Eagle Valley News, March 25, 2015

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Wednesday, March 25, 2015 PM40008236 EAGLE VALLEY NEWS Vol. 60 No. 12 Sicamous, B.C., • 1.25 (GST included) www.eaglevalleynews.com Transportation concerns drive question period Page 3 Easter Bunny in line to return for annual egg hunt Page 8 In play: Goalie Austin Miller reaches backwards in an attempt to stop an airborne shot from Devyn Myck as Colby Sherlock and Adam Bird look on during a friendly game of road hockey on Wednesday, March 18 at the rec centre parking lot. Photo by Lachlan Labere Province nixes George Abbott appointment An 11th hour decision by the province to veto George Abbott’s appointment as chief commission- er has clouded the First Nations Treaty Commission with controversy. Six months ago, former Shuswap MLA and cabinet minister George Abbott was invited by John Rustad, minister for aboriginal relations, to take on the role of chief commissioner of the BC Treaty Commission upon the re- tirement of Sophie Pierre. Abbott had accepted the request and began preparing for the job which was to have begun April 1 by putting his business affairs on hold. He had First Nations and federal support and believed BC Cabinet ap- proval was forthcoming, albeit in a much slower fashion than anticipated. But last Wednesday and already in transition talks with the commis- sion, Abbott received a call from Rustad inform- ing him he had been un- able to secure cabinet approval. A former member of the BC Liberal cabinet, Ab- bott twice held aboriginal portfolios. He says he was shocked and disappointed by cabinet’s last-minute refusal. “It’s not what I expected to hear,” he said, ex- plaining First Nations ratified his appointment in October and the federal government was ready to add their approval, pending a nod from the province. “I checked with the minister (Rustad) on a number of occasions, obviously concerned when I didn’t hear anything after a couple of months.” But Abbott, who ran against Premier Christy Clark in the 2013 election, says he was continually reassured his appointment was in process and the Authorities investigating fatal rail collision A 62-year old man is dead after being struck by a train on Saturday night in Malakwa. The incident oc- curred just before 10 p.m. on March 21 at the Sommerville-Husted Road crossing. Si- camous RCMP report the man, a Malakwa resident, was one of three adults in a Chrys- ler sedan that got stuck on the tracks. Police say all three of the vehicle’s oc- cupants, including a female relative of the man and a friend, had exited the sedan be- fore it was struck by a westbound CP Rail train. In the process, the 62-year-old was struck and killed. The other two oc- cupants were taken to hospital, where they were checked and later released. The incident remains under investigation by Sicamous RCMP, the BC Coroners Service and CP Police, who will be reviewing data from the train’s event recorder. More infor- mation is expected to be released in the next few days. However, Si- camous RCMP encour- age anyone who may have witnessed the in- cident to contact them at 250-836-2878. By Barb Brouwer Eagle Valley News By Lachlan Labere Eagle Valley News See First Nations on page 2 Now I think it probably was about me; that would be my best guess. No one has said that, but I have to assume it. George Abbott B.C. government: Former MLA suspects decision may have been personal. Crossing: The site of Saturday night’s collision at the Sommerville- Husted Road rail crossing was cleared and open to train traffic by Sunday. Photo by Victoria Rowbottom

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March 25, 2015 edition of the Eagle Valley News

Transcript of Eagle Valley News, March 25, 2015

Page 1: Eagle Valley News, March 25, 2015

Wednesday, March 25, 2015PM40008236

EAGLE VALLEY

NEWSVol. 60 No. 12 Sicamous, B.C., • 1.25 (GST included) • www.eaglevalleynews.com

Transportation concerns drive

question periodPage 3

Easter Bunny in line to return for annual egg hunt

Page 8

In play: Goalie Austin Miller reaches backwards in an attempt to stop an airborne shot from Devyn Myck as Colby Sherlock and Adam Bird look on during a friendly game of road hockey on Wednesday, March 18 at the rec centre parking lot. Photo by Lachlan Labere

Province nixes George Abbott appointment

An 11th hour decision by the province to veto George Abbott’s appointment as chief commission-er has clouded the First Nations Treaty Commission with controversy. 

Six months ago, former Shuswap MLA and cabinet minister George Abbott was invited by John Rustad, minister for aboriginal relations, to take on the role of chief commissioner of the BC Treaty Commission upon the re-tirement of Sophie Pierre.

Abbott had accepted the request and began preparing for the job which was to have begun April 1 by putting his business affairs on hold.

He had First Nations and federal support and believed BC Cabinet ap-proval was forthcoming, albeit in a much slower fashion than anticipated.

But last Wednesday and already in transition talks with the commis-sion, Abbott received a call from Rustad inform-ing him he had been un-able to secure cabinet approval.

A former member of the BC Liberal cabinet, Ab-bott twice held aboriginal portfolios.

He says he was shocked and disappointed by cabinet’s last-minute refusal.

“It’s not what I expected to hear,” he said, ex-plaining First Nations rati� ed his appointment in October and the federal government was ready to add their approval, pending a nod from the province. “I checked with the minister (Rustad) on a number of occasions, obviously concerned when I didn’t hear anything after a couple of months.”

But Abbott, who ran against Premier Christy Clark in the 2013 election, says he was continually reassured his appointment was in process and the

Authorities investigating fatal rail collision

A 62-year old man is dead after being struck by a train on Saturday night in Malakwa. 

The incident oc-curred just before 10 p.m. on March 21 at the Sommerville-Husted Road crossing.  Si-camous RCMP report the man, a Malakwa resident, was one of three adults in a Chrys-ler sedan that got stuck on the tracks.

Police say all three of the vehicle’s oc-cupants, including a female relative of the

man and a friend, had exited the sedan be-

fore it was struck by a westbound CP Rail

train. In the process, the 62-year-old was struck

and killed. The other two oc-

cupants were taken to hospital, where they were checked and later released.

The incident remains under investigation by Sicamous RCMP, the BC Coroners Service and CP Police, who will be reviewing data from the train’s event recorder.  More infor-mation is expected to be released in the next few days. However, Si-camous RCMP encour-age anyone who may have witnessed the in-cident to contact them at 250-836-2878.

By Barb BrouwerEagle Valley News

By Lachlan LabereEagle Valley News

See First Nations on page 2

tirement of Sophie Pierre.Abbott had accepted

the request and began preparing for the job which was to have begun April 1 by putting his

He had First Nations and federal support and believed BC Cabinet ap-proval was forthcoming, albeit in a much slower

But last Wednesday and already in transition talks with the commis-sion, Abbott received a call from Rustad inform-ing him he had been un-

Now I think it probably was about me; that would be my best guess.

No one has said that, but I have to assume it.

George Abbott

B.C. government: Former MLA suspects decision may have been personal.

Crossing: The site of Saturday night’s collision at the Sommerville-Husted Road rail crossing was cleared and open to train traffic by Sunday. Photo by Victoria Rowbottom

Page 2: Eagle Valley News, March 25, 2015

A2 www.eaglevalleynews.com Wednesday, March 25, 2015 Eagle Valley News

CALENDAROF EVENTS

This is a FREE listing of community events for not-for-profit organizations and paid advertisers.

