November 25, 2015 Wednesday
News updates: westerlynews.ca
Serving Tofino and Ucluelet
$1.25 [including tax]
CUPE raises
INSIDE
THIS WEEK:
ANDREW BAILEY
Westerly news
the alberni clayoquot Regional district has reached a new three-year agreement with its employees. the agreement will see cuPE members receive annual wage increases of 1.75 per cent over the next three years and includes no changes to employee benefits. the acRd’s board ratified the agreement in a closed meeting on Oct. 28 and it was officially agreed to by the canadian union of Public Employees, local 118, on nov. 10. “the agreement presents a fair wage increase for our employees while respecting the need for prudent budgeting,” said acRd Board chair, Josie Osborne. “We are investing in the acRd’s greatest asset, its employees. On behalf of the Board, i offer my thanks to both our Management committee and the cuPE negotiating committee for their efforts.” cuPE local 118 President Stacy Watton touted this latest round of bargaining as “respectful and productive.” “We achieved a fair deal that includes improved recognition of and protection for casual and temporary Employees and we look forward to providing great services to the Regional district over the term of the agreement,” Watton said.
7313226
andrew.bailey@westerlynews.ca
FATAL ACCIDENT: a man died in a Pac. Rim Hwy. crash on Monday. PAgE 2
OFF TO OTTAWA: tofino’s gord Johns is excited to join the fedCATHY PARSONS PHOTO eral government. Ucluelet Aquarium staffer Andrew McCurdy dove into the Coast’s cold November ocean to save a distressed seabird.
Hero saves drowning seabird ANDREW BAILEY
Westerly news
ucluelet local andrew Mccurdy dove into the ocean and swam roughly 200 metres to rescue a drowning seabird last week. Mccurdy is a marine biologist with the ucluelet aquarium and saw the bird acting strangely from the aquarium’s ocean-facing windows during a nov. 17 storm. He told the Westerly he
initially thought the bird might be bathing but he quickly realized it was in trouble. “He tried to take off a few times but just couldn’t quite raise his wings and i could tell they were totally saturated with water,” he said. “it was clear that he was trying to take off but couldn’t.” Mccurdy had never seen a fulmar before and didn’t recognize the animal.
“the first thing i did was try to figure out what kind of bird it was just to see if what it was doing was normal because, of course, i don’t want to try to rescue a bird that’s totally fine; that’s just going to freak them out,” he said. He identified the bird as a fulmar and called the north island Wildlife Recovery association in Errington for more information.
His call was answered by the association’s wildlife manager Julie Mackey who told him fulmars can over-exhaust themselves and drown. “after i learned that, i thought i better jump in and pull him out,” Mccurdy said. “i popped on my drysuit, swam out there and got him.” See BIRD RESCUED page 14
PAgE 5
LEST WE FORgET: in part 2 of his lest We Forget series Julius Smolders shares his mother’s route to canada.
PAgE 14
Page 2 | The Westerly News
Wednesday, November 25, 2015
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Man dies in fatal crash on Pacific Rim Highway
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ANDREW BAILEY PHOTO Emergency crews responded to a fatal collision on the Pacific Rim Hwy. around 4:30 p.m. Monday. ANDREW BAILEY
Westerly News
A man died in a fatal two-vehicle-collision on the Pacific Rim Highway near the West Coast Junction Monday night. Sgt. Jeff Swann of the Ucluelet RCMP told the Westerly News that a man driving a pickup truck collided with a motorhome and died in the ensuing flames. The man was reportedly driving erratically and passing cars while traveling south from Tofino towards Ucluelet. “He crossed the centre line and
struck the motorhome head–on,” Swann said. He said bystanders were unable to free the man from his truck, which quickly caught fire after the crash. “Several people tried to get him out but he was trapped in the vehicle,” Swann said. “Both vehicles caught fire and both were destroyed by fire…It was pretty quick, within a minute the flames had already started.” He said the motorhome’s two passengers escaped relatively unharmed and received treatment at the Tofino General Hospital for non-life-threatening
injuries. The deceased man’s identity had not been released at press time. The highway was shut down in both directions while the investigation was underway though an alternate route was set up through logging roads to help travelers get in and out of Tofino. The highway reopened around 2 a.m. Tuesday morning. The BC Coroners Service arrived at the scene around 6 p.m. Monday night and an investigation is ongoing. andrew.bailey@westerlynews.ca
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The Westerly News | Page 3
Wednesday, November 25, 2015
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Surfers find body of lost Leviathan II passenger ANDREW BAILEY
Westerly News
Surfers discovered Raveshan Morgan Pillay’s body on Vargas Island last week. Pillay was the last unaccounted-for passenger from the Leviathan II, which capsized in an Oct. 25 whale-watching disaster. “In the early evening of Nov. 18, 2015, surfers reported finding a body on the beach of Vargas Island,” read a statement from the BC Coroners Service. “An investigation has established that it is the body of Mr. Pillay. He is now confirmed as the sixth fatality of the events of Oct. 25.”
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada believes most of Leviathan II’s 27 passengers were on the top deck of the 65-foot whale-watching vessel when a wave hit and caused it to capsize. An investigation into the incident is ongoing. “The discovery of Rav Pillay’s body provides a sense of relief and closure,” said Tofino mayor Josie Osborne. “I know that many members of our communities will be thinking about him, his family and his loved ones. I cannot express enough gratitude to Tofino, Ahousaht and Tla-o-qui-aht responders and to the RCMP
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SUBMITTED PHOTO
A RCMP dive team searches for Raveshan Pillay’s body.
