lumbia & Co Y
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T hursd a y , Se p tem b er 2 7 , 2012
GHOSTRIDERS
Riders rule home opener - Page 13
ELKFORD
Volunteer appreciation day Page 12
BUSINESS
River City Woodworks - Page 15
SPORT
Dirt Diggler - Page 3
SPARWOOD
Seniors Centre finishes renos - Page 14
Serving the South Country, Fernie, Sparwood, Elkford since 1898
NDP chooses Blissett By Barry Coulter Black Press Staff
T
he local NDP have chosen their candidate to carry the party flag into the May 2013 provincial election. The Kootenay East Constituency Association held its nomination convention on Saturday, September 22, at the Manual Training School hall in Cranbrook. Norma Blissett of Cranbrook and Randal Macnair of Fernie were the two candidates seeking the nomination. And after the votes were tallied, Blissett came out on top — 94 votes to 13 (with one spoiled ballot). Blissett will now contest the British Columbia general election — the province's 40th — on May 14, 2013, with Bill Bennett. Bennett is the three-term MLA representing the B.C. Liberals. Blissett said the focus of the upcoming NDP campaign is reaching out to voters with the NDP message. “What we're going to be doing is reaching out to the constituents who live here — we're going to be spreading our message of positive change on the doorsteps, at public events and in the media,” she said. Blissett is a forester and a teacher and has lived in Cranbrook for the past 17 years. She is currently teaching science and math at Mt. Baker Secondary
School. She faced off for the nomination against Randal Macnair, the former Mayor of Fernie and current Fernie City Councillor. “We'd done a lot of work as far as reaching out to members,” Blissett said of the nomination campaign. “I phoned everyone, sent out brochures, I met with a number of people I didn't know before, so I was fairly confident coming in. But you never know, right?” Blissett has been politically active at the local level in Cranbrook, and will now be moving into the provincial sphere, a transition she's prepared for. “My background is in forestry and education, those are both provincial concerns,” she said. “I've worked for provincial government in Ontario. I am aware of those issues and the impact they have at the municipal level.” “It's exciting — I've been to the provincial convention, I've met with a number of the MLAs, so I feel pretty confident about being able to represent the people here at the provincial level.” Blissett told those assembled Saturday that the NDP's task was now to increase the party profile locally. “So now it starts. We've got a big task ahead of us. [The upcoming campaign is] about coming together and working together as a party.” She also thanked Macnair for his efforts.
Sparwood & Elkford
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First Place ll r Exce FREE
Ready, set, quack!
The Elk River was a swarm of yellow rubber ducks on Saturday for the 22nd annual duck race. The ducks were unloaded into the river at the Canadian Tire bridge in Fernie at 11 a.m. then made their way down to the West Fernie bridge, followed by spectators running along the sidewalk. Tickets for the ducks were $5 each and the winner got a choice of $1,000 cash or $1,500 in travel vouchers. The proceeds go towards supporting community youth programs.
Photo by Stephanie Fleming
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2 0 1 2 To u r i s m G u i d e s h a v e A r r i v e d
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