to have a street lighting function. It’s some-thing people need in this day and age but that’s how it’s done,” he said.

•••Lake Cowichan councillors also

talked about the AAP approval for the new arts and culture function.

Day explained, “What that boils down to is the Kaatza Art Society came to us asking to use and share the Kasapi building [the former Log-ger Hut Restaurant, recently gifted to the Town of Lake Cowichan]. That was part of the initiative. This funding has a few strings attached to it but it also has support staff. Kirsten Schrader from the arts and culture branch of the CVRD will work with our community and Kaatza Arts Society is the group willing to carry this forward here. They get $5,500 a year once they establish some of the initiatives set out on the application. Part of it was having a permanent art display loca-tion, that’s open to the public, with regular business hours at least, that would promote arts and culture to the community.”

But, there’s more, he said. “If that money isn’t used this year,

it rolls over into next year so there would be $11,000 for them to move forward with something. I’m sure they know what they would like to do but if it can’t happen this year, they’ll know they will have a better pot to start with for the next year.”

McGonigle asked, “Given the tim-ing of this, will it be implemented in time for the 2016 year?”

Day said that was not finished at the provincial level but “it is being implemented” and pointed out that the CVRD has until spring for budgeting.

Referendums expensiveTWO MUCH, From Page 1

STUDENTS WORK STUFFING BACKPACKS

Raimund Mullin, Robin Brooks, and Rhiannon Morrison, the three Lake Cowichan School representatives on the District Student Advisory Committee, get to work sorting through a huge pile of donated items as part of their group’s ‘Stuff the Backpacks’ day on Wednesday, Dec. 9 in Duncan. The district-wide effort sees schools gather clothing and toiletries for the less fortunate and then load them into donated backpacks for holiday gifting. [LEXI BAINAS/GAZETTE]

2 Wednesday, December 30, 2015 | THE LAKE COWICHAN GAZETTE | www.lakecowichangazette.com

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www.lakecowichangazette.com | THE LAKE COWICHAN GAZETTE | Wednesday, December 30, 2015 3

Cowichan Rocks Curling Club Ad $100.00Cowichan Valley Lacrosse Team $250.00Lake Cowichan Food Bank $1,000.00Lake Cowichan Novice Lakers $50.00PAC for LSC GRAD 2015 $500.00Lake Days Road Hockey $500.00#744 Cowichan Air Cadet, supplies $750.00Lake Cowichan Pathfinders $100.00Medical Emergency Fund for baby girl $1,000.001st Lake Cowichan Scout Troop $500.00St. Johns Ambulance, supplies $500.00Lake Days Celebrations Society Awards $500.00Fire Victims Emergency Funds $500.00RCSCC Mainguy Sea Cadets, supplies $750.00Cowichan Pipes and Drums, uniforms $750.00Cowichan Valley Firefighters Honour Guard $1,000.00L.C. Fire Dept., Community Safety Books $200.00Rock Solid Foundation, Anit-Bullying Program $500.00 DARE Society, supplies $500.00Lake Cowichan Food Bank $700.00Cenotaph Placques and Installation $1,853.40Cowichan Lake Community Services: -Activity Centre $1,500.00 -Fun Bus $1,000.00 -Christmas Hampers $2,000.00 -Parenting and Support Groups $2,000.00 -Children’s Programs $2,500.00LCS Bursaries: -Nicholaus Haney $500.00 -Brayden Rowbottom $500.00 -Samantha Oliver $500.00 -Carmen Brooks $500.00 -Aislinn McKeown Ferris $500.00 -Taylor McCormick $500.00 -Kyle Haney $500.00

Total: $25,049.40Further Donations from General Funds:LCDMH Bantams Tournament $200.00Lady of the Lake Entry Fee $450.00 Total: $650.00

Approximately $4,900.00 was raised in this year’s Poppy Campaign. Donations of $600.00 to Cowichan Valley Hospice for Special Needs Playground and $1,000.00 to the Lodge at Broadmead for a handicap lift for Veterans and $2,800.00 to Cowichan Valley Hospital for Neonatal Intensive Care Incubator. Many thanks to the Community, our patrons and our members for their support over the year.

LEGION BRANCH #210, LAKE COWICHANhas made donations from their BINGO, MEAT DRAW & GENERAL ACCOUNT FUNDS to the following in 2015:

On behalf of the Executive of Legion Br.#210,Lake Cowichan,BEST WISHES FOR A MERRY CHRISTMASAND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!Sincerely, Wilma Rowbottom, President.

The Royal Canadian Legion Lake Cowichan Branch No. 210 would sincerely like to thank all those in the Cowichan Lake area who contributed to our 2015 Poppy Campaign and Remembrance Day Ceremonies.

A big “thank you” to the organizations and businesses that purchased wreaths or gave a donation, and to those that allowed us to place a poppy box in their stores. To our members who canvassed, delivered and picked them up our sincere thanks. To all those who helped on Poppy Tag Days, your time was very much appreciated. To all those who took part and to those who attended the ceremony at the cenotaph, your support was very much appreciated. To all the members who helped out at the Legion on November 11th, our deepest gratitude.

Sincerely,2015 Poppy Committee

The Royal Canadian Legion Lake Cowichan Branch No. 210 would sincerely like to thank

Thank Thank Thank Thank Thank Thank Thank Thank Thank Thank Thank Thank Thank Thank Thank Thank Thank Thank Thank Thank Thank Thank Thank Thank Thank Thank Thank Thank Thank Thank Thank Thank Thank Thank Thank Thank Thank Thank Thank Thank Thank Thank Thank Thank Thank Thank Thank Thank Thank Thank Thank Thank Thank Thank Thank Thank Thank Thank Thank Thank Thank Thank Thank Thank Thank Thank Thank Thank Thank Thank Thank Thank Thank Thank Thank Thank Thank Thank Thank Thank Thank ou!ou!ou!ou!ou!ou!ou!ou!ou!ou!ou!ou!ou!ou!ou!ou!ou!ou!ou!ou!ou!ou!ou!ou!ou!ou!ou!ou!ou!ou!ou!ou!ou!ou!ou!ou!ou!ou!ou!ou!ou!ou!ou!ou!ou!ou!ou!ou!ou!ou!ou!

This photo by Lake resident Kathy Edwards shows Mike Carver’s home on fire earlier this month. He is still trying to recover from the damage done by the flames. [KATHY EDWARDS PHOTO]

LEXI BAINAS GAZETTE

The owner of the house at Park Road and North Shore Road in Lake Cowichan that burned on Dec. 2 is grateful for the way the community has stepped up to offer support.

