vol4issue8

Your Weekly Source for News and Events

Vol. 4/Issue 8

The Columbia

Valley

February 23, 2007

P IONEER

FREE

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

HOT TOPIC

13 PIONEER TRAVELS

16, 17 NEW CENTRE

Valley View Clouds hang low over Lake Windermere on a February afternoon, while a glimmer of sunshine here and there lights up the snowy landscape.

Photo by Brian Geis

21

START PLAYING AROUND. Retirement. We can help make it happen sooner than you think. Ask us about RRSP top-up loans and our full range of retirement products and services. Get ready to play. Talk to us today.

INVEST NOW

2 • The Columbia Valley Pioneer

February 23, 2007

S ol i d W o od Bl i n d s Call The Blind Guy!

Interior World

(250) 342 4406

Unlock the potential of your business idea.

We’ll show you how.

Everything you need to succeed with one call: • Business start-up and expansion loans* • Self-employment program* • Entrepreneurial support • Free business counselling • Free business library and internet Your local Columbia Valley Representative Jacqueline Pinsonneault

access in Cranbrook * Some programs have eligibility requirements.

Call for details.

(250) 342-0217

Community Futures Development Corporation of the SE Region of BC 110A Slater Road NW Cranbrook, BC V1C 5C8 Tel: (800) 661-2293 Fax: (250) 489-1886 Email: info@keytoyourfuture.net • Website: www.keytoyourfuture.net In partnership with Rocky Mountain Business Development Centre

This 26 Unit motel is located on a corner lot in the heart of downtown core. Spacious living quarters and spectacular mountain views and just blocks to the beach. Expansion potential for more units! $1,525,000 + GST mls#k3700068

FAIRMONT The lot is fully serviced with sewer, water, underground power, phone, cable and propane. Choose from 1 of 8 fabulous new home designs offered by Cornerstone Construction Management Services or design your own dream.

From $105,000 + GST mls#k117888+

STODDART CREEK One of a kind, gorgeous log home on small acreage near Invermere. Massive log work, vaulted ceilings, gourmet kitchen, 3 bedrooms, all with ensuite baths, etc. Everything you could want in this Rocky Mountain retreat.

Waterfront property on a small Mtn. Lake. This stunning home on 38 acres+ is built into the natural landscape of the Toby Benches and Munn lake. This is the home to relax & enjoy the views!

INVERMERE Located at the entry to the downtown directly across from Sobey’s, there is 10,000+ square feet of lease space available on the Lower level and 675 square feet on the upper SW corner for a coffee shop/café with patio area.

$759,000

$1,200,000 mls#k151198

$15-$17/sf mls#k3600485

INVERMERE

mls#k151120

WILMER

VALLEY NEWS Five family generations

Corny Siemens, age 96, poses with daughter Wilda Stauffer, age 70; granddaughter Sharrie Seitz, age 44; greatgrandson Chris Seitz, age 24; and great-greatgranddaughter Adailyah Seitz, age 6 months. The family similarity is very noticeable in this photograph. Corny is a resident of Brooks, Alberta and everyone else lives in Invermere.

INVERMERE Great opportunity for investment or renovation.

This 2 storey home is located in a quiet neighborhood & has fantastic views of the Rockies & Purcells. $299,900

mls#k119486

Your last chance at affordable living in Invermere!

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

BARRY

342-5245

PAT

342-1262

ERIC

342-5914

PAUL

341-5300

BILL

341-5168

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

Arrange a viewing or request more information by calling

BARRY

342-5809

MARLENE 341-5600

RON

342-5704

DIANA

341-5269

DAVID

342-1524

(250) 341-1182, or emailing sales@cedarwoodglen.com.

Act quickly - these units are selling fast!

Strata Management

Fairmont Village Mall, Fairmont

Phone: 345-4000 526 B – 13th St. , Invermere

www.rockymtnrealty.com

Phone: 342-6911

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

The Columbia Valley Pioneer • 3

February 23, 2007

FREE

JUMBO WILD BUMPER STICKERS It’s time to show you care

342-3147 • www.jumbowild.com

WATER CO. LTD.

DAPPLED HIDE - This beautiful horse, one of several hundred in the valley, enjoys the warmer weather as it grazes in its pasture beside Windermere Loop Road.

Photo by Brian Geis

Fat-free dining offered here

By Brian Geis Pioneer Staff Angus McToogles and Tex’s Coffee Works are the first area restaurants to announce they have converted to trans-fat-free cooking.

Trans fats, which have been found to increase the risk of coronary heart disease, are a byproduct of partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.

According to Health Canada, Canada is one of the world’s largest consumers of trans fats. Most of the trans fats that Canadians consume come from baked goods and commercially deep-fried foods.

“Hey, if KFC can do it and the city of New York can do it, than so can Tex,” Coffee Works owner Tex Lortcher commented.

Coffee Works, which bakes all of its menu items in-house, announced the change as part of its fifth anniversary celebrations.

KFC said it would go trans fat-free by April 2007 in response to a lawsuit filed by the Centre for Science in the Public Interest.

In December, the City of New York became the first major American city to ban trans fats from its restaurants.

The ban came after a call for the voluntary elimination of trans fat failed.

Mike Smith, owner of Angus McToogles in Invermere, said he made the switch only after finding the right substitute, which he found in a transfat-free oil distributed by Sysco Foods.

“I had been thinking about it for some time,” Mike said. “It’s nice to know that people can have chips with their meal without all the guilt. And the food tastes better, because it doesn’t transfer flavors.”

He said the new shortening in his deep fryer never congeals and can be changed cold.

Ask about our winter water softener maintenance special!

• Drinking Water Systems • Water Softeners • Whole House or Specialised Filtration

Call (250) 342-5089 385 Laurier Street Invermere, BC V0A 1K0

Windermere Valley Childcare Society invites you to their

Bring your family out to dance the night away.

Concession selling: pizza, hotdogs, juice, pop and baking.

Friday, March 2nd, 2007 5:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

Invermere Community Hall

2 Admission $ 00 5 /Family

$ 00

Limbo, door prizes, spot dances, cake walk.

4 • The Columbia Valley Pioneer

February 23, 2007

RCMP Report Calling all Brides, Mothers of the Bride, Bridesmaids and Wedding Guests!

Lose weight, shape up, and look your most beautiful on the big day.

Starts March 26th! Call 342-2131 or visit shapeupinvermere.com for more information and to register.

There is no longer any uncertainty Climate change = disappearing glaciers Climate change = shorter winters Climate change = less snow in the Kootenay JCCS continues to advocate responsible land and water use that will reduce impacts on our greatest resource, our planet.

Jumbo Glacier Resort is not part of a responsible future.

Keep it wild. Jumbo Wild.

www.keepitwild.ca

jumbowild

• February 8: At 3:28 a.m., police responded to a motor vehicle accident in Athalmer. Police located the driver of a 1988 red Ford pickup that had collided with a power pole. The male displayed several signs of impairment and was detained. He was escorted for breath samples of 170 mg percent. During his detention, police also located a small quantity of marijuana. A 47-year-old Radium Hot Springs man was charged.

• February 9: A 22-year-old Brooks, Alberta man was flown to hospital with head injuries after a snowmobile accident in the Paradise Mine area. The man had been high-marking when he drifted off course and over a 15-metre rock face.

The male separated from the sled; however, he landed headfirst on a rock.

He was wearing a helmet at the time; however, he still suffered severe head trauma. Although not part of a tour, the man was rescued by Toby Creek Adventures staff who were in the area.

• Overnight on February 9th: Unknown culprits stole a blue Toyota Flatdeck service truck from the School District shop in Invermere. The vehicle was parked with all keys accounted for.

The vehicle was located abandoned in Calgary on February 13th, with damage to the windshield, side mirror and the steering column. Police are hoping an examination of the vehicle will yield a suspect.

• February 10: A 48-year-old Invermere man was stopped in a police roadcheck. The man displayed several

signs of impairment resulting in his detention for impaired driving. The man was escorted to provide breath samples of 140 and 130 mg percent.

• February 11: Police received report of two youths in Canal Flats contacting a neighbour, reporting a third male was being choked by an unknown male. Police attended the location; however, no one was located.

• February 11: Police stopped a 1991 blue Chevrolet Blazer after an officer located the vehicle driving slowly on the wrong side of the road.

Police approached the vehicle to observe the driver displaying severe symptoms of impairment and detained him accordingly. the male was escorted to provide breath samples of 300 and 290 mg percent.

A 42-year-old Invermere man has been charged with Impaired Driving and Driving while over .08.

• February 16: Police and Fairmont Fire Rescue and Ambulance responded to a single-vehicle rollover on Coy’s hill near Fairmont.

Investigation found a southbound red Chevrolet Colorado pickup was traveling in the fast lane when the driver caught the slushy centre line and proceeded off road left. The vehicle hit a cement post, causing it to overturn and roll down a bank.

The driver was transported to hospital with minor chest injuries while the passenger was unharmed. The occupants attribute seatbelts and airbags to their walking away from the incident.

Sterzer Letter to the Community

It is with deep contemplation, and sincere hearts that we write this letter of heart felt thanks and appreciation. From the moments after our family’s accident on November 20th, 2006 we have been so blessed by so many through their seless efforts.

Words will not explain the humble, and grateful emotions that we have felt from the many letters, cards, and messages that have been sent or given to us.

For everyone involved in the New Years Eve function we are simply speechless. To each and every individual who donated to us your time, your energy, your thoughts, your prayers, and your kindness. Thank you!

We hope that you will continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers, as we truly believe that they make a difference.

Sincerely, Karl, Franci, Sierra, Aspen, Mapston The Sterzers

SPOT THE DEALS Pioneer Classieds

THE PIONEER The valley’s only locally owned, locally operated newspaper

The Columbia Valley Pioneer • 5

February 23, 2007

A Day in Court The following individuals pled guilty and were sentenced in Adult Criminal Court in Invermere on Tuesday, Feb. 20, with the Honourable Judge Ron Webb presiding: • Tanner M. Derry was fined $700, given a $105 victim surcharge, and his driving privileges were revoked for one year on a charge of driving while prohibited.

Mr. Derry appeared on the docket as Tyrell L. Derry, but admitted to the court that he gave his brother’s name to police at the time of arrest.

• Kevin Leopold attempted to withdraw a previous guilty plea, but the court did not allow it and sentenced Mr. Leopold to a one-year driving suspension and fine of $600 on a charge of operating a vehicle or vessel with over 80 mg of alcohol.

• Jeremy P. Harding was fined $600 and given a victim surcharge of $90, and his driving privileges were suspended for one year on a charge of operating a vehicle or vessel with over 80mg of alcohol.

SPOT THE DEALS Pioneer Classieds

• Michael G. Wagman was fined $1,000, given a victim surcharge of $150, and his driving privileges were suspended for three months on a charge of operating a vehicle or vessel with more than 80mg of alcohol.

Correction

In Adult Criminal Court on Feb. 8, Petri Raito was fined $500, given a victim surcharge of $75 and prohibited from driving for three months on a charge of driving without due care and attention, not driving while impaired as originally reported.

WV Minor Hockey would like to give a big thanks to the following sponsors:

Panorama Mtn. Resort, Sobey’s, Kicking Horse Coffee, Max Helmer Construction, Invermere Home Hardware, A Touch of Dutch Thanks to everyone who attended the spaghetti dinner.

FOREST STEWARDSHIP PLAN AMMENDMENT Canadian Forest Products Ltd., Radium Hot Springs (Canfor) is advertising for public review an amendment to its Forest Stewardship Plan (FSP) prepared under the Forest and Range Practices Act. Canfor has timber harvesting rights within the Rocky Mountain Forest District that extends from Radium Hot Springs east to the Alberta border, west to the height of the Purcell Mountains, south to US boarder and north to Parson.

The proposed amendment to the FSP is an addition of a new Small Scale Salvage Licence in the Cranbrook TSA and their associated Forest Development Units (FDU). As well, additional Forest Development Units are proposed in the Invermere TSA.

Timber Supply Area

Geographic Area

Proposed Activities in FDU’s

Invermere TSA

Cross River , Dunbar/Templeton Creek

Harvesting, road building and silviculture activities to facilitate the removal of the dead, infested and damaged timber from Mountain Pine Beetle.

Mark Creek, Lost Dog, Lewis Wolf, Perry, Rocky, Newgate, Grasmere, Booth/ Hospital Peavine, Cranbrook, Peckhams/ Steeples, Colvalli, Galton, Moyie

Harvesting, road building and silviculture activities to facilitate the removal of the dead, infested and damaged timber from Mountain Pine Beetle.

Cranbrook TSA

The plan speci¿es results or strategies that are consistent with: 1) 2)

objectives set by government in the Kootenay Boundary Higher Level Plan, and objectives prescribed by the Forest and Range Practices Act or otherwise established by government.

The FSP also speci¿es measures for preventing the introduction or spread of invasive plants and to mitigate the loss of natural range barriers. Finally, the FSP speci¿es the regeneration date, free growing height and stocking standards necessary to actively establish and reforest harvested areas.

The FSP is available for public review and written comment at: Canfor Woodlands Of¿ce Radium Plaza building, 7585 Main St. West, Radium Hot Springs, BC. Persons may review the FSP during regular business hours: 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday to Friday, From February 21, 2007 to April 23, 2007 A Canfor representative will be available to discuss the proposed plans and receive comments.

If you are unable to review the proposed plan during these times, arrangements can be made with Canfor to view the plan at a mutually agreeable time.

Written comments about the plan must be submitted by mail or in person by April 23, 2007 to:

OFFICE

CONTACT

E-MAIL

PHONE/FAX

Canadian Forest Products Ltd. PO Box 39, 7585 Main St. West, Unit 6 Radium Plaza Bldg.

Radium Hot Springs, BC V0A 1M0

Darren Tamelin, RPF Strategic Planning Forster

Darren.Tamelin@canfor.com

PH: 347-2711 FAX: 347-9211

6 • The Columbia Valley Pioneer

Wash Out!

