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Volume 20, No. 26

Augmented role of private sector in new hospitals Housekeeping, maintenance staff shut out of North Island Hospitals Project

By Drew A. Penner Echo Staff Island Health has been shut out of housekeeping and plant maintenance for the North Island Hospitals Project, as these duties will be the responsibility of the private firm chosen to build both the Comox and Campbell River facilities, the Echo has learned.

In a memo to housekeeping staff at St. Joseph’s General and Campbell River hospitals Joe Murphy, VP operations and support services with the

health authority, emphasized a commitment to working with union representatives to ease the blow to employees. “We know this is difficult news, and we sincerely hope that the threeyear window until the new hospitals open provides both employees and Island Health adequate time to develop strategies that will minimize the impact on affected staff,� he wrote. “As you may be aware, the two new hospitals are being built as part of a public-private sector partnership

(PPP). Traditionally, in PPP projects, the private sector partner is responsible for ‘hard’ facility maintenance services such as facility repair, life-cycle maintenance, grounds and roads maintenance, as well as for ‘soft’ facility maintenance services such as housekeeping.�

In a letter to the board of directors and the Bishop of Victoria St. Joseph’s CEO Jane Murphy called the news “upsetting� and urged staff to bind together to help affected employees.

“I know I speak for everyone when I express how much we value the role our dedicated housekeeping and plant maintenance staff provide,� she wrote. “They are key to our hospital operations, the provision of patient and resident care and are vital members of our team.�

With three years until the new hospitals are slated to open in 2017 the hospital will have a lot of time to work with the Hospital Employees Union and Island Health to develop strategies to help people affected by

the decision, she noted. “I would ask all of us to consider how we might support our colleagues in these departments,� she wrote. “I am sure they would appreciate our words of encouragement.�

Barb Biley, secretary of Hospital Employees Union Comox Local, said the move towards a model of care that has been adopted down-Island and on the mainland since 2003 could put lives at risk.

(Continued on page 2)

Helen Austin with her Juno for best children’s album

The City of Courtenay’s director of financial services, Tillie Manthey, checking out data needed for the pilot ‘Citizen Budget’ section of the municipality’s website.

Courtenay to pilot ‘Citizen Budget’ online process on Vancouver Island

By Philip Round Echo Staff A new way for residents to help shape council budgets and influence decision-making is to be piloted by the City of Courtenay.

The municipality will be the first on Vancouver Island to trial the online ‘Citizen Budget’ program, which has already been adopted to acclaim by a number of local governments elsewhere in Canada, including the City of Edmonton.

When fully up and running, the program will allow residents to access more detailed information about current and proposed spending plans and register their opinions on priorities through easy-to-use interactive tools.

Courtenay Coun. Jon Ambler came to hear of it when he was emailed details after a council debate last fall.

On that occasion, all six councillors had spoken against a suggestion by Mayor Larry Jangula to set up a select committee

of citizens to go through the council’s finances. The councillors insisted they were happy to encourage more public input, but all opposed the idea of a select committee, with Coun. Ronna-Rae Leonard suggesting it smacked of cronyism and vested interests.

And this week Ambler recalled: “It was a last-minute, no-notice, vague idea.

Debate ensued and we were not able to identify the problem that it would, theoretically, solve. “Further, concerns were raised by all of us about transparency, cost, staff effort, cronyism and letting unelected - and therefore non-accountable or responsible - folks have great influence on Courtenay spending.�

He added: “As it turned out, the idea put forward by the mayor was not even moved - it was stillborn. “Criticism came that we turned it down because we feared openness, yet nobody came to our budget meeting and only two went to the one advertised by the CVRD.�

Leonard commented: “Budgeting is an on-going process and opening the door to increase understanding of how the City functions, and providing opportunities for people to ‘plug in’ with their values, helps the City to be ‘our’ City. “Inviting the entire citizenry into the budget process is proper public participation. It should not be an exclusive process in which only a select few get a say.�

Ambler said he liked the sound of the ‘Citizen Budget’ program as it promised “a powerful online tool to involve residents in the budget process and demonstrate a municipality’s commitment to community engagement.�

He referred it to senior staff at City Hall for evaluation, and director of finance Tillie Manthey also liked what she saw.

She spoke with her opposite number in Langley, which at the time was the only BC authority to have experimented with the system, and then tested it out for herself.

(Continued on page 2)

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Valley’s Helen Austin shocked to win Juno award

By Michael Briones Echo Staff Helen Austin is singing a very happy tune right now. Who can blame her?

After being on the threshold of landing Canada’s premier music award last year, the popular Comox Valley singer scooped her first ever Juno Award over the weekend.

Austin walked the red carpet for the second year in a row along with some of Canada’s top musicians at the 2014 Juno gala held in Winnipeg on Saturday.

Austin attended the prestigious music extravaganza because her latest album “Colour It� was nominated for Children’s Album of the Year.

When her category came up, Austin said she was actually rooting for another person to win because she really loved what they did. But when her name was announced as this year’s award winner, she was shocked. “I heard this from somebody that winning is better than not,� said Austin. “This is my first Juno award.

It was nerve-wracking and making a speech as well.�

Austin said she did not prepare a speech but was told by her husband to simply put in her head the people she would want to thank just in case. “I had it in my mind who I wanted to thank and the rest are just whatever that came out,� said Austin.

(Continued on page 2)

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Police stop erratic driver, find shotgun, stolen van A man’s erratic driving has led Comox Valley RCMP to a stolen vehicle with an illegal shotgun inside; the alleged driver, who has a long history of firearms offences, is now facing a host of criminal charges including assaulting a police officer.

The man appeared in Courtenay provincial court Thursday to answer to charges that stemmed from his arrest on Monday, sparked by a simple complaint about a bad driver.

Mounties received a report of an erratic driver near 757 Ryan Rd. in Courtenay. Officers stopped the van in the parking lot of the Courtenay Superstore.

Not only was the man prohibited from driving in B.C., he was also driving a stolen van, said Comox Valley RCMP spokesman Const. Don Sinclair. Then the discovery of a loaded semi-automatic 12 gauge shotgun caused further problems for the man, who is banned from possessing any firearms.

The man was arrested and taken back to police cells, where he became violent and punched and kicked an officer, Sinclair said.

Trevor Vandervalk is charged with theft and possession of the stolen van, possession of a firearm while prohibited, possession of a firearm that had its serial number altered, unsafe storage of a firearm, driving while disqualified under the Criminal Code, theft of money under $5,000 and assaulting a police officer.

Vandervalk, who is well-known to RCMP on the Island for violent offences, appeared in court on Thursday. He was remanded into custody on a psychiatric assessment and is due back in court May 1.

In 2011, Vandervalk caused a nine-hour standoff after he barricaded himself in his Port McNeill home with a rifle. Police had arrived at his home to arrest him for an offence days earlier, in which he entered a man’s home, took his rifle, assaulted him and then fled. Vandervalk was on a firearms prohibition and probation at the time of that offence.

Valley songwriter, performer shocked to win her first Juno Award (Continued from page 1)

Flying the duck Courtenay Mayor Larry Jangula, Greg Sawchuck, a national director of Ducks Unlimited Canada and Len Everett, a senior director for BC with Ducks Unlimited Canada, pose with the 75th Anniversary Flag during a flag raising at City Hall on Cliffe Avenue. The group’s annual fundraising dinner will be held April 12 at 5:30 p.m. at the Filberg Centre. Tickets are $50.

Courtenay to pilot ‘Citizen Budget’ process on Island (Continued from page 1) Manthey told the Echo she has found it “a neat little tool” that allowed any citizen with internet access to see and understand much more about a municipality’s budget, and use interactive tools to feed back opinions not just on finance issues but also policy questions.

While answers recorded did not represent a truly scientific cross section of the community, they provided a useful snapshot to staff and elected officials on opinions that could be weighed with representations that came in by more traditional routes.

Because this year’s Courtenay budget is on the verge of being finalized, it’s too late to use the software to influence this year’s spending plans. But council was united in welcoming the idea of trying out the system sooner rather than later.

Manthey sees value in getting a lot of information online in an easy to view and understand format so people can at least see where money is going and how the income will be raised to pay for it.

She adds she is eager to get as much detail as possible online for later this month, and make sure it is still there when tax notices go out in May - which is when

“As a City we have learned a lot more about the priorities of our citizens,” Edmonton’s director of public communications, Jason Darrah, told the Echo.

“It has been a very beneficial experience, helping citizens understand all the things their tax dollars really pay for and giving them the opportunity to give quite detailed feedback.”

It appeared providing information in a clear and easy-to-understand format had also led to a more civil discourse when it came to budget discussions, he suggested, as people were able to suggest tradeoffs they would be prepared to make in order see a higher priority given to another project or service.

Darrah praised Manthey’s idea of having the site running when tax bills went out as “a brilliant strategy” to maximize feedback that could start a ball rolling early for the following year’s budget.

“Accountability and transparency are so important today,” he added.

“Citizen Budget is not the be all and end all, but in our experience it did go a long way in encouraging a more sophisticated consultation with our citizens.”

citizens are most likely to be engaged on issues around how their money is being spent.

That near-term communication and education exercise might well include simple online surveys, she suggested, maybe indicating the level of satisfaction with various municipal services.

If council subsequently considers that first phase of implementation has been helpful, staff would then move to a more comprehensive Citizen Budget website for the future.

On it tools like moveable sliders would appear so people could indicate where they felt less or more money should be spent in - and view what impact each decision would have on their own property tax bills if adopted.

The software also could also be used to conduct surveys on specific issues outside of budget time, something that has been tried by other authorities using Citizen Budget In the City of Edmonton, for example, an online survey flagged up real concern about the time it took people to obtain certain types of permit from City Hall, which prompted a focus on how they were handled.

pround@comoxvalleyecho.com

This is Austin’s second run at this category having been nominated for her “Always Be A Unicorn” album last year. Following that project that garnered her an International Songwriting Contest win, Austin worked on “Colour It” at the beginning of 2013 and released it in November.

“It’s an album that was meant for children to make them feel good about themselves, feel happy about life and feel that everyone is unique,” said Austin.

Having finally won a Juno, Austin said she doesn’t know how she’s going to top this achievement. But she’s already started her next project.

“I am working with someone in a band now,” said Austin. “We are in the middle of putting out a new EP. As soon as I get back, I am switching back to the adult world.”

Austin moved to the Comox Valley in 2002 from UK where she had worked as a professional performer for more than 20 years as a stand-up musical comedian and regular headliner on the British comedy circuit.

She’s become a popular musician in the valley, being a regular at Vancouver Island Musicfest, and donating her time to perform for a number of local charities and causes.

Her other achievements included the Vancouver Island Music Award’s Female Songwriter and Artist of the Year and a grand prize in the John Lennon Songwriting Contest.

Housekeeping, maintenance staff shut out of North Island Hospitals (Continued from page 1) “The company is in business to make money not to make sure you have a safe and clean hospital,” she said.

“Cleaning a hospital is not the same as cleaning your house or a hotel. It’s very specialized work and it has to be done properly. The private companies don’t usually invest in enough staff, enough equipment and enough training to do the job properly.”

She pointed to the deaths of 84 people from C. difficile at Burnaby General Hospital and the 14 people in Nanaimo, who were killed directly or indirectly by the bacteria which has a tendency to spread in unsanitary hospital environments - all since private housekeeping was adopted.

“This is an example of the provincial government and the federal government wrecking health care and shoveling tax dollars that Canadians pay into the pockets of their friends in the monopolies,” she said. “I believe that health care is a public service that the government should provide. There should be no contracting out.”

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Comox Valley Echo Tuesday, April 1, 2014 A3

Britco teams up with KFN to promote modular building

By Philip Round Echo Staff K’ómoks First Nation has struck an economic partnership deal with Britco, the modular building construction and rental company.

