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Serving the South Country, Fernie, Sparwood, Elkford since 1898
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Hot Dog day brings out the cool cats
FERNIE
Monster Enemy Lines - Page 4 SPARWOOD
Daffodil campaign kicks off - Page 23 ARTS
Comic comes to Fernie - Page 11
SPORT Skinny skis and flashy neon stretch pants flew by as skiers and boarders launched wicked spread eagles and daffy’s at Hot Dog Day at Fernie Alpine Resort last Wednesday. Turn to page 2 for more pictures. Photo by T. Hynd
RDEK proposes new Flood Control Service at open house By Nicole Obre Free Press Staff
Oldtimers compete in Whitefish - Page 21 INSIDE THIS ISSUE April 10, 2014 THE FREE PRESS Thursday,
www.thefreepress.ca
2014 go green ~ earth day
Welcome to Earth Day 2014!
here on planet earth! the wonders of our environment arth Day is a time to celebrate April 22 at the Arts Station in historic downtown Tuesday, events Join us to celebrate on to create a day of amazing local organizations together Fernie. We are bringing to mark this special day. and activities for all ages you can do in your kick-off with challenges throughout the day. We by reading The fun and festivities run Learn how to participate Bash or Get Wild Challenge. Day Fernie’s own home. Take the Trash did and share it on Earth then document what you more on the events page, prizes. Facebook page to win great fun. There will be mini for kid-friendly after-school 5pm to 3 with from Station exhibits all washed down Join us at the Arts activities and awesome environmental eco-film fest, creative arts fun at this free event. snack. Come and enjoy the healthy juices and a popcorn event starts at 6:30 pm Drinks Green Fernie for more fun. A out for you Join us again in the evening Eco Info Booths will be discussions and mix’n mingle. Cold Climate for friendly environmental Wild Plants, Wildsight, Car Share, WildLifeBC, will ignite the to learn more about: Kootenay pm, Think Tank Cinema Wild Art exhibit. At 7 to Survive. Gardening and the Flathead an inspiring film, The Wisdom screen in the theatre with of General Meeting and election with Wildsight’s brief Annual enjoy free to and wrap-up will attend to evening The all are encouraged open to the public, and in your community. directors. The AGM is the work Wildsight is doing appetizers. Come hear about with financial Wildsight Elk Valley branch volunteers are coordinated by the Earth Day 2014 events thanks goes out to all the from The Free Press. A big Day fun, support from Teck and support happen. To learn more about all the amazing Earth event that have helped make this hday please visit www.facebook.com/eart
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something We challenge you to do out of the ordinary to celebrate the environment this Earth Day. Be grateful for the beautiful place we live in. Take a moment to appreciate the clean air and water we have surrounding Then, us. take action. Consider a small (or big) step you can take to ensure a clean and healthy planet for generations to come.
