vol2issue39

Your Weekly Source for News and Events

Vol. 2/Issue 39

The Upper

September 30, 2005

Columbia

P IONEER

FR

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

Contents News

2

Perspective

6

Sports

12

Classifieds

16

Search and rescue

A day at the beach

4 Spreading hope

10 Giving Grant

19

Brandi Ponych and daughter Jersey enjoy an autumn day at Lake Windermere.

Photo by Lisa Ede, Raven Media

ONCE YOU START SAVING, YOUR MONEY WILL MULTIPLY. Start saving, even a little bit at a time, and you’ll be surprised how fast your savings will grow. Soon enough you’ll be able to afford the things you want most. Need help? Call us.

2 • The Upper Columbia Pioneer

September 30, 2005

VALLEY

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Home Hardware

Building Centre 342-6908

TIP OF THE WEEK Tom says, “Home Hardware has a great selection of chimney cleaning products and fire logs.”

WE’VE GOT YOUR LUMBER.

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Teachers pull back from job duties

By Adrian Bergles Pioneer Staff Teachers in the Rocky Mountain School District cut back their services on Wednesday after teachers across the province voted 88 percent in favor of strike action last week.

Anne Jardine, head of the local Windermere Teachers’ Association, did not provide the local numbers, but said they were similar to those in other areas of the province.

“I can assure you our numbers are not soft,” she said. Ms. Jardine said 100 percent of active teachers in the area took the vote.

The strike will be enacted in stages, she said. The first phase of the strike began this week with teachers refusing to perform 23 different services like recess supervision, attending staff meetings, or preparing report cards.

“We’re hoping that two weeks of looking after every recess will put pressure on the employers,” said Ms. Jardine.

School clubs and sports activities will not be affected, she said. “I don’t think phase one will directly affect students,” she says.

Rocky Mountain School District superintendent Bendina Miller said this week her administration was working to prepare for the strike.

“Our principals are in the process of finalizing the supervision schedules,” she said.

Ms. Miller said she is in regular contact with the British Columbia Public School Employers’ Association, the group negotiating with the British Columbia Teachers’ Federation, but can’t speculate when a resolution might be reached.

“There will be a resolution, whether it’s an agreement at the table or legislation,” she says Since the Public School Employers’ Association was created in the early 1990s, every teachers’ contract has been legislated.

Ms. Jardine said teachers are intent on breaking that chain. “I’ve never seen this level of determination before,” she said.

Columbia River-Revelstoke MLA Norm Macdonald says past contracts legislated by government haven’t worked.

“The government moved quickly to legislation with the last contract,” he said. “They gave a sevenper-cent raise but took away guarantees for minimum standards for classrooms.”

The main concerns are classroom sizes and a wage increase. The Public School Employers’ Association is offering no wage increase, and currently there are no restrictions on class sizes from grades four to 12.

Rosemary Oaks, Chair of the David Thompson Secondary School Parent Advisory Council, said groups like hers are keeping abreast of the issue.

“We had a meeting last Wednesday to discuss what might happen,” she said. She said parents are concerned what a strike will mean for their children and for themselves, but are confident phase one of the strike will not affect them greatly.

“There is concern in the back of our minds,” she said.

Phase two, which would begin in two weeks, would involve rotating strikes with teachers missing one or two days each week.

Phase three, starting four weeks from now, would mean a full work stoppage.

HOME HOLIDAYS FOR THE

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The Upper Columbia Pioneer • 3

September 30, 2005

NEWS

panachesuites.com

Developers to pay for drilling

By Adrian Bergles Pioneer Staff The District of Invermere has agreed to go forward with a proposal by Fossil Water Corporation, a Calgary water company, to find a new source of groundwater in Athalmer.

The deal, called the Athalmer Cooperative Well Project, was endorsed by council at a special meeting last Friday after being reviewed by lawyers.

Working on behalf of several developers, Fossil Water will use information provided by the District of Invermere and Global Earth Solutions, a geology company previously hired by Pointe of View Developments to do groundwater research.

Pointe of View are the developers of the proposed high-density Lake Windermere Pointe project in Athalmer.

In an interview Tuesday, Brian Nickurak, the district’s Municipal Works Director, said under the agreement any successful wells would become property of the district. “This water will become the district’s to distribute,” he said.

Mr. Nickurak said the district will not pay for any of the research and production of a well in Athalmer.

He said developers who fund the project will be reimbursed in development cost charge credit upon the completion of a successful well. Development cost charges are fees the district imposes on developers to help pay

for infrastructure costs associated with building.

If the wells prove unsuccessful, no credit will be given. “No water, no credits,” says Mr. Nickurak.

Mr. Nickurak said any water that comes from the well must, at minimum, meet Health Canada’s Canadian drinking water quality guidelines and the well must produce adequate volume to satisfy the district.

Bill Berzins, president of Fossil Water, said the location of any new wells and the timeframe for drilling has not yet been determined.

“We’ll be convening experts over the next week or two to determine the best drilling location,” he said by telephone on Monday.

He said his firm will be relying on advice from Global Earth Solutions and Golder Associates, an engineering consulting firm also employed by the district. “Those two are on board for now,” he said.

The Athalmer Cooperative Well Project is the district’s counter-proposal to three earlier proposals put forward by Fossil Water. One of the earlier proposals included shared public/private ownership of any successful wells in Athalmer.

“It’s preferable to the district that we have control over the wells,” said Mr. Nickurak.

Doug McIntosh of Radium, project director of Lake Windermere Pointe, says while there are no guarantees, the development community is confident water will be found in Athalmer.

“There is no risk to the taxpayer,” he says.

Invermere man killed by grizzly

By Pioneer Staff Local residents were shocked and saddened to hear that Invermere man Arthur Louie, 60, was killed in a recent grizzly bear attack about 100 kilometres southeast of Prince George.

His body was found by Prince George Conservation Officers early Thursday morning, September 22nd.

Mr. Louie, a prospector, was working out of a remote camp.

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He was found by conservation officers in the woods adjacent to a remote logging road, his broken-down vehicle seven kilometres away.

“It is apparent from the investigation that he surprised a sow with two cubs at very close quarters,” said Bob Coyle, Prince George’s senior Conservation Officer.

Mr. Louie is survived by his wife Jacqueline and two daughters Andra and Meisha.