The agreement will include skills training, scholarship opportunities and capacity building for KFN Band members as well as a revenue-sharing agreement.

The principal way money will be raised and shared with the Band is through KFN helping Britco get its modular units supplied to big construction projects in its traditional territories on Vancouver Island.

Some such projects have provisions for certain proportions of First Nations’ input in terms of labour,

supplies or sometimes both.

The director of Aboriginal relations with Britco, Kareem Allam, told the Echo the modular building supply industry was very competitive and as a BC-rooted company they were keen to be involved in as many projects as possible.

By striking seven partnership agreements with different First Nations across the province to date, they were able to seek competitive advantage - especially through “no tender” contracts - allowing the resulting benefits of securing work to be shared.

The first priority would be for Britco and KFN to work together on seeking building rental opportunities for site offices or accommodation in connection with the massive BC

Hydro John Hart Dam project at Campbell River, and other upcoming construction projects such as the two new hospitals.

But there could well be other opportunities, as many modular buildings these days were high end and permanently sited rather than the more traditional mobile site trailers, he explained.

“These guys are ready to rock’n’roll from day one,” Allam added. “They know the community - they know where the opportunities are. We can help them and they can help us as an extension of our sales force.”

In a short written statement, the Chief Councillor of the KFN, Robert Everson, commented: “Britco’s experience designing and building large construction projects in a safe and

sustainable way made this partnership opportunity appealing.”

The company’s track record of working with other Aboriginal communities in ways consistent with the values of each of its partners had been an important factor in agreeing the arrangement.

The chief executive of the K’ómoks Economic Development Corporation, Melinda Knox, told the Echo the Band already had a number of partnership arrangements that were working well.

They included agreements with Domcor security services, Uplands construction, and SMI electronics, and with the addition of Britco they were getting a really nice cross-section of joint ventures to complement their own enterprises in such fields

as aquaculture, tourism and forestry.

In their different ways all were helping strengthen economic opportunities for the Band’s 317 members, whether they lived in the Comox Valley or further away, such as on the Lower Mainland.

Mike Ridley, Britco’s president added: “The business focus and expertise of the K’ómoks First Nation means that Britco will receive advice and expertise in a growing part of Vancouver Island.

“In the KFN, we have a partner that is connected to the business community, has relationships that will strengthen our supply chain, and help us build important customer relationships.” pround@comoxvalleyecho.com

Hospital faces loss of funding if patient flow not improved Tackling challenges of overcrowding while caring for aging population

By Drew A. Penner Echo Staff St. Joseph’s General Hospital continues to struggle with overcrowding and getting patients where they need to go, despite making positive strides in recent years.

The stakes are high for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Victoria-run facility, since the Ministry of Health has threatened to withhold funding if things don’t change by April.

“Our patient flow indicators show that emergency patients who were admitted stayed in our emergency department greater than 10 hours 52 per cent of the time on average,” said Barb Marych, manager of patient flow and access at St. Joseph’s, during the regularly scheduled board meeting March 31.

“We’ve been working on some different processes, trying to get patients discharged by 9 o’clock in the morning. It’s been a bit challenging, but it really does save on resources.”

Patient flow is a critical component of the health care system referring to

the way people move through an organization and how services are delivered.

Research shows that delays in emergency patients getting beds increased hospital stays and result in higher inpatient costs for hospitals.

In the past year the length of stays for people receiving Alternative Levels of Care - meaning they are waiting for placement in another area of the hospital or in the community - has increased by 10 per cent.

Often these are elderly individuals who should not be in the acute care wing but have nowhere else to go.

“We’ve had lots of seniors move here and they have their children in other parts of Canada,” Marych said.

“We even had one woman whose son was in Sweden, and that was a difficult case. That case had to be managed from Sweden.”

Sometimes the hospital decides not to discharge a patient if it is clear this would expose the individual to lifestyle conditions that would not be safe.

Trying to care for people who

should be in a residential setting but require increased supervision because of cognitive or behavioural problems is a significant issue in the Comox Valley.

“It’s been a real challenge in the community,” she said.

“We just can’t seem to get a handle on those people. That’s something that we need to look at.”

Though it commended St. Joseph’s for making strides towards improving patient flow after a thorough examination of on-site practices, Accreditation Canada has also indicated it will be looking for the organization to step it up further in that area by the next time they survey the institution.

“Significant improvements have resulted from a concerted and coordinated effort by all areas of the hospital,” the Nov. 2013 report stated.

“Occasionally, blockages in patient flow affect surgical patients, however few surgical cases have been cancelled as a result of beds being unavailable.”

There is some good news in the

form of the overall occupancy rate, which dropped from 97 per cent to 91 per cent this year.

The number of days in the emergency department also dropped dramatically from 2,795 in 2012-13 to 1,242 - although this was in part due to the reclassification of one of the overflow units to an inpatient department.

As the patient flow and access committee continues looks to streamline service delivery, some staff have been resistant to change, although most are happy to do what they can to take the hospital’s brand of compassionate care to the next level.

“There is no way we could continue to function if we were not doing what we were doing,” she said.

“We’ve been managing our capacity quite well.”

Twice a day the hospital conducts bed rounds, meeting with clinical coordinating staff, surveying the needs of the surgical, medical and other departments.

“Our goal is a discharge-first philosophy,” she said, noting sometimes

you have to dive deeper into the reason a particular individual remains at the hospital. “What is it about these patients that is challenging or difficult?”

The hospital has been in contact by teleconference with Island Health, a practice which started in flu season this year.

Following through on recommendations from Accreditation Canada the hospital has been building on its discharge and post-hospital visit practices, too.

A discharge operation committee has been developed to help with the process.

“If you’re here seven days we start looking at you,” she said. “What is it we need to do for this patient?”

Because at the end of the day there is a job the hospital is meant to do and the goal is to do it well, Marych stressed.

“We need to make sure we maintain the beds for acute care patients,” she said.

“We are a service provider. That’s what we need to provide.”

Big boost for Mountain Sports Society The Coastal Community Credit Union in Courtenay makes a corporate donation of $3,900 to the Vancouver Island Mountain Sport Society. Presenting the cheque to the society’s vice-chair

Don Sharpe (right) and Vancouver Island Mountain Centre manager Andrew Sherck, (left) is CCCU branch manager Robert Buckley, middle.

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Rebuilding stairwell landings on both buildings.

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A4 Comox Valley Echo Tuesday, April 1, 2014

News

Rescue crew fails to find Kiyo, but saves another

By Michael Briones Echo Staff Marine mammal rescue crews were out off BC’s coast last week hoping to rescue Kiyo, a California sea lion with a wire of some kind tightly wrapped around its neck.

But again the distressed sea lion that has been repeatedly spotted in Fanny Bay and has sparked a growing public concern about animals ensnared with marine debris was nowhere to be found.

However, the operation conducted by Vancouver Aquarium’s Marine Mammal Rescue Centre, presented

by Port Metro Vancouver, and led by head veterinarian Martin Haulena, did not completely waste their time out there.

As part of the pioneering disentanglement project, they were able to save another adult male California sea lion that had a braided net tangled around its chest, abdomen and flipper.

This was the third disentanglement trip conducted by the Vancouver Aquarium, along with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. The team will make a total of six rescue trips under the current funding from the Canadian Wildlife Federation. “We do hope that during one of these trips, we’ll find and rescue Kiyo,� said Haulena, who is currently the only veterinarian in Canada with experience immobilizing sea lions with an anesthetic drug delivered by a dart.

The goal of the project is to train other veterinarians who have marine mammal experience. It’s an

Sea lion with entanglement (Photo by Wendy Szaniszlo of Vancouver Aquarium)

expensive endeavour requiring expertise, equipment, boats, drugs and more. “This is pioneering work, and due to the nature of the rescues, it requires a vet with marine mammal experience to be doing the darting and leading the animal care associated with these disentanglements,� said Vancouver Aquarium affiliate researcher Wendy Szaniszlo, who has been documenting entangled sea lions on our coast since 2010.

The groundbreaking rescue effort aims to develop protocols and techniques for disentangling sea lions in the wild, something that has never been done successfully in Canada before.

The Fanny Bay sea lions’ continuing plight is a reminder to us all to be more careful with our garbage. “When you pull that broken wire off your equipment, or slide the plastic packing strap off a delivery box, you might think nothing of tossing it aside, but those actions have consequences,� said Jill Dwyer, manager of the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup. “Entanglement is something we see across the country, involving all kinds of wild animals. This is our garbage that’s causing the problem.�

The public is also being warned not to attempt to rescue the sea lions. They are large, wild animals and it could put them and the animals at risk. If you see a marine mammal in distress, call Vancouver Aquarium’s Marine Mammal Rescue Centre at 604 258 SEAL (7325) or Fisheries and Oceans Canada at 1 800 465 4336. “Do not try to handle marine animals,� said Haulena. “Improper removal of entangled gear may make the injury worse as vital structures, such as veins, arteries and nerves lie in close proximity to the entanglements.�

Meanwhile, wildlife photographer and animal advocate Netonia Chatelaine, who raised alarm about Kiyo, has started a fundraising effort to save the estimated 400 sea lions that are currently suffering from entanglements of some kind. The proceeds will go to the Vancouver Aquarium, which is heading the disentanglement project.

If anyone wishes to donate money, just go to http://www.gofundme.com/7xmvpc.

Confusion surrounding luring arrest envelops child safety organization

By Drew A. Penner Echo Staff A Canadian child protection organization says it has been swamped by phone calls and emails from concerned parents worried they may have been involved in covering up the behaviour of a child predator who worked as a youth volunteer at Comox Pentecostal Church.

But Steven Baird, managing director for Street Smart Kidz, says he shot a video titled “Child Safety at Church� on church property without the knowledge or permission of church administration and only selected the location based on convenience. “They’re wondering if they knew about this beforehand,� he said, claiming the organization has logged many calls and emails both locally and from across the country specifically related to the video that plainly shows CPC signage in the background. “We did not know that this was going on. We randomly chose a space

Steven Baird gives advice about avoiding church sex crimes outside Comox Pentecostal Church.in video to shoot this video.�

A church volunteer who helped with youth group activities was recently arrested by Comox Valley RCMP on child porn and luring

charges.

In a statement to the Echo, not related to the Street Smart Kidz video, CPC pastor Dave Postal said the church, which requires criminal

record checks of all volunteers, has been cooperating fully with police. “So as not to compromise the investigation and with what is now before the courts we are not able to give any further comment,� he said. “As a redemptive community of hope and healing our hearts and prayers go out to anyone who may have been impacted.�

In the low-budget video Baird, in dark sunglasses and a dark shirt, pretends to read a variety of news articles about sexual abuse, using the Echo as a prop, and gives tips on how to protect kids in a church environment.

In retrospect the video, which he says has been distributed to an estimated 2,000 people in hard copy form across Canada, appears to be rife with irony. “This is a wonderful institution. I believe in it. But the abuses have got to stop,� he says in the public service announcement as the sun beats down. “I do want to tell you the Comox

Pentecostal Church is a wonderful institution like the rest of the 90 per cent of the institutions around the world, never had a blemish against them, never had a problem, nothing but good things have only happened in this wonderful institution behind me, and 90 per cent of the institutions around the world.�

The video, which was shot April 17, 2011, was not meant to attack churches, he explained. “You see that we are talking about how to keep your kids safe,� he said, adding the issue is close to his heart as one of the organization’s advisors for street smart kids was molested as a child in a Catholic church. “A lot of people feel uncomfortable about teaching child safety.�

When asked if he was interested in apologizing for shooting the video on church property without permission he declined to do so. “Do I regret shooting the video on the property? Now I do.�

What happens to ‘drug money’ when the case gets thrown out?

Portion of cash seized in police raid returned after “serious� rights violation

By Drew A. Penner Echo Staff About 40 per cent of the nearly $29,000 seized in a 2012 Courtenay drug raid was returned after a BC Supreme Court judge ruled the search that led to the seizure of cash and cocaine represented a “serious� charter rights violation.

