comox valley echo, january 08, 2016

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COURTENAY, BRITISH COLUMBIA • Friday, January 8, 2016

ARTS

20.Feel like singing in the new year?

COMMUNITY

31.Elder College gets ready for a new session.

MEDICAL RESPONSE PLAN FIRST IN B.C.15AN UNTAPPED RESOURCE IS NOW AVAILABLE HERE IN THE VALLEY, ABLE TO RESPOND TO MEDICAL EMERGENCIES IN THE EVENT OF DISASTER.

NEWS

02.Playtime gaming sells casinos, including Courtenay’s, to largercompany

NEWS

19.The outdoor skating rink returns next week, this timeto the heart of downtownCourtenay

03.STAR WARSMARMOTSADD TO STOCK

9 771196 995005

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www.comoxvalleyecho.comFRI DAY .COURTENAY,BC JANUARY 8, 2016 2

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

Comox Valley Weather

FridayCloudy.

Low 0°C. High 5°C.

SaturdayA mix of sun and cloud.


SundayA mix of sun and cloud.

Low -1°C. High 4°C.

MondayCloudy with 60% chance of

flurries or rain showers. Low -1°C. High 4°C.

TuesdayPeriods of rain.


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BY MIKE DAVIES Campbell River Mirror

Employees of Chanc-es Campbell River and Courtenay have a new employer, but other than the name on their pay-cheques, the implications of that change remain un-clear.

The gaming facility now falls under the ownership umbrella of Gateway Ca-sinos & Entertainment (Gateway).

Gateway announced,

on Dec. 23, their acquisi-tion of Playtime Gaming, who owned and operated Chances. Campbell Riv-er Chances is one of six properties being added to Gateway’s operations - Abbotsford, Courtenay, Langley, Penticton and Victoria facilities being the others - “making it the largest and most diversi-fi ed gaming company in Canada” according to the release on the acquisition.

“Gateway now has 18 gaming properties with

more than 200 tables, over 6,100 slot machines, and together with busi-ness partners, Gateway operates 36 restaurants, 1,000 hotel rooms and has over 3,800 employees.

“This is an exciting day for everyone at Gateway as we welcome Playtime to be a part of Gateway’s growth strategy,” Tony

Santo, CEO of Gateway Casinos & Entertainment Limited, says in the re-lease.

CEO of Playtime Gary Gordon is seemingly hap-py with the arrangement, as well.

“Gateway is a leader in gaming across Canada,” says Gordon. “I am ex-cited for our employees

and our customers as we become part of a best-in-class gaming and enter-tainment company.”

The transition from Playtime to Gateway fa-cilities will be overseen by Tom Nellis, Playtime’s previous owner, to ensure a smooth transition of op-erations and employees but Playtime properties, including Chances Camp-bell River and Courtenay, will now report to Jag Nij-jar, senior vice-president of operations of Gateway.

A representative for Chances Campbell River said no comment would be forthcoming from the local facility, directing all questions to Gateway public relations.

Tanya Gabara, direc-tor of public relations for Gateway, says operations at the facility will be “busi-ness as usual” while the facility transitions to the Gateway family.

“Right now, our imme-diate priority is to make a smooth transition,” says Gabara.

“Our customers can ex-pect the same great ser-vice from the same great staff as they were getting, just under Gateway, now.”

After that transition takes place, Gabara says, “operations will be re-viewed and reassessed” to determine the exact direc-tion each facility will take in terms of off erings and structure.

Chances casinoschange hands

www.comoxvalleyecho.comFRI DAY.JANUARY 8, 2016 3

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Return of the marmot colony in captivity brings hope to species in the wildBY MARY LEEEcho Staff

Star Wars themed gifts and paraphernalia were so popular and in such great abundance this holiday season that the Calgary Zoo couldn’t evade the awakening force.

Marmot pups were recently christened in honor of the return of the pop-culture blockbuster sequel. Luke, Leia, Han Solo, Jabba and, Yoda are just some of the names chosen for the recent addition to the growing marmot population born in captivity.

In total, 14 healthy Vancouver Island marmot pups were born at the Calgary Zoo during the 2015 breeding season, which brings “new hope” for the species. The pups will be part of the next

generation of Vancouver Island Marmots released into the wild in 2016.

Marmot pups are vital to rebuilding the species that is listed as endangered and considered one of the rarest mammals on the planet.

Through The Calgary Zoo’s Captive Breeding Program, along with a partner program at The Toronto Zoo, the Marmot Recovery Foundation has been able to release enough marmots to bring the wild population up from 30 marmots in 2003 to 300 today, which equates to approximately one generation (10 years).

“The Calgary Zoo currently holds two-thirds of the captive population of marmots and this has been an excellent year for us with a healthy population of new pups that will bolster the wild population,” stated Dr. Doug Whiteside, Senior Veterinarian, Calgary Zoo and Vancouver Island Marmot Recovery Team member in a recent press release.

(Continued on page 4)One of the newborn mamot pups at the Calgary Zoo Image Source: Calgary Zoo

www.comoxvalleyecho.comFRIDAY.JANUARY 8, 20164

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COMOX VALLEY NISSAN 535 SILVERDALE CRESCENT, COURTENAY

TEL: (250) 338-1988

(Continued from page 3)

This is the eighteenth year of the captive breeding program and sixteenth year of successful breeding. The strategy for increasing wild marmot populations involves increasing colony numbers through “translocations and augmentation,” while critically evaluating the success of reintroduction based on the ability to establish and maintain colonies through survival and reproduction.

Here on Vancouver Island, the Nanaimo Lakes and Strathcona Park are home to the marmot population. Mount Washington is the

healthy location within Strathcona Park to release captive marmots back into the wild.

Adam Taylor, Marmot Recovery Foundation Executive Director explains that humans play an important role in to ensure successful adaption and survival in the fi rst year.

“Releasing to the Mount Washington colony for a year gives these marmots a chance to adapt but in a location that is safer, explains Taylor. “We think that having people nearby helps keeps predators away. For this species, ski slopes create a healthy habitat for survivability.”

As Taylor points out,

having the marmot population come back is a global example that conservation eff orts are working and demonstrates how signifi cant Canada’s role is in restoring a species.

“The sad reality is that if we lose them [marmots] we won’t see

much of a diff erence but the problem is we are losing so many species,” explains Taylor. Habitats are gone or severely reduced. Here we have an opportunity to celebrate bringing a species back through fi xing their habitat. This is really an incredibly successful

program.”“Globally, this is

one of the most rapid reintroduction-based population improvements of a critically endangered mammal in the wild,” says Dr. Axel M o e h r e n s c h l a g e r , Calgary Zoo Director of Conservation & Science,

IUCN SSC Chair, Reintroduction Specialist Group.

Partners involved in the captive breeding program include The Marmot Recovery Foundation, Tony Barrett Mount Washington Marmot Recovery Centre, The Province of British Columbia, the Fish & Wildlife Compensation Program, Toronto Zoo, and the Calgary Zoo.

Donations to help protect the endangered Vancouver Island marmot can be made through the Adopt-a-Marmot Club that also helps support the captive-breeding and release eff orts to ensure their safe return into the wild. Visit http://marmots.org/ or, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MarmotRecovery.

Photo: Marmot Recovery Foundation

Island marmot makes comeback


www.CrownIsle.comToll Free: 888-338-8439 | 250-703-5000 | 399 Clubhouse Drive, Courtenay, BC V9N 9G3

...To over 5000 of you who made the first inaugural Holiday Resort Walk a huge success

...For raising $3951 for Dawn to Dawn Action on Homelessness

...For donating a mountain of food and household items for the Comox Valley Food Bank

...For making last month our busiest December in recent memory!

Here’s to a lot more Crown Isle fun & community in the coming year!

Thank you!

BY MARY LEEEcho Staff

It may have rained a total of 348 mm during the month of December but for holiday go-getters and Valley visitors, the wet weather was not getting in the way of enjoying the First Annual Crown Isle Holiday Resort Walk.

For its inaugural year, Jim Gardiner, Director of Operations, is very pleased with the overall success of the event.

“We hit it out of the ball park, expressed Gardiner. “Visitors were fi lling up Facebook with their pictures and post and spreading the word on our behalf.”

Gardiner says 5,000 guests walked through the grounds during the three weeks that the interactive display was on.

According to Environment Canada, of the heavy precipitation over the Valley, 235 mm fell between December 3 and 20, the same dates of the Resort Walk. Three nights had to be cancelled

with a least another fi ve nights of poor weather.

Nevertheless, the hard work paid off and the Valley residents

and visitors responded enthusiastically to the Valley’s newest holiday activity. Close to 1,600 guests walked through

the grounds on the fi nal night alone.

“The S’mores Station, outdoor children’s movie and Elf Hunt set us apart

from the other island holiday activity of this kind,” shared Gardiner. “An event that has a more interactive approach for

families is very popularwith guests.”

Plans are already in theworks for expanding onits success, incorporatingeven more space on theground to include in theinteractive walk nextyear.

Also popular and wellreceived by guests wasthe suggested admission by donation. Severalthousand pounds of food were collected forthe Comox Valley FoodBank and close to $5,000raised for Dawn to Dawn.

Interactive Walk a hit among Valley guests

Crown Isle resort really lit up for the holidays Photo by: Kristy Pedersen, Crown Isle Creative

Lots of donations collectedfor the food bank

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www.comoxvalleyecho.com FRIDAY.JANUARY 8, 2016 6

Advocating action, not just talk, an editorial has brought to the fore youth, homelessness, invasive species, the food bank, etc. All worthwhile objects to be the focus of positive action.

The plight of many el-derly singles, however, by being omitted, stood out almost more than the afore-mentioned worthy causes. And so let me add to action-able causes: Give the gift of time to visit the lonely, the shut-ins, the incapacitated or destitute, distraught, pathologically shy, those recently deprived of spouse or partner. Those isolated for whatever reason, feeling desperately lonely..

The Comox Valley is to a great extent a retirement community. Many members of the armed forces owning property do not sell upon deployment. They rent out, intending upon end of ser-vice to return to the Valley. Their pensions do much to maintain the standards of the Valley communities, in-cluding Cumberland.

But age takes its inevi-table toll. In the end, lone-liness intrudes, for many reasons. Lack of mobility and/or transportation is one such reason, and a major one.. The gift of a visit con-sequently may also include a car ride to some specifi -cally-requested spot – for shopping, medical appoint-ment, a picnic. It may not, of course. But if, then gen-erosity happens to be one

of those virtues that comes around...

The elderly shut-ins will be deeply appreciative, while giving has its own reward. Little is more pre-cious than time, whether to give or receive.

Finn Schultz-LorentzenCourtenay

It didn’t take me long to get my memory going to-wards the days of yore. Old Christmas cards bring back memories quickly and live-ly. It wasn’t hard to replace myself with the boy staring with fascination and de-sire at Mr. Hope’s toy store window, mingled with the thoughts of today’s shop-ping facilities.

How diff erent it all is to-day. The clip clop noise of the horse pulling a family in their sled through the main street of downtown fi ts well into the whole picture. The family just passed the warm inviting hallway of the church of the local Sal-vation Army for their up-coming Christmas Concert. Tom, the street player is frantically playing melodies to make extra money for his hungry children at home and hopes to buy presents for them. It’s all covered with a new layer of beautiful white snow which dampen the street noise somewhat.

The street lantern which I often used as a watchtower for my own fantasies glit-tered as well with the fallen

LETTERS

OPINIONSEC

HO

www.comoxvalleyecho.comFRIDAY.JANUARY 8, 2016 7

100 YEARS BACK

Giving the giftof time

Phone 250-334-4722 • Fax 250-334-3172Classifieds 1-866-415-3535 Circulation 250-334-4734

E-mail: [email protected]

Publisher Keith Currie

Editor Debra Martin

Deb Fowler

Production Manager Ryan Getz

The Comox Valley Echo 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, PO Box 1356, Ladysmith, B.C. V9G 1A9. For information, phone 1-888-687-2213 or go to www.bcpresscouncil.org. All original content in this publication is copyright material belonging to Black Press. Any re-use or reproduction without the expressed, written consent of the copyright owner is strictly prohibited.

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

www.comoxvalleyecho.com

COMOX VALLEY ECHO

BY LARRY JANGULAMayor of Courtenay

Another year is over and 2015 has been a good one for the City of Courtenay. We worked on many strategic priorities, and also had a great celebration year.

Courtenay centennial celebra-tions took place through the year but were most focused within homecoming week, June 26 – July 5. In this week over 50 local entertain-ers and artists performed. Com-munity pride and spirit was evident as many community organizations came together to provide free fam-ily fun events. A big thank-you to everyone that helped make it such a special week: the Centennial Com-mittee and volunteers, the event sponsors, and of course everyone who attended events.

The “Captain W.A. Lane Mac-Donald Fire Training Centre” was offi cially opened on Tuesday, Octo-ber 13.

The facility features a training area encircled by a built-to-scale city street, working fi re hydrants, and space for driver training and pumper operator training.

The highlight of the facility is a new live fi re training building. Con-structed from cost-eff ective sea

containers, the building off ers natu-ral gas fi re simulation and artifi cial smoke, and the ability to turn the fi re on and off by a switch. Movable walls and fl oor plans will simulate a residential home, hotel, motel, or commercial building.

Late in 2015 the Maple Pool Campground issues were settled with parties involved coming to-gether for a mutually agreeable so-lution. The settlement ensures the site will preserve aff ordable hous-ing, while protecting residents from fl ood hazards. It also protects the City from future liability for fl ood hazards and costs, along with envi-ronmental and fi sh protection.

We thank all parties for working together to achieve this mutually agreeable result.

