Rotary Club of Powell River
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Program diverts biodegradable waste PAGE 9
FERRY FARES
Reservation changes come into effect PAGE 16
coryburnett@royallepage.ca
INCREDIBLE YEAR: Powell River U-11 Queens hockey team posed with banners they won this past season, for winning the Vancouver Island Amateur Hockey Association league play, playoffs and three tournaments, going undefeated and scoring 101 goals, while only allowing five.
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
ational division, coming out without a loss in their regular season and playoff games.
PAUL GALINSKI reporter@prpeak.com
Powell River Queens under-11 hockey team has concluded an undefeated season.
Team manager Elise Statham said this past season, a group of feisty girls wove their own story into local hockey lore with a legendary inaugural season in Vancouver Island Amateur Hockey Association’s (VIAHA) U-11 female recre-
“They skated their way into qathet history by earning the first ever female banners that will hang in Hap Parker Arena,” said Statham.
In regular season play, the U-11 Queens scored 101 goals against the opposition and only five goals were scored against them, according to Statham. The girls won three tournaments, including WickFest, which is the female hockey endeavour of Canadian hockey legend Hayley Wickenheiser; the Burnaby Remembrance Day tournament, and the local Queens Cup. They never lost a game in tournament play, either.
“The real victory is knowing that these Queens were part of achieving something far greater than they ever could on their own individual merit,” said Statham. “All season, they practiced hard, worked on their individual and team skills, and rose to the occasion every opportunity they had to step onto the ice.
“The community rallied behind them, too, with incredible fundraising, sponsorship and, of course, cheering from the stands. It truly takes a village or, in this case, a coastal community with heart.”
Statham said the Queens program owes so much to the women who paved the way for them, including Jodi Mastrodonato, Traci Abbott, Suzi Wiebe and Julie Venselaar.
“Only five years ago, our entire Queens program had girls from U-7 to U-18 skating together once a week,” said Statham. “Now, our female Powell River Minor Hockey Association (PRMHA) program boasts three ice times and two recreational teams (U-11 and U-15) in VIAHA league play, with hopes of there being a U-11, U-13 and U-15 next year.”
Statham said special congratulations go out to the U-11 Queens and their incredible coaches Adam Culos, Jaymie Ollson, Ashleigh Tassell and Josh Statham, and fundraising coordinator Jocelyn Ciarniello.
Venselaar, female hockey coordinator for PRMHA and head coach of the U-15 team, said the U-11 Queens were
phenomenal and she was so proud of them, as were the coaches and manager.
“They all did a great job,” said Venselaar.
She said the development of the players is amazing and the program is showing that some “pretty great players” can be produced here without them having to leave to find good hockey elsewhere.
Venselaar said there were 76 girls registered in the female PRMHA program, and there were also a few girls playing hockey here who weren’t registered with the female program. She said 76 players was the highest number since she became involved in the program. She added that in addition to developing their hockey skills, the players are having a great time.
“It’s fun to win, obviously, but it’s also fun to learn, im-
prove and be with a team, travelling together, going away to tournaments and playing competitively,” said Venselaar. “That’s a huge part of it as well.”
Venselaar said the U-15 team did amazingly well in VIAHA and tournament play this past season, finishing fourth in the league and third in playoffs, losing the semi-final game in double overtime to the top-seeded team.
“We’re having successes at all levels,” said Venselaar. “One of the things I’m really proud of this year is every girl who registered for hockey who wanted to play on a girls team was on one. That’s hard to do with the age range we have but VIAHA was really interested in working closely to ensure we could get all these girls on a team.
“I was so thankful to them
for showing support for the girls in our community.”
Venselaar said players are lost if they don’t have regular games, because they want to play. She said being involved in VIAHA is the only way to do that and it is a huge commitment. There was lots of travel, but it went really well.
“VIAHA made a schedule that really worked for us for the most part,” said Venselaar. “The coaches were dedicated to getting everyone there. The U-15s had a rougher go because they played from Victoria to Port Hardy, so there was a lot of travel.
“The amount of community support we have here is incredible. We had to do a lot of fundraising to afford this. Every year I am blown away with the generosity in our community to support the girls. This year we need-
ed lots and we got it. I’m so thankful.”
Culos said it was a privilege to hold the U11 Queens coaching position this past hockey season.
“It was pretty remarkable in the big picture; it was a treat to coach them, for sure,” added Culos. “My biggest satisfaction from a coaching perspective is watching these kids mature on the ice and off the ice as well. We’ve moved from female hockey players to hockey players, if that makes sense.
“They are breaking that socalled glass ceiling. They are not just female hockey players. It’s great to see the sport grow, as well as the girls.”
Culos said the players are amazing, they listen and work hard.
PAUL GALINSKI reporter@prpeak.com
Otago Rugby Club acquitted itself well against some formidable players from Vancouver Island in two exhibition matches earlier this month.
Vancouver Island Ebb Tide, an old boys side, and members of the Victoria-area Castaway Wanderers, took to the pitch on April 6 to play an old boys game and a senior rugby team game at Cranberry Field.
Otago coach Jack Beardmore said the old boys game, in which he played, was four trys to three for the Ebb Tide opposition.
“It was played in the true spirit of the game,” said Beardmore. “For a lot of our guys, it was their first go at old boys rugby, where you have colour-coded shorts on.”
Players over the age of 60 wear red shorts and players over the age of 70 wear yellow shorts and cannot be tackled, but can be tagged instead. Otago had two female players in the old boys match and they wore red shorts. It was their first rugby action.
“I’ve come to the conclusion, being as old
as I am at 74 years old, if I play again, I’m not going to put yellow shorts on,” said Beardmore. “I don’t like it. I’ll let them hit me.”
Beardmore said Ebb Tide plays almost every week on Vancouver Island and has some seasoned rugby players.
“For them, it’s second nature, four of whom played for British Columbia,” said Beardmore. They know what they are doing out there. I thought it was a great game.”
Beardmore said in the next contest, where Otago’s senior team faced off against the island competition, the final score was six trys to five for Castaway Wanderers.
“They scored on the last play of the game, running in the corner and winning the game,” said Beardmore. “Had we not had injuries, I believe we would have won that game. Plus, we were missing a couple of top players. With them it would have changed the whole outcome of the game.
“We were up against older guys but they are quality rugby players. All in all, it was as great day, with back and forth action. Steve Quigley, our captain, was definitely a leader out there. He’s such a quality rugby player, along with Ed Best.”
Beardmore said it was great to have so many great players on the pitch. He said some of the Ebb Tide players, such as himself, having been playing competitive rugby
“They did very well in every tournament, playing hard and playing well and they grew as a team, which is probably the most important part. As a group, they really came together and blended. That was one of their recipes for success.”
Culos said the U-11 team played 34 games this past season and didn’t lose a single one, including preseason, three tournaments and then league play and playoffs.
“It was amazing,” added Culos. “The girls improved and got better. It’s exciting times for Powell River Minor Hockey.”
“They put in the effort and they have earned what they’ve got, so kudos to them,” said Culos. “We had good competition in the VIAHA, but we also went to tournaments where we had good competition as well and fared well. It’s good for the girls and opens their eyes to opportunities.
for nearly 50 years or more.
Next year is the 50th anniversary of Otago Rugby Club and Beardmore said Ebb Tide has already confirmed that the team will be back to play an old boys game during anniversary weekend.
“The more games I can get for our guys before then, the better,” said Beardmore. “We definitely have a game on May 17 against Castaway Wanderers here and that’s going to be a tough game. They are coming with
premier league players as well as third division players. We are going to have a Friday night game. I’m trying to get another game before then, also.”
Beardmore said he is more than pleased with Otago’s development this year, so he’s hoping that will translate into some improved play on the pitch.
“It’s going in the right direction,” said Beardmore. “We’re starting to look like a rugby team again.”
PAUL GALINSKI reporter@prpeak.com
City of Powell River is facing a lawsuit from a local developer over his inability to build housing on his property on Quebec Avenue, where a former city dump was situated.