Lake Cowichan residents were also busy last week trying to find other ways to assist the two men who lived in the single storey three-bedroom home, which proved to be a stubborn blaze for the Lake Cowichan firefighters.

Mike Carver, whose was named incorrect in the previous story, lives in the structure with his stepson, Tom Buyens.

The men are waiting to hear what various insurance adjust-ers have to say about possible repairs to the house and the replacement of lost or damaged furniture and personal posses-

sions, Carver said.Almost immediately a fund-

raising page was set up at https://www.gofundme.com/5f-d44mdf but activity has slowed there.

“I haven’t heard anything more of the gofundme page than what you had in the last story but, on the other hand, both my son and me have received a lot of help from friends who’ve contributed clothes and things of that nature,” he said.

This is following a long-stand-ing tradition at Cowichan Lake.

“They are such great people. We’re kind of quiet on the out-side but when disaster strikes, they always just come charging forward,” he said.

Is the house salvageable? Will it be renovated?

Those questions are still in the hands of the insurance com-

pany, Carver said.“We’re still going through the

early stages of the insurance. We’ve had one estimator in to look at the structural damage already. We’re expecting to have another estimator arrive any day now and he will look at the damage to our furnishings and personal property and make his estimates on that. So, we’re really just waiting to see what will happen with this claim,” he said.

One of the saddest pieces of news following the fire was that Carver had lost his pet.

He was quiet for a moment as he considered if he wants to get another companion.

“Eventually, yes. I find that still hurts a lot. But, yeah, I will get another dog. I miss that companionship, but it will be a different dog. They’re all indi-vidual,” he said.

Residents pitch in to help burned out family


Caycuse • Honeymoon Bay • Lake Cowichan • Mesachie Lake • Youbou

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TO COMMENTWe welcome your original comments on editorials, columns, on

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Email your thoughts to [email protected] or fax it to us at 250-749-4385OPINION

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Looking ahead to 2016 shows us that the provincial government has seen t to give raises. Raises in fees, that is. Sorry folks.

Your BC Hydro fees, ICBC and MSP fees are all heading up as we head into the new year.

According to Black Press’s Tom Fletcher MSP premiums will rise from $144 to $150 for a family of three earning more than $30,000 a year, and a single person will pay $75, up from $72.

Interesting fact to take note of: B.C. is the only province in Canada with a health care fee, and it has risen about 40 per cent since 2010.

That’s appalling. And our health care coverage in this province isn’t even the best to be had in this country. In other province’s health care covers vision care as well.

Many of us were already preparing for Hydro rates to continue to climb, and climb they will.

And then there’s the increasing expense of drivingBasis insurance went up 5.5 per cent on Nov. 1.

ICBC says it’s all about the increasingly costs of personal injury claims and fraud.

What makes the increases in these three charges on our ledgers so tough is that we have no choice.

We don’t get to choose whether or not we’re going to get health care. We are not arguing that people should be able to opt out, universal care is not only near and dear to our hearts, it is vital to our country’s continued collective well being. But we should not be paying individual fees. The other provinces seem to be able to make such a thing work. Heck, we’d like to see dental care included in our universal care system — dental health seriously affects overall physical health. What we don’t want to see is people taking food off the table to pay their MSP premiums.

Then there’s Hydro, which, it can be argued, is an essential service, not a choice for most people.

Keeping the lights and heat running, and the refrigerator working are not things to be taken lightly, nor are they really luxuries. Forcing people to cut deeper and deeper into their income is just plain wrong.

Even driving is something over which most people have very little option.

It’s death to many people’s budgets — and their lives — by a thousand cuts.

Rising fees for essentials are cutting deep

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! Letters to the editor are welcome, but writers are requested to keep their submissions to 350 words or less. Keep it local — letters raised in response to issues raised in our pages get top priority. Letters will be edited for clarity, grammar, length — attack the issue, not the individual. All letters must contain the name, address and signature of the writer, and a phone number where they may be reached during business hours. Thank you letters will not normally be considered for publication. [email protected]

Letters to the editor: YOUR SAY

We have a Marie Antoinette power company

It seems that BC Hydro has become a modern-day Marie Antoinette.

Sadly, the complacent silence of the many indicates com-plicity with BC Hydro’s manic

irrational socialist behaviour. Unless a high percentage of the population demands that BC Hydro be controlled, BC Hydro will continue to do to us what-ever pleases it.

I used to think that British Col-umbians were more intelligent than Californians. I no longer think this.

Californians have got together

and asserted far more control over their electrical company than we have.

Because of our silence and complacence, most of us are get-ting what we deserve: unafford-able electricity mostly produced from rivers that we own.

Gillian SandersCowichan Bay


Street Beat With Malcolm Chalmers

The Gazette asked:

What is your New Years Resolution?

Dave Andrews“This year it’s going

to be, save a little more money. Cut down on credit card debt.”

Debbi Barger“My New Year’s reso-

lution for this year is to quit smoking again. I quit for 10 years then I started again, so quitting smok-ing, but not until Jan. 2.”

Gordon Matthias“I don’t make New Year’s

Resolutions, that was one of my resolutions about 40 years ago.”

Ron Brown“I am going to quit

smoking in the new year. I have been smoking since I was 14 so it’s been 47 years. I have the patch and everything.”

Leslie Gaskell“I did make them but I

don’t anymore because I never kept them so I just live to the best of my abil-ity every day.”

The death of former B.C. premier Bill Bennett on Dec. 4 prompted the trad-

itional round of polite tributes.He was the man from Kelow-

na who remade Vancouver, with SkyTrain, BC Place sta-dium and Expo 86 to put the city on the world map.

He won three majority gov-ernments before handing over the steering wheel of a smooth-ly running Social Credit Party to Bill Vander Zalm.

Outside B.C., the wire service obituaries ran to a few para-graphs, defining Bennett first as the “architect of financial restraint in the province.”

It seems an ordinary notion today, but when Bennett unleashed his “restraint pro-gram” on the B.C. government in 1983, it was presented as a right-wing coup on a socialist utopia.

I was in journalism school in Vancouver when unions organized a general strike and mass street demonstrations under the banner of Operation Solidarity, appropriated from the struggle against Poland’s communist dictators.

Their goal was to bring the recently re-elected government to its knees.

The newly tabloid Vancouver Province, itself largely con-trolled by some of B.C.’s most militant unions, was a screech-ing banshee of the big-labour left.

