Red Mountain’s general manager is sending condo-lences to the family of a man who succumbed to injuries after skiing at the resort Jan. 24.

“We are deeply saddened by this loss and our thoughts and condolences are with his

family and friends,” noted Don Thompson in a media statement.

The GM and president of Red Mountain Resort presses safety is always paramount and continues to be the main focus, incident aside.

“It’s a big, big mountain and we’re always looking at our safety,” he told the Rossland News Monday. “It’s nothing that an incident (like this) is a

catalyst for, it’s ongoing.”The BC Coroners Service

confirmed that Paul Omegna, 49, of Lake Washington, Washington State, was rushed to the Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital but could not be resuscitated Sunday, Jan. 24.

Ski patrol found him unre-sponsive at about 4 p.m. that day after he had been report-ed missing when he failed to

meet up with companions.Red reports the skier fell

into a “marked natural de-pression near the Motherlode Chair Lift” and was tended to by ski patrol and mountain staff, who were later support-ed by paramedics and doctors.

“We remind our guests that natural hazards do exist such as tree wells, drainage areas, and rock faces and to ski together when ventur-

ing off groomed runs,” noted Thompson. “We also caution everyone to watch for mark-ings in all areas and to ski and ride with due care.”

No further details are avail-able at this time, as the RCMP and BC Coroners Service con-tinue to investigate the death.

Red notes the last time a guest succumbed to injuries on the mountain was a cardiac arrest about six years ago.

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Vol. 11 • Issue 5

No fix for Castlegar Airport

Page 2

Winter Carnival big success!Page 12

Red Mountain Resort responds to death of skierGM sends condolences to family of guest skier who succumbed to injuries last week

VALERIE ROSSIRossland News

Mayor Kathy Moore rode in the city council bobsled during the City of Rossland Carnival Parade on Friday night. Chelsea Novak photo

Cruising the town bobsled styleSee inside for more coverage of the Winter Carnival

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Even with the most cutting edge technology available, the chances of improving the cancel-lation rate at the West Kootenay Regional Airport in Castlegar are next to zero, according to

Nav Canada, the compa-ny that runs navigational systems in all Canadian airports.

In 2014, Nav Canada commissioned a study of navigational issues in Castlegar from Jeppesen, a subsidiary of Boeing, based in Colorado.

Jeppesen specializes in navigational information and operations manage-ment. The company was asked to analyze what it would take to improve the current annual six-year average landing suc-cess rate of 86.5 per cent.

The Nelson Star re-cently interviewed Jim Ferrier and Ron Singer of Nav Canada about the study and its con-clusions. Also, Ferrier and Jeppesen’s Jeff Bruce wrote a three-page sum-mary of the Jeppeson re-port for use by the Star.

Improving landings at any airport involves the installation of RNP (required navigation pro-cedure) into planes serv-ing the airport. It is not a question of upgrading the airport itself. The planes have to be equipped with it.

The problem faced by the Castlegar airport is a combination of frequent low cloud cover and diffi-cult terrain surrounding the airport.

RNP is a computerized landing system using sat-ellite technology and GPS to automatically find the shortest and safest route into an airport. It is rel-atively new technology and not all airlines use it.

The point of using RNP in Castlegar would be to lower the mini-mum cloud ceiling under which a plane may land. That threshold is set by Transport Canada and in Castlegar it is 3,000 feet (914 m). The hope in Castlegar has been to reduce that ceiling by half.

Take-off

But for taking off, the threshold is higher, about 3200 feet (975 m), depending on the type of aircraft, according to Ferrier. Without that level of visibility, a plane will be unwilling to land in Castlegar because it might not be able to take off again.

Ferrier says using RNP would not improve that requirement for take-off, with current technology. Therefore improving the success rate of landings in Castlegar is not possible.

“With such a weather requirement to accom-modate departures, even if low minima existed for arrivals, air operators are unlikely to dispatch an aircraft to a destina-tion from which it can-not depart in inclement weather,” he said.

Landing

As for landings, even if the take-off problem did not exist, Ferrier said RNP would not work at Castlegar without deviat-ing from certain safety procedures, and it is unlikely that Transport Canada would certify those procedures.

“The deviations that would be required in Castlegar have never been tried before, so there is no proof of their safety,” Ferrier said. “And Transport Canada tends to be conservative when it comes to providing ex-emptions.”

The Jeppesen report as summarized by Ferrier and Bruce sets out some alternative scenarios — examples of what would be involved in relaxing certain rules to make landing with RNP work in Castlegar.

Here is the first and the simplest:

There is a specified distance from the run-way at which the pilot

must be aligned and be able to see it. To land in Castlegar with RNP, this distance would have to be reduced. So Transport Canada would have to be asked to approve a short-er distance. But allowing that deviation creates a potential safety problem, because it would shorten the time and distance needed to do a missed approach — that’s when a pilot changes their mind at the last minute and starts climbing again — creating a potential safety problem.

To deal with that problem you would have to start the approach while in a turn, and that wouldn’t comply with regulations, Ferrier said.

The other examples in the report summary involve more exemptions that create a domino ef-fect of new problems, and all of which Ferrier says are highly unlikely to be approved by Transport Canada because they have never been tried before and there is no proof that they work.

“Under the current criteria at the current time without multiple exemptions you cannot improve on what is there now,” Ferrier said, adding that to get those safety-related exemptions ap-proved would be next to impossible.

Ferrier referred to what is known as the Swiss cheese model of accident causation, in which the more holes you put in a block of Swiss cheese (or in any system) the greater the likelihood the holes will align. “That is what all of us in the industry are try-ing to prevent,” he said.

Presented with this information by the Star, two prominent local people in the ongoing airport discussion are still optimistic.

Jim Gouk, a former four-term local MP and air traffic controller, told the Star that with a prop-erly equipped aircraft the required ceiling for land-ing could be reduced to 1,500 feet (457 m). He is now a consultant in air transportation issues and is a former board mem-ber of Nav Canada.

Air Canada and WestJet

Castlegar city manag-er John Malcolm told the Star his understanding of the situation is that RNP could work if there were planes that were compat-ible with it. He said RNP cannot be installed in the Dash 8 aircraft Air Canada currently uses as the fleet would have to be upgraded and pi-lots trained, all at con-siderable expense to the airline.

