merritt herald, october 21, 2014

RECONCILIATIONPAGE 2

HALLOWEEN SAFETYPAGE 12

TACKLING THE BEASTPAGE 8

Nicola Valley’s News Voice Since 1905

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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2014 • MERRITT NEWSPAPERS FREE

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Country music festival moving to MerrittMerritt is slated to host

another country music fes-tival in 2015.

The Country Music Capital of Canada will play host to the Rockin’ River Music Festival, a four-day festival organiz-ers announced Thursday they’ll be bringing to Mer-

ritt next August long week-end.

Rockin’ River is mov-ing from Mission, where it has been held for the past six years. Organizer Ken Hess told a crowd gath-ered at the Nicola Valley Institute of Technology for the announcement that the event has outgrown the site in Mission.

Hess told the Herald the

festival has grown over its six years and the Mission site is too close to that city.

He said the music fes-tival site just outside of Merritt is larger with more available campsites.

Hess said he’s hoping to see this event to draw about 15,000 people per day to the festival — total-ling 60,000 over the course of the long weekend. He

said in Mission, the festival brought in about 20,000 to 25,000 people over the weekend.

Hess said he is in talks with the owners of the festival grounds for a long-term agreement that will see Rockin’ River use the site for the next decade.

“We’ve already got a well-established festival, a well-established site and a

town that has been estab-lished for 20 years promot-ing country music,” Hess told the crowd.

He said organizers decided to bring the Rock-in’ River Music Festival to Merritt at this time because they wanted enough time to pass between the demise of the Merritt Mountain Music Festival and the commencement of this

one.Helping to bring

Rockin’ River to Merritt is Michelle Loughery’s Wayfinder Project and the Canadian Country Music Heritage Society.

In partnership with Rockin’ River, the Wayfind-er project will be providing training programs.

By Michael PotestioTHE [email protected]

See ‘Foundation’ Page 3

PICKING PUMPKINS

Two-year-old Londyn Messom and her dad, Ryan, pick out some pumpkins at the 3 Bar Farms pumpkin patch on Sunday. The pumpkin patch features a hay ride, wheat maze, petting zoo and, of course, gourds of all shapes and sizes. The pumpkin patch runs again Oct. 25 and 26 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Sunshine Valley.

Emily Wessel/Herald

www.merrittherald.com 2 • TUESDAY, October 21, 2014

NICOLA VALLEY NEWS

BC Hydro’s contractors for the Interior to Lower Mainland Transmission Project will be burning wood debris piles on BC Hydro’s right-of-way this fall and winter. The contractor has obtained the necessary provincial and municipal permits and will comply with all regulations for this work.

This work is very weather dependent and may need to start and stop over several months until completion. A key requirement is that the contractor does not conduct burning unless the venting index is “good”. This ensures proper air movement exists to minimize smoke impacts to people in the vicinity of the burning.

The 247 kilometre, 500 kilovolt transmission line currently under construction will expand the capacity of the system that brings power to businesses and homes in the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island.

For more information please visit bchydro.com/ilm or contact BC Hydro at [email protected] or at 604 623 4472, toll-free 1 866 647 3334.

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For more fun stuff visit

Dollarama preparing for business

A new dollar store has been built in Mer-ritt and is on the verge of opening for busi-ness.

In January, city council approved the development permit for a 10,000-square-foot Dollarama store

in its “gateway” area. The building has been constructed across from Extra Foods.

Victor Newman, the developer of the building, said he is still waiting for BC Hydro to equip it with elec-tricity.

Newman said the construction work has been complete for about a month.

He said the store will provide a variety of low-cost items.

The store is still without a Dollarama sign on its front.

The Dollarama building across from Extra Foods in Merritt’s gateway is nearly complete.

Reconciliation workshops plannedAt its regular

meeting on Oct. 14, city council voted to approve spending $2,000 from its city initiatives program budget to support Rec-onciliation Canada’s workshops planned for Merritt in 2015.

Reconciliation Canada is an orga-nization that aims to build and strengthen relationships between First Nations peoples and other Canadians through sharing of diverse histories.

The group, in partnership with the Union of B.C. Municipalities and BC Association of Aboriginal Friendship Centres, will be host-ing 100 reconciliation workshops in com-munities across B.C.

starting next February. The financial sup-port requested by the organization covers the cost of renting the Civic Centre for the local workshops.

Reconciliation Canada is also seeking council’s support in identifying facilitators to assist with the work-shops.

The workshop series is meant to engage participants in a dialogue to invoke positive change. Attendees are expected to leave with a bet-ter understanding of reconciliation and the generational impact of the residential school system.

Reconciliation Can-ada hopes to host four, one-day workshops in Merritt on Feb. 2 and

3 and March 5 and 6. Each workshop will include up to 40 par-ticipants. These can include leaders from aboriginal organiza-tions; all levels of gov-ernment, people from the education, health and justice systems; community organi-zations; the private sector; and multicul-tural and faith-based groups.

Participants will develop reconciliation action plans at the workshops.

Culture policy approved

The city approved a new arts and culture policy at its regular council meeting on Oct. 14.

The policy, devel-

oped by the Arts and Culture Policy Task Force, states the City of Merritt will be a “champion” of Merritt arts and culture with emphasis on new and existing cultural initia-tives, and a regionally inclusive mindset.

The goal of the policy is to have the city provide sustain-able support to arts and culture causes. This includes finan-cial, in-kind and partnership support, according to the policy.

BIRD OF PREY A watchful osprey keeps a bird’s eye view on the happenings at Sunday’s pumpkin patch at 3 Bar Farms in the Sunshine Valley. Emily Wessel/Herald

www.merrittherald.com TUESDAY, October 21, 2014 • 3

NICOLA VALLEY NEWS

Follow us on Twitter:twitter.com/MerrittHerald

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Faith --------------------------- 5Opinion --------------------- 6-7Sports ------------------------- 8Classifi ed ------------------- 10

GOOD MORNING!

From the Herald archives: October 1987

Cattle rustler jailed

A county court judge has issued a stern warning to cattle rustlers.

Last Friday, in county court, Judge Robert Robinson sentenced a man to one year in jail after he was found guilty of stealing cattle.

The incident occurred on Sept. 7, 1986 at the Douglas Lake Ranch.

Charges were laid following an inves-tigation by the Mer-ritt RCMP and the brand inspector. The remains of a hide found in the posses-sion of the man had the Douglas Lake brand and earmark.

The courtroom was packed for the trial as several area ranchers gathered to hear the verdict.

Joe Gardner of the Douglas Lake Cattle Company said he was pleased with the sentence, adding it’s about time cattle rustlers were dealt with more seriously.

REMEMBERWHEN?

Friends & Neighbours

The Merritt Herald is looking forCOMMUNITY-SUBMITTED STORIES

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

MERRITT HERALDPlease bring them in to:

BOTTOMS UP

Beer representative Terri Singleton pours Steve Soames a sample of one of many beers on hand at the Grand Pub and Grill’s beer tasting event Wednesday night.

Michael Potestio/Herald

Hess said youth will be taught and certified in jobs such as ticketing, security, hospitality and stage setup.

Loughery said this part-nership essentially provides a trades academy that will involve on-site setup of parts of the festival grounds, such as washrooms, stages and food kiosks.

She described this part-nership as a social enter-prise.

Hess said this festival will help out the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame by bringing country music fans to the commu-nity.

Tourism Nicola Valley’s Anoop Sekhon told the Herald this festival will be “a huge economic driver” over the course of the August long weekend and will put Merritt on the map.

“It basically lets people know where we are, what we’re about and what we have to offer,” Sekhon said.

MLA Jackie Tegart told the crowd the old country music festival was important to Merritt and the region because it brought people

from around the world to the Fraser-Nicola riding and the city, noting her excite-ment about the announce-ment of the new country music festival.

“It’s much more than a festival. It is an opportunity for young people to learn

skills, it’s an opportunity for the community to showcase itself and it’s an incredible opportunity for the region around tourism and attract-ing people to come back,” Tegart said.

Hess told the crowd he will be looking to include

local musicians as part of the show as well.

Hess also said he couldn’t release the musical lineup as of yet, but said organizers are offering a two-for-one ticket deal. Twenty-five bands are expected to play at the festival.

