Comox Valley Echo - December 9, 2014

HOLIDAY CASH / ELIGIBLE OWNERS RECEIVE UP TO $1500 IN HOLIDAY CASH

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66. Going go services in the ‘stolen church’

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P R I C E : 5 7 C E N T S P L U S G S T V O L . 2 0 , N O . 9 8

TUESDAY

COURTENAY, BRITISH COLUMBIA • December 9, 2014

GET READY TO PARTY FOR CITY’S 100TH.02‘MEMORIES ARE MADE OF THIS’ THEME FOR NEW YEAR’S EVE CENTENNIALBASH; FREE PUBLIC EVENT ON NEW YEAR’S DAY LAUNCHES CELEBRATION.

BUSINESS

11.Fluid Bar & Grill celebrates 10th year in business in the Valley. Listening to the customers is key to success.

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04.DEAD ORCA MOURNED; THIEVES STEAL TEETH

CHRISTMAS

11.Winter Harp returns to the Sid Williams Theatre for their acclaimed yuletide concert of Celtic, medieval and Spanish tunes

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www.comoxvalleyecho.comTUESDAY.COURTENAY, BC. DECEMBER 9, 20142

For the latest Comox Valley Weather visit: www.comoxvalleyecho.com

Comox Valley Weather

Tuesday

Rain. Windy. High 11°C.

Wednesday

Rain. Low 9°C. High 10°C.

ThursdayShowers.

Low 8°C. High 8°C.

Friday

Cloudy with 70% chance of showers.

Low 6°C. High 8°C.

Saturday

Cloudy with 60% chance of showers.

Low 4°C. High 7°C.1.85%

The new year is just a few weeks away, and all the exciting centennial events start with a fantas-tic 2015 New Year celebra-tion. Make your plans now to dance through the de-cades on New Year’s eve at the Filberg Centre on De-cember 31st.

Sponsored by Vancou-ver Island InsuranceCen-tres, the “Memories are Made of This” event will be an unforgettable evening to share with friends, featur-ing live music by Fiddle Jam, Ralph Barrat Jazz En-semble, Kenny Shaw and Brian Temple and the Do Wops, Wendy Nixon Sto-thert and Swing Set, Com-edy Acts, Edwin Grieve and Friends, followed by danc-ing with the Dukes Band.

Enjoy complimentary gourmet appies, desserts and champagne at mid-night. Tables for 8-10 peo-ple are available, or come on your own and you will be seated with some new folks wishing to share a fun evening. Get your tickets at

the Sid Williams Theatre box office or through their website, just $50 each with a no host bar available.

On New Year’s Day, bring the family down to the Filberg Centre to share a traditional pan-cake breakfast from 10-12

noon. Tickets to this Cour-tenay Centennial Birth-day Celebration are free and available in advance at the Courtenay Recreation-Lewis Centre and Filberg Centre.

Space is limited, so stop down to pick up your tick-

ets starting December 8. Each person can reserve up to 4 tickets, and admis-sion to the pancake break-fast requires presenting the ticket and making a cash or food donation to the Co-mox Valley Food Bank.

After breakfast, from

Kenny Shaw. Valley favourite will entertain, along with many others, on New Year’s Eve

Enjoy great music, gour-met appies, desserts and champagne at mid-night for a fun evening with friends.

CENTENNIAL COMMITTEECity of Courtenay

The entire family is wel-come to share pancake breakfast on New Yer’s Day (free advance tick-ets only) - plus offi cial launch celebrations

CENTENNIAL COMMITTEECity of Courtenay

Tickets will go fast for ‘Memories Are Made of This’ New Year’s Eve party in Filberg

COURTENAY CENTENNIAL

Help ring in the city’s 100th birthday12-1pm, the official launchcelebrations begin withK’omoks First Nation bless-ing, light entertainment, of-ficial proclamation, and an-nouncements of the eventsfor the year with birthdaycake and refreshments, ofcourse! Tickets are not re-quired for this part of theevent so everyone is

welcome to celebrateCourtenay’s official birth-day.

For more informationabout these or other up-coming centennial events,contact the Courtenay Cen-tennial Celebration Com-mittee at 250-334-4441 oremail [email protected].

This project has beensupported by the Build-ing Communities ThroughArts and Heritage Program,Department of CanadianHeritage. Ce projet a étéappuyé par le ProgrammeDéveloppement des com-munautés par le biais desarts et du patrimoine duministère de Patrimoinecanadien.

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BY MICHAEL BRIONESEcho Staff

The dead orca that was spotted floating near Courtenay has caused sadness and sparked anger as well.

Sadness because the dead killer whale identi-fied as J32 or Rhapsody, was a member of the endangered southern res-ident community. It was pregnant. A necropsy conducted over the week-end discovered that it had a full-term fetus.

Deep outrage was also expressed after scientists, who were about to per-form necropsy on Saturday discovered that an unknown heartless souvenir hunter has made off with some of the dead mammal’s teeth.

The Department of Fisheries and Oceans is following leads in the theft. Paul Cottrell, Pacific marine mammal co-ordinator for the DFO, said they are investigat-ing and will pursue charg-es against whoever is responsible.

One group said the theft was tantamount to poaching of elephants for their tusks for ornaments.“This is disaggregation against a nonhuman per-son. This is a crime against nature. It is a criminal indignity against a body and should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” said Peter Hamilton, Lifeforce

Our hopes are just so fragile already. The last calf that survived was August 2012”

HOWARD GARRETTOrca Network

Sadness for loss of pregnant orcaScientists outraged someone stole teeth from carcass of dead whale at Bates Beach

Founding Director and orca researcher.

The results of the necropsy will take several weeks to complete. It’s still undetermined the cause of the orca’s death. But some speculated it could be while she was giving birth.

The loss of the female orca was significant because there are few breeding females left among the southern pods that frequents the waters off Washington state and southern Vancouver Island. The number of

the southern pods is now down from 78 to 77.

The dead orca was spotted by Sally Atton, a resident on Seacliff Road near Bates Beach. She had seen the creature bobbing up and down in the water and reported it to the DFO.

“I have seen it without realizing it for the last two to three days floating up and down with the tide,” said Atton. “A fish-eries man came and iden-tified it as an orca.”

Dale Hunt from the Comox Valley DFO office

with the help of one of the co-owners of Bates Beach Resort, George Bates, hauled the Orca near the shore and teth-ered it to keep it from floating away.

Bates, a former fisher-ies officer who has lived in the area all his life, said “it’s unusual to see a dead Orca in the area. I was born and raised right here. I am 59 years old and this is the first one I’ve seen. I’ve seen dead seals and sea lions but never a dead Orca.”

The news of the dead

orca has caused quite a spectacle as it drew a lot of curious onlookers snapping away some with children in tow.

