THURSDAYSEPTEMBER 24, 2015
Black Press C O M M U N I T Y
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General Excellence
COUPLED ON CANVAS
GENERALS EARN THEIR FIRST WIN
Husband and wife team were reluctant to sell their art
Local junior B team beats Comox 4-2; hosts the same team here on Sunday afternoon
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WINTER STORMS COMING
Little prep happening No firm plans by city or town to battle erosion JOHN HARDING
editor@pqbnews.com
A University of Victoria professor is predicting some extreme weather this winter that could bash the shoreline infrastructure of coastal communities, but Parksville and Qualicum Beach officials have no firm plans to prepare for Mother Nature’s onslaught. B.C. coastal communities need to prepare for the possibility of extreme flooding and erosion that come with both El Niño and La Niña weather systems, according to a new study published this week in Nature Geoscience. According to UVic, this is the first study to show how these climate variability events are linked to greater erosion and flooding in coastal regions across the Pacific Ocean. Researchers from 13 different institutions including the University of Victoria analyzed wave, water level and shoreline response data to identify the impacts of both El Niño and La Niña on coastal flooding and erosion, including in B.C. “It’s not just El Niño we should be concerned about,” said Ian Walker, UVic geography professor and co-author of the study. “Our research shows that severe coastal erosion and flooding can occur along the B.C. coast during both El Niño and La Niña storm seasons, unlike further south in California. We need to prepare not only for this winter, but also for what could follow when La Niña comes.” In March, City of Parksville director of engineering Vaughn Figueira presented council with a consultant’s report on how the city might protect against the damage caused by King tides and winter storms. The money — more than $100,000) for that work was approved, also in March. See ONE AREA DESCRIBED, page A7
JOHN HARDING PHOTO
The McMillan Arts Centre in downtown Parksville was damaged by a fire Wednesday morning. Above, MAC administrator Linda Matteson-Reynolds stands beside the charred ramp to the building.
WEDNESDAY MORNING FIRE IN PARKSVILLE
Administrator not surprised JOHN HARDING
editor@pqbnews.com
The Parksville Fire Department is investigating an early morning fire at the McMillan Arts Centre on Wednesday that damaged the exterior of the building and threatened hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of art inside. The administrator of The MAC said she doesn’t have much doubt about the origins of the blaze. “It’s been escalating every single day and I knew in my heart some-
thing tragic was going to happen,” said Linda Matteson-Reynolds. She said she cleans “bags and bags of garbage” every day from underneath the ramp to The Mac, right where the fire damage was evident on Wednesday morning. “Yesterday there were three needles,” she said. “They’re here every day, every night. They steal from the (nearby) SOS and they bring stuff over here and they rummage through it.” Matteson-Reynolds said she calls
the RCMP “all the time” about the issue and she called them about it again on Tuesday, just hours before the fire. “I guess we are going to have to hire security.” RCMP Cpl. Jesse Foreman confirmed police have received calls from The MAC about the issue. “For some reason they’re hanging out, I’m assuming they are homeless people,” said Foreman. “As we go there they move.” See CALLS TO FD, page A7