Columbia Valley Pioneer, March 12, 2020

March 12, 2020 Vol. 17/Issue 11

Your Weekly Source for News and Events

The Columbia Valley Pioneer • 1 March 12, 2020

The Columbia Valley

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Scores of detectives gathered at Horsethief Creek Pub and Eatery to solve a murder earlier this month.

The detectives were so proactive that they began interrogating the suspects before the murder itself took place. Pausing only for dinner and a rousing match of Rock, Paper, Scissors, the super sleuths mused over means and motives before levelling their accusations and netting a confession. Juanita Rose Violini wrote and directed the steampunk murder mystery, while valley actors took on the characters she created.

Photo submitted

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2 • The Columbia Valley Pioneer

March 12, 2020 Highlights of the @LiveColumbiaValley Instagram account, brought to you by the Columbia Valley Community Economic Development Office, a service of the RDEK.

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Passive house – The Stich family hosted an open house at their passive house in Invermere on March 3.

Tomaz Stich is an internationally-renowned expert in passive house design and is showing a keen group of local building industry stakeholders what’s involved in building a passive house.

If you could not make it in last week, don’t worry. There will be another open house event in April.

Tomaz will likely host a passive house design course in Invermere at a later date.

Trades sampler – Led by instructor Jesse Okros, the @cotr_ invermere’s Youth Explorer Trades Sampler program students are working on food truck stands as part of their course and to help stage the upcoming Hospitality Management Student Food Truck Festival at the Columbia Valley Centre in Invermere. All April 3 event attendees will have the option to select six of the eight available street-food concepts to taste and score in categories such as food quality, service and ambience.

A guaranteed night of fun, food and friendly competition!

Food Truck Festival tickets are $15 and available on EventBrite.ca.

Bixby earns silver medal Teigan Bixby of the Invermere Judo Club received a silver medal at the BC Winter Games at Fort St. John in February.

Photo submitted

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Contact Amanda at 250-341-6299 ext: 101 for more information.

Correction Due to an editing error, last week’s story on whole food plant based diets provided incorrect information.

The diet does not allow white sugar, white rice or white wheat.

Brown rice and whole-grain flour are fine for those on the diet.

March 12, 2020

The Columbia Valley Pioneer • 3

VALLEY NEWS Fairmont Hot Springs airport stays aloft

By Steve Hubrecht steve@columbiavalleypioneer.com The Fairmont Hot Springs Airport will likely not close at the end of this month.

Regional District of East Kootenay (RDEK) directors voted during their meeting last week to commit $60,000 in funding to the Columbia Valley Airport Society for the airport, subject to a number of conditions.

The Fairmont Hot Springs Airport has been operated by Fairmont Hot Springs Resort for decades, but this past fall the resort released a press release indicating it would cease running the facility by the end of this March. The Columbia Valley Airport Society sprang into action with the intent of figuring out a way to keep the airport operating, but there were few public, on-the-record indications of progress in the interim. The issue heated up in the past few weeks, with the March 31 deadline looming. Invermere council turned down a request for funding at its Tuesday, February 25 meeting, saying the request was better directed to the RDEK. The RDEK board discussed and voted on the matter at its Friday, March 6 meeting, approving operational funding of $60,000 from the Columbia Valley Economic Services area funds.

“The important thing to consider is that this board recognizes the value of this airport from a public safety perspective,” RDEK Area F director Susan Clovechok told the Pioneer (Area F is the part of the RDEK in which the Fairmont airport lies), outlining that this includes the airport’s use for medical evacuations — and its capability for this use under a variety of weather conditions — as well as its use by the B.C. Wildfire Services to fight fires throughout the East Kootenay each summer.

“That is why we’re making this move,” said Clovechok, adding the directors agreed to the funding “despite many unknowns.”

Those unknowns concern the structure, makeup and expertise of the society, all of which are addressed by what Clovechok termed the “lengthy list of conditions,” which the society has five months to meet if it is to secure the funding.

The conditions include: that an annual general meeting be held with audited 2019 financials; election of a new board and officers that represent the Columbia Valley geographically; using a skills matrix to recruit qualified board members and ensure proper oversight of the society; that bylaws be updated to prevent any single business, corporation or not-for-profit organization from holding a majority of votes on the society board; that a fully-costed business plan be prepared; a professional assessment of assets completed; and an operations/procedures review and work plan be prepared.

The society has until August 14 to meet these conditions.

“I believe it is unlikely that the airport will shut down (on the March 31 deadline) as a result of this commitment of funding. It will likely continue to operate, while the society meets the conditions,” said Clovechok.

Clovechok cautioned that, although the original documents pertaining to the matter have long since likely been lost, it is her understanding that Fairmont Hot Springs Resort entered into an agreement with the provincial government decades ago to operate the airport, and that this agreement expired in 2016. She added the resort has approached the RDEK a few times in the past few years over the issue.

“They decided it is not conducive to their success to continue operating the airport, but in the meantime it’s become an important community asset,” said Clovechok.

The Columbia Valley Airport Society was due to have a meeting earlier this week, just as the Pioneer went to press.

The Pioneer requested comment from several society members on the matter, but all indicated they preferred to wait until after the meeting. Stay tuned to future issues for a follow up.

Rockies battling Dynamiters for first in division

By Dauna Ditson dauna@columbiavalleypioneer.com For the first time in 17 years – as long as some of the Columbia Valley Rockies have been alive – the team swept a playoff series.

The Rockies only needed four games in their best-of-seven series against the Fernie Ghostriders to emerge victorious on Tuesday, March 3.

Beating the Ghostriders was payback for last year’s season when the Ghostriders were just as swift to shut down the Rockies’ dreams.

“They swept us last year and we wanted nothing but (to pay them back). We wanted to win four straight games for sure. We knew we were capable of it, and went in there and did it,” said Greg Parker, who plays left defence. “It felt really good this year coming back and doing it to them.”

Tristan Lambert, who also plays defence, said he began to sense victory halfway into their last game of the series, which the Rockies took 4-0.

“We went into their barn and we stole two wins from them and coming back to the Columbia Valley up 2-0 felt really good. And obviously when we closed them out

in that final game – to sweep them like we did – it was a great feeling, and the atmosphere around the rink was really good too,” he said.

Lambert added that the win made him feel “overjoyed because we get to move on to the next round and keep going as a team.”

Now the Rockies are in a seven-game battle against the Dynamiters over the division championship. The Rockies fought the Dynamiters in Kimberley on March 9 and 10 and will return to Invermere to play them again tonight (Thursday, March 12) and tomorrow (Friday, March 13). Unless victory comes early, the teams will face off in Kimberley on Sunday, Invermere on Monday and Kimberley on Tuesday.

Parker said the showdown should be a good match up. While the Rockies had a bit of a bumpy start to the season, he said: “We’ve really gelled lately and it’s shown ... We’re a completely different team now. I really think we have the ability to kick these guys.”

Head coach Wade Dubielewicz agreed about the team’s transformation.

“We’ve had some ups and downs this year ... This group has just been resilient.

They keep going and going,” he said. “We’re peaking at the right time.”

Continued on page 5 . . .

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4 • The Columbia Valley Pioneer

March 12, 2020

SECURITY Est. 2005

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Columbia Valley Little League 2020 Season Online Registration March 9th – April 10th www.cvlittleleague.ca Season opens Monday, April 27th Thank you to our 2019 season sponsors: Valley Foods Al Fraser Marine K5 Automotive Independent Respiratory Services Norcon Custom Design Osteohands Family Osteopathic Care Peak Exteriors Email: columbiavalleylittleleague@gmail.com

Spring Funding 2020 FOR HEALTH RELATED PROJECTS

The Invermere Health Care Auxiliary Society is pleased to invite non-profit organizations to apply for funding for projects that will enhance health care and healthy living in our community.

The source of funding for the IHCAS is the Invermere Thrift Store, 90-plus volunteers working tirelessly to strengthen health initiatives in the Columbia Valley. Applicants are required to be qualified donees as required by CRA. For applications and any questions email seona@shaw.ca Deadline for applications being received is March 27, 2020.

Successful applicants will be notified mid-April 2020.

Restaurant and Lounge Opens at 8 a.m., Monday – Friday Opens at 7a.m., Saturday & Sunday Closes at 9 p.m., Sunday – Thursday Closes at 10 p.m., Friday & Saturday

Submitted by Sgt. Darren Kakuno, Detachment Commander Columbia Valley RCMP This past week, March 2 through March 8, the Columbia Valley RCMP responded to 49 calls for service. The following is a summary of some of the files our officers responded to.

On Tuesday, March 3 at 8:30 a.m. the Columbia Valley RCMP and Radium Fire Department responded to a single vehicle collision on East Main Street in Radium Hot Springs. The driver of a commercial transport truck had reversed into a utility pole, which caused major damage to the pole. Nobody was injured in this incident. The driver of the truck was issued violation tickets for reversing when unsafe and failing to fill out a daily log.

On Thursday, March 5 at 7:45 a.m. police were called to a residence in Canal Flats for an intoxicated male who was refusing to leave. An officer attended and arrested the male for mischief. The male was held in cells until sober to prevent the continuation of the offence.

On Thursday, March 5 at about 8 a.m. police received a report of a gas and dash from a Windermere gas station. The suspect vehicle was a blue Pontiac Montana van with Alberta plates. At about 8:30 a.m. police received a second report of a suspicious male in Windermere driving a similar van.

Police began a search for the vehicle and at about 2 p.m. an officer located the suspect vehicle on the White Swan Forest Service Road south of Canal Flats. The vehicle was confirmed to be stolen out of Calgary. A lone male occupant was arrested for possession of stolen property. The male was also wanted on a warrant out of Kelowna. The 24-yearold male from Airdrie was charged with possession of stolen property.

On Thursday, March 5 at about 8:20 p.m. police stopped a Toyota Tacoma on Westroc Mine

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Road in Invermere. The officer suspected the driver had been drinking and read a breath demand. The driver blew a “fail” and, as a result, he received a 90-day immediate roadside driving prohibition and his vehicle was impounded for 30 days.

On Friday, March 6 at about 7:50 p.m. police received a report of a dark coloured SUV parked in the middle of the road on Tarte Street in Invermere. Police attended and spoke to the driver of a Nissan Pathfinder. While speaking to the driver the officer observed an open bottle of vodka sitting on the passenger seat. The driver submitted to a breath demand and blew two “fails.” As a result, he was issued a 90-day immediate roadside driving prohibition and his vehicle was impounded for 30 days.

On Friday, March 6 at 11:45 p.m. an officer conducted a traffic stop with a Toyota 4-Runner near 7th Avenue in Invermere. While speaking to the driver the officer noted an odour of liquor coming from the driver’s breath. The driver submitted to a breath demand and blew a “fail.” As a result, he was issued a 90-day immediate roadside driving prohibition and his vehicle was impounded for 30 days.

On Saturday, March 7 at about 2:50 a.m. an officer stopped to speak to the driver of a Jeep Cherokee that was idling outside a business on 13th Street. The officer suspected the driver had been drinking and read a breath demand. The driver refused to provide a sample and, as a result, was issued a 90-day immediate roadside driving prohibition and his vehicle was impounded for 30 days.

On Saturday, March 7 at 10:45 a.m. police responded to a report of a single vehicle rollover near Olive Lake in Kootenay National Park. The driver of a Toyota Tercel lost control of her vehicle in a curve and rolled the vehicle. The driver was uninjured.

Paint, Sip & Snack Thursday, March 26th 7-9 p.m. at Elements with Black Star Studios.

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March 12, 2020

The Columbia Valley Pioneer • 5

Help wanted for bat disease monitoring B.C. bats are threatened by disease, and researchers continue to ask the public for help. White-nose syndrome (WNS), a fungal disease responsible for the death of millions of bats in eastern North America, is spreading on the west coast.

Confirmed to the west and east of the Cascade Mountains in Washington State, just 150 km south of the B.C./U.S. border, the presence of the fungus is very worrisome for the health of our bat populations.

The disease has near 100 per cent mortality for some species of bats exposed to the fungus, including the familiar Little Brown Myotis. Although devastating for bats, WNS does not affect humans.

Tracking the spread of the disease relies on public assistance.

“Detection of WNS in B.C. is challenging because our bats appear to hibernate in small groups across the province,” said Leigh Anne Isaac, coordinating biologist with the Kootenay Community Bat Project (KCBP). “To monitor the spread of the disease, we need more eyes on the ground. Outdoor enthusiasts and homeowners with roosts on their property may be the first to find evidence of trouble.”

Signs of the disease include unusual bat activity in winter and the appearance of dead bats outdoors as they succumb to the effects of WNS. “We are encouraging the public to report dead bats or any sightings of winter bat activity to the KCBP tollfree phone number, website, or email below. Bat carcasses will be submitted for testing for white-nose syndrome and would provide the earliest indication of the presence of the disease in B.C.,” said Isaac.