“It’s sad,” said Bruce Jeffery, who was camping in the area at the time with his wife Colleen. “We want to see them alive not dead. It’s a sad sight. We were going to go whale watching but not like this.”

Howard Garrett of Orca Network said news of the whale’s death was heart-breaking.

“Our hopes are just so

fragile already. There was a calf born in early September that lived less than a month and that was the first calf in two years. The last calf that survived was August 2012,” Garrett said. “There should be two orthree births at least per year just to hold steady. We like to see four or five per year. Instead, there have been seven mortali-ties and no births.”

J32 was probably bornin the winter of 1995, Balcomb said. She was first photographed in April 1996. She was lastidentified and photo-graphed with her family on Nov. 26 east of Victoria. Only 77 mem-bers of the southern resi-dent population remain. A healthy population would be 150 to 200, Garrett said.

The population shrank to 67 in 1971 when about 50 were killed or cap-tured. By 2003, the num-bers had rebounded to 83. They have hovered in the mid-80s since.

Comox Valley Fisheries officer Dale Hunt and Bates Beach Resort co-owner George Bates haul a dead killer whale that was spotted by a local resident on Seacliffe Road.

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Please join

MLA Don McRaeand staff for our

Christmas Open HouseThursday December 11, 2014

4:30PM – 6:30PMCourtenay Museum207 4th Street, Courtenay

Cinema #4: “Manon” Royal Ballet Saturday, December 6th, 10:00 am (ends 12:35 pm). Doors open at 9:30Approx. 2 hours, 35 minutesCinema #1: “Hunger Games: Mocking Jay Part 1” PG: Violence. Pass restricted until December 5th. Nightly: 6:40 (8:55) & 9:25 (11:40). Saturday & Sunday Matinees: 12:30 (2:45) & 3:20 (5:35)Cinema #2: “Horrible Bosses 2 14A: Coarse & sexual language; sexually suggestive scenes. Pass restricted until December 10th Nightly: 7:00 (9:00) & 9:35 (11:35). Saturday & Sunday Matinees: 12:45 (2:45) & 3:35 (5:35)Cinema #3: “Big Hero 6 2D” G Violence. Pass restricted until December 5th. Nightly: 2D 6:50 (8:50)Cinema #3: “Big Hero 6 3D” G Violence. Nightly: 3D 9:20 (11:20). Saturday & Sunday Matinees: 3D 12:40 (2:40)Cinema #4: “Penguins of Madagascar 2D” G: No warning. Pass restricted until December 12th . Nightly: 2D 7:10 (8:55)Saturday & Sunday Matinees: 2D 3:45 (5:30)Cinema #4: “Penguins of Madagascar 3D” G: No warning. Pass restricted until December 12th . Nightly: 3D 9:30 (11:15)Saturday & Sunday Matinees: 3D 1:25(2:55)

Box Office Hours for Dec. 5th – 11th. Nightly: 6:00 pm – 9:45 pm. Saturday & Sunday Matinee: 12:00 noon - 3:50 pm

Dumb & Dumber To (PG) Nightly 7:10 & 9:40. Sat & Sun Matinees 1:10 & 3:40Big Hero 6 3D (G) Nightly 9:20. Sat & Sun Matinees 1:30Big Hero 6 (G) Nightly 6:50. Sat & Sun Matinees 4:00The Hunger Games: Mockingjay (PG) Nightly 6:45 & 9:30. Sat & Sun Matinees 12:45 & 3:30

The Penguins of Madagascar 3D (G) (No Passes) Nightly 7:00. Sat & Sun Matinees 3:15The Penguins of Madagascar (G) (No Passes) Nightly 7:00 & 9:15. Sat & Sun Matinees 1:00Horrible Bosses 2 (14A) (No Passes) Nightly 7:20 & 9:45. Sat & Sun Matinees 1:20 & 3:45Manon (G) (Royal Opera House Ballet) Saturday Dec. 6th 10:00AM

Show Times Dec. 5 - Dec. 11, 2014 | Campbell River, Showcase

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BY MICHAEL BRIONESEcho Staff

You can call him North Island College’s Albert Einstein.

Albert Balbon is the creator of North Island College’s Remote Web-Based Science Lab that is being considered as one of the best online innovations in the world by one of the most pres-tigious business schools in the United States.

The unique on-line lab provides students with easy internet access to high quality science lab exercises in real time.

Students and educa-tors can use lab equip-

ment and collect live data from home comput-ers or laptops anywhere they may be. They can be at home, at school, at a coffee shop and any-where else in the world.

This innovation has garnered huge interest and it has been shortlist-ed by the University of Pennsylvania as one of the top 12 finalists for a Reimagine Education Award at the Wharton School of Business, an institution ranked by Forbes as the fourth best business school in America, behind ivy league schools Stanford, Chicago and Harvard.

Balbon’s RWBSL went

NIC creationtouted as oneof best onlineCollege project selected astop 12 fi nalist for award

EDUCATION

up against more than 400 universities, busi-nesses, and educators from 43 different coun-tries that applied for the Wharton-QS Stars Reimagine Education Awards, which offers a US$50,000 prize fund to the winning entries.

The award acknowl-edges educators and ideas that enrich how the world delivers educa-tion. Judges include executives from Google, Amazon, Cisco Systems and IBM as well as uni-versity and college presi-

dents from around the world.

Randall Heidt, vice president of NIC Strategic Initiatives, said, “this is one of those cases where it is truly an honour being nominated to be in the top 12 of our category.

“Albert Balbon has cre-ated something unique here. We’re receiving now world recognition and that’s very special for North Island College.”

The RWSL allows stu-dents to manipulate

lasers, high-powered microscopes, electrons, spectrometers and more during 25 different lab experiments.

The concept behind the online science lab started 10 years ago. Balbon said it was requested from one of NIC’s faculty, who was teaching a distance course on astronomy. He lived in Bella Bella.

“He had no students there but he wanted to give them access to a telescope,” said Balbon, who has helped devel-oped some of the tech-nological advancements at NIC in the last 30 years.

“He asked me if we could come up with a way of remotely control-ling a telescope by stu-dents to be able to do this. We went around and asked Industry Canada, Inukshuk fund, and BC Campus to see if we could get money to help develop this. We did. And in the early 2000s we were able to start putting this togeth-er and we ran that tele-scope for ten years where we had students able to access that tele-scope for their astrono-my course.”

(Continued on page 7)

Albert Balbon shows his creation, the computer operated lab equipment that students can access and manipulate online using laptops or personal computers.

Albert Balbon has created something unique here. We’re receiving now world recognition and that’s very special for North Island College,”

RANDALL HEIDTNIC Strategic Initiatives

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In 1914 there were only two churches in the Cour-tenay area. On Christmas Eve, the Presbyterians were worshipping in their new building on Union Street. Members of the Church of England had plans to build a new church about two blocks further up Union Street but were still holding services at St. An-drews’s on Mission Hill.

