Currently browsing News
Answers awaited after abattoir hearing
By Greg Amos
Pioneer Staff
Food security, local food production, and cost savings for farmers were weighed against the potential eyesore and possible reek of a proposed abattoir (slaughterhouse) during a packed public hearing meeting in Windermere on Wednesday, April 24th.
“The intent of this thing is a small-scale micro-abattoir,” explained John Zehnder of the Windermere District Farmers Institute to the crowd of more than 170 at the Windermere Community Hall, many of whom were hearing for the first time the details of the proposed abattoir at the crossroads of Highway 93/95 and …
Close call for historic church
By Dan Walton
Pioneer Staff
There are many churches in the valley that are rich with history, but the valley’s oldest, St. Mark’s church located between Brisco and Spillimacheen in the old hamlet of Galena, had a new chapter added last month after a close call with a chimney fire on Wednesday, April 17th.
While the cause of the fire has yet to be determined, many assume a passerby used the unlocked building to keep warm, naively firing up an old woodstove with a clogged stovepipe.
“Someone fired up the stove and I guess …
Bagri deadly driving case to resume in nine months
By Steve Hubrecht
Pioneer Staff
A trial confirmation hearing will be held on February 10th, 2014, for a Vancouver man facing four counts of dangerous driving causing death in connection with a fatal crash in Kootenay National Park on July 22nd, 2011.
Jaswinder Singh Bagri, 41, will be in Invermere Provincial Court for the hearing. The trial is expected to start next March and last for several days, possibly as many as seven.
“Part of the reason the hearing and trial is so far off is that it’s a seven-day trial and it’s harder …
Pano goes all-inclusive
By Steve Hubrecht
Pioneer Staff
Panorama Mountain Village is offering a new deal this winter, an all-inclusive pass that offers skiers and boarders free access to cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, tobogganing and snow tubing in addition to the ski hill.
“We feel that including these other activities with the lift ticket will encourage guests to experience more of what Panorama has to offer and get more value for their dollar,” said Scott Morgan, Panorama’s marketing manager.
The all-inclusive deal is valid for season’s passes, regular lift tickets and Snow Cards (which likely will be back …
Edgewater residents support commercial rezoning
By Steve Hubrecht
Pioneer Staff
A second public hearing in Edgewater on Tuesday, April 30th on a proposed change to a zoning bylaw went more peacefully than the first, although emotions still ran high on both sides of the issue.
Ken and Diana Ruault applied to amend Upper Columbia Valley Zoning Bylaw 2440 so their currently empty lot on Edgewater’s main street, directly across from Pip’s Country Store, can be rezoned from commercial one (C-1) to commercial two (C-2), allowing them to park commercial vehicles on the lot and potentially one day build …
Youngsters pave the way for inclusive playground
By Dan Walton
Pioneer Staff
Equal opportunity should be no concern for any child, including on the playground.
Students and staff from Eileen Madson Primary School in Invermere agree, and they’ve put strong efforts into the purchase of an accessible playground for the school yard.
“A Grade 3 student hosted a birthday party and asked for donations instead of gifts,” Principal Lisa Tenta told The Pioneer. “She contributed the donations towards an accessible swing for the school’s playground. From there she suggested that we do more fundraising to have more accessible equipment.”
Mrs. Tenta said …
Kickoff coming for cancer fundraiser
As we approach one of the biggest cancer fundraisers of the year, the Relay for Life, a kickoff takes place each spring to prolong the magic.
This year’s kickoff event in the valley will take place at the familiar location of Copper Point Golf Club on Wednesday, May 1st.
“They are such a giving company,” said Sheila Tutty, Relay for Life coordinator. “They contributed so much to the community and they have hosted our kickoff party for as long as I can remember.”
While many communities host Relay kickoffs to promote awareness, valley …
Local author pens World War II novel
By Greg Amos
Pioneer Staff
Perspective is key to a new World War II novel that’s recently landed a significant publishing contract for one Invermere author.
Bird’s Eye View is about a young Canadian woman working for a weekly newspaper when World War II breaks out. She joins the British Women’s Air Force and becomes an interpreter of aerial photographs, searching for bomb targets on the continent by scrutinizing the photos through a pair of stereo glasses.
“History books are generally written by men, so I thought it was important to tell the story …
Gazebo to commemorate Windermere volunteer
By Dan Walton
Pioneer Staff
After years of philanthropy in the valley, the Windermere Community Association agrees that retiring president Anne Picton deserves some special recognition.
“She’s always been there whenever we’ve been in a struggle,” said Windermere Community Association treasurer Karen Taylor-Browne. “We think of her as the wise woman who knows everything.”