Reports of winter bat activity will help focus research, monitoring and protection efforts. If you find a dead bat, report it to the KCBP (www.bcbats.ca, kootenay@bcbats. ca, or 1-855-922-2287 ext. 14) as soon as possible for further information. Never touch a dead bat with your bare hands. Please note that if you or your pet has been in direct contact with the bat, you will need further information regarding the risk of rabies to you and your pet.

Currently there are no treatments for white-nose syndrome. However, mitigating other threats to bat populations and preserving and restoring bat habitat may provide bat populations with the resilience to rebound.

This is where the KCBP and the general public can help.

To contact the Kootenay Community Bat Project, see www.bcbats.ca, email kootenay@bcbats.ca or call 1-855-922-2287 ext. 14.

. . . ‘Rockies’ from 3 Dubielewicz and Parker hope Rockies fans come out in full force and pack the bleachers.

“It makes a massive difference to feel the support of the town behind them. It definitely gets their adrenaline going and it allows them to probably have a little more pep in their step,” Dubielewicz said.

Parker said he can’t help getting extra motivated

when the Eddie Mountain Memorial Arena is teaming with fans.

“It’s awesome to have a nice, loud crowd,” he said.

“It’s nice to have a crowd to impress.”

A whiteboard in Dubielewicz’s office asks players: “HOW BAD DO YOU WANT IT?” Fans are welcome to head to the arena and watch the answer reveal itself on the ice.

Submitted by Kootenay Community Bat Project

DISTRICT DISTRICT OF OF INVERMERE INVERMERE 914 – 8th Avenue, PO Box 339 Invermere, B.C. V0A 1K0 Tel: 250-342-9281 • Fax: 250-342-2934

NOTICE OF SITTING PARCEL TAX ROLLS The first sitting of the Parcel Tax Review Panel will be held at the Municipal Office at 914 - 8th Avenue, Invermere, B.C. on Wednesday, March 25, 2020 at 9:30 a.m. The Parcel Tax Review Panel may review and correct the Parcel Tax Roll and hear complaints on one or more of the following grounds: • there is an error or omission respecting a name or address on the parcel tax roll; • there is an error or omission respecting the inclusion of a parcel; • there is an error or omission respecting the taxable area or the taxable frontage of a parcel; • an exemption has been improperly allowed or disallowed.

The Parcel Tax Roll will be open for inspection at the Municipal Office during regular office hours.

A complaint shall not be heard by the review panel unless notice of the appeal has been made in writing to the Director of Finance of the District of Invermere, Box 339, Invermere, B.C. V0A 1K0 at least 48 hours prior to the time appointed for the first sitting of the review panel.

Karen L. Coté Director of Finance

Where to recycle?

Check the BC RECYCLEpEdia 604-RECYCLE (732-9253) 1-800-667-4321 RECYCLING COUNCIL OF B.C. MEMBER

6 • The Columbia Valley Pioneer

March 12, 2020

PERSPECTIVE Apocalypse preparations

Historical Lens

By Dauna Ditson dauna@columbiavalleypioneer.com If the apocalypse hits, some of you are well prepared – at least in terms of toilet paper, hand sanitizer and giant bags of rice.

Some of you even have extra apocalypse fridges now. Congrats on your foresight and good luck with your continued germfree survival.

But are we – the general global mob – making the coronavirus situation worse?

Are we individually stocking up on more than we need at the expense of our neighbours who might have a greater and more-immediate need for the items we now have tucked away in our storage rooms?

For instance, I’ve gotten press releases begging healthy folks to stop buying hand Old Wilmer Dance Hall sanitizer and instead leave it for care homes and medical facilities so those who are most vulnerable will be protected.

Yvonne, Catherine and Freeda Larrabee stood outside the dance hall in Wilmer in the 1920s.

Will we do that? Will you put that botPhoto (C2259) provided by the Windermere District Historical Society tle back or furtively grab a second one?

What do you think about someone from Calgary calling an Invermere shop to inquire about the local toilet paper supply?

(This happened.) What if people from elsewhere bought up our necessities from the Submitted by Lake Windermere Disshelves before we realized toilet paper and trict Rod & Gun Club hand sanitizer were in such high demand?

Isn’t this exactly what we’re doing to The Lake Windermere District Rod our neighbours when we rush to the store & Gun Club recently presented its annuto stockpile things we fear we might not be al prestigious Worker for Wildlife award able to buy later?

Does one family really need three 64- to Greg Kruger.

Greg is the current Conservation Ofroll packs of toilet paper? Right now? What does that do for the next family who finds ficer in charge of the Invermere/Golden an empty shelf? Does the second family de- Zone. He has worked with the club for serve to be left without while the first fami- several years on various projects as well as serving in three communities during his ly’s supply gathers dust?

Humanity is collectively creating an 20+ years of service.

Greg is passionate about working issue and exacerbating the consequences with wildlife and about protecting and for our neighbours and those with higher enhancing its habitat. needs.

The award, named after Ian Jack, Shouldn’t we be better than this? If I who was a chief park naturalist at Koowere the boss of the hand sanitizer and toilet paper supply, I’d pass each of you a ra- tenay National Park and a past president of the club, shared a similar mindset with tion based on your needs.

Capitalism, scarcity and fear are a ter- Greg.

The club honours a worker for wildrible combo unless you’re the seller of the life yearly who may or may not be a thing in short supply. member of the club.

Hopefully generosity wins and we can Richard Hoar (left) presented Greg Kruger with the award.

Photo submitted all spare a square for a neighbour in need.

Worker for Wildlife award

The Columbia Valley

CANADIAN COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER AWARD 2013

Pioneer

is independently owned and operated, published weekly by Robert W. Doull, President and Publisher, Misko Publishing Limited Partnership.

Box 868, #8, 1008 - 8th Ave., Invermere, B.C. V0A 1K0 Phone: 250-341-6299 • Fax: 1-855-377-0312 info@columbiavalleypioneer.com www.columbiavalleypioneer.com

Amanda Nason Associate Publisher/ Sales Manager

Dauna Ditson Editor

Steve Hubrecht Magazine Editor/ Reporter

Lerissa McLaughlin Sales Representative

Emily Rawbon Graphic Design

Amanda Murray Office Administrator/ Sales

The Columbia Valley Pioneer is available free of charge at more than 137 locations in the Upper Columbia Valley, limited to one copy per reader. We are funded solely through the support of our advertisers. We are published every Thursday. The Columbia Valley Pioneer may be distributed only by its authorized contractors and employees. No person may, without the prior written consent of The Pioneer or its Publisher, take more than one copy of each issue of The Pioneer. The content is protected by copyright. Reproduction by any means is prohibited except with the permission of the Publisher.

March 12, 2020

Cribbage playdowns Submitted by the Royal Canadian Legion Branch No. 71 The Royal Canadian Legion Branch No. 71 in downtown Invermere is hosting the Legion BC/Yukon Provincial Cribbage Playdowns from March 13 to 15. Players will be participating to see who will be named top cribbers of all the legions in British Columbia and Yukon and to gain the right to represent the branches at the national competition in Conception Bay, Newfoundland.

The tournament runs Saturday and Sunday and is highlighted by a dinner Friday night, with great music in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day with local-flavour band the O’Sullivans. As always, the general public can come down and join us for a corned beef and cabbage Irish dinner, listen to some lively music and join in the meat draw.

On Saturday, the cards will come out as the tournament begins with a round robin between single players and doubles partners. Last year’s National Single Champion – Bill Nelligan of Cranbrook – will look to defend his title. This year’s doubles partners – Clive Brown and Pat McGee – hail from Cranbrook too. Lunch will be provided by the Legion volunteers, and the pegging and dealing will continue into the afternoon. After the daily games, the meat draw will allow the players a breather until The Usual Suspects, another great local band, will take the stage to entertain the patrons and players.

On Sunday the team event begins. Our zone participants from Windermere District Branch 71 are Terri Baker, Ray Neratko, Steve Mantyka and Brian Pilatzke. The event will run all day, with another lunch provided by the Legion volunteers and the Awards Ceremony at 4 p.m.. Come in and see what a crib tournament involves, and enjoy some lively entertainment on Friday and Saturday night or just enjoy the ambiance. Remember to inquire about signing up to participate in future branch playdowns.

Puppy Love party returns

By Steve Hubrecht steve@columbiavalleypioneer.com The annual Puppy Love fundraiser is back again, bigger and better than ever.

The event is a can’t miss for anybody interested in puppies, tattoos or family fun.

This year is the ninth edition of the annual event, organized by Fire Vixen Tattoos and held at the Columbia Valley Centre on Saturday, March 21.

The event will feature a total of nine tattoo artists (from Fire Vixen and guest artists coming in from as far afield as Fort St. John) doing tattoos all day long, with plenty of other family-friendly games and events and then an after party in the evening. All money raised is for a good cause: 100 per cent of the proceeds go to Invermere-based animal rescue group Global Animals Lovers Society (GALS).

“It’s a great crew. It will be like a mini tattoo convention,” said Fire Vixen owner Sarah Eastick. The main event takes place inside the Columbia Valley Centre from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and aside from the tattoos there will be plenty of family activities and games courtesy of Main Street Fun and Games, face painting, henna, a bake sale, the ever-popular silent auction, a barbecue with burgers and vegan options courtesy of the Station Pub, pizza from Hopkins Harvest and more. The evening festivities run from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. and include a drag queen show (“it was super fun last year, and will be again this year,” said Eastick), a bar and more.

“It’s great to have nine artists. It’s the most we’ve had so far,” said Eastick. “It grows a bit each year. Artists who came last year want to come back, and they bring a friend. Our goal is to make it better each year. Last year we did about 70 tattoos.

The more artists we have, the more tattoos we can do.”

Tattoo rates will be the same as Fire Vixen’s regular rates, and Eastick is encouraging people to get small tattoos, nothing larger than business card size, so that the artists can do as many as possible. Those wanting to get tattoos during the event are advised to call Fire Vixen ahead of time at 250-342-8844 to book a spot.

“We can try to squeeze people in on the day of, but there are no guarantees,” said Eastick. “It’s a great party, and such a good cause. And there are plenty of ways to participate even if you don’t want a tattoo.”

The family fun during the daytime activities is for all ages. Tattoos and the evening party are for those 19 or older.

Check out the Puppy Love 2020 Facebook page for more information.

Small kindnesses appreciated Dear Editor, Thank you to the various people who helped me during my recent stay in the nearby Windermere community for their kindness and thoughtfulness. The librarians were exceptional. I was there nearly every other day over two weeks. Sally at the bank was a great advisor! All around was friendliness and kindness. Great to find them here.

We need them so much.

Elizabeth Green, Canmore

The Columbia Valley Pioneer • 7

BUSINESS FOR SALE

Are you looking for a business opportunity in the beautiful Columbia Valley of British Columbia?

Columbia Valley Sewer & Drain Ltd. is a profitable, well-established business. We have served Invermere and the surrounding area for over 20 years by providing septic tank pumping, portable toilet rentals and service, plumbing repairs including flushing and steaming lines, cleaning plugged sewer lines and sewer camera line inspections.

Our reputation is one of reliable, efficient and friendly service provided by our well-trained staff. We have a well-maintained fleet of vehicles and equipment and a loyal customer base.

An annual revenue of $650,000 to $700,000.

Interested persons can contact Bruce Dehart at dehart60@hotmail.com or 250-342-5357.

2020

1920

Kootenay National Park marks its centennial in 2020.

Parks Canada is inviting everyone to join in the celebrations, including local businesses and organizations.

This supplement to the Pioneer will be a story-packed exclusive, serving as both a source of event and activity information and as a Kootenay centennial collector’s item. Area businesses and organizations are invited to celebrate the centennial in their own way – for example, create a window display, hold a centennial-themed activity, or develop a centennial-themed product or service. The supplement will provide an opportunity to highlight participating businesses and organizations.

The supplement will include: • Listings of centennial events and activities • Stories from Kootenay National Park’s unique natural and cultural heritage • Spotlights on centennial-themed activities or products • Historic and modern photos The supplement will be supported by paid advertising. Ads create another opportunity for local stakeholders to showcase their participation or support.

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Space is limited! Call now to save your spot in this unique feature.

Deadline is Friday, March 20th.

N E W S PA P E R

For more information or to participate contact Amanda Nason 250-341-6299, ext. 108, e-mail advertising@columbiavalleypioneer.com or Lerissa McLaughlin at 250-341-6299, ext. 102 e-mail lerissa@columbiavalleypioneer.com

8 • The Columbia Valley Pioneer

March 12, 2020

Local families to gather for Down Syndrome Day

By Dauna Ditson dauna@columbiavalleypioneer.com When Christina Dyballa was pregnant with her third child, she and her family packed up their old lives in Germany and came to the valley to start happy new ones.

“We left everything behind. We came here with Laughing Leo Photo submitted nothing,” she said.

Moving across the ocean and starting over was hard, she said, but she had no idea how much more difficult things would get when her beloved little Leo arrived last March.

At one day old, Leo’s doctor suspected he might have Down syndrome. A week later, results from Leo’s genetic testing showed that the doctor was right.