New members of that congregation were the Jackson family who had that summer come to live in Grantham. Their daugh-ter, Dorothy, would later write about the four years the family lived here.

“That first Christmas, 1914, was the first time the family had all been at home together for 8 years. Dad and Madre drove down the seven miles to the church in the buggy and the boys and I were in the two seat-ed-open democrat with the team. We sang carols and seasonal songs in harmony as we drove.”

The Jackson family so became involved within the community and want-ed a church closer to their new home.

“While we were there, we had a little Anglican Church built with some funds coming from Eng-land. Father undertook to conduct the weekly servic-es and Madre played the little hand organ. I had a little Sunday School and another farmer read the lesson. The Rector came once a month. “

Dorothy’s recollections provide a rare glimpse into church politics. The “Rec-tor” would be Mr. E. P. Lay-cock who came in 1913 to replace Rev. Willemar who retired after 42 years of service to St. Andrew’s on Mission Hill.

“Before the little mis-sion church was built, our Rector met with the local

farmers and laid before them his plans for it, ex-plaining all the practical de-tails. When he had finished he asked for any opinions they might have. He was a gentle, sensitive and cour-teous man and was taken aback when an old farmer rose up, stomped up to him and said “I haven’t heard a single word you said. It’s not that I’m hard of hear-ing but that I am slow in apprehension”.

In 1915, the little church, located near Tsolum School, was dedicated to St. Mary. Occasionally, Rev. Willemar would con-duct services there.

The old farmer who had confronted Rev. Layton must have comprehended what the preacher wanted because his son would be married in the new church. Dorothy had vivid mem-ories of the day Thom-as Beech married Elsie Berkenstock.

“One day there was a wedding in little St. Mary’s. The son of this old-time farmer was married to the 15-year old daughter of the woman who did the wash-ing for the local logging camp. All went well until the ceremony was near-ly over. The Church door was open on the warm

summer evening and the loggers were outside wait-ing for the happy couple to come out. Some ventured up on the steps and start-ed throwing rice into the church. The Rector quietly asked the camp foreman to ask them to refrain, where-upon he stood up where he was, sitting beside the bride’s brother and called out “boys - you are request-ed not to throw rice into the church”. They complied but when the pair emerged, everything broke loose and the “Boys” put on a good old-fashioned charivari, greeting them with cheers and shouts, drums and tin cans.”

On several occasions the Sunday service were interrupted by unwelcome intruders.

“Often amusing inci-dents occurred at the little church. It was built a mile from our farm at the cross-roads. One day three little pigs followed us to church in spite of all our efforts to shoo them home. One of our congregation had been similarly followed by his dog. Father’s sermon was rudely disturbed by squeals and angry barks coming from under the church!”

In the fall of 1918, there was another amusing Sun-

day with animals in atten-dance.

“Another time, just be-fore we left Courtenay, Fa-ther stopped in the middle of his address and gazed in surprise out of the window, there with ears pricked for-ward, were three young heifers listening to his fa-miliar voice! They had been out on range in bush coun-try for some months and an unusually warm open Fall had kept them out long past homing time.”

During the Great War, the two older Jackson sons went overseas. Farming

without them was difficult, then in the late summer 1918, fire caused by sparks from the logging engine caused so much devasta-tion, the family decided to move to Maple Ridge. They had hoped to all be togeth-er for Christmas, but it was not to be. Mr. Jackson and Eric, the youngest son traveled with the animals, Madre, the eldest sons and Dorothy went ahead.

Eric and his father were side tracked part way to Nanaimo. They had to stay with the animals to feed and water them. They were

able to attend services onChristmas and were invitedto dinner. Dorothy and theother members of the fami-ly, having attended servicesnear their new home, wereinvited to dinner by futureneighbours in Hammond.

After the war, “Merville”became a Soldiers Settle-ment. Grantham faded asa community. In 1921, thelittle St. Mary’s church wasmoved to be closer to thesettlement where now somany members of the con-gregation lived It becameknown affectionately asthe “stolen church”. It con-tinued to be served by theministers from Courtenay.Then after more than 3/4of a century with a declinein attendance, the littlechurch was closed.

Recently, interest in pre-serving the little church hasrallied community supportand the “stolen” church hasbeen again moved to a newsite by the Merville Hall.When renovations are com-pleted, St. Mary’s will againbe an important focus forthat community.

* Thank you to PhyllisMittlestead for sharing hermother’s memories of liv-ing in Grantham

HUNT FOR HISTORY BY JUDY HAGEN

The early days of little St. Mary’s church in Grantham

St. Mary’s church, left, along with the church rectory, has now been moved to the Merville Hall property


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(Continued from page 5)

The initial concept has evolved over the years and has led to a unique hands-on science lab. Balbon has presented the technol-ogy to the White House and the Association of Canadian Community Colleges, shared pro-gramming with the European Space Agency and NASA, and received funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the US Department of Labor, and the Consortium of Health Employers Online.

The next goal for Balbon is to make this accessible to people around the world with the quality similar to Netflix and its simple application.

“The techonology is there,” said Balbon. “It’s just time and resourc-es to be able to be put towards this. Hopefully, this trip to Philadelphia will give us more exposure and will get more people involved and become partners in this.”

Balbon will be presenting his innovation on Tuesday and will find out on Wednesday if they won or not.

Down the road, Balbon would also like to see this become avail-able on smart phones.

“Then we can reach a much big-ger audience than having you teth-ered to a desk,” said Balbon. “So tablets, smartphones that would be our goal.”

NIC up for major innovation award

BY DREW A. PENNEREcho Staff

A 66-year-old wom-an on a bike was hit by a car as she crossed Anderton Avenue in Comox just after 2:30 p.m. Saturday. She smashed into the wind-shield of the red Toyota Camry and was rushed to St. Joseph’s General Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

“She was straddling her bike but walking across the road,” said Const. Don Sinclair, with the Comox Val-ley RCMP, explaining she had a helmet on. “There was no sign of the driver making an

attempt to stop for the pedestrian in the cross-walk. Once struck, the bike went underneath the car and was run over.”

The 88-year-old driver of that north-bound vehicle was charged under the Mo-tor Vehicle Act with driving without due care and attention. In contrast, witnesses told police there had been a line of south-bound cars which had stopped, waiting for the cyclist to cross the road.

Straddling her bike, the victim had been walking it through the intersection, police

said.Alcohol and drugs

are not considered a factor in the crash.

The Camry had to be towed because of the extensive damage to the windshield.

Police urge drivers to be aware of all the fluid elements to being behind the wheel.

“Pay attent ion,” Sinclair said, nothing things can change rap-idly on the communi-ty’s roadways. “It’s just just like the kids com-ing out from between the car scenario. It can happen in a moment’s notice. You just have to be attentive when you’re driving.”

