From Australia to the Iditarod: one man’s dog mushing adventure
By Kate Irwin
Pioneer Staff
Editor’s note: this is Kate Irwin’s final story for The Pioneer! Enjoy the read, and please feel free to leave any comment about Kate’s influence on this paper and the valley over the last three years. We will miss her!
When opportunity knocks, Glenn Findlay throws open all the doors and invites it in for a drink.
This adventuring spirit has seen the amiable Aussie flow from one continent to the next throughout his life. How else does an Australian concrete truck driver end up 12,000 kilometres from home, …
Canal Flats arena costs rise by $305,000
By Kate Irwin
Pioneer Staff
The $1 million price tag on Canal Flats’ planned arena upgrades is set to increase by one third after an engineering report identified additional work needed on the facility, beyond the original estimate.
Originally budgeted at $1 million in 2008, the total cost for a full renovation of the facility is now assessed at $1.305 million. The village is seeking funding to make up the shortfall.
“The Bearden Engineering report did analysis on the arena four years ago to identify upgrades needed,” said Brian Woodward, the village’s chief administrative …
Youth centre planned for Windermere
By Kate Irwin
Pioneer Staff
Windermere residents are set to gain a new youth centre and fully renovated community hall, thanks to $60,000 in government grants gained by the Windermere Community Association.
The funding contribution, announced by Western Diversification Canada, will be combined with $30,000 from the Columbia Basin Trust, plus a further $30,000 fundraised by the community association, to fund renovation work needed since the hall flooded in spring 2011.
Along with fixing up the basement, which was the area worst affected by flooding, the non-profit community group will also oversee work to …
Early learning centre for Radium
By Kate Irwin
Pioneer Staff
A new world of exploration and discovery will soon be open to valley toddlers. Radium’s Dragonfly Discovery Centre Montessori school is poised to take off on January 14th, with 10 spots opening up for children age three to six, who are eager to learn about the world around them.
“Basically we are giving them the freedom to explore, to build their independence, and to discover their own interests,” said Dragonfly Discovery Centre founder Charlotte Streicek. “You are essentially holding yourself back if you are not given the …
Curling club gets provincial funds
By Kate Irwin
Pioneer Staff
Local curlers will be hurrying harder thanks to brand new brooms and equipment at the Invermere Curling Club, purchased with a $2,000 provincial grant.
The new equipment includes shoe grippers, curling brooms and sticks to enable seniors and those with limited mobility to push rocks along the ice with ease. The funds to buy the new gear came from the provincial government’s Local Sport Program Development Fund.
“The health benefits of participation in sport can’t be overstated,” said Bill Bennett, Minister of Community, Sport and Cultural Development. “It’s …
Canal Flats council stumped by Eagle’s Nest water
By Kate Irwin
Pioneer Staff
The Village of Canal Flats has reached an impasse in the struggle to bring potable drinking water to its Eagle’s Nest and Painted Ridge subdivisions.
The Eagle’s Nest Water System, which serves 62 properties in Eagle’s Nest and Painted Ridge, has been under an Interior Health boil water advisory since June 18th, 2003. This means the water for the 62 lots cannot be consumed without first boiling it to remove potential waterborne pathogens.
The village council and staff have been debating for more than a year how to bring …
Top-end athletes start season at Panorama
By Kate Irwin
Pioneer Staff
World-class skiers from across Canada have been tearing down the slopes at Panorama Mountain Village in recent weeks as part of the resort’s pre-season race training.
The ski hill, which has been open since November 14th for early season, on-snow race training, is currently playing host to around 350 athletes. These range from Canadian national ski team members to young up-and-comers from the Windermere Valley Ski Club and Team Panorama.
“It’s a huge program that we do every year and we’re one of the only resorts that caters …
Canadian on purpose
By Kate Irwin, Pioneer Staff
This week, the Prime Minister spoke of a total overhaul of Canada’s system for choosing immigrants.
The overall annual number being granted entry to this great nation (up to 265,000) will remain steady, however the selection process will be smartened up. As an immigrant myself, I can only say, it’s about time.
While Mr. Harper was promising to bring in more skilled workers to fill gaps in the nation’s job market, this skilled worker received some pleasant news. After two years of immigration purgatory, I’m in. It’s …
Canal Flats council puzzles over water for Eagle’s Nest
By Kate Irwin
Pioneer Staff
Canal Flats’ council is tussling with the challenge of creating water systems to serve the entire village and its subdivisions, with council members debating six options at their regular meeting on October 9th.
Interior Health has mandated that all communities across the province must meet new water quality standards by January 2015. This creates a ticking clock for smaller settlements like Canal Flats, which has two water systems to upgrade — one serving the village and the other serving the Eagle’s Nest and Painted Ridge subdivisions.
The most …
Mt. Glen fire fills south with smoke
By Kate Irwin
Pioneer Staff
A forest fire estimated at 350 hectares in size has been burning near Canal Flats since Saturday, September 29th.
A bolt of lightning started a small blaze in the Mount Glen area, 12 kilometres northeast of the municipality. But the perfect storm of dry weather conditions and high winds meant a rapid growth in the fire, which had reached approximately 300 hectares in size by Monday, October 1st. By Wednesday, the BC Wildfire Management Branch website was reporting a fire of 350 hectares.