“It was a tough time and then Leo came and it was just as if he told us: ‘you had so much struggle and so many problems with each other and now I’m here and we begin at zero,’” Dyballa said.

Her new starting point included accepting that her baby’s future wouldn’t be as open as she had dreamed. Down syndrome – a lifelong genetic disorder caused by an extra chromosome or part of one – can result in mild to moderate cognitive impairment, developmental delays, and medical abnormalities including heart conditions.

According to the American Centre for Disease Control, sixty years ago those born with Down syndrome only lived to an average of 10 years old. By 2007, those with the condition were far more likely to survive infancy, and their life expectancy had more than quadrupled as they were living to be an average of 47 years old. That’s more than 30 years below the average life expectancy for Canadians.

Dyballa’s new reality was a shock.

“It was really hard for me. It was really traumatic because that’s a huge grief you have to go through because you know your life has changed.”

Dyballa worried about all three of her children and how they would fare moving forward.

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She wondered: “Will I ever be free again? How will he develop? How will it be?”

Her friends, her church and the community stepped up to offer support after Leo’s birth.

“They visited us and talked to us and were there for us. Without them, I would have drowned,” she said.

But as she got to know Leo and sought counselling to process what his arrival would mean for her family, her love grew bigger than her fears.

“Everybody loves him, the whole family, and he is just happy. He’s doing so well and I’m just so thankful that Leo is with us,” she said. “I’m really happy that he is my son.”

Leo is healthy, can sit himself up and “has developed really, really well.”

“I started to tell him every day, ‘your brain and you will develop in a good way and you will manage your life and when you are 20 you will live your own life, however that will look,’” she said. “I believe that he will ... I believe he will live life to the fullest.”

Dyballa, whose elder sister is deaf, was concerned about how Leo’s diagnosis would impact her other children, Paula and Charlie.

“Growing up as a younger sister of a person with a disability, I took too much responsibility,” she said, adding that there was very little support available for her sister.

Dyballa’s efforts to help her sister took a toll, one that continues to weigh on her.

“It is as if through him I can get healed from my past, and he is just a blessing,” she said. “I just love him so much, and he is giving me so much love.”

On a recent visit back to Germany, Dyballa learned about a group of families with children impacted by Down syndrome that gets together on World Down Syndrome Day, which will take place on March 21.

“I was kind of sad that I couldn’t go,” she said. But then she realized she could organize a similar gathering herself and will open her home up for families like hers on World Down Syndrome Day. She said the four families she’s already invited are happy to have the opportunity to get together with others who understand their realities. Her gathering is also in keeping with HealthLinkBC’s recommendation that parents raising children with Down syndrome talk with each other.

Her entire family will benefit from connecting with those in similar situations, she said, adding that it will be important for Leo to know others who have Down syndrome and for Paula and Charlie to know other children who can relate to their experiences.

She is looking forward to: “being together and just hanging out and having a good time and building deep relationships from which our kids can get strong.”

Of babies born alive in Canada, one in 750 has Down syndrome, and at least three per cent of babies are born with genetic conditions and birth defects.

Dyballa welcomes other families with children who have Down syndrome to join her gathering. To connect with her, email christina.dyballa@gmx.de

Zenergy Retreat Nipika Mountain Resort, May 29th-31st HIKE or RUN, YOGA & FUN!

Daily Specials • Low Prices Huge Selection Friendly Customer Service Downtown Invermere (Parkside Place) Unit #103 905 7th Ave Open Daily: 10am - 8pm • 250 688 9798

Open to joy and healing with mindful movement Retreat Chef for nourishing meals and all dietary needs Early bird pricing until March 15

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THE COLUMBIA VALLEY BUSINESS BEST BALL Contact us to sponsor this huge annual event! events@cvchamber.ca

March Thursday, 12, 2020 October November 26,2,2017 2017

Page 9 The Columbia !PUBNAME! Valley Pioneer ••12

WHAT’S HAP HAPPENING ENING IN THE COLUMBIA COL OLUMBIA VALLEY ALLEY

MUSIC • VISUAL ARTS • DINING • BAR SCENE • ENTERTAINMENT • PERFORMANCE ARTS COFFEE FEST

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Harmonica hero Carlos del Junco will take the stage at Pynelogs on Wednesday, March 18. See page 10.

Submitted photo

What’s Happening Your weekly guide to what’s happening around the Columbia Valley PAGE 11

Carlos del Junco Live @ Pynelogs Wed March 18 at 6 pm Tickets: columbiavalleyarts.com PYNELOGS CULTURAL CENTRE, ART GALLERY & CAFE ALLIUM HOURS: CALL FOR MORE INFO AT 250.342.4423

10 • The Columbia Valley Pioneer

March 12, 2020

Harmonica virtuoso comes to Invermere Is proud to bring you the

11 Annual Curling Funspiel March 27th, 28th & 29th th

• Prizes for Best Team Costumes • 50/50s • Prizes for A, B & C Events • Silent Auction • Liquor Basket Draw • Cash Bar Call 250-349-5617 to register your team. $120 entry fee.

Fee includes Saturday night dinner.

If you are able to donate towards our Silent Auction, please contact Shawn at 250-270-0699 or Amer at 250-919-7622

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING Tuesday, April 7th, 7 p.m.

Kanata Hotel Breakfast Room 8888 Arrow Road, Invermere, BC

Thank you!

The Windermere Valley Snowmobile Society would like to thank all of our supporters around the Valley. Your contributions made our Poker Run/ Banquet a spectacular event.

Contact wvss@shaw.ca for more information.

Celebrate

Saturday, March 14th Live music featuring

Tom Bungay & Brian Brons from 6 -10 p.m.

These two dynamic musicians will bring a great evening of favourites and toe tapping music to your ears! Country, maritime standards, classic rock and folk songs.

Serving Irish Stew and Corned Beef & Hash

Drink specials including Margaret’s famous Irish Coffees

Fairmont Frontage Rd, Fairmont Hot Springs • 250-345-6106

NEED A RIDE TO INVERMERE? Hillary has a bus that seats up to 15 people. One way bus drive $45. Call Hillary 250-341-8970 or 250-688-6135.

Under New Ownership

By Steve Hubrecht steve@columbiavalleypioneer.com The harmonica may appear simple. Don’t be fooled.

A five-inch box of metal, it may be. But if you think that a few notes in a single key is all you can get from this instrument, well you haven’t seen Carlos del Junco play yet.

Del Junco, perhaps Canada’s most celebrated blues and jazz harmonica player, hits the stage at Pynelogs on Wednesday, March 18 as part of the Love It Live concert series. Just be forewarned that ‘blues’ harmonica player is a bit of misnomer. Not to say that del Junco doesn’t do the blues. He does, and does it very well, thank you. It’s more that the virtuoso takes the harmonica and blows it (literally, it is a wind instrument after all) to places and genres it was never intended to be.

“You can say it’s roots music, I guess. Jazz, roots, blues, singer-songwriter numbers. There’s something there for everybody,” del Junco told the Pioneer. “People often come up to me after the show and tell me they are dumbfounded that a harmonica can sound like that.

They says it sounded like a saxophone, or a trumpet, or even a violin. I can make you forget you are listening to a harmonica.”

What’s del Junco secret? Partly it’s people’s low expectation of a harmonica, and partly it’s a phenomenal amount of practice, practice, practice on del Junco’s part.

“There’s a stigma attached to the harmonica. It’s seen as a primitive folk instrument and it just doesn’t get the respect it deserves,” said del Junco. “But it can be more.”

The ‘more’ that del Junco is referencing includes a unique technique, mastered by just a handful of harmonica players called ‘overblowing’ or ‘overbending.’

When diatonic harmonicas were first popularized in Vienna in the early to mid 1800s, their makers intended them as simple instruments, capable of playing 19 notes in a single key. But a century later blues musicians discovered that by changing their embouchure (how they position and apply their mouths to the harmonica) they could ‘bend’ the notes, forcing the harmonica reed to resonate in a different pitch. The characteristic soulful wail of a harmonica in many blues or rock songs is the sound of ‘bending.’

Overbending takes things to another level entirely and, although extremely difficult to do, allows a diatonic harmonica to play an entire chromatic scale.

“With a lot of practice, a lot, you can treat the diatonic harmonica like a chromatic instrument and play any key you want. If you think of the harmonica as a piano, playing it chromatically means I can play all the white keys and all the black keys, whereas before, unchromatically, I’m restricted to just the white keys,” said del Junco. “It requires very finessed embouchure. Years and years of finessing your embouchure, actually. But the results speak for themselves. That (overblowing), in a nutshell, is what I’m all about.”

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1310 7th Avenue, Invermere • Friday & Saturday Pizza and 250-341-3344 • coppercitysaloon.com Appetizers til Midnight.

Carlos del Junco

Del Junco, who was born in pre-Castro Cuba and left with his family when was still a toddler, has been performing ever since his high school math teacher found him practicing in a stairwell at school and suggested the two of them play together in a student talent night. But it was not until del Junco turned 30, having spent most of his 20s making a living as a stone carver, that he decided, after a visit to a career counsellor, to pursue the harmonica more seriously.

And it was only while participating in the World Harmonica Festival in Germany some five years later, that del Junco finally wrapped his head around his own talent, realizing that he was one of just two harmonica players competing in the competition’s elite level in both the blues and jazz genres. Even so, he would wait another five years before quitting his day job. This self-professed “late start” has done little to hamper del Junco’s career, and his resume is littered with Maple Blue awards.

The awards are nice, to be sure, but for del Junco, playing harmonica is about something more elemental.

“It’s the pure satisfaction of bending a note. The feeling of creating that sound. And it just takes off from there. It’s one of the most expressive instruments. The tonal texture of (a harmonica) is unbelievable and it’s so under exposed and under appreciated,” he said.

Del Junco has played at Pynelogs before and is keen to return, saying “audiences in Invermere and other mountain towns, in my experience, have great energy and enthusiasm.”

The show at Pynelogs will see him play in a trio, accompanied by a guitarist and bass player. The show begins at 6 p.m. with opening act Oso Simple. Del Junco takes the stage at 7 p.m.

Tickets are $25 and can be purchased online or by calling 250-342-4423.

TUESDAYS STEAK SANDWICH

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Photo submitted

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March 12, 2020

The Columbia Valley Pioneer • 11

WHAT’S HAPPENING in the Columbia Valley Submissions must be received by Monday. Priority is given to one-off events. Email info@columbiavalleypioneer.com to enter your event in our FREE listings.

Thursday, March 12

• Royal Canadian Legion Branch in Invermere hosting Provincial Cribbage Playdowns from March 13 to 15. Details on page 7.

• 10:30-11:30 a.m.: Family Free Play at the Invermere Library with Lego, Duplo & more! All ages welcome!

• 1 - 3 p.m.: Pickleball at Columbia Lake Recreation Centre.

• 2 p.m.: ERHA Tea and Bake Sale at the Radium Community Hall.

Door prizes, raffle, tea and peel and pay.

• 9 p.m.: Karaoke at Horsethief Creek Pub & Eatery every Saturday.

• DJ at Copper City Saloon.

Sunday, March 15 • Royal Canadian Legion Branch in Invermere hosting Provincial Cribbage Playdowns from March 13 to 15. Details on page 7.

• 10 - 11 a.m.: Free meditation followed by tea and community discussion, every Sunday, at Mahasiddha Retreat Centre, 3483 HWY-95, Parson. Donations accepted.

• 10:30 - 1 p.m.: Pickleball at Columbia Lake Recreation Centre.

• 1:30 p.m.: Seniors carpet bowling at the Radium Hot Springs Centre.

Cell: 250•341•1395 Toll Free: 1•888•258•9911

SPRING BREAK CRAFTERNOONS!

Tuesday, March 17 • 9:30 - 10:30 a.m.: Momfit and Totfit at Columbia Valley Centre. Bring water and indoor shoes for your littles. Running shoes, yoga mat and water required for Mom. • 10 a.m.: Yoga with Roberta, weekly until April 7, Edgewater Community Hall. We have a number of mats available so come on out to enjoy the exercise. $2 drop in.

• 10 - 4 p.m.: Windermere Valley Museum (in Invermere) winter hours.

• 10 - 12 p.m.: Fairmont and Community Seniors Club meet at The Lions Den in Fairmont for exercise and monthly speakers.

• 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.: Canada Reads Debate Viewing Party at the Radium Hot Springs Public Library.

• 1 - 3 p.m.: Apple Support - CBAL Program. Every Tuesday by appointment at the Radium Hot Springs Public Library.

• 1:30 p.m.: Games Afternoon at Invermere Seniors Hall.

• 6-7:45 p.m.: Family Movie Night Featuring Disney’s Frozen II at the Radium Hot Springs Public Library.

• 6:30 p.m.: Second Winds Community band rehearsal. Open for all wind instrument musicians. Canadian Martyrs Church, Invermere.

• 7 p.m.: Bingo. Invermere Seniors Hall. All welcome. $15 for 11 games. $640 in cash prizes.

