JOHN [email protected]
� e Island Corridor Foundation’s plan to re-start passenger rail ser-vice is now in the hands of the B.C. Safety Authority.
ICF CEO Graham Bruce has consistently said the service could be re-started with $21 million of funding from the regional districts, the prov-ince and Ottawa. � e ICF has about $7 million from the regional districts and is awaiting the balance from Victoria and the federal government.
“� e ministry has completed its review of the Island Corridor Foun-dation’s business plan,” a B.C. Ministry of Transportation o� cial told � e NEWS last week. “� e B.C. Safety Authority has engaged a consul-tant to review the upgrade plan. Viability of the service requires that both plans be considered together because � nancial predictions in the business plan will depend upon the upgrade and long term mainte-nance requirements.”
Passenger rail service was suspended in 2011 due to unsafe track conditions. Parksville-Qualicum Beach MLA Michelle Stilwell echoed the comments of the transportation ministry spokesperson.
“� e province’s position has been really clear: we’re committed to supporting the corridor, but plans for rail service have to prove that service will be both safe and sustainable,” said Stilwell. “Safety is my � rst priority no matter where or when the train travels.” Stilwell also didn’t rule out a di� erent use for the corridor. “I want to see the island corridor used in a way that has the most positive and long-lasting im-pact for the people and businesses in our community and all of the other towns and cities that have a stake in this process,” she said.
Remember the explosion in Dashwood? How about the local peo-ple who appeared in front of the Dragons? Or the emotional debate about school closures? � e past year has been full of news — good, bad, inspiring and otherwise. Starting today on page A5, and continu-ing in our next three editions, our sta� gives readers a look back at sto-ries from every paper we published in 2014.
� anks for all of your support in 2014. — John Harding
ICF still waiting for the bulk of the funding it needs for the rails
Safety isnumber one
The Year in Review
KICKSTART A RESOLUTION
Beth Alden’s gym started from humble beginnings
A15
LAST MINUTE LOCAL GIFTS
A French Creek artist who says she was inspired by Edgar Allen Poe
A13
TUESDAY DECEMBER 23, 2014
AUREN RUVINSKY PHOTO
SPREADING A GOOD MESSAGE: Local Grade 4-7 students hand decorated 1,000 paper bags to help the government liquor stores spread the message of drinking responsibly over the holi-days. “It really supports our goal of promoting social responsibility,” said Wembley Mall store manager Rich Cordocedo, above at right. “It gets the conversation started,” said Oceanside RCMP Const. George Minshull, who organized the project.
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Happy Holidays to the Best Customers on the Planet!
We also have lots of
A2 www.pqbnews.com Tuesday, December 23, 2014 The Parksville Qualicum Beach News
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Our Year End Clearout
for 2014 is Held Over!
Only 23 Cars To Go!
The Parksville Qualicum Beach News Tuesday, December 23, 2014 www.pqbnews.com A3
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Resort is 95% SOLD!
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General:Phone 250-248-4341; Fax 250-248-4655Publisher: Peter McCully . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . publisher@pqbnews .comEditor: John Harding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .250-905-0019 - editor@pqbnews .comAdvertising: Brenda Boyd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .250-905-0013 - bboyd@pqbnews .comProduction: Peggy Sidbeck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .250-905-0016 - team@pqbnews .comCirculation: Laurie Fairbanks . . . . . . . .250-905-0017 - circulation@pqbnews .comClassified display: Pauline Stead . . . . . . . .250-905-0012 - office@pqbnews .comCommunity Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . events@pqbnews .com
INSIDE
Arts & Entertainment . . A13Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A17Business Profile . . . . . . . . . . . . A15
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Page ThreeSTARTING POINT
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Black Press buys Star, other Island papers
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WHAT’S ONLINE?www.pqbnews.comGet the full story. Watch for these icons in our regular arti-cles, then go to www.pqbnews.com for extended content.
THE PQB NEWS TEAM: John, Candace, Jessica & AurenE-mail: [email protected]: 250-905-0019
Black Press, the owner of The NEWS, has acquired a number of newspaper titles and related publications and digital properties from Glacier Media, including the Parksville-based Oceanside Star.
Other papers purchased include: The Nanaimo Daily News, The Harbour City Star, The Alberni Valley Times, The Cowichan Citizen, Tofino/Ucluelet Westerly News, The Comox Valley Echo and Camp-bell River Courier on Vancouver Island as well as Surrey Now, Lang-ley Advance and Maple Ridge Times in the Lower Mainland.
Black Press will take over operations in Courtenay-Comox, Uclue-let/Tofino and at the Oceanside Star on Jan. 1 and the remainder of the publications and their websites on March 2, 2015, according to a news release from Black Press.
In a separate transaction, Black Press is also selling the Tri-City News, Burnaby New West Newsleader and the Richmond Review to Glacier Media. They will assume operational control of these opera-tions on March 2nd, 2015 as well.
“While we are pleased with the acquisitions, we are disappointed to be selling these excellent community newspapers,” said Black Press president and CEO Rick O’Connor. “We believe in the value our Black Press colleagues at these newspapers have created and the many long time staff members will be missed. However, as we move through these changing times in media, it is important that we align our strategic interests to better position the company for the future. We are great believers in community newspapers and the value they provide. With these changes, we believe readers and advertisers will be better served and the company will be stronger moving forward.”
— NEWS Staff/Black Press news release
$115,000
$71,111
Fill that stocking!The SOS Caring for Kids at Christmas Campaign aims to pro-
vide all local children with a gift to unwrap on Christmas morn-ing. The program also distributes grocery store gift cards to families and individuals of all ages so they can look forward to a special meal at Christmas.
In order to meet the needs of everyone who registers for the program, the SOS needs to raise $115,000. Check this page ev-ery Tuesday until Christmas, as The NEWS posts an update of the money raised, displayed on this stocking. Please give if you can, your community does need you. Donations can be dropped off or mailed in to PO Box 898, 245 West Hirst Ave, Parksville, V9P 2G9 or online: www.sosd69.com. Thank you for caring!
PETER MCCULLY PHOTO
Rick Hopkins installs cabinets at the new Qualicum Beach Kiwanis Co-op Housing Project while Dominique Genereux, middle, presents her $100 donation to Walter Hoogland, left, and Pat Webber of the Kiwanis Co-op Housing Society.
STUDENT DONATES SOME OF HER UNIVERSITY SAVINGS
‘She’s a pretty good kid’JESSICA [email protected]
Dominique Genereux, 17, donated $100 from her university savings to the Qualicum Park Village Affordable Housing Project last week and she’s daring others in the community to match those funds.
“It’s $100; a lot of people could make that in Qualicum Beach,” said Genereux.
The KSS student said she wanted to make the donation an amount that was small enough for people to match, but big enough to make a difference. Her $100 came from the money she earned working at a part-time job to help pay for university expenses like books.
Genereux, who’s mother is a director on the Kiwanis Housing Society board, knew that the
Affordable Housing Project was the avenue in which she wanted to help the community as soon as she went to the site. “When I saw it I thought, ‘This is so great.’ Qualicum needs this,” she said. “It’s great for the community.”
“She’s a pretty good kid,” said Genereux’s mother, who is proud of her daughter’s donation. “She’s going to do good things in this world.”
Genereux aims to go to UVic next year to take applied sciences in the hope of becoming an engineer.
Michelle Genereux said if people want to take on her daughter’s challenge, they can donate their $100 though Pat Weber, presi-dent of the Kiwanis Housing Society, at 250-951-1159 or they can donate online at: qualicumaffordablehousing.com
A4 www.pqbnews.com Tuesday, December 23, 2014 The Parksville Qualicum Beach News
Editor’s note: our staff has spent some time looking back at 2014 and we are pleased to present highlights from The NEWS in this 2014—Year in Review spe-cial. Today, we look at January through March. In our next edition, we will feature April through June, followed Dec. 30 by July through September and Jan. 2 by Oc-tober through December. Thank-you for all your support this year and best wishes to all for a happy and healthy 2015.
Jan. 2• Christmas is over and if you’re look-
ing for a place to dispose of old trees, the World Parrot Refuge in Errington is a good place to start. “Parrots are com-parable to beavers when it comes to chewing wood,” said WPR supervisor Stephanie Martin. “So we’re asking peo-ple to bring their used trees here for the parrots.”
• A bold and boisterous 10-piece band is bringing Afro-beat, funk, Latin and hip hop to the Errington Hall Jan. 11. The Vancouver based Five Alarm Funk’s live performance has been described as “a blast of aural power, spiriting away any inclination listeners might have to sit back and relax.”
Jan. 7• The Regional District of Nanaimo is
holding a public hearing on proposed bylaws that would accommodate new federal laws around growing medical marijuana. If adopted, two new bylaws will allow medical marijuana production facilities, licensed under the new Federal Marihuana for Medical Purposes Regula-tions on some specific types of land.
• It took a few days, but Parksville Qual-icum Beach finally welcomed the first baby of 2014. Jack Schultz came into the world on Jan. 3 at 11:56 p.m. — all nine pounds, eight ounces of him. “He’s per-fectly healthy,” said the newborn’s mother Janice, beaming with a natural glow.
Jan. 9• The president of Compliance Energy
says the company will re-submit its ap-plication for the Raven coal mine project by the end of March. In May 2013, the B.C. Environmental Assessment Office rejected the application for the proposed mine near Buckley Bay, less than 50 km from Qualicum Beach, saying “the ap-plication does not contain the required information and (the EAO) has decided not to accept the application for detailed review.”
• Incandescent light bulbs are still available in many local stores, but not for long. A long discussed federal ban on inefficient light bulbs went into effect across the country Jan. 1, favouring more efficient and expensive alternatives like
light emitting diodes (LED) or compact fluorescent (CFL).
Jan. 14• Local pharmacies have run out of
vaccine in the middle of what’s become a bad year for the flu. Island Health reports it distributed more than 200,000 doses of vaccine, a 12 per cent increase over last year. Since Dec. 1 there have been 57 people in Island Health hospitals who have tested positive for influenza.
• Mayor Chris Burger says he believes school closures are coming to Parksville Qualicum Beach soon and he is trying to start the conversation about how these facilities may be utilized by the commu-nity. The school board is expected to act on public feedback and reports at its Jan. 28 meeting. “I think it is, certainly to the extent we have 4,000 students and 6,000 capacity, we’re going to see some facility closures — I think that is a fait accompli,” said Burger. The facility closures “are go-ing to have to ultimately occur.”
Jan. 16• For the second time in three elections,
Qualicum Beach voters may be asked to
increase the size of their town council. Mayor Teunis Westbroek gave council no-tice that he will put a motion forward to ask the public to increase the size of coun-cil to seven members (six councillors plus the mayor) from its current five.
• The $40 million water service project in the works for Parksville and Nanoose Bay is about six months behind schedule, but a $400,000 grant announced Tuesday shows it is still rolling along.
“We applied for it, so we knew the application was in, but it’s definitely a pleasant bonus,” said Englishman River Water Service program manager Mike Squire of the federal Gas Tax Funds dis-bursed Tuesday.
Jan. 21• An outbreak alert in a residential
home in downtown Parksville saw five residents on quarantine and four staff members on sick leave. Vancouver Is-land Health Authority declared the alert in Stanford Place Care Campus Jan. 13 and lifted it Jan. 17. VIHA spokesperson Sarah Plank said all five of the affected resident’s symptoms have resolved.