Notice of civil claim was filed in the Supreme Court of British Columbia by legal council representing Alan Rebane on April 4. The claim seeks general damages, special damages, including but not limited to costs of remediation, interest and further costs that the court may deem just from the city.
The notice of civil claim lays out what is called a statement of facts, which have not been proven in court.
The notice alleges that from the 1950s to around 1971, the city used a substantial portion of the original parcel of land, which included the former site of Max Cameron Secondary School, as a municipal landfill known as Squatter’s Creek landfill. The notice states that in or about 2006, the school district applied to subdivide and rezone the parcel. In or about July 2006, the ministry of environment and climate change strategy issued a site profile decision letter advising that the parcel of land had been
put on the site registry as a potentially contaminated site, the notice stated.
The ministry advised the city it would remove the statutory restrictions on the school district’s subdivision and rezoning applications subject to certain conditions, including that the city could not issue building permits for the newly subdivided lots until a determination of non-contamination or a certificate of compliance was obtained, according to the court document. The city agreed with the ministry that the city would assume responsibility for the part of the parcel of land that contained the landfill, including responsibility for all remediation and risk assessment, the notice stated.
Two subdivisions of the land were approved by the city and around 2014, the newly created lot three contained the landfill portion of the original parcel, which was gifted by the school district to the city, according to the notice. During that year, the ministry advised the city and the school district
City of Powell River Council has appointed three community members to the Powell River Community Forest board. At an April 4 meeting, councillors appointed Bill Bird, Mark Hassett and Janet May to three-year terms, effective April 9. Council also confirmed mayor Ron Woznow as the duly authorized representative for the city as the sole shareholder in order to vote at the annual general meeting of the community forest board, with councillor Jim Palm named as alternate. The annual general meeting was held on April 9.
to the lawsuit.
In response, the city and the school district confirmed to the ministry that all future building permits for the lands within the boundaries of the original parcel would be withheld until a determination of non-contamination or a certificate of compliance had been issued, the notice stated.
Portions of the land were sold to 3C1B Developments
The City of Powell River is working through the appropriate legal channels to address the notice of civil claim from Alan Rebane.
that the remediation conditions were still outstanding, and noted that the city had breached the permit prohibition by issuing building permits for five parcels, despite there being no determination of non-contamination or a certificate of compliance for the lands, according
Ltd by the school district, which sold the land to Rebane in 2016, with the intent of subdividing the lands for a residential development, and in September 2016, Rebane’s company applied to the city to subdivide part of the properties for residential development.
The lawsuit states that in the course of the subdivision approval process, the city made express and/or implied representations to Rebane that the lands were suitable for development into residential lots and there were no legal impediments of which the city was aware that would prevent development of the lands into residential lots.
Between 2017 and 2023, the city, through its development services department, unlawfully issued building permits to Rebane for construction of single-family homes for eight lots, according to the notice.
In June 2023, Rebane received correspondence from the city stating it would not issue any building permits for the properties, and that any development applications for one block would be placed on hold, the notice stated. The city advised Rebane for the first time that the lands are listed on the ministry of environment site registry as potentially contaminated sites and that a certificate
of compliance was required prior to any ground-altering development on the lands, according to the notice. As a result, Rebane’s company is effectively precluded from selling the properties until the city meets remediation conditions, the lawsuit states.
In October 2023, the ministry advised the school district and the city that each is considered responsible for the remediation of contamination, the notice states. The notice concludes that the city’s failure to comply with remediation conditions has and continues to substantially and unreasonably interfered with Rebane’s company’s use of the land.
City of Powell River chief administrative officer Lisa Bhopalsingh offered the following response: “The City of Powell River is working through the appropriate legal channels to address the notice of civil claim from Alan Rebane. Because the claims are the subject of litigation, the city will not be providing any further comment.”
Powell River RCMP received a report at 9:49 am on April 8 that a large fir tree had come down on Thunder Bay Street. Police determined that two trees had been intentionally cut with a chainsaw.
The first tree had been felled onto the Beach Gardens property. The second, larger fir tree, had been partially cut and it appeared an attempt at a wedge cut had been made to fell the tree toward the interior of the lot, according to police. The cut, however, was incomplete and the tree fell onto the highway during a wind storm, narrowly missed a truck.
Police determined that no other trees in the area had been cut. The highway was closed for approximately one hour.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Powell River RCMP at 604.485.6255, or to remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 1.800.222.8477 or bccrimestoppers.com.
Powell River Fire Rescue (PRFR) responded to a report of a rubbish fire behind Scotiabank and adjacent businesses within the strip mall on Alberni Street at approximately 8:39 pm on April 4.
According to PRFR chief fire investigator Rocky Swanson, upon receiving the report, fire crews arrived at the scene in less than four minutes and immediately initiated a size-up of the situation.
“Our observations revealed a normal-sized couch positioned vertically against a cinderblock wall, directly beneath the threephase power service lines supplying electricity to the strip mall,” stated Swanson in a media release.
“Thanks to the swift action of our personnel, the fire was promptly identified and extinguished.
“In collaboration with BC Hydro,
efforts were made to disconnect the power supply—a standard procedure during such incidents. However, it was necessary to do so primarily due to the damage inflicted upon the electrical services for the strip mall by the fire.”
Swanson stated that the nature of the fire raises suspicions, as it is challenging to comprehend how it could have ignited without external assistance. Preliminary estimates suggest the fire was started between 8 and 8:35 pm on April 4, with the specific area affected being the alleyway behind Scotiabank, near the thrift store and other businesses, according to Swanson.
“The impact of this incident is significant,” stated Swanson.
“Businesses within the superstructure endured a power outage lasting approximately a day and a half, likely resulting in financial losses. Although the damage to the structure itself was minimal, it nevertheless incurred significant expenses.”
Powell River RCMP is requesting video surveillance from anyone in
the area who may have captured the incident.
“This highlights the critical importance of remaining vigilant and fostering cooperation to mitigate the risks associated with such fires,” stated Swanson. “It underscores the necessity for a thorough investigation into the origins of the fire. It is crucial to note that this fire does not seem to have been set for warmth; rather, it appears to be a deliberate act aimed at causing significant damage to the structure and, consequently, the community.
“This is why we have chosen to share this information with the public—we need your assistance in putting an end to these incidents. While it is possible that the fire was unintentional, it is imperative that we identify its source and implement measures to prevent similar occurrences in the future.”
Swanson stated that PRFR urges anyone who may have witnessed the incident or possesses evidence that could aid the RCMP (604.485.6255) or Swanson (rswanson@powellriver.ca) to come forward immediately.
Committee hears expenditure details for shelving from funds earmarked for salaries
PAUL GALINSKI reporter@prpeak.com
qathet Regional District directors will direct staff to provide potential options to bring budgeting into compliance regarding a qathet Museum and Archives expenditure for shelving in the facility.
At the April 3 finance committee meeting, museum and archives president George Wall appeared before the committee to outline expenditures the museum had made with qRD funds.
“I understand it has been some time since qathet
Museum and Archives has presented to the board,” said Wall. “I want to start with apologizing for anything that may have been misleading in the past as to how the funding the qRD gives to the museum would be allocated in excess of staff salaries.
“We had an excess of funding build up because we weren’t able to fill a couple of positions at the museum and the museum board at the time thought that maybe the best use of that funding was to update our shelving and storage facilities.”
Wall said the previous storage system was not great. He added that there had been some turbulence on the museum board as well. He said the previous president and treasurer have both stepped down.
Wall said he had been on the museum board since 2022 and was recently appointed as the president.
New board members have been invited to fill vacant seats, including Doreen Berrington as treasurer, and former museum executive director Bert Finnamore, with both bringing a wealth of knowledge to the board.
“They are going to help us move forward with the shelving and kind of how the museum is going to go forward,” said Wall.
