Lake Cowichan Gazette, December 19, 2012

The Lake Cowichan

Gazette

LOCAL NEWS: Recruiting doctors: recruit Lake ambassadors

COMMUNITY: Palsson Elementary School celebrates winter with concert

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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2012

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VOL. 16, NO. 51 | 98 ¢ + HST

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‘T’was the night before Christmas’ the book being read, Not a child was stirring, listening to the story being said.

Elodie Adams

At the Lake Cowichan public library on D Dec. 15, children were held spellbound as they listened to children’s librarian Kristen Rumohr read the story The Night Before Christmas, at their Christmas Puppet Show and Party. Rumohr did her best to read the story to her attentive audience, but was constantly interrupted by Jigs, the frog (see inset), who kept making comments as the story unfolded. After the story reading, Rumohr and librarian Diana Hutton led the children in an interactive version of The Twelve Days of Christmas before they had refreshments and went back to Christmas shopping and other preparations with their parents in Lake Cowichan.

Snow makes a snarly drive home

Wayne Mangelsen, Town of Lake Cowichan employee, cleans up snow from sidewalks near Stevens Crescent on Dec.17.

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NG NOW I X BO NGS T I GE SAV Y DA

It was a sight to fright the local RCMP on Sunday, Dec. 16, when snow began to fall in Lake Cowichan and the area.

Miraculously, said RCMP staff sergeant Dave Voller, there were no calls from owners of vehicles in the ditch or other mishaps that frequently tend to occur under those kinds of road conditions.

The only call they had, Voller said, was one just out of their jurisdiction which involved a car and a large branch of a tree that had fallen on it near Paldi.

It was our local towing company at the

Esso station that was called out to tow the car back in, but they, too, added that it was the only call they had been asked to respond to.

As for the town’s public works department, superintendent Nagi Rizk says they were out at 6 a.m. Monday morning, clearing the main roads and public areas in town.

Residents are reminded, added Rizk, that they are responsible for clearing the sidewalks and driveways on their property.

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Wednesday, December 19, 2012

THE LAKE COWICHAN GAZETTE

www.lakecowichangazette.com

The Cold War is back.

White. Fluffy. Sneaky.

Goes by the code name “Snow.”

Keep winter under surveillance.

ShiftIntoWinter.ca DriveBC.ca Report road hazards to our 24 Hour hotline: 1-877-391-7310

Don’t know? Don’t go.

Merry Christmas May the peace and happiness of the season be yours today and every day throughout the new year

Photos Elodie Adams

Little Carter McCloy adds to the heap of toys being collected for the town’s Christmas Hamper program.

Baskets-full for LCFD’s Food & Toy Drive ELODIE ADAMS, Gazette Editor

Once again, residents of Lake Cowichan and the area came out in support of the Fire Department’s Food and Toy Drive, Dec. 14 and 15 at the Country Grocer.

On Friday, from 5-8 p.m., and all day Saturday, families stopped in on their way to do their grocery shopping to drop off toys, non-perishable food items or just to make cash donations while the firefighters cooked up hotdogs.

All the donations will go to Cowichan Lake Community Services for their Christmas Hampers.

Children participated by adding a toy to the growing pile in the shopping baskets next to the hotdog stand. One young girl, pictured at right, came along with an armload of toys.

Destiny Livingstone-Hamilton of Lake Cowichan recently celebrated her birthday this year by asking her friends to bring gifts to her birthday party for the Food and Toy Drive.

Destiny Livingstone-Hamilton donated an armload of toys she had been given on her birthday this year to the Lake Cowichan Fire Department’s Food and Toy Drive.

“I knew there are kids who don’t have much,” she said.

“And I decided to do this so that they would have something on Christmas Day.” Firefighter Steve Johnson, who has been organizing the event since they started four

years ago, said there had been a good turn out this year.

“Besides the toys and food contributions, we raised over $2,700 in cash donations this year,” Johnson said. “That’s the largest amount we’ve ever raised.”

Cowichan Lake District Chamber of Commerce Congratulations to the winners of the Shopping Passports Contest • Verla Grosskleg • Igor Diklitch • Dennis Jones • Carol Peterson • Kelly Feltrin • Donna Jones • Shawn Phillips Thank you to all the entrants that participated and supported local shopping.

Congratulations to the winner of the Christmas Light-up Contest Debra Toporowski, Bill Routley and Doug Morgan

Office closed from Dec. 21, 2012 to Jan. 7, 2013

Bill Routley MLA Cowichan Valley

273 Trunk Rd., Duncan 250-715-0127 email:bill.routley.mla@leg.bc.ca www.billroutley.com

1st place Residential - Ken Karpick, 320 Lake Park $20 Gift Certificate Lake Cowichan Home Hardware Honourable Mention - 15 Fir Street, 16 Fir Street Best Decorated Business Window - Home Hardware $20 Gift Certificate to Tim Horton’s Thank you to all the entrants that participated and decorated.

The judges would like to see more participation for next year. If you don’t want to enter yourself, then you can enter your friend, neighbour or a business or home that you have seen that you think is worthy of entry as the People’s Choice.

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THE LAKE COWICHAN GAZETTE

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

3

To recruit doctors, Cowichan Lake needs to recruit local ambassadors ELODIE ADAMS, Gazette Editor

A community meeting to discuss the doctor shortage in Lake Cowichan filled the Upper Centennial Hall on Dec. 11.

Even though it was at the dinner hour, well over 100 residents attended the meeting.

One thing the people learned from the dialogue at the meeting is that the community needs to promote itself in order to attract and retain family physicians to the town.

For the meeting, Mayor Ross Forrest and his council had invited representatives from three different island organizations to speak to residents and answer questions about doctor recruitment. On hand to answer questions from the public were VIHA’s Doug Blackie, corporate director of Medical Affairs, Brenda Warren of the Family Physician Recruitment Centre for Vancouver Island, and Doctors Jim Bruere and Tom Rimmer of the Cowichan Division of Family Practice.

Blackie was the first to address the public.

“We are here to think about some ideas about how we can work together to try and find and retain family physicians for your community,” Blackie said. “Twenty or 30 years ago it wasn’t as big a problem, but we recognize in VIHA that it has become a serious problem.”

He said that one of the biggest challenges facing Canada as a whole is that fewer and fewer family physicians want to work in smaller communities.

While the trend for a long time for GP’s in Canada has been to set up their own individual practice, today young doctors seem to prefer to work in a setup where they are not practising alone, but can work with colleagues and other medical practitioners.

Another key point that was brought up about recruiting family physicians today concerns the choices medical students are making as they go through their training.

Warren said, and the other panelists agreed, that more medical students today choose to

Drs. Tom Rimmer (left) and Jim Bruere of Cowichan Division of Family Practice chat with the mayor prior to the Dec. 11 meeting to address the question of the doctor shortage in Lake Cowichan.

specialize in one area of medicine over training to become a family practitioner.

For many it is a lifestyle choice, one where they prefer to work nine-to-five and not be encumbered with on-call hours in the evenings and on weekends.

But, Warren said, they are getting the word out in B.C., nationally, as well as internationally, about the need for doctors on Vancouver Island.

Doug Blackie, Corporate Director of Medical Affairs at VIHA.

“We do have a variety of ways of getting the word out,” she confirmed. “We post vacancies on websites, we attend conferences, we advertise in journals.”

The topic of recruiting doctors overseas stimulated the first public question, asked by Councillor Franklin Hornbrook.

www.lkc.ca

Hornbrook asked how long it takes from the time overseas candidates are recruited to the time they can start practising.

It is a well-known fact (or cliche) that immigrants who already have professional status as a doctor from their own country, often end up driving taxi-cabs because the re-certification process is so onerous in Canada.

Warren, whose job includes recruiting overseas, explained that part of their process of selection is to recruit in countries where the medical training is reciprocated with the standards in Canada. The average time for recruitment, she added, was between 6-8 months.

Her organization also helps with immigration issues that overseas candidate must deal with.

There were many pertinent questions and even suggestions from the public during the course of the meeting that the panelists were able to respond to.

Several people suggested bringing in nurse practitioners to help carry the load. The reply, while not entirely negative, was not a clear-cut yes either, as nurse practitioners fall under a different jurisdiction with VIHA. Because they must work with a doctor, there would be extra funding required to cover the costs.

Local resident and RN Cheryl Maitland asked about creating incentives for local young people

who want to train to become doctors and remain in their own communities after completing their studies.

Another resident and business-

Beverly Warren, Family Physician Recruitment Centre for the island.

owner of Lake Cowichan asked what the competition is on the island, to which Warren replied there are currently 43 vacancies on their list.

There was discussion about the idea of having an integrated health centre here in Lake Cowichan. Diana Gunderson, who is a staunch supporter behind the community’s need to retain its schools, suggested that perhaps they could solve two community crises by creating a facility that includes both a learning centre and an integrated health centre.

Drs. Bruere and Rimmer

confirmed that the idea of integrated health centres was the preferred choice of newly-trained doctors who are looking to set up a practice.

Young physicians coming into practice want to be with colleagues they both agreed.

They want to work in teams, because that is how they’re being trained they explained..

Other ideas, such as finding ways to welcome not only a new physician but his whole family need to be taken into consideration as well, Rimmer said.

