Merritt Herald, August 04, 2015

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TUESDAY, AUGUST 4, 2015 • MERRITT NEWSPAPERS FREE

GETTING FRESHThe food bank is asking Merrittonians for excess produce / Page 3

WHERE THEY ARE NOWMSS grads achieving greatness around the country / Page 9

Interim CAO named

ROCKIN’ THE RIVER The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band played the main stage of the Rockin’ River Music Festival on the opening night (July 30). See Thursday’s paper for full photo spread. Michael Potestio/Herald

The City of Merritt has named public works manager Shawn Boven as its interim chief administrative officer effective Monday, August 10.

Current CAO Allan Chabot will be leaving for the same job in Revelstoke, and his last day at the City of Merritt is Friday, August 7.

The CAO position oversees the management and operations of city staff, ensures policies, programs and other directions of council are implemented and advises council on city affairs.

Merritt Mayor Neil Menard said council appointed Boven because he’s been an interim CAO in the past.

City council is still leaning toward hiring a corporate officer to work under the CAO, but council wants to have the CAO position filled first.

Once it is, council will consult with their new CAO before decid-ing whether or not to hire a corpo-rate officer.

Deciding what to do about the vacant economic development man-ager position is a decision council will make once they hire and con-sult their permanent CAO as well, Menard said.

Menard has told the Herald he wants to recruit a permanent CAO by the end of the year and is working with the municipal recruit-

ing firm Ravenhill Group to find Chabot’s permanent replacement.

“We definitely want the new CAO’s input,” Menard said.

“I’m hoping that the person we hire will be able give us some very positive guidance on what we should do,” he said.

Boven said he’s honoured to be able to assist council in this time of transition.

“I’m just excited for the oppor-tunity and to work with council and staff in a greater capacity than I have been,” Boven told the Herald.

Boven served as an interim CAO back in 2013 when the position was last vacated, sharing the duties of the role with leisure services man-ager Larry Plotnikoff.

That, however, won’t be the case this time around as Boven will be responsible for all the duties that come with the CAO job in addition to his role as public works manager.

Public works manager Shawn Boven will

temporarily take over from outgoing chief

administrative officer Allan Chabot on Aug. 10.

Michael PotestioTHE MERRITT HERALD

Public works manager Shawn Boven. Ted Nodwell/Submitted photo

Responding to a continuing level 4 drought, the province has placed a temporary water use restric-tion on the Coldwater River and its tributaries.

The Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations said the measures are being put in place to protect coho, chinook and steelhead salmon populations, which are threatened by low stream flows.

The restrictions went into place Friday at mid-night.

Water from the river may only be diverted from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.

This will continue for a week and a half, until

Aug. 11, when the restriction will escalate. At that time, no water whatsoever may be diverted from the river, until Sept. 30.

“These measures strike a balance between pro-viding water during a critical time for agricultural producers, while still taking the action necessary to protect fish populations,” the ministry stated in a press release.

There are 50 water licenses affected by this restriction.

The Nicola Valley has been suffering from a Level 4 “extremely dry” drought since July 21. On July 22, all angling was suspended on the Coldwater River, as well as the Nicola and Spius rivers.

Water use restricted on ColdwaterDavid DyckTHE MERRITT HERALD

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NICOLA VALLEY NEWS

TUESDAY, August 4, 2015 • 3

Friends & Neighbours

The Merritt Herald is looking forCOMMUNITY-SUBMITTED STORIES

about your Friends & Neighbours.Ph: 250.378.4241 Fax: [email protected] www.merrittherald.com2090 Granite Avenue, P.O. Box 9, Merritt, B.C.

MERRITT HERALDPlease bring them in to:

@MerrittHerald

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Opinion --------------------- 6-7Sports ------------------------- 9 Classified ------------------- 10

INSIDE

From the Herald archives: August, 1999

WILDFIRE STARTED

FROM BURNING CAR

A stolen car set on fire in the hills behind Collettville was responsible for Monday’s wildfire visible from down-town Merritt.