“My understanding,” said Malcolm, “is that Air Canada and its con-tractor, Jazz, have their business plan based on continued use of the Dash 8, which has had its life expectancy extended by 10 years.”

Air Canada wasn’t willing to speak with the Star for this article.

That leads to the ques-tion of whether other air-lines might want to start flying into Castlegar. WestJet already uses RNP in much of its fleet. The Star asked WestJet by email if rumours that it plans to come to Castlegar are true.

“Unfortunately the rumours are not true at the moment,” read the re-sponse. “WestJet has no immediate plans to come to Castlegar. However as we take delivery of addi-tional aircraft it affords us the opportunity to add new destinations and routes. Communities that are not part of our

route map are always under consideration.”

Since that email, WestJet has cut 88 flights between Alberta and six BC cities because of the downturn in the Alberta economy.

Regional eco-nomics and

landing stats

It has long been as-sumed the unreliability of the airport poses an economic cost to the region, but that impact has never been studied or quantified.

However, Malcolm says a related study is underway.

“The City of Castlegar has commissioned a study to analyze poten-tial air passenger growth in the West Kootenay re-gional airshed,” he wrote in an email to the Star. “The city will be using it for attracting new air-lines or increased par-ticipation by the current airline if supported by the study’s findings. It will not be completed until next month.”

Landing success rates for Castlegar for each month of 2015 are shown below. Statistics for the past six years show that:

• The full-year aver-ages for each year from 2010 to 2015 are all in the range of 85 per cent, except 2014 where the success rate was 94.3 per cent.

• In December from 2010 to 2015, the suc-cess rates ranged from 56 per cent in 2014 to 85 per cent in 2011.

• In January, the suc-cess rates ranged from 39 per cent in 2010 to 73 per cent in 2012.

• Success rates for each month from May to September were often 100 per cent and the low-est was 90 per cent in June of 2012.

A2 rosslandnews.com Thursday, February 4, 2016 Rossland News

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News

No fix for regional airport, experts sayBILL METCALFE

Castlegar News

Betsy Kline photo

Thoughtexchange recently beat out seven other companies to win $5,000 in the Innovation Showcase pitch at the BC Tech Summit 2016.

During the showcase, Dave MacLeod, CEO of Thoughtexchange, had four min-utes to present on the company, followed by one minute to an-swer questions. Following all of the presentations, the crowd voted on which company they would be most likely to invest in.

“We narrowly won that com-petition amidst some very tough competitors,” said MacLeod.

Thoughtexchange launched over five years ago, providing soft-ware that allows school districts and other organizations — like the City of Rossland — to “engage tens of thousands of people from diverse backgrounds in a single coherent conversation.”

“We effectively do large online discussion, where we take a wis-dom of crowds approach,” explains MacLeod. “So we ask people their

thoughts about things, and then people get a chance to review and consider the thoughts of every-body else, and put some stars on the things they like the best. Then we see what comes up to the top, what’s important to a group of people.”

Thoughtexchange has a staff of about 20 in the area — Rossland, Castlegar, Nelson — and offices in Vancouver, with a total staff of 65.

“We were exceptionally proud to be an Interior-based company, with our home office in the Interior, and then win a BC tech prize,” said

MacLeod. “We’re also going to be hiring a lot of people this year and we’re going to hopefully hire a lot more people in the Kootenays, as well as out of Vancouver.”

The win helped earn Thoughtexhange a place on Techvibes GoToMeeting Five: Canadian Startups Innovating Today list at the end of January. The company was also recognized as one of the Reader’s Top Choice products by school administra-tors across North America in District Administration magazine in December.

The West Kootenay Community TEETH Clinic Society is the winner of Pacific Blue Cross’s 75th anniversary Share the Care campaign.

The society will re-ceive a $50,000 donation from Pacific Blue Cross Health Foundation after receiving the most votes in a video storytelling campaign.

Since 2014, the clinic has been operating in Nelson as a not-for-profit that offers high quality dental care for West Kootenay Boundary low income community members, including children, families and seniors.

Mara Sand, a board director for the society, found out they’d won on Thursday.

“I was bouncing off the walls with joy,” she

said. “Just so happy, I can hardly contain my joy.”

In the video, Sand ex-plained the society would open satellite clinics in the West Kootenay if they won the money. Now that the $50,000 donation is going to be a reality, Sand said there’s a lot of work to do to decide how many satellite clinics they’ll be able to open over the next few years, and where they’ll be located.

“We have a meeting on the fifth of February, and at that point we can have a clearer idea of what we can say we want to do and will be able to do,” she said. “We’ll make strate-gies on how to contact the areas and then how to go about making things happen.”

Sand wanted to thank the people who have worked with the society and at the clinic, and everyone who voted for their video during the campaign.

“Because without them, this wouldn’t have happened,” she said, “and it’s an amazing opportu-nity for us to be able to galvanize and help more people.”

The Pacific Blue Cross Health Foundation wanted to do something special for its 75th an-niversary so it started a campaign and chose five finalists from a list of 70 organizations it has funded to help improve health and well-being in BC.

“We were cast-ing about for what we would do for our 75th anniversary and we thought, ‘Well, let’s stick with what’s meaningful for us, which is making contributions back to the community,’” said Jan K. Grude, Pacific Blue Cross president and CEO. “So we looked at all of the organizations that we have supported over the last several years, and

through a selection pro-cess based on the qual-ity of their work, our experience with them, the foundation board wrestled with who we would choose as our five finalists to compete for a $50,000 prize.”

Foundation members then asked BC residents to vote for their favourite finalist in a video story-telling campaign.

Over 16,000 BC resi-dents voted during the three week campaign, and in total the cam-paign resulted in $75,000 in funding between the five organizations. Charlford House Society for Women in Burnaby is the runner up and will re-ceive $10,000. The other three finalists will receive $5,000 each.

The West Kootenay Community TEETH Cl inic S ociety ’s video can be seen at www.pac.bluecross.ca/75thAnniversary.

Rossland News Thursday, February 4, 2016 rosslandnews.com A3

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Dave MacLeod, CEO of Thoughtexchange, accepts the cheque for $5,000.

Local company wins at BC Tech SummitCHELSEA NOVAK

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News

FAMILY LITERACY FUN AT THE LIBRARY

Chelsea Novak photo

Marshall (left) and Will Ramovs (third from left) were two of the kids who attended Family Literacy Day at the Rossland Public Library on Friday, where they heard stories and had fun dressing up. They’re pictured here with Beverley Rintoul (second from left), library director, and Jamie Santano (right) from Strong Start.