He said organizers want acts that cater to a vari-ety of people, such as the “young radio crowd,” classic country music fans, and also fans of festivals.

The Rockin’ River Music Festival is slated for Thurs-day, July 30 to Sunday, Aug. 2, 2015 at the old Moun-tainfest grounds.

Bass Coast, the electronic music and arts festival that has run over the August long weekend for the last two years, is moving its dates to accommodate Rockin’ River.

Bass Coast 2015 is slated for July 10 to 13.

From Page 1

Foundation partnering with fest to give youth work experience

Organizers of the Rockin’ River Music Festival are hoping for attendance up to 60,000 people over the course of the August long weekend at the festival grounds near Merritt. Submitted


Next council meeting: Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2014Council agendas and minutes at www.merritt.ca

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

HalloweenMERRITT CIVIC CENTRE

Cake Walk DJGAMES Prizes

CANDY

& MORE!

AT THE

OCT. 23, 2014

HAUNTED HOUSE

COME CELEBRATE

THURSDAY

FOR MORE INFO CALL 250.315.1050

5:30 - 7:30 PM

NOTICE OF ADVANCE VOTING OPPORTUNITYThe next general local government election is November 15, 2014. Advanced Polls will be conducted on Wednesday, November 05, 2014 and Wednesday, November 12, 2014 at City Hall, 2185 Voght Street from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Special Voting opportunities will be conducted on Thursday, November 13, 2014 for those residents at the Florentine, Nicola Meadows, Gillis House and the Nicola Valley Hospital.

You can vote in the election in Merritt if you: Are a Canadian citizen * • Are 18 years of age or older on general voting day • Have lived in B.C. for at least six (6) months immediately before day of • registration. (Since May 05, 2014)Have lived in Merritt for at least thirty (30) days immediately before day of • registration. (Since Oct 05, 2014) Are not disqualified by law from voting •

All Merritt residents who meet these requirements can vote. It does not matter whether you rent or own your home. If you own property in Merritt but live somewhere else in BC, you can also vote in Merritt elections. This is called being a “non-resident property elector.” As such, you can vote, as long as you:

Are a Canadian citizen* • Are 18 years of age or older on general voting day • Have lived in B.C. for at least six (6) months immediately before day of • registration. (Since May 05, 2014)Have owned real estate in Merritt, registered in your name, for at least thirty • (30) days immediately before day of registration. (Since Oct 05, 2014) Are not disqualified by law from voting•

Non-resident property electors can vote only once, regardless of the number of properties they own. If there is more than one registered owner of a property, only one of those individuals may, with the written consent of the majority of the other owners, register as a non-resident property elector.

*Landed immigrants who are not yet Canadian citizens are not permitted to vote in civic elections. *Corporations are not entitled to vote.

You are required to produce two (2) pieces of identification (at least one must provide a signature) in order to prove residency and identity.

Acceptable forms of identification include:BC Driver’s License • BC Identification Card • BC CareCard or Gold CareCard • ICBC Vehicle Insurance Documents • Citizenship Card • Merritt Property Tax Notice • Social Insurance Card • Credit or Debit Card • Utility Bill •

Carole Fraser, Chief Election Officer - (250) 378-8614

NOTICE

City of Merritt 2015 Permissive Tax ExemptionsBylaw 2184

Permissive Tax Exemptions Council has adopted Bylaw 2184 to provide permissive property tax exemptions at a public meeting on: Tuesday, October 14, 2014 at 7:00PM at Merritt City Hall, Council Chambers, 2185 Voght Street

Roll # Owner/Occupier Civic Address Legal Description Estimated 2015

General Municipal Taxes

0002-555

The President of the Lethbridge Stake - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

2451 Spring Bank Avenue

Lot B, Plan KAP 79511, D.L. 121 Section 22, Township 91 except Plan KAP 88312, and the buildings and structures thereon $ 3,947.28

138000 BC Seventh Day Adventist 2190 Granite AvenueLot 10, Bloxk 14, Plan 1 D.L. 123 KDYD and the buildings and structures thereon $ 254.89

276000 Merritt Baptist Church 2499 Coutlee Avenue

Lot 11, Block 30, Plan 717, D.L. 123, KDY SE 25ft; Lot 10, Block 30 Plan 717, D.L. 123 KDYD and the buildings and structures thereon $ 374.06

416005 Roman Catholic Bishop of Kamloops 2302 Jackson AvenueLot A, Plan 34228 D.L. 123, KDYD and the buildings and structures thereon (exclude Residential Class 1) $ 322.40

830015 Merritt Sikh Society 2399 Chapman StreetLot A, Plan KAP 65331, D.L. 124, KDYD and the buildings and structures thereon $ 1,157.32

912005 Merritt Crossroads Community Church 2990 Voght StreetLot 1, Plan 33171, D.L. 124, KDYD except Plan M16802 and the buildings and structures thereon $ 2,018.42

963000 Nicola Valley Evangelical Free Church 1950 Maxwell AvenueLot 35, Plan 747, D.L. 124 KDYD except KAP47649 and buildings and structures thereon $ 1,336.43

1094002 Fraser Basin Property Society 1990 Chapman Street

Parcel B, Block 16, Plan 1, D.L. 124, KDYD ( of Lots 1&2 see KJ48015) and the buildings and structures thereon $ 442.95

1241000 United Church of Canada 1899 Quilchena AvenueLot 13, Block 28, Plan 448, D.L. 125 KDYD and the buildings and structures thereon $ 228.71

6327500 Trustees Merritt Jehovah's Witness 1505 Sunset StreetLot 7, Plan 15455 D.L. 167 KDYD and the buildings and structures thereon $ 572.46

151000 Conayt Friendship Society 2164 Quilchena AvenueLot 1, Plan 41762, D.L. 123, KDYD and the buildings and structures thereon $ 6,357.34

1176050 Merritt Community Cinema Society 2270 Quilchena AveLOT: 1; PLAN NUMBER: KAP57211; DISTRICT LOT: 123; LAND DISTRICT: 25; $ 2,700.00

2500 Nicola Native Lodge Society "NNLS"2640 Spring Bank Avenue Lot 3, Plan KAP58641, D.L. 121, KDYD $ 1,919.33

1344000Nicola Valley Association of Community Living 1775 Coldwater Avenue

Lot A, Plan KAP 77597, D.L. 125 KDYD and the buildings and structures thereon $ 2,709.90

1000000 Donald Murdoch Mcleod M D Inc 1840 Nicola AvenueLot B, Plan 332, D.L. 125 KDYD except Plan 6875 and the buildings and structures thereon $ 3,921.97

1121000 Nicola Valley Health Care Auxiliary 1803 Voght StreetLot 11, Bloc 17, Plan 1, Part S1/2, D.L. 123, KDYD and buildings and structures thereon $ 1,467.33

1777275Nicola Valley Health Care Endowment Foundation Voght Street

Lots 1 & 2 Plan KAP62405, Section 22, Township 91, KDYD $ 5,667.03

1777280Nicola Valley Health Care Endowment Foundation 3457 Voght Street

Lots 1 & 2 Plan KAP62405, Section 22, Township 91, KDYD $ 5,426.22

1163000 Nicola Valley Senior Housing 1926 Coutlee Avenue

Lots 1-4, Block 24, Plan 1, D.L.125 KDYD Part N of Plan 400 * Lot A, Plan 122, D.L. 125 KDYD and the buildings and structures thereon $ 2,841.79

1114500 Royal Canadian Legion #96 1940 Quilchena AvenueLot A, Plan KAP60947, D.L. 125 KDYD and the buildings and structures thereon $ 1,757.41

Public Notice

Place of Worship

Community Services

1092000CRTRL Land Co. Ltd./Merritt Walk of Stars 2025B Quilchena Avenue

Lot 17, Block 15, Plan 1 D.L. 125 KDYD and the buildings and structures thereon $ 2,323.00

1087000 Merritt Masonic Temple Association2067 Quilchena Ave (class 8 only)

Lot 14, Block 15, PLAN KAP1, D.L. 125 and the buildings and structures thereon $ 318.26

1341010Nicola Valley Holdings Association (Merritt Elks) 1701 Coldwater Avenue Lot 1, Block 1, Plan 838, D.L. 125 KDYD $ 312.94

