vol4issue10

FIRE DOWN UNDER

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The Columbia Valley Vol. 4/Issue 10 Your Weekly Source for News and Events March 9, 2007

FREE

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Every year we share more profits with our

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This year is no different because we’re sharing

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We’re better at sharing.

LAKE AUTO CLOSES

16

5

PIONEERServing The Upper Columbia Valley including Spillimacheen, Brisco, Edgewater, Radium, Invermere, Windermere, Fairmont and Canal Flats

3

Paddling in the

puddlesFour-year-old Rebekah Falk,

daughter of Stacy and Joy Falk of Invermere, gets her feet wet on the fi rst warm day in March.

Photo by Elinor Florence

Your last chance at affordable living in Invermere!

Finally, a place you can call home–or your home-away-from-home–in the heart of the beautiful Columbia Valley! Phase One of Cedarwood Glen Estates is now selling. Eighteen two-bedroom condominiums are now offered for sale, from only $145,000 to $165,000.

Arrange a viewing or request more information by calling

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Priced from only $145,000 to $165,000for a limited time.

When you’re home, you know it. cedarwoodglen.com

2 • The Columbia Valley Pioneer March 9, 2007

VALLEY NEWS

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InvermerePhone: 342-6911

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RON342-5704

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Magnifi cent views, in a very beautiful, private location. This stately home, with all the comforts enjoys unobstructed, west facing views of Lake Windermere and the Purcell Mountains. Located on almost 2 acres.$779,000 mls#k151802

INVERMEREStunning 177 acre wetland acreage! Six acre island homesite. Privacy, pasture and views from spectacular homesite dating back to 1890”s. Great for horses. Power, phone on site. Gravel road. Water and sewer to be developed. $695,000 mls#k151822

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Tex Lortscher, right, enjoyed a great opening day last Sat-urday at the second location of Tex’s Coff ee Works inside Home Hardware at the crossroads. Here he is with cus-tomers Alan and Kathy Dobbs of Invermere. Tex raised $621 for the Valley Food Bank, and he also gave away

three prizes. Evan Allery won the cookie basket, Cortnei Ryter won the coff ee basket, and Jill Bell was the lucky winner of the cappuccino machine. Th e big winner of the day was Kelsie Ede, who won the television given away by Home Hardware.

Tex’s Coff ee Works for them

The Columbia Valley Pioneer • 3March 9, 2007

By Brian GeisPioneer Staff

Free wireless internet service will be available to selected areas of Radium Hot Springs starting this week, with the rollout of the new fi bre-optic service to homes and businesses beginning in May, according to company partner Mark Halwa.

Mr. Halwa, managing partner of NanoFibre Networks, was interviewed last week in a high-tech mobile trailer in Athalmer, where he was inspecting splices to the fi bre-optic cables that connect Radium and Panorama to the regional network installed last year by the Columbia Mountain Open Network.

NanoFibre Networks is the private company formed by Mr. Halwa, Radium Mayor Greg Deck and Precision Drilling Chief Executive Hank Swartout to provide fi bre-optic network services to Radium Hot Springs.

Th is initiative was narrowly defeated as a public project by Radium residents and later off ered free of charge to the District of Invermere.

Invermere council has twice declined the off er, citing the need for more information and a reluc-tance to take on 20 years of annual debt repayments of $48,000 required to cover the cost of installing the fi bre-optic backbone.

With the last of the cables spliced and the go-live date looming this spring, NanoFibre Networks was busy preparing for the March 15th launch of the free wireless service that will accompany the fi bre-to-the-home service. According to Mr. Halwa the wireless service will remain free of charge to all residents, busi-nesses and visitors to Radium.

“Part of building a successful network for any com-munity is allowing basic access to all citizens and visi-tors of the community,” Mr. Halwa said. “We’re build-ing an infrastructure for the future and, in the process, facilitating commerce and enabling entirely new ways of doing business here in the Columbia Valley.”

NanoFibre Networks isn’t sure yet what kind of coverage the wireless net will achieve until testing is

complete, but full coverage of downtown is likely.“Anyone who drives through downtown Radium

and stops in at a store on main street will be pleasantly surprised,” he said. “In future, we plan to deliver wire-less coverage to all homes and businesses in Radium.”

According to Mr. Halwa, fi bre-optic networks pro-vide the most secure and fastest method of transferring data. “Whether the data coming into your home is your favorite TV show, a brand-new, high-defi nition movie, a videoconference with your doctor, distance education, or e-mailed pictures from your family, a fi -bre optic network is the most reliable.”

He said there is no charge to consumers for bring-ing the fi bre into the home or business. A nomimal fee for hook-ups might be charged in the future, so he is encouraging people to sign up while it is still free.

With the addition of a $100 plug-in device, he said, non-wired homes or businesses can take advan-tage of the high-speed fi bre by routing data over the existing electrical wiring. Existing coaxial cable wiring can also be used. It is recommended that new homes be wired with ethernet cable.

Th e fi rm also launched its website this week, www.nanofi bre.ca, giving the residents and businesses of Ra-dium the ability to sign up at no charge for fi bre-optic services and to fi nd out more about the service.

Th e fi rm states that high-speed internet, tele-phone service, and home security monitoring will be among the services available to subscribers this year. Other services planned for the future include televi-sion, videoconferencing, gaming, streaming music for businesses and mobile services.

NanoFibre drops wireless net over Radium

SPLITTING HAIRS—NanoFibre Networks managing partner Mark Halwa, right, gets a lesson in splicing fi bre-op-tic cable from DG Communications technician Jeff Woodworth of Invermere. Th e duo were making the fi nal connec-tions that will link Radium’s fi bre-optic network to the outside world. Photo by Brian Geis

Invermere water, sewer, garbage rates hikedBy Pioneer Staff

Increases to rates charged for water, sewer and garbage collection services will raise the cost of liv-ing for Invermere residents by about $100 per year, a little more than $8 per month. Invermere council approved three bylaws that will raise rates for the municipal services in order to pay for the increased cost of providing those services.

Finance Director Karen Coté said the district is facing $6.2 million in water-related capital improve-ments in the next fi ve years. About $1.3 million of that amount, she said, will have to come from the water operating fund.

She said a $30 hike in the annual fl at fee and a 3.5 cents per cubic metre increase in the consump-tion rate for most users would generate an addition-al $31,000 for the fund. Th e average business, she said, will likely see an increase of $10.96 per year in consumption and the $30 hike in the fl at rate.

Chief Administrator Chris Prosser warned that the rates will likely continue to increase in 2008 and 2009 in order to meet costs. “We have been caught short in the past,” he said. “Th e water fund is a business and it’s run like a business. Philosophically, these rates are going to go up.”

Also going up are the rates for sewerage. Al-though the sewer fund is healthier than the water

fund, she reported, a two-percent increase is neces-sary to keep up with infl ationary costs.

Th e average increase of $6 per year for homes and $5.40 per year for businesses should generate $12,300 for the sewer operating fund.

Th e new garbage collection contract with South-east Disposal, Mr. Prosser said, will require a hike in the rates charged for the service. Th e residential rate will jump another $16 per year and the com-mercial rate will see an increase of $7.50.

Th e result, he said, would be $14,500 which will entirely fund the municipality’s garbage collec-tion service.

Th e rate hike will take eff ect April 1.


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For the week ending March 3, the Columbia Val-ley RCMP responded to 56 calls for service, including four accidents.

• February 25: Police, fi re rescue and ambulance responded to a two-vehicle accident on Laurier Street in Invermere. According to the investigation, a bus was travelling west on Laurier Street, approaching the intersection of 2nd Street, when a Chevy Avalanche emerged from 2nd Street and struck the bus. Th e Ava-lanche spun and a second contact was made with the bus, sending the Avalanche off road to rest against a utility pole. A passenger in the Avalanche was taken to hospital with minor injuries, while the 19-year-old Fairmont driver of the vehicle was charged under the Motor Vehicle Act.

• February 24: Police attended to Panorama Mountain Village with the BC Ambulance Service to respond to a 28-year-old male who was in cardiac ar-rest as a result of possible drug abuse. Police found the man conscious and stable and he was transported to the hospital.

• February 25: Police stopped a vehicle for speed-ing and the driver showed moderate signs of impair-

ment and subsequently was read the roadside demand and provided a sample which failed. In this circum-stance, the driver was issued a 24-hour suspension from driving.

• February 25: Police were advised of a stolen snowboard taken from under the fi re escape at Pine Lodge at Panorama Mountain Village. No further in-formation is known at this time.

• February 26: Police were notifi ed of a theft of two sets of skis from the Panorama Mountain Village. A set of Head Mojo 90 186 and a set of Rossignol 23 162 were taken. If anyone has any information regard-ing this theft, please call the RCMP. Police do have the serial numbers on the computer.

• March 2: Police were on patrol on 14th Street in Invermere when they witnessed a vehicle appear to purposefully take out a stop sign on 7th Avenue and 13th Street. Th e driver was stopped by police and showed signs of impairment. An impaired investiga-tion was initiated and the driver provided two samples of his breath, 120 and 110 milligrams percent, which is well over the legal limit of 80 milligrams percent. Th is incident involved a new driver with his friends.

RCMP Report

Just in case you may have forgot-ten, Daylight Saving Time kicks in next weekend at 2 a.m. Sunday. Th e new date, March 11th, is three weeks earlier than in the past.

Th e idea is to make our time change compatible with the U.S.

Our neighbour to the south has changed its schedule to fi ght higher

gas prices, reasoning that if the sun rises later, people will use less en-ergy.

Make a note on your calendar for this Saturday evening to move your clocks forward one hour before go-ing to bed. Th en on Sunday morn-ing, you may also want to check all your electronic devices.

TimechangeSunday


A new beginning for the Kloos FamilyAnd – the end of an era…

When Steve and Maria Kloos moved from Austria in the 1950’s, they chose the Columbia Valley as their “gem” of the world.

Arriving with only a few material possessions, they held steadfast to their dreams, relying on their spirit of adventure, their unbending work ethic and their vi-sion of opportunity. Logging, mining, road building and working in local businesses fi lled the early years as they started their family. At 35 and with three young children, Steve went to school and received his mechanic’s ticket while Maria worked and held down the home front. Th e dream of owning their own business was realized when they met Roy Lake and, against many odds, took over Lake Auto Service from him in 1969.

From GM to Datsun and Ford, Texaco and Esso to Husky, with expansion and building changes, through high times and low times, and ever changing faces in an evolving community, the only thing that ever remained constant was change. Th e one thing that always saw them through was honest hard work.

Th eir children, Marion, Erwin and Harald, fi nished school at DTSS and all moved away for several years each experiencing the “outside” world and realizing what a blessing it was to have been born and raised in the valley. In 1985, getting ready to slow down and look forward to retirement, Steve and Maria’s vision turned towards off ering their children the opportunity to perpetuate the family business. For Marion, Erwin and Harald, the chance to take over the business and return to the valley to raise their own families was a gift that none of them have ever taken for granted. Th is opportunity could not have been fulfi lled without the never ending support from their own families as well as the community.

Now their own children are growing up and making their way in the world. Although they are each choosing paths that lead them away from the fam-ily business, they too will always call the valley and its mountains “home”, a community connection made strong by family, friends and memories.

And so begins another new chapter in the lives of the Kloos family. Aft er a peri-od of several

years, leaving no stone unturned and exhausting all avenues for perpetuation, this spring has been cho-sen as the time to wind down the Lake Auto Ford dealership. A time of overwhelming emotion for the family, this decision involving thoughtful and diligent process, was not made lightly.

In the rapidly changing face of the automotive world, manufacturers do not support a new build where the business case will not sustain it and the nature and future of small town dealerships are uncertain at best. For some time now in the US, and more recently in Canada, small rural dealerships have been quietly closing their doors. Manufacturers primarily cite economic reasons for not supporting new builds, and they themselves are struggling for survival in an ever changing and increasingly competitive world. North America is following a global trend where dealerships will ultimately be centralized in larger cities.

Th e Kloos family recognized that escalating building costs limited their options and a new build would be unlikely.

Struggling in their existing facility, which the business outgrew years earlier, they remained open in an eff ort to see if a larger or neighboring dealer may want to “satellite” their existing location. Th is would have provided their loyal and valued staff and customers continued representation, two issues which were of primary importance in the decision making process.

Unfortunately, “satelliting” works best in areas where land and buildings can be purchased at reasonable values. In our beautiful Columbia Valley, current land prices exceeding the return on some investments make certain commercial developments fi nancially unviable, therefore the inevitable decision was made.

Th e family run dealership has been able to keep its doors open through the dedicated work of all their staff over the past almost four decades, resulting in years of top customer satisfaction awards. Lake Auto has been the recipient of the Ford President’s Award on several occasions and most recently for 2005 and 2006 consecutively. “Going out at the top” feels right.

Now, with the main focus on their customers and staff , they will remain open for approximately two months

aft er March 1st. Th is time will be used to fi nalize current sales and deliveries and to help customers through the transition process to other dealers for sales or warranty.

Th is time will also be taken to support their staff in exploring several options and opportunities pre-

sented to them or assist in new placements elsewhere. Marion, Erwin and Harald commented, “We will take the time required to ensure everyone is looked aft er.”

As for Marion, Erwin and Harald, it is unclear what the future holds at this time. Although not ready for retirement, each of them is eager to explore diff er-ent opportunities and gain new experiences, with a clear desire to continue living and contributing in a meaningful way to this wonderful valley.

And so comes to an end one chapter in the lives of a family. Th e closing of the Ford dealership marks the end of an era in the automobile business, in a town that is evolving and changing as rapidly as any place in the world. Th is new and uncertain beginning for the Kloos family is in many ways not so diff erent from the time when Steve and Maria found the courage to take those steps in creating a new life for themselves many years ago.

