THURSDAY, May 1, 2014 • 11
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NICOLA VALLEY NEWS
Big Bike rolling through town May 9 By Emily Wessel THE HERALD
newsroom@merrittherald.com
There will be some familiar faces at the Big Bike ride for the Heart and Stroke Foundation this year. The six teams registered so far are all returning, Big Bike co-ordinator Lisa Verity said. “It really speaks of the commitment from Merritt as a community when there are those established and committed team members and riders,” she said. Last year, Merritt riders raised over $18,000 for the foundation through the Big Bike event. “That’s huge,” Heart and Stroke Kamloops/Cariboo area manager Teresa Moore said, adding in years prior, fundraisers typically brought in about $8,000 for the cause. She said the Big Bike has really grown in Merritt and she wants that momentum to keep up. “We all know someone who’s been affected by heart disease and stroke and we all know someone who’s benefitted from the research by the Heart and Stroke Foundation,” Moore said. The Merritt ride is
The Silver Foxes are back at it again, raising money for the Heart and Stroke Foundation and taking their seats on the Big Bike as it rolls through Merritt on May 9. The team will take the first of three rides from the Property Guys parking lot on Voght Street at 4 p.m. Herald file photo
the first of 10 in the Kamloops/Cariboo area, which includes four days of full rides in Kamloops from June 3-6 before the bike heads up north. The bike is one of two in B.C., with the other touring the Coast. Big Bike events will continue until the end of June. The event has a maximum of 10 rides per day at each location. So far, there are three rides in Merritt planned. The Silver Foxes will ride at 4 p.m. on May 9, 4:30 is CUPE and Diamond
Vale school, and 5:30 is the Merritt Golf and Country Club, Curves and the Merritt Curling Club. The organizers said all the teams are still looking for riders, and that anyone who wants to join up doesn’t have to be affiliated with the team’s organization. Moore said while the clock is ticking down to the Big Bike ride, there is still plenty of time for people to raise their minimum $50 donation to get a seat on the bike. They said there are only two requirements
Smart meter refusal fees trimmed By Tom Fletcher BLACK PRESS tfletcher@blackpress.ca
BC Hydro customers who refuse to part with their mechanical power meters will continue to pay $32.40 a month for manual meter readings, with a refund on the balance of the $35 they’ve been paying since December. The B.C. Utilities Commission
riders must meet: raise at least $50 for the foundation and be at least 14 years old. The money goes toward the organization’s research, advocacy and outreach. Locally, that outreach includes literature in the local hospital and working with teachers to promote heart health in the school system. “It comes back in many ways to the communities, but I believe the strongest one is just the person next door or your family member who is here because of the work the Heart and Stroke Foundation has done over the past 60 years,” Moore said.
ruled on BC Hydro’s smart meter optout fees Friday, after an order from the B.C. government required the regulator to approve fees covering all of BC Hydro’s costs. A $20 a month charge will continue for BC Hydro customers who accept a digital meter with the radio transmission function turned off.
See ‘Mechanical’ Page 14
“We are creating survivors,” she said. This year, organizers are sweetening the pot for Merritt participants by offering the top fundraiser in town a pair of tickets to a benefit concert featuring country musician Chad Brownlee. The event takes place at Kamloops winery Harper’s Trail on June 28. “Merritt loves [its] country music, and we’re hoping that will generate a little bit of a competitive spirit between the riders,” Verity said. The rides depart May 9 from the Property Guys parking lot on Voght Street.
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