He said the museum has had a storage deficit for two decades and has not been able to accept new items into the archives. He added that there has been trouble updating exhibits because of a lack of space. The museum went ahead with procuring mobile shelving and spending approximately $160,000, according to Wall.
“The board moved ahead with the understanding that the qRD was already onside,” said Wall. “The board members voted in favour
of moving forward with the shelving project and maybe we didn’t have the full story.
“As we move forward, this got flagged with the asbestos abatement and other things that had to happen in the museum buildings in order to move forward with the shelving project. It benefits the museum greatly.”
Wall said the museum board did not believe it was stepping outside of bounds of its agreement with qRD in spending the money in this way.
Electoral Area B director Mark Gisborne said in reading the qRD financial plan, it doesn’t say qRD contribution is exclusively for operations, so shelving could actually fit with how the service operates. He asked staff if capital expenses were allowed under the service.
Manager of financial services Linda Greenan said it was not clear in the agree-
ment and a section of the agreement does say qRD will help with the payment of certain costs, but another section states that the qRD apportionment will not go to capital costs, including construction or renovations to the museum.
Gisborne then recommended appointing a qRD board member to the museum board. Wall said the museum was open to more members of the board.
Berrington said when the museum decided to move the expenditure from salaries to the shelving, it would be under the classification of conservation expenses. She said the shelving provides necessary supplies for safekeeping of the artifacts.
“Once we agree to potentially change the agreement, it’s at the behest of the board with how the museum can use the funds,” added Greenan.
City of Powell River director Cindy Elliott made a motion that the committee recommend to the board that the board direct staff to provide a report on potential changes to bring the museum and archives funding needs into compliance. The motion carried unanimously. The finance committee then discussed the prospect of offering a director appointment to the museum and archives board to serve in an ex-officio, non-voting capacity. The committee carried a subsidiary motion to refer the matter of a director appointment to the April 24 committee of the whole meeting.
Greenan said the best move forward would be for the board to direct staff to provide a report on some potential changes to the museum agreement that would bring the expenditure into compliance.
PAUL GALINSKI reporter@prpeak.com
City of Powell River councillors were provided an overview of the provincial government’s Bills 44, 46 and 47, all of which deal with housing statutes.
At the April 2 committee of the whole meeting, director of planning services Jason Gow outlined the legislation and the implications it would have on municipalities.
“On November 29 of last year, the legislative assembly of BC passed Bills 44, 46 and 47, forming part of the province’s homes for people action plan and it is aimed at achieving more smallscale, multi-unit housing in land use zones that would otherwise be restricted to single family homes or duplexes,” said Gow. “There are a variety of bylaw amendments and policy updates required to meet the legislative changes.”
Gow said Bill 44, referred to as the Housing Statutes (Residential Development) Amendment Act, amended the Local Government Act to eliminate public hearing processes associated with residential development applications that are in alignment with the city’s sustainable official community plan. He said the prohibition on holding public hearings also extends to bylaw amendments undertaken to comply with the new smallscale multi-unit housing legislation.
“This means that any bylaws that come forward to be amended would be pro-
hibited from holding a public hearing,” said Gow.”
He said in relation to establishing minimum housing density, the province’s position is that the detached single-family houses are financially out of reach for much of the population, yet the majority of local government zoning regulations exclusively permit single-family detached homes.
“Bill 44 establishes minimum housing densities that a local government must permit on the majority of their single-family or duplex lots to facilitate the development of more smallscale multi-unit housing,” said Gow. “The province believes that ultimately, this will provide more housing that is more affordable for more people.
“To comply with Bill 44, the city is also required to produce an interim housing needs report, updating the existing housing needs report. It needs to be adopted by January 1, 2025. This interim report will have 20year housing needs projections included. Once these 20-year housing numbers are available, staff will analyze the existing sustainable official community plan and zoning bylaws as to whether they already adequately accommodate future housing needs.”
Gow said if not, proposed amendments to both bylaws will align with the interim housing needs report that will come before council for consideration and adoption prior to the end of next year.”
Gow said Bill 46, the Housing Statutes (Development Financing) Amendment Act, introduces new and expanded financing tools, which are anticipated to impact how local governments plan for and finance developments in
MUNICIPAL IMPLICATIONS: City of Powell River councillors received an update in council chambers earlier this month on provincial Bills 44, 46 and 47, which were passed late in 2023 to address housing needs in the province.
their jurisdictions. He said this includes an expansion of the categories of infrastructure for which development cost charges (DCC) can be collected, including capital expenditures on solid waste and recycling, fire protection and police facilities.
“The implications of Bill 46 will likely require the DCC bylaw to be updated to consider what impact the small-scale, multi-unit housing density may have on infrastructure,” said Gow.
Bill 47, which is the Housing Statutes (Transit Oriented Development) Amendment Act, does not apply to the city, said Gow. The province did not identify any part of the city as a transit-oriented area as nowhere in the community meets the minimum transit service requirement, according to Gow.
Gow said under Bill 44, the deadline for updating the zoning bylaw is June 30. He said the city is waiting on housing needs methodology from the province to complete the interim housing needs report.
“Following that, it is expected that the comple-
mentary official community plan and zoning bylaw updates to reflect the updated housing needs will come forward for council’s consideration and adoption by the end of 2025,” said Gow.
Mayor Ron Woznow said the last housing needs study indicates that Powell River has a significant shortage of housing.
“We have not made much progress in addressing that significant shortage,” added Woznow. “With this new
bill, do you anticipate that it will be more onerous to get developers to help meet the needs of housing in Powell River because of additional charges?”
Gow said he doesn’t anticipate a lot of changes in the community with Bill 44. He said additional charges were not being added to DCCs, public hearings were being removed, and a zoning amendment process was also being removed for anyone trying to achieve
four units. He added that the city is almost meeting housing targets stated in a housing report, largely due to the apartment complex development that is happening in the city.
“In some ways, we are actually doing quite well in terms of meeting our housing needs,” said Gow. “There are some areas we are missing, and that would include a range of affordable housing, including rentals and for purchase.”
Anyone who missed Earth Hour last month has an entire day to make up for it next week.
The theme for Earth Day in 2024 (April 22) is Planet vs. Plastics. Campaigns and activities take place in nearly 200 countries worldwide.
Some have taken participation a step further by promoting Earth Month throughout April, so as of today’s publication of the Peak, there are still 12 more days left for qathet Regional District residents to learn more or participate.
For those committed to the cause, one hour is not a chore, one day is easy and one month is simply a determined way to live with the planet in mind. Those efforts are commendable, but improvement is needed among the general population in order to see positive results.
More than 5,000 households now have compost bins for weekly pickup. There is no excuse for food waste from those households to end up in a landfill.
An hour or day should be effortless and easy for the average resident, too. Of course busy schedules, prior plans and work can hinder involvement or participation over the timeframe of an hour or even a day, but with a month to work with (or 12 days), there is plenty of time to learn and/or contribute to the cause.
Educating everyone on rejecting, recycling or reusing plastics may seem like an ominous task, considering many everyday products are made of plastic, not to mention the endless packaging that fills recycling bins shortly after their purchase.
But recycling and reusing is simple. Does it get any easier than curbside recycling? Anyone choosing to dispose of those items in another way, such as in a garbage bin, should be embarrassed.
City of Powell River has made the sorting of garbage, recycling and organic waste even easier with its city-wide organics program. More than 5,000 households now have compost bins for weekly pickup. There is no excuse for food waste from those households to end up in a landfill.
Up to and including April 22 (and after), do something productive for the planet. Use less water, keep plastic out of oceans and off beaches by recycling curbside or at a depot, walk instead of driving, turn off a light, and make use of that compost/ organics bin, unless a backyard system is preferred.
The first Earth Day took place on April 22, 1970. More than 50 years later, a billion-plus people participate in initiatives with Mother Nature in mind. Climate change still presents a massive challenge, but also an opportunity to build toward a healthier, more prosperous and sustainable society.