1364000Nicola Valley Holdings Association (Merritt Elks) 1702 Coldwater Avenue

Lot AM1, Block 4, Plan 838, D.L. 125, KDYD and the buildings and structures thereon $ 1,623.00

6355100Nicola Valley Rodeo Association/Nicola Valley Fall Fair Association 319 Lindley Creek Road

Lot 1, Plan 34260, D.L. 176 KDYD (except Mobile Home) and the buildings and structures thereon $ 11,252.28

807500 Community Futures Nicola Valley Suite B - 2185 Voght Street

Lot A, Plan KAP8523, D.L.124 and the buildings and structures thereon $ 1,335.68

807250 Nicola Valley Community Human Suite A - 2185 Voght Street

Lot A, Plan KAP8523, D.L.124 and the buildings and structures thereon $ 1,743.45

744100 Merritt Curling Club 2075 Mamette AvenueLot 2, Plan 22544, D.L. 124 KDYD and the buildings and structures thereon $ 4,634.76

1553070 Merritt Golf & Country Club1450 Juniper Drive Merritt BC V1K 1J6

Lot 2, Plan 29664, D.L. 174, KDYD and the buildings and structures thereon $ 757.77


Plan M9110, D.L. 174, KDYD except Plan 19948 and 29664 KDYD and the buildings and structures thereon $ 597.21


Lot A, Plan 34206, D.L. 124 KDYD & DL 180 and 181 and the buildings and structures thereon $ 20,802.14


Parcel A, D.L. 124 KDYD except Plan 33125 and the buildings and structures thereon $ 1,749.76


Lot 1, Plan 8212, D.L. 174, KDYD except M9110, excluding Mobile Home and the buildings and structures thereon $ 641.35

TOTAL ESTIMATED GENERAL TAXES 93,514.84$

Municipal Property

Recreation Facilities and Service Club or Associations


FAITH

Gifts Jewelry Native Art Glasses Contacts

Jeanine GustafsonOptician/Contact Lens Fitter/ABO/NCLE

Vision Quest Optical & GiftsQAuthentic Native Art Gallery

[email protected]

Phone: 250-378-2022 2001 Quilchena Avenue, Merritt, BC

Donations desperately needed for spay and neuter services. Donations can be to made to The Angel’s Animal Rescue Society at The Interior Savings Credit Union, Account #1193739.

Adopt a Pet

Brei

“Breaking the Chain of Abuse”

Please make an appointment to visitPh: (250) 378-5223

E: [email protected] other future best friends @ www.angelsanimalrescue.ca

Gifts Jewelry Native Art Glasses Contacts

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HOUSING FIRSTExtreme Weather Shelter Volunteer Training Session

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29 @ 7 PMROOM 4, MERRITT CIVIC CENTRE

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250.378.3955

LOCAL ELECTION 2014

ELECTION WORKERS REQUIREDAre you interested in working at the polls on Election Day Saturday, November 15, 2014? This is an opportunity to serve your community and to be involved in the election process.

Poll clerks are needed to work from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.

If you wish to work at the election, application forms are available at City Hall and on the City website at www.merritt.ca. The deadline for submission is 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, October 30, 2014. Preference will be given to persons with previous local government election work experience.

Polling Clerks will be paid $15.00 per hour.

All Polling Clerks will be required to attend a training session. For further information, please contact Chief Election Officer, Carole Fraser at 378-8614 or by e-mail at [email protected]

NOTICE OF ELECTION BY VOTINGPUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY given to the electors of the City of Merritt that an election by voting is necessary to elect one (1) Mayor, six (6) Councillors and three (3) School Trustees, and that the persons nominated as candidates and for whom votes will be received are:

Mayor – One (1) to be elected

Surname Usual Names Jurisdiction of Residence

JOLLY Mike City of Merritt

MENARD Neil City of Merritt

ROLINE Susan City of Merritt

Councillor – Six (6) to be elected


BAKER Dave City of Merritt

BROWN Linda A. City of Merritt

CHRISTOPHERSON Kurt City of Merritt

GOETZ Mike City of Merritt

KROEKER Harry City of Merritt

McMURCHY Bruce Lower Nicola

NORGAARD Diana City of Merritt

PROWAL Ginny City of Merritt

School Trustee – Three (3) to be elected


KROEKER Tim Nicola Lake

SWAN Gordon City of Merritt

JEPSEN Brian City of Merritt

PERRIE Joyce City of Merritt

HOISINGTON Everett Lower Nicola

GENERAL VOTING DAY will be open to qualified electors of the City of Merritt on Saturday, November 15, 2014 be-tween the hours of 8:00 am and 8:00 pm at the following location: Civic Centre - 1950 Mamette Road, Merritt, B.C.

Advance voting opportunities will be held at City Hall, 2185 Voght Street, Merritt, B.C. on Wednesday, November 05, 2014 from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and on Wednesday, November 12, 2014 from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Carole FraserChief Election Officer

A lesson from Thanksgiving 2014

As the harvest sea-son, with its attendant Thanksgiving celebra-tions, has begun, it’s a good time to be reminded of the priority of praising God.

King David’s Psalm 145 in the Old Testa-ment gives a good han-dle to do the above. It is the only psalm with the specific title in the collec-tion of 150 psalms.

One of the most common ways to praise God is through our prayers. It’s interesting that Jesus left us only one prayer as an example of how we are to pray (Mt. 6:9-13).

Commonly called the Lord’s Prayer, its more accurate title should be the “Disciples’ Prayer.”

“Hallowed” is a New Testament expression used only in reference to the name of God, mean-ing to revere.

Praise is vocal adora-tion of God. Adoration is the act of rendering divine honour, esteem

and love. Praise is also an essential part of life because only praise puts God in His rightful posi-tion.

In praising God, we declare His sovereignty and recognize His nature and power. There’s also another key benefit of praise: namely, it enables us to focus rightfully.

Praise, by its very nature, is unselfish, because praise decen-tralizes self. The wor-ship and praise of God demands a shift in centre from self to God.

One cannot praise God without relinquish-ing preoccupation with self. Praise, then, produc-es forgetfulness of one’s self and forgetfulness of self is a very healthy bib-lical practice.

The phrase, “Praise the Lord,” has been so overused in our times that it means very little. It has fast become a religious slang, a catch phrase.

Technically, to praise someone is the act of one’s esteem of a person for his virtue or accom-plishments. It is to pro-nounce that that person is worthy of honour.

As the Hebrew people attempted to offer meaningful praise to God, both in their personal prayers and in worship services, far

too often they found themselves in mindless repetition.

Because God is so awesome, they would simply say the same things over and over again even though they understood that vain rep-etition is a bad thing. It is not a scriptural concept.

Hence they came up with a system to stimulate praise, i.e., the acrostic system we see in Psalm 145. Every verse starts off with a Hebrew alphabet sans one.

A simple outline of the 21-verse Psalm can be recorded as:

Who can praise God? (1a). The answer: Only His disciples who are His children.

When should we praise God? (1b). Forever.

Why should we praise God? (3-20)? Because He is great.

Verses three to 20 are loaded with attributes and the works of God. God is great, mighty, majestic, merciful, a mys-tery, good, longsuffering, perfectly unconditional, omniscient and consis-tent.

In spite of the above attributes, when God seems to be far away from us, let us remember that we are the ones who generally move, and not Him.

Yet we can go

nowhere out of His presence. He would be always with us. We don’t invite Him into our churches, He is already there.

Where we are, He is there, period! Nevertheless, the prin-ciple remains that God responds to those who love Him.

What a source of comfort that is! How can we not praise Him for that?

With these, David concludes the Psalm in verse 21 in the only way he could. It’s as if he says, “Look, after all I have said about God, I have no other choice but to praise Him.”

By the way, let’s not forget that the mouth speaks only those things that come from the heart. So David’s heart must have been full of praise for God.

Notice also that his prayer is that all men would praise God forever and ever. Every psalm that David wrote encour-ages us to praise Him in some ways.

David could think that way because his focus was on God and

not on himself. By nature, we are a long way from being like David.

At times, we seem to picture the Bible’s char-acters as guys who were sitting out in the wilder-ness with nothing better to do.