Development processes were improved this past year. These changes pave the way for improved service by having a single point of contact for developers. Any devel-opment application services that were provided by Engineering and Public Works Department have been transferred to the Develop-ment Services Department, and a new “Subdivision and Development Servicing Division” has been cre-ated. Improving the development process and expediting the process

is one of Courtenay City Council’s top fi ve strategic priorities for the current term.

Another strategic priority of council is downtown revitalization. The city is working on vision for the future of the downtown core. Two public events were on October 27 to gather input.

These sessions were well attend-ed and provided a framework for a work plan approved by council. There will be more opportunities for public input on the downtown work plan in 2016.

At the beginning of December the city received short notice of poten-tial for fl ooding due to unexpected storm surges. As a cautionary mea-sure to protect the Puntledge busi-ness district, the city deployed new Aqua Dam (temporary water fi lled barriers) technology in two loca-tions. Fortunately, the fl ooding con-cern passed without incident.

I would also like to take this op-portunity to thanks the members of Courtenay Council and or City Hall Staff for all of their eff orts and co-operation in making these events a reality.

Thanks for the opportunity to re-fl ect on the past year.

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year!

City mayor looks back and ahead

snow. Instantly I loved the sight of the older brother pulling the old sled; it’s easy to replace myself with him. The little dog patiently wait

for new excitement which will come up soon as usual because she knows. The days of yore, at a hundred years of past memories. It

was a pleasant surprise to receive this beautiful card instead of an e-mail of a be-loved friend. Those memo-ries become more precious

as the time presses on. Thank you old friend for sharing deep-rooted mem-ories once again with me.

Ary Sala, Fanny Bay

FRIDAY.JANUARY 8, 2016 www.comoxvalleyecho.com8

BEEFS & BOUQUETS

Mon-Sat 8:30-5 Sundays 9:30-5www.artknappcourtenay.ca

Headed somewhere warm?Cruisewear arriving weekly!

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Comox Valley Ukrainian Cultural Society Presents

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9 pm

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Members: $25.00Dancers: $10.00

Youth to 17 yrs: $15.00

Contact: Sue at: 250-339-0588

[email protected]

January Specials:

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THE COMOX VALLEY’S FIRST AND BEST READER’S FORUMEmail to: [email protected]

THE WEAVERS LEATHER BALLBUSTERS would like to thank Weavers Leather for every thing they did for us during 2015. We couldn’t have asked for a better sponsor with the help of Dave and Kelli Weaver the Ballbusters were able to to donate over $7000.00 to charities in our area. Look forward to seeing what we can do in 2016. From all of us we wish you a Happy New Year!!

A LARGE BOUQUET to Cour-tenay Canadian Tire, Auto Dept., for promptly deal-ing with a minor brake is-sue on my car. Although it was a week before Christ-mas they made time the following work day to check the whole braking system and fi x the prob-lem. No other problems were “found” in order to infl ate the bill. Having now driven the vehicle for about two weeks since, I can safely say the problem is now no more. Well done!

THOSE THAT BURN fi res that

are hot ,Are air quality problems

- Not!Those who run stoves

all tamped down,Should cause all to

Frown. Developers and loggers

continue to burn,

Slow down, drive straight and pay attention - he life you save may be your own. Highway 19 is no longer safe.

AS I REFLECTED on my

2015, I wanted to pass on some bouquets to the wonderful community members of the Comox Valley. I want to start with the awesome Paul Colt-horpe, the music teacher at Puntledge school, who puts so much heart and patience into teaching and putting on a great Christ-mas concert! As I enjoyed his concert, I thought to myself that I could not handle his job for 5 min-utes, but he has some-how managed to demon-strate real warmth and love of music to so many kids. There are many great teachers, EAs, and sup-port staff at Puntledge. I am grateful for their time when they allow parents who work in the day to

of the budget it is time the BC Government took re-sponsibility for accident prevention on BC roads. Three highway 19 fatal ac-cidents in just the past few weeks, with speed being a factor in the Comox Val-ley. Divided high way 19 is no longer safe. Happy New Year

THE VILLAGE OF CUMBER-LAND has yet again let the ball drop when it comes to having road access to the Cumberland Cemetary at Christmas! This year the had the gates locked! Would you not think that they would have had them open for family mem-bers to visit loved ones at this special time of year? Thanks Village of Cumberland for yet again dropping the ball on this one! Maybe one of these years you will get it right. It certainly isn’t for a lack of maintenance crew as when they are repairing something it takes what seems a minimum of 3-4 with one person just watching! Good use of taxpayers dollars!

ICBC AND MEDICAL premi-ums are going up. There are 260,000 car crashes a year in BC – over 700 a day – so we all have to pay. How ridiculous to raise highway speeds when there is little enforcement and every BC taxpayer will pay the price for injuries, fatalities and increased premiums. The evidence is very clear, speed kills – it costs in lives, serious injuries and cash. It is the Wild West on BC roads, and many innocent folks

“whatever”....just don’t drive through there, un-less you have an embossed Invitation. And are wear-ing your best clothes. Or earn at least six fi gures. And don’t play golf, like 40% of those who live there. Otherwise, stick to the streets that run through the poor neigh-bourhoods. Where people are used to bad drivers as part of the real world.

IT WILL BE A BOUQUET and Happy New Year for Brit-ish Columbians if Trans-port Minster Todd Stone, Justice Minister Susan Anton and Premier Clark take a plane ride to On-tario to fi nd out why the vehicle fatality rate, seri-ous injury rate and col-lision rate is half that of BC. One reason is that the maximum speed on any highway is 100 kph, but there is much more to learn. With BC health care funding costing 57%

This should be of Pro-vincial concern.

It’s not only smoke that is the fear,

But CVRD stage four ,which could last all year.

Happy 2016! WELCOME TO 2016, and

increases in ICBC pre-miums and MSP. ICBC paid out $3565 millions-for 260,000 vehicle ac-cident claims in 2014.

go to an evening con-cert! Also, there are many friendly and effi cient peo-ple working at Thrifty’s, Superstore, coff ee shops, retail stores, non-profi ts and people that smile as you pass by! There are so many community-minded people -- like the Rotar-ians, who have been of service in many ways such as building the beautiful bike trail along the rail-way--or the dedicated par-ents who run the school PACs (the Puntledge one is amazing) or the par-ents who are trying to Keep Puntledge at Punt-ledge. Moreover, most drivers here are thought-ful and eager to give the right of way. Many people walk their talk by trying to be kind to Mother Na-ture by cycling, by volun-teering with many groups, by walking to school. We are rich in not only the natural beauty of the Co-mox Valley but also the natural beauty within the very heart of our commu-nity. My only hope is for both kinds of beauty to keep growing and grow-ing! Wishing a heartfelt and meaningful 2016 to us all.

BIG THANK YOU to the Holi-day Inn for letting us have our wedding there on New Year’s Eve with such short notice. They were so ac-commodating and An-gela and her team have outstanding customer service! Awesome having such a great hotel with great rates in the valley :)

I HAVE A NEW YEARS WISH for the individual who in the December 25th Beefs & Bouquets, had lots to say about “the woman in the white Ford Escape seen driving on Ryan Rd. with “Icesis” vanity plates”. May 2016 mean less ig-norance and kneejerk judgements, and bring you more proactive un-derstanding, open mind-edness and an increased awareness of your com-munity, your world, and the people driving around in traffi c with you; whom many of which ded-icate themselves person-ally and professionally, to make both a better place for us all. “You ought to be” educated.

ABOUT THE SPEED LIMIT in Crown Isle, 40km, 50km,

will pay the price. High way 19 is no longer safe.

A GIANT DIAMOND to Fran-

cis Jewelers’ staff for put-ting up with so much dur-ing their fi nal weeks. They were nothing but profes-sional - friendly, kind and polite - while facing the closure of their business. Bravo. Thank you for su-perb business for all these years. May God bless you with many happy years of healthy and satisfying retirement. We will miss you!

A GREAT BIG BOUQUET to the kind soul who turned in the pearl earring I lost at the rec centre last week. The earrings were a gift from my dad and carry a lot of sentimental val-ue. I thought it was gone forever! With all the bad news these days, it’s nice to know there are hon-est, thoughtful people out there. Thanks again.

BOUQUETS to the persons who decorated a small fi r tree in the North East woods in Comox at Christ-mas wth ornaments, tin-sel at the top and a silver beaded rope. The dog walkers really enjoyed it, a cheerful sight.

(Continued on page 9)


BEEFS & BOUQUETS

January 9 Meat Draw and Dancing 2pm - 5pm

January Euchre 1:30pm

Remembrance Day

January Crib and Gucci6:30pm

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Ball Cap Steak Nightlast Friday of the Month

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THE COMOX VALLEY’S FIRST AND BEST READER’S FORUMEmail to: [email protected]

HERE’S HOW IT WORKS!Our weekly feature, Beefs and Bouquets,

is intended to be a light-hearted forum

for you, our readers, to express brief

views on issues and events in your lives.

It’s not intended to hurt people or make

unsubstantiated and libelous comments.

Names won’t be published with the beefs

and bouquets; however, we do need your

full name, mailing address and tele-

phone number for verifi cation purposes.

Each week someone will win a 2 Classic

Cheese Basket Meals from Dairy Queen.

Have fun with this!

THIS WEEK’S WINNER, DRAWN AT RANDOM FROM SUBMISSIONS RECEIVED UP TO TUESDAY, IS:

Winners, you may pick up your prize certifi cates at the front desk of the Echo, 407-D Fifth Street, during regular business hours. Thanks

to everyone for the great submissions- keep ‘em coming!

Barry Beardon, of CourtenayWinner of two classic cheese baskets

from Dairy Queen


Beef to the persons on Monday who destroyed it. They took the decora-tions and smashed them on the path where the dogs walk. We picked up the glass we could fi nd. Who ever did this, please grow up.it seems there is no common sense anymore.

BOUQUETS OF RED ROSES and champagne to the two health care profes-sionals who stopped to assist me after I had a fall on the Courtenay

setup!

A BIG ARMFUL of fragrant BC fi rs, pine, cedars, holly, salal with one or two perfect sprigs of winter heather to Lo-cals! Tricia and Stepha-nie have made this an auspicious new year by fi nding Dad’s engineer-ing ring! He has worn it for 65 years and is one of his most valued posses-sions. We’d had one of Local’s perfectly deli-cious meals, but when we got home he realized that it was missing. It is a simple ring of steel and would not have been easy to spot (Canadian engineers wear them on their pinky fi ngers), but you went out of your way to search and my some miracle, FOUND IT! Thank you, Thank you.

BIG “HUGE” RV HUGS to Caleb Pritchard & staff at Arbutus RV in Mer-ville BC. In a world of intense competition for a person’s business we must say sticking to the basics, showing pas-sion, ensuring proper pricing, we looked no further. Everyone from the Manager, Sales & Service dept, the service

Riverway Walk on Jan 1, 2016. They were ex-tremely caring and help-ful, called the ambulance and waited with me and my husband until the attendants arrived. The paramedics, as you might expect, were very helpful, professional, bandaged me up and took me home as well. How lucky we are to have you all in Courtenay. Thank you

OMG! Want to return a library book? One spot in front--never vacant--15 minute parking. Why not 5 minute parking? I’d like to take some white paint and block out the 1! Try to fi nd a space in the parking lot, but back doors are kept locked and no book return slot here! Only one at the front of the building, so go around the building, down the steps, past the barking dog and the van that’s in the 15 minute spot and fi nally--you can put your book in the slot! Especially fun (?) when it’s raining or there’s slush on the ground! What a dumb

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was outstanding; they sure made us feel like a family member. A further mention needs to go to our sales person Larry Epp - WOW, his old school customer service is something that is not seen anymore thank you for being who you are it was so appreciated! - K&K

I WOULD LIKE TO SAY “thank you” to three wonderful people for helping me out when I fell on Comox Ave. on

December 7. Your kind manner was extremely welcome. Merry Christ-mas to all.

MY HEARTFELT THANKS to all the kind individuals who took so very good care of my carry-on bag that I forgot at the bus shelter at the Driftwood Mall on Dec. 23 at 8:30 am. I was leaving to go on holiday. It was at the transit offi ce when I got back. This senior lady is very grateful. Rich bless-ings to all.

I WOULD LIKE TO PUT THIS THANK YOU into the paper for my customers, I am including a picture of Rudolph and his new side kick, my grand-daughter Lily, who is probably your youngest carrier as she and her Dad often deliver the papers to a small loop around my home. I would like to send a heartfelt thank you to all my customers on Mansfi eld, Cliff e, 26th, Piercy, Stewart and Park Place for the cards, goodies and

tokens of appreciation over the Christmas season. I enjoy deliv-ering the paper and my customers are all so fantastic it makes delivering fun. I wish all the best to all my customers this new year. My granddaugh-ter would like to also thank her customers on Mansfi eld and Cliff e for the gifts, goodies and tokens of appre-ciation. Lily loves to deliver to all of you.

THE BC WORKER death rate has been reduces by 2/3, thanks in large part to WorkSafe BC applying penalties to companies who put workers at risk of dy-ing on the Job. Let’s see the Ministry of Justice penalizing high risk drivers who make highway 19 one of the 6 most unsafe high-way in BC. How many more road deaths will it take?


PUBLIC NOTICEIn accordance with Section 127 of the Community Charter the following is a schedule of Regular Council meetings and Committee of the Whole meetings to be held during 2016.