“What helped me with my decision to come to Duncan is that it’s a great place,” ad-mitted Rimmer. “It’s got a great hospital, there are great schools to raise a family, and as a community you need to think about your physician as a unit “We actually have a lot of assets in this community to offer, other than a beautiful place, to attract people,” he continued. “We have a hospital, we’ve got specialists, and they’re only twenty minutes away. So there is no compelling reason why you should not be able to attract doctors here.”

CVRD Area F representative Ian Morrison asked what, if anything, the community could do to help speed up the process of recruiting one or several family physicians to the area.

Warren’s answer was simple: get a committee of town residents who are willing to be ambassadors for the community up and formed. They will be the ones who will “sell” Lake Cowichan.

She noted that when potential doctors are looking at places to practise, she said one of the first things they do is to go to a town’s website.

“It is the first thing they see when they are looking at the choices available,” she confirmed.

“So make sure your website puts across an image that will sell your town.”

In closing, Blackie said that he was very encouraged by the enthusiasm of the community, and that if a follow-up meeting is needed, he and his colleagues would be willing to come back again.

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Wednesday, December 19, 2012

THE LAKE COWICHAN GAZETTE

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TO COMMENT We welcome your original comments on editorials, columns, on topics in the Lake Cowichan Gazette or any subjects important to you. Only letters that include name, address and day and evening phone numbers and that are verified by the Lake Cowichan Gazette can be considered for publication.

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B.C. not the only province facing doctor shortage issues When I was a reporter in Saskatchewan, the place I was living in went through a similar crisis to the current one in Lake Cowichan which concerns the doctor shortage.

At one point the medical clinic was down to eight, which might sound like a lot for a city of approximately 6,000 inhabitants, but in fact, with the neighbouring communities, the clinic services closer to 30,000 people.

Because a lot of those smaller communities had lost their physicians, the Humboldt doctors set up itinerant clinics one or two days a week in those villages.

With those demands as well as assisting

in the operating room at the hospital and the on-call doctor needed for emergency services, there were seldom more than four or five doctors on any given day at the clinic.

It took only about one year until the future started to look brighter.

Every year, the province organized a day out for medical students to visit a rural community to see what facilities were available. Humboldt was the destination while I was working there, and the young students were very impressed with the recently opened new health complex.

They were given a tour of the town, had lunch, and could even take part in a game

of paintball in the afternoon.

That visit probably opened the eyes to some of those young medical students who may not have realized that such good facilities were available in rural areas.

Just recently, a young doctor joined the team of doctors in Humboldt. It’s her first job out of school.

Saskdocs, a provincial recruitment agency, brought in several doctors from overseas. In about six months, four doctors came from South Africa to live and work in Humboldt. They chose to come there because of its proximity to a larger centre (Saskatoon), and because of the opportunities for bringing up a family in a smaller community.

These are both points that were brought up at the meeting on Dec. 11.

Statistics for Canada’s medical students these days are at best, blurred. According to Saskdocs, who works with Canadians Studying Abroad, three-quarters of the students who apply for medical school in Canada are not accepted. A total of 3,500 Canadian students are studying medicine in 80 different schools around the world.

Although 90 per cent of these students want to come back to Canada to practise, very few do, but part of that agency’s work is to try and recruit them for their province.

closed without significant spending cuts, or tax increases, or both?

PCC: You will see when we get to the budget. And it will be absolutely transparent how we got there. [Laughs] Nice try.

TF: If the B.C. Liberals form a government in May, will the election date be changed so we don’t have to have this dis-

cussion about questionable spring election budgets?

PCC: It’s not part of the plan today, but I’m sure it’s a discussion we’ll have in the next four years. I know that people have talked about it. I’m open to it. I’m not wedded to this particular date.

— editor@lakecowichangazette.com

Premier ponders black ink, oil BC Bureau

By Tom Fletcher

Premier Christy Clark has completed the traditional round of year-end interviews with legislative press gallery reporters. Here are excerpts from my discussion with her, dealing with the Enbridge oil pipeline proposal and the balanced budget her government has promised to present in February.

TF: On the Enbridge project, are you getting the answers you want on safety?PCC: No, we’re not. We’ve set out our position.

The five conditions need to be met, period.

[B.C.’s conditions are “world-class” land and marine spill prevention and response, meeting legal obligations for aboriginal consultation, passing federalprovincial environmental assessment and a “fair share” of financial benefits.]

PCC: We need the oilpatch producers, the Alberta government and the federal government to come to the table.

We’ve been cross-examining Enbridge.

We have not been getting any of the answers that we hoped to get. We haven’t gained a lot of comfort from that process.

And none of the other conditions are even close to being met.

We are doing our own study of marine traffic. We want to understand the total number of ships that are out there plying our coast right now. Because all of them

have fuel in them, and some are cargo ships that are big enough to have enough [bunker] fuel as a mini-tanker would.

Part of this is trying to understand where our level of Coast Guard protection needs to be today, in order to protect us should there be a spill from the existing traffic.

TF: Balancing the budget: the finance ministry’s current projections call for an upturn in natural gas royalties in the coming year. With the current glut of gas, isn’t that kind of far-fetched?

PCC: It is going to be difficult to present a balanced budget, but I think, because we’re going to build in some [forecast] allowance, as we always do, and because we’re going to be completely transparent about the assumptions that have led us there, and because we aren’t going to fiddle with any of the assumptions that we receive from the experts in the Ministry of Finance, it’s going to be quite clear that we have done it. We have come by a balanced budget honestly.

So when it comes to natural gas, you know that the assumption we use in the budget is based on a fairly complex formula that the Ministry of Finance has relied on for probably a decade now. We don’t fiddle with that.

There are those who would say we should artificially lower the [revenue projection] number that we use. But if you artificially lower it, what’s to stand in the way of artificially raising it? You either accept the advice of your experts or you don’t. And they’re the experts, not the politicians.

TF: Right now we have a deficit gap of more than a billion dollars. Can that be

OFFICE/CIRCULATION Karen Brouwer Caycuse • Honeymoon Bay • Lake Cowichan • Mesachie Lake • Youbou

Box 10, Lake Cowichan, British Columbia V0R 2G0 Street Address: 170E-Cowichan Lake Road PH: 250-749-4383 FAX: 250-749-4385 Classifieds: 310-3535 (toll free) EDITORIAL: editor@lakecowichangazette.com ADVERTISING: production@lakecowichangazette.com PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY BY BLACK PRESS LTD. Canadian Publication Mail Sales Product Agreement #1090194 We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada, through the Canada Periodical Fund, for our publishing activities.

COLUMNIST Rolli Gunderson DENNIS SKALICKY Publisher The Lake Cowichan Gazette is a member of the British Columbia Press Council, a self-regulatory body governing the province’s newspaper industry. The council considers complaints from the public about the conduct of member newspapers.

Directors oversee the mediation of complaints, with input from both the newspaper and the complaint holder. If talking with the editor or publisher does not resolve your complaint about coverage or story treatment, you may contact the BC Press Council.

Your written concern, with documentation, should be sent to BC Press Council, 201 Selby St., Nanaimo, BC V9R 2R2.

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THE LAKE COWICHAN GAZETTE

Letters to the editor: YOUR SAY Dear Editor Driving into Lake Cowichan from Highway 18, the speed limit goes down to 50 kilometres per hour and then to 40 km. at the Esso station.

Coming from Honeymoon Bay, the same thing, going down to 40 km. from 50 km. at the arena.

Coming into town on North Shore Road it stays at 50 km.

So what is the speed limit in Lake Cowichan?

John Blades Lake Cowichan

Town lights-up the holiday spirit Dear Editor

I enjoyed a drive through Lake Cowichan the evening of Dec.12 observing all the trees, parks and store fronts festooned for the season.

It was brought to me by our town employees, downtown business folk and a small but hard-working group of volunteers.

Merry Christmas!

Bill Peters Lake Cowichan

Town council notes: Proposal for walkway and washrooms at Saywell Park ELODIE ADAMS GAZETTE EDITOR

TD Green Project The town is going to apply for a grant for the TD Green Project for 2013. If it is successful, the funding it receives will provide an opportunity to green up and beautify the community.

Water Sewer Rates Council approved the 2013 Water Sewer Rates pending the approval of a bylaw affecting those rates.

“We looked at the whole process and thought we should break it down to single family dwelling, townhouse units, and apartment units, and come up with different parcels,” said Joseph Fernandez, the town’s chief administrative officer, “because at the end of the day, the townhouse units and apartment units don’t use as much water.”

For metered rates, Lake Cowichan property owners or renters in those three categories will see a decrease in their total combined water, sewer and garbage rates, although the waste collection for all residents is increasing by $9.60. Residents in single family dwellings will pay $32.40 less than in 2012 for the three services, bringing the cost to $712.56. For residents of townhouse units, their overall total has dropped by $5.76, bringing their total to $634.80 for 2013. Residents in apartment units will be paying $10.56 less which makes their overall total $556.68.

Residents who have non-metered rates will see an increase in their water, sewer and garbage rates from the 2012 rate of $735.35 to the 2013 rate of $866.76, just over 15 per cent.

Similarly, in 2013 outside users will be paying $117.24 more than the 2012 rate of $447.84. This rate includes a

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Roman Catholic Congregational St. Louis de Montfort 60 Fern Road Lake Cowichan

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Mass Sunday at 12:30 p.m.