For anyone late to the initiative, or who hasn’t thought about making a concerted effort to benefit our planet, Earth Day is another opportunity to make a difference, even if the first step is a small one.
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This overview is provided to the taxpayers of Powell River to inform them of a bylaw that ended up costing the city (in essence you if you pay city taxes) over $3 million in the 2023 taxation year [“Paper Excellence still qualifies for City of Powell River tax exemption,” June 2022].
The previous city council, prior to October of 2022, enacted a revitalization tax bylaw that gave significant tax breaks to Paper Excellence for a three-year period, culminating in the final year of 2023. This bylaw was to provide a financial break to the company to revitalize the mill to protect jobs and help ensure the overall economy, assisted by this tax break, to provide economic benefit to the city.
In December of 2021, CBC news published an article that stated that “Paper Excellence is indefinitely closing its Powell River paper mill, impacting over 200 workers at the mill.”
This should have been a red flag to the current council, and in fact, former mayor Dave Formosa expressed shock at the closing, and also that the mill had been put up for sale without the city being informed.
Yet what happened to the tax break? It con-
tinued for 2023. The response from the current administration is that it was just going to let the term of the bylaw run out and in 2024 there would be no tax break.
When I continued to follow up on why the bylaw was not being enforced, I was told the bylaw had not been written properly, and legally there was nothing the city could do. While I recognize mistakes happen, this mistake cost the taxpayers of this community over $3 million. Now the city has been faced with a huge tax shortfall, and taxpayers are faced with increased taxes and the possibility of some service cuts.
Surely elected officials and staff have a fiduciary responsibility to the taxpayers to ensure tax breaks of this magnitude are written, monitored and enforced appropriately. This did not happen.
The province has been able to get Paper Excellence to return over $4 million they gave this company to help protect jobs at their Crofton mill, which did not materialize. At the very least, the city should formally ask Paper Excellence to return these tax dollars that were not used for the intended purpose. I doubt it will happen.
Four of the current councillors were on council when this bylaw was enacted.
Allan Drummond, Powell River
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million in five-
PAUL GALINSKI reporter@prpeak.com
qathet Regional Hospital District (qRHD) has adopted its 2024 budget and fiveyear financial plan.
At the March 28 regional hospital board meeting, directors considered three readings and adoption of the $6 million budget.
When considering first and second reading of the budget, Electoral Area B director Mark Gisborne said he found the financial plan bylaw to be helpful because it clearly outlines the financial plan over the next five years, 2024 to 2028 inclusive. He said he was a little concerned, however, that he had just received a copy of the bylaw and would have preferred to have received it sooner.
Electoral Area A director Jason Lennox expressed the same concern.
“I think I understand but I’m voting on some serious costs here,” said Lennox. Manager of financial services Linda Greenan said the bylaw was the same as the financial plan in the budget final report, so directors had the information.
Gisborne said his understanding was that the timeline for the budget submission to the province was imminent, so if the hospital board did not pass the budget, he was sure the ministry of health would be unhappy with the board.
Corporate officer Michelle Jones said the budget had to
FINALIZED:
be approved before the end of the month.
Hospital board chair and city director George Doubt said his take was that March 28 was the last day it could be approved. He said directors had seen the five-year financial plan previous to the meeting, just not with the bylaw information attached to it.
The hospital district unanimously gave approval to the first three readings and adoption of the budget.
According to a media release from the regional hospital district, highlights of the 2024 budget include the ongoing paydown of
and Evergreen Care Unit.
At the hospital, there will be pharmacy room upgrades, replacement of chillers, roof replacement, radiology fluoroscopy replacement, modernization of dumbwaiters, operating room mechanical room boiler and direct digital control upgrades, plus replacement of a high-voltage breaker and transformer and upgrades to a generator. At Evergreen, there will be building envelope repairs and roofing replacement.
The release stated that this year’s budget has a $1.7 million increase from 2023, with the inclusion of contribution toward a reserve
The need for health care infrastructure and equipment will continue to increase across the province due to provincial downloading…
GEORGE DOUBT HOSPITAL BOARD CHAIR
the debt for the Willingdon Creek Village complex care facility and a contribution of $428,000 in previously approved grant funding toward continued facility upgrades, renovations and purchase of major clinical equipment for qathet General Hospital
fund for future regional health care infrastructure and equipment needs.
For the past few years, Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) has come to the regional hospital board for infrastructure and equipment upgrades, for which the hos-
pital district has borrowed. By establishing the reserve, the district is hoping to avoid borrowing to pay for future requests from VCH.
Earlier in the meeting, directors approved a modification to the hospital district draft budget to add a residential tax rate of $20 per $100,000 of assessed home value, based on the 2024 completed tax roll values, to the reserve fund in each year of the five-year financial plan.
According to the release, contributions to the hospital district are collected annually through property taxes in each of the five electoral areas, and City of Powell River. Funding is also provided by Tla’amin Nation.
“These taxes are utilized to support and expand health care resources throughout the region,” stated Doubt. “The need for health care infrastructure and equipment will continue to increase across the province due to provincial downloading, and as such, the qRHD is experiencing increased requests from Vancouver Coastal Health to support necessary health service upgrades. qRHD is often expected to contribute up to 40 per cent toward the cost of these projects.”
PAUL GALINSKI reporter@prpeak.com
Real estate sales in the Powell River-Sunshine Coast region were down in March 2024 from the previous year, but sales potential is looking good moving toward the warmer weather, according to a local spokesperson.
“I can tell you the market is really heating up, with more sales and competing offers starting to happen on certain listings,” said Powell River Sunshine Coast Real Estate Board president Curtis Yungen. “The spring market is in full swing and I see it just getting busier as the weather gets nice.”
In the single-family homes category, in March 2024, there were 23 sales, valued at $14,629,900, compared to 30 sales, valued at $19,904,800, in March 2023.
There was one sale in the mobile and manufactured homes category in March 2023, valued at $215,000, compared to one sale, valued at $79,000, in March 2023. In the condo, apartment and duplex category, there were three sales, valued at $1,524,000, in March 2024, compared to four sales, valued at $1,830,000, in March 2023.
Totals in the residential category indicate 27 sales in March 2024, valued at $16,368,900, compared to 35 sales, valued at $21,813,800, in March 2023.
On the nonresidential
side, there were two parcels of vacant land sold in March 2024, valued at $478,000, compared to two sales in March 2023, valued at $379,000.
Grand totals indicate 30 sales in March 2024, valued at $16,846,015, compared to 38 sales in March 2023, valued at $22,185,000.
Average selling price for single-family residential was $636,083 in March 2024, with an average of 83 days on the market, compared to $663,493 in March 2023, with an average of 68 days on the market. The median price in March 2024 was $590,000, down from $599,900 in March 2023. In terms of new listings, there were 67 new residential listings and 14 new nonresidential listings in March 2024, for a total of 81 new listings. There were 146 ac-
tive listings in the residential category and 60 nonresidential, for a total of 206 active listings at the end of March 2024.
According to the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA), the number of new listings saw a substantial gain of 30 per cent from March 2023. The 67 new residential listings in March 2024 were the largest number of new listings added in the month of March in two decades, according to CREA. New listings were 23.1 per cent above the five-year average and 27.7 per cent above the 10-year average for the month of March.
Temporary use permit to be issued for commercial recreation and entertainment establishment
The staff here have been there for me the entire time...If you want to change your life, they help in any way that they can with resources and anything that’s needed, right up to the bus tickets to get there.
- John
Supportive Housing Participant
PAUL GALINSKI reporter@prpeak.com
City of Powell River councillors have granted a temporary use permit for a property on Duncan Street to allow for commercial recre-
ation and entertainment use.
At the April 4 city council meeting, councillor Earl Almeida said the facility is at 7339 Duncan Street, just down the road from the airport, on the corner of Duncan Street and Bowness Avenue. Almeida said he believes the facility has been vacant for the last couple of years and there is a businessperson in town who wants to turn the space into a sports, recreation and training facility.