“Socred hitmen swoop on rights workers,” its front page declared after 400 layoff notices were issued to provincial staff. This propaganda was the pub-lic’s guide and my professional

role model.A bit of background: the B.C.

economy was in the grip of an international recession, hitting resource industries and govern-ment revenues hard.

Bennett had ousted the Dave Barrett NDP government in 1975, but the legacy lived on. During its three-year reign, for example, education spending increased 13 per cent in the first year and 23 per cent in each of the next two.

The blitz of restraint legis-lation reasserted government’s authority to control the size and wages of provincial staff, reinstated the province’s abil-ity to pay, eliminated various boards, and increased the prov-incial sales tax to seven per cent to pay the bills.

Another Bill Bennett legacy was dismantling the monopoly chokehold of big international unions on public heavy construction.

Growing up in northeastern B.C., I had seen the impressive pay for jobs on highway con-struction, about twice what I earned labouring for a non-union contractor doing city work.

A couple of friends dis-covered the inside track to securing labouring jobs on a provincially-funded high-way project. After joining the union, those in the know could

visit a business agent and hand over $500 cash. Within days, the lucky winner would be “name requested” to join the crew, vaulting over those who thought paying dues and work-ing their way up the seniority list would be enough.

This struggle over public con-struction continues today, with BC Hydro’s decision to make the Site C dam an open shop.

The main contract was awarded to a consortium work-ing with the Christian Labour Association of Canada, an alternative union known by more colourful names among old-line building trades.

After graduating from jour-nalism school, I landed my first full-time job as a repor-ter for the Kelowna Capital News, shortly before Bennett announced his retirement from the premier’s office to finish his term as a backbench MLA in the legislature.

Bennett and I would some-times arrive for work together, parking our rusty 1976 Chevro-lets on Bernard Avenue, where he kept an office above the family furniture store.

I found out later that Ben-nett’s modest old sedan was the government-issue car he had used during his entire 10 years as premier.

The party bought it for him as a humorous retirement gift, and he continued to drive it to work. No frills. That was Bill Bennett.

Tom Fletcher is legislature reporter and columnist for Black Press. Email: [email protected] Twitter: @tomfletcherbc

Passages of 2015: Bill Bennett

BC ViewsBy Tom Fletcher

Risk of forest fi re too high for festival approval

The CVRD has before it a proposal to amend a bylaw that would allow the development of a large campground and music festival to be built on the side of the mountain near Youbou. While there may be some merits to this proposal — people enjoy-ing music in the woods — the CVRD has not taken the broader ramifications of this develop-ment with the seriousness it deserves.

I wrote to members of the CVRD expressing my concerns in October. Hoping to have some of my concerns addressed, I attended a question and answer meeting on Dec. 7 in Youbou. To my surprise, the representatives of CVRD smugly shrugged off the concerns voiced by mem-bers of the community about noise levels, traffic congestion, environmental impacts, etc. But most worrisome was that when the CVRD representatives were asked if they had initiated an independent catastrophic fire study before evaluating the benefits and costs of the new development their answer was another smug “No”. And in this the CVRD is demonstrating a potentially tragic hubris.

My initial letter to the CVRD pointed out that no less author-ities than NASA, the U.S. National Climate Assessment, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. National Interagency Fire Center, and several universities have all arrived at the same conclusion:

“This is the present, and the future, of climate change. Our overheated world is amplifying drought and making megafires commonplace.

“This is happening even in the soggy Pacific Northwest, which

has been hard-hit by what’s been dubbed a “wet drought.”

“The wildfires in eastern Ore-gon and Washington devoured an area nearly the size of Delaware.

“The fiery future is upon us. Pervasive drought and record temperatures — July was the warmest month ever physically recorded on planet Earth — have turned forests from Fresno to Fairbanks into tinderboxes.

“But the dark reality is that significant future burning has already been locked in.

“In parts of the west, very large fires will increase sixfold by midcentury.

“This year’s combination of warm winter, low snowpack, early runoff, hot summer and fire is straight from the text-book — a good preview — of what climate models tell us will soon be commonplace. So what does that mean on the ground? Instead of a once-in-20-years event, the type of megafires now ravaging Oregon and Washing-ton could be expected to occur one year out of every two.” (Roll-ing Stone, Sept. 15, 2015)

And if one might think that B.C. can escape the possible megafire scenario consider this past summer in which the province experienced 171 fires of note (over 10 hectares), saw more than 300,000 hectares burn, spent twice the 10 year average fighting fires, and had to bring in over 300 firefighters, some from as far away as Aus-tralia and South Africa.

And this past summer we had our share of significant local fires: the Sproat Lake fire in which ash fell on Lake Cowic-han, the Skutz Falls fire, and the Lizard Lake Fire in August, which on at least two days blan-keted the town of Lake Cow-ichan with smoke so thick the mountains on all sides weren’t visible.

Letters to the editor

See VOLUME OF, Page 6

Look for a new face at the Gazette in the New Year!This January, reporter/photographer James Goldie will be starting at the paper. Look for him around town


60 STATION ST. • 250-748-8128 1-800-434-0566 B.C. REG 1506 Sherri Brubaker

WHERE IN THE WORLD WOULD

YOU LIKE TO GO?

Wishing all a happy, healthy,

prosperous and well traveled

2016!!

We Can Get You There!Start the New Year o� RIGHT!

To all our friends around the lake

HAVE A SAFE AND HAPPY NEW YEAR’S EVE

and we look forward to seeing you in 2016!

Name: Lisa AndersenOccupation: works at Curry in a Hurry and an RCAHometown: YoubouI’ve always wanted to: Travel the worldFavourite food: Curry in a HurryProudest moment: graduating as an RCABest thing about living here: you know everyoneFavourite activity: reading and watching hockeyHow do you define down time: readingI wish I was better at: manag-ing money

Lisa Andersen

COWICHAN LAKE

Smile FILEWith Malcolm Chalmers

2015 at the CVRD board table has been

a very interesting year to look back on. With nine out of 15 directors being newly elect-ed to the CVRD, it was an exercise in getting everyone up to speed on the important issues in the region during the first few months of 2015.

Water management, flood management, economic development and strategic planning were probably the top four topics. Another hot topic in 2015 was the dumping of contaminated soil in the Cowichan region. Many of you have probably seen the issue evolve on the evening news. I truly admire the Shawnigan community members who are bringing a heightened sense of awareness to this environ-mentally sensitive issue. In the end, it would be my hope that the regional government, not the provincial government, would have jurisdiction over the dumping and storage of

contaminated soils. I am not so sure this kind of activity should ever be considered to be safe within a watershed.

