RIVER VALLEY SUN
Maritime Snowmobile Championship Racing returns
Large crowds expected at Woodstock’s Connell Park Raceway Feb. 16-18
By Bob Fowlie
With sold-out hotel rooms and steady ticket sales, organizers expect thousands from around the Maritime provinces to attend when the Maritime Snowmobile Championship Racing returns to Woodstock’s Connell Park Raceway after a 42-year absence. Races will be on a newly formed ice oval built by E. Cummings Contracting. Work on the oval began just after Christmas.
The event was resurrected by a dedicated
group of 20 committee members, with more than 100 volunteers helping during the event.
The event begins on Friday, Feb. 16, with Oval Race Classes starting at 6 p.m., capping off months of preparation. The evening ends at 9 p.m. with fireworks compliments of the Woodstock Fire Department and Woodstock Old Home Week.
On Saturday, Feb. 17, the day begins with a Ma-
See MARITIME pg. 2
‘Serving the community remains our core focus’
River Valley Sun celebrates five years publishing in western New Brunswick
In a media climate that has seen more newspapers close than open, the River Valley Sun is an anomaly.
“We survived the pandemic, the Facebook news-media blackout, and an unstable economy. We’ve navigated a lot of bumps in the road in the first five years, and we’re still here working hard covering the news of the region. Serving the community remains our core focus,” explained River Valley Sun co-publisher/
owner Theresa Blackburn.
“We couldn’t have done that without the support of our community, so this isn’t just a feather in our cap. It’s really been a collective success. We want to thank the many advertisers who have supported us. We can’t do this without them,” said Blackburn, who owns the paper with her husband, Stephen Chisholm.
Launched on Valentine’s Day 2019, Blackburn says the River Valley Sun remains a love letter to the
community.
“We saw a need and worked to fill it,” she added. “We are still working hard to be relevant and engaging.”
Senior reporter and long-time regional journalist Jim Dumville jumped at the chance to join Blackburn and Chisholm in their new venture.
“Over my 30 years in community news, I watched too many dedicated local journalists forced out of careers they enjoyed as opportunities
diminished and, in many cases, disappeared. I will always appreciate Theresa, Stephen, and the River Valley Sun for the opportunity to maintain and enhance community news in the Upper River Valley.”
The paper comes from humble beginnings.
“There were no big backers, no loans, no financial boost to help us start,” said Blackburn, explaining that she and senior reporter Jim Dumville
From left: Jim Dumville, Stephen Chisholm, and Theresa Blackburn launched the River Valley Sun in 2019, and continue to work hard providing free, ultra-local news coverage in the Upper River Valley. ( Ashley Ketch photo)
The Connell Park Raceway ice oval, built by E. Cummings Contracting, is ready for the Maritime Snowmobile Championship Races that return to Woodstock Feb. 16 to 18 after a 42 year absence. Premier Blaine Higgs will welcome riders and spectators to the event during the opening ceremonies on Saturday, Feb. 17. (Submitted photo)
RIVER VALLEY SUN
MARITIME
Continued from page 1
son’s Breakfast from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Y’s Men’s Club. Racing and snowcross at the Connell Park Raceway gets underway at 9 a.m. The official opening ceremony will be held at 1 p.m., with New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs and Woodstock Mayor Trina Jones there to welcome racers.
Three of the original Y’s Men organizers for the very first races will be honoured at the opening ceremonies: Merlin Gibson, Stan Kerr, and Wayne McCallum.
The competition continues from 2 to 5 p.m., followed by a Steak and Stein Dinner at the Woodstock Elks Club starting at 4 p.m. A Woodstock Trailmarkers Fundraising Dance featuring Double D will follow the dinner.
Sunday’s events begin with another Mason’s breakfast from 7 to 11 a.m. at the Y’s Men’s Club.
Oval races and snowcross on Sunday, Feb. 18, will take place from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., with the Awards Ceremony and Winner Circle presentations right after the last race.
The competition will honour the memory of Leighton “Red” Buckingham in the 440 class, with
FOCUS
Continued from page 1
quietly went from business to business in the fall of 2018, garnering support and ad revenue to launch their new product.
“Jim served the community for 25 years as a reporter and editor with the Bugle-Observer. His layoff gave us the opportunity to do something we had wanted to do for years. And his reputation
the Red Buckingham Memorial trophy going to the most sportsmanlike driver.
Born in 1928 and raised in Woodstock, Red was part of the legendary Woodstock Red Raiders basketball team, the squad that won the Canadian Juvenile Championship in 1946. Steady Reddy was the nickname given to him by coach Bob Brown.
A tribute written after Buckingham’s death described him as “a special sort of person who sunk warm spots of memory in your mind that you didn’t realize were there.”
Buckingham’s daughter, Gail Lipsett, says her dad’s “quietness and modesty became him. Even though he was easygoing, as a salesman, he was trustworthy, making him a good businessman. Steady Reddy served him well in business and sports.”
Buckingham was a trailblazer in snowmobiling (no pun intended) and a pioneer of snowmobile racing in Woodstock.
Bombardier launched the first Ski-Doo in 1959, and in 1967, Red’s Service Centre opened, dealing in snowmobiles and, in particular, Bombardier Ski-Doos.
It soon became a hub of business for snowmobilers. Sledders from all over New Brunswick and Maine
gave us instant credibility in the community.”
In a world where misinformation spreads so quickly, Dumville says local news organizations are vital.
“I’m proud to share important and verified information, good and bad, that would otherwise go untold in a changing media landscape,” said Dumville.
Since starting, the paper has expanded from 16 pages to 32, is available
came to have their sleds serviced and to purchase new Bombardier machines and clothing.
Lynn Avery, a member of the committee organizing the rebirth of racing and a racer herself, remembers Buckingham’s shop with fondness.
“It was busy as could be and as a kid who loved snowmobiling, the greatest way to spend time,” she said. “Downstairs in the shop I watched and learned as Donnie Derrick and others changed out pistons and tuned up sleds.”
Given how snowmobiles were Buckingham’s business, it was only natural the sport became his passion.
Not only did he participate in races, but he and his friends were known for snowmobile outings. A few excursions took them across New Brunswick, no small thing as the province’s excellent groomed trail system of today did not exist back then.
Being a Woodstock Y’s Men Club member, he was instrumental in starting the Maritime Snowmobile Championships here in Woodstock in 1969.
Buckingham’s racing participation was in the 440 class on a 440 Ski-Doo Blizzard Free Air.
After Red’s death
in 92 locations between Nackawic-Millville and Perth-Andover. The paper invested in a website in July 2023 after Facebook banned all Canadian news organizations from their platform.
“We remain committed to our free model,” said co-publisher Stephen Chisholm.
“People don’t want to pay for news. And in this economy, many people can’t pay for news, so we
The River Valley Sun is a free, editorially independent monthly newspaper serving the Upper St. John River Valley of New Brunswick. “Our mission is to share feature stories, a variety of viewpoints, and information about local community events, minor sports, and municipal news that isn’t always covered by mainstream media. We believe a community is stronger when people know and understand their neighbours.”
Editorial Policy: The River Valley Sun welcomes letters on subjects of interest to our readers and prints columns on a variety of topics. Use of any material is at the discretion of the editors, and we reserve the right to omit or edit letters to meet space requirements, for clarity, or to avoid libel or invasion of privacy. Letters and columns published do not necessarily reflect the editorial policies or beliefs of the newspaper. The River Valley Sun follows Canadian Press Style guidelines.
in March of 1971, the Woodstock Y’s Men created the Red Buckingham Memorial trophy for AllRound Driver, which became known as the most sportsmanlike driver.
First presented in the 1972 races — again, in Woodstock — Red Buckinigham’s family wanted to reinstate the trophy in his honour and memory.
The event will also honour former racer Tom Peters of Presque Isle, who was awarded the first Red Buckingham Memorial Trophy.
Other racing legends expected to be on hand for the event include Lynn Avery, Andy Cronkhite from Nackawic, Murch MacDonald from Mazerolle Settlement, Karl Hoffses from Presque Isle (who is travelling from Oregon for the event), who won five of the seven races he entered in 1978.
Saturday’s and Sunday’s combined purse is $21,850. Tickets are available at www.mscr.ca/tickets. There are daily and weekend passes available.
Racers can register by submitting a form. Forms are available on the Circuit Pro Tour racing Facebook page at facebook.com/ CPTracing. Once filled out, documents must be sent to cptracing2013@gmail. com.
really depend on our advertisers, and are really appreciative of their support and confidence in us.”
Chisholm says many businesses understand the advantage of advertising with the paper.
“We distribute 6,000 papers up and down the valley, and get very few back at the end of each month. Their ads are being seen by a lot of people. We get a lot of positive feedback from our readers.”
With growing traffic on the River Valley Sun website, the team hopes to expand their online advertising base.
“Over the past five years, the River Valley Sun has faced, and will continue to face many challenges, but with the help of our advertisers, readers, and widespread support, we’ll continue to meet those challenges. I’m proud to be a part of that,” said Dumville.
Here are
IN CRISIS?
Law
Help
for
DRUG ADDICTION
Hope for Wellness Helpline 1-855-242-3310
Offering immediate help to Indigenous peoples across Canada. Available 24/7, it offers counselling and crisis intervention. Al-Anon Family Group Woodstock 506-328-6122
For friends and family of alcoholics, meets Wednesdays 7-8 pm at the Woodstock Baptist Church, 785 Main St., Woodstock Woodstock Addictions and Mental Health 506-325-4419 Mon-Fri 8:30 am - 4:30 pm Perth-Andover Addictions and Mental Health 506-273-4701 Mon-Fri 8:30 am - 4:30 pm
Mental Health Mobile Crisis Unit 1-888-667-0444 - 7 days a week from 2 - 10 pm
Inpatient Detoxification Services: access by self-referral only; all admissions are voluntary. The detoxification unit provides inpatient treatment for the withdrawal from mood altering substances such as alcohol, cocaine, opiates and other drugs. Fredericton Detoxification Unit 506-452-5525 / Located at 65 Brunswick St., Fredericton, NB
A 10-bed unit that provides medical support, education, and recovery planning for substance abuse and gambling. Phone 452-5525; accepts messages only, calls are returned to plan admissions Monday through Friday.
Miramichi Detoxification Unit 506-623-6175 / Located at 500
Water St., Miramichi. NB.
Moncton Detoxification Unit 506-856-2333 / Located at 81 Albert St., Moncton, NB.
Ridgewood Addiction Services 506-674-4300 / Located at 416 Bay St., South Bay, Saint John, NB provides a range of services for individuals, youth and family members affected by substance abuse and gambling.
Residential rehabilitation facilities
Ridgewood Centre (Saint John) 506-647-4300 / 416 Bay St., South Bay, Saint John, NB
Campbellton Regional Addiction Services 506-789-7055 / 53 Gallant Dr., Campbellton, NB
Rising Sun Treatment Centre (First Nations) 506-627-4626 / 31 Riverview Rd., Eel Ground, NB Portage Atlantic 1-888-735-9800 / Cassidy Lake, NB, is a nonprofit organization established in 1995, operates a residential drug addiction rehabilitation centre for Atlantic Canada youth (14-21) in New Brunswick.
Early Recovery Group, Woodstock - each Wednesday (unless school is closed due to weather) from 9:30 - 11:00 a.m. at Bicentennial Boardroom (1st Floor), 200 King Street, Bicentennial Place, Woodstock, NB
Early Recovery Group in Perth-Andover - each Tuesday at 1 p.m. at the Mental Health and Addictions at 35F Tribe Rd., Perth-Andover, NB
Harvest House Woodstock hosts MAMA Meetings (Mothers Against Meth Addiction) on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. This is a women-only group, providing a safe place for women struggling with family members whose lives are being destroyed by drug abuse. For info: contact Natasha Smith at 323-9315. Harvest House also offers other recovery programs. For more info, contact them at (506) 594-5000. *IN AN EMERGENCY, CALL 911
River Valley Sun: Box 1000, Woodstock, NB, E7M 0E9, (506) 325-2552
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter: Jim Dumville, (506) 325-8523, jim@rivervalleysun.ca
Publisher/Managing Editor: Theresa Blackburn, (506) 324-5700, theresa@rivervalleysun.ca
Publisher/Distribution Manager: Stephen Chisholm (506) 324-5711 www.rivervalleysun.ca ISSN # 2562-3893
*Unauthorized bulk removal of the River Valley Sun from any public location, or tampering with our distribution, including unauthorized inserts, is prohibited. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada. We acknowledge the [financial] support of the Government of Canada.
Dysfunction and confusion continues in Lakeland Ridges
Supervisor, province remain mum as mayor and two councillors, citing
By Jim Dumville – Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
“This breaks my heart,” said Tanya Cloutier about her decision to step down as mayor of the new community of Lakeland Ridges just over a year after she became its first mayor.
Cloutier announced her resignation in a social media post on Jan. 27. A few days later, Ward 4 Councillors Michael Furrow and Mark Grant announced their resignations, leaving the former village of Canterbury without council representation.
All three elected representatives cited bullying, harassment, and disrespect, as well as the failure of the provincially appointed superintendent to address the issue.