divers, SAR volunteers, fishermen, and community members who searched for countless hours for him in the days after the accident.” andrew.bailey@westerlynews.ca
Port Alberni woman injured in explosion Motive for bomb remains unclear
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SUSAN QUINN
Alberni Valley News A Port Alberni woman is in hospital in Victoria and her family is shaken and wondering why they have been targeted after an incendiary device exploded at their Stuart Avenue home. Port Alberni RCMP were called to the rural residence on Nov. 20 just after 9 a.m. after receiving a report about an incendiary device that had detonated. “Preliminary investigation indicates that the injured woman located a package in the driveway of the home and brought it inside,” RCMP Inspector Mac Richards said. “While moving the package, an explosion occurred.” The package was filled with plastic shopping bags and yet-to-be-determined contents, Richards said. “The origin of this package and how or why it came to be at this home remain under investigation at this time,” he said. The woman’s husband, who did not want to be identified, said his wife was airlifted to Victoria. “She’s going to have hand problems,” he said. The
Nov. 25 Tofino Recycles
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husband and his father-in-law were treated at West Coast General Hospital and released. He did not want to speak with the media any further about what happened. Three members of the RCMP’s Emergency Disposal Unit arrived on the scene around 4 p.m. to speak with family members and survey the scene, which had been cordoned off for several hours. Richards said this is the first time in the three years he has been in Port Alberni that he has had to deal with an incendiary device. “It’s not a common occurrence.” Anyone who locates a suspicious item of unknown origin is urged not to disturb it and to contact police for assistance, he said. Anyone with information on this incident is asked to contact the Port Alberni RCMP at 250-723-2424 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or online at avcrimestoppers. ca.
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F r i day 2 7
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Local tides brought to you by:
TIDES Thursday 26 metres
12:38 AM 6:16 AM 12:17 PM 7:04 PM
Friday 27 feet
3.5 11.5 1.3 4.3 4.0 13.1 0.2 0.7
metres
1:26 AM 7:03 AM 1:01 PM 7:49 PM
Saturday 28 feet
3.5 11.5 1.4 4.6 4.0 13.1 0.2 0.7
metres
2:13 AM 7:50 AM 1:45 PM 8:33 PM
Sunday 29 feet
3.5 11.5 1.5 4.9 3.8 12.5 0.4 1.3
metres
3:01 AM 8:38 AM 2:31 PM 9:18 PM
Monday 30 feet
3.4 11.2 1.6 5.2 3.6 11.8 0.6 2.0
metres
3:49 AM 9:29 AM 3:19 PM 10:03 PM
Tuesday 1 feet
3.3 10.8 1.7 5.6 3.3 10.8 0.8 2.6
metres
4:39 AM 10:27 AM 4:12 PM 10:51 PM
Wednesday 2 feet
3.2 10.5 1.7 5.6 3.1 10.2 1.0 3.3
metres
5:32 AM 11:33 AM 5:13 PM 11:43 PM
feet
3.2 10.5 1.8 5.9 2.9 9.5 1.2 3.9
Ucluelet / Tofino 726-2228 725-2038
midislandrealty.com
Page 4 | The Westerly News
Wednesday, November 25, 2015
Opinion
Global Climate March comes to Clayoquot Sound JEH CUSTERRA AND ROBERT ZUROWSKI
Local Voices
The 21st United Nations’ Climate Summit (COP 21) begins in Paris next week marking the continuing effort of nations around the world to finally make a substantial agreement to address the climate crisis. Last week, the U.N. released their latest climate report confirming the need for massive globally cooperation to overhaul energy supply chains and reform farming and forest management. The good news is about 150 countries, out of about 196 total, have submitted action plans to reduce carbon emissions. For a new climate treaty to be ambitious it must include science-based targets, real money, and a strong framework to carry action forward. The climate justice message is clear: keep fossil fuels in the ground and finance a just transition to 100% renewable energy by 2050. To do this, we need to stop as many new fossil fuel projects as possible, and phase out existing ones, so that we can keep coal, oil and gas in the ground. Second, we need to weaken the political and financial power of the fossil fuel industry - this is where fossil fuel divestment comes in. We need to stop giving money to the polluters and start giving power back to the people. Third, we need to show the world that solutions are underway and that a push to 100% renewable energy, as well as more regenerative farming and
forestry practices, that will help combat poverty and unemployment while minimizing pollution. Fourth, we need to show that there is a massive public demand for action, mobilizing around the world at an unprecedented scale. Closer to home, there have been some hopeful examples of this kind of leadership from governments. In the United States, in response the climate justice movement’s advocacy, President Obama recently rejected the Keystone XL pipeline which proposed to ship about 1 million barrels of tar sands oil each day from Alberta to the Gulf of Mexico. While in Canada, the newly elected Prime Minister Trudeau ordered a ban on oil tankers for Dixon Entrance, Hecate Strait & Queen Charlotte Sound. This effectively rejects the controversial Northern Gateway pipeline proposal as oil tankers are now not permitted to operate on the northern coast of BC. Stopping these two pipelines prevents a near doubling of carbon intensive tar sands production. In Clayoquot Sound, there have also been some real victories in the past months. Leadership from both the Hesquiaht Nation and the Ahousaht Nation have announced bans on industrial logging in their territories. These moratoriums, protecting the forests, are hugely significant for ecosystem health and climate action. Deforestation is one of the largest contributors to climate destabilization globally, while old growth forests are amongst the richest stores of carbon on Earth.
SUBMITTED PHOTO The FOCS demonstrate in solidarity with old growth forest actions happening in the Walbran Valley.
Climate action from around the world was on display at the last Monday Night Movies in Tofinp feature “This Changes Everything”. The documentary is based on Naomi Klein’s latest book of the same title which examines how capitalism is giving rise to climate chaos. Klein argues that the real inconvenient truth for climate action is that the current economic system, of infinite growth and externalities, cannot be reconciled with the ecological balance of carbon necessitated by natural law. The film illustrates that our climate justice moment will not only be defined by what
happens between governments in the negotiating halls, but also through actions organized by grassroots people around the world. If enough people agree that it’s time for the world to move in a new direction, and push together, the world will begin to move. The factors influencing climate change can often best be addressed at the local, community level. This understanding is what inspired Friends of Clayoquot Sound to organize the Clayoquot Sound Global Climate March. On Saturday, November 28th at 11am, please join us at the North
Chesterman Beach to listen to local climate action advocates and visually demonstrate our solidarity with thousands of similar marches happening around the world for the Global Climate March in the days leading up to the UN Climate Summit. Please wear vibrant colours and bring your message for our climate action photobooth. For more information and updates please visit Friends of Clayoquot Sound on Facebook or visit www.focs.ca. Jeh Custerra and Robert Zurowski are members of the Friends of Clayoquot Sound.
