comox valley echo, april 21, 2015

24
HUNT FOR HISTORY 11.A tale of two city halls in Courtenay ARTS 13. St. John’s goes Hawaiian for Sunday concert PRICE: 57 CENTS PLUS GST VOL. 21, NO. 32 www.comoxvalleyecho.com COURTENAY, BRITISH COLUMBIA Tuesday April 21, 2015 NIC offers Early Childhood Care & Education Balance work, family and studies, while working towards your ECCE Certificate. Our blended learning model allows you to study one course at a time. You’ll be part of a diverse and vibrant community of learners in interactive and online classrooms while developing the skills to work in licensed facilities across BC. www.nic.bc.ca | 250-334-5000 www.nic.bc.ca TAX-FREE SAVINGS ACCOUNT 1.75% * *Rate subject to change without notice. WestEarner® TFSA Account only. Interest is calculated daily, paid monthly. Available in-branch only. See branch for full details. Courtenay Branch 470 Puntledge Road Ph: (250) 334-8888 cwbank.com • LIFE INSURANCE • CRITICAL ILLNESS INSURANCE • DISABILITY INSURANCE Comprehensive solutions are available. Talk to us about packaging your insurance products. 1 POLICY, 3 COVERAGES, 1 PAYMENT. Are you covered with the right types of insurance? www.firstins.ca 1-800-655-5255 RD LOOKS AT AT BYLAW 0N HOMELESSNESS .06 INPUT FROM LOCAL GOVERNMENTS BEING SOUGHT BEFORE REGIONAL SERVICE CAN BE ESTABLISHED AFTER NON - BINDING REFERENDUM. NEWS 05. ‘We need to stay together’: Cumberland wants to fight planned provincial electoral split from valley NEWS 12. There’s a perfect keepsake to remember Courtenay’s centennial year; special magazine with stories and photos 07. STUDENTS LEARN HOW TO BE MOUNTIES

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April 21, 2015 edition of the Comox Valley Echo

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: Comox Valley Echo, April 21, 2015

HUNT FOR HISTORY

11.A tale of two city halls in Courtenay

ARTS

13. St. John’s goes Hawaiian forSunday concertP R I C E : 5 7 C E N T S P L U S G S T V O L . 2 1 , N O . 3 2

www.comoxvalleyecho.com

COURTENAY, BRITISH COLUMBIA • Tuesday April 21, 2015

NIC off ers Early Childhood Care & EducationBalance work, family and studies, while working towards your ECCE Certifi cate. Our blended learning model allows you to study one course at a time.

You’ll be part of a diverse and vibrant community of learners in interactive and online classrooms while developing the skills to work in licensed facilities across BC.

www.nic.bc.ca | 250-334-5000ww

w.n

ic.b

c.ca

TAX-FREESAVINGS ACCOUNT 1.75%*

*Rate subject to change without notice. WestEarner® TFSA Account only. Interest is calculated daily, paid monthly. Available in-branch only. See branch for full details.

Courtenay Branch470 Puntledge RoadPh: (250) 334-8888cwbank.com

• LIFE INSURANCE• CRITICAL ILLNESS INSURANCE• DISABILITY INSURANCE

Comprehensive solutions are available. Talk to us about packaging your insurance products.

1 POLICY, 3 COVERAGES, 1 PAYMENT.

Are you covered with the right types of insurance?

www.firstins.ca 1-800-655-5255

RD LOOKS AT AT BYLAW 0N HOMELESSNESS.06INPUT FROM LOCAL GOVERNMENTS BEING SOUGHT BEFORE REGIONAL SERVICE CAN BE ESTABLISHED AFTER NON-BINDING REFERENDUM.

NEWS

05. ‘We need to stay together’:Cumberland wants to fi ght planned provincial electoral split from valley

NEWS

12.There’s a perfect keepsake to remember Courtenay’s centennial year; special magazinewith stories and photos

07.STUDENTS LEARN HOW TO BE MOUNTIES

Page 2: Comox Valley Echo, April 21, 2015

www.comoxvalleyecho.comTUES DAY .COURTENAY,BC. APRIL 21 2015 2

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

Comox Valley Weather

Tuesday

Cloudy. Showers beginning near noon and ending in the evening. High 15°C.

Wednesday

Sunny.Low 2°C. High 15°C.

Thursday

Cloudy with 60% chance of showers.

Low 8°C. High 12°C.

Friday

A mix of sun and cloud.Low 6°C. High 14°C.

Saturday

A mix of sun and cloud.Low 6°C. High 15°C.

NEWSEC

HO

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BY MICHAEL BRIONESEcho Staff

Now that the Fixed-

Wing Search and Rescue Aircraft Replacement Proj-ect is up for tenders, the Comox Valley Economic Development Society is drumming up support in a big way as they bid for the training component of this major program.

The air force is look-ing to replace six C-115 Buff alo transports, which are more than 50 years old, and 13 older C-130 Hercules. This project that has been delayed for years also requires de-tails of where the planes should be based, meaning potential contractors can propose where to situate them.

CVEDS is promoting 19 Wing Comox as an ideal location for this program. It wants to garner strong support from all levels of government in the val-ley, provincial and federal politicians, and economic

development representa-tives to give the local base a fair shot of being consid-ered.

Executive director John Watson appeared be-fore Comox council on Wednesday to seek its en-dorsement and to provide potential incentive pro-grams that will support 19 Wing as to why it’s the best choice for the fi xed-wing training centre.

“The sooner we can get conclusion on the support the town might off er to the contenders the better,” said Watson. “This is an important step the town will take to communicate their support to 19 Wing.”

The deadline for the RFP is October. Among those expected to make a bid include Alenia Aer-macchi with the C-27J Spartan, Airbus Military with the C-295 and Lock-heed Martin’s C-130J.

Watson said they are now communicating and working with potential bidders to express CVEDS

CVED seeks support to help 19 Wing land fi xed-wing training centre

The C-115 Buffalo search and rescue aircraft is due to be replaced

objective.“This is to ensure that

the contenders realize that 19 Wing in Comox and the locations we have here are the most suitable and ef-fective training location in Canada for search and rescue,” said Watson.

As well, CVED is forg-ing ahead with its plan in partnership with the Van-couver Island Aerospace Alliance, the Comox Val-

ley Air Show Committee and Canadian Association of Aerospace Industries (Pacifi c offi ce). It plans to hold a small seminar at North Island College to speak more about the CVED initiative on the Ca-nadian Forces program.

Aside from economic benefi ts that the valley would derive from the project, CVEDS indicated this would also present

an opportunity to support national interests as well as meet RCAF objectives and requirements.

The Comox base is the only RCAF aerodome west of the Rockies, mak-ing it a strategic asset that can support air operations in response to natural disasters and threats to Canadian sovereignty. It can also be the launching base for international op-

erations in the Pacifi c and Asia.

The society indicated that by exploiting 19 Wing’s capacity to host the Fixed-Wing SAR training it will keep this local aerodome vital and effi cient, ensur-ing the long term viability of this strategic asset.

The location of 19 Wing, which has nearby over-land and over water train-ing areas, can provide FWSAR trainees with the challenging training con-ditions year-round. With the existence of the Cor-morant helicopter opera-tional training unit, the Canadian Forces School of Search and Rescue at the base, having the fi xed-wing training facility here could provide enormous synergies and improved training for all the aircrew and rescue specialists, making 19 Wing Canada’s SAR Centre of Excellence.

BY MICHAEL BRIONESEcho Staff

Want to have a friendly chat with your town councillors over a cup of coff ee?

Comox council has endorsed a motion by councillor Hugh MacKin-non for a “Coff ee with Councillors” concept.

“The intent with the ‘Coff ee with Councillors concept’ is to quarterly off er informal opportunities for Co-mox citizens to chat with councillors, allow for questions, concerns and ideas on how to improve our com-munity in a non-formal setting cre-ating another opportunity for public engagement,” said MacKinnon.

This would complement all the other forms of communication that

includes Mayor Paul Ives’ open door policy, mayor and council have e-mail addresses listed on the Town of Comox’s website and informal meet-ings with constituents regularly.

Local coff ee shops such as Co-mox Grind, Twisted Dishes, Aman-tes, Quality Foods, Comox Mall and Highland School were suggested as potential coff ee meeting sites.

This idea was promoted by some councillors during the election cam-paign and requested by some citi-zens.

“Questions and concerns could be raised, referrals to appropriate town staff could be made by councillors in a relaxed atmosphere where citizens might feel more comfortable,” said MacKinnon.

“To avoid a quorum, which would

constitute a formal council meeting, less than four councillors only could attend coff ee with councillors.”

MacKinnon was very pleased to see the mayor and my council col-leagues endorse this opportunity to connect informally with citizens en-abling another opportunity for pub-lic input.

Participation by councillors would be voluntary not mandatory. Dates will be publicized through the town website and through local media.

“We want to give this idea a try for a year then review its merit,” said MacKinnon. “Tea drinkers are most welcome too.”

First opportunity for ‘Coff ee with Comox Councillors’ will be Friday April 24 at Quality Foods in Comox at 10:30 a.m.

Have a cup of coff ee with Comox councillors

Page 3: Comox Valley Echo, April 21, 2015

BY MICHAEL BRIONESEcho Staff

Over 80 per cent of voters supported the Comox Valley Regional District’s plan to loan the money to pay for the new Hornby Island Fire Hall.

The unoffi cial results of the referendum held over the weekend showed that 623 people voted in favour of the proposed loan authorization bylaw while 126 vot-ers - 17 per cent - voted against it.

The new fi re hall will cost around $1.9 million to build. Part of the amount will be funded through a $200,000 Commu-nity Works Fund (Gas Tax), $100,000 from reserves and $1.6 million will be borrowed.

The loan will be paid back through tax requisition in 20 years. The tax levy for the average Hornby Island residen-tial property can go up by around $24 a year.

One of many residents who support fi re hall but had concerns with the fi re hall design said he is pleased to see mon-ey for the project has now been approved

by residents.“We can now focus on the real issues

of making the hall something capable of lasting 50 years and something we are all proud of,” said Peter Wardle.

