20090422

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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22, 2009

Established 1988.

SERVING NELSON & AREA

‘Turn it over’

INSIDE

New movement calls for more vegetables, fewer lawns

Election coverage

by Chris Shepherd

The first feature in provincial election coverage. PAGE 4

RDCK doesn’t back �������� more ��������� ���� KLH �� staffing

������������ “Bricks and mor�������������������������� tar” not staffing is the ������ regional district’s current health care priority. PAGE 4

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CHRIS SHEPHERD

Kelly Shpeley, left, and Valarie Sanderson turn over lawn in Bonnie Baker’s front yard. The three women have agreed to share the yard to grow more food locally. ����

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task

VOLUME 21, NUMBER 22

There’s a movement in Nelson to get people to turn over a new leaf, or more accurately, to turn over some lawn. The movement is called Edible Nelson and its members are encouraging people to turn their lawns into vegetable gardens. Edible Nelson has grown out of a people’s desire to have a closer connection to their food and to grow more food locally, says Paul Craig, a member of Edible Nelson. Craig says Edible Nelson can’t be considered an official organization, yet, and he prefers the word “movement” when talking about Edible Nelson. Creating more vegetable gardens in Nelson from lawns is the movement’s first specific step. Craig is encouraging people who have lawns or unused gardens to let people who want to garden use their yards. To help people connect, Craig is directing people to a Victoriabased website, www.sharingbackyards.com, where people can register their location and whether they’re looking for a yard or have a yard to share. Yard sharing has two goals, Craig says. “Getting people more connected with their food and getting urbanites growing food.” The process has already begun. Last week, Valerie Sanderson

Mayor, council split on health care

Please proof for accuracy then phone, fax or email with any changes or an approval. City calls for volunPhone: • Fax: 250.352.5075 • Email: sales@expressnews.bc.ca teers250.354.3910 to make Olympic Councillors question decision torch visit a success. The Express is not responsible for any errors after Dooley’s the client has signed to off. eventually helped vote it PAGE 3

defeat hospital staffing motion at RDCK after councillors unanimously approve it in council meeting

by Chris Shepherd

Earth Day Day-long celebration happens this weekend. PAGE 7

Mayor John Dooley’s decision to help defeat a motion at the RDCK board table that was almost identical to one passed unanimously by the city’s council raised eyebrows and some questions among councillors. The motions concerned staffing at Kootenay Lake

Hospital. At council’s Monday, April 6 meeting, councillors, including Dooley, passed a motion calling for adding a fulltime surgeon, CT scanner and the establishment of three critical care beds. At the Regional District of Central Kootenay’s Thursday, April 16 meeting, Dooley argued against a similar motion and

down (see HOSPITAL on page 4). That didn’t sit too well with some councillors and Coun. Donna Macdonald asked Dooley for an explanation at a special meeting on Monday, April 20. Dooley took the opportunity to talk about the need for a regional approach to health care in the RDCK and the fact the renovations, which were announced just three days after council’s motion (Thursday, April 9), were

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a step in the right direction to creating a facility that would attract health care workers. Dooley also spoke about the jobs that would be created as the $15.3 million renovation went ahead. The mayor finished by saying he had made clear his opposition to the motion when it was before council. During the April 6 vote in the council meeting, the six councillors had voted yes and Dooley had not voted. Under council rules, not voting is recorded as a yes vote.

“I wish I had voted against the motion at that time,” Dooley told councillors. Speaking after the council meeting, Macdonald said she still wasn’t satisfied with Dooley’s answer. Dooley’s break with council’s wishes has raised questions about his ability to convey their aims to the regional district, Macdonald said.

See DOOLEY p.3…

New! Nature2 Sanitizer

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Editorial . . Street Talk A&E . . . . . . Events . . . . Health . . . . Classifieds

and Kelly Shpeley dug up 600 square feet of Bonnie Baker’s front lawn. Both women don’t have enough room to grow a garden. Sanderson lives on a hilly section of Fairview where the soil doesn’t allow a garden and where there isn’t enough sun to support vegetables. Baker’s large front yard is flat, has impressive sun exposure and, most importantly, has soil. Shpeley and Sanderson flipped over a 20 foot by 30 foot section of grass, setting the stage for the women’s garden. Each already know what they’re going to grow. Shpeley is going to plant squash and root vegetables while Sanderson wants “sunny stuff” specifically tomatoes and basil. As Shpeley and Sanderson dug up the yard, Baker watched, talking with the women about how the garden would look and also discussing issues like whether they’d use manure, pesticides or herbicides and how big the garden will be. The process is a negotiation and as the three women talk they find common ground. Craig says that connection around locally-grown food is what Edible Nelson is trying to achieve. People with questions can contact Craig at ediblenelson@gmail.com.

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Kootenay Springs Softub

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www.softubcanada.com

354-8557

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