Breakfast at 10:00 am Sunday Service 11:00 am

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Valley Fish and Game Club

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Saywell Park revitalization Dalton Smith presented a proposal of a job creation program for the revitalization of Saywell park.

Smith confirmed that the grant has been signed and will be used for three improvements for the park.

The first is the addition of men’s and ladies’ public washrooms as well as a change room.

The second is to restore the 1916 box car as closely as possible to its original condition, a project that will be undertaken with the help of the Kaatza Museum.

The third element of the project is to put in a swimming float with a gated ramp access from Saywell Park.

Town of Lake Cowichan employees Kate Frost and Kim Hartshorn were busy putting up Christmas decorations around town for the holiday season.

$100 water parcel tax, as was discussed at the town’s public meeting Nov. 26.

The Town of Lake Cowichan will again by donating two nights at the Lakeview Campground to the Cowichan Therapeutic Riding Association, following their request for continued support.

The association helps children and adults with disabilities in the community.

Financial Report Director of Finance Ronnie Gill presented the town’s financial report for the period ending Nov. 30, 2012. Gill said she thought the figures were promising, considering there is still another month before the final figures can be calculated.

With still one month before the end of the year, the town’s general fund is operating at 86 per cent, or $5,927,310 of its forecast revenues of the $6,914,279 budgeted for 2012. In the statement of expenditure, the report shows the town has spent only 78 per cent of the forecast figure of $6,914.279 to date, and sits with a surplus of $558,438 in the yearto-date figures.

One area where the expenditures outweigh the revenues is in the water fund, which shows a deficit of $347,037 over and above the $527,719 the town generated in revenues in that area for the year.

Council voted against the approval of a business licence to a Vancouver business, Public Outreach Consultancy, that holds an intermunicipal licence for Duncan, Ladysmith, District North Cowichan and the Town of Lake Cowichan.

The company is a for-profit company that raises money for charities and nonprofits registered with the CRA by street and door-to-door fundraising.

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Letters to the editor are welcome, but writers are requested to keep their submissions to 350 words or less.

All letters must contain the name, address and signature of the writer, and a phone number where they may be reached during business hours. Thank you letters will not normally be considered for publication. editor@ lakecowichangazette.com

Speed limits in town are confusing

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Chief Administrative Officer Joseph Fernandez requested the regulations on the number of dogs on a property, currently covered under Zoning Bylaw No. 877-2009, be changed and included in the Animal Control Bylaw. A motion was carried and seconded by council to that effect.

The Lake Cowichan Fire Department’s budget for 2013 was presented and approved by council. The proposed budget was discussed by council members at some length, who queried that although they are operating under budget for the year-to-date by $106,387, the LCFD have increased their budget for 2013 by an additional $57,300. Councillor Tim McGonigle stated that it was difficult to pinpoint a budget such as theirs because of the nature of their work and the unknown factors of how many calls they will be required to respond to, among others things such as the need to keep equipment, material and supplies up to date.

“I don’t want to see us get blind-sided by some reductions that were made,” McGonigle remarked.

The possibility of an economic development readiness program which was brought up at the last council meeting was reviewed. The Island Coastal Economic Trust proposes to match the funding of local governments who come up with a project that would attract economic investment to the town and collaborate with other communities to develop regional economic strategies and marketing initiatives.

Mayor Ross Forrest said it was an opportunity to be taken into consideration, but that it was not something they needed to rush into, and suggested that council keep the matter on the agenda for future consideration.

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Wednesday, December 19, 2012

THE LAKE COWICHAN GAZETTE

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Season’s Greetings! to all our clients, friends & colleagues; In lieu of sending Christmas cards this year, we donated to the Sun FM “Stuff the Truck” Event for the local Food Banks Sherri Brubaker

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Located off Point Ideal Road is the Ted Burns Nature Preserve trail which ambles through the woods along the lake’s edge passing behind the Kaatza Station Museum then back to the road. It is home to several species of waterfowl and other animal life.

Decades ago, within the trees and underbrush near the waters edge, was a well hidden and well tended vegetable garden planted and nurtured by a local man who lived not far away. The garden was surrounded by a fence to keep out animals and humans who might stumble upon the bounty of organically grown veggies. The garden was abandoned many years later when the aged gardener moved away. Today there is no trace of the spectacular hidden garden that was once there.

Mr. Frank and the evil genius

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MERRY CHRISTMAS THE LAKE COWICHAN GAZETTE OFFICE WILL BE CLOSED Tuesday, December 25 and Wednesday, December 26 for Christmas Holidays With the local Post Office being closed Tuesday, December 25, the Gazette will be in the mailboxes Monday, December 24.

Early deadlines Wednesday, December 19 for the December 26 paper.

Thursday, December 27 for the January 2 issue of the Gazette

HAVE A SAFE & HAPPY HOLIDAY SEASON

PAGES OF HISTORY Long ago, local resident Mr. Spencer, who had a keen eye, good memory and a touch of flair for story telling, recorded the following story.

The year was 1979. He often wrote what he saw and what he thought he saw therefore the names have been changed even though all parties are long deceased.

Rolli The strange case of poor Mrs. Ina Frank came to mind, when in June 1979 Spencer —an acquaintance of the Frank family—heard that she had “slipped away” at the Duncan hospital after a hopeless battle with cancer.

She had come to the Lake many years before as a widow (or a maybe a divorcee) from Germany, to fill the position as housekeeper at the home of Mr. Frank. An odd recluse who worked at Honeymoon Bay, Mr. Frank owned a fine house in the village of Lake Cowichan.

After a short period of time the housekeeper took on anew role, that of the wife of Mr. Frank, who was many years her senior.

It wasn’t long thereafter that the new Mrs. Frank’s mother, Frau Eula, arrived on the scene from her native Germany.

Being of an extremely dominating nature, Frau Eula immediately took control of the

house and all the affairs of the household along with everyone in it. In short time she was running the show.

One of her first moves was to relegate old Mr. Frank to the level of a “sort-of-serf”, recalled Spencer many years later.

The “Evil Genius” (as Spencer privately called her) refused to allow Mr. Frank to eat at the dining room table with her and daughter Ina although several boarders, who

Why Mr. Frank put up with this treatment was anyone’s guess.

“

Mr. Spencer

had moved in at the beginning of Frau Eula’s takeover, were accorded the privilege of eating at the dining room with the two women.

Mr. Frank, once the lord of his home, was banished to the kitchen where he ate his meals alone.

Soon he was uprooted from his bedroom, the room he had slept in for years, and forced to sleep in the dungeon-like basement.

“Why Mr. Frank put up with this treatment was anyone’s guess,” thought Spencer.

Ina Frank was always most stylishly and expensively dressed, noted Spencer. He also recalled that she was pleasant, very attractive looking and had an ‘air’ about her.

She loved the community and joined one of the local churches where she sang in the choir. At her mother’s direction, she eventually bought a car and learned to drive herself

and her mother about.

Old Mr. Frank, whose tanned skin resembled leather, kept himself busy tending his beloved garden, which was located several blocks from his home.

Almost every day from spring until late fall Mr. Frank, in his shorts, leather apron and work boots, would walk pushing his old wheelbarrow from his home to his garden hidden near a sewer outflow close to the edge of the lake.

Alas, it wasn’t long before poor Ina became ill. Her mother, the Evil Genius, soon after sold the house and moved her strange ‘family’ to Duncan.

After the move, she quickly shipped poor Mr. Frank off to a rest home near Shawnigan Lake while she and her daughter, by then quite ill, lived alone in the newly purchased house.

During the daughter’s last year of life she managed to fly home to Germany for a short interlude (as Spencer called it) knowing full well that it would be her last visit home.

Upon her return to Duncan, she was moved to the extended care unit of a nearby hospital.

Throughout her final months, her many kind and thoughtful friends from Lake Cowichan visited her often.

A day or two before her passing, while wavering in and out of a coma, recalled Spencer, she was heard to utter “Oma”, German for grandmother.

It seemed that in her childhood she had a close and loving relationship with her grandmother. Something she’d never had with her mother, Frau Eula, the Evil Genius.

www.lakecowichangazette.com

THE LAKE COWICHAN GAZETTE

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

250-749-6660

www.lkc.ca

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Keith Nelson

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8975 Youbou Rd.

COMMERCIAL PROPERTY IN HONEYMOON BAY

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GREAT FAMILY HOME! 5 year old home located close to town & the river. Five bedrooms – complete with kitchen/bar area & rec room on 1st floor with full bath & laundry. Second level has large kitchen & living room plus 2 full baths. Large vinyl deck, 2 car garage & RV parking. Nicely landscaped with small garden shed. A must see!

120 Lake Park Road

$374,900

$289,000

GREAT PLACE TO LIVE! Two bedroom unit located close to downtown Duncan yet tucked away on a quiet side street. Building is in immaculate condition – great location – great price.

SOLD 103-241 03-241 McKinstry Rd.

$98,000

268 Castley Heights $75,000

BUILD UP HIGH! • lake views from lot • geo tech report on file 271 South Shore $269,000

COMMERCIAL LOT – corner lot on almost an acre on main road in Town

All the benefits of lake front without the price! New 2 bedroom with lake views & access to private lake front facilities. Nicely laid out with kitchen that boasts 4 appliances & granite counter tops.

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$279,000 + HST

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Lot 5 March Rd $139,900

Welcome to Paradise! Flat lot across the road from spectacular Cowichan Lake.

