WEDNESDAY, July 6, 2022
www.kamloopsthisweek.com
kamloopsthisweek.com | kamloopsthisweek |
WEDNESDAY, JULY 6, 2022 | Volume 35 No. 27
A1
kamthisweek
#YKASTRONG
TNRD has enacted $10 FOI fee
SKEETER SEASON IS HERE High water could mean heavy itching
JESSICA WALLACE STAFF REPORTER jessica@kamloopsthisweek.com
GETTY IMAGES PHOTO SEAN BRADY STAFF REPORTER sbrady@kamloopsthisweek.com
W
ith multiple and late peaks of the rivers, this year may prove to be a particularly bad mosquito season. The latest helicopter campaign, which sprayed larvicide in flooded pools along riverbanks, took place in late June, conducted by BWP Consulting. Cheryl Phippen, who owns the company contracted by the Thompson-Nicola Regional District to reduce mosquito populations, said her work is normally completed much earlier. “The big difference for us this year is that it’s July and we’re still going hard,” she said. “Even when we have these multiple peaks, it usually means a mid-May or early June wrap-up.” Mosquito treatments are undertaken across See TNRD, A6 the TNRD, but largely upon the riverbanks of the
16 KIA SOUL EXT
#6631C
19,995 OR $145
$
+tax
bi-weekly
18 FORD ESCAPE SE AWD
#6637B
27,995 OR $195
$
+tax
bi-weekly
North Thompson and South Thompson rivers. Martin Dickson administers the process each year. He is the environmental services coordinator with the TNRD. Dickson explained where the treatments are done. “You’ll get seepage from the river and it’ll basically form standing water in the lower lying fields. But also, the edges of rivers that aren’t contiguous with the flow of the river, just so we aren’t impacting any fish-bearing waters,” he said. That standing water wets mosquito eggs, which hatch into larvae and later develop into adults, which then start feeding. “It’s so much easier to reduce mosquitoes when they’re in such a concentrated state, versus when they’re adults and fly off,” Dickson said. Phippen anticipates a flood of adult mosquito activity within the next week to 10 days. “We’ve really had very little adult activity so far, but that doesn’t mean we’re not going to
19 GMC TERRAIN SLE AWD
#6645A
29,995 OR $210
$
+tax
bi-weekly
have a lot of mosquitoes,” she said. Should this year’s mild weather continue with lower temperatures, Phippen said those adults may live until the fall, but hot weather at the right time could also wipe out the bulk of the bugs. “Some typical summer heat would mean that even if some adults do emerge, they would die quickly. That could potentially be a good thing,” she said. If they do emerge, Phippen recommends using a mosquito repellent containing DEET, rather than the “voodoo ones out there that don’t work,” she said. “They make a ton of money on something that does nothing,” she said, noting repellents containing DEET are safe to use if instructions are properly followed. The TNRD has a 24-hour mosquito advisory line at 250-372-5700. Residents can also send an email to bwp@shaw.ca.
17 GMC SIERRA 1500 SLE CREW
#M226295A
$
29,995 OR $220 +tax
bi-weekly
Finance payments includes: TD Customer Admin Fee and PPSA. Limited time purchase financing offer on approved credit. Some customers will not qualify. Rates and requirements may vary depending on credit worthiness. Payments and conditions may vary for a commercial use. All applicable taxes are calculated on the total amount prior to deduction of the down payment. Selling price does not include the $499 Administration fee applied to all retail vehicle sales. The initial cash down does not include taxes. $5,000 DOWN: #6631C $27,626 72 months @ 7.99% OAC• 6637B $40,177 72 months @ 7.99% OAC • #6645A $43,105 84 months @ 7.99% OAC • # #M226295A $38,919 84 months @ 7.99% OAC
685 NOTRE DAME DRIVE KAMLOOPS, BC MON-SAT 8:30 AM-6:00 PM 250-374-1135
D#11184
The Thompson-Nicola Regional District has implemented a $10 application fee for Freedom of Information requests, following the lead of the provincial government. The fee comes despite public backlash over the provincial decision and the TNRD’s stated intention to be more transparent in the wake of a forensic audit last year that found a “culture of inappropriate spending” under former CAO Sukh Gill. The audit, which cost $500,000, was ordered as a result of a Kamloops This Week investigation into spending at the regional district under Gill between 2015 and January 2020. TNRD general manager of corporate and legislative services Deanna Campbell said the decision was operational and made by herself, CAO Scott Hildebrand and deputy corporate officer Agnese Saat. The TNRD board did not debate the issue nor vote or decide to implement the fee. One director is planning to request the fee be removed when the board next meets on July 14. “I think freedom of information should be free,” TNRD Area P (Rivers and the Peaks) director Mel Rothenburger said. Rothenburger said he was not aware of the new fee until contacted by KTW. He was critical of the provincial government’s initial implementation of the fee.