TUESDAY MARCH 17, 2015
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Silver 2013 General Excellence
THE BEST GET THEIR AWARD Parksville and District Business Awards celebrate success
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ART AND TALES FOR THE TELLING
First Nations art and stories featured at The MAC in Parksville this month
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NEW TREATMENT PLANT PLANS ON HOLD
DFO causing water woes ERWS chairman concerned about feds’ lack of knowledge AUREN RUVINSKY writer@pqbnews.com
Funding for a $37 million water infrastructure project in Parksville is on hold, but planning work has to continue, according to the Englishman River Water Service board. “The obvious lack of knowledge of DFO (Department of Fisheries and Oceans) staff is a serious concern,” said chair Joe Stanhope at an emergency meeting Friday morning to discuss a surprising letter. The project was already plagued by funding complications, with the original assumption that the federal and provincial governments would each pay for a third, looking unlikely, and a major Small Communities Fund application delayed by as much as a year. The project includes a new Englishman River intake and water treatment plant, with a separate aquifer storage and recovery system. The first two were part of an original Arrowsmith Water Service (AWS) plan started in 1993, of which phase one was the construction of the Arrowsmith Dam. See ‘DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND’ , page A7
Defining organic Provincial gov’t looks at certification program CANDACE WU news@pqbnews.com
In an age of artisan crackers and gluten-free everything — what does it even mean to be organic? That’s what the B.C. government is trying to figure out. The Ministry of Agriculture is looking to regulate the term “organic” through a certification program that would see standards put in place for farmers who want to call their practices and products organic. Currently, companies with organic products may choose to participate in the B.C. Certified Organic Program, which is administered by the Certified Organic Association of B.C. (COABC). However, it is in no way mandatory for farmers to go through this program to call their food organic. See LEGISLATION COULD DO HARM, page A4
JOHN HARDING PHOTO
HOOPS TOURNEY: More than 200 male and female athletes in grades 6-7 competed in a district-wide basketball tournament at Ballenas Secondary School on Thursday. Above, during a game against Errington Elementary, are Bowser Elementary players Cassandra Casavant (10) and Kerri-Lynn Baisely (13).
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