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39 Coronation Street $179,000 ROOMY MOBILE IN DUNCAN 13-300 Grosskleg $179,900 Private land hidden away on NEW WONDERFUL LOCATION G dead end street next to N I T LIS

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$219,900

250 South Shore Rd.

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$179,000

GREAT BACKYARD Fenced back yard with cute gazebo & 330 sq ft shop, which can be enjoyed by both people & pets. Three bedrooms up & a rec room downstairs.

Tasteful wood panelling & both bathrooms have been updated. Move in condition.

D REDUCE

$199,000

177 Neva Road

QUIET NEIGHBOURHOOD Custom home with 5 bedrooms & 4 bathrooms – a place for all the family. Special features throughout. Backyard is fenced & beautifully landscaped with a pond & deck for entertaining. View this outstanding home.

287 Grants Gran Lake Road

$319,000

$299,900

6780 3rd Street

AFFORDABLE OPPORTUNITY

First time offered for sale in over 50 years. Three levels, 4 bedroom home located on .89 of an acre. Unfinished basement – 20 x 20 sq ft detached shop/garage & carport. Subdivision off an extra lot is a possibility.

101 North Shore Rd.

D REDUCE

Beautiful home in Honeymoon Bay – minutes from the lake & all recreational activities. New hardi-plank, windows & roof. Totally modern kitchen, wood & laminate floors – tastefully decorated. Great family or vacation home.

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8007 Greendale Rd.

BIG ACREAGE Your own creek on 10.43 gently sloping acres, borders both the Cowichan Valley Hwy & Cowichan Lake. Not far from the Cowichan River for swimming & steelhead fishing. Close to town – zoned F2 for multiple land use.

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7705 Cowichan Lk Rd

$259,000

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Lot 59 Blackwood Hgts

$169,000

7

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

2013

FOCUS

THE LAKE COWICHAN GAZETTE

For crib players, the tallying of the points in a hand is where the scoring is usually made.

On a Saturday afternoon in November, a group of Lake Cowichan crib enthusiasts who meet weekly at one another’s homes to play crib together saw one of their group get the highest score possible in a crib hand — 29.

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“I was pretty pleased,” said Larry Kazakoff, who orchestrated the hand. “And everyone in the group was surprised.”

If Kazakoff was surprised at his high crib hand, his partner for the game, Vic Shaw, couldn’t believe his eyes when it came time to tally their hands.

“It was pretty exciting,” Shaw told the Gazette. “I’ve never had a 29 myself. I’ve

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8 www.lakecowichangazette.com

Crib-player surprises all with 29-hand score had four 28s, but never 29.”

Kazakoff got the extra point because he had a Jack of diamonds in his hand, which was the same suit as the card that was cut from the deck for that round, and which is used in tallying points. A person who has a Jack of the same suit automatically adds a point on with the remark “and one for his nibs.”

Available in most new Ford vehicles with 6-month pre-paid subscription

www.lakecowichangazette.com

THE LAKE COWICHAN GAZETTE

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Just in time for your holiday reading.

The December 26 issue of the Lake Cowichan Gazette will be in subscribers mailboxes and local stores on Monday, December 24th

Residents and guests tuck in at the annual Christmas Pot-Lick Dimmer in Honeymoon Bay on Dec. 16. In spite of heavy snow conditions, the hall was filled with families and friends who came to enjoy the meal.

Snow storm and power plays on Honeymoon Bay’s pot-luck ELODIE ADAMS, GAZETTE EDITOR

The weather conditions on Sunday, Dec. 16 might have kept many in the Lake Cowichan area nestled close to their fires, but in Honeymoon Bay, the community assembled for the village’s annual Christmas Pot Lick Dimmer.

As always, it is a festive occasion that the community of Honeymoon Bay looks forward to, especially those that are under three-feet tall, because it means a visit with Santa and an early Christmas present to tuck under the tree.

A beaming Willow Weber had a visit with Santa in Honeymoon Bay.

Guy and Bonnie Patten hosted the dinner along with several other volunteers in the community who cooked a splendid turkey dinner for close to one hundred people. The rest of the dishes that complemented the meal were brought by Honeymoon Bay residents, and there were ‘oohs’ and ‘ahs’ heard from many as they worked their way down the buffet table full of intriguing dishes.

Everything was going according to plan, and each table had been served when all of a sudden the lights went out.

Some thought it was a preplanned ruse for Santa’s arrival which would signal the moment for the lights to go back on, when in fact it was a power outage.

It did add to the ambiance of the evening, though, and there was enough light from the candles on the tables so that everything was still visible.

And it added an extra dimension of surprise when Santa burst through the door, and began his tour of the room, saying hello to all the Honeymoon Bay children that had been patiently waiting for him.

The pot luck dinner was again a success, and Guy Patton paid hommage to the former resident — now deceased — who one year after a glass or two of wine, mixed up her words. The name ‘Pot-Lick Dimmer’ has stuck ever since.

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CHRISTMAS SPIRIT STARTS WITH COMMUNITY SPIRIT.

NEW YEAR’S EVE Adult Dance YOUBOU HALL

Monday, December 31, 2012 Doors 9 p.m. • Licensed ‘til 2 a.m.

Tickets $12.00 each Available at Youbou Shop & Save Canned Music includes Youbou Hall & LC Arena

Join us to dance in the New Year.

hats, noisemakers, balloons & midnight snack No minors.

Thank you to all of our employees, suppliers, community leaders and members of the community who offered us support over this past year.

All the best of the season to you and your families.

9

10

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

THE LAKE COWICHAN GAZETTE

www.lakecowichangazette.com

You’ll feel like family!

C Premium Quality Brussels Sprouts O U N 97¢ T R Broccoli Crowns Label #1 Yams Y King Green Giant Celery V 67¢ A L A Turkeys U E CALIFORNIA

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Proud to be Cowichan Valley’s leading grocery store since 1986.

Photos are for illustrative purposes only. Deposits and/or environmental fees extra where applicable. We reserve the right to limit quantities.

Specials in effect Wednesday December 19th- Monday December 24th, 2012

Valley View Centre 1400 Cowichan Bay Rd, Cobble Hill • 83 Cowichan Rd, Lake Cowichan Open Daily 8am - 9pm

Offers valid at Lake Cowichan and Cobble Hill Country Grocer locations only.

www.lakecowichangazette.com

THE LAKE COWICHAN GAZETTE

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

You’ll feel like family!

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ALL ITEMS WHILE STOCK LAST!

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E X T R A V A L U E

These specials available at Country Grocer Lake Cowichan ONLY.

11

12

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

THE LAKE COWICHAN GAZETTE

www.lakecowichangazette.com

Recital brings calm and charm amidst pre-Christmas rush ELODIE ADAMS, Gazette Editor

•

Jiffy Lube

•

Lee’s Chicken • Ardenes

T’was just over two weeks before Christmas when Rhonda Vertefeuille shared music and a story with a handful of friends and acquaintances.

It was Vertefeuille’s first recital since arriving in Youbou, and she chose the New Hope Community Church for the location. It’s too bad more residents of the area didn’t take advantage of this opportunity to hear the young musician and mother of two perform with her accompanist Ron Killian on piano.

For the past year, Vertefeuille, who holds a Bachelor of Music from UBC, has been studying voice and singing with mezzo-soprano Cari Burdett of Duncan. She has a light soprano voice with lovely tone and intonation and can sing classical and popular music equally well.

For the recital, Vertefeuille chose a selection of songs ranging from a Kentucky folk song, Bright Morning Stars to lieder by Schubert and Wolf to an Italian operatic aria, Il mio ben quando verra.

One of the highlights, if only for the unusual style, was her interpretation of Maurice Ravel’s En Forme de Habanera, a piece with no lyrics but some amazing vocal lines that she had no trouble with.

Part way through the performance, she left the stage to her husband and two children, who did a story-telling/enactment of Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Match Girl.

It was a lovely way to spend an hour on a Sat-

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Elodie Adams

Soprano Rhonda Vertefeuille gave a recital of songs of the season on Dec. 8 in the New Hope Community Church in Youbou.

urday afternoon, Dec. 8, between the hustle and bustle of Christmas preparations.

The recital ended with a little audience participation when Vertefeuille invited Burdett and another fellow musician to join her, acappella, in a simple canon rendition of Dona Nobis Pacem.

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WINTER BREAK OFFICE HOURS The School Board Office and the Transportation Department will be closed to the public from December 24, 2012 to January 4, 2013 inclusive.

The Operations Office and Maintenance Department will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

December 24, 2012 to January 4, 2013 (excluding statutory holidays) Central Receiving will close on December 24, 2012 and re-open January 2, 2013.

JANUARY BOARD MEETING The next public meeting of the Board of Education will be held at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, January 23, 2013 in the School Board Office Board Room.

www.lakecowichangazette.com

THE LAKE COWICHAN GAZETTE

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Pat Duringer

Sandy Stinson

RE/MAX of LAKE COWICHAN 81 Cowichan C Lake Road, Lake Cowichan | www.remaxlakecowichan.com

Your Trusted Authority ~ Going the extra mile for you!

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9440 Creekside Road

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Stunning waterfront home. Almost 4000 sq. ft living space. Huge open concept kitchen.

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• Location, location,location • Established since 1960 • 1960 sq’ building • 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom • 62x104 riverfront lot

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Lot 22 Kestrel Dr.