At this time the Family would like to publicly thank the community, their loyal customers and all of the staff for forty years of enjoyable business, and more importantly, the personal relationships and friendships that will continue on past this closing chap-ter of their lives.

Th e Kloos family will be inviting the community to a closing celebration in the near future. Watch the local paper for the announcement of the date.

LAKE AUTO • 1005 – 7th Avenue, Invermere, V0A 1K0 • 342-9310


PERSPECTIVE

is independently owned and operated and is published weekly by Abel Creek Publishing Inc.

Box 868, #8, 1008 - 8th Avenue, Invermere, BC V0A 1K0Phone (250) 341-6299 · Fax (250) 341-6229 Email:

[email protected] · www.columbiavalleypioneer.com

Dave SutherlandAdvertising Sales

PIONEERThe Columbia Valley

Th e material, written or artistic, may not be reprinted or electronically repro-duced in any way without the written consent of the publisher. Th e opinions and statements in articles, columns and advertising are not necessarily those of the publisher or staff of Th e Columbia Valley Pioneer. It is agreed by any display advertiser requesting space that the newspaper’s responsibility, if any, for errors or omissions of any kind is limited to the amount paid for by the advertiser for that portion of the space as occupied by the incorrect item and there shall be no liability in any event greater than the amount paid for the advertisement.

Bob FriesenAdvertising Sales

Zephyr RawbonGraphic Designer

Elinor FlorencePublisher

Brian GeisReporter

Sarah TurkOffi ce Manager

Valley losingLake Auto

Historical Lens

An early photograph of Lake Auto in its present location taken in the 1950s shows two gas pumps, a car sitting outside, and another car inside the showroom.

Photo courtesy of Windermere District Historical Society

By Elinor FlorencePioneer Publisher

Columbia Valley residents were shocked and sad-dened this week to learn that a valley institution called Lake Auto, the downtown Invermere car dealership, is closing its doors forever.

It has been six decades since the business was start-ed and over the years many folks have earned their livelihoods by working for the local dealer.

Lake Auto to this day remains the only car dealer-ship between Cranbrook and Golden. Th e number of Ford vehicles on our roads can be directly attributable to the policy of shopping local. Many valley folks have remained loyal to Lake Auto for several generations and have never purchased a vehicle anywhere else.

Although the location may no longer be ideal for an auto dealership - most of which are spread out over several acres of property at the edge of urban areas - it’s been a great convenience for local drivers and visitors to drop off their vehicles at the downtown service cen-tre for a quick oil change or tune-up.

But the location has also been a drawback for the owners, who found it diffi cult to expand their business due to the skyrocketing costs of land in the valley.

Most importantly, local drivers have always been appreciative of the great service provided by this lo-cally-owned family business.

Steve and Maria Kloos purchased the business from Roy Lake 38 years ago and ran the business suc-cessfully until 1985, when they turned it over to all three of their children: Marian, Erwin and Harald.

Lake Auto was awarded the Ford President’s Choice award in both 2005 and 2006, a testament to their hard work and dedication.

Th e Kloos family will keep their doors open for another two months so they can help both their cus-tomers and their staff make the transition.

Th ank you to the Kloos family, congratulations on making a very diffi cult decision, and best of luck over the coming weeks and years ahead.

Top seven issues identifi ed by MLAColumbia River-Revelstoke MLA Norm

Macdonald has identifi ed the top seven issues pre-sented to him by constituents during his travels throughout the riding.

Th e following are the seven main topics:1. Cuts to child care resource and referral cen-

tres and child care subsidies2. Standard of maintenance on local highways3. Changes to harvest allocation policy for resi-

dent hunters4. Impacts of increased property tax rates5. Concerns for rural health care6. Public input into local land use decisions7. Inadequate shelter allowances for income as-

sistance recipients “I will continue to work with my colleagues

in the Opposition caucus to bring these issues for-ward,” Mr. Macdonald said. “I will be meeting with

ministers and working with stakeholders to ensure that the issues in my communities are addressed by this government.”

Mr. Macdonald will be primarily in Victoria until the next Legislative Break. A series of meeting dates and open houses will be scheduled beginning in March to ensure that constituents get the chance to meet with their MLA.

“My offi ces are open. My staff are available so constituents can keep in touch even when I am in Victoria.”

Recently Mr. Macdonald had the opportunity to speak in the Legislative Assembly in response to the Th rone Speech.

“It is important, I feel, to get my constituent’s issues on the record. Th is speech was a heads up to the government; these are the issues that I will be fi ghting on.”



After the Historical Lens photo-graph of the truck in the ice appeared in our February 23rd issue, John Ronacher came to see us to explain how both the truck and the caterpillar were removed from the lake. John wasn’t around at the time, but the truck and the cat were owned by his father, Simon Ronacher.

Th is week we got more details on the incident, straight from the mouth of the man who pulled out the truck - Ken Tegart of Windermere. Ken, who will turn 78 years old this month, doesn’t remember the exact year but knows he was just a teenager at the time.

John Kroepfl was hauling the truck and DC9 Caterpillar for his employer, Simon Ronacher, when the cat went through the ice between Windermere and Athalmer.

Th e disgruntled employee had to walk all the way back to Windermere and up to the White House Hotel to use the telephone. On his way, he passed the Windermere Garage, owned by Lloyd Tegart.

Young Ken saw him go past, so he ran after him and found out what had happened.

Th en he returned to his father’s ga-rage and asked their employee Morris Poore (not Poole as reported last week) if he wanted to get the contract to haul out the caterpillar.

Morris said yes, so Ken made his way to Ronacher’s Mill in Athalmer and got a signed contract.

Th en the two men got to work. Th ey got planking from the Ronacher sawmill, and telephone poles from B.C. Tel. Th ey made a tripod from the planks and poles, letting them freeze into the ice overnight. “It was 20 below or bet-

ter,” Ken recalls, so that part wasn’t a problem.

Th ey also made a “deadman” a few yards away by cutting a hole in the ice, lowering a pole and letting it freeze into the ice. Th is was used as an anchor for the winch.

On the second day Ken drove up to Edgewater and borrowed a TD9 In-ternational, a smaller caterpillar, from the Edgewater sawmill. Using the dead-man and the tripod, Ken and Morris winched the truck out fi rst, put planks under it and towed it to the Ronacher place in Athalmer.

On the third day, using poles with cables attached, they managed to reach into the water and loop the cables around the caterpillar.

It had slid into the water backwards at an angle and then shifted sideways, so they had to straighten it before lifting it out of the water.

“By the time we got it out, we were working in about 20 inches of water because the ice was settling due to the weight,” Ken said. “It was wet, and it was cold.” He said the men wore hip-waders to keep their feet dry.

“We lost some tools, like axes and crowbars and things that slip out of your hands. I guess they’re still down there.”

Nevertheless, after three days both the truck and the caterpillar were suc-cessfully retrieved.

And Ken still has the invoice he gave to the Ronachers: just under $800.

“Th at was a lot of money in those days,” he said.

Th ank you to everyone who is try-ing to keep our valley history alive, and accurate. Please call us at Th e Pioneer if you would like to add any information about any of our Histori-cal Lens photographs.

. . . more informationon the truck in the lake

Al says thank youDear Editor:

On Wednesday, February 21, I fell on Fritz’s Run at Panorama. I would like to thank the “Good Samaritan” who stopped, pulled me out of the

deep snow at the side of the run, and helped me get my skis back on. Th ank you very much.

Al OstranderInvermere

Watch for Th e Pioneer’s Special Supplement called…

Due to popular demand

we will publish another Women in

Business advertising

supplement on March 30, 2007

Please call Dave Sutherlandat (250) 341-6299 to reserve your space!

The Sequel


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THE DISTRICT OF INVERMEREGarbage Bylaw 949

THIS IS A REMINDER TO ALL RESIDENTS OF INVERMERE

• All bagged garbage must be placed in a garbage container• Any garbage not in a container will be refused• Maximum weight must not exceed 25 kg (55 lbs) per container• Garbage must be placed at the curb no later than 8:00 a.m.

the morning of your scheduled pickup

Or any combination to a maximum volume of 250 litres or 66.04 gallons.

The District would like to thank all residents for their efforts in keeping Invermere a

“Beautiful Place to Live”

3 cans – 75.6 litres 2 cans – 121.00 litres 1 can – 189.00 litres (3 – 20 gallon) (2 – 32 gallon) (1 – 50 gallon)

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Life Time Warranty on all BlindsCall The Blind Guy!

Interior World (250) 342 4406LETTERS

Dear Editor:

Back in January 2001, I attended a public forum to discuss a bylaw amendment that would have pro-vided for the building and maintenance of 30 subsi-dized housing units in Invermere. Unfortunately the amendment didn’t pass.

Th is time, on February 28th, 2007, I entered the Invermere Community Hall once again with speech in hand and was surprised to fi nd, not a packed hall with people standing on the perimeter, but only about 20 individuals, in addition to the District of Invermere elected offi cials and staff .

Th e issue at stake this time was whether the town should bend their own rules to allow for a large con-dominium apartment complex to be built by Cardel Resorts between Eileen Madson School and Westside Park. Th e Offi cial Community Plan in essence, hadn’t planned for this.

Th e plum in all of this is Cardel’s off er to hand over 38 units to the town to use as aff ordable housing.Chad Grasza, vice-president for Cardel Resorts sales and marketing was there, along with four or more lo-cal developers.

I felt like a very big fi sh in a small pond and would have preferred to have the greater cover of a crowd of 200.

Th e rules for an orderly proceeding were read and then at times stretched in a friendly kind of small-town way. Th e mayor graciously let me read my speech, only interrupting me to advise my remarks were to be ad-dressed to the council. I turned to face them, but en-sured I was heard by all. He waited until I was fi nished my fi ve-minute spiel to further clarify that only two minutes were allowed.

Oh, well. I thought the important part was I had been given a platform, for I was speaking for a crucial

need.Two letters were read from concerned property

owners. Two couples from the aff ected neighbour-hood asked questions and voiced concerns.

I sympathized with the property owners who were distressed at how much their quiet little subdivision has already changed due to Westside Park and Cas-tleRock having grown up to the south of them, and how much more it will change if this development were allowed.

Mr. Grasza was allowed to address some of the concerns. None of the local developers appeared to be in favour of the proposal.

I smiled with the others when Mayor Shmigelsky reminded Mr. Barry Brown-John that some of the objections he encountered when he was developing Westside Park were again being voiced but this time directed to Mr Grasza.

Mr. Brown-John quipped, “Not quite. Th ey said I was building a slum.”

Th e mayor, responding to my accusation of short-sighted failure, stated the District could not have ap-proved the 2001 bylaw amendment because they could not aff ord to waive development cost charges.

Th e small turnout was a disappointment. Have people given up or were they too busy or do they just not care? Th e council will make their decision on March 13th.

Another thing which disappointed me was the only developer off ering to hand over property to be used for aff ordable housing is a Calgary developer.

We can debate his motivation or the real value of his off er, but one fact remains: no one else has done it.

Dorothy IstedInvermere

Cardel open househad disappointing turnout

CorrectionIn last week’s edition,

in the story titled “Young chefs compete in region-als,” Bennet Oaks was incorrectly identifi ed as the winner of the bronze medal.

Actually, Steven Smalls was the winner of the bronze medal. Con-gratulations, Steven!

Dear Editor:

From reading the letter of Mary Ann Rombach in the Pioneer dated Febru-ary 23, 2007, we get the impression that the discussion concerning the Jumbo issue is mainly between the passionate "Pro-Jumbo" environmentalists and the hyperzealous "Anti-Jumbo" (Mini) - Fascists.

It's the fi rst time in our lives that we feel sympathy for fascists.

Udo KuempersBrigitte JoriotInvermere

Sympathetic response

>>>>>> >>> >>> >>>>EncoreWHAT’S HAPPENING IN THECOLUMBIA VALLEY

Page 9

MUSIC • VISUAL ARTS • DINING • BAR SCENE • ENTERTAINMENT • PERFORMANCE ARTS

PAGE 10

Pynelogs Cultural Centre will be the venue Wednesday, March 28 for this popular Celtic folk

band from Vancouver. For info, call 342-4423.

Your Weekly Guide to

What’s Happening Around the

Columbia Valley

PAGE 11

Out & About

PAGE 21

MOVIE REVIEW

GOODBYE CAFÉ

PAGE 10

Wheat in the Barley

Cinefest Movie · Babel · Toby TheatreMonday March 19th at 7:00 pm. Presented by Harrison McKay Communications.

Wheat in the Barley · Pynelogs Cultural CentreBistro Concert Series, Wednesday March 28th

‘Laugh Your Ass Off’ Comedy FestivalPresented by Kicking Horse Coffee · Lorne Elliott – Tuesday April 10thTodd Butler – Friday April 13th. Tickets available Call 342-4423

Visit columbiavalleyarts.com for our current events calendar, or call 342-4423.

What does ARTmean to you?

Review by Elinor Florence

Movies don’t get much more en-grossing than this.

Th e exciting and totally unpre-dictable plot involves two undercover cops. Leonardo DiCaprio gives a con-vincing performance as a psychologi-cally-tortured good guy who has infi l-trated the Irish Mafi a in Boston; while Matt Damon, another unhappy soul who has been brainwashed by the bad guys since he was just a lad, has infi l-trated the upper echelons of the Mas-sachusetts State Police.

Th e two men play a cat-and-mouse game while they try to guess each other’s identity. Th ey also share a love interest, but that’s a sideline.