PERSPECTIVE

A 1947 Ford is perched at the very edge of this bridge over Horsethief Creek, washed out on May 28, 1948 due to flooding. The normally placid creek turned into a raging torrent after the melting snowpack engorged the waters and wiped out the timber frame bridge.

February 23, 2007

Historical Lens

Photo courtesy of Windermere District Historical Society

Flesh-eating disease victim happy to be home Dear Editor: I’m back. I’m alive. I have my leg (less a bit). I can walk. And I am so glad to still be here.

I’ve been home for just over two weeks. I’m feeling wonderful and I’m getting around pretty good.

Many of you out there have seen me hobbling around – holding up traffic as I cross the road, tripping over cracks in the sidewalk, or walking into signs because I’m watching where I’m putting my feet! It’s okay, I have a hard head.

First off, I want to thank all of you out there, friends, family and acquaintances who so unselfishly helped my family and me in our time of need. Carrie, Lil, Don, Todd, Tracy - I wouldn’t be here without you. The overflowing 50-pound care package Carrie and Tracy brought to the hospital was amazing. I can’t name you all, but you did a great job figuring out what I’d need in the hospital to keep from going nuts. It was a good thing I had a private room! The flowers, phone calls, and visits made my day every time I received them. Because so many of you thoughtfully made and

delivered meals, I was able to stay in the hospital without worrying about my guys eating well!

It’s funny how it takes an event of this extreme to set you back on your butt and realize what the really important things in life are. I feel that despite what my family has gone through, we are so fortunate in everything we have in our life. We’ve all taken a step back and what we’ve found is that some things are really not as important as we once thought. We have our health, our love, our friends and family, and a community that has once again proved that they care and take care of their own, even if they don’t really know you very well. You’ve shown beyond any doubt that the wonders of a small community I wrote about in The Pioneer at Christmas are true!

Dr. Walsh, I don’t know how you twigged to this – but thank God you did! Teena, thank you for being there on the ride out, you kept me from losing it worrying about my boys. I didn’t know if I’d ever see them again. That scared me more than anything. Although, once in the helicopter, I kept busy picking the style of prosthetic I wanted. I decided I wanted the springy

one that allows you to run fast – I figured I’d probably need a different one for hiking though . . .

It’s very humbling to someone who always does things for herself to accept such an outpouring of generosity. But from deep inside, I thank you all. I know I got better faster because of all the prayer and support.

Well, I guess that’s it. I am feeling good, but I have a long road of rebuilding and physio to follow. It’s a small price to pay. I now tell my boys and husband every day how much I love them. I call my folks regularly, and I let my friends know how much I value their friendship. In the end, that’s all that matters.

Shannon Pearson Invermere P.S. In the future, I hope to develop a website to promote awareness of Necrotizing Faciitis (flesh-eating disease). I really believe the only way you can save yourself, if you get it, is through an awareness of how it may manifest itself. I have no timeline on this endeavour, but I will keep you all posted.

The Columbia Valley

P IONEER is independently owned and operated and is published weekly by Abel Creek Publishing Inc. Box 868, #8, 1008 - 8th Avenue, Invermere, BC V0A 1K0 Phone (250) 341-6299 · Fax (250) 341-6229 Email: upioneer@telus.net · www.columbiavalleypioneer.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 Columbia Valley Pioneer. It is agreed by any display advertiser requesting space that the newspaper’s responsibility, if any, for errors or omissions of any kind is limited to the amount paid for by the advertiser for that portion of the space as occupied by the incorrect item and there shall be no liability in any event greater than the amount paid for the advertisement.

Elinor Florence Publisher

Brian Geis Reporter

Dave Sutherland Advertising Sales

Bob Friesen Advertising Sales

Zephyr Rawbon

Sarah Turk

Graphic Designer

Office Manager

The Columbia Valley Pioneer • 7

February 23, 2007

LETTERS High praise for Invermere folks Dear Editor: This is my fourteenth consecutive year of being actively involved in Minor Hockey. In all those fourteen years, and in traveling to countless towns spread over two provinces and one state, I never have been as impressed as I have this year with the people in your town of Invermere.

In Sparwood this year we started our first-ever girls’ hockey team, and were slated as a Pee Wee team. This put us in a league which included the Invermere Pee Wee boys and the Invermere girls.

We started the season with nine skaters and no goalie. We have since bolstered our ranks to 12 skaters, and still no goalie. As the majority of our games played were in Invermere, we asked the Invermere teams for extra players and help in the net. I am still amazed at the lengths both teams went to all season long to fulfill our needs. Thanks to the Dynamic Duo, Mary and Lily; and to

Breton, Alayna, Levi and Brody for the awesome work between the pipes.

Two individuals definitely deserve mentioning. To Grant MacDonald from the girl’s team, thanks for adjusting the schedule and for all the extra work trying to find us goalies. Congrats on winning the playoffs. Your team is a mirror reflection of yourself – a class act.

A special thank you to Byron Trask from the boy’s team. Never have I met a person with a bigger heart for kids. From the words of encouragement when the girls were down, to reaching over from his bench to high five them when they score (on his own team), the man is the most positive role model I have ever encountered. Thanks for always showing up with “Bretzky” when we needed him, and for coordinating all our needs.

You are an asset to your hockey association and to your community.

Terry Hume, Manager Elk Valley Wild Girls’ Hockey Team

Dear Editor: So here is the rule when you attend any function put on by volunteers. For every five hours you volunteer, you earn one complaint after the event. No volunteering? Oh, sorry no complaints, just appreciation and thanks to the volunteers.

Crisanna MacLeod Windermere

BETTER THAN WOOL SOCKS

Order this beautiful signed and numbered giclée print of an original oil painting

by Elizabeth Wiltzen.

This striking piece of art is featured on the cover of the 2007 Columbia Valley Map Book.

Cost for 20-inch x 15-inch print is $450 unframed, $675 framed.

Cost for 40-inch x 30-inch print is $1,200 unframed, $1,640 framed.

Proceeds towards the construction of the new Invermere Public Library.

This charitable project is jointly sponsored by The Columbia Valley Pioneer and The Artym Gallery in Invermere.

Propane delivers the power. We deliver the freedom.

Box 669, Invermere, B.C.

Business: (250) 342-0123 • Fax: (250) 342-0262 www.superiorpropane.com A division of Superior Plus Inc.

To order your print, please contact: The Arytm Gallery at (250) 342-7566 or e-mail: info@artymgallery.com.

The Pioneer at (250) 341-6299 or e-mail: info@columbiavalleypioneer.com.

8 • The Columbia Valley Pioneer

February 23, 2007

Women in Business section big success Thanks again to everyone who participated in last week's Women in Business section.

We are aware that there are more women out there who would have liked to participate. We are considering another feature if demand warrants.

Please call us at 341-6299 if you are interested.

And please note the following corrections: • Sue Miller of La Cabina Restaurant in Radium Hot Springs has owned the restaurant with her husband Richard since 1997, not 1977 as reported in last week’s Pioneer. They started the restaurant in Golden and moved it to the Prestige Inn in Radium in 2000. With them they brought their head chef Nicky Brough, who serves authentic Italian cuisine for dinner. The restaurant also continues to dish up great Canadian breakfasts and lunches.

• Please contact Colleen Kane of Kane Co. at her cell number, 270-0495. The land line number provided in last week’s Pioneer is no longer valid.

I

OF S! E W AS DO H A P E M AL FIN VIEW KE LA

N

V

E

R

Dear Editor:

Please respect our cross-country ski trails

These tracks are accessible for any individuals to enjoy. However, on a number of occasions over the last three months following fresh grooming, the trails have fallen victim to careless and insensitive quadders and snowmobilers that seem oblivious to their negative impacts.

Perhaps some are genuinely unaware that driving over ski trails ruins them.

What is more frustrating, however, is those that apparently only desire wanton destruction and in most cases have made the trails unsalvageable to skiers.

Given the hundreds of acres of land that is open for all to enjoy on the Toby Benches, around Wilmer and up Lake Enid, and the conscious efforts by cross-country skiers to keep set tracks off main thoroughfares to reduce impact, all we ask for is a little respect.

Please avoid cross-country ski trails while enjoying your motorized winter recreation.

There will always be tensions between different recreation groups in the back country, with arguments that go back and forth about access, exclusion, etc.

However, unless Crown land is designated for specific use, the sharing of these spaces for multiple users will continue.

Despite some ideological differences between users, many of the tensions between these groups boil down to one thing; respect that one person’s recreation experience does not negatively impact that of another person.

This winter, with the hope of cooperatively sharing crown land on the Toby Benches, cross-country skiers have been endlessly impacted by motorized recreationists.

Several hours of dedicated volunteer track setting have resulted in a network of groomed, singletrack cross-country trails situated on both private and crown lands.

M

E

R

E

•

B

R

I

T

I

S

H

C

O

Chris and Shelagh Wrazej Toby Benches, Invermere

L

U

M

B

I

A

Discover the best of

Lake Windermere

living!

EXPERIENCE

T H E H I G H E S T L EV E L S O F A RC H I T E C T U R A L D E S I G N

A N D A M E N I T I E S I N A N E X T R A O R D I N A RY N AT U R A L S E T T I N G

Indulge in the finest luxury living and lifestyle in the Columbia Valley’s premiere residential

2 & 3 Bedroom Luxury Units • Finest Craftsmanship and Materials Heated Underground Parking • 30 Acres of Park Space Recreation Centre with Indoor Pool Unparalleled Location on Lake Windermere • Private Beach Located beside Copper Point Golf Course

development, CopperSide at Lakeview Meadows. 26 exclusive units are now available for your consideration. Distinctive and masterfully designed, CopperSide is destined to set a new benchmark for interior and exterior architecture/design.

C

While the lifestyle choices are unlimited, this opportunity isn’t. Call today and discover this amazing residence in the last phase of Lakeview Meadows.

O P P E R

L U X U R Y

M O U N T A I N

L A K E V I E W

Sales (250) 342-2536 or 1-866-342-2536

S

I D E

L A K E V I E W

relax@lakeviewmeadows.net

R E S I D E N C E S

M E A D O W S

www.lakeviewmeadows.net

> >>>

Encore

Page 9

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN THE COLUMBIA VALLEY

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

Dad and daughter make beautiful music together

MOVIE REVIEW

PAGE 10 PAGE 10

AT THE TOBY

PAGE 10

Out & About Your Weekly Guide to What’s Happening Around the Columbia Valley

Holly and Jon, who live and play in the Slocan Valley, will be at Angus McToogle’s on March 2. See Page 18.

Art from the Heart · Pynelogs Cultural Centre 2007 Gallery Season. Opening April 10th.

Sponsor a CV Arts Event! · Call 342-4423 Learn more about Title, Event and other sponsorship opportunities.

What does ART mean to you?

March is membership month. Please support CV Arts by purchasing a membership.

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

PAGE 11

10 • The Columbia Valley Pioneer

February 23, 2007

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

Movie Review: Babel Review by Zephyr Rawbon

LANTERN FESTIVAL COMING TO KIMBERLEY - The Taiwanese Lantern Festival, a unique international cultural event, will come to the East Kootenays on March 20 to 26, from noon until 8 p.m. The Taiwanese Canadian Cultural Society is providing over $10,000 worth of lanterns for Kimberley’s Festival. Two 53-foot semi-trailers will be needed to transport all the lanterns. MP Jim Abbott was instrumental in organizing this event. For more information call the Kimberley Chamber of Commerce at (250) 427-3666, or toll-free 866-913-3666.

Like the story from the book of Genesis, Babel is one of those stories within a story, within a story. The human condition intertwined between various degrees of separation, tragic consequences, racial biases and ultimately, hope. But where the religious reference ends, the movie begins.

The main story revolves around an American couple in Morocco, played

by Cate Blanchett and Brad Pitt, who are suddenly faced with a life-threatening situation when a bullet punctures the wife’s left shoulder. On the other side of the coin are two brothers and their father, a local farming family struggling to survive in the Moroccan dessert. The youngest brother is the shooter.

Cause and effect tie the other two elements of this movie. A teenaged Japanese deaf mute girl whose father’s past

is tied to the weapon used to shoot the American women in Morocco. And finally, there is the story of the Mexican nanny, who risks deportation when she takes the American couple’s children to her son’s wedding in Mexico.

Now, I know that this sounds like a bad soap opera, but director Alejandro González Iñárritu has crafted an excellent story, using documentary-style cinematography to touch upon multiple themes that are akin to the ties that bind. It is by no means preachy or condescending, but it is a story that may leave you questioning your perceptions and ideals. So, if you don’t mind a food for thought/long and a rather serious movie, I highly recommend Babel. It is certainly worthy of its Academy Award nominations.

ARTIST DIRECT Original Oil Paintings by Gabriel

250-342-9074

RATING: 4 OUT OF 5 HEADS

THIS SPACE IS AVAILABLE! Call 341-6299

Tel. 342-0707 Email: klein@nucleus.com

www.tepapanui.com

WATCH HOCKEY ON 42” PLASMA TV

60” PLASMA TV COMING SOON!

Quality antique furniture and collectibles from Canada, Europe and Asia.

Architectural items for home & garden.

Hours: Wednesday - Saturday 10:00 am - 5:00 pm Sunday 11:00 am - 5:00 pm

(250) 341-3344

Gone

HOLLYWOOD V

I D E O

1310 7th Ave. Invermere

Invermere Industrial Park (just off the road to Panorama)

Gone Hollywood’s

TOP FIVE OF THE WEEK Last Week’s Top 5 Rentals

New Releases Feb. 20

New Releases Feb. 27

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

1 2 3 4 5

1 2 3 4 5

The Departed Marie Antoinette Fly Boys Zoom Open Season

Babel Prestige, The Man of the Year Flushed Away Crossover

Stranger than Fiction Last King of Scotland A Good Year Factotum Let’s go to Prison

DVD +VHS GAME CUBE + XBOX + XBOX 360 + PS2 + GQ 503 - 7th Ave., Invermere

342-0057

The Columbia Valley Pioneer • 11

February 23 , 2007

MUSIC • VISUAL ARTS • DINING • BAR SCENE • ENTERTAINMENT • PERFORMANCE ARTS March 9th

Out & About Please call 341-6299 or Email us at upioneer@telus.net to enter your event in our FREE listings.