“It was obvious that the vast majority of people want a new hall. Unfortunate-ly individuals like myself who actually wanted a new hall but had genuine tech-nical concerns got tarred and feathered because we were accused of really being against the hall and were using techni-cal issues as a disguise for our real con-cern.”

The Hornby Island fi re rescue depart-ment has been serving the island for over 45 years with medical fi rst responder, fi re protection, technical rescue and ambu-lance services.

Its current fi re hall is no longer a safe workplace for the fi re fi ghters, has func-tional and spatial defi ciencies and would not survive a moderate earthquake. This has led the CVRD to endorse building a new fi re hall.

After a myriad of adjustments and amendments, the fi re hall design is now

95 per cent complete. It was presented on April 12 at the Hornby Island Com-munity Hall, Bill Ulrich and Marko Sim-cic of SUA Architects.

The overall design is said to be safe, functional and effi cient workplace that meets the spatial requirements for the volunteer emergency responders. It’s build to current BC Building Code. It is post-disaster standard designed will al-low the fi re hall to continue to function following a major seismic event.

It is also going to be energy effi cient and will reduce maintenance and operat-ing costs by around $500,000 over the life of the building.

One of the bone of contention among residents is the location of the hall, which is being built eight feet below the road. Civil engineering consultants, however, indicated that the slopes - road grades to and from the new fi re hall - are accept-able and will not impact the functionality of the fi re hall especially during snowy conditions.

The new fi re hall will also have a new tanker truck which would allow the

Hornby Island Fire Rescue to apply for Superior Tanker Shuttle Accreditation. This would help lower residents insur-ance rates as the designation changes from “Semi-protected (Fire Hall) to Hy-drant Protected (Super Tanker Shuttle).

Resident and homeowners may see their rate reduction of between $300 and $500 in fi re insurance premiums.

The additional tanker truck would cost around $180,000. The funds have already been collected and placed in reserves, meaning no additional taxes would be necessary.

An article in the April 17, 2015 edition of the Comox Valley Echo about the four hospice beds being created in the community misstated the total number of patients that could be helped by the new service. Based on average length of hospice stay in the province about 75-85 people could be admitted to the facility annually.

www.comoxvalleyecho.comTUES DAY.APRIL 21, 2015 3

See Friday's Echo for more information!!!

Tent SaleThis Weekend Only!

Cable ferry to Denman nearly ready to rollBY DREW A. PENNEREcho Staff

A controversial $15 mil-lion cable ferry being in-stalled to replace the Den-man Island-Buckley Bay boat is nearing comple-tion, according to BC Fer-ries.

The terminals have been installed on both ends of the route, the cable sys-tems are complete and will

be installed at the end of April, according to Mark Wilson, vp of engineering for the public company.

“It’s very exciting to me and I think it’s very excit-ing to the company,” he said. “We’re almost there through the actual build-ing process.”

It hasn’t been the most landmine-free build ever. After all, the job reduc-tions that will help save

the transportation orga-nization money have also infuriated many locals.

But BC Ferries is strug-gling to fi nd a way not to raise prices higher than the cost of living increas-es to which offi cials say they will tie any new fare jumps.

The projected $2 million in savings on this specifi c

route every year will mean a savings of $80 million over the life of a vessel, Wilson attests.

“This will be the longest cable ferry in the world at 1.9 km,” he said, not-ing savings are because of decreasing fuel costs, cut-ting the number of work-ers on the route in half and lowering maintenance

expenses. “This is one of the only

routes in the fl eet where that technology would be applicable.”

Most importantly, he says, the move will allow BC Ferries to maintain the same level of service locals - including stu-dents who are bussed to mainland Comox Valley schools every day - have come to expect.

“I understand that there’s opposition and concern over the project,” he said. “We’ve got a prov-en track record for safety and reliability.”

The new system will use three cables - two guide cables and a drive cable - and will carry vehicles and passengers from one side of Baynes Sound under the power of a hy-

draulic motor. A 1.5 metre spinning bullwheel will be responsible for getting customers safely to their destination.

Wilson says the geo-graphic features of the Co-mox Valley site provided an off er the ferry corpora-tion couldn’t refuse.

“Baynes Sound is rela-tively benign,” he said, re-ferring to the topographic conditions. “The length of crossing and the depth of the water make it feasible for a cable ferry.”

Now that the terminals on both shores have been constructed BC Ferries can begin installing cables within weeks.

Offi cials say two months of trials will begin at the end of May before the route opens for public use.

Hornby residents vote in favour of new fi re hall

Computer rendering of what new cable ferry, terminal will look like

Correction

MERVILLEFIRE PROTECTION

DISTRICT ASSOCIATION

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETINGTuesday April 21st 7 PM

Merville HallElection of Officers will take place

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All Merville taxpayers welcome

Financing AvailableApply online: www.delrioacademy.co

NAIL TECHNOLOGYDIPLOMA IN 4 MONTHSNAIL TECHNOLOGYDIPLOMA IN 4 MONTHSPart-time schedule 3 days per weekPart-time schedule 3 days per week

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Page 4: Comox Valley Echo, April 21, 2015

www.comoxvalleyecho.comTUESDAY.APRIL21, 20154

The CF-18 Hornet Demonstration Team is practicing this week along with the Snnowbirds. One is painted in this year’s colour theme, right, celebrating 70 years since the Battle of Britain. The other is a dual-seat version of the CF-18 which also arrived here with the team. Both were photographed at Air Force Beach this week. Photo by Bryan Walwork

CF-18 demo team here

Everyone loves a chance to be a winner! You could be one at the next Rotary Club of Strathcona Sunrise Char-ity Texas Hold ‘Em Poker Tournament on April 25. This event will take place in the lower level of the Native Sons Hall on Cliff e Avenue starting at 6:45 pm. Doors open at 5:30 pm with regis-tration from 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm.

For the $50 buy-in, you will have a chance to win up to $1,000 cash. Bring your friends and have some fun.

This is a great opportunity to enjoy yourself while sup-porting Rotary’s projects. We can’t guarantee that you’ll be a winner but we can guarantee that if you don’t play you defi nitely won’t win.

Advance registration can be made at the Comox Val-ley Echo or call Keith at 250-334-4722. Pre-regis-tered seats will be held until 7:30 pm.

The Rotary Club of Strath-cona Sunrise has been very active is supporting both

Comox Valley and interna-tional initiatives for the past28 years.

A few of the club’s local projects include renova-tions at Camp Gilwell ScoutCamp, playgrounds instal-lation and construction ofpublic trails. Support hasalso been provided to otheragencies including ComoxValley Child DevelopmentAssociation, St. Joseph’sHospital, Comox ValleyHospice Society, Y.A.N.A,L’Arche Society Comox Val-ley and school bursaries.

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Page 5: Comox Valley Echo, April 21, 2015

www.comoxvalleyecho.comTUES DAY.APRIL 21, 2015 5

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‘We need to stay together for the voters’: council

BY DREW A. PENNEREcho Staff

When Mayor Leslie Baird requested com-ments from council mem-bers about a plan to carve Cumberland off from the rest of the Comox Valley under proposed provincial electoral boundary chang-es everyone present spoke up.

And no one was too pleased the community might soon have to look to Port Alberni for help with provincial matters, instead of simply coasting down the hill into Courtenay.

“It looks like they want to move our electoral area boundaries, and put us in the Pacifi c Rim - which is Port Alberni - and remove us from the Comox Valley,” she said, soliciting input prior to attending a get-together of Valley political and economic leaders on the subject. “I would like to take your thoughts with

me to that meeting.”The provincial electoral

boundaries commission has proposed changes as a way to balance the num-ber of people within each voting district.

But Coun. Roger Kishi said the idea of fracturing the Comox Valley is not a new one, and it’s some-thing the Village should fi ght tooth and nail.

“We went through the same process with the federal electoral boundar-ies commission,” he said.

“We had to fi ght back on that as well, to try to keep most of the Comox Valley together. We didn’t totally succeed because Comox is carved off , and they’re now part of Powell River and the North Island.”

He said he sympathizes with what the eggheads with razor sharp pencils are trying to do, but hopes there’s a way to stay con-nected to the rest of the community.

“I think we should work towards trying to keep the Comox Valley together,” he said. “I’m not sure we’re going to be success-ful in doing all of it, but I think that’s the direction we should try and move.”

Kishi pointed out there will be a public hearing on the new provincial plan May 25.

Coun. Jesse Ketler said she’d like to reach out to the people of Cumberland to gauge their opinion.

“I think moving the

MLA offi ce to Port Al-berni would be a disad-vantage for people here in getting in touch with their MLA, but other than that I’m not sure of the rami-fi cations,” she said. “So it would be nice to hear from the people and see what their thoughts are.”

Coun. Sean Sullivan said he’d spoken with Port Alberni representa-tives who would love to have Cumberland as part of their electoral region.

“Talking with Port Al-berni representatives they seem to think it would be a good idea, but I don’t know,” he said. “I don’t necessarily agree with that.”

Mayor Baird referenced the strong bonds Cumber-land has with the Comox Valley, and said the plan is problematic.

(Continued on page 6)

Cumberland wants to fi ght planned electoral split from rest of Valley

I think we should work towards trying to keep the Comox Valley together. I’m not sure we’re going to be successful in doing all of it ...”

ROGER KISHICumberland councillor

Mayor Leslie Baird

Village hands garbage contract to Sun Coast WasteBY DREW A. PENNEREcho Staff

This month marks the beginning of Sun Coast Waste Services Ltd.’s three-year garbage collec-tion contract with the Vil-lage of Cumberland.

The previous contract, which had been extended by three months to ac-commodate an agreement with recycling fi rm Multi Material BC, expired March 31.

Village staff looked at costs, qualifi cations and experience, service qual-ity and reputation and additional value for three would-be collectors.

Sun Coast came in $17,000 lower than the second-cheapest option.

This will line up nicely with what the Village ex-pects the service to cost in 2015, and is in part a re-sult of pencil sharpening on the part of Sun Coast, said manager of opera-tions Rob Crisfi eld.

“We’re diligently work-ing towards securing the continuation of waste

collection services,” Cr-isfi eld told council during their regularly scheduled meeting March 23, where he recommended the Sun Coast deal. “Based on their past service and reputation staff don’t have any concerns with award-ing the three-year con-tract.”

