Nelson Star Test

B r e a k i n g n e w s a t w w w . n e l s o n s t a r . c o m

Vol. 3 • Issue 20

NelsoN star

Nelson StarOffice Hours

Monday - Friday8:30am - 5:00pm250.352.1890

Thursday, May 20 • 2010

Spring Forward...

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431 Baker Street , Nelson, BCPhone: 250-352-5033

Katimavik leavesmark on city:

See page 3

Kalesnikoff winsPremier’s award:

See page 9

Members of the Kootenay Lake Hospital Foundation and the Nelson and District Credit Union gather at Nelson’s city hall to celebrate a new $60,000 donation, which pushed the foundation’s CT Scanner Fund over the $1 million mark May 18. See story on page 5.

After a successful six month start, Nelson’s Strong Start Program celebrated its official grand opening with some welcome news for parents.

The early learning program, which rotates between four schools and daycares in the city, will be on offer again during the 2010 - 2011 school year.

“It’s been a great success,” said Kristi Crowe, early learning coordinator for District 8, at the celebration May 13 at Rosemont Elementary School. Around her, approximately 15 children and their parents did crafts, played with toys and read picture books.

Unlike other play groups, Nelson Strong Start is an outreach program, serving various parts of the community throughout the week. In addition to Rosemont, the program also runs at Redfish Elementary, Blewett Elemen-tary and Brent Kennedy Elementary half a day per week.

Because the program is funded by a grant from the B.C. ministry of education, parents and children attend Strong Start for free. That’s something facilitator Kendra Farley sees as a major advantage.

“We’re just trying to make a barrier-free drop in play group for parents,” she explains, adding she sees anywhere from 10 to 25 kids at each Strong Start session, with a high number of regular drop-ins.

“It took a little while to get going with the swine flu, which kept people from gathering. But it gained momentum really quickly in No-vember, and I think it’s been a nice alternative to playing outside in the snow that was not here this winter.”

Strong Startto continueprograms

Continues to “Programs” on page 2

CT scanner campaign reaches $1 million

Andrea Klassen photo

AndreA KlAssenNelson Star Reporter

Thursday, May 20, 20102 Nelson Star nelsonstar.com

Cassaundra Scheibe, who brings her daugh-ter Monet to the Thursday Strong Start every week, said she was glad to hear the program would be continuing.

“We’ve been coming since she was two and a half, and it’s been an awesome socialization for her,” she said, while Monet examined the inner workings of a toy castle. “ It’s structured, but it’s not too structured, so she has time to be ex-posed to the whole play idea with other kids.”

As a new arrival to Nelson, she said the drop-in program had also given her an opportunity to meet other parents.

“I’m addicted. I’m absolutely hooked,” she added. “I love it, I hope the government keeps it going for another 10 years at least.”

The Strong Start Program runs with the school year, ending on the last day of classes in June and resuming with the first day of the new school year in September.

Continued from Pg 1

Programs a hitwith parents, kids

Ella Morris, 3, selects materials for her next art project during a Strong Start session at Rosemont Elementary. The parent and child drop-in program for children under five celebrated its grand opening May 13.


The early years from birth to age six are vital to a child’s future.

Nowhere do we understand this bet-ter than in the West Kootenay where the new booklet First Steps and Beyond has just been released.

This resource guide is based on feedback from families and helps to fill the infor-mation gaps they have been experiencing.

As part of the West Kootenay Un-derstanding the Early Years (UEY) project, parents were sur-veyed about their in-formation needs. Two main themes quickly became evident.

“There was a need

for more informa-tion directed towards dads” said Dorothy Kaytor, coordinator of the Guide’s devel-opment committee. The popular “Dad’s manual” released in November 2009 has helped to fill this in-formation gap.

“Caregivers also wanted practical in-formation about child development,” said Kaytor.

“They want to know what is normal and when should they be concerned?”

In addition, accord-ing to results of the Early Development Instrument (EDI), young children in this region need better support for social and

emotional develop-ment.

“First Steps and Be-yond provides fami-lies with this informa-tion” said Kaytor.

“It offers tips about all areas of develop-ment and helps fami-lies recognize the dif-ferent developmental stages their child will go through.”

Importantly, “red flags” are provided to indicate when families and caregivers should seek outside help.

Copies of the book-let are available from family resource cen-tres throughout the region or through the Co-op office at 304-625 Front Street in Nelson or by phoning 250-352-6786.

New guide responds to needs of new families

Nelson Star 3Thursday, May 20, 2010 nelsonstar.com

News

City transit us-ers, keep your eyes peeled. The first of the city’s new Nova LSF buses is in town, and expected to hit the streets in about two weeks.

The new bus, one of the six that will be phased into Nelson’s transit system by the end of the summer, can accommodate two wheel chairs and carries up to 76 pas-sengers.

Peter Rantucci, di-rector of regional tran-

sit systems says the 40-foot Novas also re-duce emissions by up to 90 per cent due to their more advanced diesel systems.

“I could go on about emissions re-duction and acces-sibility, but the big thing for me is they’re gorgeous,” Rantucci told onlookers at the bus’s grand unveiling May 17 at the Local Government Aware-ness Week lunch.