Ph: 832-2131 Fax: 832-5140Email: [email protected]

DEADLINE: 2pm, Fridays

Mar. 27 & 28 11:00 am to 2:00 pm complimentary Coffee and Cookies at Sicamous United Church Thrift Shop during $2.00 bag sale. $2 Bag Sale Sicamous Thrift Shop 10 am - 3 pm clothing & shoes. Closed Good Friday April 3.Mar. 29 10:00 am “A Holy Week Broadcast” play at Sicamous United Church Apr. 3 Candle-light Good Friday service at Sicamous United Church Apr. 4 Easter Egg Hunt at Finlayson Park. Ages 1-4 10 am - 10:30 ~ Ages 5-8 11 am - 11:30 ~ Ages 9-12 12 pm - 12:30. Bring your own basket. Donations for the food bank will be accepted for a chance to be entered to win a gift basket. Join us for crafts, gifts, ice cream and cookies.April 5 10:00 AM Easter service with the Black & Bluez Band at Sicamous United Church 790 9th Ave. N.E.Monday to Friday Community Access Site at the Senior’s Activity Centre - 1091 Shuswap Avenue. Internet & related services. Call Diana. 836-2446Every Tues. Stopping the Violence Program in Sicamous - counselling for women who have experienced abuse during childhood or adult relationships. No charge. Call Kathy at 250-832-9700.Every Tues. & Thurs. - Seniors Meals provided, 12 noon in Common Room at the Haven.

Every 1st & 3rd Wed. - Parkinsons Support Group Contact Don at 250-838-0794.Every Wed. Girl Guides of Canada. Sparks - 3:00 pm. Brownies - 4:00 pm. Girl Guides - 5:30 pm. New members welcomeEvery Wed. Lunch by a donation at the Seniors Activity Centre, 1091-Shuswap Avenue at 12 noon.Every Wed. - Crib, 7:30 p.m., Haven seniors building. Everyone welcome - you don’t have to be a senior. Socializing and coffee served after crib. Info: Esther 836-4373.Every Wed. - T.O.P.S. (Take off Pounds Sensibly) meets Wednesday morning at the Sicamous Rec. Centre (arena). Weigh in at 9:00 am and meeting at 9:30. Everyone Welcome. Ph: 250-836-4041 for info.Every Wed.-Sat. United Church Thrift Store 10:00 am to 3 p.m.1st & 3rd Wednesday - Eagle Valley Photographic Arts Club meets at the Red Barn at 7 pm. Everyone Welcome.Every Thurs. - Sicamous Crokinole Group meets at 7pm at the Sicamous & District Recreation Centre - upstairs for more info and to join call Dave Reed @ 250-836-3652Every Thurs.- Ladies shuffleboard at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch #99 in Sicamous. 1pm-3pm. All ladies welcome.

Every Thurs.- Malakwa Thrift Store between the 2 churches Open every Thursday 10-5.Every 2nd Thurs. - Sicamous Lions Club meeting at the Seniors Activity Centre, 1091 Shuswap Avenue. Doors open at 6:15 and meeting starts at 6:30. Anyone interested in being a volunteer for the community, please feel free to call Mary at 250-517-8107, Joan at 250-836-4876 or Pam at 250-836-4788.Every 1st, 3rd, 4th Thurs. - Keepsake Kwilters meet at the Haven Common room 1095 Shuswap Avenue at 7:00 p.m. For info call 250-836-2695.Every 4th Thursday monthly meeting of the Malakwa Community Association at 7:00 in the Learning Centre Library.Every Fri. - Parents & Tots, 10-12 noon at the Eagle Valley Resource Centre. 836-3440.Every Fri. - Eagle Valley Brush & Palette Club meets at the Red Barn, 10am-3pm, Everyone welcome! For info call Carol 250-836-3135 or Amy 250-836-4756. www.eaglevalleybrushandpalette.com Every Fri. - Pool Tournament at the Legion at 6:00 pmEvery 1st Fri. of the month –Sicamous Seniors Ctre general meeting 11:00am followed by a great pot luck lunch. We encourage every to join us.

Every 2nd 3rd and 4th Fri. Wii Tournament at 10 am at the Sicamous Seniors Activity Centre - 1091 Shuswap Avenue. Everyone Welcome.Every 2nd 3rd and 4th Fri. Lunch at noon. Everyone Welcome. At the Sicamous Seniors Activity Centre - 1091 Shuswap Avenue.Last Sat. of the Month - Ladies’ Auxiliary Dinner at the Royal Canadian Legion at 6 pm. Tickets sold until the Friday before at the Legion. No tickets at the door.Sundays - KARMA YOGA (Gentle Hatha) Sundays 5:15-6:15 pm @ I Am Yoga. Minimum $5 donation supports community cause of the month. No experience required. Drop-ins welcome!Open Meditation Circle by donation Sundays 4-5 pm @ I Am Yoga. Familiarize yourself with mindfulness techniques. No experience required. Drop-ins welcome!Every 4th Sun.- Royal Canadian Legion Br. #99 general meeting, 1 p.m.Every 4th Sun. - Birthday Tea (formerly the OAPO) for members and friends at Seniors Activity Ctre 1:30 pm. Everyone is WelcomeEvery Sat. - Morning Sicamous Royal Canadian Legion Branch 99 tailgate market – Everyone welcome – sell anything – for details call Murray @250-836-2224.

Sunshine Awards are FREE of charge. 20 words per award, due to limited space. Please do not submit more than two awards per week. Recognize your friend, neighbour or loved one with a sunshine award for doing that extra special good deed! Email to [email protected], fax to 250.832.5140 or phone in to 250.832.2131.

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delay was not about him personally.

“Now I think it prob-ably was about me; that would be my best guess,” he says. “No one has said that, but I have to assume it.”

With a passion for First Nations issues and expertise garnered in his provincial tenure and doctoral level stud-ies, Abbott says the ap-pointment would have been more than a job.

“Once one under-stands the aboriginal history in Canada, it is difficult not to agree  governments and soci-ety have some respon-sibility for remediating the impact of  historical destructive policies,” he says, noting his great

grandparents acquired land on the Prairies through the process of preemption, while First Nations got reserva-tions and were excluded from politics and law until 1960. “I, at least, recognize I have to do whatever I can, when-ever I can, to  remediate those destructive poli-cies.”

Abbott has received a wave of support – in-cluding the province’s NDP Party, who called for his immediate rein-statement.

“I have heard from number of aboriginal leaders, who are quite disappointed and, in some cases, quite dis-tressed,” said Abbott.

Shock and support have also been offered in the Shuswap.

Cindy Derkaz, North Okanagan-Shuswap federal Liberal candi-date, says she was dis-appointed.

“Six months ago we heard he had been ap-proached and I thought he would be absolutely excellent,” she says, lauding Abbott’s expe-rience, knowledge and reputation. “George is held in high regard and did a lot of good stuff… I think it’s a loss for the treaty process.”

Roxena  Goodine, Abbott’s constituency assistant from 2001 un-til 2013 when he retired from government has also fielded angry com-ments.

“George had the portfolio of Aboriginal Affairs for a period of time and the natives all

respected him, includ-ing the local ones,” she says. “He got along with them really well, he un-derstood the portfolio, understands what’s go-ing on, and would have been the best person for it.”

Grateful for the out-pouring of support, Ab-bott says he is sad rather than angry and more concerned about how the treaty process will play out.

“This is not for me a personal loss; this for me is a great disappoint-ment,” he said. “This is something I very much wanted to do, on a file I feel very passionate about and one I won’t be assisting in moving forward.”

Abbott has left the door open by saying if

the province reconsid-ers, he would accept the post.

“In many instances I might be disappointed enough to say ‘no, I’m moving on,’ but in this case, I feel a responsi-bility for taking these files forward,’ he says, calling the treaty pro-cess a historical mis-sion. “And I still want to do it. If I am invited three months from now or three years from now, I would take it on.”

The province mean-while has said noth-ing other than to issue a press release Friday, saying the government “will work with the principals to appoint a chief commissioner and ensure that the work of the BC Treaty Commis-sion goes on.”