With unlicensed mari-juana dispensaries pop-ping up in urban areas and thousands of unregulated medical licences for home growing still in legal limbo, the Trudeau government is starting work on its prom-ise to legalize recreational use.

Marijuana was a media darling in the recent election, but meeting in Vancouver with provin-cial ministers last week, federal Health Minister Jane Philpott found herself preoccupied with issues

deemed more urgent.These include shifting

our post-war acute hospi-tal model to community primary care, tackling ab-original health care needs, pooling pharmaceutical purchases to slow rising costs, and meeting an urgent Supreme Court of Canada directive to legal-ize assisted dying.

At the closing news conference in Vancouver, Philpott was asked how recreational marijuana should be sold. Licensed medical growers want exclusive rights to do it by mail as permitted by the Harper government, another measure forced by our high court. That would shut out the rash

of supposedly medical storefronts, which city halls in Vancouver and elsewhere imagine they can regulate.

Philpott said the ques-tion is “premature” and federal-provincial justice ministers were dealing with it at their meeting. Ottawa will have a task force too.

Vancouver descended into a pot store free-for-all due to benign neglect from council and police, and Victoria isn’t far be-hind. Vancouver Coun. Kerry Jang, a rare voice of reason in the Big Smoke, has protested dispensaries using street hawkers to at-tract young buyers, and pot stores setting up near

schools.Other communities,

more aware of their limi-tations, have resisted is-suing business licences. One recent proposal in the Victoria suburb of View Royal came from a fellow who insisted mari-juana extract had cured his cancer. This is typical of claims that prolifer-ate on the Internet, and is one of many warning signs about dispensaries that put up red cross signs to sell pot products with exotic names.

BC Health Minister Terry Lake was more forthcoming a few days earlier, responding to a Vancouver reporter who judged marijuana more

interesting than his just-announced plan to hire 1,600 more nurses by the end of March.

Lake noted that Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne is keen to sell marijuana through the province’s monopoly liquor stores. BC’s government liquor store union has also en-dorsed this idea, forming an unlikely alliance with non-union private stores to get in on the action.

“There are public health officials that I’ve talked to who say that the co-location of marijuana and liquor sales is not advis-able from a public health perspective,” Lake said. “I think whatever we do it has to be highly regu-

lated, quality control has to be excellent and above all we must protect young people.”

Yes, liquor stores check ID. But the notion that marijuana might be sold next to beer and vodka in government stores deserves sober second thought, and serious sci-entific work of the kind that has shown damage to developing brains from teenage marijuana use.

Of course all of this urban hand-wringing over pot stores ignores the de facto legalization that has existed across BC for decades.

The Nelson Star had a funny story last week about a local woman’s discovery

on Google Earth. Zooming in on area mountains, one finds not only the Purcell landmark Loki Peak, but also Weed Peak, Grow Op Peak, Cannabis Peak and Hydroponic Peak.

Whatever the source of this cyber-prank, it could also be applied to other regions of BC.

For the record, I’ll re-state my long-standing po-sition that legalization is the only logical answer. I’ll say the same about other drugs that drive most BC crime, but that’s a subject for another day.

Tom Fletcher is BC legis-lature reporter and colum-nist for Black Press. Email: tfletcher@blackpress.ca Twitter: @tomfletcherbc

A4 rosslandnews.com Thursday, February 4, 2016 Rossland News

BC Views

TOM FLETCHERBlack Press

Kootenay group publisher: Chuck BennettAdvertising: Christine Esovoloff

Operations manager: Jennifer CowanEditorial

Christine EsovoloffSales Associate

Chelsea NovakReporter

Chuck BennettPublisher

Jennifer CowanEditor

Your Community News Team

Sandy LeonardCreative Director

The Rossland News is a member of the National NewsMedia Council, a self-regulatory body governing the coun-try’s newspaper industry. The council considers complaints from the public about the conduct of member newspapers. Directors oversee the mediation of complaints, with input from both the newspaper and the complaint holder. If talk-ing with the editor or publisher does not resolve your complaint about coverage or story treatment, you may contact the National NewsMedia Council. Your written concern, with documentation, should be sent within 45 days to 890

Yonge St., Suite 200, Toronto, M4W 3P4. For information, phone 1-844-877-1163 or go to mediacouncil.ca.

Making a clear choice for electoral changeVoters made

clear choices for change

in the federal elec-tion, and one of those choices was for electoral reform. The Liberals, NDP and Green parties all loudly pledged that the 2015 election

would be the last held in Canada under the first-past-the-post voting system, and those parties collectively received nearly two-thirds of the popular vote in the election.

Why did these promises resonate with most Canadians? Because too many feel that their vote doesn’t count in the present system. The recent federal election resulted in a large Liberal majority, despite the fact that the Liberals only received 39 per cent of the popular vote. Coincidentally, this was the same level of popular vote that gave the Conservatives a strong majority in Ottawa in the 2011 election. The time for an elec-toral system that better reflects the views of Canadians is long overdue.

The NDP ran on a promise to bring in

proportional representation — a system that would combine the geographical riding representation we have now with a selec-tion of MPs based on overall popular vote. This would create a parliament where the proportion of MPs from each party would match the proportion of the popular vote re-ceived. While some are concerned that this would create more minority parliaments, it can easily be shown that minority gov-ernments generally promote co-operation and collaboration among parties and work well in most democratic countries around the world.

The Liberals ran on a promise to simply change the electoral system, stating that they would consult Canadians in some manner to select an alternative to first-past-the-post. Justin Trudeau says he personally would like to see a preferential ballot, even though that system would create more false majorities instead of fewer. We can only hope that the consultation process will settle on a new method that will be a significant improve-ment on the old one.

Before the House of Commons broke for Christmas, the Conservatives repeat-edly called for the government to hold a

referendum on this issue, claiming that this would be the only democratic way to choose a new electoral system. And in a truly ironic twist, they recently threatened to block any electoral change bill in the decidedly un-democratic Senate.