Nature Kids show gratitude for local supporters JAY ROBERTS AND SHAWNA ROBERTS
Local Voices This is a letter of gratitude to everyone in our community who has donated funds, time and resources to build Tofino Nature Kids’ new forest classroom! Our Indiegogo campaign was a success and, with the energy of many local helpers, we now have a warm, dry space for the upcoming winter season at Nature Kids. A big thank you to the following individuals and businesses who donated funds specifically to our scholarship program - Tacofino, Pacific Sands, Patricia Szeto, Jason Watts, Esther Celebrini, Christine Paterson, Adrienne Henderson, Seanna McLean… (we apologize if we have forgot
someone). These scholarships are available now on a need-basis and can be used for any of our Tofino Nature Kids programs including Pro-D days, weekly programs, and after school club. A big thank you to George Paterson and the Tofino Botanical Gardens for your continued support. To discover more information about our programs please visit www.tofinonaturekids.com, we would love to hear from you with any questions you may have! Jay and Shawna Roberts are the founders of Tofino Nature Kids. They can be reached at PO Box 105, 250-725-2544, info@tofinonaturekids.com. SUBMITTED PHOTO Tofino Nature Kids have a blast exploring their unique and diverse West Coast environment.
The Westerly News | Page 5
Wednesday, November 25, 2015
Energetic Johns excited to take on Ottawa ANDREW BAILEY
Westerly News
After spending the past 20 years in Tofino, Gord Johns is off to Ottawa to take his seat at the federal government’s table. The NDP’s Johns spent election night in Parksville where he heard he had bested Conservative incumbent John Duncan to the tune of 26,595 votes to 19,631 to become the new Courtenay-Alberni riding’s first MP. The NDP took six of Vancouver Island’s seven ridings—Green Party leader Elizabeth May won Saanich-Gulf Island—but the party fell to third nationally meaning the West Coast has an MP outside the governing party for the first time since 2006 but Johns does not believe he’ll carry less clout than his predecessors. “We saw what it looked like with a majority member in government and I think people were actually really disappointed about the lack of voice we had in Ottawa,” he told the Westerly News last week. “The Liberal government has made a very serious commitment, which we’ll be holding them to, that they’re going to represent all Canadians and they’re not going to be playing partisan politics when it comes to giving our share to our riding and we’ll keep an eye on that and monitor that as we
see the need for supports in our communities come forward.” The first session of Canada’s new parliament is set for Dec. 3 and Johns said his first priority will be to push for the reopening of Coast Guard stations closed by Stephen Harper’s Conservative government. “That will be our first opportunity to ask the government what their plans are around marine traffic control centres,” he said. “We need to reopen those centres, we know that we need more local knowledge in the Coast Guard.” One of the centres Harper closed was Ucluelet’s Marine Communications and Traffic Services Centre, which was taken offline in August this year. Johns noted the new Liberal government made a solid move earlier this month when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau ordered the reopening of Vancouver’s Kitsilano station. “We’re really happy to see the Liberals take that first step,” Johns said. “We hope they’ll follow through with their promises, and stop the closure of Comox [Marine Communications and Traffic Services centre] and reopen the Tofino station, which is in Ucluelet, so that we can make sure we have the services we need in place for a very robust and advancing mar-
ine economy as we increase trade with Asia.” While Johns is heading into his rookie year in federal politics, he said he will benefit from his experiences on Tofino’s municipal council and the Tofino Long Beach chamber of commerce. “It’s at a much bigger scale being a member of parliament and certainly the responsibilities are very high but having that local government experience has been invaluable,” he said. “Having run a chamber of commerce, the diversity of our region and on the West Coast helps me understand diversity in our country and making sure our voice is heard won’t be a problem for me as a Member of Parliament.” Both Tofino mayor Josie Osborne and Ucluelet mayor Dianne St. Jacques have expressed excitement about having a West Coaster in Ottawa and Johns said his local knowledge will help him push local issues to the federal forefront. “You have someone there who’s going to represent you, someone who’s going to speak on your behalf, someone that understands your issues and can connect with you, someone you can reach out to and know they’re going to listen to your issues, understand what you’re talking about and relate,” he said.
CANDACE WU PHOTO NDP MP Gord Johns celebrates his win in Oct. 19’s federal election that saw him become the new Courtenay-Alberni riding’s first MP.
“I am in touch with our communities and I know our needs very well.” He hopes to strengthen local commerce in his riding’s rural communities. “We know that wealth starts in rural communities but it often leaves rural communities and we need to change that,” he said. “My job as a Member of Parliament is for people to clearly understand what our needs are and why it benefits all Canadians to start to work on the solutions that help support rural communities. Rural communities are the lifeblood in our nation.” Johns plans to set up constituency offices in Parksville, Port Alberni and Courtenay but said budget constraints would not allow for a West Coast office. “We have to be very respectful
of taxpayers dollars,” he said. He added he will keep in constant contact with West Coast leaders and assured he will remain a West Coaster despite spending a lot of time in Ottawa. “Of course I’ll miss home, it was a big sacrifice to give up living in the community that I love and adore and where my heart is to take on this career change,” he said. “I think about the West Coast everyday. My deep connection to our communities is what motivates and inspires me.” andrew.bailey@westerlynews.ca
OpiniOn pOll What do YOU think?