Lakeland Ridges, which comprises the former municipalities of Canterbury and Meductic and the local service districts of North Lake, Debec, Canterbury and Benton, has been under provincial supervision since July.
With the mayor and council suspended, supervisor Greg Lutes oversees the community’s day-today operations as the New Brunswick Department of Environment and Local Government completes a review of its elected officials.
Lutes refused to talk to the River Valley Sun, directing us to the Department of Local Government.
When contacted following the resignations, the department offered little or no clarity about the situa-
tion.
“The Department of Environment and Local Government continues to support the ongoing work of the supervisor,” said department spokesperson Clarissa Andersen in an email on Feb. 1 to the River Valley Sun. “The Municipality of Lakeland Ridges remains under supervision, and the transition plan is still in place.
“The supervisor oversees the day-to-day administration of all local government affairs. The supervisor, nor the department, has authority to impose sanctions on councilors beyond placing the local government under supervision.
“The department continues to monitor the situation and has no further comment at this time.”
In an interview with the River Valley Sun, Cloutier, a former Canterbury mayor and long-time community leader, couldn’t hide the emotional toll the Lakeland Ridges dysfunction had on her.
“I’m not walking away from the people. I will stay on all the committees,” she said, referring to the long list of organizations upon which she serves.
Those organizations include the Anglophone West School District, the Upper River Valley Hospital Foundation, the Ward 4 Rec Committee, Cinderella’s Closet and several others.
Cloutier said she ran and won support to be
Lakeland Ridges mayor with a long-term vision to unlock the vast potential of the entire community.
She said that dream turned into a nightmare quickly as the council dysfunction appeared early in the mandate.
By April, the council couldn’t agree on an agenda, forcing the cancellation of public council meetings.
Cloutier and the resigning councillors hoped the suspension of the council and appointment of a supervisor would correct the situation. That didn’t happen, they said.
“The bullying and blatant disrespect displayed during meetings was appalling, and the lack of accountability for that behaviour is not what I want to represent or be a part of,” said Grant in his resignation message.
Furrow echoed Grant’s and Cloutier’s comments.
“I had expected a much different outcome through the rehabilitation process along the path to get us back together as a working council,” he said. “The bullying and harassment that was present before we were suspended is still evident during our training exercises.”
The lack of clarification or details from the supervisor or the province about the problems within the council leaves Lakeland Ridges residents to share innuendo and rumours on social media.
Cloutier said she and others feel victimized by
online and person-toperson misinformation throughout the community.
“I wish that instead of making accusations, people would just ask me,” she said.
While the supervisor and department advised council members against making public comments, five council members held a public meeting at the North Lake Community Centre on Nov. 4.
Perry Bull, representing North Lake’s Ward 1, Linda Porter from Debec’s Ward 2, and Chris Yerxa and Randy Stairs from Meductic’s Ward 3, addressed residents and fielded questions.
Ward 2 Coun Patricia Budd supported their actions but was unable to attend.
Like Cloutier, Grant and Furrow, the councillors in the November meeting suggested they were slandered on social media.
The Nov. 4 public meeting focused on the council’s efforts to replace top administrative staff, including CAO Susie Patterson,
bullying, resign
and ongoing communication problems with the mayor and staff.
They also highlighted issues surrounding choosing the former Canterbury town hall as Lakeland Ridges’ municipal office.
Speaking to the River Valley Sun before the mayor’s resignation, Canterbury businesswoman Laura Russell said most Lakeland Ridges residents are in the dark about the council’s situation, but they each have their own opinions.
“We don’t know,” she said.
In her view, Russell said she and most others blame it on “fighting within themselves.”
Noting some council members didn’t want amalgamation, she said they are now fighting for their own interests instead of working together.
While an investigator appointed by the province submitted a report to Charbel Awad, Commissioner of Municipal Affairs, on Nov. 11, details of the report remain unknown.
Cloutier said council members weren’t even briefed on the report. She questioned how the situation would improve if no one made councillors aware of the problems or required them to take responsibility.
Woodstock Living Free Alcoholics Anonymous
The local AA group “Living Free” meet at the St. Luke’s Parish Hall at 104 Church Street, Woodstock at 7 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. For more information, please call 1-800-340-4966 or email meetinglist@district5aa.ca
Lakeland Ridges Mayor Tanya Cloutier (above), and councillors Michael Furrow and Mark Grant resigned their council seats. (Submitted photo)
RCMP explains reasons behind lockdown at WHS
Police based decision on fear that armed youth may target someone at school
By Jim Dumville – Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
TheRCMP and Woodstock Police Force based their decision to lock down Woodstock High School on Thursday afternoon, Feb. 8, on maximum caution, explained Sgt. Dan Sharpe, commanding officer of the Western Valley Region Detachment of the West District RCMP.
Sharpe explained the situation began with a report that a youth stole a firearm from a family member.
He said the family member expressed fear the youth may head to Woodstock High School.
Sharpe said the family explained the suspect youth had a previous altercation with someone at the school about a year ago.
“We had no direct information or evidence that he was heading there,”
Sharpe explained.
To exercise maximum caution, he said the RCMP shared the information with the Woodstock Police Force, and together they decided to secure the building.
Although the person with whom the youth had the previous altercation no longer attended Woodstock High School,
Sharpe said the police and school chose to enact the safety protocols to ensure everyone’s safety.
He said the youth, somewhat confused by the perceived threat towards the school, turned himself in to the police.
Sharpe said the police expect to lay charges soon.
Woodstock Deputy Chief Mark Bennett said the RCMP hold responsibility for investigating the case, but the two forces often work together to protect the community.
Both he and Sharpe praised the excellent working relationship between
the two forces.
The school lockdown began in the early afternoon on Thursday, Feb. 8, with the Woodstock Police Force and Woodstock High School posting social media messages shortly after 2 p.m. explaining the situation.
The Woodstock Police Force explained the situation in more detail in a later press release.
“Acting on information provided by the RCMP, the Woodstock Police, in consultation with the Woodstock High School, deemed it necessary to initiate a precautionary lock-
down at the Woodstock High School,” the WPF explained. “Prioritizing the safety of students and staff, the lockdown was upheld as the situation evolved,
eventually transitioning to a hold and secure protocol. Once the matter was resolved safely, the hold and secure measures were lifted.”
Community Volunteer Income Tax program returns
Free clinics in Woodstock and Hartland to
By Jim Dumville – Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Woodstock and Hartland area residents with low or moderate incomes can access in-person tax clinics and drop-off locations as volunteers with the Community Volunteer Income Tax Program (CVITP) to work for the 2024 tax season.
Jocelyn Keirstead, one of five volunteers offering their tax knowledge to the program, said eligible clients could access the free program to file taxes and potentially access government rebates and grants.
She explained that CVITP dates back to 1971 as a long-standing
partnership between the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) and community organizations.
Keirstead said clients can access the service of volunteers through free in-person clinics, by phone or by leaving their tax information at drop-off locations in Woodstock and Hartland.
Eligibility criteria include adults 65 years and older, housing-insecure individuals, Indigenous Peoples, modest-income individuals, newcomers, persons with disabilities and students.
Modest-income families include individuals earning $35,000 annu-
ally, two earning a combined $45,000, three with $47,500 household income, four earning $50,000 annually or five or more earning $52,500, with an additional $2,500 annually for each additional person above five.
The CVITP defines simple income as anyone who generates income from employment, pensions, RRSPs, scholarships, fellowships, bursaries, grants or interest under $1,000.
Keirstead said clients can access volunteers at in-person clinics at two locations in Woodstock.
The volunteers will host clinics on March 14, 25
Valley Outreach offers free, confidential support to someone living with, leaving, or has left an intimate-partner violent relationship, or has been sexually assaulted, or knows someone who needs support. Valley Outreach offers support from Nackawic to Plaster Rock. For more information, please contact Manon Albert, Valley Outreach Coordinator, by calling 1-506-328-9680, or text 1-506-328-7246, or email valleyoutreach@nb.aibn.com or reach out on Facebook Messenger.
and April 11 at St. James United Church and St. Gertrude’s Church Hall on March 7, 21 and April 18.
She added clients can drop tax information at the L. P. Fisher Public Library for volunteers to complete and return.
Keirstead added that volunteers can complete returns by phone if clients call Jocelyn at 506323-1343, Cathy at 902514-7407, Terrance at 506-328-5162, Dorothy at 506-276-4604, or Diane at 506-328-7379.
She added that the Dr. Walter Chestnut Library in Hartland will also host inperson clinics and serve as a drop-off location.
The Woodstock Police Force guards the entrances to the Woodstock High School grounds on Feb. 8, as the school remained on lockdown. (Jim Dumville photo)
RCMP promises improved visibility in Nackawic-Millville
Mountie brass pledge increased use of Nackawic detachment, officers living in community
By Jim Dumville – Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
RCMP officers should soon be living in the two available homes in Nackawic, and the rural community can expect more significant use of the Nackawic detachment.
At the invitation of the Nackawic-Millville council, Sgt. André Lauzon of the West District RCMP Nackawic Department and West District Staff Sgt. Jeff Peters attended the Feb. 5 council meeting to respond to several community concerns about police coverage.
Mayor Tim Fox thanked the RCMP officers for attending, noting police visibility and response time remain an ongoing concern for Nackawic-Millville residents.
Peters acknowledged those concerns, noting they are common throughout the district.
“Every meeting we hear the same concerns,” he said.
Peters and Lauzon said the situation is improving, noting more staff “is coming” to the RSC 11 region.
Peters pointed to the province’s recent decision to add 50 frontline RCMP officers, adding the RSC 11 region “did well” in the disbursement of those positions.
“We have more staff coming,” Lauzon explained.
Peters explained the current problem is getting bodies to fill those open positions.
“On paper, we’re looking good,” he said. “It’s a case of getting those positions filled.”
Peters, along with RCMP Supt. Andrew LeClair addressed the Nackawic-Millville council in September. A catalyst leading to the most recent invitation was a letter from a single mother outlining the police’s slow response to a frightening 4:30 a.m. incident at her home on
Jan. 2.
“I was awakened by someone screaming and banging on my door,” the mother wrote. “This person was not looking for help, and from what I understood from what they were screaming, they intended harm or a fight,”
While trying to console one frightened child and wake the younger sibling, the scared mother called 9-1-1.
She said it took approximately 30 minutes for the RCMP to arrive, by which time the scary individual left her property.
“The concern I have is it should not take 30 minutes to get to my property when we have a vacant RCMP building with no RCMP officers to protect our town,” the mother said.
Lauzon said he understands the mother’s concern, noting calls involving home invasions, threatening circumstances, and dangerous situations get a priority response.
He said this occurred during another serious incident in the Nackawic area, requiring a team to respond from Keswick.
Lauzon explained each detachment in Nackawic, Keswick, and Minto has at least one team assigned at all times. He noted, however, that a significant incident somewhere in the large district could require officers to leave designated areas to assist.
He explained the RCMP uses the Nackawic detachment regularly.
During the September briefing to the Nackawic-Millville council, Supt. LeClair said the Nackawic detachment would be home to the district’s Crime Reduction Unit.
Lauzon said the detachment, which sits next door to the Nack-
awic-Millville town hall and fire station, is often occupied. Still, he noted officers frequently wear plain clothes and use unmarked vehicles.
In response to CAO Kathryn Clark’s and several councillors’ questions, Peters confirmed officers and their families would soon move into the two long-unoccupied RCMP-owned homes in Nackawic.
He expects both homes to be occupied by the end of March.
Citing the frightening experience of the Nackawic mother and other incidents, Coun. Katie Nozzoliillo asked Lauzon and Peters what homeowners should do when threatened.
“Keep yourself safe,” explained Peters. “Get to a safe part of the house.”
“Don’t engage is important,” added Lauzon. “Grabbing a baseball bat is not a good idea.”
He said physical encounters often end up with the homeowner getting hurt, adding it’s a “very fine line” between self-defence and facing possible criminal charges themselves. He said the law allows only “rea-
sonable” force to protect themselves or their property.
Peters cited as an example a woman using a weapon against an intruder to defend herself and a large, angry homeowner seriously beating or shooting a young teenage thief.
“A lot of people are watching too much American TV,” he said.
Mayor Fox asked the visiting RCMP officers whether the council could play a role in improving policing in the community, suggesting they could perhaps lobby the government.
Peters said lobbying worked in the past to get the government to enhance legislation surrounding violent offenders and guns.
While acknowledging frustration with the justice system, Peters said the courts face their own challenges. He said he would like to see more emphasis on property crime, which he tied to drug use.
Using the recent increase in copper theft as an example, he said the accused faces only theft under $5,000, but
the damage they cause could cost multiple thousands to repair.
Lauzon and Peters also stressed the importance of reporting crimes and suspicious activities, noting the force using those reports to schedule patrols.
They also encourage property owners to take photos and record serial numbers and distinguishing marks to help identify stolen items. They explained that it helps to lay charges and ensure the return of recovered property.
Peters and Lauzon agreed the town could help the RCMP recruitment efforts by spreading the word about career opportunities and changes in the force’s policies.
Unlike the past, they explained, the RCMP allows new recruits to return to areas near their home.
A few members of the public attended the Feb. 5 council meeting. After their presentation, they had an opportunity to talk directly with Lauzon and Peters.
