WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2014
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VOL. 18, NO. 53 | $1 + GST
| www.lakecowichangazette.com
Happy New Year!
2014 Year in review: From business awards to music festivals, and everything in between PAGES 12 & 13
Photo Malcolm Chalmers
Mylan and Kenley Knott discuss Christmas gifts with Santa Claus at Cowichan Lake Sports Arena’s annual Winter Wonderland on the evenning of Tuesday, Dec. 23. Staff decked the halls of the arena for the event, which also featured skating, hockey, a toboggan run, hot chocolate and even a fire on the ice.
Grant could help paint the town green
Drew McLachlan
LAKE COWICHAN GAZETTE
While the Lake Cowichan Community Gardens are well on their way, having already cleared and levelled their space by Centennial Park, the community project may strike gold soon, as the Town of Lake Cowichan is now eligible for a $15,000 grant from Tree Canada and TD Bank.
The town has applied every year for the annual TD Green Street grant, which supplies communities with a maximum of $15,000 to be invested in environmental projects. Despite persistence, Lake Cowichan has never been awarded the grant, due to falling short in one of the program’s requirements. “We applied last year, and at the time we were told that having a TD
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branch in the community was a prerequisite,” Joe Fernandez, the Town of Lake Cowichan’s Chief Administrative Officer, said. “But that’s no longer the case.” Despite being rejected for the TD Green Street Grant last year, the town has been successful in other pursuits, being awarded a similar grant from BC Hydro the last two years, for $10,000 and $5,000, respectively.
If the town is successful in applying for the TD Green Streets grant this time around, the Lake Cowichan Community Gardens, which are coordinated by Cowichan Green Community, could be adding an additional $15,000 to their coffers. “Work is already underway for the gardens, so its success doesn’t hinge on this grant,” Fernandez said.
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“But it will make it that much more successful, it will help move it along faster and give it that much more seed money.” TD Green Streets is the flagship program of Tree Canada and the only nationally-based program of its kind in Canada. Since its inception in 1994, the program has provided funding for almost 500 municipalities. Last year, 18 communities
were awarded grants, including Ucleulet, Sechelt and Langley. Due to the TD branch requirement being dropped this year, Lake Cowichan could be joining that list next year, though many other small towns will also be eligible. For more information on the upcoming community gardens, visit cowichangreencommunity.org
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