Visit www.westerlynews.ca to answer this week’s poll question: Do you believe Gord Johns will represent you well in Ottawa?
a) Yes. I was thrilled with the election result. Having a West Coast local in Parliament means our voice will be heard. b) No, I was disappointed with the election result. I do not believe Johns was the right candidate for the job. Last week we asked, ‘Do you agree with the RCMP’s limited duration posting policy?’ 66.7 said ‘No,’ 33.3 said ‘Yes.’
ient:
Page 6 | The Westerly News
CHAMBER CHATTER
Wednesday, November 25, 2015
Ucluelet set to host 2016 Island tourism conference SALLY MOLE
Local Voice
The Ucluelet Chamber of Commerce is proud to announce our bid to host the 2016 Tourism Vancouver Island Conference and AGM was successful! This was announced at the recent 2015 conference and AGM in Campbell River, and in partnership with the District of Ucluelet and Tourism Ucluelet, we hosted a reception after the announcement, which was very well attended, with lots of people excited about coming out to the coast in October. We see this as an opportunity to showcase our members and to share the Ucluelet experience. We were also happy to do some “bonding” with our neighbours from Tofino and the Ucluelet Nation. A great west coast front! As we start preparing for the event, we will be working together with the District of Ucluelet and Tourism Ucluelet to shape a robust and inspiring event that will be an economic boost and a support for our members. I don’t think anyone on the west coast has not noticed a very busy season this year. On our end of the peninsula, our stats show an increase of visitor numbers over 23% at the Pacific Rim Visitor Centre and over 40% at the downtown
office, as of end of October, from the start of the year. While theses statistics are encouraging, it also reflects an increase in the level of service we need to offer. The more visitors through the door, the less “desk work” gets done. We pride ourselves on providing our visitors with great information on all the west coast has to offer, but this does take time. And it can be quite fun! I had a young couple in from the Kootenays, who, after some conversation and a quick text to Australia, we discovered the guy’s Dad had been taught by my Mum in the interior. Another couple that I ran into in the co-op this year who remembered me from last year (they come out every year from Alberta) and then stopped in a couple of times on their month off. How can you not like that? At our recent AGM, we welcomed 3 new directors; John Douglas, Sarah Duncan, and Damien Storm. It was a lovely event; business in the front, networking in the back! These new directors attended our last regular meeting and have brought some fresh energy to the table. Welcome! The Chamber directors have decided to revamp the previous “gala” event into a “Lounge Fever”
event. On November 28, the UCC will be transformed into a lounge style venue, with couches, stand up tables, sit down tables, lamps and side tables/coffee tables. Crazy live auction items, and sweet silent auction items. My personal fave will be the 11 piece band.. Don’t get that often in Ukee! Tickets were on sale ‘til Saturday, you may be lucky to find a board member with a couple tickets in their pocket... We are currently conducting our membership drive and encourage new businesses that may be “chamber curious” to stop by and check us out. We are very focused on connecting members with each other, with other sources of information, and with support networks. We recently held an end of season mingler that saw us putting “people who have accents” together, along with making sure our new resident business owners were made welcome. It was such a success, we look forward to hosting more of these in the future! Please feel free to drop by the chamber office if we can help you in any way....
like housing. We will be working to make our members’ voices heard on housing and other issues through this committee, and directly to council. We are also involved with lobbying regarding the regulatory environment (business licensing, bylaws, signage, parking, etc.) How else do we work to improve business conditions? Through supportive programming, like workshops and programs like the Tofino Ambassador Program, a training program aimed at employees run in conjunction with the Raincoast Education Society. We also host events, like our recent luncheon sponsored by Shelter Restaurant (thanks to Mike Jacobsen and crew!). At this event, we heard from Andrew Hoffman of Mascon, the new owners of Seaview Cable, about upcoming upgrades to services. Ursula Banke from AV Employment gave details on an upcoming local job fair and services her organization provides. That’s just a little on how the Chamber of Commerce in Tofino works for the business community that we exist to improve. In Tofino we’re extremely lucky to be part of a vibrant business community that boasts a high number of business licenses compared to popu-
lation, and also a high ratio of Chamber memberships to number of businesses. If you’re not currently a member and are curious about how we could help grow your business, please contact me at info@tofinochamber.org. We are hosting a General Membership Meeting, Nov. 26 at 7pm. Our agenda for this meeting is to review and update some Chamber bylaws, but it is also an opportunity to come, enjoy some complimentary food and drinks, and socialize with fellow Chamber members. Tourism Tofino is also releasing the results of the 2015 Summer Visitor Experience Survey on the same day starting at 4pm. Please email us to find out more. Jingle into Christmas is coming up quickly; Friday, Dec. 4. Thanks to the District of Tofino, a shuttle bus will once again be available, starting at the Cox Bay Info Centre at 5pm. Chamber/Tourism Tofino members are welcome to email their Jingle events and specials to us at caitlin@tourismtofino.com. Check back often for more special details and see you out jingling!
Sally Mole is the Executive Director of the Ucluelet chamber of commerce.
Tuff chamber ready to jingle JEN DART
Local Voice
50
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SOUTH COAST ROUTES Nov 16 – Dec 19, select sailings* Mon – Thurs and Saturdays
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For full details: Visit bcferries.com or call 1-888-BC FERRY “50% Off Vehicles” promotion is applicable on standard vehicle fares (excludes driver & passenger fares) up to 20 feet in length including motorcycles. *South Coast Routes: Offer valid on select sailings November 16 – December 19, 2015, Monday to Thursday and Saturdays on the following routes: Metro Vancouver; Vancouver Island; Sunshine Coast; Southern Gulf Islands; Northern Gulf Islands, in either direction. †Savings reflect Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay route. **North Coast Routes: Offer is valid on all sailings November 15 – December 20, 2015, on the following routes: Inside Passage; Haida Gwaii; Discovery Coast Connector; Skidegate – Alliford Bay, in either direction. ††Savings reflect Port Hardy to Prince Rupert route. Discount does not apply to extra foot charges for over-length vehicles. Not applicable for buses, commercial vehicles and bicycles. Experience Card and Resident discounts will be increased to match the promotional discount on promotional sailings. Promotion cannot be applied retroactively to existing BC Ferries Vacations package bookings. Limited time offer. Other conditions may apply. Visit bcferries.com for full details on applicable sailings. Reg. 48839.