British Columbia Forest Service spokesperson Jennifer Crawford confirmed yesterday the 110-hectare fire, which at one point was heading straight towards Merritt, was caused by a deliber-ately set vehicle fire.

Merritt RCMP reported yesterday afternoon a vehicle was stolen from a residence in the 2500-block of Priest Avenue sometime between 10 p.m. Sunday and 7:30 a.m. Monday, when it was discovered on fire on the Lily Lake Road.

While forest firefighters are not trained in respond-ing to vehicle or structural fires, they will respond when the forest adjacent to a vehicle catches fire.

“Wind was a huge factor in the start of the fire and how it played out,” said Crawford.

REMEMBER WHEN?

Merritt Herald

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In gardens around town, tomatoes, lettuce and beans are getting ready to be picked. Those are exactly the types of donations the Merritt food bank is looking for.

As opposed to donating the stereotypical can of cranberry sauce to the food bank, this summer Merritt residents can reserve a row of vegetables in their gardens.

Collecting food from gardens and fruit trees is a relatively new practice at the food bank, with manager Marlene Fenton actively promoting the practice in the three years she’s been with the orga-nization.

She said that in the past, the food bank didn’t collect as many perishable food items nor did they promote doing so as much as they do now.

Also, messaging from food banks in the past has always been to donate non-perishable items as opposed to locally grown fruits and vegetables, Fenton told the Herald.

“That’s just what we’ve said for years and years,” she said.

The Merritt food bank these days, however, receives hundreds of pounds of perishable items every week during the summer months.

Drop offs are the typical way of obtaining the items, Fenton said.

The number of perishable donations to the food bank this year has been less than previous summers, Fenton said, but she attributes that to this year’s hot, dry weather.

She said food bank volunteers have tried going door-to-door to pick the fruits and vegetables them-selves, but that has been less effective than having people deliver the items.

Man power is an issue, as many of the food bank’s volunteers are elderly or have disabilities, she said.

“You’re not going to ask my mom, who’s 71, to climb a ladder and pick an apricot,” Fenton said.

Donating excess food from the garden or fruit trees has a variety of benefits.

In addition to helping maintain food supplies at the food bank during the summer — a typically slow period for donations at food banks everywhere — it’s also an avenue for people to get rid of excess food and keep fruit trees picked so as not to attract bears, which is a common concern for the conser-vation office.

Perishable food items like fruits and vegetables are important to the food bank because when it comes to feeding a hungry family with growing children, eating something fresh and grown locally beats eating something out of a can.

“There’s no additives in this, there’s no extra salts, there’s no extra sugars, there’s no extra hidden things,” Fenton said.

While it’s more work to utilize perishable food than the non-perishable kind, Fenton said she’d feel terrible not taking advantage of the locally grown, natural food this area has to offer.

“If you’d like to donate to the food bank, but you don’t necessarily have a big surplus of money yourself, if you have extra [food] in your garden that’s a great way for you to do it,” Fenton said.

Merritt’s food bank is located at 2026 Quilchena Avenue and is open Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

Food bank seeking excess fruits and veggies from localsMichael PotestioTHE MERRITT HERALD

Volunteer Dinah Reed cuts up Zucchini at the Merritt food bank. Michael Potestio/Herald

STEPPING UP Members of Merritt’s Smart Step youth program were out in force on Monday, July 27, participating in the organization’s annual Graffiti Clean-up Day. The young volunteers, ages 10 and up, visited close to 20 locations around town, where they removed or painted over graffiti that had been painted on the walls of buildings and dumpsters. Main: (Left to right) Caleb Hartwig, Lexus Thomas, Olivia Schmid, Aidan Dunsmore, Megan Dunsmore and Nick Willey. Inside left: Caleb Hartwig painting over graffiti at the rear of the medical building on Granite Ave. Inside right: Rahul Chhabra (left) and Jamie Neill repainting the dumpster in the Nicola Valley Aquatic Centre parking lot. The Graffiti Clean-Up Day was made possible through a generous grant from United Way.Ian Webster/Herald


Next council meeting: Tuesday, August 11, 2015Council agendas and minutes at www.merritt.ca