Because the Comox Valley drug squad wasn’t able to show they knew the residence they wanted to search actually belonged to Phoc Huu Diep when applying for a warrant, they should not have asked for or received authorization to execute the search, said Justice Douglas Halfyard in a December ruling. “The evidence in the information to obtain was sufficient to show that Mr. Diep was trafficking in cocaine and that he was doing so out of his residence. But the evidence was not capable of supporting the necessary conclusion that evidence of Mr. Diep’s offence would be found at the place sought to be searched,� he said in the voir dire hearing before tossing out the evidence. “I find the Charter-infringing police conduct to be serious and of a kind from which the court should disassociate itself.�

On Nov. 2 at 9:50 p.m. the information to obtain was received by the judicial justice of the peace who turned around and issued the warrant minutes later at 10:08 p.m.

Over the course of its investigation the RCMP collected four different residential addresses for Diep and there was no indication why the apartment that was searched should be selected over all the others.

Halfyard pointed out that no police surveillance appeared to connect Diep to the residence about the Subway on Cliffe Avenue. “Crown counsel implied that the erroneous issuance of the search warrant by the judicial justice of the peace mitigates the seriousness of the violation,� he said. “I do not agree.�

However, there was no intention to mislead and no indication of bad faith. Neither was there evidence of urgency involved in the case that snared Diep and co-accused Thi Yen Lai with possession for the purpose of trafficking charges. Police had boasted of preventing $40,000 worth of cocaine from reaching the streets thanks to the investigation.

“There being no further evidence against the accused persons,�

Halfyard said, “I find them both not guilty, and they are free to go.�

The $10,000 bail paid to get Diep out of custody was mailed to the Victoria Court House for pickup Dec. 13.

Robert Miller, Lai’s trial lawyer, said the defence strategy was simply to point out the inappropriate privacy violation. “It’s a facial validity argument,�

Miller said. “The paperwork - the information to obtain - did not support the search warrant that was issued, because they had several different addresses in the information to obtain.� “In the circumstance the judge really had no jurisdiction to determine guilt or innocence.�

Cases like this are frustrating to police officers who toil away trying to catch criminals only to have evi-

dence ruled inadmissible by a judge, said Comox Valley RCMP spokesperson Don Sinclair. “He can kick it out for umpteen reasons,� he said. “You put all your sweat into it, and then it gets thrown out on a technicality.�

Defence lawyers have hours to pick apart police investigations and, he says, he understands the judge’s hands are tied. “There’s case law before you that you have to abide by,� he said. “It makes you tired after awhile.�

Ken Simmons, with the Comox Valley RCMP’s client services department, said the next step is to forward case details to the Ministry of Justice’s Civil Forfeiture Office (CFO) to initiate an administrative forfeiture proceeding. “They make an assessment of the information,� he said. “It’s all a legal process that we don’t get involved with.�

A civil court can choose to rely on all, some or none of the evidence which gets thrown out of a criminal court, noted Stuart Bertrand, a public affairs officer with the Ministry of Justice.

And even if the evidence that’s been tossed out is also excluded from of civil court, other evidence can be called which the civil court can rely on to come to a decision. “After proper consideration for pursuing criminal forfeiture, the police may refer a file to the CFO regardless of whether charges were laid or regardless of whether there was a conviction,� Bertrand said. “This pro-

cess greatly reduces the province’s legal costs, making it more cost-effective to go after low-value items and small amounts of cash commonly seized from drug dealers, gang members and other organized criminals.�

A civil BC Supreme Court case initiated Feb. 28 in Victoria involving Lai, Diep and the Director of Civil Forfeiture resulted in the defendants walking away with about $11,500. “A settlement was subsequently reached with the defendants through their lawyer,� he said. “Approximately 60 per cent of the moneys were forfeited, the remainder paid to the defendants.�

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PUBLIC NOTICE Comox Valley Compost Education Centre Closure The Comox Strathcona waste management (CSWM) service would like to inform residents that the compost education centre located at 4795 Headquarters Road in Courtenay is closed and will not be re-opening.

A heartfelt thank you goes out to everyone that supported the centre over its decade of operation. The waste reduction education program will now focus on community outreach throughout the CVRD. This program will still include a component of education on backyard composting along with various other waste reduction initiatives. For more information on waste reduction programs offered in this area, visit www.cswm/powerofr.

The compost education centre in Campbell River, located at 228 South Dogwood Street, will remain in operation. For contact information and hours of operation, visit: www.cswm.ca/composting.

Comox Valley Echo Tuesday, April 1, 2014 A5

Community

Farming in ‘downtown’ Courtenay HUNTFor History

by JUDY HAGEN

Rabbi David Mivasair

Tikun Olam theme for Community Justice Centre’s Passover Seder Have you ever wondered what the Jewish celebration of Passover is all about? What is the symbolic meaning of the ritual, the matzah, the karpas, and the bitter herbs? How does this central, annual event in the life of the Jewish community lead to building and sustaining community?

Why not set aside the evening of Thursday, April 17th to find out?

The Community Justice Centre, together with its partners Wachiay Friendship Centre, the Immigrant Welcome Centre, Volunteer Comox Valley, the Laughing Oyster Bookstore and Zocalo’s Cafe are hosting a Jewish Passover Seder at Zocalo’s Café.

The evening will give the Comox Valley an opportunity to experience this important Jewish celebration, including the full ritual and story, and the important festival meal (non-Kosher). All done with a special focus on Tikun Olam, which means “repairing the world”.

The theme will be introduced by various story tellers from the Comox Valley and the Lower Mainland.

Leading the Seder ritual will be Rabbi David Mivasair, a progressive, reconstructionist rabbi from Vancouver. He was ordained by Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, founder of Jewish Renewal and a long-time colleague in inter-faith work with Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the Dali Lama, and Nobel Peace Laureate and Muslim scholar, Shirin Abadi.

Rabbi Mivasair has long been active in the inter-faith movement in Judaism, and has spent considerable time living in Israel and Palestine working for peace between those communities.

The Seder ritual has been specially written to draw attention to the desire we all share for the repair of the world, and relates it to the Exodus story of the escape from slavery to freedom. And, as with most Jewish festival events, there will be plenty of group singing and talking and discussing!

As an important part of the Passover Seder involves singing songs that relate to the themes and ideas of the Exodus story, Jenn Forsland of the Jenn Forsland Group and conductor of Celebration Singers here in the Comox Valley, has agreed to help out by leading those attending in the singing of these easy and joyful songs. At the conclusion of the evening, a new Song about Tikun Olam, commissioned for this event, will be premiered by Josie Patterson. She is a rising young composer (and Vanier high school student) from Cumberland.

Each participant will receive a souvenir printed copy of the Seder ritual and each table will have the opportunity to participate in the readings, discussions and general good fun.

The evening includes a specially prepared Passover meal by Chef Peter of Zocalo’s restaurant. Tickets are $30 each, $20 for those under 13, and are available at Laughing Oyster Books and Zocalo’s Café on 5th Street, and at the Community Justice Centre on 8th Street (call ahead to make sure they’re open 250-334-8101).

A word of warning: last year’s Community Passover Seder of Compassion was sold out a week before. Tickets are going quickly, so don’t be disappointed. Ticket sales will close as of 5 PM, Monday, April 14th if not sold out before.

Before the Great War, a little farm on the Lake Trail Road, became known as the “farm down town”, but when Blacksmith George Brunskill Leighton decided to move to the west side of the Courtenay River, “downtown Courtenay” was still on the east side of the bridge.

George, who had been born in Perth, Ontario, arrived in Comox about 1885. The following year he purchased the shop of blacksmith John McKenzie who had his business at Hatfield’s Corner, where the Little River Road (now Anderton Road) met the Comox Road. John was moving “west” to the growing commercial centre across from the Courtenay House on the east side of the Courtenay River Bridge.

In 1894, George married Catherine Ann Baikie whose family had left the Orkney Islands in 1890 to settle on Denman Island. George met “Kittie” when she was working on the Robb Farm in Comox.

Not long after they were married, the Leightons moved to Cooper’s Corner, Sandwick, where the Island Highway veered to the lower Prairie road that followed the Tsolum River.

George built his new shop next to John McKenzie. At that time, there was enough business for both blacksmiths.

After the birth of their first son, William, the Leightons moved from the modest home at Cooper’s Corner, to a lovely Victorian home at the corner of Union and Union Bay Road, currently the site of the Old Bank Restaurant. They also established a modest farm about 4 blocks further up on what was called the “Lake Trail Road”. Transparent Apple trees from their orchard can still be seen across the lane from St. Georges’s United church.

Customers from long distances came to George Leighton. Qualicum Tom and his wife, Annie would bring their team of horses to be shod, then stay overnight in the barn before returning home the next morning.

Payment for services was often,” in kind” with farmers offering potatoes or meat or dairy products. The Native customers often paid with a bucket of clams or fish - smoked or fresh.

George expanded his trade to include the sale of buggies and car-

Leighton family, at their Lake Trail farm (Courtesy of the Courtenay and District Museum 991.67.1.) riages. As early as 1898 he had stock shipped from Orillia, Ontario. He was an agent for farm equipment and utensils; later when motor cars became popular he expanded, adding a machine shop At the end of the Great War, when the business district had moved “up” to the west side of the Courtenay River, George moved to his third location, near the bridge on Water Street, now Anderton Avenue.

When Europeans settled in the valley, men found excuses to gravitate to places where they could share news, discuss the weather, give opinions and learn about the latest technology. By the 1890’s, the favourite gathering place was the blacksmith shops.

This suited George who was very involved in the community. He was a lifelong member of the Orange Lodge whose Lodge Hall was across from the Courtenay House. He held every office in the Lodge. On July 12th, he would put on his red coat, and acting the role of “King Billy”, riding a white horse, lead the Orangeman’s parade.

He was also a Life Member of the

Foresters Lodge.

In politics, he was a Conservative.

As talk began about Incorporating into a City, he took a lead role and let his name stand for Alderman. He was elected four times, in 1915, (he did not run in 1916) and again in 1917, 1918 and 1919.

He would play an important part in Council business. He was first Chairman of the Public works Department, was the head of the Transportation Committee and the first Fire Warden in charge of making arrangements for fire safety for the new City. One of his first appointments was to assign his eldest son, William (Bill) to the newly formed Fire Department. This must have suited Bill, for he would serve for many years, eventually becoming deputy chief.

Kittie Leighton was known for her hospitality, especially her “at homes”.

Like her husband she joined many organizations including The International Order of the Daughters of the Empire (IODE), the Women’s Auxiliary to the Canadian Legion, and Florence Chapter No. 53, Order of the Eastern Star. She was a mem-

ber of the Presbyterian Ladies Aid (later the United Church Ladies Aid Society).

In 1910, George Leighton retired, and moved to the farm. Leila Carroll in her book “Wild Roses and Rail Fences” gives a fond description of Leighton farm: “His farm house stood well back from the road, and in the spring all the front part of his yard was blue with English bluebells. In May when the numerous lilac bushes were in bloom their perfume was carried on the breeze as far as the road.”

Leila called it a “mini farm” where “Mr. Leighton grew hay for his horse and cow. Village children did not have far to go to see how a farm operated, right in the centre of the village they could watch Mr. Leighton mowing and harvesting his crop.”

It was always a place for those who could not make their way home that night.

George died in 1935. When Catherine died in 1940 she had been predeceased by two sons and a daughter; she was survived by two daughters, Hazel and Muriel, and two sons, William and George. .