BC Ferries
Insertion Date: Nov 04, Nov 11, Nov 25, Dec 2
Have you ever wondered how the Chamber of Commerce helps local businesses? It’s a good question, and more than likely you’re not alone if you’re not sure. As a non-profit mainly powered by membership dues, our members have to see value from being part of the Chamber network. The networking opportunities associated with Chamber membership are well known, as is the exposure through our Destination Marketing Organization, Tourism Tofino. What might not be quite so evident is the ways the Chamber works to improve the overall conditions for business in Tofino, and the priorities our members identify as important to them specifically. One of the top priorities for Tofino businesses is affordable and attainable housing. While this issue affects the entire community, it also impacts the ability of businesses to attract and retain the employees they need, both in the summer and throughout the year. The Chamber is part of the Community Economic Development Advisory Committee, a committee of Tofino council struck to advise on economic development issues
Jen Dart is the Executive Director of the Tofino chamber of commerce.
The Westerly News | Page 7
Wednesday, November 25, 2015
y y l l r r ete t s s E E e e F F WWLILI
ANDREW BAILEY PHOTO From left Monika Scott, holding Betty June Scott, and Angie Roussin, holding Scupper, get stoked on Ucluelet’s upcoming Midnight Madness festivities outside Roussin’s popular clothing store Pina Boutique and Gallery.
Ukee ready to rock Midnight Madness Locals encouraged to ‘Try Home First’ during Christmas shopping season ANDREW BAILEY
Westerly News
Santa’s elves can’t do it all so Ukee’s local businesses are getting ready to spread good cheer by plummeting prices at this year’s Midnight Madness event. The event is set for Friday, Nov. 27, and West Coasters are champing at the bit to start crossing off their Christmas shopping lists. Courtenay-Alberni MP Gord Johns is hoping to see a huge turnout at both Friday’s Midnight Madness event in Ucluelet as well as Tofino’s Jingle into Christmas event on Dec. 4.
He told the Westerly News that it’s vital for locals to get out and support their local shops and businesses and keep their Christmas dollars in town. “It’s so important that people support local businesses,” he said. “Small business is the economic engine of our economy and certainly in Courtenay- Alberni and our small communities, if we’re going to maintain healthy communities we need to support local business. That money circulates in our communities and we don’t need it leaking out and being spent out of town.” He said spending money locally
helps create jobs and opportunities for locals. “They’re the people that contribute to keeping our communities alive and vibrant so we need to support small business,” he said. “These events are really important, especially in the shoulder season…and it’s certainly very important that everybody gets out and supports their local businesses.” Ucluelet chamber of commerce executive director Sally Mole is stoked for the upcoming shopping festivities and cited a phrase adopted by the Port Alberni Chamber of Commerce that
encourages locals to, ‘Try home first.’ “Home is where your community is, it’s where your families gather, and when you shop you’re supporting home,” Mole said. “When you buy local you are supporting the families and the people that live here and that’s just a good thing.” She added Midnight Madness brings locals “great specials and great deals,” and a chance to reconnect with their neighbours. “You’re out shopping at night which is kind of unique and fun and you’re reconnecting. You run into people and see people you
probably haven’t seen after a busy summer season and you get a chance to connect and catch up,” she said. She added the event helps locals find special and unique tastes of Ucluelet to send to out of town friends and family. “For Christmas shopping, I always like to send things from Ukee back to my family in Australia or Alberta. I think that’s a great thing,” she said. andrew.bailey@westerlynews.ca
Page 8 | The Westerly News
Wednesday, November 25, 2015
The Westerly News | Page 9
Wednesday, November 25, 2015
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Page 10 | The Westerly News
Wednesday, November 25, 2015
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Wednesday, November 25, 2015
We Day inspires Tuff girl’s Walk to Change ANDREW BAILEY
Westerly News
An inspiring 11 year-old Tofino local walked from her hometown to Ucluelet last week in an effort to raise money for children who can’t access clean water. Toby Theriault took about 10 hours to complete her Walk to Change, which she kicked off at 7 a.m. on Nov. 20. “I walked from Tofino to Ucluelet to support dry countries where children have to walk a really long way everyday to get water that may not be clean for their families,” she told the Westerly. Theriault has raised over $3,500 since launching her Walk to Change campaign to help Free the Children’s efforts to bring access to food, water and education to youth throughout the world. She hopes to see local support boost her total to $5,000 by the campaign’s end on Dec. 3 because, according to Free the Children’s website, $5,000 is enough to build a community well in an area of need. “If you think about it, you take a lot of things for granted when you’re here because we’re so lucky to live here. You turn on the tap and you have water and I realized a lot of people can’t do that. Why can’t everyone be like us,” she asked. “A reason to donate is if you want other people to be as lucky as us because there’s a lot of people out there who aren’t.” She said her experience at Oct. 21’s We Day conference in Vancouver inspired her to take action. All three of the West Coast’s schools are We Schools, which
offer students year-round opportunities to pursue global change and local volunteerism. BC’s We Schools celebrate together at Vancouver’s annual We Day event. “You can’t buy tickets to We Day you have to get them through doing something and making a change in the world like raising money or through service,” Theriault said. This year’s roster of We Day speakers included Canadian Astronaut Chris Hadfield and actress Marlee Matlin, according to We Day’s website. Theriault is a member of her school’s We Team and participates in a variety of fundraising campaigns. “I have a really amazing teacher, her name is Ms. Morris and she really likes fundraising,” she said. She said a book her class read last year also inspired her. “We read a book called A Long Walk to Water, it’s about the war in Sudan and a girl called Nya who really inspired me…She walked a really long way everyday to get water and then when she brought the water home her sister drank it and got very ill because it wasn’t good water,” she said. She added water is heavy and not easy to carry. With this inspiration behind her, she walked from her home to the Cox Bay Visitor Centre then to Incinerator Rock and along Long Beach to the Kwisitis Visitors Centre before heading up Wick Road to the junction and taking Ucluelet’s bike path for the rest of the way. “My parents were really supportive, my dad walked the whole
ANDREW BAILEY PHOTO 11-year-old Tofino local Toby Theriault, centre holding sign, walked from Tofino to Ucluelet last week to raise money and awareness for children around the world who are living without access to clean water.