“It will be great to see the building get some use and provide sports training, and some recreation and entertainment for our community as well,” said Almeida.
Councillor Trina Isakson asked if the planning department had received any public input in relation to public notice on the matter. Deputy corporate office Jessica Lefort said no correspondence or other input had been received.
Council passed the motion for a temporary use permit unanimously.
According to a staff report, the subject property is a two-storey building with approximately 5,000 square feet of interior gross floor space. It is designated in the sustainable official community plan as employment centre and is zoned M1 (general industrial).
The report stated that the applicant has
NEW FACILITY: City of Powell River Council has voted unanimously to issue a three-year temporary use permit for a new business on Duncan Street which will offer recreation and entertainment possibilities.
PEAK ARCHIVE PHOTO
been conducting a search for an appropriate space to lease for many months leading up to the submission of the temporary use permit application to the city. The range of proposed activities include specialized baseball and softball training areas, as well as space large enough to rent out to local sports and recreation groups, including hosting birthday parties, according to the report. Commercial uses of this nature are not permitted in the M1 zone, so the applicant was advised to obtain a temporary use permit from city council in order for the business to operate at the Duncan Street location.
Curbside program now available to more city households
TANYA HILL thill@prpeak.com
Diverting food and biodegradable waste from the landfill is one way to decrease greenhouse gas emissions. But, for many municipalities in BC that have rolled out curbside compost pickup, it makes sense in other ways, such as reducing household food waste.
City of Powell River launched a compost pilot program in 2017, and city council voted in favour of a residential curbside organics collection program for all houses, which started in March of 2024. Beginning in February, residents received 120-litre bins for food and yard waste to be picked up every week. Garbage collection is now every second week.
So far, the compost bin rollout increased the 400plus households during the pilot program to more than 5,000, and has gone reasonably well, with only minor grumblings about the bins being smaller and the potential for compost to be a bear attractant. Some people already freeze their compostables, and keeping the bin dry and clean will keep bears away.
According to the Compost Council of Canada, biodegradable material such as food waste constitutes ap-
proximately 40 per cent of the residential waste stream in Canada: "The environmental benefits of diverting organic materials from landfill include reduced methane emissions, and decreased leachate (contaminated liquid) quantities from landfills.”
Powell River mayor Ron Woznow agrees, and stated in a media release last year that, “by separating organic waste so it is composted rather than put in a landfill, [residents] will reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions associated with their waste.”
According to Love Food Hate Waste, British Columbians throw away one out of every four bags of groceries; this adds up to almost 2.2 million tonnes of edible food wasted each year, for Canada as a whole. In the qathet region, many folks already make their own compost and use it for gardening, and with the cost of food going up, people are more likely not to waste food. However, there are many food scraps that shouldn't be composted at home, such as meat, bones, shells, dairy and oils. For those who do need to dispose of their biodegradable waste, having curbside pick every week is not only convenient but will also deter animal interaction, leave more room in the freezer, plus divert it from the landfill. City councillor Trina Isakson said at a meeting in December that, [residents she had spoken with], "love recycling and
many people want to reduce their garbage further and therefore reduce our greenhouse gas emissions by processing organics and making it into compost rather than shipping it all the way to Washington State."
Establishing the program also allowed the city to retain a $200,000 grant, and the city is eligible to receive $213,218 in a grant to reimburse the cost of the organics carts.
The Province of BC sees composting as a benefit for the environment and an opportunity to create a high-value and environmentally-responsible product: "Disposing of food and organic waste in landfills not only wastes valuable nutrients and takes up precious landfill space but also creates methane, a powerful greenhouse gas."
Organic waste diversion initiatives such as the one in qathet will, "process and beneficially use organic waste, returning the nutrients back to the soil and when handled properly, organic waste can become a valuable resource for communities, such as nutrientrich compost," according to the province.
The qathet Waste Wise app is a handy tool to find out what can and cannot be composted, but most fruit and vegetable scraps can be, plus meat and bones, and coffee grounds. Flowers and yard waste can also go in the compost bin but not invasive species (blackberry, knotweed, ivy, broom),
biodegradable plastic products, pet waste or biohazard waste.
The city included samples of Only Bag to Earth collection bags with the compostable bins. They are compostable and leak resistant, with a 100 per cent paper cellulose liner. They can be found at Walmart and RONA in town. However, making a bag from newspaper is also suitable.
To find out more about the City of Powell River organics collection program, go to powellriver.ca/pages/organics-compost-collection. To find tips about reducing food waste, check out lovefoodhatewaste.ca or watch a TED talk titled: How to feng shui your fridge–and other happy climate hacks, by UBC behavioural scientist Dr. Jiaying Zhao.
April is Earth Month - an entire month to pay special attention to ways to protect our environment now and for future generations.
April 21 from 11 am to 2 pm
(Parking lot on Joyce Avenue, between Glacier and Field Street)
Come pick-up your FREE little
Grab one of my cards and show it to the scale attendant at Augusta on Monday, April 22, to receive up to $15 towards disposal costs when you help pick up litter around town, on the beach or in the bush
The world isn’t talking anymore about whether or not climate change actually exists, or is even something to worry about. Just look at the news and see the floods, droughts, forest fires, extreme weather and food insecurity that abound globally.
The conversation is deeply engaged in the urgent need to do something about it, and not just adapt after the fact. While that will be a costly necessity, the need to address the cause, greenhouse gas emissions, is front and centre. Gee, what a surprise!
Has it been a while since you bought or sold Real Estate? Are you looking for your first home? I am personally available day or night, before, during and after the sale with answers and solutions to whatever comes up.
Carbon pricing, or as it is now known in Canada, the Carbon Rebate, and in BC as the Climate Action Tax Credit, is a feature of emissions reduction strategies in 73 jurisdictions globally. It is recognized by economists worldwide to be a very effective approach.
It is all about putting a price on carbon pollution to fight directly the cause of climate change, planet heating caused by the blanket effect of increased levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) in the atmosphere.
Gradual increases in the carbon pricing strategy reflect the long-term thinking required to effectively address the long-term problem we are faced with. Typical analysis involves projections of effects far into the future.
Objectives are commonly set for 2030, 2035, 2050, and even to what conditions will be like in 2100.
Focus on short term concerns such as the current affordability of things will not change the big picture, and short-term measures will not make the problem lessen or go
By William Lytle-McGhee
away. In fact, it is short-term thinking that has been a primary cause of the problem.
And size matters. The price on carbon must be high enough to create an incentive to use less fossil fuel or to switch to alternatives. A recent study published in the journal Nature found that “if all countries adopt the necessary uniform global carbon tax and then return the revenues to their citizens on an equal per capita basis, it will be possible to meet a two degrees Celsius target while also increasing well-being, reducing inequality and alleviating poverty.”
Keep in mind that this is significantly higher than the 1.5 degree Celsius target set in the Paris Agreement.
We don’t have the luxury of time to treat our efforts to minimize the severe effects of climate change as if they could be switched off and on depending on current economic circumstances. Also consider the costs in the future of coping with disasters caused by climate change. We will end up paying anyway, and likely more.
For further analysis of the short- and longterm thinking involved, read the letter to the editor: prpeak.com/opinion/letter-acanary-in-the-mineshaft from March 13, 2024, by Neil Abramson.
William Lytle-McGhee is a member of qathet Climate Alliance.
STEFAN LABBÉ Glacier Media
Around 62 per cent of Canadians would support a federal windfall tax on above-average profits made by oil and gas companies, a new poll has found.
The survey, carried out by Leger on behalf of the David Suzuki Foundation, 350.org and Climate Action Network Canada, comes as Western governments have increasingly turned to windfall taxes to help populations deal with soaring energy prices.
In 2022, the European Union
levied a temporary windfall tax on surplus profits from oil and gas companies after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine led to record revenue. And over a dozen of the block’s members, plus the United Kingdom, have amended or proposed new tax policies to deal with excess profits and soaring prices.