Even these two strong performanc-es are outshone by Jack Nicholson at his classic best as the gang leader, an ambitious and evil character who at the age of 70 years, still takes pleasure

in torturing and killing.Th e fi lm won four Oscars: Best

Picture, Best Editing, Best Writing, and Best Director for Martin Scorsese. Mark Wahlberg, one of the good cops, was also nominated for Best Support-ing Actor.

So here’s what I didn’t like: the movie was 151 minutes long, and it’s diffi cult to sustain a fever pitch of sus-pense for that period of time.

And it was absolutely drenched in gore, which I found sickening after the fi rst eight or ten explosions of blood when people got shot in their heads. Th e brutality earned it a Restricted rat-ing.

Th is is not a family movie, but def-initely worth seeing to remind yourself what great acting looks like.



Movie Review: The Departed

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1 Casino Royale2 Holiday, The3 Harsh Times4 Pleasure Drivers, The5 American Cousins

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Bring your Blarneyto the Edgewater Hall

Submitted by Barry Moore

Th e Edgwater Hall musicals are back with bells on! Th e Saint Patrick’s Day Tea with Entertainment will be sponsored by the Columbia Valley Music and Edgewater Recreation So-ciety.

Besides the legendary Edgewater hospitality, we are happy to bring you the best of local song and story.

Pat O’Sullivan and Jeff Hildes, Joseph Lehman and Glenys Snow-Dymond, Barry Moore and David Shirk will entertain with instruments ranging from Hammer Dulcimer to Bohdruun. Margaret O’Sullivan and Sandy Ferguson will bring the Celtic oral tradition.

We will also host the fi rst Blarney Competition. Seeing as how much of the valley was handily drawn-in by blarny about “Bountiful Apple Or-chards,” “Pristine Recreational Para-dises,” and so forth, we hope to fi nd some exceptional talent in this regard, raring to spout improbable but quite convincing (three-minute) tales to an innocent, unaware audience.

Please bring yourselves, your love of the Irish in music and verse, per-haps your selection of rare blarney, and meet at the Edgewater Hall, at 2 p.m. Sunday, March 11.

For more information, please call Barry Moore at 347-9668, Anne Jar-dine at 347-9860, or Barb Neraasen at 347-7757.

RATING: 4.5 OUT OF 5 HEADS

The Columbia Valley Pioneer • 11March 9 , 2007

Toby Th eatre

• March 7 - 10: Arthur & the Invisibles• March 14 - 17: Catch & Release

Friday, March 9th

• 4:30 pm: Application deadline, Columbia Basin Trust’s Environmental Initiatives Program, for community-initiated and supported environmental projects in the Columbia Basin, to address current and future impacts of human communities on local and regional ecosystems. For info: 1-800-505-8998 or 1-250-365-6633.• Noon to 2 pm, “Nearly Spring” Soup and Bun Luncheon and Bake Sale, Christ Church Trinity.• Big John Bates and the Voodoo Dolls, Bud’s Bar&Lounge.


• Half-way to Summer Party, Copper City Saloon, Invermere.

Sunday, March 11th

• 2 a.m. Time changes! Set your clocks forward one hour and spring into spring.• 2 pm: Saint Patrick’s Day Tea, Edgewater Hall, sponsored by Columbia Valley Music and Edgewater Recreation Society. Blarney competition, live music, and a whole lot of fun! For info: Barry Moore, 347-9668; Anne Jardine, 347-9860; or Barb Neraasen, 347-7757.

Monday, March 12th

• Parry Pilates new group sessions, held at Valley Fitness Centre. For info: 342-5979, or 342-2131.

Tuesday, March 13th

• 6 p.m. Public Budget Meeting, Invermere Council Chambers.

Wednesday, March 14th

• Noon: General Meeting, Columbia Valley Chamber of Commerce, Best Western Inn. Guest speaker: MP Jim Abbott. RSVP the Chamber at 342-2844 no later than Tuesday, March 13th.• 12 pm: First of four seminars called “B.L.I.P.S.” and “To Dos” at Essentials Department Store. Pre-register at 342-8947, or [email protected]. Other seminars on March 15, 21 and 24.

Friday, March 16th

• St. Patty’s Weekend at Bud’s Bar&Lounge, March 16th and 17th. Diff erent DJs each night.


• Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Kiss an Irishman!• 1 pm - 4 pm: Blushing Bride Wedding Expo, held at Copper Point. For info: 270-0338.• 9 am to noon: Moving Sale at old Eagle Ranch Golf Clubhouse, 195 Capilo Way. Selling TVs, appliances patio furniture, etc.


• Cranbrook SPCA hosts spay and neuter blitz for low-income cats. Call (250) 426-6751 for more.• Royal Canadian Legion Branch 71st’s 80th Anniversary Dinner. Veterans and spouses must preregister by calling Wendy at 342-4242. Tickets available for Legion members and the general public.

Wednesday, March 28th

• Wheat in the Barley, a colourful, multi-instrumental band performing at Pynelogs. For info: 342-4423, or www.wheatinthebarley.com.

Th ursday, March 29th

• Th e Gallery Café closes its doors.

Friday, March 30th• 9 am: Regional District of East Kootenay board meeting. For more info: 1-888-478-7335.• Women in Business: Th e Sequel. Special advertising supplement appears today in Th e Pioneer. Call Dave Sutherland at 341-6299 for more.

Friday, March 30th

• Cranbrook SPCA hosts spay and neuter blitz for low-income cats. Call (250) 426-6751 for more.

Hot Springs Hours of Operation

• Radium Hot Pool, Sunday - Th ursday 12 pm - 9 pm; Friday - Saturday 12 pm - 10 pm.• Radium Cool Pool, Friday 6 pm - 9 pm, Saturday - Sunday 12 pm - 9 pm. For info: 347-9485.• Fairmont Hot Springs Hot Pool Hours: 8 am - 10 pm daily. For info: 345-6311.

Columbia Valley Food Bank

Tuesdays and Th ursdays from 1 pm - 2 pmTo donate, mail a cheque to: Box 2141, Invermere.

New Video Releases Tuesday

• Casino Royale • Th e Holiday• Th e Pleasure Drivers • Lovewrecked• Brooklyn Lobster • Harsh Times

Invermere Th rift Store

Th ursdays, 10 am - 4 pmFridays and Saturdays, 1 pm - 4 pm

Invermere Library Hours

• Tuesday & Friday: 10 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.• Wednesday: 12 p.m. - 8 p.m.• Th ursday: 12 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.• Saturday: 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Radium Library Hours

• Wednesday, Th ursday, Sunday: 2 pm - 4 pm• Tuesday & Th ursday: 7 pm - 9 pm• Saturday: 10 am - 12 pm

Student News

• Elkhorn College is now accepting applications of interest for September 2007. Apply to: Elkhorn Ranch Ltd., Box 128, Windermere, BC V0B 2L0.MARCH 8th & 9th:• Report Cards issued, Martin Morigeau School.MARCH 19th - 30th:• March Break, no school.

Out & AboutPlease call 341-6299

or Email us at [email protected] enter your event in our FREE listings.


“Branding for the Small Business”The College of the Rockies is pleased to present this six-session workshop series. Get the most out of your marketing budget by integrating your advertising, image, customer service, web presence, and more!

To register, call the College at 342-3210.This course is booking fast. Don’t miss out!

Instructed by Harrison McKay, strategic marketing consultant and advertising agency owner.

CVCC Members receive a 10% discount.

Tuesdays & Thursdays, 5:30 - 8:00 pmApril 10-26, Invermere Campus.


Calling all Brides, Mothers of the Bride, Bridesmaids and Wedding Guests!Lose weight, shape up, and look your most beautiful on the big day. Starts March 26th! Call 342-2131 or visit shapeupinvermere.com for more information and to register.

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MORE THAN TWICE THE DISTRIBUTIONOF ANY OTHER LOCAL NEWSPAPER

M O R E B A N G F O R YO U R B U C K .

School ZoneBy Melinda Drews, Grade 12David Th ompson Secondary School

Last weekend, I was lucky enough to mentor in a Dove Campaign for Real Beauty workshop.

Th e campaign was set up by the Dove company in order to promote self-esteem in women of all ages. You have probably seen their ads on TV.

Th eir objective is to showcase that real beauty is something found in all shapes, sizes and colors, and not the idealistic beauty which we so often see in magazines and movies. Th e hope was that all who attended left with a health-ier body relationship with themselves, and towards each other.

Th e planning and promotion of the event was done by Colleen Sharp, a Grade 12 David Th ompson Secondary School student. Earlier this year, Col-leen helped organize a fi rst workshop in Calgary, which many students at-tended. It was a total success, therefore giving her the idea to host yet another one, this time on her own turf. Th e planning began many months ahead of time. It involved applying for a grant from the Columbia Basin Trust, which was thankfully granted to her, allowing her to host the retreat.

Th e workshop was attended by 34 girls in Grade 7 from around the area. Th ey arrived at the high school at 6:30 p.m., and were greeted with a short introduction from the 11 mentors. Th ey were given a brief overview of the

purpose of the workshop: self-esteem, awareness, and fun.

Th e night was fi lled with icebreaker games, a way for the girls to meet new people, watch movies, and eat snacks. As presumed, talking lasted late into the night, meaning less sleep for the mentors, but that’s to be expected on a sleepover!

Th e following day allowed a closer look at how the media manages to por-tray beauty in order to sell merchandise. Teen magazines were analyzed, and dis-cussions were held. Th e girls were able to give opinions, ask questions, and get answers.

Colleen Sharp deserves a lot of thanks for organizing a great event.

BEAUTIFUL GIRLS - Four Grade 7 girls from Edgewater attended. From left to right: Kaitlyn Heide, Jessica Durning, Jordan Ingham and Bailey Lemcke.

Organizer Colleen Sharp, left; and men-tor Melinda Drews, right.

March 9, 2007 The Columbia Valley Pioneer • 13

LETTERS

Dear Editor:

Nolan Rad is an old hunting buddy of ours. I re-spect and share his concern for wildlife and habitat very much indeed.

I agree with Nolan that there is nothing “extrem-ist” about ensuring habitat for wildlife. Where I think some “overly zealous” ones make an empirical mistake is in thinking that a ski resort necessarily destroys hab-itat.

My experiences in living at Panorama for 17 years and walking up and down that mountain almost daily give ample evidence that ungulates and bears thrive on the cleared and subsequently grassed/herbed/bushed slopes of a ski resort. One would have to gouge out one’s eyes and lobotomize one’s brain to deny this. Th e slopes are full of elk beds, moose beds, and deer beds.

Furthermore, when Panorama expanded, hunting became disallowed because of hiking tourists, which resulted in a protected, enhanced habitat - exactly the kind of scenario that will happen at Jumbo.

So I am not really joking when I think it likely that Jumbo will generate more wildlife than the Jum-bo valley currently has. A historical fact: Panorama Mountain before development was only transit terrain for elk.

After it was developed, elk began to live on the mountain because there was now so much grassland and other fl ora proliferating in the cleared areas. Th is is not rocket science. Ungulates don’t eat trees. Th ey’re out there grazing on grassy slides or ski slopes. And grizzly sometimes eat them.

Th e fact that one grizzly bear got into the garbage in Panorama’s underground parking and became a threat to humans, and probably was destroyed because of that, is totally unfortunate. Since that time, all rem-edies were taken by Panorama to ensure that this pain-ful scenario would not occur again.

But let’s get a bit more honest now: since 1963, when Panorama began, one griz was killed in 44 years of operation. Could someone in the Fish and Wildlife make it known to the public how many grizzly bears were killed by hunters in the years between 1963 and 2007 in the Toby Creek Drainage, which includes

Jumbo? Th is should be a matter of counting the hunt-ing tags turned in to the Ministry. If the hunter in Nolan is true to his love of wildlife, would he promote the cessation of hunting of griz in this Drainage? I sus-pect not.

And as for the fact that Greywolf Golf Course was prime habitat for moose, has the total population of moose in the area declined? What is the baseline data of moose population before Panorama Resort? How many more moose were born because of the increased and protected habitat provided by the slopes of Pan-orama? Th ere might be more moose now in this area than ever before in the total balance. We’ve seen griz-zly chasing moose on these very slopes! What do you do with facts like these? Close your eyes again?

When we lived up there year round, we had a cow moose drop two calves right in front of our house; and all summer we had moose chewing on the alder in our back yard. Black bears and cubs grazed on the grasses under the platter lift.

One bear tried to get into our basement where we had huckleberries freshly picked in buckets. Another moose took a liking to my composted banana peels, so one day I fed her one by hand. It was terrifi c! We loved it up there. We were living in happiness with the animals, in a habitat that in all likelihood was increas-ing their population.

Th e thing that I remember that really slaughtered moose was the decision by Rod and Gunners many years ago to let the guiding outfi ts start closing down local creeks to local hunters.

In the fi rst year of that decision, I heard 17 bull

moose were taken out of Brewer Creek, for example: a complete travesty. Many Rod and Gunners quit that organization then in disgust, my husband included.

I do not agree with Nolan that it is a hopeless cause to live successfully with wildlife. Everywhere I look I see examples of success. Th e deer in Invermere have a picnic all year round. Cougars roam the Toby Benches. I’ve seen three cross the road on Peters’ Hill.

All summer I watched the grizzlies and black bears grazing on the grasses and dandelions alongside the road in Kootenay Park, surrounded by (mostly) re-spectful humans.

Up at Boom Lake parking lot, there was a monster griz up there sitting in the dandelions waving his head to and fro as he sucked in the fl owers, with a dozen vehicles beside him, passengers in awe. And there are so many grizzly in the parks, many places now you have to be in groups of six to go hiking. Fresh diggings are in almost every drainage, and I’m hiking in there every week year round - so I’m watching this stuff for my own protection.