I think Canadians have already signalled that the government should move ahead on electoral reform, joining over 90 per cent of the world’s developed countries that have abandoned first-past-the-post. They want a new system that will make every vote count and fight political cynicism across the coun-try. People are naturally skeptical — even afraid — of changing a system they know well. I like Nathan Cullen’s suggestion to let the people decide whether to keep the new system after a couple of elections — then they’d be choosing based on knowledge, not on fear of the unknown.

On the office front, phones have been installed in Penticton and Castlegar. If you’d like to get in touch with me and my staff, the numbers are: Penticton, 250-770-4480; Castlegar, 250-365-2972.

Dick Cannings is the NDP MP for South Okanagan-West Kootenay.

DICK CANNINGS

View from the hill

This is your province on weed

The Rossland News welcomes letters to the editor intended for publication but reserves the right to edit for brevity, clarity, legality, accuracy and topicality. Letters

should be typically in the range of 300 words in length. Anonymous letters will not be published. To

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Homeowners choose renovation projects for a variety of reasons. Although many improvements are made to increase functionality and comfort of a home, several others are seen as worthwhile investments. � ese invest-ments can add up to a higher resale value when the time comes to sell a home.

Certain projects have a history of providing a greater return on homeowners’ investments than others. � e following renovation tips can add beauty to your home and generate great returns when you put the home up for sale.

• Invest in your kitchen. Kitchen remodels are a safe bet when it comes to putting money into improving a home. Residents tend to spend a great deal of time in the kitchen, but

a dated, poorly functioning kitchen can detract from the value of a home, even if the rest of the home is in good shape. It’s possible to recoup between 60 and 120 percent of your kitchen remodel invest-ment, especially if the kitchen matches up well with the rest of your home. Homeowners should know that a deluxe ren-ovation may not be necessary, as relatively moderate im-provements can create a whole new look for a kitchen.

• Look to paint. One of the least expensive improvement materials, but one that has a signi� cant impact, is paint. Neutral, modern colors can easily liven up any space. If you paint with low-VOC paint, you also can advertise an eco-friendly home, which is very desireable these days.

• Put in another bathroom. Multiple bathrooms are an attractive selling point, par-ticularly in older homes that may not have been equipped with more than one bathroom. Finding extra space for a bath-room can be tricky, but consid-er closets, areas under stairs or even taking some space away from another room. Popular

home-improvement television channel HGTV advises that half-bathrooms require at least 18 square feet of space, while full baths need 30 to 35 square feet for a stand-up shower or bathtub.

• Renovate the HVAC sys-tem. Aesthetic improvements aren’t the only ones that add value to a home. Many home buyers are eager to purchase a home that has a new heating and cooling system, as buyers understand that furnaces and air conditioning units are substantial investments that can last for years. Other improvements, such as adding attic insulation or replacing older windows and doors with more energy e� cient options, also are smart bets.

• Add illumination to rooms. A dark home is a

dreary home. Adding light can mean including more overhead and accent lighting. Under-cabinet task lighting is a nice touch. Inclusion of skylights and sun tubes can bring natural light into rooms that may not have south- or west-facing windows.

• Put a deck addition out-doors. Outdoor living spaces have become more desireable, especially as the “staycation” has grown in popularity. Decks and patios can make backyards more appealing. � e scope of your investment will depend on the size of the deck and de-sign. Doing the work yourself can cut the cost of decks in half, but only if you have the specifi c tools or experience to tackle such a project.

• Improve curb appeal. Adding attractive landscap-

ing and freshening up the entryway to a home can add considerable value to your home, as buyers judge homes by their exteriors. Complete-ly renovated interiors may never be seen if buyers pass up your home because of a less attractive exterior. Classy, subtle changes, like well-

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Before making improve-ments, homeowners should determine if a given project will provide a solid return on their investment.

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Thea Culley and Team Canada face US once moreRossland-born field

hockey player Thea Culley is one of 21 athletes named to the Canadian women’s field hockey set to once again take on the US in a four-game series Feb. 8 to 12 in San Diego, Cali.

The two teams last met in the 2015 Pan Am Games semi-final when the U.S. team (ranked seventh in the world) narrowly defeated the Canadian team 3-0. The US went on to win the

finals and Canada beat Chile 1-0 in the bronze medal game, earning a medal at the Pan Ams for the first time since 1999.

“I think we’re excited right now,” said Culley. “We haven’t played games all together since the Pan Ams. So, you know, we’ve been train-ing over the fall, and girls have been back with their CIS (Canadian Interuniversity Sport) teams, or NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) teams or over in Europe, so it’s exciting to come

back together and give ourselves a benchmark for the year of where we’re going to start from and the best place to do that is against a top-notch team.”

The games against the US will be friendly matches.

“Teams often do this. You know, we go on tour and then we go and we play teams; it’s prepara-tion,” said Culley. “The US will be playing games in preparation for the Olympics and we’re pre-paring in our 2017 World Cup buildup.”

For the most part, Team Canada will have the same roster as at the Pan Am Games, but with a few additions.

“We are predomi-nantly the same team as at Pan Ams, but we are taking 21, so we have an additional five athletes with us,” explains Culley. “As [this is] a preparatory tour, we are trying to get as much experience as possible, and since we don’t have to travel very far, we are trying to capi-talize on that.”

While some players on the team need more

experience playing in-ternational matches, or caps, Culley herself is cap leader for the team (meaning she’s played the most international matches).

“There are retired players who have more than I do,” says Culley. “Steph Jameson holds the record of 168 inter-national matches, so I’m at 142.”

CHELSEA NOVAKRossland News

Thea Culley at the 2015 Pan Am Games. Yan Huckendubler photo

January saw more snow, rain than usualWhile there weren’t

many big dumps of snow last month, it was still a good deal wetter than usual.

According to a month-ly roundup of statistics from the Southeast Fire Centre in Castlegar, there was 61 per cent more snow and 85 per cent more rain than normal.

The airport saw 89.2

cm of snow compared to the typical 55.4 cm and 48.6 mm of rain versus the average 26.2 mm. The greatest single day accumulation of snow was 20 cm on the 12th. The one-day record for the month is 43.7 cm set in 1969.

The overall precipita-tion of 128 mm was still well short of the record

high of 170.4 mm in 2006. The record low of 9 mm was set in 1985.

“2016 started off with a strong ridge of high pressure over the area and a cold, dry and stable (modified Arctic) air mass in the valleys of the West Kootenay,” forecasters Jesse Ellis and Ron Lakeman wrote.

