area resident

your civic duty and cast your vote for your choice for our fifth council member. Be thankful that we live in a democratic country and that we are able to make a choice.

Mary Akehurst, Invermere, BC

“From what I recall, it (the Whiteway) had to be a minimum of six metres wide the whole way. And there were two or three corners were it was about six inches less than that...It seemed a bit ridiculous, but that’s what the rules were.”

Atterbury explained those pushing for the record were at first very disappointed, if not outright devastated, given that they’d been chasing the record for a few winters, and doing so was a tremendous effort. But those feelings were alleviated when they learned the Whiteway qualified for a separate record (longest ice skating trail, rather than longest ice skating rink).

“It is something that could be done again (to try to take the rink record from the Rideau), but it takes a lot of work, and the Whiteway does already have the ice skating trail record,” noted Atterbury.

Invermere council members didn’t hear quite as much about the Whiteway-Rideau confusion as did the Pioneer. Neither Invermere mayor, Al Miller, nor Invermere councillor, Kayja Becker (who had been acting mayor for a time recently, while Miller was on vacation) had any comments directly stemming from the news stories, although Miller has had some such inquiries in the past. Both, however, pointed to another key difference between the Rideau and the Whiteway.

“Perhaps most importantly, we are open this winter,” said Becker.

“Let’s put it this way: we have somewhere to skate this winter. Ottawa does not. So for that, I guess, Ottawa needs to keep looking our way,” echoed Miller.