The Camry ran over this bike while the cyclist slammed into the windshield.

Cyclist hit by car while using crosswalk Write a letter to save a lifeEvery year on Decem-

ber 10, Amnesty Interna-tional commemorates the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and International Human Rights Day with a Writeathon. There is proof that our letters work.

Amnesty International’s activism was a signifi cant factor in helping many of the individuals profi led last year. Some were re-leased or their sentences lessened.

Again this year the Co-mox Valley Amnesty Ac-tion Circle will hold Write for Rights at Zocalo’s in Courtenay.

Write for Rights is the power of one multiplied many thousand times

over to make a diff erence in people’s lives. In 2013, around the world there were 2,373,422 actions taken for Write for Rights.

Over 30,000 Canadian participants contributed to the worldwide total. There are more details about these and the other 2014 Write for Rights cas-es, as well as follow up for 2013 cases at Amnesty.ca.

Please join us on Wednesday, December 10, 2014, between 3:30 and 5:30 at Zocalo’s to write a letter. If you can’t join us, please visit Amnesty.ca to take action on these and other cases where help is needed. FMI: Sheila, 250-335-2246 or [email protected].

The Coventry Nativity Play - Friday, December 12 - 7:30 pm - The An-glican Church of St. John the Divine welcomes you to a costumed reading of a medieval nativity play. Performed in mediaeval costumes (courtesy of Courtenay Little Theatre) by local actors & church goers, live mediaeval music performed by Eric MacDonald & Tracy Canil. Food or money do-

Mediaeval nativity play

nation for the Food Bank and Christmas Hampers are welcome. Door opens at 7pm. St John the Di-vine Anglican Church is location at 579 5th Street in Courtenay.


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All of us at Tsolum Vet wish all of our wonderful clients and their pets a very

Merry Christmas this Holiday Season and a heartfelt.

Thank You for Your continued patronagethroughout the year!

Please join us at our clinic for some Christmas Cheer, delicious treats, and a petting zoo while enjoying the

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Have you asked your doggie and kitty what they’d like for Christmas?

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It’s not uncommon for fami-lies to welcome a new pet into their homes during the holiday season. Parents may give their children their fi rst pet during the holidays, but those who choose to give a pet to some-one outside their immediate family or to someone they don’t live with should consider the following advice before go-ing through with that decision.

CONSULT THE EVENTUAL RECIPIENT FIRST

The element of surprise is part of what makes the holi-day season of giving so special, and few things may inspire more enthusiastic responses than new pets under the tree. But however appealing you may fi nd such reactions, it’s still best to fi rst consult the in-tended recipient before buying or adopting the pet. Pets make wonderful additions to a home, but some people may be aller-gic to certain animals or sim-ply not have the time or energy

to devote to pet ownership. No one wants to return an animal to a kennel, and forcing a loved to take on the unwanted re-sponsibility of pet ownership does not make much of a gift.

LET THE RECIPIENT CHOOSE THE PET

Aunts or uncles may think a cute puppy is an ideal holiday gift for their nieces and neph-ews, but it’s best to let those youngsters’ parents choose the pet rather than going it alone. Once mom and dad have given you the greenlight to gift their kids a pet, let them decide which type of pet will become the newest member of their households. Parents may not feel their children are ready to handle the signifi cant respon-sibility of dog ownership, and they may prefer their kids fi rst receive a more low-mainte-nance pet, such as a fi sh.

PAY FOR EVERYTHINGPets are expensive, even

those that are adopted from

nearby shelters. Cats and dogs adopted from local shelters or even animals bought directly from breeders will need some immediate medical care, in-cluding shots and initial exam-inations at the veterinarian’s offi ce, as well as food, dishes, leashes (if giving a dog), and bedding. When giving pets as a gift, men and women should fi t the bill for these additional expenses, which can be sig-nifi cant. Recipients may not be able to aff ord these additional expenses, especially during the holiday season, nor did they ask to take on such a fi nancial burden. So men and women giving pets as gifts should be capable of handling the oft-overlooked costs of adopting or buying a new pet.

BE WILLING TO TAKE THE PET

Some households simply are not a good match for pets. Men and women looking to give pets as holiday gifts should

be willing to take the pet into their own homes if things are not working out with the re-cipient. This does not mean gift-givers have to keep the

pet forever, but they should be willing to temporarily care for the animal until it fi nds a new home.

Pets sometimes make won-

derful gifts, but men and wom-en who are considering giving pets as gifts this holiday sea-son should not approach such gestures lightly.

STEPS TO TAKE BEFORE GIVING PETS AS GIFTS


BY DREW A. PENNEREcho Staff

Seniors in need are now getting a helping hand thanks to a new United Way program meant to help the elderly continue to living in their own resi-dences. Better at Home was officially launched in the Comox Valley Dec. 4 but staff members have al-ready been working to get things going for months.

“The project was initi-ated to help the frail or isolated senior,” said project coordinator Sheena Campbell, explaining that even the smallest things can have a huge impact on resi-dents’ lives. “Really it’s as simple as telling someone we can clean their bathroom.”

The provincially-fund-ed effort will provide non-medical services such as light housekeep-ing, yard work and minor home repairs. There is a fee involved,

but it’s calculated on a sliding scale based on income.

Local contractors, paid staff and volunteers work together to aid as many shut-ins and dis-abled seniors as possi-ble.

Better at Home is being rolled out in 68 different British Columbia communities.

“The difficulty in the Comox Valley is our mix of urban and rural,” Campbell said. “The needs are somewhat dif-ferent.”

The Comox Valley region received $100,000 in start up funding for the initiative. Future funding will be based on need, some-thing that bodes well for the sustainability of the local incarnation, according to the chair of the organization.

“Our area has a very large senior population,” Butch Leslie said, “the largest in the province,

The project was initiated to help the frail or isolated senior. Really, it’s as simple as telling someone we can clean their bathroom.”

ELSA TULLOSCity Colleges spokeswoman

HOME CARE

New effort launched to help seniorsOrganization aims to make life ‘Better at Home’ for the most vulnerable elderly

in fact.”The community con-

sultation process was so successful because the United Way was looking for solutions that were tailor-made for each community, said Jody Macdonald, a communi-ty developer who worked

on the project.“You can really get a

good pulse of the com-munity,” she said. “You get stronger resulting partnerships that are more sustainable.”

A local advisory com-mittee was set up for the Comox Valley Region

with a mandate to pro-vide services from Oyster River to Fanny Bay and on Hornby and Denman Islands.

Leslie has been work-ing with the Hornby and Denman Community Health Care Society, which had experience

not only providing the “home assist” services imagined by Better at Home, but also quasi-medical “home support” tasks such as making meals and giving medi-cation.