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A6 Comox Valley Echo Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Opinions ECHO

THE COMOX VALLEY ECHO Publisher Dave MacDonald Editor Debra Martin Advertising Manager Keith Currie Office Administrator Deb Fowler Circulation Manager Hedi MacDonald Production Manager Ryan Getz Phone 250-334-4722 Fax 250-334-3172 Classifieds 250- 334-4215 Circulation 250-334-4734 E-mail: echo@comoxvalleyecho.com

An independently owned and operated newspaper published by Echo Publications at 407-D Fifth Street, Courtenay, B.C. V9N 1J7 All material herein is protected by copyright. Reproduction in whole or in part is not permitted without written authorization from the publisher.

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Editorial

Trash this bad recycling plan The B.C. government is trying to fix something that isn’t broken - and it’s making a mess in the process.

Cities and towns in B.C. have successful recycling systems in place, but the province has thrown everything into confusion by mandating creation of a monster called Multi-Materials B.C. Since MMBC began ramping up, one protest has followed another, as municipalities and businesses began to realize the effects it would have on them. Premier Christy Clark has called the creation of the new organization a “bumpy road.”

Business groups across the province have allied under the banner Rethink It B.C., to demand the government delay implementation and sit down to talk about changes to the new entity.

MMBC was created after the government changed the provincial recycling regulations in 2011 so that responsibility for recycling packaging and printed paper moved from municipalities to the industries that produced the material.

The theory is that the companies that profit from products that produce waste should have to pay the cost of recycling that material. Proponents say the added cost will also be an incentive for those companies to reduce the amount of packaging they use, as not producing waste is a better solution than recycling it after it is produced.

B.C. picked MMBC as the organization to manage the new program, beginning May 19. It will be funded by fees collected from companies that use packaging or create printed paper, instead of being funded by municipalities.

Lana Popham, Saanich South New Democrat MLA, this week said: “They are setting up a system that’s dangerously close to a monopoly. This will inevitably lead to a decrease in quality of services and increase in price.”

This is a B.C. initiative, but it is being run by a board of directors representing Unilever Canada, Walmart, Tim Hortons, Loblaws, Coca-Cola and Procter & Gamble. Does anyone expect them to put B.C.’s interests first?

The province has already responded to the horrified outcry from small businesses and exempted them from paying fees to MMBC if their revenues are below $1 million a year, they produce less than a tonne of packaging each year or they are single outlets. That excludes the majority of businesses, but means the remaining ones - and their customers - will have to foot the bill for everyone’s recycling.

MMBC’s fees will be much higher than those in other regions. For instance, newspapers would have to pay 20 cents per kilogram, compared to 0.42 cents in Ontario. Corrugated cardboard would be charged 29 cents per kilogram, compared to 8.4 cents in Ontario.

The organization says the higher fees are because MMBC will serve apartment buildings, while Ontario’s program serves only houses, but the cost differential is still excessive.

Newsprint is already the most successfully recycled product in the system. About 85 per cent of all newspaper in B.C. is recycled, and municipalities generate revenue from it because it is the most valuable recycled material.

Newspapers are among the industries most worried about the new system. Peter Kvarnstrom, chairman of the Canadian Newspaper Association, warned that the added costs are so significant to an industry that is already fragile that they will force layoffs in newsrooms across the province.

B.C.-based magazines will be penalized because they will have to pay for recycling, while international publications that are printed elsewhere and shipped to the province, pay nothing. In essence, a B.C. magazine will be subsidizing Vanity Fair.

Everyone, including the critics of MMBC, can get behind the idea of reducing waste. But the province needs to listen to Rethink It B.C.’s call for solutions to very serious concerns.

— Victoria Times Colonist

Letters to the Editor

Curling’s not a fitness activity I have been following most of the information about the proposed funding to the curling rink, and I am not convinced. Not at that level of funding anyway; maybe a good deal less. Here is my argument: When I visit the skating and swimming facilities, I see people there burning off serious calories throughout the day. I see young families having a great time together; competitive swim clubs for the young, masters training for the more mature, hockey programs for all ages, and they are all getting a serious health benefit.

Curling in my view is more like golf -lots of skill involved and a fine social activity much better than sitting on the couch at home, but not a life-saver health-wise. And we don’t publicly fund golf courses, do we?

I’d sooner provide public funds to dance academies and private gymnastics or martial arts studios. Help fund cross-country skiing, make the Snow To Surf free. These are ideas to spend tax dollars with results that can bring health care costs down.

Unless I am convinced otherwise, I am going to voice my disagreement to the increased property tax. Remember folks, speak up or pay the tax.

Tim Fairbank Black Creek

BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU PROTECT Re: Morrison Creek Lamprey This “endangered species” is one which you should pay attention to and learn about.

You will learn that what they eat is salmon, trout or any other fish that is nearby.

Thirty years ago I was one of many anglers in the rivers and streams feeding lake Ontario.

Warnings were out advising not to eat more than one of the salmon per year because of mercury contamination in the lake.

But we did fish catch and release. A large percentage of the fish we caught had lam-

prey eels firmly attached to their sides.

This is not a good thing for the fish, they soon die and the eels continue laying eggs and finding new dinner partners.

Be careful what you are protecting, do you want salmon and trout or eels?

H. Hill Cumberland

JUNK SCIENCE I see we hear from Summer Joy - again - this time supporting junk science.

The theory that genetically modified food is harmful was put out in a study by French scientist Giles Eric Seralini in the Food and Chemical Toxicology Journal. At the same time he also published a book on the same subject.

The Seralini papers caused an immediate backlash, legions of scientists denounced the studies as critically flawed and some even accused Seralini of fraud; the Seralini paper was withdrawn from the Food and Chemical Toxicology Journal in 2013.

Researchers from the World Health Organisation, the National Academy of Sciences and the Royal Society of Medicine have all found no ill effects from the use of GMO foods. In 2012 the American Medical Association determined that bioengineered food had been consumed for 20 years and in that time no overt consequences to human health have been reported.

The false GMO campaign has had real world ramifications. In the Philippines, (for example), a potentially life saving strain of golden rice has been trapped in regulatory limbo for years, the rice, engineered to produce beta carotene would fight vitamin deficiencies. During the 12 year delay an estimate of 3 million children have died from vitamin A deficiencies and many more have gone blind, this according to the World Health Organisations statistics.

It is more than likely that we are all safely consuming GMO foods. In the United

When the proverbial you-know-what hits the fan There are days when I have mixed feelings regarding the propsed extension of municipal terms in office. It would be less expensive, having fewer elections. It would give new officials a chance to gain experience and see some things through to conclusion.

On the other hand, many who are elected are well intentioned, but we know how that sometimes works out. It would be better to be able to have them take up other activities after three years.

Then there are days, after stuglling to the mail box, through the “driving” rain and wind storm and see “$74 Million required to bring the Valley’s sewer system up to date” or something along that line. At that point I want all local politicians, since 2000, to come back and figure out how to deal with this. It was the responsibility of each and every one of them to have a view of things to come, when approving all the new developments, subdivisions, houses, etc.

Some of the polticians ought to have know the day of reckoning would come up on us. The “proverbial” has hit the fan or rather the end of the sewer system.

Some of the issues lie with an aging infrastructure and all municipal governments in North America are faced with this. The past 10 years have seen unprecedented growth. The development permits were all issued with great fanfare, but without the necessary infrastructure in place - additional police officers, full time firefighters, more health care workers, etc. In most cases the Valley played catch up; build now, deal with the rest later.

Later has arrived and we maybe floating up to

our eye balls in the proverbial in the not so distant future. We can only be thankful many of the proposed developments did not go forward.

Given this latest information, it would be suggested the nice developer who wants to build all those homes around Stoltan Falls be told, NO, we have a sewage problem. Not to single this gentleman out, but he does, to the best of my knowledge have the largest suggested development on the books at the moment. The Sage Hills development has gone the way of the septic tank. The “hanging gardens of Babylon” proposed for the other side of the valley has been left swinging, along with its investors.

We saw the fanfare of the opening of new shopping plazas, but really where is all the “proverbial” going to go. One good back-up at the new hospital will really tank your day, not to mention put your surgeon in a bad mood.

As to the how we are going to find the $74 million, I promise to purchase a lotto ticket on each $50 million prize.

I’d suggest the local politicians do the same because right now it’s the best idea I have. Had politicians insisted on more “infrastructure” money from developers we might have more money in the bank, to deal with this. It is not too late, once we get past the current problem. Never having been keen on a backed up septic tank or sewer, I’d suggest we consider raising property taxes and set the money aside. No we don’t get to use it for anything else.

Given our local M.L.A. and M.P. are part of the ruling parties, it would be a good idea if they came up with some financial assistance. Mr. McRae, just tell PAVCO executives no more bonus-

es for not doing a good job, same for B.C. Ferries executives. Your riding needs a new sewer system.

Mr. Duncan, just tell Mr. Harper no more shipping his limo to India at the cost of a million and change. There will be other economies I am sure the P.M.O. (Prime Minister’s Office) can make.

We know they won’t tell anyone, even M.P.s, how much we are paying for that bunch, but I’d suggest a nice cut in salary so they all are kept well below $100K and the extra, tell them your riding is maybe up to its neck in the proverbial sooner than later.

The City of Courtenay might be well advised to cut their losses and forget about the law suit against Maple Pool. The extra million it may cost will be better spent on sewers.

The people at Maple Pool don’t seem to be adverse to getting their feet wet in a flood which may happen every “200 years”.

Town of Comox council, the next time you think it’s a good idea to install water meters, paint the road green and think of it all being covered in sewage. To those taxpayers in the Valley who think we are paying more than enough in taxes and your pensions won’t cover it: think of it this way, send city hall a little more cash each month or have your sewer back up. The choice is yours.

Now I’m sure there will be many who think this letter is just a tad over the top, but think of the growth of the valley since 2000 and then think of it growing at that rate again with no improvements to our aging and inadequate sewer system. and don’t forget to vote in the upcoming municipal elections.

E. A. Foster Comox

States 88% of corn and 94% of Soy are grown genetically modified and much of the food we buy uses these products.

Anyone wishing to read more about this subject and Junk Science should read the April 2014 copy of the Popular Mechanics Magazine - a world wide respected publication - under the heading Junk Science.

John Butler Courtenay

THE ENBRIDGE MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR Prime Minister Harper will likely make his decision on the Enbridge Pipeline in June. To prepare for the big day the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) is spending big bucks visiting communities through B.C. to generate support. We’ve had two visits here in the Comox Valley. I attended one of them in Comox along with eight others including one of our elected officials. My purpose for attending was to do my due diligence as a taxpayer.

Every savvy investor knows that before buying into a project he or she should investigate the project thoroughly. This is called “doing your due diligence.” It compares the costs with the benefits and is particularly concerned with the money. As Deep Throat said to Robert Redford playing a reporter investigating the Watergate break-in in the movie All The Presidents Men, “Follow the Money.”

The meeting with CAPP was all about money-particularly money in the form of Jobs for the Comox Valley. I was trying to follow the money, but it was impossible.

When CAPP said “Jobs” the magic happened. Most of the participants started talking about how they could use the money in the form of taxes-for schools, health care services, and municipal services. But there was nothing about the specific number of jobs, the kinds of jobs and salary levels, the length of jobs, the credentials needed to get the jobs, the use of temporary foreign workers, the actual spinoff effects for local businesses, and so forth. CAPP just said “Jobs.” Then they sat back and let the participants do their work for them convincing one another that this was a “good deal.”

In terms of money there was no weighing of the net benefits and costs to the Comox Valley compared to what CAPP, Enbridge and their Multinational investors would get in terms of profits. There was no discussion about what Comox Valley residents would get for their portion of the whopping $1.4 billion taxpayer dollars the feds were giving to the fossil fuel industry annually in terms tax cuts and subsidies.

Nor was there a discussion about the millions of more taxpayer dollars Mr. Harper and his cabinet were spending as they traipsed around the world promoting the Enbridge Pipeline.

Finally, the CAPP representatives didn’t let the conversation be soiled by discussions about tax-payer costs for spills, public health consequences, increased pollution, climate change and its effect upon our Canadian economy. These things are not even in the CAPP Community Tour Playbook.