Climate change and years of build-ing development in the Cowichan Valley region have brought

to the forefront the issues of water management and flood management. People, animals and our surrounding environment are being regu-larly exposed to extremes with respect to rainfall. It is very easy to understand how these extremes can add stresses to fish and wildlife, industry and just the plain everyday life of humans. The changes have been subtle over many years, but now we seem to be facing significant crisis, on a some-what regular basis, when it comes to issues surrounding water.

Solutions to this issue have been planned, and in some cases built, with more infra-structure on the horizon to les-

son the effects of the issue.The board has also spent a

fair amount of time on eco-nomic development education around the board table and what part local government plays in this regard. Quite sim-ply there is no specific recipe for economic development and it can differ from one cor-ner of the region to the next. What I have learned is most important is, know your facts, know your people, and most of all, be open to new ideas. As communities we seem to have to spend a lot of time trying to reinvent yesterday when we maybe should be looking for-ward to tomorrow.

Being involved in local gov-ernment, I never cease to be amazed at the dedication of community members, elected officials and staff. When all the personalities work together for the common good, the future of humans on the planet benefits.

Happy New Year!

Bob K. DayCouncillor, Town of Lake CowichanVice chair CVRD

CVRD year started with getting many new directors up to speed

CVRD reportBy Bob Day

Now consider the proposed development before the CVRD: to locate a new campground/music festival off Highway 18, up the side of a mountain. The plan calls for 300 permanent campsites, 3,000 special event camping spaces and the arriv-al of 5,000 vehicles a day on the days of the big music event with as many as 40,000 people.

At this point the proposal calls for 15 big special event days.

Is this not a recipe for disas-ter? With so many people and vehicles crowded into such an inaccessible area how can people living in town and stay-ing at the campsite possibly be evacuated safely in case of a forest fire? How will the fire trucks get access? And consider what the developer’s own fire study reported on the proposed location: “(f)uel loading is moderate-high as a result of more or less continu-ous coniferous forest cover. Under warm dry conditions, a fire started at the property or at nearby lands would likely spread rapidly to the north. Outflow winds would exacer-bate ignition potential and rate of speed.” It goes on to find, “Scoring from the WUI Wildfire Threat Rating system and associated risk assess-ment modelling tools rate the Wildfire Threat at High/Extreme at the subject proper-

ties.” (Strathcona report). It’s one thing for the project’s

developer to downplay the risk of forest fire and to put for-ward their own fire plan that includes, among other things, “incorporating fire-resistive native shrubs”, “working smoke alarms”, and “during the fire season (April-October) ...: ‘No smoking’” signs. It’s quite another for the CVRD to sit on its hands when so many

lives are at stake. I suggest that until the CVRD

can reassure the citizens of Cowichan Valley beyond any doubt that their safety in terms of forest fires, now and in the future, has been addressed, the bylaw amend-ment for this development must be put aside.

Michael ColwellLake Cowichan

Volume of people could not be safely evacuatedRISK OF, From Page 5

A plane drops fire retardent on a bush blaze last summer. [CITIZEN FILE]


145 South Shore Rd.Lake Cowichan

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Great Investment property in the heart of Lake Cowichan. This property has been used as a residential rental but lends itself to redevelopment for commercial because of the prime location. Lot size is approx. 90x300

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OFFER WHAT YOU THINK…

23-8631 South Shore $155,000

At beaver lake resort. 30ft immaculate RV boarding on beachfront with huge covered deck area and large garden shed. The lot is hidden by an evergreen hedge for assured privacy. This is a turnkey setup, great for that weekend getaway or can be used full time.

BEAUTIFUL BEACHFRONT

87 Park $325,000

This 3 or 4 bedroom home radiates hospitality & charm from the marble & Boeing bathtub to the vaulted ceilings. The living room has a cozy terra cotta � replace and downstairs is a cold room for your wine or preserves. The home boasts unique tiles, intercom system, built in vacuum and fully � nished detached workshop with over height double carport for your RV or Boat

SPANISH VILLA

9166 Meades Creek

$575,000

Sunny Youbou waterfront on .29 acre The main home has 3 bedroom & 2 bathrooms, beautiful birch � oors and an open plan kitchen / living roomdesign. There is a 2nd residence with 2 bed/1 bath which is currently being rented. Why not own a piece of paradise?

10552 Coon Creek

WATERFRONT3105 Laurel Grove $329,900

This 1528 sq ft level entry home offers 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, spacious interior with huge kitchen, attached dining area and family room. The master is large and includes a en-suite and walk in closet. The yard is level with lots of room for RV/Boat parking, there is a courtyard with paving stones and glass covered entryway, nice � ower beds and a large deck at the back. Minutes to downtown Duncan. Motivated seller and early possession available!

1.25 ACRE PRIVATE LOT

477 Point Ideal $85,000

Make this your holiday get-a-away! Shared interest in a waterfront development boasting

12 acres on Lake Cowichan. There are 4 acres of play � elds, a private marina, a boat launch, sandy beach and a year round caretaker. You

are close to March Meadows Golf course, Gordon Bay Park, and only minutes from the

Town of Lake Cowichan. Share in the abundance of nature the area o� ers that

makes this place so uniquie!

PARADISE VILLAGE

#57-6855 Park Ave $102,00011 Indian Road $209,000

Located on the outskirts of the Town of Lake Cowichan. Zoning provided for various usage including intensive agriculture or a B & B. Easy access to the property o� Indian Road. Lots of privacy and there is the potential to bring in some revenue from logging some of the standing trees. Great opportunity to build a beautiful home in your own private wilderness. Call to view today!

2.5 ACRE TREED LOT$245,000

Beautiful waterfront lot on one of the nicest spots on Cowichan Lake. This is an undivided ½ interest a Joint Tenants with a Co-Ownership Agreement in place. Cute cabin on property with two bedrooms, includes a hot tub and dock. Enjoy the beach for swimming & boating and spectacular view of the Mountains & Lake. Call to view today!

BEAUTIFUL WATERFRONT LOT

197 Grants Lake Road $230,000

This home features 6 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, 2 kitchens and plenty of storage. There is a 560 sq ft double garage to store those summer toys. This big home sits on an extra large 0.37 acre lot with fenced garden area and lots of room for building that dream car garage. Quick Possession Available. Call to view today!

