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MERRITT HERALD FREE
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2011 • MERRITT NEWSPAPERS
Smoke plumes as dry air extends fire ban By Phillip Woolgar THE HERALD
newsroom @merrittherald.com
A backyard burn blazed out of control last Thursday, the day before the Kamloops Fire Centre extended a fire prohibition throughout the region. The fire was off Fox Farm Road, which is outside the City of Merritt’s municipal boundaries and is within the Wildfire Management Branch’s jurisdiction, said Merritt Fire Rescue Department Fire Chief Dave Tomkinson. “We have a fire protection agreement
that allowed us to extinguish the fire,� he said. During the blaze, a person occupying the home suffered a cardiac arrest, which the fire crew responded to as paramedics arrived. The condition of the person hasn’t been released. Fire ban extension The Kamloops Fire Centre, which encompasses the Merritt zone, warned that dry weather has put 70 per cent of the region in a “high� or “extreme� fire danger rating.
See ‘Fire ban’ Page 3
Nicola Valley woman appointed as B.C. lieutenant-governor Judy Guichon has been a long-time rancher in the area and now she will represent the province By Emily Wessel THE HERALD
reporter@merrittherald.com
Nicola Valley rancher Judy Guichon is B.C.’s next lieutenant-governor. Guichon has led a long career in cattle ranching and helped introduce sustainable practices in cattle ranching to the Nicola Valley. She owns and operates Gerard Guichon Ranch Limited and the ranch’s bed and breakfast with two of her four children and husband. Guichon’s involve-
‘Judy is a real down-to-earth person with no limit to her integrity.’ —BCCA GENERAL MANAGER KEVIN BLOOM
ment in agriculture and sustainability extends beyond her own ranch — she co-founded a recycling society in Merritt, served on the British Columbia Agri-Food Trade Advisory Council, and served two years as president of the B.C. Cattlemen’s Association. She had to surren-
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der her past president title with BCCA to accept her new post. Guichon has also won the Environmental Stewardship Award twice, and has participated with the Grasslands Conservation and Fraser Basin Councils of B.C. “Judy is a real down-to-earth person
with no limit to her integrity. “She understands politics but she also understands what it takes for the average person to make it in the world,� BCCA General Manager Kevin Boon said. “It’s nice to be able to share what we’ve had with Judy with the rest of B.C.� Guichon is B.C.’s second female lieutenant-governor and replaces Steven Point as the province’s 29th representative to the queen.
See ‘Guichon’ Page 5
Nicola Valley Rancher Judy Guichon meets with Prime Minister Stephen Harper in Ottawa on Monday, as she is honoured for being appointed as B.C.’s next lieutenant-governor. Submitted
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