As I left the meeting I was sad. I couldn’t help thinking of that $1.4 billions of taxpayer dollars Mr. Harper and company are sending to the fossil fuel industry each year. It is coming back at us to pay for CAPP’s Magical Mystery Tour. They want us to dream in Technicolor and buy a pig in a poke.

Mike Bell Comox

Comox Valley Echo Tuesday, April 1, 2014 A7

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Tasty Easter baskets raffled by Society

The Today ‘N’ Tomorrow Learning Society’s annual Easter Raffle sponsored by Downtown Courtenay’s Hot Chocolates and Cakebread Artisan Bakery, will see 100% of proceeds going towards much needed upgrades to the Teddies ‘N’ Toddler’s Childcare Centre.

Buy your tickets from March 31st - April 15th to be entered to win 1 of 3 baskets filled with Hot Chocolates and Cakebread Artisan Bakery goodness valued at $150.00 each.

Tickets available at all 3 local Coastal Community Credit Unions - Courtenay 4th St, Ryan Road and Comox Branches as well as Rattan Plus Home & Patio in Downtown Courtenay.

La Boheme from The Met at Rialto Theatre The Metropolitan Opera presents Puccini’s La Boheme at the Rialto Theatre on Saturday, April 5, at 10:00 am.

Puccini’s moving story of young love is the most performed opera in Met history-and with good reason. Maija Kovalevska, Anita Hartig, and Barbara Frittoli star as the frail Mimì in Franco Zeffirelli’s classic production, with Joseph Calleja and Vittorio Grigolo sharing the role of her passionate lover, Rodolfo.

Tickets are on sale now at the Rialto. Adults and youth $24.95; children and seniors $20.95 (including taxes). For more information call (250) 338-5502.

Free birding workshop with Bird Studies Canada, CVN Get to know birds in the Comox Valley, and the provincial and national citizen science opportunities that are open to the public. The Comox Valley has always been a bird watcher’s mecca, attracting some of Canada’s pioneer ornithologists, such as Mack Laing, Alan Brooks and Percy Taverner. Living here without knowing the richness of our bird life is like watching colour television in black and white.

Comox Valley Nature is therefore pleased to host Karen Barry from Bird Studies Canada. Karen Barry works for Bird Studies Canada (www.birdscanada.org) and holds a Master’s Degree in Biology from University of Victoria.

At Bird Studies Canada, Karen coordinates the BC Coastal Waterbird Survey and the Beached Bird Survey and manages other regional programs. She also helps coordinate the BC Important Bird Area program. Karen lives in Nanaimo and is an avid birder with an interest in native plants, habitat restoration, and all things natural history.

This public workshop will be held this Saturday, April 5th from 1-4pm at the Florence Filberg Seniors Centre, and is sponsored by the Comox Valley Naturalist Society and Bird Studies Canada.

In keeping with its educational mandate, and its long-standing practice of monitoring birds throughout the Comox valley, CVN is hosting this workshop to introduce interested members of the public to bird identification and to various citizen-science programmes available locally.

Bird Studies Canada (BSC) coordinates many citizen-science monitoring programs in which volunteers help collect bird counts and record observations. The information is used to understand changes and patterns in bird abundance and distribution, and to identify conservation concerns.

This half-day session is open to all ages and will provide a fascinating overview of bird diversity in the Comox Valley and how local residents can contribute to bird conservation.

Information about several Citizen Science programs will be covered including: the BC Coastal Waterbird Survey, BC Beached Bird Survey, Project Feederwatch, eBird, the Important Bird Area program, Christmas Bird Counts, local Swan counts and more.

Indoor presentations will be held from 1-3pm at Rotary Hall at the Florence Filberg Centre, followed by an afternoon bird walk with expert guides. An outdoor practicum will follow with guidance from expert birders.

FMI: http://comoxvalleynaturalist.bc.ca/ or Loys Maingon (CVN President) at 250-331-0143.

Spring gardening series at Black Creek

Join Karen Barry from Bird Studies Canada at a free birding workhop Saturday

ENJOY AN EVENING OF AFRICAN FOOD AND FUNDRAISING Back by popular demand, the Glacier Grannies will be organizing an African evening of food and fundraising to support of the Stephen Lewis Foundation (SLF).

This event will be held on Sunday April 27th at d’Esterre House in Comox. The evening will offer amazing food, a silent auction, drumming and an inspiring presentation by Tina Filippino.

Tina is a Merville Granny who was one of the delegates from Canada to go to Africa in March, to see first hand the work of the SLF and visit some of the projects in Ethiopia and South Africa. She will bring us some of the images and stories from her visit. She came back inspired, ready to inspire us.

The doors will open at 6pm. Guests will be welcomed by Drumbuds drumming group as they arrive. All are invited to get their heads wrapped in colourful head scarves which will be provided. There will be an assortment of donated silent auction items, which can be bid on throughout the evening. The meal will be served at 7pm - a selection of traditional dishes from a number of African countries, including an Ethiopian chicken dish, a South African beef

dish, groundnut yam stew, vegetable bredie, sweet potato biscuits, abidjan cabbage salad, chutneys and dessert. Refreshments will be on sale.

The Glacier Grannies would like to thank Mason Walker of Ocean Pacific Realty who is kindly sponsoring this event. This will mean that all of the ticket sales will go directly to the Stephen Lewis Foundation.

The foundation supports grass roots projects in African countries with a focus on helping those affected by the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

Projects have included palliative care for those dying of HIV/AIDS; counselling services for bereaved; education and advocacy work; school uniforms; seeds for crops.

The last African dinner event was sold out, so get your tickets early to avoid disappointment.

Tickets are $25 each, on sale at Blue Heron, Comox and Laughing Oyster, Courtenay.

For more information call Jane at 250 792 5993.

For more information about the Glacier Grannies or the SLF, go to www.glaciergrannies. org

A FREE TV. Endless places to put it.

Join Arzeena Hamir, from Amara Farms, for another informative series of Gardening workshops.

The first one is scheduled for Saturday, April 5 where she will talk about how to “kick-start your compost pile” with tips on how to troubleshoot when your composting doesn’t quite go as planned.

Workshop #2 will take place on Saturday, May 3 and Arzeena will show you how to grow fresh culinary herbs and how they can add wonderful flavor to your dishes.

Learn what herbs are easy to grow and how to care for them.

Workshop #3 is scheduled for Saturday, May 31 and you will learn what and how to plant in June and keep your garden growing all year long! Arzeena will discuss what kinds of vegetables grow well in the Comox Valley during the cooler months and how to time your planting to get the best production.

All workshops are held at the Black Creek Community Centre from 2:00 - 4:00pm and the cost for each is $30 per person or $50 for two people (from the same household). Call 250-337-5190 for more info.

Milner gardens author at Rhodo Society For the April 8 monthly meeting of the North Island Rhododendron Society (NIRS), members will hear the romantic backstory to one of Vancouver Island’s most beautiful gardens-the Milner Garden and Woodland in Qualicum Beach.

Writer Margaret Cadwaladr will speak on her five years of intensive research and writing to produce the Canadian best seller, In Veronica’s Garden, a biological and social history behind the Garden. The book sold thousands of copies around the world and beside becoming a staple in horticultural libraries it sketches a fascinating snapshot of the life of Veronica Milner, an imperious ‘old school’ aristocrat who passed away in 1998.

Among the garden’s many stories, Cadwaladr has several with royal connections. Prince Charles and the late Diana, Princess of Wales came to stay with Milner in 1986 followed by Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip the following year.

The NIRS meeting will be on Tuesday, April 8 with doors opening at 7pm and the meeting starting at 7:30PM. NIRS meetings are held every second Tuesday of the month in the Comox United Church hall, 250 Beach.

Refreshments are served and guests interested in membership are welcome to attend.

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A8 Comox Valley Echo Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Community

How you can help the Salvation Army help others for another 50 years With the arrival of the warmer weather and longer days, spring cleaning season has begun.

As you begin to look through your home for those gently used, yet unneeded items, The Salvation Army would like to encourage you to consider donating those items to their Thrift Stores.

“The sale of the items that are donated to our Thrift Stores goes to support our local programs which provide help and hope to our neighbours and friends right here in the

Comox Valley” says Brent Hobden, Community Ministries Director for The Salvation Army in the Comox Valley.

The Salvation Army is looking for gently used clothing, household items, small & large appliances and furniture to be dropped off at 2966 Kilpatrick Ave. between 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM Monday through Saturday.

“During these times we have a team of volunteers and staff that will ensure your donation is given proper care and attention” says Hobden.

Each and every day The Salvation Army diverts hundreds of pounds of scrap metal, plastics, clothing, books, computers, electronics and so much more from the landfill.

“Our volunteers strip extension cords for copper, they separate plastics, tear material into rags, bag soiled and damaged clothing to be sent to the mainland for recycling and they divert end of life computers & TV’s from the dump” shared Hobden.

On the May 30-June 1st weekend, The Salvation Army will be celebrat-

ing 50 years of faith and service here in the Comox Valley.

“Due to the support that we have received from this community, we have been able to provide hope and offer dignity to the residents of this Valley for the past half century. We are so thankful for the trust that this community has placed in us and we look forward to partnering with and serving this community for the next 50 years.

“We consider it a privilege to be able to house the homeless, feed the

hungry, provide clothing to those that are cold or in need, and offer friendship and compassion to the lonely.

Our Mission Statement states that we desire to be a ‘transforming influence’ in this community. I am blessed to live in a place that recognizes dignity for everyone.”

To learn more about how you can support The Salvation Army here in the Comox Valley, or for details on their upcoming 50th Anniversary weekend, please call 250 338-5133.

Dave Cormier singing tonight at 1st Tuesday for Children’s Hospital

The Nanaimo Musicians’ Association Big Band performs their exciting music Thursday night at The Avalanche

■ GEORGIA STRAIGHT JAZZ SOCIETY

The 1st Tuesday Fundraiser at the Mex Pub on April 1st will be welcoming Vancouver Island Award Nominee Dave Cormier as featured guest.

Admission to the evening is by donation, with proceeds supporting his chosen charity BC Children’s Hospital Foundation. The monthly concert series, now in its 6th year, raises money for local charities as well as food donations for the Comox Valley Food Bank.

No stranger to the music scene, Dave Cormier grew up on Cape Breton Island, which pretty much guarantees an interest in music! His father, a violinist, was once considered a child prodigy and exposed Dave to the world of music from an early age.

Rather than pursuing the classical training of his father, or the traditional music of his native Nova Scotia,

Dave opted for the world of rock and roll.

Dave’s song Sarah is nominated for 2 Vancouver Island Music Awards for Pop/Rock Song of the Year and for Best Production of a Song. Acoustic versions of some of these songs will be shared at the Mex Pub on April 1st to support his chosen charity.

The evening will start at 7:30 with an opening set with hosts Judy and Bruce Wing, accompanied by violinist Blaine Dunaway.

Representatives from the BC Children’s Hospital Foundation will be at the door to receive donations, and can take information to provide tax receipts.

For more information about Dave Cormier’s music visit his website at www.davecormiermusic.com.

Nanaimo Musicians’ Association Big Band returns with thrilling vocalist Excitement mounts as the Nanaimo Musicians’ Association Big Band takes the stage at the Avalanche Bar stage at 7:30 pm on Thursday for the first time this season.

It would be easy to say the excitement is all about a terrific 17-piece jazz band (which it is, of course), but it is equally about the return of Sydney Needham, who many consider to be Vancouver Island’s most talented female jazz singer.

During her last appearance almost a year ago, when she was pressured into one more encore from a wild audience she said, “Well, you asked for it!” and delivered what currently stands as the wildest vocal performed on our stage.

