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THURSDAY, JULY 16, 2015
Silly sailors ready to raise money I
“
EVENT HELPS child development centre.
It’s the fun and it’s the silliness and it’s the team spirit that comes through and it’s all for a great cause.
BY KARL YU THE NEWS BULLETIN
A
time-honoured Nanaimo tradition will take place for the 31st time this weekend, and as always, it promises to be silly. The 2015 Silly Boat Regatta, Nanaimo Child Development Centre’s flagship fundraiser, begins 1 p.m. on Sunday (July 19) at Maffeo Sutton Park and according to Michelle Kocourek, organizer, there have been many interesting entries over the years. “One of my favourite boats through the years was Serious Coffee,” said Kocourek. “They did a coffee cup ... it was hilarious. Now it did go in circles. It didn’t go straight forward, right away, but I think that’s probably one of my favourite boats.” There are always boats that look good, but don’t perform well in water, according to Kocourek. “Again, you never know what you’re going to get. Some of them look great on land and you get them on the water and they flip, or you flip. It’s the fun and it’s the silliness and it’s the team spirit that comes through and it’s all for a great cause,” she said. Generations Church was
team, said the race scene can be comical. “In the water, it’s quite wild to see so many people out, trying to paddle boats that are made out of nothing that looks like boats and it’s quite funny to see so many people end up in the water,” said Morgan. The child development centre will have an entry Sunday and members want to embody the spirit of the event. “The consensus [was] staff do not want to win,” said Kocourek. “They’re not going for the win, they’re going for fun.” All proceeds go to the centre and will be used for programs and services, assisting children with special needs. Approximately $118,007 was raised last year and Kocourek said the goal is $125,000 this year. For more information, including other activities at the event, please visit www.sillyboat.com.
KARL YU/THE NEWS BULLETIN
Nicole Sugiyama, left, Clare Ethier, Scott Bradford, Kim Howland and Mark Howland, part of the Nanaimo Child Development Centre Silly Boat Regatta team, won’t be taking aim at winning the fundraising race, but rather on having fun.
last year’s grand champion and while team captain Dave Boyce wouldn’t divulge this year’s build, he said there is a happy theme and planning is ongoing. “We literally come down to going into the larder and seeing what’s there,
250.390.1871
VOL. 27, NO. 20
so definitely got to go for the renovations as to what part of recycled goods we’ve got hiding in the storage area,” said Boyce, with a laugh. Elise Morgan, former silly boat organizer and captain of the Young Professionals of Nanaimo
Marijuana dispensaries operate in legal limbo BY TAMARA CUNNINGHAM THE NEWS BULLETIN
A steady stream of customers file into Trees Dispensary Nanaimo, one of several places to pick up medical marijuana in the Harbour City. Cookies, brownies and B.C bud can all be found behind glass cases at the Bowen Road storefront, estimated to serve 1,500 people each week. Clients don’t have to be medical marijuana patients as long as they declare they have a serious medical condition. It’s not the first storefront to go to pot in the Harbour City to meet demand for medical marijuana. Despite retail pot being illegal and the city’s refusal to license the business, more dispensaries are on the way. Two signs advertising dispensaries have cropped up along Terminal Avenue and Nicol Street. Dispensaries are operating within a grey area, according to those behind the counter and city bylaw manager Randy Churchill. The City of Nanaimo has the potential to issue fines to unlicensed businesses – if dispensaries aren’t registered as non-profits – but since the city doesn’t want to license an outlet it views as illegal, it doesn’t want to ticket dispensaries for being without one. Churchill says the city is most concerned with where the product comes from and the conditions of houses and buildings, but it’s the RCMP that decides whether the dispensaries are in breach of the law. Nanaimo RCMP Supt. Mark Fisher says police have to do a proper investigation and it also comes down to policing priorities, but it is illegal to sell marijuana and they are gathering information on what’s happening. He also points out that patients who do have medical permits have the option to go to licensed providers who are legal, like Tilray. “There’s controls over the production of that marijuana, and quality controls and testing that meets certain standards that all falls under the federal government program; dispensaries we don’t know where they’re getting their marijuana from, what testing is done on that marijuana, anything of that nature and same with the food products that they sell,” he said.
reporter@nanaimobulletin.com
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