THURSDAY
S I N C E
NOVEMBER 13, 2014
1 8 9 5
Vol. 119, Issue 177
105
$
Remembrance Day photos
INCLUDING G.S.T.
Follow us online
Pages 2 and 16
PROUDLY SERVING THE COMMUNITIES OF ROSSLAND, WARFIELD, TRAIL, MONTROSE, FRUITVALE & SALMO
Trail mayor reflects on long career in office
After four decades in municipal politics Dieter Bogs ready to retire from public life BY SHERI REGNIER Times Staff
A political career can be likened to a roller coaster ride - there's plenty of highs and some gut-wrenching lows. But if you hold on tight and with faith, the ride can be exhilarating and sometimes, life changing. The Trail Times sat down with Trail Mayor Dieter Bogs during his last week in office, asking for reflection on his long service to the community. Saturday's civic election brings a new name to the top spot for the first time since 2001. “You learn in politics that nothing moves too fast,” says the soon-to-retire leader. “In the end you have to have patience and learn how to have humility to make any progress. “And if you stay on the right path, because it's the right thing to do, eventually you will win out.” Bogs began his political journey with the drive to advocate for children. He served on the Trail school board for seven years beginning in 1974, which was a time he recalls as being prosperous and ripe for educational opportunities in the area. “At that time the taxes were collected and stayed local,” he said. “We were a rich district and could put in programs that other districts could only dream about.” Once the government recognized disparities throughout the province and collectively gathered school taxes into one pot, Bogs said he saw 'the writing on the wall' and turned his attention toward local government. “I was watching an election discussion and one of the councillors said Trail had so many issues 'right now' that we couldn't afford to think about long term planning,”
ROSSLAND
Accident claims Rossland man
SHERI REGNIER PHOTO
Long serving Trail Mayor Dieter Bogs is crossing the t's and dotting the i's last week before he officially retires from city politics following Saturday's election. noted Bogs. He remembers thinking that a city without long range planning was very ill BY LIZ BEVAN Times Staff
A 24-year-old man from Rossland has died after a motor vehicle accident on Centennial Trail. On Tuesday evening, just before 7 p.m., Trail RCMP officers were dispatched after a call reporting a vehicle down an embankment near Rossland. Two other passengers and the driver of a Ford truck were transported from the scene
advised and in that moment, he decided to run for council. He won a seat first time out and served
to the Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital for treatment of minor injuries. Police have not released the name of the deceased. The truck was travelling on the Centennial Trail near Highway 3B, where it slid off the hiking trail and rolled down an embankment. “They had driven down Centennial Trail, which is not open to vehicles,” said Sgt. Darren Oelke of the Trail and
another 10 years before making a bid for the mayoral job. Through the decades, Bogs has witnessed the city advance dramatically, especially in terms of technology. He recalled a meeting during that first term, when council deliberated at length over purchasing a fax machine. At the time, the city had only one fax, so all departments had to travel to city hall to share. “A number of councillors said we didn't need another and the city couldn't afford it,” he said with a chuckle. “I couldn't believe that we spent so much time talking about a fax machine. At the time most businesses had a fax in every office and we had only one to run the whole city.” Times have changed, according to Bogs, because fast forward to present day, and the City of Trail is ahead of the times with advanced telephone systems, and its own computer infrastructure that includes an up-to-date website and active social media networking. “Things have really changed,” he said. “Compared to those days, the city is so far ahead in technology, and I am really proud of that.” Over his 30 years of service, Bogs recalls the first 10 being “survival mode” following Cominco's heavy financial losses in the early 1990s. “Trail went through very difficult times when the company announced they were no longer making profit and were considering shutting down the operation,” he explained. “Many stepped up to the plate including the city and the regional district, to reduce their taxes by millions,” Bogs continued. “Employees agreed not to ask for wage increases for five years, suppliers took a three per cent cut in costs and the provincial government bought water rights that were later transferred to Columbia Basin Trust.” See NO, Page 3
Greater District RCMP detachment. “They got as far as the tunnel, where I believe they couldn't make it through. They were trying to negotiate their way back out and slid off the road and rolled.” The RCMP press release states alcohol and seatbelts are believed to be contributing factors in the accident. The call came in after dark and Oelke says road conditions
were less than ideal, stressing that the truck should not have been on the path to begin with. “It was icy and slippery, and there was a little bit of ice and snow on the road,” he said. “The conditions were not good, and it wasn't even a road.” Sgt. Oelke says the accident is still under investigation, but there were only three seat belts in the vehicle, which had four occupants. See OFFICER, Page 3
Contact the Times: Phone: FineLine250-368-8551 Technologies 62937 Index 9 Fax:JN250-368-8550 80% 1.5 BWR NU Newsroom: 250-364-1242 Canada Post, Contract number 42068012