147 MacDonald $220,000

This large home features 3 bedrooms upstairs with a huge living room, country kitchen and laundry room. There is a 1 bed suite downstairs which will provide extra revenue if needed or simply use as a big home. There is a big easy access wired shop that would be great for projects or storage. Call to view today!

REVENUE PROPERTY30 Coronation $239,000

2 bed/2 bath rancher is move in ready with nothing to do! The home is immaculately maintained, the partially fenced yard has a mixture of beautiful plants, garden area and greenhouse. Great starter or retirement home. Call to view today!

PICTURE PERFECTREDUCED

The perfect picture in this very cute bungalow. From the moment you open the door you will be amazed at the openness of the design, 3 big skylights accent the vauleted ceilings, 34 bedrooms, master with a full 4 pc bath. What a beautiful area to live in. Good neighbours make the di� erence. Call to view today!

EASY LIVING

191 Johnson $285,000

ROOMY READY & REASONABLE

QUIET CUL-DE-SAC

#3-215 Madill $115,000

Centrally located to shopping and all amenities. Level entry with main � oor livingroom including an attached storage area and private patio in the back, where you can enjoy the wooded area and � owing creek. Upstairs has 3 bedrooms, 4 piece bath and the master has a walk in closet. Could be a great starter home for a young family, great investment or perfect for retirement. Call to view today!

AFFORDABLE TOWNHOUSE

WATERFRONT LOT

34 Creekside $309,900

Start your dream here! Beautiful water front lot located in prestigious Creekside Estates on the sunny south facing shores of Lake Cowichan. Incredible views of the pristine lake and mountains and many high end homes are in this impressive subdivision. Minutes from the Town of Lake Cowichan, close to trails and plenty of nature and recreation. This property boasts 14,124 sq ft and is ready to build on. Add your own private dock or walk on the waterfront pebble beach. Great place to enjoy the summer, live year round or retire!

225 Johel $339,000

Gorgeous Lake & Mountain views from all sides on this Kwassin Lake home. The home features 3 bed / 3 bath with an open plan living design. The master bedroom overlooks the lake and boasts a walk in closet and 4 pc en-suite. The backyard is perfect for entertaining or relaxing while watching the King� shers, ducks and more on your doorstep. Call now to view!

PEACE & TRANQUILITY

$121,000

Immaculate double wide mobile in a small adult park with only 10 units. This 2 bed/2 bath home has been meticulously maintained including paint, � ooring, appliances, new propane � replace, bathroom and the list goes on and on. A great home and wonderful location so don’t miss your chance to live here!

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17 Kestral Drive $99,900

You can see for miles & miles on this spectacular south facing 0.28 acre lot. Located high on the hill in the “Cottages at Marble Bay”. There are panoramic views of the mountains, beautiful Cowichan Lake & Honeymoon Bay! There is lake access with wharfs and beach front. They don’t come any better than this so make this your weekend destination get-a-way or for full time living!

SPECTACULAR VIEWS

6624 Forestry Road $119,900

This lot is ideally suited to build your dream home in charming Mesachie Lake. The � at lot is close to swimming, gol� ng, hiking and camping. The lot includes a car port and a newer 200 sq ft shed which is wired, plumbed including a bathroom and insulated. The lot is fully fenced & has mature trees adding to the tranquility and privacy you will feel. Call to view today!

PRETTY AS A PICTURE

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196 Neva $296,900

1200 Sq Ft shop with two bays for all your toys. This 3 bedroom home is situated on a roomy .32 acre lot. The back yard is large and private.Located close to all town amenities

HUGE SHOP

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These Specials available at Country Grocer Lake Cowichan ONLY

83 Cowichan Lk. Rd, Lake CowichanOpen Daily 7 am - 9 pm

Holiday HoursNew Year’s Eve:

7am-6pmNew Year’s Day:

10am-6pm

The Original Staff, 1986

Jenn in 1988!

Jo-Anne, Moonlight

Madness 2008Right: Citizen of the Year 2011

Pete’s Moonlight Madness 1990’s

Construction begins:

New Building:

Taping the commercial...

Moonlight Madness 2015

Bill, Meat Mgr.50th Birthday

Lake Days!

We wish you a Safe & Happy Holiday Season!

From our family

to yours, Thank You

for 30 wonderful

years!Customer Elva’s

Birthday

Jenn in 1988!

Celebrates 30 Years!Country Grocer Lake Cowichan

Sarah, 1991

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Locally Owned & Operated since 1984

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FISH DELIVERY PROTEIN FOR PEOPLEBetty Anne Weberg Sanddar praised the Lake Cowichan Teachers Association who, through their project called Protein for People, donated 35 cases of 24 cans of B.C.-caught and B.C.-canned salmon to the Lake Cowichan Food Bank before Christmas. [SUBMITTED]

LEXI BAINAS GAZETTE

The semi-annual Town of Lake Cowichan town hall meeting held Nov. 30 offered residents the opportunity to talk to their town councillors on a wide variety of subjects.

Katherine Worsley wanted to know what was happening with the newly-acquired Kasapi Cen-tre, which may need remedial renovation because of mould now and at some stage of development, because of asbestos.

“Why did the town take on a building with-out having the property owner do the remedial work?” she asked.

Forrest told her the town was not going to ask someone who was donating a property to do that.

“Also, the town was excited to get the building and land. If it costs $20,000 to do an upgrade on an asset worth $400,000, then it’s still a good deal,” he said.

Worsley asked if the town was allowed to tear down the building if it would cost too much to fix it and Forrest said that, at least, could be done.

“We’re allowed to clear it but the property must remain in public use, we couldn’t sell it for resi-dential or something like that,” he said.

New Kasapi Centre a ‘good deal’, says mayor

www.lakecowichangazette.com | THE LAKE COWICHAN GAZETTE | Wednesday, December 30, 2015 11S

andy

Stin

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Pat

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ATTENTION DEVELOPERS & Investors – here is a great opportunity to purchase a multi-family site within city limits with full community servicing. “The Slopes”, a new Lake Cowichan subdivision showcasing a variety of beautiful new homes. Close to town & minutes to the Lake with easy hwy. access.

Huge south facing waterfront 1.01 acres. Steel

roof and bonus sun room

$775,0009866 Stin-Qua Road $364,900

10150 Youbou Road

$497,000

Perfect for the person who has everything!!Your own island on Cowichan Lake, privateand peaceful.

Great Riverfront Community,Walk to Town

7777 Sunset Drive4 Bedroom home, 1 minute from

great beach. Functional & fantastic home with new kitchen.