• The first blueprint for a retirement home in Bowser was drafted last week. “It’s a big step,” said Dick Stubbs, pres-ident of the Bowser Seniors’ Housing Society, a volunteer-based charitable or-ganization determined to develop afford-able senior housing. It comes after eight years of planning, two needs-assessment studies, public focus groups and plenty of internal meetings.
Jan. 23• The beach at Eaglecrest is disappear-
ing and Qualicum Beach will follow suit, says resident Jim Cross. A breakwater shaped like a hook at French Creek Mari-na may be to blame, said Cross, who has owned his property in Eaglecrest since 1987.
• Deep Bay’s Greg Boulton said he’ll turn to civil disobedience to protect his beloved shoreline, now occupied with track vehicles and workers haul-ing mounds of seaweed. “If we don’t stop it now we’re in trouble,” said Boul-ton. “We’ve been raping the planet long enough.”
2014 — YEAR IN REVIEW
January-March: the flu and civil disobedience
LISSA ALEXANDER PHOTO
BRRRR: A huge crowd of brave souls turned out to take part in the Polar Bear Splash Jan. 1 in Parksville. There were 290 peo-ple registered for the swim and many others of all ages who got down to their swimsuits and skivvies and plunged into the cold waters.
CONTINUED ON page A6
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The Parksville Qualicum Beach News Tuesday, December 23, 2014 www.pqbnews.com A5
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LAURIE FAIRBANKSCirculation
Call today to start delivery of the PQB NEWS, or to schedule your hold and restart dates, before you travel.
Phone: 250-905-0017Email:
Would you like delivery of the PQB NEWS?Getting the PQB NEWS
& want to hold your delivery?
Editor’s note: our staff has spent some time looking back at 2014 and we are pleased to present highlights from The NEWS in this 2014—Year in Review spe-cial. Today, we look at January through March. In our next edition, we will feature April through June, followed Dec. 30 by July through September and Jan. 2 by Oc-tober through December. Thank-you for all your support this year and best wishes to all for a happy and healthy 2015.
Jan. 2• Christmas is over and if you’re look-
ing for a place to dispose of old trees, the World Parrot Refuge in Errington is a good place to start. “Parrots are com-parable to beavers when it comes to chewing wood,” said WPR supervisor Stephanie Martin. “So we’re asking peo-ple to bring their used trees here for the parrots.”
• A bold and boisterous 10-piece band is bringing Afro-beat, funk, Latin and hip hop to the Errington Hall Jan. 11. The Vancouver based Five Alarm Funk’s live performance has been described as “a blast of aural power, spiriting away any inclination listeners might have to sit back and relax.”
Jan. 7• The Regional District of Nanaimo is
holding a public hearing on proposed bylaws that would accommodate new federal laws around growing medical marijuana. If adopted, two new bylaws will allow medical marijuana production facilities, licensed under the new Federal Marihuana for Medical Purposes Regula-tions on some specific types of land.
• It took a few days, but Parksville Qual-icum Beach finally welcomed the first baby of 2014. Jack Schultz came into the world on Jan. 3 at 11:56 p.m. — all nine pounds, eight ounces of him. “He’s per-fectly healthy,” said the newborn’s mother Janice, beaming with a natural glow.
Jan. 9• The president of Compliance Energy
says the company will re-submit its ap-plication for the Raven coal mine project by the end of March. In May 2013, the B.C. Environmental Assessment Office rejected the application for the proposed mine near Buckley Bay, less than 50 km from Qualicum Beach, saying “the ap-plication does not contain the required information and (the EAO) has decided not to accept the application for detailed review.”
• Incandescent light bulbs are still available in many local stores, but not for long. A long discussed federal ban on inefficient light bulbs went into effect across the country Jan. 1, favouring more efficient and expensive alternatives like
light emitting diodes (LED) or compact fluorescent (CFL).
Jan. 14• Local pharmacies have run out of
vaccine in the middle of what’s become a bad year for the flu. Island Health reports it distributed more than 200,000 doses of vaccine, a 12 per cent increase over last year. Since Dec. 1 there have been 57 people in Island Health hospitals who have tested positive for influenza.
• Mayor Chris Burger says he believes school closures are coming to Parksville Qualicum Beach soon and he is trying to start the conversation about how these facilities may be utilized by the commu-nity. The school board is expected to act on public feedback and reports at its Jan. 28 meeting. “I think it is, certainly to the extent we have 4,000 students and 6,000 capacity, we’re going to see some facility closures — I think that is a fait accompli,” said Burger. The facility closures “are go-ing to have to ultimately occur.”
Jan. 16• For the second time in three elections,
Qualicum Beach voters may be asked to
increase the size of their town council. Mayor Teunis Westbroek gave council no-tice that he will put a motion forward to ask the public to increase the size of coun-cil to seven members (six councillors plus the mayor) from its current five.
• The $40 million water service project in the works for Parksville and Nanoose Bay is about six months behind schedule, but a $400,000 grant announced Tuesday shows it is still rolling along.
“We applied for it, so we knew the application was in, but it’s definitely a pleasant bonus,” said Englishman River Water Service program manager Mike Squire of the federal Gas Tax Funds dis-bursed Tuesday.
Jan. 21• An outbreak alert in a residential
home in downtown Parksville saw five residents on quarantine and four staff members on sick leave. Vancouver Is-land Health Authority declared the alert in Stanford Place Care Campus Jan. 13 and lifted it Jan. 17. VIHA spokesperson Sarah Plank said all five of the affected resident’s symptoms have resolved.
• The first blueprint for a retirement home in Bowser was drafted last week. “It’s a big step,” said Dick Stubbs, pres-ident of the Bowser Seniors’ Housing Society, a volunteer-based charitable or-ganization determined to develop afford-able senior housing. It comes after eight years of planning, two needs-assessment studies, public focus groups and plenty of internal meetings.
Jan. 23• The beach at Eaglecrest is disappear-
ing and Qualicum Beach will follow suit, says resident Jim Cross. A breakwater shaped like a hook at French Creek Mari-na may be to blame, said Cross, who has owned his property in Eaglecrest since 1987.
• Deep Bay’s Greg Boulton said he’ll turn to civil disobedience to protect his beloved shoreline, now occupied with track vehicles and workers haul-ing mounds of seaweed. “If we don’t stop it now we’re in trouble,” said Boul-ton. “We’ve been raping the planet long enough.”
2014 — YEAR IN REVIEW
January-March: the flu and civil disobedience
LISSA ALEXANDER PHOTO
BRRRR: A huge crowd of brave souls turned out to take part in the Polar Bear Splash Jan. 1 in Parksville. There were 290 peo-ple registered for the swim and many others of all ages who got down to their swimsuits and skivvies and plunged into the cold waters.
CONTINUED ON page A6
A6 www.pqbnews.com Tuesday, December 23, 2014 The Parksville Qualicum Beach News
Silent Night Holy NightThe Christian Churches of the Oceanside Ministerial wish you a joyful Christmas.
We invite you to join us to celebrate the birth of Christ,God’s gift of love, at any of the following special services.
❆✳
✺
❄❄
❆
❄❅
✳
Christian Fellowship Centre825 Village Way, Qualicum Beach
250-752-5513
Christmas Eve, December 24Candlelight and Carols: 8pm
www.cfcchurch.com
Arbutus Grove Church170 W. Hirst Ave., Parksville
250-248-6474
Wednesday, December 247pm - Christmas Eve Service
No Christmas Day Service.
Catholic Church of Ascension887 Wembley Road, Parksville
250-248-3747
Christmas Eve, December 24
Masses: 5:00pm, 7:30pm & 10pmChristmas Day, December 25
Mass: 11:00am
St. Columba Presbyterian Church921 Wembley Road, Parksville
250-248-2348
Wednesday, December 24Candlelight Service: 7:00pmSunday, December 28
Morning Worship: 10:30am
St. Mark’s Anglican Church138 Hoylake Road West, Qualicum Beach
250-752-5414
Tuesday, December 24Holy Communion with Carols: 7:30pm & 10:30pm
Wednesday, December 25Holy Communion (no music): 10am
www.stmarksqualicum.bc.ca
St. Stephen’s United Church150 Village Way, Qualicum Beach
250-752-9831
Christmas Eve ServicesFamily Service: 4pm
Carols & Candle Lighting: 7pm & 9pm
www.ststephensucqualicum.ca
Knox United ChurchCorner of Pym and Humphrey Streets
250-248-3927Christmas Eve Contemplative Service
4:00pmChristmas Eve Family Candlelight
Service: 7:00pmChristmas Eve Service
With Candlelight & Communion: 11pmwww.kucparksville.ca
Qualicum Baptist Church600 Beach Road, Qualicum Beach
(behind the train station)
Wednesday, December 24Christmas Eve
Candlelight Carols Service: 6:30pm
Christ’s Church OceansideAnglican Network in Canada. Services held atNanoose Place, 2925 Northwest Bay Rd.
250-752-2942
Wed., Dec. 24 Holy Communion7:00pm
Thurs., Dec. 25 Holy Communion10:00am
www.christschurchoceanside.org
Our Saviour Lutheran Church795 W. Island Hwy, Parksville
250-248-6644“Home of the BC Mission Boat”
Wednesday, December 24Candlelight and Carols: 7pmThursday, December 25
Carols and Communion: 10amwww.oursaviourlutheranchurch.ca
arbutusgrove.org
2014 — YEAR IN REVIEW
January through MarchCONTINUED FROM PAGE A5
Jan. 28• School District 69 adminis-
tration staff is recommending the closure of Parksville Elementa-ry, Qualicum Beach Elementa-ry, Winchelsea Elementary and French Creek Community School in Coombs. The recommended plan would eliminate middle schools in the district altogether and instead run Kindergarten through Grade 7 at remaining elementary and mid-dle schools and Grade 8 through 12 at both high schools.
• Prime Minister Stephen Harp-er has appointed Qualicum Beach resident Deborah Grey as the chair of the Security Intelligence Review Committee. Harper made the an-nouncement after the weekend res-ignation of Chuck Strahl.
Jan. 30• The Town of Qualicum Beach
vows to continue its lobbying ef-forts to keep its elementary school open. Talk of the proposed closure of Qualicum Beach Elementary School dominated town council’s meeting Monday night. A delega-tion of parents and council mem-bers spoke passionately about the school’s downtown location and its place in the “heart” of the commu-nity.
• Rotting wood, rusting metal and no sign of ownership charac-terize 15 derelict vessels littering the waters of Deep Bay Harbour in Baynes Sound. VIU Deep Bay Ma-rine Field Station manager Brian Kingzett has been trying to address the “unsightly” vessels for years, with little luck and lots of strife. “It’s a problem that’s getting worse and worse,” he said.
Feb. 4• Police are asking for the pub-
lic’s help to nab “brazen” thieves who broke into two Qualicum Beach residences in broad daylight Friday. Oceanside RCMP said be-tween 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Friday, two daytime break, enter and thefts occurred in Qualicum Beach, one in the 100 block of Hoy Lake Road and the other in the 600 block of Ea-glecrest Drive.
• A library board budget increase of seven per cent has two Quali-cum Beach politicians concerned.
“These types of increases aren’t ac-ceptable,” said Coun. Dave Willie, who is calling for more account-ability and transparency in terms of library board spending.
Feb. 6• A Qualicum Beach residence
set up like a “grocery store” of drugs and alcohol for youth was recent-ly dismantled by police. Staff Sgt. Brian Hunter told Qualicum Beach council Monday night an arrest was made Jan. 24 at a home on Mill Road after a search warrant had been obtained.