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Log Home. Ever thought you would like to live off the grid?

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Cozy home with country kitchen, bonus partially finished basement.

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Youbou Mini Mart

102 Cowichan Ave. Lovely rancher, 3 bdrm, private landscaped backyard.

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Great Opportunity

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8724 North Shore Road

100 Elk Road

10484 Youbou Rd. Lake view from kitchen, landscaped, .52 of an acre.

Marvelous lakefront.

250ft of beach, .84 acre. Great Home.

10408 Arbutus Street 2 Homes.

26,000 sq ft of Gardening Paradise.

Huge Shop.

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204-138 South Shore The Wellington.

$145,000

SOLD

99646 Creekside • Complete to lock up • Two full stories and two half stories

NEW PRICE $428,000

$150,000

$510,000

7797 Cowichan Lake Road

9590 Creekside Road

Penny Lane Cottage

• Waterview • Low maintenance yard • Recreation nearby

• 2.87 acres • Lovely 4 bedroom cabin • Year round creek

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ATTENTION DEVELOPERS & Investors – here is a great opportunity to purchase a multifamily site within city limits with full community servicing. “The Slopes”, a new Lake Cowichan subdivision showcasing a variety of beautiful new homes. Close to town & minutes to the Lake with easy hwy. access.

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13

14

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

THE LAKE COWICHAN GAZETTE

St. Christopher & St. Aidan’s Anglican Church 70 Cowichan Avenue W.

www.lakecowichangazette.com

Palsson Elementary students celebrate winter with a concert

Christmas Services Sunday, Dec. 23rd 10:30am Christmas Eve Monday, Dec. 24th 7:00pm Both services Iona liturgy with communion No service Dec. 25th

Lake Cowichan

Christian Fellowship • Candlelight Service Sunday, December 23 7:00 p.m.

• Christmas Service

Tuesday, December 25 10:00 - 10:45 a.m.

Elodie Adams Photos

The Kindergarten class was a big hit with their performance of The Snowman on the Lawn, sung to the tune of The Farmer in the Dell, during the school’s Winter Concert on Dec. 13. At left, the children’s teacher, Mr. Platt, began with just a snowsuit and the children added items of clothing with each verse of the song to make him into a traditional snowman, above right, who then melts in the snow when the sun comes out.

Right: Palsson School’s choir ended the program with four songs directed by Mr. Poole and Miss Graham. Here, Miss Graham directs the choir with one of the audience’s yearly favorites in the choir’s repertoire, Innkeeper, a song from the play December in Our Town.

Cowichan Lake

BAPTIST CHURCH Would like to extend an invitation to everyone in the community to join us in celebrating

The Birth of our Lord’s Son Jesus Christ with a wonderful candle light service Monday, Christmas Eve at 6:30 pm 8259 Beaver Road Bring your family and friends for a great evening of Worship, Music and Fellowship

Blessings from our church family to yours.

The Grade 3 class performed Dancing Snowflakes, a piece that gave the students many musical challenges, including improvisation, rhythm and sectional playing. Five students (above left: Skylar Cowperthwaite, Sophie de Pol, Xander Longbottom, Megan Rowbottom and Owen Van Basten) recited poems they had written on the subject of snowflakes while other students in the class (above right) improvised on instruments.

We wish all our friends & valued customers

a Happy Holiday Season Happy New Year!

Happy Holidays and all the Best in the New Year!

Seasons Greetings Have a very Merry Christmas & all the best in the new year.

Happy Holidays

WISHING

you all a very from all of us at

Have a safe and happy Holiday Season.

We look forward to seeing you in the New Year.

A&W

Christmas Joy! to all God’s Creatures Cowichan (1996)

COWICHAN MOTORS (1958) Ltd.

Lake Cowichan

Tipton’s Gas Bar

GARAGE: 749-3213

LEGION

2007

24hr Convenience Store Car Wash•24hr Tow & Repair

Branch #210

STORE: 749-3355

Home Hardware

250-749-4400

250-749-6133

Merry Holiday Season!

PET EMPORIUM 170A Cowichan Lk Rd.

250-749-4454 Otter Coop Feed

Closed December 21, 2012 to February 4, 2013

A&W 96 Wellington

250-749-0111

Kaatza Historical Society 125 S. Shore Rd.

250-749-6142

www.lakecowichangazette.com

THE LAKE COWICHAN GAZETTE

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

15

BY: GILDA GREEN

Seasonal gift giving outside the box

Green Space

Elodie Adams Photos

Lake Cowichan RCMP take LCSS to court in annual Christmas Classic tourney LCSS’s annual Christmas Classic Volleyball Tournament, is an annual favourite for students, staff, and other invited teams that take part.

Seven teams played in the round-robin tournament on

Dec. 13, including the senior and junior girls’ teams, an alumni team, a team made up of staff members, the Lake Cowichan RCMP contingent as well as volunteer firefighters from the LCFD.

It was an afternoon of skill for some, laughs for others.

The alumni team placed first, the firefighters followed closely with second, and the school’s staff team came third.

LCSS Turkey dinner real winner LCSS students and staff stepped up to the plate in the school gymnasium on Wednesday, Dec.12 to enjoy a turkey dinner. Two separate buffets kept the lines for food moving along as the students and staff loaded up their plates with a turkey dinner and all the fixings.

Inset: Students Chase, Shoshannah, Dylana, Hayley, Amber, and Emilee from left, dig into their turkey dinner.

on’s Greetings!

S e as We value and appreciate your support of local businesses this year.

Season’s wishes for health, happiness, and prosperity in the New Year!

NEISER

Cowichan Lake District Chamber of Commerce

Sales & Rentals 8079 Neiser Road

‘In business for business.’

250-749-6033

May you and yours have a warm happy holiday season and a wonderful New Year!

Cowichan Lake Golden Agers Society

May your Christmas season be filled with Love, Joy, Family & Friends, now and thoughout the New Year.

Cowichan Lake COMMUNITY SERVICES

The clock is ticking and the pages on your Far Side desk calendar seem somehow to have shifted into warp factor seven and are peeling off and scattering like leaves in a hurricane. How is it that the four weeks leading up to Christmas fly by in a heartbeat and yet the same number of days in, say February or March seem to pass at roughly the speed of a sloth on valium?

But, like it or not, Christmas will insist on coming and in my frazzled schedule at least, will be here before we know it. The trick, I figure, with Christmas (as with most of life in general) is to take it one step at a time and keep at it.

Do a little everyday, be it writing out a couple of Christmas cards while you blindly clutch that first coffee in the morning, to wrapping one present in the evening after the kids have finally been tucked into bed and you collapse in a heap.

A gift idea that I return to year after year, is what I call, a magic box; a funky reusable container filled with themed items. For containers, you’ve got a million options; funky old cookie tins, wicker baskets, mixing bowls, plastic totes or buckets, large vases, cool tote bags, lunch kits, platters, laundry hampers or reusable grocery bags.

These can be “found” items (the modern term for something you already have), purchased for a song at a rummage sale or thrift store or purchased new depending on your preference and budget. Make sure of course, that whatever you choose is clean and in good repair.

You can decorate the outside of your magic container anyway you like. If you have the time, decoupage old magazine pictures onto a cookie tin to suit the person-

ality of the recipient. In our house, cookies live in an old tin bedecked with motorcycles and hot girls made for my husband years ago by one of his sons that is not only handy but one heck of a conversation piece! White glue, scissors and a coat of Varathane can turn a boring old tin into a funky and useful keepsake. Dried flowers, brick-abrack, ribbons, cones, seeds, buttons or salt-dough decorations can turn a plain old basket into a one of a kind container.

You can fill your container with just about anything to suit just about anyone. There’s the standby of homemade baking or goodies from your larder, like last summer’s blackberry jam or chutney. For the aspiring writer, a couple of nice pens, writing paper, a blank journal and a dictionary or thesaurus. For the gardener, a couple of packets of seeds or bulbs, gloves, clippers, decent hand cleaner or miscellaneous hand tools. For the cooking type, a couple of your favourite never-fail recipes, some trippy spices, pot holders, oven mitts, kitchen utensils all housed in a cake or bread pan. For little kids, a decorated toy-box tote with crayons, paints, home-made Play Doh or a collection of beads, buttons and cord for making their own styling jewelry or window hangers.

If you’ll pardon the lame pun, the key to a magic box is thinking outside the box. Custom homemade CDs, fishing lures, socks, candles, hand cream, soap, hand towels, crackers, trippy pasta, cheese, homemade wine, etc. etc.

Just keep to whatever theme works best for old Uncle Bob or little Doris. The items, like the container that they come in, can be a mix of homemade, reused, second hand and new.

So let your imagination soar and blot out the endless ads extolling the latest must-have gee-gaw or gadget. A thoughtful gift, given with love, is just one part of what the season is all about. In the words of Charlotte Carpenter, “If Christmas isn’t in your heart, you certainly won’t find it under a tree”

y Merrmas t Chris 0HUU\ &KULVWPDV & +DSS\ 1HZ <HDU It has been a pleasure to serve you and we thank you for your support.

To all of our wonderful customers.

Have a great Christmas Holiday & New Year!

Lubin’s Campsite Darcy & Campers

We hope that Santa is good to you!

