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Tuesday, April 17, 2012 The Parksville Qualicum Beach News
TOP HANDYMAN
Mark Falvai sharing his expertise BRENDA GOUGH
reporter@pqbnews.com
PARKSVILLE TRANSITION HOUSE FORUM You’re invited to join Haven Society, The Society of Organized Services, Oceanside RCMP and BC Housing for a forum discussing the need for a transition house for women who have experienced violence in the Oceanside area. Parksville Community & Conference Centre ~ Arbutus Room (132 Jensen Ave. E. Parksville) Thursday April 19, 2012 4:00pm – 6:00pm Come & listen to the discussion & have your say!
For more details and to RSVP call 1-250-756-2452
He’s a local celebrity and Mark Falvai who was crowned the winner in Canada’s Handyman Challenge this year is still riding his wave of fame after HGTV ran a marathon of the reality show episodes last week. For those who want to meet the man behind the tool belt, there will be an opportunity Thursday night when Falvai appears at the Mulberry Bush Book Store in Parksville. Falvai and his partner Joanne Simister will be participating in the Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer in June and for a donation of $10 towards the cancer fundraiser, Falvai will answer all your burning DIY questions. He said while he will be on hand to share his knowledge on building and renovating, he predicts most people will be asking questions about the show. “It should be fun. I shop at the store and one day they called me up out of the blue and asked if I would do the event to help raise money,â€? he said. The 38-year-old local jack of all trades, who had many building tasks to accomplish when taping the show, has also been renovating his Qualicum Beach home for about ďŹ ve years. He said if someone has a construction question he can’t answer, he will point them in the right direction ‌ after all, he did spend many weeks competing against several talented handymen and getting advice from some of the best builders in the industry. Tough as nails contractor Mike Holmes, who is on the very popular HGTV shows Holmes On Homes, was one of
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Canada’s Handyman Challenge winner Mark Falvai, who is fundraising for the BC Cancer foundation, will be at the Mulberry Bush book store in Parksville April 19 to answer your DIY questions.
the three judges Falvai had to impress to win the competition. “I don’t think there is much I can’t help them with.�
Where Falvai does need some help is ďŹ nding time to train for the fast approaching two day cycling journey from Vancouver to Seattle. It takes place on June 16 and 17 and Falavai admitted his training has been on the back burner. “I have been so busy ‌ it is hard to get on the bike. I am way behind everyone else. All my friends are up to 100 km rides and the longest I have done is 15 or 20,â€? he admitted. Falvai and Simister have four children including one-year-old twins and Falvai said when they do have time to take the bikes out and train it is hard not to miss them. “We pull the kids in the chariot. When people see us we look like a circus going thru town,â€? he chuckled. The two are part of Team iConquer which is looking to raise $139,800 for the BC Cancer Foundation. On November 25, 2011 they lost one of their closest friends, Leon Little to brain cancer. Following his diagnosis in 2008, Little participated in the Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer two years in a row; his last ride was in 2011. Born and raised in Errington, Little was 38 years old when he died. There are 43 people on the team, including Little’s twin brother Craig. For those who would like to donate to their team, they can make a pledge on Falvai’s personal pledge page on the Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer website. For those who want to meet Falvai in person, he will be at Mulberry Bush book store in Parksville at 280 E. Island Hwy., Thursday, April 19 at 7p.m.
Report urges more focus on seniors’ care CONTINUED FROM PAGE A1
Carter meanwhile said the goal of the report, following her ofďŹ ce’s mandate, was to help people understand how senior care is supposed to work, how it operates and help make it administratively fair. While many of the stories and issues were very emotional and compelling, the ombudsman’s job is to take an objective look, she said. That’s why the report is full of charts and detailed numbers and information to help establish a baseline. “This is a very important area and there has not been
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a great deal of focus on it in the past,â€? she said, explaining this should give the public access to reliable information to help them make difďŹ cult decisions. “The lack of information is a real barrier,â€? she said, explaining if you don’t have anything to measure a situation against, you don’t know if it is a one-time thing or a regular occurrence. The ombudsman is not an advocate in disputes but an impartial ofďŹ ce to provide information and ensure fairness. They have
jurisdiction over the provincial government and public agencies like crown corporations, schools and health authorities. Carter, nearing the end of her six-year term, has a varied law background, having appeared as counsel before the Supreme Court of Canada and led the Canadian War Crimes Investigation Team in war crimes investigations in the former Yugoslavia for the UN. For more on the report, or to make a complaint, check www.ombudsman.bc.ca, or call 1-800-567-3247 where
you can reach an actual person 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday to Friday. Carter was joined at the public talk by Marcy Cohen, a research associate with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, who was there to speak about seniors’ care in general and speciďŹ c ways to make sure some of the report’s recommendations are carried out. For more on the Oceanside Coalition for Strong Communities, a lead sponsor of the event, check www. oceansidecoalition.org.
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