• 7 p.m.: Trivia night at the Farside Inn every Tuesday.

• 7:30 p.m.: Columbia Lodge No. 38 Freemasons meeting 3rd Tuesday of the month at 1301 7th Ave. in Invermere. (Except July & August).

• 9 p.m.: Karaoke at the Farside Pub in Fairmont.

• 1 to 2 p.m.: Required Intro to Construction session for potential students. Session to take place at WorkBC/Kootenay Employment Services office in Invermere. See page 14 or call Kelly at 250-342-3210 extension 7114 for more.

Wednesday, March 18

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Saturday, March 14

PERSONAL REAL ESTATE CORPORATION

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• Royal Canadian Legion Branch in Invermere hosting Provincial Cribbage Playdowns from March 13 to 15. Details on page 7.

• 9:30 a.m.: Seniors active walking group meets every Friday morning at the entrance of Columbia Gardens Village. Everyone welcome.

• 10 - 12 p.m.: Pickleball at Columbia Lake Recreation Centre. (Beginner classes at 9:30 a.m.)

• 1 p.m.: Duplicate Bridge at Invermere Seniors Hall, $2.

• 2-3 p.m.: Winter Reading Club at the Invermere Library all about Aaron Blabey’s The Bad Guys series. Help us fight evil Dr. Marmalade!

• 5 - 8 p.m.: Climbing Wall at JA Laird open to the public every Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Drop in, $5.

• 6 p.m.: Columbia Valley Car Club meets at Rocky River Grill. 2nd Friday of the month. Dinner 6 p.m., meeting starts 7 p.m. For info, call Vicki 250-342-1257.

• 6 p.m.: Meat Draw and 50/50 at Branch 71 Legion in Invermere. Every Friday and Saturday.

• 7 p.m.: Folk Dance with Sharon, weekly until Mar 20. Edgewater Community Hall. $2 drop in.

• 7 p.m.: Rockies playoff game against Kimberley. Eddie Mountain Memorial Arena.

• DJ at Copper City Saloon.

• There will no Baby Goose on March 16 or 23 for spring break • 10 - 12 p.m.: Pickleball at Columbia Lake Recreation Centre. (Beginner classes at 9:30 a.m.)

• 10 a.m.: Senior Singalong Group meets every Monday at Garden Village.

• 10 - 1 p.m.: Indoor Walking at the Columbia Valley Centre in Invermere. Every Monday and Wednesday. All ages. Indoor shoes required.

• 10:30 a.m.: Seniors Fitness at Invermere Seniors Hall. Cost $2.

• 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.: Canada Reads Debate Viewing Party at the Radium Hot Springs Public Library • 1 - 3 p.m.: Brain Injury Support Group meets on the 3rd Monday of the month at Columbia Garden Village. Contact Debbie for more info 250-344-5674.

• 1-3 p.m.: Spring Break Crafternoons at the Invermere Library. Drop-in for fun, self-serve crafts!

• 1:30 p.m.: Carpet Bowling at Invermere Seniors Hall.

• 7 p.m.: Lake Windermere Lions Club meet the 1st and 3rd Monday of each month at the Lions Hall.

• 7 - 9 p.m.: Live music every Monday at the Horsethief Creek Pub and Eatery in Radium Hot Springs.

vin g th

Friday, March 13

Monday, March 16

Ser

• 9 - 10 a.m.: Totfit at Columbia Valley Centre. Bring water and indoor shoes for your littles.

• 10 - 4 p.m.: Valley Piecemakers Quilt Guild at the Legion. $8 for lunch.

New members welcome. $20 / year membership. Email Valleypiecemakers@gmail.com for info.

• 10:30 a.m.: Stretch and Move Classes for Seniors at Invermere Seniors Hall. Cost $2.

• 10:30 a.m.: Family storytime at the Invermere Library. Stories, songs and craft, geared to kids 5 and under • 10:30 - 12 p.m.: Granny Goose - CBAL. Every Thursday, at the Radium Hot Springs Public Library. 4863 Stanley St, Radium BC. • 12:30 - 4 p.m.: Radium Art Guild every Thursday at the Radium centre. New members welcome.

• 1:30 p.m.: Floor curling at Invermere Seniors Hall. $2. Contact is gredivers@gmail.com.

• 1:30 p.m.: Seniors carpet bowling at the Radium Hot Springs Centre.

• 2 p.m.: Seniors Tea at the Invermere Library 2nd and 4th Thursday of every month. Need a ride? Contact the library at 250-342-6416.

• 6-8 p.m.: Columbia Valley Youth Network at the Canal Flats Civic Centre. See Facebook page for details.

• 6:30 p.m.: Texas Hold ‘Em Tournament at the Invermere Legion every Thursday. $35 buy in.

• 6:30 - 8 p.m.: Victim to Victory presents The Way Out, 5 Keys to Recovering You and Your Inner Power! Invermere Seniors Hall, 1309 14th St. Text 778-767-2227 to reserve your spot. Free workshop, open to men and women who want to break the cycle of abuse.

• 7 p.m.: Rockies playoff game against Kimberley. Eddie Mountain Memorial Arena.

Buying or selling?

Join us Monday, Wednesday and Friday both weeks for fun, self-serve crafts from 1-3 p.m.!

invermere.bc.libraries.coop

Last chance!

Welcome to the Columbia Valley Your ad here

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Visitor Centre

© 2011

N E W S PA P E R Misko Publishing Limited Partnership

© 2010 Abel Creek/Misko Publishing Inc.

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2020/2021 Invermere Map Pad 2020/2021 Invermere Map Pad

• 10 - 12 p.m.: Pickleball at Columbia Lake Recreation Centre. (Beginner classes at 9:30 a.m.)

• 10 a.m.: Breastfeeding Mommas support group meets the 3rd Wednesday of each month at the Invermere Library.

• 10 - 1 p.m.: Indoor walking at the Columbia Valley Centre.

• 10:30 a.m.: Chair Yoga at Invermere Seniors Hall, $ 2.

• 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.: Canada Reads Debate Viewing Party at the Radium Hot Springs Public Library.

• 11:45 a.m.: The Rotary Club of Invermere meets 1st and 3rd Wednesday at the Rocky River Grill/Kanata Inn. • 1-3 p.m.: Spring Break Crafternoons at the Invermere Library. Drop-in for fun, self-serve crafts!

• 1:30 - 3:30 p.m.: Happy Hands Knitting and Crocheting group meeting every Wednesday at Columbia Garden Village.

• 2 p.m.: Genealogy Group at Columbia Gardens Coffee Room. Every 3rd Wednesday of the month.

• 6 p.m.: Find your story workshop at the Horsethief Pub in Radium.

Turn your story into a 5 minute story that will captivate the audience.

RSVP required: horsethiefpub.ca/findyourstory • 6 p.m.:Love It Live Music Series at Pynelogs featuring Carlos del Junco, Genre: Blues & Jazz. Main Act – 7 p.m.. Opening Act – 6 p.m..

• 6 - 8 p.m.: Glow in the Dark Ultimate frisbee at Mount Nelson field. $5 drop-in fee.

• 7 p.m.: Cribbage at Invermere Seniors Hall. $2.

• 7 p.m.: Cribbage at Edgewater Legion. $2.

• 7:30 p.m.: Open Mic at Shasta Wellness Studio, 1177 Hilltop Rd. Windermere B.C.

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advertising sales have commenced. The Map Pad pages fly off the shelves of the Visitor Centres and are also available at many other locations in the valley.

Business listings and number on map -

$

Booking Deadline: Friday, April 3rd

3000

/listing

20,000 copies to be printed.

N E W S PA P E R

Amanda Nason

Lerissa McLaughlin

Associate Publisher/Sales Manager Phone: 250-341-6299 ext. 108 Email: advertising@columbiavalleypioneer.com

Sales Associate Phone: 250-341-6299 ext. 102 Email: lerissa@columbiavalleypioneer.com

Don’t miss: Rockies playoff games The Columbia Valley Rockies are battling the Kimberley Dynamiters for the division championship with games in Invermere on Thursday, March 12, Friday, March 13 and, depending on the outcomes in the best-of-seven series, potentially on Monday, March 16.

12 • The Columbia Valley Pioneer

March 12, 2020

Fundraising tableau Grade 7 students at J. A. Laird taught aspiring artists how to paint a cheery floral scene during a fundraiser for their class trip. Black Star Studios supported the event.

Photos by Dauna Ditson

Coffee and tea, oh my!

Coffee, tea and treat enthusiasts sampled from a bounty of offerings at Invermere’s Coffee and Tea Fest on Saturday, March 7, where they voted for their favourite beverages and beverage-inspired art.

Photos by Ryan Karl

The early bird gets the worm … and the best deals!

Advertising supported content by Fairmont Hot Springs Resort While the current ski season is winding down, it’s never too early to think about savings for next season.

Fairmont Hot Springs Resort offers a “Super Early Bird” rate on season pass purchases made before April 30th, 2020.

The Super Early Bird rates save a family $200 on a pass for up to six people (two adults and up to four juniors or youth). “Everyone saves a bundle with the Super Early Bird pass,” said Peter Harding, Ski Area Manager. “It’s a great way to enjoy our family-friendly ski hill at an incredible value.”

It’s easy to take advantage of this limited-time offer. Passes can be purchased at www.fairmonthotsprings.com/ski-area now through April 30th, 2020.

Locking in savings for next season feels great, and so does finishing the current season strong. The ski area is open this year through Easter weekend, April 12th.

The hill is in good condition and open for skiers and boarders who want to enjoy milder temperatures on the slopes for a few more weeks.

Fairmont Hot Springs Resort made a significant investment in new snowmaking

technology that extended the current ski season at the Resort. The major investment allowed the Resort to open its runs earlier and to remain operational through Easter weekend 2020.

“Our new snowmaking equipment doubled our capacity to create first-class snow,” said Vivek Sharma, CEO, Fairmont Hot Springs Resort. “With this new technology, which is used for major events like the Olympic Games, we have been able to make snow in warmer conditions to open the hill earlier, keep the hill open later and deliver more consistent snow conditions for years to come.”

Above and beyond great snow and an extended Photo submitted ski season, the Fairmont Hot Springs Resort Ski Area offers an equipment rentals and ski shop, tube and terrain parks, a snow school, delicious slope-side dining, and striking views of the surrounding Rocky Mountains and Columbia Valley.

Don’t miss your opportunity to enjoy next season at a great value. Super Early Bird passes are on sale now until April 30th at www.fairmonthotsprings.com or call 250-345-6049.

See ad on page 24.

March 12, 2020

The Columbia Valley Pioneer • 13

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14 • The Columbia Valley Pioneer

March 12, 2020

Construction course taking applicants

By Dauna Ditson dauna@columbiavalleypioneer.com Ten unemployed or underemployed adults will have the opportunity to go to school – possibly for free – during a 17-week Introduction to Construction course at the College of the Rockies and to emerge with workplace experience and 12 certifications to help them get ahead.

“This course is designed to empower and increase earning potential in the construction industry and times up nicely with the summer-time hiring boom,” said Mike Kelly, project supervisor.

The course is intended to prepare folks for work and help them enter or move forward in the workforce. It also helps local industry by matching skilled and certified individuals with opportunities.

The program is “essential to give (students) entry-level access and let them progress a lot faster,” he said. “All of these (certifications) increase your earning potential.”

Kelly, who has a background in the trades and has done drywall, renovations and carpentry, recalled a time he was immediately offered a job on a construction site because he had his fall-protection certificate and the crew needed someone qualified to

work on a roof. Having certificates that legally allow workers to do specialized tasks means “you quickly work your way up,” he said.

And collecting a dozen certifications at once along with gaining local work experience means students will be well-prepared for success when they leave the classroom.

Students will learn about resume writing, conflict resolution and team building.

They will earn certifications in First Aid, chainsaw and forklift operation, hoisting and rigging safety, fall protection and more. They will receive local gym memberships and can meet with personal trainers to prepare for physical work. The course will also include practical experience with a four-week work placement on a local construction site.

Kelly said the course would normally cost around $3,500 but that it may be offered freely to help those who are unemployed or underemployed build their skills and their confidence and find work that allows them to excel.

The program will begin on Monday, April 6 and will run on Mondays to Fridays from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m..

For more details and to confirm eligibility, potential students need to have already been to an information session or to attend the upcoming one on Tuesday, March 17 from 1 to 2 p.m. at the WorkBC/Kootenay Employment Services office in Invermere.

Kelly can be reached at 250-342-3210 extension 7114.

INTRODUCTION TO CONSTRUCTION Think. Do. Design.

Measure.

Build.

Become.

Introduction to Construction will offer students the opportunity to learn the following soft skills and earn the following certifications.

Soft skills • • • • •

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PROGRAM OFFERED IN CRANBROOK, FERNIE, AND INVERMERE •

Are you looking for an entry level position with a construction company?