The song title doesn’t look decent in print, so you will simply have to be there to hear it in person. Sydney is the most powerful vocalist in this part of the world; her vocals are full of expression and passion.

This young woman is bound for greatness, and this is your chance to see her before she becomes another great alumnus. The Avalanche Bar atmosphere will allow you to experience the power of her performance like never before.

Overall, the excitement is due to the calibre of the act; NMA’s previous appearances at the Avalanche on the extended stage have been stunning.

Quite a lot of folk have asked, “How’s it possible to accommodate a big band on that stage?” Well, you’ll just have to see (and feel) the difference.

With the stage thrusting into lower floor area, the sound is amazing, and the atmosphere electric.

The last NMA concert in April drew an audience of 130 jazz fans who needed a fix, listening to some of the most talented band instrumentalists on Vancouver

Island. The group has served the mid-Island for more than forty years. Famous alumni include Diana Krall, Ingrid and Christine Jensen, and Phil Dwyer.

In addition to some of the established big band players from the Mid-Island region its sound is rounded out with some of VIU’s top students from the Music Program.

New members include Hans Verhoeven, who is now the drum instructor at VIU, trumpeter Dave Stewart, and tenor Theo Hughes-Ridgeway (originally from Courtenay).

For Thursday’s concert, the band’s repertoire ranges from old standards from the Buddy Rich and Count Basie bands, to modern compositions by alumnus, Christine Jensen, whose Montreal big band won a Juno award in 2011. If you love big band music, don’t miss your chance for a great evening!

For more information about the Georgia Straight Jazz Society and its forthcoming events, as well as an anthology of past concerts, you are invited to visit www.georgiastraightjazz.com or see us on Facebook.

Your garden on the 2014 GARDENS IN BLOOM Tour?

The Comox Valley Horticultural Society’s annual charity tour will take place on June 21 and 22 this year. As our search continues for new and diverse gardens, we welcome expressions of interest from Comox Valley garden owners willing to open their gardens. Please email gardens@comoxvalleyhortsociety.ca by April 17th for more information.

All funds raised by these tours go to support garden related initiatives to enrich the lives of children, the elderly, and the disadvantaged in our beautiful valley. Photo: The view seen while enjoying a stroll through one of last year’s gardens.

Comox Husky on Anderton Rd.

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Community

Comox Valley Echo Tuesday, April 1, 2014 A9

‘On Golden Pond’ playwright gives advice to CLT

By Val McDonald Courtenay Little Theatre director, Kirstin Humpherys, is excited about the challenge she’s taken on, directing Ernest Thompson’s updated version of his well-known play, On Golden Pond. The CLT production runs at the Sid Williams Theatre from April 10th - 17th.

Every inch of Humpherys’ petite frame vibrates with the anticipation of soon seeing her interpretation of the iconic play being brought to life onstage.

Featuring veteran actors Gail Limber and Tony Arnold as the aging couple, Norman and Ethel Thayer, who are looking forward to their 48th summer at the cottage, the production also features a remarkable set designed by Claire Guiot. “You will really feel like you are in a Maine summer cottage in 2014,” says Humpherys. She remembers how she initially wondered whether to set the production in the 1980s, when it was written, or to update it to the present. “On a whim, I emailed the playwright through his agent and then forgot about it,” she muses. “Imagine my surprise when I got a personal email from Ernest Thompson, the Academy Award-winning playwright, screenwriter, director and actor himself!”

According to Thompson’s official biography, he has won “an Oscar, Golden Globe, a Writers Guild Award and a Broadway Drama Guild Award for Best Play. His work has been nominated for a Tony, an Emmy, and a British Academy Award. His more than 35 plays have been seen in theatres around the world. The most enduring, On Golden Pond, has been translated into 30 languages, Arabic the newest, and played in more than 40 countries on six continents.” Readers of a “certain age” will

no doubt remember the iconic movie starring Henry Fonda, Katharine Hepburn and Jane Fonda, as well as the live TV version which starred Christopher Plummer and Julie Andrews. In fact, Thompson is a modern Renaissance man who started as an aspiring actor, and has added playwright, screenwriter, stage and film director, film producer, and even a music composer to his repertoire.

Humpherys was surprised that such a busy and distinguished man took the time to offer her some concrete suggestions, starting with “Congratulations on your directing gig and on your excellent taste in plays.” He assured her that, “I do not specify that productions place the play in the present; I merely offer suggestions for updates if directors choose to keep it contemporary.” He went on to share some of his own experiences directing and acting in the show: “You might find it edifying to learn how I handled any possible inconsistencies when I finally got around to directing OGP last summer (and playing Charlie as I’ve always wanted him played, larger than life, heart on his sleeve, with a terrific Maine accent to ground the play in the world in which it is set). I found no need to “add lines” and thank you for not adding any either. My Billy, indeed, carried a cell phone and, therein, provided an ample link to the 21st century.”

Comox Valley audiences will have the opportunity to see the updated (and quite different from the screenplay) version of On Golden Pond when the talented cast of Tony Arnold (as Norman), Gail Limber (Ethel), Shannon Phoenix (daughter Chelsea), Matt Williams (Bill Ray), Jim McQuillan (Charlie the mailman), and Zach Wood (Billy Ray Jr.) eagerly take to the Sid Williams stage.

Tickets are available at the Sid Williams

Director Kirstin Humpherys reads ‘On Golden Pond’ with lead actors Tony Arnold and Gail Limber, enjoying the wit and humour of a well written play. (Photo by Terry Penney) Theatre box office, or by phoning (250) 3382430 ext. 1 (online www.sidwilliamstheatre. com) On Golden Pond opens April 10 at 7:30 pm and runs for 6 shows only (April 11, 12, 13

Carving demo tonight at CVAG Randy Frank will give a carving demonstration and talk at 7 p.m. this evening (Tuesday) at the Comox Valley Art Gallery. It’s part of the continuing forum “But Enough Art, Eat!”. For details about the forum, visit www.comoxvalleyartgallery.com

24 HR Service 250-338-8026

(2:00 matinee), 16 and 17). Tickets are $20 for evening shows and $18 for the matinee.

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A10 Comox Valley Echo Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Community

Is Advance Care Planning on your ‘Bucket List’?

There is no statistical proof that doctors enjoy a better quality of life before death than the rest of us, but research indicates they are better planners.

An often-cited study published in 2003, of physicians who had been medical students at Johns Hopkins University, found that they were more likely than the general public to have created advance directives, or living wills, which lay out specific plans for care if one is ever unable to voice their health care preferences.

The percentage of doctors completing some sort of advance care plan is significantly higher than the percentage of their patients doing so!

Why not ‘Do what the majority of doctors do and put advance care planning on YOUR bucket list’. The importance of taking such a step is dependent on your knowing what advance care planning is.

It is a process of reflection and communication that can take place across your lifespan and is important for people of all ages.

It is a time for you to reflect on your beliefs,

values and wishes and it is a time to let others know your health care and personal preferences if you are ever unable to speak for yourself.

Preparing an advance care plan is about making decisions and having conversations with loved ones and other health, legal and financial professionals letting them know your personal preferences before you find yourself in a crisis situation.

Having the conversation and preparing an advance care plan is a gift of love to those who mean the most to you.

Ted Hicks, Comox Valley Hospice Volunteer, shares that when it comes to advance care planning ‘it’s never too early, but it can be too late’.

In recognition of National Advance Care Planning Day, Wednesday, April 16th, Comox Valley Hospice and Berwick Comox Valley are pleased to announce three events taking place in our community.

A workshop called: ‘Working on your Advance Care Plan’ is scheduled for Wednesday April 9th from 1:30 - 3:30 pm at Berwick Comox

Valley, 1700 Comox Avenue.

This workshop is designed for those who have been to an introductory session and would like assistance in working through developing their own advance care plan.

The workshop will assist participants to work through the BC Government’s “My Voice Advance Care Planning Guide”.

Two events are being hosted on National Advance Care Planning Day, Wednesday, April 16th and are open to the public to attend.

An Advance Care Planning Educational Open House takes place from 1:30 - 4:30pm and will include videos, resources and conversations.

You can expect to come away with information, suggestions and tools for starting the conversation with your family and friends and how to develop your own advance care plan.

In the evening 5:30-7:30 pm the “heARTful Expressions Reception & Art Exhibit” celebrates the many ways people may explore issues related to advance care planning and end of life conversations. Live music, refreshments and

draw prizes will round out the day’s celebrations.

Consider putting your advance care plan on your ‘bucket ‘ list and gifting yourself and those you love with the knowledge of what your voice would be if you were ever unable to speak for yourself.

Please join us for any or all of these events and put your heART into advance care planning: H ave the conversation E xpress your wishes A llow your voice to be heard R eveal what is important to you T ell those you love As space is limited please register by contacting the Comox Valley Hospice Society at 250339-5533, or visit the online event registration site here : https://www.eventbrite.com/e/national-adv a n c e - c a r e - p l a n n i n g - d a y - 2 01 4 - t i c k ets-7866164911 For more information visit: www.advancecareplanningcv.ca

MARS Open House celebrates national Wildlife Week April 6-12 National Wildlife Week is celebrated each year during the week of April 10th, in honour of the late Jack Miner, who was instrumental in founding Canada’s conservation movement. He is credited with saving Canada Geese from extinction.

MARS has celebrated NWW every year since 1995 in order to help bring about awareness of native wildlife and explore the many areas where wildlife are found, their habitat, the different species and how we can protect them.

We encourage the public to come to our wildlife centre during our one day event on April 6th to see what we do to help wildlife in distress.

Here you can view some of our enclosures that serve to rehabilitate up to 80 species each year, with on average 450 animals in care annually. Our volunteers are busy planning the event with displays, a Book and Plant sale, and of course other merchandise, including posters, a bake sale and bird houses.

The event runs Sunday, April 6th from 11 am to 3 pm at MARS Wildlife Centre located in Merville at 6817 Headquarters Road.

MARS LIVE Wildlife Ambassadors, Horus, Brinley and Shakespeare will be on hand for everyone to see and photograph while perched on their Handler’s glove. Tundra, a wolf-dog

will also be on hand to photograph.

We wish to acknowledge the support of the Province of British Columbia and 97.3 FM The EAGLE radio as sponsors for this event.

Maj Birch, founder of MARS says “Each year we celebrate this event and every year the public come to see what is new and how we help wildlife. Last year we had over 500 attend this event.

“We want to thank the other organizations in this community who join us to celebrate, including Wendy Kotilla and the Youth and Ecological Restoration”.

MARS new Mascot will be greeting kids of all ages and his new name

Tundra the wolf-dog will be at MARS Open House Sunday April 6th will be revealed as many folks have offered their suggestions. There will be other displays by local environmental groups, such as Nature Comox Valley and the CV Conservation Strategy will also be on site to discuss

their programs and what they are doing to help conserve wildlife and its habitat.

Visit www.wingtips.org for more information.

Sample the recipes in the new ‘Food for Families’ cookbook

Comox Valley Family Services launches new cookbook fundraiser Two years in the making, our cookbook “Food for Families” cookbook is proudly brought to you by members of the Parent Advisory Committee for the Healthy Families Program at Comox Valley Family Services Association.

This book is a collaborative effort, designed and created by mothers from all of the various Healthy Families Groups.

The recipes included in the book have been tested at home with the toughest critics - our families!

Proceeds from sales of this book will be used to enhance services offered by the Healthy Families Program.

The Healthy Families Program supports parents in giving children a strong foundation in life by offer-

Please Give Blood

to those in need “Searle’s for that hard foot to fit” 250-5th Street, Downtown Courtenay

250.334.3178

ing weekly drop-in groups that provide education, access to parent-child resources, and opportunities to make new social connections.

Parents are encouraged to participate in discussions that promote learning, well-being and personal growth. Safe and stimulating childcare enables groups to stay parent-focussed while offering children the opportunity to play with age-appropriate toys, and to participate in early learning activities.