way with me,” she said adding, “My mom was an amazing support crew.” She said various friends and supporters joined her for stretches of her journey and Tofino’s Sobo restaurant brought food to keep her nourished and moving forward. “Everyone was so supportive, I’m really happy about that,” she said. “It was all so nice to have everyone walking with us. It made it really fun and rewarding.” Theriault’s fundraising started with her collecting pledges and donations in a jar and she then struck up a GoFundMe campaign online and turned to social media for additional support. “I’ve raised over $2,000 through social media and raised about $1,500 through pledges,” she said. “Social media is everywhere,
everyone has social media so as soon as it was on social media everyone knew and everyone was really supportive.” She added locals don’t need to wait for a fundraiser to land in their backyard to support those in need. “You don’t have to have somebody in your town doing a fundraiser, you can donate by yourself online,” she said. “There are so many online campaigns.” She added her We School’s efforts also support locals and cited a Halloween Food Drive the students launched to help their local food bank. “We Day isn’t just about people from other countries that you want to help, We Day is for everyone who needs it,” she said. “Even in Tofino there’s people who don’t have enough money and are really hungry.”
She said she was exhausted after her walk and very sore the next day but she plans to do it again next year. “It was totally worth it. I really want to do this again next year,” she said. “It was really fun and I raised a lot of money. I’m just going to do it for different causes.” She added the walk made her realize how lucky locals are to have cars. “We should think more about how lucky we are,” she said. “Cars take you so far so fast and you should be really thankful for having one if you do.” More information about We Day can be found at www.weday. com and more information about Free the Children can be found at www.freethechildren.com. andrew.bailey@westerlynews.ca
Edge-to-Edge heading back to the beach
Tofino remains out of the running for marathon ANDREW BAILEY
Westerly News
The Pacific Rim National Park is back in the running for the West Coast’s marquee marathon event. The Park is in preliminary talks with Ucluelet about putting Long Beach back in the Edge-to-Edge Marathon’s race route and the two parties are expected to hash out an agreement in time for 2016’s run, according to Park spokesperson Kiri Westnedge. “Over the coming months we will work with race organizers and the district of Ucluelet to formalize an agreement and to identify a race route that offers a fabulous experience for runners while respecting the ecological values of the park reserve,” she said. The Park was once a prominent Edge-to-Edge feature but was removed in 2014 when the Tofino to Ucluelet race was adjusted into a Ucluelet-only course.
Westnedge said the Park is excited to get back in. “The Edge-to-Edge Marathon is an excellent way for runners and spectators to experience the outstanding natural beauty of Pacific Rim National Park Reserve,” she said. “The event showcases the Park Reserve and region as a destination for people looking to connect with nature and enjoy an active lifestyle.” She touted Long Beach as an excellent setting for runners to enjoy. “Long stretches of hard packed, silver sand, the ocean breeze, waves crashing nearby, and the earthy smell of the encroaching rainforest provide a unique running experience and an incredible way to connect with one of Canada’s natural places,” she said. “The Edge-to-Edge Marathon is a unique adventure race, and Pacific Rim National Park Reserve provides
the spectacular scenic backdrop. Runners won’t notice the kilometres roll by as they take in the natural splendour of Pacific Rim National Park Reserve’s wild coastline.” Ucluelet chamber of commerce executive director Sally Mole said the Park’s excitement is shared by both the marathon’s race committee and marathoners who have missed putting their feet in the sand. “We did hear from some runners that they liked the run on the beach so we wanted to incorporate some beach time,” she said. She suggested marathon runners would start at Long Beach and head towards Ucluelet and the Wild Pacific Trail. “We’d only have a couple of kilometres on the highway before we hit the bike path and then we can deke out onto the Wild Pacific Trail so it should be a safe route and a fun route,” she said. “You get beach, a little bit of bike
path and then the trail.” She said Ucluelet also had talks with Tofino about spreading the event across both towns again but the idea was ultimately crossed out. “We had some preliminary discussions about that. It was not logistically feasible and it remains logistically unfeasible,” she said. She said the costs associated with incorporating both towns, along with dangerous stretches of Pacific Rim Highway, make including Tofino a costly venture. “There’s a section of the road that would require some pretty serious safety precautions,” she said adding additional buses and Porta-potties would be needed. “It just adds to the expense of the race.” Last year’s marathon cost about $25,000 to run, according to Mole. Changing the course into a Ucluelet-only affair in 2014 cost the marathon its status as a Boston Marathon qualifier but Mole said
the race society is not itching to bring that status back. “People that want to qualify for Boston want to do an easy race. This is not an easy race,” she said. “No hardcore runner is using it for a qualifier because they just can’t get the time so I don’t see that being a factor at all and I don’t think there’s a will from the committee to bring that back.” She noted the marathon brings a valuable activity-surge to local businesses and showcases the region as an attractive vacation destination. “We see a lot of repeat customers but that being said we see some new ones that come in and those people come back because they experience the West Coast feel and they love it and it’s a great family destination so they bring their families back,” she said. andrew.bailey@westerlynews.ca
Page 12 | The Westerly News
Wednesday, November 25, 2015
Community Calendar
To put your event in our Community Calendar email us at office@westerlynews.ca or call 250-726-7029 25 WEDNESDAY Seniors Social Afternoons, 1:30-4 p.m., Tofino Legion. St. Columba Church, 7 p.m. 26 THURSDAY Healthy Babies Program/ Family Ties, 10:30 a.m, UCC. Ucluelet AA 8 p.m. Holy Family Church, Peninsula Rd. The Edge Youth Room, 3–6p.m., UCC. Know Before You Go, Making Better Decisions in Avalanche Terrain, Colin Zacharias, Raincoast Education Society Speaker Series. 7:30pm, Tofino Botanical Gardens. 27 FRIDAY MIDNIGHT MADNESS! Local shops will hold special deals for Ucluelet to get its Christmas shopping on.