REGULAR COUNCIL MEETINGS - 2016Regular Council Meetings are scheduled for the first and third Wednesday of each month, commencing at 5:30 p.m. Amendments have been made to allow for summer holidays, conference schedules and statutory holidays. Meetings will be held in the Council Chambers located at 1801B Beaufort Avenue. The specific dates of the Regular Council meetings are as follows:

COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETINGS - 2016Committee of the Whole meetings are scheduled for the second and fourth Wednesday of each month, commencing at 4:15 p.m. Amendments have been made to allow for summer holidays, conference schedules and statutory holidays. Meetings will be held in the Council Chambers located at 1801B Beaufort Avenue. The specific dates of the Committee of the Whole meetings are as follows:

If you require additional information, please feel free to contact staff at Comox Town Hall at (250) 339-2202.

A copy of this notice is available at Comox Town Hall, 1809 Beaufort Avenue. In addition, the schedule of meetings can also be found on the Town website: www.comox.ca

JANUARY 06 JANUARY 20FEBRUARY 03 FEBRUARY 17MARCH 02 MARCH 16APRIL 06 APRIL 20MAY 04 MAY 18JUNE 01 JUNE 15 JULY 20 AUGUST 17SEPTEMBER 07 SEPTEMBER 21OCTOBER 05 OCTOBER 19NOVEMBER 02 NOVEMBER 16DECEMBER 07 DECEMBER 21

JANUARY 13 JANUARY 27FEBRUARY 10 FEBRUARY 24MARCH 09 MARCH 23APRIL 13 APRIL 27MAY 11 MAY 25 JUNE 22SEPTEMBER 14 OCTOBER 12 OCTOBER 26NOVEMBER 9 NOVEMBER 23DECEMBER 14

December

December.

Comox Valley RCMP responded to the follow-ing incidents between Dec. 29 and Jan .4:

■ On December 29th, the Comox Valley RCMP were notifi ed of a break, enter and theft to a resi-dence located on the 2700 block of Penrith Ave, Courtenay. It was reported that an intoxi-cated male had entered the home, and had stolen a quantity of alcohol. The male was located a short time later, arrested and taken to the Comox Val-ley RCMP Detachment cells where he was lodged until sober. The male was charged with break and enter and released on documents with a court appearance in the New Year. (2015-16788)

■ A call was made to the Comox Valley RCMP about a vehicle that was possibly being driven by an intoxicated person dur-ing the late night hours of December 29th. Patrols for the vehicle were made and it was located in Co-mox. The vehicle driver was not intoxicated, how-ever, the vehicle had been reported stolen on De-

cember 12th. The driver was arrested, charged with possession of sto-len property and released on a promise to appear court in the New Year. The investigation into this theft is continuing. (2015-16068)

■ A report of Mischief was made to the Comox Valley RCMP on Decem-ber 30th. Construction equipment was parked at a work site on the 2400 block of Arden overnight. Unknown person(s) smashed all the windows in the piece of machinery. Anyone that may have in-formation regarding this mischief, can report it to the Comox Valley RCMP at 250-338-1321 or Comox Valley Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) (2015-16840)

■ While conducting patrols, on January 1st, a Comox Valley RCMP constable noted a vehicle speeding on Comox Ave, Courtenay. A traffi c stop was conducted and the driver was found to be under in the infl uence of marijuana. The vehicle was impounded and the driver was given a 24 hour driving prohibition and a

Aaron BrandonBRADBURY

DOB: 1988-06-28170 cms, 64 kgs, Brown hair, brown eyes

Warrants: Theft under $5000Breach UndertakingComox Valley fi le #2015-10401

If you have any information about the whereabouts of either of these two people, call the Comox Valley RCMP Detachment at 338-1321, or Comox Valley Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (1-800-222-8477). You don’t have to give your name and you could be eligible for a cash reward.

WANTED

www.comoxvalleycrimestoppers.bc.ca

violation ticket for speed-ing. (2016-35)

■ A stolen vehicle report was made to the Comox Valley RCMP on Janu-ary 2nd. The vehicle was taken from the 1200 block of Crown Isle Drive, Cour-tenay. On January 3rd, a reported sighting of the vehicle led to the vehicle being located and a sus-pect arrested. The suspect

was charged with the theft of the vehicle and was re-leased on documents to attend court on a future date. (2016-55)

■ The Comox Valley RCMP responded to three Break and Enters on Janu-ary 2nd. A business alarm on the 2400 Block of Cousins Ave, Courtenay, in the morning hours of January 2nd. It was de-

termined that the busi-ness had been broken into and entered. While inside, the unknown person(s) had gone through sev-eral desks and cupboards (2016-49). The Comox Valley RCMP were also advised of a shed that had been broken into over-night on the 2400 block of Macaulay Rd, Black Creek. A Gate was dam-aged to gain access to the property. While inside, the culprit(s) damaged sev-eral items and stole an amount of cash, as well as several tools (2016-50). Also, overnight, un-known person(s) had en-tered several buildings of

a farm on the 4100 blockof Island Highway South,Royston. Several itemswere stolen, including abicycle (2016-51).If youhave any information re-garding these Break andEnters, please contact theComox Valley RCMP at250-338-1321 or ComoxValley Crime Stoppers at1-800-222-TIPS(8477)

■ The Comox ValleyRCMP responded to threemore Break and Enters onJanuary 3rd. A businessalarm was reported on the500 block of 5th Street,Courtenay, in the earlymorning hours.


Police Blotter



It was discovered that a business at this loca-tion had been broken into and entered. It appears, once inside, the unknown person(s) was checking for items to steal (2016-81).

The second report of a Break, Enter and Theft was to an unattached garage on the 300 block of 3rd St, Courtenay. The unknown person(s) made entry and it was reported a bicycle and tools were stolen (2016-84).

A third Break, Enter and Theft was also re-ported this date. A busi-ness on the 3900 block of the Island Highway South, was broken into and gone through. A lap-top computer and other electronic items were stolen.

If you have any infor-mation regarding these Break and Enters, please contact the Comox Valley RCMP at 250-338-1321 or Comox Valley Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS(8477)

■ A theft of a vehicle from, the 600 block of Salish St, Comox, was reported to the Comox Valley RCMP on January 3rd.

The vehicle, described as a 2013 Grey Hyundai Elantra, British Colum-bia Plate 147LRT, with a roof rack, dent in the driver side rear bumper and cracked front bum-per, was taken from the residence sometime over-night. The investigation to locate this vehicle is still ongoing. (2016-87)

■ A residential break, enter and theft that oc-curred on the 2500 Block of Cathy Cres, Courtenay was reported on January 4th.

The residence and garage had been gone through. A Red/White CRF Honda 130cc dirt bike and riding gear was taken. This investigation is continuing and if you have any information regarding this incident, please contact the Comox Valley RCMP at 250-338-1321 or Comox Valley Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS(8477) (2016-126)

■ On January 4th, dur-ing speed enforcement on Pritchard Rd, Comox, a vehicle was stopped for excessively speeding in a school zone. The vehicle, travelling 75 Km/h in the 30 Km/h zone, was subsequently impounded for7 days and an exces-sive speed violation ticket was issued to the driver.(2016-140)

- Comox Valley RCMP


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A presentation of background and study process will be provided at 7:00 p.m. A small group workshop will follow - with input requested on the values that should be considered in evaluating options for Comox Lake water supply and treatment. A backgrounder and response form (available January 12-25, 2016) will be provided at the event and on-line at www.comoxvalleyrd.ca/water.

For further information contact:Dave Leitch, AScTSenior manager of water/wastewater servicesEmail: [email protected]

Please RSVP your attendance no later than Thursday, January 14, 2016 by calling 250-334-6056 or email: [email protected].

COMOX LAKE WATER TREATMENT OPTIONS STUDYALL INTERESTED PARTIES ARE INVITED TO AN

INTRODUCTORY WORKSHOP - COMOX LAKE WATER TREATMENT

Monday, January 18, 2016 from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.Best Western Westerly Hotel & Convention Centre Ballroom

1590 Cliffe Avenue, Courtenay

Valley’s formation demonstration favorite wins award for capturing hearts and minds worldwideBY MARY LEEEcho Staff

A simple installation of a camera has earned the Comox Valley’s beloved aviation team the Platinum Award in the Military Performer Category by the International Council of Air Shows.

The Royal Canadian Air Force Snowbirds earned the prestigious award in December for introducing the “TankCam” during the 2015 air show season. The camera was used for the purpose of generating increased interest in aviation and to promote their public aff airs mission. Installed on the lead aircraft of the nine-plane formation, the tank cam captured close-up, high-defi nition video of the team in fl ight.

“The reaction to this

project was more than we expected,” said Major Patrick Gobeil, Snowbird 1 during the 2014 and 2015 air show seasons. “Spectators were able to experience fl ight with the Snowbirds in a way that had never been seen before.”

Videos taken from the TankCam were overwhelmingly popular on the team’s social Footage of a 15-aircraft formation involving the Snowbirds and U.S. Navy Blue Angels taken earlier this year yielded more than 500,000 views alone.

“It was very exciting having the hard work of the pilots and maintainers acknowledged by ICAS,” said Lieutenant-Colonel Brad Wintrup, 431 Air Demonstration Squadron recently appointed Commanding Offi cer.

“This project successfully showcased the skill, professionalism, and teamwork of the men and women of the Royal Canadian Air Force to audiences across North America.”


The breathtaking, never-before-seen images and video generated by the Tank Cam including this formation fl ight over Niagara Falls, improved not only safety in fl ight, but air show entertainment value and the team’s overall connectivity with the general public (Source: 431 Air Demonstration Squadron).


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The Snowbird team returns to the Valley for their annual spring training April 6 with the Acceptance Show scheduled for April 26. Daily practice times will be announced prior to the commencement of training.

The Snowbirds will not perform at an air show in the Comox Valley this year, but will return to the island August 10 for their annual C.H.I.L.D. Foundation (Children with Intestinal and Liver Disorders) performance in Nanaimo.

British Columbia is well represented on the 2016 team. In addition to Vancouver Islanders Captains Matthew Hart (Parksville) and Ave Pyne (Victoria), new team members Captains Craig Sharp and Greg Hume-Powell also hail from the province.

Finley Tonkin came into the worlda little early but very healthy,nonetheless, weighing in at 7pounds, 7 ounces. Claire Gusman gave birth to herdaughter, the Valley’s fi rst babyof 2016, at St. Joseph’s GeneralHospital on Jan 1 at 5:22 p.m. Partner Jordan Tonkin explainsthat while they never intended to have a New Year’s baby, the timingto induce Gusman happened to make it work out that way.Mom and dad are thrilled to havea little sister for their son Caius (18months). Gusman explains he may not understand at the moment but is content with her company.Photo by: Claire Gusman

New Year’s Baby


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Commissions, trailing commissions, management tees and expenses all may be associated with mutual fund investments. Please read the prospectus before investing. Mutual funds are not guaranteed, their values change frequently and past performance may not be repeated. Rates and prices as of January 5, 2016 . Rates and prices subject to change and availability. RBC Dominion Securities Inc.* and Royal Bank of Canada are separate corporate entities which are affiliated. *Member-Canadian Investor Protection Fund. RBC Dominion Securities Inc. is a member company of RBC Wealth Management, a business segment of Royal Bank of Canada. ®Registered trademarks of Royal Bank of Canada. Used under licence. © 2015 Royal Bank of Canada. All rights reserved. follow comoxvalleyrd

REQUEST FOR ADVISORY PLANNING COMMISSION MEMBERSAn advisory planning commission is established in Area ‘B’ (Lazo North) to provide

input and advice about planning and land use management applications.

The Comox Valley Regional District is looking for volunteers to participate in monthly advisory planning commission (APC) meetings for a term ending October 2018. If you are a resident of Electoral Area ‘B’ (Lazo North) and are interested in participating

More information regarding duties and responsibilities can be found on our website at: www.comoxvalleyrd.ca.

Applicants will be required to have basic local knowledge of and an interest in planning, land use or environmental stewardship, the ability to attend evening

of interest may occur. A comprehensive workshop will be provided to APC members outlining their roles and responsibilities.

The deadline for submissions is Thursday, January 14, 2016.

For more information or to submit an application please contact:James Warren, general manager of corporate servicesComox Valley Regional District600 Comox Road, Courtenay, BC V9N 3P6Tel: 250 334-6000 • Toll-free: 800 331-6007Fax: 250 334-8156 • Email: [email protected]

The Comox Valley Regional District is a federation of three electoral areas and three municipalities providing sustainable services for residents and visitors to the area.

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Comox Valley launches fi rst community-based disaster medical care response plan in the province

employed can off set the infl ux of emergency calls that have the potential to render the hospital overwhelmed and operating at or over capacity.

During a disaster, these clinics should be the fi rst and perhaps only location for the walking wounded.

Determining how these clinics could eff ectively be turned into satellite emergency stations was key and so Dr. Tura referred to two leading expert in the fi eld of emergency planning and execution, Mike Fournier Comox Valley Emergency Planning Coordinator and John Wong, a retired senior US Army Corps of Engineers service member with extensive experience liaising with municipalities in response to a hurricane.

To promote community and hospital physician engagement, Tura also collaborated with Dr. Charmaine Enns, Chief Medical Health Offi cer for Island Health and Barbara Marych, Manager of Access and Flow at St. Joseph’s General Hospital, to ensure that



An untapped resource is ready and available here in the Comox Valley, able to respond to medical emergencies in the event of disaster.

Throughout the region there are approximately 100 physicians and specialists of which a substantial and increasing amount do not carry privileges to perform duties at St. Joseph’s General Hospital.

Physicians not attached to the hospital, however, provide essential treatment and care within the Valley’s medical clinics.

Should a state of emergency be declared, in essence they become a necessary resource to the community.