Families also have access to emergency food hampers, prenatal vitamins and clothing-sharing shelves; they are also invited to participate in many programs offered at different times during the year such as the Little Learners’ Library Program, Farmers Market Nutrition and

Coupon Program, Friendship Community Garden and HOP With Me summer picnics.

Look for Healthy Families parents/staff with cookbooks on hand at the Farmers Market on Saturdays (next to the Farmers Market managers’ table) and outside of Thrifty’s on April 3rd with more cookbooks for sale (minimum donation $15).

“Food for Families” is also available at the Laughing Oyster bookstore.

FMI on the Healthy Families Program or to order your cookbook, please phone Monica or Jane at 250 871 7577.

Thank you for supporting our families - we hope the recipes in “Food for Families” bring joy to your heart and belly!

Planting time Tree planters John Gilchrist and Evan Ball, of Evergreen Forest Services, pause with some fir saplings in their hands as they do their part to hold up the forest on this TimberWest block outside Courteany.

Photo by Drew A. Penner/Echo Staff

We’ll take care of it.

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May 20, Tue: 1:30 - 7:30 May 21, Wed: 1:30 - 7:30 May 22, Thu: 12:30 - 6:30

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Sports and Recreation

Comox Valley Echo Tuesday, April 1, 2014 A11

More podium results for skier Cassie Sharpe The competitive winter season has wound down for past Comox native and Whistler resident, skier Cassie Sharpe.

Following earlier podium successes in 2014, March proved to be another very good month.

Recently, the SnowCrown was held in Blue Mountain, Ontario. In three disciplines Sharpe finished on the podium three times with a 2nd in Slopestyle; a 2nd in Big Air and a 1st in Half Pipe which is her specialty.

She performed so well she was named “overall athlete” for the entire Sony SnowCrown Event earning her a trip to Mexico.

The following week was the Canadian Freestyle Ski Nationals held at Canada Olympic Park in Calgary.

Sharpe was triumphant and finished 1st in the both disciplines of Slopestyle and Half Pipe.

Her outstanding results have allowed her to hold on to a 22nd spot on the elusive AFP (Associated Freeski Professionals) in the competitive Half Pipe category and she also sits in an impressive 7th spot overall in the World standings due to her ability to do well in other ski disciplines.

Finally, to finish off her season this past weekend Sharpe garnered a 2nd place finish at the Dew Tour Am in Sun Peaks.

The summer will be spent training and preparing for next winter’s busy schedule. Her goal is to become a member to the National Ski team and to compete in the XGames and the 2018 Winter Olympic Games.

Cassie Sharpe flying high in her specialty, the half pipe

DOUBLE GOLD AND MORE FOR MT. WASHINGTON SKI CLUB ATHLETES

THE DART BOARD COMOX VALLEY PUB LEAGUE MIXED DARTS April 1/2014 POSITION 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

TEAM Crty Legion Black Cats Crty Legion DA’s Cx Legion Aces Cx Legion Beer Pigs Cx Legion Bulls Hitters Elks Misfitz Elks Fungis Griffin Gang Griffin Darts of Hazzard

POINTS 159 132 114 102 94 90 86 69 55

March 25 scores: CLBH 4-CLBP 5, EF 3-CLDA 6, EM 5-CLBC 4, DoH 3-GG 6

Ladies Hi Score: Leslie Lamouroux, Patti Dennis (2), Wendy Wiseman, JoJo Scott, Jenny Nyland 140 Men’s Hi Score: Art Forbes 174 Ladies Hi Checkout: Lona Dennis 100 Men’s Hi Checkout: Brian Wilcox 148 180s: Brian Wilcox, Glen Litchfield

It is no small feat to pull off a race that hosts over 550 U12 athletes from around the Province. If anyone can do it though, Canadian Olympic Champion and skiing legend Nancy Greene can.

And that is just what happened this past weekend at the Annual Hub International Nancy Greene Festival at Sun Peaks.

Mount Washington Ski Club athletes were there in fine form to reap the rewards of this Provincial event - in no small way.

It was a clean sweep of the podium in two events for the Comox Valley’s Emilly Johnston with double Gold in Moguls and Kombi.

Hot on her heels was team mate Haley Nelson with a Bronze medal in the Kombi, a 4th in the Dual Glalom Event and a 9th in the Moguls.

Not to be out done by her older sister, nine year old Brynn Johnston won a Gold medal for her speed and agility flying down the bumpy moguls run and placed 8th in the Dual Glalom event.

The Mount Washington Ski Club boys shone as well with U12 Luke Hoefer rising to the podium with a Silver in the Moguls, a 5th

GOLFING NEWS SIGN UP FOR N.I. LADIES OPEN

COMOX VALLEY MEN’S DART ASSOCIATION LEAGUE March 27/14 POS. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Team Courtenay Legion A Courtenay Legion B Courtenay Legion C Griffin Pub Flyers Comox Legion C Comox Legion B Griffin Pub A

POINTS 354 296 295 253 239 189 177

TOP 10 AVERAGES 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Terry JACKSON Bill DURANT Joe McNEIL Ernie LINDEN Glen LITCHFIELD Jack ETHIER Mark WYATT John CHEQUIS Daniel LEAMAN Bill McPHERSON

66.41 60.68 60.33 56.68 55.79 54.10 54.10 54.07 53.73 52.32

GAMES WON THIS WEEK Comox Legion B Comox Legion C Courtenay Legion A Courtenay Legion B Courtenay Legion C Griffin Pub Griffin Pub Flyers

6 Bye 13 20 18 4 11

High Checkout: John Chequis 134 High Score: Bill MacPherson, Jack Ethier, Terry Hills, John Chequis, Ralph Brydon 177 180s: Terry Hills 2, Jamie Deith 1, Chuck Smith 1, Jack Ethier 1, Bill MacPherson 1, Hap Hanson 1, John Chequis 1, Mark Wyatt 1, Ralph Brydon 1, Glen Litchfield 1, Stan Kowalewich 1, Shane Dennis 1, Ernie Linden 1

in the Kombi and an 8th place in the Dual Glalom event while Hayden Harley surpassed a field of 45 boys to win a Bronze in the Dual Glalom event, even after losing his glove and pole and skiing the race one handed!

The festival though, is a real showcase for the young, new ski racers and as Nancy Greene herself intended, young athletes have the experience of racing, finishing and celebrating their success.

For the Mount Washington Ski Club, this was no exception with Rowan Hughes who is all of 7 and Erik Leikermoser who is all of 6 years old, receiving 9th place finishes in the Kombi event.

Best of all, awards were handed out by Nancy Greene herself.

Overall the Mount Washington Ski Club sent a contingent of over 25 athletes to this event. So, rising out of a field of over 500 athletes, the Mount Washington Ski Club continues to surprise other competitive clubs with the calibre of athletes that come out of its’ programs - snow or no snow as we have seen this past season.

The Master’s Golf Tournament is approaching and so is our Annual Ladies’ North Island Tournament at Comox.

May 11th, Mother’s Day is the Annual Ladies’ North Island Golf Tournament. This is the Island’s first tournament of the season. So come on out and start your competitive juices flowing.

As usual our Women from Remax, Marie McCooey, Glenda Mosher and Lisa Jorgensen are our Tournament Sponsors. Our Hole in One Sponsors are Visual Sound Store and Canadian Western Bank.

The entry fee of $60.00 includes a banquet catered by our chef Adrian of the Tee Box Restaurant.

The restaurant will also be open for a full breakfast. Low Gross and Low Net trophies and great prizes are awarded.

Our Horse Race and Chipping Contest on Saturday afternoon are always popular entertainment.

Come out and join this magnificent group of women.

Send your entries to Sharon Crowe 1792 Astra Rd. Comox, B.C. V9M4B6 or call 250-339-7450.

BAD WEATHER, GOOD SCORES Saturday, March 29th, Glacier

Greens, weather at 8 am - rain, then at 9:30 wind and clouds, then as the day went on sunny periods then some showers the sun again. So 54 players played golf on wet fairways but fast greens. The results were good considering the weather.

HCP 0-9 First Low Gross Barry Norris 74 c/b, 2nd Bert Graham 77 First Low Net Richard Martin 70, 2nd Steve Peters 71 Snips Hole # 2 (EAGLE) Andy Blair, #8 Bert Graham, #11 Stan Mills, #12 Darrell Fieber, #15 (POG) Kevin Hunt, #16 Carl Webber, #18 Larry Lott HCP 10-17 First Low Gross Karl Cameron 81.

2nd Rob Cobham 84 First Low Net Wayne Ogilvie 69.

2nd James Rim Snips Hole #4 Wayne Ogilvie, #10 Keith Allan HCP 18+ First Low Gross Rudge Wilson 90 c/b, 2nd Henry Bonde 93 First Low Net Wayne Hay 70, 2nd Dave Buckley-Jones 73 They say April showers but we had enough in March so maybe we will get sun. Meat Draw winners were Dave Buckley-Jones, Gary Wood and Ron Carter (same old winners).

Till next week see ya.

- Submitted by Ron Carter

Emilly Johnston, right, and Haley Nelson on the podium at Sun Peaks

Membership has it's BENEFITS at Sunnydale!

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Phone Number: (250) 334-3060 5291 North Island Highway, Courtenay, BC V9J 1S7

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A12 Comox Valley Echo Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Sports and Recreation

Adama backstops All-Stars to Floor Hockey title

Cumberland’s mountain bike racing season kicks off this month with the Cumberland XC April 6, followed by the Cumberland DH April13.

Defence wins championships, and for the Lockout All-Stars, that championship-winning defence begins with having the biggest and best goaltender in the league.

The All-Stars have captured their second championship in the Comox Valley Sports & Social Club’s floor hockey league, riding the broad shoulders of goalie David Adama to an 8-4 win over the rival EDS Trashers in the final. Adama pitched the first full-game shutout in 11 seasons of the generally high-scoring league during an 8-0 semi-final victory over Shut Your 5-Hole, then followed up with another stellar performance when it mattered most.

The Trashers posted a great run of chances early only to get stuffed at the goalmouth, allowing the All-Stars’ opportunistic offence to build a lead the team wouldn’t relinquish.

When the Trashers started to show signs of tiring, speedsters like Braedon Martin, Adrian Niederberger and Jack Surgenor pushed the pace and built a

sizeable lead.

The two teams, both 7-0-1 heading into the final, tied 5-5 in their regular season meeting.

The Dekes of Hazzard took third place with a 12-10 win over Shut Your 5-Hole in a back-and-forth affair, while the Flying Squirrels won 15-14 over the Jets to take fifth place in their first season in the league.

No Regretzkies finished in seventh with a 14-8 win over Puck Hunt, and the Puck Offs notched a 16-6 victory over U Puck on Me? to finish ninth overall.

Registration is now open for the CVSSC’s spring sports leagues, including flag football, slo pitch, ultimate Frisbee, soccer, beach volleyball, indoor volleyball and kickball.

Individuals, small groups and teams can all register online or find out more about the leagues at www. comoxvalleysports.ca, or ask any questions by contacting Scott at 250.898.7286 or scott@comoxvalleysports.ca.

Two April races to kick off Cumberland mountain bike racing season Cumberland’s mountain bike racing season officially kicks off this month with two Island Cup Series races that will bring the Island’s best riders to Dodge. It’s also a season that will, for the first time ever, culminate with the crowning of a Dodge City King and Queen.

On Sunday, April 6, the Island’s best cross-country riders, as well as several amateurs and weekend warriors, will test their mettle at the Cumberland XC (Cross Country) race. Organized and presented by the United Riders of Cumberland (UROC), the event is open to all riders, from beginners to pros and kids to “masters.” The race starts at noon at the No. 6 Mine Park, right in the

heart of Cumberland.