$419,000

7971 Cowichan Valley Hwy.PROPOSED NICE NEW HOUSE. Big log home with loft, and shop on 14 acres in town boundary. Big

16’ x 23’ workshop with 14’ ceilings

$1,199,000

297 North Shore RoadTimber frame home across from the

lake with 1 bdr. suite

$469,000

10351 Youbou

#2-77 Nelson

10501 Youbou Rd.

Great BeachAccess!

• Riverfront +/ residential+/ +business too!

• Location, location,location• Established since 1960• 1960 sq’ building• 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom• 62x104 riverfront lot

67 South Shore Rd.

Luxury 2-Bedroom

Cabinsstarting at $199,000,

includes boat slip and storage locker.

94 Cottonwood St.

Your Trusted Authority ~ Going the extra mile for you!

250-749-6000

REDUCED

SLOPESBeautiful upscale development has attracted a lovely mixture of mostly retired professionals.

481 Mountain View Rd. $549,900

LOTS

164 Elk $68,000466 Point Ideal 1/4 Acre $105,9001734 Meagan St. Crofton Ocean View $133,900229 Johel Rd $79,900

Large Sunny Lots STARTING AT $100,000The SLOPES BIG LOTS $99,000

RE/MAX of LAKE COWICHAN

127 Darnell Rd.Cute cottage, easy walk to town

$153,400

72 Park RoadRiverfront home on the Cowichan River walking distance to all Lake Cowichan has to offer. $795,000$265,000

$265,900

93 & 95 South Shore Rd.Commercial/Residential downtown

riverfront property

$389,000

Huge lot, water glimpses,3 bedrooms

$179,0005 acres of amazing waterfront, huge log cabin, tennis court,

swimming pool, caretakers cabin, shop.

$2,500,000

Beautifully updated home, new kitchen, � xtures,

� ooring, updated bathroom, new roof in 2011, .8 acre can

be subdivided.

$199,999

$154,900

New roof and renovationsto basement!

$199,000

Unique waterfront development situated on the Cowichan River 2 bdrm cottage perfect for a weekend retreat or live year round

146 Wavell RoadOne acre in town, walk to everything,

new open concept livingRIVERFRONT

$419,000

www.remaxlakecowichan.com

Sa-Seenos WATERFRONT

1.66 acres, HUGELY MOTIVATED!

$589,900

10484 Youbou Rd.Lake view from kitchen, landscaped, .52 acre

23 Stevens Crescent3 Bdrm. cedar sided, wood � oors, 2 shops, awesome fenced yard.

$219,000

Penny LaneDuplex $239,000Cottage $259,000

$367,00010196 Youbou

RECREATION – MULTI-FAMILY INVESTMENT – SUBDIVISION POTENTIAL

Nearly 1.5 acres of gently-sloping waterfront. panoramic Views. Private & sheltered.

This charming cottage includes a sweet bungalow & has everything you need for rest, relaxation & entertaining.

$739,000

Magni� cent lakefront home on .70 of an acre. Complete with guest cottage

$919,000

WOW!

521 Point Ideal 9041 Meades Creek

147 Cowichan Ave

Large family home with many updates, wood stove downstairs and fenced backyard, across from TC trail.

154 South Shore Rd. Commercial Building and LandMain St. in Lake Cowichan, 7200 sq. ft. lot

130 Neva Rd. Lake Cowichan Home Centre, business and mini mall

$1,495,000 $310,000

$194,900

80 Fern RoadCozy home on extra large lot, open concept living, metal roof, just 2 years old!

119 Boundary RoadMobile home on extra large lot. Proper roof trusses and asphalt

shingles Priced to sell.

24 Nelson Road

Renovated mobile in waterfront park.Full time living oryour summer escape. 6 monthsFREE pad rent.

2 Bedroom home with sweet yard, newer roof; perfect for a garden lover.

$339,000$39,900

$165,0009220 Nighthawk RoadBayview Village, with private beach, nice deck

$269,000

169 South ShoreLand & building orstart your own business$449,000

3 bedrooms, two baths, bring your lake toys and enjoy.

110 River Road

$249,000

3 bed, 2 bath rancher, propane � replace, jacuzzi tub in master, double garage.

32 Paddle Duck Lane

Best of both worlds. Weekend Gettaway or live full time. This Park Model is right at the edge of the pond.

$180,000

262 King� sher Pl. Cute 9 year old 4 bedroom home with open concept,

fenced yard with RV hook-up.

$289,900

SOLD

SOLD

PENDING

SOLD

EARLY CHRISTMAS PRESENT

1/2 acre of privacy, gazebo, creek in back, 3 bedrooms, close to beach

7780 Parkinson Ave.

$149,900

Ela

ine

McG

inn

Bra

d B

erg

en

87 South Shore Road

9200 sqft commercial space downtown. Some space rented, over

4K in income

$495,000

Lot 5 Miracle Way

7434 Cowichan Lake RoadPark like setting backing onto Trans Canada Trail, 1.5 Storey house with new roof in 2014. $219,900

SOLD


The Retreads hiking group enjoys the view from the top of Mount Bolduc, just one of the hikes they undertook to some of the most beautiful and scenic spots in the Cowichan Valley and elsewhere on Vancouver Island.[SUBMITTED]

Busy year saw Retreads hoof it here, there, and everywhere

◆ YEAR IN REVIEW

The Lake Cowichan Retreads had a

busy, fun filled year, rewarded with sun-shine for most of our hikes. Here we review some high points of our hikes — yes some were quite high like Mt Bolduc. We include the recent urban hike — yes we count Lake Cowichan as urban. We also look briefly at some social aspects of belonging to this dynamic club.

Our big social event was the Christmas Party held at the curling lounge. We had a full house this year, including a few pickleball players that we welcomed in. We were served a delicious turkey dinner — thank you Arlene and team — reviewed the years’ events in a slide show of hikes from this year and last; played fun games; and danced to Jan Mat-thews In Overdrive with Angie at the controls. Having our club operating under Lake Cowichan Recreation facilitated these arrangements, as did our social committee. We give a rousing thanks to this energetic, cre-ative committee.

Wednesdays throughout the year find us enjoying Vancouver Island trails, often managing to end hikes at interesting places such as the Unsworth Winery, the Duncan Garage, Bean Time in Ladysmith, the Dinghy Dock floating Pub on Protection Island, the Sushi Bar and Jakes in town. These become places to sit back and relax and share interesting stories about our lives and activities. Often the social relations run deeper. Members share other activities that they learn about during hikes and occasionally members

help each other when they experi-ence difficult times. We hear questions asking “how is so and so”? Invari-ably someone has checked in.

