The Hope
Look inside today’s edition for the annual holiday recipe and carol book
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YOUR GUIDE FOR RECIPES AND CAROLS DURING THE HOLIDAYS.
Check out inside! Recipes for appetizers, side and main dishes, desserts and more! Brought to you by
Standard Office: 604.869.2421 www.hopestandard.com
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2014
news@hopestandard.com
3 SCHOOL SAFETY PATROL CREATED
Students at Coquihalla Elementary are helping peers at crosswalks
10 HOPE ARTIST IN
HARRISON SHOW
Jenny Wolpert presents her work this weekend in Nature Exposed exhibit
KERRIE-ANN SCHOENIT / THE STANDARD
Christmas countdown 16 POWERLIFTER
BRINGS HOME MEDAL Brian Clark places second at the BCPA’s Fall Classic powerlifting competition
INSIDE
Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Community . . . . . 10 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Classifieds . . . . . 18 $
1(PLUS GST)
A sure sign the holidays are approaching, public works employees were busy stringing festive lights across Wallace Street last week. The street lights and decorated tree in Memorial Park will be lit every night starting Dec. 1. The new council will also be officially sworn in on Dec. 1 at 7 p.m. at district hall. The meeting will be followed by a screening of “It’s a Wonderful Life” at Hope Cinema, sponsored by Wilfried Vicktor, with admission by donation of a canned food item.
Community forest board fired
Kerrie-Ann Schoenit Hope Standard
The Cascade Lower Canyon Community Forest (CLCCF) board of directors has been let go pending an operational review of the corporation. The partners – District of Hope, Fraser Valley Regional District and Yale First Nation – issued a termination letter to the board on Nov. 13, stating concern of the legalities of the grant processes and procedures currently employed. To facilitate the review process, all current directors have been removed and an interim board appointed. “This isn’t personal. They as a board made a decision that was going to
jeopardize the entire community forest,” said Mayor Susan Johnston, on behalf of the partners. “We can’t let that happen. At the end of the day, local governments are accountable to the public.” A 25-year renewable community forest agreement was signed between the three partners in 2012 allowing the CLCCF to cut 31,000 cubic meters of timber annually between Hope and Yale, and in a small area of Sunshine Valley. Lumber production and milling is managed by Tolko Industries. They are responsible for logging the forest, reforestation, and compensating CLCCF for the lumber produced. The profits are then distributed back into the partners’ local area by way of
project grant funding. After looking over the financial statements earlier this year, the partners met with the board of directors in May to review some of the policies and procedures. Johnston said money had been given out before things like tax implications had been ironed out. At that time, the board was instructed not to distribute any more community grants. “We went away from that meeting feeling that everyone understood, not perhaps that they all agreed, the importance of the disbursement of funds,” she said. “Recently, we were quite surprised to find out that the board went ahead and approved the disbursement of more funds against
the recommendation of the partners.” Deanna Venusio, who is in charge of board administration and communications, said they waited months to hear back from the partners before deciding to approve three grants at the end of October. There was money available at the time for grant dispersal and six outstanding grant applications. “The board is relatively frustrated with it. They understood when they were forming that the money is supposed to go back into the communities, whether it’s recreation or community services,” said Venusio, pointing out that CLCCF handed out $116,000 in community grants last year.
Wear your team jersey, team or club uniform to school, work or play and show your love and support for sport.
IN E HOP
Friday, November 28
Try out Badminton and Pickleball Saturday, November 29 in celebration of RBC Sports Day in Canada. Call 604-869-2304 for details.
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Sports Days Events co-sponsored by