And now the Parks are experimenting with mak-ing bears averse to humans with those Karelian bear dogs, which is a good idea. When bears again fear humans, they’ll stay away and there will be fewer un-fortunate incidents. Th ere’s a million ways to work to-gether with the animals so everyone - man and beast - does well. If one believes in hopelessness, all one sees is black and creates a lot of fear. Fear-based activity is often not a good thing.

To really be fair and honest to the Jumbo Resort people, why not look at the 200 commitments made by Oberti’s group? Th ey are so pro-active environmen-tally, that they probably will blow the minds of many anti-Jumbo people.

Let’s get together and make this environmentally activist resort work for everyone, man and beast! Your love of wildlife is no greater than mine! And I suspect the other 9000 people that live in this valley love the wildlife just as much as the thousand in your group - maybe more.

Mary Ann RombachWindermere

Resorts do not destroy wildlife

Rumours that resort promoters looking for back door dealDear Editor:

Jumbo again. MLA Norm Macdonald asks for assurances of an open public decision.

MLA Bill Bennett says forget it, everybody just wants it built, so let’s go ahead and do it. In the

meantime, the Jumbo development proposal con-tinues to go nowhere. It has received an overwhelm-ing thumbs down every time it enters open com-munity discussion.

Th ere’s rumours the proposed resort-promoters are looking for a back door deal and approval from

the government. Maybe it’s time for that public ref-erendum, where local people can make a local deci-sion.

John Bergenske, SkookumchuckWildsight President

“ . . . ungulates and bears thrive on the cleared and subsequently grassed/her-bed/bushed areas of a ski slope. One would have to gouge out one’s eyes and lobotomize one’s brain to deny this.”

- Mary Ann Rombach


Technology has made life more convenient for many of us. Unfortunately, it has made life more con-venient for criminals as well.

Identity theft - the unauthorized use of informa-tion such as your date of birth, social insurance num-ber, credit card numbers or personal identifi cation numbers (PINs) - can open the door to trouble.

Criminals can redirect your mail, use your credit cards or empty your bank account all before you’re even aware your information has been stolen.

Th e problem is serious enough that the federal government has created a website specifi cally to help citizens protect themselves from frauds and scams stemming from identity theft (www.safecanada.ca/identitytheft_e.asp).

Don’t be a victim. Follow these simple tips to pro-tect yourself from identity theft.

• Guard your personal information:Th ieves need your personal information for their

scams to work. So do your best to protect it. Unless you initiate the call, don’t give out your credit card number or other personal information over the phone. Th ink twice about entering contests from little-known retailers (this is also a great way to minimize “spam” or unsolicited emails). Ask about privacy policies at your bank and other fi nancial institutions. And don’t give out your social insurance number unless you know you have to.

• Be aware when using bank machines:Look out for wandering eyes when you use bank

machines. Punch in your PIN discretely and be sure to take your transaction slip with you when you’re done. And be extra cautious when using generic ATMs at convenience stores, gas stations, and other non-bank locations. A number of scams have manipulated non-bank ATMs to steal customer account and access in-formation.

• Protect your PINs:As bank cards and credit cards become more

common, it’s important that consumers protect their passwords and security information. Don’t tell your password to anyone. Try not to use obvious passwords (i.e., your birth date, your pet’s name, etc.) for your debit and credit cards.

If you must keep a record of your PINs, write them down on a sheet of paper, put the paper in a sealed envelope, and place the envelope in your safety deposit box.

• Destroy fi nancial documents:Shred all personal fi nancial information such as

credit card bills, bank statements, and other docu-ments before you put them in the recycle bin. Some thieves are willing to sort through mountains of trash to gain access to your account numbers and other per-sonal fi nancial information.

• Review credit card balances and bills:Make sure to review any credit card statements

and bills you receive. If something doesn’t look right on the balance, don’t wait for the credit card company to sort it out - call them for more details on the charge. Also, be aware of your billing cycle. If you notice that your monthly bills don’t arrive on time, call these companies to make sure that your mail has not been redirected without your authorization.

• Question – What is phishing?Phishing is a criminal activity using the internet.

Phishers attempt to fraudulently acquire sensitive in-formation, such as usernames, passwords and credit card details, by masquerading as a trustworthy entity using email or an instant message and often directs users to a website, although phone contact has been used as well.

Ebay and Paypal are two of the most targeted com-panies, and online banks are also common targets.

YOUR MONEYStay one step ahead of fraud

Brendan DonahueInvestment AdvisorPhone: 342-2112

GIC Rates as of Mar. 5th cashable 4.01%90 days 4.17%1 yr 4.19%2 yrs 4.26%3 yrs 4.30%4 yrs 4.30%5 yrs 4.35%

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Rates subject to change without notice.Subject to availability.

Brendan Donahue, BCOMM, CIM, FMAInvestment Advisor, Berkshire Securities Inc.

342-2112

Jason Elford, CFPInvestment Advisor, Berkshire Investment Group Inc.

342-5052

The Columbia Valley’s Premiere Wealth

Management Firm

PlanningEstate Planning, Retirement Planning,

Retirement Projections, Income Splitting,

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ServicesRSP Loans, Mortgage Referrals,

Pension Transfers, Group RRSPs.

Ask us about our free consultations and no fee accounts.

Most people review their Investment portfolio regularly!When was the last time you reviewed your Life Insurance Portfolio?

In our ever changing world it is important that your insurance is reviewed constantly to ensure that it is the best and most appropriate coverage available.

As one of the valley’s only truly independent Life Insurance brokers, I have access to most of the major carriers and can help you to ensure that you have the best products to suit your needs.

For a complimentary review and to see if we can lower your cost or improve the quality of your existing coverage call me at 342-5052 or just stop in to the Berkshire offi ce and ask to see Jason.

Jason Elford has been a wealth management specialist in Calgary for more than 9 years. Now a full time resident of Invermere, Jason recently joined the Berkshire offi ce with Brendan Donahue and Bruce McLaughlin.

Jason ElfordCertifi ed Financial Planner

Insurance Advisor712 - 10th Street, Invermere

Phone: 342-5052

Market Action As of March 6th, 2007 Weekly Gain/(Loss) YTDS&P/TSX Composite Index 12,711 -692.75 -1.52%Dow Jones Industrial Average 12,050 -581.59 -3.43%Nikkei 16,641 -1,298 -4.07%Oil (New York) $60.07 -$1.32 -1.59%Gold (New York) $639.20 -$49.80 7.66%Canadian Dollar (in US dollars) $0.8588 0.0006 -0.13%


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Business Feature

Crisanna MacLeod, owner of tyG produc-tions, has twice been a valley full-time resident. In 1980, after visit-ing her sister Heather Meadows, Crisanna and her two children moved from Nova Scotia, mak-ing the valley their home for fi ve years.

Life, career and ad-ventures took her to Vancouver, Crows-nest Pass and Slave Lake and in 1998, she returned - intending to be here for three months to care for her mom Gretchen MacLeod. She is still here nine years later.

Counted among Crisanna’s favorite things and blessings are her faith; her children Crisdon and Darran; grand-children Ataya and Rythom; friends; Cat; music; the movie “Victor Victo-ria”; the book Abra by Joan Barfoot; Nova Scotia; the ocean; kayaking; being a member of Rotary and volunteer with the Windermere Scarecrow Festival.

She has been a Social Worker, Assis-tant Probation Offi cer, bouncer in a dis-co, school district behaviour therapist, career adviser, manager of a Disability Services Society, reiki practitioner, col-lege instructor, housecleaner, and in private practice as a counsellor, seminar leader and keynote speaker.

Since 2003 Crisanna has proven her expertise with tyG productions, her marketing business that increases revenue for Columbia Valley businesses with unique marketing strategies to visi-tors, full-time and part-time residents.

She is also responsible for creating, with Doug Morcom of Fairmont Re-sort Properties, the synergistic Platinum Merchant Program. Over 200 busi-

nesses have participated in the program that pro-motes valley merchants to timeshare owners at Fairmont Vacation Vil-las.

While continuing and expanding her suc-cessful marketing busi-ness with her offi ce man-ager Terry Jo Henry and the talented tyG staff , Crisanna is resuming fa-cilitating seminars, teach-

ing new ways to think and act.“Th is my passion, my purpose and

what I absolutely love to do”, says Cri-sanna. “Every day I draw on these easy-to-use living tools, and they work. It’s not that my life is all OK, but rather I am OK with all my life because I have learned how to recognize what I am feeling and thinking so I can choose how to act, instead of react. Th e semi-nar information empowers people fi rst to have a kind, understanding, loving relationship with themselves - and then with others who are important to them. Using the new skills can immediately create a lasting and calm happiness in personal and work relationships.”

Th e seminar called B. L. I. P. S. (Bot-tom Line Indisputable Positive State-ment) and the seminar called ToDos - will be introduced by free introduc-tory sessions in March and then with a seminar of four sessions in April.

Th e seminar cost of $125 will be re-duced by 50 percent when two people register together, because “the skills are a new way of being and it is valuable to have a friend with whom to practice.”

Registration is limited and a por-tion of the seminar fee is donated to animal rescue programs. Contact Cri-sanna at [email protected] to pre-register..

tyG productionslaunches seminars

Crisanna MacLeod

March is National Nutrition Month in Canada. Th is is an initiative of Dietitians of Canada which occurs every March

and is designed to raise public awareness on the valuable contribution that healthy eating makes to the overall health of Canadians.

Dietitians of Canada has created its fi fth cookbook entitled Simply Great Food, following this year’s theme: “Cook it Up Healthy.”

For more information, visit their website: www.dietitians.ca.

March is national Nutrition Month

Th e following persons were sen-tenced in Adult Criminal Court, Tuesday, March 6, in Invermere:

• Robert J. Lauman was fi ned $800 and sentenced to six months probation on a charge of assault.

• Robert J. O’Connor was sen-tenced to a year-long criminal driving prohibition and a year-long Motor Vehicles Act driving prohibition and fi ned $600, plus a $90 victim sur-charge, for impaired driving.

A Day in Court


By Brian GeisPioneer Staff

Th ree Invermere fi refi ghters have re-turned from a six-week tour of duty in Aus-tralia where they helped contain and control the massive “Great Divide Complex South” bushfi re that raged throughout the southeast-ern state of Victoria for 71 days, consuming more than a million hectares, an area about one third the size of Vancouver Island.

Jason Hall, Mark Weis and Jay Devery were sent to Australia in January as part of a 52-member crew from B.C., Canada’s larg-est deployment outside of North America. Firefi ghters Hall and Weis, armed with a pile of maps and photos, described some of their experiences in an interview this week.

According to Mr. Hall, the State of Vic-toria sent B.C. a “wish list” of help needed, mainly senior fi refi ghters with broad experi-ence, qualifi ed or certifi ed in multiple skills, who could multi-task and fi ll various posi-tions - and who have a valid passport. Orga-nizers drew from each of the Forest Service Fire Centres across B.C.

Fighterfi ghter Weis said they were treated like VIPs the entire time. On the inbound fl ight, he said, the crew earned an ovation from a 747 full of passengers when the pilot announced who their uniformed shipmates were and what they were coming to do. “We

were all dressed in our tans. Th at made my head swell a little bit,” Mr. Weis laughed. And at the airport they were expedited past huge crowds waiting in lines at security.

Th eir arrival was followed by two days of briefi ng and a fi ve-course banquet before be-ing sent out into the bush.

Mr. Hall said Australia’s request for sea-soned, multi-skilled fi refi ghters was wise and immediately came into play. He was sent to Bairnsdale, south of the fi re, and started work as a command centre planner preparing daily battle plans for fi refi ghters on the front lines. Th en he was sent to the front lines for about two weeks to work with pick and shovel, fol-lowed by a stint remediating private lands damaged over the course of the battle.

Mr. Hall said some of the younger Aus-tralian fi refi ghters were amazed that the more senior Canadians, who were brought in more for their planning and leadership skills, could dig a fi reline as quickly and easily as they could.

Mr. Weis was sent to Orbost, north of the fi re. According to the plan, he was going to serve as a crew leader on the front lines, but his fi rst job was to attend a town hall meet-ing organized to help prepare a community to evacuate. “Wow,” he said. “How’s that for a fi rst day?”

Continued on Page 17

Firefi ghters back from AustraliaFirefi ghters back from Australia


Continued from Page 16Later he transitioned into a logistics role and

worked on multiple crews in multiple locations, in-cluding a stint at Swifts Creek. Firefi ghter Weis said he put 10,000 kilometres on his truck in fi ve weeks.

Neither could say if the Australian authorities intended it, but both agreed the Canadians’ pres-ence in highly-visible roles helped allay fears and cool tempers that were already running high the communities threatened by the fi re. Mr. Weis said a light-hearted jocularity rose to the surface when the locals found out they were dealing with someone who came half-way around the world to help them. “We have a very similar sense of humor. We fi t right in easily.”

“We met the ranchers, we met the true Aussies and we really broke the ice with them,” Firefi ghter Hall commented.

Th e two men said the dry fi refi ghting tactics were the same - lots of dozer lines and backburning - but the terrain presented some unique challenges. “Fire is fi re,” Mr. Weis explained, but the terrain is a far cry from the soft-wood forests to which they are accustomed.

Th e forests in Victoria are hardwood forests, mostly eucalyptus. It’s quite dangerous, Mr. Weis

commented, because the trees have a defence mecha-nism to dry conditions that cause them to shed limbs to save themselves. Because the wood is so dense, what looks like a 500-pound limb could weigh up to 2,000 pounds. “You have to be careful where you park your truck,” he said. “Who would have thought of trees protecting themselves?”

