LAKESHORE
Shuswap Vol. 28 No. 33 August 18, 2017
Market News
Wa App rrant rov y ed!
No ent tm n i o ry App cessa e N
It’s Our Duty to Your Car! Since 1978
HOURS: Mon. to Sat. 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Helping the Environment! all used oil & filters are sent out for recycling
1291 TCH SW Salmon Arm salmonarm.gcocltd.com • 250-832-1040
Inside
A castle to remember
Shuswap
A2
Shuswap Hospice Society board member Marc Dansereau works on the top level of a multi-tiered sandcastle he’s constructing at Marine Park in Salmon Arm on Monday, Aug. 14. The project is being sculpted by the Blind Bay resident to raise awareness of, and funds for, the hospice society. Dansereau began building his elaborate sand sculptures in honour of his daughter Bernadette, who died at age 6 of an inoperable cancer. The Marine Park castle will be his largest project yet. The castle will require 10 yards of sand and will weigh approximately 28,000 lbs when complete. The finished castle will be treated with a sealant, and will remain on display in the park through September.
Roots & Blues
Festival gets set to open the gates for 25th year. Plus Opinion A6 South Shuswap A8-10
Chase
A25
Salmon Caravan
Celebration comes to Chase Oct. 12. Plus What’s On A26 CornStock A27
Flyers ❚ Askew’s ❚ Best Buy* ❚ Blind Bay Village Grocer* ❚ Brandsaver* ❚ The Brick ❚ Canadian Tire* ❚ Home Hardware ❚ Jysk* ❚ London Drugs* ❚ M&M Meats* ❚ No Frills ❚ Okanagan College ❚ Peavey Mart* ❚ Pharmachoice* ❚ Pharmasave ❚ Real Estate ❚ Red Plum* ❚ Rona* ❚ Safety Mart* ❚ Save On Foods ❚ Shoppers Drug Mart* ❚ Smart Source* ❚ Staples* ❚ Superstore* ❚ Walmart* ❚ Zimmer Group* *Limited distribution
LACHLAN LABERE/SALMON ARM OBSERVER
Home building permits top predictions
City sees upswing in construction of single-family dwellings. Martha Wickett Salmon Arm Observer
Seventy-three building permits for single-family houses in seven months. That figure had Salmon Arm Council talking on Monday. The city’s monthly building department report showed 17 single family building permits issued in July this year, up over nine in July 2016. That brought the total number of single-family homes to date this year to 73, nearly dou-
ble 2016’s 39 for the same period. Coun. Chad Eliason asked if this is a record year, but it isn’t quite. In 2007, there were 99 single-family dwelling permits as of July 31. However, city staff say this year all the building permits are for homeowner housing, while in 2007 several were for spec homes, many of which took a long time to sell after the market fell in 2008. Coun. Kevin Flynn agreed he hasn’t seen anything like
this since 2006 or 2007. “That’s a lot of houses.” Eliason said that along with new single-family dwellings, lots of renovations are going on. He remembered how, in ’06 and ’07, builders were coming to council saying there weren’t enough lots for new homes. So council went through the official community plan and identified some areas where the city’s urban containment boundary could be expanded, such as the
Upper Lakeshore area. He pointed to many benefits of the boom, such as building permit revenue, income for the building trades and more. “These are good for Salmon Arm economically. It’s a big bang for our buck, a big multiplier…” He gave kudos to staff for all their extra work. Flynn, too, acknowledged staff’s work. “Those numbers are staggering really,” he said. Coun. Ken Jamieson said
this shows Salmon Arm is a desirable place to live. He added that city hall seems to be a pretty friendly place to do business, noting lots of city halls don’ t have such a good reputation. Eliason said he’s pleased to see Salmon Arm is getting a mix of the whole spectrum of housing types. Mayor Nancy Cooper said she was talking to realtors on the weekend. “It is an exciting time for Salmon Arm and a time of high growth.”