As a physician belonging to the Comox Valley Division of Family Practice, Dr. Alfredo Tura recognized that the Valley’s physicians and the clinics in which they work are a valuable resource that residents ought to turn to for

The recent 4.7 magnitude quake December 29 serves as a subtle reminder that a major disaster of this kind has the potential to shake the Comox Valley. Dr. Alfredo Tura and Comox Val-ley Division of Family Practice, like many other responding agencies, are prepared to turn fi ve local medical clinics into Disaster First Aid Stations should the need arise in the wake of a major quake.

medical assistance for non life-threatening injuries.

Tura explains that medical clinics such as the one where is


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outside the hospital, there would be community-based medical response team available to tap into.

Tura’s role was pivotal in piecing together a myriad of interagency responsibilities. As a member of the RCMP auxiliary, he regularly attended meetings with the Emergency Planning Committee, liaising with representatives from all facets within the community responsible for emergency preparedness - policing, fi refi ghting, paramedics, and the Canadian Armed Forces.

It’s now been a year and a half since the initiative was fi rst conceived and in that time Tura, with guidance and liaison assistance from Wong and knowledge and expertise from Fournier, has steadily lead in the development of Disaster First Aid Stations (DFAS).

Today, fi ve medical clinics have been identifi ed as a DFAS - the Comox Medical Clinic, Highland Family Practice, Crown Isle Medical Clinic, Valley Care, and Southwood Medical Clinic. Pharmacies closely located to the clinic are also engaged.

With the DFAS plan ready to launch, this will be the fi rst initiative of its kind on Vancouver Island and is already garnering attention from other jurisdictions. Recently, the Health Emergency Program BC (HEMBC) has started a somewhat conceptual parallel protocol and contacted the Comox Valley Division to collaborate.

Equipped with trained physicians and nurses, medical supplies and medication, these clinics are suitably established to provide triage, fi rst aid, minor emergency procedures, and urgent primary care including acute pain management and stabilization of fragile chronic conditions such as Insulin dependent diabetes.

Each clinic is strategically located in

accessible areas throughout the Valley and can operate independent of each other, using medical staff from any of the other fi ve clinics if the situation dictates it necessary and feasible to do so.

Tura continues to chair an emergency preparedness committee for the Division with support from fellow division members Dr. Peter Moosbrugger and Dr. Daniela Chifor.

Fournier has been instrumental throughout the process sharing his vast knowledge and experience, and fostering commitment from other key responding agencies that will enable these clinics to function in a time of disaster.

“Mr. Fournier was very receptive to the DFAS innovative idea and supported it from the very beginning,” expressed Tura.

“He envisioned the long term value of this initiative and provided us with basic training, sound advice and solid resources.”

Should disaster strike, upon the declaration of a state of emergency, namely an earthquake, one, some or all fi ve DFAS will become active.

Once active, the DFAS’ primary focus is on increasing patient treatment capacity and reducing the distance between residents and medical care. Patients will be able to identify where and when a clinic has turned into a station by the distinct and visible logo displayed in the window and on signage erected outside the station.

Tura adds that any or all of the DFAS could activate eff ective immediately, however, the committee will continue to meet regularly with other agencies involved including RCMP and the paramedics who support his initiative and are keen to see it integrate successfully into the Comox Valley Emergency Plan.

The Comox Valley Hospice Society is pleased to announce Brian McLean and Judith Moore as the winners of the Stroke of Midnight gift basket draw for ticket purchasers to their 2015 Phantom Ball—a stay at home gala. The basket in-cluded a Vancouver travel package with round trip air fare generously donated by Harbour Air complemented by a stay at the Century Plaza Hotel along with ev-erything necessary for a fun getaway.

Chair Lynn Brandon notes, “By pur-chasing tickets to the Gala Phantom Ball, the Comox Valley Hospice Society invited people to spend New Year’s Eve at home while generously helping sup-port compassionate care for people liv-ing with dying, grieving and caregiving whether at home, in hospital or in Hos-pice at The Views. In doing so, people re-ceived a charitable tax receipt for 100% of the gift. And, the entire gift remains

right here in the Comox Valley.”“The gratitude we hear and see from

patients and families are what make usall so thankful to our generous support-ers, the wonderful volunteers and ourdedicated staff ,” says Audrey Craig, PastChair. This year’s gold sponsors, Vancou-ver Island Insurance Centres and LaraAustin, RBC Wealth Management under-stand that compassionate hospice care iscommunity building at its best.”

With the New Year beginning it’s alsothe perfect time to make sure you havean Advance Care Plan—whatever yourage, making your wishes for medical careclear to those you love in the event youare ever unable to speak for yourself isa gift of love. For more information onfree Advance Care Planning workshopsvisit AdvanceCarePlanningCV.ca or callthe Comox Valley Hospice Society at250.339.5533.

Hospice Society announces winner of draw

11:15 am and 3 pm. Workshops include featured speaker Terry Small, “The Brain Guy”; Dr. Deidre Macdonald; Dr. Tom Di-amond. Come and learn with the many exhibitors and vendors. Enter to win great prizes.

THE CV HORTICUTLURAL SOCIETY • Wel-comes local horticulturalists Dany For-

tin and Shane to the January 18 meetingto present Crevice-Style Rock Gardens:From the Mountain to your Garden. Thedoors of the Florence Filberg Centre willopen at 7 p.m.; non members welcomefor a $5 entry fee.

HEART SUPPORT GROUP • Comox Valley Chapter Monthly Meeting January 20,2016, 7PM, Comox Rec Centre.

PLAY BRIDGE • Every Wednesday at 7:00 pm at the Royston Hall, 3902 Old Island Hwy and Royston Road. FMI: 250-334-1883 or roystonhall.com and on Facebook at Royston Community ClubFUN DARTS • 1 p.m. on Wednesdays at the Cour-tenay Legion. More play-ers (Legion members and their signed-in guests) al-ways welcome.

THERAPEUTIC RELAXATION PROGRAM FOR PERSONS WITH CANCER IN THEIR LIVES • Thursdays, 3-4 p.m., Nursing Centre, 615 10th St., Courtenay. Free. Sponsored by BC Cancer Foundation, BC Cancer Agency, Pacific Therapy and Consulting. FMI: Di-ane Davies 250-338-2700.

UKRA IN IAN NEW YEAR MALANKA • Dinner and dance, Jan. 16, upper lev-el Florence Filberg Cen-tre. Doors open 5 pm, en-tertainment 6 pm with our very own Dolyna Dancers, traditional Ukrainian buffet 7 pm, dancing with Audio Xcellence 9 pm. Tickets: Adults $35, members $25, dancers $10, youth to 17 years $15. Contact Sue at 250-339-0588, [email protected]. Pre-sented by the Comox Valley Ukrainian Cultural Society.

BOOMERS AND BEYOND • Trade show, 11 am to 3:30 pm, Sunday, Jan. 17 at the Florence Filberg Centre and Native Sons Hall. Free admission. The Valley’s fa-vourite Elvis impersonator Steve Elliot performs at

FMI: 250-334-1883.LADIES AUXILIARY DROP-IN BINGO • Comox Legion La-dies Auxiliary Drop-in Bin-go, upper hall. Doors open 6 pm, bingo 7 p.m. All mon-ey goes to charities. Free coffee and tea.

COMOX VALLEY GENEALOGY GROUP • Meeting Tuesday, Jan. 12 at 7 pm. Subject being: Treasures and Sto-ries - Past and Present. Bring yours along and let’s hear about them. Meet-ing will take place at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints - 1901 20th St. Courtenay. Ev-eryone welcome. FMI. on-tact Marlene 250-334-3080NORTH ISLAND RHODODEN-DRON SOCIETY • For its first meeting in 2016, Tues-day, January 12, the NIRS features a presentation by club members Garth and Sue Wedemire that will transport us “Down Under” to visit gardens in New Zealand. NIRS meetings are held every second Tuesday of the month in the Comox Unit-ed Church hall, 250 Beach with doors opening at 7pm and the meeting starting at 7:30PM. Refreshments are served and guests inter-ested in membership are welcome to attend.COMOX VALLEY WOOD CARV-ERS • If you are interest-ed in any type of wood carving please join us at the Royston Community Hall every Tuesday from 9:30 AM to 3 PM for a day of carving and learning about carving. No experi-ence necessary. FMI call Al at 250-331-0156 or Jim at 250-339-5350.DUPLICATE BRIDGE • Every Tuesday at 7 p.m. and Sat-urday at 1 p.m., Comox Se-niors Centre.

COURTENAY LEGION • Meat draws every Friday, 5-7 pm. COMOX LEGION • Meat draws every Friday, 3 p.m. Open to all Legion members and signed in guests. Friday is still drop in darts night 7.30 pm toe line, $2.25 per per-son.

EVERGREEN CLUB PANCAKE BREAKFAST • Kick off your new year with a new tra-dition...attend the Ever-green Club Pancake Break-fast, Saturday, January 9th, from 7:30 am- 11:00am. The breakfast includes your choice of beverage, choice of buckwheat or buttermilk pancakes, and bacon or sausages for only $5.00 per person. In the Conference Hall, Florence Filberg Cen-tre (downtown Courtenay! For more info call Courtenay Recreation – Filberg Centre office at 250-338-1000.COURTENAY LEGION • Meat draws every Saturday 2-5 p.m. in the lounge. New Sat-urday afternoon entertain-ment series kicks off with country music entertainer Denny Eddy, 2-5 pm.COMOX LEGION • Meat draws are held every Saturday 3 p.m. plus Ace of Spades draw.COMOX VALLEY FARMERS’ MAR-KET • Every Saturday, 9 am to noon, at the Native Sons Hall, Courtenay.

CRIBBAGE • Every Monday night, 7:00, at the Royston Hall, corner of Old Island Highway and Royston Road. No need to bring a partner.


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www.comoxvalleyecho.comFRIDAY. JANUARY 8, 2016 19

With epic snow condi-tions on Mount Wash-ington, a unique and di-versifi ed line up of bands and comedy acts, and the return of the popular out-door skating rink, the 3rd annual winterJAM Festi-val will be blowing away the winter blahs this Janu-ary 15-31.

Together with the Downtown Courtenay Business Improvement Association (DCBIA), Mount Washington Alpine Resort, Courtenay ac-commodation properties, music and comedy pro-ducers, and Comox Valley Economic Development and Tourism (CVEDS), winterJAM is a collabo-ration to drive increased visitation to the region during the winter season,

as well as to provide a great family-friendly at-mosphere in downtown Courtenay during the chilly days of January.

The outdoor skating rink will be set-up in the parking lot on the corner of 5th Street and England Avenue, beside the perma-nent evergreen Christmas tree, under a marquee tent.

This winterJAM Centre, as it’s known, will have themed skating nights in-cluding an ‘80’s Tight and Bright’ (21st), and ‘Be a Super Hero’ (28th), in ad-dition to a Capitan Thun-derpants performance, face painting, crafts, Boys and Girls Club activities, and more.

The Downtown Courte-nay BIA, one of the event

winterJAM Festival gears up for biggest yearPopular outdoor skating rink returning ... to the heart of Downtown Courtenay

partners, is ecstatic to seethe rink coming to down-town Courtenay,

“The location for therink puts it right in theheart of downtown, andthe CVEDS team andDCBIA members have de-veloped a great line up ofthings to do for families ofall ages.

“That coupled withour amazing restaurants,cafes, shops, and attrac-tions in downtown, thispromises to be one of theliveliest and fun Januarysto remember,” said DeanaSimkin, President, Down-town Courtenay BIA.

For those looking forsome music and laughs,there are several greatperformances being heldincluding Jesse Roper and




Towers and Trees (23rd) at the Sid Williams Theatre, Corb Lund and the Hurtin’ Albertans (27th) presented by Cumberland Village Works, and comedyJAM present-ed at Chances by Kitty’s Comedy Night featuring comedians Kath-leen McGee, Howie Miller and Jane Stanton (29th and 30th).

Tickets for all the events are sell-

ing quickly.The fi nal feature of the Festival is

50% off lift passes at Mount Wash-ington Alpine Resort when pack-aged with a night’s stay at partici-pating Courtenay accommodation properties including Holiday Inn Express, Old House Hotel and Spa, and the Best Western the Westerly Hotel.

While the fi rst two years of win-terJAM saw challenging snow con-

ditions, these epic and stunning snow conditions bode well to see this be one of the best festivals in its history.

The winterJAM Centre is open Monday to Friday 2:30 pm to 8 pm, Saturday and Sunday noon to 8 pm, tickets are $5, include some skate rentals and are available online. To buy tickets and check on the rink and performance schedules visit winterjam.ca.

Go skating right downtown starting Jan. 15

Gord Kruger and his Amigos are the new regular Sat-urday afternoon dance band at the Mex Pub in down-town Courtenay. The guys will be there every Saturdayafternoon from 2 ‘till 6 with their well known formatof great classic country and oldies dance music. Withguitarist and vocalist Barry Polichek, keyboardist DougColeman and Darryl Webb on Saxophone, Gord and theguys are all set to provide you with an afternoon of greatentertainment. It’s a bit of déjà vu for Gord and Barryas they spent many a great weekend at the Mex duringthe mid 80’s and early 90’s with their former band Wes-twind. The food is great, the beverages are chilled andthe dance fl oor is ready, so come on down for an enjoy-able Saturday afternoon of dancing at the Mex Pub......see you there!!

Amigos play Saturday afternoons at The Mex

The Kiwanis Club of Courtenay and Square 1 Travelare sponsoring the sing-a- long Mamma Mia movie atthe Sid at 7 p.m. on January 16th as a fund raiser for the St. Joseph’s Hospital Foundation. The funds raised willgo for critical care equipment for the paediatric ward.This wonderful, funny and wildly entertaining story unfolds on a Greek island paradise. On the eve of herwedding, a daughter’s quest to discover the identity ofher real father brings three men from her mother’s pastback to the island they last visited 20 years ago.

