FRIDAY OCTOBER 9, 2015 VOL. 42, NO. 37
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How I Got Here: Mark Groen
Professional housesitter says he’s found the key to life on Bowen
Slug power!
10-year-old’s crosswalk design a reminder to drivers to slow down at BICS
Write on
Lisa Shatzky launches new book of poetry; Edye Hanen wins contest
Skunks causing a big stink LOUISE LOIK CONTRIBUTOR
There’s much to be thankful for on Bowen Island. The bounty of the gardens and the forest are being celebrating this weekend, especially at Applefest in Davies Orchard on Sunday. Young Ella Moore was also grateful for summer’s long goodbye embrace as she explored the wonders of to be found on Pebbly Beach. Louise Loik photo
Conservative Party throws support behind abandoned vessel legislation MARTHA PERKINS EDITOR
When the federal election was called, John Weston’s Private Member’s Bill to make abandoning a boat a criminal offence was thrown overboard. In the final weeks of his bid to retain his seat as the Conservative MP for West VancouverSunshine Coast-Sea to Sky Country, his party threw it a lifeline. On Tuesday, federal ministers James Moore and Stockwell Day stood next to Weston on the shores of the Burrard Inlet to announce that Weston’s bill was now part of the party’s election platform.
As well, the Conservatives say that if they are elected to govern Canada on October 19, they will allocate $1 million a year, beginning in 201617, to cover one-third of the cost of removing derelict vessels and improve tugboat capacity for the West Coast. Their plan also includes a Canadian Coast Guard Environmental Response Office and Pollution Response Vessel in Vancouver. Weston says he was first made aware of the issue during a visit to Mannion Bay with islander Bruce Russell, who has long lobbied for rules to govern the use of Bowen Island’s waters. When the NDP put forward a bill on the subject, Weston went against his party by supporting it.
Happy Thanksgiving We are thankful for our contributors, advertisers and the Bowen community. We hope that you enjoy this time with your family. Just a reminder that like you, we enjoy spending time with our families. We will not be in the office on Monday. Please let Maureen know of your advertising needs by Friday Oct. 9 at 4pm.
When that bill was defeated, he drafted his own. It passed first reading but died on the table when the election was called. “Addressing the issue was not a popular or high priority item with most elected officials but at least John gave it the attention it deserved,” Russell said in an email. “While somewhat of a voice in the wilderness he stuck with it for which we are most appreciative. “He had a first-hand knowledge of the significance of the problem in such a highly occupied, popular iconic area as Mannion Bay which is of significant economic importance to our community. He understood, he cared and he acted. Good on him.”
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Some people think the situation really stinks but there’s no denying that Bowen Island has a slowly growing population of skunks. Ellen McWilliams, a groomer at the Dog Ranch, says that in her 30-plus years here, she first heard of a skunk on the island nine years ago. Back then, there was just the odd spraying. Now she’s bathing two to three dogs, as well as the occasional cat, a week. McWilliams‘s experience is that “It’s the hunting breeds“ of dogs that get into trouble the most. “It’s usually the Golden Retrievers, or Labradoodles, or a few Huskies. It’s just brutal,” she says referring to the stench. While there is debate about how long skunks have been living on Bowen, Iris Carr from CAWES notes that “three skunks and three raccoons were reported eight years ago in the Miller Road/Miller Landing area,” One raccoon seemed to have disappeared. The remaining two raccoons were probably of the same gender. “No raccoon kits have been reported in the past eight years,“ she adds. “If they are the very same raccoons, they probably won’t live for much longer.” Skunks, on the other hand, have increasingly left their scent all over the island. A shy, slow-moving animal with a small range, skunks have only one defence. If threatened, they have little recourse but to diffuse their signature scent to dissuade anyone, or anything, from getting closer. Continued page 6
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