The RCMP is promising more visibility in Nackawic-Millville, and increased use of the local detachment as well as getting officers to live in the community. (File photo)
Canadian astronaut, comedian headline Solar Eclipse show
District of Carleton North presents Chris Hadfield, James
By Sandra Hanson and Jim Dumville, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
On April 8, 2024, a to-
tal solar eclipse, one of the most spectacular celestial events, will pass directly over the District of Carleton North.
For many, this will be a once-in-a-lifetime event, and the District plans to celebrate its front-row seat with various community events.
The most anticipated event, however, will be the chance to hear and meet esteemed Canadian astronaut, author, musician and speaker Colonel Chris Hadfield.
The ticketed event will occur at 5 p.m. on April 8 at the newly expanded Northern Carleton Recreation Centre in Florenceville-Bristol. Renowned New Brunswick
comedian James Mullinger will open for the astronaut, who will talk about his life and inspirational career.
General admission
tickets, at $60, will provide full access to the evening of entertainment. However, a limited 100 VIP tickets, at $200 each, will include a meet-andgreet with Hadfield and a signed copy of his thriller, “The Defector.”
Carleton North Mayor Andrew Harvey announced the upcoming event at the Jan. 9 council meeting, sharing his excitement at being able to host the remarkable event.
Deputy-Mayor Karen Hargrove thanked the former Florenceville-Bristol Council for arranging such an epic event.
“I think we should give credit to the former town of Florenceville-Bristol for starting this event and securing [Hadfield].”
Mayor Harvey agreed, commending the former council’s foresight to book Hadfield three years ago.
A Canadian hero, Hadfield had an illustrious career in aviation and aeronautics, including flying for the Canadian Forces and the US Navy.
He earned a reputation as a real-life maverick who engaged in highly risky work with high-performance aircraft.
In 1992, he was selected to join the Canadian Space Agency program, through which he became the first Canadian mission specialist, completing his training at NASA.
Hadfield flew on three missions to space, including flying on the Atlantis and was the first Canadian to complete a spacewalk.
Tickets are limited and are now available through Eventbrite. Visit https://www.eventbrite. ca/e/solar-eclipse-2024featuring-colonel-chrishadfield-tickets-
Your participation allows us to buy the best equipment to help keep you safe!
Mullinger during celestial event
790295885267?aff=ebd ssbdestsearch for more information.
Communities throughout the Western Valley Region will host several events to coincide with the April 8 solar eclipse, with the Upper Valley and New Brunswick in the direct path of the rare celestial event.
The eclipse will pass over New Brunswick in
the late afternoon of April 8, making western New Brunswick one of the best spots in the world to witness the phenomenon.
The Western Valley Regional Service Commission and associated municipalities are preparing for an influx of eclipse tourists from around the globe.
Carleton North will also be home to another
important solar eclipse event. Florenceville-Biristol resident David Hunter launches a balloon and telescopic camera to view the eclipse safely from beyond the cloud cover. Hunter, a member of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada –New Brunswick Centre, spent the past few years preparing for the total eclipse.
In working very closely with the group at Davesports, I am beyond happy with the level of service and commitment this dealership has provided. They are top notch. I would like to thank Ryan Doucet, Koro Gatta, Craig Schriver, and Richard Patterson who worked so hard to help me acquire the bike I needed.
I want to say thank you to all the team members at Davesports for all their efforts to make this dream become reality. I would recommend this dealership to anyone looking to purchase a new machine in the near future.
Signed, A Very Satisfied Customer
Canadian astronaut Colonel Chris Hadfield joins New Brunswick comedian James Mullinger on stage for a special ticketed event on April 8, after the solar eclipse. (Submitted)
River Valley gears up for solar eclipse
Residents urged to check schedules as Upper St. John River municipalities planning events
By Connor Barry
As April and the total solar eclipse it brings with it approaches, all eyes are turning towards New Brunswick.
The eclipse promises to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience, with another not happening in eastern Canada for 56 years.
Hotels, like Woodstock’s Best Western to the Florenceville Inn, are sold out and, in some cases, are overbooked with those travelling to watch the meteorological event.
The need for rooms has grown to such an extent that some local homes have even begun renting out rooms in advance.
The District of Carleton North offers significant eclipse-related events, including Canadian astronaut Col. Chris Hadfield serving as the keynote
speaker, with James Mullinger as the opening act, at the Northern Carleton Civic Centre.
Tickets cost $75 for general admission and $246 for a VIP ticket.
The event is expected to begin at approximately 5 p.m. and end at 8 p.m. on April 8, with a meet and greet running from 9 to 10 p.m. for those who bought a VIP ticket.
“Before the event, we will be having a live stream of the Ballon solar eclipse project,” says Sharon Johnson, Tourism, heritage, and culture manager.
The balloon eclipse project is a plan where a weather balloon will be raised over the clouds and will transmit video of the eclipse back to the ground.
It will also be broadcast in Hartland, Woodstock,
Perth-Andover and Plaster Rock.
This will ensure that even if it is a cloudy day, people can witness the eclipse in all its natural beauty.
Meanwhile, Woodstock offers its own plans for the celestial milestone.
In Woodstock, students will be given early dismissal and will be invited to a number of events going on around the town.
In the week leading up to the eclipse, students can also look forward to a travelling planetarium from Science East coming to Woodstock High School.
Amenities such as free food, live music, and more are expected.
Grants for the events at Woodstock High School, as well as a few
In addition to the school activities, there are
other schools in the area of totality, are being given by Memorial University, explained Lisa Porter, teacher and staff coor-
Manuel Lane, Bedell Large building lot
dinator from Woodstock High School.
expected to be mul-
tiple eclipse sites around Woodstock, with guides present to explain the phenomena as they occur.
Carleton North Medical Clinic seeks government assistance
Primary care providers ask for council’s help to lobby province for ‘sustainable model’
By Sandra Hanson
As of Feb. 2, 2024, thanks to impending retirements and practice closures, the District of Carleton North will only have two primary care providers left to care for its 10,000 residents.
At the Jan. 23 District of Carleton North council meeting, Dr. Stuart Lockhart addressed the council, seeking their support in lobbying the government for assistance in helping to develop a “new and sustainable model of comprehensive primary care that is future-driven, accessible, and responsive to the needs of the local population.”
Lockhart explained that while the increasing age of doctors contributes to the healthcare crisis across Canada, the more significant issue is the decreasing number of graduates choosing to practice family medicine due to the costs of operating a primary care practice.
“Family physicians are required to operate their own business,” said Lockhart, who explained that it is up to the doctors to set up their practice – from finding their own space and setting it up to hiring and paying their staff, paying for their supplies, and more.
He said this is a disincentive for the many graduates leaving school with
a significant amount of debt. Instead, an increasing number of graduates choose to work in hospital settings where they have no expense or headache associated with running their own business and receive a higher pay rate.
While Dr. Lockhart explained he understands the appeal of this, he stressed that the entire purpose of family medicine is to keep people out of the hospitals and ERs.
He explained family physicians help reduce the burden on our ERs and hospitals to avoid the type of crisis hospitals such as Dr. Everett Chalmers Hospital has been experiencing.
“We really think primary care is important,” Lockhart said. “The whole purpose is to keep people healthy and to organize things when they’re early in their course of investigations and referrals. We need to focus on improving and bolstering primary care so that our health care system remains functional.”
Lockhart noted that while the province has developed virtual care models such as eHealth, they are not sufficient or capable of replacing family care.
“They don’t provide longitudinal care – where someone knows you, your
history, and that is really important when it comes to high quality care,” he said. “When you have patches of care delivered here and there, it’s not coordinated, it’s not smooth or comprehensive. The best care is delivered by a family physician.”
Lockhart expressed concern that rural areas are often poorly positioned to attract primary care physicians.
“[They are] easily overlooked — they’re not as large and they don’t make enough noise to attract healthcare professionals to their community,” he said.
Lockhart suggested that one solution to this is to pursue a modern teambased primary care model called the Patient Medical Home approach.
In this model, which is recommended by the College of Family Physicians of Canada, the clinic takes an interdisciplinary approach.
The patient may not always see a physician but another healthcare practitioner, such as a diabetes educator, a respiratory educator, or a dietician.
Lockhart said the goal is to deliver coordinated and team-based primary care.
“The model is not new,” said Lockhart, “but it has become a necessity because of the crisis that
ATTENTION CHELSA BRYSON
An application will be made in the Court of King’s Bench of the province of New Brunswick in Woodstock, New Brunswick, on March 7, 2024, at 9 a.m. for a vesting order, wherein any interest that you may have in a 1989 Prestige Mini Home bearing serial number M154201 and located at 18 Young Court in Jacksonville, N.B., may be vested in the applicant Leanne Smith.
betterdaysbowen@outlook.com
we’re in.”
He advised that other clinics in the province model themselves using this approach but that it has never been fully endorsed and supported at a provincial level with funding – which is what he is seeking. He hopes that the District will help him with this.
Lockhart acknowledged that the District of Carleton North has been very forward-thinking regarding recognizing that the area needs a different approach to healthcare.
“This facility is an important part of that. We’re lucky to have been a part of this,” said Lockhart. “I’m really hopeful that we can engage with others to make this a success so that we have comprehensive and accessible primary care that is sustainable and future driven – ready for the future of a collaborative care model that is
going to be attractive for the physicians of the future and beneficial for patients in the area.”
Following Dr. Lockhart’s presentation, Deputy Mayor Karen Hargrove presented the council with a resolution recommending that “the Department of Health fully support and work in partnership with the District of Carleton North and the Carleton North Medical Clinic with the creation of a Provincial Primary Care Collaborative Clinic ‘Pilot Project’ that will recruit and retain more health care professionals to the Carleton North area.”
As part of the resolution, the District suggests adopting the Patient Medical Home model with the allocation of additional professionals from Horizon Health to the CNMC, that the CNMC be given primary responsibility in the physician recruitment process,
with Horizon Health prioritizing that new doctors be allocated to the District of Carleton North, that the Department of Health provide funding to hire a nurse practitioner for the CNMC, and that the Department of Health provide a four-year recruitment and retention annual financial assistance program which will help health care professionals reduce their overhead costs.
The District will forward the resolution to Health Minister Bruce Fitch, Minister of Health.
Mayor Andrew Harvey stressed the importance of the resolution.
“We have a crisis – we have 10,000 people and a shortage of doctors,” he said. “We have a model that will work, we just need the province to step forward and fill in the gap. We’re not asking for the moon. We’re asking for help and support.”
(File photo)
TAKONUTOMAKONUWAL
Indigenous News and Features Sponsored by Wotstak (Woodstock) First Nation
Kill more striped bass to help wild salmon survive: group
Atlantic
Salmon Federation asks DFO to change how it manages striped bass in region
By John Chilibeck, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Daily Gleaner
Alarmed by the record low run of wild Atlantic salmon on the Miramichi River, a conservation group wants Ottawa to allow more people to catch one of their top predators: striped bass.
The Atlantic Salmon Federation has formally asked the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, or DFO, to change the way it manages striped bass in the Gulf of St. Lawrence region.
Striped bass, once a threatened species in the early 1990s, have come soaring back thanks to DFO’s conservation measures. The number of large, mature stripers in the Miramichi estuary, their main spawning ground, has gone from a few thousand to closer to 472,000 in 2022.
At the same time, the number of salmon returning from the ocean to the Miramichi River has reached its lowest point and are considered in a critical state. In 2022, the Miramichi only had 18,000 large salmon and
grilse, less than half of the returns from 2010.
The 2023 figure haven’t been officially released yet, but Nathan Wilbur, a vice president at the federation, said DFO officials confirmed to conservationists at a recent meeting that it was a record low. The salmon have been in decline for decades.
“There are a number of factors affecting the health of salmon both in the marine environment and in fresh water,” he said in an interview. “But the biggest change in the Miramichi’s ecosystem since 2011 when we had a very good run of salmon has been that striped bass have gone from about 100,000 to closer to half a million.”
Striped bass, also a favourite of many anglers, are voracious eaters and one of their favourite meals is an undersized salmon.
Wilbur’s group and several others, including the Miramichi Salmon Association and Anqotum,
an Indigenous conservation group, have been tracking smolt, or baby salmon, on New Brunswick rivers for more than 20 years.
For both Indigenous people and anglers, the mighty salmon remains an iconic fish in New Brunswick, a hugely important part of the province’s heritage.
In the early 2000s, they saw three-quarters of the young fish surviving on the Northwest Miramichi before going out to sea and taking the perilous, 3,000-kilometre journey to their winter feeding grounds off Greenland. Today, the survival rate of the Northwest Miramichi smolt is less than five per cent.
“What we’ve seen is drastic,” Wilbur said. “Most of the mortality happens precisely where the striped bass are concentrated. Almost no smolt are surviving through the estuary to begin their ocean journey. And the remaining few that do survive die at sea.”
The federation wants DFO to allow anglers going after striped bass a bigger bag limit than the three-a-day maximum, and to change the criteria around the minimum and maximum size that can be caught, depending on location. It also wants Ottawa to expand an existing commercial Indigenous fishery for striped bass at Natoaganeg (Eel Ground First Nation). It’s allowed to haul in 50,000 fish annually.