• Move over Goats on the Roof — some of your cousins may soon be munching Scotch Broom on city boulevards. Parksville city council heard Monday night from a busi-ness that wants to set up shop in the city, a weed service of sorts that employs hungry goats.
Feb. 11• A 34-year-old man was sent to
hospital with a collapsed lung after what police are calling a targeted stabbing in Parksville at approxi-mately 1:30 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 6. According to Oceanside RCMP, the victim, who is known to police, was walking along Corfield Street towards downtown Parksville when he was allegedly approached by two males in their late 20s to early 30s.
• The school board is looking for input on their plan to address empty seats and budget shortfalls through school closures. A 90-day consultation period, required by the province and board policy 3040, has started and the Board of Edu-cation of School District 69 (Qual-icum) is hosting the first public meeting tomorrow.
Feb. 13• Those who manage the water
systems of mid-Island communities say they aren’t pushing any panic buttons, but they are watching this dry winter with an eye to the water supply in the summer. Water system managers from Qualicum Beach, Parksville, Lantzville, Nanaimo, the regional district and EPCOR Water Services met last week to talk about the low levels of the snowpack and rainfall being experienced this year.
CONTINUED ON page A7
Hundreds of Community event photos online at:
facebook.com/PQBnews
Seasons Greetings & Best Wishes for the New Year
Phone: 1-866-870-4190 • www.ScottFraserMLA.com Scott Fraser, MLA
The Parksville Qualicum Beach News Tuesday, December 23, 2014 www.pqbnews.com A7
RBC Dominion Securities Inc.* and Royal Bank of Canada are sepa-rate corporate entities which are affiliated. *Member-Canadian In-vestor Protection Fund. RBC Dominion Securities Inc. is a member company of RBC Wealth Management, a business segment of Royal Bank of Canada. ®Registered trademarks of Royal Bank of Canada. Used under licence. © 2014 Royal Bank of Canada. All rights reserved.
For more information, call Oliver Sayah & Associates Wealth Management Team of RBC Dominion Securities at 250-248-2104 or 1-800-675-7240.
RBC Dominion Securities Inc.
Season’sgreetings
Thanks to all our clients for your continued support and
all the best in 2015
invites you to join us for Christmas Services
A place of worship and service, friendship and informality, open to people of all ages and backgrounds.
Knox United ChurchParksville
Knox United Church345 Pym St., Parksville
(at the corner of Pym and Humphrey)
[email protected] • www.kucparksville.ca
CHRISTMAS EVE SERVICESWEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 24TH
Celebrating the birth of Jesus
4:00 pm
CONTEMPLATIVE SERVICE
There will be quiet music, communion and meditation
7:00 pm
FAMILY SERVICE This will be a traditional Christmas Eve
pageant with readings, candle lighting, carol singing, music with the Knox choir, a guest musician and selections by the Knox
hand bell choir.
11:00 pm
CHRISTMAS EVE SERVICE At this service, there will be the joy of music,
prayers,communion and candle lighting.
Bruce K. Soloway145 E. Hirst Ave., Parksville
A Family Practice For AllYour Family’s Needs
250-248-2226
www.soloway.ca
December 31, 2014 : 6:30 pm - 1:00 amCall to reserve: 250-248-2072
Tickets must be purchased in advance
Celebrate NYE 2014Speakeasy Club @ Tigh-Na-MaraWear your finest 1920's glad rags
to the Ritziest joint in town!
Extravagant dinner & bubbly at midnightHats & spats, feathers & beads will be provided
Don’t forget your secret password...
peakeasyswing back in time at Tigh-Na-MaraSS
$110 per person+ tax & gratuities
2014 YEAR IN REVIEW
January-March: local faces Dragons• Part one in a three part series
by Lissa Alexander on poverty: The real trouble began five years ago when Hugh Baker was unable to work. Now he’s unable to find a job, his shelter costs eat up most of his income assis-tance, and sometimes he has to eat food that makes him sick, because it’s all he can get.
Feb. 18• Parksville Mayor Chris Burger says
Vancouver Islanders are getting a raw deal from senior governments and he wants a group of his colleagues to make some noise about it. Burger was the guest speaker at a chamber of com-merce dinner Thursday night at The Beach Club.
• Arrowsmith Search and Rescue of-ficials say they were called out around 6 p.m. on Saturday to rescue a family of five that had gone for a hike at En-glishman River Falls that afternoon. According to ASAR, the family got lost and eventually became stuck on the riverbank much further downstream, across the river from Steelhead Place.
Feb. 20• Coun. Al Greir has a perfect record
in his attempts to end the grants-in-aid program at Parskville city hall: 0-6. For the sixth time in his six years on coun-cil, Greir introduced a motion Monday night to scrap the system that allows community groups to plead their case for taxpayer funds. Greir’s motion
specifically exempted groups that or-ganize the Beachfest and Canada Day events in Community Park. His motion was defeated 5-2, with only Coun. Bill Neufeld voting alongside Greir.
• Late fees may be a frustration of the past, according to Vancouver Island Regional Library Parksville Branch customer service librarian Darcy Crum. VIRL recently went digital, and Crum said the sweeping changes will revise the landscape of literature as we know it.
Feb. 25• The death toll of animals contin-
ues to rise in Hilliers, and the list now includes a couple of dogs and a llama.
Two dogs, one with a bullet wound, were destroyed by the Regional District of Nanaimo’s animal control contractor Feb. 14 after the owner voluntarily gave them up when faced with evidence they killed a llama at a neighbouring property, according to the RDN’s Tom Armet.
• RDN director Julian Fell said he “simply disregarded” a demand made by the Island Corridor Foundation to apologize and retract comments he made in a memo to mayors, MLAs and First Nations last July.
Despite ICF’s threat to take Fell to the Supreme Court of B.C. upon non compliance with the demand, made clear through a Sept. 24 letter written by Duncan-based lawyer Andrew Lac-roix, Fell said no legal action has since
transpired.Feb. 27• A local man who will face the Drag-
ons may have the answer to a beast of a problem facing local shellfish produc-ers. An industry that’s worth $32 mil-lion to the B.C. economy and employs 1,000 people — half of them in Baynes Sound — is in jeopardy due to high acidity levels in the ocean.
• At a standing-room-only RDN board meeting Tuesday night, three passionate delegations addressed Bowser/Deep Bay’s seaweed harvest, calling for board members to put a stop to the harvest — or at the very least, to lend a helping hand.
March 4• Island Health is apologizing for
a breach of privacy that put personal information of its clients up for sale at a local thrift shop. The NEWS broke the story of the breach in its Thursday edition. A local woman purchased file dividers at the Parksville SOS Thrift Store which had tabs containing the names, addresses, phone numbers and provincial health numbers of Is-land Health clients. The dividers were for sale for 10 cents each.
• The management team at the Town of Qualicum Beach will be reduced to seven from a high of 11 in 2010, after the town announced Friday that cor-porate administrator Trudy Coates would be leaving her position.
CONTINUED ON page A9
CONTINUED FROM PAGE A6
A8 www.pqbnews.com Tuesday, December 23, 2014 The Parksville Qualicum Beach News
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COMFORTRENOVATION & REPAIR
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“Let my 22 years of experience work for you”
“Even if you are on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there”
Please Call:
“The Benefits Guy”Group Benefit and Retirement Solutions
Gene Zdril
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“Let my 22 years of experience work for you”
“I believe that we do not have to change friends if
we understand that friends change”
Please Call:
“The Benefits Guy”Group Benefit and Retirement Solutions
Gene Zdril
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“Let my 22 years of experience work for you”
“I believe that sometimes when we are angry we
have the right to be angry but that does not give us
the right to be cruel”
Please Call:
“The Benefits Guy”Group Benefit and Retirement Solutions
Gene Zdril
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“Let my 22 years of experience work for you”
“I believe that our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are but we
are responsible for who we have become”
Please Call:
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“Let my 22 years of experience work for you”
“I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it as so it is with you”
Please Call:
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“Let my 22 years of experience work for you”
“A Smile cannot be bought, begged, borrowed or stolen, for it is something that is of
no value to anyone until it is given away”
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“Never give up... When you still have something to contribute nothing is really
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“Let my 22 years of experience work for you”
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“Let my 22 years of experience work for you”
“Best wishes to everyone for a Merry Christmas and a happy, prosperous and
healthy New Year!!”
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#4-154 Middleton Ave, Parksville250.248.4341 • pqbnews.com
EARLY DEADLINES FOR THE HOLIDAY
SEASON
Have a Wonderful Holiday Season!
Our of� ce will be CLOSED Thursday and Friday,DECEMBER 25, 26 & Thursday, JANUARY 1, 2015.
We will also be CLOSED 2pm Wednesday, DECEMBER 24and 2pm Wednesday, DECEMBER 31.
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March 6• Work on the heritage building in the Quali-
cum College Heights development will be post-poned, but the developer will have to finish the exterior of the building on schedule.
Developer Dean Pomeroy told town council Monday night “sales are not there at this time for me to go ahead and build it all.”
• Two septuagenarians will be packing tonnes of herring into the hold of their vessel this week, just like they’ve been doing every year for more than three decades.
Wally Piatocka, 79, and Barney Dudoward, 70, will once again be part of the herring roe fish-ery on the waters off Parksville Qualicum Beach, which opened Wednesday for gilnetters.
March 11• B.C. teachers have given a strong strike man-
date because they are frustrated with the lack of bargaining progress, said Mount Arrowsmith Teacher’s Association President Debbie Morran.
Eighty nine per cent of the 29,301 teachers who voted March 4-6 voted yes. BCTF pres-ident Jim Iker said in a news release that the result “sent a very clear message to the B.C. government; it’s time to negotiate in good faith, take back the unreasonable proposals, and of-fer teachers a fair deal that also provides better support for students.”
• One local fisherman had a wet start to the herring season Thursday when his boat started taking on water in the Strait of Georgia.
But things “did go about as good as it can go,” said Gord Gibb, officer in charge of the French Creek Coast Guard station.
AUREN RUVINSKY PHOTO
Unlike many neighbouring areas, schools were open on a Monday in late February in School District 69 (Qualicum) but buses were not running and many took a snow day to enjoy the pro-jected 15 cm of slushy, white stuff, which slowed driving but sped up toboggans on the famous Parksville Community Park hill, where Alexis and Mya Mercier (above) had some fun.
CONTINUED FROM PAGE A7
2014 — YEAR IN REVIEW
January through March
CONTINUED ON page A12
A10 www.pqbnews.com Tuesday, December 23, 2014 The Parksville Qualicum Beach News
Nanoose treaty
About 170 years ago, James Douglas was put in charge of the new trading post of the Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) in a place called Fort Victoria.
Soon after that development, the British colonial o� ce designated a new colony called Vancouver Island and promptly leased the territory to the HBC. Richard Blanshard was installed as the colony’s governor, but it was generally understood Douglas had all the power, seeing as most if not all of the people living in this colony worked for the HBC.
Douglas started buying up territory for the HBC, exchanging cash, clothing and blankets with First Nations leaders for land, including land in the area we now call Nanaimo, Nanoose Bay and Parksville. � ese deals became known as the Douglas Treaties.
To say these were unfair deals that have forced dif-� cult modern-day negotiations is a gross understate-ment.
� e Snaw-Naw-As (Nanoose First Nation) is cur-rently trying to work its way to a new treaty with the provincial and federal governments.