Around here, the forest has a thick bottom that helps the ground absorb moisture. Due to drought, the ground in Victoria is parched and, instead of being absorbed, water just runs off , creating dam-aging fl oods that run into the ocean. Because there is no ozone over Australia, Mr. Hall explained, the sun scorches the earth and any exposed skin. “Th e sun’s got a diff erent bite to it,” he said. Even though sunblock was the fi rst piece of equipment they were issued, Mr. Weis commented, everybody got sun-burned.

B.C. is populated with fast-moving wildlife that can outrun fi res and are seldom a problem. How-ever, Mr. Hall noted, Australia is populated with slow-moving creatures like koala bears, wallabies and wombats that become a big problem in bushfi res. He said front-line fi refi ghters carry pillowcases to carry off rescued animals and everybody pitches in to help nurse rescued animals until they can return

to the wild. Th ere are also lots of lizards, inch-long bull ants, jumping ants and big spiders. “Th e wild-life was pretty freaky,” Mr. Hall said.

Th e massive bushfi re was brought under control and contained by February 7th after destroying 51 houses, threatening many communities and kill-ing 1,700 stock animals. Th e Canadians left a week later. Ironically, that day, it began to rain, Mr. Hall noted.

Both fi refi ghters said they made a lot of friend-ships and hope this experience helps lay the ground-work for more joint operations and cross-training between countries. Th e Canadians worked alongside teams of Australians, New Zealanders and Ameri-cans.

Residents and fi refi ghters came from as far as 70 kilometres away, Mr. Weis noted, to attend a barbe-cue the Canadians hosted before departing.

Th e deployment was enabled by a co-operation agreement signed recently by B.C. and the Austra-lian wildland fi refi ghting agencies. Costs are being carried by Australia. British Columbia has an active global co-operation program, aimed at continuous improvement in fi re management and establishing strong partnerships and goodwill with other fi re-prone jurisdictions.

BURNING BUSH—Th ree Invermere fi refi ghters were among 52 B.C. Firefi ghters (opposite, bottom) recently returned from Australia where they helped contain and control bushfi res in the southeastern state of Victoria. Also pictured here, Mark Weis, (opposite, top) plays with a wombat, one of many slow-moving animals displaced by the fi re. Above, the fi re crests a hill near the town of Licola. Far left, some palm trees survived the fi re. Left, Firefi ghter Jason Hall leapfrogs a giant ant hill.

Photos courtesy of Jason Hall and Mark Weis


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Ken Fowler speakerat Chamber’s annual

business awards nightBy Pioneer Staff

Th e new owner of Fairmont Hot Springs Resort will be the guest speaker at this year’s Co-lumbia Valley Chamber of Commerce awards banquet on April 4th.

Ken Fowler, presi-dent of Ken Fowler En-terprises Inc., will speak at the ninth annual Busi-ness Excellence Awards, this year to be held at the Radium Re-sort.

Ken Fowler’s early business career was concentrated in the real estate in-dustry primarily as a developer and builder.

His entrepreneurial spirit inspired him to establish Ken Fowler Enter-prises Limited, which owns Earl’s Res-taurants and Joey Tomato’s plus several other businesses and real estate develop-ments. Ken Fowler Enterprises recently purchased Fairmont Hot Springs Resort from the Wilder family.

Mr. Fowler holds an honorary doc-torate degree in law from Brock Univer-sity and frequently speaks on Entrepre-neurship, Business and Commerce.

Chamber executive director Heath-er Overy is urging everyone to cast a vote for their favourite business or em-ployee in 13 diff erent categories.

Th ey are: Professional Services, Tourism-Hospitality, Food and Bever-age, Business Excellence-North, Central

and South Areas, Retailer of the Year, Entrepreneur of the Year, Employee of the Year, Contractor of the Year, Business of the Year 1-15 Employees, Business of the Year 16 or more Employees, and Newsmaker of the Year.

Th is year the vot-ing process is easier than ever, because it is possible to vote on-line. You may vote anonymously by go-

ing to the chamber’s website at www.cvchamber.ca, by Emailing [email protected], by faxing to 342-3261, or by telephoning 342-2844. Nomination forms are located at various businesses around the valley.

Th e Columbia Valley Chamber of Commerce now has more than 200 members. It is not necessary to be a member in order to vote.

Th e winners are selected by a non-partisan selection committee composed of residents around the valley, none of whom are members of the chamber’s board of directors. Th eir decisions re-main confi dential until the big night.

“We would like it if everyone would fi ll in all the categories, but you may vote for just one or two categories if you like,” said Heather.

In the meantime, please call Heath-er or Marie at 342-2844 to reserve your tickets, which cost $50 per person. Cocktails will begin at 6 p.m., followed by dinner and awards at 6:45 p.m.

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By Harold HazelaarInvermere

It is diffi cult to believe that 25 weeks have come and gone in our Oldtimers’ hockey season already.

Th is week we play our fi nal game of the year and enjoy our Windup Dinner and Awards evening at the Radium Resort.

Rumor has it, some guys play in our league only because they want to come to our year-end party.

Does that tell you how well we can celebrate?Th e seafood dinner the Resort puts on for us is

second to none, and our comedic entertainment promises to make the evening a “must attend” event.

Our league rookies are falling all over themselves to get there even though they know their league initia-tion will be humbling to say the least.

Th e hands-down winners of our Oldtimers’ sea-son have been the wives, girlfriends or signifi cant oth-ers who got us off the couch and out of the house at least one night each week.

I’ll bet they are looking forward to September just as much as we are!

I have enjoyed writing these columns each week this season, but must admit, I am looking forward to a few weeks off before I begin penning Th e Green Zone, my annual golfi ng column.

Th anks to everyone for their support and critique (read mockery) of my weekly drivel.

So, until next time . . . “FORE!”

Th e Old Zone

CVOHA League StandingsTeam W L T PointsHi-Heat Batters 20 2 2 42

Lake Auto Mustangs 15 7 2 32

Dale Christian Mudders 11 6 7 29

Radium Petro-Can Killer Tomatoes 10 10 4 24

Warwick Wolves 8 14 2 18

Valley Vision Vultures 7 12 5 19

Huckleberry Hawks 6 15 3 15

Inside Edge Black Smoke 5 14 5 15

ROSY CHEEKS - Carly Nickurak, daughter of Brian and Karen Nickurak of Invermere, has red cheeks from playing outside in the warm spring weather.

Photo by Elinor Florence


A complete set of maps for Columbia Valley communities, plus useful informa-tion about local history, activities and events.

To receive your copy,please call us at

(250) 341-6299or e-mail us at: [email protected]

THE LAKE WINDERMERE DISTRICTROD & GUN CLUB

Would like to THANK all the generous businesses and crafty people who supported our club by donating or crafting items for our Annual Wild Game Dinner & Dance.

Frank Keely Sobey’s Store Invermere One-Hour Photo Napa Auto Parts Russell’s Sports Bucky’s WoodworkingTex’s Coff eeWorks Valley Lighting Refl ections Women’s ConsignmentBe Gifted Baskets Greg Mustard Sassy’s EmporiumRona (Ace) Hardware Godlien Small Engines Vic & Darlene Th omas John Niddrie Majestic U-Brew Al Woodwork Eatery Restaurant Th e Place Furniture Th e Inside Edge Sports StoreWayne Shaw Lakeside Pub Sears Canada Invermere Veterinary Essentials Dept. Store Angus McToogle Restaurant Peacock Embroidery Copper City Saloon Huckleberrys Family RestaurantMr. Tire K & B Art Studio Cutloose Hair SalonPips Country Store Radium Esso Smith Green Andruschuk AccountantsKen Chapman Legacy Kitchens Old Salzburg RestaurantMax Helmer El Rancho I Gotcha D.K. Custom Rod & ReelInvermere Pharmasave Th e Source Portabella RestaurantTim Hortons Valley Fitness Centre Custom Furnace & FireplaceLambert Insurance Bow Cycle Strand’s Old House Restaurant Subway Tiff any Th reads C.& H. Kids GearBliss Beads Bank of Montreal Berkshire , Brendan DonahueJuli Punjani (Essentials) Brian Hoff os Cool Country Auto PartsPalliser Printing Superior Propane Back Door Wine CellarB.P.B., Westroc Ponderosa Sports Columbia Valley Trading Co.Reddi Mart ESSO Town & Country Feeds Dollar StoreSculptures In Pewter Lake Auto Service Mickey’s Auto Body D.R Sports Toby Creek Adventures Th e Outdoor StoreCandyland Mountain Toys Diesel & Dust Contracting Prestige Inn Radium Sign Artists Osteria De Medici RestaurantCan West Propane Station Pub Bistro RestaurantValley Hair Styling Walkers Auto Repair Lucie Anne Ingoldsby Petro Canada Dairy Queen On-Line Automotive RepairBrisco Store Home Hardware Invermere Sales & RentalsJepson Petro Can Bulk Peppi’s Pizza Fairmont Resort Properties Gift ShopSilver Connection Bavin Glass Invermere Custom Exhaust & AutoAli Mederer Norman Hendricks Advanced Health MassageB.C. Trappers Association Whitetail Lake Lodge Autowize

Th is is an impressive list of supporters of Th e Lake Windermere District Rod & Gun Club. We really appreciate your support and we will do our best to help preserve our wildlife and its habitat and continue helping youth learn the outdoors, fi shing, and shooting sports. We sincerely hope we haven’t missed anyone. Th anks everyone for making this the best fundraiser for our club ever!!

Norman Hendricks, President

Pioneer on the road!Th e Pioneer continues to pop up in the most amazing places.Left, Norbert and Holly Kleiber of Fairmont Hot Springs took Th e Pioneer to

Vietnam. Here they are at Halong Bay, where they cruised on the Junk boat shown in the background.

Above, Guido and Helga Hochheiden, owners of the Lakeside Pub in Invermere, participated in a six-day Carnival in their home town of Mainz, Germany, along with 500,000 other people. Enter your photos in our Travel Contest and win two nights at the Fantasyland Hotel in Edmonton, courtesy of Travel World in Invermere.


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Interior World (250) 342 4406

2007 Public Budget MeetingCouncil will be holding a public consultation meeting on the evening of March 13th, 2007 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers (914 – 8th Avenue) for the 2007-2011 Financial Plan. We invite residents and community organizations to share their opinions and comments and provide input on budget and how services are delivered in our community. This will provide Council with very important information regarding community expectations for the upcoming year.

Respectfully,Mayor Mark Shmigelsky

DISTRICT OF INVERMEREP.O. BOX 339914 – 8th AvenueINVERMERE, B.C., V0A 1K0Phone (250) 342-9281 - fax (250) 342-2934

Surplus Equipment for SaleThe District of Invermere has for sale a 1982 International Hub Fire Engine. Sale is on an as is basis.

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It was a bittersweet evening at the Gallery Café last Saturday night, as about 60 of the restaurant’s loy-al regulars gathered to bid farewell to their favourite downtown Invermere lunch and coff ee shop.

Started by partners Alison Bell and Joyce Hutchin-son seven years ago, the café will close its doors for good on March 29th.

Joyce was a Fisheries Technician with the provin-cial government before she started the café, and Alison Bell, who is a partner in the business, is the Chef Train-ing Teacher at David Th ompson Secondary School.

Joyce said the café has blossomed in the past cou-ple of years. Th eir clientele includes a variety of locals, including business people, health care professionals, district staff and fi tness class participants.

“Some of our young mothers were coming to the Gallery before they had babies, and now their babies are in school!” Joyce laughed. “Fiona Bradford ate two of our cinnamon buns before she went into labour and claims it was all due to the buns!”

Both Allison and Joyce emphasized the impor-tance of healthy eating.

“We hope we have educated people as to what is a good cup of coff ee, and what good quality food means,” said Alison. Th e restaurant has never used trans fats, and makes almost everything from scratch.

Over the years the restaurant has off ered cooking classes and entertainment evenings, as well as featur-

ing a revolving gallery of art by local artists.Alison and Joyce said they have been very fortu-

nate with their staff , although keeping the café fully-staff ed in the summer is always a challenge for any local business. With just 20 seats indoors, the café was often full in the summer and the diners overfl owed into the outdoor patio beside Interior World.

Jim Galloway of Brisco gave the farewell speech to the two owners on behalf of a grateful but disap-pointed clientele.

He jokingly called them “unconscionable wench-es” for deserting their customers, then wished them all the best.

Joyce plans to take some time off , while Allison will fi nish her master’s degree while she continues teaching.

Joyce and Alison would like to thank all their cus-tomers, as well as their on-site handymen Will An-derson and Doug Charlton, for their support over the past seven years.

Interior World will now reopen the connecting doors and take over the space for additional retail.

“It’s been great having the Gallery there and we wish Joyce and Alison all the luck in the world,” said Karl Conway, owner of Interior World.

Th e Gallery Café will close its doors for the last time on March 29th.

Although the lease is fi nished, the business is still for sale - including the equipment, the expertise of the two owners, and a very loyal client base. In the mean-time, there are two weeks left to enjoy Th e Gallery.

Goodbye to Th e Gallery CaféJoyce Hutchinson and Alison Bell toasted their guests with champagne at Th e Gallery Café’s farewell party.