Happy Earth Day! 2014 Earth Day Committee
VALLEY working WILDSIGHT ELKAve Fernie 891 2nd 250.423.3322
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Pul Sec lout tion
Compost This
By Megan Lohman to impact is one of the simplest ways rganics diversion (or composting)emissions. Many Fernie residents already gas community-wide greenhouse – an effective way to deal with vegetable engage in backyard composting in an oxygenated environment (or aerobic decompose and fruit scraps. When organics is turned and aerated), significantly less methane environment, where compost anaerobic environment (where little to no oxygen of in an is released. Conversely, produced through the process methane is the main gas can be so successful – the exists, such as a landfill), methane capture from landfills decomposition. This is why energy content. gas is plentiful and has high about 4,333 tonnes In Fernie, residents produced (Community Energy and of solid waste in 2010 Regional District of East Unlike backyard Emissions Inventory). The is part of, has the highest Fernie which composting, this of Kootenay, in all of British Columbia. pilot will take rate of solid waste per capita for this, but easy access There may be many reasons any food scraps, dumping at the transfer solid waste disposal (free to are meats, including low uptake in recycling station) and relatively cheese, oils, the high statistic. Improving certain contributors to is an effective way to reduce bread and other diversion opportunities and are sending to the landfill, the amount of waste we items that would of methane and greenhouse in turn, reduce the amount normally be kept as a result. gas emissions produced out of backyard has directed staff to The City of Fernie Council of composts. Kootenays and a group work with Carbon Neutral an organics curbside pilot local volunteers to develop challenges of 2014, and will test the summer roll to pilot program. The pilot is proposed engagement around organics collection. The and barriers of broad community homes, providing kitchen and curbside containers. 100 will focus on approximately food scraps, including meats, this pilot will take any backyard Unlike backyard composting, normally be kept out of other items that would cheese, oils, bread and that do have their own compost opportunity, even for those composts. This provides system, to participate. the community in pursuing determine the interest of The pilot project will help curbside composting program initiative. Designing a the inputs, collection, a broader, community-wide of many different components: There is potential requires consideration education. and of course communication there is processing, end use and waste, particularly where a significant amount of cafés and grocery stores). for a local system to divert commercial sector (restaurants, but the options are many, opportunity to engage the be given to the type of process, systems. Further consideration will systems to open air windrow ranging from technical ‘in-vessel’ in the community responding to a strong interest The City of Fernie is certainly Fernie. A similar initiative has been successfully in full to see such a system developed the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary – a by decreased the amount of implemented in Grand Forks organics system has dramaticallycurbside pickup alleviates a community-wide curbside the community. Coordinating attractant. The organics solid waste collected from backyard compost as a bear curb the concern of some regarding the regular household waste bin – kept off the same as as a regular garbage bag, bin should be treated the The contents are the same residents manage their help until the morning of collection. to provided be will simply separated. Communications process as easy as possible. the collection organic waste and make reduce your waste in other, to think about how to you’re In the meantime, continue purchase, and make sure your products of packaging simple ways. Consider the recycling whenever possible.
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a more sustainable Fernie with: to protect biodiversity and creating- Classroom with Outdoors - Community EcoGarden -Think Tank Cinema - Fernie Ride Board - Beyond Recycling - Wild Nature Tours - Think Local First - Winter Wonder -Flathead Wild
wildsight.ca
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he Regional District of East Kootenay (RDEK) is hoping to bring a new Flood Control Service to Electoral Area A to help fund flood mitigation projects. Area A Director Mike Sosnowski, RDEK Engineering Services Manager Brian Funke, and RDEK Chief Financial Officer Shawn Tomlin unveiled the proposal during an open house at the Hosmer Community Hall on Monday, March 31. Under the Local Government Act, funds that are collected by a regional district for a service must stay with that specific service. The RDEK currently has additional revenue from the taxes collected for the Solid Waste Service. Their intention is to use the revenue to reduce the
taxation for the Solid Waste Service, offsetting a new taxation for the Flood Control Service. “Right now we don’t have a flood control service and so there isn’t a service to pull money from,” said Chief Financial Officer Shawn Tomlin. “Because we have to maintain each service with its own separate fund, in order to provide this ongoing flood mitigation fund, we need to be collecting the taxes specifically for it.” Funds for the Flood Control Service would be collected through property taxation to cover the regular maintenance costs of flood control infrastructure and to create a reserve fund. The reserve fund would allow the RDEK to have the match funding (community portion) required when grant programs become available from the provincial and federal governments,
enabling them to take on larger projects. On top of going towards flood mitigation projects, the funds could contribute to the operation and maintenance of flood related works or improvements, such as dikes and berms. “If we can make a couple hundred-thousand dollars a year out of the [Solid Waste Service], move that money over to the [Flood Control Service], over the years, I’d like to see a million dollars reserved for when diking programs come along,” commented Area A Director Mike Sosnowski. “This way, everybody in the valley benefits from that municipal solid waste reserve, and we’re just moving it, so it’s not costing the guy on the hill, or the guy on the floodplain, any money.” Continued on page 3