� e results of these negotiations could change the boundaries, tax bases and budgets of Parksville and the Regional District of Nanaimo.
Nanoose First Nation Chief David Bob is not in an apologetic mood. No reason he should be. In fact, he’s talking tough.
He made sure he used the word “� nally” when he addressed the fact that Parksville city council has acknowledged it operates on the lands occupied by Bob’s people since long before any European settler or Hudson’s Bay Company worker stepped foot here. He told us some lands that are currently within the boundaries of the City of Parksville might end up with the Nanoose First Nation when the current trea-ty process concludes.
He also told city council that when it comes to negotiations with the province and the feds, the Na-noose First Nation is going to stand its ground. He said “we can talk... or we can � ght.”
� is region, its people and its political leaders will face many important decisions in 2015. All of these issues may pale in comparison to the e� ects of what transpires between the province, the feds and the Nanoose First Nation.
— Editorial by John Harding
commentary
The Parksville Qualicum Beach News is a member of the British Columbia Press Council, a self-regulatory body govern-ing the province’s newspaper industry. The council considers complaints from the public about the conduct of member newspapers. Directors oversee the me-diation of complaints, with input from both the newspaper and the complaint holder. If talking with the editor or pub-lisher 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 to: B.C. Press Council, P.O. Box 1356, Ladysmith BC V9G 1A9.For information, phone 888-687-2213 or go to www.bcpresscouncil.org.
THE PARKSVILLE QUALICUM BEACH NEWS (THE NEWS) is published every Tuesday and Thursday by Black Press. THE NEWS is distributed to more than 15,500 households in District 69. THE NEWS is 100 per cent B.C. owned and operated.THE PARKSVILLE QUALICUM BEACH NEWS
#4 - 154 Middleton Avenue, P.O. Box 1180Parksville, British Columbia, Canada, V9P 2H2Of� ce hours: Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Phone 250-248-4341; Fax 250-248-4655www.pqbnews.comCanadian Publications Mail Sales Product Agreement #0087106
THE NEWS is published every Tuesday and Thursday
by Black Press Ltd. #4 - 154 Middleton Ave. Parksville, B.C. V9P 2H2
250-248-4341
SALES: Brenda Boyd, Steve Weldon, Lori Hague, Grant De Gagne, Lorie NielsenEDITORIAL: Auren Ruvinsky, Candace Wu, Jessica Skelton, Tyson TaylorPRODUCTION: Tracy Paterson, Brad Everest, Terri Reid, Jeff Westnedge
CLASSIFIEDS: Pauline Stead
OFFICEPauline Stead
CIRCULATIONLaurie Fairbanks
PRODUCTIONPeggy Sidbeck
EDITORJohn Harding
PUBLISHER Peter McCully
Has all the wet weather impacted you negatively?
Vote at: www.pqbnews.com before MONDAYS at noon
QUESTION OF THE WEEK
LAST WEEK’S QUESTION
Are you having a happy holiday season?
YES 16 %
NO 84%
The Parksville Qualicum Beach News Tuesday, December 23, 2014 www.pqbnews.com A11
THANKS FOR SUPPORT AT CHRISTMAS
Thanks to you and your readers, chil-dren in this community will wake up on Christmas morning and see a coloured parcel under the tree with their name on it. Their hearts will light up as they imag-ine how it got there, how their name got on this shiny present, and what could be inside it.
They will feel the magic of Christmas. And once they’ve opened that present, they will have the opportunity to enjoy a special meal with their family, to take in the wonderful smells of food cooking in the oven, and to go to bed with their bel-lies full and happiness in their hearts.
Thanks to our community, the SOS Car-ing for Kids at Christmas Campaign col-lected enough toys and money to ensure our local families in-need will have gifts and food this holiday season.
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for making these dreams come true. We hope all of you have the opportunity to en-joy some meaningful moments, and that you go to bed on Christmas night with love in your heart, knowing you helped deliver the magic of Christmas.
RENATE SUTHERLAND, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, SOS
Parksville
MAKE QB EVEN MORE FRIENDLY
Residents of Qualicum Beach pride themselves over the town’s friendliness.
Shopkeepers, waiters and clerks are very friendly and neighbours are easy to get to know. There are, however, a couple of simple ways to be even friendlier.
One way is, when meeting someone walking, running, or bicycling, to make eye contact and say “Hi” or “Beautiful day, isn’t it?” It’s even possible that over a period of time, your greeting will be reciprocated.
As another simple gesture of friendli-ness, say “Thank you!” with a wave, tip of the hat or a smile to the driver who has
stopped to allow you to cross the street, whether or not you’re in a crosswalk.
Although a person in a crosswalk has priority over vehicles, he should, at a min-imum, look both ways before beginning to cross the street. A parked vehicle may block the driver’s view or your clothing may appear to be full camo to the driver.
It’s also not uncommon to see pedestri-ans being indecisive over whether to cross the street, only to suddenly step off the curb and begin to cross.
By law, the vehicle must stop for pedes-trians, but the pedestrian has an obliga-tion, also, to help protect themselves from harm.
It’s the little things that make the com-munity friendly.
WARREN BAILEYQualicum Beach
SUPPORT RAIL TO TRAIL INITIATIVE
Earlier this month, Okanagan residents celebrated the purchase of an under-uti-lized CN rail line, which will be convert-ed to a walk and bike trail from Vernon to Kelowna. When completed, the trail will compliment a series of Okanagan cycling and walking trails, creating a stunning net-work.
So? What about Vancouver Island and its very own vagrant rail line?
It does appear that many Islanders would like to see a rail revival. But under a financial microscope, it is easy to see, rail has been pushed aside by road systems.
So, why not turn our rail into trail?If Islanders banded together and sup-
ported a Rail to Trail initiative, soon we could have a once-in-a-lifetime opportu-nity to preserve a continuous, regional-ly-significant walk and ride corridor from Nanaimo to Qualicum with the potential to provide long-term public health, recre-ation, and economic benefits for residents.
The specifics of such a deal might be complicated, but, if it can be done in the Okanagan, why not here?
And I do not propose this as a frivolous
vanity project. As we all know here, we have world-class mountain biking, skiing, kayaking, beaches and sailing right out your back door, right in our cities.
We must develop these recreational re-sources to buttress our local economy. Ex-ploiting our natural beauty and recreation opportunities could open the region to world-wide recreation buzz. Build the trail and let private investment create the com-plimentary business spin offs.
BRIAN BRENNANParksville
SHOP LOCAL, GET A WARM GREETING
Many of us live in Qualicum Beach, a beautiful and unique town that we love to call our own.
We sometimes forget that our local busi-ness owners, trades people and profession-als are our neighbours, acquaintances and yes, friends as well.
Perhaps before you head off to Nanaimo, Courtenay or elsewhere to shop, please consider shopping locally first.
Shops in our town create local employ-ment and these people in turn spend in the community.
Also, our local businesses are very gen-erous in their support of local charities, service clubs and events, all of which make our community a great place to live.
We have wonderful shops, cafes and other businesses where you are greeted warmly and perhaps even called by your first name. Not a regular occurrence in the busy and somewhat impersonal world we live in.
Sometimes you may pay a little more, sometimes a little less but as an added extra you will most likely receive a warm greeting and great customer service as our local shops and businesses survive by their reputation and repeat business.
EILEEN MCMURCHYQualicum Beach
LettersQUOTABLE:
“Safety is my first priority no matter when or where the train travels.”
MICHELLE STILWELL, see story page A1
VIEWS IN THE NEWSWe asked: What do you want for Christmas this year?
Peace would be nice.
GREG REEKS
Errington
Money to help with
tuition.
JESSICA PAQUETTE
Parksville
A one-way flight to
Germany. I’m moving
to Stuttgart in the
summer.
ADRIAN
BURROUGHS
Duncan
Peace on Earth.
RORY O’BRIEN
Parksville
ALMANAC
Rules to write byAll LETTERS TO THE EDITOR must be signed and include your full name, home town and contact phone num-ber. Those without these requirements will not be published. Letters must be 300 words or less and are subject to editing. The NEWS retains the right not to publish submissions.
Send them inMail: Box 1180, Parksville, B.C. V9P 2H2Fax: 250-248-4655E-mail: [email protected] Online: www.pqbnews.com
SCOTT FRASER,MLA,
Alberni-Pacific Rim
1-866-870-4190 e-mail: scott.fraser.mla@
leg.bc.ca
Government ContactsPROVINCIAL:
MICHELLE STILWELL,MLA,ParksvilleQualicum250-248-2625e-mail michelle.stilwell.mla@
leg.bc.ca
TEUNIS WESTBROEKMayor,
Town of Qualicum Beach
250-752-6921e-mail: [email protected]
JAMES LUNNEY,MP, Nanaimo-Alberni
1-866-390-7550e-mail: nanaimo@ jameslunneymp.ca
FEDERAL: QUALICUM:
MARCLEFEBVRE,Mayor,
City of Parksville
250-954-4661e-mail: mayor@
parksville.ca
JOE STANHOPEChairman,
Regional District of Nanaimo
250-390-4111e-mail: corpsrv@
rdn.bc.ca
PARKSVILLE: RDN:
A12 www.pqbnews.com Tuesday, December 23, 2014 The Parksville Qualicum Beach News
Ph. (250) [email protected]
www.propertiesvancouverisland.com
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2014 — YEAR IN REVIEW
January through MarchMarch 13• An explosion in Dashwood caused by what
police are calling “a clandestine, illicit, drug-pro-duction operation” sent three men to hospital Monday, including two who were in bad enough shape to be air-lifted to Royal Jubilee in Victoria. Dashwood Fire Chief Nick Acciavatti who was the first on the scene at the rural property on Nahmint Road, off Corcan Road, soon after the 1:45 p.m. call, said he found the three severely burnt men in the yard, unable to tell him much.
• RCMP say 44-year-old Robert Gordon Da-vidson of Qualicum Beach has been charged with attempted murder, assault causing bodily harm and breach of recognizance after police responded to an incident in a rural area outside Qualicum Beach where they found a 66-year-old man suffering from “severe” injuries result-ing from a serious assault at his residence.
March 18• The Regional District of Nanaimo is “look-
ing for answers” as to how a $45,000 geother-mal heat pump system at the Nanoose Fire Hall discharged 4.7 million litres of well water in less than six weeks. From Nov. 7 to Dec. 17, 2012, the Nanoose Fire Hall consumed an average of 117,840 litres of water per day, confirmed Ran-dy Alexander, the RDN’s general manager of re-gional and community utilities.
March 20• A new tax law at city hall has the Parksville
Curling Club concerned about its future. Mem-bers of the club made a detailed presentation to city council Monday night, explaining how the disappearance of their tax exemption will cost them about $16,000 a year.
• The City of Parksville has been notified about the plans for a medical marijuana grow-op on agricultural lands within the municipal-ity. Director of planning Blaine Russell told The NEWS on Wednesday there’s not much the city
can do about the plans on property that fronts Stanford Avenue, even if it wanted to fight or support the application.
March 25• The Island Corridor Foundation’s days may
be numbered. The Regional District of Nanai-mo’s board of directors will receive a notice of motion tonight suggesting the “RDN board has lost confidence in the existing administrative function of the ICF” and a “task force of experi-enced individuals” should be formed to “assist in reinvigorating the ICF.”
