FRIDAY
OCTOBER 18, 2013
Three games in three days
The travelling minstrel show
Ice face Blades at home, then off to Edmonton Page 8
Cranbrook thrilled to this early 20th century ‘entertainment’ Page 7
MP Wilks on the Throne Speech Page 4
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Vol. 61, Issue 203
Proudly serving Cranbrook and area since 1951
www.dailytownsman.com
B.C. prepares for earthquake
The East Kootenay is at risk of a magnitude five earthquake; schools and businesses across the province prepare SALLY MACDONALD Townsman Staff
Schools and businesses in Cranbrook took part in a province-wide earthquake drill on Thursday, October 17 at 11:17 a.m. The Great British Columbia ShakeOut saw almost 700,000 people across the province practice what to do if an earthquake hits. Participants in the ShakeOut dropped to their hands and knees, covered their head and neck under a sturdy table or desk, and held on for 60 seconds to prepare for a real earthquake. The Pacific Coast of B.C. is the most earthquake prone region in Canada, hit by about 1,000 earthquakes a year. In the last 70 years, the offshore
region to the west of Vancouver Island has had more than 100 earthquakes of magnitude five or greater. Over in the East Kootenay, the risk is not as great, but our region can still experience strong earthquakes, according to Alison Bird, an earthquake seismologist with Earthquakes Canada. “This is a region that can see damaging earthquakes. You have moderate to low hazard – you are much safer compared to those of us who are living on the west coast of B.C. – but there is still a chance of magnitude 5, even possibly magnitude 6, although that would be a very infrequent event,” said Bird.
See MEGA QUAKE , Page 3
Local tech start-ups pitch their services
Entrepreneurs get one minute to sell ideas to technology minister at KRIC event ARNE PETRYSHEN Townsman Staff
Promising local technology start-ups put forward their best pitches in front of the province’s Minister of Technology, Innovation and Citizens’ Services Wednesday at the Royal Alexandra Hall. The start-ups had only one minute to pitch their company or business idea to Minister Andrew Wilkinson and other judges, as part of a Kootenay Rockies Innovation Council (KRIC) event. KRIC is a non-profit which provides programs and events targeted at the science, technology and innovation business community. With a dinner for two on the
line, the tech-related businesses ranged from land map searches to an English-as-second-language program for babies in places like China. Paul von Wittgenstein presented his company Baby World Language which is registered in B.C. and Alberta. He said he’s spent a good part of the past 15 years in China. “We have a business that helps new mothers in non-English speaking countries to become their baby’s first English language teacher in the home,” he said. He said they have the world’s first in-womb English language learning system.
See KRIC, Page 5
SUBMITTED
After approximately 14 years and more than 10,000 hot meals, Joel Vinge and Bud Abbott delivered the final “Meals on Wheels” on Monday October 14, 2013. The delivery program has been terminated and replaced by bulk pickup of frozen meals. As a team, Bud did the driving and Joel made the actual deliveries; he was so much better at chatting up the clients. They looked for him every week, and they will miss him.