Invermere:A Touch of Dutch Flower

& Gift ShopA&W RestaurantAG FoodsAll Th ings BeautifulAnglz Hair SalonAutowyze ServicesBavin GlassworksBerkshireBliss Hair & EstheticsBlue Dog CaféBruce McLaughlin FinancialChisel Peak Medical CentreCollege of the RockiesColumbia Garden VillageColumbia House Extended CareColumbia Valley Employment

CentreColumbia Valley Trading

CompanyColumbia Valley Visitor CentreDairy QueenDave’s Book BarDetails by JoAnneDTSSDuthie Medical ClinicEast Kootenay InsuranceEast Kootenay RealtyEddie Mountain Memorial ArenaEssentials Department StoreFitz’s FlooringGallery Cafe

Gerry’s GelatiGone HollywoodGrant’s FoodsGreat Canadian Dollar StoreGreyhound Bus DepotO’Sullivan Dental ClinicHarrison McKay

CommunicationsHigh Country PropertiesHome HardwareHubbard & Blakley Law Offi ceHuckleberry’s RestaurantInside Edge SportsInterior WorldIn-Tune MusicInvermere and District HospitalInvermere BarberInvermere Curling RinkInvermere Dry CleanersInvermere Family ChiropracticInvermere Inn (every room)Invermere PhysiotherapistsInvermere Public LibraryKelly’s RestaurantKonig MeatsLake Auto ServicesLakeside PubLambert InsuranceLambert-Kipp PharmacyLee-Jay MotelLordcoMajestic U-BrewMaria Dibb Medical Clinic

Mark Moneo, OptometristMeridian MortgageMonkey’s UncleMustard SeedOasis Body and BathPamper Yourself SpaPenner’s ShoesPharmasavePieces From the PastQuality BakeryRay Ferguson RealtyRCMPRe/MaxReddi-Mart EssoRob’s Bicycle WorksRocky Mountain RealtyRoyal LepageSelkirk TV - Th e SourceSobeysStation PubSubwaySunsations SpaSuper 8 MotelSuperior PropaneSyndicate Board ShopTastyTex’s Coff ee WorksTh e Back Door Wine CellarTh e Book CellarTh e Place Furniture StoreTiff any’s Th redzTim Horton’sToby Th eatreTwo-For-One PizzaValley Hair StylingWarwick Interiors

Windermere:Columbia Lake Band Offi ceCopper Point Golf CourseSkookum InnValley Alley Bowling CentreWhite House PubWindermere Family FoodsWindermere Valley Golf

Fairmont Hot Springs:Bigway FoodsFairmont Hot Springs ResortFairmont LodgeFairmont Recreation CentreFarside PubJeff ers EssoMountainside Rec CentreRace Trac GasRiverside GolfRiverside Recreation CentreRocky Mountain RealtySmoking Waters Coff ee

Canal Flats:

Canal Flats Family FoodsGas PlusHome Hardware

Radium Hot Springs:

Bighorn MeadowsHorsethief Creek Pub & EateryMeet on Higher Ground Coff eeMountainside MarketPrestige InnRadium Hot Springs PoolRadium HuskyRadium Liquor StoreRadium Petro CanadaRedstreak Shopping CentreTh e Peaks of Radium

North of Radium:Brisco General StoreEdgewater Post Offi cePip’s Country StoreSpillimacheen Post Offi ce

Cranbrook:Pages EmporiumLotus Books

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OUR CALGARY LOCATIONSAcadia Rec 240-90 Ave SE

Alexander Centre 922-9 Ave SE

Alta Th eatre Projects 2 fl r, 220-9 Ave SE

Amaranth Whole Foods 7 Arbour Lk Dr NW

Artspace 2 fl r 1235-26 Ave SE

Bad Ass Coff ee 109, 683-10 St SW

Bad Ass Jacks Subs N Wraps 400 Crowfoot Cres NW

Big 4 Casino Stampede Park

Big Rock Brewery 5555-76 Ave SE

Blue River Bistro 227-11 Ave SW

Bow Valley College 1st fl r 332-6 Ave SE

Buy Low Foods 11, 200-52 St NE

By Th e Cup 2 fl r, 736-8 Ave SW

Cafe 411 102, 1015-4 St SW

Calgary Jewish Centre 1607-90 Ave SW

Calgary International Hostel 520-7 Ave SE

Calgary Multi-Cultural Centre 835-8 Ave SW

Campers Village 7208 Mac Tr S

Cappuccino Company 924A-7 Ave SW

Casablanca Video 2100-4 St SW

Casablanca Video 2101-33 Ave SW

Cedars 3103 Edmonton Tr NE

Chalks Billiards 15150 Bannister Rd SE

City Hall 800 Mac Tr SE

Coco Brooks 640-42 Ave SE

Coco Brooks M 2020-32 Ave NE

Coff ee & Screams 555 Northmount Dr NW

Craving Bagels N Tower Graces Centre Foothills Hospital

Crossroads Market 1235-26 Ave SE

Danish Canadian Club 727-11 Ave SW

Decidedly Jazz 1512-4 St SW

Devonian Gardens 4 fl r TD SQ

Dino Rosa 9136 Mac Tr S

Divine Decadence bsmt 720-17 Ave SW

Dome Sports Pub 5703-3 St SW

Eat A Pita 4602-17 Ave SE

Eau Claire Market Info

Eighth & Eighth Cafe 855-5 Ave SW

Encana Place mn fl r 150-9 Ave SW

Extreme Bean 3333 Bowness Rd NW

Fairs Fair 1609-14 St SW

Fairs Fair 47400 Mac Tr S

Fairs Fair 907-9 Ave SE

Family Foods 819-19 St SE

Fitness on Fifth320-5 Ave SE

Fortune Car Wash 4715 Mac Tr SW

Francesco’s Italian Food Store 3413-26 Ave SW

Fresh Blends 311, 46-25 Varsity Dr NW

Gallery Cafe 608-7 St SW

Gondola Pizza 2758 Glenmore Tr SE

Gourmet Coff ee 7674-8 St NE

Green Bean 601-1 St SW

Greyhound Courier 833 Greyhound Way SW

Hages 2121440-52 St NE

Hard Disk 1441-17 Ave SW

Harry Hays 220-4 Ave SE

Harry’s Pub 105-60 Crowft Cres NW

Haworth 10 Smed Lane SE

Holy Cross Campus 2204-2 St SW

Hometown Kitchen 4068-Ogden Rd SE

Infusion Cafe 1212-31 Ave NE

LaCay Vietnamese Subs 119, 920-36 St NE

Lake Bonavista Community Centre 1401 Acadia Dr SW

Lambada Market 1423 Centre St NW

LaVienna 2139 Kens Rd NW

Lil Big Horn 3716-61 Ave NE

Little Chef 400, 555 Strathcona Blvd SW

London House 5 fl r, 505-4 Ave SW

Long & McWade 105-58 Ave SW

McKenzie Meadows Golf Course

Mediterranean Grill 6008 Mac Tr SW

Milky Way 1104-1 Ave NE

Mongolie Grill 1108-4 St SW

Mount Royal House 140-10 Ave SW

My Sub 100, 744-4 Ave SW

Nellies In Th e Loop 2015-33 Ave SW

Oakridge Community Centre 9504 Oakfi eld Dr SW

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Pharaoh’s 172008-33 Ave SW

Phoenix Comics 1010-16 Ave NW

Pies Plus 611, 12445 Lk Fraser Dr SE

Pita Stop 611027 Elbow Dr SW

Planet 101 83 Bowridge Dr NW

Planet Organic 4625 Varsity Dr NW

Planet Organic 100, 10233 Elbow Dr SW

Prince Donair 301-, 3132-26 St NE

Rainbow Pride Resource Centre 1230A-17 Ave SW

Saigon Vietnamese Palace 460, 5255 Richmond Rd SW

Skaters 40, 6130-1A St SW

Sunterra Market 1851 Sirocco Dr. SW

Th e Grind 908-8 Ave SW

Th e Other Place 840-6 Ave SW

Triwood Community 2244 Chicoutimi Dr NW

Video World bsmt 1010-6 Ave SW

VRRI 3305-33 St SW

Wayne’s Bagels 2 fl r, 777-8 Ave SW

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Wrapture 1208-17 Ave SW

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Heavy Equipment Rentals • Crane Service

Proudly Serving the Valley for over 50 years

For competitive prices and prompt service call:342-3268 (plant) 342-6767 (offi ce)


• Rug Cleaners •

Jason RoeRR #4, 2117 -13 Ave.

Invermere, BC V0A [email protected]

Bus: (250)342-9692Res: (250) 342-7327Fax: (250) 342-9644Cell: (250) 342-5241

Residential & Commercial • Carpet & Upholstery CleaningFlood Restoration • Window Tinting

will help you stay on top of your worldShizu E. M. Futa, Touch for Health Level 2

[email protected]

Mustard Seed Health Foods,#103 Parkside Place, 901 7th Avenue, Invermere, BC

Fridays 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.Please phone (250) 342-2552 for an appointment

Great Selection of:

*Wood blinds *Sunscreens *Woven Woods *Pleated Shades *Roller Shades

and more!

Tamara OsborneBrenda McEachern.

Phone /Fax

345-6422For all your interiordecorating needs.

Complete Automotive Repairs

Phone: 342-6614 • www.autowyze.com

(Beside the Petro Canada Car Wash)

F i n e H o m e s e r v i c e s

(250) 342-9207

VACUFLO

Call NOW:

688-0213

We aren’t the cheapest,JUST THE BEST!

• Carpets dry in about 1 hour!• 100% guaranteed!• Low Moisture • No Steam

• No Sticky Residue• Upholstery • Area Rugs• Wood & Tile Floors

• Vehicle Interiors • Free Estimates

See more online atwww.heavensbest.ca

JUST THE BEST!

WINDERMERE 342-6805

SHOLINDER & MACKAYEXCAVATING Inc.

Septic Systems Installed ~ Pumped ~ RepairedPrefab Cement Tanks Installed

Water Lines Dug InstalledBasements Dug

Floor Covering & CabinetsBlinds & Paints

335 - 3rd Ave., Invermere, BCTelephone 342-6264 • Fax 342-3546 Email: [email protected]

www.warwick-interiors.com

Invermere

www.cordnerarchitect.com(250) 341-6888

385 Laurier Street, Invermere, BCPO Box 117, Windermere, BC V0B 2L0email: [email protected]

• POOLS

• HOT TUBS

• CHEMICALS

• FIREPLACES

• BBQ S

• HEATING

• VENTILATION

• AIR CONDITIONING

• RESIDENTIAL

• COMMERCIAL

Phone: (250) 342-7100Fax: (250) 342-7103

www.diamondheatingandspas.com

Sewer/Drain CleaningSeptic Tank Pumping

Portable Toilet Rentals• Complete sewer/drain repair

• Reasonable rates - Seniors’ discount• Speedy service - 7 days a week

• A well-maintained septic system should be pumped every 3-5 years• Avoid costly repairs

Bruce Dehart 347-9803 or 342-5357

NEW

Automotive Repairs7 days a week

GAS • PROPANE • DIESEL

7507 Main St. West, Radium Hot Springs(250) 347-9726

RADIUM HOT SPRINGS ESSO

Freight & Passenger Depot

Invermere Electrical ServicesInvermere Electrical Services

(250) 342-8878(250) 342-8878

• Reasonable rates• Residential - Commercial• Electric furnace and hot water tank repair• Maintenance and service• Central vacuum systems

For all your electrical needs call:

Free Estimates! or e-mail [email protected]

HERE TO SERVE YOU

Hi - Heatw i n d o w f a s h i o n s

Interior WorldNeed Blinds?

Call Bill Cropper (250) 342 4406

March 9, 200726 • The Columbia Valley Pioneer

Hot Tubs & Accessories, Gazebos, Billiards, Saunas,Tanning Beds, Games, Fitness Equipment, Massage Chairs.

SALES • SERVICE • DELIVERYNeil & Coralie Woelfl e Ph/Fax: 250.347.9762PO Box 615 Radium Hot Springs, BC V0A 1M0

www.dynastyspas.com

LIMITED TIME OFFER!

NEW FRANCHISE FACTORYREBATES

INVERMERE GLASS LTD.•Auto • Home

• Commercial • Mirrors • Shower Doors

• 27 years glass experience

Telephone: 342-3659Serving the Valley for over 11 years • #3, 109 Industrial Road #2, Invermere

Jeff Watson

HERE TO SERVE YOU

RUSS SALBERGSERVICE AND REPAIR

ALL COMPUTER SYSTEMS

(250) 341-1779NEW COMPUTER SYSTEMS

HARDWARE AVAILABLE

COMP TIA CERTIFIED COMPUTER TECHNICIANCERTIFIED SOFTWARE SUPPORT SPECIALIST

CERTIFIED MCP(MICROSOFT CERTIFIED PROFESSIONAL)

MICROSOFT CERTIFIED SYSTEMS ENGINEER

LAMBERT-KIPPPHARMACY LTD.

J. Douglas Kipp, B. Sc. (Pharm.)Laura Kipp, Pharm D.

Your Compounding PharmacyCome in and browse our giftware

Open Monday - Saturday9:00 am - 6:00 pm

1301 - 7th Avenue, Invermere

342-6612

INVERMEREPhone: (250) 342-9866Fax: (250) 342-9869Email: [email protected]

HEAD OFFICEPhone: (403) 287-0144

Fax: (403) 287-2193#200, 6125 - 11 Street S.E.

Calgary, AB T2H 2L6

AvionConstruction Ltd.

CONSTRUCTION MANAGERS - GENERAL CONTRACTORSDESIGN/BUILD CUSTOM HOMES • MULTI-FAMILY & COMMERCIAL PROJECTS

STEVE GUTSCHE, Project ManagerColumbia Valley District

Bus: (250) 342-6336Fax: (250) 342-3578Email: [email protected]: www.is-r.ca403 - 7th AvenueInvermere, BC

SOAR

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TO NE

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Ourcirculation

is now 8000!