“This is a vital thing to do really,” he said. “This is a building block. We need to go a lot further.”

The Better at Home consultation process led to the group being asked to spearheaded the proj-ect here.


Project coordinator Sheena Campbell with Bill and Bonnie Moore, of Moore’s Cleaning.

Royal Canadian LegionCourtenay Branch

Wishes to Thank• The many members of the business community who, in so many ways, supported our Poppy Campaign and Remembrance Day activities whether by donations, discounts, services or accommodations for our Poppy distribution,

• the many members of the public and service clubs for their unprecedented support of the Poppy Campaign and their record attendance at the cenotaph ceremony,

• 19 Wing, Comox for their technical and logistical support and their participation in the Remembrance Day activities,

• The City of Courtenay and C.O.P.S for their logistical support,

• Army and Air Cadets along with their of cers and parents for their active participation in the tag days and their participation in the cenotaph ceremony,

• R.C.M.P. members and retirees for their participation in the Veterans’ Breakfast, the parade and cenotaph ceremony,

• Scouts and Guides for their participation in the cenotaph ceremony along with our Legion-sponsored hockey team for their active assistance following the Veterans’ Breakfast,

• School District 71 for their logistical support, school choir for their participation in the cenotaph ceremony, schools for providing art work to decorate the branch on Remembrance Day, for their participation in the poster and literary contests and for welcoming veterans to their own Remembrance ceremonies,

• Legion Padré Kevin Elsasser for his participation at the Veterans’ Breakfast and for leading the cenotaph ceremony,

• Maj.Gen. Col.)ret) Jon Ambler for acting as guest speaker at the Veterans’ Breakfast along with invited guests for their active participation,

• Courtenay Legion Piper and Colour Party for their participation in the parade and cenotaph ceremony,

• The management, staff and volunteers within the Branch for their dedication, energy, patience and support throughout the Poppy and Remembrance period, and

• Finally, those veterans who, in so many ways, inspire us to soldier on.

We Thank You


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“We were the only group in the Valley that did home support and home assist,” he said. “We’ve tested a lot of things and we’ve learned a lot as we’ve gone through these stages.”

Leslie said it might be a challenge to help seniors with transporta-tion issues and home support on a Valley-wide basis, but said the orga-nization will be looking to expand services

where it can.Things like chopping

firewood to fixing stairs can make all the differ-ence to people who might otherwise have to go into a nursing home.

“That’s the kind of stuff that really undoes people,” he said. “This will allow more seniors to be able to stay living at home and not have to go into care.”

Bill and Bonnie Moore with Moore’s Cleaning say that the proof is in the pudding.

“Lots of ‘em don’t even want you to go home after,” Bonnie said. “Everything for handi-capped people is really expensive.”

“They need help badly,” Bill chimed in, pointing out he’s dealt with plenty of at risk seniors who say they’ve been scammed by unscrupulous business people when they need-ed a hand most. “We’re here to help people. We’re not here to take advantage of people.”

When seniors are ‘Better at Home’

CHRISTMAS

Join in celebrating life amidst the holiday seasonHospice Society off ers a free specialBlue Christmas service if you’re suff ering grief and loss during the festive time

You are warmly in-vited to join in a gentle atmosphere of respect and compassion at the “Celebrate a Life & Blue Christmas Service” to be held at 1:00 pm on Saturday December 13, at Comox United Church lo-cated at 250 Beach Drive, Comox.

Here at the Comox Val-ley Hospice Society we are aware that the holiday season can be a particu-larly painful time follow-ing the death of a loved one and that some family traditions will be forever altered.

The expectation that we feel joyous during the holidays can make the hurt of loss seem even more painful.

This, coupled with the traditional focus on families, celebration and togetherness can feel overwhelming and may lead to a sense of feeling numb and disengaged.

This is a normal part of grieving and the happi-ness of the season may make the burden of loss seem even harder to bear.

Grief is diff erent for everyone and for every family and questions may arise about how to ‘sur-vive’ the holidays.

This can be a draining time of year and those who are grieving may already feel short on energy.

Taking care of oneself and giving permission to grieve is a kind gift we can give to ourselves at any time, and even more so through this tender season.

If you are feeling a sense of loss or longing and wish to honour: the lives of your loved ones in remembrance; or those who are ill, or wish to be with others at this tender time of the year, consider

joining us for this gentle celebration of life amidst this holiday season.

Together we will join in acknowledging that many in our community have lost loved ones and that a part of grief is celebrat-ing the lives of those who have died whether the loss is recent, long ago, near, far or has touched you in any way.

This free non-denom-inational community partnership event will begin at 1:00 pm and will provide a safe, quiet space for you to join with others who may be grieving in our community.

Trained staff and volun-teers will be present be-fore and after the service and you may want to talk with them or, you will be perfectly free to remain silent with your private thoughts and feelings.

Tears, laughter, shar-

ing, private refl ections and prayer will all be respected.

Everyone is welcome and a softly orchestrated program of music, read-ings, silence and ceremo-ny will be followed by an invitation to share home-made food and beverages after the service.

“Those we love we never lose,

For always they will be,Loved, remembered,

treasured,Always in our memory”.

- Anonymous

The ‘Celebrate a Life & Blue Christmas Service’ off ers a unique ceremony of remembrance while be-ing with others in what-ever way feels of most comfort to you.

For more information call Comox Valley Hos-pice Society at: 250-339-5533.

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One of the country’s most joyous annual traditions, Winter Harp, a world-class ensemble known for its sold-out houses and standing ovations, returns to the Sid Williams Theatre on Thursday December 11 as part of the theatre society’s 2014 - 2015 Blue Circle Series.

Winter Harp is a con-cert experience that has captured the spirit of the season in a gloriously-evocative way. It has been the must-see ticket on the holiday calendar for more than two decades.

On stage, Winter Harp’s outstanding musicians and singer, clad in beauti-ful medieval attire, per-form a collection of music that ranges from familiar carols to Celtic, medieval, world and Spanish tunes.

At the theatre perfor-mances, backdrops of cathedral and snow set the stage for the golden Celtic and classical harps, drums, tambourines, temple bells, fl utes and an assortment of beautiful ancient and rare instru-ments, including the ethereal-sounding bass psaltery (the only one like it in the world), the or-ganistrum (an early form of the hurdy-gurdy) and the Swedish nyckelharpa.

Winter Harp 2014 Art-ists include: Kim Robert-son (celtic harp, voice), Janelle Nadeau (pedal harp, voice), Roger Hel-frick (voice, harp, guitar), Lauri Lyster (percussion), Jeff Pelletier (fl ute, bass fl ute, wooden piccolo), Joaquin Ayala (nyckelhar-pas, bass psaltery, organ-istrum, symfonie), and Lori Pappajohn (Winter Harp director).