A service for Mr. Louie will be held at Christ Church Trinity at 2 p.m., Monday, October 10th.     GOLD: ($1000) SILVER: ($500) BRONZE: ($250)

TOP CROP SANDOR EQUIPMENT RENTAL STEEPLES VETERINARY CLINIC ROBERTSON & CO DR. DAVID BURWASH CRANBROOK VETERINARY HOSPITAL INVERMERE VETERINARY HOSPITAL GOLD CREEK VETERINARY CLINIC LAMBERT INSURANCE AGENCY LAMBERT KIPP PHARMACY 

               

Radium Hot Springs Esso AUTOMOTIVE REPAIRS 7 days/week

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7507 Main St. West, Radium Box 159, 8853 Grainger Road Canal Flats, BC V0B 1B0 Phone (250) 349-5462 Fax (250) 349-5460 Email: canalflats@telus.net

PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE The Council of the Village of Canal Flats is considering an application by Tridem Holdings Ltd to amend the Canal Flats Official Settlement Plan and Upper Columbia Valley Zoning Bylaws. If approved, the amendments will change the land use designation and rezone the properties. The subject property is Lot 1, Plan NEP78686, District Lot 110, Kootenay District located at 4849 Burns Avenue.

Bylaw No. 46 cited as “Village of Canal Flats – Canal Flats Official Settlement Plan Bylaw, 1981 - Amendment Bylaw No. 46, 2005 (Tridem Holdings)” will change the land use designation of the property from R-1 (MH) Single Family (Mobile Home) to M Medium Density Residential.

Bylaw No. 47 cited as “Village of Canal Flats Upper Columbia Valley Zoning Bylaw No. 900, 1992 - Amendment Bylaw No. 47, 2005 (Tridem Holdings)” will rezone the property from the R-1(MH) Single Family Residential Mobile Home zone to a new R-4 B Multiple Family Residential – Medium Density zone.

The public hearing will be held at: Canal Flats Civic Centre 8909 Dunn Street Canal Flats, BC Wednesday, October 5th, 2005 at 7:00 pm If you believe that your interest in property is affected by the proposed Bylaw, you may, prior to the hearing: • inspect the Bylaw and supporting information at the Village Office in Canal Flats from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm Tuesday through Friday; • mail, fax or email written submissions to the addresses/ numbers shown above; or • present written and/or verbal submissions at the hearing.

SUBMISSIONS CANNOT BE ACCEPTED AFTER THE PUBLIC HEARING All written submissions are public information pursuant to the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. This notice is not an interpretation of the Bylaw. For further information please contact the Village office.



Bruce Woodbury Administrator September 13, 2005

The Upper Columbia Pioneer • 5

September 30, 2005

Pioneer briefs The location of a public hearing regarding a potential housing development adjacent to the Mount Nelson Athletic Park has been changed.

Originally set for 7 p.m. October 3rd at the Invermere Community Centre, the meeting will now take place inside council chambers at the district office. The date and time have not been changed.

Quiniscoe Homes has applied to have four parcels of land rezoned to allow town homes on the site, requiring a bylaw change.

District of Invermere’s Director of Development Services Meredith Hamstead told council on September 13th that a public hearing was needed because the project has met “substantial resistance from local property owners.” ** * A meeting of mountain bikers hopeful of starting a collective is planned for the Invermere Chamber of Commerce office at the crossroads at 7 p.m. October 6th.

“What I’m trying to do is put together a group to organize the trails we ride,” says Darcy Lehr, maintenance manager at Panorama and the club’s organizer.

He says development threatens many local bike trails. “We’re losing them,” he says. “We could lose all our trails without having a voice.”

Mr. Lehr hopes the proposed non-profit group can attract the attention of the district.

“Mountain biking is a viable part of the tourism base,” he says. “It just needs to be developed.”

For more information call Darcy at 341-1331. ** * Toby Theatre owners Ron and Elizabeth Peters would like citizens of Invermere who support them in their refusal to comply with the district’s sign bylaw to let the mayor and council know how they feel.

“We’d like people to visit our website and send the District an email or a letter,” Mrs. Peters said this week.

The future of the Toby is in question since the district decided to enforce the sign bylaw, originally passed in 2001. The bylaw states all Invermere businesses must register their signs.

The District would like businesses to comply with the bylaw in order to regulate the number and size of signs around town.

Although none of The Toby Theatre’s signs must be changed, the owners nevertheless have maintained they will close the 53-year-old business rather than register them and pay a $45 fee.

At issue are the advertising posters that the Peters place in the theatre’s windows. “What we want is some common sense,” Mrs. Peters said. “Our windows are not signs.”

The Peters have posted a copy of a letter sent to Meredith Hamstead, the town’s planner, on their website and plan on posting any future correspondence.

“We’re not trying to hide anything,” Mrs. Peters said. The Toby Theater is online at www.tobytheatre.com.

Fashion Benefit for Spring Featuring clothing from

Stober’s Department Store & the Radium Resort’s Famous “Pasta Night” Cuisine

Wednesday, November 2nd.

Dinner 6pm - 7:30pm Fashion Show 7:30pm Tickets available at Stober’s $30.00/person

All proceeds from the evening will benefit Spring’s recovery fund.

The Grief �♥ Recovery ®Outreach Program Weather your loss is from: • Death • Loss of Relationship • Loss of Trust • Any Other Significant Loss Family Resource Centre & KDS Consulting

Info Session Tuesday, October 11th at 7:30 Pm Valley Connections 625 4th Street, Invermere (Next to FRC)

For more info (250) 342-4242

District of Invermere ���������������� ������������������������������������� ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ ���������������������������������������������������� ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� ����������������������� ��� ���� ��� ��� ������ ��� ����� ������ ����� ������������� ����� ����� ������� ������� ��������������������������������������������������������������������� ��� ���� ��� ��� ������ ��� ����� ����� ����� ������������� ����� ����� ������� ������� ���������������������������������������������������������������������� ��� ����� �������� ��� ���� ��� ������ ��� ��� ������ ��� ����� ����� ����� ������������� ����� ��� ������������������������������������������������������������������������ ����� �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� ��������������������������������������������������������������� ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������� �������������������� ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� �������� ���� �������� �������� ����� ������ ��� ���� ���������� �������� ���������� ��� ����� ����� ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ ������������������������������������ ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� ���������������������������������������������������������������� �������� ���������� ���� ����� ���� �������� ������������������ ��� ���� �������� ����� ����� ��������� ��� ������ ����������� ��� �������� ��� ���� ��������� ������� ������������������������������������������� �������������������������������������������������� ��� ����������� ��� �������� �������� ����� ������ ���������������������������������������������� ������������������������������������ ������� ����� ����� ������ ��������������� �������� ������������������������������������������������ ����������������������� ���������������������������������� �������������������������������� P.O. BOX 339, 914 8th AVENUE, INVERMERE, B.C. V0A1K0

TELEPHONE: (250) 342-9281 FAX: (250) 342-2934

6 • The Upper Columbia Pioneer

September 30, 2005

PERSPECTIVE Historical Lens

North West Mounted Police camp at Fort Steele 1887.