His group and several conservation groups say that if DFO is interested in preserving a balanced eco-system, it would aim for about 100,000 striped bass swimming in the estuary.
“Striped bass are a native species and they have a place in the eco-
system. We want to see a healthy striped bass population that supports both Indigenous and recreational fisheries for the long-term. However, we also want to see a healthy Atlantic salmon stock in the Miramichi. And we also want a healthy native fish population of foundational fish, such as smelt and gaspereau. They are important forage fish. So we want DFO to manage striped bass in such a way that will allow the other species to thrive as well.”
But DFO sounds unconvinced. DFO’s eastern New Brunswick recreational fisheries advisory committee heard from conservation and Indigenous groups on Jan. 11 at a meeting in Moncton, seeking their advice on the management of the recreational Atlantic salmon and striped bass fisheries in 2024.
Those management measures will be announced in the spring.
Spokesperson Chantal Roussel said the factors influencing salmon survival were complex and couldn’t be just blamed on stripers. High water temperatures and predation from a number of different species are also to blame.
“Current scientific understanding is that changes in the ocean in the past 20 to 30 years, whether the ocean itself or what salmon eat and what eats salmon, are the primary factors causing
the decline and limiting the recovery of the populations to previous levels,” she wrote.
Roussel said Atlantic salmon face predation from various sources throughout their life cycle. In freshwater, eggs and fry can be vulnerable to predation by insects, birds, and other fish. As they migrate to the ocean, larger predators like birds, marine mammals and larger predatory fish may prey on smolts. In the marine environment, adult Atlantic salmon are at risk of predation by marine mammals, sharks, and larger predatory fish. Additionally, birds such as eagles and ospreys may target salmon during their return to freshwater for spawning.
Striped bass, she pointed out, are generalist and opportunistic predators of plankton, insects, crustaceans and fish.
She said predation studies conducted since 2013 by DFO, and in partnership with the Atlantic Salmon Federation, confirmed that striped bass consume juvenile Atlantic salmon.
“However, the relationships between predator and prey in marine and freshwater ecosystems are complex, as there are many factors affecting each population simultaneously,” she said, adding that DFO continues to research Atlantic salmon to understand the causes of the decline.
Dissected striped bass from the Miramichi estuary show smolt - or baby salmon - inside their stomachs. (Atlantic Salmon Federation photo)
Grocery Run to feed families, encourage women snowmobilers Second annual women-only snowmobile rally scheduled for March 16
By Connor Barry
When Zarla Gorton, a prominent member of her local snowmobile club, the Northern Lights Trail Blazers, noticed the lack of women in snowmobiling, she knew she had to do something.
That’s why in 2023, she and others from her club put on the new Brunswick’s first ladiesonly snowmobile rally.
The first rally also act -
ed as a drive for the Valley Food Bank, leading it to be called The Grocery Run, with all 50 participants donating either money or non-perishable food as an entry fee.
The Run raised 163 pounds of food and over $1,200.
This year, however, with 36 women already registered, Gorton hopes to surpass last year’s total participants and the amount donated.
This year’s proceeds will go to Hartland Helpers, a local charity that feeds over 50 families in Hartland.
Participants will go on an 85-kilometre ride starting in Waterville, with Hartland serving as a short stop before looping back to the beginning, with other 85-kilometre loops being considered in case of bad weather.
Throughout the loop, participants will occa-
sionally stop and have a quick snack alongside other participants.
Drivers will stop at various other snowmobile clubs, with the Hartland stop staffed by Hartland Helpers to show thanks for the donations.
The Grocery Run will be held on March 16, and people are encouraged to register on their Facebook page, Zone 4 Grocery Run 2024.
Woodstock BIA looks to expand to south side of river
Downtown board believes expanded Business Improvement Area will benefit businesses, customers
By Jim Dumville – Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
After almost four decades, Woodstock’s Business Improvement Area board believes it’s time the BIA serves all Downtown Woodstock commercial property owners.
The Woodstock Business Improvement Corporation (Downtown Woodstock) held an open house at Connell House on Jan. 29 to explain its plans and benefits to downtown business owners. While few people attended, BIA advisor Trina MacDonald said the board has or will contact commercial property owners to explain its expansion plans.
While the BIA includes a property tax levy of 20 cents per $100 of assessment, MacDonald said the money comes back to them through a wide variety of programs and benefits. She added that was especially true in Woodstock.
“Downtown Woodstock hits way above its weight,” said MacDonald, general manager of Business Fredericton North, who works with several BIAs across the province.
She said that the Woodstock BIA delivers a huge bang for its buck thanks to a dedicated and active board and innovative thinking, including taking the lead in securing a wealth of federal and provincial grant programs.
Since its establishment under a federal government’s Corporation Agreement in 1986, the Woodstock BIA included a section of downtown Woodstock on the north side of the Meduxnekeag Bridge. It included Main Street between the post office and the bridge, Queen Street, King Street, and portions of Connell Street, Chapel Street and other downtown streets.
The BIA hopes to expand its boundaries to incorporate a section of Main and other streets on the south side of the bridge.
MacDonald said the current BIA boundaries left southside business owners unable to take advantage of several Downtown Woodstock programs and left many customers and clients disappointed that deals and promotions didn’t
extend to the other side of the river.
She explained that the BIA promotes member businesses and provides opportunities to work together to provide a functional, safe and attractive business district.
On the promotional side, MacDonald explained that Downtown Woodstock dollars allow the public to purchase unique currency to be redeemed at retailers and service providers within the BIA.
Unlike a gift card for a specific business, the holder of DW Dollars can spend them at any retailer or service provider in the BIA region. She said the public could purchase DW Dollars anytime, but the board offers two sales per year where the public can buy the dollars at a 20 per cent discount.
MacDonald explained shoppers can purchase up to $500 for $400, saving $100 in purchases from BIA retailers or professional service providers.
“We’ve seen a 97 per cent return on these dollars,” she explained, noting
that’s a much higher rate of return than on typical gift cards.
MacDonald said the active BIA board heavily promotes downtown business through a robust online presence and several promotional events.
She cited the Rediscover Main Street program, funded by an ACOA grant. It also helped fund the “Let’s Meet Downtown” campaign, which included special events at Walter’s Table, Creek Village Gallery and Cafe and other locations.
MacDonald said those and other events will continue this year, along with a unique “Shop Local” campaign, which sees 14 draws offering $100 each in Downtown Dollars to the winners. She said customers get a ballot with each purchase from a downtown business.
MacDonald said the active BIA Board of Directors secured funding for several grant programs to support downtown business owners’ efforts to upgrade and improve their buildings.
She explained that the
Facade program, for example, provided funds to help business owners improve signage and brick or paint in the front of the buildings.
During COVID, MacDonald said, the BIA helped downtown businesses reopen safely by providing up to $500 in grant funds to set up plexiglass dividers or safely adjust their traffic flow.
MacDonald was joined at the open house by BIA President John Thompson, Vice President Anna Andow, and town representative Coun. Julie CalhounWiilliams, explained the board works closely with the town council and staff of downtown enhancements.
She cited the new park on Chapel Street, behind the L. P. Fisher Public Library, as an example.
Calhoun-Williams praised the efforts of the BIA board, noting it works closely with the town to enhance downtown Woodstock. She said the council envisions developing the downtown business core and the waterfront into a tourist and commercial draw.
MacDonald explained that the BIA expects to decide whether to expand its boundaries by the end of February.
The plan needs 67 per cent support from commercial property owners, noting anyone opposing the plan must respond to the BIA. She said that the BIA would consider a non-response as support for the expansion plan.
The participants of the first Grocery Run in 2023, shortly after the event’s conclusion. (Submitted photo)
Woodstock BIA members, from left, Coun. Julie CalhounWilliams, Vice President Anna Andow, advisor Trina MacDonald and President John Thompson. (J. Dumville photo)
Real estate board donates to cancer support group
Realtors present more than $10,000 to River Valley Cancer Support Group
By Jim Dumville - Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Realtors from the Woodstock and Fredericton areas delivered significant financial support to a group providing ongoing support for Carleton County cancer patients.
On Thursday, Jan. 25, several Woodstockarea realtors representing the Real Estate Board of the Fredericton Area Inc. gathered at the Century 21 Realtors office in Woodstock to present $10,699 to the River Valley Cancer Support Group Inc. representatives.
Woodstock realtor Linda Currie, a board member and publicity
chair, explained the cancer group was one of two charities chosen to split this year’s donation.
The board chose the Capital Region Mental Health and Addictions Association’s Capital Youth Hub to receive a similar contribution.
Currie explained realtors voluntarily donated money every month over the past year. She explained agents began making donations during COVID-19 when the pandemic hindered opportunities to gather for events and conventions.
Several Woodstockarea realtors attended the cheque presentation
in downtown Woodstock. Four River Valley Cancer Support Group members were on hand to graciously accept the financial support.
“We’re extremely blessed the board chose us to be recipients of this donation,” said RVCSG president Tracey Johnston.
She credited Currie for lobbying the board on the group’s behalf.
The RVCSG provides financial support to Carleton County cancer patients to help cover travel costs, medical bills and other expenses as they battle to return to good health.
She said the group helps an average of 10 patients per month.
Johnston said the organization operates thanks to the generosity of area residents, businesses and organizations who support the group directly and through its many fundraising events.
The cancer group followed the realtor’s donation with a successful fundraiser on Feb. 2 and 3 in the District of Carleton North when the Florenceville Curling Club hosted the annual Curl for Cancer event. Read about that fundraiser on page 30 of this issue of the River Valley Sun.
Divisions Available: Dry Van Flatbed Reefer
$2000 Sign-On Bonus Paid by Percentage 100% of Fuel Surcharge
MUST Be Able To Cross Canada/US Border Class 1 Drivers Licence In House truck and trailer maintenance available
CONTACT COUNTY LINE TRUCKING 75 Wilmot Road, Wilmot, N.B. E7P 2V4 Phone 506-375-1966 Toll Free 866-734-4499
Email: hr@countylinetrucking.ca Website: countylinetruckingnb.com
In recent years, many of our clients have met the newest member of our team, Jacob Tompkins. Jacob is a well-qualified Associate Advisor who grew up in Woodstock. He majored in finance and accounting at Carleton University in Ottawa.
Jacob is very good at
and
Members of the Real Estate Board of the Fredericton Area Inc. were on hand to present the River Valley Cancer Support Group with more than $10,000 on Jan. 25 in Woodstock. From left, front row, are realtors Dani Kelly, Abbie Tisdale, Holly Acheson and Jordan Currie. Second row, RVSCG member Brenda Dyer and treasurer Susan Corey, accepting cheque from Real Estate board member Linda Currie, and realtor Lorna Harris. Third row, realtors Kerry Culberson, Charlotte McIsaac, and RVCSG president Tracey Johnston. Back row, realtors Eric Arbeau, Sherry Clark, John Thompson and RVCSG member Leah Shaw. (Jim Dumville photo)
SUNNY-SIDE UP
Providing Readers with a Challenge, a Chuckle, and a Smile
FAMILY NIGHT SLIDING PARTY
Saturday, February 24
6 to 8 p.m. at the Woodstock Golf Club Hill SPONSORED BY MANULIFE SECURITIES with help from the Woodstock Fire Dept. FREE hot chocolate & hot dogs compliments of Sobeys
Enjoy a giant bonfire
Helmets recommended for children!
*Event subject to cancellation if there are poor weather or snow conditions.
SNOWSHOE POKER RALLY
Did you KNOW?
•The average snowmobiler rides their snowmobile 1,402 miles or 2,256 km a year in North America.
•The average snowmobiler spends $4,000 each year on snowmobile-related recreation.
•Approximately 88 per cent of active snowmobilers are male, 12 per cent are female.
•An estimated 54 per cent of snowmobile users usually trailer their machines to go riding.
•New Brunswick has more than 8,000 km of groomed snowmobile trails that wind around coastal areas, and forest trails.
•The province’s ‘Historic Highlands’ snowmobile trail is 293 km and links Woodstock, Florenceville-Bristol, Juniper, Perth-Andover, and Nackawic.
RVS TONGUE TWISTER
To begin to toboggan, first buy a toboggan, but don’t buy too big a toboggan. Too big a toboggan is too big to begin to toboggan.
CARLETON COUNTY
Colloquialisms
By John Morris
camp \’kamp\ noun - Catchall term for any cottage, lakeside home, or hunting-shack, regardless of size or condition; “We took a couple a’ two-fours up to th’ camp this weekend.” Best described as any habitable structure you own but do not normally occupy.
Hear this word pronounced at www.dooryard.ca.
SENIOR’S VALENTINE’S SOCIAL SOLD OUT!
Featuring Live Entertainment by Harold Johnston & Friends Sponsored by the River Valley Sun in celebration of their 5th Anniversary
Saturday, March 2
Woodstock Golf & Curling Club – doors open at 8pm. Entertainment by Ronny Michaud starting at 9:30pm. Advance Tickets Available at the AYR Motor Centre
COST: $15/person; $25/couple. Must be 19yrs+
BOBBY VAIL OUTDOOR RINK
NOW OPEN! Watch our Facebook page for updates!
PUBLIC AND ADULT SKATE TIMES
ADULT SKATES: Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays 12 to 1 p.m.
