Inside
● ●
CNC DISPUTE P. 4 EDITORIAL P. 6
● ●
DON’T DRINK & DRIVE P. 9 CHRISTMAS BY KIDS P. 11-17
E xpress OMINECA
Publications Mail Contract # 40007840
$1.34 Inc. HST Vol. 35 No. 41
Serving Vanderhoof ● Fort Fraser ● Fraser Lake & Area www.ominecaexpress.com
Brazen gear theft
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Parade of Lights hits the road
Cunning imposter deals blow to Nechako search and rescue team Cameron Ginn Omineca Express More than $10,000 of communications and navigations gear has been stolen from the Nechako Valley Search and Rescue (SAR) team. Sometime in the past three weeks, the gear was taken from an unattended SAR truck awaiting repairs at a mechanical shop in Vanderhoof. The equipment was reported stolen on Monday, Dec. 3, when a Nechako team member retrieved the truck from the shop and noticed the gear was missing. The RCMP have since opened a case file and are investigating. How the gear was stolen remains unclear, but it is believed that an individual posing as a SAR member entered the mechanical shop, asked for the keys, accessed the truck and made away with cases containing radios, global positioning systems (GPS) and compasses. The theft of the waterproof radios in particular have dealt a serious blow to the SAR's water rescue unit, said Nechako search leader Chris Mushumanski. "That really sets us back in terms of being able to have good communication with our water team when in wet environments," said Mushumanski. The stolen GPS, which provide rescuers with precise coordinates for mapping and tracking, will also negatively affect Nechako SAR operations. "In terms of the GPS, that was a
fairly significant hit," said Mushumanski. "We've relied on them for seven, eight, nine years for our members in the field, to give them accurate information and allow them to navigate to different places quickly and effectively." Nechako SAR recently made arrangements with Avison Management, a provider of environmental and resource management services in Vanderhoof that employs numerous SAR personnel, to borrow their GPS and help find other gear for temporary use. Prior to the theft, Nechako SAR submitted an application to the province for a Gaming Grant to purchase more gear for their water rescue team. If approved, the grant funding will instead be used to purchase new radios and GPS, said Mushumanski. SAR provides services on a volunteer-basis and relies on fundraising and grants to cover expenses and operating costs. In the past, the Nechako team has been summoned to assist with operations as far away as the coastal village of Klemtu and the District of Chetwynd, B.C. Recently, Mushumanski and a fellow team member deployed to Terrace to help locate a missing American filmmaker, Warren Sill, whose body was recovered last month by a SAR swift water team. Locally, Nechako SAR conducts searches in Vanderhoof, Fort. St. James, Fraser Lake and elsewhere. Continued on page 3
Bundled up and agog with excitement, hundreds of people gathered in Vanderhoof on Friday, Dec. 7, to attend the 2012 Parade of Lights. Consisting of a procession of floats and one very merry tractor trailer, the parade inched through downtown as spectators stood and watched. Cameron Ginn/Omineca Express
Library budget tabled as wage issues go unresolved Cameron Ginn Omineca Express A 2013 budget proposal by the Vanderhoof Public Library reflects the rising cost of wages and benefits packages. In the budget, the Library Board of Trustees accounted for a twoper-cent rise in employee wages and benefits, as well as an exterior paint job that could cost between $5,000 and $10,000, according to
estimates by the municipality. The wages and benefits of library staff have increased about three per cent since 2011, which is generally consistent with municipal employees who belong to the labour union CUPE 1642, said Donna Klingspohn, chair of the Vanderhoof Library Board of Trustees. "The employees of the library, we compensate them on the same benefits package as municipal
workers because we are a municipal program," said Klingspohn. But the 2013 packages for library staff could still change. In recent years, municipal workers - public works employees, arena staff and some municipal administrative personnel - negotiated a wage and benefits package with the District of Vanderhoof that increased by about three per cent annually. Continued on page 3
Salute to Minor Hockey Be a part of this exciting event by participating in our annual salute to local and arena minor hockey teams... Team photos along with the names of players and coaching staff will be featured. Circulated in the Caledonia Courier and Omineca Express, on January 9, 2013 this presents a great advertising opportunity. To book your space or for more info call Tel: 250-567-9258 or Fax: 250-567-2070