ABBA’s timeless music such as Dancing Queen, IHave A Dream, Voulez-Vous and Take A Chance On Mekeep audiences singing to this enchanting tale of love,laughter and friendship. This feel good sing-a-long ismade for a celebration so dress in the Greek traditionand take in an evening full of prizes and surprises. Tick-ets are $25 each and can be purchased at the Sid Wil-liams Theatre.

Mamma Mia tickets on sale now

Are you looking for a fun and challenging creative outlet? Do you like to SING?

The Just In Time Choirs are start-ing their Spring session on January 13th, and there’s room for new sing-ers in the Unplugged choir of our 3-choir family. [In addition to the Unplugged choir, there are 2 smaller auditioned groups.] Unplugged is a 50 voice, un-auditioned community choir led by the eff ervescent and knowledgeable Wendy Nixon Sto-thert.

Although jazz has traditionally been the focus of the three Just In Time Choirs, our repertoire has

been expanded to include contem-porary pop, gospel, folk, funk, and world music, as well as jazz forms such as swing and Latin.

The theme for the Spring 2016 session is “Momentum”. The setlist features contemporary music that encourages social consciousness, with songs like “Blood Brothers”, “Listen to the Music”, “Peace Train”, and “What the World Needs Now”. At our concert in April, we will be performing with an amazing group of instrumentalists.

As every choral singer knows, the toughest demographic to attract is the MALE SINGER! Men! We need

you!! If you have any inclination to sing in the shower, or during your commute to work, or if you would just like to see what singing feels like, we encourage you to come out and give singing in this group a try. It is FUN and MIND-EXPANDING – Wendy has so much to teach us, and her infectious energy and en-thusiasm will make you very glad you’ve stretched your boundaries.

Our fi rst rehearsal will be held in the Highland School music room, from 7:30 – 9:15, on Wednesday, Jan-uary 13th. We hope to see you there!

For more information, please visit www.justintimechoirs.ca

Try singing with Just In Time Choirs(Photo by Tim Penney)

Dec 18th – 24th

Dec 18th – 24thThe Royal Ballet: “The Nut Cracker”Sunday, December 20th at 10:00am, doors open at 9:30am.

Captiview Available In theatre #1 & theatre #4

We will only be open for matinees on Thursday the 24th.

“Star Wars: The Force Awakens 3D” PG: Violence In theatre # 1- Friday - Wednesday: 6:45 (9:10) in 3D & 10:00 (12:25) in 3DIn theatre # 4- Friday - Wednesday: 6:20 (8:45) in 3D & 9:45 (12:10) in 3DIn theatre # 1 - Friday Matinees: 12:15 (2:40) in 3D & 3:15 (5:40) in 2DIn theatre # 3 - Friday - Wednesday Matinees: 12:55 (3:20) in 2D & 3:50 (6:15) in 3DIn theatre # 1 - Saturday – Thursday Matinees: 12:00 (2:25) in 3D & 3:15 (5:40) in 2DIn theatre # 3 – Thursday Matinees: 12:15 (2:40) in 2D & 3:05 (5:30) in 3D

“In The Heart of the Sea 3D” PG: Coarse Language In theatre # 2 - Friday – Wednesday: 6:30 (8:40) in 2D & 9:30 (11:40) in 3DIn theatre # 2 - Friday Matinees: 12:00 (2:10) in 2D & 3:00 (5:10) in 2DIn theatre # 2 - Saturday - Wednesday Matinees: 12:15 (2:25) in 2D & 3:00 (5:10) in 2DIn theatre # 2 - Thursday Matinees: 12:25 (2:35) in 2D & 3:25 (5:35) in 2D

“Alvin and the chipmunks; The Road chip” G: No warning In theatre # 3 - Friday - Wednesday: 6:55 (8:30) & 9:10 (10:50)In theatre # 4 - Friday - Wednesday Matinees: 1:05 (2:45) & 3:20 (5:00) In theatre # 4 - Thursday Matinees: 12:35 (2:15) & 3:35 (5:15)

Box Office & Concession HoursFriday – Wednesday: 5:50 – 10:10

Closed Thursday night Friday-Thursday Matinees: 11:30 – 4:10

Box Offi ce & Concession HoursFriday – Wednesday: 5:50 – 10:15 • Closed Friday day

Friday - Wednesday Matinees: 11:30 – 4:10

CAPTIVIEW AVAILABLE IN THEATRE #1 & THEATRE #4

“Star Wars: The Force Awakens 3D” PG: Violence In Theatre # 1 – Friday –Sunday Night’s: 3D 6:35 (9:00) & 2D 9:30 (11:55) In Theatre # 1 – Monday – Thursday Night’s: 3D 5:35 (8:00) & 2D 8:30 (10:55) In Theatre # 1 – Saturday & Sunday Matinees: 3D 12:30 (2:55) & 2D 3:30(5:55)“Hateful Eight” PG: Coarse Language In Theatre # 2 – Friday – Sunday Night’s: 8:00 (11:00) In Theatre # 2 – Monday – Thursday Night’s: 7:00 (10:00) In Theatre # 2 – Saturday & Sunday Matinees: 12:10 (3:10) & 3:40 (6:40) “Sisters” PG: In Theatre # 3 –Friday-Sunday Night’s: 6:40 (8:50) & 9:15 (11:25)In Theatre # 3 – Monday – Thursday Night’s: 5:40 (7:50) & 8:15 (10:25)In Theatre # 4 – Saturday Matinees: 12:20 (2:30) & 3:50 (6:00) In Theatre # 4 – Sunday Matinees: 11:30 (1:40) & 2:00 (4:10) “The Revenant” G: violence, nudity course languageIn Theatre # 4 – Friday - Saturday Night’s: 7:30 (10:15) In Theatre # 4 – Friday - Sunday Night: 7:45 (10:30) In Theatre # 4 – Monday – Thursday Night’s: 6:30 (9:15) In Theatre # 3 – Saturday to Sunday Matinees: 12:00 (2:45) & 3:20 (6:05)

Jan 8th – 14th


SAVE THE DATE!

BIG LOVE BENEFITAnnual Dinner & Auction

Friday, February 26that the Florence Filberg Center

Ticket sales open Sunday, January 24 at 9am

Purchase throughwww.yanacomoxvalley.com

Mark your calendarsand set your alarms!

Join Aladdin as he ventures into a swirling sandstorm of famous Arabian Tales from Ali Baba to Sinbad the Sailor when the Missoula Children’s Theatre and more than 50 local Puntledge school students perform an original musical adaption, Aladdin.

Aladdin Performances are at Ecole Puntledge Park Elementary School, Jan 16 at 2:30 and 6:30 pm.

Tickets $4 for kids, $8 for adults available at the door.FMI: 250.334.4495

Puntledge school presents ‘Aladdin’

Start the new year with pancakesKick off your new year with a new tradition...attend

the Evergreen Club Pancake Breakfast , Saturday, Janu-ary 9th, 2016 from 7:30 am- 11:00am. This delicious breakfast is served to you at your table by our team of Evergreen Club volunteers. The breakfast includes your choice of beverage, choice of buckwheat or buttermilk pancakes, and bacon or sausages for only $5.00 per per-son. Gather your friends and family and share in this all age’s feast ! Mark Saturday, January 9th down in your calendar and plan to attend this special event in the Conference Hall, Florence Filberg Centre (downtown Courtenay! For more info call Courtenay Recreation – Filberg Centre offi ce at 250-338-1000.

A Burns supper is a cel-ebration of the life and the poetry of the Scot-tish poet Robert Burns. The suppers are normally held on or near the poet’s birthday, 25 January, al-though they may be held at any time of the year.

Burns (1759...1796) was a Scottish poet and lyri-cist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland.

Burns suppers may be formal or informal and typically include haggis, a traditional Scottish dish, Scotch whisky, and the recitation of Burns’s po-

etry.Our own Comox Valley

Pipe Band is sponsoring a Burns dinner on January 16 this year at the RCL, Branch 160, on Comox Ave. Fellowship begins at

1815 hours followed by a roast beef/haggis dinner catered by the Comox Le-gion Ladies Auxiliary.

Tickets can be obtained from any band member, by contacting the band President, Gary Usher at 250 339-5904, or via email: [email protected]

The Comox Valley Pipe Band has been a popu-lar member of the local

cultural scene since its inception in 1985. Under the direction of Pipe Ma-jor Bill Quigg, the band provides instruction in both piping & drumming, partipates in many com-munity events, pageants & parades, and has also competed in a number of Highland Games. The band wears the modern Sinclair tartan.

Pipe band putting on Burns Supper

Harvey Paris Quintet returns to jazz clubGeorgia Straight Jazz

Society continues its ex-citing 2016 calendar with a return performance by Harvey Paris Quintet, in response to the terrifi c demand for a second per-formance following their show last autumn.

This is your opportu-nity to listen to this highly talented up-and-coming group of young musicians whose generation carries the beacon for live jazz into the future, and off ers you the chance to hear how jazz, as a modern art genre, is evolving.

The quintet compris-es Harvey Paris, Vocals; Phil Hamelin, Keyboard; Mikey Clement, Guitar; Andrew Fraser, Bass, and Jesse McNeil on drums. All dedicated ambassa-dors, committed to elevat-ing jazz to another level.

Harvey Paris blends jazz and hip hop in a personal style, creating a neo soul fusion that is really too good to be missed.




The band plays with inspired infl uences from Robert Glasper, Esper-anza Spalding, The Roots, Eryka Badu, Amy Wine-house and the late great J Dilla.

Harvey Paris delivers a musical vibe like no oth-er. His group mixes the sound of Fender Rhodes, mixed with pocket drums, sparse guitar and groove bass to create a soul foun-dation for his melodic vo-cals. This is your night to

enjoy a night of deliciously smooth soul music: come, enjoy, and be inspired.

Show time is 7:30 at The Avalanche Bar and Grill on Eighth Street. Admis-sion is $10 for members, $12 for non members. Jazz Night Dinner spe-cials, and the regular pub menu items will be avail-able before and during the performance. More infor-mation about the Jazz So-ciety’s forthcoming events is available on the web site www.georgiastraightjazz.com, and on Facebook.

BY GRAHAM ARGYLE

The North Island Cho-ral Society, after their best ever attended Christmas concerts featuring fi ve “Magnifi cats” is now in rehearsals for the Spring 2016 concerts.

Last December, under the baton of artistic di-rector Paul Colthorpe, the Choir with the NICS orchestra (leader Corrine Innes) and accompanist, Elvera Penner met the challenge of demanding works by J. S. Bach, C. P. E. Bach, Buxtehude, Pach-elbel and Vivaldi. The fi ve soloists, Megan Skidmore (soprano), Carol-Anne Parkinson (soprano), Ta-sha Farivar (contralto), David Brown (tenor), and Sam Marcaccini (bass) brought a depth of inter-pretation clearly enjoyed by the packed audiences.

The two upcoming Spring 2016 concerts will focus on French choral music featuring Gabriel Faure’s Requiem and works by Hector Berlioz, Maurice Durufl e, and Charles Gounod. The con-certs are on Friday 8th of April at 7.30pm. and on Saturday 9th of April at

2.00pm.These April concerts

have proven to be very popular with the growing audience. This charac-teristic should be espe-cially true now, following the tragic events of 2015

in Paris, France. Gabriel Faure saw his work as a celebration of life. His Re-quiem in D. Opus 48 was fi rst performed in 1888, but it was not until July 1900, when the fi nal ver-sion was performed in

Paris, that the elegance and essential French char-acter of the music was ac-knowledged.

In August 1900, Faure wrote in a letter to Eu-gene Ysaee, the celebrated Belgian virtuoso violinist of the day, who was mak-ing preparations to give a concert performance of the Requiem: “I shall be delighted, delighted, de-lighted to hear my Requi-em conducted by yourself with your musicians. An organ would be necessary because it accompanies the whole way through, but a loud harmonium would do instead. As for the number of voices in the choir, that will natu-rally depend on the size of the hall where you give your concerts. The work lasts about 30 minutes or 35 at most; altogether it is as GENTLE as I am my-self!! and it calls for one quiet bass-baritone, the cantor type, and one so-prano.”

The NICS repertoire covers a broad range with-in the classical choral rep-ertory. The sensitivity and sound produced by ar-tistic director, Paul Colt-horpe, has been noted for

many years. His approach is with patience and en-couraging enthusiasm. Elvera Penner, accompa-nist, skillfully provides singers, both experienced and new, with a remark-able sense of tuneful se-curity.

Choir members come mainly from the Comox Valley and from as far as Campbell River. Singers of all skills and ages are invited to join the Choir, and newcomers to the Valley are welcome. This North Island Choir grows and renews on a regular basis and because of the

kind of music sung is a basis for good musical fel-lowship and friendship.

Most importantly, there are no auditions to scare anyone off ! It is truly a community choir.

The rehearsals are on Tuesdays at Mark Isfeld Secondary School, 1551 Lerwick Road, Courte-nay, and usually start at 7.00pm and end at 9.00pm.

Membership is $50 (Students - $35) for the Spring Session. The fi rst rehearsal is free.

For more information: northislandchoral.ca

Choral Society rehearses Faure’s Requiem

Composer Gabriel Faure


Join your family, friends, co-workers in raising funds to

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walking on Feb20thTo Register and pledge now at to

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Precedent setting was the main concern ex-pressed by two Area C residents who attended Monday’s Public Hearing to object to the Offi cial Community Plan (OCP) Amendment Bylaw No. 2835.

The City of Courtenay held the public hear-ing as part of a statutory process to amend the provision of municipal water and sanitary sewer services to the Puntledge Indian Reserve No. 2 (IR2), one of four K’omoks First Nation (KFN) reserve lands outside municipal boundaries.