Our hikes cover the South Island including east to Ruckle Farm Park on Salt Spring Island, south to Goldstream Park,

south west to East Sooke Park, north to Newcastle Island and Jack Point in Nanaimo and down to the Port Renfrew area. We also covered many points in between.

Hiking is a great low impact way to explore and understand the geography of our island. Of course there is some impact on knees, feet and our cardiac system. Sometimes the “why am I doing this” question comes to mind, but there is a great deal of satisfaction when we complete the trek and we are back again the next Wednesday. This year numbers have ranged from 15 to 30 hikers.

A brief review of our 48 hikes shows we did four hikes three times. These include the Cowic-han River Footpath Loop from Mayo Road down to Trestle 66 and back, and the loop from Trestle 66 downstream. Also Bald Mountain, right up to the former tracking station. These are popular hikes. We complet-ed six hikes, Fisherman’s Trail off the old highway, Robertson Waterfall (spectacular in the rainy season), and Mesachie Forest twice.

Looking at distances traveled, 28 hikes were local, that is right from town or a short ride along the lake or down the river. Thirteen hikes were a medium distance. For example, near

Duncan, Ladysmith, Shawnigan Lake or Avatar and Botanical Beach near Port Renfrew, and seven hikes more distant. Exam-ples are East Sooke, Nanaimo, Salt Spring Island (with an expensive ferry ride) and Gold-stream. The good news is there are many excellent hikes right around our area, and fascinat-ing places to visit within a one to two hour drive.

Which is your favourite hike you ask? There is no simple answer. Each hike has its own unique features and views. Some take us up mountains, some along rivers. We climbed a number of mountains such as Bald Mountain, Skidder Moun-tain, Maple Mountain, Mount Tzouhalem, Mount Good and Mount Bolduc. A great many of our hikes take us beside water — Cottonwood, Shaw and Holland Creeks, the Cowichan, Koksilah, Robertson and Gold-stream rivers, Cowichan, Heart and Stocking lakes, and some follow along the ocean shore — Ruckle Park, Newcastle Island, Dodd Narrows and Jack Point.

Recently, our hike was right inside Lake Cowichan. Immedi-ately on Saywell Park we had a discussion about the river pro-tection work and floating dock spear headed by the town and

CLRSS. Next, we visited our out-standing museum that a num-ber of members had not been in before. We then went behind the museum following the trail around the Ted Burns Nature Reserve along the edge of the lake. We noted the former rail-way spurs where logs had been pulled out of the lake. We then crossed Point Ideal Drive with a stop a check the community garden.

We moved on cautiously across South Shore where only two log-ging trucks rolled by, up behind LCS, down a lane beside the upper playing field and down Coronation Street.

We had an interesting discus-sion when the Anglican Church came into view. One member’s parents had been married at the little church when it stood in Mesachie Lake. He had been wondering where the church had gone. In their family photo it had been surrounded by two to three feet of snow. Now he had an answer — moved to Lake Cowichan! On across by the library to Ts’uubaa-asatx Park with the magnificent totem pole and the Forest Workers’ Memor-ial Park.

We again crossed South Shore Road and Otakhi Park on to the former railway, now foot bridge.

Here we had discussions about a huge flood in the 60s; river swimming and, of course, jump-ing off the bridge — not a new activity.

For our cardiac health we marched up River Road and right onto Elk Road. As we approached the firehall the alarm went off so we watched in admiration as the volunteers rushed in, put gear on and were off to the fire — this one just down the street! As we were less than a block away, the hike stalled as some watched, intrigued with the activity and efficiency of the volunteer fire brigade. After that excitement we headed up toward the former Boyd school and down the trail through Friendship Park — a neat path through the forest right in the centre of town. We crossed the street once more to the Lake Sushi Bar where we enjoyed an amazing lunch.

Altogether it was another great year for Retread Hikers. We are no longer a fringe group. We have many active members enjoying our great outdoors and learning about the many features of this great part of the world. Our hikes for the next quarter are already planned, beginning New Years Day at 10:30 a.m. meeting as usual at Saywell Park.

We hike every Wednesday. If you are interested, be at Sayw-ell Park with good boots and a lunch, pick up a brochure at the arena or Google Cowichan Lake Retreads. There are a few basic rules we commit to: be on time; bring a lunch; carpool where possible — driver receives gas money; non-members pay $2 per hike. Become a member, if you wish, through the Cowichan Arena. We have four meetings each year to plan the quarterly schedules.

See you in 2016.

Take a hikeBy David Kidd & Willa Suntjens

At Saywell Park the group discusses river protection work and the floating dock. [SUBMITTED]

Driest summer on record had 2015 impactAs 2015 draws to

a close we can look back on

another eventful year in our community. We faced the third serious drought in the past four years, which was marked by the driest summer period ever recorded.

In January we started noticing a disturbing lack of snow in the mountains surrounding our lake. We had been getting normal amounts of precipitation but it was just not cold enough for snow to form in the mountains. This was an ominous sign for our summer as the record setting warm El Nino ocean current was persisting and this meant we could be facing a dry and warm summer.

By the end of March there was still no snow in the mountains and this was about the time we expect to see the peak of the snow pack. We could see the writing on the wall; there would be no melting snow to top up the lake this spring. By April 15 the weir was below full storage. The rule curve allows full storage in the weir until July 21 so we knew that without significant rainfall in May we were facing serious water shortages again this year. What followed was the driest May in the 61 years for which we have local records.

The lack of melt water entering the lake may have contributed to an algae bloom in the lake and river in June. Surface water tem-peratures were above normal in the lake and river for most of the summer creating good conditions for algae growth but marginal con-ditions for fish health.

The July 21 date for full weir storage was changed from previ-ous years when July 1 was the last date allowed for full storage. This decision was appealed by a group of six lakeshore residents and after more than a year the Environment-al Appeal Board released their decision upholding the July 21 date and rejecting the claims of the appellants. This decision made the key finding that there is no expro-priation of lakeshore properties under 164 meters elevation, which is the average winter high water mark. The top of our weir is 162.37 metres.

Even though we knew we could be in trouble for water again this summer we provided 25 cubic metres per second (CMS) to the riv-er in April to enable steelhead and salmon fry to safely emerge from the gravel and find safe habitat in the wetted areas around the river banks.