Photos from the Ede Family Collection

At home in the valley

By Adrian Bergles Pioneer Staff As I sit down to write this editorial, the leaves on the trees surrounding the Pioneer office are a lovely shade of yellow. Many of them lie on the ground and in the gutters in the street.

Autumn is here. It’s hard to believe, really. Another summer has passed by, the sun burning up the warm months and leaving us with the cool, mellow fall we’re all enjoying.

It’s been five months now since my girlfriend Stephanie and I loaded up our pickup and came west from Saskatchewan to begin our new lives in the Columbia Valley.

Over those past months we’ve started a home in a new province, and made some terrific friends that help make this place feel more like home all the time.

Over the first summer of my journalism career I have enjoyed some great personal experiences like chili-testing at the Spilli Chilli Cookoff, riding in and writing about my first downhill mountain bike race at Panorama, riding along with Radium RCMP Constable Rob Weaver and even taking the Invermere Volunteer Fire Department’s entry test.

The valley has been the setting

for all of those great moments and it has truly been a thrill to experience so much of what makes this place great.

Along with those positive experiences there have been some tragedies that have required careful and sensitive treatment. For me, personal tragedies are the toughest part of my job. I’m still trying to come to terms with how to balance the public’s need to know with protecting personal privacy.

An example is Spring Hawes’ accident. At first the details surrounding the accident made me uneasy. I am a mountain biker myself and it is not fun reporting on another rider’s misfortune.

As the story unfolded, however, I realized the press could play an important role in reflecting and informing on this community’s generous response to Spring’s tragedy. It has been a pleasure to report on the outpouring of support Spring has received.

Of course there’s never a shortage of news stories to write. A resident cougar and the water shortage have kept us here at The Pioneer busy all summer.

In a short time I have become quite comfortable in my valley surroundings.

It has been my pleasure to bring you the news over the past few months and I look forward to continuing that work in the future, one season at a time.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR Dear Editor: I read your article a couple of weeks ago discussing the high gas prices and how they affect the valley, but I think there is more to be concerned about than just gas prices.

Gas prices going up is the symptom to the problem and the problem is “Peak Oil.” Yes, things like Hurricane Katrina have caused momentary blips in the price of fuel as did the power blackout of 2003, as did the OPEC oil embargo of the 70s, as will other smaller crises, but the big crisis about to present it self is Peak Oil. Peak oil is the point at which the world has reached its maximum oil production capacity and therefore can no longer meet the global demand for oil. At that point we have not run out of oil but we can’t keep up with demand. When supply can’t keep up with demand the product becomes expensive.

Cheap oil is what has been running our society for the last 100 years and without cheap oil the growth we have been experiencing in not sustainable. Everything from the food we eat (pesticides and fertilizers are made from fossil fuels), the farm and industrial equipment we operate, the cars we drive, the stuff we build, the heat for our buildings, the plastic we make, and much of the electricity we generate, requires this cheap source of energy.

Basically our economy is hooked on oil, a drug, a form of energy that is non renewable and as it becomes more scarce we need to wean ourselves off it and adapt.

When is peak oil going to happen? Experts predict that peak oil will occur before 2010, if it has not already happened, and to research more, just Google: “peak oil”.

So what do we do? We inform people, we reduce fossil fuel use, we explore alternative energy sources, we buy local, not global, and we get ready for a period of negative growth (recession).

U.S. oil production peaked in the early 70s and natural gas production peaked in the 90s, leaving them increasingly dependent on foreign sources of more expensive fossil fuels. As they become more dependent on foreign oil and gas, they need to secure more oil to run their economy. Can you say IRAQ? Dale Wilker, Invermere

The Upper Columbia

P IONEER is independently owned and operated and is published weekly by Elinor Florence.

Box 868, #8, 1008 - 8th Avenue, Invermere, BC V0A 1K0 Phone (250) 341-6299 Toll Free 1-877-341-6299 Fax (250) 341-6229 Email: upioneer@telus.net www.uppercolumbiapioneer.com The material, written or artistic may not be reprinted or electronically reproduced in any way without the written consent of the publisher. The opinions and statements in articles, columns and advertising are not necessarily those of the publisher or staff of The Upper Columbia Pioneer. It is agreed by any display advertiser requesting space that the newspapers 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.

Elinor Florence Publisher

Bob Ede Creative Director

Lisa Ede Creative Director

Adrian Bergles

Dave Sutherland

Bob Friesen

Reporter

Advertising Sales

Advertising Sales

Shannon Cross Office Manager

8 • The Upper Columbia Pioneer

When the going gets tough.

Columbia Valley Trading Co. Outdoor Clothing & Gear Invermere, BC

342-3366

Pioneer Photos

5 x 7 - $7.50 8 x 10 - $10.00 11 x 14 - $15.00 Colour or black and white

341-6299

September 30, 2005

A sack of riches

By Lisa M. Rohrick

Yesterday I spent the day out in a remote village with my Fulani friends. The occasion was a family work bee, along the lines of the old “barn raising” parties. Only this time the task was to weed the millet fields. There were over 30 men there, and they spent the day working under the hot sun, weeding between rows of millet with their hoe-like tools.

I spent the day with the women, whose job was to feed the work crew. Not only was I given my usual task of peeling the garlic for the sauce, but they also trusted me with mixing a big bowl of chobal. Chobal is a dietary staple of the Fulani people here in Niger, West Africa. It’s a combination of pounded, uncooked millet and sour milk. As the grainy mixture was oozing between my fingers, I was having a mental conversation with my breakfast, urging it to stay where I had put it!

When a dozen bowls of chobal were ready, we delivered them to the men in the field for their lunch break. Yes, I was included in that too. One of the women lifted a heavy bowl onto my head, instructed me not to spill it (!), and I joined the line-up of the delivery brigade.

I went along pretty slowly, but happily delivered my cargo without incident.

As we returned to the grass hut that was our headquarters for the day, walking through fields of 12-foot millet plants, I was thinking that this does not look like a country where there is a famine. But then we did a detour past the family granary, which is where last year’s millet is stored. It’s empty! They told me it’s never been empty before. And there’s still another month or more before this year’s crop will be harvested.

As we walked, I was also thinking about my summer holiday, which I spent in England. One thing I thoroughly enjoyed was eating multi-grain bread and a large variety of fresh vegetables and seasonal fruits that we can’t get in Niger. And while I was there, feasting

on broccoli and peaches, Niger’s famine was the lead story in the news for several evenings.