City of Merritt H 2185 Voght Street, Box 189Merritt, BC V1K 1B8 H Phone: 250-378-4224

As spring wanes and summer arrives many of us are aware of the unusual amount of precipitation that has fallen on our City. With this rain and warmer weather comes plant growth and it does not require a lot of searching to find out-of-control grass and weeds in empty lots, alleys and boulevards. We all want Merritt and the neighborhoods we call home to look the best that they can be. A frequent question to the City bylaw department is “Who is responsible for maintenance of boulevards and lanes?” The short answer is the adjacent property owner. Just as with winter snow, the adjacent property owner is responsible for shoveling the sidewalk in front of their home, so during the rest of the year the adjacent property owner is responsible for keeping the boulevard and lane abutting their property in a neat and tidy condition.

As a property owner you are responsible for the vegetative growth outside your property lines to the curb and if there is an alley you are responsible to the centre of that alley that abuts your property. We may all even want to consider some of our neighbours who for very good reasons may not be as able.

With this in mind Merritt’s Nuisance Abatement Bylaw provides for minimum property standards within City limits. This Bylaw allows the City to regulate and in some cases hire outside contractors to complete any work that is not done by the property owners.

Unless we all do our individual part to maintain our neighbourhoods it could simply not be done. One of the pleasures of living in a smaller community like ours is that the little extra that we contribute can translate to a huge difference that will positively reflect on the City of Merritt as somewhere great to live.

HELP KEEP MERRITT’S BOULEVARDS AND LANES CLEAN

THERE IS NO WATERING ON WEDNESDAY, THURSDAY, and SUNDAY!

Sprinkling violations will result in a $50 ne for each offense.

Basic Sprinklers

Automatic Sprinklers

6 am - 8 am & 7 pm - 10 pm EVEN ADDRESS: Monday & Friday

ODD ADDRESS: Tuesday & Saturday

Midnight am to 4 amEVEN ADDRESS: Monday & Friday

ODD ADDRESS: Tuesday & Saturday

WATERING IS ONLY PERMITTED during the following days and times (and this includes soaker hoses):

Expanded watering restrictions are now in effect until September 30th or further notice.

It is vital that we all understand how important water regulations are to the community. The water we use in Merritt is the single most valuable resource that we have in our community. Most residents comply with sprinkling restrictions, and the City is able to maintain the city reservoirs at reasonable levels for all users including re protection. With your help we can insure that this resource continues to ow uninterrupted this year and in years to come. Of course if it’s raining, don’t water at all! There are many ways to conserve water both indoors and out. Please do your part. Sprinkling violations will result in a $50 ne for each offense.

Watering restrictions

RESTRICTRICTEDS RIRIRIC

Please call (250) 378-8628 for more information.

BSpr

WATE

EeffeIMPORTANT

NOTICE

2014 annual report presentedThe following is an excerpt from the City of Merritt regular council meeting agen-da for July 28, 2015

Message from Mayor Neil Menard

On behalf of city council and staff, I present the 2014 annual report.

This report is our opportunity to provide the citizens of Merritt with an overview of the activities of our various municipal depart-ments and a presentation of the financial performance of the city.

The city achieved a number of goals during the course of 2014, with many capital projects either completed or well under way.

In November, we had the gen-eral municipal election that saw three new members of council being elected and myself moving

from the councillor chair to the mayor’s chair.

Our new council is a very enthusiastic group, eager to pro-vide the citizens with strong lead-ership as we continue to make Merritt one of the best communi-ties in British Columbia.

I would like to take this oppor-tunity to thank the hard work of the retiring members of the pre-vious council. Our new council will be focusing on improving our economy in order to strengthen our community.

We look forward to an exciting year.

Message from the chief administrative officer Allan Chabot

I am pleased to provide this introduction to the City of Merritt’s 2014 annual report.

The requirement to prepare

and present an annual report comes from the Community Charter.

The Charter recognizes municipalities as an order of gov-ernment within thier respective jurisdictions that are autonomous, responsible and accountable and determined and sustained by the collective will of the residents of their communities.