Mrs. Picton, who has been a part of the association for more than 25 years, will be stepping down later this year after a triumphant legacy in the valley. Her years of community support will be commemorated with a gazebo …
Valley-raised woman well prepared for Jubilee award
By Steve Hubrecht
Pioneer Staff
An Invermere woman who gets the province ready to deal with earthquakes, plane crashes and terrorist attacks, among other things, was given royal recognition earlier this month.
Tanya Traverse, the Canada Border Service Agency’s Pacific (B.C. and Yukon) regional emergency management co-ordinator, received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for enhancing the agency’s ability to prepare for and respond to what the agency calls significant events — natural and human-made disasters, as well as security incidents.
Ms. Traverse was born in Invermere in 1978 and graduated from David …
Morlove is never enough
By Greg Amos
Pioneer Staff
A West Coast collaboration between two strong and unique songwriters is headed to Bud’s Bar and Lounge on Wednesday, May 1st.
Morlove — a duo comprised of Victoria’s Corwin Fox and Montreal’s Miss Emily Brown — will be bringing songs from their critically-acclaimed debut album, All Of My Lakes Lay Frozen Over and their just-released new album, Old Tomorrow, to Invermere.
With the new record only available since April 23rd, Morlove will be bringing the excitement that comes with playing new songs for their fans.
“I played in Invermere …
Valley to village: students spend spring break in Ghana
By Dan Walton,
Pioneer Staff
For most high school students, spring break usually means a lot of free time for friends and fun. For eight students from Invermere, the 2013 spring break was about helping a less-developed African community.
Because most of the world’s population cannot enjoy the standard of living experienced in North America, Me to We, a non-profit group affiliated with Free the Children, provides Canadian students the opportunity to help developing nations get up to speed, by aiding in the construction of a new public school.
After nearly a year of …
Candidates pitch policies and platforms at debate
By Greg Amos
Pioneer Staff
The provincial economy, regional employment and one local healthcare issue in particular topped the agenda at the all-candidates debate held at David Thompson Secondary on the evening of Wednesday, April 10th.
With a crowd of 150 packing the high school theatre, three candidates faced ten questions on ten different topics, selected from a pool of 100 questions received by the organizing committee.
“The creation of jobs is the largest issue in the province,” said soon-to-be-confirmed BC Conservative candidate Earl Olsen, 61, a career accountant and businessman who was a …
Public hearing set for Jumbo bylaw
By Steve Hubrecht
Pioneer Staff
The new Jumbo Glacier mountain resort municipality continues to take steps forward.
At the municipality’s third meeting on Tuesday, April 16th, Jumbo’s council appointed four people – including two members-at-large – to its municipal environmental advisory board, scheduled a public hearing for a proposed zoning bylaw in the Farnham part of the municipality and heard from a Jumbo project opponent concerned about the municipality’s financial capacity.
The proposed bylaw – zoning bylaw 0006 – will dictate what can and cannot occur in the Farnham Glacier area.
Jumbo council, which consists …
A sled trip to remember
Fifty years ago this month was an exciting time for four backcountry skiing pals who grew up in the Columbia Valley, as they cruised at seven miles per hour on a home-made snowmobile into the alpine around the Paradise Mine in 1963. The friends stayed in a mine bunkhouse and spent a few glorious days in a place that had been out of reach on foot.
“It was warm; we were outside outside in our T-shirts, watching slides falling down on faces around us,” said Jim Gibb, who along with Doug …
Comedian Darryl Lenox coming to Bud’s
By Dan Walton
Pioneer Staff
With live comedy being something of a delicacy in Invermere, local residents may be salivating in anticipation of a seasoned stand-up comic coming to town on a Yuk Yuk’s comedy tour.
On Wednesday, April 24th, Bud’s Bar and Lounge will be hosting Darryl Lenox, who “rocks a comedy club like a fear-of-God southern preacher rocks the church,” with support from comedian Chris Griffin.
Mr. Lenox’s material generally pokes fun at
relationships, comparisons between Canada and the U.S., and blindness, as the comedian is visually impaired.
While he spent over a …
Business Excellence nominees announced
By Pioneer Staff
The Columbia Valley’s own business battle royale is set to unfold in Fairmont Hot Springs on
Thursday, April 25th, as anticipation is building after a list of nominees was recently released.
Nearly 80 businesses and individuals have been short-listed among 13 different categories in the 15th Annual Business Excellence Awards, a joint effort
between the Columbia Valley Chamber of Commerce and the Radium Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce.
The awards dinner takes place at the Fairmont Hot Springs Resort, and among those eagerly awaiting the chance to spring up from their tables …