Bingo, Tofino Legion, 7:30 p.m. Arty Party, 9-11 p.m., Common Loaf Bake Shop Tofino. The Edge Youth Room, 2–6p.m.UCC. 28 SATURDAY St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, 5:30 p.m. AA meeting, 7:30pm, St. Francis, Tofino. 29 SUNDAY Christ Community Church, 10:30am, 1419 Peninsula Rd.Ucluelet. Grace Bible Church, 10:30am, UCC. Holy Family Church–10 a.m. St. Lawrence Church, 11:00 a.m. Ahousaht. St. Columba Church, 10:30 a.m
United/Anglican Service, 4 p.m. UCC. Tofino Bible Fellowship, 10:30 a.m. Tofino Legion. 30 MONDAY Ucluelet AA, 8pm. Holy Family. 1 TUESDAY Healthy Babies Program/ Family Ties, 10:30am. Coastal Family Place, UCC. The Edge Youth Room, 3–6pm, UCC. Youth night, 7-9pm, Tofino Legion. Youth night ANAF Ucluelet. AA meeting, 7:30pm, St. Francis Church, 441 Main, Tofino. St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, 5 p.m.
TheUcluelet Westerly News News | PageA13 13 Wed, Nov 25, 2015 Western
Wednesday, November 25, 2015
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Page 14 | The Westerly News
Wednesday, November 25, 2015
Lest We Forget Chapter 2: Opa’s journey Note: This is part two of Julius Smolder’s Lest We Forget series for the Westerly News. In part one, which appeared in the Westerly’s Nov. 18 issue, Smolders delved into his father’s history; now he shares his mother’s route to Canada.
JULIUS SMOLDERS
Local Voice
“Opa” had bought a farm, sight unseen, in the Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia. It was the mid-1930s near Amsterdam, the Netherlands. There was more than just beer brewing in Europe. Once again, tensions were high among neighbouring countries, war was in the air. Opa believed he had three choices for his family: South Africa - but they too, appeared to have tensions of their own brewing; Australia - but that was on the other side of the world; and Canada. Canada offered freedom, hope, and opportunity. The choice became clear and Opa signed the papers to purchase a farm, sight unseen, in Aylesford, Nova Scotia, Canada. It was 3rd of May, 1938, when Opa, Oma and their seven children departed Rotterdam for the Trans Atlantic voyage aboard a CP Steamships Line passenger vessel to Montreal, Canada. Each carried one suitcase of belongings, Opa and Oma having two suitcases each. The ship arrived
in the Port of Montreal on May 15, 1938, after a twelve-day voyage across the Atlantic and up the St. Lawrence River. Having cleared customs, they made their way to the Moreau Street Station where they could find the train that runs from Montreal to Halifax. The train itself was reasonably comfortable for their journey, and certainly not crowed by European standards. It would depart early, rolling throughout that day and night, arriving in Halifax on the following afternoon. Pulling out of Montreal, their hopes and dreams mixed with anticipation and apprehension. As the train proceeded eastward, it passed through farmland, then forests, and then wilderness. Travelling across the largely undeveloped countryside of eastern Canada, dotted only with the occasional church spire and small town, Opa had never seen such vast expanses of landscape. He began to worry; “Oh my goodness” he thought. “What have I done?” He feared his farm may simply be a tract of land somewhere in the wilderness of Nova Scotia. The farm in Aylesford was a mix of apple orchard, fields of vegetables, and a few dairy cows. The trip between the Annapolis Valley and the markets of Halifax was a four-hour road trip in the farm truck, each way. In time, they
became self sufficient. At some point between 1939 and 1942, there was a large fire. The farmhouse was destroyed and then rebuilt. If nothing else, Dutch farmers were tenacious and hard working. As a young boy, the youngest of five, I was keenly aware of the circumstances of how my mother and father met. At the age of 22, ‘Annie’ as she was known, had moved to Halifax with her older sister, having secured a position as store clerk at Woolworth’s. Annie and her sister Grete were walking arm-in-arm down Barrington Street one spring afternoon, when she suddenly slipped on a discarded banana peel, falling backward. Now there just so happened to be two young Belgian sailors who were walking along behind. As Annie slipped and fell, she was caught up in the arms of one of those Belgian sailors, my father, Albert. Holding her secure in his arms, he looked into her eyes; it was love at first sight. That is their story, and I’m sticking to it. Albert visited the farm, met the family, and began his courtship. On July 17, 1943, Annie and Albert were married. A few short weeks after their wedding, at the entrance of the brick-lined pedestrian tunnel that passed under the railway tracks, leading to the
ANDREW BAILEY PHOTO
Julius Smolders’ mother Annie used this passport to travel from the Netherlands and start a new life in Canada in 1938.
Halifax waterfront, Annie said good bye to her husband. He was re-joining his ship, the SS LEOPOLDVILLE, returning to England and the war. The wars years progressed and several of the older boys joined the Canadian Army to serve in some capacity, though I don’t know to what extent. Uncle Max, old enough to drive the farm truck yet too young to enlist, stayed home to help run the farm. Annie settled into an apartment on South Park Street, waiting for her husband to return. He was one of the lucky ones; on Feb 15, 1945, Albert returned ‘home’ to Canada After the war, my mother and
father settled in Rockingham, on the outskirts of Halifax, where they raised five children in their one and only family home. As new Canadians, they had a good life enjoying the freedoms they had fought for. This great country of ours provided refuge, freedom and opportunity to my immigrant parents. My mother passed away from a sudden illness in 1965, just one week prior to her 46th birthday. The rest, as they say, is history. Lest we forget. Julius Smolders is a Ucluelet local.