My last day in England I walked along the Thames River through a wealthy village, passing mansions surrounded by meticulous grounds, with an abundance of restaurants and well-stocked supermarkets down the road. Two weeks later, I trekked through a “tunnel” of towering millet plants, past grass huts in the middle of hand-weeded fields with an empty granary down the path. What a contrast! And here I sit somewhere in the middle, trying to figure out how God wants me to use my money.

A question I am often asked when I’m at home is: “What’s the hardest thing for you about living in Africa?” This is it. I live in tension, going back and forth between being poor in a rich world and being rich in a poor world. In reality, I am not poor at all, but Revenue Canada says that I am, and they kindly send me GST rebate cheques to prove it.

Move me across the Atlantic Ocean to Niger, which is classed by the United Nations as the second poorest country in the world, and I become filthy rich!

One day last week I was grocery shopping and I decided to buy a 50-kg sack of rice for my friends. These are the same people I went to the village with. The women of the extended family take turns cooking and share all their meals. I stopped by their collection of huts on my way home to take them the rice. All the women were there, sitting on mats outside their huts, braiding each other’s hair. The rice was still in the car and I hadn’t said anything about it when they told me they’d met some white people who are giving away food, but (if I understood correctly) my people didn’t qualify because their children aren’t sick. So that’s when I told them to come over to the car, where I gave them the rice. They literally jumped up and down and cheered, hugging me and jumping on my back. They were all over me for the next ten minutes. Never before have I seen such a display of gratitude for a gift I’ve given - all that for a boring bag of rice. Seeing their empty granary a few days later helped explain their excitement.

There is definitely a food crisis in Niger. It is isolated, and many people have enough to eat. But there are villages in which the children are starving. The organization I work with (The Christian and Missionary Alliance) is partnering with Samaritan’s Purse, who are here to do a six-month feeding program in needy villages. Things are just getting started, but I’ll likely write more about it as we get going.

BOX 159, 8853 GRAINGER ROAD CANAL FLATS, BC V0B 1B0 PHONE (250) 349-5462 FAX (250) 349-5460 EMAIL: CANALFLATS@TELUS.NET PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE THE COUNCIL OF THE VILLAGE OF CANAL FLATS IS CONSIDERING AN APPLICATION BY WILFRED AND BERYL DETTA TO AMEND THE CANAL FLATS OFFICIAL SETTLEMENT PLAN AND UPPER COLUMBIA VALLEY ZONING BYLAWS. IF APPROVED, THE AMENDMENTS WILL CHANGE THE LAND USE DESIGNATION AND REZONE THE PROPERTIES. THE SUBJECT PROPERTIES ARE LOT A AND PART OF LOT C, PLAN 16527, DISTRICT LOT 110, KOOTENAY DISTRICT LOCATED ON WILLOW AVENUE. BYLAW NO. 48 CITED AS “VILLAGE OF CANAL FLATS – CANAL FLATS OFFICIAL SETTLEMENT PLAN BYLAW, 1981 - AMENDMENT BYLAW NO. 48, 2005 (DETTA)” WILL CHANGE THE LAND USE DESIGNATION OF THE PROPERTY FROM R-1 (MH) SINGLE FAMILY (MOBILE HOME) TO I-1 LIGHT INDUSTRIAL. BYLAW NO. 49 CITED AS “VILLAGE OF CANAL FLATS UPPER COLUMBIA VALLEY ZONING BYLAW NO. 900, 1992 - AMENDMENT BYLAW NO. 49, 2005 (DETTA)” WILL REZONE THE PROPERTY FROM THE R-1(MH) SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL MOBILE HOME ZONE TO A NEW I-3 LIGHT INDUSTRIAL ZONE ALLOWING FOR THE FOLLOWING USES: SINGLE FAMILY DWELLING, STORAGE OF RV’S AND BOATS, MOTOR VEHICLE OR BOAT REPAIR, MACHINE SHOP, WELDING SHOP. THE

IF

PUBLIC HEARING WILL BE HELD AT:

8909 DUNN STREET CANAL FLATS, BC MONDAY, OCTOBER 17TH, 2005

CANAL FLATS CIVIC CENTRE

AT

7:00

PM

YOU BELIEVE THAT YOUR INTEREST IN PROPERTY IS AFFECTED BY THE PROPOSED

HEARING:

BYLAW AND SUPPORTING INFORMATION AT THE VILLAGE OFFICE TUESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY; MAIL, FAX OR EMAIL WRITTEN SUBMISSIONS TO THE ADDRESSES/NUMBERS SHOWN ABOVE; OR PRESENT WRITTEN AND/OR VERBAL SUBMISSIONS AT THE HEARING. SUBMISSIONS CANNOT BE ACCEPTED AFTER THE PUBLIC HEARING ALL WRITTEN SUBMISSIONS ARE PUBLIC INFORMATION PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION AND PROTECTION OF PRIVACY ACT. THIS NOTICE IS NOT AN INTERPRETATION OF THE BYLAW. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT THE VILLAGE OFFICE. INSPECT THE

BRUCE WOODBURY

IN

BYLAW,

CANAL FLATS

YOU MAY, PRIOR TO THE

FROM

8:30

AM TO

4:30

PM

“Sonam buys Lunch”

Photo by Gail Berg

This photo of a young man jumping over a creek placed 2nd for water/landscape category at the recent Winderemere Fall Fair. Taken in Tibet, Gail dared her driver Sonam to clear the stream without touching the water or else buy lunch. As you can see he did not make it.

The Upper Columbia Pioneer • 9

September 30, 2005

Craft and artisan sale planned for Pynelogs

By Pioneer Staff

It looks like autumn at the Columbia Valley Botanical Garden behind Pynelogs Cultural Centre. Inside the gallery a fall sale will be held on October 8th.

Invermere Farmers’ Market organizers Rosemary Oaks and Eva ColesHillary are at it again.

The two women are planning a Home for the Holidays Autumn Artisans’ Market at the Pynelogs Cultural Centre on Saturday, October 8th.

Beginning with a preview at 10 a.m., the event will run until 3 p.m.

It will feature some of the regulars from the farmers’ market and many newcomers, all of whom will be featuring fall items.

Goods like home canning, Halloween-themed stained glass, furniture and antiques will be available for sale. “We’re picking vendors whose product fits the theme,” says Ms. Coles-Hillary.

Ms. Oaks says about 20 vendors are expected. “But we’d love to have 30,” she says.

The inspiration for the market came by request, says Ms. Coles-Hillary. “We were asked for years if we would do an artists’ market outside of the farmers’ market,” she says.