• 4:30 pm: Application deadline, Columbia Basin Trust’s Environmental Initiatives Program, for community-initiated and supported environmental projects in the Columbia Basin, to address current and future impacts of human communities on local and regional ecosystems. For info: 1-800-505-89998 or 1-250-365-6633.

• February 21 - 24: Night at the Museum • February 28 - March 3: The Pursuit of Happyness

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

March 17th

February 23rd • 2:30 pm - 5:30 pm: J.A. Laird PAC Annual Spring Carnival, Laird elementary school gym. Games, food, and lots of fun, sponsored by J.A.Laird PAC.

February 26th • 7 pm: Future of Food: Columbia Valley Film Series, “Slow Food Revolution”, DTSS Theatre. For info: Alison Bell 342-9213, ext. 217.

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

March 1st • Tri-Sports in the Valley presents running and triathlon clinics starting March 5th. Please call Michelle to register and for more info, 342-8737.

Register in person between 6 pm - 8 pm at 1261 21st Street Invermere.

• 5:30 pm - 8:30 pm: Windermere Valley Child Care Society Family Fun Dance 2007, Invermere Community Hall. $2 admission, $5/family.

Concession available.

March 2nd • 7 pm: Laws of Spirit Circle - The Law of Process.

Based on Dan Millman’s book, this circle, fecilitated b y Maria Kliavkoff, explores The Laws of Spirit month-by-month. For info: 347-2110 or visit mkfacilitations.com.

• 9 am: Regional District of East Kootenay board meeting. Open to the public, for more info: 1-888478-7335.

March 5th • 7:30 pm: Columbia Valley Search & Rescue AGM, The Windy Cafe. For info: Shannon, 342-0225.

• 1 pm - 4 pm: Blushing Bride Wedding Expo, held at Copper Point. For info: 270-0338.

March 24th • Royal Canadian Legion Branch #71’s 80th Anniversary Dinner. Veterans and spouses must preregister by calling Wendy at 342-4242. Tickets available for Legion members and the general public, please see ad on page 23 for more information.

Hot Springs Hours of Operation • Radium Hot pool, Sunday - Thursday 12 pm - 9 pm; Friday - Saturday 12 pm - 10 pm.

• Radium Cool Pool, Friday 6 pm - 9 pm, Saturday - Sunday 12 pm - 9 pm. For info: 347-9485.

• Fairmont Hot Springs Hot Pool Hours: 8 am - 10 pm daily. For info: 345-6311.

Columbia Valley Food Bank Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1 pm - 2 pm To donate, mail a cheque to: Box 2141, Invermere.

New Video Releases Tuesday • Stranger Than Fiction • A Good Year • Conversations With God • The Gathering • New Police Story • The Return • Factotum • Push • Tenacious D in: The Pick of Destiny

Invermere Thrift Store Thursdays, 10 am - 4 pm Fridays and Saturdays, 1 pm - 4 pm Also:

Radium Library Hours • Wednesday, Thursday, Sunday: 2 pm - 4 pm • Tuesday & Thursday: 7 pm - 9 pm • Saturday: 10 am - 12 pm

Student News

March 12th

Toby Theatre

• Flatware for rent “For All Occasions”, Invermere Health Care Auxiliary. $2.50/dozen, 300 place settings available. For info: Karla Schager, 342-9981.

• Elkhorn College is now accepting applications of interest for September 2007. Apply to: Elkhorn Ranch Ltd., Box 128, Windermere, BC V0B 2L0.

• Ready, Set, Learn: • February 26, Windermere Elementary School, 8:30 am - 10 am. For info: 342-6640.

• February 27, Edgewater Elementary School, 1 pm - 2:30 pm. For info: 347-9543.

• March 1, Eileen Madson Primary School, 9:15 am - 10:45 am. For info: 342-9315.

• March 5, Martin Morigeau Elementary School, 10 am - 11:30 am. For info: 349-5665.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 23rd: • 2:30 pm - 5:30 pm: Spring Carnival, JA Laird gym.

MONDAY, MARCH 5th: • 9 am: PAC meeting, Martin Morigeau.

MARCH 8th & 9th: • Report Cards issued, Martin Morigeau.

MARCH 19th - 30th: • March Break, no school.

OTHER • Windermere Fire Department is seeking community minded volunteers. For info: Aaron at 342-3965.

SATURDAYS: • 5 pm - 8 pm: Public indoor rock climbing, JA Laird gym, $5 drop in. For info: 342-9413 or 342-6232.

SUNDAYS: • 2 pm: Crib every Sunday at the Brisco Hall. For info: 346-3294.

MONDAYS: • 7 pm: Duplicate Bridge, Invermere Seniors’ Hall, $2, visitors welcome. For info: Gerriann, 342-9893.

TUESDAYS: • 7 pm - 9 pm every Tuesday: ADHD Parent Support Group. Drop-ins welcome, School Board District Office. For info: Lynda, 342-9243, ext. 234.

WEDNESDAYS: • 7 pm - 9 pm: The Purcell Painters Studio, College of the Rockies. For info: Victoria, 342-9053.

THURSDAYS: • 1:30 pm: Carpet Bowling, Radium Senior Centre.

“What is integrated marketing?”

Integrated marketing is how you convey your look and message consistently across media such as web, print and advertising.

It also gives each spe-

cific media a business purpose. For example, a website may serve various functions, including sales gateway, customer support and image reinforcement. When your clients

visit your website after seeing your advertising or hearing your radio spot, they should find a continuation of your message—and a reason for going to your site.

Visit harrisonmckay.com/faq for more answers to frequently asked questions about marketing, advertising, and website design.

Ask Harrison your own question!

E-mail askharrison@harrisonmckay.com.

12 • The Columbia Valley Pioneer

February 23, 2007

VALLEY NEWS

Community greenhouse planned

The Chef Training Program at David Thompson Secondary School is getting a greenhouse in which to to grow organic foods and learn about nutrition.

Panorama Resort General Manager Mark Woodburn, who presented a $50,000 cheque on behalf of the Panorama Foundation to help pay for the greenhouse, said it is exactly the kind of project the foundation looks for when considering new projects.

Mr. Woodburn said the project will benefit a large number of valley residents and it was proposed by a group that can see it through to completion.

“This group of people is very energized and well connected to the community,” Mr. Woodburn said.

“The community that this is going to touch is very diversified.”

Project partners see the greenhouse as a community asset demonstrating sustainability through green design, addressing environmental and social needs, and offering solutions to challenges that threaten current and future food security for the community and region.

The greenhouse, which will employ the latest design and energy conservation techniques, organizers say, and will cost $95,000 to build.

GOING ORGANIC—This ensemble gathered at the future site of the new community greenhouse to be built on the grounds of David Thompson Secondary School. Pictured here are some of the proponents of the greenhouse project, receiving a $50,000 cheque from the Panorama Foundation represented by Panorama General Manager Mark Woodburn. Also pictured are Columbia Valley Botanical Garden and Centre for Sustainable Living representatives and school officials, including Joanne Bragg and Bill Swan (kneeling) and (back row, left to right) Anne Glassford, Dave Zehnder, Jami Scheffer, Jim Jenkinson, Alison Bell, Mark Woodburn, Ken Wilder, Jackie Anderson, and School District 6 Superintendent Bendina Miller.

Photo by Brian Geis

Anonymous donor makes the world a better place

By Elinor Florence Pioneer Publisher One year ago The Pioneer published a letter from a Canadian soldier serving in Afghanistan. This soldier described the attempts that the Canadian military is making to help alleviate the terrible living conditions in that country.

One of our readers, an Invermere gentleman with a well-developed social conscience, read the story and came to see me at The Pioneer.

He had a bright idea: since the Canadian military was flying over all sorts of equipment and supplies, why not ask the military to transport wheelchairs to Afghanistan and distribute them to the people?

A year later, his dream has come true. That first telephone call from his home in Invermere to the Executive Director of the Wheelchair Foundation office in White Rock, B.C. sparked a chain of events that led to 560 wheelchairs being flown to Afghanistan and delivered through the military to the Afghan people.

The anonymous donor himself paid for the first

100 wheelchairs, and the project grew quickly with strong support from Rotary Clubs across the province.

The gentleman has been involved for many years with the Wheelchair Foundation of Canada, part of a network with branches in several countries.

To date, over 550,000 new wheelchairs have been delivered in over 145 countries to physically disabled people who are without the means to acquire a wheelchair; more than 5,800 have been delivered so far in Afghanistan.

In Afghanistan, two in ten adult men have lost legs to landmines or unexploded ordnance left over from conflicts in the past several decades. These wheelchairs will also allow physically disabled children to go to school, adults to go to work to provide for their families, and the elderly to get out of bed for the first time in years.

In spite of all my arguments and pleading, the gentleman who has made such a difference in so many lives still wishes to remain anonymous.

“I want the Canadian military to have all the rec-

ognition,” he says. “Hopefully that will help them win the confidence of the local people in Afghanistan.”

His anonymity has been maintained by several other newspapers who have covered the story, including the Calgary Herald, who referred to him as a World War Two veteran living somewhere in B.C. Our anonymous donor is a wonderful example of the way in which one man, and living in what many people would consider something of a quiet little backwater, had the courage to pick up the phone and see whether he could do something.

I would love to share his name with you, but I must respect his wishes.

It’s a good lesson to all of us. One man can make a difference.

People who want to support this project can contribute $110, which is matched by the Wheelchair Foundation. A small sum of $220 will buy a simple, mechanical wheelchair that will change someone’s life.

If you want to participate, please visit www.wheelchairfoundation.ca or call toll-free (866) 666-2411.

The Columbia Valley Pioneer • 13

February 23, 2007

LETTERS

Hiking Jumbo is family tradition Dear Editor: Today I finally had the opportunity to sit down and read our local papers. At first I was quite amused to read the “Letters to the Editor” articles. I only had the chance to read the response letters this week, because I missed last week’s issue. Which I will add, was quite impressed with both responses in The Pioneer.

I was pretty intrigued to find out what the original letter said, because it clearly had caused quite a stir.

Well after sitting around catching up with old friends on Friday night, the topic arose about the infamous Patrick Hasburgh letter in the paper. Someone told me where I could find it on The Pioneer’s website, so I took the time to look it up and read it for myself.

It astonishes me how someone could manage to insult so many people in one letter. I am all for people having an opinion and sharing their thoughts, but before they write it down and send it to the local papers, I would think that they would try to inform themselves, a little bit, about what it is they’re talking about.

I, for one, am one of those “suckers” that proudly wear one of those “Jumbo Wild” bumper stickers. I wear it proudly because I truly believe it. I’ve been fortunate to live in the valley for 30 years, moving here with my mom who thought there was no more beautiful place on earth than this valley. I was only a kid then, not fully appreciating her passion for this place.

Slowly but surely as I grew older, I also grew to feel as passionate about it as she was then. My mom joined the bandwagon right at the get-go of this Jumbo issue.

She herself wrote a Letter to the Editor years and years ago. At the time, I didn’t find the importance in her fight. But I certainly do now.

As a kid I took the beauty of this Valley for granted and I took Jumbo for granted. We used to, as kids, jump in a truck and drive up Jumbo for the day, light a fire, roast some weenies, just to hang out, without the slightest thought that one day we might not be able to do that.

For you, Patrick, to think that it’s fashionable for us locals to boast our anti-Jumbo positions without thinking about the history behind it is beyond me.

Maybe you have not felt a connection to a place before, a place that you call home, a place that you love just the way it is. Yes, most of the income in the Valley does derive from tourism and skiing, construction and logging. These are jobs people do so they can live here; they don’t live here so they can do these jobs. I myself do my job; get through the week, so I can spend my free time enjoying all the reasons why I live here.

Getting out in the bush on the weekends is my family’s passion. My husband, who also has lived here for 30 years, was educated by his father how to survive in the outdoors. Every year they made their way up Jumbo for their seasonal hunting trips. My husband says he feels at peace when he’s in that “big country.”

Nowadays our family follows in the same tradition heading up Jumbo every hunting season. Now my husband teaches his kids how to survive in the outdoors.

It astounds me that you think that there are no grizzlies up Jumbo. Just this last year alone, we were privileged enough to count at least five different grizzlies within five kilometers. Not one of them was in a cage. The small-minded thought that the only way to preserve the natural beauty of that big country is to build a huge resort smack dab in the middle of it is

ludicrous to me.

Yes, the valley is getting flooded with condos and subdivisions are popping up every time you blink, so your suggestion is to build a circus to amuse everyone.

I say too bad for the people that can’t enjoy the simplicity of nature for what it is. I say too bad for the people who after spending a day in nature, are not able to appreciate the feeling you get just being a part of something bigger than yourself.

If I want to go to boutiques and quaint coffee shops, believe me I’ll find them, they are everywhere.

There are few places on earth that are left untouched by big money hungry business. We live in a wasteful society, nothing is ever good enough. If, and it scares me, if we destroy the Jumbo Valley with an amusement park, we will NEVER get it back. My kids and grandkids will never be able to enjoy the vast greatness of that big country for what it is.

The one good thing that came out of you writing your letter, I think, is that it was so absurd that people felt the need to counter it with realistic points of view.

I for one have sat on the back burner of this debate for years, quietly hoping that the Jumbo resort does not come to pass, but not really voicing my opinion.

Now I am, and I am making a voice for my mother and father-in-law, both of whom have since passed, and I am making a voice for my husband, my children and my future grandchildren and anyone else who appreciates this stunning back country that we are blessed to have as our backyard. Let’s not fill it with junk.

Rose Gottinger, Invermere

Recent letter was long on wit, short on fact Dear Editor: I would like to thank Mr. Hasburgh for continuing the 20-year dialogue regarding the Jumbo Valley. I would also like to congratulate him on a smart relocation from Aspen, Colorado to Panorama in 2005 (Aspen Extreme was a formative movie for me - thanks!)

