Grand Forks Gazette, April 02, 2014

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Gazette Grand Forks

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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 2, 2014

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VOL 117 NO. 14

A HEAD START Page 15

Councillor’s motion doesn’t D L O S stop meters Give me a call! 855 N Kimberley Greenwood

Brian Thate 250-442-7370

www.brianthate.com LITTLE OAK REALTY

ABH

CAR SALES

New Arrivals Just In!

CRAIG LINDSAY

Grand Forks Gazette

For the dozen or so anti-water meter proponents in attendance at city council on March 24, Councillor Michael Wirischagin gave them a little hope as he put forward a motion to hold off the installation of water meters until 2015 as originally stated in the city’s handout. The motion also stated that the meters should be optional. Wirischagin questioned the legality of having workers enter a homeowner’s house without their permission to install the meters. “Yes, all communities are heading towards water meters but very few are looking at them universally,” he said. “Vancouver, Kelowna and Castlegar all have them, but have made them voluntary and on new builds only. There were no concerns from any of them about losing grant money.” Wirischagin went on to add that the city • See WATER METERS page 8

W

WO

See page 7 for this week’s ad

250-442-2363 Dealer#9243

BUYING? OR SELLING?

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Craig Lindsay Photo

IT’S A BIRD! IT’S A PLANE! IT’S A TREE? Shimmer Lawrence and Dave Fitzgerald get into the spirit of pajama day at the Phoenix Mountain Spring Fling on Sunday. The pair also submitted their entry, Tree Well From Hell, into the dummy downhill contest and finished first in the “best crash” category. For more go to page A19.

Extreme weather shelter closes doors for season CRAIG LINDSAY

Grand Forks Gazette

Grand Forks’ cold weather shelter is closing for the spring on March 31. Boundary Emergency and Transitional Housing Society (BETHS) had a successful first year in the new Multi-Agency Accommodation Project (MAAP) building they share with Whispers of Hope and Habitat for Humanity Boundary. BETHS chair Jim Harrison told the Gazette that the shelter has seen a much steadier number of users than previous years when it was located in the Grand Forks Christian Centre. “The extreme weather shelter usually operates from Sept. 1 to March 31,” Harrison said. “The new location went extremely well. We averaged about between four and five people every night throughout the season. Last year we would have nights where we would have absolutely no guests arrive. This year we haven’t had a single night with no guests. It’s been used every night.” Harrison attributes the extra use mainly to the new location and its array of new services. “Part of it is (because of) the new shelter and

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9am - 5pm 7 days a week

250.442.5340 3705 Koochin Road

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location and the fact that we’re not in the church,” he said. “We also have some extra services like showers, TV, cable, and that kind of thing. We’ve made it more comfortable for people. Plus we do have the ability to keep pets with people in the shelter which we couldn’t do before. So there is a number of things which add up to make things a little better for the guests and made it more inviting.” Harrison said it’s also advantageous having Whispers of Hope soup kitchen in the same building. The shelter keeps people off the street and out of the cold, which can be very dangerous. “The purpose of the shelter is for extreme weather—if they were to try to sleep out on the street they’d be physically in danger and possibly even die,” Harrison said. “Having a shelter where they can go to and receive food and shelter is a big plus for the community.” He said they have not received any complaints from nearby neighbours regarding the shelter. He did say over the winter the RCMP was called out twice to deal with minor incidences inside the shelter, none of which led to any charges. “Those were dealt with very well by the staff

there,” he said. “That’s not unusual. You get people in a distressed situation and you’ll get the odd temper flare up. No charges were laid. RCMP was just called in to keep the peace.” BETHS has two people on site each night while the shelter is open from 8 p.m. until 8 a.m. One is a paid staff member, while the other is an unpaid volunteer. Harrison said the shelter was able to open and operate throughout the winter based mostly on donations received from local businesses and private citizens. “When we started off the season, we were projected $55 per night that we would have to pay just to keep the shelter open,” he said. “That did happen; however, local donations helped us absorb that cost. In addition, had it not been for our volunteers, we would not have been able to keep our doors open at the shelter. Our biggest, grateful thanks to our volunteers who put in countless hours working for the shelter in volunteering their precious time.” Harrison said the board will be looking back at the season to evaluate what improvements can be made. “We’ll be looking at things like trying to land• See SHELTER CLOSES page 8

April is spring tune up month Come in for a laser tune up as you begin yard clean up, gardening and spring sports. Improve your golf game. Treat those aches and pains before they become debilitating. Also available are Foot Leveller Orthotics which are custom fitted. Gift certificates are available.

Salmon Chiropractic Corp. Call 250-442-4232 for an appointment Start on the path to healing. 7323 3rd Street, Grand Forks BC

Second Class Registration # PM0034


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