The idea lay dormant for a few years

until the Pynelogs opened this year.

“One of the reasons we decided to do it this year is because the Pynelogs is open,” says Ms. Coles-Hillary. “We wanted a really nice location.”

Each room at Pynelogs will be decorated in a Thanksgiving, Halloween, or Christmas theme. As well as Thanksgiving items like centrepieces for the table, Halloween and Christmas items will be on sale. “We’re having a hard time getting pumpkins but hopefully we’ll have them so people can buy them here,” says Ms. Oaks.

A sideline to the artisans market will be a pie sale. The women have asked many vendors to donate pies, with proceeds going to Spring Hawes.

Not wanting to compete directly with other sales around Christmas, the women decided to hold theirs in the fall. “We wanted to take our experience from the farmers’ market and do something even better,” says Ms. Coles-Hillary.

The women are still looking for vendors. Those interested can call Rosemary at 342-0030 or Eva at 342-8819.

Invermere resident Stacy Jobs shows off his copy of The Pioneer to several of his Russian workmates at Kupol, a gold mine being constructed in Far Eastern Russia. The Russians were especially intrigued with the coloured photographs.

But the biggest sensation was caused by the ReMax advertisement on the back cover. “All over the lunch room, guys were getting out their pocket caluclators and figuring out how much a house in Invermere would cost in rubles,” Stacy said.

Your Local

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INVERMERE

Independently Owned and Operated

PAUL GLASSFORD

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braven@cyberlink.bc.ca

Daniel Zurgilgen �������������������� Office: (250) 342-6505 Fax: (250) 342-9611

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(250) 342-1612 landman@telus.net

Ed English

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Sales Representatives

Cell: (250) 342-1194 Cell: (250) 342-1195 edenglish@telus.net janklimek@telus.net

www.edandjanslistings.com

Rockies West Realty

Box 459, 1022 B 7th Avenue Invermere, BC V0A 1K0 Bus: (250) 342-6505 Fax: (250) 342-9611 Toll Free: 1-888-258-9911 www.ReMaxInvermere.com

Independently owned and operated 230 Laurier Street DIRECTOR’S Invermere, BC V0A 1K3 PLATINUM E-mail: paul@rockieswest.com AWARD Website: www.PaulGlassford.com

Ray Ferguson “I Sell Real Estate”

Rockies West Independently Owned and Operated

Kim Collens Sales Representative

Rockies West Realty

Toll Free 1-866-342-9450

5003 Hot Springs Road Fairmont, BC V0B 1L0

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Cell (250) 342-1774

5003 Hot Springs Road Fairmont, BC V0B 1L0 Bus: 250-345-0333 Fax: 250-345-6353 Cell: 250-342-1671 E-mail: kim@rockieswest.com www.kimcollens.com

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P.O. Box 579, 201-375 Laurier Street, Invermere, BC V0A 1K0

Ken Becker Sales Representative

Bus: 250-345-0333 Fax: 250-345-6353 Res: 250-342-3599 Cell: 250-342-1161 Email: ken@rockieswest.com www.rockieswest.com www.kenbecker.com

10 • The Upper Columbia Pioneer

September 30, 2005

INVERMERE 20%D SOL • Two or Three Bedrooms, A Craftsman’s Showpiece • 1259 to 1436 sq. ft. plus full-sized basement • From $248,000 (plus GST) Show Home Hours Noon - 4 pm Saturdays and Sundays

Contact Scott Wallace 250-342-5309 250-342-6505

405 12th ave., Invermere

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* The Annual Percentage Rate (APR) for the 3-year Open Variable Rate Mortgage is 3.65% for a mortgage of $100,000, which has a 25-year amortization and is based on Bank of Montreal’s Prime rate, as of Sept. 7, 2005, of 4.5% less 0.85%.

This discount is available for applications approved by November 30, 2005. Mortgage funds must be advanced within 90 days of application. All offers subject to meeting Bank of Montreal’s usual credit criteria. Prime rate is subject to change without notice. APR assumes no fee(s) apply.

1 Some conditions apply. The quantity of AIR MILES reward miles issued is based on the size of mortgage required and insurance options taken. One bonus per AIR MILES Collector Account only. AIR MILES reward miles will be awarded once mortgage funds have been advanced. ® Registered trade-marks of Bank of Montreal. ®† Trademarks of AIR MILES International Trading B.V. Used under license by Loyalty Management Group Canada Inc. and Bank of Montreal.

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The Upper Columbia Pioneer • 11

September 30, 2005

Local man helps poor in Africa some old friends.

“If you start something and you ignore it, things go astray,” says the 56-year-old married father of four adult children. He and his wife Janice recently sold their family business selling private ATMs seen in bars and restaurants.

This trip will be Jerry’s fourth visit to Malawi over his six years of travel and aid work. The country is rife with social problems due to a 40-percent unemployment rate and an unofficial 40-percent HIV infection rate.

Over Jerry’s three previous trips many people in Malawi have become significant in his life, and vice versa.

On Jerry’s first visit to Malawi in 2000 he was introduced to a teenage boy named Victor. The young man, a student and a soccer player with promise for his life, asked Jerry if he could provide some financial help that may help Victor overcome some barriers in his way.

Jerry took a liking to Victor and the two began exchanging letters. Every four months Jerry would send an American $20 bill to cover Victor’s school fees.

When Jerry returned to Malawi in 2003, he saw the young man again. Victor had completed high school and with Jerry’s help, the young man went to driver’s school.

On Jerry’s next trip in 2004, this time with his wife Janice, Victor had completed his driver’s training but couldn’t get a job because he needed a driver’s licence which cost $50. This is a great deal of money by Malawian standards. For example, Jerry says Victor’s father earns $35 a month as a bike messenger.

On that trip Jerry bought the young man his driver’s licence and then a bicycle to travel around Blantyre, Malawi’s largest city, looking for a job.

Eventually Victor, now 24, landed himself a job driving truck.

“It’s a great story because he did it,” says Jerry.

“I’m not kidding you - he wore out the tires on that Jerry Hamilton of Invermere poses with friend Victor, far right, and the headmaster of a Malawian School in 2004. The two bicycle.” men hold school supplies donated by people from the Columbia Valley. Jerry recently returned to Malawi, his fourth trip to In Malawi Jerry will see his old friend Victor the developing country in East Africa. “You get a lot back,” says Mr. Hamilton of his volunteer work on that continent. and help three adolescents: Grace, 16, Felix, 17, and Maudarissa, 12, orphaned when their parents sucBy Adrian Bergles cumbed to HIV, carry on with their lives.

