THURSDAYJULY 2, 2015
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AN AMAZING COUPLE
POP PIANO MAN IN PARKSVILLE
Qualicum Beach partners endure same, rare heart defect
Some might liken his sound to a young Billy Joel or Elton John
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A31
NANOOSE BAY
Fairwinds finds buyer New owner has zoning in place for development JOHN HARDING editor@pqbnews.com
Details are scarce, but the Fairwinds development in Nanoose Bay has been sold. “There is a sale agreement in place,” Fairwinds general manager Jim Olsen said Tuesday. “Beyond that, I really can’t comment.” Olsen said more details about the sale might be available in “days, not weeks.” News of the sale was buzzing around Nanoose Bay on Tuesday morning. “We are pleased to share an exciting development regarding the sale of Fairwinds,” the president of the Fairwinds Community Association wrote in an e-mail to members on Tuesday obtained by The NEWS. “Although details aren’t being released until the formal confirmation of sale, we anticipate these coming soon and will get them out to everyone as soon as they are available. Personally, I think this is very good news for Fairwinds, especially if the new owners go ahead with the development.” The now-former owners, an investment management firm called bcIMC, put the development up for sale in October of last year. Fairwinds has 700 homes, a championship golf course, private fitness centre, trails and a full-service marina. Perhaps more importantly, the development has zoning approval for an additional 287 hectares, which could double the population of Nanoose Bay to more than 11,000 people in 20 years. In May of this year, Regional District of Nanaimo officials said any sale of the property would not affect the zoning. See HOUSING, SHOPS, PARKS, page A8
JESSICA SKELTON PHOTO
FAST TIMES AT CANADA DAY PARADE: Fast Time Grand Prix brought the need for speed to the annual Canada Day parade in Parksville yesterday. The group of drivers performed formations throughout the event, much to the enjoyment of the thousands who lined the parade route. For more photos from the parade, see our photo page on A25 today and visit our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/PQBNews.
JUNE SETS RECORDS FOR HEAT, LACK OF RAIN
No relief in sight for dry heat AUREN RUVINSKY
writer@pqbnews.com
Already one of the hottest and driest years on record, June set records and little change is in the forecast. June is usually the “cold low month” of summer, but every official organization is ringing the alarm bells about the “tinder-dry conditions,” as Environment Canada meteorologist Andre Besson said. Besson said with an average temperature of 17.5 C, Victoria recorded its warmest June on record, beating the record of 17 C from 1958. The city — the closest for which official figures
were available — also received just 4.6 mm of rain, down from the average 30.6 mm. “That’s definitely significant — the general pattern across the Island and south coast has been extremely dry,” he said. “That’s not helping the dry conditions on the ground.” “It’s due to a ridge of high pressure offshore pushing the moisture north,” he said, adding the north was actually wetter than normal. And the hot dry conditions are forecast to continue throughout the summer, with no rain expected for at
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least the next 10 days, Besson said. As a result the Coastal Fire Centre is expanding the existing fire bans as of noon today, Thursday, July 2. “The public’s assistance is requested to help reduce the number of human-caused fires and to enable crews to respond to naturally occurring wildfires,” states a news release. Currently you are allowed to use briquettes in established campfire rings in campgrounds, but as of Thursday, briquettes can only be used in ULC or CSA-approved devices with flames smaller than 15 cm. See RIVERS, page A6
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