GAZETTE
See our Go Green supplement — B Section & Come Back on pg 2
NORTH ISLAND
Publications Mail Agreement No. 391275
47th Year No. 16 THURS., APRIL 18, 2013
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Trustees debate board makeup A O’Toole Gazette staff PORT HARDY—The School District 85 Board of Trustees could not find agreement on the borders of new electoral areas during last week’s board meeting. The battle lines at the table were
clearly defined however, as the contentious issue drew spirited debate. The current composition of trustees reflects areas defined in 1989, with the seven members made up of two representatives for Port Hardy and one each for Port
McNeill, Port Alice, Alert Bay, Western Zone and Eastern Zone. In the years since the boundaries were defined the population on the North Island has declined and the dispersal of residents across the region is markedly different. As a result, the distribution of
representatives no longer mirrors the distribution of the population, with Port Hardy and Port McNeill underrepresented by population and the other areas comparatively
See page 4 ‘Motion tabled’
• HOME FOR TOTEM
‘Namgis carver travels to Holland for blessing of pole. Page 12
Raise your hand if you’re having fun Kianna Schmidt and Abby Roberts of Port Alice lead the “wave” on the Himalaya ride during the West Coast Amusements carnival stop in Port Hardy Saturday. See more images from the day on page 13.
• HOT SCIENCE
Students show off knowledge in regional science fair.
J.R. Rardon
• IN MIDWEEK
Port Alice students cash in at Young Entrepreneurs event. Midweek, inside LETTERS Page 7 NORTH ISLAND LIFE Page 11 SPORTS Page 15 CLASSIFIEDS Page 20-22
Heritage society OK’s Hornsby move J.R. Rardon Gazette editor PORT McNEILL—The Coal Harbour Community Club has some hard labour ahead of it in the coming months. And its members couldn’t be happier. The North Island Heritage Society, following the lead of the Regional District of Mount Waddington Board
of Directors, gave its stamp of approval last week to a proposal by the Coal Harbour group to house the historic Hornsby Crawler steam tractor — provided the community fulfills its commitment to preparing a site for the machine’s display and protection by Sept. 15. “I’m looking forward to the big grand opening,”
NIHS president Hiltje Ramsey said in the wake of applause that followed the vote on the motion, which took place during the society’s Apr. 11 annual general meeting. The CHCC can now move ahead with fundraising efforts to install a concrete pad for the 25-ton tracked machine in a 1940s-era RAF building
THE
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DIP
that more recently served as Coal Harbour’s community hall before falling into disuse in the 1990s. Once the pad is in place, heritage society members agreed, the Hornsby can be moved to Coal Harbour from the Lemare Lake Logging Co. yard south of Port McNeill, where it has been sitting since last August.
Before last week’s heritage society approval, the CHCC was stuck in a Catch-22. The group has the property, which has been transferred to the RDMW under a heritage registry bylaw requirement, and volunteer help ready to roll up its sleeves
See page 5 ‘Early move denied’
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