Continued from front

First Nations leaders express disappointment

Council ups budget for Finlayson Park

Finlayson Park will be receiving some ad-ditional TLC with council having ap-proved adding $10,000 to its maintenance bud-get.

Council’s decision to increase the park’s 2015 maintenance bud-get to $20,000 followed a meeting between Couns. Gord Bushell and Jeff Mallmes and Jake Dewitt, who has booked three softball tournaments for the summer, including the

Sicamous Ladies Open and the Okanagan Val-ley Championships.

With everything we’ve got going on, the Finlayson Park ball tournaments go-ing on… it’s a very im-portant facility that we have – I’m really con-cerned about getting it up to speed,” comment-ed Mayor Terry Rysz.

District staff’s recommendation to council was that the maintenance budget be left status quo, or that $10,000 be added from surplus. Chief financial officer Kelly Bennett

said taking the money from surplus could have an impact on the proposed 1.85 per cent tax increase for 2015.

“I would probably recommend just taking it from surplus rather than from an operation-al reserve,” said Ben-nett. “We don’t have to increase taxes as a result. I will just budget $10,000 less to go into reserves for the 2015 year from our general fund.”

Beach ParkThe district is in the

process of applying for

tenure for the swim-ming area at Beach Park.

At its last meet-ing, council received a recommendation from staff to acquire a licence for the park and swim area for a 30-year-term.

“We don’t currently have a tenure, that’s all this is requiring is tenure to make that swimming area legal,” clarified Coun. Jeff Mallmes.

A memo from staff notes, “As part of our application for a li-cence for a community

park and swimming-ar-ea upgrade at the Beach Park, the District of Si-camous has applied for a tenure over Crown land,” adding there is currently no tenure reg-istered with the prov-ince.

A diagram of the proposed tenure area from the province was questioned by council, as the proposed tenure boundary goes well past the retaining wall and into the park area. Because of this, coun-cil chose to table the recommendation and get clarification.

By Lachlan LabereEagle Valley News

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Page 3: Eagle Valley News, March 25, 2015

Eagle Valley News Wednesday, March 25, 2015 www.eaglevalleynews.com A3

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PLEASE STOP SPEEDING BEFORE SPEEDING

STOPS YOU!!

Tractor-trailer trans-port traffic tied up a good portion of ques-tion period following a presentation on the province’s budget by Shuswap MLA Greg Kyllo.

On Thursday, Kyllo provided an overview of the B.C. govern-ment’s budget for 2015 to a room of about 30 people at Salmon Arm’s Podollan Inn.

The B.C. Ministry of Finance recently presented its third con-secutive balanced bud-get – not a small feat, said Kyllo, what with the economic downturn from 2009 onward. In doing so, he added, the province has maintained its AAA credit rating.

“It’s one of those things that nobody re-ally cares about until you don’t have one,” said Kyllo. “The triple A credit rating, what it does is it provides the opportunity for govern-ment to borrow money at a reduced interest rate.”

Regarding the eco-nomic outlook for B.C., Kyllo said the province experienced steady growth in 2014, and it is believed this trend will continue.

“We’re not forecast-ing a huge increase or a huge boom for the econ-omy, but basically, stay-ing fairly close to where our current trend lines are,” said Kyllo, noting the province is targeting an $879 million surplus, which will be used to pay down the province’s $10.2 billion operating debt to $4.8 billion by 2017/18. (Total provin-cial debt is forecasted

to reach $65.9 billion in 2015/16 and $70.4 bil-lion by 2017/18.)

Kyllo championed the importance of diver-sification, both in terms of economic drivers and trading partners. He also touted B.C. as hav-ing the lowest personal income taxes in the country, as well as the B.C. government being “mid-pack” in terms of minimum wage.

“We don’t want to have the highest mini-mum wage in the coun-try, and we certainly don’t want to have the lowest,” said Kyllo. “The increase in Sep-tember will put us about middle of the pack, $10.45 an hour, as well, we’re putting a pro-cess in place to tie it to the CPI, the Consumer Price Index.”

Following his pre-sentation, Kyllo invited questions. Asked for an update on the liquid natural gas industry, he said 19 different pro-ponents have come for-ward, with three that are “really serious” – Petro-nas being the largest.

The next question, asked by Community Futures Shuswap man-

ager Rob Marshall, was a multi-pronged inquiry regarding areas of concern along Trans-Canada Highway (the Kamloops to Alberta corridor specifically), as well as transportation truck traffic, regulation and inspection.

Kyllo said a signifi-cant amount of work has been done to ex-pedite the four-laning of the highway along this corridor, with other projects currently un-derway, including the replacement of the Mal-akwa and North Fork bridges. And while a construction date hasn’t yet been announced for the Salmon River Bridge replacement in Salmon Arm, Kyllo said it’s expected to get un-derway in 2016.

Regarding the fre-quency of major traf-fic incidents involving transport-trailers, Kyllo said new technologies are being looked at in-cluding drones, as is establishment of a high-

way accident investiga-tion office in Golden.

As for the trucking industry, Kyllo said a $160 ticket, for driver who fails to take the necessary precautions, spins out and blocks the highway for four hours, isn’t commensu-rate with impact it’s had on people’s lives or the economy.

Discussion then led to the construction of a connector route that would allow industrial traffic to bypass the Shuswap – something that seemed to have the support of many in the room. Kyllo said there’s no discussion underway on this at the provincial level that he’s aware of. He also cautioned how such a bypass could cripple the local manu-facturing sector.

Budget challenges facing School District #83 were also brought to the floor. Kyllo turned to his hometown of Si-camous to illustrate the difficult choices ahead.

“If we look at Si-camous for example, Parkview Elementary, at peak I think it had 350 students. It’s about 130 right now,” said Kyllo. “I graduated from Eagle River back in ’86… and there was 56 in my grad class. This year there were 19 graduates. And this year there’s only 12 kids moving from Grade 7 to Grade 8…

“There could poten-tially be some closures. Can we cost-effectively operate a school with 46 students? It’s a tough choice. I’m glad that I’m the one who doesn’t have to make that choice. But I think if they can be creative and… I guess, a bit more respectful of the challenges that we’re in, than I know they’ll land in a good spot.”

Budget on track, highway a concern By Lachlan LabereEagle Valley News

Positive forecast: Delivering an overview of the B.C. budget for 2015 during a presentation in Salmon Arm, Shuswap MLA Greg Kyllo said the economy is expected to continue to improve. Photo by Lachlan Labere

Page 4: Eagle Valley News, March 25, 2015

A4 www.eaglevalleynews.com Wednesday, March 25, 2015 Eagle Valley News

VICTORIA – The B.C. government has made its most significant moves in decades to address the needs of some of the prov-ince’s poorest people.

The largest financial commitment is for a new program to help single par-ents escape from the wel-fare trap. There are 16,000 single parents in B.C. re-ceiving provincial income assistance or disability pay-ments, most of them wom-en.

Even if they could find an entry-level job, it wouldn’t pay enough to cover the child care they would need to go to work. Worst of all, the current system requires that if they enrol in train-ing, they lose their income assistance, including dental and extended medical care for themselves and their children.

That is the welfare trap, one of the most perverse government policies to have

survived into our supposed-ly enlightened modern era.

The new program takes effect in September. It will not only continue income assistance payments when single parents enrol in skills training, it promises to cover their child care and transportation costs for an approved training program of up to one year.

Medical and child care costs will then be covered for up to a year after train-ing, to allow a transition to employment.

Approved training means training for jobs that are identified as in demand, requiring high school and occupation-specific train-ing that can be completed in a year or less. They in-clude retail sales, general office  work  and assistance jobs in health services.