• Soap created in Qualicum Beach is now be-ing sold on shelves around the world. As a paint-er, Christie Carter-Tokairin has always struggled with finding environmentally friendly clean-ers for her brushes. When she opened Revived Vintage in Qualicum Beach last year, one of the things she wanted to stock for her customers was a natural soap for cleaning paint brushes.
March 27• There is a special commemorative award
available to Korean War veterans, and local Le-gions are looking for vets. Legions are looking for anyone who served in Korea from 1950-55 and their families, to apply for the Korean Ambassa-dor for Peace Medal, an expression of appreci-ation from the Korean government to Canadian service men and women. “It is very important to the people of Korea and it meant a lot to me to get it,” said Qualicum Beach resident Lee Faulk-ner, who served in Korea in 1952-53.
• With spring break wrapping up this week-end, the 90-day consultation period on school facilities and possible closures enters its final stretch. The Board of Education of School Dis-trict 69 (Qualicum) is holding numerous meet-ings with school staff and various stakeholder groups, including staff, parents, unions, gov-ernment of all levels and others to help gather as much feedback as possible.
CONTINUED FROM PAGE A9
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2014 — YEAR IN REVIEW
January through MarchMarch 13• An explosion in Dashwood caused by what
police are calling “a clandestine, illicit, drug-pro-duction operation” sent three men to hospital Monday, including two who were in bad enough shape to be air-lifted to Royal Jubilee in Victoria. Dashwood Fire Chief Nick Acciavatti who was the first on the scene at the rural property on Nahmint Road, off Corcan Road, soon after the 1:45 p.m. call, said he found the three severely burnt men in the yard, unable to tell him much.
• RCMP say 44-year-old Robert Gordon Da-vidson of Qualicum Beach has been charged with attempted murder, assault causing bodily harm and breach of recognizance after police responded to an incident in a rural area outside Qualicum Beach where they found a 66-year-old man suffering from “severe” injuries result-ing from a serious assault at his residence.
March 18• The Regional District of Nanaimo is “look-
ing for answers” as to how a $45,000 geother-mal heat pump system at the Nanoose Fire Hall discharged 4.7 million litres of well water in less than six weeks. From Nov. 7 to Dec. 17, 2012, the Nanoose Fire Hall consumed an average of 117,840 litres of water per day, confirmed Ran-dy Alexander, the RDN’s general manager of re-gional and community utilities.
March 20• A new tax law at city hall has the Parksville
Curling Club concerned about its future. Mem-bers of the club made a detailed presentation to city council Monday night, explaining how the disappearance of their tax exemption will cost them about $16,000 a year.
• The City of Parksville has been notified about the plans for a medical marijuana grow-op on agricultural lands within the municipal-ity. Director of planning Blaine Russell told The NEWS on Wednesday there’s not much the city
can do about the plans on property that fronts Stanford Avenue, even if it wanted to fight or support the application.
March 25• The Island Corridor Foundation’s days may
be numbered. The Regional District of Nanai-mo’s board of directors will receive a notice of motion tonight suggesting the “RDN board has lost confidence in the existing administrative function of the ICF” and a “task force of experi-enced individuals” should be formed to “assist in reinvigorating the ICF.”
• Soap created in Qualicum Beach is now be-ing sold on shelves around the world. As a paint-er, Christie Carter-Tokairin has always struggled with finding environmentally friendly clean-ers for her brushes. When she opened Revived Vintage in Qualicum Beach last year, one of the things she wanted to stock for her customers was a natural soap for cleaning paint brushes.
March 27• There is a special commemorative award
available to Korean War veterans, and local Le-gions are looking for vets. Legions are looking for anyone who served in Korea from 1950-55 and their families, to apply for the Korean Ambassa-dor for Peace Medal, an expression of appreci-ation from the Korean government to Canadian service men and women. “It is very important to the people of Korea and it meant a lot to me to get it,” said Qualicum Beach resident Lee Faulk-ner, who served in Korea in 1952-53.
• With spring break wrapping up this week-end, the 90-day consultation period on school facilities and possible closures enters its final stretch. The Board of Education of School Dis-trict 69 (Qualicum) is holding numerous meet-ings with school staff and various stakeholder groups, including staff, parents, unions, gov-ernment of all levels and others to help gather as much feedback as possible.
CONTINUED FROM PAGE A9 ARTS LIFE DO YOU HAVE LOCAL ARTS NEWS?Contact: Jessica Skelton
Email: [email protected]: 250-905-0028 &
OCEANSIDE VILLAGE ARTISTS’ GALLERY ON RESORT DRIVE
Gallery showcases creative collaborationsEdgar Allan Poe inspired multi-media raven BRENDA GOUGHNEWS Contributor
Last minute Christmas shoppers don’t have to leave town to find the perfect gift.
Shopping locally is one of the best things you can do for the economy and potter Dee Aguilar is hoping people embrace the idea of supporting the area’s artists whose survival depends on their patronage.
Aguilar is just one of the many artisans who can be found at the Oceanside Village Artists’ Gallery on Resort Drive in Parksville.
The gallery has all kinds of beautiful artwork creat-ed by local artisans adorning the walls and shelves and with prices ranging from $15 to $15,000. Aguilar said there is something to wrap up for everyone on Santa’s nice list.
Aguilar, who is the heart and soul behind the gallery, started the cooperative business for artists in the area.
Each of the artists takes a shift manning the floor at the gallery, but it is Aguilar who juries the work, pro-motes it and spends a lot of time selling it.
The majority of art at the gallery is from artists in the Parksville Qualicum Beach area including Val and Jai Kealy’s unique pieces.
The husband and wife team designs and carves wood, soapstone and leather.
Together they are known as Q.B. Arts and many of their West Coast inspired pieces reflect Jai’s Cree and Sioux heritage.
Jai puts glass, soapstone and leather into some of his original designs and Val paints some of his carvings and incorporates realistic features into them with her leath-erwork.
An example of the collaboration is a piece she calls Poe, named after Edgar Allan Poe.
The famous American writer, critic and editor was well known for his tales and poems of horror and mys-tery, including his best seller The Raven.
Val’s shiny black life like raven is carved out of alder and has realistic feathers made out of leather.
She said she made her scavenger come to life by add-ing a lot of fine details.
“Every single one of Poe’s feathers is cut out of leather and flattened. The little lines are burned in with a wood burner … then I die them and buff them with soft cloth to make the sheen,” she explained.
Val said she likes to incorporate leather into her pieces because it creates realistic texture and she is still discover-ing new techniques with the medium.
“I started doing leather because I wanted to use something other than bark that has texture. I thought about clay and I have a kiln but I don’t know how to run it,” she admitted.
It wasn’t until she found a book on leather from the 1970s in a thrift store that set her on new artistic path.
“The book had information on different types of leather. I had to learn what you can use and what you can’t use. I still haven’t learned everything … I learn as I go.”
BRENDA GOUGH PHOTO
French Creek artist Val Kealy spent more than 350 hours creating this raven. Kealy is one of the many local artisans who has work for sale at the Oceanside Village Artists’ Gallery on Resort Drive in Parksville.
First-ever White Sale will offer local art at discount prices JESSICA [email protected]
Christmas will be over soon and you’ll find some post-holiday bargains with an artistic twist at the Mc-Millan Arts in their first ever January White Sale.
“It’s kind of a free for all,” said MAC administrator Linda Matteson-Reynolds.
According to a news release from the art centre, the sale offers local artists an opportunity to sell original artwork at discount prices.
Matteson-Reynolds said this is ideal for artists who have older work that is “competing with the dust bun-nies” in their studios. Each seller, who must register for the event, can bring up to 10 pieces. Matteson-Reynolds said the call to enter is open to OCAC members and
non-members, and there are already more than 20 peo-ple signed up to show and sell their work.
One of those people is Parksville-based artist Nancy Day.
Day, who is not an OCAC member, said she is bring-ing a handful of her earlier large-canvas acrylic land-scape paintings to the event.
“You end up collecting a lot of your own work,” she said. “It’s time to move them.”
Day is one of the TOSH 10 painters, who display work in that gallery, and she has also shown her canvases in Edmonton, Calgary and Montreal. The January White Sale will be her first time showing work at the MAC, however.
“I’m quite looking forward to it,” she said. The January White Sale will run from Jan. 7-31, 2015.
The event kicks off with an opening reception on Jan. 7 from 1-4 p.m.
JESSICA SKELTON PHOTO
Parksville-based acrylic painter Nancy Day is pulling a handful of her earlier canvases out of storage to sell at to the MAC’s January White Sale.
Local artists to clear out their work closetsSee PROJECTS, page A14
250-954-1773 • Toll Free: 1-866-954-1773tritecsecurity.com
Residential & Commercial
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to All Our Customers
Alarms • CCTV • Intercom • Sound
• Access Control • ULC 24-hour MonitoringDoug Monteith
A14 www.pqbnews.com Tuesday, December 23, 2014 The Parksville Qualicum Beach News
Notice Board AppointmentsThe Regional District of Nanaimo is now accepting
applications to the following advisory bodies:
Electoral Area ‘E’ 2 year term 3 MembersParks and Open Space Advisory Committee-Nanoose Bay
Electoral Area ‘F’ 2 year term 1 MemberParks and Open Space Advisory Committee-Coombs, Hilliers, Errington
Electoral Area ‘G’ 2 year term 2 MembersParks and Open Space Advisory Committee-French Creek, Dashwood, Englishman River
Electoral Area ‘H’ 2 year term 3 MembersParks and Open Space Advisory Committee-Shaw Hill, Qualicum Bay, Deep Bay, Bowser
District 69 Recreation Commission 3 year term 4 Members--Electoral Areas ‘E’, ‘F’, ‘G’, ‘H’ 1 from each area: Electoral Areas ‘E’, ‘F’, ‘G’, ‘H’
Agricultural Advisory Committee 2 year term 2 Members- -All Communities in RDN Agriculture Organization 1 Member- Aquaculture Organization
Grants-in-Aid Advisory Committee 1 year term 2 Members- All Areas-All Communities in RDN 1 Member- District 68 1 Member- District 69
Liquid Waste Management Plan Monitoring 2 year term 2 Members- General PublicCommittee 2 Members- Business -All Communities in RDN Community
Nanaimo Airport Planning Process 1 year term 10 Members Advisory Committee-All Communities in RDN
For a complete list of vacancies, and to obtain an application form, please visit www.rdn.bc.ca, or contact Corporate Services at [email protected],
250-390-4111, or toll free at 1-877-607-4111. Application forms must be submitted by 4:00 pm, Monday, January 5, 2015.