Coun. Gwyn Sproule wondered how it was pos-sible Sun Coast could have beat out the other companies by such a large margin.

“It’s all in how they op-erate,” Crisfi eld replied, noting some companies have more labour and less equipment than Sun Coast, adding workers at one of the collection con-tractors are protected by a collective agreement.

Crisfi eld said this kind of a contract result proves the competitive bidding process works.

Mayor Leslie Baird agreed.

“It’s good to have many providers,” she said.

(Continued on page 6)

Page 6: Comox Valley Echo, April 21, 2015

www.comoxvalleyecho.comTUESDAY.APRIL21, 20156

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(Continued from page 6)

“We have a long history with the Comox Valley and Cour-tenay and Comox,” she said. “The other issue is Don McRae is so easy to access. We see him at very many social events throughout the year. It’s either a quick trip into Courtenay or a quick telephone conversa-tion with him.

“I know that Port Alberni is absolutely thrilled at the pos-sibility of us joining them.

But the layout of it would be very diffi cult for Cumberland.”

Council voted unanimously in support a motion to wait for public hearing feedback before launching any missives.

(Continued from page 6)Coun. Roger Kishi asked if

the service level would con-tinue.

Staff confi rmed that yard waste and organics will contin-ue to be collected every week, with recycling getting picked up every other week.

Crisfi eld said the Village pays tipping fees at the dump except for institutional, com-mercial and industrial waste tipping fees, which are paid by Sun Coast.

Coun. Gwyn Sproule made a motion to approve the contract award, which was approved unanimously.

BY MICHAEL BRIONESEcho Staff

The Comox Valley Re-gional District is consider-ing preparing and drafting a new regional service to address homelessness.

This was motivated by the positive results of the non-binding referendum on this issue at the No-vember 2014 elections. It has provided the CVRD clear direction that citi-zens in the Comox Valley agree that ending home-lessness is a priority.

The CVRD now wants to look at establishing a new bylaw on homelessness that would be supported through regional property taxation. This was recom-mended in the report staff was ordered to prepare in February on an overview of the public opinion vote and options that may be available to address some of the issues related to homelessness.

The referendum con-

fi rmed people in the region are willing to help pay for initiatives on homeless-ness through taxation. Of the 32 per cent voter turn-out, 71 per cent support

some level of taxation while 29 per cent did not support local government taxing property owners.

The breakdown of the referendum results showed 25 per cent agree they would be willing to pay up to $5 per year, and

46 per cent willing to pay up to $10 per year in taxes based on a home assessed at $300,000.

In January, the Comox Valley Network - Associa-tion of Registered Nurses of BC has recommended the CVRD board of direc-tors move forward with implementing a tax to re-duce homelessness.

However, the CVRD could not endorse the rec-ommendation as it has no framework in place to pro-vide services to support aff ordable housing or the homeless. The staff report suggested a new service bylaw but the CVRD would need local governments to support it.

Staff provided three op-tions for the board of the directors to consider: To proceed with a referendum to determine public sup-port to establish a prop-erty tax towards address-ing homelessness in the Comox Valley; To proceed with an alternative approv-

al process (AAP) to de-termine public support to establish a property tax towards addressing homelessness in the Comox Valley; To not proceed with a regional property tax towards addressing homeless-ness in the Comox Val-ley.

Staff has recom-mended before pro-ceeding to a public assent process, the re-gional board seek input from valley local gov-ernment councils and area directors through completion of a ques-tionnaire to assist with the formulation of a service establishment bylaw. A fi ve-year fi -nancial plan also needs to be established.

Here are some of the questions that are be-ing asked:

• Would your juris-diction support and participate in a new

regional service to ad-dress homelessness?

• Should a new ser-vice be established what is the maximum taxation rate your juris-diction would support?

• What would your local government de-fi ne the new service purpose as?

• How does your ju-risdiction see the cost of the service being al-located between all ju-risdictions?

• What is your ju-risdictions preferred method of seeking pub-lic assent?

The results of the questionnaire will be presented to the June 23 committee of the whole meeting.

If there is support, the board of directors will decide whether to pro-ceed to a public assent opportunity regarding a regional service to address homelessness in the Comox Valley.

CVRD wants to create new bylaw on homelessness

Input from local governments being sought before regional service can be established

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Page 7: Comox Valley Echo, April 21, 2015

www.comoxvalleyecho.comTUES DAY.APRIL 21, 2015 7

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Students learn to handle an impaired driver resisting arrest during enacted events at Mountie Camp.

Thirty-three teenagers got the chance to experi-ence what it’s like to be-come a Mountie.

They spent last week at HMCS Quadra on Goose Spit where they experi-enced some rigid fi tness exercises, learned about policing procedures and courses, and enacted sce-narios that included ve-hicular crash simulations, dealing with drunk drivers and uncooperating sus-pects.

They’re major com-ponents of the bi-annu-al Mountie Camp that is jointly organized by School District 71 and the Comox Valley RCMP De-tachment.

“We like to help the kids. We have fun with it and I hope they have fun with it too,” said Cst. Don Sin-clair, the RCMP’s media liaison offi cer. “I’ve talked to a few of those who have gone through to the camp and they expressed great satisfaction with it.”

Sinclair also added that the camp gives the RCMP a good image and helps with their recruitment of new members.

Mountie Camp was de-signed to provide students with aspirations of be-coming an RCMP offi cer an idea and experience of what it would be like to go through the training. But according to SD71 work experience coordinator, Kelley Giorgianni, there are some that joined for mixed reasons.

“Nowadays we’re fi nd-ing that not every student wants to go in that direc-tion but is looking for sim-ilar fi elds in that direction

- maybe social work, may-be law,” said Giorgianni.

Jasna Ramsden-Morelli has no ambition of be-coming a police offi cer. She joined simply for the experience.

“The opportunity was there so I thought I might as well take it,” said Rams-den-Morelli.

If there’s one thing Ramsden-Morellie is learning from the camp, it’s “discipline.”

“It’s really important here and knowing how to work as a team,” she said.

Joe Surgenor is taking part in the camp so as to give him another career choice to consider when he graduates from high school.

“It’s always nice to have another plan to do, an-other career option,” said Surgenor. “I am just here to kind of experience it.”

To take part in the camp, applicants have to go through a rigorous pro-cess that included crimi-nal record checks, RCMP interviews and they also must have good grades in school.

One of the RCMP mem-bers helping out in this

year’s camp is Auxiliary Constable Jordan Barnes, who is hoping to become a full-time member of the RCMP. He is one of many who experienced this camp in 2009.

“I’ve always wanted to be in law enforcement,” said Barnes. “When I had the opportunity when I was in high school to at-tend this camp and be put through the camp, it’s a tough week for the kids. It’s been tough this week and it was tough for me. But it’s a good experience. I took that experience and decided that when I had the opportunity to become an Auxiliary here in the Comox Valley I jumped on that.”

Mounted Police Camp started in 1996 and has been held around the time of spring break every sec-ond year at HMCS Quadra in Comox.

It is a simulated “Depot” experience that is off ered to high school students in Grades 10 to 12 in the SD71. Around 65 RCMP and school district mem-bers volunteer their time and knowledge to help the camp.

Students at the Mountie Camp take part in a simulated vehicular crash

Students spend a week learningwhat it takes to be a Mountie

Page 8: Comox Valley Echo, April 21, 2015

www.comoxvalleyecho.comTUESDAY.APRIL21, 20158

Cinema #4: “Swan Lake” Royal Ballet

Saturday, April 18th, 10:00 am (ends 1:15 pm). Doors open at 9:30Approx. 3 hrs, 15 min. 2 intermissions.Cinema #1: “Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2” PG: Violence. Nightly: 7:00 (8:45) & 9:25 (11:10)Saturday & Sunday Matinees: 12:40 (2:25) & 3:40 (5:25)Cinema #2: “The Longest Ride” PG: Coarse language; nudity; violencePass restricted until April 24th. Nightly: 6:40 (9:00) & 9:35 (11:55)Saturday & Sunday Matinees: 12:30 (2:50) & 3:30 (5:50)Cinema #3: “Home 3D” G: No advisory. Nightly: 6:50 (8:35) & 9:20 (11:05)Saturday Matinees: 3D 1:45 (3:30) & 2D 4:00 (5:44). Sunday Matinees: 3D 12:50 (2:35) & 2D 3:15 (5:00)Cinema #4: “Furious 7” 14A: Frequent violence Frequent violenceNightly: 6:30 (9:00) & 9:30 (12:00). Saturday & Sunday Matinees: 12:25 (2:55) & 3:25 (5:55)

APRIL 17 APRIL 23$1099 Youth & Adults

April 17 – Aptil 23

Box Office Hours for April 17th – 23rdNightly: 6:00 – 9:40

Saturday & Sunday Matinees: 12:00 noon - 3:45 pm

BY MICHAEL BRIONESEcho Staff

Child care is one of the biggest expense for fami-lies, especially if you have more than two children.

It is the second highest family expense after hous-ing.

The Coalition of Child Care Advocates of BC has come up with a plan that calls for a $10-a-day child care program in the prov-ince to make child care af-fordable for families.

A Comox Valley early childhood educator, Char-lene Gray, has taken the task of securing local sup-port for this cause.

Gray appeared before Courtenay council to high-light the key points of the plan that includes $10 a day for full time care, $7 a

day for part time care and no parent fee for families with annual incomes un-der $40,000. The coali-tion is also proposing child care to be placed under the mandate of Ministry of Education and for it to become a publicly funded system.

Gray said the Commu-nity Plan builds on well-established evidence that public spending in the early years is a wise social and economic investment and that quality child care is learning and high qual-ity promotes healthy de-velopment.

What the coalition is trying to do is integrate the strengths of the public education system with the best quality, community-based child care.

“Public education is fair-

ly universal. People know what to expect when you talk about school teach-ers and about education is publicly funded and dem-ocratically controlled,” said Gray.

“There’s support, a well-respected work force and an infrastructure to deliv-er the services to the pub-lic. Child care has none of those.”