Another overdue policy change is to double the al-lowable earnings for all in-come assistance recipients from $200 to $400 a month. This gives people a chance to improve their circum-

stances by taking whatever part-time or casual work they can manage, without having that little income cut from their already meagre welfare cheques.

And then there was the recent decision to end the claw-back of parental child support payments from in-come assistance payments.

The province has for many years run a costly child maintenance enforce-ment program to track down (mostly) deadbeat dads and force them to pay at least a token amount to support their children. Now when they pay child support to a single parent on income as-sistance, they will at least have the satisfaction of knowing the children actu-ally receive the extra ben-efit.

These harsh, historic policies were built around a philosophy that welfare is a temporary last resort, to be withdrawn as soon as some other source of income is identified. That is a valid if unfashionable position to

take on behalf of working taxpayers who pay for all this, but it only makes sense if the income assistance re-cipient has a realistic option.

For those who are al-ready in the entry-level job market, the minimum wage goes up 20 cents an hour in September, from $10.25 to $10.45. This is the begin-ning of an annual review that will tie the wage to the consumer price index.

• I have been contacted by several low-income se-niors who read my recent column on B.C.’s Seniors’ Advocate. They were ask-ing where to find out if they are eligible for support pro-grams such as the SAFER rent subsidy, assistance for Medical Services Plan pre-miums, property tax defer-ment and grants to help with home modifications for dis-abilities.

I apologize for this over-sight. One place to start is the Seniors’ Advocate toll-free information line, 1-877-952-3181, weekdays  8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

2009 WINNER

171 Shuswap Street, P.O. Box 550 Salmon Arm, BC V1E 4N7 SUBSCRIPTIONS: $44.50/Year; Seniors $39/YearPhone: (250) 832-2131 Fax: (250) 832-5140Email: classi� [email protected]: www.eaglevalleynews.com

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Published every Wednesday covering Sicamous, Malakwa, Mara, Seymour Arm and serving Anstey Arm, Cambie, Cinnemousin Narrows, Craigellachie and Solsqua.All material contained in this publication is protected by copyright. Reproduction is expressly prohibited by the rights holder. We do not guarantee placement on specifi c pages.We acknowledge the fi nancial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Periodical Fund (CPF) for our publishing activities.

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BC PRESS COUNCIL-This Eagle Valley News is a member of the British Columbia Press Council, a self regulatory body governing the province’s newspaper industry. The council considers complaints from the public about the conduct of member newspapers. Directors oversee the mediation of complaints, with input from both the newspaper and the complaint holder. If talking with the editor or publisher does not resolve your complaint about coverage or story treatment, you may contact the B.C. Press Council.Your written concern, with documentation, should be sent within 45 days to B.C. Press Council, 201 Selby St., Nanaimo, B.C. V9R 2R2.For information, phone 888-687-2213 or go to www.bcpresscouncil.org

EAGLE VALLEY

NEWSNEWS

Wrong approach to student debt

OPINION

Last month, the province made it clear that student debt is a problem they are not giving up on.

The provincial Liberals introduced a new government policy, using one of the few tools available to track down people who aren’t paying off their student loans, by link-ing defaulted debt to driver’s licence renew-als.

With about $185 million currently on the books as defaulted and unpaid, there is no doubt that student debt is a problem for the province. But it is a problem for the students as well.

There isn’t a student heading into college or university who doesn’t expect to find a well-paying job waiting for them. In many cases, that is exactly what happens, and their student loans are paid back easily.

For others though, it is not so easy. After four years of university, the job market may have changed and the expected job is no lon-ger there, or entry-level wages are so low it becomes a choice between rent and making student loan payments.

And once the six-month grace period for beginning to repay student loans expires, finding those who aren’t paying can be a costly effort, hence the move to deny driver’s licence renewals to anyone in arrears.

The province has long used the withhold-ing of driving privileges to collect unpaid provincial court fines and traffic tickets, so it is no great leap to see how the same methods could be used in this instance.

The bump in this road of political logic and good intentions, though, is that driving is often necessary to making a living. Denying a driver’s licence isn’t likely to increase any-one’s ability to pay back an outstanding loan.

A better approach would be to find a way to work with defaulters in order to help them meet their obligations, rather than penalizing the disadvantaged further.

–Black Press

Province making progress on povertyBy Tom FletcherNews Columnist

Page 5: Eagle Valley News, March 25, 2015

Eagle Valley News Wednesday, March 25, 2015 www.eaglevalleynews.com A5

Columbia Shuswap Regional District

Visit our website at www.csrd.bc.ca 781 Marine Park Dr. NE Salmon Arm • PO Box 978 V1E 4P1 • 250-832-8194 Toll Free 1-888-248-2773

FREE residential metal & organic waste

DISPOSAL EVENTApril 4 - May 18at CSRD Land� lls and Transfer StationsDuring regular hours of operation(Except Seymour Arm Events May 16 - 18)

ORGANIC WASTEGrass Clippings • Leaves • Prunings • Brush & Weeds• Tree limbs up to 8” in diameter

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NO wood attached. NO auto parts. NO auto bodies. NO commercial wastes, NO � uids such as oil and gas and NO Prohibited wastes.

All other refuse delivered to the refuse disposal site on these days will be assessed the applicable refuse disposal fee. All commercial loads are subject to disposal fees.

*Fridges, freezers, water coolers, air conditioners, etc. that contain FREON will be subject to a $15/unit Freon removal fee

KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATIONWednesday, April 1, 2015

North Okanagan Shuswap School District No. 83

Is your youngster turning five this year? If so, North Okanagan-Shuswap School District 83 welcomes you to register your child for Kindergarten!

A parent or immediate relative must register the child.

“A person who is a resident in British Columbia shall enroll in an education program provided by a board on the first school day of a school year. If, on or before December 31 of that school year, the person will have attained the age of 5 years. A parent of a child may defer the enrollment of his or her child until the first day of September of the next school year.” (The School Act of British Columbia)

Please bring your child’s birth certificate and register at your neighborhood school from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Early & Late French Immersion There are also still some spots open in Early and Late French Immersion. For details about this program, or to register, please contact Bastion Elementary or Shuswap Middle School or call 250 832 2157

Please note: it is extremely important for planning purposes to register your child by the above date. If you cannot make this date please come to the school any day before this or contact your neighbourhood school. If you do not know which school your child should attend please contact the School District Operations Department 250 832 9415

Eaglevalleynews.comMore of what you want Eagle Valley News 250-832-2131MAIL BAG

This letter is in re-gard to the request from Lot 46 to raise the Beach Parks footbridge three metres or remove it. Oh!

To remove the foot-bridge leaves no public access to the beach on the north side of the lagoon to the chan-

nel. This is just to give large boat access to the lagoon so that a few residents can get access to their docks at high water.

I find this suggestion rather insulting to the residents of Sicamous.

Raising the bridge deck by three metres

will be unsightly for most of the year. The incline would have to be very steep.

It would take up a lot of land to make the new bridge wheelchair friendly. I believe the ramp would need to have a one-inch rise per a foot.

Nowhere in the ar-ticle does it suggest the residents of Lot 46 will pay the cost of raising or removing the bridge and landscaping the area if that should come about.

Why has the bridge over the channel, to their lagoon, become a

problem now?Should the request

that accommodates a very few residents of Sicamous be even con-sidered?

Personally I don’t think so.

Doreen Wilson

No appetite to raise or remove bridge

Currently, and for the last 12 years that I have lived in Sicamous, we have had the best garbage collection sys-tem within the Colum-bia Shuswap Regional District.

