WEST COAST WRESTLING
‘BEAR THE WAIT’ IN TOFINO
Two early tourneys launch new season
Man carries stone to shed light on important issue
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Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2017
Westerly News
TOFINO-UCLUELET
$1.25 (including tax)
WesterlyNews.ca
Highway 4 set to close every night
Work on $27 million upgrade begins in April
ANDREW BAILEY andrew.bailey@westerlynews.ca
The only road that connects the West Coast to Port Alberni and beyond looks like it will be shut down in both directions every night for three months this summer. Canada’s Ministry of Infrastructure and Communities and B.C.’s Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure are splitting the cost of a roughly $27 million project that will upgrade a 1.5 kilometre stretch of Hwy. 4 roughly 14 kilometres east of the West Coast junction. The project is expected to get underway in April and take about two years to complete. Ucluelet mayor Dianne St. Jacques told the Westerly News that Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure representatives presented to the Alberni Clayoquot Regional District board last week and outlined their plan to close Highway 4 in both directions every night from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. from June 15 to September 15. During each nightly closure, the highway would open for two one-hour periods: from midnight to 1 a.m. and again from 4 a.m. to 5 a.m., according to St. Jacques. She said the road is expected to remain open between 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., though commuters could face 30-minute delays with single-lane traffic. Continued on A12 See TURN page 0
NORA O’MALLEY PHOTO
Mathea Olin, 14, stands at Cox Bay beach with the medals she won at the Pan American Games in Peru at the beginning of December. Olin won a bronze in the women’s shortboard and gold in the longboard. Her medals are the first surf medals for Canada in international competition.
Historic win for young Tofino surfer NORA O’MALLEY nora.omalley@westerlynews.ca
Tofino surfer Mathea Olin looks strong as she paddles out at her home break at the north end of Cox Bay on a drizzly Saturday in December. The 14-year-old Tokyo 2020 Olympic hopeful effortlessly punches through walls of whitewater, navigating herself into position to catch a head high green wave out back. In minutes, she catches the first clean wave that rolls towards her and beautifully executes a powerful snap manoeuvre on its open face. Like a snowboarder carving powder, a flash of spray projects above her head.
“My main focus is definitely shortboard. I love longboards and literally will only longboard like 10-times a year, so I kind of just hop on a longboard a couple times before a comp,” said Olin. Most recently, her free and organic approach to longboard competition earned the young athlete a gold medal at the Pan American Surfing Games in Peru at the beginning of month. “I was up against a three-time world champion. I was like, I’m probably not going to win so I’m just gonna go out there and have fun longboarding and try new stuff,” she recalls. Then on a longboard she borrowed from a teammate, Olin cruised her way to a perfect 10 wave score. “I was so lucky to have it. I was stoked before I even finished the wave.” Continued on A3
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