Grant Gordon and Diane Bostock expressed opposition against the amendment, citing a prec-edent would be set for future opportunities of ex-tending services without annexation and contra-vening the OCP.

Mayor Larry Jangula commented that within Areas A, B and C, some residents have already received access to water, a service provided with-out annexation.

Policy 6.2.2 of the OCP states the Comox Val-ley Water System will not be expanded beyond the current boundaries prior to an area becoming part of a municipality and that the City will not support any increase in the capacity or extension of the water system outside a municipal bound-ary.

As a condition of entering into a servicing agreement, Council must approve amendments to the OCP and the Regional Context Statement. An amendment to the RCS is, however, consis-tent with Regional Growth Strategy (RGS) objec-tives to support economic development opportu-nities for the K’omoks First Nation.

During the public hearing Councillor Erik Er-

iksson asked Chief Rob Everson if it were possible for the reserve to become part of the municipality.

“If we did sign a treaty it is potential that we would have municipal-like status but at this point in time we haven’t chosen that particular parcel of land to have that status,” re-sponded Everson.

Everson explained that IR2, which has been slated for over 10 years for economic development has been met with stum-bling blocks from past administrations in moving forward.


Public hearing held for proposed water and sewer provisions to Puntledge Indian Reserve

BY MICHAEL BRIONESEcho Staff

The consultants com-missioned to produce a report on a recommended water treatment option for the Comox Lake will hold a workshop for stakehold-ers in the Comox Valley Regional District’s Water-shed Protection Plan.

Opus DaytonKnight Consultants Ltd. is cur-rently doing a study for a water fi ltration system that was ordered by Van-couver Island Health Au-thority to the CVRD to establish following the lengthy boil water advi-sory that took place in the winter of 2014.

The objective of the re-search is to develop an ideal site and treatment for analysis, evaluation and recommendation to the CVRD. It aims to ul-timately address commu-nity health, economics and social values while also protecting the valley’s ecosystem.

To achieve these goals, Timothy Phelan, water treatment vice president at Opus told the CVRD’s water committee recently that stakeholder engage-ment is a key component

of the project.“We will look at what

options are technically feasible and what options can be presented to the stakeholders to initiate discussions,” said Phelan. “We are going to evaluate those options in a stake-holders consideration ap-proach and then move towards a selected alter-native.”

The fi rst of four major workshops that Opus plan to hold will be on Janu-ary 18 and it’s open to all stakeholders. It intends to inform the community of they type, size, and the

nature of the water infra-structure being consid-ered. Community input will also be collected and a report on the merits about how each potential loca-tion for the facilities may aff ect the social, environ-mental and economic as-pects of the community.

“I feel communities here in the Comox Valley have a lot of shared values and that’s where we’re go-ing to begin the conver-sations and discussions with stakeholders in these workshops,” said Phelan. “We are going to focus on what the values are and

overlay those values on a scoring system on what are the evaluation criteria we’ve identifi ed and how do we want to weigh these to refl ect the values of communities.”

Following this stage, Opus will move to the evaluate options stage then selecting the pre-ferred options, and this will conclude with a sum-mary report that will high-light the recommended solution including a de-tailed engineering that will support a reliable cost estimate.

A First Nation workshop

is also being planned.The CVRD at fi rst was

looking to build a deepwater intake in ComoxLake to minimize the riskof contamination and tur-bidity. This allowed defer-ral of the fi ltration systemplan. However, the tworain induced turbidityevents that took place inDecember 2014 and early2015, led Island Health torescind the deferral.

Those wishing to takepart in the workshopshould RSVP their at-tendance no later thanThursday, January 14 bycalling 250-334-6056 oremail: [email protected]

Stakeholders workshop for water fi ltration study


Two days ago, my dog got into a fight with another dog and seems to have been bitten. All I can see is some moist matted fur on the shoulder and a small puncture wound underneath. How serious is that? Should I see a vet?

Without an examination it is difficult to say how extensive a bite wound actually is. The smallest wound can be just the tip of the iceberg. More wounds might be hidden under the fur. Bite wounds introduce lots of bacteria (the mouth is a dirty environment), and often this will result in an infection which may be serious. Sometimes the effects will not be seen for one or several days – dog (and cat) fur is quite effective in hiding what is going on underneath. You will need to have the area examined and clipped to assess the extent of the damage done. Redness and swelling with possible discharge confirms an infection which needs medical attention. If an abscess has formed, it will need to be opened and flushed. Most often antibiotics are needed to deal with the problem. Pain medication may also be needed. If your pet becomes lethargic and goes off his/her food after a fight, it may indicate that the infection has become systemic and is affecting the whole body now.Make sure your dog (and the other animal) is up to date on his/her rabies vaccination. Any bite wound could potentially introduce an infectious disease to your pet, and ultimately you might be affected as well. Prevention is better than cure – try and remove your pet from stressful situations before conflict arises.

250.338.0903

www.theHomeMedicalShop.com

Paula Granger

A: At The Home Medical Shop® we carry a wide variety of products that can help lessen your discomfort while you wait for your surgery. Products such as a Thermaphore Moist Heating Pad work wonders on sore aching muscles, providing moist heat therapy that gets deep in to the muscle tissue to combat inflammation and muscle spasms. Knee Bolsters work well to alleviate lower back pain and help you to sleep more comfortably, as well as backrests and cushions to make sitting more comfortable. We also carry a large selection of Orthopaedic Braces for added support of knees, back, ankles and more, plus a private consultation room where you can discuss your own particular needs with one of our knowledgeable staff and we can offer practical solutions to help you be more comfortable in the weeks or months leading up to your surgery. When it comes time for your post surgery recovery, we can help with that as well. Ask one of our friendly and knowledgeable staff to recommend which personal post surgery aids will work best for you, including our clean and well maintained rental equipment. We also offer a Hip & Knee Surgery Kit as a handy resource.Your Extended Health Provider may cover the cost of pre and post surgery products and equipment, as well as rentals.

Q: What products are available to me to help with my discomfort while I'm waiting for surgery?

��

A: Certain medications do taste awful. Sometimes, you can

ask for a different medication or formulation to make it

easier. The following tips can help make them easier to

swallow.Plug your nose before you take it, if you cannot

sense the odour then tasting is more difficult.Take the

medication with a small quantity of food, this can help. With

children, avoid putting the medication in healthy or vital

food sources as they can associate the food with the

medication and develop an aversion to it.Eliminate the bad

taste by drinking a liquid or eating a cracker right

after.Placing the pills on the back of the tongue can

help.Sucking on ice or eating ice cream before can help

desensitize the taste buds. Mint flavoured mouthwash or

toothpaste can also help.

Q: My medication tastes terriblewhat can I do to make it easier to take them?

Tax-Free SavingsAccounts – Is therea catch?

Short answer? No. However, there are some issues you should be aware of, including:

• If you over-contribute, you will have to pay penalties.• Transferring your RRSP to your TFSA is a taxable transaction.• Withdrawals cannot be ‘replaced’ until the following calendar year.• U.S. citizens living in Canada may not benefit from a TFSA and should consult a tax professional.This article is supplied by Lara D. Austin, Investment & Wealth Advisor with RBC Dominion Securities Inc. Member-Canadian Investor Protection Fund. Please consult with a professional advisor before taking any action based on information in this article. Lara can be reached at 250-334-5606 or HYPERLINK "mailto:[email protected]" [email protected].

What should I be pruning in the winter months?

Winter is a great time to prune fruit trees, wisteria, kiwi, grapes and ornamental trees because they are still dormant and you can clearly see the structure of the branches. Pruning is necessary if the value and quality of the trees in the landscape are to be maintained. The main reasons for pruning are removal of dead, damaged, diseased or crossing/ rubbing branches; to improve the form, shape or size; to stimulate the formation of flowers and fruit buds; to rejuvenate older plants and for safety and convenience. Careful attention to pruning and training young trees will ultimately determine their productivity and longevity. Good pruning and training will also prevent later injury from weak crotches that break under snow or fruit load. Pruning should be done with an understanding of how the tree responds to each cut. Improper pruning can cause damage that will last for the life of the tree, or worse, shorten the tree’s life. Never compromise…...always hire a professional! We will be starting our pruning in January. Call now for a free estimate.

Congratulations on setting your goal! You’ll be happy to know that not smoking reduces the risk of developing cataracts and macular degeneration, two common eye diseases. Cataract (clouding of the internal lens of the eye) can haze or fog the vision in a variety of ways and smoking quickens this normal age-related process. Macular degeneration involves the deterioration of the central retina and does not affect everyone, but occurs more often in smokers compared to non-smokers. Your eyes might feel better too, since smoking can cause ocular irritation and feelings of dryness in the eyes. All of these eye problems can be profoundly annoying, if not disabling. Sometimes people need multiple methods and motivations to quit. Use your eyes as one extra reason to stay smoke-free.

I’ve just made a resolution to quit smoking. Is there any benefit to eye health with that?


“I have a letter from my grandfather, the late Andy Frank, from the govern-ment promising that there will be services provided to IR2. We’re talking over 70 years ago.”

KFN re-engaged in dis-cussions with the City during the previous coun-cil’s tenure in offi ce to ne-gotiate provision of ser-vices.

Services will facilitate economic development in the form of commercial

retail, a seniors’ housing complex and the expan-sion of a campground on the IR2 lands.

Everson pointed out that traffi c throughways have crossed the IRs ever since settlers fi rst ar-rived and KFN has always played a big part in the community.

With the provision of services to IR2, KFN can expand the campground, which, in turn, can yield economic benefi t to the community, in particular, to the downtown core.

The parties entered into

an Agreement in Principle (AIP) that lays out a num-ber of guiding principles including cost recovery for the provision of ser-vices and any associated infrastructure from KFN and restrictions on the use of the land.

A fi nal servicing agree-ment that would facilitate the expansion of the exist-ing campground will also restrict residential use to an equivalent population of 500 or approximately 200-250 units.

Everson indicated how-ever that to date no de-

tailed development plans have been created.

The AIP also stresses “the provision of services is for the benefi t of the K’omoks First Nations and is not intended to be precedent setting” to any other rural areas outside the City boundaries.

Although Gordon and Bostock expressed con-cern over precedent set-ting, both see the potential benefi t that the expansion of services to IR2 have for the community.

Gordon shared his vi-sion of developing a foot-

bridge over the existing Puntledge river bed pil-ings where the former railway bridge once exist-ed, an alternative solution he believes is a “win-win-win” for all parties.

“A bridge that would carry pedestrians and car-ry the pipes that will allow a synergy between the two halves and enhances the neighborhood, which we all know is incredibly pop-ular,” explained Gordon. “I can possibly see money coming from all levels of government in order to get a bridge and a pipeline and tourism synergy hap-

pening.”“I believe once the pow-

er and sewer comes over the river to the 500-per-son KFN development that it must stop there as our rural area is not sown for this type of build out, and specifi cally because of the riparian values of the properties,” expressed Bostock, sharing her sup-port for Gordon’s sug-gested proposal of bring-ing services across the river by way of a bridge that connects the rural and urban trails and bring business to and from the campground.

www.comoxvalleyecho.com FRIDAY.JANUARY 8, 2016 2 5

What happens to my heatingsystem when myair filter is Dirty?

Something as simple as a dirty air filter can cause sometimes severe damage to any system. A dirty air filter causes lack of airflow. With lack of air across of the heat exchanger the heating system will run at much higher than designed temperatures. For a heat pump this causes high refrigerant pressures which is stressful on the compressor and could cause premature failure. A gas furnace will run a much higher temp on the heat exchanger which could promote early heat exchanger failure or have the system trip from a safety switch. Electric furnaces have resistive coils that can run too hot and burn out too. Message of the day check your filters! Have a good understanding of how often they need to be changed. If you don’t know how often your filter needs to be changed check it about every 3 months and adjust your time span depending on what you find. For more info on air filters or any other indoor climate solutions contact us by going to tempriteclimatesolutions.com

“A beautiful experience”250 -334-0209

www.level10eurospa.com

LeanneOWNER

How can I update my hairstyle and make sure it isn't ageing me?

Ha

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esi

gn

This is the perfect time of year to freshen up your look.... the best thing would be to come in for a complimentary consult. We will look at your face shape, eye colour, skin tone and lifestyle to ensure your hair design is working for you, not against you. Example: if your hair colour is too blonde it can wash out your skin tone .....having a natural base with subtle balayage highlights around the face and ends is youthful. What is the easiest thing you can do to update your look? Add or change your fringe! Phone for your appointment today!

Jan LefeberRegistered Denturist

DEN

TUR

ES

Ph: (250) 339 7 233#204-1819 Beaufort Ave,

Comox BC

Jan LefeberDenturist

I wear complete dentures and I am still

happy with my upper but I would like a

new lower, is it ok to make a new lower

denture against an old upper denture?

[email protected]

PC Mac Android Apple

That is a great question. The answer is different depending on your situation.For the average user I would wholeheartedly recommend upgrading. It is a free upgrade (until July 2016) and it allows you to stay current. I strongly urge users to install a free program called Classic Shell (http://www.classicshell.net/) which installs a familiar "Start Menu" and is very similar to the Windows 7 Menu. The upgrade will take some time (1-2 hours on average.) I also recommend backing up your important data before doing any upgrade.For business environments and people using specialized or older programs (POS, Office, Medical) and older hardware (printers, scanners, cameras, X Ray) you should contact the makers of the programs or hardware to confirm compatibility. If all of your software/hardware is compatible then I would suggest the upgrade.I hope this brings some clarity. Please feel free to email me at [email protected] or call me at 250-702-5764 if you have any specific questions.