PUBLIC SKATES: Saturdays 3:30 to 5 p.m.
WATCH FOR OUR MARCH BREAK SCHEDULE OF ACTIVITIES!
AQUATIC FACILITY
AQUAFIT WORKOUT with Sydney Haines - a HIGH ENERGY WORKOUT
Starting Jan. 9 - NEW TIME: Tuesdays 7:45-8:45 p.m. $10 per one-hour session
50+ AQUASIZE
A low-impact workout using dumbbells and pool noodles. Every Wednesday 10 to 11 a.m. Cost: $2 FREE SWIMS
First Sunday of every month sponsored by Highlift Auto Third Sunday of every month sponsored by Woodstock Fire Dept.
NEIGHBOURHOOD NEWS
Winter Freeze Fest
Winter Freeze Fest takes place Feb. 22 to Feb. 25. Check out www.vilsv. ca for a long list of events, including sliding, skiing, skating, movies, maple taffy, children’s crafts, entertainment, fireworks, sleigh rides, art, bingo, axe-throwing and more.
Snow Blast in Bath
Young and old can enjoy fun in the snow from 1 to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Feb 17, with the Snow Blast on School Street in Bath. The event includes a dog sled demo, a water boiler competition, outdoor rink skating, balloon tying, face painting, a hot chocolate bar and a taffy in the snow.
Snow Blast in Centreville
The Snow Blast moves to the Western Valley Multi-Plex in Centreville from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 18. Events include the Kinsmen Brunch by donation, a magic show, face painting, taffy on the snow, and a hot chocolate bar.
Snow Blast in Florenceville-Bristol Family Day, Monday, Feb. 19, will include a Snow Blast at the Northern Carleton Civic Centre. The events include the annual Cardboard Classic sled contest, Kinsmen sliding party, face painting, hot chocolate bar, taffy on the snow, craft a movie and free spaghetti dinner.
Pancake Breakfast in Knowlesville
The Knowlesville Art and Nature Centre will host a pancake breakfast from 8 to 11 a.m. on Feb. 24. For a donation, enjoy Speerville Flour pancakes, fruit, coffee and tea.
Curling night at the arena
Come join us for Curling for Fun at the Hartland Arena on Saturday, Feb. 24. Cost is $5 per person. All equipment is supplied. Participants are asked to dress warmly.
Snowshoe rentals
Anyone interested in renting snowshoes is asked to contact Dana at the Hartland Recreation Department (506) 375-4825 or email dana.stokoe@townofhartland.com. There are various sizes available. Cost is $5 per person or $10 for a family.
Senior Group
Come out to socialize, play cards and games with the Hartland Senior Group. They meet on Wednesday’s at the Covered Bridge Golf and Country Club from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.
Seeking Solar Eclipse Volunteers
With the solar eclipse heading to Woodstock on April 8, the town is seeking volunteers to participate in
the planning, preparing and facilitating the town’s three-day festival leading up to the eclipse. Anyone seeking a chance to be part of this once-in-a-lifetime event should email WoodstockEclipse2024@ gmail.com
Reporting road issues
The town of Woodstock advises the public that problems with roads and streets in Wards 1, 2, 3 and 5, outside Ward 4, the former town boundaries, should be reported to the Department of Transportation & Infrastructure at (833) 384-4111.
North Lake Winter Carnival
The North Lake Winter Carnival is set for Feb. 24 at the community hall in Fosterville from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. There will be indoor and outdoor activities (weather dependent) for all age groups. Join in skating, sliding, scavenger hunts, a bonfire, marshmallow roasting, shelter building and snowshoeing. Inside enjoy board and card games, bridge construction and jigsaw puzzles. There is a lunch, by donation, featuring chilli, corn chowder, rolls, cookies, hot chocolate, tea and coffee.
Red Neck Curling Plans are already in place for Debec’s annual Redneck Curling event on March 16. Find a broom of any kind, get out the best Redneck uniform and register a team to participate in the fun event. As always, event organizers will provide the full washer jugs to use as curling rocks. Participants can register a team of four for $125, with prepayment required between March 2 and 9. eTransfer is available at debecrec@gmailcom.
Italy Comes to Debec Lovers of Italian cuisine should set a date on Saturday, Feb 24, to head to the Debec Community Centre for “Italy Comes to Debec.” Organizers will host two seatings on the day. The first is from 4 to 5:30 p.m. and the second is from 6: 30 to 8 p.m. The menu includes spaghetti, meatballs, Caesar salad, beverages and dessert. The $15 tickets must be purchased in advance. They are available at the Debec General Store, through a Debec Rec Committee member or by calling 506-277-6717.
Fundraising Bingo
Grab some friends and to the Nackawic Lions Club on Tuesday, Feb. 27 for a night of Bingo. Try your hand at winning prizes while supporting the Nackawic High School band program. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. with calls beginning at 7 p.m. sharp. There are lots of great prizes to be won. Sponsors for this event are the Nackawic and Area Wellness Committee and the Nackawic Lions Club.
Brighter Days Boutique
Get clothing bargains for the whole family while supporting the Valley Food Bank. Shop for quality used clothes and household items!
We accept donations, and couldusemoremen’sclothing.
Mon - Thurs 9 am - 4:30 pm Friday 9 am - 3 pm
Houlton Road, Woodstock, N.B.
Stop by for a deal while supporting the Valley Food Bank!
Local Prescription Delivery, Home Health Products, Orthotic Supports & Braces, Mastectomy Products with Certified Fitters and Fitting Rooms, Hallmark Gift Shop, Cosmetics & Lotto Tickets!
Online Prescription Refills, Expanded Health Care Products, Luxury Beauty Products, Wardrobe Accessories, Fragrances, Fresh and Frozen Grocery Items, Household Products, Cleaning Supplies, and PC Optimum Points!
162 Houlton Street Woodstock
TICKET $150 ADMITS 2
Hartland Council news
Policing update, recreation complex now closed in, recruitment of new staff
By Sandra Hanson
The following items of business were discussed at the Jan. 16, 2024, meeting of the Hartland council:
CAO updates policing
Hartland CAO Rob Webber advised the council that the Police Review Committee of Carleton North and Hartland still needs to hear from Public Safety Minister Kris Austin regarding its proposal for a municipal police force.
“We hoped to hear by the end of the year,” Webber said. “That didn’t happen.”
The committee, with representatives from both Carleton North and Hartland, presented Minister Austin with a detailed plan to replace the RCMP with a regional police service.
Webber said some are speculating the municipalities may hear back by the end of the first quarter.
“We’re in a holding pattern; the ball is in the province’s court,” said Webber.
He said the Police Review Committee has suspended further meetings until it receives a
response from Minister Austin.
CCCC update
CAO Webber provided the council with an update on the construction of the Central Carleton Community Complex.
He advised that the building is now closed in with windows and some doors, the heating system has been installed, and more materials are on order.
“The estimated opening is August or September before hockey season, Webber said. “We would really like to start the [hockey] season in the new building.”
The new community complex will include a hockey rink, a community room, an exercise room, a conference room, a canteen, a large lobby, and a walking track around the arena.
Webber shared that there are plans to use the arena for other activities outside of hockey season, such as basketball, pickleball, and other sports.
“We plan to make it a year-round, multi-use facility.”
Belleterre Development
Development Specialist Michelle Derrah is working with Blair Martin of Belleterre Properties to develop a 20-unit apartment building to provide affordable housing.
The building will be located close to the new Central Carleton Community Complex.
“We’re currently working with the Regional Service Commission, engineers and developers to work on sewer and street orientation,” explained CAO Webber.
He advised that the town has applied for multiple funding programs and is currently waiting for responses.
Webber said the town of Hartland has a high number of jobs in the area, given the population.
“There’s a tremendous number of people that work in this area,” said Webber, crediting the number of local industries.
He said the town believes that this and other planned developments will help increase growth
opportunities for the area.
“Build it, and they will come,” quipped Webber. Recruiting new staff
Webber said Hartland is attempting to fill two staff positions — a Recreation Manager and a Water Operations Specialist.
He advised that it is hard to get a water specialist as they require extensive training. However, it is a requirement that every town and municipality have at least one.
While the town of Hartland already has one Water Specialist, they would like to have a second hired to ensure that in case someone is away, moves or unavailable for some reason, there would be no gap in service.
He said the jobs have been posted on www.indeed.com.
The town needs recreation adjustment
The existing Hartland Arena is scheduled for demolition beginning in April.
Since the process is expected to take two to three months, the town
will need to make temporary adjustments to how and where specific spring and summer programming, such as Fun Park, is delivered.
CAO Rob Webber explained announcements regarding any changes will be made before the end of the first quarter. Committee-of-council
Webber advised that per the recommendation of Brenda Knight, the town will be moving to a “Committee as a Whole” format for the second Council meeting each month.
Webber said this method reduces the numerous meetings otherwise necessary for individual committees.
“This format enables you to funnel all issues the individual committees address into one meeting, with councillors present for discussion,” said Webber. The meetings will be open to the public as usual. However, motions will not be presented.
He said this model is practiced by many other municipalities in the province, including Moncton and Fredericton.
Woodstock Council news
Mayor delivers sad news, considers MOUs with local orgs, pending labour discussions
By Jim Dumville Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Anemotional Woodstock Mayor, Trina Jones, opened the last council meeting of 2023 and the first of 2024 with sad news surrounding the deaths of several respected community leaders.
During the Dec. 12 meeting, Jones’ opening remarks included thoughts for the families of Dale Allen and longtime councillor Peter Kennedy.
The situation didn’t improve for the mayor’s opening remarks on Jan. 9, at the first meeting in the new year, as it included condolences for the families and friends of Ann Marie Voutour and Richard Markey, both long-time Woodstock employees.
Jones announced the passing of Allen and Kennedy on Dec. 11, noting their devoted service to their community.
Kennedy spent 13 years on Woodstock council, serving as finance committee chair for many of those years.
Allen served as a community leader in several capacities. He may be best remembered as a coach and official in baseball and other sports, for which he was inducted into the Woodstock Sports Wall of Fame at the AYR Motor Centre.
On Jan. 9, the mayor recalled Vautour and Markey’s years of service as town employees.
Over her 24 years as a Woodstock employee, the mayor said, Vautour established lasting relationships with town staff.
Jones said Markey spent 25 years as an appreciated town employee before retirement.
Council approves MOU with driving club, OHW
Councillor members approved CAO Allan Walker to sign an MOU with the Woodstock Driving Club and the Old Home Week committee surrounding the care and maintenance of Connell Park Raceway, the grandstand and the barn.
“We’ve been having conversations around working together,” Mayor Jones told council.
She explained that those discussions included ongoing maintenance of the grandstand, noting that the driving club is responsible for the barn and race track maintenance.
Jones described the agreement as similar to the existing MOU, adding it contains minimal cash commitment from the town.
She said the MOU gives the partners a year to determine a long-term strategy for the facility.
The racetrack enjoyed increased use in 2023 as it hosted 10 New Brunswick harness racing events, in addition to Old Home Week activities, Ribfest and other events.
The track will also host the Maritime Snowmobile Championship Races this February.
Town set to sign MOU with historical society
During a discussion about renewing an MOU with the Carleton County Historical Society, the council committed its funding and other support
to the society. “I think it’s critical we support this,” said Coun. Christa McCartney. “It’s important to protect our history.”
The society’s primary function surrounds the operation and maintenance of Woodstock’s historic Connell House, which McCartney noted hosts numerous tourist, heritage and other events.
Jones explained that the council provided $15,500 per year for the past several years, recommending an increase to $20,000 in the new MOU.
Jones explained that the MOU would cover five years but would allow the town to cancel it.
She said locking a future council to the agreement would be unfair.
CAO Allan Walker described Connell House as a critical asset for the town, suggesting the historical building in downtown Woodstock could serve as a tourist bureau.
The mayor agreed but noted that it would rely on the historical society securing summer staffing to operate it as a tourist centre.
Snowmobile races and Family Day in February
The Maritime Snowmobile Championship Racing and an enhanced Family Day celebration will provide plenty of community activities for a long weekend in February.
Council agreed to provide the local snowmobile club, the Woodstock Trailmakers Inc., access to the AYR Motor Centre fieldhouse to host a dance on Feb. 17, during the races from Feb. 16
to 18 at the Connell Park Raceway.
The council agreed the town and the club would divide bar profits from the event.
The racing event leads directly into Family Day activities on Monday, Feb. 19.
Council also agreed to allow Planet Youth, an organization devoted to substance abuse preven-
tion, to host a Family Day carnival-themed event at the AYR Motor Centre.
Jones said the town plans to host several events during Family Day. She said the town would soon provide full details about the “busy and fun” weekend.
Council preparing for labour negotiations
With labour negotiations with CUPE 719 to
begin later this year, Mayor Jones sought council members to join her on a special committee to oversee discussions.
She advised council members to expect the special committee to be “fairly active.”
“We want neutral people to ensure we’re negotiating in the best interest of the workers and the town,” she said.
Fire destroys downtown Woodstock residential building Residents escape but pets perish as blaze
By Jim Dumville – Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
An early-evening fire on Tuesday, Jan. 30, destroyed an apartment building at 123 Charlotte Street on Woodstock’s southside.