Says Lori Pappajohn:

“It is our great pleasure to present the 22nd year of Winter Harp. It is a true honour to again bring our special concert of music, songs and stories, and to share the wonder of the Christmas season with Western Canadian audi-ences.

“We welcome people of all backgrounds to join us in this unique and joyful celebration of the season.”

This year also marks the re-release of Lori Pap-pajohn’s debut CD Songs of the Heart, fi rst issued in cassette form in 1993 (few people had CD play-ers then!).

“At the time I was tour-ing with my trio Harps International. People loved our rendition of Danny Boy, so I put together a recording of beautiful folk songs -- in-cluding that iconic tune,” says Pappajohn, who plays both harp and fl utes on the recording.

These soul-stirring melodies on harp and fl utes mix with the sooth-ing sounds of nature (ocean, rain, loons) for an uplifting CD that comes straight from the heart. Favorites include Green-sleeves, All Through the Night, Shenandoah, Amazing Grace and She Moved Through the Fair.

Tickets for this Blue Circle Series performance are $44 for members, $49 for general public, $34 for students and groups of 10 or more.

Members can add this show to a 4 or more pack for just $34. Purchase in person at the Ticket Cen-tre Tuesday to Saturday from 10am to 4pm, by phone 250.338.2430, or online at sidwilliamsthe-atre.com.

The Winter Harp ensemble brings its Christmas program to Courtenay on Dec. 11

SID WILLIAMS THEATRE

Beloved holiday concert Winter Harp returns to the Sid on Dec. 11

BY DREW A. PENNERStaff Writer

Brandon Guile has a list 38 entries long that sits in his office he never wants to end up on. The owner and director of operations of Fluid Bar & Grill in Courtenay keeps track of every business that has gone under in the Comox Valley since he started -- and that doesn’t even include Cumberland.

“If you don’t continu-ally evolve and change, you’re dead,” he said, looking out over the urban lounge space along Cliffe Avenue that emerged from the site of a 1970s-era McDonald’s. “Every year that you make it through in the restaurant business is a

celebration.”On Dec. 14 Fluid will

enter its 10th year of ser-vice. To thank customers who have supported the local business along the way they’ve launched a new menu and are featur-ing a $10 appies special all weekend.

In some ways it’s sur-prising the restaurant hasn’t ended up on his ever-growing list, consid-ering all the factors that have seemingly conspired to make running a quality food and beverage estab-lishment difficult.

Guile pointed to three factors that have particu-larly hurt independent restaurant owners hard over the past few years. BC’s flirtations with the HST tax system, a more than $2 increase in the minimum wage and the new .05 drinking and driving limit each took a

Fluid Bar & Grill enters 10th year of service despite the odds

BUSINESS

chunk out of the lounge business’s bottom line, he explained.

“How do you absorb

that?” he said. “It’s never been harder to run a res-taurant.”


Brandon Guile says the key to survival in the restaurant business is to check your ego at the door and listen to your customers.


LETTERS

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

An independently owned and operated

newspaper published by Echo Publications at

407-E Fifth Street, Courtenay, B.C. V9N 1J7

Phone 250-334-4722

Fax 250-334-3172

Classifi eds 250- 334-4215

Circulation 250-334-4734

E-mail: [email protected]

Publisher Dave MacDonald

Editor Debra Martin

Advertising Manager Keith Currie

Offi ce Administrator Deb Fowler

Circulation Manager Hedi MacDonald

Production Manager Ryan Getz

All material herein is protected by copyright.Reproduction in whole or in part is not permitted without written authorization from the publisher.

Canadian Publications Mail Agreement Number #0661538

COMOX VALLEY ECHO

OPINIONSEC

HO

The Friday December 5 edition of your paper car-ried a letter from Mr. Erik Kay, in which he “strong-ly advised CVRD to put in place Sunday transit”, saying that in a modern world there is no reason buses shouldn’t operate on a Sunday, thereby giv-ing people an alternative to using their cars to get around.

Mr. Kay is quite right that a modern urban com-munity should have tran-sit operating on week-ends, including Sundays, and that is the case right now in the Comox Valley.

CV Transit operates six transit routes on Sundays -- buses numbered 1, 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10. The routes cover Courtenay, Comox, and Cumberland plus south to Fanny Bay. While trip frequency and span of service are less than weekday service, this is refl ective of the decreased demand for transit on Sundays and the need to use our transit funding ef-fi ciently.

Through the Comox Val-ley Transit Future Plan, the community identifi ed the key priority being in-creased frequency during weekday peak commute times on main corridors. In addition, the short term priorities developed through this plan included implementing additional Sunday service on main corridors, and we hope to be able to implement that additional Sunday service

over the next few years. Michael Zbarsky

Manager of transit and sustainability

Comox Valley Regional District

NO ROOM FOR COACHRonna-Rae Leonard

wrote last week unveiling her plan to guide and con-trol the new City Council from the sidelines. Ap-parently she sees herself as the coach of the new team.

The full impact of the recent election does not yet seem to have regis-tered with Ms. Leonard.

There are three new tombstones on the po-litical Boot Hill at Maple Pool. Former councillors Ambler, Anglin, and Win-chester all went down to ignominious defeat as a di-rect result of their partici-pation in the last council’s obstinate and ill-advised eff ort to close Maple Pool and evict all its tenants.

Almost all those who made the last council dys-functional and ignored the clearly expressed wishes of Courtenay voters were terminated by those vot-ers.

When the dust fi nally settles, it will likely be-come clear that Ms. Leon-ard’s defeat in the con-test for the NDP federal nomination was directly attributable to the disen-chantment of many NDP members with her role on a Council which relent-

lessly pursued closure and eviction at Maple Pool over the past four years. Another tombstone in the Maple Pool Boot Hill?

The November 15 elec-tion constituted the clear-est possible repudiation of the incumbents who had thumbed their noses at the electorate for the past three years. The newly elected council enjoys the clearest possible mandate to begin representing the voters who elected them and to end the nonsensical attacks on Maple Pool.

Ms. Leonard has no role to play in the new admin-istration. She was part of the political clique which hobbled Mayor Jangula throughout the past three years. Numerous appeals were made to the public to return a council which would support Mayor Jan-gula’s leadership and allow him to lead eff ectively; the public responded by doing precisely that.

Courtenay has no open-ing for a puppet master pulling the strings of may-or and councillors from the sidelines.

Paul Deeton Courtenay

MAYOR IS ENTITLEDI write in response to

the letter from Donovan Carter in this paper on

November 28 last.In Mr. Carter’s opinion,

David Frisch is entitled to be appointed as a CVRD Director because he topped the polls for Coun-cil in the recent election.

I have no criticism of David Frisch whatsoever and it would appear that he might well have what it takes to make an excellent councillor.

