Wednesday April 16, 2014 www.saobserver.net $1.25 GST Included
MP won’t run for federal seat By Richard Rolke BlAcK PReSS
A re-evaluation of priorities has colin Mayes preparing to leave the federal scene. The Okanagan-Shuswap MP announced during a conservative gathering in enderby Saturday that he will not run in the next federal election, Oct. 19, 2015. “If I go into another term, I would be in my 70s and I thought, ‘Would I want to be there in my 70s?’ It’s time to focus on my wife and family and to be closer to home,” said Mayes, who turned 66 Friday. “I really thought and prayed about it and I’m comfortable with my decision.” Mayes was first elected as MP in 2006 and was re-elected in 2008 and 2011. He says he will complete his term in Ottawa but he hasn’t quashed speculation that he will run this november for Salmon Arm mayor, a position he held for nine years. “I don’t think I would do that, it’s about 80 per cent no.” He hasn’t considered his long-term plans after politics. Colin Mayes “I have thought about MeMber of doing some writing and ParliaMent taking courses at university. I want something to keep me active,” he said. Mayes’ announcement about retirement came two days after former finance minister Jim Flaherty died of a heart attack. The 64-year-old had resigned as minister last month. Mayes says the death of Flaherty and the loss of friends and acquaintances has reinforced his decision to retire and consider “every day as a blessing.” Mayes admits that he will miss being an MP once the term comes to an end. “Serving people in the constituency and seeing things get done, like the swimming pool in Armstrong, and knowing you and your staff played a part in that happening, that’s where I get my high,” he said. While there isn’t an election until late 2015, Mayes decided to announce his intentions now so the conservative Party has time to find a candidate.
JAmes muRRAy/OBSeRVeR
Attacking the flames: Firefighters Nigel Watts, Lt. Mark Koprowsky, Ryan Mackintosh and Sean Scott work to extinguish a grass fire that burned out of control Sunday afternoon in a field off 20th Street SW.
Grass fires keep crews busy Burning: Some owners unprepared, blazes get out of control. By Barb Brouwer OBSeRVeR STAFF
Brush fires heated up fire dispatch lines on the weekend within the municipality of Salmon Arm and beyond. Hall 3 firefighters were dispatched to a brush/grass fire at 1451 20th St. SW at 3:15 p.m. Sunday. “Arriving on scene, firefighters found an individual who had been doing a burn without a permit,” says Salmon Arm Fire chief Brad Shirley. “He lost control and required our assistance.” Hall 3 firefighters were joined by a Hall 2 tender and a bush vehicle that responds out of Hall 4. Shirley says firefighters were on scene until 4:24 p.m. and, while the property owner might have had a few hand tools nearby, they obviously weren’t enough to contain the fire. He points out that any burning requires a permit available from either
This week The source of an E. coli outbreak at Gort’s Gouda could not be determined. See A3 for more. Education moves outdoors for some students at Bastion Elementary. Turn to A13.
Hall 3 downtown or city hall. “There are a number of different categories and certainly burning grass is not one of them,” Shirley says, noting that fires can get away from people and cause major damage, even in conditions that are not super hot. “People are subject to a fine for burning without a permit, but we haven’t decided what we’ll do with this individual.” While encouraged by people wanting to clean up their properties because it reduces fuel load for wildfires, fire officials say people need not only to get permits, but burn within the limits of that permit. Annual campfire permits and agricultural permits are $10 while larger agricultural and land-clearing permits are $150 and have to meet other requirements. Incidental fire permits such as yard clean-up are $10 but are allowed only
between March 15 and April 15 and Oct. 1 to 31. “The permit gives you three days, but we like you to have it done in one day,” says Shirley. “In the old days, we’d be rolling two, three and four times a day on weekends, but, for the most part, people have become a lot more aware.” columbia Shuswap Regional district Fire Services co-ordinator Kenn Mount wishes that held true in the electoral areas. cSRd fire departments were kept busy with brush/grass fires from Falkland to notch Hill on the weekend. “I did hear that when the Falkland Fire department got there, the fire was under control, so the property owner got some help before it got out of control,” says Mount. “They didn’t have to do too much, but helped out by creating See Fires on page A2
Index Opinion ....................... A6 View Point .................. A7 Life & Times ............... A8 Time Out..................... A9 Sports................A17-A19 Arts & Events ... A20-A23 Vol. 107, No. 16, 44 pages