SUMMERLAND REVIEW THE VOICE OF OUR COMMUNITY SINCE 1908
VOLUME
65
-
ISSUE
NO.
20
•
S U M M E R L A N D,
B.C.
•
WWW.SUMMERLANDREVIEW.COM
T H U R S D AY,
M AY
17,
2012
•
20
Meadowlark Festival artist
$1.15
INCLUDING
HST
Reader board displays will use LED technology
Val Eibner of Summerland is the featured artist at the Meadowlark Festival which runs today through Monday.
by John Arendt
Page 11 Trailers burn Trailers at a Summerland R.V. park were destroyed in a fire early Monday morning.
Page 3 Finding funds The municipality has applied for a grant under the Gas Tax Fund program.
Page 6 Mayors meet Mayors from around the province are discussing common issues at the B.C. Mayor’s Caucus in Penticton.
Page 8 Softball action Softball teams from around the province had fun at a Summerland tournament on the weekend.
Page 15
Some day we’ll look back on this, laugh nervously and change the subject.
•
Digital signs okayed
WHAT’S INSIDE:
YOUR SMILE
PA G E S
At the market
John Arendt Summerland Review
Susie Kedge sets out an assortment of plants at her booth at the Summerland Farmers’ Market on Tuesday morning. The weekly market, along Kelly Avenue, will continue each Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. until October.
The municipality will spend up to $100,000 on directional signs to steer motorists into the community. At the municipal council meeting on Monday evening, council voted unanimously to purchase the directional signs. “We realize this is expensive, but once and for all, it’s time to get it done,” said Mayor Janice Perrino. The signs, which would be placed along Highway 97, would advertise attractions or special events in the community. Coun. Lloyd Christopherson said Summerland is the only Okanagan community which does not use the highway as a main business route. “We have to get people into the town,” he said. Coun. Martin Van Alphen said the signs would benefit the entire community since they could promote a business or a special event. The digital signs were considered in August, 2010. The reader board signs were to use LED technology to display messages and could be changed depending on the events the municipality wished to promote. A year later, the sign purchase was shelved since the municipality could not find the money in the budget for the project. Instead, municipal funds were spent on other projects, including upgrade work on Bathville Road. In addition to installing the digital signs, council also passed a resolution directing municipal staff to review the existing sign bylaw and make recommendations for potential changes. Coun. Bruce Hallquist said the sign bylaw has been in need of revision for some time. “It has taken far too long for us to do this,” he said.
Anti-bullying initiative shown Teachers present online service to senate committee by John Arendt An anti-bullying initiative which began in Summerland has gained
national attention. Trevor Knowlton and Hal Roberts of Stop A Bully were in Ottawa at the end of April to present information on their program to the Standing Senate Committee on Human Rights.
Knowlton, the president of Stop A Bully and a teacher at Summerland Secondary School, started the initiative in May, 2009 after he received an anonymous e-mail from a student about a bullying video. The student sent the
e-mail because a video of an assault at the school grounds was being circulated on Facebook. Knowlton launched the online bullying reporting program four days later. The site, at stopabully. ca, allows students, par-
ents and others the ability to safely report incidents of bullying and cyberbullying to school officials. The site now receives complaints of bullying in all parts of Canada. See CONCERNS Page 7