College of the Rockies in Cranbrook, Invermere, and Fernie is offering an Introduction to Construction program that includes the following:

• 12 weeks of classroom and hands on construction training designed by practitioners

• 12 safety certificates • Four week job placement with a local construction company You may be eligible to receive full funding for this program. Contact your local WorkBC office for more information.

For more information, please call the College of the Rockies campus nearest you.

• Cranbrook Campus | 250-489-8242 • Fernie Campus | 250-423-4691 • Invermere Campus | 250-342-3210

Resume Writing Conflict Resolution Team Building Trades Math Mental Health Strategies Safe Work Procedures Interpretation of Drawings and Plans Plus many more

APRIL 6 – JULY 31 17 WEEK PROGRAM INCLUDES:

Certifications

• 12 weeks of in-class, hands-on training • Four week job placement • One week follow up support and direct connection to industry partners

• • •

PROGRAM ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA INCLUDES:

•

•

EI eligibility

•

•

Currently unemployed or working fewer than 20 hours per week

•

High level of commitment and a keen interest in pursuing full time work in the construction sector

•

Legally eligible to work in BC

• • • • • • •

Aerial Boom WHMIS First Aid Training Level 1 Transportation Endorsement Basic Chainsaw Operator Hoisting and Rigging Safety Confined Space Awareness Scissor Lift Telehandler Certification Fall Protection Trailer Endorsement Forklift Operation

March 12, 2020

The Columbia Valley Pioneer • 15

Regional district roundup: further funding flowing to valley

By Dauna Ditson dauna@columbiavalleypioneer.com The Regional District of East Kootenay (RDEK) is handing out funding for local initiatives covering garbage to conservation and visitors to victims.

RDEK is shelling out $100,000 toward Invermere’s waste transfer station – the garbage and recycling bins in the Industrial Park – as Invermere’s pilot program to staff the site and supervise/support users is reportedly going well.

RDEK is passing out close to $115,000 through the Kootenay Conservation Program, which administers the Columbia Valley Local Conservation Fund. The funding

will support projects involving water quality, biodiversity conservation, forest restoration, invasive weed control, farm stewardship and efforts around the northern leopard frog and Columbia Valley swallow.

RDEK also announced that $100,000 is going to the 2020 Valley Visitor Services Program to help with staffing at the Invermere and Radium visitor information centres as well as at the seasonal kiosks in Fairmont and downtown Invermere.

Family Dynamix will receive $16,000 for Columbia Valley Victim Services.

The Columbia Valley Arts Council will receive $2,500 for a fire-suppression system for their kitchen.

Continued on page 21 …

SEEKING Columbia Valley Transit Advisory Commission Members

Do you enjoy volunteering? Do you believe in public transit?

If you answered YES, we might have an exciting opportunity waiting for you!

If you are interested, please submit a letter of application and brief resume including reasons for your interest and related experience to Shannon Moskal, Corporate Officer, at the RDEK. IN PERSON at the RDEK Office – 19-24th Avenue South, Cranbrook VIA EMAIL to smoskal@rdek.bc.ca

BY MAIL to 19-24th Avenue South, Cranbrook BC V1C 3H8

The Regional District of East Kootenay (RDEK) is looking for individuals interested in joining the Columbia Valley Transit Advisory Commission for a 2-year term ending February 28, 2022. The Commission provides advice to the RDEK on matters related to the Columbia Valley Transit System.

Applications must be received by 9:00 am on Tuesday, March 17, 2020.

Commission members must reside within the Columbia Valley Transit Service Area. The Service Area stretches from Canal Flats in the south to Edgewater in the north with specific stops in Canal Flats, Edgewater, Fairmont Hot Springs, Invermere, Radium Hot Springs and Windermere.

For information on the Columbia Valley Transit System, please visit www.bctransit.com/columbia-valley or call Shannon Moskal at 250-489-2791 or 1-888-478-7335.

PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE – BYLAW 2975 – Bylaw Amendment – Westside Road, Invermere The Regional District of East Kootenay (RDEK) Board of Directors is considering an application by Richard Haworth on behalf of 1129759 Alberta Ltd to amend the zone designation of one of their properties to permit subdivision. The subject property is located on Westside Road, south of Invermere, as shown on the attached map.

Windermere Bylaw No. 2975 cited as “Regional District of East Kootenay – Upper Columbia Valley Zoning Bylaw No. 900, 1992 – Amendment Bylaw No. 359, 2020 (Westside / 1129759 Alb Ltd)” will amend the designation of Lot 1, District Lot 4596, Kootenay District, Plan NEP88930, Except Plan EPP43962, from A-1, Rural Resource Zone to SH-2, Small Holding Semi-Rural Zone.

Lake

as tl es to n e Blv d

Westsid eR

d

A public hearing will be held at: Columbia Valley Chamber of Commerce 651 Highway 93/95, Invermere, BC Monday, March 30, 2020 at 7:00 pm The Board has delegated the holding of this hearing to the Directors for Electoral Area G, Electoral Area F and the District of Invermere If you believe that your interest in property is affected by the proposed Bylaws, you may prior to the hearing: • inspect the Bylaw and supporting information at the RDEK office in Cranbrook from March 6, 2020 to March 27, 2020 between the hours of 8:30 am to 4:30 pm Monday through Friday, excluding statutory holidays • mail, fax or email written submissions to the addresses/numbers shown below; or • present written and/or verbal submissions at the hearing.

A-1 to SH-2 CP

R

ai lw

ay

SUBMISSIONS CANNOT BE ACCEPTED AFTER THE PUBLIC HEARING. All submissions will form part of the public record and will be published in a meeting agenda posted online. Personal contact information such as phone and email will be removed from written submissions. Questions about the disclosure of your personal information may be referred to the Corporate Officer at 250-489-2791 or 1-888-478-7335.

This notice is not an interpretation of the Bylaw. For more information, contact Tracy Van de Wiel, Planning Technician, at 250-489-0306, toll free at 1-888-478-7335, or email tvandewiel@rdek.bc.ca.

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

OPERATOR 1 COLUMBIA VALLEY STUDENT The Regional District of East Kootenay has an excellent opportunity for a qualified and motivated individual to work within the Engineering Services Department as an Operator 1 (Student) located out of the Columbia Valley Office (near Invermere). This position is open to students enrolled in a post-secondary institution and returning to school in the fall.

Working under the supervision of the Senior Operator, the Operator 1 (Student) performs duties related to water and sewer systems and maintenance of those sites.

ESSENTIAL QUALIFICATIONS: • Certified in or working towards Water Treatment 1 and Water Distribution 1; • Certified in or working towards Wastewater Collection 1 and Wastewater Treatment 1; • Chlorine Handling Certificate;

• Strong mechanical aptitude with the ability to use various hand tools and power equipment; • Valid BC Driver’s Licence; and • Good communication skills.

The term of employment commences on or about May 4, 2020 and concludes on August 28, 2020, Monday through Friday (35 hours per week). The hourly rate is $20.73.

If you possess the necessary qualifications and experience, we invite you to submit a resume and cover letter, with references, no later than 4:30 pm, Tuesday, March 31, 2020 to: Lori Engler, Human Resources Manager Email: hr@rdek.bc.ca (MS Word format or PDF) Please quote: Engineering – 18

19 – 24 Avenue South, Cranbrook BC V1C 3H8 | 250-489-2791 | 1-888-478-7335 | Fax: 250-489-3498 | info@rdek.bc.ca | www.rdek.bc.ca

16 • The Columbia Valley Pioneer

March 12, 2020

HERE TO SERVE YOU CONCRETE

CONCRETE

Columbia Concrete Inc.

READY MIX CONCRETE Concrete Pump • Sand & Gravel Heavy Equipment Rentals • Crane Service

20 years’ experience • Anything concrete!

• • • •

Basements Garage pads Driveways Patios

• • • •

Decorative Exposed Stamped concrete Acid staining

For competitive prices and prompt service, call: 250-342-3268 (plant) 250-342-6767 (office)

Serving the Columbia Valley

250-688-3739 I N

Proudly Serving the Valley for over 50 years

P U R S U I T

• Commercial concrete sealer • Ready Mix Concrete • Concrete Pumping retarder for exposed • Over 50 colours available aggregate and in stock • DELIVERED ON TIME • Concrete stamps for rent at a fair price • Full range of coloured release • Full range of sand and agents for stamping gravel products.

O F

EXCELLENCE Skandia Concrete • Manufacturers & suppliers of quality concrete & gravel products • Experienced, professional operators and the right equipment to get your job done • Serving the valley for over 30 years

• Environmentally responsible • Steamed aggregate beds for top quality year-round concrete supply • We stand behind our service, quality and products

Phone: 250-342-5833 • Cell: 250-270-9444

All products are available at 9120, Hwy 93/95 which is five kilometres north of Tim Hortons

CARPET CLEANING

CARPET CLEANING

DRY IN ONE HOUR

1756 Hwy 93/95 Windermere B.C. Business: 250-342-9692

CONTRACTING

RR#4 2117–13 Ave. Invermere, BC V0A 1K4

$149 Living/Dining Room/Hallway

Environmentally Friendly

TILE AND GROUT CLEANING

Office: 250-342-6500 • Toll Free: 1-888-341-2221

*SPECIAL

Cell: 250-342-1273 Fax: 250-342-9644

Regular: Sofa $89 • Comfy Chair $59 Loveseat $79 • Sectional

250-688-0213

*2 or more items = 30% OFF

www.heavensbest.ca

ptarmiganrugclean@gmail.com

Serving the valley since 2006

INSURANCE

INSURANCE

Specializing in all heating, electric, gas and wood.

• Fireplaces • Commercial and residential • New builds • Renovations.

A licensed, registered and bonded company

We also offer roundthe-clock service calls.

INSURANCE AGENCIES LTD.

Give us a call! James, 250-688-1267 or Jerry, 250-342-5299 Email: jeffersoncontractingltd@gmail.com

Dale Elliott Contracting • • • • •

Interior Finishing Kitchen and Vanity Cabinets Countertops Small Renovations Decks and Interior Railings

BOX 2228 742 - 13th STREET INVERMERE, BC V0A 1K0 P: 250-342-3031 F: 250-342-6945 info@lambertinsurance.ca

BOX 459 7553 MAIN STREET RADIUM HOT SPRINGS, BC V0A 1M0 P: 250-347-9350 F: 250-347-6350 TOLL FREE: 1-866-342-3031

Professional Arborist Services Trusted Columbia Valley Tree Experts for 10 Years

Invermere, B.C. • • • • • Invermere BC

Tel: 250.341.6075 Fax: 250.341.3427 Email: info@duskbuildingsystems.com www.duskbuildingsystems.com

1320 Industrial Road #3 Box 159, Invermere, B.C. V0A 1K0

www.kootenayinsurance.ca

LANDSCAPING

250-341-7098

• Trusses • Engineered Floors • Wall Panels

P.O. Box 130 Invermere, BC V0A 1K0 Office: 250-342-2175 • Fax: 250-342-2669 Cindy.mackay@kootenayinsurance.ca

Golden BC

Consulting/Arborist Reports Hazard Tree Removal Tree and Shrub Pruning WCB Certified Fallers ISA/ITA Certified Arborists

250-341-7029 250-344-0188

• • • • •

Tree Health Evaluations Stump Grinding Fire Fuel Reduction Golf Course/Strata Tree Risk Assessments

Rooted in the Columbia Valley. Est. 2007 www.greenleaftree.ca

info@greenleaftree.ca

Have an opinion? Email your letter to the editor to dauna@columbiavalleypioneer.com

March 12, 2020

The Columbia Valley Pioneer • 17

HERE TO SERVE YOU SERVICES

(Servicing the Valley since 1999)

NEW SEWER CAMERA

SERVICES

• Septic Tank Pumping • Portable Toilet Rentals

• A well maintained septic system • Complete sewer/drain repairs should be pumped every 2-3 years • Reasonable rates – Seniors’ discount • Avoid costly repairs • Speedy service – 7 days a week

Bruce Dehart 250.347.9803 or 250.342.5357

SERVICES

East Kootenay Electrical Services

East Kootenay Plumbing Services & Renovations

Licensed Contractor Cell: 250.341.1342 Fax: 250.342.8733 E-mail: ekelectric@telus.net

Available 24/7

Box 2206 Invermere, B.C. V0A 1K0

Red Seal Journeyman Plumbers/Gasfitters (B)

ELECTRICAL CONTRACTING

eastkootenayplumbing@yahoo.com 250-272-3374

RESIDENTIAL • COMMERCIAL • INDUSTRIAL

KOOTENAY SOCIALS Scott Postlethwaite Residential, Commercial Electric Furnace and Hot Water Tank Repair and Service For All Your Electrical Needs

Free Estimates

SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGEMENT AND MARKETING LET US CREATE A PERSONALIZED SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY TO HELP GROW YOUR BUSINESS!

invermereelectric@gmail.com

1710 10th Avenue – Invermere, B.C. V0A 1K0

Andrea Meadus 250-342-9082 kootenaysocials@gmail.com www.kootenaysocials.ca

Patryk Jagiello STAIN/LACQUER/PAINT INTERIOR/EXTERIOR

Plumbing • Boiler Systems

patco_dev@shaw.ca

(250) 270-0345 Andy Charette

in Calgary since 2002 in Invermere since 2004

Rigid Plumbing Ltd.