A week later, on April 13, the downhillers will get their chance to show their skills on Cumberland’s famous DCDH trail at the Cumberland DH, the first of two Island Cup downhill races. Like the XC event, this race is open to riders of all ages and abilities, and participants will be classed by age and ability. Shuttles and registration start at 9 a.m. at the Chinese Heritage Park.

A free BBQ will be available for participants at both events, and all riders will have a chance to win sponsor-donated prizes. Registration for the XC race is $25 in advance or $30 on race day; for the DH race it’s

$50 in advance and $55 on race day.

Riders under 12 can participate in either event for free. To pre-register, visit www.islandcupseries.com.

Adding a splash of royalty to this year’s events, UROC will, for the first time ever, crown a King and Queen of Cumberland at the end of the Island Cup Series. Expert riders who participate in all the Cumberland Island Cup events are eligible for the “Cumberland Crown,” which will be awarded to the riders with the best combined results in the expert category at the Cumberland races (XC, DH, 12hr, Marathon and Enduro).

Stay tuned for more details at www.unitedridersofcumberland. com.

Lockout All-Stars goalie David Adama slides across to make a save in the Comox Valley Sports & Social Club’s Floor Hockey League. Adama backstopped the All-Stars to the 2014 winter championship with an 8-4 victory over the EDS Trashers.

Send your questions for any of these professionals to: COMOX VALLEY ECHO, 407-D Fifth Street, Courtenay, BC V8N 1J7 or kcurrie@comoxvalleyecho.com or FAX 250-334-3172

Is there a relationship between diabetes and hearing loss?

Almost 2.5 million Canadians live with diabetes but the link with hearing loss is not clear. A 2012 study recommends that diabetics have their hearing tested because the data showed a greater incidence of hearing loss in the diabetic population. Research continues as to whether it is the disease or the drugs that treat it that may increase the risk for hearing loss. Primary care doctors may not suggest that a person with diabetes have a hearing test because they are more concerned with urgent diabetes health issues. However, research suggests that hearing loss may increase the chance of depression and dementia, potentially adding an even greater load to the burden of diabetes. Our recommendation is that if you have diabetes you should arrange to have a hearing test by a qualified Hearing Care Professional.

Business News

Comox Valley Echo Tuesday, April 1, 2014 A13

Small Business Assoc. presents wellness panel to address stress issues

Courtenay 1 Hour Optical closes doors ... opens new ones

The Comox Valley Small Business Association, now in its 16th year in the Valley, is hosting its monthly meeting on Thursday, April 3.

In lieu of the monthly keynote speaker, this meeting will feature a panel of health and wellness professionals who will share information and answer questions around the discussion topic, “Coping With Stress To Minimize Illness & Take Control of Your Health.”

Larry Summers, owner of On The Wing Health and past-president for the SBA says, “Five out of every six visits to a doctor are stress related. Physical stress is a major contributor to mental stress and vice versa.

“In this session we will be presenting some of the complementary health treatments that are available to help individuals relieve those stressors, with all of the complementary modalities truly complementing care through the regular medical system.”

“Educating yourself on your medical situation can help you to discover the root cause of your “dis-ease”.

Empowering yourself this way is part of taking responsibility for your illness and leads towards the path of healing,” says Sean Murphy, RMT, owner of Valley Healing Massage and one of the panelists.

In addition to Summers and Murphy, other panelists include Sarah Brune, owner of Inner Harmony Healing Bach Flower Remedies; Maureen Glowasky, Grace Cosmetics & Aloe; and Elva Murdoch, owner of Reflexology

by Elva.

The meeting is held in the Filberg Center, lower level (Evergreen Room), starting at 6 pm. All entrepreneurs, including home-based businesses, are welcome to attend.

There is no cost to attend, but a donation of a non-perishable food for the Comox Valley Food Bank is appreciated.

Door prizes are welcome and encouraged as an additional way to expose individual businesses.

The SBA meets monthly on the first Thursday of the month, September through June, with December and July being social events. The group also hosts an informal social on the third Wednesday of the month at the Chalk Lounge (Best Western lobby), 5pm-7pm. This is a casual networking event so members and guest entrepreneurs can get to know each other better.

There are a variety of marketing opportunities for members-from speaking and/or networking at regular meetings. The website and Facebook page accept member posts. Members can also gain visibility through sponsorships and participation on committees, the board, and in fun events, including the Canada Day parade.

After 20 years in business, Courtenay 1-Hour Optical has undergone some major changes.

A fixture of downtown Courtenay, the optical boutique catered not only to clients needing a quick replacement pair of glasses, but also to those who desired fashionable and sensible eyewear.

Courtenay 1-Hour Optical closed its downtown location and merged with Mosaic Vision Care, an optometric office further up 5th Street.

Mosaic Vision Care also opened a second location in the new Crown Isle shopping plaza last month.

“The previous owners, Tom and Mindy Harper, were exceptional in providing great service to their patients, while at the same time maintaining a large - actually a huge - selection of eyeglass frames and lenses for their clientele”, said Mosaic Vision Care optometrist Alex Kennedy.

The Harpers are parents to young children and decided to step aside from their business in 2012.

Opticians offering one-hour service became a standard mode of business in the early 1990’s, with the advent of optical chains such as Lenscrafters promoting quick production times for prescription lenses.

Courtenay 1-Hour Optical had a lens grinding machine, similar to a lathe, inside the shop. However, modern digital lenses are now usually shaped by computer controlled instru-

Optician Martina Brown holds an old lens grinding tool while standing next to a modern lens cutting machine. ments.

“Lens ginding is a dying art,” noted long-time Courtenay 1-Hour optician

Martina Brown. “A lot of our lenses are specialized products that are more accurate and customizable, and we now

obtain these lenses from other manufacturers”.

Opticians can describe how modern eyeglass lenses are actually shaped on their surfaces with finely controlled diamond chisels, which can allow a lens designer to create all sorts of custom lens surface configurations.

For instance, a simple convex spectacle lens can be redesigned to reduce unwanted blur in the peripheral sections of the lens.

Most of Courtenay 1-Hour Optical’s clients have been using these newly designed lenses over the last several years. The majority of contemporary progressive lenses are made this way, but the manufacturing equipment is large and complicated.

“We still make glasses in an hour,” said Kennedy, “as long as they are not bifocal or progressive prescriptions, or treated with special tints”.

Kennedy remarked that a common query from clients was about prices, especially from local shoppers comparing with box stores.

“We’ve remained competitive. I’ve been in this business twenty years, and I’ve been a part of 1-Hour Optical for a year and a half. I have been truly impressed with the level of dedication that the previous owners had for their business.

The workmanship was great.

The products had really good warranties. We’ll honour those warranties and we’ll carry the baton at Mosaic Vision Care.”

Should I back up my computer?

I don’t really have anything important on it.

Everyone always says “make sure you back up!” You really only need to backup things that you don’t want to lose and can’t get back. Here is a test; let’s pretend your computer is now gone. Can you just go out and buy a new computer and be happy? You won’t miss anything? If your answer is yes, then you don’t need to back up. If your answer is “oh my god, what about my pictures, music, and all the documents I have?”, then you should probably backup. Common things for people to backup are pictures, documents, music, emails, contacts, accounting files and such. Basically anything you have created or acquired yourself. Programs do not usually need to be backed up. These can normally be reinstalled from cd or other source (you may want to backup downloaded software as well). There are several ways to back up your things (To backup just means to make another copy).USB sticks and External hard drives are a common way to backup. You can also setup automated backup software that takes your files and stores them in the “cloud”. Cloud meaning on some companies computers somewhere else in the world through the internet. I always say the more backups the better!

Send your questions for any of these professionals to us by mail, email or fax Professional: Question:

COMOX VALLEY ECHO 407 - D Fifth Street, Courtenay, BC V8N 1J7 or send your question to Keith Currie at kcurrie@comoxvalleyecho.com or by fax to 250-334-3172

A14 Comox Valley Echo Tuesday, April 1, 2014

CARRIERS WANTED EARN $$$$$$$$ COURTENAY Rt. 8105 – Kilpatrick, 29th - 27th, Moray Rt. 8106 – Kilpatrick, Anfield Centre (Walmart) Rt. 8130 – Cliffe (Between 19th & 10th), Riverside Lane, Beckensell COMOX Rt. 1102A – Bolt, Anderton, Noel, Marten, Linshart Rt. 2102 – Harbour Wood Rt. 2118 – Comox Ave, Baybrook, Orchard Park, Mack Laing Rt. 2129 – Sylvan, Parry, Aspen, Idiens Substitutes: (Jan/14 to May/14) Rt. 2113 – Buena Vista, Queens, McLeod, Richardson, McCullough CROWN ISLE Rt. 3120 – Monarch, Royal Rt. 3134 – Crown Isle Dr., Birkshire, Sussex VALLEYVIEW Rt. 3122 – Swan, Trumpeter, Sparrow, Valley View

No Collection Required Call COMOX VALLEY ECHO 250−334−4734 or drop by 407−D 5th Street, Courtenay

Comox Valley Echo Tuesday, April 1, 2014 A15

IS YOUR STUFF JUST HANGING AROUND? Sell it FAST in the

Comox Valley Echo Classifieds!

Call 250-334-4215 to place your ad

TEXT YOUR TIP ANONYMOUSLY! Along with our 1-800-222-8477(TIPS) line, tipsters can report information via our secure WebTips application at www.comoxvalleycrimestoppers. bc.ca and now we accept anonymous tips via Text Messaging.

TEXT CVCSTIPS TO:

CRIMES

www.comoxvalleycrimestoppers.bc.ca

Now let’s hop to it: Decorate this Easter picture with your favorite colors, then send it to us for your chance to win!

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Set of 4 Tickets to ” Waiting for the Parade “ for you and your family in Chemanius Or a $100 Easter Basket Or a $75 Easter Basket Or a $50 Easter Basket 3 Easter Baskets per Store

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A16 Comox Valley Echo Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Community PUBLIC INVITED TO CURLING CLUB OPEN HOUSE ON THURSDAY

By Michael Briones Echo Staff

Autism Awareness Month To mark Autism Awareness Month, t-shirts are on sale for $15 at the Comox Valley Child Development Centre and Hollywood Videos, along with $2 wristbands.

Showing the wares they hope will raise awareness are

April Statz, Program Manager for CVCDA’s TAP, (The Autism Program) and Charlene Wallace-Dille, CVCDA’s receptionist.

The Comox Valley Curling Club is opening its doors to the public this coming Thursday.

It is holding an Open House April 3 from 3 to 8 p.m. and inviting the general public to come out.

The club has been a popular sports facility in the valley since it was built more than 50 years ago at the Exhibition Grounds on Headquarters Road. It’s owned by the Comox Valley Regional District but operated by the curling club.

And if you haven’t been out there or if you want to know more about the club and are interested in joining or playing, this is an opportunity you can’t miss, said general manager George Goodwin.

“We are inviting everyone to come and tour the curling rink,” said Goodwin.

“There is a high interest in curling right now following Canada’s gold medal wins at the Sochi Olympics. We want to take advantage of that.

“We want families to come and bring their children to check the programs we have. We will also offer free curling lessons

on that day. We want to raise awareness and promote the sport as well as answer questions about the proposed renovations to the club.”

The club currently has plans to undergo major renovations and upgrades. The CVRD has proposed that it borrows $1.9 million to address concerns such as replacing the floor slab, the leaking lines underneath the floors, and also the antiquated ice-making equipment.

“It’s 55 years old and is in need of some repairs,” said Goodwin. “We want to show the public what we want to do.”

The club has already raised $100,000 that will go towards the cost of improvements.

To gauge the sentiments of the 47,372 voters, the CVRD board has adopted the ‘alternative approval process’ and later this spring official forms will allow people who object to the proposed $1.9 million borrowing to sign up. Only if 10 per cent or more of the voters sign will the borrowing be halted, otherwise the project will proceed.

The club has around 500 members. It is available for use by anyone in the community because it’s a public facility.

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