The lowest tempera-

ture of the month was minus 9.9 degrees be-fore sunrise on New Year’s Day. However, that Arctic air never re-turned to the area for the rest of the month, which the forecasters said was a big reason why the aver-age monthly temperature was 1.5 degrees warmer than normal — typical of an El Nino winter.

“A shift towards a milder and more ac-tive pattern occurred the night of the 3rd and continued out to the end of the month,” they said.

The highest tempera-ture of the month was 4.8 degrees on Jan. 24. The record high is 10 degrees on Jan. 16, 1974. The re-cord low is minus 25.7 on Jan. 1, 1979.

A6 rosslandnews.com Thursday, February 4, 2016 Rossland News

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Sports

Tough conditions for Fat Duro ridersCHELSEA NOVAK

Rossland News

An American claimed the top spot at this year’s fat bike enduro race.

The Revolution Fat Duro was held at Red on Saturday as part of Fat Bike Fest and Winter Carnival, and Mike Gaertner from Coeur d’Alene, Idaho took first place in the Expert Men’s category.

First place in the Expert Women’s category went to Steph Verot.

Conditions on race day were pretty challeng-ing. With plenty of fresh precipitation, the snow was soft.

“It was a little soft,” said Tyler Merringer, owner of Revolution Cycle and organizer for the race. “The bikes are best when the snow is hard and firm, so with the amount of snow we received this week it was a bit of a challenge, and thanks again to the vol-unteers who were out there…. We were out there until midnight some evenings packing trail.”

There were more than a few wipeouts on the course due to the powder.

“It was challenging, but really fun,” said Gaertner. “I came off the bike a couple of times.”

Gaertner started fat biking in 2002 or 2003, but this was his first time in the Fat Duro. Verot has only been fat biking for one year, but had partici-pated in last year’s event.

“It was tough, but I liked it,” said Verot. “It was more challenging than last year.”

For Linda Venema of Rossland, the Fat Duro was her first real fat bik-ing experience.

“We did some test runs yesterday, and today was my first time,” she said.

Venema is a regular mountain biker, and like other participants, she found the course fun, but challenging. She said she would probably participate in a fat biking event again, given the op-portunity.

A total of 37 riders

participated in the two-stage enduro race.

Local sponsors in-cluded Rossland Beer Co., Mountain Nugget Chocolate, and the Alpine Grind.

Expert MenFirst: Mike Gaertner,

21:46:32Second: Dave Sutton,

22:54:36Third: Gerry Heacock,

22:59:16Expert WomenFirst: Steph Verot,

31:31:34Second: Tara Carr,

36:44:55Third: Isabella

Desmarais, 37: 09: 42Non-expert MenFirst: Guillaume

Landix, 30:06:12Second: Leslie van

Oosternrijk, 30:57:45Non-expert WomenFirst: Linda Venema,

44:32:29

Participants in the Revolution Fat Duro prepared for an informal start. Twelve-year-old Ryder Eagleton (second from left) was the youngest fat biker in the event.The three top riders in the Expert Men’s category. Left to right: Gerry Heacock (third), Mike Gaertner (first) and Dave Sutton (second). Chelsea Novak photos

Steph Verot placed first in the Expert Women’s category. Participants in the Revolution Fat Duro head off in an informal start. Chelsea Novak photos

A storm of fiercely rockin’ musi-cians passed through Rossland over the weekend for Blizzard Fest, in conjunction with Rossland Winter Carnival.

The festival kicked off on Thursday night, and the first group to perform was the Devin Cuddy Band.

The band last came through the region on the Holiday Train, mak-ing stops in Nelson and Castlegar, but this was the first time the band performed in Rossland, and they had some trouble getting here.

“One of the mountain passes was closed for two hours, so we were a little [later than expected], but we made it in time,” said Devin Cuddy.

The band had no time to take in the carnival, as they were passing through on a Canadian tour, and had a show to play in Vancouver on Saturday.

“We’re doing a little winter tour,” said Cuddy. “We have our latest record on vinyl now and we have some new songs that we’re testing out for our next record.”

Cuddy hopes the band will be

able to come back sometime.The following night, Blizzard

Fest veterans, Shred Kelly, head-lined the festival at the Miners’ Hall.

“We played a couple of years ago in the Ice Palace and a couple of years before that we played the Miners’ Hall with Kytami,” said Time Newton, who plays banjo, ukulele and sings lead vocals.

Having played Blizzard Fest be-fore, members of Shred Kelly have had the chance in previous years to check out the rail jam, local food and other bands playing the festival. They have yet to see the bobsled race, and didn’t get a chance this year, as they headed back to Fernie for a concert on Saturday.

Shred Kelly also had several friends playing the festival over the weekend.

“We have some friends play-ing at the Steamshovel tonight; the Tourist Company and the Matinée are good buddies of ours,” said Jordan Vlasschert, bass player. “And the Wet Secrets tomorrow at the Ice Palace are also good friends of ours.”

The Matinée closed down the Flying Steamshovel later in the evening. It was the band’s first time playing the festival, but they

played a show at the Shovel over the summer.

“We played here in the summer; we were on route to the Golden Sound Festival,” said Matt Layzell, lead vocals. “This was a stop on the way and Daniel [D’Amour], the promoter, right after the show said ‘I want you to come back in the winter,’ and right away we looked into the festival and got super ex-cited.”

Though not everyone from the Matinée was able to stick around to enjoy Winter Carnival, Layzell planned to stay to check out some of the winter fun.

The honour of closing out the festival went to the Vancouver-based band HUMANS, recently nominated for a 2016 Juno award.

The electronic pop duo, Robert Slade and Peter Ricq, played the Flying Steamshovel on Saturday night.

Though Slade was raised in Nelson, this was the first time the band played Rossland.

“It was great. It was like a very quaint town. Really beautiful, people were really friendly, good dancers,” said Slade. “And then all of the subsequent after parties were really, really fun.”

Rossland News Thursday, February 4, 2016 rosslandnews.com A7

OF THE

WEEK

2072 Columbia Ave. ROSSLAND

deliciousbaby.ca

Sarah Wawryk

Photo by Chelsea Novak

Entertainment

Blizzard of good music blows through townCHELSEA NOVAK

Rossland News

Robert Slade and Peter Ricq, of electronic pop duo HUMANS, headlined at the Flying Steamshovel on Saturday night. The Devin Cuddy Band played the Old Fire Hall on Thursday night. Shred Kelly headlined Blizzard Festival at the Miners’ Hall on Friday. The Matinée played the Flying Steamshovel on Friday night, after the Shred Kelly show at the Miners’ Hall.

