THURSDAY
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October 17, 2013 Vol. 28 • No. 84 ••• $1.25 inc. G.S.T.
A community group in Cumberland wants to raise $1.2 million, again, to preserve the forest around the village. page A3
Mathieu Leduc of Comox is eagerly anticipating the national ski cross season. page B9
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Torry slides into receivership Service disruption to clients not anticipated; former employees scrambling to find work Erin Haluschak Record Staff
A major employer in the Comox Valley has closed its doors, but those in the plumbing and heating industry say they don’t see
any disruption in service for clients. Torry and Sons Plumbing & Heating went into receivership around mid-September, and those working for the family-run business are now left to find other
Piece of Nobel Prize for Comox woman Erin Haluschak Record Staff
Comox doctor Lui Carvalho is used to early-morning phone calls as part of his practice, but the call he received Friday was unlike any other. The 2:30 a.m. call was from his daughter, Louise Carvalho, with news her company — the Organisation of the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) — received the Nobel Peace Prize. “I have a bad habit of keeping the phone by my bed,” admitted Carvalho. “But that was quite an exciting call. It really came out of the blue; it was a magnificent day.” Louise is the legal officer for OPCW, an organization recognized for its extensive efforts to eliminate chemical weapons, and to act as a guardian of the global ban on chemical weapons, which took effect in 1997. Carvalho explained he and his wife received the news from their daughter, who attended Village Park, École Robb Road and Highland schools, and watched the announcement simultaneously — albeit across the world from each other — on the BBC.
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“We kept getting phone and e-mails all day Friday and Saturday. Many were from her friends she went to school with, which was really wonderful of them,” noted Carvalho. Following her graduation from Highland, Louise attended the University of British Columbia and received her arts degree, then attended law school in Calgary. She returned to Vancouver Island to article with the attorney general in Victoria before working in London and then received a United Nations appointment in Kosovo. Carvalho explained his daughter worked in the country for more than eight years, and two years ago she decided she needed a change and began work with OPCW in The Hague in the Netherlands. The OPCW, which has been working for more than 16 years to eliminate chemical weapons, said in a statement the Peace Prize will spur the organization to untiring effort, even stronger commitment and greater dedication to realize the vision of a world free of the weapons. Recently, the organization ... see PEACE PRIZE ■ A2
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employment. “They decided to call it quits about a week ago,” said Brian Findlay, president of Andrew Sheret Limited, a B.C.-based plumbing and heating supply company. “Personally, we’re sorry to lose them … but we’re optimistic about the plumbing and heating industry in the North Island.” Calls to the company were not returned to the Record. In 1981, Bill Torry established Torry and Sons Plumbing & Heating, with a larger team expanding the heating department in the 1990s. The company opened a sheet metal shop under the name of VI Mechanical, allowing the various facets of their business — plumbing, heating and sheet metal fabrication — to work together. In the 2000s, Torry and Sons and VI Mechanical merged into one company, while acquiring a fire-protection business. In 2006, ownership of the company changed to Scott Torry and Brian Farnham. According to their website, the company employed more than 150 people on Vancouver Island, and had two offices — one in Courtenay and one in Nanaimo. Findlay explained he has seen the various ups and downs of the industry, but added some former employees have decided to go out on their own and start their own businesses. “(The closing) doesn’t change our business plans, but the one thing with the plumbing industry is that things can’t be left too long. When someone runs out of hot water, they want a hot water tank really quickly. “(Torry and Sons) were definitely part of the industry, but I don’t see any disruption in the Comox Valley.”
HE DEFIES GRAVITY Aidan, 9, was one of many people in the Comox Valley who took advantage of the long weekend’s sunshine. He chose the Valley View skatepark for his fun. PHOTO BY SCOTT STANFIELD
photos@comoxvalleyrecord.com
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