BIRD RESCUED, continued from page 1 Mackey told the Westerly the sanctuary receives a lot of wildlife related calls but few like McCurdy’s. “I’ve learned in my years doing this that you get some very interesting phone calls,” she said. “Most people don’t go to that extent to help wildlife so it’s awesome when we hear of people like this.” She added McCurdy likely saved the fulmar’s life. “If they’re struggling in the water, they can struggle to the point of exhaustion and they can die from that so it was awesome that he was able to get that guy out,” she said. McCurdy said he swam about 100 metres to the bird and brought it back to the aquarium, where it was toweled off and placed in a ventilated box to rest. “It was actually pretty simple,” he said. “He was definitely very tired when I got up to him. He, kind of, eyed me up and I eyed him up before I grabbed him but he didn’t really struggle too much.” The fulmar spent the night with aquarium curator Laura Griffith-Cochrane and was released the following morning. “He was looking pretty good in
the morning when we let him go,” McCurdy said. He downplayed his heroics. “I wanted to help him out. It looked like he was having trouble and I figured I could help so why not? It wasn’t a big deal for me to get out there and get him,” he said. “I’m glad I could help him out but it was a simple thing for me to do to get him out of there and give him another chance.” He encourages anyone who sees an animal in trouble to contact the aquarium at 250-726-2782 or info@uclueletaquarium.org. “They’re welcome to call us up to ask questions about it and we can either help out with what’s going on or at least direct them to the proper organizations,” he said. Mackey said she usually encourages people to bring animals into the bird rehab centre in Errington but acknowledged that while it is the closest centre to the West Coast, the commute is tough for West Coasters to make. “We don’t have staff or volunteers in that area so we really have to rely on people to call us,” she said. “People can call with questions or problems and we’ll try and help them out.” The centre can be reached at
CATHY PARSONS PHOTO This little fulmar would likely have drowned if Ucluelet local Andrew McCurdy hadn’t dove in to save it.
250-248-1274. Fulmars are small birds measuring roughly 50-centimetres-long and Mackay said, like most seabirds, they are rarely seen from the shore. “We don’t see a lot of them but
generally we do get calls about that type of bird after windstorms when they’ve been blown off course,” she said. “We’ll get calls from the Tofino area from people who have found seabirds on shore after a storm.
Usually they’re not injured, they’ve just been blown onto shore and a lot of those birds can’t physically take off from land.” andrew.bailey@westerlynews.ca
The Westerly News | Page 15
Wednesday, November 25, 2015
Tofino has a ball at Pickleball ‘Try It Day’ NORA O’MALLEY
Westerly News
Weekdays 10 - 5:30 • Saturdays 10 - 5
NORA O’MALLEY PHOTOS Tofino celebrated Canada’s national Sports Day by hosting a pickleball open house at the Community Hall on Nov. 21.
it’s very social,” she said. With laughter being the notable outcome after each rally, it’s plain to see why Fraser and Speight are hooked on the convivial pastime. Still, while it might come with a whimsical name and friendly inclination, competitive prowess is not completely outlawed on the pickleball court. “The sport is evolving. People are getting a lot better. Initially, people were just trying to hit it over the net, but as you are able to do that, now you’re starting to put top spin and under spin,” said Tofino local and avid pickleball
player Gurmail Aujla. The Tofino Pickleball Club meets four times a week. Saturday and Monday, 9-11 a.m. at the Tofino Community Hall; Thursday 6-8 p.m. at the Tofino Community Hall; and Tuesday 5:15-7 p.m. at Wickaninnish Community School. All ages are welcome and equipment is provided. For more information, contact Gurmail: gurmailsaujla@gmail. com. nora.omalley@westerlynews.ca
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There was a pickleball open house at the Tofino Community Hall this Saturday, Nov. 21, to celebrate RBC Sports Day in Canada – a nationwide event that encourages Canadians to get out and play. Tofino retiree Duncan Speight has been playing the easy-going racquet sport with his wife, Betty Wilson, since June. He says he enjoys it both for the cardio and the social aspect. “I find after an hour to an hourand-a-half of playing this, you’ve had a good little workout. You’re breathing and your heart rate is up,” said Speight. Pickleball blends the rules of tennis and badminton, and the instruments of play include an oversized table tennis racket, a wiffle ball, and a lowered badminton net. Originally invented in the summer of 1965 by Joel Pritchard from Washington state, pickleball is easy to learn and easy on the body, making it especially popular with the baby booming generation. “The wife of the guy who invented the game, she made some comment about it looking like a pickle boat coming and that’s how they named it,” said Donna Fraser, one of the pickleball try-it day event organizers. “A lot of people just can’t play tennis anymore because their knees can’t take it, so it’s a smaller game, but still lots of fun ‘cause
Page 16 | The Westerly News
Wednesday, November 25, 2015
V-Ball girls reach ‘Big Show’
USS’ senior girls volleyball team is heading to the provincials. LUCIA LYONS
beaten them earlier in the year and were hoping we would be able to get by them easily. Not the case, the game went to a 3rd set where we squeaked a 17-15 win. Too close! However, this placed us in the top 4. Our next game was against Aspengrove, the 1st place team in Pool B. We played them twice this year and we lost both times. So, going into the match we were a little nervous. This game also went to a 3rd match, where we were able to squeak the win 15-13. Again much too close! After winning this match we knew that we were going to the Provincials, as the top 2 teams were automatically in. So,
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Local Voice The Ucluelet Senior Girls’ volleyball team travelled to Duncan last weekend to participate in the Single “A” Volleyball Island Championship. There were 10 teams from all over the Island participating in the tournament. Friday’s round robin had us, playing against Duncan Christian, Brodeur, Queen Margaret, and Port Hardy. At the end of the round robin, we had won against Brodeur, Queen Margaret, and Port Hardy with just one loss against Duncan Christian, placing us 2nd below Duncan. In the playoff on Saturday, our 1st match was against Chemainus. We had
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when we won the game against Aspengrove there were a lot of tears (of joy), and as the coach, I must admit that they were coming from me too!! Tournament All-Stars were Megan Fortune, and Laterra Lawson. After 6 years of coaching, I must say we finally “made it” to the “Big Show” and I couldn’t be happier for the girls, as they worked very hard this year to make it their year to shine. I am so proud to be their coach. So, next stop Provincials, being held in Castlegar – wish us luck!!! Lucia Lyons is the coach of the USS Girls’ volleyball team.