Gray said Canada is a wealthy nation but it ranks last among devel-oped countries in support-ing quality early care and learning programs.

Parents who are work-ing are often faced with the dilemma of fi nding aff ordable, quality child care. That’s because BC has licensed child care space for only about 20 per cent of children.

Fees are expensive be-cause unlike libraries, parks and schools that re-ceive public funds to cov-er most operating costs, child care is primarily a user fee service

Gray said the Commu-nity Plan is the solution to the child care crisis in the province.

“Children and families now have the right to qual-ity early care and learning and current policies and approaches are just not working,” said Gray.

Gray has asked Courte-nay council to back this initiative. She has already gained endorsement from various organizations in the Comox Valley and also the support of Town of Comox and School Dis-trict 71.

Courtenay council vot-

ed to write a letter to the Provincial Government in support of the adequate funding of quality aff ord-

able child care such as the model advocated by the BC Coalition of Child Care Advocates.

Courtenay supports $10-per-day child care program

People of the Comox Valley are invited to join the Comox Valley Sustain-ability Network and Sierra Club BC at the Stan Ha-gen Theatre in Courte-nay at 6pm, April 23, for a night of networking and information sharing.

The Future is HERE event is a part of the Si-erra Club BC ‘s province wide tour showcasing the award-winning documen-tary “The Future of Ener-gy - Lateral Power to the People”, which focuses on the clean energy revolu-tion happening right now all across North America.

Engage with us and learn how to support the Comox Valley Sustainabil-ity Strategy (2010) and the network of community or-ganizations and business that are coming together to support and promote its implementation.

Find out how you can diminish your carbon footprint and reduce your monthly energy costs by participating in the Panel Discussion following the

screening of the fi lm. Hosted by Sierra Club

BC’s Energy and Cli-mate campaigner, Lar-issa Stendie, special guest speakers will include, Cris-ti Sacht, Certifi ed Enery Advisor (CEA) - Through Natural Resources Cana-da, Michael Zbarsky Man-ager of Transit and Sus-tainability Comox Valley Regional District, Mark Tizya, Owner of Novo Solar Systems, and Jessie Lightburn of the Comox Valley Sustainability Net-work.

6pm - Doors OpenAttendees are encour-

aged to come early to secure their seat and en-gage with local commu-nity groups and energy advisors!

6:45pm - Screening of the feature fi lm “The Fu-ture of Energy - Lateral Power to the People”

8pm - Panel Discussion RSVP on Facebook: The

Future is HERE Comox Valley On the web: sierra-club.bc.ca or CVSN.ca

Admission by donation

Sierra Club and Valley’s Sustainability Networkinvite you to a night of fi lm and networking

On Maria-Lynn’s “buck-et list” since 2008, Marc and Maria-Lynn complet-ed their journey across northern Spain on the Camino de Santiago at the end of October 2014. Responding to the curios-ity of friends and acquain-tances they will be provid-ing another presentation of their adventure at:

Comox United Church, 250 Beach Drive, Comox

Wednesday, April 22nd from 7:30 to 8:30 PM.

The pictures and video presentation is about one half hour followed by a Q&A. Others who have walked the Camino are in-vited to attend and answer questions about their own journey.

Everyone is welcome and particularly anyone interested in doing this adventure themselves or vicariously through oth-ers.

This pilgrimage, subject of the 2010 movie “The Way” starring Martin

Sheen has been an his-torical pilgrimage route since the 9th century and reached it zenith during the Middle Ages before the Black Death of the 14th century curbed en-thusiasm for the journey.

Even though still used as a pilgrimage route, numbers fell off very dra-matically to only 690 pil-grims in 1985. Since then the numbers of pilgrims has been growing again reaching 237,886 pilgrims in 2014.

And Canadians feature prominently in the num-bers of pilgrims.

In fact, one of the “hos-pitalieres” (ie caretakers) in the Roncesvalles pil-grims’ hostels (called al-bergues) asked me: “Why are there so many Canadi-an pilgrims, seeing as how there are so many good hiking places in Canada?”

Come and see for your-self! A small donation is requested to cover the cost of the room.

The Pilgrims’ Way: Walking the 800 kmCamino de SantiagoSpecial presentation April 22

Marc and Maria-Lynn on the Camino de Santiago

Page 9: Comox Valley Echo, April 21, 2015

www.comoxvalleyecho.comTUES DAY.APRIL 21, 2015 9

And now for something completely diff erent...

In a season which has featured increasingly larger combos, Georgia Straight Jazz Society pres-ents a duet at The Ava-lanche this Thursday, and an evening of romantic, sensual and sentimental music. To celebrate her upcoming CD release, bi-lingual vocalist Heather Keizur returns to Van-couver Island, part of her North American tour, for her appearance in Courte-nay. Steve Christoff erson joins Keizur to share their passion for jazz.

Keizur and Christoff er-son have performed to-gether for over six years.

According to Keizur, “Someone else was sup-posed to be playing with me on a gig in December 2008 when at the last minute, I got a call saying that he couldn’t make it. So that night Steve fi lled in. That’s when the magic began.” Keizur and Christ-off erson are of one mind when it comes to making music. The great Joe Wil-liams once told Christof-ferson, “Sing like there’s no tomorrow.” When Kei-zur and Christoff erson perform together, you feel as if they have been doing so all of their lives.

Keizur’s new CD, “Under My Skin” evoked one lis-tener to say, “Heather has incredible breath control. Her music is dreamy.”

The CD includes songs

such as “’S Wonderful,” in an arrangement that will make you smile, and “Avec Le Temps” that will touch your heart to its core.

Heather told me, “When we made this recording the idea was to go into the studio to make music, not a CD. Only the tunes that sounded like magic made the cut.”

The CD includes Christ-off erson on piano, me-lodica, and vocals, Dennis Caiazza on bass, and Ron Steen on drums.

The show will feature songs from the new CD, together with some clas-sic French chansons as well as a few pop songs in jazz genre that remind her of her days growing up in BC.

Keizur’s performances showcase a mature talent that is equally at ease with jazz standards and French chansons. Christoff erson’s piano, melodica, and vo-cals add a powerful depth to the duo’s music.

One observer said he had never seen a vocalist and pianist more in tune with one another.

According to Oregon Music News, “Although Heather does sing some songs in French she does so much more. She can caress a ballad or belt out ‘Pigfoot and a Bottle of Beer’ with equal convic-tion. Her frequent collabo-rator Steve Christoff erson is a master of the fi ne art of accompanying singers.”

Heather, who lived in Nanaimo and Victoria, regularly performs in Portland, Oregon, a city she now calls home.

In February 2015 she was a featured artist at the PDX Jazz Festival, and she has also gigged in The Bay Area with David K. Mat-thews (currently Santa-na’s pianist) and in Seattle with Milo Petersen (for-mer guitarist and drum-mer with Eartha Kitt).

Her 2010 CD, “J’ai Deux Amours,” features Mathews, Christoff erson, Akira Tana, as well as oth-er world class musicians.

Christoff erson is a re-nowned pianist, composer, and arranger. In a career spanning more than three decades, he has performed in music festivals around the world, and toured with Nancy King and the Alan Jones Sextet. The Victoria Times-Colonist noted his “deft, lyrical touch and fe-vered imagination.”

Show time is 7:30 pm. As usual, Thursday eve-ning jazz dinner specials will be available directly from Yiamas’ restaurant, as well as regular pub-menu items.

Admission for this show is $10 for members, and $12 for non-members. For more information about the Jazz Society, and other forthcoming events, see our web site www.georgi-astraightjazz.com, or fi nd us on Facebook.

- Submitted by Malcolm Holt

GEORGIA STRAIGHT JAZZ SOCIETY

A romantic evening of music with jazz vocalist and pianist

the Valley’s best fi ddlers are putting on a Family Contra Dance here in the Comox Valleyon Saturday, April 25th, t at the Big Yellow Merville Hall. With a stage full of budding musicians keeping a driving beat, caller June Cannon will march the dancers around the fl oor. Dances are taught on the spot. Doors open at 7pm and at 7:30pm, the Funtime Fiddlers start the music and the dancing begins. Single dancers are more than welcome as they can pair up with anyone during the Contras. Cost is $10.00/adults, $5.00/youth and you can come as a family for $22.00. FMI: 339-4249

Fiddles and contra dancing Saturday night

Page 10: Comox Valley Echo, April 21, 2015

Comox

Whether Canada Re-le-galizes cannabis (marijua-na) because it’s safer than alcohol, like Colorado’s example or because end-ing prohibition is a public safety issue like Washing-ton’s (AVICC Holds Talk On Washington State’s Pot Legalization Vote, Apr. 14, 2015), is irrelevant.

End cannabis prohibi-tion because it’s the right thing to do and the major-ity of citizens want to end the Luciferous practice of caging humans for using a relatively safe God-given plant.

A sane or moral argu-ment to perpetuate can-nabis prohibition doesn’t exist.

Stan White Dillon, Colorado

I am writing this letter to deliver accolades to the nurses of the Medical Day-care Department and Med-ical Day Care Bookings as well as a “what the heck? “ scratch of the head to the hospital administration of St. Joseph’s Hospital.

The Medical Daycare Unit is bearing a huge burden of IV antibiotics/blood transfusions/iron Infusions and many other procedures for thousands of patients a year with seemingly no support

from administration. Most of these patients in

the past would be inpa-tients. The nurses in this department say they have been advocating for the past 10 years that they need more space and staff to deliver a basic standard of care for the community with what they say is no response.

In the last ten years the number of patients cared for in this department has gone from 334 to 6125 per year.

Patients requiring IV antibiotics have increased from 156 per year to 2905 per year.

Patients receiving iron infusions have gone from 0 to over 1000 per year.

Same four chairs and one nurse.

Stretchers will not fi t around the corner of the department should any patient need to be treated for emergency care.

In the event of an earth-quake or fi re, many of the patients who have any ambulatory issues (which is most of them) would be unable to be evacuated in a safe and timely manner, as the chairs will not easily fi t through the door.

The nurses say that their suggestions, alternatives and requests have fallen, it would appear, on deaf ears.

This means patients are being forced inappropri-ately to go to emergency

and take up space and resources as almost all of them are “urgent” type care and are being told “there is no room at the inn” in Medical Daycare.

