Kamloops This Week, July 16, 2015

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SNAKES ALIVE!

WHEN COUNTRY KLICKS

Kamloops Venom defy odds, advance to league final

TODAY’S WEATHER

Sun and clouds High 21 C Low 10 C

Ben Klick is at Music is the Park on Saturday

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KAMLOOPS THIS WEEK THURSDAY

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30 CENTS AT NEWSSTANDS

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JULY 16, 2015 | Volume 28 No. 85

Council bans use of cosmetic pesticides ANDREA KLASSEN

STAFF REPORTER

andrea@kamloopsthisweek.com

Beginning next year, Kamloops residents won’t be able to use pesticides on their lawns, flowers or ornamental shrubs and trees. In a 5-4 vote following two-and-a-half hours of debate, city council on Tuesday opted to ban the residential use of cosmetic pesticides. The new ban won’t affect commercial properties or, for the moment, the city itself, nor will it apply to vegetable gardens or fruit trees. As expected, Arjun Singh cast the deciding vote for the ban, along with Donovan Cavers, Denis Walsh, Dieter Dudy and Tina Lange, who proposed the motion. Opposed were Ken Christian, Marg Spina, Pat Wallace and Mayor Peter Milobar. Singh, who held off on stating a position on the ban as it was debated around the city during the past

SAY BYE TO THE ‘CIDES WHAT IT MEANS: The use of pesticides within the City of Kamloops on residences will be prohibited as of Jan. 1, 2016.

WHAT IS EXEMPT? Pesticides can still be used on fruit trees and vegetable gardens.

WHO IS EXEMPT?: The bylaw does not apply to the City of Kamloops, whose staff will continue to use pesticides on playing fields, nor to commercial properties.

HOW ABOUT SALES?: The bylaw does not impact the ability of retailers within the City of Kamloops from selling products that are banned from being used under the bylaw.

ENFORCEMENT?: The bylaw is complaint-driven. The current bylaw, which limits pesticide application to licensed companies, was created in 2009 and has never resulted in a fine.

six weeks, said he is concerned about the potential health risks of pesticides and their ability to spread beyond the properties where they’re being applied. “The thing that really actually concerns me is the impact on vulnerable

populations,” he said, noting that includes residents who are pregnant or who have chemical sensitivities. Councillors who opposed a ban said it would be difficult or impossible to enforce and could lead to more untrained homeowners applying pesticides to their lawns since lawncare companies would no longer be allowed to do so. Milobar said the city has never issued a ticket for violating its previous restrictions — which required a licensed applicator to apply any pesticides — and would not have more success with its new ban. A follow-up motion by Singh that would have also banned the city from using cosmetic pesticides was tabled until October. Council did agree to pass an amendment to the ban from Cavers, which set the adoption date for the ban to Jan. 1, 2016. Otherwise, it would have gone into effect immediately.

What does the bylaw mean for city lawn-care companies? Page A4

LOOK WHAT’S NEW!

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POP-UP BUSINESS BRINGS THE ESCAPE ROOM CRAZE TO KAMLOOPS

ANDREA KLASSEN

STAFF REPORTER

andrea@kamloopsthisweek.com

M

argaret’s Estate is dimly lit but, as the door locks behind us, one thing is immediately clear: The woman whose parlour we’re about to loot loved cats. Framed feline photos line the mantle and ceramic and stuffed cats cover every flat surface. Margaret’s vault, on the other hand, is nowhere in sight — and the 45 minutes my team of three has to locate her reportedly vast

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fortune are already ticking away. Is KTW partaking in some recreational robbery? No, just taking a spin through Perplexed Puzzles, Kamloops’ first escape room. Co-owner Katie McArthur describes her new business, next to the Scoopz ice-cream parlour downtown at the corner of Third Avenue and Lansdowne Street, as a video game come to life. Inside the storefront shop are two fully contained rooms, each packed full of clues and puzzles. “The doors will close behind you, the temperatures and the smells and everything will be

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different in here and you’re going to try to beat the clock,” explained McArthur, who founded Perplexed Puzzles with brother Robert Lidster. “The objective is to enter a different world.” Solve the various riddles and piece together hints correctly within the 45-minute time frame and you’ll successfully escape the space. Or, in the case of Margaret’s Estate, the smaller and more family-friendly of the two puzzles, make off with a vast fortune. See COMMUNICATION, A6

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