David was the leader of a vast empire and his days were full. But he always understood the priority of praising his heavenly Father.

In the wake of Thanksgiving 2014, let us recognize the gra-ciousness of God in our lives to the degree that we are in a constant state of praise — praising Him, first of all, for who He is, and then for what He has done for us.

Narayan Mitra is the pastor of Merritt Baptist [email protected]

The views expressed in this column don’t necessarily reflect those of the Merritt Herald and its staff. The Herald welcomes qualified writers with views on this or other faiths to submit their work to [email protected], to be considered for pub-lication.

NARAYAN MITRAYou Gotta HaveFAITH


And they’re off ! The candidates, that is,

in the race to form the new political body for Merritt.

That involves well over a dozen people seeking publicly–elected positions.

Before we come away with one mayor, six city councillors and four school trustees for Merritt and

area, I’d like to make a point of acknowledging the 19 candidates’ com-mitment to helping their community.

That is a group of 19 people who have, I’m sure, not simply entertained the idea of being public ser-vants but are prepared to commit at least four years to it.

That’s no mean feat, considering city council and school trustee are largely thankless positions.

It’s not a job that ends for the day at 5 p.m.

The fact is, people are offering to make a huge time commitment with the intent to make things better — and not just for themselves, but for every-

one in the community. Call me naive, but I do

think that’s the main rea-son people run for munici-pal office. Surely it can’t be for the fame, fortune and glory.

There are two all-candidates forums coming up, where candidates will get a chance to share their views on various topics with attending members of the public.

Those are a great way to hear what your friends and neighbours consider the issues to be, and other community members’ pro-posed solutions to them.

To get the most out of the forum, go in with an open mind and an open pair of ears. Regardless

of what may have hap-pened years ago, it’s up to a new team of people working together at city hall to advance Merritt as Merrittonians want it to go. That’s just not possible with huge lingering resent-ments or resistance from the very people whom the city council and school board are expected to serve.

As the campaign trail heats up, I expect many people from all walks of life to bring up a wide array of issues for candi-dates to address.

It takes a lot of guts to put your opinions on the line — especially know-ing the criticism that can bring about — and I think

we should head into this campaign period with that in mind.

It’s easy to criticize in a quick-and-dirty way, with-out considering perhaps things aren’t always so simple. It’s much more dif-ficult to provide thoughtful, constructive criticism or to have an open dialogue where another point of view is reasonably consid-ered. Disagreeing respect-fully is an art, and it’s one we could all use more practice at.

Few things get people riled up like politics. It’s not just business to a lot of people; it’s the opposite — and deeply personal.

HERALD OPINION

Promise not to over-promise

Here’s a simple request for candidates seeking election in the upcoming school board and municipal election: only promise what you can deliver.

That might seem an obvious request but, all too often, candi-dates vow to achieve things they clearly cannot. They either fail to provide the true cost of their promise or they promise some-thing outside the legal mandate of the office they seek.

Call it enthusiasm. Call it lack of experience. Either way, it doesn’t serve the voter.

For example, there are some fairly severe limits on what a city can and cannot do.

It must work within the pro-vincial legislation that governs its existence. A promise to silence every train whistle within city boundaries might sound attrac-tive, but trains are a federal responsibility.

City council can’t make them do anything.

Likewise, a promise by a school board candidate to hire more teachers won’t happen without an explanation of where the money to pay for those new employees will come from.

And school districts cannot, by provincial law, run a deficit.

None of this is to suggest candidates can’t have ideas or voice creative and imaginative solutions.

But they have an obligation to voters to ensure that what they promise is practical — or, more particularly, possible.

We, as voters, have the responsibility to do the research and ask the tough questions to ensure these lofty ideas have some grounding in reality.

— Kamloops This Week

Playing fair in political sandbox

2090 GRANITE AVE., PO BOX 9, MERRITT, B.C. PHONE (250) 378-4241 FAX (250) 378-6818MERRITT HERALDCopyright subsists in all display advertising in this edition of the Merritt Herald. Permission to reproduce in any form, must be obtained in writing from the publisher. We acknowledge the fi nancial support of the Government of Canada, through the Canada Periodical Fund (CPF) for our publishing activities.

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

Emily WesselMerrittMUSINGS

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MASSAGE PROGRAM SUCCESS PAGE 5 BOWLERS NATIONAL CHAMPSPAGE 25

M E R R I T T

FREE

MARCH MADNESS The Merritt Secondary School class of 2013 hit the streets for their grand march down Voght Street on Friday for commencement. Full story on page 3, more photos in section B. Emily Wessel/Herald

City facing staff shortage for summerThe City of Merritt is

down two managers and will be working through a staff shortage for most of the summer, Chief Administrative Officer Matt Noble said after a regular council meeting on Tuesday.

It was Financial Services Manager Pat Sibilleau’s last Merritt city council meeting before she moves to a new position in Alberta. After two years with the

City of Merritt, Sibilleau is moving on to pursue an opportunity in Wood Buffalo. There, she will be

the manager of financial

Fort McMurray.“It’s a new adventure; it’s nothing against Merritt in any way,” said Sibilleau. “I had a great run here, I think I’ve contributed to some successes of the administration and council,

but an opportunity came up that I couldn’t turn down as an advancement

for my career so I’m on my way north.”

She said the job there will be a busy one.“I’ll be doing there, full-

time, what I do off a corner of my desk here,” she said with a laugh.Sibilleau said she is most

proud of the good relation-ship she’s established with council during her time in Merritt.

“To be able to establish that kind of relationship

with a council is quite rewarding,” Sibilleau said.At the meeting, coun-cil gave her a round of applause when discussing her departure. Merritt Mayor Susan Roline thanked Sibilleau for all the

hard work she has done for the city.

Noble said Sibilleau’s departure leaves a big h lto fill

“Pat’s given us some real productivity improvements and she’s invested a lot of time here,” Noble said.“That said, she has an

opportunity that’s going to fit into her long-range plans and certainly we couldn’t compete with that, so all we can do is really support has she’s s

By Michael PotestioTHE HERALD

MERRITT HERALDbcclassified.com

FALL FAIR CATALOGUE INSIDE

NNiNicolola Valley’s NN

merrittherald.com

MASSAGE PROGRARAAMAMMM M SSSUSUUUCCCCESS PAGE 55 BOWLERS

M E R R I T T

MARCH MADNESS The Merritt Secondary School class of 2013 hit the streets for their grand march down Voght Street on Fri

City facing staff shortaThe City of Merritt is down two managers and will be working through a staff shortage for most of the summer, Chief Administrative Officer Matt Noble said after a regular council meeting on

Tuesday.

It was Financial Services Manager Pat Sibilleau’s last Merritt city council meeting before she moves to a new position in Alberta. After two years with the

City of Merritt, Sibilleau is moving on to pursue an opportunity in Wood Buffalo. There, she will be

the manager of financial

Fort McMurray.“It’s a new adventure; it’s nothing against Merritt in any way,” said Sibilleau. “I had a great run here, I think I’ve contributed to some successes of the administration and council,

but an opportunity came up that I couldn’t turn down as an advancement

for my career so I’m on my way north.”

She said the jowill be a busy one.“I’ll be doing thtime, what I do off of my desk here,” shwith a laugh.Sibilleau said she proud of the good relship she’s established wcouncil during her timMerritt.“To be able to estabthat kind of relationship

By Michael PotestioTHE HERALD

MEERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRITTbcclassified.com

D-DAY MEMORIES

PAGE 3

ORGAPAGE 4


MERRITT HERALDmerrittherald.com

bcclassified.com

FEATURE HOMES

Phone: 250-378-6181

www.royallepage.ca/merritt w

ww.realtor.ca

Helping you is

what we do.

M E R R I T T

See our full Real Estate Review inside

the Thursday edition of the Merritt Herald.

Family of Darcie Clarke defends NCR Reform Act

Family members of a woman

whose children were murdered by

their father in Merritt in 2008 are

speaking up in support of the Not

Criminally Responsible Reform

Act.The act would change the

release reviews for those found not

criminally responsible from annual

hearings to hearings every three

years, which Darcie Clarke’s family

members say will correct an imbal-

ance in the current review system.