The administration touts that the patients taking up space in the hospital (alternate level of care) are one of the major problems “bottle necking” access to inpatient /surgical beds.

When patents who are waiting for blood transfu-sions become so weak that they fall and break a hip while waiting days for a four hour treatment end up needing months of care in an ALC bed, how is this “managing” community needs?

When an elderly patient is in need of heparin injec-tion (their numbers have gone from 51 to 1013 in ten years) develops lung or leg clots and now is in need of ICU or long term inpatient care, how is this being fi scally responsible or delivering “Care with Compassion”?

Only when it is YOUR loved one will it hit home.

I am hoping that the hospital administration uses their “masters degree in health care administra-tion” diplomas hung on the walls of their well-fur-nished offi ces to do more than cover nail holes.

You are charged with managing and adminis-trating the health care of this community. Do your

jobs and fi x this.Barbara Mellin, RN

Comox

To: Don McRae, M.L.A.Re: Bill 20, Election

Amendment Act. Don, we need to talk.

Bill C-51 is going to erode much of our privacy. That’s bad enough. Now I fi nd out the B.C. Liberals are going one step further.

The B.C. Liberals are going to make an amend-ment to the Election Act of B.C. so Elections B.C. can hand over the names of all those who voted in the last provincial election to any of the 17 registered political parties .

Whether I vote or not is no one’s business. To make changes to the provincial Elections Act so any/or all of the 17 regis-tered political parties in B.C. can fi nd out whether I voted or not is just too much of an invasion of my privacy. I am requesting you vote NO regarding this bill.

I don’t know why you and your party want to do this. I do know one thing. If people don’t want their names out there, they will not vote.

How to reduce the num-ber of voters in one easy step, is simply to enact this bill.

E. A. FosterComox

www.comoxvalleyecho.comTUESDAY.APRIL 21 201510

LETTERS

OPINIONSEC

HO

THE RIGHT THING TO DO

WHAT THE HECK?

NO ONE’S BUSINESS

Forget about fi xing up Baybrook

Re: Yep, Open For Busi-ness In Comox

Ms. Burns claims that “Baybrook residents ... have B&Bs” and “park their many overfl ow ve-hicles in the streets”.

To the best of my knowledge, there is exactly one B&B in the Baybrook neighborhood - a one-bed-room rental with no street advertising.

She also states that the MLHS was proposing a “small walk-in nature house” on the Baybrook property.

This contradicts the Mack Laing House Report submitted to Comox coun-cil in 2014, which outlines numerous revenue-gener-ating activities aimed at establishing an “eco-tour-ism” hub on the Baybrook property.

The Report includes statements such as “ex-plore the feasibility of developing economic op-portunities at Baybrook” and “Baybrook as a tour-ism hub could easily grow this untapped market year-round”.

Clearly the intent of the MLHS was to expand this project in hopes of making it fi nancially sustainable, including “annual applica-tions for provincial and federal grants”.

One of the models for the proposed nature centre is the Swan Hills Nature Conservancy in Saanich.

Despite access to a population 5 times greater than the Comox Val-ley, this facility requires annual grants from the municipality of Saanich for approximately half of its operating revenue ($300,000+ per year since 2011).

It also desperately needs an additional $700,000 to upgrade aging infrastruc-ture (Victoria News, Oct. 30, 2013).

Mack Laing’s will has no legal connection to the Baybrook property, which he sold privately in 1949.

Baybrook residents do not want an expansive, revenue-generating eco-tourism business operat-ing in the parkland border-ing their neighborhood.

Comox taxpayers do not want public property used for a commercial enter-prise that will inevitably require government fund-ing to survive.

Comox council made the logical decision to reject the MLHS proposal and leave the property in its natural state once the derelict building has been removed.

It is long past time for the MLHS to accept the unanimous decision of Co-mox council, stop dispar-aging Baybrook residents and the town of Comox in the media, and get on with their lives!

Bill McLeod

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

E-mail: [email protected]

Publisher Dave MacDonald

Editor Debra Martin

Advertising Manager Keith Currie

Office Administrator Deb Fowler

Circulation Manager Hedi MacDonald

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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COMOX VALLEY ECHO

Page 11: Comox Valley Echo, April 21, 2015

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HUNT FOR HISTORY WITH JUDY HAGEN

A tale of two city halls, now long gone“A new city shall be

incorporated the fi rst day January, A.D. 1915 and shall be called and known by the name and style of the Corporation of the City of Courtenay”.

Thus begins the “Let-ters Patent” that outline the rules and regulations for the new political entity.

Courtenay would not be a “frontier town” in the manner of a “Hollywood Western”, the “law” was already in place, now the community needed to chose a council to manage their aff airs.

The election was held Monday 14 January 1915 at the Courtenay Police Building with the polls open from 9am to 5pm.

Elected were Mayor Dan Kilpatrick, with six Aldermen: Ken-neth E. Crompton M.D., John Johnston, William Henry Kirkwood, George B. Leighton, John H. McKenzie and Wilfred G. Robertson.

The Inaugural meeting of the Municipal Council was held on 18th January in the Provincial Police Court.

Two weeks later the Council met in the C.G. Calllin Building on Mill Street south of the Bridge.

Arrangements were made to continue hold-ing the Council meetings there and the next min-utes of February 8th indi-cate that the men had met in “Council Chambers”.

The question of a “City Hall” would not be resolved until the follow-ing year when the Council minutes of 20 March read “that a site on Judson Street was most suitable” with $373 voted as the sum to pay a contractor.

On 25th April, Mr Creech was awarded the

contract of $81 for paint-ing the new hall.

On May 1st 1916, the Council held their meet-ing in the new City Hall on Union Street at Judson.

At that time, Union Street was unpaved so when it rained, Isabelle Stubbs said that “City

Hall sat in the mud in middle of Union Street.” It wasn’t actually “the middle “ of the street but is what not properly sited to the lot,.

It would stay there until 1921, when P. Leo Anderton asked if City Hall could be removed from the road allowance

The original city hall, above, and the ‘English cottage’, top, that was destroyed by fi re on July 2, 1995 Photos courtesy Courtenay and District Museum, 988.237.9 and 988.237.10.

which adjoined lot No 38 owned by his friend John Urquhart and so after 5 years, on the fi rst of September, the hall was relocated to what is now Simms Alley and Duncan Avenue next to the fi rst Fire Hall.

The building was also enlarged and raised so that is was ten feet above street level and would hardly meet with current building codes for access.

The steep stairs were in

Isabelle’s words “diffi cult even for the young and able bodied”.

That city hall would also be known for the smoke-belching furnace which polluted the air as far west as the railway tracks.

For a short time, the lending library, one shelf of books, was housed in the City Hall.

The Librarian, Mrs. Smith held to strict moral codes and felt it was her duty to remove dirty words and suggestive scenes.

She carefully “deleted” the off ending words and phrases by blanking them out with her black crayon!!

The police station had been built in 1911 on the site of the fi rst school, today the parking lot of the current City Hall.

In 1921 a new building was erected on the site for the B.C. Provincial Police who patrolled the rural areas. In 1926, that building was remodelled as Headquarters for the B.C Provincial Police which took over local policing duties of the city Constable.

The renovated building included living quarters for the staff sergeant and a jail cell.

In 1950, the RCMP replaced the Provincial Police and took over the existing Headquarters.

(Continued on page 12)

Page 12: Comox Valley Echo, April 21, 2015

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When the RCMP went into their new facility at the new Court House, the City moved into what was lo-cally known as the old “jail house”.

Mr. William Owen, architect, was hired to plan the renovations.

“When the new hall is fi nished I want it to look like a city hall you would fi nd in a Sussex small town.” (Argus newspaper 13 May 1953. page 12) The exterior refl ected an Elizabethan style with Tudor half timbers. This was deemed most appropriate since the building was opened in the Coronation year of Queen Elizabeth II.

The cost of the renovation was $30,624. New oak furniture with blue leather was purchased for the council chambers, with the furnish-ings from the previous chambers being used in the new committee room. The gardens that surrounded the former City Hall were moved and planted around the renovated building

Some believed the English style of the building “charming” or “quaint” while others believed it was “inap-propriate”. Whatever the sentiment, when it was destroyed by fi re on July 2nd 1995 everyone was devastated at the loss.

It began as a small fi re at the base of a tree at the left corner of the building and quickly spread due to strong winds.

Lawrence Burns having retired as Fire Chief only two days earlier remained on the site that weekend.

The wood framed buildings suff ered extensive damage to the roof and attic areas, with considerable water damage to the interior.

At fi rst the administration of the City continued in the building next door, the former Corfi eld Motors showroom, which had for several years been rented to accommodate several departments when the ‘old English Cottage’ proved too small for the needs of the growing city.

When it became apparent that the City Hall could not be salvaged, it was decided to move into the Cor-fi eld building.

The extensive renovations were in 2012 honoured with a prestige Ca-nadian Wood Council Wood Works award for the best use of Western Red Cedar. The judges noted that it “transformed something so drear into something so beautiful” and possibly those who so disliked the Elizabethan cottage, are happier with this modern facility.

Elma Pearse, whose husband Theed Pearse had served one term as Mayor in 1929, believed that every City Hall needs a clock. She left a $1000 bequest to fund a clock which was purchased after her death in 1969. It survived the fi re and is stored at the works yard. As yet there are no plans to replace it.

In 1996, at the edge of the park-ing lot, the Heritage Commission placed a commemorative plaque with the history of the fi rst two City Halls. Nearby is the Rhododendron from the garden of the original City Hall.

A tale of two city halls

The Comox Valley Echo and the Courtenay Museum have teamed up to produce a Courtenay Centennial keep-sake, a 50 page full colour magazine featuring museum and community images and historic stories.

Local authors Ian J.M. Kennedy, Rick James, Judy Hagen and Christine Dick-inson along with museum staff ers Catherine Siba and Deb Griffi ths have produced a keepsake magazine, Cour-tenay 100 Years of History

1915-2015 as a tribute to the Centennial Year.

“We say thank you to the Echo who have given gen-erously on this project and done a great job and to the many businesses who have advertised.