The Leger survey, which polled more than 1,500 Canadian adults online, found a third of respondents strongly agreed Canada should introduce a similar tax on oil and gas companies’ historically high profits. Another 29 per cent somewhat agreed with the idea. Together, a majority of respondents in every region of Canada agreed the federal government should introduce a windfall tax on fossil fuel companies. The strongest support was found in Quebec and Ontario, where a respective 70 per cent and 64 per cent backed
such a measure.
Slightly stronger support was found among males and those 55 and older. A combined 21 per cent of respondents disagreed with imposing the tax — about a third less than the 62 per cent who agreed a windfall tax should be introduced.
“Momentum is building for a windfall profit tax on oil and gas companies’ excessive profits,” said Tom Green, a senior climate adviser and economist for the David Suzuki Foundation.
“It’s easy to see why: the fossil fuel industry has made the affordability crisis harder for people while making out like bandits.”
Green said adding a windfall tax to the upcoming federal budget would offer “billions of dollars in funding for essential climate solutions and nature protection.”
by nearly three times.
In October 2023, a parliamentary budget officer estimated that applying a windfall profit tax to the oil and gas sector could generate $4.2 billion over five years.
And in February 2024, the House of Commons’s finance committee recommended a windfall tax on companies that have made oversized profits by taking advantage of crises.
The committee pointed to profits made by grocery chains and oil and gas companies following the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
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ROCHELLE BAKER
Canada’s National Observer
Microscopic creatures vastly important to marine life are gobbling up harmful plastic fibres, posing a serious risk to ocean health on the west coast.
A type of zooplankton important for fish on BC’s southern coast are lining their guts with synthetic microfibres shed and flushed out to sea when we wash our clothes, said scientist Oladimeji Ayo Iwalaye.
Tiny shrimp-like creatures called Cyphocaris challengeri — a key food for herring, juvenile salmon and rockfish — are eating the microplastic fibres less than five millimetres in length instead of natural food like plankton, a recent lab study led by Iwalaye found.
“It spells trouble for the zooplankton,” said Iwalaye, a researcher with University
of British Columbia and the Ocean Wise Plastics Lab.
During the experiment, zooplankton were exposed to different concentrations of microfibres over various time periods to determine if they would consume the plastic filaments, and measure any resulting outcomes. They were also provided with natural food to eat.
It’s clear the marine creatures can’t distinguish between the microfibres and their natural prey, said Iwalaye.
Even after being allowed to purify in clean water, zooplankton still retained some microplastics in their system, she added.
As a result, the marine creatures are likely deceived
into thinking they’ve eaten enough food.
“However, they’re eating junk because the microfibres have no nutrition,” she said.
“They can become malnourished and then transfer less nutrients to their predators.”
Not only do the zooplankton likely suffer from empty calories, the junk-food effect continues as microplastics accumulate up the food chain, she added.
Fish that consume microfibres in zooplankton can pass them on to bigger fish, seals, seabirds and humans. Large filter feeders, like blue whales, may be ingesting a billion microplastics — as much as four tonnes — over
»13
three to four months.
The creatures don’t only export the microfibres to other animals, but to other areas of the ocean as well, said Iwalaye.
The tiny marine creatures undertake a daily migration. They travel to the ocean surface each night to feed before travelling back to darker depths during the day to evade predators.
In doing so, zooplankton consume the plastics concentrated at the surface and then transport them into deeper water, where they poop some out.
Typically, zooplankton’s natural “fecal pellets” — also dubbed marine snow — journey to the ocean floor, where they provide valuable food for other marine life or fertilize ocean sediments.
But the microfibres make zooplankton poop heavier packets, causing them to fall more quickly. This accelerates the amount of microplastics collecting in the deep sea and likely consumed by bottom-dwelling sea life like crabs, sea stars, worms or sea cucumbers, said Iwalaye.
Higher concentrations of microfibres in the water affected zooplankton more than the amount of time they were exposed to the pollutants.
This poses a concern given that microplastics, found everywhere from the deep sea to the Arctic, are only expected to increase over
time, said Iwalaye, adding it’s important to try to stop plastic pollutants at the source.
One possible solution is designing washing machines that do a better job of trapping microfibres so they can’t escape into wastewater and the ocean, she said.
But people can make a big impact by simply making changes to how they do laundry, she added.
“An Ocean Wise study proved that if we wash our clothes on the gentle and cold settings, we can actually reduce 70 per cent of microfibre shedding.”
Rochelle Baker is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter with Canada’s National Observer. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.
Estimates from 2012 to 2021 indicate nearly 7,000 fewer whales in the North Pacific
ALANNA KELLY Glacier Media
Researchers are sounding the alarm after a recent study revealed a large decline in the humpback whale population.
A total of 56 international authors and more than 4,000 citizen scientists came together for the research paper on North Pacific humpback whales and discovered a 20 per cent decline in the population.
“I was taken a little off guard by the extent of the decline that coincided with the marine heat wave,” said Tasli Shaw, lead investigator at Humpback Whales of the Salish Sea.
Researchers focused on humpback whales from 2002 through to 2021 and found that the decline was due to a marine heat wave from 2014 to 2016, also referred to as “The Blob.”
The study focused on humpback whales in the marine waters of Alaska, British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, California,
Mexico, Central America, Hawaii, Russia and Japan.
“This took a huge effort from a lot of people and it highlights that we need to be vigilant,” added Shaw.
The study is the largest individual photo-identification dataset ever created with information coming from 46 organizations, including seven BC-based ones.
The Canadian Pacific Humpback Collaboration (CPHC) was involved in the study and catalogues humpback whales. The CPHC consists of the Marine Education and Research Society, North Coast Cetacean Society, the Pacific Wildlife Foundation, Ocean Wise, Humpback Whales of the Salish Sea, KETA CoastalConservation, and the Whales of Clayoquot and Barkley.
In 2012, there were about 33,500 humpbacks in the North Pacific.
Average population growth was 5.9 between 2002 and 2013.
From 2012 to 2021, there was an estimated population decline of nearly 7,000 whales in the North Pacific.
“What happens is warmer waters impact the way that the food web works, starting all the way down at the bottom with plankton,” said Shaw. “When plankton is disrupted because of warmer waters, that works its way all the way up the food chain to the prey that the humpbacks are looking for.”
The study found prey availability was reduced as a result of warming waters, which led to humpback whales becoming emaciated.
“They identified marine heat waves as a major threat to the continued success of the species,” said Shaw, adding the project was a major collaborative effort.
Shaw explained how they used HappyWhale, an AI technology, to match photographs of humpback whales’ tails in order to follow their travels.
“So you photograph one whale off Victoria, BC, in July and somebody in Hawaii might photograph that same whale a few months later in December,” she said. “We get this really detailed overview of not only where the humpbacks are going for their feeding season and their breeding season, but we can estimate how many there are across the entire Pacific.”
Jackie Hildering, a researcher with Marine Education and Research Society, told Glacier Media the humpback whale population was increasing with a “humpback comeback” after whaling stopped. However, she says there were signs the population was decreasing.
“We had local indicators that there was likely going to be a strong impact because of warming water,” said Hildering.
She explained how her colleagues
in southeast Alaska reported that humpbacks that had been coming back to that area year upon year were going missing or not showing up.
“The whales that showed up, many of them were emaciated and there were far fewer calves,” said Hildering.
She added that the study gives researchers a chance to understand what is going on and what threats humpback whales could face in the future.
“Humpbacks are fantastic indicators of our human values and of how the ecosystem is doing,” said Hildering. “We have a second chance.”
She’s concerned about future warming waters for the mammals and others in the ecosystem. Humpback whales may need to shift where they are feeding, she added.
“Let this be a whale-sized dose of motivation to reduce the impacts of climate change,” said Hildering.
Shaw also hopes the study will show the public that there is a need for precaution and continued monitoring.
“Humpbacks have to contend with these marine heat waves,” she said, “which are projected to be more intense and more frequent as the years go on.”
