TUESDAY FEBRUARY 23, 2016
GARDENING
See LOCAL NEWS page 3
STONE SOUP CHALLENGE CONTINUES
See LOCAL NEWS page 3
Trail concerns continue
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THE BULLETIN PROUDLY SERVING KIMBERLEY AND AREA SINCE 1932 | Vol. 84, Issue 36 | www.dailybulletin.ca
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St. Mary Valley residents Cheryl and Gordon Olsen worry about Bootleg trails plan C AROLYN GR ANT Bulletin Editor
Although a Memorandum of Understanding between Recreation Sites and Trails BC and the City of Kimberley (Kimberley Trails Society and the Mark Creek Watershed Committee) is pending, it has not yet been signed. The MOU will deal with trail development outside City limits out to Bootleg Mountain. The Kimberley Trails Society has accessed some Resort Municipality funding to create the trails and is working with Recreation Sites and Trails BC. The Watershed committee is involved because the trails do cut across a portion of the Matthew Creek watershed. St. Mary Valley residents Cheryl and Gordon Olsen have had concerns with the plans since their inception. They say that governments have tapped into the recreation tourist trade and now there seems to be no end in sight to lands being considered for that use, no matter what the consequences. “The Kimberley Trails Management Plan - Consultation Draft, a document, (available on the internet) intended to provide guidance for development of trails in the Kimberley area has been left dormant, at least with regard to the Bootleg Trail project” Cheryl Olsen wrote in a letter to the Bulletin. “The vision of the Plan
(revealed in May 2013) was to have support from all stakeholders, including water-user groups, and stresses the need for community involvement, public support, and public consultation a number of times throughout. As residents we did not know until September of 2014 that trails were proposed for Bootleg Mountain, and learned in 2015 that a Trail Management Plan had been prepared a couple of years prior.” The Olsens says that they have never received a definitive answer as to whether, as residents of the valley, they are stakeholders or not. There hasn’t been sufficient consultation, they say, though RSTBC and the Kimberley Trails Society did appear at the St. Mary Valley Residents Association AGM in February of 2015. In that case, Olsen says, residents were given a watered down version of the full extent of the Bootleg Trail Proposal. “A motion was passed at the Advisory Planning Committee Area E meeting in October of 2014 that a Public Hearing had to be held before this proposal went to tenure. To date no Public Hearings have been convened, and we’ve been told since by RSTBC, that a Public Hearing will not be held and is not part of the process. There are also varying answers on whether or not this will become a tenure.” See TRAILS, page 3
CHRIS NEWEL PHOTOS
Seasoned performers and beginning skaters put on a show for Kimberley this past Saturday at the Civic Centre as the Northstar Skating Club presented Show Case 2016. Above left, guest skater Geneve Miller and right, CanSkater Denver Ferrier. See more page 4.
Progress toward resettling families in Kimberley More than $1,000 raised in one day P. FREDERIKSE
Kimberley, BC/ At the 2016 Winter Market, the Kimberley Refugee Resettlement Group (KRRG) passed an exhilarating milestone. It raised more than a thousand dollars on Valentine’s Day afternoon. “We’ve now passed the halfway mark toward the minimum $15,000 we must have in our checking account before KRRG can select two families to settle here,” reports KRRG’s Co-Chair Peggy Frederikse. (Other requirements are on KRRG’s website, kimberleyrefugees.ca.) The group is especially grateful for the community
outpouring of generosity, since this was KRRG’s first fundraiser. In addition to generating critical dollars at the Market, KRRG’s Communications Team leader Colin MacKenzie is also encouraged to have expanded the public’s understanding of KRRG’s background and aims and to sign up new volunteers. Building on this promising accomplishment and to accommodate newcomers, KRRG’s next meeting is in the evening, Tuesday, February 23rd. From 6:30 to 8pm, the City of Kimberley is again providing the Aquatic Centre meeting room. KRRG’s variety of Teams will give updates and welcome
newcomers to a wide range of opportunities for individuals and groups to be part of making Kimberley “a good place to be welcoming.” Essential as the funds are to get the process started, Fundraising Team Leader Lee Scott is also encouraged that such significant financial involvement represents the eagerness of individuals across the community and beyond to be included. He’s convinced it will also encourage businesses, corporations, foundations and service clubs to step forward now, and in the future. The scene of KRRG’s successful debut in fundraising was the 2016 Winter Market (pictured here). Louise Hock-
ley, KRRG Treasurer, attributed the accomplishment to direct cash contributions at the Market and to the sale of tickets both to KRRG’s raffle and for one of two upcoming fundraising Mediterranean dinners, March 9th and 11th. The Green Door is providing space and assistance for these dinners, tickets are now on sale at Snowdrift Cafe or by calling Jill at 250-432-5447. Becky Pelkonen, KRRG’s Co-Chair, thanked local vendors for the generous raffle prizes that, along with a “Rick’s Rants” video and colorful brochures, drew people to KRRG’s booth. See KRRG, page 3