In this report you will find an overview of municipal services and operations for the previous year, current and next year.

This report also incorporates the audited financial statements for the year ended Dec. 31, 2014 and other financial information that will allow the reader to gain a better understanding of the city’s financial position and opera-tion.

(Full report at www.merritt.ca)

www.merrittherald.com TUESDAY, August 4, 2015 • 5

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The malfunction-ing traffic lights at the Quilchena Avenue and Garcia Street intersec-tion will replaced with four-way stop signs.

By a 4-2 vote, after last Tuesday’s regular meeting, city council approved the public works department’s sug-gestion to decommission the traffic lights in favour of stop signs.

The traffic lights at the intersection have been flashing red for months.

When not working properly, the lights flash red in a default mode signaling to treat the intersection as a four-way stop.

In a report to coun-cil from public works manager Shawn Boven, he states that his depart-ment has experienced difficulty and escalating costs in trying to keep the traffic lights in work-ing order.

Two independent signalization companies have tried to repair the lights, but have advised the city that is no lon-ger possible, the report stated.

It would cost approxi-mately $125,000 to replace the traffic lights with new ones, the coun-cil report stated.

Coun. Ginny Prowal suggested leaving the flashing red lights as a four way stop until they burn out, an idea sup-ported by Coun. Dave Baker.

Coun. Kurt Christopherson, how-ever, said he liked the idea of putting in the stop signs to provide consistency between The Quilchena Avenue intersection with Garcia Street and the Coutlee Avenue one a block away.

Financial services manager Ken Ostraat said there is a mainte-

nance cost associated with running the traffic lights.

Councillors Brown, Christopherson, and

Prowal, as well as Mayor Menard, voted to approve tearing down the lights to install stop signs, with councillors

Baker and Goetz voting against that option.

Coun. Diana Norgaard was not in attendance.

Downtown intersection traffic lights to be torn down


City plans to replace the perpetually blinking red lights with a four-way stop

The traffic lights at Garcia Street and Quilchena Avenue will be replaced with a four-way stop, like the one on Garcia Street and Coutlee Avenue. Michael Potestio/Herald

The City of Merritt has received a $110,000 grant from the federal government to help fix the roof of the aquatic centre, which is at the end of its life cycle.

Okanagan—Coquihalla MP Dan Albas was at city council’s regular meeting last Tuesday to announce the federal government would be chipping in half of the $220,000 it will cost to replace the roof.

The grant comes on behalf of the Canada 150 Community Infrastructure Program.

“As we near 2017, that’s our ses-quicentennial —[Canada’s] 150th birthday — the government wants to make sure that both cultural and civic infrastructure is updated so that we can all be proud of this great country that we call home,” Albas told council.

He said it was identified that supporting Merritt’s bid for this project would protect local rate payers from the burden of funding the project.

Additionally, the facility has been well-used over the years and a new roof will allow it to continue to be well-used for the next 20 years, he said.

Grant for re-roofing approved


Half the cost of aquatic centre roof will be provided by federal grant


Members of Merritt’s Nicola Naturalist Society hosted 14 local children participating in the Royal B.C. Museum’s (RBCM) traveling “Species at Risk” program on July 28.

The museum’s pro-gram, which is traveling through many B.C. towns this summer, is aimed at making children aware of the animal species in the province which have declining populations or are threatened by human activity.

In Merritt the

museum’s program is sponsored by the City of Merritt Recreation Program.

In our area the Great Basin Spadefoot and the Western Toad are amphibians considered to be at risk.

Instead of talking about these animals in a classroom setting, the children were bussed to Kentucky-Alleyne Provincial Park to have a first-hand experience with Western Toads and to see the conservation program there, run by the Nicola

Naturalist Society and BC Parks.

In past years many tiny toadlets, migrating to the forest from their hatch-ing pond, were being run over by cars on the park’s busy campsite road.

To reduce the mor-tality rate, BC Parks installed a culvert and the Nicola Naturalist Society built a low wooden fence to guide the tiny toadlets safely to the culvert.