Pioneer Staff Jerry says that in the case of orphaned children in Malawi, the eldest girl typically becomes the head of the household. Often a man will come and offer to “help” the Invermere resident Jerry Hamilton left three days ago for Malawi, a small country young girl with her family. This man may be HIV-positive and the cycle of infection in east-central Africa, to work with an aid group called “Hope for Haiti.” continues.

The name of the group is a little misleading. Although the non-denominational “There’s a huge gender issue,” says Jerry. “Men tend to dominate.” group got its start in the small Caribbean country, in the past five years Hope for Haiti He hopes that through education Grace can escape the cycle and gain a job that has travelled to other developing countries, doing work all over the world. allows her to support the family. “She’s the hope for the family,” he says.

On his first trip with the group in 1999, Jerry helped put a roof on a Haitian Despite its problems, Jerry says Malawi is not a country in which everyone sits school. back and looks for a handout.

During this trip he will continue the same kind of work and get in touch with “You get a lot back,” he says. “There is a lot of joy that those folks radiate.”

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16 • The Upper Columbia Pioneer

September 30, 2005

P IONEER C LASSIFIEDS Phone: 341-6299 Fax: 341-6229 Email: upioneer@telus.net Classified Deadline: Tuesdays 4:00 pm All classified ads must be prepaid by cash or cheque unless client has a billing account set up.

Rates: First Week: $ 6.50 for 15 words (15¢ for each additional word) Additional Weeks: $ 4.50 for 15 words (15¢ for each additional word)

All prices subject to GST. Please read your ad carefully the first day it comes out to ensure the information is correct. If you should find an error, please let us know immediately by calling 341-6299. The Upper Columbia Pioneer is not responsible for errors appearing beyond the first insertion. The newspaper’s responsibility, if any, for errors of any kind is limited to the amount paid for that advertisement. We reserve the right to censor, re-classify, revise, edit or reject any ad not meeting our advertising standards.

HOMES FOR RENT Available November 1, new 2 bdrm, 2 bath condo, Peaks, Radium. 7 appliances, underground parking, pool, N/S, N/P. $1000/mth. 347-9762 or 3415170.

Radium - fully furnished 2 or 3 bedroom condo, available immediately. N/P, N/S. Monthly rentals okay. Pool, jacuzzi, balcony, $1095 - $1495 per month, includes utilities and cable. Call 204-782-6677.

Invermere - cozy 2 bedroom, huge yard. $950 + utilities, available November 1, N/S, N/P. 342-1524.

Invermere - new, bright, 3 bdrm, 2 bath home, walk to DT (1490 - 18th Street by school). Available October 1. Garage, deck, hdwd flrs, 5 appliances. N/P, N/S. $1050/month + utilities.

(403) 240-4170 evenings, (403) 619-0336 cell.

Great summer getaway or yearround home in the premium LOTS AND ACREAGES Wilder subdivision. This home offers mountain views with The Cottages at Copper Point” wrap around deck. Zoned R-2 - private, 0.14 acre perfect for with a finished walkout, daywalk-out. No building com- light basement on a quiet dead mitment. 5 minute drive to end street. This house is a “MUST Invermere. $99,500. 342-0081. SEE”. 342-3846.

HOMES FOR SALE

FOR RENT

Newly renovated 1250 sq. ft., 3 bedrom mobile on basement in Edgewater. $163,000. 347-9324 evenings, 342-1696 days.

STEIN APARTMENTS - residential and commercial. 342-6912.

GARAGE SALES Multi-family garage sale. October 1st. 395 - 4th Avenue, Atlalmer. Wine making supplies, 15” tires.

SUITES FOR RENT Furnished basement suite available October 1, suitable for one mature lady. N/S, N/P, $650/mth inclusive. 342-8621.

2 Bedroom Suite in Invermere.

Bright and clean. Private entrance. N/S, N/P. Close to schools and downtown. F/S, W/D. Available October 1. Phone 3426842.

One bedroom daylight basement suite. Clean, cozy, new, waiting for a single female (pref.) $550/ month includes cable, utilities.

W/D, N/S 342-0217.

Wonderful 2 bedroom home steps from Brisco General Store.

Long term preferred. $795/ month 342-6577.

MISC. FOR SALE Top quality hay. Round bales.

Alfalfa grass, no rain. Phone Elkhorn Ranch 342-0617.

Birch hardwood dining room set, table w/six chairs (2 captain chairs), $1500. 342-6439.

Glass top coffee table, 2 glass top end tables and 2 lamps, like new, $100 takes all. 342-0320.

Collection of salt and pepper shakers for sale. Call Kathy, 250344-2624.

Custom cut rough lumber, dry fir beams, fence boards, etc. Firewood - fir, birch or pine - split or unsplit. 346-3247.Top quality hay, grass/alfalfa mix, round or

square bales. 346-3247.

CHEERS AND JEERS

3 station Weider Weight System, $300; single bed mattress and box spring, $5; pet gate, $50.

342-0248.

Oak entertainment unit 5w X 7h, glass door with shelving on one side for stereo and speakers plus 3 CD/VCR storage drawers.

Room for up to 33” TV. Well constructed, like new. $350. 3413140.

Two piece, dark brown velvet chesterfield suite. Good condition. $175. 347-7750.

Piano, Nordheimer brand. $500 Call 347-9338.

VEHICLES FOR SALE 1980 Chrysler Cordova. 3426534.

1996 Plymounth Grand Voyageur. $5000 OBO 342-0454.

SERVICES Experienced drywaller, boarder and taper. 341-1270.

LOTUS WORKS - call now for fall clean-ups. Michelle, 349-5588 or Vichith, 341-8372.

PETS To give away - calico long hair cat. Tiger is 14 years old with vaccinations up to date. She is a friendly and happy inside cat preferring to be the only pet in the family. We are moving and not allowed to bring her. 3420248.

Cheers to the folks who do such a good job with the flowers in downtown Invermere.

HELP WANTED

We are looking for enthusiastic, committed, self motivated and outgoing persons to fill flexible, commission paid positions in the Radium, Windermere, Invermere and Fairmont area, welcoming Newcomers or New Parents. A car and computer essential.

Send resume to: tillym1@shaw.ca or www.iamlovingit.ca

HELNA’S STUBE needs kitchen help and full/part time prep cook. Call 347-0047.

Experienced Hungarian cook required for seasonal work in Radium, BC. $16/hour, April to October. Room and board available. Call 347-9548 or email info@milliondollarview.ca.