Topping the polls does not, by any rule of gover-nance lead to an automat-ic appointment as one of Courtenay’s directors on the CVRD. These appoint-ments are made at the dis-cretion of the Mayor and are subject to endorse-ment by council.

The qualifi cations the mayor considers are un-likely to include how any councillor ranked at the polls. A given candidate, including Mr. Frisch, may have excellent credentials to sit on council, while not necessarily being the most qualifi ed individual to serve as a Director of CVRD.

Mr. Carter has con-cluded that on the basis of vote totals between the Mayor and Mr. Frisch, Mr. Frisch has been given a greater mandate than Mr. Jangula, since Mayor Jan-gula received a lower vote total in a fi eld of two than did Mr. Frisch in a fi eld of

thirteen. This reasoning is fundamentally fl awed on too many levels to address here. Suffi ce to say that Mr. Carter is comparing “apples and oranges”.

Our Mayor is entitled to make his own decisions regarding appointments and does not need to heed the advice from this newly arrived governance tutor.

Bill VerburgtCourtenay

ETERNAL VIGILANCEOrdinarily I would not

respond to protestations of a federal Tory bag man but in this case Mr Dick Clancy needs a rep-rimand for his hypocrisy and specious innuendo about me. In his letter to the editor (The Echo, Dec 2) Mr Clancy shows igno-rance about the function of democratic process at City Hall. He responds to my letter in which I vig-orously encouraged the Mayor to “...support the appointment of Council-lor Frisch to the CVRD Board of Directors.”

Mr Clancy’s ignorance shows when he suggests the Mayor makes the ap-pointments to commit-tees. The Mayor does not appoint Council members to various committees. It is a decision by a vote of Council after what should

be a transparent attempt at consensus. Council is not a parliamentary form of government.

Hypocritically Clancy says because I did not, “...stand for offi ce in the re-cent election.” my support for Frisch was, “...an at-tempt by the unelected...to take control of our local government.” By his own standard Clancy is guilty of sedition as he did not, “...stand for offi ce in the recent election.” therefore his support for Jangula is an attempt, “...to take control of our local gov-ernment.”

As for specious innu-endo Clancy said, “...I know (Carter) associates with Jon Ambler and Ron-na Rae Leonard.” I have provided the Echo editor with my e-mail exchange with Mr Ambler in which he requested my active campaign support and I declined to give it. I told Ambler I would not be marking the mayoral bal-lot. As for Ms Leonard, I had never spoken to her or met her and she could never identify me in Mr Clancy’s fantasy line up of all the usual suspects.

The foundation of fair and functional democracy is the eternal vigilance of the good citizen.

Donovan R CarterCourtenay


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While lounges across BC all have to contend with such issues, the dif-ficulty is compounded in the Comox Valley.

In Vancouver or Victoria the .05 blood alcohol content regula-tions don’t hit as hard, since ample public tran-sit is available.

The lack of buses and taxis at key times in Courtenay hurts diner traffic and encourages those who drive to think twice about having a third or even a second drink, he noted.

“That’s where we make our margins,” he said.

“That’s five bucks a head off the bill.”

A bigger challenge these days is the dearth of young people in the community to provide a solid labour pool.

With a lack of nightlife as the Comox Valley continues to age collec-tively it can be hard to find good staff, he says.

“There’s nothing for the young people to do because it’s been squashed,” he said. “There’s no reason for the young people to stay.”

Jobs in the forestry sector and particularly those geared around the oil industry continue to

lure youth far afield. That leaves restaurateurs to fight it out in the remaining labour mar-ket.

“It’s an Island-wide epidemic,” he said. “The whole ‘everybody going up north’ thing is killing us.”

In the last year Fluid has lost eight staff mem-bers to Alberta.

“We’re all chasing the same people,” he said. “I’ll have a decent line cook come in and they’ll be out one night and somebody will poach them.”

But Guile says this doesn’t faze him. After all, his main job is to lis-

ten to his customers. What he’s discovered is the Comox Valley’s deep passion for local food (all of Fluid’s seafood is certified Oceanwise), the need for a place where people of all ages can congregate and a desire for quality menu offer-ings.

They recently brought back the cob salad with Grains Bakery focaccia bread, due to popular demand, for example.

“You can’t have vanity or ego in this business – it just doesn’t work,” he said.

“Restaurants that stand the test of time lis-ten to their guests.”

Fluid’s celebrates 10th anniversary with specials

In order to compensate the company has been spilling water at maxi-mum rates. Flooding can begin to occur at 600 m3/s.

Mike Fournier, Emer-gency Program Coordina-tor for the Comox Valley Emergency Program,

visited Maple Pool Camp-site Monday prior to the heaviest precipitation. The owners of the trailer park said they don’t expect to have any issues with fl ooding. Residents themselves expressed a variety of opinions about the rain, with some won-

dering about the impact the river would have if the river does rise signifi cant-ly and others not all that concerned.

BC Hydro plans to release high fl ows at low tides and low fl ows at high tides and has already begun a dialogue with

BC Hydro has about two metres of wiggle room left in it reservoir, but the Crown corpora-tion is warning that select areas of Courtenay could fl ood Tuesday and each of the following mornings.

Two sub-tropical storms have caused worry since they proved to have more punch to them then had originally been forecast.

“Unfortunately the storms are now much stronger and may hit the Comox watershed hard,” said BC Hydro spokesper-son Stephen Watson in a release.

“BC Hydro is con-cerned about these storms and the potential for fl ooding.”

High ocean tides taking place in the morning is another aggravating fac-tor adding to this picture.

Now, BC Hydro is forecasting average daily water infl ow averages to the reservoir between 350 m3/s and 320 m3/s on Tuesday and Wednesday (for an hourly peak of up to 700 m3/s)

Rainwater accumulates on the ground at Maple Pool Campsite Monday.

Comox Valley Emer-gency Program, City of Courtenay, Comox Valley Regional District and

Emergency Management BC. The public is asked to stay away from the Puntledge River.

Watch out for the water as storms hit

1782B Comox Ave Comox, B.C. (250) 339-5050

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Natural Pastures wins awards for producing fi nest cheeses

Cheese from across Canada vied for top hon-ours at the recent British Empire Cheese Show and judges awarded Courte-nay’s Natural Pastures Cheese high marks and prizes in several catego-ries at its November 13th presentation.

In its 87th year, the event is hosted by the Central Ontario Cheese-makers’ Association and is the oldest and longest-running cheese competi-tion in Canada.

Natural Pastures’ rich tasting semi-hard Boeren-kaas cheese took third place in the fi rm cheese category. Known for its slightly zippy taste and robust fl avour, it is the workhorse in Natural Pas-tures’ stable of cheeses. “It’s delicious in soups, salads, omelettes, casse-roles - tasty on the cheese plate and great with either red or white wine,” said head cheesemaker Paul Sutter.