Chelsea Novak photos

MUSEUM SATURDAY CRAFTERNOONSStop in anytime Saturdays between 1 to 3 p.m. for Crafternoons in the Discovery Zone! Crafts and activities for kids of all ages. Free with adult admission. Parents can feel free to look around the museum while we craft with the kids. The Museum is openall winter Wednesdays to Saturdays, noon to 5 p.m. Coffee, tea, and hot choco-late available to keep you warm! Contact: 250-362-7722 or info@rosslandmuseum.ca.

ART DROP IN NIGHTMondays, 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. @ YAN Space, 2076 Columbia Ave. There will be no in-struction, just a space to be creative with other youth artists. Come hang out and get creative!

ROSSLAND BEAVER SCOUTSMondays, 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. Girls and boys ages 5 to 7 years. Please contact Deanna Leask at 250-362-7118 to join.

SLURPS AND BURPS FEEDING GROUPTuesdays, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Family Obstetrics Clinic, Fourth Floor Maternity,

KBRH Trail. Share your experiences with your peers in an informative place for breastfeeding and bottle support. Whether you are an expectant mom, brand new mom, or a more seasoned mom, we wel-come you!

ADULT CO-ED REC HOCKEYTuesdays and Thursdays, 9:45 p.m. to 11 p.m. Join this fun, co-ed recreational program of non-contact drop-in hockey. Please enter on Second Ave. This is fun, no contact, no pressure hockey! Full equip-ment is required and some experience necessary.

GROUP OFFERS SUPPORT, INFORMATION FOR TRAIL FAMILIES LIVING WITH DEMENTIAThe second Tuesday of each month, from noon to 2 p.m. The Alzheimer Society runs a monthly dementia caregiver sup-port group in Trail, for residents who want to prepare themselves with current in-formation that will help improve quality of life with the disease. The group offers the chance to exchange information and friendship with others affected by demen-tia, access the most current information, and learn and share practical tips for cop-ing with change. For more information and for specific location details, contact Julie Leffelaar at 1-855-301-6742 or jleffelaar@alzheimerbc.org.

MUSIC NIGHTTuesdays, 6:20 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. @ YAN Space, 2076 Columbia Ave. Drop in event for ages 12 to 18. How do you like to music? Come to the YAN Space and immerse yourself in anything/everything music. No prior music-ing experience necessary.

AFTER SCHOOL KID’S CLUBWednesdays, Feb. 3 to May 25, 3 to 5 p.m.

Drop in for after school fun! Explore sci-ence, create crafts, and play games. The museum has tonnes of resources for kids interested in geology, science, history, and more! Bring a snack, and enjoy two hours of supervised fun. For ages five to 12. Drop in $8/child for non-members. Buy a punch pass and get one free visit. Can also pre-pay by calling 250-362-7722.

GIRL TALK FOR GIRLS 14-18Wednesdays, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. @ YAN Space, 2076 Columbia Ave. Want some time to just relax, talk, and hang out doing cool things with other girls? We have all kinds of awesome, inclusive, creative activities for you at Girl Talk. No pressure, chillspace, girls only! Free.

YAN AFTER SCHOOL DROP-INMonday to Thursday, 2:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. @ YAN Space, 2076 Columbia Ave. Come in and chill, get homework help, build a resume or do a job search, or just hang with you friends. Free.

LOCAL WRITERS DISCUSSIONWednesdays, 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. @ the Rossland Seniors Hall. To share ideas, ex-pertise and knowledge, critiques, and open opportunities for experienced and want-to-be writers. For more information contact Les Anderson by email atlesanderson66@gmail.com or phone 250-362-5532.

PICKLEBALLWednesdays, 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. @ RSS. Indoor pickleball.

MAKERLAB FOR YOUTH 12-18Thursdays, 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. @ YAN Space, 2076 Columbia Ave. Newly renovat-ed and expanded for this year, the Makerlab is a meeting ground for youth who share a keen interest in all aspects of technology.

Bring your technology project, whether it is robotics, motion graphics, creating and printing 3D models, or something completely different. You don’t need expe-rience, just an enthusiasm for technology! By donation.

ROSSLAND SENIORSMonday 1:30 p.m.Seniors Art Club meets. Contact Edith at 250-362-4477.Monday 7 p.m.Rossland Quilters Guild meets.Contact Dayanne at 250-362-7727.Wednesday 7 p.m.Golden City Fiddlers play. Visitors should contact Richie at 250-362-9465.Thursday 9:30 to 11 a.m.Seniors stretching exercises and morning tea and snacks.

ROSSLAND PUBLIC LIBRARYLego Club: First and third Thursday of the month, 3-4 p.m.Library Bingo: Second Thursday of the month. Pick up card at the library.Movies and Munchies: Third Thursday of the month, 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.

A8 rosslandnews.com Thursday, February 4, 2016 Rossland News

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ENSEMBLE PLAYS LAST CONCERT OF SEASON

Chelsea Novak photo

The Remi Bolduc Jazz Ensemble played a sold out show for the last Rossland Council for Arts & Culture’s final performance of the season on Friday night at the Miners’ Hall. The performance was a tribute to jazz legend Dave Brubeck. Left to right: pianist Francois Bourassa, Remi Bolduc on saxophone, Rob Fahie on bass, and Dave Laing on drums.

ROSSLAND CITY COUNCIL MEETINGTuesday, Feb. 9 at 6 p.m.Monday, Feb. 22 at 6 p.m.

ME INC: HOW TO START YOUR OWN BUSINESSThursday, Feb. 11, 6:30-8 p.m. Have you ever consid-ered being an entrepreneur but have hesitated about taking the next steps? This

session will provide you with all of the critical con-siderations before making the leap. This 1.5 hour in-tensive program will walk you through all the critical consideration and link you to more resources in each topic area if you need more information. Free lecture.