Mayor Malcolm MacLeod, during his tenure, tried three times to force Sicamous to buy into the CSRD’s program for Salmon Arm, Revelstoke and Golden, to no avail.

Now, Sicamous has an all-new mayor and council, and Mr. (Dar-cy) Mooney and Mr. (Ben) Van Nostrand of the CSRD are back again, trying to force compulsory curbside garbage collection on us. 

In my opinion this is tantamount to bullying.

Back on Friday, Dec. 3, 2010 I did a

survey of Spruce and Maple Streets – 20 resi-dences out of a total of 68 houses used Aldon’s garbage service – a 30 per cent usage.

On Friday, March 6, 2015 I repeated the survey on 196 house-holds in my subdivi-sion – 23 households had garbage cans out to be collected by the multi-national waste management company now supplying the ser-vice. 

I suspect the increas-es in cost to $53.50 ev-ery three months for two cans per week may be the cause of usage having fallen to 12 per cent.

Now, if you do not wish to have a service fee for curbside gar-bage collection added to your yearly property tax bill, let the mayor

and council know.  The CSRD is de-

pending on apathy to push through their agenda.

Remember, if you do not vote no, it means you are voting yes.

Let the mayor and council know your wish.  After all, they hold office to represent the wishes of the citi-zens who elected them.

Mike Sykes

Editor’s note: Si-camous council is cur-rently investigating a curbside collection program, including re-cyclables, for the dis-trict. The CSRD is not mandated to make such programs compulsory for its electoral areas or member municipali-ties.

Curbside debate returns

Good For You...

EAGLE VALLEY

NEWSPh: 250.832.2131 • Fax: 250.832.5140

Email: [email protected]

Page 6: Eagle Valley News, March 25, 2015

A6 www.eaglevalleynews.com Wednesday, March 25, 2015 Eagle Valley News

WORSHIPUnited Church

of CanadaRev. Juanita AustinSunday at 10:00 am

705 TCH Frontage, Sicamous

250-836-4390

If your church would like to advertise their services and location, or special events happening at your church, please

call � e Eagle Valley News at 250-517-0034 for advertising here. or email [email protected]

WORSHIPWORSHIPIn Sicamou s

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Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree. – Dr. Mar-tin Luther King, Jr.

Every day can be Earth Day and if ‘shift’ needs to happen, then we can all help make it happen.

We enjoy a wonder-ful lifestyle here and no one says you have to be perfect in an imperfect world. It’s just impor-tant to start putting our best grassroots, ‘green’ foot forward and let it grow and flourish from there. So here are some suggestions for us to chew on or act on for a cleaner and greener Shuswap and beyond.

Switch your garden plants to native spe-cies that better suit our

climate and require less (if any) watering; rearrange your exist-ing garden beds if need be to group plants that have the same water-ing, exposure and soil needs to reduce water-ing and prevent dis-eases; water your lawn and gardens at the most opportune times and amounts; plant more food and herb pots for the sun deck and patio; less lawn, more gar-dens; get involved or initiate a community or school garden; support sustainable agriculture groups and farms; com-mit to buying at least one more organic item in the grocery store; support the farmers’ markets and farm-gate sales; maximize your garden space and grow more vertically; support Seedy Saturdays and buy only organic seeds; plant wayside gardens where appropriate and participate in farm and garden tours to see how others are making posi-tive changes.

At work or at school campuses, see if you can initiate food or ma-terial waste reduction, energy conservation, pollution prevention by

using greener cleaning products, water con-servation, recycling and social justice pro-grams; attend green home shows, seminars and workshops to glean ideas; bug all levels of political bodies to make healthy and sustainable changes for our envi-ronment and communi-ties and create a holistic home and use clean-ers and personal care products that are earth friendly.

Join local food ac-tion, water, fish and wildlife protection and naturalist organizations; volunteer to plant trees or restore damaged lands; grow edibles for the food banks, Second Harvest and school pro-grams; get your kids or grand kids interested in gardening and fresh food; host healthy pot lucks to cultivate com-munity and share your harvest and ideas; com-post to have an excel-lent supply of nutrients and microbes for your plants and use a healthy mulch cover to feed your soil food web and reduce watering needs; refuse to use toxic prod-ucts and poisons in your landscape and encour-

age suppliers to carry more organic products (remember that every purchase you make is supporting a market share of something that the number crunchers are keeping a close eye on for consumer trends); if you have something to share, then speak to groups and network; start a healthy home-based business; become an urban farmer.

Take pride in your neighbourhood and community and pick up litter and keep your yard looking tidy and junk-free; recycle, repair, restore and re-gift your stuff so it doesn’t end up in the dump; utilize the great gifts nature gives us, such as rain water, leaves and fresh grass; educate yourself and be inspired by peo-ple all over the world who are making huge strides towards a green-er future (see TED-talks); vote where your values are or get politi-cally involved yourself; support ‘green’ travel both abroad and locally, such as the Shuswap Trail Alliance; change your driving habits and walk, cycle or car pool more; grow flowers for

all seasons for our pol-linators; build, buy and gift mason bee, bat and bird houses and cre-ate habitat in your yard such as snake hideouts and ponds for nature’s critters; get into honey-bees; check in on your animal husbandry prac-tices; support business-es and farms that care about how animals are raised and slaughtered; change your eating and purchasing habits to support local farms and businesses; put your money where your conscience is and invest in environmentally and socially responsible companies.

Remember what Margaret Mead said: “Never doubt that a small group of thought-ful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” Let’s be that change we want to see for our fu-ture and work from the ground up, rather than waiting for it to come from the top down.

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Eaglevalleynews.comMore of what you want Eagle Valley News 250-832-2131

Page 7: Eagle Valley News, March 25, 2015

Eagle Valley News Wednesday, March 25, 2015 www.eaglevalleynews.com A7

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With blazes in Fin-try, Falkland, Silver Creek, Kelowna and West Kelowna burned into the collective memory of local resi-dents, communities are being urged to take ac-tion against wildfires.

On Thursday, the provincial government announced an addi-tional $5 million for the strategic wildfire prevention initiative.

“The top priority

is safeguarding Brit-ish Columbians,” said Forests Minister Steve Thomson during a press conference at the Vernon Fire Zone of-fice.

The new funding will focus on prescrip-tion and fuel treatment projects in communi-ties facing higher-than-average wildfire risks. 

“There’s a huge need,” said Catherine Lord, Vernon council-lor, of wildlands adja-cent to residential sub-divisions.

The City of Ver-non is already receiv-ing assistance through the previous program mandate, but fire chief Keith Green admits there are challenges when it comes to re-ducing fuel load such as trees and grass.

“We’re dealing with private landowners who we hope will use Fire Smart principles,” he said.

In the past, the Dis-trict of Lake Country has done widespread fuel modification near

the Lakes subdivision.Victoria introduced

the strategic wildfire prevention initiative in 2004. Since then, the program provided $62 million to help munici-palities, regional dis-tricts and First Nations reduce wildfire risks.

As of Dec. 31, 2014, 279 wildfire protec-tion plans have been completed by local governments and First Nations across the province. Another 33 are still moving ahead.

Besides removing

fuel, the funding allows jurisdictions to proceed with planning.

“Communities can look at zoning and ac-cess for emergency vehicles,” said Rhona Martin, with the Union of B.C. Municipalities and a Columbia-Shus-wap Regional District director.

Another player in the program is the First Nations Emergency Services Society.

“Our society’s pro-grams focus on fire pre-vention and forest fuel

management, includ-ing Fire Smart proj-ects,” said president Ed Mountain. 

“Prevention is key to reducing wildfire risks and enhancing safety in the wildland-urban interface.”