My Computer keeps asking me to upgrade to Windows 10. Should I?

TE

CH

NO

LO

GY

Kyle Corey(Technology Specialist)

Send your questions for any of these professionals to us by mail, email or fax

Professional:

Question:

COMOX VALLEY ECHO407 - E Fifth Street, Courtenay, BC V8N 1J7or send your question to Keith Currie at [email protected] or by fax to 250-334-3172

My New Year’s resolution is to stop renting and become a home owner. Any advice?

Buying a property isn’t a simple process, but with some planning and forethought it does not have to be a stressful one! Most often, home buying stress come from the unknown (“I missed the deadline? What deadline? How much money do I need for a down payment? When should I take it out of my RRSP?”). To make your home purchase dream a reality we recommend you do two things ASAP: get pre-approved for your financing so you know how much you can afford, and learn the process so you have a big picture understanding of “who does what and when” and a realistic plan and timeline so all the pieces will come together smoothly. In our office, we’ve developed our First Time Home Buyer’s Consultation to meet both these needs – in just an hour you’ll be pre-approved and gain a full understanding of the purchase process and a plan and timeline for how to make it happen. Best of all, there’s no obligation, so call today and make your ‘home owner’ resolution come true!

DEN

TISTR

Y

How often should I have a dental checkup and a professional cleaning?

Dr. Colleen Clancy & Dr. Ann Lu

Dentists

We generally recommend scheduling an appointment to have your teeth checked by the dentist and professionally cleaned by the hygienist every 6 months. This will help us to detect changes to the condition of your teeth and gums and keep them healthy. For some, who have signs and symptoms of gum disease, dental cleanings are recommended every 3 months. For those with a very low risk of gum disease and a very low risk for cavities an annual check-up and cleaning is suitable. If you have concerns arise between check-up visits call us to schedule an appointment for a specific exam by the dentist.

Dr. Colleen Clancy and Associates#98-1742 Cliffe Avenue, Courtenay, BC V9N 2K8Phone: 250-338-2599Web: www.drcolleenclancy.com

Jennifer Frey,Registered Audiologist

1.888.850.9979

How does hearing loss affect my life?

Hearing Care Professionals know that hearing loss negatively affects psychosocial health. A British study of 1500 hearing impaired people 55 years and older showed evidence that hearing loss is likely to cause marital strain. Almost half said that relationships with their partner, family and friends suffered because they could not hear properly. A third had lost touch with friends and in some cases marriages had fallen apart as a direct result of a communication breakdown. Your first step should be to arrange a hearing test. Explore the solutions for hearing loss. Get the facts about hearing instruments and various pricing levels directly from the qualified reputable hearing health provider in your community. Ask about payment plans, instrument warranties and follow up care before believing that a remedy for your hearing loss is not available or affordable.

I WANT A VEGETABLE GARDEN THIS YEAR, WHEN AND HOW DO I START IT? Marnie

Plan first, January is a good time. Seeds and all the things you need for growing are starting to arrive now. Good bets for our area are lettuce and greens, peas, carrots, zucchini, green beans and cucumbers. You can start your seeds indoors and plant them out after the last frost date in most cases, which is usually April 1st to the 10th in Courtenay. Seed packages are full of information regarding planting times and West Coast Seed has an excellent planting chart on its website for our area. Pay good attention to the weather and your seed packages, if it’s too wet or the soil is too cold many plants or seeds will rot. Start small, if the weather is agreeable, dig out a garden bed north to south for maximum sunlight. Remove any grass or plants including any roots. Add more soil, manure, sand, or compost if you have it and dig the whole bed over about a foot deep. Your goal is to raise the bed up for good drainage and to produce loamy soil, not too sandy, not much clay. Yearly fall applications of green manures like fall rye will also help to build good loam and protect the bed from winter rains.

Monday to Saturday - 8.30-5 Sunday 9.30-5

Mark HamillMark Hamill passed away on December 18, 2015. He had a short but hard fi ght battle with cancer. Mark was born on May 7, 1950 in Syracuse, NY to Pauline and Louis Hamill. He graduated from the University of Calgary with a degree in Zoology, and transferred that degree to working at the Calgary Zoo for several years. Mark also thoroughly enjoyed educating people and sharing knowledge. He utilized that skill in his job as Park Interpreter at Fish Creek Provincial Park where he remained until he moved to British Columbia in the late 1990’s.Mark had a special connection with animals, and he had an infectious sense of humor with people. He has passed that love of animals, his sense of humor and his sense of adventure to his two daughters Meghan and Nicole. Mark was never afraid to try new things, and he had a thirst for knowledge and learning new skills. He was an avid reader, outdoorsman and boatsman. There was never a dull moment with Mark. Just when his daughters thought the end was near; whether being stalked by a wild cat on a hike, or stuck on a lake in a sailboat with no wind, he would pull a trick out of his custom XL hat and lead them to safety. This made their journey with him, vivid and memorable. He was hilarious, intelligent, strong willed and compassionate. We will remember him as a colorful person who marched to the beat of his own drum. His epitaph would read: I’ll do it my way, or the highway. Mark was survived by his wife, Pauline Fox, his mother, Pauline Hamill, his sister, Maura Hamill, two daughters, Meghan Hamill, and Nicole Tremere, and fi ve grandchildren.

Sereine Marie Caudwell (nee Richard)August 22nd, 1923 ~ December 25th, 2015

It is with deep sadness we an-nounce the passing of Sereine Marie Caudwell at St Josephs Hospital following a brief illness. Pre-deceased by her husband Wesley, sisters Anna Mae, Delima, Pearl, brothers Henri, Don, her soul sister Jesse Reynen and close per-sonal friend in later life, John Smith. She will be lovingly remembered by sons Dale (Didre), Grant (Nicole), grand-children Faye Caudwell(Ani-ta), Jamie Caudwell (Caleb), Danna Caudwell (Lawrence), Justin Caud-well, great grand-daughter Taylor

Caudwell-Irye, nephew Bob Perry (Willie), close personal friends, Win-nie and Jack Morgan, Earl and Sharon Kierstead, Shane Cattrall and a host of other friends not forgotten but too numerous to mention.Sereine was born in Lawrence Massachusetts and moved to Canada with her father Benjamin after the death of her mother Eveline Richard (nee Bernard) and settled in Tignish, P. E. I. After her fathers death in the Tignish train wreck of 1932, Sereine and Mae were sent to live with her grandfather until they were old enough to leave home and work. This bond was life long and culminated in the two sisters taking care of each other later in life. After WWII she moved to Powell River, following her sister Mae and took a job at the Bosa Mitchell Brothers store in Cran-berry where she met Wesley. They were married in July 1953 and left Powell River when Wesley reinlisted in the RCAF after his tour of duty during WWII. They were stationed in Edmonton, Whitehorse, Rivers, Trenton and finally the Comox Valley where they stayed when Wesley retired in 1970.Sereine worked as a waitress at the Arbutus Hotel for many years and was well known in the Valley. After Wesley’s death in 1995, it was then when Mae who had lost her husband Camille, moved to Courtenay to be with Sereine and they became inseparable. Along with their long time friend Jesse Reynen, they became known as the Golden Girls with Sereine behind the wheel with Mae and Jesse along for the ride. After Mae became ill and was hospitalized, Jesse and Sereine both moved into Berwick where she began volunteering at the Views ECU where Mae was a resident. She continued volunteering after Mae’s death in 2012 until she was into her 91st year. She enjoyed her independent liv-ing at Berwick, was active in the choir and was an energetic individual known to enjoy her occasional visits to a Casino up until shortly before her death.We would like to thank Dr. Jonathan Reggler and the nursing staff at St Josephs Hospital for their exemplary care and compassion for Sereine during her short stay in the hospital and a special mention to Roger Kelly and Joseph Thiessen at Piercys Mount Washington Funeral Home for their effort and professionalism when Sereine passed on Christmas day. As per Sereines request, there will be no service. In lieu of flow-ers, individuals may make a donation to The Views ECU in Comox. For anyone who would like to leave a tribute for Sereine, you can go to www.dignitymemorial.ca/piercys-mt-washington-funeral-home

GRAY, Hazel Mary (nee: GILBERT)

September 01, 1921 -December 30, 2015

Hazel passed away peacefully having suffered for many years from the cruel affects of Alzheimer’s disease. She was predeceased by her mother Sarah, step-mother Isabella, father Donald W. Gilbert, brother Alasdair and husband David W. Gray. Hazel was born in Vancouver and raised in nearby Burnaby. Contrary to her father’s wishes, Hazel joined the Canadian Navy and served as a WREN, conducting clerical duties during World War II. With Veteran benefits, she went to Normal School and became a teacher. She was teaching school in Whitehorse, YT when she met David (RCAF), and they were married in 1952. Hazel soon began a family and a lifetime dedication to homemaking filled with love and support for her children and grandchildren. She is survived by sons Tom (Sherry), Steve (Margaret), Michael (Elaine), Ian (Natalie), daughter Caroline (Andrew), nineteen grandchildren and two great grand children.Hazel began her early married life with brief stops in Edmonton, Summerside and, when David left the RCAF, to Vancouver. As did many young couples of the day, they decided then to move to Prince George (1954). David became a Game Warden and the family moved to Creston (1964) settling in Erickson where Hazel declared it, “a good place to raise a family.” Hazel and children became part of the Covenant Church because originally it was within walking distance of home. Hazel had strong Christian beliefs and she lived her life with faith and the ethics of honesty and integrity. Hazel kept busy with church activities, loved her flower garden and orchard. In 1986, Hazel and David moved to Vancouver to be closer to family and medical facilities. Unfortunately, David died suddenly in November of 1989, leaving Hazel widowed for the remainder of her life. Hazel lived in New Westminster spending her time volunteering, often with the Salvation Army thrift stores.Early in 2005, Hazel moved to the Comox Valley to be closer to family. Hazel eventually required residential care and moved into the Comox Valley Seniors Village where she received wonderful loving care. Family would like to thank all those frontline staff at CVSV for looking after Hazel and to Doctor Edward Howard for his care and attention.No flowers by request. A tea to celebrate Hazel’s life will be held Sunday, January 17th 2016 at 2:00pm, 2350 Anderton Road, Comox, B.C. (250-890-0438). A family graveside service will be held at Mountain View Cemetery in Vancouver at a later date.

Harvey A. WeissBorn in Edmonton, Alberta on Sep-tember 23, 1946 Harvey passed away on January 1, 2016 at 5:45am at Langley Memorial Hospital after an 8 month courageous battle with Mesothelioma a rare form of can-cer caused by occupational asbes-tos exposure. Harvey worked as a Journeyman Sheet Metal Worker for 35 years before retiring. He was well respected for his work ethic and reliability to get the job done properly the first time. He loved to hunt, fish and camp. He enjoyed many summers camping at Kin Beach in the old motorhome visiting friends and relatives around the campfire. Harvey liked to help others with their mechanical, construc-tion, and technical issues to fix just about anything. He liked socializing with his friends at the Legion and Griffin Pub. He and Jessie enjoyed travelling whenever possible. He was a good Dad to Bruce and Louise and a dear Papa to his grandchildren Alannah, Chanel and Martin. Har-vey will be dearly missed by his family and many friends.

Predeceased by father Victor and mother Millie, brother-in-law Bill, and many aunts and uncles. Survived by his loving wife Jessie, son Bruce (Jacki), daughter Louise, grandchildren Alannah, Chanel (Tyler), and Martin, brother Bob (Judy), sisters Gloria, Sherry (Moe), Paula (Roger), Susan (Bryan) and numerous nieces and nephews.

A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, January 9 at 1:00pm at the Royal Canadian Legion, 1825 Comox Ave, Comox, BC, V9M 3M3. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the YANA Fund Society or a charity of your choice. Please join us in remembering Harvey by visiting our memorial at www.piercysmtwashingtonfuneral.com.

Rosaline Elinor Silzer (nee Dennison)May 11, 1925 – December 21, 2015

It is with great sadness that we say farewell to Rose Silzer who passed away peacefully at St Joseph’s hospital, December 21, 2015.

Rose was predeceased by her mother and father, Minnie and Wil-liam Dennison, two sisters, Alice and Franceis Dennison, brother Ross, daughter Valerie and son Ross.

Rose is survived by relatives, extended family and many friends

who loved her like family.Rose was born in Denholm, Saskatchewan. She came

to the West Coast with her family in 1938. After living in several communities she settled in Powell River where she married Alf Postill and raised her two children.

Rose thought she had the best job ever as a Practical Nurse. She worked in the Powell River hospital for 20 years’. Rose spent some time in Abbotsford with her second husband Ed Silzer. After he passed away she moved to the Comox Valley to be closer to her daughter Valerie

Rose had many passions, gardening, traveling and entertaining. She had a very caring nature and was truly at her happiest when she had people around her. Rose will be sadly missed by her family, extended family and many wonderful friends.A Celebration of Life/Tea will be held January 16, 2016 at the

D’Esterre Senior Centre, 1801 Beaufort Ave, Comox, V9M 1R9, at 1:30 pm In lieu of flowers please donate to your favorite charity.

