FRIDAY JAN 17TH 2014 VOL. 41, NO. 03
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Snowman on the green
Party for preschool
Growing together
The annual winter golf tournament winners make an appearance
Upcoming fundraiser helps young families send kids to BCC
Deep Bay neighbours co-raise chickens
Meetings with BC Ferries don’t equal consultation Mayor Jack Adelaar questions participation in upcoming meetings MERIBETH DEEN EDITOR
Joel Lepage lives on the Xen State in Mannion Bay. Meribeth Deen photo credit
Boat sinks as campaign to clean up bay begins EDITOR
On the morning of January 4th, Bruce Russell stood in the window of his home office on the north shore of Mannion Bay, or Deep Bay as many of us know it, and did a routine scan with his binoculars. Russell noticed that a boat named the Hillbilly #1, which he had previously reported as being full of “chattel” and low in the bough, was particularly low that morning. By the time he finished writing a set of emails to various officials, including Transport Canada, Russell says the boat was standing perpendicular in the water, and clearly, sinking. When Russell called the RCMP to report what he saw out his window, they told him to call the Coast Guard. The Coast
Guard proceeded to dispatch someone, by hovercraft, to the site of the now-sunken Hillbilly #1 to ensure that no human in distress because of the sinking, and to look for potential contamination to the water caused by fluids leaking from the boat’s engine. “By that time,” says Russell, “The contents of the boat were floating over to our place. It was like, when they talk about the Tsunami in Japan, waves of junk were just floating over.” Russell recalls a few of the items: a red metal air compressor, styrofoam coolers, a waterski, plastic piping and miscellaneous plywood among the debris released into the water following the sinking of the Hillbilly #1. continued, PAGE 3
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FRIDAY 4 JAN 03,, N201 O. 01 1 VOL. 4
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VOL. 4 1, NO. 02
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The 11 gov erning bod Howe Sou ies that ma nd ke up the Bowen, are Community For um, includi committed ng to co-ope MER IBET ration
H DEE N those detail ntal assessment proEDITO H DEEN R the environmeit is conducted by the Howe Soun R ncial govish cess, whether d is a place Bowen is nment, Provi wher mill near Squam one Federal gover A former pulp shores of Howe erning this of five governing e watersheds and both. boundarie West ernment or Ngo says Woodfibre s converge. estry distr region are the Islan municipalities on on the North a chance at a secicts, How get However, to provide Elected offic First Nations, ds Trusts, three regio e Sound. Also Sound may Liquefied Natural Gas y, BC Hydro the ting as gova nal distr is expec compress Sound have ials from the commwell as provincia ond life as ssing and export facilit needed to l and feder icts, three forbeen meet unities form (the gas the power liquid est, (LNG) proce National Energy Board into they ely come toget ing for a decade whose watersheds al governments. ximat anatural gas d to appro feed into to Forum. At her unde now that the the company’s applic to be coole the r the bann discuss issues of their last ved needs dian us). appro Cana common palit er meet has of the How es Celci ies, regio ing, the eleve intert LNG. The cy -160 degre n’s represene Sound Com n signees together to nal governments tion to expor Assessment Agen Frinton, Bowe Clean Air mun (whi and urge Peter ntal ch ent the inclu the Sky Squamish coordinat federal and de munici-ity Environme g for public comm Sea to coned Natio tative to the while the Society is n 14th, they strategy for the Sounprovincial governme n) agreed to work is now askin federal environmensays lizatio ty, are a ustria nts Socie d. hoping to to give to the re-ind on whether is required, and hear what At their next meet to help build a the cerned about d in general, the use y ing, on Janu higher level al tal assessmentrequest by the Province Bowen munprocess. s of governme ary d for the annu of Howe Sounsource of power largel icipal coun ct the meeting as nt are willin whether the a zed bia to condu of Howe Soun a representa cillor Wolfgang d be of hydro as g illy waters Trust. rns about locali of British Colum Dun ment, shoul tive of Bow the chilly ntal assess alleviates conce en but also tz will be attending mers brave environme “Part of this as a trust water)! Swim air pollution. need to know the speee from the rd, wanted to the reason I ran as approved. inside (the suka, photo if Islands a trust ct goes forwa change the “We really Baby it’s cold n, “but I think focused on If the