“What is being proposed is what

we – the families of victims all

across Canada – have been asking

for: people found not criminally

responsible get better supports than

are currently in place; the commu-

nity as a whole receives the protec-

tions [it] deserve[s]; and the fami-

lies of victims finally get more time

to heal,” reads a statement released

by Clarke and her cousin, Stacy

Galt, on the victims’ advocacy web-

site 4darcie.ca.

Allan Schoenborn was found

not criminally responsible by reason

of mental disorder for the mur-

ders of his and Clarke’s children,

10-year-old Kaitlynne, eight-year-

old Max, and five-year-old Cordon.

Clarke and Galt have worked

with Prime Minister Stephen

Harper, Attorney General Rob

Nicholson and Canadian Heritage

Minister James Moore on the bill

for nearly five years. They say the

changes will bring victims’ rights

into balance with those of people

found not criminally responsible.

The bill passed its second read-

ing in the House of Commons late

last month with a vote of 242 to

34 and will now be reviewed by a

committee and reported on before

its third reading.

If the bill basses its third read-

ing, it gets royal assent and becomes

law. “This is a bill that reminds the

courts and provincial review boards

that victims matter. In fact, it is

more than a reminder that victims

matter — it will hopefully soon be

the law,” the statement says.

The bill also addresses imbal-

ances in the legislation surrounding

those found not criminally respon-

sible, including that there is no legal

obligation to notify members of the

community if a high-risk offender

leaves or escapes from a facility, and

treating and classifying those with

lengthy violent histories differently

than those with mental disorders,

the statement says.

In 2011, the B.C. Review Board

granted Schoenborn escorted visits

into the community from the Port

Coquitlam psychiatric facility where

he was being held. That permission

was revoked after opposition from

Clarke’s family, who said she was

living nearby.

Schoenborn’s request to transfer

to a psychiatric facility in Selkirk,

Man. was approved by the B.C.

Review Board in February, but has

yet to be carried out. Clarke’s fami-

ly opposes that move as well, saying

she has family in the Selkirk area.

Mother of triple murder victims says Bill C-54 protects victims’ rights

By Emily Wessel

THE HERALD

[email protected]

Runners convene for Merritt race

Merritt held its fourth annual

Country Run Sunday and the event

saw people of all ages participate in

the 5K, 10K and half-marathon runs.

In total, there were about 300 par-

ticipants, said event organizer Mary

Jorgensen.The 5K had 157 runners, and

the 10K attracted 100 participants.

Thirty-three people ran the half-

marathon.Former Rotary Club of Merritt

president Darch Oborne partici-

pated in the half-marathon race. The

68-year-old is an avid runner, having

completing three marathons in 53

days just two weeks ago. When asked

how he manages to run so much in

such a short period of time, Oborne

answered, “You gotta do it while

you’re young.

“Relative to tomorrow, I’m young,”

he told the Herald.

Another relatively young runner

to take part in the half-marathon

was 78-year-old Bruce Butcher from

Kamloops. He was one of the last

to cross the finish line but when the

crowd, which had amassed back at

the starting line in Voght Park, saw

him heading to the finish, everyone

cheered. Oborne even went back to

jog a bit with Butcher.

Butcher started running marathons

when he retired at age 66 and said

his daughter was a big inspiration for

him.“She’s done the Ironman [triath-

lon] and she led the way. [She] said,

‘Dad, why don’t you run?’ so I did,”

said Butcher.

Families came out to run as well.

Helen Asseltine and her eight-year-

old daughter Paige finished the 5K

race together. Her husband Graeme

and six-year-old son Isaac were not

far behind. Even her mother-in-law,

Bernice Asseltine, 82, took on the 5K

race at the Country Run.

“This was her first 5K and it was

our first time doing it together,” Helen

said about running the race with her

daughter.

See ‘Country Run’ Page 3

By Michael Potestio

THE HERALD

[email protected]

OFF TO THE RACES Seven-year-old Calvin Little leads a pack of runners in the 5K at the Merritt Country Run on Sunday. The

races attracted participants from all walks of life and from as far away as Ontario. Ian Webster/Herald

?HERALD QUESTION OF THE WEEK

Will you be attending an all-candidates

forum next week?

To vote, go online to

merrittherald.com

PREVIOUSQUESTION

Are you involved with a non-profit

organization in the Nicola

Valley?MEMBER:

67%EXECUTIVE:

17%NO:16%

LETTERS POLICY

YOUR OPINION Speak upYou can comment on any

story you read @ merrittherald.com

Dear Editor,

Operation Christmas Child shoebox campaign is celebrating its 22nd year of operation in North America.

These gift-filled shoe-boxes make their way to children in under-developed countries whose lives have been traumatized by war, extreme poverty, natural disasters and disease.

Our little town of Mer-ritt collected 320 shoeboxes last season, and we hope to reach our goal of 400 boxes this year. It is a fun and meaningful charity for families, churches, schools, business and organizations to get involved in and we have only until Nov. 21 to accomplish this.

Samaritan’s Purse Operation Christmas Child is the world’s largest Christ-mas project and transcends all political and religious barriers to reach the most needed children.

They also visit children in hospitals and orphanages with these gift boxes.

These shoeboxes open doors for Samaritan’s Purse to provide children, fami-lies and communities with access to safe water, food, clothing, shelter, medical assistance and/or educa-tional resources.

Boxes and envelopes with instructions are avail-able at most churches in town, Curves, Bench Ele-mentary School, the Dollar Tree and at the Greyhound Bus Depot, which also generously delivers all boxes free of charge to the main collection centre in Calgary where they are then inspected before being shipped off to their final destination.

You can also use recy-cled shoeboxes as well.

Make sure you indicate the age and gender of the child and include an assort-ment of new, good quality items for the appropriate age group. Good sugges-tions for gift items are listed in the brochures/envelopes.

Remember, these are probably the first Christmas gifts these children have ever received, so let’s make them special!

The children love getting personalized cards, letters and photos of you or your family as there is a transla-tor in each area to read out your greeting.

Please do not put in

items that can leak, break, melt or freeze, so no liquids or gels.

All candy must be hard and wrapped.

Please, no war-related toys, used items, gum, chocolate, playing cards or toothpaste.

This year, our boxes from Western Canada and the North will go to impov-erished areas in the follow-ing countries: Costa Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala, Venezuela, Par-aguay, Guinea and Equato-rial Guinea.

You can even pack and donate a box online by going to samaritanspurse.ca and clicking on Operation Christmas Child.

The deadline for boxes to be in is Nov. 21 and they can be dropped off at the participating locations in town or at the Evangelical Free Church between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. from Tues-day to Friday.

The E-Free Church (by Rotary Park) is the main collection site and will be hosting a dedication service

on Nov. 23 at 10 a.m. when all boxes need to be in.

If you have any ques-tions, you can contact Kan-dace or Grace Bergmann at 378-1305. Donations of $7 per box to help cover overseas shipping costs are appreciated but not essen-tial.

If you don’t want to pack a box but wish to donate to this ministry, that too can be put in the enve-lopes provided or can be made online at Samaritan’s Purse website.

Thanks to all those busi-nesses, churches, schools and organizations that have helped out in the past. Hope to see you again this year!

One last reminder, if you have boxes at home that did not get used last year, please drop them off at participating locations.

Kandace and Grace Bergmann

Operation Christmas Child co-ordinators

Merritt

It’s handy to remem-ber that as it can help us all use tact if and when the occasion to express disagreement or displeasure arises.

While politicians should be good on their feet and rational think-ers, it’s a fact of life that all people have limita-tions. No one person can be an expert at everything.

Still, I expect the voter turnout to be a low percentage of the total number of eligible voters in Merritt.

It’s the same story each time a municipal election comes around — where are all the voters?

Actually casting a ballot takes mere min-utes — hardly a burden.

I think a big deter-rent for people is the feeling there must be

some kind of issue about which you’re pas-sionate in order to get out and cast your vote.

Even if you aren’t impassioned about something right now, city councils and school boards make decisions about little day-to-day things that can make your life a little easier or a little more compli-cated.

Then, of course, city council also deals with

big-ticket items such as new industry looking to call Merritt its home, lobbying higher levels of government for fund-ing for various causes and delegating funds to local non-profits for the good work they do in the community.

