RDEK considers permitting secondary suites
By Joshua Estabrooks
Pioneer Staff
The Regional District of East Kootenay board of directors is looking into updating a zoning bylaw that would allow for secondary suites in residential areas in the Upper Columbia Valley.
Presently, the bylaw covering the unincorporated portions of Areas F and G is the only zoning bylaw in the Regional District that does not routinely accommodate secondary suites within single-family dwellings.
The Planning and Development department of the Regional District has been asked to investigate the issue, said Andrew McLeod, Manager of Planning and Development Services. He …
Forest fire risk reduced thanks to local partnership
By Joshua Estabrooks
Pioneer Staff
A positive partnership between the District of Invermere and local fire protection employees has resulted in a much-needed forest fire fuel modification project on another high-risk area within Invermere’s boundaries.
The Pineridge development area, located on a bench overlooking Toby Creek, southwest of downtown Invermere, was identified in the Community Wildfire Protection Plan as being at a high risk for potential wildfires, said Rory Hromadnik, Director of Development Services.
The plan rated areas based on the proximity to houses, the vegetation type, and fuels located in the area, …
Regional District announces Volunteers of the Year
By Joshua Estabrooks
Pioneer Staff
The Regional District of East Kootenay has announced its 2011 Electoral Area Volunteer Appreciation Awards, with a Columere resident and Edgewater volunteer among those recognized.
At their board of directors meeting on Friday, September 2nd, the Regional District paid tribute to Judy Roggeman, from Columere, Joyce Lang, from Edgewater, and five other volunteers from across the electoral areas.
“Each year, we recognize the volunteer efforts of several outstanding citizens in the region,” said Scott Manjak, Board Chair. “More than ever, volunteers are the heart of our communities. We are …
Sasquatches investigated near park
By Joshua Estabrooks
Pioneer Staff
Deep in the backcountry, near the border of Kootenay and Banff National Parks, resides a mythical creature of the forest. The existence of Bigfoot, also known as Sasquatch or Yeti, has fascinated and occupied many an intrepid explorer for as long as man has existed.
Although most people are skeptical of their existence, there are some who have dedicated their lives to the search for, and protection of, these guardians of the forest. None more so than Calgary resident, Todd Standing, who has recently come out of …
High school grad to volunteer overseas
By Joshua Estabrooks
Pioneer Staff
For 18-year-old valley resident, Katie Milligen, the thought of heading straight into a university program this fall was not as exciting as it should have been. Although she was enrolled in the international studies program at Simon Fraser University, a combination of being wait-listed for her desired courses and an invitation to work overseas have changed her mind and she is now heading to Nicaragua for three months to do humanitarian work.
Katie will be a part of the Canada World Youth Program, which teams her up …
Local riding votes heavily against HST
By Joshua Estabrooks
Pioneer Staff
In an historic vote, B.C. residents sent a message to their government regarding the Harmonized Sales Tax. When all 1,610,125 ballots were counted, 54.7 per cent of those who voted said yes to extinguishing the tax and wish to revert to the PST/GST system we had before the HST was put in place.
In the Columbia River-Revelstoke riding, a total of 12,462 votes were registered, with 66.19 per cent in favour of extinguishing the HST — one of the strongest ‘yes’ votes in the province.
MLA Norm …
Private water-ski park breaks ground
By Joshua Estabrooks
Pioneer Staff
A unique take on a private lakefront resort began construction on Monday, August 28th, just south of Fairmont Hot Springs. First-time developer and Windermere resident, Jon Martin, owns the property in question.
Mr. Martin has been looking for a number of years for the perfect piece of land to build his dream development, which will include two private man-made lakes specially designed for motorized water sports.
The Fairmont Beach Resort and Water-ski Park will offer a uniquely exclusive lifestyle for those able to purchase one of only …
Hydro concludes Brisco investigation
By Joshua Estabrooks
Pioneer Staff
On Thursday, June 30th, a massive power surge hit the community of Brisco, knocking out power in the community and damaging many residents’ electrical equipment.
With many Brisco residents looking for some form of financial compensation for the damage, B.C. Hydro committed to conducting a thorough investigation into the incident, and released their findings publicly on Thursday, August 18th. Affected customers received the findings in the form of a letter on Wednesday, August 17th, which indicated that the cause of the outage was indeed a tree that …
Province to help local governments find solutions to deer conflicts in their communities
By Joshua Estabrooks
Pioneer Staff
In light of increasing deer human conflicts in communities in the Kootenays and throughout B.C., the Ministry of Environment has made it known they are willing to work with local governments to find a solution.
Micheal Badry, Wildlife Conflicts Coordinator for the Ministry of Environment, said that they have seen deer conflict calls go up recently throughout North America, and are working on ways to mitigate the problems.
“There are lots of residents in these communities that still love the deer,” said Mr. Badry. “That is why …
Highway 93 cell service ‘on the radar’
By Joshua Estabrooks
Pioneer Staff
Cellphone coverage along the currently coverage-less Highway 93 through Kootenay National Park is on the horizon, but won’t likely happen immediately.
At the August 5th Regional District of East Kootenay meeting, local MP David Wilks made an announcement that some key areas in his riding, including Highway 93 through Kootenay National Park, will be getting cellphone service via the telecommunications company Telus.