“I didn’t think I’d say that about a bus, but if you look at them they’re 10 out of 10.”

The new buses also

feature bike racks, wheelchair ramps and can “kneel” to pick up passengers with mo-bility issues. Nelson

city staff have already conducted driver training on the new bus.

The Novas will re-

place Nelson’s current fleet of 35-foot, high floored Orion buses, which are now 30 years old.

New transit buses reduce emissions

Joe Brazeau, 2, and Finn Hoover, 3, test out the back seats of Nelson’s new Novabus on May 17.

City officials and representatives from BC Transit cut the ribbon on the first of six Novabuses which will replace the city’s existing bus fleet. The 40-foot buses reduce emissions by up to 90 per cent. Andrea Klassen photo



Nelsonites flocked to the City Hall courtyard May 17 for barbeque and, in the words of city man-ager Kevin Cormack, a chance to chat with the men and women who “keep the lights on.”

The Local Gov-ernment Awareness lunch was one of two open houses put on by the city. The first, held May 16, saw public works staff display their equip-ment and answer questions from the public.

Cormack says the luncheon grew out of the city’s annual staff barbecue. After

the province of B.C. declared the week of May 16 Local Gov-ernment Awareness week, staff decided to open the event up

to the public.“It gave us a

chance to both thank our employees and invite the public down to participate,”

says Cormack. “And hopefully raise a bit of money for the CT Scanner project, and see some of the equipment that our

folks work on every day.”

Cormack says people may not re-alize how many ser-vices are provided by city staff.

“We cover every-thing from emer-gency planning to libraries to legislative services that keep the decisions of council going,” he says.

“There’s a broad range of services we provide, and I think a lot of people don’t even recognize that--who is responsible for keeping the water and the lights on and keeping the street clean and all of those services.”

Local Government Awareness Week runs until May 22.

Celebrating local government

City staff and Nelson police serve up drinks at a Local Government Awareness Week barbeque lunch at City Hall May 17. In addition to celebrating the work of local employees, attendees were also asked to donate to the CT scanner fund.


Thursday, May 20, 20104 Nelson Star nelsonstar.com

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News

Railing ribbon cuttingCouncillor Kim Charlesworth, Dave Brown, Gyro Club President Jim Todds, Councillor Robin Cherbo,Gyro Club member Alan Lynas and Patrick McIvor cut the ribbon on the new Gyro Park railing May 12. Created by McIvor, the railing will improve safety at the park lookout and provide the city with a new piece of public art.

Local hair and pet salons have teamed up to help collect clean hair clippings in a way of helping with ongoing efforts to contain the oil spill that is threatening environmentally sensi-tive coastal areas throughout the Gulf of Mex-ico.

Bijou, Enzo’s, Pinky’s Pet Palour, Tea Garden Salon & Spa and Vadim Kristopher Hair Salon will all be collecting and accepting donations. The hair will be mailed out to an organization called Matter of Trust, where it will be used as an environmentally friendly and effective way to clean the oil spill.

The hair is stuffed into nylons to create mats and booms. So far, the non-profit has gathered more than 400,000 pounds of hair from around the States and Canada for use in the Gulf re-gion. Nelson salons are doing their part to try to make that number even bigger.

With only a few days of hair collection un-

der their belts, stylists have gathered just a few bags so far. But they hope to collect a lot more.

Customers can bring in clean stockings to ship to the Gulf region as well as old tooth-brushes. The toothbrushes will be sent to help volunteers clean the oil off of birds and other wildlife.

Every type of hair is fine (straight, curly, all colours, dyed, permed, straightened). Also ac-cepted is fur and other natural fibers such as waste wool, alpaca fleece, horse hair and feath-ers.

According to her organization’s website, 1 pound of hair can quickly absorb a quart of oil. The booms can be wrung out and reused as many as 100 times. After the cleanup, worms reduce the oily hair to compost, according the site.

If you where thinking of a hair cut, now is the time.

Local hair will help Gulf spill

Blewett Volunteer Fire Department re-cently received a new 2010 Ford Crew Cab multi-purpose re-sponse vehicle.

“We are very excited to have such a versatile and outfitted response vehicle of this calibre to better serve our rural residents,” says Chief Paul Verigin.

“The Regional Dis-trict of Central Koote-nay Electoral Area E is very fortunate to have a highly committed volunteer fire depart-ment. This new multi-purpose vehicle will support the Blewett Department in con-tinuing their excellent

service and collabora-tion with neighbour-ing fire departments,” says Area E Director Ramona Faust.

Deputy Chief Rob-in Woodbridge had visited the factory in Quebec for the final

inspection prior to de-livery.

In Blewett the mem-bers of the volunteer fire department also received hands-on training in the func-tions and operations of the new unit from

Wholesale Fire and Rescue.

This new unit com-plements the depart-ment’s existing front line response vehicles of a 1991 International Engine and 1991 Inter-national Tanker.

New fire truck arrives in Blewett

Blewett Fire Chie, Paul Verigin received the keys from Derrick Harvey, Wholesale Fire and Rescue Territory Manager. Submitted photo


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