Many thousands of toadlets are now saved each summer.

At the park, the Nicola

Naturalist’s amphib-ian program coordina-tor, Andrea Lawrence, explained the lives of Western Toads and intro-duced the kids to the tiny thumb-nail sized toadlets.

The kids got to see for themselves the toadlets moving along the guide-fence and passing safely under the road in the culvert.

Nicola Naturalist president Dr. Alan Burger also talked to the kids about the Great Basin Spadefoot and the unique habit that this small frog

has of digging deep into sandy soils to avoid dry and cold periods in their grassland habitat.

The “Species at Risk” program continues this week, led by the RBCM’s outreach team Rachelle Linde and Jenny Arnold.

The RBCM’s exhibit was open to the public on Saturday, Aug. 1 from 1-3 p.m. at the Rotary Park.

Submitted by Nicola Naturalist Society president Dr. Alan Burger

HERALD OPINION MP Report

When a writ is ‘dropped’

Even in the heat of sum-mer the Ottawa rumour mill is still continuing to churn out reports on events that may or may not be occurring in our nation’s capital.

The latest media speculation circu-lating is that the writ for our upcom-ing federal election may be dropped as early as this Sunday (Aug. 2).

For the record, I have no idea if this is accurate or not, however this does present a good opportunity to explain what the writ dropping means to citizens in Okanagan-Coquihalla and elsewhere.

A writ is “dropped” when the Prime Minister presents the Governor General with an instrument of advice recommending the House of Commons be dissolved.

In turn, the Governor General then issues a proclamation dissolv-ing what in this case will be the 41st Parliament.

The Prime Minister will then pres-ent an order in council to the chief electoral officer requesting the writ of an election that is also issued from the Governor General.

At this point, the chief electoral officer will then send a writ of elec-tion notice to each returning officer across Canada.

From this point on the writ period has begun and by Canadian law must be a minimum campaign length of 36 days.

There is technically no maximum length for a writ period although the House of Commons, much like a pro-vincial legislature, is required to sit at least once every 12 months.

What is different about a writ period?

Nicola Naturalists host kid’s nature outing

2090 Granite ave., PO BOx 9, Merritt, B.C. PhOne (250) 378-4241 Fax (250) 378-6818MERRITT HERALDCopyright subsists in all display advertising in this edition of the Merritt Herald. Permission to reproduce in any form, must be obtained in writing from the publisher. We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada, through the Canada Periodical Fund (CPF) for our publishing activities.

This Merritt Herald is a member of the British Columbia Press Council, a self-regulatory body governing the province’s newspaper industry. The council considers complaints from the public about the conduct of member newspapers. Directors oversee the mediation of complaints, with input from both the newspaper and the complaint holder. If talking with the editor or publisher does not resolve your complaint about coverage or story treatment, you may contact the B.C. Press Council. Your written concern, with documentation, should be sent to B.C. Press Council, 201 Selby St., Nanaimo, B.C. V9R 2R2. For information, phone 888-687-2213 or go to www.bcpresscouncil.org

EditorDavid Dyck

[email protected]

PublisherTheresa Arnold

[email protected]

Sports writerIan Webster

[email protected]

Office managerKen Coutureclassifieds@

merrittherald.com

ReporterMichael Potestio

[email protected]

ProductionDan Swedbergproduction2@

merrittherald.com

Sales AssociateHolly Roshinsky

[email protected]

DAN ALBASView from the HILL

Photo on Page 7See ‘Expat’ Page 7


The Merritt Herald welcomes your letters, on any subject, addressed to the editor.

Letters must be signed and include the writer’s name, address and phone number for verification purposes.

Letters may be edited for length, taste and clar-ity. Please keep letters to 300 words or less. Email letters to: newsroom@ merrittherald.com.

MERRITT HERALD

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With the Classifieds, you can clear the clutter, earn extra cash and find great deals on the things you really want!

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for Change!

?HERALD QUESTION OF THE WEEK

Was the Rockin’ River Music Festival good for the

City of Merritt?