Mr. Wilks said that service is needed in this area to help increase safety for everyone who uses that stretch of highway.
Telus spokesperson, Shawn Hall, confirmed …
Chamber asks community for pond hockey input
By Joshua Estabrooks
Pioneer Staff
Since Invermere was officially selected to be a host site for the 2012 B.C. Pond Hockey Series, taking place February 3rd-5th on Lake Windermere, the Columbia Valley Chamber of Commerce has been hard at work brainstorming ideas to make the event memorable for visitors and residents alike.
Executive Director of the chamber, Susan Smith, said that Invermere winning the bid means a much-needed event in the middle of winter is on its way to the valley. In order to maximize the potential benefits of the event, she …
Helipad receives stamp of approval for funding
By Joshua Estabrooks
Pioneer Staff
Good news for residents who have been fighting for the much-needed improvements to the helipad located at the Invermere and District Hospital: on August 5th, Interior Health received the go-ahead from the Ministry of Health and the Kootenay East Regional Hospital District to use the $300,000 in surplus funding from the recent emergency room redevelopment project to make the necessary upgrades to the Invermere heliport. The first phase of the project will be planning and design.
Invermere mayor Gerry Taft said that it took a lot of …
Arrows and A’s are national champs
By Joshua Estabrooks
Pioneer Staff
Two local fastball teams, the B.C. Arrows and the Invermere A’s, stepped up to the bat and took first place in the Canadian Native Fastball Championships held in Winnipeg from July 29th-31st.
Dean Martin, original member of the famed Shuswap Nation’s B.C. Arrows team, which won seven Canadian Native Championship titles in the 1980s and 1990s and now competes in the Masters Division, said that it was a great feeling to not only dust off their legendary gold jerseys, but also to win so convincingly all weekend. …
Killer Rollbots ready to crush opponents
It’s official: the first roller derby bout for Invermere’s own Killer Rollbots will take place August 27th in Marysville, against Cranbrook’s Mountain Town Maulers.
The team, which is made up of 14 hardcore roller-skating, body-checking, bruise-battered local ladies has been practising hard since May, and are now ready to enter their first official match as part of the East Kootenay Roller Derby League, which includes teams from Fernie, Cranbrook, Kimberley and Invermere.
Team spokeswoman, Virginia White, said that the women practise three times per week, and have been working on …
Windermere resident opens “green” house to the public
Windermere resident, Cam Gillies, is inviting anyone who is interested in environmentally sustainable building options to come and take a walk through the home he is building, on Saturday, August 6th, from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Mr. Gillies and his family purchased their home, located at 4711 Galena Street, about ten years ago, but the existing house was so inefficient, he recently decided that instead of retrofitting the poorly-constructed existing building, a complete tear down and rebuild was in order.
He went to work researching and designing a number of …
Explorer looks for evidence of rumoured meteor strike in Purcell Mountains
In what is becoming an all-consuming quest, Ontario resident Rejean Falardeau is convinced he will be successful in retrieving unequivocal evidence of a massive meteor strike that he says he witnessed 32 years ago.
He has recently returned to the valley for the fourth time since then and is planning to head into the backcountry to retrieve proof of what can only be described as a miraculous celestial event.
According to Mr. Falardeau, he witnessed what he describes as a giant fireball strike a glacier on August 12th, 1979, approximately 60 miles …
Family of four killed in fiery collision
A fatal collision on Highway 93, near Olive Lake in Kootenay National Park, claimed the lives of four Californian vacationers on Friday, July 22nd, at approximately 3:05 p.m. MDT, when their vehicle collided with a semi truck and burst into flames.
Kootenay National Park staff, firefighters, RCMP and paramedics attended the scene. After a lengthy investigation that kept the highway closed overnight, police confirmed that a southbound, B.C.-registered, unloaded, flat deck B-train tractor trailer unit crossed over the center line and jack-knifed into the path of the northbound Dodge camper van …
Deer committee submits recommendations
After much debate and research, the District of Invermere’s Urban Deer Management Committee submitted its final report and recommendations to council this week, calling for a combination of trap and cull, relocation, public education and, ultimately, strategic fencing as part of a multifaceted solution to the escalating deer issues within Invermere and area.
The original report, which was on the agenda for the July 12th council meeting, was altered slightly after one final working meeting on Wednesday, July 20th, said District of Invermere Mayor, Gerry Taft, and now council will …
Wet weather makes for slow fire season
A relatively wet spring has meant a slow season for fire fighting crews in the Columbia Valley. To date, 31 fires have occurred within the Southeast Fire Centre, 10 of which were started by lightning, leaving 21 fires that have been human caused.
In the Invermere zone specifically, a total of eight fires have broken out, two by lightning and six by humans. All fires have been less than one hectare in size, with the total area burned coming in at 2.026 hectares.
Compared to last year, the Southeast Fire Centre …
Local student heads to U.K. for medical school
Following in his mother’s footsteps, Invermere’s Kevin Dibb is preparing to embark on a scholastic journey of international proportions after being accepted into the North American Medical Program through the University of Alberta.
Kevin said that he has always been interested in medicine, and unlike some of his fellow students, had the benefit of real insight into the profession, as his mother, Maria Dibb, is a doctor in Invermere. This gave him a much more realistic view of the occupation than those who simply watched ER or House on television, …