Headhunting services for employers available from Columbia Valley’s BC Licensed Employment Agency, ROCKY MOUNTAIN TRAINING STAFFING SERVICES. If you need qualified staff or are a candidate wishing to be considered for mid-level positions, give us a call at 342-6011 or 1-888737-5511. RMT Staffing Services, 1006-7th Avenue, Invermere, BC. Email rmti@telus.net.

Administrative Assistant: Room for your organization and creativity. 2 mornings/afternoons. Immediately. Skilled, experienced in Windows XP, Desktop, Power Point, Internet and email tasks. Adaptable, excellent grammar, innovative, able to take direction, proficiency test required.. Long term staff to grow with business. $14.50/ hour. Windermere Please reply, resume and references: HYPERLINK “mailto: crisanna@tyGproductions.com”

CAREERS SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 6 (ROCKY MOUNTAIN) School District No. 6 (Rocky Mountain) Invermere Zone invites applications from persons interested in being on our Teacher On Call List.

Teachers’ On Call must possess or be eligible for B.C. certification through the B.C. College of Teachers; have a university teaching major, have a variety of teaching styles and be willing to adapt both philosophy and style to meet the unique needs of students.

Applications with full supporting documentation, including references, university transcripts, teaching certificate and previous teaching reports, to be forwarded to: Mr. Paul Carriere, Assistant Superintendent of Schools, School District No. 6 (Rocky Mountain), P.O. Box 70, Kimberley, BC V1A 2Y5. (250) 427-2245 (phone) / (250) 427-2044 (fax) by Monday, October 3, 2005 at 4:00 p.m. (www.sd6.bc.ca).

We would like to thank all applicants for their interest, but only those under consideration will be contacted. All successful applicants will be subject to a criminal record search.

Toby Creek Adventures requires hardworking, energetic and personable Guides, Groomer/Labourers and Office Personnel for the ‘05-’06 winter season.

Email Resumes to: info@tobycreekadventures.com SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 6 (ROCKY MOUNTAIN) School District No.6 (Rocky Mountain) Invermere Zone is now accepting applications for the following temporary Secretary positions: 1.

David Thompson Secondary School, temporary, full-time (35 hrs/wk), Monday to Friday, effective November 1, 2005 until June 30, 2006.

2.

J. Alfred Laird Elementary School, temporary, full-time (35 hrs/wk), Monday to Friday, effective January 3, 2006 until December 31, 2006.

These positions are part of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, Local 440. This is reception, clerical, secretarial and bookkeeping work of considerable variety and complexity in the operation of a school office.

Considerable independence of judgement and action in dealing with the public, staff and students on a variety of matters relating to school operations is required.

Completion of 12th school grade and completion of an Office Administration Program from a recognized Post-Secondary Institute and/or equivalent training and experience is required.

Applicants must be able to achieve 60 wpm minimum keyboarding skills.

If you are interested in these positions, please submit a resume, including three references, by 4:00 p.m. on Monday, October 3, 2005 to: Paul Carriere, Assistant Superintendent School District No.6 (Rocky Mountain) P.O. Box 70, Kimberley, B.C. V1A 2Y5 Phone: (250) 427-2245 • Fax: (250) 427-2044 Successful applicant will be subject to Criminal Records Review Check.

LEGAL

The Upper Columbia Pioneer • 17

September 30, 2005

The History of Trains

Laying track at Tayton’s Bay, Invermere

By Adrian Bergles Pioneer Staff The modern era of the Columbia Valley began officially on January, 1, 1915.

That day for the first time, a mixed freight and passenger train passed through the Athalmer station.

Finally a ferrous line ran the length of the valley, bonding Cranbrook to Golden and connecting all points in between.

The occasion marked the completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway’s Kootenay Central line, “the KC” as it was called, and established a link between the Columbia Valley and the world outside. It forever changed the sparsely inhabited valley and, along with items like groceries, building supplies, and mail, brought new vigor and bustle.

“It was great excitement up and down the valley when we knew the train was coming,” says Nancy Tegart, 90, who has lived in the valley since 1927.

From 1915 into the 1950s, the train carried all the goods required by the valley settlers. When it pulled into the station in Brisco with the mail on Tuesday and Friday evenings, it brought all the men of town together, says Winston Wolfenden, born in Brisco in 1917.

“Us boys used to meet in Brisco,” he says. “The greatest old place for people to gather was at the train.”

The steam-powered train travelled slowly; a return trip from Cranbrook to Golden took three days. For example, the train left Cranbrook on Monday and spent the night in Athalmer. On Tuesday it would con-

Photo from the Ede Family Collection

tinue to Golden and back to Athalmer, returning to Cranbrook on Wednesday.

Often those trains brought more than mail and supplies. During the depression of the 1930s, jobs were scarce and many single men travelled the rails, riding in empty container cars from town to town in search of work.

Ms. Tegart grew up near the tracks in Athalmer, where the Esso station is today. She remembers that many of the stowaways would light small fires near the track to keep warm as they spent the night in town.

When Nancy was 15 years old in 1930, a pair of leather horse riding chaps were stolen from the family barn. The police were notified and the matter was soon forgotten. Weeks later the chaps were found - in Winnipeg. One of the men had broken into the barn and taken the chaps to keep warm on a cold night.

Before 1915 riverboats and horse carriages travelling on crude roads were the only ways to get up and down the valley. The advent of the Kootenay Central made travel much easier for valley folk.

“The K.C. was the way to get to Invermere from Golden,” says Josephine Cobb, 92, who came to the valley in 1932.

Because the train left Athalmer and returned from Golden on the same day, shopping trips were common and popular. “Golden was quite a bit ahead of the rest of the valley with its shops,” says Mr. Wolfenden.

According to 1913 clippings from the Golden Star, the completion of the rail line required the work of 2,000 men and took two years.

After the railway was completed, it had to be main-

tained. A foreman was put in charge of each eight or ten mile section says Mr. Wolfenden. These foremen lived in standard issue “section houses,” that dotted the track all along the KC. “They were all two-storey red houses,” says Val Wolfenden, 83, who came to the valley in 1945 from Saskatchewan after she married Winston.

Each day the foreman and three staff would patrol the track by “hand car.” Two men would stand on each side of a big lever and pump back and forth, powering the car down the track and looking for rotten ties or broken rails.

A broken rail could be devastating and was the cause of at least one derailment on Kootenay Central.

Early in the morning of September 29, 1975 a broken rail forced ten cars off the track. The heavy coal cars slammed into the old log station at Athalmer, demolishing one side of the building. One woman, CPR employee Georgina Connell, was in the station at the time. She escaped with only a few cuts.

The wrecked station was saved from the scrap heap by the Windermere District Historical Society. It was hauled up the hill from Athalmer into Invermere, where it now serves as the town’s museum.

