A6 Thursday, December 8, 2022
Cowichan Valley Citizen
http://www.cowichanvalleycitizen.com
Opinion OUR VIEW
OTHER VIEWS
Snow-covered reminder
W
e had a big snow-covered reminder this week about slowing down and driving for conditions. We imagine tire shops will be busy over the next few weeks as people reconsider the value of having winter tires. This storm was particularly bad for people sliding off the road or more seriously, rolling over. Perhaps it was that this was the first major snowstorm of the year and folks haven’t gotten into the snow driving groove yet. Things to remember: slow down for conditions. It seems like it should go without saying that you can’t go as quickly on the roadway when there’s a layer of snow covering it, but some drivers still don’t seem to have gotten the memo. Those in large vehicles or vehicles equipped with four wheel drive seem to have a false sense of security about what they can handle, and seem to forget that others on the road are driving vehicles without these amenities. A healthy dose of caution won’t steer you wrong. An abundance of fishtailing pickup trucks proves that point. There are other considerations in the snow as well, before you set foot in your vehicle. How many people saw vehicles coming down the road with nothing but a tiny patch cleared on the front windshield on the driver’s side for someone behind the wheel to peer from? There always seem to be a few. Less egregious, but still a hazard, are those who set out with drifts of snow still clinging to the roof and hood of the car, with only the windows cleared. Yes, these cakes of snow will blow off of your vehicle as you drive — right into the face of the driver behind you! That’s if the iceberg on your roof doesn’t slide down onto your own windshield the first time you hit the brakes. Or block the rear window. It’s worth the few extra minutes it takes to completely clear your vehicle of snow. If nothing else, the other drivers on the road will thank you for it — or at least not swear at you as they scramble to clear your snow off their windshield. » We want to hear from you. Send comments to editor@cowichanvalleycitizen.com. Letters must include daytime phone number and hometown.
ABOUT US
Classified ads 1-855- 310-3535
Cowichan Valley Citizen is a division of Black Press Limited, located at 251 Jubilee St., Duncan, B.C., V9L 1W8 Phone: 250-748-2666 Fax: 250-748-1552
Copyright information This newspaper’s contents are protected by copyright and may be used only for personal, non-commercial purposes. All other rights are reserved. Commercial use is prohibited. Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the newspaper.
Publisher David van Deventer david.vandeventer@blackpress.ca
Complaint resolution Editor Andrea Rondeau editor@cowichanvalleycitizen.com Director of Sales David van Deventer david.vandeventer@blackpress.ca Circulation circulation@cowichanvalleycitizen.com Newsroom 250-748-2666, extension 235 Advertising 250-748-2666, extensions 223, 227, 228, 229
The Cowichan Valley Citizen is a member of the National Newsmedia Council, which is an independent organization established to deal with acceptable journalistic practices and ethical behaviour. If you have concerns about editorial content, contact: editor@cowichanvalleycitizen.com or 250748-2666. If you are not satisfied with the response and wish to file a formal complaint, visit mediacouncil.ca or call toll-free 1-844-877-1163 for additional information
Find us online Our website: www.cowichanvalleycitizen.com Facebook: ‘Cowichan Valley Citizen’ Twitter: @CowichanCitizen
Mary Dougherty of the parent advisory council for École Des Cascades, a Francophone school in Duncan, proudly shows of the award won by the PAC for best in the province among Francophone schools. There are 47 Francophone schools in B.C. Even more impressive is that they did it with just two years under their belts. The school was opened in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and has shown rapid growth since. The PAC hit the ground running and has already created a community garden, a sand box for the school and organized a camping trip for the students. The school is hosting an information session for potential students and their parents on Wednesday, Dec. 14, starting at 6 p.m. For more information, call 250-737-4486.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Send your items to: editor@cowichanvalleycitizen.com
Info, videos on municipal forest eye-opening I write with respect to our local forests and how they are cared for. I am very encouraged to see Municipality of North Cowichan engaging in public and online information sessions regarding our municipal forest reserve. By all accounts I have read, this MFR is quite rare, indeed. Former councils have taken it upon themselves to bring our local mountains, six of them, under our own governance, including lands ownership. What a concept! What I am very upset about is learning these mountains have been heavily logged, on their backsides, where cutting models are not clearly visible. What does that make you think? I grew up to learn if we shine a light on a problem, we can work it out. If you can see the problem that is. Former councils gave rather large swath licences to cut fir stands, out of sight, and now not out of
mind. Have you seen new and incredibly presented Icel Dobell videos and also plenty of independent drone footage? I have listened to experienced men like Wade Davis. Check it out… It’s rather shockingly eyeopening, moreover what I ever thought I knew. I look to see our new and energetic MNC Mayor Rob Douglas and councillors carry the work of former elected representatives’ decades long objectives of preservation of our local forests. They can use all this brilliantly researched study about saving air, water and soil quality for species sustainability on earth and having trees maintain it. Trees are now known to actually communicate, and their job is to diffuse heat, store water, keep watersheds and soil intact for flood prevention, provide habitat, effect filtration, aid fire suppression, and assist with carbon capture and air sweeping. There’s way more! I know plenty of good local folks
who grew up and worked in a logging community around here. I understand their fears of loss of logging, road-building, trucking, etc. work and livelihoods. Those jobs aren’t going to all of a sudden stop. I know we need wood products for an enormity of items. I think we need to foster more local value of that wood. I see jobs! I believe industry workers deserve transition help. I listen to the people who study on this massively important subject, and have a collective consensus about all the planet’s ‘working’ forests and their values. I believe there are two distinct and opposite applications of that term, ‘working forests’. 1. The indiscriminate saw. 2. The trees left to work while standing, for many reasonsI believe we all need to rethink, accept, invent and act upon. Beverley McKeen North Cowichan