DEATHS

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FAMILY ANNOUNCEMENTS FAMILY ANNOUNCEMENTS

FAMILY ANNOUNCEMENTS

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FAMILY ANNOUNCEMENTS

FRIDAY.JANUARY 8, 2016 www.comoxvalleyecho.com26

GET THE SKILLSYOU NEED TO ACHIEVETHE CAREER YOU LOVE!Explore PRACTIAL NURSING• Earn and Learn• 3 Days A Week• Small Class Sizes Taught by Skilled Professionals• Starts February

AttentionHEALTH CARE ASSISTANTS!• Put your current training and experience to work in our Accelerated Access Program • Starts February

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VILLAGE OF CUMBERLAND

Guest Service SupervisorsTim Hortons is now seeking Guest Service Supervisors to join our team at 4 of our Comox Valley locations! Applicants

Please apply in person to any Comox Valley locations or email

2451 Cliffe Avenue, Courtenay789 Ryan Road, Courtenay

394 Lerwick Road, Courtenay727 Anderton Road, Comox

MEDICAL OFFICE NURSEPart time position as office nurse in a busy and friendly family practice office.Duties include but not limited to immunizations, sterilization of medical equipment, veni puncture and wound care. Benefits package available.

Respond with resume and a hand written cover letter to:Drawer #4582c/o Comox Valley Record,765 McPhee Ave., CourtenayBy 8 January 2016

Only those candidates chosen for interviews will be notified.

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HELP WANTEDHELP WANTEDPROJECT COORDINATOR – PACIFIC OPERATIONS

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Work Location: Powell River, British ColumbiaReference number: 15-BRP-332Reporting to the Director of Asset Management, the Project Coordinator will be responsible for working with Operations and Project Development teams to support the monthly accrual process, invoice tracking and processing of investment requests. In conjunction with these activities, the incumbent will have accountability for the following:

Responsibilities• Support Operations in providing updates to the OPEX,

CAPEX Budget and ensure updates are communicated to Finance;

• Work with project managers to provide detailed information for Monthly Accruals;

• Provide assistance to Operations and Asset Management in updating monthly forecasting;

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liaison between BEMI and operations;• Coordinate budget forecasting 5yr/ 20yr for Operations;• Managing the IRF (Investment Request Form) process;• Liaison between Financial Analyst and Operations /

Asset Management;• Tracking cash flow issues per loan agreements and

liaison with lender relations;• Provide detail to Finance to support project close out

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We offer a dynamic and professional work environment. All interested candidates should apply

in confidence to Human Resources at: [email protected]

PLEASE CLEARLY INDICATE THE REFERENCE NUMBER ON YOUR APPLICATION. Brookfield Renewable Energy Group would like to thank all applicants but only those

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Finley Tonkin came into the world a little early but very healthy, nonetheless, weighing in at 7 pounds, 7 ounces.

Claire Gusman gave birth to her daughter, the Valley’s fi rst baby of 2016, at St. Joseph’s General Hospital on Jan 1 at 5:22 p.m.

Photo by: Claire Gusman


#UsedHelpsA division of


Two fully automatic, low-pressure fan guns are being test-ed this winter season at Mount Washington. The Techno Alpine T40 Snow Gun and the Snow Maker Super PoleCat arrived at the resort over the holiday break

and are being put to the test to determine its snowmaking ca-pability and feasibility.

Temperatures of -2.5 degrees Celsius or colder are required before snow making can begin.

Artifi cial snow fell on the slopes Sunday, a fi rst in Mount Washington’s history.

“It’s really exciting. Last night

when they fi red it up there was quite a crowd around here watching it go off ,” Don Sharpe, Director of Business Operations and Marketing at Mount Wash-ington, told CHEK News.

Sharpe explains that as ideal conditions prevail on the moun-tain more windows of opportu-nity open up to pump snow that

will enhance natural precipita-tion and fi ll in when no precipi-tation has fallen.

The addition of snow ma-chines are part of plans that new owners, a subsidiary com-pany of Pacifi c Group Resorts, are introducing to the resort’s operations.

The snowmaking system will

be expanded throughout the mountain in three phases over a few years allowing more areas on the hill the capability.

“We have a plan that’s beingdeveloped as we speak and we’ll expand through a very strategic phased-in approach over the next fi ve to six years,” shared Sharpe.

Artifi cial snow falls for fi rst time on Mt. WashingtonTechno Alpine T40 Snow Gun (Source Mount Washington Alpine Resort) Snow Maker Super PoleCat (Source Dean Stoltz, CHEK News)


Attention all performers!This will be Pleasure Craft’s sixth season of live im-

prov soap opera. A lively and wild form of theatre art. Characters and plot lines continue throughout the six episode run of the show. There is live musical accompa-niment and lighting and on-the-fl y direction.

The show will be a satire on high school themed sto-ries such as Archie, Glee, Buff y the Vampire Slayer, De-grassi.

If you would like to take part in the show, come up with a character that has something to do with school life, teacher, student, coach etc and show up in costume to the audition/ practice from 6pm to 10pm on Thurs-day January 14th at the Cumberland Masonic Hall, 2687 Dunsmuir.

The play will run every Monday night from January 18th to February 22nd.

FMI contact director, Kevin Flesher at 250 898 7215

Join the fun with improv soap opera in Cumberland

Community Action Award presentedAs 2015 concludes in a

review of the year’s events, the Comox Valley chapter of the Council of Canadi-ans had the special hon-our of awarding its an-nual Community Action Award to lead organizers of Walking With Our Sis-ters K’ómoks.

Anne Davis, Lee Ever-son and Ramona John-son received the award at the Chapter’s annual potluck holiday dinner on Dec. 17 in recognition of “creative vision and lead-ership which has expand-ed and unifi ed our com-munity.”

The Walking With Our Sisters events, held in July and August on the traditional territory of the K’omoks First Na-tion, included a tradition-al welcome attended by all other nations, ceremo-nies and a commemora-tive art installation at the I-Hos Gallery that hon-oured and brought aware-ness to missing and mur-dered indigenous women and girls.

Thanks to the dedi-cation of families and volunteers across Can-ada through events like WWOS, the federal gov-ernment recently an-nounced it will launch a long-awaited national public inquiry.

The Council of Canadi-ans has had the privilege of collaborating with many First Nations groups on environmental and social justice issues.

The local manifestation of this important bridge-building between First Nations and non-native people in our community

From left to right: Linda Safford (CV Council of Canadians), Anne Davis, Ramona Johnson, Lee Everson - Walking with Our Sisters

was present through-out the months leading up to Walking With Our Sisters, and it contin-ues.

“The importance of our ongoing relation-ship as we work for cli-mate and social justice cannot be underesti-mated,” says Linda Saf-ford, Comox Valley Council of Canadians chapter member.

“Respecting the in-herent rights and title of the original caretak-ers of this land is the fi rst principle men-tioned in the LEAP manifesto,” a national call to action support-ed by many organiza-tions including the Council of Canadians.

Organizing WWOS K’ómoks took three

years. The memo-rial exhibit drew 4,431 visitors in addition to the many people who attended other events.

“The enormous ef-fort to bring the exhib-it, to host so many wel-coming events where First Nations traditions were shared, and to in-clude over three hun-dred volunteers has forever changed those who were fortunate enough to be present,” says Saff ord.

“We are very grate-ful.”

Walking With Our Sisters K’ómoks was nominated for the Community Action Award by Wayne Brad-ley and Janet Fairbanks of World Community, and Sally Gellard.

For its fi rst meeting in 2016, Tuesday, January 12, the North Island Rhodo-dendron Society (NIRS) features a presentation by club members Garth and Sue Wedemire that will transport us “Down Under” to visit gardens in New Zealand. Images were taken during tours set up following the 2014 International Rhododen-dron Conference in Dune-din and include shots from both public and pri-vate gardens.


Rhodo Society will go ‘down under’ at fi rst meeting of year

A division of


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Dunedin is known for its cooler climate which makes it ideal for growing superb rho-dodendrons. Two of the public gardens are classifi ed as Gar-dens of International Signifi -cance: the 38-hectare Botanic Garden which is the country’s oldest and has hundred-year-old rhodos plus Larnach Cas-tle with its beautifully designed garden that blends with the 19th century castle.

NIRS meetings are held ev-ery second Tuesday of the month in the Comox United Church hall, 250 Beach with doors opening at 7pm and the meeting starting at 7:30PM. Refreshments are served and guests interested in member-ship are welcome to attend.

Are you a skier or snow-boarder who knows someone aff ected by multiple sclero-sis? If you answered yes, then you should come to Ski for MS on Sunday, January 31st at Mount Washington Alpine Resort. A fundraiser for the MS Society of Cana-da, North Vancouver Island Chapter, Ski for MS is a great way to help people aff ected by MS in your community and earn a fun, inspiring and free day on the slopes!

Register online at www.msski.ca or by phone at 250-339-0819 and receive every-thing you need to get start-ed fundraising. Registered participants who raise the pledge minimum for their age group will receive a free alpine day pass or Nordic ski pass for Jan. 31st, lunch at the Hawk Dog Stand, a Ski for MS toque or scarf, entry to our Vertical Challenge – a fun endurance event, and the chance to win some great prizes donated from through-out the community. After a great day on the mountain, join us at 3:30 for a quick wrap up ceremony to fi nd out how much money was raised and maybe claim a great draw prize!

The pledge minimums are: Adult (19 – 64) $150Student (19 – 64) $125Senior (65+) $125Youth (13 – 18) $125Child (7 – 12) $100Raise $500 or more and

receive a Mount Washington day pass to use another day!

Many of our participants add to the fun by creating a team made up of friends, family, or co-workers. Show your team spirit by dressing up or distinguishing your-

selves at Ski for MS. FYI – team members are not re-quired to stay together for the day.

If you are up on Mount Washington on January 31st, stop by our Ski for MS sta-tion at the base of the Hawk 6ix Pack Chairlift. We will be holding 50/50 draws through-out the day and The GOAT and 2Day FM will be on site with great music.

Funds raised at this event will be used to (1) provide local programs and services for people aff ected by MS on North Vancouver Island in-cluding information and re-ferral, self-help groups, fi nan-cial assistance through our Quality of Life: Equipment and Non–equipment fund-ing programs to those who qualify, and the Comox MS Clinic and (2) provide funds for our Chapter’s annual re-search donation. In 2014, our Chapter donated $16,853 to MS research!

Multiple sclerosis is a chronic, debilitating disease of the central nervous sys-tem.

Symptoms can include vi-sion problems, extreme fa-tigue, muscle weakness, loss of balance and coordination, tingling and numbness, cog-nitive problems and partial or complete paralysis.

Canada has one of the high-est rates of MS in the world: an estimated 100,000 Cana-dians have MS. It is most often diagnosed between the ages of 15 and 40 and aff ects three times as many women as men.

For more information about Ski for MS go to www.msski.ca or call 250-339-0819.

Rhododendrons

Join the fun Jan. 31 at Mt. Washington and help raise funds to fi ght Multiple Sclerosis

Ski for MS

BY ALANA GOWDY

For many seniors in the Comox Valley, each New Year brings an especially welcome event. The Co-mox Valley ElderCollege once again off ers its free Information Forum. Held at North Island College, this valuable session her-alds a new semester of ex-citing courses.

The forum is useful both to people who are consid-ering ElderCollege for the fi rst time and to those, like Moya Fleming, who have been members for many years. “I signed up on the very fi rst day that ElderCollege existed,” remembers Moya with a smile. “One of the cours-es I took was in children’s literature. We all enjoyed it so much, when the se-mester ended we formed a

book club. It’s still going strong.” Still thriving, like ElderCollege, after sixteen years.

The major change Moya has noticed over the years is one of growth. Elder-College has so many more members, courses, course leaders, lectures, and vol-unteers. Her fi rst volun-teer position was as leader of what was then a small but active group, the So-cial Committee. There are now over 180 volunteers who make ElderCollege happen.

Moya’s involvement with ElderCollege will continue in the Winter 2016 semester. For, as she emphasizes, “The instructors have always been excellent, the cours-es are interesting and di-verse, and you don’t have to write any exams!”

The semester will run from February to March and classes will be held Monday to Friday during the day, with the lectures series on Saturday morn-ings. Courses are off ered once a week for eight, six or four weeks, or once on a single afternoon. This semester, topics will range from uranium to ukeleles, from environmentalism to local government, from bridge to beer, from hikes to hell [classical under-world!].

Everyone aged 55 or more is invited to attend this useful Information Forum. Course leaders will present a two minute summary of what they have to off er and details of the lecture series will be provided.

The Comox Valley El-derCollege Information

Forum will be held on Sat-urday 16 January, 10.00 a.m. to noon in the Stan Hagen Theatre at North

Island College.This free popular event

fi lls the theatre every se-mester. The equivalent

of a ‘Sold Out’ sign will go on the door when seats are fi lled, so early arrival is advised.

During one of several computer classes, members of Comox Valley ElderCollege foster their in-terest in the use of iPads. (Photo by Paul Atterton)

ElderCollege information forum coming up Jan. 16

MO1300 Homewood Rd | 250-286-0868

MON-SAT 9AM-5:50PM, SUN & HOLIDAYS 11AM-4PM2967 A Kilpatrick Ave. | 250-871-1177

DAILY 9:30 - 5:30 SUNDAY & HOLIDAYS 11 - 4

LIMITED STOCK! ITEMS MAY NOT BE EXACTLY AS SHOWN

20% TO

70% OFF

NO TAX ON TONS OF ITEMS

20 - 70%

EVERY MATTRESS SET + NO TAX ON TONS OF ITEMS

OFF

EVERYITEM

IN THE STORE+ NO TAX

20 - 70%

EVERY COFFEE & END TABLE + NO TAX

ON TONS OF ITEMS

OFF

20 - 70%

EVERY BEDROOM & DINING ROOM

+ NO TAX

OFF

ON TONS OF ITEMS

ON TONS OF ITEMS

Mer i t Home Furni ture Courtenay

20 - 70%

EVERY SOFA, LOVESEAT & CHAIR

+ NO TAX

OFF

ON TONS OF ITEMS

New Year’s Week Pr ice B last

ENDS 4PM SUNDAY


comox valley echo, january 08, 2016

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