“It obviously started off small, …
Locally raised author pens his second novel
By Kate Irwin, with files from Kristian Rasmussen
Pioneer Staff
Celebrated Invermere-born author David Wilson is putting the finishing touches on his second book, a novel centred around the 2003 B.C. wildlifes.
Mr. Wilson, who writes under the pen name D. W. Wilson, is making the final edits on his second written work, part two of his two-book publishing deal with Penguin Canada.
“It is tentatively titled Ballistics,” the Invermere-raised writer said. “I am in the middle of my final edit of Ballistics before it is due and then after that I have no …
Local teens heading for Kenyan adventure
By Kate Irwin
Pioneer Staff
A group of teens from David Thompson Secondary School is raising funds for an 11-day trip to a Kenya to help Maasai community workers build a school. Kootenay Youth for Kenya will involve 10 local students from Grades 11 and 12, and eight from Sparwood, who will visit the Maasai Mara region in March 2013.
To raise money toward the trip, the local teens are holding bake and T-shirt sales, sorting and recycling bottles, running stands at local events, and coming up with new fundraising ideas all …
Fire departments suffering from volunteer shortages
By Kate Irwin
Pioneer Staff
Volunteers are the lifeblood of rural fire departments, and without enough stepping forward, the valley’s fire coverage and road rescue is falling to a handful of dedicated individuals, local fire chiefs report.
The valley’s seven fire departments keep roads and homes safe from Edgewater to Canal Flats, operating with crews of on-call firefighters, who drop everything at their regular jobs to respond to 911 calls.
But the semi-voluntary nature of firefighting and the ever-changing local population make staffing departments a constant challenge, said Jim Miller, Fire Chief for Windermere, …
Amble to the origins of the Columbia River
By Kate Irwin
Pioneer Staff
The mighty Columbia River’s humble beginnings in Canal Flats make for a pleasant stroll suitable for all ages and fitness levels. The 1.5 kilometre trail is part of the Columbia River Greenways Alliance and can be easily accessed from the village of Canal Flats, 45 minutes south of Invermere.
Paired with the hike up the Dutch Creek Hoodoos, accessed moments south of Fairmont Hot Springs along Westside Road, this walk can be turned into a half-day excursion that takes in scenic wetlands, the tranquil beauty of Columbia Lake …
Manslaughter charges laid in Invermere death inquiry
By Kate Irwin
Pioneer Staff
Manslaughter charges have been laid against a former Radium resident in connection with the death of Invermere house painter Cory Jarock on April 3rd.
Brian Thomas Panebianco, 23, formerly of Radium Hot Springs, was arrested on Thursday, July 19th, in Radium and charged with assault, robbery and breach of recognizance (bail) in relation to Mr. Jarock’s death.
An additional charge of manslaughter and one of criminal negligence causing death have now been added, the RCMP stated in a media release on August 16th.
Mr. Panebianco is now charged …
Bighorns face the end unless more players come forward
By Kate Irwin
Pioneer Staff
The Columbia Valley Bighorns football team will go from provincial champions to non-existent unless more players sign up for the upcoming season, their coach has stated.
After fall registration earlier this month, just six boys had signed up to play, well below the 18 needed to make a viable team.
Without more high school students stepping forward, the Bighorns will be forced to disband, said Bruce Marlow, team founder and Bighorns coach.
“It would be a shame for all those kids who have devoted so much time and effort …
Arrows and A’s defend their championship titles
By Kate Irwin
Pioneer Staff
Randy Martin’s spirit was smiling down on his beloved baseball teams, the B.C. Arrows and Invermere A’s, as they brought home the winning titles at the Canadian Native Fastball Championships in Cranbrook early this week, said Randy’s father, Dean Martin.
“We could feel him there,” he said. “During the seventh inning the lights went out and it was as if someone from above turned them off to give the teams a break. When the lights came back on, we won in a dramatic fashion. I’ve never seen …
Dry Gulch fails to find a water solution
Two Area G communities may gain much-needed funding for water system upgrades after a resident-led initiative to bring drinkable water to Dry Gulch was deemed a failure by the project coordinator.
While Dry Gulch still faces a ticking clock to bring its water up to new Interior Health standards by 2015, the $1.8 million of provincial funding allocated for the project could now be diverted to aid Wilmer and Spur Valley with their upgrades.
“The regional district has tried many initiatives over the years and the residents and property owners have tried,” …
Clovechok running for MLA spot
Invermere’s Doug Clovechok will be running for office in the next provincial elections, vying for the position of MLA for the Columbia River-Revelstoke riding.
On Tuesday, July 31st, Mr. Clovechok was announced by the B.C. Liberal Party as their candidate for the NDP-held riding.
It is Mr. Clovechok’s first foray into politics, a move he has been thinking about since shortly after becoming president of the local B.C. Liberal Riding Association in November 2010.
“After being riding association president for a little over a year, that’s when consideration started,” he said. “I’m a …
Secondary suites moving ahead without Area F
By Kate Irwin
Pioneer Staff
Public consultation is complete and a new bylaw amendment is moving forward that will allow rural residents north of Invermere to create rentable secondary suites on their property.
Unless amended at Regional District of East Kootenay meetings on Friday, August 3rd, the new bylaw will only permit auxiliary suites in single family dwellings and garages within Electoral Area G.
The current bylaw draft does not permit suites in much of Area F, including Athalmer, Fairmont Hot Springs, Windermere, and Columere Park. However, a small number of single …