THE ROYAL CANADIAN LEGION BRANCH 76
IN COLLABORATION WITH THE
TOWN OF QUALICUM BEACH AND QUALITY FOODS
INVITES THE PUBLIC TO THEIR
NEW YEAR’S DAY LEVEE THURSDAY, JANUARY 1st
Noon - 3:00 pm
At the Qualicum Beach Legion
180 Veterans Way
Refreshments, Food and Music
Qualicum Beach Pipe Band will Perform at 1:30
Sponsored by:
THE ROYAL CANADIAN LEGION BRANCH 76
IN COLLABORATION WITH THE
TOWN OF QUALICUM BEACH AND QUALITY FOODS
INVITES THE PUBLIC TO THEIR
NEW YEAR’S DAY LEVEE THURSDAY, JANUARY 1st
Noon - 3:00 pm
At the Qualicum Beach Legion
180 Veterans Way
Refreshments, Food and Music
Qualicum Beach Pipe Band will Perform at 1:30
Sponsored by:
THE ROYAL CANADIAN LEGION BRANCH 76
IN COLLABORATION WITH THE
TOWN OF QUALICUM BEACH AND QUALITY FOODS
INVITES THE PUBLIC TO THEIR
NEW YEAR’S DAY LEVEE THURSDAY, JANUARY 1st
Noon - 3:00 pm
At the Qualicum Beach Legion
180 Veterans Way
Refreshments, Food and Music
Qualicum Beach Pipe Band will Perform at 1:30
Sponsored by:
THE ROYAL CANADIANLEGION BRANCH 76
IN COLLABORATION WITH THETOWN OF QUALICUM BEACH AND QUALITY FOODS
INVITES THE PUBLIC TO THEIRLeveeTHURSDAY, JANUARY 1ST
NOON-3:00PMAT THE
QUALICUM BEACH LEGION180 VETERANS WAY
REFRESHMENTS, FOOD AND MUSIC
New Year’s Day
Qualicum Beach Pipe Bandwill perform at 1:30 pm
Sponsored by:
’
To submit your activities into our weekly (� ursday) Calendar of Events:[email protected] I fax:250-248-4655 I #4-154 Middleton Ave, Parksville
WHAT’S ON THIS WEEK
BOXING DAY SALE
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New drummer joins four-man groupJESSICA [email protected]
If you’re looking for some-thing to do on Boxing Day, the Enablers will be playing a gig at the French Creek pub that evening.
“It’s a weird day, but you never know,” said the band’s guitar player and vocalist Wes Weldon. “People might want to come out.”
The gig will also give audi-ences an opportunity to meet the band’s new drummer, Nanaimo-based musician Bob Moffat.
“He’s been playing for
about a million years,” joked Weldon, who had seen the multi-instrumentalist play on-stage several years be-fore. “We’re pretty confident that he knows what he’s do-ing.”
Moffat has replaced per-cussionist Greg Harford, who
Weldon said is now playing gigs on cruise ships.
Rounding out the band are Colin Perry on sax, flute, keyboard and vocals, and Stuart Parenteau on bass and vocals.
Together the four-man group will play their usu-al set of rock, blues, reggae, country, southern rock, blues rock, disco and more.
“There will be a bunch of dancing going on,” said Wel-don. We can’t wait.”
Friday’s show starts at 7 p.m. and goes until 10 p.m. There is no cover charge.
The band will also play a second gig on Saturday, Dec. 27 at the same venue from 8:30 p.m.–12:30 a.m.
Currently she is working with fish leather to create a mermaid.
“The carp leather was brought in from Ja-pan. It is an ocean blue-green colour and each scale is raised … it is really cool. I have to carve the tail and I will do her hair with little twists of leather.”
Val also carves cottonwood bark harvested from dead trees into whimsical houses.
She said the bird houses are a big seller and she enjoys hearing about the tenants that have
moved into them from the people who have put them in their yards.
“The houses are made for wrens and chick-adees, but people who have bought them say they have humming birds nest in them. One house had a tree frog that came three years in a row,” she reported.
If you are looking for an original gift, check out the gallery located at the Oceanside Village Resort at 1080 Resort Drive in Parksville. It is open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Projects include other bird-centric work
FRENCH CREEK PUB
CONTINUED FROM PAGE A14
Enablers play Boxing Day gig
PHOTO SUBMITTED BY THE ENABLERS
The Enablers will play the French Creek Pub this Boxing Day and Dec. 27.
The Parksville Qualicum Beach News Tuesday, December 23, 2014 www.pqbnews.com A15
We look forward to serving you in 2015.
We wish all Oceanside communities a veryMerry Christmas & Prosperous New Year.
Located in downtown Parksville174 Morison Ave. West
(250) 248-2399
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HollisWealth is a division of Scotia Capital Inc., a member of the Canadian Investor Protection Fund and the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada. ™ Trademark of The Bank of Nova Scotia, used under license.
New drummer joins four-man groupJESSICA [email protected]
If you’re looking for some-thing to do on Boxing Day, the Enablers will be playing a gig at the French Creek pub that evening.
“It’s a weird day, but you never know,” said the band’s guitar player and vocalist Wes Weldon. “People might want to come out.”
The gig will also give audi-ences an opportunity to meet the band’s new drummer, Nanaimo-based musician Bob Moffat.
“He’s been playing for
about a million years,” joked Weldon, who had seen the multi-instrumentalist play on-stage several years be-fore. “We’re pretty confident that he knows what he’s do-ing.”
Moffat has replaced per-cussionist Greg Harford, who
Weldon said is now playing gigs on cruise ships.
Rounding out the band are Colin Perry on sax, flute, keyboard and vocals, and Stuart Parenteau on bass and vocals.
Together the four-man group will play their usu-al set of rock, blues, reggae, country, southern rock, blues rock, disco and more.
“There will be a bunch of dancing going on,” said Wel-don. We can’t wait.”
Friday’s show starts at 7 p.m. and goes until 10 p.m. There is no cover charge.
The band will also play a second gig on Saturday, Dec. 27 at the same venue from 8:30 p.m.–12:30 a.m.
Currently she is working with fish leather to create a mermaid.
“The carp leather was brought in from Ja-pan. It is an ocean blue-green colour and each scale is raised … it is really cool. I have to carve the tail and I will do her hair with little twists of leather.”
Val also carves cottonwood bark harvested from dead trees into whimsical houses.
She said the bird houses are a big seller and she enjoys hearing about the tenants that have
moved into them from the people who have put them in their yards.
“The houses are made for wrens and chick-adees, but people who have bought them say they have humming birds nest in them. One house had a tree frog that came three years in a row,” she reported.
If you are looking for an original gift, check out the gallery located at the Oceanside Village Resort at 1080 Resort Drive in Parksville. It is open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Projects include other bird-centric work
FRENCH CREEK PUB
CONTINUED FROM PAGE A14
Enablers play Boxing Day gig
PHOTO SUBMITTED BY THE ENABLERS
The Enablers will play the French Creek Pub this Boxing Day and Dec. 27.
We deliver The NEWS!Britany Kyle, CarrierBusiness
BUSINESS PROFILE
Kickstart Fitness comes a long way in 8 yearsWhat started out as a mobile gym is now a 5,500 square foot facility in Parksville Qualicum Beach CANDACE WU [email protected]
Fitness coach Beth Alden said she sometimes looks around and thinks “Is this real?”
Alden now owns one of the biggest gyms in Parks-ville Qualicum Beach, Kickstart Fitness, which sits at an impressive 5,500 square feet along Springhill Road. She has more than 600 clients, who she affectionately refers to as her “family.” And her gym won the prestigious title of ‘Business of the Year’ at the Glassies in spring.
Alden said she sometimes looks around and thinks “Is this real?”
But business wasn’t always booming. From humble beginnings, Alden started her fitness
career in a “big, red handicapped van packed with weights, balls, steps and bands.”
Alden explains she had a mobile gym, where she would haul work-out equipment around in a van and host classes at different venues each day — such as Parksville Beach, the Qualicum Beach Civic Centre and the Bradley Centre to name a few.
“It took me probably 20 minutes to unpack every-thing,” she recalls with a chuckle, adding that she looks back on the early memories fondly.
Alden had just 12 clients at the time, who were taking part in a self-designed Biggest Loser Challenge — a pro-gram that still exists today and is extremely popular with around half of her clientele participating in it.
The big red van eventually retired as Alden realized she needed a stable location. She opened in Pine Tree Centre and recently moved locations to where Kickstart currently sits along Springhill Road. The new building is equipped with a gym, two studios, a lounge, juice bar and day care centre. And she’s looking at expanding in the new year, yet again.
Alden said weight-loss has always been her primary focus as a fitness trainer — something that’s close to her heart.
You wouldn’t be able to tell by Alden’s slim physique, but she was once 60 pounds heavier.
And she had a personal trainer who taught her ev-erything she didn’t want to be, which may have actually helped shape and define her career more than it ever hurt her.
“I had this trainer who always made me feel like a failure,” she told The NEWS candidly. “I don’t ever want to make anybody feel like that.”
Since then, she’s dedicated her life to helping people lose weight and get their lives back on track.
She said fitness is more about the mental outcome than the physical results.
“Losing weight is secondary, it’s really about find-ing out what’s going on up here,” she said, pointing to her head. “You don’t just wake up one day hundreds of pounds overweight because life is good.”
Alden’s first step to helping clients lose weight is finding out what isn’t right in their life.
“Food addiction is just like any other addiction, be it alcoholism or crack addiction,” she said. “It’s not about what’s wrong with addictions, it’s about what you aren’t getting on your own.”
She said weight loss can be a tremendously emotion-al struggle.
“Blood, sweat and tears happen here,” she said. “Weight loss is a personal issue and there’s not one per-son here (at Kickstart) who hasn’t cried at some point.”
Alden said one of the most rewarding parts of her job is being welcomed into people’s intimate lives.
“I hold a lot of secrets,” she said. “To watch other peo-
ple transform is life-changing for me.” Alden calls Kickstart Fitness “a community” rather
than a gym. She said it offers many elements of group based fitness and works to create a sense of community within the membership. A daycare centre, she said, is offered to remove barriers to fitness. The lounge, which is dotted with little bistro tables, is there to create a place where people can meet and build relationships. Kickstart offers bootcamp, personal training, small group sessions, boxercise, TRX classes, spin and hot yoga among many others.
Alden is constantly expanding and adding new classes and fitness regimes.
She’s come a long way in less than a decade, but her fitness philosophy has stayed constant.
“I want to give people back their quality of life,” she said. “That’s what makes it all worth it.”
Kickstart Fitness is located at 1530 Springhill Road. For more information, call 250-586-2011 or visit http://kickstartyourfitness.ca/.
CANDACE WU PHOTO
Fitness coach Beth Alden, who owns Kickstart Fitness, has come a long way since operating out of a bright red van jammed with weights, balls, steps and bands.
A16 www.pqbnews.com Tuesday, December 23, 2014 The Parksville Qualicum Beach News
Featu
red
Pro
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ies
topto
pre
altors
top
top re
sults
250-947-5355
Lisa M.(Moulatsiotis)
Senior Real Estate Specialist
Certi� ed Residential Relocation Specialist
“Opening Doors For You and Yours”
Celia Myers
c. 250-954-9014
w. www.the-team.ca
TracyELL IOTT
Opening DoorsFor You
ANCHOR REALTY
Each of� ce independently owned & operated
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REAL ESTATE IN MotionWHITECAP
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The Parksville Qualicum Beach News Tuesday, December 23, 2014 www.pqbnews.com A17The Parksville Qualicum Beach News Tuesday, December 23, 2014 www.pqbnews.com A17
Franklin Douglas (DOUG) HillLoving husband, amazing father, wonderful brother, playful grandfather and great-grandfather, loyal friend who was always dedicated to being the best person possible, Doug died on December 9, 2014 after a year-long battle with lung cancer.He is survived by his wife, Nina (née Baer), three daughters Marci Dell (Steven), Heather Doty (Terry), Haley Hill (Helen), grandchildren Bryan, Dustin (Mikayla), T.R., Devan, Kyra, Sumner, Evan, Marin, Amy and Megan, as well as great-granddaughter Kayleigh, all of whom he loved deeply and who adored and respected him.Doug was pre-deceased by his parents, Frank and Wanda Hill, and his sister Diana, and is survived by his sisters Mary and Nancy, brothers Don and Ken and many nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews as well as many loving relatives on Nina’s side of the family.Born in Oregon on February 9, 1944, Doug married Nina on November 9, 1963. Daughter Marci was born in 1964 in Illinois, Heather in 1967 in California and Haley in 1971 in B.C. He always believed that if anything was worth doing, it was worth doing well, which he proved by being a devoted husband for 51 years, serving in the US Army, building a home like a pioneer in a remote community in Northern B.C., lovingly raising three girls, working for the Natural Gas company for 20 years, retiring to Vancouver Island, and volunteering with B.C. Lung for 27 years. Over the years he was also involved in Rotary, Air Cadets, RCMP auxiliary and was a volunteer fireman. He loved children, travelling, sun and spending time with family and friends. Over the last three years, he was able to realize his lifelong dream of travelling in an RV with his wife.Doug (Papa, Papa Doug) was adored by all who knew him and will be greatly missed. Anyone lucky enough to have known him is better for it.A private family service will be held at his request.