E: rigidplumbing@hotmail.ca P: 250-341-5179

Patco Developments Ltd. PROFESSIONAL PAINTERS

WINDOW COVERINGS SHOWROOM • • • •

Doors Windows Flooring Painting/Interior/ Exterior • Kitchen Renovations • Window Coverings

• Bathroom Renovations • Additions • Decks • Finish Carpentry • Basement Renovations

ELIN EINARSSON-DAKIN phone:

250 409 9046

email:

scrubsgrp@gmail.com gmail.com

• Air Conditioning/Heat Pumps • Fireplaces • Full Heating and Ventilation Systems

KITCHEN CABINETS & COUNTER TOPS

Call for your FREE consultation and estimate

WETT Certified

492 Arrow Rd., Unit 1B, Invermere • EMAIL: fairmontridge@telus.net • 250-342-4663 Sales ~ Service ~ Installation

UNIVERSAL DOORS & EXTERIORS Arnold Scheffer 250-342-6700

unidoorext@live.ca • unidoorext.ca

Industrial ~ Commercial ~ Residential

PHARMACY

Judy: (250) 341-1903

valleysolutions@shaw.ca

House Checking and more!

Bob: (250) 341-5014

PROVIDING SOLUTIONS FOR THE VACATION HOME OWNER SINCE 2006

WHOLE 9 YARDS MOWING Call Wayne at 250-341-5512

Spring Cleanups Mowing Contracts

SERVICE EXCELLENCE IN THE COLUMBIA VALLEY

LAMBERT-KIPP

SINCE 1991

P H A R M A C Y ( 2 0 1 9 ) LT D .

ICBC Glass Repair Out of Province Vehicle Inspections Auto Body Repairs • Painting • Quality Parts

Come in and browse our giftware

Irena Shepard, B.Sc. (Pharm.)., Émilie Lamoureux, Pharm D., Laura Kipp, Pharm D. Your Compounding Pharmacy

Open Monday – Saturday, 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

We give all students 15% off with valid student ID

North American Warranty All Makes and Models Tire Sales and Installation

141 Industrial Rd. 2 • 250-342-9424 • Open Monday - Saturday, 8:30 am - 5:30 pm

1301 - 7th Avenue, Invermere

250-342-6612

Got an entertainment, sports or news tip? Give us a call! 250-341-6299

18 • The Columbia Valley Pioneer

March 12, 2020

Groundwater management crucial Submitted by Living Lakes Canada Columbia Basin businesses and landowners who use groundwater for non-domestic purposes are reminded they are legally required to apply for a water licence.

This change came into effect in 2016 with the new Water Sustainability Act. Four years later, just 15 per cent of B.C. users have complied, according to a recent article published by the Partnership for Water Sustainability. Licensing is needed to protect many of the regions in B.C. that have reached a point where water supply is reaching critically low levels, and prevent the same water stress from happening elsewhere in the province, state the authors.

Domestic groundwater users are exempt from licensing but are encouraged to register their well so it can be added to the provincial database.

“Groundwater helps maintain water levels and water quality in wetlands, streams, rivers and lakes,” says Living Lakes Canada Executive Director Kat Hartwig. “It’s important to manage this freshwater resource for the health of communities and ecosystems, especially in a changing climate.”

Living Lakes Canada is managing the Columbia Basin Groundwater Monitoring Program, which is working with citizens, local governments and other stakeholders throughout the Basin to collect groundwater data that otherwise would not be collected. This information can then be used by A well owner is pictured above collecting water level data.

Photo submitted

citizens to learn about groundwater and in water management decisions, climate adaptation planning, and conservation planning to ensure sustainable water supplies for human use and to maintain healthy ecosystems.

The program is looking to expand the number of wells it is monitoring and invites interested well owners (domestic and non-domestic) to contact program manager Carol Luttmer at groundwater@ livinglakescanada.ca. Suitable wells for monitoring are typically not actively used to withdraw water.

To better understand the new requirements for groundwater users, to apply for a licence or to register your well, visit the B.C. government website at https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/ environment/air-land-water/water/water-licensing-rights/water-licences-approvals/new-requirements-for-groundwater-users.

To learn more about Living Lakes Canada’s Groundwater Monitoring Program in the Columbia Basin, visit https://livinglakescanada.ca/projects/groundwater/.

Living Lakes Canada bridges the gap between science and action to foster citizen-based water stewardship. Their mandate is to help Canadians understand the intimate connections between water quantity, water quality, land-use, climate change, biodiversity, and healthy human communities by building a water stewardship ethic that all Canadians can be proud of.

Minor hockey minute Submitted by Windermere Valley Minor Hockey Association The Atom team, despite playing their hearts out, lost out early in their quest for the East Kootenay Banner.

In the first game, the team lost a heartbreaker to Kimberley 5-4. Chayton Martin scored the first goal for the team, making the score 3-1. The other goals were scored by Tobin Donahue on a breakaway, Cooper Cote – shorthanded – and one more. Playing later in the same day, the team bounced back and beat Fernie 6-3 in the 6:30 game. Goals were scored by Gage Nyuli, Cooper, Lane Warriner, Liam Gallaway and Memphis Martin (2). One was an empty net goal.

After the game, the team ate and went straight to bed, but had to be back at the arena again for a game at 8 a.m. With the time change and having to be at the arena an hour early, no one got much sleep. The team played hard, scoring the first goal, but Cranbrook tied it up right away. Cranbrook stayed ahead the rest of the game, winning 5-3 and the right to play Kimberley for the Banner. Goals

DISTRICT DISTRICT OF OF INVERMERE INVERMERE 914 – 8th Avenue, PO Box 339 Invermere, B.C. V0A 1K0 Tel: 250-342-9281 • Fax: 250-342-2934

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL INVERMERE TRANSFER STATION The District of Invermere invites quotes from qualified companies for contract services to manage the Invermere transfer station for a 1-year period from May 1st, 2020 to April 30th, 2021. Copies of the Request for Proposal can be obtained at the municipal office (914 - 8th Avenue) or can be found on the Districts website. www.invermere.net.

Sealed quotes marked “Invermere Transfer Station” can be delivered no later than 4:00 p.m., local time, Friday March 27th, 2020.

The District of Invermere reserves the right to waive formalities in any proposal or reject any or all proposals.

Contact: Kindry Luyendyk Interim Chief Administrative Officer 250-342-9281 corporateservices@invermere.net

of the game were scored by Jordan Maville, Cooper and Lane, on a pass from Memphis. Ryker Chasse played an excellent positional game of defence, as did Gage, Tyler Mcgowan, and Lewis Turgeon. Wingers Tanner Cropley and Jake Gramlich worked hard in the corners. Myan Twogood was stellar in goal all three games. The team would like the thank the coaches and all the volunteers for such a successful year.

The Bantam Rockies played in their Banner Tournament this weekend in Cranbrook. In the first game the team beat Cranbrook 5-4. Then the team lost to Creston 7-5, with the seventh goal being an empty net goal. This left them in a three-way tie after the round robin, and it came down to goals for and against, and the team ended up in third over 1 goal against. This meant the team played Fernie for third place, beating them 5-1, making sure of that third place.

On March 15 the team will be off to Vanderhoof for the provincials in hopes of bringing home the big BC banner!

Good luck to them.

Your Local Professionals

COLUMBIA VALLEY REAL ESTATE

Wende Brash Broker/Owner

RE/MAX Invermere Independently Owned and Operated 1022B - 7th Avenue, Box 459 Invermere B.C. V0A 1K0 E-mail: wendebrash@telus.net Fax: 250-342-9611

Office: 250-342-6505 • Cell: 250-342-1300

March 12, 2020

The Columbia Valley Pioneer • 19

P IONEER C LASSIFIEDS

• Phone: 250-341-6299 • Fax: 1-855-377-1312 • Email: info@columbiavalleypioneer.com • Web: www.columbiavalleypioneer.com

ANNOUNCEMENT

ANNOUNCEMENT

CHEERS & JEERS

CHEERS & JEERS

CHEERS & JEERS

CHEERS & JEERS

Alcoholics Anonymous. If alcohol is causing problems or conflict in your life, AA can help. All meetings are at 8 p.m. For more information, please call 250342-2424. Columbia United AA, Invermere: Saturday, Sunday, Tuesday, and Wednesday at the BC Service Building, South End – 624 4th St., Invermere.

Radium Friendship Group: Friday at the Catholic Church, East Side of Main St. Canal Flats Thursdays at 8853 Granger Rd. Village Office lower level, North end. Call Terri at 250-688-6050 or Grant at 250-342-1029 for more info. With the exception of Tuesday, all meetings are open.

Al-Anon. Are you concerned about or affected by someone else’s drinking? If so, please join us. Al-Anon meets EVERY Monday in Invermere at 7:15 p.m., at the Canadian Martyrs Catholic Church, 712 – 12th Ave (behind the Invermere hospital).

For information, please call 250342-8255.

Cheers to Patrick for putting on drum circles in Edgewater all February and Cheers to his cute assistant too!

Cheers to Kyra and Jo our local midwives. Our little town is lucky to have access to such amazing care. Beyond grateful!

A big Cheers to Columbia Valley Rockies for volunteering for recycle duties throughout the winter season for the Thrift Store. Good luck in your playoff rounds and hope to see you next year. Much appreciated!

Cheers once again to the Invermere Legion, for being so efficient in setting up tables for my Birthday party Friday March 6th, also Cheers to my son in law for the beautiful strawberry birthday cake. We had fun. More people should have more parties at the legion.

IT’S BACK!

Dairyland milk is once again available at…

HUGE JEERS to the road conditions to the Forster parking lot (specifically from the last bridge to the toll booth). It was extremely dangerous and had consequences as people tried leaving Sunday.

CHEERS & JEERS Cheers to the good old sundial, wake up to the sunrise, or any ole time you open your eyes, and go to sleep around sunset, or again any ole time you feel like it.

S OBITUARY S EVANS, CHRISTOPHER BROCK Christopher Brock Evans, aged 75 of Invermere, B.C., passed away from advanced prostate cancer on March 4, 2020.

Chris is survived by his wife of 50 years Charleen, sister Annabel (Roy), children Meaghan and Craig(Florence), granddaughter Hannah, and nephews and nieces Geoffrey, Lesley, Lyndsey, Matt, Luke, and Lori. Chris grew up in Bradford, Ontario.

While attending McMaster University, he was a member of the Officer Training UNTD program. He enlisted as an Officer in the Canadian Navy until 1968, after which he joined IBM as a Sales Representative. Over 25 years, Chris built a successful career working with IBM in Toronto, Kitchener, New York, and Calgary. He became one of two IBM Project Managers for the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, and after retirement in 1992, he continued to act as a Management Consultant for several years. In 2002, Chris and Charleen moved to the Columbia Valley and became active members of the Valley community. He was a Board Member and President of the Columbia Valley Arts Council, and a Tenor for the Valley Voices Choir. Chris loved singing, reading, golf, and connecting with good friends and family. Chris’ generosity of spirit, and huge capacity for love was so apparent. Chris lived in Gratitude and understood the importance of being of service to others. He often spoke about family that: “If ever I could sit across the porch from God, I would thank God for loaning you to me.”

His beautiful presence will continue to grace all the lives he touched. The family would like to express thanks for the wonderful care and respect given by Drs. Johnson and Fleet, along with the doctors and nurses at the Invermere Hospital. To the staff and community at Columbia House who warmly received us in the Day Program, we are grateful for your continued dedication and generosity.

In lieu of flowers, if desired, friends may make contributions to CV Arts (columbiavalleyarts.com) or Prostate Cancer Canada (www.prostatecancer.ca). A Celebration of Life will be held at 1:30 p.m., March 14, 2020, at Christ Church Trinity, 110 7th Ave, Invermere, BC.

Cheers to the bylaw officer for changing our car tire at the beach.

Jeers to those who have put up their Christmas decorations early! Oh wait! We get it! It’s LAST YEARS CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS. Still up from three months ago!

Cheers to Andrea Dunlop. You are what we all need: A thoughtful, calm, non-accusatory response to fear and anger, and you chose to take simple action. Bravo!

Cheers to the staff at No Frills who found my little change wallet and kept it for me for 4 days. I really appreciate it.

S OBITUARY S Hall, Ellen Barbour June 30, 1933 – February 16, 2020 Ellen Barbour Hall passed away peacefully the morning of February 16, 2020 in Hilltop House in Squamish, B.C. at 86 years of age. She was born on June 30, 1933 to Bert and Mabel Barbour in Invermere, B.C. Ellen attended high school in Invermere, B.C. and after graduation worked in the office for S. Ronacher & Son Ltd. Lumber Manufacturing Company.

She married Clarence Hall on October 8, 1955 and had five children, Mona (Mike), Ken (Carrie), Kelly (Kari), Kurt (Carmen) and Monica (Brad).