OSTOMY SUPPORT GROUP

Monday, Feb. 15, 2 p.m. at the Kiro Wellness Center, 1500 Columbia Ave., Trail. Scheduled guest: Duane Lehr,tax investment and expert from Pinpoint Personal Tax Services. For further info, please call 250-368-9827 or 250-365-6276.WINTER SPEAKER SERIES — ROSSLAND SKIING MEMORIES

Thursday, Feb. 18, 6:30 to 8 p.m. As part of our Winter Speaker Series and in line with the BC Heritage Week theme of “Distinctive Destinations,” we will have Al Fisher and Richie Mann (and hope-fully a few others) join is for a panel discussion on memories of skiing in Rossland and on Red Mountain. Entry is by

donation. Seating in the Cominco Theatre is lim-ited to 32 people, and while we can stuff a few extra chairs in the back section, please note that we may fill up fast.

GRANDPALSWednesdays, Feb. 24, March 30, April 27, 10 to 11 a.m. In conjunction with Rossland Seniors Centre,

the Rossland Museum pres-ents Grandpals. A great op-portunity for Rossland’s se-nior and junior generations to come together and share stories, crafts and games (preschool ages two and a half to five). Four free ses-sions, but please pre-book by calling 250-362-7722. Seniors interested in taking part are also welcome to get in contact.

Rossland’s population decreased by an estimat-ed 0.8 per cent in 2015, according to BC Stats.

The city’s population fell from 3,604 in 2014 to 3,575 in 2015, for a total of 29 fewer Rosslanders.

Rossland saw small population increases over the last two years, with an increase of 0.1 per cent between 2012 and 2013, and an increase of 0.5 per cent between 2013 and 2014. This year’s decrease puts the popu-lation below even the 2012 population (3,582

people), the lowest pop-ulation in the previous four years.

In comparison, Nelson’ population in-creased by 3.2 per cent (333 people) in 2015, Castlegar’s increased by 1.8 per cent (144 people), and Trail’s increased by 0.3 per cent (20 people).

Overall, the Kootenay-Boundary’s population (including Rossland and Trail) decreased by 2.3 per cent in 2015, with Fruitvale seeing the big-gest growth at 0.6 per cent (12 people) and un-incorporated areas seeing the biggest loss with a 6.4 per cent decrease (568).

Rossland News Thursday, February 4, 2016 rosslandnews.com A9

CLUES DOWN 1. Korean War TV show 2. South American Indian 3. Cape at tip of Denmark 4. A podrida cooking pot 5. Russian sourgrass soup 6. Perfect example 7. Supplier 8. Unhealthy looking 9. Spanish beaches 10. Am. follower of the Mennonite Bishop Amman 11. Well-balanced 13. Outer surface cells 17. Fathers 24. Sun up in New York 25. Dweller above the Mason-Dixon 26. Young women’s association 27. Tell on 28. Bustle 29. Poundal 35. An ugly, old woman 36. Doctors’ group 37. __ Ling, Chinese mountain range 38. Volcanic mountain in Japan 40. Leaves parentless 41. Existing in or produced by nature 42. Inclination 43. Extents 44. Peninsula between the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf 45. Language of Nile 47. Twyla __, US dancer 48. Card game 49. River in E. Turkey to the Caspian Sea 52. Scored 100% 53. Tonight’s former host 54. __ and ends 55. Notable exploit

CLUES ACROSS 1. Soybean paste 5. Unit of time 8. Watering holes 12. Joint 14. Certi� ed public accountant 15 __ Mater, one’s school 16. Resells tickets 18. Batter’s objective 19. Past participle of lie 20. State of Islands 21. Fed 22. Cause cell destruction 23. Daily Show host 26. Diagrammed 30. Cat sounds 31. Most sorry 32. Do wrong 33. Coral reef and lagoon island 34. � at (Middle English) 39. Electrically charged atom 42. Nassau is the capital 44. Frogs, toads, tree toads 46. Marjoram 47. Where the Donald lives in NYC 49. Whale ship captain 50. A way to emit sound 51. Comparable 56. Isodor __, American Nobel physicist 57. Businesswoman 58. A way to split up 59. Solo Operatic piece 60. No (Scottish) 61. In a way, tears 62. Bridge breadth 63. Single Lens Re� ex 64. � ou __ protest too much 63. Single Lens Re� ex 64. � ou __ protest too much

WORDSWORDSC R O S S eaaP U Z Z L EWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSC R O S S

ANSWERS

Community/News

Local police are warning the public about a prolific phone scam targeting residents in Trail, Rossland and the surrounding areas.

People are receiving telephone calls from a male claiming to be, “Shawn White from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA),” but is not.

The caller threatens police or court action unless the person calls a 1-900 number to deal with the matter.

This is an attempt to have people call a pay-per-dial number and ob-tain their personal information for further frauds.

Do not call the 1-900 number.

Police urge anyone with concerns about the CRA to call the legitimate phone number that can be found on the Government of Canada website at www.cra-arc.gc.ca.

In some instances, the fraudulent caller claims to be a local police of-ficer and uses threatening or forceful language to scare the person into paying a fictitious debt to the rev-enue agency.

Call display may show the phone number of the local police agency and the caller may even threaten the recipient with an arrest warrant unless immediate payment to the agency is made.

Again, this is an attempt to fraud-ulently obtain personal and financial

information.Police advise residents to not pro-

vide their credit card information, personal information or any form of payment, such as cash, cheque or money order.

Anyone with concerns especially regarding an arrest warrant should contact local police, Trail RCMP Cpl. Mike Wilson advised in a Wednesday news release.

New frauds are invented on a daily basis, according to the CRA.

Keep access codes, user ID, pass-words, and PINs a secret and never provide personal information. More tips about protection against identity theft are available on the agency’s website.

Trail police issue warning to public of phone scam

SHERI REGNIERRossland News

Rossland’s population dropped in 2015CHELSEA NOVAK

Rossland News

SEASON’S LAST WINTER MARKET

Chelsea Novak photo

Yesterday the Rossland Mountain Market Society held its final winter farmers’ market of the year at the Miners’ Hall. The market coincided with the Rossland Winter Carnival and drew a good crowd.

Team Liquid Courage won this year’s Sonny Samuelson Bobsled Race on Saturday.

A record 38 teams entered this year’s event, and each raced down Spokane St., past large and enthusiastic crowds, twice.

Liquid Courage hit a speed of 77 mph on its first run, cross-ing the finish line in 39.03 sec-onds, the fastest time of the day, and amping up the pressure for Woody’s Tire, who had a time of 39.31 seconds in the first heat.