‘Active day, quiet night’ model upended in study
STEFAN LABBÉ Glacier Media
Night has typically been a time for wildland firefighters to rest and regroup before temperatures spike in the morning. But according to a new study, drought is turning the “active day, quiet night” model on its head, and may force firefighters to rethink how they fight fires. The study, published in the
journal Nature, used satellite imaging to track 1,095 overnight burning events in 340 wildfires across North America between 2017 and 2020.
Researchers from the University of Alberta, Canadian Forest Service and Thompson Rivers University found 99 per cent of overnight burns were connected to the big fires larger than 1,000 hectares — fires mostly found in the continent’s western mountainous areas. While making up only 10 per cent of fires over the study period, these fires accounted for 90 per cent of North America’s burned area.
“Those are the big fires, the intense fires. The ones that burn down West Kelowna and Shuswap. These all burn through the night,” said Mike Flannigan, a wildfire researcher from Thompson Rivers University and the study’s supervising author.
“It’s here and it’s only going to get worse.”
Honing in on the larger fires, Flannigan and his colleagues found nighttime burning was associated with “substantially hotter, drier and windier conditions.”
Modelling later showed drought’s effect of drying out wood fuels “played a crucial role” in supporting overnight burning events
and that daytime conditions “largely set the conditions for their occurrence.”
Because nighttime had to be at least four hours long and satellite data had to get through clouds and thick smoke, their results are likely on the conservative side, said Flannigan.
The results have major implications for firefighters, who often rely on reduced nighttime conditions to rehydrate and sleep. Flannigan said that while in British Columbia, wildland firefighters have pushed themselves to fight fires through the night in extreme cases — especially when fires are threatening communities
A helicopter fights a forest fire near Port Alice on northern Vancouver Island. EDB3_16, ISTOCK, GETTY IMAGES PLUS
— the old adage of “active day, quiet night” might need to be re-thought, especially as drought carries over into spring across much of British Columbia this year.
“I’m concerned about this season for a number of reasons — drought is one of them,” said Flannigan. “The stage is set for a very active spring fire season.”
TANYA HILL thill@prpeak.com
School districts around the province joined BC's sexual orientation and gender identity or SOGI network in 2018 and in 2022, qathet School District (qSD) put mechanisms in place to ensure qathet region schools were a safe and accommodating environment for people of all sexual orientations, gender identity or gender expression.
When the BC Human Rights Code was changed in 2016, the code was updated to include gender identity and gender expression. That prompted schools to do more work in the area of SOGI.
Fast forward to 2023 and school districts across Canada and the United States see growing anti-SOGI protests outside of schools, mostly due to misinformation
spread online. On Wednesday, April 10, BC premier David Eby announced new legislation to: "Help protect students and staff by giving the province the authority to prohibit behaviour that impedes access to school grounds, disrupts school programs and activities, or causes concern for physical or mental safety of students and staff."
The new rules, Eby said, will ensure that children can focus on their education by preventing disruptive behaviour, including aggressive protests, on school grounds.
“While everyone has a right to freedom of expression, disrupting or scaring kids while they’re learning in schools should be, and soon will be, illegal,” stated Eby in a media release. “During the pandemic, when hospitals and health-care workers became the target of anti-vaccine protests, we took action so doctors and nurses could get to work and patients could access care. As schools increasingly become the target, we’re taking similar action to ensure classrooms are safe for students."
The new law will provide police the au-
thority to arrest or issue tickets to anyone found impeding access, disrupting educational activities or attempting to intimidate an individual within 20 metres (66 feet) of school grounds, according to the release.
Although anti-SOGI protests happened around the province on September 20, 2023, including at the qathet School District (qSD) office, the disruption was minimal.
"Our district fully supports this step to ensure our students are safe and have fewer disruptions to their learning,” said qathet School District board chair Jaclyn Miller, in response to a question from the Peak “While we have been fortunate not to have had any disruptive protests at our schools to date, this will be an effective safeguard moving forward.”
In 2022, the Peak reported on SOGI and qSD director of instruction Allison Burt said: “We don’t discriminate against people of different religions, races or abilities, and it’s the same with gender identity; we want to be inclusive of all sexual orientations and gender identities.”
Provost says programming staying in community is important, valuable
TANYA HILL
thill@prpeak.com
Friends, family and faculty gathered at Vancouver Island University (VIU) tiwšɛmawtxʷ campus to celebrate stu-
dent accomplishments on Thursday, April 11, at a year-end send-off.
Pelajuit, Eugene Louie, campus Elder In Residence, kicked off the afternoon's honours, followed by a welcome ceremony by Tla'amin singers and drummers led by Drew Blaney. First guest speaker of the day, VIU provost Michael Quinn, said despite some troubling times facing post secondary institutions, the programming at tiwšɛmawtxʷ campus is not
going anywhere. He said having programming stay in-community is important and valuable.
Glacier Media reported that Vancouver Island University’s Nanaimo campus is facing financial difficulties and is in the process of suspending some programs.
Many students at the ceremony were not only praised for their academic successes, but for what they contribute to the classroom and the positivity they bring to the campus.
Amendments include safety for vulnerable road users, self-driving car prohibition and updated e-bike regulations
TANYA HILL
thill@prpeak.com
BC’s provincial government released a statement on April 4 outlining new regula-
tions requiring drivers to take precautions when interacting with vulnerable road users.
Vulnerable road users are defined as a pedestrian or a person on: a bicycle, a motorcycle, an animal or animal-driven vehicle, an electric kick scooter, an electric wheelchair or a mobility scooter, under BC's new law.
"The changes establish a new minimum distance of one metre that drivers must maintain when passing cyclists and other vulnerable road users," the statement indicated. "The amendments will enhance safety for cyclists and pedestrians."
The provincial government stated that
the new law is among several updates to the Motor Vehicle Act coming into effect to enhance safety and promote cleaner and active transportation. That distance increases to 1.5 metres on highways with a posted speed limit above 50 kilometres an hour.
“These new regulations will keep people safer on our roads and encourage even more use of active transportation,” stated Rob Fleming, minister of transportation and infrastructure.
The statement also updates e-bike classifications, other mobility devices and automated self-driving vehicles.
“It’s another step in modernizing our rules to keep up with new technologies that are changing how people are getting around.”
Cyclists and other vulnerable road users will have added protection under the law with new safe passing distance rules for drivers.
The media release also indicated that people 14 years of age and older will be able to use a new class of e-bikes that use less power, have lower maximum speeds and motors that only operate with pedalling.
As for fully automated, self-driving vehicles, they are prohibited from operation by individuals in BC.
costs more
CARLA WILSON
BC Ferries has boosted reservation fees for motorists on its busiest routes, and eased cancellation penalties for its prepaid and saver fares to encourage travellers to book and pay in advance.
Reservation-only fees rose to $20 from $15 on the Horseshoe Bay-Langdale route and Powell River-Comox run. The fee rose to $20 from $18 on the Swartz BayTsawwassen, Nanaimo’s Departure Bay-Horseshoe Bay and Nanaimo’s Duke Point-Tsawwassen routes. The
changes came into effect on April 1.
BC Ferries’ spokesperson Jeff Groot said last week that the company is trying to reduce the number of people booking multiple spaces with no intention of using them all, which takes away the opportunity for others to book, and makes sailings appear to be fuller than they are.
“We have many people who book multiple reservations and either don’t show up at all, or show up for one without cancelling the others,” he added. “We’re trying to discourage this practice so all our customers have a better opportunity to book space to travel.”
Motorists wanting to book ahead on a ferry have three options: saver, prepaid and reservation-only.
Saver fares are available on lesspopular sailings — often in the early morning or late at night — and are paid in full when the booking is made. Prepaid fares are paid
in full at the time of booking.
Those who opt for reservationonly fares pay a $20 fee due at the time of booking and the rest of the fare at check-in. Typically, saver and prepaid fares cost less than reservation-only fares.