Current weather conditions have some wondering if wildfires will be a significant is-sue this year.

“This winter was drier than normal and the possibility of fire could be high this sum-mer,” said Lord.

Thomson is unwill-ing to predict what the upcoming wildfire sea-son could bring.

“We’re ready but so much of it is weather dependant,” he said, adding that the $5 mil-lion funding announce-ment is a critical step towards being pre-pared.

“We all recognize the risk communities face. We need to do what we can to help communities reduce the interface risk.”

By Richard RolkeBlack Press

Province commits additional funds for wildfire prevention

Able rider: Jason Cook fo-cuses on making the jump with his new bike, with brother Johnny Cook on his tail revving up for some air time of his own. The two, from Mission B.C., were in Sicamous visiting with fam-ily during spring break.Photo by Lachlan Labere

Page 8: Eagle Valley News, March 25, 2015

A8 www.eaglevalleynews.com Wednesday, March 25, 2015 Eagle Valley News

S

PECTACULARPEECCTTTAATATTAT C LLAA

Sicamous

Sicamous of� ce: 250-832-2131171 Shuswap St. Salmon Armclassi� [email protected]

Be a part of this popular Tourism guide highlighting our area!

EAGLE VALLEY

NEWSSubmit Photos for this tourism guide to classi� [email protected]

Call Terry to book your space!Tel: 250-836-4613 • Fax: 250-832-5140

[email protected]

Deadline to book an ad is APRIL 3

Cynthia Zoller ap-pears to have an in with the Easter Bunny.

The Sicamous resi-dent has once again arranged for the busy bunny to give the com-munity extra attention for the upcoming sec-ond annual Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday, April 4.

Zoller organized the first event last year, and was quick to gain the support of local spon-sors including D Dutch-men Dairy, where the event was held.

This year’s event will be held at Finlay-son Park. Zoller said the decision to move it was largely to do with safety, noting last year’s hunt attracted about 200 people. But she says D Dutchmen is still on board, pro-viding ice cream. There will also be crafts,

cookies and gift bas-kets to be won (but only by those who bring a donation for the local food bank).

A mother of two, Zoller says her older son took part in and enjoyed a similar event in another community, and that inspired her to get the same thing up and running for kids and families to enjoy in Sicamous.

“I like to do it. I like doing events. It’s kind of like a dream job for me,” said Zoller.

Volunteers are al-ways welcome, and Zoller is also hoping more chocolate eggs might be donated for the event.

This year, the hunt is broken up by age groups. Ages 1-4 head out between 10 and 10:30 a.m., ages 5-8 between 11 and 11:30, and ages 9-12 between noon and 12:30. Kids are asked to bring their

own Easter baskets. For more informa-

tion, call Zoller at 250-307-1342.

Easter egg hunt at FinlaysonBy Lachlan LabereEagle Valley News

Furry friend: The Easter Bunny will be back in Sicamous for the second annual Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday, April 4 at Finlayson Park. File photo

Don’t make that vis-iting bear feel at home.

This message comes from the BC Conserva-tion Officer Service.

Responding to word that black bears have been seen rambling around populated areas of Salmon Arm, con-servation officer Tanner Beck out of the Vernon office provided sugges-tions.

The first, which many people have heard, is not to leave food outside. He notes the conservation office has recently received reports of bears in local areas where people had left garbage outside.

“Hopefully people realize the bears are up now and they can’t have anything food-related outside,” Beck says. “We don’t want to kill any bears, but we

especially don’t want to kill any bears because of people’s mistakes.”

Beck said, with the warm weather, bears have woken up and are out and about.

Postings on the In-ternet of recent bear sitings around Salmon Arm have included the Village at 10th and 10th south of the Mall at Piccadilly, Foothill

Road, and the west end of town as far out as Ben’s Towing.

Another important piece of information, he says, is not to make the bears feel at ease.

“Safely haze them with bear bangers or air horns or even yell-ing at them – it will stress them out. We don’t want them to be comfortable with us,”

he says. “Most people think, I’ll be real quiet and get a nice video or picture. Bears learn from that. ‘My last ex-perience with a human, it was quiet, it was calm.’”

But the biggest thing, he reiterates, is to lock up all food-related items.

“We say it multiple times every year but some people appear to not be listening to the message.”

Beck adds that un-der the Wildlife Act, people can be charged if they leave anything out that attracts dan-gerous wildlife to the neighbourhood.

Consequences can range from court-order penalties to violation tickets of $230.

If you are concerned about a bear, you may report it at 1-877-952-7277, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Bears out of hibernation, in cityBy Martha WickettEagle Valley News

Unwanted diner: A black bear rum-mages through someone’s trash searching for food. File photo

Eaglevalleynews.com

EAGLE VALLEY

NEWS

Sports Action!Sports Action!Sports Action!Sports Action!Sports Action!Sports Action!

EAGLE VALLEY

[email protected]

250-832-5140

Fax or email your sporting event scoresheet and results to:

Letters WelcomeEagle Valley News welcomes letters but reserves the right to edit for

brevity, clarity and legality. Letters must be signed and include writer’s address or phone number for veri� cation purposes only. No thank yous to speci� c businesses please. Letters can be emailed to [email protected] or faxed to 250.832.5140

Page 9: Eagle Valley News, March 25, 2015

Eagle Valley News Wednesday, March 25, 2015 www.eaglevalleynews.com A9

Coffee Break

CLUES ACROSS 1. Cycles/second 4. Fit for cultivation 10. Saami 12. Perceived scent 13. Liberal rights organization 14. Female flying fighters 15. Durham school 16. Ancient Scand. poet 18. Charitable performances 20. Siddhartha author Hermann 21. Letter destination 22. P.S. Buck’s Pulitzer 25. Feel regret 26. Initials of e = MC2 author 27. From a distance 29. Cronies 31. Forty 32. Printing speed measurement 33. Nutty spread 40. White seedless grape 41. Hillsides 43. Inflammation of a bursa 44. Artery 45. Nail polish brand 46. A routine that is hard to escape 47. Indigo plant 48. Owners 50. Animal fluids 51. Mustelid in its white winter coat 52. Communist

CLUES DOWN 1. Come into conflict

2. A collection of things wrapped together 3. Bath spatter 4. Gunsmoke actress Blake 5. Direct to a source 6. Cartoonist Capp 7. Somewhat blue 8. 40 weekday periods 9. El Dorado High School (abbr.) 11. Heartbeat 12. Brit. rutabaga 17. Angle (abbr.) 18. Said as a greeting or wish 19. Festivals 23. Rita ___, singer 24. Belonging to us 27. Skating jumps 28. Building at 175 5th Ave. 29. Parts per billion (abbr.) 30. Atomic mass unit 32. Old Spanish currency (abbr.) 33. Insistence on traditional correctness 34. PBS wildlife show 35. Measuring blocks 36. Don’t know when yet 37. Ancient city from which St. Paul first sailed 38. Breadwinner 39. Go to bed 40. Highest in degree or quality 42. Tossed, potato or waldorf 43. The trunk of a tree 49. Yes in Spanish

ARIES - Mar 21/Apr 20Aries, your hard work will finally come to fruition this week. You will feel like a huge burden has been lifted off of your shoulders, and you deserve to take some time off.

TAURUS - Apr 21/May 21Taurus, don’t allow frustration to get the better of you. A problem you can’t seem to solve may have you feeling hopeless, but perseverance will lead you to a solution.

GEMINI - May 22/Jun 21Others may need your help this week, Gemini. You are ready and willing to offer your services and advice when they are sought. A welcome reward is coming to you.