The fire department responded to the reported fire at approximately 8:30 p.m. to battle the stubborn blaze in frigid temperatures with a windchill dropping below minus 20 degrees Celsius.
Fire Chief Harold McLellan said residents of the two apartments escaped the burning building before the fire department arrived, but he believed one or more pets perished in the fire.
He said the first 9-1-1 call occurred at 8:29 p.m., reporting a structure fire “with someone trapped.”
McLellan said the fire crews were on the road by 8:33 p.m. and arrived at the fire within five minutes.
He said Woodstock Police Force members were already on the scene and confirmed everyone safely escaped the burning structure.
Firefighters fought the fire with an external and internal attack but could not gain control as the fire spread through the older two-and-a-half-storey wooden structure.
McLellan said he decided to call in an excavator to
bring down the structure.
“It got to a point where it was unsafe to be in the building,” the chief said.
He said the secondlevel floor was already “spongy,” making an internal attack no longer safe.
“The only logical decision was to call in the excavator,” McLellan said.
He said fire crews wanted to ensure the fire didn’t spread to nearby structures, including a small residence within an estimated nine feet of the burning building.
The neighbouring couple, Noah Walton and Lilli Mazerolle, stood in the cold, watching the firefighters battle the fire in the structure towering over their home.
Walton said he called 9-1-1 at 8:33 p.m. when they discovered the fire next door, but someone had already reported it.
Mazerolle said she believed at least a couple of cats didn’t make it out of the house.
McLellan said he was told pets were trapped inside, but he couldn’t confirm what or how many.
The chief said it is difficult and dangerous for people escaping a burning building to locate pets, especially cats. He explained
that scared animals often hide, making locating them through the smoke and flames almost impossible.
McLellan said that in addition to the police force, Ambulance New Brunswick and an N.B. Power crew attended the fire scene. He said power crews shut off electricity to the building.
Mazerolle and Walton said they were also without power.
Mazerolle said they became aware of the fire when they noticed flames coming from the back corner of the house adjacent to their backyard.
McLellan confirmed that is where firefighters first focused upon arrival, calling it the “Bravo-Charlie corner,”
He explained firefighters label each of the four sides of a building by letters, starting with the front as A, then going B, C, and D clockwise.
McLellan said the type of wooden structure, which he described as balloon construction, is challenging for firefighters. He said flames quickly climb up the walls from bottom to top.
He said the older structure, turned into apartments, probably underwent several renovations over the years.
McLellan said that, at
levels two-unit structure
this point, they consider the fire as “accidental.”
He said the Woodstock Police attended the fire
scene, and he kept the Fire Marshal’s Office informed about the situation.
With what remains of
the structure, McLellan explained it would be difficult to determine an exact cause of the fire.
Flames burst through the roof of the Charlotte Street structure Tuesday, Jan. 30. (Jim Dumville photo)
An excavator operator begins tearing down the burning building. (Lilli Mazerolle photo)
Thompson Insurance is a proud supporter of community journalism and the River Valley Sun. thompsoninsuranceltd.ca
RVS SUNSHINE KIDS
Meet ‘The Brooks Brothers’ of Richmond Corner! Lennox (right) is four years old. His favourite colour is blue, he loves tractors and anything involving outside play. He has a huge imagination and loves to create things. His little brother Elliot is a year old and also loves outdoor adventures, anything that moves or spins, or makes sounds or lights up. They keep their parents, Scott and Jerika Brooks, very busy!
If you would like your child featured as the RVS Sunshine Kid, please send a photo and some information to the email listed below.
Submit your sunshine kid or kids photos to theresa@rivervalleysun.ca
“A child’s life is like a piece of paper on which every person leaves a mark.”
River Valley Sunshine Kids are sponsored by Angie’s Little Peeps Early Learning & Childcare Centre in Woodstock. Look them up on Facebook.
WEEDS, SEEDS & GARDEN DEEDS
By Michelle Corcoran
Recorded in a blue Hilroy exercise book, there is a little piece of our local history.
50 years of the Florenceville-Bristol Garden Club
“The October meeting of the Florenceville Garden Club was held at the home of Mrs. Harrison McCain (Billie). Mrs. Somerville (Peggy), the president, called the meeting to order and a discussion followed re actual organization. It was moved by Alice Lockhart, seconded by Peggy Smith that we do organize and a fee of one dollar per member be paid… It was decided that the November meeting would be a project meeting at Rosemary McCain’s home – Joyce Welch, Anne Brennan and Peggy Somerville were appointed to plan the meeting.”
NACKAWICMILLVILLE COMMUNITY NEWS
By Julie Stone
Mall Boxes
“Celebrating the Seasons” winter mall boxes were judged on Jan. 12,
And so, our club began…
Highlights of this first October meeting were slides shared by Miss McNairn, and her commentary on her winter garden was much admired. We are not sure now who Miss McNairn was, but we are sure winter gardening 50 years ago was a different adventure!
For many years, members held meetings at the homes and gardens. Lunch was offered, and speakers were invited.
Members that were recorded at the first meetings in October and November 1974 to plan club activities included (you might recognize names!): Peggy Sommerville (president), Maudie Trafford, Mary O’Keefe, Pat Lyle, Rosemary McCain, Billy McCain, Dorothy Stickney (secretary), Lorna Maddox, Freda Barker, Brenda Hunter, Peggy Smith, Muriel Hunter, Mary Finlay, Marg McLean, Joyce Welch, Anne Brennan, Anne Brennan, Margaret Drost, Alice Lockhart, Kathleen Hirst, Leslie Blackie, and Maria Wybenga.
So, for this year – I wanted to highlight some of the activities from 50 years ago as we celebrate our Golden Anniversary. We are still going!
Our first club event for 2024 will be our Seed Exchange (Seedy Saturday) on March 2 at Northern Carleton Recreation Centre in Florenceville-Bristol from 10:00 am to 12:00 noon.
A learning session on successful seed starting will also be shared with a wealth of sharing from local gardeners as you plan your garden. You can also enter to win fabulous door prizes donated by local businesses; paid members get an extra entry!
We will be accepting (and welcoming) new members to our club at this meeting. Annual dues are $2.00, which has not increased since 1988! Tips for seed sharing: Label your seeds! Use small plastic or paper envelopes. Include info about:
- if seeds are annual (only grow one year), perennial (come back year after year)
- name/ variety of seed, pictures are helpful
- hybrid or heirloom –hybrid seeds may not be true to the parent plant
- year seed was saved – the older the seed, the less viable it may be useful growing tips (full sun, part shade, dry or wet area)
- IMPORTANT – info about spreading. No invasive seeds/ plants! Seed Starting Tips
Lighting (use full spectrum light) - Don’t squeeze too many plants under lights; seedlings on edges may not get enough light and get leggy. Use a timer; aim for 14-16 hours/ day.
Soil – good quality potting mix; add perlite or vermiculite for aeration and drainage.
Water from the bottom of the pot, not the top or over the leaves. Overwatering can lead to powdery mildew, stem rot and sadness.
Follow package directions for planting, when, how deep, lighting (some seeds germinate in the dark), and moisture/ watering. Some perennial seeds need cold time in the fridge/ freezer (stratifying) to help germination.
Pot size – Start small
containers/ or trays; remember you’ll need to transplant them into larger pots as they grow. Keeping them in small containers too long will make roots bound and malnourished.
We don’t have any pictures from the first few
meetings 50 years ago, but if you do – let us know! We’d love to see them.
Mall boxes, volunteer recognition, and Wellness Tuesday
and the Nackawic & Area Wellness Committee would like to congratulate the winners, Pam Wilson Sydor and Gertrude Wilson. They received a gift card from the NackawicMillville Rural Community, which was greatly appreciated. Thank you, Kathryn, for making the presentation to the winners.
Thanks to the creators of the winter boxes. They are amazing. The date to start the Spring boxes will be Feb. 15, 2024.
S STUDIO STARS S
Volunteer of the Month
The Nackawic Area Wellness Committee congratulates Pamela Wilson Sydor for being chosen “Volunteer of the Month” for February.
Thank you for giving back to the community while visiting your family. Pam was always very giving to the community when she lived here. Wellness Tuesday
On Tuesday, Feb. 20, Marlene McCallum will speak to folks at The Gath-
ering Place at 10 am. The topic for the discussion will be “Blessing in the Wind.” Listen to and talk with Marlene and hear all about this topic while enjoying a comfy chair and a soothing beverage. All are welcome. The cost is a Wellness Toonie.
Julie Stone is an educator, advocate, and inclusion consultant who lives and volunteers in the municipality of Nackawic-Millville.
MEET STUDIO STAR NANCY
Nancy joins us a couple of times a week on Zoom. She realized Pilates online was a pretty great option to save the drive to town. Nancy runs her garden tiller, lawn mower, snowblower AND brings in all her own firewood. She is strong and mobile at 75 and, in her words, “expects to keep going.” I’m confident all her activities help but she credits Pilates with helping her continue to do so with ease. Even though she isn’t live in the studio she has great fun with all the ladies…..mostly at my expense :)
What Nancy says (and always with a smile!): “In spite of all my complaining I know that Pilates with you is what keeps me moving.” pilateswithpurpose.ca hannah@pilateswithpurpose.ca Woodstock – 506 . 328 . 1820
Michelle Corcoran is a home gardener and an active member of the Florenceville-Bristol Garden Club.
RIVERSIDE RAMBLINGS
By Carolyn Brown
W here can I turn when it all goes so wrong? Will it help if I write the words in a song? Sometimes, the answers are hidden away. It’s lonely and scary and really not ok. These words start the beginning of a song I wrote quite a few years ago, but somehow, they do resonate occasionally, don’t they? As we embrace a new year, we can often be burdened with worries that consume us and leave us wondering where to turn. Often, our response to these moments edges into the very recesses of
Where can I turn when it all goes wrong?
our minds when we least expect them and forces us to deal with what we have so nicely hidden. So here we go. How do we deal? Where do we get the strength and energy to face something we don’t want to face?
Weren’t “backburners” developed for a reason? The adage “ make haste while the sun shines” may sometimes work, but we aren’t open to it and don’t want to hear it. Life is a constant journey of forward and backward, up and down, in and out. I guess we call it the ebb and flow of life. I often wish the ebb and flow would still reference the ocean tides and not life tides.
If anything could be an inspiration to move forward in life with a positive attitude, it would be many of the residents here at MacLeod Riverside Court. We have Dalton, who goes out daily with friends to Tim’s, and I’m here to
tell you the weather must be pretty bad for that not to happen. Shirley and her daughters must have a weekly Thursday shopping and lunch date. Let me tell you when they roll in, we all know it, and it livens the place up quickly. Then we have Maynard, who leaves early every pm to spend the rest of his day with his wife at Carleton Manor. Now I’m told by Mable she woke up early the other morning with some pain, and all she wanted to do was sing some of her old favourite hymns she’d heard us sing. Kay inspires us by going out for a walk every day before her son prepares her lunch, and I have to say he is a committed son. What a blessing to his mom!! Additionally, we have the quilters, the knitters, the van chauffeured by Amber taking folks shopping and to outings, and local churches coming in to do Thursday morning ser-
vices, tea times, bingo, and Sunday Church.
But I also see the question I pose in the song,” where do I turn when it all goes so wrong?” answered in softer, quieter ways, like one resident sitting to comfort another, helping another struggling to find their way to an activ -
ity, inviting someone to join in, giving a little gift to comfort in some way, just spending time and listening. It is an endless list, but when the struggle in your mind is large, these simple gestures make those times far less lonely and scary, and our actions speak loudly to who we
truly are as we humble our hearts to a peaceful rhythm of time in service to others. That’s where to turn when it all seems so wrong!
ROTARACT: MAKE FRIENDS AND A DIFFERENCE !
Looking for a positive way to get involved in your community? Meet other young professionals? Have fun? Join the Rotaract Club of Woodstock! We invite everyone ages 18-30+ to check out our Facebook and Instagram pages (@RotaractClubofWoodstock) and connect with us. LET’S CONNECT AND HELP OUR COMMUNITY! WATCH
FUNDRAISERS: FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK!
JOIN US FOR THE DUNROAMIN’ ADOPTION EVENT SATURDAY, FEB. 17 from 11 am to 3 pm!
Carolyn Brown is in charge of Community Relations at MacLeod Riverside Court Retirement Residence.
COURT NEWS
A roundup of cases processed through Woodstock Provincial Court
By Judy Cole-Underhill
Two Romanian men remanded in border incident
Two Romanian men, who have addresses in the United States, appeared in provincial court on Feb. 7 for their bail hearings and were remanded to jail on a charge of crossing the international border illegally.
Guiseppe Petre, 31, and David Constantin, 22, both of Sacramento, California, were each charged under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act with failing to appear for examination. They were arrested after a vehicle entered Canada without stopping at the WoodstockHoulton border crossing on Jan. 30.
Police stopped the vehicle shortly after receiving a call from border services and returned the suspects to the border authorities without further incident. The two men told police they were confused and didn’t realize it was a border crossing.
Constantin was denied bail and returns to court for plea on Feb. 27 at 1:30 p.m. Petre waived his bail until later and also returns to court for plea on the same date.