“The proceeds from Cour-tenay 100 Years of History will go to museum program-ming,” said John Wilson, President of the Courtenay and District Museum Soci-ety.

With stories about Down-

town Courtenay, Joseph McPhee, Sub-Chasers on the Courtenay River, community celebrations, early transpor-tation and more, the fi ve dol-lar magazine is something to take home from centennial celebrations that will be hap-pening throughout the year.

They are available at the museum and will be avail-able throughout the year-long celebrations.

For more information contact the museum at 250-334-0686.

A keepsake for city centennial year

Snowbird watchingFour Speed the cat keeps an eye on the Snowbirds at they practised last Saturday. “We live in Comox and they were fl ying over our home quite a bit,” said Four Speed’s owner Heather Scarisbrick.

Page 13: Comox Valley Echo, April 21, 2015

www.comoxvalleyecho.comTUES DAY.APRIL 21, 2015 13

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Just In Time’s ‘greatest hits’April is Jazz Apprecia-

tion Month! There is no better way to celebrate than to spend an evening with Just in Time Vocal Jazz Choirs as they per-form their 10th anniver-sary concert under the direction of Wendy Nixon Stothert.

The 60 member Un-plugged choir, and the auditioned small groups Jazzy Jems and Vocal Minority will be joined by the Comox Valley Chil-dren’s Choir at the Sid Williams Theatre on April 25th, 2015 at 7:00 PM.

Tickets to the Greatest Hits concert are on sale at the Sid Williams Box Offi ce for $20.

The groups will be per-forming their favourites from the last 10 years and

will debut a new arrange-ment of Just in Time, commissioned specifi -

cally for this concert. The evening will feature a selection of songs, some

a cappella and others accompanied by Sean Mooney on piano, Oscar

Robles Diaz on drums, Britt Bowman on bass and Anela Kahiamoe on guitar.

For more information, go to www.justintimevo-caljazz.ca or www.sidwil-liamstheatre.com.

Or just come and spend

an evening enjoying jazz standards like Blue Skies and Fly Me to the Moon as well as more recent music like Bohemian Rhapsody and Fields of Gold. Alumni are invited to come and join us in singing Just in Time.

Sunday concert at St. John’s Hawaiian styleSt. John the Divine An-

glican Church (579-5th St., Courtenay) is delighted to present “Hawaiian Gospel Music” on Sunday April 26 at 2 pm, featuring Ha-waiian singer-songwriter Anela Kahiamoe. A na-tive of Hawaii and profes-sional musician his entire life, he grew up making music in a gospel church on the beautiful Hawaiian Islands. Anela’s musical talent is extensive and in-cludes beautiful vocals and fantastic skills on guitar, lap steel and ukulele. He has an uncanny ability to engage the audience with his stories and captivating personality.

Kahiamoe was fi rst drawn to the ukulele, then to Hawaiian steel and slack key styles. His instrumen-tal style was infl uenced by slack key guitar masters

Keola Beamer and Gabby Pahinui and lessons from Hawaiian steel guitar’s most infl uential artist Jer-

ry Byrd.Anela’s popularity with

music fans and musi-cians in the Valley is un-

paralleled. He performs in many venues around town and has appeared at many local festival events including three perfor-mances at Vancouver Is-land MusicFest.

You are warmly invited to capture the magic of the Islands of Hawaii while you listen to Anela and his inspirational music. Ev-eryone welcome!

Admission by donation. Doors open at 1:30; con-cert starts promptly at 2:00 PM. Followed by tea/coff ee and an opportunity to meet Anela. Proceeds go to the church minis-tries. St. John the Divine Anglican Church is cel-ebrating 100 years of Min-istry in the Comox Valley. (1915-2015)

- St. John The Divine Angli-can Church

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Page 14: Comox Valley Echo, April 21, 2015

www.comoxvalleyecho.comTUESDAY.APRIL21, 201514

Registration & Orientationfor New Riders only

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Marg at 250-339-7244. SBA mem-bers get a discount, so ask about membership, too.

POETRY AND PROSE READINGS -• Comox Valley Writer’s Society and the Courtenay Public Library invite the public to our Monthly Reading Series. New and published writers will read their work at the Cour-tenay Library Events Room from 11:45am to 1:15pm on Friday, April 24th, 2015. For more information and to sign up to read please call 338-0965. Everyone is welcome. This is a free event, refreshments will be served.CYCLING • Come join us on our Friday rides. We are a road cy-cling group of active adults and members of the Cross Canada Cycle Tour Society (CCCTS) www.cccts.org. At 10am (except in the months July and August when the start time changes to 9AM because of the heat). We meet at the Filberg Centre’s lower parking lot, 411 An-derton Courtenay, before setting off on a bike ride. See www.cccts.org under tabs Day Rides/Comox Valley for the schedule or email [email protected] 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 person.

FAMILY CAREGIVER SERIES, ALZHEIMER SOCIETY OF B.C. • Workshop, April 25, 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Lower Native Sons Hall, 360 Cliffe Avenue. Pre-registration required. Courtenay Recreation, 250-338-1000 or Jane Hope, [email protected] VALLEY FARMERS MAR-KET • 9-12 every Saturday at the Headquarters Road fair grounds, Cliffe Avenue, Courtenay. Come for the freshness, stay for the fun! FMI: Mkt. Mgr. Vickey 250.218-0321 or or www.comoxvalleyfarm-ersmarket.com & keep in touch on Facebook.COURTENAY LEGION • Meat draws every Saturday 2-5 p.m. in the lounge. Dancing to Gord Kruger and friends.COMOX LEGION • Meat draws are held every Saturday 3 p.m. plus Ace of Spades draw.

HAWAIIAN GOSPEL CONCERT • St. John The Divine Anglican Church proudly presents an afternoon concert featuring popular local musician Anela Kahiamoe and his engaging performance with beauti-ful vocals and instrumentals. Doors 1:30, concert start at 2 pm, 579-5th Street, Courtenay. Admission by donation. Everyone welcome! http://stjohnthedivinecourtenay.bc.anglican.ca/

CRIBBAGE • Every Monday night, 7:00, at the Royston Hall, corner of Old Island Highway and Royston Road. No need to bring a partner. FMI: 250-334-1883.LADIES AUXILIARY DROP-IN BINGO • Comox Legion Ladies Auxiliary Drop-in Bingo, upper hall. Doors open 6 pm, bingo 7 p.m. All money goes to charities.

PEARL ELLIS GALLERY IN COMOX PRESENTS • “A GROUP SHOW” by “THE MONDAY BUNCH” From April 21st - May 10th. Open Tues - Sat from 10 am - 4 pm, Sun 1 - 4 pm, Closed Monday. Free Admission. Located at 1729 Comox Avenue. FMI and to see a virtual gallery of the current show go to www.pearl-ellisgallery.comROYAL PURPLE DROP-IN BINGO • Every Tuesday night, 7 p.m., at the Elks Home on Sixth St.COMOX VALLEY WOOD CARVERS • If you are interested 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 experience necessary. FMI call Al at 250-331-0156 or Jim at 250-339-5350.

THE PILGRIMS’ WAY • Walking the 800 kilometre Camino Francais. This pilgrimage, subject of the 2010 movie “The Way” starring Martin Sheen has been an his-torical pilgrimage route since the 9th century. Presenting their own Camino adventure are Marc Par-adis & Maria-Lynn Johnson at The Comox United Church, 250 Beach Drive, Comox on Wednesday, April 22nd from 7:30 to 8:30 PMTHE COMOX GLACIER WANDER-ERS VOLKSWALK CLUB • Is host-ing a 5/10 km walk on Wednesday, April 22nd. Registration starts at 9:30 am; walk starts at 10:00 am from parking lot at end of Brazier Rd. From Courtenay take Ander-ton Rd to Condensory Rd; Follow Condensory Rd, it will change to Dove Creek Rd; Continue on Dove Creek Rd. Turn LEFT on Brazier Rd. Parking at the end of Brazier Road. For further info contact Crystal @ 250-898-8612 or Kathleen @ 250-897-1360MAC WOOD AGM • Wed 22 April, 7:00 PM, St Peter’s Hall, 218 Church St, Comox. Guest Speaker Karen Barry of the Coastal Invasive Species Committee. Refreshments will be served. All welcome. Mac-donald Wood Parks Society.EVERGREEN CLUB’S LIFELONG LEARNERS • Present “Moving Makes You Smarter” by Arabella Benson, Brain-Based learning spe-cialist. Meeting fee is $1 for Ever-green Club members, who meet at Rotary Hall, Filberg Centre, Courte-nay. For info on the Lifelong Learn-ers, call 250-941-8885 or email: [email protected] PLAY BRIDGE • Every Wednesday at 7:00 pm at the Royston Hall, 3902 Old Island Hwy and Royston Road. FMI: 250-334-1883 or roy-stonhall.com and on Facebook at Royston Community Club

SMALL BUSINESS ROUND-UP • The Comox Valley Small Business As-sociation, in cooperation with Co-mox Mall, is hosting a Small Busi-ness Round-Up on April 23, 24, 25. Any small business can exhibit for $25/day. Skirted table included. Those who reserve their table by March 20 will be included in the event marketing. Contact Larrie or

In the Comox Valley

WHAT'SON

21 TUESDAY

26 SUNDAY

27 MONDAY23 THURSDAY

25 SATURDAY

24 FRIDAY

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Concert pianist Sarah Hagen of the Comox Valley (now living in Vancouver) received the BC Touring Council’s ‘Artist of the Year’ award given out at the Pacific Contact Annual Awards Dinner on Saturday, April 11th at the Hilton Vancouver, Metrotown. The BC Touring Council was established as a non-profit organization in 1976 to serve presenters and touring professional artists in British Columbia. Its goals are to expand touring opportunities, promote audience development and be an advocate for artists and presenters. Sarah is the daughter of Judy Hagen of Courtenay and the late Stan Hagen. She regularly gives classical music concerts at the Sid Williams Theatre in her Mattina Musica series annually.