The school board does much the same with respect to the allocation of funds for different programs, introducing new courses

to the curriculum and upgrades and mainte-nance to schools them-selves.

This is the third general election in a row with a respectable number of candidates on the slate.

The last general election in 2011 saw two candidates for mayor, 10 for council and eight for school trustee.

In 2008, four people

ran for mayor, while 12 vied for seats on city council.

Even the byelection for a single council seat in February of this year saw six candidates.

So, as we head down the dusty campaign trail in Merritt, let’s remember to give credit where credit’s due: to the 19 members of this community who have put their names forth to make a positive impact.

From Page 6

Shoeboxes for gift campaign ready

Get hands dirty with issues, but keep fi ght clean

‘‘‘The children love getting personalized cards, letters and photos of you or your family as there is a translator in each area to read out your greeting.’

— LETTER WRITERS KANDACE AND GRACE BERGMANN


HERALD SPORTSmerrittherald.com bcclassified.com

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

A LEAP OF FAITH Merritt’s Team Latremouille successfully jumps the fire at the end of the 24-kilometre Spartan Beast at Sun Peaks on September 28. (From left to right) Sam Latremouille, Jill Starrs, Candice Bateson, Ericka Bateson and Robyn Anderson. A total of 31 participants, ranging in age from six to 58, took part in one of the Spartan races at the two-day event. All photos courtesy of Spartan Race Canada

MEETING THE CHALLENGE

Colin Gage, 44, tackles the rope climb — one of many obstacles and chal-lenges on both the Spartan Beast and Sprint courses.

Marcia Cooper, 58, toughs out the sandbag carry on the Spartan Sprint course. Failure to complete an obstacle resulted in doing 30 burpees.

Eleven-year-old Janelle Gage, shown in the log jam, completed the Spartan Sprint despite being later diagnosed with a broken right hand.

Mark Nendick Melissa Madden Ryan Irving and Ryan Yastremsky Kevin Black Blaire Owen and Lynne Larsen

AT THE“TOP OF THE WORLD”


By Ian WebsterTHE [email protected]

It’s been more than three weeks now since a group of 30 or so brave souls from the Merritt area tackled the Spartan Challenge at Sun Peaks, but rest assured, their memories of the ‘exhila-rating’ (my word, not theirs) set of adventure races remain clear as a bell.

Some of the two and a half dozen participants from the Nicola Valley at this year’s Spartan tackled the Beast — a punishing 24-kilometre ramble up and down the Sun Peaks moun-tainside that included an additional 28 obstacles and challenges just to make things interesting. Average time to com-plete — five to six hours!

The more neophyte (or sane) took on the Spartan Sprint — a five-kilometre jaunt in the hills with 10 obstacles to negotiate.

The obstacles, by the way, included vertical walls and ropes that had to be climbed up and over, log piles that had to be navigated through, netting that had to be crawled under, spears that had to be chucked, and loads of sand that had to be carried, hauled or dragged whichever way possible. Just your everyday chores!

For Sam Latremouille, 35, tak-ing on the Beast with a group of her girlfriends was a tremendous cathartic experience.

“In 2013, at the age of 33, I was diagnosed with kidney cancer. It came as a huge surprise to me,” Latremouille said. “A nine-centimetre tumor was discovered and I had to have one of my kidneys removed.

“The early prognosis was that I was facing full-on cancer, but three weeks later my specialist phoned and said that I was a miracle and that the tumor was benign.”

To celebrate her new lease on life, Latremouille wanted to challenge herself in a big way. She had heard about the Spartan Race and decided to give it a go. She contacted a bunch of her 30-some-

thing friends and pretty soon had a team of five that included Candice Bateson, Jill Starrs, Ericka Bateson and Robyn Anderson.

“It was Sam’s hurrah to celebrate surviving and conquering cancer,” said teammate Candice Bateson. “In terms of training, we’re all busy moms, so we tried to get together once a week for a run, and then everyone just sort of did their own thing in between.”

“It was definitely more intense than I ever could have imag-ined,” Latremouille said. “Grueling but epic. It took us six hours to climb to the top of an entire mountain, run down, see the finish line, then have to go back up and back down again!”

“We stayed as a team throughout,” said Bateman. “That’s what I loved about it. You were there for each other — to encourage and cheer on. If somebody got behind, you waited.”

Another Merritt team that took on the Beast was the trio of Melissa Madden, Amy Stamp and Helen Asselstine.

Madden, a TRX fit-ness instructor, said, “I did the Spartan Sprint last year and wanted to do the Beast this time, but wanted to do it with a couple of other girls at my fitness level.”

The threesome began their focused training nine months before the Sun Peaks Spartan and used Madden’s TRX classes as the catalyst.

“TRX is a total-body, multi-functional exer-cise program that was developed and first used by the U.S. Navy Seals,” Madden said. “It’s suit-able for any sport. I love TRX and swear by it. I see what it does for peo-ple — from the beginner to the elite athlete.”

Asselstine credited the TRX training with helping her to deal with the many challenging obstacles.

“I’ve run half-mar-athons before, but [the Spartan] was something really different. An awful lot of strength is required as well as stamina.”

Madden, Asselstine and Stamp strategically paced themselves, fin-

ishing in just under six hours.

“We didn’t rush it, and we had lots of [water, gel packs and high-carb foods],” Asselstine said. “We all felt fine when we were done.”

The lack of supple-mentary fluids and nutrition presented a major challenge for Ryan Yastremsky and former-Merrittonian Ryan Irving, now a policeman in Vancouver.

“We forgot to bring any of our own water or food,” Irving said sheep-ishly. “There was some water on the course, but we were out there almost six hours without any-thing to eat. That was tough.”

Irving, who had done

a ‘Tough Mudder’ in Whistler in 2013, said that the Spartan Race at Sun Peaks was much more difficult.

“The Mudder was a lot of just straight run-ning with obstacles that were more fun rather than physically demand-ing. And you didn’t have to climb a mountain!” he said.

A couple of hard-core local runners who turned their attention to the Spartan Beast were Kevin Black, 39, and 36-year-old Mark Nendick.

“Mark has done these things before,” Black said, “and he convinced me to join him this year. What an experience.

“I’ve run a marathon in two hours and 59

minutes,” Black said. “[The Beast] was half that distance, but it took me a half an hour lon-ger. It just shows how tough everything was with the obstacles and all the hill-climbing.

“People were call-ing the last part of the course the Death March. We were passing people that literally couldn’t even take two more steps. They were done.”

Like Nendick, local chiropractor Colin Gage has done the Spartan Beast before. It didn’t make this year’s event any less challenging.

“This one was long and nasty,” he said. “You went all the way to the Top of the World at Sun Peaks. That must be a good 2,500-foot climb.

“I ran out of food and water about two-thirds of the way through the course,” Gage said, “and then my [quadriceps muscles] seized up again just like last year. I ended up walking backwards down the hill at the end.”

What Gage didn’t mind at all this time around were the ideal weather conditions (warm and slightly over-cast) — a far cry from last year’s cold tempera-tures and bouts of rain and snow.

The number of Merritt participants in the shorter Sprint event was substantial, too. It included a 10-member RCMP team made up of detachment members, some of their spouses, and one friend thrown in for good measure.

“The idea of entering was initiated by Const. Emmie Clements,” fel-low officer Brodie Ferris said. “She had heard about the Spartan from some of her troop mates and said that we should give it a go.

“We really had no idea what we were get-ting into,” Ferris said. “We knew it was about five kilometres and there were some obstacles, but that’s about it. We pretty much just winged it.

“Everybody had a really good time. Most said that they’d do [the Sprint] again, and a few said they’d consider pushing themselves and attempting the full Beast.”

Also entered in the Sprint as part of a seven-member team from around the Interior were Lower Nicola’s Marcia Cooper, 58, Lynne Larsen from the Dot Ranch, 55, and Larsen’s daughter Blaire Owen, 24.

“My daughter, Dana, had done a Tough Mudder a few years back, so I sort of knew what these things were about,” Cooper said. “The Sprint was only five kilometres so I thought it wouldn’t be too bad. Yeah, right.