By Louise PlatielInvermere Veterinary Hospital

According to Dogdetective.com’s statistics, the top fi ve breeds most frequently reported stolen are Labra-dor Retriever, American Pit Bull Terrier, Yorkshire Ter-rier, Chihuahua, and Shih Tzu.

Most often these are registered dogs whose pedi-gree and breeding capabilities make them valuable property. Certainly anyone who has invested between $800 and $2000 for a pet with an impeccable blood-line is interested in protecting this valuable animal from a fi nancial perspective, but a cost far greater is the heartbreak suff ered from losing a “family mem-ber,” an experience devastating to any pet owner.

Veterinary records include the rabies tag number, age, colour, breed, and owner information, so this is the fi rst way to track and identify a lost or found pet.

Your vet can also implant a microchip about the size of a grain of rice, under the skin between the shoulder blades, which when scanned gives a number that cor-responds to owner information kept by the company providing the chip. A tag is normally issued as well which identifi es your pet as having a microchip. Sim-ply contact the company with the microchip number and ownership can be established. Administered by a needle with local anesthetic, this quick procedure is usually done while you wait and costs about $60.

GPS technology is available in many formats for pets, such as special collars that include a two-way ra-dio so that you can give commands from up to 20 kilometres away. Th e “Hear Now” model is made by an Alberta company and can also be used for cats and horses. LED lights on the unit are visible from four kilometres, and there is a “call owner” button for third party use if the dog is found. Up to 14 pets can be

tracked on one system, making this a valuable tool for pet owners with large acreages.

Tattooing is not as widely practised today, and although it can be used to prove ownership there is no national program linking numbers with owners. Tattoos are done in diff erent places on the body, so they can be hard to spot and even harder to read over time.

Th e best course of action is to have your pet prop-erly tagged with a current, reliable address and phone number. If you fi nd your pet is missing, immediately contact your veterinarian, dog control offi cer, neigh-bours, and use any free services such as air time on local radio stations. Begin in a fi ve-kilometre radius with posters or fl yers and expand outwards every three days. Dogs have been known to travel as much as 160 kilometres, and have been found as long as a year after disappearing, so perseverance can pay off .

Safeguard your beloved pet from theft


Th e “YC Blizzard” is selling at a clip of about three per day, said Dairy Queen owner Michael Richards, who will do-nate $1 for each YC Blizzard sold to the Summit Youth Centre in Invermere.

Michael said a delegation of kids from the Youth Centre identifi ed a list of their favorite ingredients.

Th e staff of Dairy Queen mixed about fi ve diff erent combinations of the ingredients for a taste test.

Leland Davidson, a member of the delegation, said the ingredients were cho-sen at random by Youth Centre members and then they were mixed in diff erent combinations.

“It was a lot of fun,” Leland said. “We

rated them on which tasted best.”Th e formula the Youth Centre kids

chose contains caramel, chocolate and fresh bananas.

“Th ey really liked that one,” he said. “Hopefully, when the weather warms up, we’ll be selling four or fi ve a day.”

Michael said the fundraiser will con-tinue indefi nitely, but couldn’t guarantee that the Youth Centre kids won’t change the recipe at some point.

“We’ll keep this open and, hopefully, it will be a good fundraiser for them,” he said.

Leland said it hasn’t been determined yet what the Youth Centre will do with the money raised.

Submitted by Mike Baker

Editor’s Note: Mike Baker is the son of Jim and Janice Baker in Invermere. He is currently travel-ling through Africa.

After a crazy week of travelling I worked my way from Tanzania into Rwanda.

As usual, my most interesting stories have to do with transport! Th e “highway” from Kigoma to Ma-banda, Bururundi was more of an off -road dirt track. Instead of a high-clearance, 4X4 Landcruiser, I opted for the cheaper, low-clearance minibus.

After digging the bus out of the mud (surround-ed by school children laughing at the mzungu knee-deep in mud and pushing the bus), we managed to make the 62 kilometres to the Burundi border in about four hours. All in all, it was good fun and the scenery was amazing.

Once in Burundi, the scenery got even better. I was surrounded by huge mountains covered in thick, lush, green vegetation. I met many Burundian refu-gees returning home after many years of hiding in South Africa. I was grateful to be with them as this made me feel much safer about the current situation in Burundi (note to self . . . I should have checked the travel advisory before entering Burundi and not while in the middle of Bujumbura!)

I had a great time in Bujumbura, zipping around the busy city centre on the back of a motorcycle taxi, practising my French and drinking Primus beer on the beach of Lake Tanganyika.

I then made my way to Butare, Rwanda. In Bu-tare, I visited the National Museum of Rwanda. Th is museum is amazing. Th e culture that Rwanda pos-sesses is awe-inspiring. Prior to European coloniza-tion, these people had life so good. Th ey were ex-

tremely resourceful, peaceful, and in my opinion were fully capable of living life well. It makes me wonder where the people of Rwanda (and of all of Africa for that matter) would be without “First World” inter-vention. Probably far better off than they are now.

Anyways, after Butare, I travelled to Uwinka in the Nyungwe National Forest. I spent two days

camping, hiking and tracking Colobus monkeys. I had a great time running through the jungle with the tracker in search of the primates. We eventually found a large family swinging through the trees and searching for food. Th ese primates are black with white faces and white streaks of fur running down their sides.

From Nyungwe, I went to Cyangugu. Th is is a small town right on the shores of Lake Kivu. I stayed at a church-run hostel and was well taken care of by a few nuns. For $2 they fed me until I was ready to burst. I think they took pity on me as I hadn’t show-ered or done laundry for many days!

Th en I headed towards Kibuye. Big mistake. Th is was by far the worst road I have been on yet. Hair-pin turns, switchbacks, sheer drop-off s towards the lake, landslides covering the road, parts of the road missing (fallen into the lake), and thick, deep mud. Luckily the bus didn’t get stuck or fall over, but I did

hear a snap and saw pieces of the rear suspension fl y off the bus.

Th e bus driver stopped, assessed the situation, got into a passing vehicle and didn’t return. Made sense to me! Luckily we were only fi ve kilometres away from Kibuye at the time. I grabbed my pack and made the journey with a few people I met on the bus ride. Th e walk was great, we took a trail through a banana plantation and a few small villages.

Kibuye was amazing. I stayed at a hotel on a pen-insula jutting out into Lake Kivu. Once again, the scenery was incredible. Rwanda has to be the most beautiful African countries I have seen. Following Kibuye, I took a bus to Kigali. On this bus ride, we were zooming around corners, listening to very loud techno music on the radio (which cut out around every lefthand turn - strange, I know) and to top it all off , the bus driver smacked into a cyclist (or maybe it was the other way around). Th e cyclist ended up on the pavement and slid for a few metres. Th ere was blood everywhere, but the bus driver was more con-cerned about who caused the accident.

In the end I helped patch the cyclist up with gauze and bandaids and we took him to the hospital. Th ree hours later we made it to Kigali. I’ve decided to rest in Kigali for a few days and avoid buses for awhile. It’s hard to believe that Kigali was once the centre of the genocide. Th is is a bustling city full of life and there are few signs of its horrendous past.

Today I visited the Genocide memorial. Th is is a must for anyone who has seen Hotel Rwanda and thinks they know the horrors of the genocide. I was moved to tears at the stories of the survivors, the pic-tures of the victims, and the complete lack of support from the “First World” countries. I came out proud to be Canadian, but ashamed to be human. I had no idea what monstrosities we are capable of.

“After digging the bus out of the mud (surrounded by school children laughing at the mzungu knee-deep in mud and pushing the bus), we managed to make the 62 kilometres to the Burundi border in about four hours. All in all, it was good fun and the scenery was amazing.”

Mike Baker visits Rwanda Memorial

COOL FUNDRAISER—Dairy Queen owner Michael Richards mixes another YC Blizzard to help raise funds for the Summit Youth Centre. Photo by Dave Sutherland

DQ develops new Blizzardfor Youth Centre fundraiser


PIONEER CLASSIFIEDSTHANK YOU

Our family would like to send a special thank you to Jay and Shauna Attwell, Kathy Horvath, the Sniv-ely’s and John Edgar for all the help in our recent emergency. Throughout an extremely traumatic situ-ation these people were our very own heroes. The Turnbulls.

EVENTS

“Nearly” Spring Soup & Bun Luncheon and Bake Sale, prepared by the Catholic Women’s League. Friday, March 9th, 12-2 p.m. Christ Church Trinity

ATTENTION POOL PLAYERS: If you are interested in playing in an 8 ball or 9 Ball Tournament, one weekend each month, please call Bob Friesen at 341-6018. Special handicap system for women.

STORAGE

New•House Multi-storage, various sizes available, now with climate controlled units. Call 342-3637.

Fenced storage in Canal Flats on Hwy 93/95. RVs, boats, autos, ski-doos, etc. 250-349-8212.

OFFICE SPACE

Professional offi ce space for rent in Invermere. Large view offi ce with negotiable services. Please call 342-9450 for more information.

SHOP FOR RENT

1000 sq.ft. shop space for rent. $850/mo. Power and property taxes not included. Available April 1st includes heat. D/D required. Newhouse Multi Stor-age, Athalmer 342-3637.

SUITES FOR RENT

Kootenay Apartments in Radium (Kootenay Motel) has clean, furnished, and all inclusive 1 and 2 bedroom units. $600- $800 for long or short-term monthly rental. N/S, N/P DD and references required. Contact Don or Sue Miller. 342-6908 (day), 342-3709 (evenings)

CONTRACTORS: self-contained cabins by the week or month, 250-345-6365, Fairmont Bungalows.

2-bedroom suite for rent partially furnished. Wilder subdivision. $850/mo N/S N/P. (403) 818-7363.

Invermere 2-bedroom daylight suite in new house available April 1st $825 single, $850 double plus hydro. 342-4416.

HOMES FOR SALE

Tretheway Beach Windermere, 4 bedroom home. See details at bchomesforsale.com in Rocky section, or call (250)335-1885.

Radium Hot Springs, beautiful single family home, 342-1120.www.welist.com, ad# 26393.

2-bedroom, 1-bath, 1000sq.ft. townhouse in Edgewater. Completely renovated, new appliances, deck, low fees. $190,000 341-7068.

MODULAR FOR SALE

2002 Modular home for sale,

1250 sqft, all appliances included, aff ordable propane heat, for more information call 342-9348.

LOTS FOR SALE

New lots along Crescentwood coming. Commercial lots avail-able NOW for less! Acreage West of town - Edgewater Develop-ments 347 9660, edgeh2o@ telus.net.

In Edgewater, Riverview Drive, beautiful view of the Rockies. $120,000. Call 347-9813 evenings after 6 p.m.

ACREAGE WANTED

Seeking 5 to 20 acres in the Invermere area. Must have wa-ter and power with mountain views. Private sale only. Email: [email protected], (250) 477-3993

BUSINESS FOR SALE

HELP STOP GLOBAL WARMINGand put money in your pocket.www.4planetearth.com/wolf

or call Wolf (250) 688-0044

MISC. FOR SALE

HAY, top quality round bales, alfalfa grass. Call Elkhorn Ranch 342-0617.

Birch fi rewood for sale. Cords and ½ cords. Split and delivered. 342-9390.

New Harman high effi ciency direct-vent pellet stove, thermostat controlled, burns all pellet types. 61,000 btu’s. $2,500. 342-0165.

VEHICLES FOR SALE

1992 Mercury Topaz LS/V6 loaded and in very good condition. 32mpg, 165000km. Great reliable car. $1800 obo 688-0198 (cell)

1996 Honda Odyssey Minivan 180,000km. Good condition $5000. 341-6215

2003 Ford F150 ext. cab 4x4, green, auto, PW/PD, air, tilt, cruise, sunroof, aluminum headache rack, tow pkg. Well maintained, good shape. $15500 obo. 347-9427

2005 Toyota Tacoma 2wdr, 5spd, 2.7L, exc. Mileage, matching canopy, loaded 33,000km. Take over lease or buy $22000. 341-1618.

2000 Ford Explorer Limited 8 cyl, all leather interior, power everything, back-up sensor, wired for Sirius satellite radio,universal Trailer hitch & electrical, roof rack. Exceptional condition. Dealer serviced. 128,000 KM. Asking $14,500. Tel: 250 342-9436. View at Lake Auto- Invermere.

1986 Toyota Pickup, keeps on going, $650. 342-9552.

$10,000,000in vehicle inventory.

Go to www.cranbrookdodge.com

to view complete inventory.

B.L.I.P.S. and other “TO DO’s”

Free 1 hour Introductory Sessions, and a 4 session SEMINAR of FUN, INFORMATION and STORIES, DIFFERENT ways to THINK, NEW things TO DO. Let Go and Live in ease and happiness by FIRST having a calm respectful relationship with yourself THEN with others who are important to you.Facilitator: Crisanna MacLeod, tyG productions. Register: [email protected], or phone 342-8947. Please give your NAME, PHONE NUMBER, your 1st & 2nd choice for the FREE Intro Session.

Moving SaleSaturday, March 17th

9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Location: Old Eagle Ranch Clubhouse, 195 Capilo Way(Going north on Hwy 93/95, turn left at Eagle Ranch sign;

follow this road to the temporary clubhouse location.)

Items:Freezers, fridges, patio tables and chairs, misc. furniture,

desks, TV/VCR, pressure washer.

Surplus Equipment for SaleThe District of Invermere has for sale a 1982 International Hub Fire Engine. Sale is on an as is basis.

