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The voice of the South Cariboo since 1960 How to reach us: Ph: 250-395-2219 Fax: 250-395-3939 www.100milefreepress.net mail@100milefreepress.net
FEBRUARY 13, 2013
Two Sections, 48 pages
Fire service sharing proposed
100milefreepress.net
SKI BABY
Local fire chief conveys concept to local government An idea for shared fire gram would help eliminate department services in the the duplication of many serSouth Cariboo has been vices, more evenly distribute brought forward by 100 Mile the costs of providing those House Fire-Rescue (OMFR) services and spread the chief Darrell Blades. training requirements out, On Feb. 4, he presented he explains. a package of information However, the investigato the South Cariboo Joint tion would look at various Committee and then it went options, such as individual to the District of 100 departments speMile House Council cializing in different the next day. areas, such as ice The report prorescue or HAZMAT poses investigating (hazardous materishared, non-core als), as well as shared services between administrative funclocal Cariboo tions, which range Regional District from data entry to DARRELL (CRD) fire departfire engine mainteBLADES ments to better nance. cover costs and personnel, “It’s to look at some new which Blades says are “get- services that we could ting strapped” in some cases. maybe provide and be bet“It is: ‘what if we took all ter off economically and for the other services that we manpower. The real key is provide as fire departments, manpower because we can and shared the costs for the only put so much on our equipment and things, and volunteers before they turn each department committed around and say ‘this is too two to five members to those much, I’m not doing it’.” teams’?” The idea was hatched A shared fire service proContinued on A7
Monika Paterson photo
Cariboo Gold Rush Marathon at the 99 Mile Ski Trails onFeb. 9 was a resounding success with sunny weather and good snow conditions. The event drew 150 skiers, including Morgan Boileau from Hagensborg who placed sixth in the 13 and Under five-kilometre event.
Canim Lake Estates water supply contamination identified In a long and sometimes stormy meeting, officials responsible for the Canim Lake Estates water system met with about two dozen residents worried about contaminants in their water. Dr. Trevor Corneil, Interior Health Authority (IHA) Medical Health Officer (MHO), identified six compounds and arsenic that contaminated the community’s water supply for a period after modifications to the main reservoir. Held in the Forest Grove Community Hall on Feb. 7, the meeting was called by the Cariboo Regional District (CRD) to provide residents with information on the state of the water and to answer questions and concerns.
CRD representatives Area H Director Margo Wagner, board chair Al Richmond, and environmental services manager Mitch Minchau, as well as IHA’s Karen Zabaras and representatives of the engineering company, which supervised the contractor who did the work, attended the meeting. Dr. Corneil was connected by speaker-phone. There are 25 permanent residences using the system, as well as other seasonal properties. As the last of a comprehensive series of measures to improve the safety and reliability of the system, the roof of the main reservoir was repaired and a liner installed to separate the timbers of the roof from the potable water below. The liner installed
Dec. 7, 2012 is believed to have infused the water with the strong taste and odour that was first reported to the CRD late on Jan. 8, 2013. By the morning of Jan. 9, a Do Not Use order was issued by the MHO, residents were notified by a door-todoor canvass, and flushing of the system began. Two labs were hired to do an expedited analysis. Water samples were drawn when the necessary containers were received from the labs, two days after flushing commenced. Since then, flushing has been completed, the first liner replaced with a different one, and the reservoir cleaned and re-filled. Continued on A5