A large window in the building’s main floor is a scar left from the accident 30 years ago. It is the spot where the train crashed through the station.

The Windermere Valley Museum is celebrating 90 years of trains in the valley with an exhibit. All are invited to attend before the museum closes its doors for the season at the end of the month. For information call 342-9769.

Circa 1911 to 1914.

All photos courtesy CPR

18 • The Upper Columbia Pioneer

Valley Churches LAKE WINDERMERE ALLIANCE CHURCH

Sunday, October 2nd • 10:30 am Worship and Life Instruction.

“Which Rules Do You Play By?” Children’s Church for ages 3 to Grade 7, during the morning service.

Senior Pastor Rev. Dieter Magnus • Associate Pastor Rev. Jared Enns 326 - 10th Avenue, Invermere • 342-9535

WINDERMERE VALLEY SHARED MINISTRY

Sunday, October 2nd 10:15 am Invermere - Christ Church Trinity Rev. Sandy Ferguson • 110 - 7th Avenue, Invermere • 342-6644

VALLEY CHRISTIAN ASSEMBLY

Sunday, 10:00 am Celebration Service Children’s church during the message part of the service.

Children 4 - 12 years. • Sunday, 7:00 pm Prayer Meeting Senior Pastor Rev. John Cuyler • www.vcassembly.com Highway 93/95, 1 km north of Windermere • 342-9511

ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH Canadian Martyrs Church, Invermere

Saturday, 7:00 pm Mass • Sunday, 9:00 am Mass

St. Joseph’s Church, Hwy 93/95 Radium Sunday, 11:00 am Mass St. Anthony’s Church, Canal Flats • Sunday, 4:00 pm Mass Father Jose Joaquin • 712 -12th Ave., Invermere • 342-6167

ST. PETER’S LUTHERAN MISSION OF INVERMERE Regular weekly worship services every Sunday at 1:30 pm Sr. Pastor Rev. Bryan K. Schinde • Assoc. Pastor Rev. Fraser Coltman at Christ Church Trinity 110 - 7th Ave., Invermere • 1-866-426-7564

RADIUM CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP Every Sunday 10:00 am Pastor Wayne and Linda Frater Radium Seniors’ Hall • 342-6633

panachesuites.com

September 30, 2005

FAITH Marriage is easy – until life interferes

By Dieter Magnus Lake Windermere Alliance Church Marriage has very much been a theme for my wife Deborah and myself this year. Two of our children were married; one in March, the other in July. Good friends from Calgary had two of their girls marry. A nephew was married in May. Four couples connected to the church got married; one in July, two in August and one in September. Another couple from Edmonton was married here last weekend and two more weddings will take place here in October.

Most of those getting married are in their 20s or 30s but the age range is from 19 – 57. Despite the turmoil around the definition of marriage in our society, people are still flocking to the altar.

The two people are in love, the wedding happens, then life interferes. Jobs, bills, decisions on housing or clothes or cars, and perhaps the addition of children complicate life. It’s way too easy to be together physically but drifting apart emotionally when life is so busy. Somehow you make it through the measles, teenage hormones, college tuitions, and weddings.

One day you look across the table and realization dawns. It’s just us! What do we talk about? What do we do now?

Here are three steps you can take at any stage in your married life that will help you not only get to but enjoy those empty nest years. (What? Your child is only six months old so you don’t need to worry about this yet? Trust me, the empty nest is just around the corner.)

Stop! It may be hard but you need to do it. Take

Cinefest

Brendan Donahue

The Journey of Romeo Dallaire

Monday, October 3 Toby Theatre at 7:00 p.m.

Tickets are $10 and are available at the door

RESIDENTIAL BUILDING LOTS FOR SALE!

Investment Advisor Phone: 342-2112

Monthly Independent Film Series presents:

Shake Hands with the Devil

some time to honestly look at where your relationship is at. Carve out some time for just the two of you and talk about your relationship. If you feel like you are headed the wrong way in your relationship, you will not get turned around without deliberately doing something about it.

Look! Focus first on the positives of the past.

Talk about how you met, what you enjoyed doing together and why you got married. What do you want your relationship to look like now? What do you want it to be in the future? It will require change. Remember the definition of insanity: “Doing the same thing in the same way and expecting different results.” Look at what your life together could be like.

Listen! One writer called marriage a “dialogue of the deaf.” The roar of family life, kids, jobs, church, hockey, school etc. drowns out real communication.

Hearing what is really going on in our spouse’s life is hard. It is an area we often need help in.

If any of this article resonates with you, I have a suggestion. Two years ago a couple from our church went through and began to teach a Marriage Course.

It is seven evenings, usually a week apart. If you want to learn more, call the Bagans at 342-9561 or the church at 342-9535.

My wife and I? We are enjoying our empty nest.

We love to visit the kids and grandkids and have them at our home. We also love having time for the two of us. No matter what life brings, we believe the best years of marriage are still to come.

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as of Sept. 19th 3.10% 3.20% 3.35% 3.55% 3.85%

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Get ready to build your dream home in the mountains! Newly offered residential building lots in the recreational neighborhood of the Radium Valley Vacation Resort. Level, treed, view lots with access to the year-round fitness centre and resort amenities. Be part of the growing village of Radium Hot Springs. Call today to view!

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20 • The Upper Columbia Pioneer

September 30, 2005

Invermere Office: 250-342-6505 Wende Brash 342-1300

Bernie Raven 342-7415

Scott Wallace 342-5309

Andy Smith 342-1709

Daniel Zurgilgen 342-1612

Ed English 342-1194

Jan Klimek 342-1195

Ron Maciborski Bryan Hookenson 342-5704 341-1266

Looking for Development?

Rob Rice 342-5935

John McCarthy Lynda Kirkpatrick 341-1907 342-1758

Deborah-Kim Rice 342-5935

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Thinking of building in Canal Flats? This lot is a proposed subdivision of an existing parcel. 150x125 feet with views, views, views! R1-MH zoning is in place, so build now or throw a mobile home on the land until youʼre ready.

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Your search for the ideal waterfront property has ended. Spectacular terraced landscaping leads you down to the waterfront. Enjoy one of many patios to take in the views and enjoy the lake. Tucked in the trees, this 3 bedroom home enjoys many thoughtful extras. Enjoy the confidence of knowing you have an emergency backup power system in place. The large, enclosed sunroom features panoramic lake views and is entered through French doors from the kitchen. Open living, dining and kitchen area enjoys vaulted ceilings. Family room with French doors that open onto lower patio and three large bedrooms with lake views complete your executive hide-away. MLS# exclusive

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