Although I found his letter entertaining and quite wellwritten, it was a bit long on wit and short on fact.

Mr. Hasburgh’s comment about the last grizzly in Jumbo being locked up in the Calgary Zoo shows the misinformation and lack of awareness that is out there regarding our natural heritage (excusable in this case for a recent arrival). According to grizzly bear DNA surveys done in 1998 and 2002 in the Purcells, there are an estimated 70 grizzlies in the Purcell Wilderness

Conservancy and Jumbo area. Specifically, the censuses found several breeding females in the upper Jumbo Valley. Every wildlife biologist worth his or her salt can tell you that females are the important sex, and their presence in the Jumbo Valley is one indication of the importance of the valley to overall bear populations.

As an affluent society who proudly boast of “Supernatural BC, the Best Place on Earth,” we need to start putting our money where our mouth is. Wilderness (not pristine, but still diverse) is a commodity that is becoming more and more scarce.

It begs the question of why Mr. Hasburgh moved to B.C. from Aspen, Colorado where, according to the Colorado Department of Natural Resources, Lynx may have disappeared from Colorado by about 1973, and the grizzly bear is classified as an endangered species in

Colorado, but it probably is gone from the state. Currently a large, expensive lynx reintroduction program is underway in Colorado, and no grizzly reintroduction is as yet planned. Perhaps we should learn from Mr. Hasburgh and realize that it is better and cheaper to try to maintain the populations we have by preventing developments like Jumbo from proceeding.

We can claim to be one of the most heavily settled regions in the world that still supports this type of diversity. Let’s keep it that way and stick to smart developments adjacent to existing communities, and let’s protect our heritage by saying NO to proposals such as Jumbo that are a direct threat to our natural heritage.

Dave Quinn, Kimberley

14 • The Columbia Valley Pioneer

February 23, 2007

LETTERS

Solid protection for wildlife should be top priority Dear Editor: Much has been said and written regarding this megaproject and the majority of the comments were valid, regardless of what side of the fence you’re on.

I’ve never met Mr. Hasburgh and although I definitely don’t agree with all his adverse comments and beliefs he has raised some valid points and is a very good writer.

Let’s start off with the road. It’s not really a road, but just an overgrown moose trail. My first experience on this masterpiece was about 15 to 20 years ago. I had to attend a Rocky Mountain Tourist Association meeting at Panorama.

My driving experience is quite extensive on all road conditions. I remember telling my wife what this most dangerous stretch of real estate was like, and labelled it a deathtrap.

Unfortunately, I was right, as shortly afterwards there was a number of tragic accidents on this dangerous mountain road.

This so-called highway must be upgraded considerably even to meet minimum safety standards with current traffic. I certainly believe that we poor taxpayers should not foot the whole burden.

The resort must be responsible for a major share of the expense. After all, if they weren’t there, it wouldn’t be necessary to spend this loot. A person should have to be paid to drive on this snake path.

The bulk of this controversy centers on the detrimental affect on the survival of ursus horribilis, a magnificent animal in all respects. We’ve had numerous vivid experiences with old grizz.

Once an old boar flattened our sheep camp, tore our sleeping bags and duffel bags, ate all our food which was hung in a tree, and destroyed our rum mix. But he left our rum intact, although he rolled it around. It’s surprising it goes well with tea, which I always have in my pack.

The ultimate episode with ursus horribilis was the horrendous snarling and roaring, his alarming disapproval of our presence in his backyard on two separate locations.

Not only that, he deposited his huge calling card on our trail, 50 yards from camp. I guess he just didn’t appreciate us crapping in his backyard.

If you have spent much time in the high country, you cannot overlook the extensive damage to wildlife habitat, especially in grizzly country - from indiscrim-

inate logging practices.

Not all the logging contractors are guilty, but far too many could care less about habitat. Mr. Hasburgh has taken pretty good shots at the forest industry and there’s a lot of truth in what he said. Brutal and wasteful logging practices are far too prevalent here in the Kootenays.

The most disgusting sight is in the Tea Pot Meadows area. I first experienced this terrible mess in the fall of 1968. It was simply brutal, with thousands of logs lying all over hell, and stumps in every direction.

The moose had to resort to snakes-and-ladders maneuvers to even think of the mating season.

Don’t get me wrong, as I’ve nothing against the forest industry, as I’ve spend 13 good years in the sawmill industry and still have a lot of sawdust in my blood.

But we do have a hard time with clear-cut policies.

Selective logging practices, although initially more expensive, saves thousands of years of tree growth.

Plus it’s a major factor in combatting global warming. Plus there’s the important factor in preventing landslides.

Those huge scars are definitely not a plus, regardless of how blind you may be or whatever side of the fence you live on.

Mining is another serious point of concern and their past record has proven that time and time again.

You don’t have to look very far, just gander at the Wildhorse Creek as it rumbles along just east of Fort Steele on the Bull River Road.

Virtually everything is blasted along its shoreline.

I’ve seen this same carnage in Idaho. Also I would imagine the Caribou Country has experienced similar disasters.

They’ve had their knuckles rapped a number of times, but still manage to brutalize our environment.

Government finally got their butt in gear and established definite environment policies.

Mind you, that was a direct result of immense pressure from the general public. There’s been some great mines, such as the famous Sullivan Mine in Kimberley, providing economic stability to thousands of residents for decades.

There is no doubt grizzlies will be affected, which is inevitable. However, they’re very intelligent animals and very resourceful.

The end results are very difficult to ascertain. We trust that it won’t be too destructive.

On the other hand, elk, moose, deer and other species will benefit. Improved forage will develop from opening up many areas. You have to realize heavilytimbered terrain provides virtually no forage for the ungulates. There’s pluses and minuses in everything.

There’s no room for another sawmill in this valley due to limited timber supply.

Millions have been spent by the mining industry trying to locate the elusive other half of the famous Sullivan Mine ore deposit and they’re still scratching.

So the tourist industry is the only one that can provide any volume of employment.

Granted, high-paying positions are limited. However, the young generation has an opportunity to pursue higher education possibilities with these positions available in such mega projects as Jumbo development can provide.

Progress is inevitable in all aspects of humanity and nature. Our biggest concern is to be vigilant and intelligent.

We must establish solid guidelines and sound practices for wildlife and our precious natural resources. This is most essential for our present and future generations.

We cannot ignore this most important issue, regardless of what happens. Our future generations must look back with pride and appreciate the foresight and intelligence exercised with this delicate issue.

So maybe it’s about time we drop our spears and sarcastic accusations. As stated, we need to concentrate on the real important issues.

This is not a matter of giving away the farm, by any means. If anyone appreciates wildlife and nature more than my son and I do, we haven’t met them.

As for the monetary benefits and aspects of this possible mega-project, nothing is definite other than death and taxes and lying politicians, at least the majority of them.

With good prudence and sound judgement, proper guidelines can be established for maximum protection for nature and the beloved taxpayer for whatever reason.

Surely that’s not too much of a challenge for our heralded leaders in society.

B. Guimont Fairmont

The Columbia Valley Pioneer • 15

February 23, 2007

LETTERS

‘Passionate environmentalist’ speaks in favour of Jumbo resort Dear Editor: I believe Jumbo Glacier Resort will have tremendous positive economic impact on the Columbia Valley, the region and province as a whole. It certainly will put Invermere on the world map . . . and will make British Columbia even more of a world player in the sphere of skiing and adventure touring.

I’ve lived in the valley for 27 years, 17 of those up at Panorama where my husband and I owned a home in the old subdivision. Panorama Resort was my backyard, and it was there that I wrote the first (and not last) backpacking guide for this region.

I consider myself a passionate environmentalist in the sense that I love and respect the natural world.

However, in my definition, the natural world includes people. Given that humans are capable of partying on the moon, now is the time that humans and animals must learn how to live together. Humans have the brains and the will to create an environment where wildlife can enrich our experience of life, and where humans can not only protect such a wildlife-rich environment, we can foster its sustainable growth.

My vision is to get Jumbo Valley better than before! Turn it into a Grizzly Picnic area and protect migration routes. Hence, I see the developer as a proactive agent in the propagation of wildlife and flora. For instance, the clearing of some slopes at Jumbo for skiing, adds to the grasses and other flora that ungulates need to eat. We could even get more pro-active and research what natural flora that grizzly, deer, moose and elk love to eat and be sure we get the seeds/or seedlings to plant on the cleared area, and plants that would ensure good skiing through preventing erosion.

Of course, with more ungulates, you get more predators. Wolves, grizzlies, cougars and coyotes. I’ll never forget the day when Werner, my husband, came back from hunting on Panorama Resort’s mountain, all excited. He’d seen a grizzly running “all out” after a moose and her calf, right across the ski slope. I hiked Panorama’s ski slopes almost every day and saw deer beds, elk beds, moose beds, and their droppings everywhere. The irrefutable truth is that ungulates love the greens on ski slopes. And the griz like the meat once in a while to add to their own green feasting.

Another proactivity would be to re-stock Jumbo Creek with the cutthroat trout that used to live there. I heard from locals that Jumbo used to have really good cutthroat trout, but they’re gone. What would it re-

ally cost the resort to take the initiative and put a few thousand trout into the water every year so the anglers can have a blast fishing in the summer months?

Some 30 years ago the Forestry Department burned down (by accident) almost the entire Jumbo Valley. Everybody was upset. I’m still upset about it when I think about it. The burn made this valley look absolutely ugly. Jumbo Resort could work with forestry toward restoring this valley to its former glory.

Having lived at Panorama Resort for 17 years and in the valley for the rest of my 26 years, I am unconvinced that Jumbo Resort would necessarily hurt the Grizzly population. Panorama and its surrounding side valleys always had grizzlies and still does . . . and look at the traffic up there year round.

I’ve hiked just about every side valley to Toby Creek, including some where you could only do it with bushwhacking, and Werner and I have always seen Grizzly. One year when we lived up there still, there was a Griz in one of the parking garages!

So let’s face it. Toby Creek and all its drainages have grizzly . . . so hikers must be alert and aware. One resort under the ice of Jumbo Glacier is not going to hurt the grizzly . . . unless the humans are disrespectful and do things that discourage them. I really think we could create better habitat for them up there. We could get a small group of people and generate a hundred ideas of how to do that.

And just look at the parks, and all the meetings hikers have with bears there. There seems to be no shortage and parks are learning how to handle these encounters much better than before. I heard from a temporary park employee that this summer there were eight different grizzly bears at Kindersley Pass in one week! This is terrific! And this park is surrounded by Hwy 93 and 95! Much more traffic than will be at Jumbo!

For those people who think that Invermere will not benefit from Jumbo Glacier Resort, I believe this is a defiance of reason. I don’t know of a resort anywhere on earth that has not benefited the environs.

The spinoff industries would be great. And think of the tax money that could be used to help this region out with schools, infrastructure, etc., let alone the sophistication that would occur once an international populace takes greater interest in the region.

The struggle with the mayor of Invermere gives me back many memories of Invermere’s resistance to the zoning of Lakeview Meadows which used to be our

property. For some reason Invermere had it in their heads that development on the east side of the lake would kill Invermere. The fact is that development on the east side has aided Invermere immensely. When I moved here in 1979, the town was in sorry shape.

Now it’s quite improved and even becoming upscale.

Many years ago, before the Telluride ski hill was established, locals were skiing this hill because of its terrific powder. It was like a secret. Then the developers got wind of it and wanted to develop it. From what I heard, instead of fighting it, they decided to get together with a list of demands and approve of the resort if the demands were met.

So the developers gave them what they wanted and the development went ahead. Why doesn’t Invermere do this? And since they have not done their homework, why doesn’t someone find out what the heck they want and be sure to give it to them?

As a counsellor since 1972, and having studied human relationships to the extent of attaining the doctoral level in 2000, I believe I have something to say about the subject of community health.

It is outright unhealthy when a group of hyperzealous people have threatened the livelihoods of business people and all others who have felt compelled to stifle their thoughts and voices about this pressing subject.

The sign of a healthy community is one where people are encouraged and given respectful space to speak their mind and have an intelligent conversation with others about any subject.

This is not happening here and it is not a good thing. To the extent that it is happening is a symptom of community dysfunction. People have fought world wars to guarantee free speech. For various reasons that could be easily researched, many people feel un-free to speak their minds. I would say that it is so bad in Invermere that one could start a Free Speech movement here as regards the sacred cow called Jumbo.

There’s so much to be discussed and so much to gain.

And it is the job of community officials and citizens to ensure that we have a healthy community.

It gets pretty disgusting when you feel you cannot even share your own thoughts in a respectful atmosphere. It’s like a mini-fascism that gets created. This is sooooo bad for the community.

Mary Ann Rombach Windermere

16 • The Columbia Valley Pioneer

February 23, 2007

PIONEER ON THE ROAD

Folks have been packing their Pioneer wherever they go! Columbia Valley residents are eligible to win two nights at Fantasyland Hotel in West Edmonton Mall, courtesy of Travel World, if they send us a photo of themselves with The Pioneer. Top left, Pat and Bonnie Bavin in Thailand; top right, Rachel Babutzka and Franziska Wuethrich of Invermere in Hawaii; bottom right, Ken Smith with kids Brandi, Colton and Suzanne Sacken of Invermere in Mexico; bottom left, Gunner Jorgensen of Invermere in Cuba.

February 23, 2007

The Columbia Valley Pioneer • 17

PIONEER ON THE ROAD

Top left: Former Invermere residents Grant, Susan, Maria and Julia Walker. Grant and Sue teach at an international school in Singapore. With them are Werner Kopp with wife Louise and boys Matthew, Michael and Nathan, all of Edgewater, en route to Tasmania for a one-year teaching exchange. Top right: Diana and Kevin Moore of Fairmont at the CN Tower in Toronto. Bottom right: Ron and Grace Friesen of Quesnel, B.C. Bottom left: Chris Burns of Invermere holds a copy of the Pioneer standing atop Pic Blanc (elevation 3,360 metres - the same as Mount Nelson) in the French Alps. With him is his brother-in-law Sean Burns from Warwickshire, England.