Sadly for Woody’s Tire, they slowed down in the second heat, covering the track in 41.69 sec-onds, for a combined time of 1:21, losing out by mere sec-onds to Liquid Courage, who made their second run in 40.44

seconds, for a combined time of 1:19.47.

Later, team Liquod Courage — Alastair Berglund, Scott Urquhart, Cailen Shields and Travis Drake — celebrated their victory at the Ice Palace

Drake, spokesperson for Liquid Courage, credited their win to the sled’s skis.

“It all has to do with the condi-tions and you gotta have skis,” he said. “We do all of our ski tech work up at Gerick’s in Trail, and that’s what it’s about — it’s about skis. Your sled can be ugly and it doesn’t matter; it’s what’s on the bottom, not on the top.”

The S.S. Instigator took third place with a combined time of 1:22.62.

A proud Rossland tradi-tion

Chris D’Odorico and Frank

Kavanagh provided a lively com-mentary throughout the after-noon’s racing, providing humour and history tidbits.

They’ve been the announcers for three years.

“Prior to that, we both raced in the bobsled. I was in it for 11 years and Frank’s been retired for ten years or so from the bobsled, but he did it for many, many years before then,” said D’Odorico.

D’Odorico explained that the race first started in 1987 or 1988, and was created by Sonny Samuelson, a city public work’s foreman, for whom the race is named.

With a record number of bobsleds on the track this year — upping last year’s 29 sleds by nine — it’s hoped that the event will continue to grow and attract more participants and spectators.

A10 rosslandnews.com Thursday, February 4, 2016 Rossland News

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Community

Liquid Courage wins bobsled raceCHELSEA NOVAK

Rossland News

Joanne Drystek, president of the Rossland Legion, and Sheryl Clark, poppy campaign manager, presented awards to the winners of the poster and literacy contest at RSS. The submission by Anais Adams also won at the zone level and her submission has been forwarded to the provincial judging committee.

POSTER AND LITERACY WINNERS AT RSS

Patrick Kinghorn photo

Team Liquid Courage won first place in this year’s Sonny Samuelson Bobsled Race. The team won with a combined time of 1:19.47 for both heats, hitting a speed of 77 mph on their first run. Team Iron Maiden was the first team on the track this year, and started off strong, taking 40.65 seconds in the first heat, and hitting a speed of 76 mph. Unfortunately, they slowed down in the second heat (46.37 seconds) and weren’t able to claim a spot on the podium. Team Laid Back had one of the most interesting bobsleds, made out of a bed, but by no means one of the fastest. Their combined time was 2:41.13.

Rossland News Thursday, February 4, 2016 rosslandnews.com A11

Margaret Mary d’Aoust died peacefully while surrounded

by family, following a battle with Parkinson’s Disease at

Haven Hill Retirement Centre in Penticton on Wednesday, January 27, 2016. She is survived by her loving family: Peter (Lynn), Patrick, Paul (Gail), Peggy, Pamela (Rick), Philip (Karen) and Priscilla (Francois); brothers, John and Michael Bourchier; 19 grandchildren, (almost) 3 great-grandchildren, many nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by husband, Joseph; parents, Eric and Elsie Bourchier; sisters, Evelyn Bourchier and Winefride Schnidrig and brothers, Oswald, Dick, George and Peter Bourchier. A funeral mass will be celebrated by Fr. Rex Velmonte at St. John Vianney Parish Church, 361 Wade Ave., West, February 20, 2016 at 10:30 a.m. Burial will follow at Lakeview Cemetery with a reception afterwards at the church hall. Margaret Bourchier was born at Kimberley, BC, Feb. 11, 1929, middle child in a large and musical family. Shortly afterwards the family moved to Rossland, BC. Growing up, she was an avid skier, swimmer and roller skater. She married Joe d’Aoust on Dec. 27, 1956, moved with him to Penticton and started straightaway to raise seven children. Margaret was a well-known face in the Penticton arts community, active in Penticton Light Opera, Summerland Singers and Players, Musaic and Madrigal Singers. Very important to her was her Catholic faith, which led her to serve the community through Right To Life and Canadian Food for Children; as well, she led her parish choir for many years. Family, faith and music were everything to Mum. Her doors were open to all and her generosity, gentle humour and kindness blessed everyone she met. Th e family would like to thank the nurses and aides of Haven Hill for their loving care of our dear Mum. Memorial donations may be made to Penticton Birth Right. Condolences can be sent to the family byvisiting www.everdenrust.com

d’Aoust, Margaret Mary

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The City of Rossland has an opening for a temporary full-time position (approximately 1 year) for the Accounting Clerk I.

Reporting to the Manager of Finance, the Accounting Clerk I performs tasks relating to the City’s financial services and assists in the corporate services as required. Financial work involves assistance to the Accounting Clerk II and the Manager of Finance, payroll, account receivable and pay-able, utility billing, business and dog licenses, and other related financial tasks. The position also acts as a receptionist, answering telephone and in-person inquiries and complaints.

The successful candidate will possess an Accounting or Bookkeeping Diploma or equivalent experience and education. Preference will be given to candidates that are working towards an accounting designation, have municipal financial accounting experience or have experience with VADIM Software. Strong interpersonal, verbal and written communication skills along with a high level of competence in general office procedures and customer service is essential.

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A12 rosslandnews.com Thursday, February 4, 2016 Rossland News

Winter Carnivalanother marvel!

Hundreds of people lined Columbia Ave. to watch this year’s parade.

The Ice Palace was open Friday and Saturday night this year.

Rossland’s firefighters prepared a delicious pancake breakfast on Saturday morning.

The 18th annual Powder Pounder Snow Volleyball Tournament took place on Saturday afternoon.

on Saturday morning.

The carving team from Slocan Snow Sculptures created a double ice slide, much to the enjoyment of Rossland’s children.

another marvel!Pyro4ya! performed in the parade, and afterwards at Harry Lefevre Square.

Pyro4ya! performed in the parade, and afterwards at Harry Lefevre Square.

It was a free for all, skate to the finish at the first annual

Death Race.

slide, much to the enjoyment of Rossland’s children.

Rossland’s Queen St. was transformed into a rail park over the weekend for Winter Carnival. Snowboarders and skiers of all ages showed off their moves on Saturday.

Chelsea Novak photos