To vote, go online to

merrittherald.com

PREVIOUSQUESTION

Are Dan Albas’s expenses rea-

sonable?

YES:40%NO:60%

LETTERS POLICY

YOUR OPINION Speak up

You can comment on any story you read @

merrittherald.com

There are a number of rules that apply within a writ period that do not apply outside of a writ period, including full disclosure and limits on how much political parties and third party advertisers can spend within the writ period.

In addition, any staff working on a campaign must be disclosed, as must in kind donations at fair market value.

These strict rules are in addition to existing rules regarding members of Parliament constituency offices which prohibit their use for partisan pur-poses in any way, a restriction that also applies to all House of Commons taxpayer provided resources.

Locally, Okanagan-Coquihalla will also cease to be an electoral district as a result of new federal boundary redistribution process that occurs every ten years.

In our case, there have been some significant changes to Okanagan-Coquihalla.

The new riding most closely resembling the

old riding is now called Central Okanagan-Similkameen-Nicola.

Communities such as Summerland, Peachland, West Kelowna, Merritt, and Logan Lake remain in this riding; however Penticton will now join a new riding called South Okanagan-West Kootenay.

Making up for the loss of the Penticton popula-tion in Central Okanagan-Similkameen-Nicola results in adding communities such as Princeton, Keremeos and surrounding areas, as well as part of the city of Kelowna.

If you are looking to confirm what federal riding you are located in, please visit www.elections.ca for further information.

When is the election? The fixed election date calls for a federal elec-

tion on Monday, October 19th. Who to vote for? Currently there are a number of candidates

already declared to be running in the 2015 election with possibly more on the way.

Elections Canada will have a list of declared

candidates available and I encourage all members of the public to contact candidates directly to ask questions and share concerns.

On a final note, many have asked recently about new rules that prevent expat Canadians from vot-ing.

In reality, there are no new rules related to this topic as it was in 1993 that the Parliament of the day passed legislation that prevented Canadian citi-zens living outside of Canada for five or more years from voting.

What did occur recently is a court challenge where last week the Ontario court of appeals upheld the rule that citizens living outside of Canada for five or more years cannot vote in Canadian elections.

If you have other questions comments or con-cerns I can be reached at [email protected] or toll free at 1-800-665-8711.

Dan Albas is the Member of Parliament for Okanagan-Coquihalla

From Page 6

Expat voting rules are not new

non fiction

fiction

NEW AT THE LIBRARY

The Dorito Effectby Mark Schatzker

Whitewater Cooks with passionby Shelley Adams

Wood Pallet Projectsby Karah Bunde

Stand Up Paddle Instruction Bookby Mitch Powers

The Booksellerby Cynthia Swanson

juniorBook Scavengerby Jennifer Chambliss Bertman

The Swallowby Charis Cotter

Seven Wild Sistersby Charles De Lint

Secrets of Selkie Bayby Shelley Moore Thomas

TOAD ROAD Species at Risk program participants see toadlets passing through the culvert built for them at Kentucky-Alleyne Provincial Park. See story on page 6. Alan Burger/Submitted


NICOLA VALLEY NEWS

Rockin ’ R iver Musicfest Contest WInners!

Jolene Woods & Roger LascellesCONGRATULATIONS!

You’ve each won two 4 day passes to the Rockin’ River MusicFest!!!

Thanks to all who entered and to our participating businesses!

Theresa Arnold(Publisher) Jolene Woods (Winner)

Two fires in wood waste piles — also known as hog fuel — sparked in Merritt last Thursday.

At about 10:00 p.m. that night, the Lower Nicola Fire Department, Merritt Fire Rescue Department and the BC Wildfire Service responded to burning piles of wood waste at a hog fuel processing plant on Mamit Lake Road.

Between the three fire departments, more than 20 fire-fighters battled the blaze.

As of Friday morning, the fire was still smoldering, but it was about 85 per cent extinguished, Lower Nicola Fire

Chief Lindsay Tighe said.The rest of the fire was expected to be out by noon that

day.The fire was still under investigation on Friday, but Tighe

said he suspects a mechanical problem with one of the machines on site to be the cause.