Ellen is survived by four of her five children; 17 grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; one brother, Earl Barbour; as well as two former sons-in-law, Neil and Wayne; and a former daughter-in-law Janice.

She was preceded in death by her parents Bert and Mabel Barbour; one brother, Harold Barbour; three sisters, Dorothy Quinn, Anne Stevenson, and Edna Godlien; her son, Kelly Hall; and her former husband, Clarence Hall.

Ellen was an avid gardener, talented baker, skilled quilter and seamstress who specialized in “Nana Pajamas”, enthusiastic hiker and golfer, dedicated community volunteer, and keen traveller, especially overseas. She was a much beloved Mom, Mom-in-Law, Nana, and Grand-Nana.

A Celebration of Life will be held at Kurt and Carmen Hall’s home in Coquitlam, B.C. To write a condolence to the family, please visit www.squamishfuneralchapel.com.

Cheers to the first responders who generally don’t use a clock, or even the sunrise and sunset… All those who are obligated to get up and look after all sorts of people… little ones, wayward ones, troubled ones, you know who you are!

Cheers to us all who know we can do it our own way, hey, hey, hey!

Cheers to the Invermere Health Care Auxiliary community volunteers who furnished the palliative family care room adjoining the palliative patient room at the Invermere Hospital. We felt supported and thoughtfully cared for with all the amenities which provided a home-like setting for us as a family during our loved ones “home-going” process.

If you want to sell your home, it should be here!

Call Gerry *not intended to solicit those already working with an agent.

BUYING OR SELLING CALL 250-341-1202

gerrytaft.ca Rockies West Realty Independently owned and operated

STORAGE NEWHOUSE STORAGE Various sizes available.

Now with climatecontrolled units.

Call 250-342-3637.

ACREAGE FOR SALE

BARRY BROWN-JOHN Managing Broker “Rocky Mountain Land Man”

250-342-5245 b.brownjohn@gmail.com ACREAGE FOR SALE 4.7 acres. Has its own gravelled road access from Kootenay #3.

Road already constructed.

Drilled well, views, privacy. $219,000 + GST. Phone Elkhorn Ranch, 250-342-1268.

ELKHORN COUNTRY ESTATES Phases 1 and 2 sold out.

Selling Phase 3 now. 2.5 to 4.7 acre parcels. Starting at $159,000 + GST. No building time commitment.

Phone Elkhorn Ranch 250-342-1268 www.elkhornranches.com

20 • The Columbia Valley Pioneer

ACREAGE FOR SALE

FIREWOOD

Westside Park: Two individually titled lots. $62,499 each. NO monthly or strata fees. PST already paid. Amazing views southeast and northeast, end of cul-de-sac. mountainhome54321@ gmail.com.

Support Rockies Hockey firewood. Contact email cvrockies.firewood@gmail.com or call 250-342-1624 for more info or to place an order.

Pine Firewood. Pine available.

Call 250-342-6068.

SERVICES WANTED Cash for gold and silver! Also buying coin collections, old money old jewelry Contact Todd 1-250-864-3521.

MISC. FOR SALE Top Quality Hay Round bales.

Stored in shed. Phone Elkhorn Ranch 250-342-1268.

BUY ONE, GET ONE 60% OFF Expires March 15th Shannon’s Blinds & Designs Blinds, Drapery, Phantom Screens & more www.facebook.com/ shannonsblinds (250)342-5749 shannonsblinds@yahoo.ca Best of Business Awards!

NOTICES BC Timber Sales Operating Plan #21 East Kootenay Operating Area The public is invited to review and comment on Operating Plan #21 being prepared by BC Timber Sales under its approved Forest Stewardship Plan #601. Comments will be accepted on or before May 15, 2020.

Operating Plan #21 includes proposed logging and road construction located in the vicinity of: Baker-Cranbrook TSA Mark-Cranbrook TSA White-Cranbrook TSA Couldrey-Cranbrook TSA Bugaboo-Invermere TSA Kootenay East/Moscow-Invermere TSA Maps can be viewed online at: http://bit.ly/Op_21_FTEK Comments must be submitted in writing to: Darren Hayes, RPF, Planning Forester East Kootenay Field Team 1902 Theatre Rd, Cranbrook, BC, V1C 7G1 tko.ref@gov.bc.ca Ph: 250-420-2180

March 12, 2020

SERVICES LEE’S SMALL ENGINE REPAIR SHOP Specializing in chainsaws, snow blowers, wood splitters and power augers for all your firewood and winter needs.

SAW CHAIN NOW AVAILABLE. Industrial #2 Road across from NAPA Hours: Tuesday-Friday 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Saturday 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.

250-341-2551 Offering Excellent Service & Fair Pricing!

Spic N Span Cleaning Services Office cleaning.

Now taking new clients.

Please contact Amanda at 250-688-1259 for more information.

Heaven’s Best Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning.

Environmentally friendly products. Dry in 1 hour!

Call 250-688-0213 or visit www.heavensbest.ca.

B.B.’s Home & Lawn Care Services: Handyman Services, Renovations, Moving, Dump runs. House Checks/House Cleaning. Snow removal.

250-688-2897.

Pike Contracting Excavating and Skid Steer services.

Call Jason 250-342-5277.

Please email classified ads to

LESSONS/TRAINING

HELP WANTED

Rocky Mountain Swim Lessons is open for registration. Sign up now for the weeks you want. Red Cross Swim Lessons, Bronze Level Lifesaving Lessons and DIVING lessons.

Learn to swim at Fairmont Hot Springs Resort. Email info@ rockymountainswimlessons.ca.

Stolen Church Gelato & Coffee is looking to expand our already amazing team. Looking to fill multiple positions including Head Baker and Barista. F/T available year round $16- 20/hr depending on experience plus benefits and gratuity. Email info@stolenchurch.com or drop off resume at our Invermere location (fka Gerry’s Gelati).

HELP WANTED

Pioneer Classifieds

SPOT THE DEALS! N E W S PA P E R

info@columbiavalleypioneer.com

Invermere Petro-Can is currently accepting resumes for F/T and P/T employment. Wages starting at $15/hr. Apply in person to 185 Laurier Street, Invermere between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.

Wanted 2 F/T Restaurant Cooks, Rocky River Grill, 8888 Arrow Road, Invermere, B.C. Permanent, F/T shifts, overtime, weekends, days and evenings, $16/hour for 40 hours per week. Overtime after 40 hours. Minimum several years’ experience and completion of Secondary School. DUTIES: Prepare and cook full course meals, prepare and cook individual dishes and foods, ensure quality of food portions, work with minimal supervision, prepare dishes for customers with food allergies or intolerances. Inspect Kitchens and Food service areas. Please forward resume to Justin Atterbury by fax 250-342-8889 or email justatterbury@hotmail. com.

Sobeys Invermere is now accepting applications for the following positions:

Assistant Grocery Manager (One full-time position)

Grocery Clerk (One part-time position)

Meat Clerk (One part-time position)

Cashiers (Part-time positions) Please apply at customer service. Must be willing to work evenings, and weekends.

Recycle? Yes or no?

Get the BC RECYCLEPEDIA App

Elevation Massage & Spa in Radium is hiring! Full time positions available: Hair stylist, Gel Nail Artist/Esthetician, Massage Therapist. Contact: genevieve@elevationmassage. ca or 250-342-5470.

info@columbiavalleypioneer.com

www.rcbc.ca RECYCLING COUNCIL OF B.C. MEMBER

NOTICES

HELP WANTED

2020-2021 ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION/COMMUNITY PROTECTION FUEL TREATMENT ANNUAL PLAN & OPERATIONS MAPS The Rocky Mountain Trench Ecosystem Restoration Program and partner agencies and organizations would like to inform the public that the activities planned for Grassland Ecosystem Restoration and Community Protection Fuels Treatments are available for public viewing at the following website: https://trench-er.com Select the Map Link The 2020-2021 Annual Plan document identifies the project leads and their contact information should the public have concerns or questions about individual projects.

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY Term, Part-time

Health Care Assistant Program Instructor INVERMERE CAMPUS START DATE: MAY 11, 2020 Please see competition number: 20-FA-12 Closing date: March 20, 2020 For a full description of this job posting and instructions on how to apply visit: cotr.ca/HRD

Deadline for comments or concerns is April 15, 2020. cotr.ca

March 12, 2020

The Columbia Valley Pioneer • 21 EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

Biologist Manager of Territorial Stewardship We’re looking for an experienced Professional Biologist to support our growing organization in the conservation and management of natural resources. The position will involve supporting the Shuswap Band and the Secwepemc Nation in Columbia River Treaty negotiations through study initiation, technical support and project management/guidance.

The Biologist will also be responsible for assisting the Director of Territorial Stewardship with the implementation of natural resource management projects and initiatives by providing biological support, project management, administration, training and education to community members.

We offer a competitive salary and benefits package commensurate with experience and are committed to working with our employees to achieve their career goals within our organization. This position will provide exposure to large, multi-facet projects and initiatives which are generally long-term in nature and require both consistency and commitment. This is a unique opportunity for the ideal candidate with ability to steer career changing activities.

RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE: • Participate in and prepare for relevant working groups and representative forums.

• Assist in the development of a 5yr Workplan for the re-introduction of anadromous stocks into the upper-Columbia River/Basin.

• Under the Salmon LoA; Initiate technical studies as defined by the Salmon LoA priorities.

• Assist in the development of the Knowledge Synthesis Report for the Columbia River Treaty.

• Responsible for implementing all phases of projects, from planning to completion.

• Responsible for coordinating and managing project teams, resources and budgets.

• Ensure high quality of project work and on-time and budget delivery of services.

• Develop work plans, capacity funding proposals and conservation funding grants.

• Conduct scientific research, assessments and studies, and report on findings.

• Maintain good communication with clients, sub-consultants, contactors and stakeholders.

• Assist in building a strong client network and organization reputation for quality services.

• Organize and document critical information, developments and challenges for projects.

• Provide timely reports to the Director on project budgets, milestones and deliverables.

EXPERIENCE • Knowledge of provincial and federal environmental processes, regulations and best management practices.

• Knowledge of life history, biology and habitat requirements of anadromous and freshwater salmonids in BC. • Knowledge of fisheries stock assessment and population estimation methodology.

• Knowledge of wildlife population assessment and estimation methodology.

• Knowledge of life history, biology and habitat requirements of ungulate species in BC. • Knowledge of fish and wildlife habitat restoration approaches, requirements and methodology.

• Knowledge of protected and endangered species populations, including conservation protection and rehabilitation.

• Advanced understanding of scientific research approaches, resources and technique.; • Experience preparing B.C. regulatory permit applications (e.g. Section 11 Applications, Fish Collection Permits, Wildlife Permits…etc.).

• Experience preparing Environmental Management Plans for construction projects.

• Experience as a QEP for environmental monitoring on construction projects.

QUALIFICATIONS: • Demonstrated experience working with Indigenous Communities required.

• Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology or related discipline required.

• Registered Professional Biologist designation or equivalent required.

• Minimum 5 years professional experience in biological sciences or related discipline.

• Minimum of 2 years’ experience with project management and coordination.

• Experience supervising environmental technicians in both office and field settings.

• Experience with project management, budgeting, and related administrative duties.

• Advanced computer skills in MS Office, knowledge of statistical software an asset.

• Excellent oral and written communication skills including experience delivering presentations, as well as writing scientific reports and funding proposals.

• Excellent interpersonal, problem solving and conflict resolution skills.

• Excellent attention to detail, organizational and time management skills.

• Ability to work independently as well as within a team setting.

• Ability to respond effectively to changing operational needs.

• Valid Class 5 BC driver’s license and reliable transportation.

• Training certificates in related areas are considered assets (e.g. First Aid, Swiftwater Rescue, Marine Emergency Duties, Small Vessel Operator Proficiency, and Backpack Electro Fishing).

• Full-time position, salary TBD. • Must adhere to the Shuswap Indian Band Human Resources Policy and Procedure Manual (Approved April 4, 2018).

• Must work on-site at the Shuswap Indian Band Territorial Office.

To apply contact: Shuswap Indian Band, #3, 492 Arrow Road, Invermere BCV V0A 1K2 Fax: 250.341.3683 Email: dops@shuswapband.ca Deadline for applications: MONDAY, March 16th, 2020 at 4 pm.

Regional roundup from page 15 ...

Water work As for water construction, the contract for the East Side Lake Windermere/Timber Ridge and Swansea Water Looping Project has been awarded. Work is expected to begin later this year.

Steamboat community plan The RDEK will hold a Steamboat Jubilee Mountain public meeting about the official community plan to review survey results, draft policies and proposed development permits. They will also present maps for discussion.

The meeting will take place at the Edgewater

Mac-Neil Landscaping is looking for hardworking individuals to join our team. Dates of employment mid-April to end of October. Competitive wages and skills brought are rewarded. In-house equipment training, long term employment possibilities and a fun work environment.