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izza Burgers & P

16

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

THE LAKE COWICHAN GAZETTE

www.lakecowichangazette.com

Progress made in better weir management, river flow Parker Jefferson

certain prescribed level for every day during the summer management period regardless of precipitation or other lake inflow conditions.

The proposed rule-band protocol allows much more flexibility in lake levels and will allow the operating group to compensate for changing inflows and take advantage of any summer rainfall by keeping it until it is needed late in the summer. Both protocols have the weir at zero storage at the end of the summer management period.

Different scenarios were presented regarding how the river flows would have been affected by the two management protocols over the history of the weir.

Some interesting facts were presented about summer water inflows to the lake and how those inflows have dropped by 35 per cent since the mid 80s.

It is clear that the flexible ruleband would have resulted in considerable improvement in river conditions in many of the years.

ONE COWICHAN More progress has been made towards our goal of better weir management. An extraordinary joint meeting was held Friday, Nov.30 between the Cowichan Watershed Board (CWB) and the Cowichan Valley Regional District board (CVRD).

At this meeting Craig Sutherland of the KWL engineering firm gave an interesting comparison between the current rigid rule-curve weir management rules and the proposed new flexible “rule-band” approach.

The rule-curve is a strict approach to water levels in the lake and essentially has the lake at a

It is also clear that summer inflow conditions are decreasing quickly and that just managing our current weir as well as possible may not be enough to ensure sufficient water flows in late summer in the future.

If this trend of decreasing summer precipitation continues, as many in the scientific community expect, we may need to store more water than our current weir can provide in order to ensure adequate late summer and fall river flows.

During the discussion about the proposal CWB member Tim Kulchyski indicated Cowichan Tribes support the immediate movement to the rule-band approach but they would consider this to be a temporary measure and he did not want to prejudice any other options to store more water in the summer and to get more local control of our water resources.

There was also discussion from CVRD board members regarding what would have happened this

year if we had applied the ruleband. It was confirmed that we would have had enough water with rule-band protocol to have had the minimum seven cubicmeters per second flow rate required for salmon migration plus extra 24 hour pulses to encourage the fish to go up the river.

There would have been no lowflow crisis and we would not have been trucking salmon this year if we had used the rule-band. The effects of climate change were discussed and there was a sense of urgency about getting control of our water quickly in order to mitigate these effects on our watershed in the future.

After these discussions both boards voted to support the adoption the rule-band. This is part of a process being supported and guided by the provincial government, to amend the Catalyst water license. Pending Catalyst approval of this amendment, the next steps will be taken in January with public meetings.

In attendance at the meeting

was John Baldwin, Ministry of Forests water license manager, who distributed a time line for this process that lays out all the steps we need to take and sees the end of the process by next spring, when we need to start to control water again.

Also in attendance were representatives from Catalyst, the B.C. Ministry of Environment, and an assistant deputy minister coincidentally also named Craig Sutherland who has been assigned to this file on behalf of the provincial government.

It is very encouraging that the provincial government has taken notice of the crisis we had this fall and is willing to help us to facilitate the changes that are necessary for us to better manage our water resources.

It was a very good day and we can now see what must be done this winter to ensure we start to manage our weir much more efficiently next summer and into the future.

Retreads adventure down Fishermans’ Trail On this morning as daylight arrived I looked out the window and was greeted by patches of blue sky. “Great,” I thought, for our Wednesday hike. Then I noted

a red cloud to one side and was reminded of the saying “Red sky in the morning, shepherds warning.”

At Saywell Park we did the routine meet and greet. Twelve

NOTICE OF HOLIDAY SEASON SCHEDULES AND CLOSURES 2012 - 2013 GARBAGE/RECYCLING FACILITIES All Facilities will be open their regular hours with the following exceptions: Bings Creek Solid Waste Management Complex, Duncan will close at 3:00 pm on Dec 24; and will be closed Dec 25, 26, & Jan 1.

Peerless Road Recycling Drop-Off Depot, Ladysmith will be closed Dec 26.

Meade Creek Recycling Drop-Off Depot, Lake Cowichan will close at 3:00 pm on Dec 24; and will be closed Dec 26.

COWICHAN VALLEY REGIONAL TRANSIT SYSTEM Dec 24 Regular Service

Dec 25 No Service

Dec 26 Saturday Service No handyDART No CV Commuter Service

Dec 27 Dec 28 Regular Service

Dec 29 Saturday Service

Dec 30 Sunday Service

Dec 31 Regular Service

Jan 1 Sunday Service No handyDART No CV Commuter Service

RECREATION CENTRES Island Savings Centre Office CLOSED Dec 24, 25, 26, 31 & Jan 1

Kerry Park Recreation Centre Office CLOSED Dec 24, 25, 26 & Jan 1

Shawnigan Lake Community Centre CLOSED Dec 22 to Jan 1

Cowichan Lake Sports Arena CLOSED Dec 24, 25, 26, 31 & Jan 1

Youbou Hall

CLOSED Dec 24 to Jan 1 (OPEN New Year’s Eve)

Note: Recreation Centres and Youbou Lanes may open for special recreation and/or sporting activities during the holiday season. Check cvrd.bc.ca for further information.

REGIONAL DISTRICT OFFICE (175 INGRAM STREET, DUNCAN) Closed from Monday, December 24 at 2:00 pm to Tuesday, January 1.

The Regional District office will re-open at 8:00 am on Wednesday, January 2.

Please Note: Final date for 2012 utility bill payments is: Monday, December 24 by 2:00 pm.

By Statutory Requirement: All outstanding Utilities balances as of December 31, 2012 will be transferred to the Surveyor Of Taxes.

of us all told, two on their first Retreads hike. We climbed into three cars and headed down the old highway to the Fisherman’s Trail. Suddenly, one car is off in the wrong direction, but it turned up ten minutes later.

I guess they got talking.

Down we went across the trail that was once a railway bed and on to the edge of the rushing river.

The sound is reassuring after our dry fall. However, a bit further along, our trail vanished into the expanded stream and we had to bushwack a different trail for about 300 metres. A reminder we should perhaps be careful how much rain we wish for!

I was at the back of the pack when a small branch fliped my glasses—the expensive kind— from my face and then they bounced over the bank.

What dumb luck, but yes I can see them. What a relief to scramble down and grab those specs from their perch on a rock, just above the rushing river. I quickly realized the trip down was the easy part and I am also wondering if “the sweep” has noticed my absence.

A bit dirtier, and very relieved, I got back on the trail and caught up.

About now, we are reminded of the ‘shepherd’s warning’ this morning.

A steady rain, not quite monsoonal but heavy enough, has set in. There is talk in the group that its time for a break and those in the know say the trestle is not far off. As we approached the Trans Canada Trail trestle someone noticed our count is down one. The straggler

Submitted

Dale Harvie and Alex Kidd on ATVs rescue one of the hikers on the Trans Canada Trail.

has fallen a bit behind and in fact is no longer in top form and we realized we needed to find a ride out for this hiker. We are more than four kilometres from our vehicles and town. We carry first aid kits and have the whistles, all standard issue for the hike, but none of these tools is a solution for this problem.

Thank goodness for cell phones, ATVs and people like Dale Harvie of WFO Motorsports. When the phone rang and Dale heard about the problem he and Alex Kidd wasted no time gearing up and 30 minutes later arrived at the scene on two quads. What a relief to see them there. We were running out of Christmas music to sing to help pass the time and the umbrellas were having a hard time keeping up with the rain.

The hiker and a nurse from the group climbed on the back of the ATVs and headed to town. Those left behind spent a bit of time recapping the event and again expressing appreciation for the quads and the really great people who came to help.

There was not a quad coming for the rest of us, so we set off, quite

well waterlogged. Our destination now was the visitor centre, which would complete our nine km. walk. By 1:30 p.m. we were done and all accounted for.

We had some car transfers to do, a consequence of leaving from one point and ending up back at another. Resolution was underway when. . . wait. . . the challenges are not over yet. One of us has forgotten the car keys.

So, back again to town to collect the keys and finally retrieve all the cars.

The Fisherman’s Trail has continued to provide an interesting experience for our club. Some time back, a group got lost and after searching for the return trail, made the involuntary hike back up the TCT to town. We then tied ribbons on trees at critical points on the trail. Next time the ribbons had disappeared. Perhaps the fishermen did not like to see us hiking-up and down their cherished path.

Every hike is a new experience, even when we’ve been on the trail many times. This one was truly unique.

—Submitted by David Kidd

www.lakecowichangazette.com

THE LAKE COWICHAN GAZETTE

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

17

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TRADES, TECHNICAL HINO CENTRAL Fraser Valley is seeking a Commercial Vehicle Technician (Senior Apprentice or Journeyman) to add to our growing team in Langley. We offer a competitive salary and full beneďŹ ts in a fully-equipped ultra-modern facility.

Visit www.hinocentral.com Apply to: hr@hinocentral.com; fax: 780-6384867.

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TRADES, TECHNICAL

COMING EVENTS

Legion Branch #210 Merry Christmas & Happy New Year to all!

* Resumes Mon., Jan.7 A very warm and special thank you to to all those who supported and cared for Lou Volkers over the years, including most recently Dr. Postuk and the very kind and caring staff at Cowichan District Hospital, those who came to her memorial service, made donations in her memory, sent cards, helped with food, sent emails, spoke kind words about her, and gave us warm hugs.

Your kindness and friendship touched our hearts.