CANCER - Jun 22/Jul 22Cancer, your career may conflict with the demands of your relationship if you let them. Find a balance between the two so you can have your cake and eat it, too.

LEO - Jul 23/Aug 23Leo, some exciting changes lie ahead. Now is a great time to step out of your comfort zone, even if you are a little nervous to take the first steps.

VIRGO - Aug 24/Sept 22Virgo, this week brings a change in your life, and this change will lead to some great things down the road. Don’t be embarrassed to be excited about this new path.

LIBRA - Sept 23/Oct 23You may feel pushed and pulled in a number of directions, Libra. This makes it difficult to pursue your own personal goals as a result. Speak up if you need more time to yourself.

SCORPIO - Oct 24/Nov 22Scorpio, a relatively rebellious streak surfaces this week. Risk-taking is at the center of this new attitude, and you may find yourself doing a little damage control.

SAGITTARIUS - Nov 23/Dec 21Sagittarius, you may think that the grass is greener somewhere else, but that is not always the case. Seek ways to make your own grass greener.

CAPRICORN - Dec 22/Jan 20Experiences at home can affect your sense of security, Capricorn. Take the necessary steps to feel safer. Surround yourself with friends and family during this time.

AQUARIUS - Jan 21/Feb 18Avoid making any big decisions this week, Aquarius. You are preoccupied with something else and cannot devote enough attention to any one task at the moment.

PISCES - Feb 19/Mar 20Some extra money unexpectedly comes your way this week, Pisces. Work with a financial planner for some good ideas.

FAMOUS BIRTHDAYS

MARCH 25Brenda Strong, Actress (55)

MARCH 26Steven Tyler, Singer (67)

MARCH 27Pauley Perrette, Actress (46)

MARCH 28Lady Gaga, Singer (29)

Complete the grid so every row, column and 3x3 box contains every digit from 1 to 9 inclusively. (For solution see Today’s Answers in this paper).

Your Crossword

Your Horoscope

Your Suduko

See Todays Answers inside

Page 10: Eagle Valley News, March 25, 2015

A10 www.eaglevalleynews.com Wednesday, March 25, 2015 Eagle Valley News

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Caretakers/Residential Managers

Off-Site Caretaker/Cleaner

Required for Vacation Rental home nr. Sicamous on Hwy 97A. Duties: Cleaning and restocking btwn rentals, laundry, property inventory, monitor maintenance / repairs (No outside work). Approx. 5 hours per clean. Negotiable $30+/hr or per clean fl at rate. References required.

Please call (1) 403-934-1044or e-mail [email protected]

Drivers/Courier/Trucking

US capable Class 1 Drivers required immediately: We are an Okanagan based transport company looking for qualifi ed drivers for US loads we run primarily in the Pacifi c North-west, Utah, Arizona and Neva-da. We offer a new pay rate empty or loaded. All picks and drops paid. Assigned units company cell phones and fuel cards. Regular home time Direct deposit paid every second Friday with no hold backs. We offer a rider and pet policy. Company paid US travel Insurance. All applicants must have reliable transporta-tion and a positive attitude. Please fax resume & abstract to 250-546-0600 or by email to [email protected] NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE.

Obituaries

Employment

Education/Trade Schools

INTERIOR HEAVY EQUIP-MENT OPERATOR SCHOOL.

NO Simulators. In-the-seat training. Real world tasks.

Weekly start dates. Job board! Funding options.

SignUp online! iheschool.com 1-866-399-3853

Help WantedLOOKING for a qualifi ed Loader operator. Town job Sicamous area. Must have ex-perience with a clam and load-ing old and second growth tim-ber. Min. 3yrs exp. Please email [email protected]

LOOKING for experienced Log truck driver with experi-ence hauling long logs. Full-time employment with benefi ts Sicamous area. Only experi-enced drivers need apply min. 3yrs. Please email resume and driver abstract [email protected]

Trades, TechnicalCLIMBER/BUCKET Operator need-ed for residential tree service. Min. 2 years exp., must have valid BC DL, Certifi ed Arborist an asset. $30-$35 based on exp. 604-819-9447/ [email protected]

Services

Financial ServicesGET BACK ON TRACK! Bad credit? Bills? Unemployed? Need Money? We Lend! If you own your own home - you qualify. Pioneer Acceptance Corp. Member BBB.

1-877-987-1420 www.pioneerwest.com

Obituaries

Services

Financial ServicesTAX FREE MONEY

is available, if you are a homeowner, today! We can easily approve you by phone. 1st, 2nd or 3rd mort-gage money is available right now. Rates start at Prime. Equity counts. We don’t rely on credit, age or income.

Call Anytime1-800-639-2274 or

604-430-1498. Apply online www.capitaldirect.ca

Services

Home ImprovementsFULL SERVICE Plumbing from Parker Dean. Fast, re-liable, 24/7 service. Take $50 off your next job if you present this ad. Vancouver area. 1-800-573-2928.

Pets & Livestock

LivestockREGISTERED Polled Here-ford yearling bulls, top blood-lines. For more information go to our websitewww.kootenayph.com or call Ed 250-365-3270 or Murray 604-582-3499

Merchandise for Sale

Antiques / VintageBLUENOSE Coins & Pre-cious Metals buys and sells Canadian & US Coins and Banknotes, Gold and Silver Maple Leafs, Bars, Vintage Sports Card, Fine Watches (Rolex), Large quality Dia-monds, and much more!! We pay the most and sell at the best prices, shop and com-pare, family owned and life time member of the RCNA. Penticton 1-866-493-6515.

250.832.2131

fax 250.832.5140 email classifi [email protected]

Your community. Your classifi edsEAGLE VALLEY

NEWS

Office Hours: Mon.-Fri. • 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Address: 171 Shuswap StreetSALMON ARM, BC

Ph: (250) 832-2131

Fax: (250) 832-5140

Email: [email protected]

Web: www.eaglevalleynews.com

DEADLINE:Display Classified Thursday 4:00pm*

Word Classified Friday 12:00pm*

*Changes on holidays

Word Classifieds:• First 3 lines $15.24 + GST• Bold Face Ad 24¢ per word

Legal Notices:Display ad format only at $10.36 per column inch.

Box replies: $1.50 pick up fee$2.00 mail feePrices do not include GST. All ads must be prepaid.

Word advertisements should be read at the first issue of publication. Eagle Valley News is not responsible for any errors appearing beyond the first insertion.

AGREEMENT:It is agreed by any Display or Classified Advertiser requesting space that the liability of the paper in the event that errors occur in the publishing of any advertisement shall be limited to the amount paid by the advertiser for the portion of the advertising space occupied by the incorrect item only, and there will be no liability in any event beyond the amount paid for such an advertisement.

SUBSCRIPTION POLICY:Subscription Rates are: $44.50 per year $39.00 for seniors 60+

Subscriptions are not refund-able but may be transferred to a third party.

We do not guarantee ad placement on specific pages.

EAGLE VALLEY

NEWS

WHERE DO YOU TURN

YOUR NEWSPAPER:The link to your community

TO LEARNWHAT’S

ON SALE?

Page 11: Eagle Valley News, March 25, 2015

Eagle Valley News Wednesday, March 25, 2015 www.eaglevalleynews.com A11Merchandise for Sale

AuctionsAUCTION March 28th Custom log furniture making equipment, 1379 Green Ave, Trail, BCwww.westernstarauctions.com for pictures and updates 250-212-3418

Heavy Duty Machinery

A-CHEAP, LOWEST PRICES STEEL SHIPPING Dry Storage Containers Used 20’40’45’53’ and insulated con-tainers all sizes in stock. 40’ containers as low as $2,200. Also JD 544 & 644 wheel Loaders & 20,000 lb CAT fork-lift. Ph Toll free 24 hours 1-866-528-7108 1-778-298-3192 8am-5pm. Delivery BC and AB www.rtccontainer.com

Misc. for SaleFOUR PERSON hot tub. Good cond. $1200 obo. 250-833-6458 or 250-836-2813.