It was his wish that in lieu of flowers, you would please consider donating to the B.C. Lung Association (www.bc.lung.ca)
COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS
INFORMATION
Advertise in the 2015 - 2017
BC FreshwaterFishing Regulations
SynopsisPlease call Annemarie 1.800.661.6335 or email:
DID YOU KNOW? BBB Ac-credited Businesses contractu-ally agree to operate by the BBB’s 8 Standards of Trust. Look for the 2014 BBB Ac-credited Business Directory E-edition on your Black Press Community Newspaper web-site at
www.blackpress.ca.You can also go to
http://vi.bbb.org/directory/ and click on the 2014 BBB
Accredited Business Directory
IF YOU WANT TO DRINK, that’s your business. Want to STOP, we can help. Alcoholics Anonymous. 1-800-883-3968
DEATHS
COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS
INFORMATION
NEW to the area? Call for your FREE package of info, gifts & greetings.
Bev: 250-248-4720 PVAnn: 250-248-3390 QB Pat: 250-248-7119 NANOOSE
New Program: Plus 50 . You don’t have to be new to the
Oceanside area to receive a visit from Welcome Wagon! You just have to be
over the age of 50! Contact Pat.
The most Famous Baskets in the World!
www.welcomewagon.ca
LEGALS
BY VIRTUE of the Ware-houseman’s Lien Act and on behalf of French Creek Har-bour Authority we will dis-pose of goods, namely: (1) Boat “Aura Lee” (reg:6K17587); debtor “Mike Anstis” to recover $1,592.38 plus accruing storage and any/all other expenses relat-ed. This unit will be made available for sale after Decem-ber 31, 2014. Unit is currently being stored at French Creek Harbour Authority. Contact 1-250-897-2131 for further infor-mation.
DEATHS
COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS
PERSONALS
MEET SINGLES right now! No paid operators, just real peo-ple like you. Browse greetings, exchange messages and con-nect live. Try it free. Call now: 1-800-712-9851.
LOST AND FOUND
LOST YAMAHA trumpet in a soft black travel case. Last seen at Kwalicum Secondary School. Call (250)713-4004.
TRAVEL
TIMESHARE
CANCEL YOUR Timeshare. NO Risk Program. STOP Mortgage & Maintenance Pay-ments Today. 100% Money Back Guarantee. FREE Con-sultation. Call Us NOW. We Can Help! 1-888-356-5248.
TRAVEL
RV LOT Rentals $8.95 a day. 362 days of sunshine, pets, events, classes, entertain-ment. Reserve by 11/01/2014. Visit: www.hemetrvresort.com. Call: 1-800-926-5593
BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES
THE DISABILITY Tax Credit. $1,500 yearly tax cred-it.$15,000 lump sum refund (on avg). covers: Hip/knee re-placements, arthritic joints, COPD. For help applying 1-844-453-5372.
WORK FROM Home & Oper-ate a Mini-Offi ce outlet, fl exible hours. Free on-line train-ing.www.freedom-unlimited.info
CAREER OPPORTUNITIES
MEDICAL TRANSCRIPTION is an in-demand career in Canada! Employers have work-at-home positions available. Get the online train-ing you need from an employ-er-trusted program. Visit: CareerStep.ca/MT or 1-888-528-0809 to start training for your work-at-home career to-day!
TRADES, TECHNICAL
Port Hardy, BC.Busy GM dealership looking for two full time positions to
be fi lled immediately.Certifi ed GM technician
Ticketed BodymanVery competitive pay scales, benefi ts, and fl exible schedules.Send resume to
SKILLED trades! Experienced weld-ers and completions team members needed in Grande Prairie, AB. Welders, B-Pressure Welders, Painters with Steel experience. Fly in - Fly out with 1 week at home a month. Accommodation provided. Alberta wages without the high rent! Send resume to:h r @ we s t e r n m a nu fa c t u r i n g . c a www.westernmanufacturing.ca
PERSONAL SERVICES
ART/MUSIC/DANCING
PIANO LESSONS; Formal or informal, all ages, a variety of methods to suit individual needs. Christmas Gift certifi -cates! Inquiries welcome. Call Gina (250)927-3005.
PERSONAL SERVICES
FINANCIAL SERVICES
ARE YOU $10K Or More In Debt? DebtGo can help re-duce a signifi cant portion of your debt load. Call now & see if you qualify. 1-800-351-1783.
HOME/BUSINESS SERVICES
CLEANING SERVICES
SANDICLEAN Services are looking for clients in this area. Call Sandi at 250-248-3321.
WANTED - We are looking for cleaners for our Qualicum Beach Offi ces. We have 2 small offi ces at the same loca-tion that require cleaning twice a month during normal busi-ness hours. Please contact Karen at 250-752-8336.
DRYWALL
Taping/ Texturing/ Painting.Reno & Repair Specialist. 30 years of fast friendly service. Wayne 250-752-4658 QB
GARDENING
The Sharp Design Landscaping Group- Call 250.248.3835
OCEANSIDE Lawn & Garden. Hedge trimming & shaping, tree cutting, trimming. Mowing, gutters. Fall clean-up specials! Call (250)240-1116.
STILL TIME. Pruning, Fruit & Ornamentals. Fall & Winter yard clean-up. Over 25 years exp. Call Ted (250)228-6682.
HOME/BUSINESS SERVICES
GARDENING
Wes-Coast Yardbirds250-752-9444Landscaping, Gardening, Clean-up, Hauling. Pressure Washing, Irrigation, Carpentry, Hardscapes, Tree Pruning, Topping, Removal. Please call
HAULING AND SALVAGE
WAYNE’S HAUL-AWAY & Snow Removal. Bondable. Call 250-752-1639.
HOME IMPROVEMENTS
FULL SERVICE Plumbing from Parker Dean. Fast, re-liable, 24/7 service. Take $50 off your next job if you present this ad. Vancouver area. Call 1-800-573-2928.
PAINTING
A STROKE ABOVE PAINTING
would like to wish past, present & future clients a happy, safe, holiday
season!
JULIAN’S PAINTING
Fast professional service- $18/hr.
• 250-594-6611• [email protected]
POIRIER PAINTING: Resi-dential / Commercial. Fully in-sured, Guaranteed Workman-ship, WCB, Call Dan at #250-240-3528.
MERCHANDISE FOR SALE
APPLIANCES
BELLEVUE RECONDITIONED
APPLIANCES Sales & Service. FULL WARRANTY. Large Showroom
1040 BELLEVUE ROADParksville 250-248-8251
STAINLESS STEEL sxs ice and water fridge, 25 cu ft, looks beautiful, works perfect, $300. Call (250)757-9606.
MERCHANDISE FOR SALE
FIREARMS
FIREARMS: ALL types want-ed, estates, collections, singleitems, military. We handle allpaperwork and transportation.Licensed dealer 1-866-960-0045. www.dollars4guns.com.
FUEL/FIREWOOD
Clean Burn Pellet FuelOkanagan Pellet FuelAnd Animal Bedding
Chris McLean250-757-9232
We Deliver!!
COASTAL MOUNTAIN FIRE-WOOD- Call 250-468-9660. 1-866-768-8886 (Nanoose).
WEST COAST FIREWOOD - seasoned fi rewood. VolumeDiscount. 1-877-380-9663
HOBBIES & CRAFTS
GRINSHEEP FIBRE Produc-tions. Felting, spinning, knitting& weaving supplies. Tues -Sat., 1 - 5 or by appt. 250-248-6306. [email protected]
MISCELLANEOUS FOR SALE
STEEL BUILDINGS/metalbuildings 60% off! 20x28,30x40, 40x62, 45x90, 50x120,60x150, 80x100 sell for bal-ance owed! Call 1-800-457-2206 or visit us online at:www.crownsteelbuildings.ca.
RENTALS
APARTMENT/CONDO
BEACH CLUB Residences- luxury 1 bdrm condo w/lots ofamenities, pool, sauna, fi tnessrm. Long term lease required.Avail Jan, 2015. $1100/mo.Call 250-752-3813.
CENTRAL QUALICUMBeach- Steps to all amenities,1 bdrm 766sq ft apt in quiet,civilized building. Balcony,parking, NP/NS. $875/mo.Please call Bill (250)752-6997
EMERALD ESTATES-Available Jan 1. 1 bdrm, in55+ building. Comes withhousekeeping, meals optional.$1050/mo. (250)248-2445.
MOILLIET MANOR2 brm, third fl oor
New Dura-deck patioClean, quiet, secure
Heat/hot water included$900/mo NS/NP
Call 250-248-9322
PARKSVILLE- TOTALLY re-no’d, ocean view, 2 bdrm apt. Free storage & parking, quietbldg, heat/hot water included.Quiet tenants need only apply!Refs req’d. Available Jan. 1.$875. Call 250-248-3350.
✱Available January 1.Spacious 3 Bdrm, 2 Bath Townhome
2 patios, covered parking. Walk to Qualicum Village. Quiet, adult complex. $1250 per month + utilities.
Call 250-752-5233
Your community. Your classifieds. C O M M U N I T Y N E W S M E D I A
Black Press
TOLL FREE 1-855-310.3535
fax 250.248.4655 email [email protected]
FAMILY ANNOUNCEMENTS FAMILY ANNOUNCEMENTS
Your Community, Your Classifi eds. 1-855-310-3535
A18 www.pqbnews.com Tuesday, December 23, 2014 The Parksville Qualicum Beach News
Island Owned & Operated · Visit us online at: www.la-z-boyvi.com
BoxingWeekBoxingBoxingBoxingBoxingBoxingBoxingWeek
On all Genuine La-Z-Boy STOREWIDE*
SAVE UP TO 80% OFF On all Genuine La-Z-Boy STOREWIDE
VE AVE A UP TO 8PLUS PAY NO TAXES!*
*See store for details. Financing on Approved Credit. An amount equal to the GST & PST (12%) will be deducted at time of purchase. Cannot be combined with any other offers. Hot Buys Excluded. No price adjustments Dec 26th or 27th. Although every precaution is taken, errors in price or specification may occur in print. We reserve the right to correct such errors. Not all items available at all locations. Offers in effect until January 5th, 2015 or while supplies last.