18• The Columbia Valley Pioneer

February 23, 2007

VALLEY NEWS

Dad and daughter in perfect harmony Blues/roots recording artists Holly and Jon will be performing a show at Angus McToogle’s Pub in Invermere on Friday, March 2nd.

Aside from the remarkable music they make together, one of the things that make this duo unique is that they are a daughter/father team and the story of how Jon discovered Holly’s inherent musical abilities is one he loves to tell.

“When Holly was about three or four years old we were living in a cabin on a mountainside on the east shore of Kootenay Lake. One day I was sitting at the kitchen table strumming some chords on my guitar.

Holly began to sing along to the chords that I was playing and it sounded real good.

“I changed key a few times to see if she would follow me and she did every time. That was the day I found out that my daughter had been bestowed with the gift of music, and I knew it was something we should work to develop.”

And develop it they certainly did. Holly learned

At the Library Reviewed by Sheila Bonny Invermere Public Library Vincent Lam’s book, Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures, is a collection of short stories about four students progressing from pre-med studies, medical school and residency to medical practice.

Without the hysteria of television’s ER, Lam realistically describes the stress, emotional trauma, humour and exhaustion of the medical profession.

He writes matter-of-factly, using accurate medical terms defined in a glossary at the end of the volume.

We learn of Ming’s single-minded focus and Fitzgerald’s suggestion of blackmail to gain access to medical school, Sri and Chen’s horror when Ming misplaces the right side of their laboratory cadaver’s head, and Sri’s difficulty deciding whether a mentally-disturbed patient will be of danger to himself or others.

“Contact Tracing” follows the progression of the Toronto SARS epidemic as it moves from the travelling public to infect health professionals, including Chen and Fitzgerald. In the final story, Chen drives through morning rush-hour traffic with his windows down, singing aloud and slapping himself to fight sleep deprivation.

Because the same four characters reappear throughout this interesting short story collection, I kept wishing Lam had written a novel to fill in the blanks between the story’s episodes.

to play bass guitar, won a vocal scholarship, performed at the Lionel Hampton International Jazz Festival and opened for Maple Blues Award winner Carlos Del Junco while still in high school.

After graduation she attended Music College for two years, all the while perfecting her skills by writing songs and performing at coffee houses, clubs, concerts and festivals. Holly’s voice has been described as “Soaring from deep inside the well of Aretha Franklin and Eva Cassidy; combining an innate sense of melody with blues feel and jazz phrasing.”

Holly’s Dad, Jon, started performing in England where he spent much of his childhood. At an early age he was entertaining but it wasn’t until his family moved to Canada that he started playing music professionally. After seeing blues legend Freddie King perform, he followed his own musical calling and honed his craft in the western Canadian music scene of the mid ‘70s and ‘80s.

Jon’s guitar prowess has been spoken of as “incor-

porating the fire and passion of Freddie King with the melody of Dickie Betts; easily having the ability of Clapton or Hendrix in their heyday.”

Holly and Jon released a CD of all original music in October 2005. Entitled Big Wind on the Way, the album has gone on to receive critical acclaim, airplay and chart action across the country and worldwide on the Sirius Satellite Network. It can be heard in its entirety on CBC Radio 3’s New Music Canada website or downloaded at www.itunes.com.

These folks are genuine songwriters who excel at playing, singing and performing. They have appeared together on shows with Canadian and international artists such as Juno Award winners Colin James and Jeff Healey; Maple Blues award winners Paul Reddick and Harry Manx; legendary producer/session man/ songwriter/piano man Leon Russell and Ray Charles sax player Fathead Newman.

The show starts at 7 p.m. Friday, March 2nd. For more, see their website at: www.hollyandjon.com.

Is your cat going crazy?

By Louise Platiel Invermere Veterinary Hospital Is your cat going squirrelly? Keeping your cat indoors is often necessary in rural areas, as wild animals pose a significant danger to our domestic companions.

This may, however, cause some behavioral challenges, including scratching of your favorite furniture. Since an overwhelming number of felines are surrendered to the SPCA for this reason, you are not alone if you are at a loss as to how to solve this problem.

Scratching behavior is often mistaken as claw sharpening, but in addition to removing dead nails it is also part of territory marking and exercise. Stretching provides crucial strengthening exercise for shoulders and spines. This is why we often see an increase in bad behaviors and health problems after a declawing procedure. While it remains an option, it can cause cats to stop using their litter box, start biting, and develop arthritis. Modern thinking is that declawing is a fairly radical solution that should only be used after trying a combination of products to redirect the behaviors.

In order to redirect your cat’s natural activities, provide scratching posts in the areas being marked and

make them attractive by sprinkling the surface with catnip. Products are available made of cardboard, sisal, wood, and carpet. Posts are particularly attractive, as are the tray and box styles, and cat “trees.” Dangling prey toys from the top is a great way to spark interest.

In addition, repel your cat from favorite furniture with sticky paper, plastic covers, or repellent sprays that use scents such as citrus to discourage activity.

When you’re home, a squirt of water administered during unwanted activity is a great training tool. It will also help to keep nails clipped, reducing the need to shed old nail sheaths.

While declawing may be your last and only option, it is a serious surgical procedure and should only be considered after a consultation with your vet, who can tell you more potential behavioral side effects.

Modern veterinary practitioners discourage this as the first solution because it is essentially an amputation comparable to removing the end of a finger at the first knuckle, which is extreme and expensive in comparison to the cost of a few fun materials which appeal to your cat’s sense of play.

So, now that the temperature has dropped again and you may be worried about safety in the great outdoors, pop in to your favorite retailer and check out the new varieties of scratching and activity centers that will appeal to kitty’s wild side and create harmony in your home. After all, your favorite easy chair should be enjoyed by you and your cat for the rest and relaxation you both deserve.

The Columbia Valley Pioneer • 19

February 23, 2007

VALLEY NEWS

Should we care where our food comes from?

Submitted by Alison Bell Invermere What can be better than a sweet, juicy strawberry?

It used to be that we would have to wait for that special time every summer when local strawberries were ready for picking. Or, maybe it was raspberries, or tomatoes or corn?

Whatever food was your favourite, that time of year was something special and the anticipation made it so. A special time when we could taste, really taste, the sweetness of fresh picked.

Does this opportunity still exist? Of course it does, but the idea of eating foods only when they are in season and taste their best has become, for many of us, just that, an idea. We can now buy virtually every fruit or vegetable at almost any time of the year. Logic would tell us that more variety of foods for longer periods of time would be something great. But, is it?

I’m not so sure.

The food that most of us buy and consume these days is very different than the food we ate as children.

Anyone, like me, who was raised in the era of the Swanson’s TV Dinners and instant mashed potatoes, might think that isn’t such a bad thing, but it wasn’t all bad.

Growing up in Thunder Bay, a city with a growing season of about three weeks, even I was taught that tomatoes should only be eaten in season. The rest of the year, according to my mother, they tasted like pulp from the Kraft Paper Mill. I never thought to question how she knew what pulp tasted like, but I had to agree with her, there was no comparison.

But do we want to go back to a time when the only fresh fruit and vegetables we have available in the winter are potatoes, carrot and turnips? I don’t think so.

There is a growing concern, however, that our insistence on having fresh berries in January and our reliance on a food system that extends to all corners of the earth is unhealthy, in more ways than one.

According to current research on food issues, much of our diet is made up of foods that have traveled over 1,500 kilometres. More than the distance our food travels, have you ever thought about the fact that your lunch has probably seen more countries than you have?

Consider a Beef and Black Bean Burrito, for instance. The beef probably comes from Alberta, but it might come from Ontario, and depending where we

are in the Mad Cow Disease crisis, maybe from the U.S. The black beans could come from South America or the Caribbean, the tomatoes from California or a greenhouse in the Fraser Valley, the tortillas from the U.S. or Mexico and the spices from India, Africa or the Caribbean.

Most likely the only part of your lunch that is locally grown, is you! And, even that is a stretch. So, why does it matter how far your food travels?

Transporting food over great distances uses massive amounts of fossil fuels which contribute to global warming. By not producing its own food, a community is left vulnerable, especially in the case of extended road closures- a common occurrence in Invermere.

Not to mention the variety of contaminated food issues that plagued the industry - and us - in recent months.

The empty produce shelves in our local grocers last September after E coli bacteria contaminated the spinach crop in California illustrated what happens when we rely too heavily on one source for our food. With over 60 percent of the fresh vegetables and fruits consumed in North American being grown in California, by a handful of companies, this is cause for concern.

But, what do we do?

I am not suggesting we eat only locally produced food. As much as I think it would be wonderful to live somewhere that produces all of its own food, I know that this is unrealistic, especially, when we live in a mountainous community with long winters.

What we need to do is find a balance. Eat foods when they are in season and taste their best. Promote local food production, and supplement it with foods that we cannot produce. Without supporting or encouraging food production operations in a community we are failing to ensure sustainability.

So, let’s come together and experience the community pride that comes with partaking in local food production, either as a farmer or as someone who appreciates good food.

I can hardly wait for the first Windermere strawberry next June. How about you? It is up to all of us.

If you are interested in the future of food in the Columbia Valley, come to the Future of Food: Columbia Valley, a forum that will look at all issues surrounding food in our valley, March 2 at David Thompson Secondary School.

Please contact Alison Bell abell@sd6.bc.ca or Joanne Bragg at 342-9213 ext. 217 to register by February 28.

‘Slow Food’ film to be shown Monday Submitted by Emi Cronin Food Forum Steering Committee “Slow Food Revolution”, the final of three films leading up to the “Future of Food” Forum, will be shown here on Monday, February 26.

Slow Food is an eco-gastronomic movement, based in Italy, which seeks an alternative to the relentless spread of the international food corporations.

It encourages protection for traditional culture, the environment, and biodiversity, and promotes regional food production, food pleasure, and education.

This beautifully shot film follows the interpretation of this philosophy in Italy, its home, in small mountain communities in Mexico, and throughout Australia.

Slow Food has over 76,000 members in 47 countries, including a Convivium here in the Columbia Valley.

This group, in cooperation with the Columbia Valley Botanical Gardens and Centre for Sustainable Living, sponsored the first annual Local Harvest Dinner last fall.

Local chefs prepared fabulous food using locally-grown ingredients to a sold-out crowd.

The botanical gardens group also had a booth at the summer Farmer’s Market that featured locally grown produce, heirloom seeds, and locally roasted coffee.

Come and join us at this film and then come down to the Future of Food: Columbia Valley Food Forum on Friday, March 2nd.

To register, contact Heather English at henglish@sd6.bc.ca by February 26th.

The Food Forum is hosted in partnership with David Thompson Secondary School, with funding from Act Now and BC Interior Health.

Discussions will seek to identify local food security concerns, to work towards mapping out local food production areas, and suppliers and resources.

It will also generate community awareness of food issues and create a network of food partnerships in the valley.

20 • The Columbia Valley Pioneer

February 23, 2007

Forum attendees generate response to provincial child care cuts

By Brian Geis Pioneer Staff Participants at the Forum on Child Care—including Invermere Mayor Mark Shmigelsky, Councillor Bob Campsall and Columbia Valley Chamber of Commerce President Dee Conklin—put their heads together to generate a response to the provincial cuts in child care funding, which have left child care providers and parents reeling.

The cuts, announced earlier this year by Minister of State for Child Care Linda Reid, amount to the proverbial yank-the-rug-out-from-under for a community already underfunded and bent weak by inconsistent government support.

Mayor Shmigelsky congratulated the Windermere Valley Early Childhood Development Team, an interagency planning and advocacy group coordinated by Nicole Pawluk, for hosting the event, and challenged those in attendance to make some noise and be heard at the senior levels of government.

“We’re going to do our best to advocate on your behalf,” he said of himself and the District of Invermere Council, “but we need to see that groundswell. Ninety percent of your taxes go to the senior levels of government. Every time a pollster calls you, let them know you want them to give back some of that money. It has to come from you, and it has to come from business.”

Gail Brown of the provincially-funded Children First Learning Initiative and author of the East Kootenay Child Care Report was the keynote speaker.

Ms. Brown explained the current state of child care funding in B.C. and delivered a report card on early childhood development in the Windermere Valley that was the result of a four-year study of 1,183 children in B.C. School Districts 5 and 6.

According to Ms. Brown, the estimated total value of the cuts amounts to $35-40 million, about 15 percent of the budget, over the next nine months. Here’s how it will break down: • As of July 1, 2007, a 27-percent reduction in Child Care Operating Funding for children from birth to six years of age in licensed group and family child care services.

• By Oct. 1, 2007, a 77-percent reduction in funding for Child Care Resource and Referral Programs that provide parent information about child care options in communities, assist parents applying for child care subsidies, recruit family child care providers, and support quality in chld care services.

• A freeze on major child care capital funding, for a saving of $7 million.

• A cap on access to child care operating funds for most new child care spaces.

Her findings, she said, show a decline in available child care spaces in the Windermere Valley and across

FORUM ON CHILD CARE—Gail Brown of the provincially-funded Children First Learning Initiative and author of the East Kootenay Child Care Report explains funding cuts and their impact on local services to forum participants and delivered a report card on early childhood development in the Windermere Valley.

Photo by Brian Geis B.C., but an increase in kindergarten readiness which she attributes to strong early learning programs and good parenting.

The Windermere Valley showed some of the best improvements in kindergarten readiness in School Districts 5 and 6, reducing vulnerability in four of the five categories studied: physical health and well-being, social competence, emotional maturity, language and cognitive development and communication skills and general knowledge.

“The Windermere Valley is actually doing a good job preparing children for kindergarten. I don’t have an answer for how that happened, but you did a good job,” Ms. Brown commented.

“So, all over the province, the number of child care spaces has gone down. The Windermere Valley

isn’t unique. We’re all sharing this problem.”

Children in the Windermere Valley showed a 2.7percent increase in vulnerability in communication skills and general knowledge.

The performance results for aboriginal children, she said, are the highest in the province.

According to Ms. Brown, there are currently 212 child day care spaces available in the Windermere Valley, only two more than existed when the count began in 1993, and more than a hundred fewer than at the peak of availability in 2003.