Saver fares remain unchanged at $39, not including fuel surcharge; more than double the space is now assigned to saver fares than in previous years.
In the past, BC Ferries did not provide refunds for cancellations on a departure day for saver fares, but it now has a no-show $20 fee for saver fares, which means customers who don’t show up will get some of their money back.
For prepaid fares, the cost to cancel has dropped to $5 from $15 up to one day prior to sailing. The prepaid fare on the Horseshoe Bay to Langdale route for a standard vehicle and driver has dropped to $68.40 from $70.60.
The goal is to encourage people to book ahead and choose offpeak sailing times, according to BC Ferries.
“By offering more discounts for those who book and pay in advance, we expect less congestion at our busier times, more passengers will be able to find space to travel at the times they want and fewer will experience sailing waits,” BC Ferries’ president Nicolas Jimenez has said. “It’s nearly three times
quicker for customers to check in with a prepaid or saver fare, so in addition to getting our best fares, the more people who book these, the better the experience we can offer for everyone.”
Ferry fares will increase on average by 3.2 per cent per year throughout the system for the next four years, under a rate-increase schedule established by the BC Ferries commissioner last year. The first increase took effect April 1.
Many gathered to help fish on their epic journey
TANYA HILL thill@prpeak.com
For close to 40 years, Powell River Salmon Society (PRSS) has successfully released millions of salmon fry into creeks around the qathet region.
On Friday, April 12, folks gathered at Willingdon Beach Campsite once again to assist chum salmon on their long journey, in the hopes they will return to spawn and eventually leave nutrients in our coastal ecosystem. PRSS member and director Peter Giroday said Willingdon Creek is ideal for the release of chum salmon because of its vicinity to the ocean.
"Chum are released close to the ocean because they start to change right away and need salt," said Giroday. "They will go out right away [to the ocean or estuary], so they have more of a chance. In the other places like Lang Creek, they have a higher probability of getting eaten by birds or other fish."
Science research indicates that salmon use their sense of smell in order to return to the place they were released, so the fish need to have time to imprint themselves before being released.
A district advisor with Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) oversees the fish incubation programs and release. The DFO, in partnership with PRSS, have fish tanks set up in classrooms around qathet School District as part of the salmon enhancement program.
PRSS members said they have about a five per cent return on what they release, but with climate change that
might skew the numbers in the future.
"The whole idea of the PRSS and the Salmon Preservation Foundation is to preserve/increase the numbers of salmon and provide an educational component as well," said PRSS president Rod Tysdal.
According to the PRSS website, “the Salmon Preservation Foundation (SPF) was created to ensure the long term sustainability of Pacific salmon in BC. SPF was officially launched in 2022 out of necessity to support the government funding shortfalls of Powell River Salmon Society.”
The community gathering on April 12 was supported by City of Powell River’s parks, recreation and culture department.
Seniors create plan for abandoned plot in Townsite
TANYA HILL
thill@prpeak.com
Sycamore Commons, located on the grounds of St. David and St. Paul Anglican Church in Townsite, began in the fall of 2011.
With the guidance of permaculturists Erin Innes and Ron Berezan, along with their eager students, once bramble bushes, tired lawn and less than ideal soil was turned into a thriving ecosystem full of food, biodiversity and a beautiful space for neighbourhood residents to enjoy.
Students, parishioners and many community member volunteers worked for several years develop-
ing and maintaining the space, however, the project was left to the wayside as the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Fast forward to 2023/2024 and seven volunteers, who happily call themselves seniors, have planned a revival.
Rosemary Bjorknas, Kathy Sliziak, Coralie Gough, Doreen Bennington, Stuart Isto, Hannah Main and Elaine Sissons indicated that 12 years ago, the plot was a gravel and blackberry lot.
“The volunteers [in the past] of the Sycamore Commons used permaculture methods and turned this lot into rich soil, and vegetables for community use were successfully grown there,” the group’s spokesperson said.
Like many community projects, the work was interrupted by COVID-19 and did not restart when restrictions were lifted, thus the garden project was abandoned
and weeds proliferated.
Last October, the new group of volunteers convened and decided to, “cover the whole fenced lot with tarps. On Saturday, April 6, the tarps were lifted, debris removed and pathways and plots laid out.”
This time around, the group of seven, all of them experienced gardeners, hope to raise vegetables to donate to community organizations.
The group said the plan is to grow potatoes, tomatoes, various kinds of beans and greens, leeks, green onions and parsley to be distributed to food banks and senior centres as needed. However, the gardeners, who also have their own home plots to tend to, emphasized that, "the project is designed to be a simple, sustainable project, nothing fancy, not a show garden, just for the production of basic organic food."
GARDEN REVIVAL: Sycamore Commons is an community partnership taking place on the grounds of St. David and St. Paul Anglican church in Townsite. Seven seniors hope to restore the garden in order to grow food once again for the qathet community. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
The one year trial project has the support of the church and has been allocated $20,625 for Sycamore Commons garden restoration through Powell River Community Forest grants in the fall 2023 issue.
The new volunteers give credit to those volunteers who made that beautiful soil years ago.
“Without their work this new endeavour would not be possible.”
Dawn James 604.362.0586 dtjames@glaciermedia.ca
Nadia Mather 604.653.7851 nmather@glaciermedia.ca
June 30, 1958 - February 13, 2024
It is with great sadness that the family of Mary Baulne is announcing of her passing. Our beloved mother, grandmother, sister, auntie, great auntie and friend. Mary passed away with her family by her side. Following a three-year battle with cancer, she will be lovingly remembered by her husband of 46 years Dan; children Jeff (Stacey), Chris (Tammy) and Jessica (Gary); and grandchildren Kiera, Kendall, Mackenzie, Noah, Shamus and Shiloh.
Mary was born and raised in Powell River. Her family was her everything. She will be lovingly remembered by her brothers and sisters John (Louise), Jim (Lyn), Annie (Russell), Corrie (Linda), Helen (Lyle), Benny (Cathy) and Rina (Claude), and by Gisele (mother-in-law) and Georgette (sister-in-law). She leaves behind a big family: 34 nephews and nieces; 31 great-nephews and nieces; and two great-great-nephews.
Mary was predeceased by her parents, Bert and Grada Veenhof; Gaston Baulne; Russell Jones; and Mason Veenhof.
Mary was a stay home mom when the kids were young. Eventually she went to work at Robin’s Donuts, Walmart and she was co-owner of the Lunch Box Cafe in the mall. She and two of her sisters were well known in the craft fairs around town during Christmas. She had a passion for knitting and crocheting, especially her monster pants.
Mary was a loving mother. She especially loved her role as Grandma. Her smiling face, a heart of gold, words cannot bring her back, but the love of our mother will live on in our hearts.
Mary loved the outdoors; she spent summers camping at Kent’s Beach and Haywire Bay. She looked forward to the fishing derby at Haywire every year, which has been running for more than 40 years. Even while fighting cancer, she never stopped creating memories with her family.
We thought of your love today and yesterday, your silence is blessed with no more pain, but loving memories will never die. Your beautiful spirit soars high above watching over us. There are no goodbyes wherever you are, you will live in our hearts forever. We love and miss you, Mom.
Michael Robert Hayes passed away peacefully on February 23, 2024, aged 68. He will be missed by his sister Diane, brother Keith and good friend Monty. Mike was predeceased by his parents, Gordie and Barbara, and his brother Gary.
Michael was born and raised in Powell River, working in the logging industry in his younger years. Later he trained as a cook and owned a small business in Vancouver.
In 2007, Mike returned to Powell River to help his dad care for his mum.
Michael was a gentle man. Even though his life was not always easy, his kind nature shone through; he had a smile that lit up the world!
A special thank-you to all the staff at Willingdon Creek Village who gave patient, warm care and comfort to Michael until his passing.
Celebration of Carole’s
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Saturday, June 15 • 9 am to noon
LASZLO TAMASIK DANCE ACADEMY - 7280 KEMANO STREET