The charge is an indictable offence under federal legislation and, upon conviction, can result in two years in jail or a $50,000 fine. The two men had a Romanian interpreter to assist them with the court proceedings.
Local company fined $9,000 in farm accident
Ralph B. Culberson & Sons Ltd. in Jacksonville was fined $9,000 after pleading guilty on Feb. 7 to violating the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
The company was charged with failing to ensure that work was competently supervised or that a supervisor had knowledge of the Act after a 12-yearold boy was seriously injured in a tractor accident on June 6, 2022, at Bannon.
Judge Sebastian Michaud told the court the boy was rock-picking when he was run over by a tractor and suffered serious injuries, including punctured lungs, a broken pelvis and a broken shoulder. The judge said the work site was not adequately supervised at the time of the accident. The youth was left with physical injuries that required surgeries, as well
as psychological trauma.
“It was a terrible accident with life-threatening injuries,” said Judge Michaud.
Defence Counsel James Crocco acknowledged the event’s seriousness and told the court the company had taken steps to ensure proper safety policies are in place to prevent similar accidents in the future.
Crown Prosecutor Kathleen Jacobs said Ralph B. Culberson & Sons Ltd. had a previous conviction under the Act in 2017 when an employee died in a workplace accident.
Two charged with possession of child pornography
Two local men appeared in Woodstock Provincial Court on Jan. 30 to face charges of possession of child pornography.
Todd Brian Forgrave, 47, of Belleville, and Stephen Warcop, 26, of Hartland, were each charged following an investigation led by the RCMP’s Internet Child Exploitation Unit.
Forgrave was charged following the execution of a search warrant at a residence in Belleville on Nov. 24, 2022. He returns to court for plea on Feb. 27 at 9:30 a.m.
Warcop was charged following the execution of a search warrant at a residence in Hartland on Dec. 1, 2022. He also returns to court for plea on Feb. 27 at 9:30 a.m.
Police seized several electronic devices during the investigation.
Five years in prison for Memramcook man
Jesse Perry-Belliveau, 32, of Memramcook, was sentenced to five years in federal prison, minus 72 days in remand, when he appeared in provincial court in custody by video on Feb. 6. He pleaded guilty to three charges for an incident at Wotstak (Woodstock First Nation) when he was apprehended transporting drugs to Moncton.
Perry-Belliveau was charged by RCMP with resisting arrest, possession of methamphetamine, and possession of Dilaudid, both for the purpose of trafficking.
Judge Nicole Angers described the accused as a “trusted drug mule” nabbed by police after he exited his vehicle near Woodstock because he thought he was overdosing on drugs or having a panic attack and needed to go to hospital.
In addition to his prison sentence, the judge ordered Perry-Belliveau to register with the federal DNA database and prohibited him from possessing firearms. All drugs and items seized by police were forfeited to the crown.
“You have amassed quite a criminal record,” Judge Angers told the accused. “Hopefully, you will make better choices in the future.”
On June 8, 2022, at approximately 10:15 p.m., RCMP responded to a report of a possible impaired driver at Wotstak. PerryBelliveau pulled into a parking lot on Turtle Lane and exited the vehicle due to medical distress. He said he was looking for a hospital. An ambulance was called, and the driver was treated by paramedics at the scene.
Once cleared by paramedics, police attempted to detain the man, who then fled from police. Following a short pursuit on foot, he was tasered and arrested for impaired driving.
During a search of the vehicle, police seized over six kilograms of crystal meth, 2,000 Dilaudid pills, a set of scales, and $2,035 in cash.
Perry-Belliveau had a prior criminal record, including a previous conviction for drug trafficking in 2011. He also served prison time for manslaughter, robbery, threats and weapons offences.
Defence Counsel Lindsay Paul told the court Perry-Belliveau had been using drugs and alcohol since a young age and was addicted to crystal meth for the past two years. She said he was involved in the drug trade to feed his addiction and wanted to undergo drug counselling while incarcerated. 180 days in jail or time served
Brandon Jeffrey Cote, 28, of Woodstock, was sentenced to 180 days in jail or time served when he appeared in provincial court on Feb. 2. He was also placed on 12 months of probation and ordered to seek counselling as required.
The court heard Cote spent several months in custody and was released in late December. He pleaded guilty to assaulting another man, uttering threats, and breach of probation for an incident in Woodstock on Aug. 22, 2023, and guilty to uttering
threats against a female victim and breach of an undertaking for another incident on Aug. 18, 2023. He had a lengthy prior criminal record.
Centreville pair awaiting sentencing
Connell Ross McLean, 27, and Isaak Tedford Thomas, 27, of Centreville, appeared in provincial court in custody by video on Feb. 1 and changed their plea to guilty on multiple charges related to a series of incidents, including a police chase and shots fired.
McLean pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm without a licence; guilty to being an occupant of a vehicle knowing it carried a firearm; guilty to resisting arrest; guilty to possession of a stolen side-by-side; guilty to possession of a firearm while prohibited from having it; guilty to flight from police; guilty to driving while prohibited; guilty to assaulting a police officer with a weapon (the side-byside); and guilty to breach of probation. His sentencing was set for March 19 at 1:30 p.m.
Thomas pleaded guilty to carelessly using a firearm, guilty to possession of a firearm without a licence, guilty to being an occupant of a vehicle knowing it carried a firearm, guilty to resisting arrest, guilty to possession of a firearm while prohibited, and guilty to breach of probation. His sentencing was set for March 28 at 9:30 a.m.
RCMP arrested the two men following a collision between an off-road vehicle and a police cruiser on Route 105 in Lower Brighton, south of Harland, on July 17, 2023. The arrests were related to a Monday morning incident in Speerville, south of Woodstock, which included shots fired at a Speerville resident.
The suspects fled Speerville, leading to an hours-long police search and investigation in several communities, including Lakeville, between Centreville, Woodstock, and Lower Brighton. Fined for impaired driving
Megan Leigh Harrison, 24, of Woodstock, appeared in provincial court on Feb. 6 and pleaded guilty to impaired driving. She was fined $1,300 and prohibited from driving for 12 months.
Woodstock Police charged Harrison following an incident in Woodstock on June 10, 2023. The court heard the accused
These pages contain some of the court coverage we provide for the community. Find all court stories at rivervalleysun.ca
left the Woodstock Legion and drove down Queen Street the wrong way when police spotted her and then apprehended in the Prince Albert Street area around 12:45 a.m.
Harrison is also facing charges of uttering threats, assault involving a male victim, assault with a weapon, unlawful entry at a dwelling house, and breach of an undertaking stemming from another incident on Nov. 18, 2023, in Woodstock. She was released on an undertaking until her next court appearance and had no prior criminal record. Conditional sentence, probation
Kelsey Janetta Brooker, 30, of Florenceville-Bristol, appeared in provincial court on Jan. 26 for sentencing on several charges. She received a six-month conditional sentence and 12 months of probation. She must follow a curfew as part of her sentence order.
Brooker was charged with breach of release order (curfew) on Dec. 9, 2023, at Centreville; failing to stop for police on April 22, 2023, in Woodstock; and failing to follow a curfew between March 11 and April 21, 2023, in Florenceville-Bristol. She changed her plea to guilty on these charges. She was also charged by RCMP with break and enter at a dwelling house, carelessly transporting a firearm; possession of a firearm (a rifle) to commit an offence; possession of a firearm without a licence; being an occupant of a vehicle knowing it carried a firearm, and committing mischief causing property damage to a door, driveway gate, and security system in connection with a breakin at a residence on Jan. 26, 2023, in Holmesville.
Brooker pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm without a licence and guilty to being an occupant of a vehicle, knowing it carried a firearm for the incident in Holmesville. The other charges were withdrawn by the crown at sentencing.
The court heard two male accomplices in the break-in were already sentenced. Brooker waited outside in a vehicle and did not enter the residence. She had no prior criminal record. Defence Counsel Lindsay Paul explained Brooker was using drugs at the time of the offences but was now sober and working full-time.
Newbridge man sen-
tenced
Bradley Tyler Whitney, 40, of Newbridge, appeared in provincial court in custody on Jan. 29 after being arrested on a warrant for failing to appear.
Whitney was charged by Woodstock Police with two counts of driving a motorcycle while suspended, stemming from incidents on July 8, 2021, and Oct. 28, 2021, in Woodstock. He was also charged with possession of methamphetamine, flight from police, and breach of curfew for the incident on July 8, 2021.
Whitney pleaded guilty on all counts and received a suspended sentence and 18 months of probation. He was also fined $600 and was prohibited from driving for four months. He had no prior criminal record.
Waterville woman sentenced to 60 days in jail
Emily McSheffrey, 26, of Waterville, was sentenced on Jan. 12 to 60 days in jail after changing her plea to guilty on eight charges laid by RCMP.
She was also placed on 12 months of probation and ordered to register with the federal DNA database. She must pay a $2,000 fine for refusing a breathalyzer.
McSheffrey pleaded guilty to refusing a breathalyzer on Aug. 29, 2020, in Jacksonville; guilty to assaulting a police officer by biting him on the hand, resisting arrest, and fraudulent impersonation to avoid arrest on April 8, 2021, in Perth-Andover; guilty to mischief causing property damage to a vehicle, and assault with a weapon (a rock) involving a female victim in connection with an incident on Nov. 13, 2021, in Wicklow; guilty to uttering threats and assaulting a police officer on July 6, 2022, in Waterville; guilty to possession of a stolen sideby-side on Nov. 8, 2022, in Bath; guilty to assaulting a male complainant on Feb. 2, 2023, in Wicklow by punching and kicking him; guilty to uttering threats in a text message and breach of an undertaking on April 3, 2023, in Wicklow; and guilty to breach of an undertaking on July 7, 2023, at Wotstak (Woodstock First Nation).
RCMP also charged her with uttering threats involving a male complainant for an incident on May 12, 2023, at Florenceville-Bristol. She
See COURT on pg. 29
Evidence reveals guns, ammunition throughout Butler’s home Crown wraps up case, Butler expected to testify in own defence when trial resumes
By Judy Cole-Underhill
Police evidence reveals guns and ammunition found throughout Butler’s home
Police testimony at the provincial court trial of Rodney Butler on Jan. 31 revealed numerous guns and boxes of ammunition located throughout his home on the day his partner, Christine Pelletier-Thibodeau, 35, was fatally shot during a hail of gunfire just outside the basement door.
Butler, 49, of Bulls Creek, was charged by RCMP with intentionally discharging a firearm while reckless as to the life and safety of another person, indictable assault, uttering threats, using a handgun to kidnap Chris Demerchant, unlawful confinement, possession of a weapon dangerous to the public peace, possession of a firearm without a licence, and illegal possession of a firearm in a vehicle on Nov. 13, 2021, at Bulls Creek.
COURT
Continued from page 28
agreed to sign a 12-month peace bond, and that charge did not proceed. The accused had no prior criminal record.
Charged with drug trafficking
Dynielle Allison Demerchant, 28, of Woodstock, will appear in provincial court on Feb. 13 at 11 a.m. for plea on two charges laid by Woodstock Police.
Demerchant was charged with possession of methamphetamine for the purpose of trafficking and possession of a prohibited weapon (a switchblade) in connection with an incident on Dec. 22, 2022, in Woodstock. She appeared in court on Jan. 16 when the matter was adjourned to the new date.
120 days in jail for theft, using counterfeit money
Felicia J. Fulton, 30, of Woodstock, was sentenced to 120 days in jail, minus time served, when she appeared in provincial court in custody by video on Feb. 8. She pleaded guilty to four charges laid by RCMP.
Fulton was charged with possession of a stolen vehicle, theft of gas, breach of probation and uttering counterfeit money
No charges were laid in relation to the shooting of Pelletier-Thibodeau, who died as a result of her injuries. Over the next several days, police tape was erected around the property, including Butler’s residence, surrounded by a vehicle salvage yard.
Sgt. Chris Kean, a member of the RCMP identification unit in Fredericton, testified that he arrived at Butler’s property on Nov. 14, 2021, to locate and report on evidence at the scene. The officer’s photographs were reviewed during his day-long testimony and entered into evidence by the crown.
Sgt. Kean told the court Pelletier-Thibodeau’s body was lying on the ground outside the basement door. The deceased was wearing jeans and work boots and had a knife belted to her waist. A yellow blanket covered her body.
As the trial resumed before Associate Chief Judge Brian C. McLean, Crown Prosecutor Rodney Jordan requested an amendment to the first charge, noting it referred to shots fired at Ryan Purvis, who was now deceased as a result of an unrelated 2023 drowning in Woodstock.
(a $100 American bill) in connection with an incident at a gas station in Perth-Andover on Jan. 3. The crown withdrew another charge of possession of counterfeit money.
In addition to jail time, Fulton was placed on 12 months of probation and was ordered to undergo counselling for drug addiction. She must also register with the federal DNA database. She had been in custody since her arrest in early January.
Regis Bowmaster, 30, of Bairdsville, will appear in provincial court for plea on Feb. 13 at 9:30 a.m. to answer charges related to the same incident.
RCMP charged him with possession of stolen property and resisting arrest on Jan. 4 near Perth-Andover. He appeared in court in custody on Jan. 5 and was released with conditions.