Continued on Page 21

The Columbia Valley Pioneer • 21

February 23, 2007 Continued from Page 20 Dee Conklin, who moved to the valley three years ago as an “empty-nester,” said that 20 years ago she was a single mother of two in Calgary without any family nearby to help. She said day care options were important then, but are even more important now.

Speaking as a business owner, Ms. Conklin said child day care is crucial during the current labor shortage. As an employer, she said, she is very flexible when it comes to accommodating employees with children, even letting them spend time at work with their children when necessary.

“I can’t say every business in town can do this,” she said. “We’re an area of small businesses. Not all of them can be as flexible. Is day care a crucial piece of the pie? Absolutely.”

Arlee Romaine, director of the Windermere Valley Child Care Society, described how the cuts will affect child care locally.

“There are some resounding effects that will be felt by the community, some effects that will be hard to overcome,” Ms. Romaine told the forum.

Locally, Ms. Romaine said, the Windermere Valley Child Care Society will have to absorb cuts that amount to about $3,000 per month.

“We’ll have to increase parent rates,” she said.

The cuts in capital funding, she said, will prevent the creation of any new child day care spaces.

The biggest factors limiting child day care in the Windermere Valley, Ms. Romaine said, is the inconsistent support from government and the inability to attract certified early childhood educators.

“We never seem to know where we stand,” she said. “We never know what it’s going to be like from one year to the next.

“It’s really hard to attract people to our community because of the high cost of living and it’s a low-income job. It shouldn’t be, but it is. You have to go into it for one reason only, and that’s because you love the children,” Ms. Romaine said.

After the presentation, the participants broke into smaller groups to brainstorm a response to the cuts. Organizers expect a committee to emerge from the forum that will refine and implement some of the ideas generated by the participants, including: • Apply political pressure, lobbying politicians for support.

• Create a philanthropic foundation centered on child care and development issues.

• Create a local version of the cancelled Child Care Resource and Referral Programs.

• Tap into the experience, wisdom and time of the growing community of retired people in the Windermere Valley.

• Team with other non-traditional partners.

• Educate the community.

• Create a mentoring program for early childhood educators.

• Create a college training program for early childhood educators.

• Create an “adopt-a-student” program for early childhood educators.

A ROOM WITH A MILLION-DOLLAR VIEW—The rotunda of the new Little Badger Early Learning Centre faces south and affords a sweeping view of the Rocky Mountains.

Photos by Brian Geis

Little Badger Centre set to open

By Brian Geis Pioneer Staff Waiting lists for child care spaces in the Columbia Valley will ease a bit with the addition of 20 new spaces in a state-of-the-art facility dubbed the Little Badger Early Learning Centre.

More than a year in the making, the Little Badger was built and is owned by the Akisqnuk First Nation and will be managed by the Akisqnuknik Development Corporation.

Corporation President and Regional District of East Kootenay Area F Director Lillian Rose announced last week that the Little Badger, named after the resident badger living on a nearby ball field, is now accepting registrations for a half-day program beginning in April and a full-day program beginning in September.

The building—which features a cloakroom, three classrooms, a dedicated art room, a kitchen, a washroom with childsize fixtures and an observation room/office—is handicapped-accessible and broadband-equipped.

“There’s radiant-heat flooring, so no ugly, dirty carpeting,” Ms. Rose commented.

Director Rose largely credits early childhood educator Maxine Hawes of Invermere with developing the program and securing provincial certification.

“The application is about this thick,” Mrs. Hawes said, holding her hands about eight inches apart.”

Both administrators noted the Little Badger’s focus on early education instead of just day care.

Akisqnik Development Corporation President and Area F Director Lillian Rose, and Little Badger Day Care administrator Maxine Hawes.

“We’re not just a day care centre, but a pre-kindergarten. It’s not just come and play all the time,” Mrs. Hawes said. “There will be teachers that actually teach, but there’s a whole lot of fun mixed in.”

The learning will focus on ecology, Ktunaxa culture, kindergarten readiness, pre-reading skills, art and music.

The Little Badger Early Learning Centre is planning an open house in March for interested parents and their children. For more information call the Little Badger Office at 342-6331.

22 • The Columbia Valley Pioneer

Brendan Donahue Investment Advisor Phone: 342-2112

GIC Rates cashable 90 days 1 yr 2 yrs 3 yrs 4 yrs 5 yrs

as of Feb. 19th 4.00% 4.16% 4.22% 4.26% 4.30% 4.30% 4.31%

New High Interest Savings Accounts No minimum balances 3.85% No fees Interest calculated daily, paid monthly Redeemable at any time RRSP and RRIF eligible

Investments

GICs, Stocks, Bonds, Preferred Shares, Income Trusts, Mutual Funds, High Interest Savings, RRSPs Rates subject to change without notice.

Subject to availability.

February 23, 2007

YOUR MONEY Beware of joint ownership

relationship between co-owners, this could be the source of future conflict.

• Exposure to creditors: All assets placed in a joint account may be exposed to creditors of either account holder. Yes, that includes ex-spouses.

• Tax consequences: The contributors to a joint account must each recognize a deemed disposition of half the assets each person contributes. From then on, interest income, dividends and capital gains are split evenly between account holders. This is an often-overlooked consequence of joint ownership that may make the strategy more costly than the savings it would generate!

• Conflict with wills: The provisions of joint ownership can sometimes defeat the provisions of a will.

Furthermore, this conflict can take away the ability to minimize long-term tax liabilities, like testamentary trusts and other tax planning provisions.

After all is said and done, joint ownership still has its benefits. But it demands careful consideration and professional advice. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by complicated estate planning decisions, talk to your advisor. He or she can help you decide which estate planning strategies will best suit your personal needs.

An attractive strategy, but be cautious!

A key goal of any estate plan is to maximize the amount of wealth that ends up in the hands of beneficiaries. Another important goal is to streamline the distribution of assets, so that wealth is passed on to heirs with minimal hassles and legal complications.

One way to accomplish both these goals is to own assets jointly. If assets are jointly owned with “rights of survivorship,” they can pass from one owner to the other without going through probate, potentially saving thousands of dollars. And because assets owned jointly are automatically passed on to the other owner should one owner die, there are fewer hassles and delays. These two benefits make joint ownership an excellent strategy when passing large assets (the family home, for example) to spouses, and in certain cases, to children.

As attractive as it is, however, there are a few drawbacks to the joint ownership strategy.

• Loss of control: Joint ownership requires an individual to give up full control of assets once they are transferred into joint ownership. You can’t sell the asset, for example, without the other owner’s consent.

Depending on the assets in question and the personal

Last chance to dodge income tax Brendan Donahue, BCOMM, CIM, FMA Investment Advisor Berkshire Securities Inc. 342-2112

Jason Elford, CFP Investment Advisor Berkshire Investment Group Inc. 342-5052

The Columbia Valley’s Premiere Wealth Management Firm Planning Estate Planning, Retirement Planning, Retirement Projections, Income Splitting, Registered Educational Savings Plans

Services RSP Loans, Mortgage Referrals, Pension Transfers, Group RRSPs, Complimentary Portfolio Reviews

29, 2008 deadline, make your 2007 contribution now, or as early as you can, to begin accumulating tax-free income on the contribution as soon as possible.

For 2007, you can contribute 18 percent of your earned income in 2006 or $19,000, whichever is less (again, if you’re a pension plan member, your maximum contribution may be reduced).

Registered Retirement Savings Plans are still the best way to avoid income tax during your prime earning years, the experts agree.

Canadians have until March 1, 2007 to make contributions to their RRSP for your 2006 income tax return.

Early birds may consider contributing early for 2007. Rather than waiting until the February

Market Action S&P/TSX Composite Index Dow Jones Industrial Average Nikkei Oil (New York) Gold (New York) Canadian Dollar (in US dollars)

As of Feb. 19th, 2007

13,193 12,700 17,940 $59.39 $672.80 $0.8588

Weekly Gain/(Loss)

147.49 149.43 $436.00 $1.58 $5.50 0.0008

YTD

2.21% 1.91% 3.59% (2.70%) 5.13 2.63

Most people review their Investment portfolio regularly!

When was the last time you reviewed your Life Insurance Portfolio?

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

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

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

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

Jason Elford Certified Financial Planner Insurance Advisor 712 - 10th Street, Invermere

Phone: 342-5052

The Columbia Valley Pioneer • 23

February 23, 2007

YOUR MONEY What happens when your RRSP matures?

Your RRSP must mature at the end of the year in which you turn 69. So what happens next?

Canadians generally face three options: cash out the RRSP in its entirety, purchase a term or life annuity, or roll over their RRSP assets into a Registered Retirement Income Fund, also know as a RRIF (or some combination of the above).

Let’s take a closer look at each of these options, so you can understand what’s the best choice for you.

Option 1 - Cashing out The first option, collapsing your RRSP and paying applicable taxes immediately, is probably the simplest to understand.

It is also the least viable: the tax man will deal with a huge lump-sum payout severely, potentially walking away with almost half of your nest egg.

Option 2 - Purchase an annuity Purchasing an annuity is probably a better alternative. Annuities can be purchased from most major insurance companies, and can provide a guaranteed income level for life.

A number of options exist: For example, you may want to index your annuity to account for inflation, or you may wish to permit a beneficiary (such as your spouse) to receive the annuity for a given time after you die. The downside? An annuity does not allow

you to control your own investments: however well the markets may be performing, your income level is set for as long as you live.

Option 3 - Roll assets into a RRIF The third option is to simply roll over your RRSP assets into a RRIF. In most instances, an RRIF behaves exactly like an RRSP: eligible investments are similar, and individual investors can control how and in what they invest.

You can withdraw as much as you’d like from a RRIF, but there is a pre-determined minimum withdrawal schedule.

For those with a large RRIF, these minimum withdrawals could push you into the highest tax bracket.

What should you do?

While every investor has different needs, a good choice is to combine options two and three.

By purchasing an annuity with a portion of your retirement savings, you reduce the risk of outliving your nest egg. By retaining control over another portion of your assets, you’re free to pursue the best possible investment opportunities, wherever they may be.

Before your RRSP matures, make sure to seek some professional guidance. With so much riding on it, you want to make sure the years after the RRSP are as financially healthy as possible.

The first word in retirement planning Your retirement is more than an RSP. Talk to us about a plan today.

Visit your closest BMO Bank of Montreal branch or call 1 (800) 363-9992

® Registered trade-marks of Bank of Montreal

Life Time Warranty on all Blinds Call The Blind Guy!

Interior World

(250) 342 4406

Planning to retire? Planning to invest?

Do both.

If your situation permits, invest your fixed income assets in an RRSP and your equity assets in non-registered investments. This way, you may save on taxes and still enjoy a diversified portfolio.

Call us to find out how The Plan™ can help you prosper now… and over time.

MILTON CRAWFORD

Financial Consultant Phone: (250) 342-8744 Fax: (250) 342-8742 milton.crawford@investorsgroup.com

™Trademarks owned by IGM Financial Inc. and licensed to its subsidiary corporations.

Announcement Felix and Brenda Leuzinger (nee Broadfoot), Lance Bracewell and Inge Bracewell are pleased to announce the engagement of their children Nicholas and Kristina.

Nicholas is the eldest son of Felix and Brenda and grandson of the late Roy and Helen Broadfoot.

The wedding ceremony will take place April 14, 2007 in Langely, BC

24 • The Columbia Valley Pioneer

February 23, 2007

HERE TO SERVE YOU Great Selection of:

*Wood blinds *Sunscreens *Woven Woods *Pleated Shades *Roller Shades and more!

Floor Covering & Cabinets Blinds & Paints

Tamara Osborne Brenda McEachern.

For all your interior decorating needs.

335 - 3rd Ave., Invermere, BC Telephone 342-6264 • Fax 342-3546 Email: info@warwick-interiors.com www.warwick-interiors.com

Phone /Fax

345-6422

/P KPC UPP TNBMM f %SJWFXBZ 1SFQ e f -BOETDBQJOH -BOETIBQJOH e f :BSE $MFBO VQ e f 4OPX 3FNPWBM e f $PNNFSDJBM 3FTJEFOUJBM e

will help you stay on top of your world Shizu E. M. Futa, Touch for Health Level 2 touchingtranquility@yahoo.ca

Mustard Seed Health Foods,

#103 Parkside Place, 901 7th Avenue, Invermere, BC Fridays 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Please phone (250) 342-2552 for an appointment

•

Rug Cleaners •

Residential & Commercial • Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning Flood Restoration • Window Tinting

Jason Roe

RR #4, 2117 -13 Ave. Invermere, BC V0A 1K4 jtroe@telus.net

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

%XBZOF 4USJOHFS 0XOFS 0QFSBUPS

5FM $FMM

Interior World

window fashions

Call Bill Cropper (250) 342 4406

Automotive Repairs 7 days a week

GAS • PROPANE • DIESEL Freight & Passenger Depot

7507 Main St. West, Radium Hot Springs

(250) 347-9726

Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning Specialists Truck Mounted System • Customer Satisfaction Guaranteed

Dean Hubman

CertiďŹ ed Technician

342-3052

RR3, 4874 Ridge Cres.

Invermere, BC V0A 1K3

Invermere Electrical Services

(250) 341-1779

Need Blinds?

RADIUM HOT SPRINGS ESSO

Your search for quality and dependability ends with us.

SERVICE AND REPAIR ALL COMPUTER SYSTEMS

COMP TIA CERTIFIED COMPUTER TECHNICIAN CERTIFIED SOFTWARE SUPPORT SPECIALIST CERTIFIED MCP (MICROSOFT CERTIFIED PROFESSIONAL) MICROSOFT CERTIFIED SYSTEMS ENGINEER

33 "WFOVF *OWFSNFSF #$ 7 " , NETUSJOHFS !IPUNBJM DPN

0WFS ZFBST PG FYQFSJFODF -PDBMMZ PXOFE PQFSBUFE

RUSS SALBERG

NEW COMPUTER SYSTEMS HARDWARE AVAILABLE

• Road Building • Land Clearing • Logging • General Excavating

Bus: (250) 342-6336 Fax: (250) 342-3578 Email: isr@telus.net Website: www.is-r.ca 403 - 7th Avenue Invermere, BC

• • • • •

Reasonable rates Residential - Commercial Electric furnace and hot water tank repair Maintenance and service Central vacuum systems For all your electrical needs call:

Free Estimates!