Island Owned & Operated · Visit us online at: www.la-z-boyvi.comCourtenay 2937 Kilpatrick Ave (250) 871-6074 or Toll-Free 1-855-203-0857Victoria 3501 Saanich Road (at Blanshard) (250) 382-5269 or Toll-Free 1-877-452-5269Nanaimo 3200 North Island Hwy (Country Club Mall) (250) 756-4114 or Toll-Free 1-866-756-4114
DEC 24-25: CLOSED DEC 26: 11-5 DEC 27: 10-5:30 DEC 28: 12-5 DEC 29: 10-5:30 DEC 30: 10-5:30 DEC 31: 10-5:30 JAN 1: CLOSEDBOXING WEEK HOURS:
IT’S HERE! OUR LEGENDARY
Ronald McDonald
House Charities®
LANTZVILLE 7187 Lantzville Rd 250-390-1207
Nothing “Shady” about buying window coverings at CONTRACTOR PRICING EVERYDAY!
Call Andrea today to book your appointment at Slegg [email protected]
ANDREA
ON SELECTED STYLES OF WINDOW COVERINGS
FOR
DECEMB
ER
ONLY! 65%OFFUp to
A18 www.pqbnews.com Tuesday, December 23, 2014, The Parksville Qualicum Beach News
SERVICE DIRECTORYGet ready for your JANUARY SERVICE
DIRECTORY Call The News 250-905-0012 TODAY!
• Blue & Multi Driveway Chips• Construction Aggregates
• Top Soil • Bark Mulch• Lawn Sand • Compost
• River RockTrucks for Hire • Pick-up or Delivery
LICENSED DISPOSAL SITE FORYard, Garden & Wood Waste
FREE SCRAP METAL DROPOFF INCLUDING APPLIANCES
911 Church Rd., ParksvilleTel: 250-248-3693Cell: 250-616-3876
Monday-Saturday 8am-4:30pm
Landscaping
&GRAVEL MART
Tree Services
250-752-46551-800-818-0840
ISA Certifi ed ArboristsTree TrimmingTree Removal
Clean-upArborists Reports
FREE ESTIMATES
TREE SERVICEHi-Rigger
Services Offered
NOW OFFERINGLARGE ITEM
PICK-UP SERVICE
In the Oceanside area.Reasonable rates.
250-248-0224for details
Home Improvements
Exclusive HomesExclusive Kitchens & Design
Kitchens / Bathrooms / Reface or replace CabinetsWith a vast 35+ years experience in the renovation & addition business for both residential and commercial projects, consider me an expert, a specialist in the fi eld. Carpentry, cabinet making & all aspects of construction. From design to completion or any task in between.
An acute eye for the fi nished product, a fi nely developed sense of style, form and composition combine for the
proven ability to give your project that professional look you desire, the look you expect.
Chris Knox 250-752-2155
W.E.WILSONENTERPRISES
WISHING YOUPeace, Happiness,
& Joy in 2015Free Estimates. Insured.
752-6154Serving our area since 1972.
•Top•Fall•Trim•Chip•Remove
Tree Services
RENTALS
APARTMENT/CONDO
QUALICUM 2-BDRM Condo, short term, 5-12 months. Heat, H/W, insuite laundry incld. Ground level, wheelchair ac-cessible. 40 yrs +. $890./mo. Avail now. (250)752-8258.
COTTAGES
Qualicum Beach Cottage suited for 1 mature adult. $800/mo N/S, Pet neg. Avail immed. 250-937-0381.
MOBILE HOMES & PADS
QUALICUM BAY: Large fi fth wheel with slide, immaculate condition, large patio, carport. Very private large lot. $530 incld’s power per month. Small pets allowed. Call (778)424-7784 no later then 8pm.
HOMES FOR RENT
PARKSVILLE: (3 mins from)- 2 bdrm+ offi ce, older home. Electric heat, oil furnace. Cat ok, no parties, N/S. Ref’s req’d. $750/mo. Avail. now. Call Kathy (250)951-9886.
WATERFRONT COACH House (Bachelor suite), totally redone in Columbia Beach. Lrg deck, own entrance. N/S, N/P, incl., cable, hydro & inter-net. $750/mo. 250-752-7173
RENTALS
SHARED ACCOMMODATION
COOMBS. FURNISHED room. Shared kitchen & bath. Laundry, cable, internet & utils incld. N/P, Refs req’d. $425./mo. (250)248-8101.
STORAGE
MORE SPACE FOR LESSStorage Containers Currently available:
8’ x 20’ $105. + taxes. Open storage for RVs,
cars, boats, trailers: $40. + taxes for fi rst 20’ $2 each additional foot.
250-248-7100.
SUITES, UPPER
PARKSVILLE: NEW 1-bdrm suite. Private entr., sun deck, rural setting with mountain view. Hydro, cable, wi-fi , park-ing incld. Avail Jan 1. $800. NS/NP. Call 250-248-2806.
WANTED TO RENT
SENIOR MANITOBA couple looking to rent or house sit need a condo/apartment from Jan 15 to Apr 15, 2015. Call Mike, (204)721-1347 or email: [email protected]
ALL YOU NEED IN PRINT AND
ONLINE
bcclassifi ed.com
Hundreds ofCommunity event photos online at:
facebook.com/PQBnews
The Parksville Qualicum Beach News Tuesday, December 23, 2014 www.pqbnews.com A19
T YSON [email protected]
In their second year, the Kwalikum Secondary School Centre for Soccer Excellence continues to draw students.
KSS students are enjoying the program for the second year now, after a successful and well-received debut last year.
Kwalikum athletic director Butch Gayton is pleased with the amount of positive feed-back from both students in the program and others that are in-terested in joining.
It’s a positive sign that the program has the potential to expand its numbers even more and with sponsors starting to get on board, things are looking up.
“It’s a pretty neat thing we’ve got going,” Gayton said. “We’re able to get out to Arbutus Mead-ows to use their artificial pitch, we’ve got professional coaches and the kids out there are so talented. They love it a lot.”
Students are getting daily instruction in the game of soc-cer, both on and off the field. In the classroom, they’re learning about the ins and outs of stay-
ing fit, eating healthy and inju-ry prevention, to name a few.
On the field, coach Sjell Broadsgaard is lending his years of professional experi-ence in the game to help coach the students along to the next level.
“You can see the improve-ment from all the kids,” Gayton
said. “They’re out there on the pitch two times a week and in the gym once a week, working on their games. They step out on the pitch for their teams they play on in the communi-ty and you can see everything they’ve been working on com-ing to life.”
“It’s been fantastic, both as a
teacher and a coach, to see the development with this group of students.”
With the addition of Grade 8 to the high school system, Gay-ton sees the potential to have even more students joining up for the KSS Centre for Soccer Excellence.
“Our students that are here
right now will be back again next year,” Gayton said. “It’s nice because they’re young enough to start out and really pick it up right away and then as they progress, they can still utilize these skills in the com-munity league and during soc-cer season at school too.”
“We’ve been getting a lot of interest from Grade 8 and Grade 9 students with this thing and we’re always looking at the possibility of expansion.”
Expansion is something that’s becoming more and more of a realistic situation with the sponsor interest.
With a few in the works, the KSS Centre for Soccer Excel-lence has been lent a 15-pas-senger van from Vancouver Is-land Goalkeeping.
“We’ve got A Batt Above, who’s been helping us out with sponsorship,” Gayton said.
“They’ve been a tremendous help for us. Also, the van from the Goalkeeping School is a godsend. That gives us a chance to get all the kids there at one time both to and from where we need to get to. Of course, we’ve got parents that are al-ways willing to lend a hand but this goes a long way in helping us out too.”
&Sports Recwww.pqbnews.com
In its second year, centre for excellence is growing and showing results in its students
KSS developing soccer excellenceKWALIKUM SPORTS
Whalers senior girls basketball in B.C. top 10BALLENAS SPORTS
T YSON [email protected]
The Ballenas Whalers senior girls basketball team is off to a hot start in their season and, after winning a tournament in Victoria this past weekend, are ranked in the top ten in B.C.
The Whalers girls are un-beaten on their season so far, having three wins in league play in three games so far.
They also had six wins in ex-hibition and tournament play for a 9-0 start, earning a rank-
ing of tenth in B.C. (AA Senior Girls Basket-ball).
Last week-end, the senior girls squad was in Victoria for the Victoria Christmas Tourna-ment.
Playing their first game against Lambrick Park, who had home court advantage, the Whalers were up for a challenge but quickly showed what they
were made of. M a r c h i n g
straight to the finals, the Whalers beat Winston Chur-chill (Calgary) 64-44 to win
the Gold Division of the tour-nament.
“We were a little nervous with playing against the home team,” head coach Daryl Britz said.
“Lambrick Park is always
a strong program and to go in there and have our opener against them, it could have gone either way. We showed what we were made of though and held our own on their floor.”
The Whalers would go on to win their opening game by a score of 73-34.
Four different players scored in the double figures and it was just an hour later against Pitt Meadows that the Whalers played their second game of the tournament.
Having another four play-ers scoring double figures, the Whalers went on to win 68-22.
“We’ve instilled a new play, we’re working hard on that,” Britz said.
“Our defense is coming along too, still a few things to work out there. Things have been going well though, start-ing off unbeaten is nothing to overlook,” he said.
“But we know that we’ve got a lot of tough basketball com-ing in the New Year.”
TYSON TAYLOR PHOTO
The Kwalikum Secondary Centre for Soccer Excellence, now in it’s second year, has been getting pos-itive feedback from students and lots of inquiries from other students looking to join next year. The program was able to utilize the turf field at Arbutus Meadows as part of their training curriculum.
We showed what we were made of though and held
our own on their floor.
DARYL BRITZ
It’s been fantastic, both as a teacher and a coach, to see the development with
this group of students.
BUTCH GAYTON
Parksville high school team is unbeaten in first nine games of this season and pre-season’s action
DO YOU HAVE LOCAL SPORTS NEWS? Contact:Tyson Taylor, Sports ReporterEmail: [email protected]: 250-951-3809
A20 www.pqbnews.com Tuesday, December 23, 2014 The Parksville Qualicum Beach News
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Qualicum Beach team is doing well at the start of their season with a 2-1 record and showing improvement
KSS girls basketballKWALIKUM SPORTS
T YSON [email protected]
The Kwalikum Secondary School senior girls basketball team is having a good start to their season, winning two out of three league games so far and showing im-provement with each passing game.
Tuesday night, the Lady Kondors took on the Barsby Bulldogs out of Nanaimo and showed their improvement, earning a 59-27 victory.
In total, 10 out of 11 players on the team ended up on the score sheet, with Jenna Milne and Shea Carmichael leading the way with 16 points each.
“We’re a young team with a steep learning curve,” head coach Bob Bate said after the win on Tuesday night.
“The girls have been playing great defense, which speaks volumes to the style of game they’re playing. It’s a really tough league and the girls will take some bumps and bruises but
they’re showing great amounts of improve-ment since the beginning of the year.”
Coming off a good showing at a tournament last weekend at Vanier Secondary in Courte-nay, the KSS senior girls team earned victories
over the AAA Dover Bay Dol-phins (Nanaimo) and host Vanier Towhees.
“It was a good learning experience for the girls,” Bate said.
“It’s always challenging going against AAA teams (being a AA team). We had two big wins against two sol-id teams and our third game was a close, tough battle
against Eric Hamber (Vancouver), who was your typical mainland team, smash mouth and physical. It was a great weekend though, a lot of fun.”
The girls team now heads into the winter break with a schedule showing lots of practic-es and a game in the Alumni Tournament on December 27 (4:30 p.m.).
We had... a close, tough battle against Eric Ham-ber, who was your typical
mainland team, smash mouth and physical. It was a great weekend though, a
lot of fun.BOB BATE
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