Earlier in the day on Thursday afternoon, the Merritt Fire Rescue Department (MFRD) extinguished a burning pile of hog fuel burning in the Tolko mill yard.

MFRD responded with eleven firefighters and two fire engines.

Upon their arrival Tolko staff were already dousing the fire with water hoses and MFRD assisted in knocking out

the fire.There were flames coming from the pile when the fire

department arrived, Fire Chief Dave Tomkinson said.A front-end loader was used to break the pile apart to

ensure the flames were extinguished.The cause of this fire was deemed to be spontaneous

combustion.Tomkinson said the fire was contained to the surface of

the sawdust pile.The wood waste, combined with the heat from the sun

makes spontaneous combustion a possibility.The temperature that afternoon in Merritt was about

32C.

Two hog fuel fires in one day last week


MFRD responded to one of last Thursday’s hog fuel fires at Tolko. Michael Potestio/Herald

www.merrittherald.com TUESDAY, August 4, 2015 • 9merrittherald.com bcclassified.com

HERALD SPORTSHave a sports story tip? Tell us about it by calling 250-378-4241 or emailing [email protected]

Former MSS athletes making the sports newsDOING GREAT

THINGSMerritt Secondary School grads have been making sports headlines close to home and further afield recently.

(Left) Former MSS Panther Emily Young, 30, has been named to the B.C. senior women’s rugby team that will play in the National Women’s League (NWL) Western Championships at the Apple Bowl in Kelowna on July 31 (7 p.m.) and August 2 (12 noon). Young regularly plays for Burnaby Lake in the B.C. Women’s Premier League. Photo courtesy of Rugby BC

(Right) Another former Panther, 26-year-old Robyn Webster, jumped a personal best 3.95 metres to place second in the women’s pole vault event at the Alberta Track and Field Championships in Edmonton on July 25 and 26. Earlier in the month, Webster, who now lives and trains in Edmonton and is ranked 13th in the country, placed ninth at the Canadian T&F Championships, also held in the Alberta capital. Photo courtesy of Terry Lim/Calgary

Also living in Alberta now are 27-year-old Derek Rose (Strathmore), and 28-year-old Dale Rose (Sherwood Park) — no relation to each other. Both Roses are now competing on the Canadian Motorcycle Drag Racing Association (CMDRA) circuit. Recently, at the Oil City Nationals in Edmonton, Derek (left) made it all the way to the semi-finals in the Super Bike division, while Dale (upper right) bowed out in the quarterfinals. In his semi-final match-up, Derek, a rookie on the CMDRA circuit, had a near-perfect 0.019-second reaction time off the start line, but unfortu-nately ‘broke out’ — finishing 0.009 of a second under his dialed-in time. (Lower right) Derek executes a burnout on his Kawasaki KZ1100 prior to the start of one of his races in Edmonton. In the national standings for Super Bike, Dale is currently sitting in third place, with Derek right behind in fourth. Both riders, who have formed a team called Phoenix Racing, plan to attend the next set of races on the CMDRA schedule — August 22 and 23 at the Eagle Motorplex in Ashcroft. They’ll be joined there by another MSS gradu-ate, Matt Mackay-Smith, who presently leads the bike division at the Eagleplex. Photos courtesy of Steve Rose and CMDRA


With great sadness the family of Kay Suttie announces her sudden passing in Kamloops on Wednesday July 15.

Born in Brocklehurst to John and Mary Desmond, Kay and her younger brothers Humphrey and Tom grew up on the family farm on Tranquille Road. She attended St Ann’s Academy, graduating in their Commercial Program in 1942, and worked in several offices including BC Tel, where she made many lasting friends. Always musical, she achieved an Associates in piano through the London Conservatory of Music and played organ for many church functions over the years.

In 1952 she married Charles Suttie in Kamloops. The family moved to Merritt in 1957, but Kay’s ties with family and friends in Kamloops always prevailed. The family enjoyed annual camping holidays throughout western Canada and the northern US states. Retiring to Sorrento in 1982, Charlie and Kay travelled extensively in Europe, the US and Canada. Kay continued to travel with friends & family after her husband’s death.