The company’s Buf-falo Paneer continues to please judges as it gained a place in the winners’ ring in its second cheese judging contest. The

paneer took silver in the fresh cheese category. Used as a cooking cheese because it keeps its consistency when heated, the paneer has a creamy mild fi nish and slightly nutty fl avour. Its taste and texture enhances any curry dish and is deli-cious stir-fried with fresh vegetables.

Natural Pastures Op-erations Manager, Doug Smith, believes that the success of their Buff alo Paneer is because of the freshness and simple na-ture of the unaged cheese. “It’s not salted and is made from 100 percent buff alo milk.”

For its buff alo cheese, Natural Pastures uses

milk produced by water buff alo from Courtenay’s McClintock Farms in ad-dition to two other small herds on Vancouver Is-land. Compared to cow’s milk, water buff alo milk is pure white, smoother, thicker and tastier. Buf-falo milk has signifi cantly more calcium and protein than cow’s milk and, al-though it has a higher fat content, contains much less cholesterol.

Natural Pastures’ Comox Brie and Smoked Boerenkaas also had solid showings - both placing fourth in their divisions. In all, ten of the submit-ted cheeses placed in the top ten spots in their categories.


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The Vanier Varsity boys had their second tournament of the season in the friendly confi nes of the brand new Chilli-wack High School with its beautiful new gym and the excellent second gym we used for pre-game shooting.

The visit was similar to the last tournament in Duncan in that the boys lost their fi rst game again, by only 1 basket, and it was a game that was very winnable, but due to having a young squad and missing two key grade 12’s because of injury, we squandered away a 10-point lead and lost in the closing sec-onds.

First game was against a top 3A team from Kam-loops, Valleyview. A very well coached and skilled squad they made up for their lack in size com-pared to us with guile and excellent skills in ball-handling.

Their continuous trap-ping also threw our boys off their game and they just couldn’t take good care of the ball- 29 turn-overs. Needless to say, our young squad learned lots, and a bonus to not having all your starters is that more younger play-ers get to play and learn the ropes early in the season.

Anders Storgaard (22 pts), Tyler Knopp (18 + 16 rebounds) and Chase Hobenshield (12 pts) were the primary high-lights in this game, and helped show us we have some depth in scoring. Final score: 63-66.

Second game was against Kelly Road from Prince George, and all our Towhees (10 of 13) who were healthy got to play this game. The fi rst half was closer than we wanted but the Kelly Rd. boys were feisty and giv-ing a good battle.

Luckily our defense, our best attribute this time of year, shut them down the second half and they only scored 14 points. The Towhees cre-ated many turnovers and ended up defeating them 95-45.

Leading the way with his best game to date was Tyler Knopp with 37 points and 15 rebounds. Anders added 18 with 8 assists, while Brandon Balon chipped in 13 pts. Big Chase Hobenshield shot 100% adding 8 points.

In the 3rd game for 4th place the Towhees faced Sahali from Kamloops, a perennial top team in the 3A. Everyone played again and the defense was the key holding Saha-li to only 41 points while the Towhees ended with 58. Tyler Knopp had 15 points and 13 rebounds, Anders 11 pts. and 13 rebounds and Chase Hobenshield added 12 points. Brandon Balon gave up his body drawing 3 charges, with 3 steals, 3 assists and 6 points.

Next up is the Gus

Vesterback Tournament, .our fi rst home games.

All 4 teams will be close in abilities, all are well coached, and it should be a good start to our home

schedule this season.The tournament starts

on Friday, Dec. 12 featur-ing senior boys and girls teams,

2:30 pm - Girls, Dover Bay (Nanaimo) vs Kwali-cum

4:15 pm - Boys, Reyn-olds (Victoria) vs Maple Ridge

6 pm - Girls, Vanier vs Eric Hamber (Vancouver)

7:45 pm - Boys, Vanier vs Eric Hamber

Saturday, Dec 13

8:15 am - Boys, Eric Hamber vs Reynolds

10 am - Boys, Maple Ridge vs Vanier

11:45 am - Girls, Eric Hamber vs Dover Bay

1:30 pm - Girls, Kwali-cum vs Vanier

3:15 pm - Boys, Eric Hamber vs Maple Ridge

5 pm - Girls, Eric Ham-ber vs Kwalicum

6:45 pm - Boys, Vanier vs Reynolds

8:30 pm - Girls, Vanier vs Dover Bay

Vanier senior boys just shortagain at Chilliwack tourney

Vanier in action, going for the score, at Chilliwack(Peggy Street photo)

RYAN BEAUCHAMP WAS RECENTLY PRESENTED the President’s Award by Comox Valley Lacrosse Association’s outgoing presi-dent, Colleen Houlihan. The President’s Award is presented to the graduating midget player who best exemplifi es sportsman-ship and dedication. Beauchamp is a multi-sport athlete who is a Grade 11 student at Mark Isfeld and hopes to further his lacrosse career at the collegiate level.

Isfeld Senior boys bas-ketball opened up its sea-son this past weekend with a 3rd place fi nish at the Parkland Invitational in Victoria.

In the fi rst game against Notre Dame of Vancouver the Ice won 62-55.

The Ice led throughout the game with a 38-24 lead at the half. Noah Kaefer led the team in scoring with 24 and Nic Xylinas added 22.

In game 2 the Ice played a physical Kwalikum team and lost 47-37. Unable to control the defensive re-bounds and keep Kwali-kum off the glass the Ice

were badly outrebounded. Noah Kaefer lead the team in scoring with 19.

In the third place game Isfeld beat the Ballenas Whalers 60-37. Isfeld led throughout with 18-10 at the end of the fi rst, 33-16 at the half and 43-22 after the third quarter. Lead-ing scorers for Isfeld were Noah Kaefer 25, Davis Malton had 12 and Nic Xylinas scored 10. Kaefer was selected to the All Tournament team.

Isfeld hosts it own tour-nament this weekend with games starting at noon on Friday and going all day Saturday.

Isfeld boys third

COURTENAYSUBSTITUTE NEEDED FOR RT 7119 - DOWNTOWN BUSINESS AREARt. 7107 – Grieve to McPhee, 13th to 17thRt. 8102 – Urquhart, Tull, 27th, Stewart

COMOXSUBSTITUTE NEEDED FOR DEC - BECTON ROAD AREARt. 2112 – Aspen, Meadowlark, Towhee, MerreletRt. 2132 – Cooke Ave. Rt. 2103 – Beach, Beaufort, Murphy, Beaton

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COURTENAYSubstitute needed for Rt.7119 - Downtown Business AreaRt. 7107 – Grieve to McPhee, 13th to 17thRt. 8102 – Urquhart, Tull, 27th, StewartCOMOXSubstitute needed for Dec - Becton Road AreaRt. 2112 – Aspen, Meadowlark, Towhee,

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Comox Valley Echo - December 9, 2014