Bowmaster was also charged with possessing stolen goods for a separate incident on April 2, 2023. He pleaded not guilty, and a trial date was set for Jan. 6, 2025, at 9:30 a.m.
Victoria King, 22, of Sheffield, appeared in provincial court in custody by video on Jan. 30 for plea on two charges. The matter was adjourned until Feb. 12 at 1:30 p.m. at
Inside the home, the police photos showed Butler’s home was disorganized and under renovation at the time of the incident. There was a large bag of marijuana in the house, several stashes of beer, bottles of twisted tea and empty beer cans in different locations.
Sgt. Kean said a total of 12 guns and several boxes of ammunition were found unsecured throughout the premises. Most of the firearms were long guns, such as rifles and shotguns. Some were standing in corners or lying on top of furniture. A cabinet containing six long guns was found open.
“There were guns and ammunition all through the house,” said Kean.
There was a handgun discovered, a Luger, but it was not the nine-millimetre pistol allegedly used by the accused in the kidnapping. That weapon was never found.
However, two bullets from a nine-millimetre handgun were on the floor in Butler’s bedroom, one near an open window over-
the request of her defence counsel.
RCMP charged King with breach of a release order by removing her ankle bracelet and possessing a stolen vehicle concerning the same incident on Jan. 4 near Perth-Andover. She remains in custody.
King, Bowmaster and Fulton were arrested in connection with an investigation into the use of counterfeit money in Perth Andover, Woodstock, and Meductic and the theft of a truck in Oromocto on Dec. 24, 2023.
Conditional sentence after lengthy custody
Brittany Francis, 34, of Neqotkuk (Tobique First Nation), received a sixmonth conditional sentence of house arrest when she appeared in provincial court in custody for sentencing on Jan. 12. She was also placed on three months of probation and ordered to seek counselling for drug addiction.
Francis had been in custody since November. She pleaded guilty to breach of a release order and mischief causing damage to an ankle bracelet in connection with an incident on Sept. 20, 2023, at Neqotkuk; guilty to resisting arrest and committing mischief causing property
looking the driveway. A whole box of nine-millimetre ammunition was also sitting on Butler’s bed. There were also two knives in the room and a spent shotgun shell on the bedroom floor. Another empty shotgun shell was found in another part of the main house.
In the basement, a 12-guage shotgun and a rifle were standing in the corner by the door. There were four spent shotgun shells and wads on the basement floor, along with one nine-millimetre bullet. One shotgun bullet on the floor near the basement door had never been fired. The shells and bullet were from a 12-guage shotgun.
Bloody footprints were photographed on the stairs leading from the basement to the main part of the house. The butt of a shotgun also showed signs of blood.
During cross-examination, Sgt. Kean said the outside of Butler’s home sustained damage from shotgun fire. The window in the basement door was shattered, and there were
damage in connection with a break-in at a church in Arthurette on March 25, 2023; guilty to three counts of breaching a release order on July 17, July 10 and June 21, 2023, at Neqotkuk; guilty to shoplifting at the Maliseet Gas Bar in Neqotkuk on June 30, 2022; and guilty to failing to appear in court on Oct. 11, 2023. The crown withdrew several other charges.
Francis appeared in court in custody on Nov. 8, 2023, and was denied bail.
Multiple warrants were issued for her arrest after she failed to appear in court for sentencing on Sept. 16, 2023. She had a limited prior criminal record.
Sentencing set after change of plea
Kristopher Thomas McConnell, 31, of Hartland, appeared for trial in provincial court in custody on Jan. 22 and changed his plea to guilty to four of seven charges. His sentencing date was set for Feb. 27 at 1:30 p.m. The remaining charges will be withdrawn by the crown at sentencing.
McConnell was charged with breach of a release order for an incident on July 15, 2023, in Hartland and possession of a stolen utility trailer on Aug. 22, 2023, in Greenfield. He also
holes in the door frame, in the exterior siding above, and on the left side of the basement door.
Two shotgun wads were on the ground outside by a snow blower not far from Pelletier-Thibodeau’s body. Earlier testimony at the trial indicated she was carrying a shotgun on the day of the incident.
Farther out in the driveway, two shells from a different (410) shotgun and two wads were found on the ground at the rear of a silver truck involved in the incident.
“Clearly, there was more than one firearm being used here,” suggested Defence Counsel Alex Pate.
“Yes,” replied Sgt. Kean.
The silver truck parked in the driveway was hit by shotgun fire from Butler’s house and sustained damage on the passenger side. No other vehicles parked nearby were damaged by bullets, including PelletierThibodeau’s Ford Escape.
Three footprints were spotted in a muddy part of the driveway, and one print appeared different from the other two. Under redirect from the crown, the officer agreed there was lots of foot traffic on Butler’s property, so there was no way to determine if the footprints were related to the incident.
The police officer told the court a 35-calibre, loaded rifle with a scope was found in the grass about 80 meters from Butler’s property, down a bank on the opposite side of the highway near the St. John River. A full rifle round was also located in the grass, along with two full rounds still in a holder. No spent casings from the rifle were located in the grass or around Butler’s home.
The crown closed its case, and the trial was adjourned until Feb. 29 at 9:30 a.m. when Butler is expected to take the stand in his own defence.
For stories from previous testimony at the trial, visit rivervalleysun.ca.
Sgt. Kean testified a baseball hat was on the ground near the silver truck, and two beer cans were photographed on the back.
faces charges of criminal harassment and breach of probation on July 23, 2023, and breaching an emergency intervention order on June 7, 2023. He was also charged with possession of stolen property (an ATV) and breach of probation in connection with an incident on June 26, 2023, at Lansdowne.
McConnell appeared in provincial court in custody on June 27, 2023, and was released with conditions, including wearing an electronic monitoring device attached to his ankle. He failed to return to court for plea on July 25, 2023, and an arrest warrant was issued. He appeared in court on Aug. 23, 2023, for a bail hearing but waived his bail until a later date.
FREDERICTON COURT
Former cadet case adjourned a fourth time
A Woodstock man charged with child luring has had his case adjourned again.
Jason Kuhndel, 19, is a former Royal Canadian Army Cadet and civilian volunteer. He’s charged with child luring and making sexually explicit material available to a minor with the intent to create child pornography. The charges were initially filed on Nov. 7, 2023.
In Fredericton Provincial Court on Feb. 6, 2024, Kuhndel was represented by his lawyer, Patrick Hurley. Hurley requested that the case be set aside for several weeks because he believed there was a “reasonable chance” to settle the matter without a trial. Previously, Hurley had requested an adjournment on Kuhndel’s behalf while waiting to review crown disclosure documents on Dec. 6, 2023, and Dec. 27, 2023. On Jan. 18, 2024, Hurley again asked that the case be adjourned while they work on a resolution with the prosecution. This is the fourth adjournment for Kuhndel’s case.
Kuhndel was still working with Woodstock’s #318 Cadet Corp weeks after the initial charges were filed.
Major Victor Belleville, Commanding Officer for the New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island cadets said “the delay in unit staff and headquarters being notified is concerning,” and that they’ll be addressing the delays with the cadet corp, squadron staff and volunteers to prevent this issue in the future. Kuhndel is expected back in Fredericton court on Feb. 26, 2024, at 9:30 a.m. (Fredericton Court story written by Nick LaPointe.)
Highlights and Features of Local Sports and Sporting Events
Western Valley Special Olympians heading to Calgary
Five local athletes ready to bring home the hardware from the 2024 Special Olympics Canada Winter Games
By Theresa Blackburn
Five Western Valley athletes head to Calgary for the Special Olympics Canada Winter Games at the end of the month. The event runs from Feb. 27 to March 2 and will see over 4,000 athletes from across Canada come together to compete.
Marco Gauvin, Frank Long, and Joshua Cousins will compete in Floor Hockey, while Calvin Grant and Patti Connors will participate in Snowshoe Racing for Team New Brunswick.
Western Valley Special Olympics Regional Coordinator Debbi Graham said the team is ready. She’s also heading to Calgary as part of the mission staff with Team New Brunswick. Graham says her position is a full-time job where she gets paid in hugs and high-fives.
“We’ve been practicing with our snowshoers once a week since last fall, but have ramped it up to twice a week. Our last practice is
the 25th, and we leave on the 26th,” explained Graham.
For some athletes, the games are more than just a chance to compete; this will be a life-changing experience.
“This is Calvin’s first time he’s been to nationals. It’s also the first time he’s travelled outside of New Brunswick and the first time he’ll be on a plane and the first time he’ll see a big city,” added Graham. “He’s really excited, but he really doesn’t know what he’s excited for, because he’s never experienced this, so it’s going to be special to experience this with him.”
Graham says this is ‘old hat’ for Patti Connors.
“I was looking at some of her older stuff today. Her speaking notes from when she came back from Dubai (Special Olympics World Games in 2019) she had 134 medals in her display case, so she’s now closing in on 150 medals,” explained Graham.
Connors, a Woodstock native, is Canada’s most decorated Special Olympian.
“These are professional athletes,” said Graham. “Some people have the impression that we’re just like a rec program, but we’re not. You’ll see Patti in her backyard training with her snowshoes doing laps with her dog. She works hard to keep fit. She keeps a diary of everything she eats and her activity each day. Each of our athletes train just like professional athletes. They work hard to get to go to these games.”
This is also Graham’s first national games experience. She’s hoping to witness the athletes have the time of their lives.
“The very first time I went to the provincials, I went as a bowling coach. At the end of the games, when the handed out the medals, one of the other coaches said to me, ‘do you have Kleenex in your pockets?’ When they start-
ed handing out the medals, the athletes were proud beyond anything I had ever witnessed. They were crying happy tears, their families were crying tears of joy. You see, in some cases, these are people that doctors said would never walk, or do this or that, and here they are, competing as an athlete and getting medals around their necks. It’s a powerful thing to witness. I know to have Kleenex handy now,” said Graham.
Graham said the Western Valley athletes recently received their team kits, with new uniforms, baggage, backpacks, and other travel items emblazoned with the Team NB logo. Team members are having a hard time waiting to wear the NB colours, but they know they need to keep them for the big reveal before they fly.
“They’re so excited,” said Graham. “They’ll get to experience the games, meet new friends, and have the time of their lives.”
Western Valley Team NB Floor Hockey team members, from left, Josh Cousins, Marco Gauvin, Frank Long with Team NB Mission Staff member Debbi Graham. (Submitted)
Team NB Snowshoers, back row, fr. left, Calvin Grant, Jesse Canning (from Fredericton region), and Patti Connors. Front row: Team NB Mission Staff member Debbi Graham and coach Susan Brophy. (Submitted)
Curlers deliver thousands to cancer support group
River Valley Cancer Support Group celebrates fun and success at annual fundraiser
By Jim Dumville – Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Crowds packed the Florenceville Curling Club on Friday evening, Feb. 2 and Saturday, Feb. 3, to share the fun and support efforts of the River Valley Cancer Support Group’s annual fundraiser.
The RVCSG’s executive, members and event volunteers wore huge smiles as the 16 participating teams and event activities raised more than $33,000.
“The 16 curling teams, plus support from 100 River Valley businesses in prize donations or financial support, helped our group raise over $33,000. Amazing.” said RVCSG secretary Tracey Johnston.
She also praised the musicians who shared their time and talents to entertain the packed curling rink on Friday evening and Saturday.
Entertainers included the Monquartet, Melissa White and Friends, Jack McAfee and Mark Reid.
Johnston also expressed appreciation to the Bath Lions Club, which provided soup and sandwiches throughout the event.
The heart of the annual Curl for Cancer event is the curlers, from novice to expert, who take to the ice for the day.
“I try to get here anytime I can,” said veteran curler David Brennan, who skipped a team at the 2024 event.
He described it as a fun event for a great cause.
The Downey team, featuring Doug, Brayden, Bryson and Mariah
Downey, took home the 2024 Curl for Cancer Jim Baird Memorial championship.
John Brown and the Ladies team, including Dawn Murray, Mary Turnbull and Kathy LeBlanc, were the top fundraising team, while Brown earned the title as top individual fundraiser.
The River Valley Cancer Support Group received support from beyond the community, including representatives from Bridge of Hope in Houlton, who attended the Florenceville-Bristol event.
“We came to help,” said Kim Folsum, who was joined by Bridge of Hope members Claire Poirier, Cree Godfrey and Gene Patterson.
Folsom said their organization, while smaller than RVCSG, provides the same type of financial support to cancer patients in the Houlton area.
She said the Bridge of Hope’s primary fundraiser is an annual walk held each October.
The River Valley Cancer Support Group helps Carleton County cancer patients cover costs such as travel, medical bills and other expenses during their battle to return to good health. The organization estimates they help more than 10 people monthly.
The group can meet the high demand thanks to widespread community donations, including those who support the annual Curl for River Valley Cancer Support Group.
Happy 13 th Birthday
Lynn Murphy photo
Sixteen teams participated in the 2024 Curl for River Valley Cancer Support Group event. (Jim Dumville photo)
Members of the River Valley Cancer Support group include, from left, Doug Graham, Sheila Graham, Vera Girvan, Brenda Dyer, Christy Savage, Tracey Johnston, Marilyn Rose, Arlene Steeves and Susan Corey. (Jim Dumville photo)