“It might have been a smaller course, but it was still difficult. There was one inverted wall that was really tough. Fortunately I had two

gals at the top that I didn’t know reach back and grab my arms, and a guy from below help push. Everybody worked together, even complete strangers.”

Kevin Black’s wife, Diane, decided to enter the Sprint at the last minute — on her own.

“I just kind of moved in and out of groups, depending on whether they were going slower or faster than me,” Black said. “I was just happy to finish considering I hadn’t trained for it.”

Two of the youngest entries in the field of 654 Sprint participants were the Gage sisters — Tyra, 13, and Janelle, 11.

Truly remarkable was the fact that the younger Gage completed the course and the obstacles with a broken hand!

“She had fallen off her scooter earlier in the week,” Janelle’s dad said. “She said the hand was a bit sore but nothing much more. We ban-daged it and she went in the Spartan with her sister and a friend and did fine.

“On the Monday after, Janelle said the hand was hurting a bit more, so we went and got it X-rayed. Sure enough, there’s a break and it’s now in a cast.”

Spartan organizers certainly went out of their way to embrace the next generation of Spartans, as they even offered a Jr. Sprint for the real youngsters.

Molly Black, age 7 and Brady Nendick, 6, took part in the 1.5-kilometre fun run with its own set of age-appropriate obstacles like a mini-wall, a tunnel and rock-carrying.

“The organizers did a great job with it,” Black’s dad said. “The kids had a blast and everyone got a T-shirt and a participa-tion medal.”

Judging by the fact that this year’s Spartan competitions attracted close to 2,000 par-ticipants — from tots to seniors — it doesn’t look like the latest active living phenomenon is going away any time soon.

And judging by the number of entrants from this neck of the woods, that’s a darn good thing.

SPORTS

Merrittonians more than up for the Spartan Race

2014 SPARTAN RACESun Peaks Resort - September 28 and 29

Merritt Participants

The Beast (24km, 28 obstacles, 1087 finishers)

Kevin Black, 39 124th 106M 17AG 3:43:46Mark Nendick, 36 125th 107M 18AG 3:43:38Ryan Yastremsky, 35 239th 205M 28AG 4:06:41Ryan Irving, 35 251st 213M 30AG 4:09:00Colin Gage, 44 334th 277M 41AG 4:23:27Sam Latremouille, 35 886th 314F 59AG 5:51:59Robyn Anderson, 34 886th 314F 62AG 5:51:59Jill Starrs, 35 888th 316F 60AG 5:52:00Ericka Bateson, 33 889th 317F 63AG 5:52:01Candice Bateson, 37 890th 318F 62AG 5:52:02Amy Stamp, 35 898th 324F 61AG 5:52:45Melissa Madden, 37 899th 323F 62AG 5:52:46Helen Asselstine, 38 899th 324F 62AG 5:52:46

The Sprint (5km, 10 obstacles, 654 finishers)

Diane Black, 35 147th 37F 9AG 1:28:14 Chris Goddard, 40 219th 145M 17AG 1:38:15Blaire Owen, 24 237th 84F 12AG 1:39:42Lynne Larsen, 55 238th 85F 1AG 1:39:43Jerry Davey, 43 380th 213M 29AG 1:55:24Derrick Francis, 47 380th 213M 16AG 1:55:24Brodie Ferris, 37 382nd 215M 35AG 1:55:26Corinna Francis, 47 382nd 168F 7AG 1:55:26Emmie Clements, 27 384th 169F 33AG 1:55:27Dave Fahlman, 46 384th 216M 17AG 1:55:27 Vida Ferris, 35 387th 170F 28AG 1:55:28Trish Davey, 43 388th 171F 25AG 1:55:29Heather Broman, 43 389th 172F 26AG 1:55:30Marcia Cooper, 58 465th 224F 6AG 2:03:58Janelle Gage, 11 520th 263F 10AG 2:10:00Tyra Gage, 13 522nd 265F 12AG 2:10:01

The Sprint Junior (1.5km, 6 obstacles)

Molly Black, 7 and Brady Nendick, 6

Legend: M - Male, F - Female, AG - Age Group

“The Spartan Race isn’t just an obstacle course; it is a community of like-minded individuals sharing the exhilaration of fi tness and reaching goals.”


MISSING CAT

If anyone has seen her anywhere please call Sue

250-378-4647

MISSING ON COLDWATER ROAD AREA.

Female cat she's grey and white and has a tattoo in her ear,

tattoo is mem16She is 14 years old and

missed very much.

HELP WANTED

Variety of Shifts AvailableEvenings-Weekends-Graveyards

Bring resume and ll out an application in store

N.V.C.L.VALUE ADDED

LUMBER REMANUFACTURING PLANT

Production Workers: $14-20/hr.Steady employment with overtime available.

Certi ed Welder: Wage dependant on experience

Please submit resume in person to 1195 Houston Street, Merritt B.C.

250-378-6161

Citxw Nlaka’pamux Assembly Posting

Position Purpose Facilitate access to education, training and employment opportunities of the Participatory Bands’ members through assessment, employer planning and coaching, employer networking, job placement and community support. Key Result Areas and Tasks

Work to determine requirements employer partners and seek new employer partners. Provide database Intake services for employer clients and client management processManage and maintain computerized system for employer partners, C.N.A. community projects and employer opportunitiesEstablish and manage milestone targets for employment and training with Highland Valley Copper Mine and/or its contractors and all other employer partners.Identify and engage with employer partners to involve them in the planning and implementation of any CNA Training and Employment Programs to meet Aboriginal employee targets.Serves as C.NA human resources main support and contact for employer partners Coordinates recruiting activity between the Client Coordinator, the employer partner Hiring Managers and the eight (8) Participatory Bands Education or Employment departmentsStrategically identify, prioritize and build organizational capabilities that align with the organizational goals and priorities for employmentHelps the eight (8) Participatory Bands and its Employment department representatives and management interpret and understand the union and professional staff personnel manuals,A sound understanding of employer relations principles and practices, knowledge of employment conditions in a unionized environment, preferably in the Mining Industry.Demonstrated facilitation, training and presentation skills, with excellent verbal and written English communication skills.Will be expected to lead initiatives in the areas of attraction and retention, employer relations, leadership, learning and employer development.Must demonstrate sound judgment, proven facilitation and problem-solving skills as well as exceptional relationship management skills to expand employer partner baseManage and maintain employer opportunities and provide input, management support in the development and implementation C.N.A. training projects or programs

Relationships and Supervision Reports to the CNA General Manager; builds relationships with the Participatory Bands; Communicates regularly with employers regarding employable community members Work Environment Travel will be required to attend job fairs, meetings with educators, trainers, employers,Position Requirements Post-secondary education in business, human resources, education or related field; At least 3 years of experience in career facilitation/career development with a diverse population; Experience working with First Nations peoples; Knowledge of local and regional area labor/employment market and community resources is an asset; Excellent interpersonal, presentation, facilitation and communication skills; Strong ability to organize, prioritize, multi task and manage time; Discretion & respect for confidentiality

• Criminal Record Check with Vulnerable Sector Search will be required Please forward resumes and cover letters to:

By Mail: Citxw Nlaka’pamux Assembly (CNA) ManagerP.O. Box 209 Spences Bridge, British Columbia V0K 2LO

Or Personally at the office: 2249 Quilchena Avenue, Merritt British ColumbiaFor more information contact Wayne Kaboni at (250) 378-6174

We thank you for your interest. Please note that only those shortlisted will be contacted.

Job Title Employer (ET) Coordinator- Employment & Training

Reports To Citxw Nlaka’pamux Assembly General Manager

Department/Team Employment and Education

Closing Date 4:00 p.m. October 31, 2014

Announcements

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GET FREE Vending ma-chines. Can earn $100,000 + per year. All cash-retire in just 3 years. Protected Territories. Full details call now 1-866-668-6629. www.tcvend.com

Drivers/Courier/Trucking

EXPERIENCED CLASS 1 Drivers, F/T, P/T for California & Arizona produce hauling, ex-cellent pay and benefi ts, safe-ty bonus and home time. Call Jerry or Bill 1-877-539-1750.

Employment

Education/Trade Schools

MEDICAL TRANSCRIPTION is an in-demand career in Canada! Employers have work-at-home positions avail. Get the online training you need from an employer-trusted program. CareerStep.ca/MT or 1-888-528-0809 to start train-ing for your work-at-home ca-reer today!

