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DECEMBER 12, 2018 | Volume 31 No. 99
WEATHER Showers High 5 C Low 3 C SNOW REPORT Sun Peaks Resort Mid-mountain: 74 cm Alpine: 91 cm Harper Mountain Not yet open
WEDNESDAY
ASSESSING THE VALUE
COACHING CHANGE
BC Assessment says property values will rise 5 to 15 %
Kelly Shantz will no longer lead TRU women’s soccer
BUSINESS/A25
SPORTS/A32
WATER WOES HAVE WESTSYDE FARMERS WORRIED JESSICA WALLACE STAFF REPORTER jessica@kamloopsthisweek.com
MICHAEL POTESTIO/KTW Handprints dipped in red ink were plastered on the outside wall of the Campus Activity Centre at TRU on Monday by those opposed to the proposed expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline. A photo from Kanahus Manuel’s Twitter account (below) shows police approaching protesters.
Three arrested at protest MICHAEL POTESTIO
STAFF REPORTER
michael@kamloopsthisweek.com
Three people were arrested on Monday as First Nations members protested at Thompson Rivers University during a consultation meeting about the proposed TransMountain Pipeline expansion. Protesters vandalized property with red paint and it is alleged
a security officer at the university was assaulted. Social media posts from Kanahus Manuel — a spokesperson for the activist group Tiny House Warriors, who oppose the pipeline expansion — identified the arrested protesters as her sisters, Mayuk and Snutetkwe Manuel, and her brother-in-law, Isha Jules. See GROUP, A4
Irrigation could dry up for dozens of Westsyde farms, including Privato Vineyard and Winery, as the city reviews sustainability of the aging Noble Creek water system. KTW has learned the city recently sent letters to 36 property owners serviced by the system, from south of Dairy Road to the northern reaches of city limits. Residents and city staff will meet this Thursday on McArthur Island before the issue goes back to council in the new year. City civic operations director Jen Fretz said the system, which is about 50 years old, requires significant upgrades and runs at a loss every year. Winter stock water for livestock to about five farms will be shut off in September 2019, with the fate of seasonal irrigation for all of the 36 properties yet to be decided — but possibly facing a similar fate. “The utility needs to pay for the utility, which is where it gets complicated,” Fretz said. “If the utility were to be upgraded and made sustainable, is it affordable? That’s what we don’t know. I’m guessing not.” Kamloops council directed staff during closed-door meetings to first
try to transfer the water system to its users; second, try to sell the system; or, finally, stop using the system and decommission it. Infrastructure upgrade costs and the city’s losses on the water system remain unclear. The taps remain on for now, but Fretz said: “We have not been given direction to keep it running.” Without the city water source, farmers could be forced to invest in their own systems and, for some, costs could be prohibitive to the point of closure. Kamloops Coun. Dieter Dudy is among impacted farmers. He told KTW he recused himself from two city meetings on the issue, due to a conflict of interest. He will not vote on future decisions made in relation to the Noble Creek water system. Speaking as a farmer, Duty said he knew the utility needed work, but proposed a user rate increase for the farmers and shared agreement with the city to replace the infrastructure. “Much the same as, say, if there was a street within town that wanted a sidewalk onto their street,” he said. “They would get into a shared agreement with the city, where they pay for a portion of it and the city pays for the rest.” See FINDING, A6
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