Misc. WantedPrivate Collector Looking toBuy Coin Collections, Silver,Antiques, Native Art, Estates +Chad: 778-281-0030 Local

PURCHASING scrap gold & old Canadian & American coin collections. 250-548-3670

Real Estate

Business for SaleCOIN-OP BUSINESS FOR SALE. Pool tables, juke boxes, digital music systems, & various games. All coin operated All on Locations Revenue producing Okanagan & Area. Serious Inquires only wa i t i ng t re t i r e@gma i l . com Asking $55,000.00

Mobile Homes & Parks

Bi-weekly payment from

$47000Land and Home

Ownership250-833-4728eaglehomes.ca/listings

Best pricing for New Homes

in Sicamous

Rentals

RV PadsLARGE Seasonal RV lot for rent at Shuswap Falls RV Re-sort Seasonal rate $2,700 from April 15th to Oct 15th, 2015. Price includes Water, Sewer, Power, Fire Pit, Picnic Table, Clean Shale Pad and Driveway. For more info http://www.shuswapfallsrvre-sort.com or see my ad at kiji-ji.ca BC Vacation rentals. Call Dave 403-703-9066 or reply via email:[email protected] Lot is also available to pur-chase @$89,900.

Transportation

Boats

WANTED: 10’ or 12’ alumi-num fi shing boat. Phone: (250)517-8087

Page 12: Eagle Valley News, March 25, 2015

A12 www.eaglevalleynews.com Wednesday, March 25, 2015 Eagle Valley News

District of Sicamous Ph: 250-836-2477 Fax: 250-836-4314 • www.sicamous.ca 446 Main Street Box 219 Sicamous B.C. V0E 2V0

The District is hosting a two day FREE community clean up event! This is your opportunity to clean up your yard and dispose of those unwanted items!

Monday, April 13, 2014 from 7:00 am to 12:00 am

Metal Materials - Disposal of white goods only such as hot water tanks, bath tubs, stoves, washer and dryers.

Tuesday, April 14, 2014 from 7:00 am to 12:00 amOrganic Yard Waste – Includes items such as Grass

clippings, leaves, prunings, weeds, tree limbs (up to 8” diameter) bagged in clear garbage bags.

No household garbage!

End of driveway for curbside pickup.

PROHIBITED ITEMS Include:Auto bodies or partsToxic waste (i.e. paint cans/solvents)BatteriesCommercial wastesWhite goods containing Freon (i.e. fridges/freezers)Household waste

STREET SWEEPING SCHEDULED TO BEGIN THE WEEK OF MARCH 30th, 2015

Please visit the District’s website and Facebook page! www.sicamous.caA link to the District’s Facebook Page may be found on the home page of the District’s website.

COMMUNITY CLEAN-UP EVENT

CIVIC NUMBERING

Avoid on-street parking through the week of the clean-up if possible.

In an effort to maintain clean roads, please refrain from blowing or washing debris onto roadways that have been swept.

DISTRICT OF SICAMOUS BUSINESS

The District of Sicamous is accepting applications for annual parking permits for parking private vehicles/boat trailers on District property at 109 Finlayson Street. The Permit is valid May 1st to October 31st, 2015. An annual (seasonal) permit fee of $400 plus GST is payable in advance at time of application. Permits will be issued in order of receipt. Applications are available at the District Of� ce or call 250-836-2477 for further information.

CSRD’S SICAMOUS SPRING RECYCLING FAIR

ANNUAL (SEASONAL) PARKING PERMITS

The District of Sicamous residents are reminded that every owner of a building should af� x its assigned civic number in a conspicuous place on the building or display it elsewhere on the property where it can easily be seen from the street fronting the access to the property. All numbers shall be no less than 3 inches (7.5 cm) in height and in a

contrast colour to the background.

From a life safety perspective, the District urges property owners to af� x civic numbers to both private residential properties and commercial properties, particularly to accommodate expedient emergency response. Your cooperation is appreciated.

BUILDING & LAND DEVELOPMENT FORUM

YARD FIRES

WATER TREATMENT PLANT

EASTER OFFICE HOURS

The following types of � re may be permitted during the spring and fall clean up periods during the � rst two weeks in April and the last two weeks in October, in any year.

Garden refuse � res if the burning is conducted in accordance with the following conditions:

a) before the � re is ignited, all combustible materials must be removed at least 30 cm in every direction from the perimeter of the � re;

b) no person shall cause or permit smoke of noxious or

compostable materials.

c) the � re must not be closer than 3 metres to any snag, slash, standing tree(s) or wooden structure;

d) the � re must not be more than one (1) metre in diameter and not exceeding one (1) metre in height.

e) the � re shall be continuously controlled and supervised by a competent person equipped with a shovel, or a pail containing at least 8 litres of water at all times;

The District of Sicamous Water Treatment Plant Project is well underway.Progress of work recently completed includes• Installation of slab edge at loading bay,• Installation of in-slab drain piping,• The grating was installed for the CIP tank recess,• Floor drains and potable water line were installed,• Primary grounding was completed,• Dewatering in progress,• Site piping parallel to Highway 97A and WTP building

ongoing,• Main slab and loading bay poured, and• Preparations for precast walls started.UPCOMING WORK• Precast wall will arriving on site third week of April,• BC Hydro will be on site completing servicing work, and• Misc. specialty equipment will be arriving and appropriately stored until required.

May 2, 2015 at 10am – 3pm at the Arena/Rec Centre Parking Lot at 1121 Eagle Pass Way

For information visit www.csrd.bc.ca

WATER CONSERVATION - SPRINKLING REGULATIONSResidents of Sicamous are requested to use water wisely in an effort to avoid potential loss of potable water supply.

Property owners/residents are reminded that sprinkling regulations are in force effective May 15th, and sprinkling, using conservation is permitted as follows;Between 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. & 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.Even numbered houses water on even numbered days.Odd numbered houses water on odd numbered daysRegulations are in effect until September 15th.Property owners with automated sprinkling systems are permitted to water for a maximum of one (1) hour per programmed cycle between the hours of 12:00 midnight and 5:00 a.m. on any day of the week.

Please help us help you ensure we have effective water management strategies. As a reminder, please note the following:

• Frequent watering promotes shallow root growth that, in turn, requires more frequent watering.

• Your lawn can become “addicted” to water. The more frequently you water it, the more water it requires.

• Lawns require only 15 mm (1/2 inch) every 2-3 days. You can measure this with an empty can or pie plate. This can greatly reduce the amount of water used.

Have a safe and happy summer. Public Works Department District of Sicamous

The Forums are held on the � rst Thursday of the month, and provide an opportunity for the local building and development industry and Staff to share information and discuss ideas and topics of mutual interest. The Forums

include presentations on relevant topics, and provide opportunities for questions and discussion.

Public attendance is welcomeThe � rst session are scheduled as follows:

April 2, 2015, Time 3-4 pm – Connecting to District Sanitary SewerMay 7, 2015, Time 3-4 pm – OCP Overview and Review Process

June 4, 2015, Time 3-4 pm – Zoning Bylaw

Refreshments Provided. Please sign up at the District Of� ce or by phone (250-836-2477) or e-mail ([email protected]). Stay tuned for more information on the website!

The District of Sicamous of� ce will be closed on Good Friday, April 3 and Easter Monday, April 6