Help Wanted

Employment

Help WantedAn Alberta Oilfi eld Company is hiring experienced dozer and excavator operators. Meals and lodging provided. Drug testing required. 1-780-723-5051.

Help Wanted

Employment

Help WantedPARTS PERSON required for a growing progressive auto/in-dustrial supplier. Experienced applicant will receive top wag-es, full benefi ts and RRSP bo-nuses working 5 day work week, plus moving allowanc-es. See our community at LacLaBicheRegion.com. Send resume to: Sapphire Auto & Industrial, Box 306, Lac La Biche, AB, T0A 2C0. Email: [email protected]

Employment

TeachersGPRC, FAIRVIEW CAMPUSneeds a Power EngineeringInstructor! Please contact Brian Carreau at 780-835-6631 and/or visit our website at www.gprc.ab.ca/careers

Help Wanted

Your community. Your classifieds.

250.378.4241

fax 250.378.6818 email classi [email protected]

WORD CLASSIFIEDS

Tuesday issuenoon the preceding Friday

Thursday issuenoon the preceding Tuesday

DISPLAY ADVERTISING

Tuesday issuenoon the preceding Friday

Thursday issuenoon the preceding Tuesday

INDEX IN BRIEFFamily Announcements

Community AnnouncementsEmployment

Business ServicesPets & Livestock

Merchandise For SaleReal Estate

RentalsAutomotive

Legals

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classi ed advertiser requesting space that the liability of the

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advertiser for the portion of the advertising space occupied by the incorrect item only, and that there shall be no liability in any

event beyond the amount paid for such advertisement.

The publisher shall not beliable for slight changes or

typographical errors that do not lessen the value of an

advertisement. bcclassi eds.com

cannot be responsible for errorsafter the rst day of publication of

any advertisement. Notice of errors after the rst day of

publication of any advertisement. Notice or errors on the rst day should immediately be called

to the attention of the classi ed department to be corrected for

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advertisement and to retain any answers directed to the

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customer the sum paid for the advertisement and box rental.

DISCRIMINATORYLEGISLATION

Advertisers are reminded thatProvincial legislation forbids the

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person because of race, religion,sex, colour, nationality, ancestry or place of origin, or age, unless

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MERRITTHERALD

Ph: 378-4241Fax: 378-6818

Advertising: [email protected]: [email protected]: [email protected]

Production: [email protected] Granite Avenue,P.O. Box 9, Merritt, B.C.

ADVERTISING DEADLINES

Give life ....register to be

an organ donor today!

for more information1-800-663-6189

www.transplant.bc.ca

FightBack.Volunteeryour time,energy andskills today.

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Auto Financing

Employment

Trades, TechnicalJOUNERYMAN Plumber/Gas Fitter required immediately for F/T employment with busy plumbing fi rm. Wage $30/hr to start+ benefi ts package. Reply to: [email protected]

Services

Financial ServicesARE YOU $10K Or More In Debt? DebtGo can help re-duce a signifi cant portion of your debt load. Call now & see if you qualify. 1-800-351-1783.GET BACK ON TRACK! Bad credit? Bills? Unemployed? Need Money? We Lend! If you own your own home - you qualify. Pioneer Acceptance Corp. Member BBB.

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Legal Services

Home ImprovementsFULL SERVICE Plumbing from Parker Dean. Fast, re-liable, 24/7 service. Take $50 off your next job if you present this ad. Vancouver area. Call 1-800-573-2928.

Merchandise for Sale

Building SuppliesSTEEL BUILDINGS gift-card give-away! 20x22 $4,358. 25x24 $4,895. 30x30 $6,446. 32x32 $7,599. 40x46 $12,662. 47x72 $18,498. One end wall included. Pioneer Steel 1-800-668-5422 www.pioneersteel.caSTEEL BUILDINGS/Metal Buildings 60% off! 20x28, 30x40, 40x62, 45x90, 50x120, 60x150, 80x100 sell for bal-ance owed! Call 1-800-457-2206 www.crownsteelbuildings.ca

Misc. for SaleSAWMILLS FROM only $4,397 - Make money & save money with your own bandmill. Cut lumber any dimension. In stock ready to ship. Free Info & DVD: 1-800-566-6899 Ext: 400OTwww.norwoodsamills.com/400ot

TRY A CLASSIFIED ADTRY A CLASSIFIED AD

Merchandise for Sale

Misc. for SaleA-STEEL SHIPPING DRY STORAGE CONTAINERS

Used 20’40’45’53’ and insulated containers all

sizes in stock. SPECIAL

Trades are welcome. 40’Containers under $2500!DMG 40’ containers under $2,000 each. Also JD 544

& 644 wheel Loaders. Wanted to buy 300 size

hydraulic excavator. Ph Toll free 1-866-528-7108

Delivery BC and ABwww.rtccontainer.com

Misc. WantedFIREARMS. ALL types want-ed, estates, collections, single items, military. We handle all paperwork and transportation. Licensed Dealer. 1-866-960-0045, www.dollars4guns.com

Private Coin Collector BuyingCollections, Accumulations,Olympic Gold & Silver Coins +Chad: 778-281-0030. Local.

Real Estate

Houses For Sale

Home and Land PackagesSpringbank Ave, MerrittCompletely Serviced

City ServicesTurn Key

STARTING FROM

$249,900.00

Call 250-573-2278Toll Free 1-866-573-1288

7510 Dallas Drive, Kamloops

www.eaglehomes.ca

Rentals

Homes for Rent

FOR RENT

Fully Furnished Free WIFI

Can/US Long Distance

$590.00 per month2799 Nicola ave.

Call 250-378-4201

5 bdrm & den, 3 1/2 bath, c/vac, 7 appls, c/air and much

more. Avail Nov. 01. $1350mth plus UTIL. N/p, n/s. 778-228-6378. View Craig’s

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House For Rent :3 Bedrooms,2 Bathrooms, New Paint &

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3 bedrooms in Lower Nicola(250) 374 - 1728

Rooms for RentRoom For Rent. Kitchen priv. N/S,N/P. $400 includes laud-ry,int.378-8391,250-819-1541

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Suites, Lower2 bdrm above grd suite on

Bann St. Reno’d with small pri-vate outdoor area, util & cable incl. No smoking, pets, parties

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Halloween safety tips from Pumpkin PatrolNICOLA VALLEY NEWS

(NC) — It’s easy to get caught up in the fun of Halloween, but once the sugar rush sets in, kids can forget some of the safety rules they’ve learned. If we think about a few pre-cautions now, however, this popular October event can be a safe and happy experience for the whole family. Even local companies are chipping in to help.

“This year, the Rog-ers Pumpkin Patrol celebrates 30 years of helping to provide a safe night for trick-or-treaters and to give par-ents peace of mind,” says Patricia Trott, public affairs director at Rogers Communica-tions.

Here are some Pumpkin Patrol tips to keep trick-or-treaters as safe as possible:

• Ensure costumes are not a hazard. Make sure all fabric is flame resistant – and trim hems so your child won’t trip. Masks can be a popular choice among kids but some may obstruct their vision or breathing. Paint their face with makeup instead; it’s easy and you may find everything you need in your cosmetics drawer.

• Make sure children can be seen. Visibility is an important safety consideration. Black is a popular choice for costumes but it’s not the safest. Try to choose bright colors when possible and accent your child’s costume with reflective tape and glow-in-the-dark bracelets and other jewelry. Give them a flashlight so they can see and be seen.

• Always trick-or-treat in groups. Chil-dren should always be accompanied by an adult. This is a great way to spend time with family and enjoy every-thing the holiday has to offer. If your teen wants to go with friends instead, agree on a route and the time they need to be home. Give them a fully charged smartphone in case they get separated from the group or need to

call you.• Inspect Hallow-

een candy. Treat kids to a snack before they

head out so that they are less likely to eat the candy they col-lect before you have

a chance to inspect it. Teach children never to eat treats in packages that have been opened

or show pinholes or other damage. And remember, always avoid homemade treats or

fruit unless they are from a family member or close friend.

For more informa-

tion, visit pumpkinpa-trol.com.

www.newscanada.com