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES LEARN FROM home. Earn from home. Medical Transcriptionists are in demand. Lots of jobs! Enrol today for less than $95 a month. 1-800-466-1535 www.canscribe.com admissions@canscribe.com

CANCEL YOUR Timeshare.

NO Risk Program, STOP Mortgage & Maintenance Payments Today. 100% Money Back Guarantee. FREE Consultation. Call Us NOW. We Can Help! 1-888-356-5248.

DROP-IN DARTS DROP every Monday at 7pm

#/092)'(4

#OPYRIGHTx AND ORx PROPERTIESx SUBSISTx INx ALLx ADVERTISEMENTx ANDx INx ALLx OTHERx MATERIALx APPEARINGx INx THISx EDITIONx OFx BCCLASSIĂ&#x2122;ED COM x 0ERMISSIONx TOx REPRODUCEx WHOLLYxORxINxPARTxANDxINxANYxFORMx WHATSOEVER x PARTICULARLYx BYx Ax PHOTOGRAPHICx ORx OFFSETx PROCESSx INxAxPUBLICATIONxMUSTxBExOBTAINEDx INxWRITINGxFROMxTHExxPUBLISHER x!NYx UNAUTHORIZEDxREPRODUCTIONxWILLxBEx SUBJECTxTOxRECOURSExINxLAW

Notice is hereby given that Creditors and others having claims against the Estate of Loekie Volkers (aka Lou Volkers) formerly of PO Box 385, 7203 Rockland Road, Lake Cowichan, BC V0R 2G0. Deceased are hereby required to send the particulars thereof to the undersigned Executor, Thomas Earl Volkers, 213 Schmidt Road, Clearwater, BC V0E 1N2 on or before January 30, 2013, after which date the estates assets will be distributed, having regard only to the claims that have been received.

THOMAS EARL VOLKERS, Executor

DOUBLES CRIB every Thursday at 7:30pm * Resumes Thurs., Jan.3

TURKEYS & HAMS Meat Draw Saturday, December 22 at 3p.m.

STEAKS Meat Draw

Sat, Dec. 29 at 3pm

CHRISTMAS MUSIC B I N G O Saturday, Dec. 22 at 4pm NEW YEARâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S EVE HOUSE PARTY Monday, Dec. 31 starting at 8 p.m.

Dance to our music and bring your favorite appy to share.

Everyone Welcome â&#x20AC;˘ 250-749-6041

NOW HIRING

Western Forest Products Inc. is an integrated Canadian forest products company located on Vancouver Island that is committed to the safety of our employees, the culture of performance and the discipline to achieve results.

We currently have the following openings:

Sales Rep Trainee Help Desk Support Technician Heavy Duty Mechanics Detailed job postings can be viewed at

http://www.westernforest.com/building-value/our-people-employment/careers WFP offers a competitive salary and a comprehensive benefit package. If you believe that you have the skills and qualifications that we are looking for, please reply in confidence to:

Human Resource Department Facsimile: 1.866.840.9611 Email: resumes@westernforest.com

18

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

THE LAKE COWICHAN GAZETTE PETS AND LIVESTOCK

PERSONAL SERVICES

PERSONAL SERVICES

ART/MUSIC/DANCING

LEGAL SERVICES

PETS

GUITAR & MUSIC theory lessons at Studio 261 (261 South Shore Lake Cowichan).

(Christmas present packages of 2 or 4 lessons available).

Given by Darryl Scott Alsbrook, long time area musician and teacher. Many musical styles, including classical, folk, country, bossanova, jazz and other popular styles. Queen Margaret School (5 yrs) Many years experience teaching children and youth as well as adults. Home school students welcomed.

No commitment until after the first lesson; reasonable rates.

“Playing the guitar is a joy and a gift that lasts a lifetime.”

Mr. Darryl Scott Alsbrook. Email: darmar7@shaw.ca Call 250745-3525.

CRIMINAL RECORD? Don’t let it block employment, travel, education, professional, certification, adoption property rental opportunities. For peace of mind & a free consultation call 1-800-347-2540.

FOUND CAT- female, long hair, grey, Old Lake Cowichan Road area. If this is your cat please call Mick 250-749-4040

REAL ESTATE

REAL ESTATE

RENTALS

TRANSPORTATION

HOUSES FOR SALE

OTHER AREAS

SUITES, LOWER

AUTO FINANCING

20 ACRES FREE! Buy 40-Get 60 acres. $0-Down, $168/mo.

Money Back Guarantee. NO CREDIT CHECKS. Beautiful Views.

Roads/Surveyed.

Neaer El Paso, Texas. Call 1800-843-7537. www.sunsetranches.com

LAKE COWICHAN: 2 bdrm bsmt suite, spacious, clean, renovated, near town/bus, W/D, quiet tenants only. $750 iclds utils. Small pet cons, N/S. Avail now. (250)642-3707.

MERCHANDISE FOR SALE FUEL/FIREWOOD

RENTALS

FIR FIREWOOD, well seasoned, burns good. Call (250)749-4112 (evenings).

MISCELLANEOUS FOR SALE

GET 50% off - Join Herbal Magic this week and get 50% Off. Lose weight quickly, safely and keep it off, proven results! Call Herbal Magic today!

1-800-854-5176.

GREAT GIFT IDEA! ChillSpot is The COOLEST Dog Bed-A new and innovative, thermodynamically cooled dog bed, that enhances the cool tile surfaces our pets rely on during the warm weather months. Use promo code COOLGIFT For 10 % off! www.chillspot.biz

HOME/BUSINESS SERVICES ELECTRICAL 1A ELECTRICIAN, licenced, bonded, Small Jobs Specialist, panel upgrades and renos. All work guaranteed since 1989.

Rob at 250-732-PLUG (7584).

HAULING AND SALVAGE

Delivery Guy

(250) 597-8335

LAKE COWICHAN- 2 bdrm upper, renovated, new appls, F/S, W/D, D/W. No indoor smoking, small pet on approval, no parties. Ref’s. $650 mo + utils. Avail Jan. 1st. Call (250)701-0975.

DUPLEXES/4PLEXES

IF YOU own a home or real estate, Alpine Credits can lend you money: It’s That Simple.

Your Credit / Age / Income is not an issue. 1.800.587.2161.

M O N E Y P R OV I D E R . C O M . $500 Loan and +. No Credit Refused. Fast, Easy, 100% Secure. 1-877-776-1660.

DELIVERIES HAULING/JUNK REMOVAL MOVING JOBS WELCOME

HOT TUB (SPA) COVERS. Best price. Best quality. All shapes & colours available.

1-866-652-6837 www.thecoverguy.com/newspaper?

Lowest Price Guarantee

PLUMBING A SERVICE PLUMBER. Licence, Insured. Drains, HWT, Reno’s, Repairs. Senior Discounts. After Hour Service.

Call Coval Plumbing, 250709-5103.

ALL YOU NEED IN PRINT AND ONLINE www.bcclassified.com

Got a story idea or a

Call 310.3535

HALF house for rent. Opposite Esquimalt High on 828 Colvile Rd. 3 Bedrooms, large yard for pets and kids. 250-885-8002 or 250-8858090

WE BUY HOUSES Damaged House?

Pretty House? Moving?

Divorcing? Estate Sale?

We will Buy your House Quick Cash & Private.

Mortgage Too High and House won’t sell?

Can’t make payments?

We will Lease Your House, Make your Payments and Buy it Later!

Call: 1-250-616-9053 www.webuyhomesbc.com

CARS

Auto Financing 1.800.910.6402

DreamTeam Auto Financing “0” Down, Bankruptcy OK Cash Back ! 15 min Approvals

1-800-961-7022

www.iDreamAuto.com DL# 7557 YOUBOU, House for Rent, $900 month, plus utilities, 5 bedrooms, nice deck, great lake view, call 250-418-5779.

SUITES, LOWER CHEMAINUS 1 bdrm ground level garden suite, priv ent, shared laundry, heat & hydro incl’d, NS, NP. Avail Dec. 15, $675 mo. Call 1-604-846-5519 or 1-604-798-3412, leave message or email: sandrahall11@gmail.com

- BUYING - RENTING - SELLING -

2007 CUSTOM Chev HHR. Excellent condition. Loaded.

White. 119,000 km, mostly hwy driven. On-Star. $11,900 firm. 250-755-5191.

LOOKING FOR A DEAL ON A NEW VEHICLE? Save up to 40% OFF your next new vehicle...

No games or gimmicks, deal direct with local dealerships. www.newcarselloff.com

www. bcclassified.com

No qr code reader?

Text info: 778.786.8271

This is why we love to serve such an awesome community.

To solve a Sudoku puzzle, every number 1 to 9 must appear in: • Each of the nine vertical columns • Each of the nine horizontal rows • Each of the nine 3 x 3 boxes

Remember no number can occur more than once in any row, column or box.

Today’s Solution

editor@ editor @lakecowichangazette.com

AUTO FINANCING

Sudoku

TIP?

250.749.4383

TRANSPORTATION

HOMES FOR RENT 2 BR House - Honeymoon Bay, renovated, fully fenced, workshop/garage, carport. $800 250-748-0198

S W E N

Call or email Elodie at

LK COW: 3 bdrm townhouse (#5-215 Madill), 1.5 bath, 5 appls, single carport, newly painted. $750+ hydro.

N/S, sm pet ok. Call 250-477-4524.