As May started we began to slow-ly reduce the river flow to 12 CMS and salmon fry rescue operations kicked into high gear as the Cow-ichan River and all the tributaries feeding the lake started dropping quickly. In the end we rescued well over 100,000 salmon fry by moving them from drying pools into the main stem of the river or the lake.

With the lake level continuing to drop in June, river flow was fur-ther reduced to 5.5 CMS, well below

the desired seven cms, in order to conserve water for the expected dry summer.

At about this time, the Cowichan Lake and River Stewardship Society started year two of the three-year Shoreline Stewardship Program. Local stu-dents were hired and

over the summer they restored 10 properties, five on the river and five on the lake. Invasive plants were removed and native riparian plants were planted in their place to re-create natural shoreline habitat.

As the summer started river flow was again reduced to 4.5 CMS and projections were that the river would start running dry about the end of September if we got no significant summer rains. Watering restrictions were put in place for most of our community. The CVRD, Cowichan Tribes and Catalyst began discussions on how we can increase our summer water storage by building a new weir and funds were applied for from the provincial government.

By the end of August we were only a couple of weeks from reach-ing zero storage and the prospect of a drying river. Faced with the probability of having to shut down their mill, Catalyst applied for the ability to pump water over the weir in the event of reaching zero stor-age. Seventy per cent of the water pumped would remain in the river and keep the fish in it alive while 30 per cent would be used by Cata-lyst to keep their mill running.

In the face of growing despera-tion we got the miracle we needed. On Aug. 28 the skies opened and life giving rains arrived unexpect-edly. From May 1 until Aug. 27 we had received 51mm of rain. From Aug. 28 until Sept. 16 we got an additional 85 mm and the threat of zero storage was erased when still more rains came in September.

As September came to a close our river was again up to 25 CMS and rising, just in time for the fall run chinook salmon to enter the river and access their spawning grounds in the upper river and lake tribu-taries. There would be no salmon trucking necessary this year and the river was in great condition to welcome the returning chum and coho salmon as they arrived in October and November.

Our Chinook salmon run was just about as expected this year but the chum salmon were below expecta-tions and the coho salmon returns for all island rivers were way below normal. It is estimated that coho returns were only about 10 per cent of expectations so this species may have been adversely affected by the unusually warm “Blob” of water in the north Pacific this year.

We learned again this year how critically important it is for our community to increase our summer water storage capacity. I understand there is some frustra-tion in our community over rising taxes but I believe most of us can see the urgency of securing our

summer water supply. This is one project that cannot be considered optional and it is very likely that the provincial and federal govern-ments will contribute most of the funding.

Securing and controlling our access to safe, clean water will pay back huge benefits in the future. With more summer water available we will have a healthy river and lake, the poten-tial for growing much more local food and increased industrial capacity. Just imagine, we might have the option to have a green lawn and a clean car in the summer.

One CowichanBy Parker Jefferson

◆ YEAR IN REVIEW

There was great concern for the Cowichan River this summer as drought took its toll. [CITIZEN FILE]


FAITHDIRECTORY

BAPTISTCowichan LakeBaptist Church8259 Beaver Road

Lake Cowichan250-749-3211

Sunday Service 10:30 a.m.Sunday School 10:30 a.m.

Pastor Dale Winters

ANGLICANSt. Christopher

and St. Aidan70 Cowichan Ave. W


JANUARY SERVICES:Jan. 3 & 10 at 1 pm

Jan. 17, 24 & 31 at 10:30 am

PENTECOSTALLake Cowichan

Christian Fellowship10 King George St. South


Sunday Service 10:30 a.m.

Pastor Terry Hale

ROMAN CATHOLICSt. Louis

de Montfort60 Fern Road


Mass Sunday 9:00 a.m.

Fr. John Vines

Rod’sAUTO GLASS& UPHOLSTERY

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BOTTLE DRIVEFOR THE YOUBOU COMMUNITY CHURCH SOCIETY

JANUARY 9TH 2016PICK UPS FROM

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THE YOUBOU FIREHALL FROM 10 AM - 2:30 PM

The Youbou Community Church Society repairs and maintains the church for the future and public use.The Youbou Community Church was built in 1938 and is a historical site. A group of dedicated individuals have volunteered over 1400 hours this year to remodel the kitchen, replace outside siding, replace the outside cement stairs and signage. This year it is imperative that the chimney be replaced (at an estimated cost of $7,500.00) and that is what this fundraiser is for.

The Youbou Community Church Society is a charitable organization and operates on a limited budget to upgrade and comply with regulations (� re, safety and food safe) and meet day to day expenses (oil, electrical, insurances and taxes.)

TOWN OF LAKE COWICHAN

NoticeRegular Meeting Dates - 2016

Please note that the Regular Meeting dates for Council of the Town of Lake Cowichan for 2016 are as follows:

• January 26th • February 23rd

• March 22th

• April 26th

• May 10th *• May 24th

• June 28th

• July 26th

• August 23rd

• September 20th

• October 25th

• November 22nd

• December 20th

The start time for the regular meetings is 6:00 pm and the meetings are held at 39 South Shore Road, Lake Cowichan (Municipal Hall).

* This special meeting of Council will be held on May 10th, 2016 starting at 5:00 p.m. Dated this 22nd day of December, 2015.

Joseph A. Fernandez,Chief Administrative Officer


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Gas • Diesel Boat Gas

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OPEN: Mon.-Sat: 5a.m.-10p.m.Sun: 7a.m. - 8p.m.

14 North Shore Rd. Lake Cowichan

Gutters

4 Season ❀❂ ❄ GUTTER Company

A gutter above the rest. Featuring: Crown Moulding

Fascia GuttersCall Steve for Free estimates!Locally owned & operated

250-715-6038250-749-4192

STONERIDGESAND AND GRAVEL

3881 Finwood Place, Duncan 250-715-3003

For all your gravel supplies

GRAVEL | SAND | CRUSH ROCK | DRAINROCK | TRUCKING

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Madison Pilfold decided to sell tea light ornaments at her booth at the Lake Cowichan School’s young entrepreneur show. [MALCOLM CHALMERS PHOTOS]

Young entrepreneurs engage

Lennox Weber, with some help from his Papa Sid Reglia, made these Christmas centrepieces and were sold out soon after opening his Big on Bark table.

Items sold fast with a large crowd on hand to pick up some one-of-a-kind christmas items at the Young Entrepreneur Show.

Laura Fernandez and Hanna Hpedralvlz look over some of the Christmas ornaments sold at Josephine Kutn’s table.


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Documents

Lake Cowichan Gazette, December 30, 2015