INSIDE: Toothless Cougars fall prey to sharpshooting Bruins Pg. 12 F R I D A Y
January 14, 2011
22 N E W S ,
SPORTS,
WEATHER
&
Life in the Goldfish Bowl
E N T E R T A I N M E N T chilliwacktimes.com
Time Out over for seniors
Funds finally dry up after valiant battle BY PAUL J. HENDERSON phenderson@chilliwacktimes.com
M
ratures and up to of 30 millimetres of rain was a recipe for messiness, but nothing compared to the chain of events that led to flooding two years ago. Then, a major cold snap in December froze the ground, which was followed by nearly 60 centimetres of snow followed by warm weather and more than 150 mm of rain over two days. This week’s snow melt and rain was nowhere near that, according
any Chilliwack seniors who have no family, few contacts and little to do in their day-to-day lives have, for the past 18 years, relied upon the Time Out seniors day program put on by the Chilliwack and District Senior Resources Society (CDSRS). Since the provincial government slashed the program’s funding in August 2009, Time Out has been on life support. This week the program was killed. “We used to run five days a week then we pulled it down to four,” said Al Hunt, CDSRS president. “For the last four or five months we pulled it down to three days. Finally we reached a point where we couldn’t do it any more.” The program was popular with seniors, many of whom would be shut-ins if not for the card-playing, dancing, exercises and outings they participate in, according to Hunt. In August 2009, Fraser Health notified the CDSRS they would no longer receive the $77,000 that helps pay for Time Out. “There are going to be about 90 seniors that have no place to go,” Hunt said then. “It may not seem like a big deal to a lot of people but to the people participating in the program it’s a huge deal. It’s the difference between having a life or not.” Time Out provided an exercise program, art classes, craft classes, special monthly events, celebration of seasonal holidays, board
See SNOW, Page 3
See TIME OUT, Page 5
Snow day
Tyler Olsen/TIMES
Wes Wiens clears the sidewalk in front of his Bernard Avenue home Wednesday morning. More than 30 centimetres of snow fell in a 24-hour period.
Flooding a real concern after record-breaking dump BY PAUL J. HENDERSON phenderson@chilliwacktimes.com
SNOW PICS
T
he record snowfall that hit overnight Tuesday into Wednesday morning in Chilliwack was melting later that day. By Thursday water was the new worry. Massive puddles formed in parking lots, on street curbs and dozens of clogged drains meant splashing cars and wet pant legs. However, the return of the January 2009 flooding should not be a concern, according to the City of Chilliwack. This week’s 30-plus centimetres of snow followed by warm tempe-
◗ Send us your snow photos by e-mail at editorial@chilliwacktimes.com.
Tyler Olsen/TIMES
Plenty of kids—and parents—went to the popular sliding hill in front of Prospera Centre to enjoy the aftermath of the great snow dump Wednesday.
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