• 1982 International Truck• Body by Hub Fire Engines• Air Brake• 446 cu in engine (gas)• Allison automatic transmission• Equipped with Darley 840 IGPM pump with

1000 gallon tank• Rear mounted hose reel

Unit may be viewed at The District of Invermere Public Works yard.



CLASSIFIED DEADLINE:

Tuesdays at noon

Phone: 341-6299Fax: 341-6229

Email: [email protected]

Please read your ad over carefully the fi rst day it comes out to ensure the in-formation is correct. If you should fi nd an error in your ad please let us know imme-diately by calling 341-6299. The Columbia Valley Pioneer is not responsible for errors appearing beyond the fi rst insertion. The newspaper’s responsibility, if any, for er-rors of any kind is limited to the amount paid for that ad-vertisement. We reserve the right to censor, re-classify, revise, edit or reject any ad-vertisement not meeting our advertising standards.

PIONEERCLASSIFIEDSVEHICLES FOR SALE

1988 Nissan Pickup, body rough, runs good, $500. 347-9877.

1994 *GMC SLE 3/4 TON 4X4 EXTENDED CAB shortbox. Fully loaded, trailer towing package, canopy, boat rack, suspension air bags, boxliner, running boards, command start, keyless entry, a/c, 350, auto. 169,000 km. Excellent condition. $9500 OBO. 347-9978 Radium.

2002 Vanguard 24.5 ft. fi fth wheel, like new, $18,500. Also 2002 GMC Sierra SLE 2500, under 50,000km, loaded, includes fi fth-wheel hitch, fl ow-through tailgate. Call Walter. 342-3478.

SERVICES

Residential/Vacation Properties

Maintenance & RepairsDependable - Fully Insured

JIM ROBERTSONWindermere

342-9022

Flooring installations including lino, carpet, vc tile, laminate, and hardwood. Plus handyman work including new decks, renovations, framing, and roofi ng. Call 347-9192, 341-1235.

PAINT & FLOORS. Interior/exterior painting, repaints, stain & lacquer fi nish. Hardwood Floors. Basic & custom installations. 20yrs exp. Reliable service & quality craftsmanship. Call 341-7261.

Simes Painting: interior and exterior, new homes and existing, quality woodwork fi nishing, laquers, staining, and clearcoating. Call Barry. 342-0572 Windermere.

CAREERS

Windermere Valley Golf Course is currently looking for qualifi ed individuals to join their Food and Beverage team. Positions are seasonal and range from part time to full time starting April 1st. Contact Kari at 342-3004 or submit resumes by fax to 342-0119 or email: [email protected]

Rock Works Landscape now hir-ing. All skill levels considered. Pay based on experience. Call Ray 342-5676.

Experienced Framers required, competitive wages off ered.

Year round work. Phone Curt 270-0744 or Glen 270-0644

Experienced part/full-time tandem dump truck driver wanted. Must have Class 1 or 3 license. $25/hr, call 342-5654.

Apprentice for Stonemason. Male or female, $13-18 on experience and learning curve. 342-5845.

Grounds Personnel at Terra Vista Condominiums. Great Work Environment! Position available immediately. 40 hours / week. $15/hr. Email or Fax resume. [email protected], 342-3005 fax. Inquires please call 342-1134.

Groundsperson at Spur Valley Golf Resort. Seeking individual who is honest, hardworking and reliable. Off er competitive wages. Contact Superintendent 347-6500.

Call April at

341-6299 to place

your classifi ed.

LANDSCAPE/GROUNDS MAINTENANCEHELP REQUIRED FOR 2007 SEASON

Positions Available:LEAD HANDS, LABOURERS, GARDENERS.

Wages $12.50 -$17.00/hr.Depending on skill level and experience.

Resumes and references required.

Please contact Danetteat 250-345-0314 for more information.

E-mail: danette@[email protected]

ServerThe Dining Room Server position requires an energetic, conscientious, and approachable individual who will provide residents and guests of the facility service with a smile. Under the direction of the Kitchen Manager, this individual will be a team player and a contributor to a positive work environment. The desired candidate must have a Food Safe certifi ed and prior work experience is an asset.

Please apply with work references to: Karen Shand at Columbia Garden Village. Phone 341.3350

or e-mail [email protected]

Cleaning Super needed. Radium Vacation Rentals and Timberstone Property Services are looking for a full-time house keeping supervisor/cleaner starting April 1st/07 for condo and homes in the

Radium / Invermere area.

Please call 347-6900 for details.

OPPORTUNITY FOR AN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATOR

A new centre in the beautiful Columbia Valley with a high quality ECE program is looking for a highly skilled person to take on the task of implementing a curriculum that includes Montessori based language and math as well as a strong cultural, ecology and arts component. Wages will be competitive and based on the experience and skill being brought to the program.

Those interested should send a resume to the Akisqnuknik Development Corporation at Box 130, Windermere, B.C. V0B 2V0 or send via email to [email protected]

PIONEERThe Columbia Valley

Locally Owned & Operated . . .

Fiercely Independent . . .

Telephone: 250 341 6299 Email: [email protected]


IF YOU’RE LOCAL,YOU GET IT!The Columbia Valley Pioneer �

Cardel, Strand’s

bisect alley

Th e District of Invermere Council has mediated a compro-mise between the Cal-gary-based land devel-oper Cardel Resorts and Strand’s Old House Restaurant that will see Ninth Avenue sliced up in sections.

According to the plan, the south end of the alley will remain its cur-rent width.

Th e north end will be split in half to accom-modate a larger footprint for Cardel’s Purcell Point development on the west side of the alley.

In exchange, a por-tion of land on the east side of the alley equal to the amount vacated will be dedicated as public space.

Th e patch of grass gained in exchange is 492.6 square metres and sits atop a wall of the parking lot below.

A public hearing is scheduled for March 13th to hear any last words on the confl ict that has waged for more than a year.

“Everyone gets something out of it,” Invermere Chief Admin-istrator Chris Prosser said, noting that it is an equal exchange, it pre-serves access to Strand’s and it leaves a portion of the land in public hands.

“It’s a good com-promise at the end of a long, long process,” Mr. Prosser said.

“Hopefully, at the end of the day, it’s a work-able situation,” Council-lor Gerry Taft said.


LAKE WINDERMERE ALLIANCE CHURCH 10:30 a.m., Sunday, March 11th – Worship and Life Instruction,

“Th e Last of the Christ Ones” – Communion will be served.Sunday School, for ages 3 to Grade 7 during Morning Service.

7:00 p.m. Hymn Sing.Associate Pastor Rev. Jared Enns

326 - 10th Avenue, Invermere • 342-9535

WINDERMERE VALLEY SHARED MINISTRY10:30 a.m. - Invermere - Christ Church Trinity,

Worship & Sunday School.Rev. Sandy Ferguson • 110 - 7th Avenue, Invermere • 342-6644

VALLEY CHRISTIAN ASSEMBLYSunday • 10:00 a.m.

Children’s church during the message part of the service. Sunday, 7:00 pm Prayer Meeting

Senior Pastor Rev. John Cuyler • www.vcassembly.comHighway 93/95, 1 km north of Windermere • 342-9511

ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCHCanadian Martyrs Church, Invermere

Saturday, 7:00 p.m. Mass • Sunday, 9:00 a.m. Mass St. Joseph’s Church, Hwy 93/95 Radium Sunday, 11:00 a.m. MassSt. Anthony’s Church, Canal Flats Sunday, 4:00 p.m. MassFather Jose Joaquin • 712 -12th Ave., Invermere • 342-6167

ST. PETER’S LUTHERAN MISSION OF INVERMERERegular weekly worship services every Sunday at 1:30 pm

at Christ Church Trinity 110 - 7th Ave., Invermere Pastor Rev. Fraser Coltman • 1-866-426-7564

RADIUM CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIPEvery Sunday 10:00 a.m., Sunday School 10:00 a.m.

Every Wednesday 7:00 p.m., Bible StudyPastor Wayne and Linda Frater • Radium Seniors’ Hall • 342-6633

THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTERDAY SAINTSSunday, 10:00 a.m.

President Grant Watkins • Columbia Valley Branch5014 Fairway, Fairmont Hot Springs • 345-0079

Valley ChurchesFAITH

Call 341-6151or

1-888-341-6155rayfergusonrealty.ca

OPEN SKY & MOUNTAIN VIEWS

Large lot, decks, hot tub,

incredible views. Spacious, bright, cheery 3 bdrm home.

MLS# K151574 $245,000

WE SELL REAL ESTATE• Radium • Invermere • Panorama

• Windermere • Fairmont

Selkirk TV & Appliance

1229-7th Ave., Invermere 342-6415

• Kitchenaid • Inglis

• Whirlpool • Roper

PanasonicPioneer

Cell PhonesElectronics & Service

Christian Books, Music & Misc.

By Fraser ColtmanSt. Peter’s Lutheran Mission

Two weeks ago the news hit that a documentary will be aired this week on what is claimed to be the discovery of the tomb of Jesus and his family.

Th e timing of this program shouldn’t surprise us; for Christians, this is the season of Lent, a six-week pe-riod of preparation for the celebration of God’s act of salvation for mankind in the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus.

What better time to release a story that attempts to give archaeological and statistical credence to a com-plete denial of the Christian message?

Th e claim of the fi lm’s producers that the docu-mentary does not contradict the Christian faith is hard to accept. It seems to me that either their claim is a lie or James Cameron and Simcha Jacobovici simply do not know what the basic beliefs of Christians are.

Th e fi lm’s contention that a tomb uncovered in 1980 containing several ossuaries with inscriptions of names including, Jesus, son of Joseph, Mary, and Ju-dah, son of Jesus, is the family of tomb of Jesus Christ, his wife, Mary Magdalene and their son, Judah is based on much more than objective scientifi c evidence.

Like the controversial Dan Brown novel, Th e Da Vinci Code, this fi lm begins with the assumptions that Jesus of Nazareth was a mere man, a religious teacher who became famous for his loving teachings, a man who married a woman named Mary and fathered a child with her. Th e problem with these assumptions is that there is no historical evidence to back any of

them up.Th e New Testament is clear in its

message that Jesus is both truly human and truly God. It describes Him as a unique person born into this world to restore the broken relationship between God and humanity.

His teachings were loving and pow-erful because they promised that He had come to do something for us that we cannot do for ourselves.

Jesus came to bring us back into relationship with God by suff ering and

dying for us. Th rough Jesus, God gives us forgiveness for our sin and life with Him forever.

Jesus did not come to build a human family for himself through procreation; He came to bring us back into God’s family through His death and resur-rection.

Th e whole New Testament teaches that Jesus died on the cross, but that He also rose from the dead bodi-ly three days later. His resurrection off ers us assurance that His death has accomplished our salvation.

Fascination with Jesus is good, but I hope that those who really want to know the truth about Him will look to the New Testament or to a Christian who can tell the story of what and why they believe.

Despite this fi lm’s claim to having a scientifi c basis for their ideas, its makers have begun with ideas and assumptions that are nothing more than speculation.

I’d rather put my faith in the words of those who wrote the New Testament (many of whom died for their belief in Jesus, the crucifi ed and risen Son of God) than in the notions of fi lmmakers who stand to profi t merely by stirring up controversy.

What about Th e Tomb of Jesus?

Author coming to Radium libraryA Canadian seaman, an exotic location, deter-

mined love, and the dramatic backdrop of World War II provides the framework for an engaging new novel by a British Columbia author Adam Lewis Schroeder - and he’s coming to the Radium Public Library.

Mr. Schroeder will read from Empress of Asia for the Radium Public Library at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 27th at the Radium Seniors Hall.

Chosen for this year’s Globe & Mail top 100 books list, Empress of Asia (Raincoast, 2006) wowed critics.

Says the Globe: “(Empress of Asia) is a compel-ling, heartbreaking, and witty book that will stay with you long after you’ve put it down.”

Harry Winslow lands in war-ravaged Singapore when his ship, Th e Empress of Asia, is bombed by Japanese aircraft. He meets and falls in love with Lily, a Daughter of the Empire, and they marry, only to be separated through the circumstances of war.

Th e spark of young love and the horrors of the Southeast Asian POW camps are richly drawn through Mr. Schroeder’s gift of storytelling.

Currently, Mr. Schroeder teaches writing at Okanagan College and lives in Penticton with his wife and son. His tour is sponsored by Radium Public Library, Kootenay Library Federation, and the Province of British Columbia through the Writ-ers in Libraries program.


InvermereIndependently Owned and Operated

250-342-6505

www.ReMaxInvermere.comAt Panorama: 250-341-4898Toll Free: 1-888-258-9911

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Wende Brash342-1300

Bernie Raven342-7415

Daniel Zurgilgen342-1612

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Deborah-Kim Rice342-5935

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Paul Glassford341-1395

Just a stroll to the community beach, neighborhood pub, dining/shopping and K-7 school. This 3 bedroom home on large lot with additional shop and guest bedroom has it all for recreational or full time living in lovely Windermere on the Lake. MLS# K160871

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Possibilities are numerous with this newly renovated building with commercial zoning on the way to the beach on Columbia Lake. One bedroom suite on one side, 2 bedroom suite on the other, great workshop in the back. Vacation rental suites, or long term rental revenue, or your own vacation apartment with guest suite. MLS#K160955

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This home to be built brand new for you is a gem! New subdivision in Canal Flats. 1100 sf main, plus basement. Call now while there s time to pick your own paint colors. MLS#K150930

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Your out in the country, with trees all around you, what s not to love. This very large cottage has 2 oors completely nished with walkout lower level and .48 acres to call your get-a-way or home. Entertainment size kitchen, dining room and family room. Double garage to store your recreational toys. Great Value in this rural home. MLS#K160928

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Tamarack Lodge Studio

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