LIONS’ CLUB HALL for rent $75. Deposit required. Call Eileen 250-749-3345.

HOMES WANTED

Classified ads are inexpensive and work hard!

LK COW. 2-bdrm townhouse. $700./mo. NS/NP. Avail immediately. (250)886-2720.

HALLS

STEEL BUILDINGS /metal buildings 60% off! 20x28, 30x40, 40x62, 45x90, 50x120, 60x150, 80x100 sell for balance owed!

Call 1-800-457-2206 or online: www.crownsteelbuildings.ca

BUYING OR SELLING?

TOWNHOUSES

CHEMAINUS DUPLEX, 2 bdrm, 2 bath w/ the second being an ensuite off the master. Ocean view, lights of grouse Mtn at night, 6 appls, shared laundry. Heat & hydro. incl’d. $990 mo. N/S, N/P, ref’s req. Avail Jan. 1st. Call 604846-5519 or 1-604-798-3412, leave message or email: sandrahall11@gmail.com

yourdeliveryguy.ca

DROWNING IN debts? Helping Canadians 25 years. Lower payments by 30%, or cut debts 70% thru Settlements.

Avoid bankruptcy! Free consultation. www.mydebtsolution.com or Toll Free 1 877-556-3500

LAKE COWICHAN- spacious 3-bdrm level entry suite, priv ent. Incls W/D, F/S. NP/NS. $800/mo heat incl’d. Avail immediately. Call 250-923-6170.

APARTMENT/CONDO

SEASONED FIREWOOD Vancouver Island’s largest firewood producer offers firewood legally obtained during forest restoration, large cords. Help restore your forest, Burndrywood.com 1-877-902-WOOD.

HEALTH PRODUCTS

FINANCIAL SERVICES

www.lakecowichangazette.com

Thank you to Santa and his Elves for our new Christmas lights!

Merry Christmas!

Cowichan Lake Community Services 121 Point Ideal Road 250 749-6822

www.lakecowichangazette.com

THE LAKE COWICHAN GAZETTE

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

19

The inside back: A little of this and that ☞ Local businesses and services Subscribers to the Lake Cowichan Gazette will find their Dec.26 issue of the paper in their mailboxes on Dec.24 — just in time for some good Christmas reading.

Shopping local helps stimulate the economy of our community and enables local businesses to continue to support the many non-profit groups with donations and in turn invest in our communities .

Most of the lake stores have some great specials on now for your holiday shopping.

County Grocer, Lake Cowichan has holiday shopping hours: Christmas Eve they are open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., they are closed Christmas Day and re-open on Boxing Day from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Regular hours return on Dec.27.

St.Louis de Montfort Catholic Church will hold a mass with carol singing starting at 11:30 p.m. Christmas Eve. See page 14 for other denominational services.

☞ Revised refuse and recycling

collection for Lake Cowichan

The Town of Lake Cowichan’s collection of refuse will change for one day only to accommodate the statutory

holiday on Jan.1.

Residents should have their recycling (regular collection day) and their refuse at curbside for collection by 8 a.m. on Monday, Dec.31. The usual schedule of every second Tuesday collection resumes on Jan.15.

☞ Family fun evening on ice The Lake Cowichan Sports Arena’s Winter Wonderland Carnival with Santa on the ice is on Sunday, Dec. 23 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Some of the activities planned for the family fun event are a fire on the ice, a toboggan run, kids’ crafts and games. Santa will also stop by for a visit!

Admission is $3 per person or $10 for a family. If you need more details please call 250-749-6742.

☞ RCMP Report

If anyone is missing these items they are urged to contact the Lake Cowichan RCMP at 250-749-6668 to identify and claim.

☞ Ready to ring in the new year?

Dance in New Year’s Eve at the Lake Cowichan Legion on Monday, Dec. 31. The fun starts at 8 p.m.Bring your favorite appy to share. Call 250-749-6041 for all the details.

Cowichan Lake Recreation will be hosting a New Year’s Eve adult dance on Monday, Dec.31 at the Youbou Hall. Dance to canned music and rattle noisemakers as you bring in the new year.

Tickets available at Youbou Shop and Save, Youbou Hall and Lake Cowichan Sports Arena

and

S☞AVE

MoMedics shave another year

A sailing dingy that was drifting on Cowichan Lake near Honeymoon Bay was recovered by Lake Cowichan RCMP on Nov.29.

Cst. Sarah Pharis says the boat has distinctive drawings on it.

A children’s bicycle was recently found in the ditch along Greendale Road in Lake Cowichan.

Donations came from all over the place for the guys of the MoMedics team at Lake Cowichan’s Ambulance Services who grew moustaches supporting MOvember.

This was their third year of taking part in MOvember.

Team member Jamie Hockin said they were just short of their goal for this year, which was to donate $500 toward prostate cancer and men’s mental health.

FOR ALL YOUR HEATING and COOLING NEEDS • Oil, Gas & Electric Furnaces • Heat Pumps • Refrigeration • Duct Cleaning

accurate air

SERVICE, REPAIR AND INSTALL

– ONE CALL COVERS IT ALL – For your free in home heating estimate

Cowichan Lake Service Directory

250.746.1666 Visit www.accurate-air.ca for internet specials!

COVAL PLUMBING

After hour service | Seniors’ discounts Renovations | New construction | Repairs Hot water tanks | Drain cleaning Septic Design & Installation Water services 20+ years experience

250-749-4997 250-709-5103

//////////////////

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / //

//////////////////////////////////

//////////////////////////////////

All your plumbing needs under one roof!

• Hot water heaters • Fiberglass tubs • Acrylic jetted tubs • Pumps • Fish ponds • Faucets • Sprinklers • Repair parts from A - Z

GRIFFITHS HOME PLUMBING CENTRE

ACCOMMODATION

CARPENTRY

ELECTRICIAN

Need space for relatives?

INDEPENDENT CRAFTSMAN

PACIFIC-WEST ELECTRIC

BOUTIQUE WATERFRONT LODGE Come enjoy...

Waterfront Patio Suites King-sized Bed | Jacuzzi Wharf | Campfire Pit | BBQs Single off -season rates start at $59/night – $295/week www.lakecowichan.org

1-877-222-8876 250-749-0105

Treat yourself to Best for Less!

Call Steve:

250-749-6905

e-mail: steve.rubin@shaw.ca

(1958) Ltd.

Convenience Store • Gas Bar Store: 250-749–3355 Garage: 250-749–3213

MINI EXCAVATOR & BOBCAT SERVICES

Licenced ̰ Bonded ̰ Insured

Landscaping | Septic Services

PAINTING

TIPTONS GAS BAR

GUTTER Company

Gas • Diesel Boat Gas Confections • Bait • Ice

250-749-6133

4 Season ❀5º7

A gutter above the rest.

Featuring: Crown Moulding

Fascia Gutters Call Steve for Free estimates!

Locally owned & operated

250-715-6038 250-749-4192 TREE SERVICE

TIRES

Koster PAINTING CONTRACTORS We will COVER it for you!

• Light Commercial • Residential • Interior • Exterior

En-TIRE-ly at your Service 250-749-6614

•

•

Dangerous Tree Removal/Storm Prevention •

•

140 HP chipper for fast, efficient cleanup

Insured & Licensed • Free Estimates & Advice

250-748-3939

Cowichan Pet Emporium (1996) • Fish • Pet food/supplies • Otter Co-op Livestock Feed • Wood Pellets • Grooming MONTHLY VET CLINIC with Dr. Nancy Holling 170A Cowichan Lake Rd.

250-510-2732 TRUCKING

VETERINARIAN Cowichan

Veterinary Housecall Services

Topping, Limbing, Falling Commercial & Residential

PETS & SUPPLIES

250-749–4454

“Sharing the care. care.” ”

Selective or Clear Cut Logging •

DUMP TRUCK: 1-6 YARDS

Call Casey

Tree Service •

Cowichan Motors

Serving Lake Cowichan for over 20 yrs

Gutters

Open 7 Days a Week

No other company in this area has over 33+ years experience roofing.

Shane Baker

GAS BAR

14 North Shore Rd. Lake Cowichan

Towing and Repairs

JOHN PORTELANCE

250-732-4570

CALL Ian Balding TODAY

250-749-3174

250-746-4534

MEADES CREEK ROOFING

• Renovations • Installations • Framing • All Finishing Carpentry • Custom Kitchens • Laminate Flooring • Decks • Fences • Sheds • Additions • Windows & Doors

250-701-1755

73 South Shore, Lake Cowichan

OPEN: Mon.-Sat: 5a.m.-10p.m.

Sun: 7a.m. - 8p.m.

SERVICE STATION

Quality comes first.

Residential & Commercial

Reg #12129

251 Government St. ,Duncan

ROOFING

Finishing carpenter with over 24 years experience.

EXCAVATING

TOP SOIL • BARK MULCH COMPOST • SAND • GRAVEL

Specializing in delivering 1 - 5 yard loads.

250-932-5552

Lorne: 250-749-6601 Cell: 250-701-5153

Dr. Brenda Bernhardt

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

THE LAKE COWICHAN GAZETTE

www.lakecowichangazette.com

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Check out the latest offers & arrivals at www.cowichansound.com 951A Canada Ave 250-748-4847 Cowichan Commons 250-715-1599 B1- 845 Deloume Road, Mill Bay 250-733-2626

We SERVICE what we sell!