Grand Forks
Gazette
Your community voice since 1897
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 1, 2012
$1.10 (includes HST)
VOL 115 NO. 31
❚ Storm aftermath
pages 8 & 9 Healing and clean up take place.
Christina Lake couple dead after tubing accident at Cascade Falls
KARL YU Gazette Editor
Above: Cascade Falls near Christina Lake circa May 2011 when the falls were at their seasonal highest. While the waters weren’t as fierce last Saturday, they were still treacherous according to reports. Top right: RCMP and members of Grand Forks Search and Rescue and the Christina Lake Fire Department met at a beach near Cascade Cove RV Park at Christina Lake on July 28 to search for three who were involved in a tubing accident at Cascade Falls. As of Monday, a 50-year-old man from Scotland is still missing but the bodies of Ronald and Jacqueline Legare were recovered. CHRIS HAMMETT AND KARL YU PHOTOS
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Grand Forks Credit Union 250.442.5511 78(6 72 )5, $0 30 6$7 $0 30
CONTINUED ON PAGE 3
Water Restrictions
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Christina Lake residents Ronald (74) and Jacqueline Jean Legare (71) are dead after a tubing accident on Cascade Falls, along the Kettle River on Saturday afternoon. A resident of Scotland, 50, who was visiting the area, is still missing and presumed dead but his name has not yet been released by the B.C. Coroners Service. “Our air search of the river, right down to the U.S. border, turned up negatively. I ran it with the pilot about five times and (the body) is definitely not in the river,” Grand Forks RCMP’s Staff Sgt. Jim Harrison told the Grand Forks Gazette on Monday. “We’re quite convinced at this point that the body’s trapped in the falls. Our experience in the past has been that the bodies resurface after a couple of days or anywhere up to a week. We’ll be maintaining a vigil on the falls to see if, in fact, that does occur and we’ll recover the body,” he said. Some of the Scottish resident’s next of kin have been notified, according to the coroners service. The three were part of a group that was tubing in the area on Saturday and were witnessed being swept into Cascade Canyon. “At 4:51 p.m. (July 28) our OCC (operational
communications centre) in Kelowna received a emergency call from emergency health services,” Harrison said on Saturday night. “Apparently a party of 13 people were tubing on the Kettle River when they were caught up in the current under the Trestle Bridge and three of the party of 13 went over the Cascade Falls.” Harrison said that initially on Saturday, crews located Ronald Legare’s body and later in the evening, found the body of his wife in a pool between the two falls – she was wearing a lifejacket. Her body could not be recovered Saturday night due to darkness but it was extricated on Sunday with the use of a search and rescue helicopter, Harrison said. The aforementioned Grand Forks Search and Rescue team and the Christina Lake Fire Department assisted police with the search and according to Barry Savitskoff, Grand Forks Search and Rescue manager, additional help was called in on Sunday from the RCMP and the Provincial Emergency Program (PEP) from other areas of the province – Nelson, Columbia Valley and Castlegar. Savitskoff said that on Sunday, PEP swift water techs patrolled the water while two teams patrolled the canyon near the falls.
www.gfdscu.com
A reminder that water restrictions are in place in the City of Grand Forks “EVEN” numbered civic addresses may sprinkle on “even” numbered days between the hours of 7am until 9am and 7pm until 9pm “ODD” numbered civic addresses may sprinkle on “odd” numbered days between the hours of 7am until 9am and 7pm until 9pm Sprinkling will be monitored by Commissioners. For a full list of sprinkling regulations please visit www.city.grandforks.bc.ca or contact City Hall at 7217 4th Street, Grand Forks 250-442- 8266 Second Class Registration # 0034