(250) 342-8878 or e-mail smpostle@telus.net

BOOK NOW FOR SPRING 2007

Graham Tabaczuk R.O.W.P. • CertiďŹ ed Septic Installations • Excavation & Bobcat Services • Landscaping (250) 342-5922

The Columbia Valley Pioneer • 25

February 23, 2007

HERE TO SERVE YOU • POOLS • HOT TUBS • CHEMICALS • FIREPLACES • BBQ¡S • HEATING • VENTILATION • AIR CONDITIONING • RESIDENTIAL • COMMERCIAL

385 Laurier Street, Invermere, BC PO Box 117, Windermere, BC V0B 2L0 Phone: (250) 342-7100 email: info@diamondheatingandspas.com Fax: (250) 342-7103 www.diamondheatingandspas.com

NEW

Sewer/Drain Cleaning

Septic Tank Pumping Portable Toilet Rentals • Complete sewer/drain repair • Reasonable rates - Seniors’ discount • Speedy service - 7 days a week • A well-maintained septic system should be pumped every 3-5 years • Avoid costly repairs

Bruce Dehart 347-9803 or 342-5357

Fine Homeservices

VACUFLO (250) 342-9207 0F%ULGH 5HDOW\ &HQWHU /WG $IILOLDWHG %URNHU IRU &DEHODÂśV 7URSK\ 3URSHUWLHV //& 0DLQ 6WUHHW 3 2 %R[ 0F%ULGH % & 9 - ( 7ROO )UHH &HOO )D[

(PDLO EHYDQ#PFEULGHUHDOW\ FRP :HEVLWH ZZZ PFEULGHUHDOW\ FRP 7LPH 6KDUH 5HVDOHÂśV ZZZ WLPHVKDUHEX\QVHOO FRP

CONSTRUCTION MANAGERS - GENERAL CONTRACTORS

DESIGN/BUILD CUSTOM HOMES • MULTI-FAMILY & COMMERCIAL PROJECTS

INVERMERE

STEVE GUTSCHE, Project Manager

HEAD OFFICE Columbia Valley District Phone: (250) 342-9866 Phone: (403) 287-0144 Fax: (250) 342-9869 Fax: (403) 287-2193 Email: sgutsche@avionconstruction.com #200, 6125 - 11 Street S.E. www.avionconstruction.com Calgary, AB T2H 2L6

SHOLINDER & MACKAY EXCAVATING Inc.

Septic Systems Installed ~ Pumped ~ Repaired Prefab Cement Tanks Installed Water Lines Dug Installed Basements Dug

WINDERMERE 342-6805

LAMBERT-KIPP PHARMACY LTD. J. Douglas Kipp, B. Sc. (Pharm.)

Laura Kipp, Pharm D. Your Compounding Pharmacy

4966 Fairmont Frontage, Fairmont Hot Springs

Come in and browse our giftware

%HYDQ 2OVRQ 6DOHV 5HSUHVHQWDWLYH .RRRWHQD\ &ROXPELD

THE CENTER OF REAL ESTATE ACTION IN THE PROVINCE OF BRITISH COLUMBIA

Open Monday - Saturday 9:00 am - 6:00 pm

•Auto • Home • Commercial • Mirrors • Shower Doors • 27 years glass experience

Telephone: 342-3659

Serving the Valley for over 11 years • #3, 109 Industrial Road #2, Invermere

345-6600

1301 - 7th Avenue, Invermere

342-6612

Hi - Heat

INVERMERE GLASS LTD.

Jeff Watson

Avion

Construction Ltd.

*/46-"5*/( -5%

4JODF

%POOB )B[FMBBS

1)0/& '"9

50-- '3&& )&"5

888 )*)&"5*/46-"5*/( $0.

t .BDIJOF #MPXO 8BMMT "UUJDT t 8BMM#BS *OTVMBUJPO 4ZTUFN t 'SJDUJPO 'JU #BUUT t $PNNFSDJBM 3FTJEFOUJBM t 'SFF -PDBM &TUJNBUFT 10 #09 8*/%&3.&3& #$ 7 # - &."*- 4"-&4Ę´)*)&"5*/46-"5*/( $0.

READY MIX CONCRETE Concrete Pump • Sand & Gravel Heavy Equipment Rentals • Crane Service Proudly Serving the Valley for over 50 years

For competitive prices and prompt service call:

342-3268 (plant) 342-6767 (office)

Loretto Keenan MCPA, CBTBC chartered physiotherapist

For appointments call Loretto at 345-0094 5020 Mountain View Place Fairmont, BC

Fairmont Physiotherapy & Accupuncture Clinic

Bennett Construction Growing with the Tradition of Quality

• Framing • Renovations • Decks • Exterior Finishing

Kristoffer Bennett (250) 341-5030

krisbennettconstruction@hotmail.com

26 • The Columbia Valley Pioneer

February 23, 2007

No more searching for the lowest mortgage rates…

Great rates, products and service www.meridianmortgagesolutions.com

Bill Rainbow Mortgage Broker (250) 342-3453

Calling all Veterans, Legion Members and the General Public Royal Canadian Legion Branch #71 is pleased to announce the 80th Anniversary of our branch.

You are cordially invited to a dinner and an evening of celebration and entertainment March 24th.

Veterans and spouses must preregister by calling Wendy at the Family Resource Centre 342-4242.

Tickets will be available for Legion members and the general public Feb 15th, at Dave’s Book Bar, Essentials, Lambert Kipp Pharmacy, Home Hardware in Invermere and Canal Flats, Pips General Store, Chamber of Commerce in Radium, Bigway Foods in Fairmont.

Let’s make this an evening to remember.

See you there!

Future of Food: Columbia Valley Film Series

February 26th – Slow Food Revolution “Traditional foods are at risk of disappearing forever, as a speed-obsessed world turns increasingly to fast foods.”

David Thompson Secondary School Theatre 7:00 p.m.

Bringing it home The 20th Annual Lions’ Club Challenge Curling Tournament was held in Invermere on February 10th at the Invermere Curling Rink. A total of 32 Lions members representing clubs from Fairmont, Invermere, Windermere and Wasa Lake participated. The winning team triumphed in a hard fought finish and returned the trophy to Invermere.

Teams from Fairmont were a close second and third. Special thanks to Majestic Wines, Eagle Ranch and Copperpoint Golf courses and Jim Harrision of Invermere who helped make the competition a success. From left: Merl Reed, Bob Page (Skip), George Lucko and Henry Hoffman.

HERE TO SERVE YOU

Fill your head with fun foody facts.

Door prizes, fun quizzes, organic food for sale.

Entry by donation. All proceeds to the Greenhouse Project.

For more information contact: Alison Bell 342-9213 ext. 217 or email abell@sd6.bc.ca Presented by: Columbia Valley Botanical Gardens/Centre for Sustainable Living, David Thompson Secondary School and Columbia Valley Slow Food.

“We are all connected to food and all communities have unique food requirements. Whether you’re a farmer, a hunter, a sher, a teacher, a local retailer, a consumer, a politician, a student, a parent, a health practitioner, a chef, a local food action agency or a senior – you’re part of the food connection in our community. Learn, share and contribute your ideas to a food plan for the Columbia Valley.”

Complete Automotive Repairs

(Beside the Petro Canada Car Wash)

Phone:

342-6614 • www.autowyze.com

Invermere Dry Cleaners Ltd. Dry Cleaning • Laundry • Alterations Repair • Bachelor Service

Mary Matheson DTSS- Fish on a Platter ?

Phone: 342-6610 • 507A - 7th Ave., Invermere

Lambert

INSURANCE AGENCIES LTD.

BOX 2228 BOX 459 742 - 13th STREET 7559 MAIN STREET INVERMERE, BC. RADIUM HOT SPRINGS, BC V0A 1K0 V0A 1M0 PHONE: 342-3031 PHONE: 347-9350 FAX: 342-6945 FAX: 347-6350 Email: info@invermereinsurance.com • Toll Free: 1-866-342-3031

The Columbia Valley Pioneer • 27

February 23, 2007

By Harold Hazelaar Invermere

The Old Zone

The last time it happened was in 2001. The next time it happens is in 2018!

Last week the Warwick Wolves played the “Pizza Gameâ€? (ďŹ rst game of the night and afterwards the teams go out for pizza), against the Dale Christian Mudders. The Mudders arrived on the ice with a full squad of 14 players, which is deďŹ nitely typical of the early game. The Wolves were certainly not typical.

I also know that most of the other teams that played last week suered the same fate as the Wolves.

It continues to make me wonder . . .

The most disturbing fact was that our revered leader, the Incredible Bulk was, along with six others, a no-show. Claiming a mysterious illness, he phoned for a spare goalie to show up for our game.

As luck would have it, Ron Davidson had a fantastic game in net for us! With only eight skaters we managed to keep up and actually out-score the Mudders to claim a much-needed victory. This was very good for our team morale, especially with such a short bench. Plus it was great to see Daryl emerge from his massive scoring slump with a hat-trick! Yes, Sue, he really scored three times!

I must take time to thank Donna, Lorna, Sue, Kellie, Tammy H., Yvonne, Tammy and LeeAnn for

Need Blinds? Best Quality Call The Blind Guy!

their complete understanding of the fact that we don’t have to make a big deal about missing some romantic day that happens to fall on a Wednesday only two times every 17 years!!! They know the Oldtimers hockey rules!

Valentine’s Day can be any day!

Team

Wins

Losses Ties Points

Hi-Heat Batters

18

2

1

38

Lake Auto Mustangs

14

6

2

30

Dale Christian Mudders

10

6

6

26

Radium Petro-Can Killer Tomatoes

9

9

4

22

Valley Vision Vultures

7

11

4

18

Warwick Wolves

7

13

2

16

Huckleberry Hawks

6

14

2

14

Inside Edge Black Smoke

5

13

4

14

Interior World

(250) 342 4406

Radermacher Chiropractic and Azure Massage will be in our NEW LOCATION

in Parkside Place, across from Pothole Park on March 5th.

Dr. Marika Geis, Naturopathic Physician will be joining us on April 1st.

Columbia Valley Search & Rescue

AGM

Monday March 5th, 2007, 6:30 p.m. at the Training Room in the Invermere Fire Hall

For more info call Shannon 342-0225

This column is sponsored by

Your Local INVERMERE 1022B-7th Ave.

COLUMBIA VALLEY REAL ESTATE

Professionals

Independently Owned and Operated Paul Glassford Representative

(250) 341-1395 pglassford@telus.net

INVERMERE

1022B-7th Ave.

PAT

Independently Owned and Operated

Ed English

Jan Klimek

Bernie Raven Representative

(250) 342-7415

braven@cyberlink.bc.ca

Daniel Zurgilgen *Ó‚ T U̙Ⱥ &YQČŞŇ…JČŞODČş Ofďƒžce: (250) 342-6505 Fax: (250) 342-9611

(250) 342-1195 janklimek@telus.net

342-1262

Invermere OďŹƒce 526B – 13th Street Fairmont OďŹƒce #4, Fairmont Village Mall Phone (250) 345-4000 Fax (250) 345-4001 www.rockymtnrealty.com pat@rockymtnrealty.com paul@rockymtnrealty.com

PAUL ROGGEMAN 341-5300

Dedicated to all your real estate needs.

(250) 342-6505 INVERMERE

Representative

(250) 342-1612 landman@telus.net

Main Street, Invermere

(250) 342-1194 edenglish@telus.net

BROWNďšşJOHN

Ofďƒžce: (250) 342-6505 Fax: (250) 342-9611

www.ReMaxInvermere.com

Independently Owned and Operated

w w w. e d a n d j a n s l i s t i n g s. c o m

Mountain Creek Properties Ltd. Strata, Rental & Commercial Property Management; Real Estate Sales & Leasing

Invermere, BC V0A 1K0 OďŹƒce (250) 342-6911

Call or

XXX SBZGFSHVTPOSFBMUZ DB

We Sell Real Estate

3BEJVN t *OWFSNFSF t 1BOPSBNB t 8JOEFSNFSF t 'BJSNPOU 10 #09 */7&3.&3& #$ 7 " ,

RON MACIBORSKI 342-5704

Fairmont, BC (250) 345-4000 ronmac@rockymtnrealty.com www.rockymtnrealty.com

For professional management of your strata corporation or rental property, overseen by a CertiÀed Property Manager (CPMŽ), CertiÀed Professional Residential Property Manager (CPRPM) and Power Engineer, with the accounting done by a CertiÀed General Accountant, please contact Bill Weissig by phone at 341-4178, or by email at bweissig@mountaincreek.ca.

Our property managers are licensed under the Real Estate Services Act of B.C. For more information regarding their extensive qualiÀcations and experience please go our web site at http://www.mountaincreek.ca.

28 • The Columbia Valley Pioneer

February 23, 2007

P IONEER C LASSIFIEDS FINAL NOTICE

STORAGE

SUITES FOR RENT

HOMES FOR SALE

MISC. FOR SALE

Notice of Intent to Dispose Final Notice All vehicles and personal effects that are being stored at Brady Creek Ranch on the Westside Road (formerly Garry Hamilton’s residence) need to be removed.

Anyone who claims ownership must offer up proof within thirty (30) days of February 2, 2007, or the property will be considered abandoned and will be disposed of with no further notice. Contact L. Leroy by fax at (403) 230-3969 with contact information.

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

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

Lochend in the Valley presents Lochend Gardens: stunning new mountain-style homes at 130 11th Avenue, Invermere. 1,233 - 1,433 SF, 2 or 3 bedrooms, ceramic tile and laminate, fabulous kitchen, single car garage, heat pump, and more.