Local pianist ‘artist of the year’

Rogers and Hammer-stein’s Cinderella, the on-stage musical presented by the Phil and Jennie Gaglardi Academy School at 1475 Noel Ave, Co-mox. ( the old Brooklyn elementary school). Per-formances run on Thurs-day April 23, Friday April 24 and Saturday April 25 at 6:30pm. Doors open at 6:00pm. Tickets are selling quickly, so do not

miss out on this timeless fairy tale classic! Tickets are available at Laughing Oyster Bookshop, Blue Heron Books, Gone Hol-lywood Video and Red Carpet Consignment. Or contact the school at 250-339-1200 or David at 250-650-3725. Tickets are $12 for Adults and $6 for chil-dren 12 and under. Door prizes and Silent Auction each evening.

Enjoy ‘Cinderella’musical this week

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Page 15: Comox Valley Echo, April 21, 2015

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Simple things like photocopies of all travel documents, especially your pass-port – make sure it’s very clear – a quick call to your credit card companies advis-ing of travel plans and copies of your prescriptions for your medications in case replacement is required can help you navigate through a rough patch.

Another proactive step you can take is to check Trip Advisor for any current scams or cons at your destination. A heads up can save you time, money and anxiety. A quick note of the Canadian

embassy (if there is not a Canadian embassy look for the British one) phone and location might also come in handy.

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More evidence points to the impor-tance of routine eye exams, not only to pinpoint potential conditions of the eye, but also to serve as windows to diseases that affect the entire body. Now more than ever it is essential to make and keep annual eye exams, as they can help to reveal the first signs of serious ailments.

Doctors from around the world say dozens of diseases Ñ from certain can-cers to arthritis to high blood pressure Ñ

can show symptoms in the eye. Under the watchful and knowing gaze of an eyecare professional, individuals can get early diagnosis and begin treatment promptly.

According to Dr. Roy Chuck, chair of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Medical Center, there are many systemic diseases that can be seen in the eye. In

addition to the conditions mentioned, jaundice can indicate liver disease while retinal detachment and bleeding in new blood vessels may indicate hypertension. By looking at the color of the cornea, some doctors can tell if a patient has elevated levels of cholesterol. Many peo-ple have had their eye doctors be the first healthcare professional to detect the presence of their diabetes.

If an ophthalmologist suspects an

underlying medical condition, he or she will likely refer men and women to their primary care doctors for a more thor-ough examination.

Going to the eye doctor can do more than ensure your vision is sharp. It’s a life-saving decision for many people who have major health conditions diagnosed through the eyes.

Page 16: Comox Valley Echo, April 21, 2015

www.comoxvalleyecho.comTUESDAY.APRIL 21, 201516

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How to protect your vision over the long haul According to the Centers for

Disease Control and Prevention, eye diseases relat-ed to aging are the primary cause of vision impairment in the United States. Many peo-ple consider vision loss a natu-ral side effect of aging, but there are ways men and women can protect their vision and reduce their risk of vision loss as they age.

• Quit smoking. According to the National Eye Institute, smoking doubles a person’s risk for age-related macular degeneration, or AMD. AMD is a leading cause of vision loss in

men and women over the age of 50. It causes damage to the macula, which is the part of the eye needed for sharp, central vision. If the macula is dam-aged, vision may be blurry, distorted or dark.

• Protect eyes from ultravio-let light. The American Optometric Association notes that UV-A and UV-B radiation can have adverse effects on a person’s vision. A short-term effect of excessive exposure to UV radiation is photokeratitis, a painful condition that can lead to red eyes, extreme sensi-tivity to light and excessive

tearing. Long-term effects of such exposure include a higher risk of developing cataracts and damage to the retina, which is the part of the eye used for seeing. When spend-ing time outdoors, always wear sunglasses that provide protec-tion against UV-A and UV-B rays.

• Maintain a healthy blood pressure. High blood pressure, often referred to as HBP or hypertension, can contribute to vision loss as a person ages. The American Heart Association notes that HBP can strain blood vessels in the

eyes, causing them to narrow or bleed. HBP also can cause the optic nerve to swell, com-promising a person’s vision as a result. Eye damage that results from HBP is cumula-tive, which means the longer it goes untreated, the more likely the damage to the eye will be permanent. Men and women can maintain a healthy blood pressure by eating right, exer-cising regularly and sustaining a healthy weight.

• Take breaks from work. Computer vision syndrome, or CVS, is a legitimate condition that can develop when a per-

son spends ample time staring at a computer screen. Adults and kids alike are susceptible to CVS, which can cause symp-toms such as blurred vision,double vision, eye irritation,and headaches. One way toreduce risk of developing CVSis to take frequent breaks fromstaring at the screen. A handfulof 20-second breaks over the course of an hour can help pre-vent CVS. In addition, changelighting in the room where youwork so you can reduce glareon the computer screen.

Page 17: Comox Valley Echo, April 21, 2015

www.comoxvalleyecho.com TUESDAY.APRIL 21, 2015 17

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While fatigue is an extremely common complaint, it can be the first symptom of disease. Consult your naturopathic or conventional doctor for a complete physical and thorough blood work to see if other signs and symptoms of disease are present. 2) Exercise and Movement:

There is no better way to jump start your engine than getting your body moving. Think of incorporating “movement” into your life. Yoga, sports, dance, walks, stretching and many more activities definitely will enhance your energy. 3) Optimize digestion:

In my practice, I have treated literally thousands of people whose energy increased upon improving their digestion. For instance, chronic indigestion, acid reflux and Irritable Bowel Syndrome can often be eliminated without the use of drugs through diet changes and natural medicine4) Eat the right diet for you:

Food is your body’s best medicine. Eat nutritious foods and to avoid processed and addictive foods like sugar, flour products, caffeine and alcohol. Food allergies can rob your body of energy and create many subtle symptoms. Proper identification and elimination of food allergies can unleash new energy. 5) Balance the hormones:

Proper functioning of the adrenals, thyroid, ovaries, testes, and pituitary glands are essential to achieving a good metabolism and healthy vitality.

Naturopathic physicians seek to balance the hormones by removing any underlying causes of dysfunction and using natural medicine to support the proper functioning of the glands. 6) Take stock of stress:

Stress is part of life, but too much stress can take its toll on our bodies. Stress reduction techniques are essential life tools that should be practiced regularly. 7) Take basic supplements:

Nutritional deficiencies can definitely cause fatigue. For instance iron and B12 deficiencies both cause anemia and result in fatigue. A naturopathic physician can help you cut through the hype and design a basic supplement program that is right for your needs.8) Drink water not caffeine:

Caffeine may give you a short term buzz, but it creates a long term depletion of your energy stores. Caffeine makes our bodies wired and stressed, not truly energized. 9) Take a cold shower:A great tip for increasing your energy is to finish your shower with a cold blast to the thyroid and adrenals. 10) Take responsibility for creating joy in your life:

What are you passionate about? What brings you joy in your life? Do work you enjoy. Find ways to be of service. Develop an “attitude of gratitude”. Practice setting boundaries with negative people and surround yourself with people who are uplifting.

When it comes to energy, the old adage of “you reap what you sow” couldn’t be more true. Investing in your health gives you the vitality to live the life you want.

Dr. Deidre Macdonald is a naturopathic physician with a medical practice in downtown Courtenay. Her office can be reached at 897-0235 or www.getwellhere.com

Page 18: Comox Valley Echo, April 21, 2015

www.comoxvalleyecho.comTUESDAY.APRIL 21, 201518

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SNACK FOODS THAT PROMOTE BETTER SLEEPAccording to the National Sleep

Foundation, changes in sleep patterns are a part of the aging process. Many people experience difficulty falling asleep and then staying asleep as they age, and that difficulty can make men and women over 50 feel more tired during the day.

But even though difficulty sleeping may be a part of aging, that does not mean men and women over 50 cannot take steps to improve their sleeping pat-terns. For example, certain snack foods may help to improve quality of sleep, especially when these foods replace less healthy snacking options. While men and women over 50 should always consult with their physicians before making any changes to their diets, the AARP notes that the following are a handful of snack

foods that promote better sleep.• Almonds: Magnesium is a mineral

with muscle-relaxing properties, and almonds contain enough magnesium to help men and women get a better night’s sleep. A small amount of almonds before bed might be enough to make falling and staying asleep easier.

• Bananas: Much like almonds, banan-as provide a substantial amount of mag-nesium. Bananas also contain the amino acid tryptophan, which many people associate with Thanksgiving turkey. While tryptophan might be most often associated with the sleepiness people feel after eating a holiday meal, it also has been linked to better sleep quality, so a banana shortly before bed might be just what you need to fall and stay asleep.

• Cheese and crackers: One more tra-ditional snack may just help you get a better night’s sleep. Cheese and crackers contain tryptophan and carbohydrates, which can induce a better night’s sleep and help you fall asleep sooner.

• Cherries: Cherries contain the sleep hormone melatonin, and the AARP notes that recent studies indicated that partici-pants who drank tart cherry juice on a daily basis fell asleep more quickly and slept longer and better than participants who did not.

• Hummus: The primary ingredient in hummus is chickpeas, which are loaded with tryptophan, folate and vitamin B6. Folate has proven especially beneficial to older men and women who need help regulating their sleep patterns, while

vitamin B6 helps the body regulate its clock.

• Peanut butter: Peanut butter is another snacking item loaded with tryp-tophan. Spread some peanut butter on a carbohydrate, whether it’s a slice of toast or some crackers, before going to bed, and you may enjoy a better, longer sleep.

• Walnuts: Like cherries, walnuts con-tain melatonin, which can contribute to a longer, more restful night’s sleep. Walnuts also can help regulate stress, which is a leading cause of sleeping difficulty.

Many men and women experience dif-ficulty sleeping as they age. But the right foods may just help combat such prob-lems and help men and women get a more adequate night’s sleep.

Page 19: Comox Valley Echo, April 21, 2015

www.comoxvalleyecho.com TUESDAY.APRIL 21, 2015 19

BOLD DESIGN MEETS BIG VALUE:

The 2015 Toyota Camry

Toyota raises the bar yet again in the mid-size sedan segment with a bold, bumper-to-bumper redesign of the Toyota Camry for 2015. With a striking new design, new model grades, and more dynamic handling, the 2015 Camry is Toyota’s best yet. And with highly competitive starting MSRPs, Camry is ready to welcome even more Canadians to the Toyota family.