proje 3-4 tankers – each fact that the ee with the Islan dip. Kami Kanet ,” says Frinto natural gas to the ely ds cifics organ issue the Trus ximat Polar Bear “And I can s just affec ization was t is because times appro burning and a half they were plant they would likely the region tell you that that hasting the specific Gulf so inward looking, I roughly one Ferries Coastal Class their r From is . so chan seein Islan powe ged ds, g an avala opposition The “thre size of a BC the ferries that nche of threa drastically in the ” says Duntz. as , I am a lot face a lot more bay and past year he says peopats” Duntz points ts.” Ferry (such perspective big picas now to en Horseshoe the my personal years ago. le in the Southern include shellfish travel betwe will pass by Bowen rned about and farm Gulf Islan edics in the more conce comes to air quality, ds were relati ing, whose impa “After a num Nanaimo) month. Propelled by the param it gas ct directly to ture when vely naive ber of these as a lance. does to the say, greenhouse Island every the patient about five proje using diesel of the ambu , we call the thee age of questions about d through the natual gas and lled nger seats debris and landscape and they cts have gone throu create an emergency the message,” natur fuel, the double-hu tonnes iverr and passe paged forKare dam don’t like drive emissions try as a whole.” ed get it,” he says. gh, people see what Duntz says age that gets left back-up ed Hughes 2.1 million indus we’ven receiv , we “When we n-bas gas carry that behin lance “And it DEEN new ral Bowe will and rm H rs d proposals they geoducks , the to China the ambu aasfew tanke eth Deen MER IBET her to confi n weMerib tcher get into , which is for similar when they close down see all the ispatc natural gas Merran Smith Energy with dispa photo ied tcher it of her “hom “Whe entir will mean dispa proje ies” at the of liquef R Clean 225 was tankers shipp ely new to the regio cts (including .” EDITO ays Donohue. ation collected by the says the thing to director of comend ofofthe ce Station through the every year. n), plus indu the farming of da, says that that it is a Year’s eve lance Servi softthe manager scho al olTides area have ing, coal, oil and liqui get the inform day Cana strial plans is updated he BC Ambu in the lead up to New LNG is that Marion Ngo, Woodfibre Natur at “Befo raise offer says ” about BICS d not in. hue d re s natu ber that the busy mber we . lance ral gas will come alarm. make judge remem reme an Dono system does cations with project is still in unusually tion,” says es the ambu be going edic Brend ber 29th ments on ons. muni Duntz. What the new system that ensur fossil fuel. 2 these thing gency locati is Gas Ltd., says the planning, so elethis year. Paramen midnight on Decem four PAGE GPS to The emer MER the ued, islan s, we need routeH DEE O’Neil, this IBET s of contin ware for shift betwe ber 30th, he responded lly more infor that could ds in Howe Soun the mostEdirect the early phase technology, engir ColleenN during his d face maD I T inato drastically g the typica ding on Decem drivers take Circle coord cts OR change the a whole other set ments regar and midnighthe says, is unusual durinto those calls in the cts of the proje For Caring region’s lands of projects , 2 neering and impa a rn. a com- a large hotel hue drove On the last whole other proposals calls, which cape: ued, PAGE a major conce equipped with r season. Dono -marina of school Hughes said daycontin - a gravel Hughes saidstory.” slow winte ambulance, which is . This device relays befor mine in McNcomplex in Gibs goodbye ) system on’s landi - the Woo threats were she learned quick one disto her ‘home Christmas, Kare Her hom station’s new ng dfibre LNG ab Creek n dispatch (CAD gh the teleph not ly that, for ies.’ every day, ies are the kids she - a massive proposal “I remember the answer. is the puter-aided ation collected throu of emergency, and her yetatit least and when gets ,s some brok diseases, and - the Sea-t waterfront re-develop homies were one rainy ocula she told them to school and back r all the inform as the address, the type after occur e down and o-Sk osed noon early nosed ment in the Dry eye she was leavi -diagn r-diag cular - a proposed y Gondola the most under undeparti en says.-on “Then I cried. patcher, such side of wild. city of Squa Bowd ng one of the the road I pulled the e when r”ly Dr. thethe mistake is mish back from cried too, and cried , turne -a massive ski resort at Gari and see Eye Docto dtears. Many peoplbus over around ‘Who the baldi Disease (DED) patientscalm the go said,their to nt Eyewhol a consta want and looke -the addit housing developm need s ytoof qualit way ndrivi She says she school,” says “Dry whyng walk d at themEye, ity .or Hughes. on ereaso down Youralleyes ion of 25 ent in Sout !’ They quant t ed rain”. loves the most Thenjust Dry of the 15 comm “eyest her circumsta percent of off the h Brittania this e. Inand the correc one littleocula surfacup, perce bus tions r shutat hisor nces have kids andeyes not produce she do condi tic to loves stop and ct the kindergarthe ity and -a run of nt that are alrea Gambier’s lands to job three to get clima the job, chan when and proteasked ged. Whe dy being getting years ago, river active loggi e in ten quant buties, for allerg me I had maint. ain chang when actively to walk n toms days was a she start to expla ng (on top symp he lm”— e enough McNab Creek. power project that allow resultinintoa him was going ed “tear finot perfect. Nowpart-time can dry eye ed gland s… r provid gig will impa logged) walk called thethe that actua higher pay tear to gotoftothe a summ , the stead of with eye’s can no longe when ct three creek tears— be that your er lly you willin of lm that holifi health ier he’s layer ge make threa goes with employmees to the to follow s that run what she “We in ag tear Hugh lead toadama changnt and driving Bow result throu t, you’v into es ssays can gh need This ng,e scratchyward need to make decis underlying know on it.” ng, burni make.and eye. en’s trans ingThis She’ll keep s. ,” says of your ions stagese helps the kids as; stingi DED the tearsit you bus is to the surfac suchacco , but recreation Duntz. “We need about the region ct lenses. rding one full day driving the scho quality of of Dry Eye ction even bette to their ng conta as a whol to ingculty al ol busshme r. toms know a week until nt or prote lty weari the symp e, mov to know two after fi them all as indiv pen by accid areas, residential decide what we want a prolonged difficu she’s for ages can lead “I a replanouri areas, and eyes, and diffi focusingidual Ave ent.” Parkadeleaving big s and in turn, if they’ cemee, to be indu ing for, noon g, tired shoe ntwhich ve got you don’t is foun day or after now havesaisdiagnosticGeologist Sometim s to “You need Clyde siblin of the d,ivity just let those strial areas, esatI even but to light, tearin end and form gs andDocto rs to be a goodfill. surfac the tor Shoppers has sensit if know need er so moni ning Eye had Savary things haply mayor Bob tion, who they Drug eyes ve to if they’ the privilege driver,sensa know that Island Mart quantitative are. of course, d vision, often worse uter screen. Optom got Co. can Marine Drive Pie Co Soun when ibed. cous of being some Turner says that “We ins aroucustom but also you like a comp prescr you get that s blurre ine Drive Marine causebus Eye Disease. histo nd. us what ” Dry task ricall of y helps removed “In tion y Bo fulla of nearb rocess This kd f i d on t lk us about th 19 d rly detec MER IBET EDITO
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MERIBETH DEEN
On January 21st, chairs of Ferry Advisory Committees from coastal and island communities will meet with management from BC Ferries. Bowen Island Municipal Councillor and liaison to the Bowen Island Municipality Transportation Advisory Committee (BIMTAC), Alison Morse, is hoping that the news coming out of those meetings will mean the proposed cuts to ferry service will not be as bad as they appeared when they were first made public. However, at this week’s council meeting Mayor Jack Adelaar suggested that representatives from Bowen should “send a message” to BC Ferries by not attending the meeting at all. “They’ve called a meeting, they call it a consultation with the Ferries Advisory Committees, but nothing happens,” Adelaar told council. “It’s them saying something to us. When we say something to them it seems to fall into a circular basket. And I have a real problem with, when we get responses from them, it always comes from a PR person. I’m not interested in a PR person and getting advertisements on my iPad saying, ‘Come on a wonderful BC Ferries vacation’ while they’re cutting sailings.” Adelaar said that by not attending the upcoming meeting, it would send a message to BC Ferries that it doesn’t matter what they have to say, because the decisions aren’t made by them anyways. “I’m trying to be subtle in the way I deal with this problem,” Adelaar told council. “I really have no faith in BC Ferries, and I have no faith in [Transportation] Minister Stone. We’re going nowhere, and we’re going nowhere very quickly so, the usefulness of a consultation? I don’t know.” Councillor Morse objected to the Mayor’s suggestion on the grounds that attending the meeting means getting information first hand, and the chance to communicate Bowen’s message about the ferry cuts. continued, PAGE 2