She was active in the church choir and WI in Sorrento and was well-known amongst family and friends for her baking and for her love of a game of cards. She encouraged her children and grandchildren to explore music, memories they cherish. Kay will always be remembered for her pleasant and polite ways.

Predeceased by Charlie in 1990 and her youngest son Dick in 2011, she is survived by John & Judy Suttie of Kelowna and daughter Anne; Mary & Gord Lester of Kamloops and children Mairi, Christine and Colin; Kathleen & Tom Hilborn of Nanaimo and daughters Andrea and Meghan; Heather Suttie of Knutsford and sons Jason and Warren Land.

A Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 1:00 p.m. August 6, 2015 at Sacred Heart Cathedral in Kamloops, followed by interment at Hillside Cemetery and a reception. Memorial donations in Kay’s name may be made to the Kamloops Hospice Association.

Kathleen (Kay) Suttie nee Desmond25 January 1924 to 15 July 2015

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Northeast News - Fort St. John

Trudy Mae Stump (nee Johnston)

July 30, 1980 – July 26, 2015

We have heavy hearts knowing our time with

Trudy has come to an end, although far too soon. We have

lost a beautiful person whom put up a courageous ght. She had a warm radiant smile, contagious laugh and left an impression on every person

she came into contact with.

Trudy was born an “Okanagan Peach”,

but grew up in Williams Lake. She moved to Merritt after being swept off

her feet by Derek in 2005.

She is survived by her husband Derek along with her children Grifn Lawrence and Kayle Mae and step-children Orden and Devon,

her parents Bucky (Gayle) and Colleen. Brothers Michael Bro (Jan), James (Alice)

and Shane. She also leaves grandparents Hank Purjue and Mae Labucan along with

numerous aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews. Predeceased by Grandmother

Flora Mae Purjue and Grandfather Wilson (Shaggy) Labucan.

“Thanks Trud for showing everyone what seless love is”

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Brenda Piper, Publisher / Sales ManagerNortheast News, 9909 - 100th Avenue,Fort St. John, BC V1J [email protected]

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Merchandise For SaleReal Estate

RentalsAutomotive

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SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 58(NICOLA-SIMILKAMEEN)

CERTIFIED MECHANIC

Applications are invited for the position of Certified Mechanic with School District No. 58 (Nicola-Similkameen) in Merritt.

Salary and benefits will be in accordance with the C.U.P.E. Local 847 Collective Agreement.

Qualifications are as per the job description for a Mechanic. Plus in addition, but not limited to:

Completion of Grade 12 (Dogwood Certificate)Valid BC Trade Certification as an Automotive or Heavy Duty MechanicCommercial Vehicle Inspection CertificationValid Class II Drivers Licence with Air Endorsement4-years of experience as a Mechanic with specific back-ground in medium, heavy duty truck and school busesThorough and current knowledge of the standards, prac-tices, regulations, methods, tools and equipment of the tradeProvides the basic hand tools common to this tradeWelding experienceDemonstrated ability to use initiative to determine, judge and select appropriate course of actionWorkplace Hazardous Materials Information Systems (WHMIS) Certification and familiarity with Workers’ Com-pensation Board (WCB) safety proceduresValid Class 5 BC Driver’s Licence and an exemplary driving record as demonstrated by a current drivers’ abstractPhysical capability to perform the job duties including working in inclement weather conditions

Applicants may submit a resume or apply on-line at www.sd58.bc.ca click on Employment/Support Staff/job code (1032032). Applications, including a detailed resume with a minimum of three references will be accepted until August 11, 2015. Please forward to:

Attn: Secretary TreasurerSchool District No. 58 (Nicola-Similkameen)

P.O. Box 4100, 1550 Chapman St. Merritt, BC V1K 1B8Fax: (250) 378-6263

Only those applicants being interviewed will be contacted.

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Documents

Merritt Herald, August 04, 2015