Community Hall on Tuesday, March 24 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.. The plan area includes Edgewater, Wilmer, Brisco, Spillimacheen, Dry Gulch, Radium Resort and Spur Valley.

Residential school reparations The RDEK will provide $7,500 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Kootenay Indian Residential School closing. The residential school was in operation from 1912 to 1970 and was permanently closed on June 26, 1970.

Last year Akisq’nuk elder Joe Nicholas told the Pioneer that he was taken to residential school when he was seven.

He left residential school for good after grade 10 and finished his last two years of high school, but found himself getting into trouble.

“After I got out of residential school, I did my years of being stupid, drinking,” he said. “You come out of there and you don’t know anything, eh? And you just wander. You don’t know your parents at all, and your parents don’t know you, and so you do your own thing.”

The Ktunaxa Nation is hosting a four-day gathering to mark the anniversary of the school closing.

DISTRICT OF INVERMERE 914 – 8th Avenue, PO Box 339 Invermere, B.C. V0A 1K0 Tel: 250-342-9281 • Fax: 250-342-2934

Interested? Send your resume to gord@mac-neil.com

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY Summer Students • Parks Labourer • Gardener

GROUNDS HELP Terravista in Windermere is looking to hire a full-time grounds person to assist with the daily maintenance of the property. Can start immediately and would run until the Fall. Competitive Wages.

Responsibilities: · Landscaping · Irrigation maintenance · Operating equipment and vehicles (driver license required) · Garbage removal Please send your resume to terravistagm@gmail.com with “grounds help” listed as the subject.

The District of Invermere is accepting applications for (please visit www.invermere.net for full description): • up to three (3) Summer Students to work as part of our Public Works Staff as Parks Labourers and support for all events including Movies in the Mountains, Valley Appreciation Day and Mountain Al Fresco.

• up to three (3) Summer Students to work as part of our Public Works Staff as Gardeners and support for all events including Movies in the Mountains, Valley Appreciation Day and Mountain Al Fresco.

These positions are within the CUPE Local 2982 bargaining unit and are temporary, full-time, 40 hours per week positions.

General Hours of work: (days and hours may vary) Parks Labourers • 6 am – 6 pm Wednesday - Sunday.

• 4 pm – 12 am Mondays (Movies in the Mountains – July - August) Gardeners • 6 am – 6 pm Wednesday - Sunday.

Water Stewardship Assistant We are looking for a passionate water steward and community leader to join our organization.

The Water Stewardship Assistant will be an outgoing, adventurous youth (16 to 30) who is passionate about the environment and is looking forward to a summer spent working outdoors. Their main roles are to provide support to our water quality and quantity monitoring program and offer public stewardship education about Lake Windermere and the Columbia River Basin.

Deadline to apply: March 31, 2020 Term: May to August 2020 Compensation: $15/hour, 30-35 hours a week More information can be found at lakeambassadors.ca/join-our-team or email info@lakeambassadors.ca Thank you for your interest in working with the Lake Windermere Ambassadors

Employment Term: • Employment will commence in early May and will terminate in late August.

Starting Pay Rate: • $17 per hour Please visit www.invermere.net for full job descriptions.

Applicants are invited to submit their resumes until the position has been filled to: District of Invermere Attn: Kindry Luyendyk, Interim Chief Administrative Officer PO Box 339, Invermere, BC, V0A 1K0 Email: corporateservices@invermere.net

There’s a reason they’re called “CLASSY”. Pioneer Classifieds…

N E W S PA P E R

Phone: 250-341-6299 • Fax: 1-855-377-0312 • info@columbiavalleypioneer.com

22 • The Columbia Valley Pioneer

March 12, 2020

Panoramic Panorama Spring may be starting at the valley bottom, but on the mountain tops there’s still a month or more of winter wonderland to go. This shot is a view looking northwest from the summit of Panorama Mountain Resort.

Photo by Bruce Toohy

Twirling and learning

By Lorene Keitch Special to the Pioneer If you happen to wander into Eileen Madson Primary School on a Thursday evening, you will come across a surprising scene. There, you will find students parading across the gym, batons in hand, as coach Karen Gratton turns children and teens from novice twirlers into athletes, one twirl at a time. Some are clumsy, others are better. All are having fun.

Gratton has been involved with baton twirling for more than 50 years.

“I’ve been in it practically all my life, and I’ll probably die with a baton in my hands,” she said.

Her list of accomplishments runs higher than a baton can be tossed, from being a certified judge and coach, contributor and author of manuals, rule books and policies to having had several provincial and national positions, including representing Canada at several World Baton Twirling Federation Technical Meetings. It goes on, but you get the idea.

She loves the sport and loves to pass that passion to the next generation. Gratton taught at the largest baton club in Alberta for 20 years before moving to the valley and starting Kootenay Baton Konnection in 1995. She thought she retired in 2013. But she couldn’t stay away; in the fall of 2019, she reformed the club.

“I have always believed in baton, that it’s a great activity for kids,” she said, adding that students learn body awareness, gain confidence, and build life skills including cooperation and getting along with others. “They just blossom after this program.”

Amongst Gratton’s very first group of twirlers here

in the valley was Andrea Salzbrenner, who rose to become a competitive baton twirler at the national level.

Salzbrenner started when she was eight years old, and twirled right through until two years after graduating high school.

“Being involved in a sport like baton for so many years, I have so many great memories and experiences of my involvement,” recalled Salzbrenner. “The friendships, the love of activity and performance and the traveling and competing are some of my fondest memories.”

Baton twirler show their best moves.

Photo submitted For the local twirler, she found the sport encouraged her “Baton combines dance, gymnastics, strength and confidence to grow while performing on a gym floor for flexibility and high-level hand/eye coordination to music a crowd of hundreds of people. and performance,” Salzbrenner said. “Karen is an incredAs the club progressed through those early years, the ible coach, experienced and recognized on the World Bateammates became more experienced and accomplished, ton Twirling level for her commitment and contributions eventually traveling across Canada regularly to compete to the baton twirling community. Baton is a great way at elite provincial and national championship levels. to build confidence, friendships and have fun while be“Our club represented the Windermere Valley for ing active in a unique sport that definitely has a positive many years across Canada in Vancouver, Red Deer, Ed- history within the youth and community of our valley.” monton, Calgary, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Toronto and Gratton offered an introductory 10-week program Moncton to name a few,” Salzbrenner listed. this past fall with 17 students; it’s now in its second run, Looking back on that time in her life, and the many which began in January and runs until the end of April. wonderful memories she walked away with, Salzbrenner New students are welcome at any time for the current said she would absolutely encourage any child consider- program. To register, contact Gratton at 250-270-0142 ing baton to give it a try. or email karenjgratton@gmail.com.

March 12, 2020

The Columbia Valley Pioneer • 23

FAITH

An unexpected journey

By Pastor Murray Wittke Valley Christian Assembly Before moving to Radium I lived for 18 years in Wet’suwet’en territory.

I made many friends there but I’m especially grateful for my friendship with George Holland. It led me on an unexpected journey into Wet’suwet’en history, tradition and culture.

George was wheelchair bound when we met. He lived near my church in a rickety old house on the Jean Baptiste Reserve. It was created in 1921 after George’s grandfather barricaded himself against removal by the RCMP. George was a sub chief in the Laksilyu (Little Frog) clan. His chief name was “H’Kahk” (Goose). His parents Esther and Joshua kept him out of residential school and raised him in traditional ways.

George loved being out on the land so we often travelled into the backcountry. As I drove, he shared stories of past hunting trips, his father’s trap line, and his

childhood. He knew every gully and creek, pointed out natural salt licks, and showed me the remains of the cabin where his mother was born. At night he dreamed of hunting moose.

George talked and ate very slowly. We ate together often and I learned to wait quietly as he paused to chew before continuing with a story. The less I said the more our friendship grew.

George was fluent in his mother tongue and a highly-respected translator in the Delgamuukw Supreme Court case. He introduced me to the Feast House – the heart of Wet’suwet’en governance and culture. I was taught proper protocol and seated with the Gitdumden (Wolf ) clan. Many hours spent listening to speeches, eating and watching business being conducted left me with a deep respect for their age-old system of self-governance.

I was also privileged to meet many of the older Hereditary Chiefs before they died. They were women and men of quiet depth, dignity and wisdom.

As the years rolled by, George began calling me his brother. He wept when we said goodbye. George passed away in 2015. At his Funeral Feast, I was asked to open the assembly with prayer, a rare honour for a white guy. I paused, weighed my words carefully and spoke from my heart. Afterwards a chief whispered to me: “He taught you well.”

Local skier returns from Special Olympics

By Steve Hubrecht steve@columbiavalleypioneer.com

Sundays 10:30 a.m.

Worship Service & K.I.D.S. Church 326 10th Avenue, Invermere 250-342-9535 • www.lwac.ca

WINDERMERE VALLEY SHARED MINISTRY ANGLICAN-UNITED Christ Church Trinity (111-7th Avenue, Invermere) Every Sunday at 10:30 am All Saints (4829 Cordillera Avenue, Edgewater) Will resume on April 12 (Easter Sunday) at 9 am, and then 1st and 3rd Sundays of the month at 9 am until December.

St. Peter’s (4703 Kootenay Street, Windermere) St. Peter’s is a seasonal-only church 250-342-6644 • www.wvsm.ca

VALLEY CHRISTIAN ASSEMBLY Sunday 10 a.m.: Worship Services.

Pastor Murray Wittke 4814 Highway Drive, Windermere 250-342-9511 • www.valleychristianonline.com

ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH Saturday, 4:30 p.m.: St. Anthony’s, Canal Flats.

Saturday, 5 p.m. and Sunday, 9 a.m.: Canadian Martyrs’ – Invermere Sunday, 11 a.m.: St. Joseph’s – Radium.

Father Jojo Augustine • 712 -12th Ave., Invermere 250-342-6167 ST. PETER’S LUTHERAN MISSION OF INVERMERE Lay Worship Services, Sundays at 1:30 p.m.

Christ Church Trinity, 110 - 7th Ave., Invermere (Small Chapel) Pastor Doug Lutz, 250-464-0100 Email: mtzionlc@hotmail.com

RADIUM CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP Sunday 10 a.m. Worship service Pastor Wayne and Linda Frater • 250-342-6633 No. 4, 7553 Main St. Radium • 250-347-9937

CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS Worship Service, Sunday, 10 a.m.

Relief Society, 11:15 a.m.

President Rick Daniels • Columbia Valley Branch 5014 Fairway, Fairmont Hot Springs • 250-421-3756

The Pioneer can

take you r do llar With 6,400 copies far in circulation each week, th er your message is resonating

!

Invermere resident and alpine skier Marlow Feldmann returned from representing B.C. at the recent Special Olympics Canada Winter Games excited and aglow at the experience.

“It was amazing,” said Marlow’s mom Betty-Jean.

“She loved everything about the week. She became a little more independent on and off the ski hill. She did so well.”

Marlow competed in the slalom, giant slalom, and Super G disciplines at the games, which were held from Tuesday, February 25 to Friday, February 28 in Thunder Bay, Ontario. She has been skiing with the local Special Olympics BC – Invermere group at Panorama Mountain Resort for years, and has gradually progressed up through regional and provincial level competitions before heading off to nationals for the first time this year.

Marlow’s skiing had improved so much, in fact, that she was bumped up from the novice level to the intermediate level for the games and still managed to hold her own with the other intermediate women.

“The whole experience was really special. She didn’t medal, but that’s not everything in life. She did so well, and we are so proud of her,” said Betty-Jean, adding that, since returning to Invermere, people have come up to compliment Marlow on participating in the games. “Marlow was a bit nervous before, but once she got on the plane (with her coaches) and left, she got caught up in the excitement and camaraderie of it all.

She made so many new friends.”

Betty-Jean and Fritz (Marlow’s dad and Betty-Jean’s husband) were in Thunder Bay for the week too, supporting Marlow, and found the games uplifting.

“We’ve never been that far from home before, and it was great how much support there was for the ath-

letes,” she said. “It was really special to meet so many other families from across the country and we all had the common bond of having Special Olympics athletes.”

Betty-Jean thanked all the volunteer coaches who dedicated their time and helped Marlow along the way.

“They really pushed her to her highest capabilities.

And when she got there (to the games) she stepped up to the plate and delivered (on that capability),” said Betty-Jean.

LAKE WINDERMERE ALLIANCE CHURCH

with residents and visitors alike.

Marlow Feldmann in her team B.C. uniform.

Photo submitted

Phone: (250) 341-6299 Fax: 1-855-377-0312 info@columbiavalleypioneer.com N E W S PA P E R

www.columbiavalleypioneer.com

24 • The Columbia Valley Pioneer

March 12, 2020

THE EARLY BIRD GETS THE WORM...

AND THE BEST DEALS!

2020-21 SEASON PASS

SUPER EARLY BIRD SALE SAVE UP TO $200 Purchase by April 30, 2020 to receive super early bird pricing For more information and to purchase, visit www.fairmonthotsprings.com or call 250.345.6049