“For 2015, we stripped down Camry to the chassis, and then re-built it from the ground up. The result is more style, more comfort and more driving fun,” said Larry Hutchison, Vice President at Toyota Canada Inc. “With a new, sportier Camry XSE and XSE V6, plus the perma-nent addition of the sporty and efficient Camry Hybrid SE to the line-up, we’re delivering more of what Canadians asked for. This really is a new Camry, from the new Toyota.”

Every 2015 Toyota Camry and Camry Hybrid benefits from bolder styling and improved handling. Toyota designers and engineers re-imagined nearly every exte-

rior surface of the car, while the new, upscale interior features premium, soft-touch materials throughout the spacious cabin. Advanced instrumentation with intuitive controls helps keep the driver’s eyes safely on the road ahead. Underneath the striking new styling, the chassis and body structure are bolstered with additional spot welds, enhancing rigidity for better ride quality. Re-tuned suspension and steering systems take the Camry’s han-dling to a whole new level of responsiveness. And special attention to reducing unwanted wind and road noise has resulted in the quietest-ever Camry cabin.

The Camry is available with either a 2.5-litre four-cyl-inder or 3.5-litre V6 gas engine, paired with a 6-speed automatic transmissions. The Camry Hybrid is built around a 2.5-litre four-cylinder Atkinson Cycle engine with Hybrid Synergy drive matched to an E-CVT. All models are engineered for engaging performance and impressive efficiency.

— Submitted By Courtenay Toyota

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Page 20: Comox Valley Echo, April 21, 2015

www.comoxvalleyecho.comTUESDAY.APRIL 21, 201520

SAS Spring EventSemi Annual Event,

starts April 18.

on any SAS Footwear until May 2nd. Hurry in for

best selection of sizesand colours.

Save $15.00

Recommended immunizations for those age 50+Routine immunizations can keep peo-

ple safe and healthy. Certain vaccina-tions can prevent diseases from produc-ing symptoms, while others can lessen the duration of an illness or make con-ditions less severe.

Vaccination schedules become a way of life for parents to young children. But vaccinations aren’t just for kids, and adults should keep tabs on their immu-nization histories to ensure they’re up-to-date with vaccinations for their par-ticular age group and lifestyle.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns that the elderly are more likely to die of a vaccine-prevent-able disease than other age groups. The immune system begins to decline as we

age, so the body can benefit from the disease-fighting boost provided by vac-cinations. Individuals at any age should discuss immunizations with their doc-tors, but it’s a particularly important conversation for those age 50 and older.

Vaccine schedules and recommenda-tions may vary depending on where a person lives, but the following immuni-zation recommendations are offered courtesy of the CDC.

• Influenza: An annual flu shot can help prevent the nearly 36,000 deaths that occur due to flu each year in the United States. The flu vaccine is designed to combat the current strain of flu, so it is recommended anytime between September to March, which is

the prime flu season. People age 50 and older should opt for the injection rather than the nasal form of the vaccine.

• Tdap: This vaccine protects against tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis and is especially necessary for people who have close contact with young infants. Pertussis, or whooping cough, can be passed on to youngsters and make them very ill. If you’ve never received a Tdap vaccine, the CDC suggests getting it at least once. Individual tetanus boosters should be received every 10 years.

• Pneumococcal: Pneumococcal dis-ease is an infection caused by the pneu-mococcus bacteria. It can cause pneu-monia, blood infection, ear infections, and even bacterial meningitis. This vac-

cine is given to adults age 65 and older or to younger adults at their physicians’ discretion.

• Hepatitis A: Individuals with medi-cal, occupational or lifestyle conditions, such as healthcare workers or people with chronic liver disease, may need a two-dose series of the hepatitis A vac-cine.

Adults who are avid travelers to vari-ous parts of the world that may bring them in contact with animals or people who do not receive the same course of immunizations may need additional vaccines. Speak with a doctor about which immunizations are recommend-ed before travel.

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Page 21: Comox Valley Echo, April 21, 2015

www.comoxvalleyecho.com TUESDAY.APRIL 21, 2015 21

Relief from Hip PainBy Dr. Deidre Macdonald, ND

Hip pain can be a real pain in the butt! Understanding the cause of your hip pain will help you determine the best treatment for you. There are non-

surgical solutions to hip pain, even for degenerative osteoarthritis of the hip.

Osteoarthritis is basically wear and tear in the ball and socket joint. It is important to differentiate true hip pain from other types of pain in the hip region. True hip pain is usually felt towards the front, in the groin region. It may radiate down the front of the thigh. The most effective non-surgical therapy for hip arthritis is low level laser therapy. It is a painless technique proven to significantly reduce the signs and symptoms of arthritis. I have used laser light therapy since 2007 in my naturopathic medical practice and have

had many patients with hip arthritis regain mobility and reduce pain dramatically.

Pain felt on the lateral part of the hip (side of the hip) is usually due to greater trochanteric bursitis. It is aggravated by walking, lying down on the affected side, and crossing the leg of the affected side. I use state of the art laser light therapy to relieve this condition. In most cases, 8 to 10 thirty minute treatments alleviates the problem and patients can regain mobility and enjoy a good night sleep again.

The most common cause of hip pain I see is actually sacroiliac (S.I) joint pain. The SI joints are located on either side of the low back just below the waist. They can become malaligned, too mobile or too fixed resulting in problems with surrounding structures such as ligaments and muscles. Classic symptoms include difficulty turning over in bed, struggling to put on shoes and socks, pain getting your legs in and out of the car, and stiffness when getting up after sitting for long periods. Laser

therapy effectively targets the ligaments that are strained in the joint, quickly reducing pain. By strengthening the ligaments that provide the joint structure, laser therapy often creates long term results.

The piriformis muscle runs across the buttock from the edge of the sacrum to the top of the femur. If this muscle is tight, it can cause buttock pain or even sciatic nerve pain that can run down the leg. Treatments can include stretches that target the muscle, massage for the area, and laser light therapy. Laser light therapy increases circulation to the muscle, triples the energy output of muscle cells (ATP), causes nutrients to flood the cells, increases collagen synthesis and ultimately speeds the healing process and results in rapid resolution of muscle and ligament problems.

Pain felt in the buttock is often referred pain from the lower back. Degeneration of the spinal vertebrae can result in narrowed channels for the nerves that exit the spine (spinal

stenosis). Degenerated or protruding discs can also cause pressure on the nerves that affect the hip area. Laser light therapy has been shown to significantly reduce pain from disc disease in over 90% of patients in a Canadian clinical trial. Spinal stenosis can also respond well to this treatment. It is important to use a high powered laser machine that can penetrate deeply into the tissues and stimulate cellular processes that help regenerate and heal damaged tissues.

So don’t suffer with hip and back pain. When I assess a patient with hip pain, a detailed physical examination and medical history are critical in determining what the root of the problem is. Then, with targeted, effective treatments, relief can often be had without drugs or surgery.

For more information about Dr. Deidre Macdonald’s naturopathic medical practice in downtown Courtenay, contact her office at 250 897-0235 or check out www.getwellhere.com.

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Page 22: Comox Valley Echo, April 21, 2015

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www.comoxvalleyecho.com TUESDAY.APRIL 21, 2015 23

Page 24: Comox Valley Echo, April 21, 2015

www.comoxvalleyecho.comTUESDAY.APRIL 21, 201524

2014-2015 2014-2015 HOCKEY POOL HOCKEY POOLWinnersWinners

GRAND PRIZE - FIRST PLACE WINNER

52” HIGH DEFINITION FLAT SCREEN TV

Just in time for hockey playoffs, pictured is Echo representative Artur Ciast-kowski, Visual Sound Store owner Rick (name coming) and fi rst place CV Echo NHL Hockey Pool winner, Stu Barry, receiving his big screen TV.

Authentic Canucks Jersey

2ND PLACE WINNER

Hockey pool second place winner, Nunthita Norwood is all set to cheer on the Canucks over the Flames in her new Canucks jersey, presented by Tim McDonald of Happy’s Source For Sports and Keith Currie of the Comox Valley Echo. Way to go Nunthita!

3RD PLACE WINNER

Congratulations John! John Beston and son James accept the third place prize of a 3 month facility pass at the CRVD’s Sports and Aquatic Centres from CVRD’s Marketing Specialist, Robyn Butler and CV Echo representative Artur Ciastkowski. His prize of a 3 month fi tness pass at the Sports Centre will help him look good and feel good while yelling “Go Canucks Go!!”

3-Month Pass FOR THE SPORTS AND

AQUATIC CENTRES (pool and fi tness access, registered programs are not included)

WEEKLY PRIZE WINNERSHOT-N-READY MEAL DEAL

Includes medium pepperoni pizza, 8 piece Crazy Bread, 2 litre pop

Scott EasterbrookIan ButtonMaria EgelandDouglas TaylorBill CurryAaron BurgoyneBenj Klassen

Diane MonteithAngela Tenisci Derick NicholsonAndrew J. SmallHelena LalondeSteve BlacklockPaul Sutter

Julie McleodBill IrvingAndrew MotleyDavid YoungChristine WrightKurt LetainMarjorie Moore

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TOP 30 PLAYERSRANK NAME PTS

1 Stuart R. Barry 18902 Nunthita Norwood 18423 John Beston 18384 Christina Williams 18345 Kevin Elmore 18286 Wayne Matkoski 18227 Rick Veerman 18188 Ron Norwood 18179 Mark Einarson 181610 Jeremy Warren 1814

RANK NAME PTS

11 Johnna Brain 179712 John Ferguson 178913 Terry Christie 178314 Bob Kilner 178215 Jeff Gailloux 178116 Shaun Roberge 177717 Brook Henry 177418 Ken Lefl er 177119 Scott Motley 176420 Darren Kardynal 1764

RANK NAME PTS

21 Brett Silzer 176122 Brice McCannel 176023 Sean Anglos 176024 Greg Leiman 176025 Jason Rush 175926 Reid Woods 175927 Brad Smith 175628 Bradie Gailloux 175229 Joe Greif 175130 Jane Stafford 1744