Prices starting at $349,000 + gst. Phase 1 sold out. Only four homes left! Call 250-342-5229.

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

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

OFFICE SPACE Professional office space for rent in Invermere. Large view office with negotiable services.

Please call 342-9450 for more information.

SUITES FOR RENT

EVENTS Annual General Meeting - Brisco Riding Club, Thursday, March 1 - 7:30 p.m. at Brisco Community Hall Friday, February 23, Valley GOGO Sisters (Grannies) Tea & Bake Sale, Christ Church Trinity, 2 pm - 4 pm. Admission by donation, proceeds will be sent to the Stephen Lewis Foundation to support Grannies in Africa.

CHEERS CHEERS to all the volunteer curling coaches of the Junior Curling Program. Thanks for a great season. You rock! SR CHEERS to the gentleman with the 4-wheeler in Black Forest Heights who plowed my driveway and helped get me unstuck - all for just a smile.

Greatly appreciated.

Kootenay Apartments in Radium (Kootenay Motel) has clean, furnished, and all inclusive 1 and 2 bedroom units. $600$800 for long or short-term monthly rental. N/S, N/P DD and references required. Contact Don or Sue Miller. 342-6908 (day), 342-3709 (evenings) 1 bedroom and 2 bedroom, N/S, N/P, Stein Apartments, 1 block from downtown. Available immediately, 342-6912.

2 bedroom fully furnished ground-floor apartment for rent.

1-1/2 blocks from downtown Invermere. Cable, utilities, and laundry facility included.

New paint, $1200/month plus damage deposit. N/S, references required. Available March 1st. Phone (250) 342-9712 evenings.

THANK YOU

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

Canal Flats: 2 bedroom 4plex unit. Electric heat, 4 appliances, walking distance to all amenities. Close to beach & arena, great view. Available immediately, $800 + utilities & DD. Call 250-489-8389, leave message.

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

LAND FOR SALE

Rental - Duplex. Red Cottage @ 1230 - 13th Street, Invermere.

850 sq.ft. 2-bedroom, gas F/P, W/ D. $1100/mo utilities included.

N/S, N/P. Taking applications for long term tenant. 342-2243.

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

Home in Althamer for rent March 1st. 3-bedroom, 1bath, fireplace. $1000/mo plus utilities. N/S, References. Call 342-0355

MISC. FOR SALE

LOTS FOR RENT

HELP STOP GLOBAL WARMING and put money in your pocket. www.4planetearth.com/wolf or call Wolf (250) 688-0044

Commercial/industrial lots for rent, 1/2 acre to 4 acres possible. Invermere Industrial Park.

Contact Eric, 346-3011, or Lyle 342-2100.

Toshiba 27” near new T.V…$25000

HOMES FOR SALE House in Athalmer, 70 x 110’ lot with small cabin, 3 blocks from the beach, great location. $237,500 no gst, no commission.

342-6813.

Cabinet for T.V.

etc. excellent condition…

25000 V.C.R....RCA $50.00 $

Complete package

42500…rst come rst

$

gets…phone 342-5633.

Edgewater Radium Healthcare Association To all who made our Valentine tea successful.

All the members and non-members who worked so hard. The generous people who donated prizes and of course all who attended. Thank you.

THIS SPACE IS AVAILABLE! Call 341-6299

Nearly new double bed, frame, mattress pad, 2 sets sheets/ cases, pillows, duvet, quilt & shams, $300; buffet server with 3 drawers, extensions & shelf, $75; octagonal end table with shelf, $50; 3 drawer desk, $75; night table, $25; two 6X9 rugs $25/ each. Eileen 342-6149.

Like new 14’ trampoline, enclosure not included. $240 obo. 342-5543

MODULAR FOR SALE

VEHICLES FOR SALE

$10,000,000 in vehicle inventory.

Go to

www.cranbrookdodge.com

to view complete inventory.

BUSINESS FOR SALE

2002 Modular home for sale, 1250 sqft, all appliances included, affordable propane heat, for more information call 342-9348

Wine and beer making business for sale, established clientele, $37,000 plus inventory. Phone Judy, 342-7096.

VEHICLES FOR SALE

SERVICES

1992 Mercury Topaz LS/V6 loaded and in very good condition. 32mpg, 165000km.

Great reliable car. $1800 obo 688-0198 (cell)

Residential/Vacation Properties Maintenance & Repairs

Ex-RCMP ‘ghost’, ‘98 Ford Crown Victoria, police interceptor package. Very fast, wellmaintained, $5,900 OBO. 3426954.

2000 Toyota 4-Runner SR5, silver, auto, tan leather , tint, CD, air, tilt, cruise, alarm, 126,000km, $21,000 OBO, 349-5664.

2000 VW Jetta TDI, 5 spd, sunroof, a/c, pw, pl, winter tires, 2 sets of rims, 1000kms/tank, excellent condition, 165,000 kms. $11,4000. 342-9647, 3425309.

Comfort & luxury, ‘95 Lincoln Town car. Has it all, excellent condition, 155,000km. $7,500 OBO, 342-6954.

Dependable - Fully Insured

JIM ROBERTSON Windermere 342-9022

Four Winds Travel here for all your travel needs with competitive pricing. 341-3607 - fourwindstravel@shaw.ca Simes Painting: interior and exterior, new homes and existing, quality woodwork finishing, laquers, staining, and clearcoating. Call Barry. 3420572 Windermere.

Flooring installations including lino, carpet, vc tile, laminate, and hardwood. Plus handyman work including new decks, renovations, framing, and roofing. Call 347-9192, 3411235.

February 23, 2007

The Columbia Valley Pioneer • 29

P IONEER C LASSIFIEDS CAREERS Dusk Construction, a local framing company is currently seeking framers and labourers.

We offer excellent wages and benefits package. Please fax resume to (250) 345-2191 or email: kmose@shaw.ca Experienced part/full-time tandem dump truck driver wanted. Must have Class 1 or 3 license. $25/hr, call 342-5654.

Windermere Valley Golf Course is currently looking for qualified individuals to join their Food and Beverage team. Positions are seasonal and range from part time to full time starting April 1st. Contact Kari at 342-3004 or submit resumes by fax to 3420119 or email: kdawsonwv@ shaw.ca Help Wanted - Invermere Sears, 2 days a week. Call 342-6901 or stop in store.

Diamond Heating & Spa’s requires part-time office help.

3-4 days/week. Flexible hours, Saturdays and Mondays a must.

Some office skills required. Fax resume to 342-7103, attention Stacey, or apply in person at 385 Laurier Street, Invermere.

CLASSIFIED DEADLINE: Tuesdays at noon Phone: 341-6299 Fax: 341-6229 Email: upioneer@telus.net

SPOT

All classified ads must be prepaid by cash or cheque unless client has an existing account.

THE DEALS Pioneer Classiďƒžeds

Manager/Ice Technician

CAREERS

Please read your ad over carefully the first day it comes out to ensure the information is correct. If you should find an error in your ad please let us know immediately by calling 341-6299. The Columbia Valley Pioneer is not responsible for errors appearing beyond the first insertion.

VEHICLES FOR SALE

The Invermere District Curling Club (four sheets of ice) invites applications for the position of Manager/ Ice Technician for our 2007 Fall Season. Speciďƒžc experience and skill requirements include: • • • • • •

CurlBC ice making certiďƒžcate.

Curling experience.

Organizational skills.

Good oral communication skills.

Customer service, public relation skills.

A high level of initiative/self motivation.

Interested applicants should mail or email a resume complete with salary expectations and references by Thursday, March 1, 2007 to: Mr. Bob Page President Invermere District Curling Club Box 310 Invermere, BC V0A 1K0 info@brew4u.net (e-mail)

$SBOCSPPL 4U /PSUI t $SBOCSPPL #$ XXX DSBOCSPPLNPUPSTQPSUT DPN

Stone Creek Resorts, an established real estate developer and golf course operator, is looking to further bolster its resort operations team. We are seeking qualiďƒžed and enthusiastic individuals to join our team.

Our approach to resort operations is simple – we strive to provide the ultimate guest experience - which means hiring and retaining employees who strive for excellence in all that they do. We are looking for team players with a ‘can do’ attitude to contribute positively to our continued growth. Our ideal candidates will possess characteristics that reďƒ&#x;ect our corporate values of caring, integrity, excellence, team spirit and ďƒžnancial responsibility.

Eagle Ranch Golf Course is seeking a highly organized, detail-oriented individual to join our Accounting team.

Accounting Clerk As the Accounting Clerk, you will be responsible for accounting functions as well as receivables management.

SpeciďŹ c responsibilities will include:

We Work At Play!

Eagle Ranch Golf Course is now accepting resumes for the 2007 golf season!

Voted “Best Conditioned Course in BCâ€? in 2005, Eagle Ranch Golf Course is an 18-hole championship golf course located in picturesque Invermere, British Columbia. In 2007, Eagle Ranch will proudly unveil a magniďƒžcent clubhouse complete with an expanded Golf Shop, full service dining room, meeting room and lounge.

At Eagle Ranch, our approach to golf operations is simple – we strive to provide the ultimate guest experience - which means hiring and retaining employees who strive for excellence in all that they do. We are looking for team players with a ‘can do’ attitude to contribute positively to our continued growth. Our ideal candidates will possess characteristics that reďƒ&#x;ect our corporate values of caring, integrity, excellence, team spirit and ďƒžnancial responsibility.

We are looking for energetic, enthusiastic and hard-working individuals to ďƒžll the following positions: Turf Maintenance (Grounds Crew) Beverage Cart/Concession Restaurant Serving Staff Bartender Line Cooks Customer Care (Bag Drop/Range Attendants) Golf Course Ambassadors (Marshals/Starters) Golf Shop Retail Sales

$PNQMFUF QSPEVDU MJOFT GPS t )BSMFZ %BWJETPO t )POEB t "57 T t #JLFT t 1PXFS 1SPEVDUT t 4V[VLJ t #PNCBSEJFS "57

We Work At Play!

Cover letters and resumes may be sent conďŹ dentially to: Human Resources Eagle Ranch Golf Course RR #3, M-2, C-11 Invermere, BC V0A 1K3 Email: careers@eagleranchresort.com Fax: (250) 342-2563 (Please note department preferences on cover letter)

• Balancing daily cash-outs, posting ledger entries, invoice entry and reconciliations • Month-end reconciliations of clearing accounts and deferred revenue accounts • Member receivable management including adjustments and processing monthly statements • Retail inventory management including inventory item setup, entry, transfers and monthly cost of goods sold reconciliation • POS training for front end staff Requirements: • A thorough understanding of accounting and bookkeeping procedures with a minimum of 3 years of relevant experience. • Unparalleled organizational skills and attention to detail • Proven knowledge and ability to use computers and related software with a strong understanding of MS-Excel and MS-Word • The ability to express ideas concisely and clearly, orally and in writing • Excellent written skills and the demonstrated ability to develop written reports, manuals and action plans This is a full-time, year-round position with medical beneďŹ ts.

Application Deadline: Friday, March 9 Resumes may be sent conďŹ dentially to: Eagle Ranch Golf Course Attention Susan Wright RR #3, M-2, C-11 Invermere, BC V0A 1K3 Email: careers@eagleranchresort.com

30 • The Columbia Valley Pioneer

February 23, 2007

PIONEERCLASSIFIEDS We Work At Play!

Stone Creek Resorts, an established real estate developer and golf course operator, is looking to further bolster its resort operations team. We are seeking qualied and enthusiastic individuals to join our team.

Our approach to resort operations is simple – we strive to provide the ultimate guest experience - which means hiring and retaining employees who strive for excellence in all that they do. We are looking for team players with a ‘can do’ attitude to contribute positively to our continued growth. Our ideal candidates will possess characteristics that reect our corporate values of caring, integrity, excellence, team spirit and nancial responsibility.

Sous Chef- Eagle Ranch Golf Resort An experienced Sous Chef with a talent for creativity and artistry, you will work with the Eagle Ranch culinary team to fulll the vision of a 5-star dining experience in all areas of the resort. Culinary expertise with a capability to execute complex and intricate avours and methods are required.

You display innovation in menu development and have an adventurous food sense and formidable culinary skills.

Self-disciplined with a fantastic work ethic, your calm and professional demeanor motivates and inspires your team to consistently provide an exceptional product. Through years of experience, you are able to implement best practices in the kitchen, including proper care and safe use of equipment and impeccable cleanliness and sanitation.

Application Deadline: Friday, March 2 Resumes may be sent condentially to: Eagle Ranch Golf Resort RR #3, M-2, C-11 Invermere, BC V0A 1K3 Email: careers@eagleranchresort.com

BORED?

Ktunaxa Kinbasket Child and Family Services Society Premier’s Award of Excellence Nominee for 2005 We are people working together to build strong and empowered families and healthy communities. Bring your dedication, enthusiasm and willingness to make a difference to be part of our dynamic and history making organization. KKCFS, as an Aboriginal Organization, delivers prevention and child welfare services to all Aboriginal (First Nations, Metis, and Intuit people) residing on and off reserve thoughout the East Kootenays. Situated in the scenic BC Rockies, the outdoor lifestyle is second to none.

SOCIAL WORK COORDINATORS Cranbrook, Creston, Invermere areas

We are seeking motivated and caring leaders to guide teams of multi-disciplinary professionals dedicated to the well-being of people and their families; and participating as a member of the KKCFS management team.

Qualications include a degree in Social Work; 5-8 years delegated social work experience and expertise; supervisory/leadership experience; sound knowledge of aboriginal issues.

Applicants with less experience will be considered in a mentorship role.

SOCIAL WORKERS Qualied Applicants List

Qualities and qualications that would make you a successful member of this organization are: • Recognized degree in Social Work • Minimum of 2 years social work experience within an aboriginal organization and/or community • Connection to or awareness of the Creston or Invermere areas is highly benecial • Experience in working with Families at Risk is desired • Innovative, exible, organized and responsive • Knowledge and experience of aboriginal issues

FAMILY SUPPORT WORKER - part-time position ?Askisqnuk (Windermere)

We continue to build our capacity to offer healing and personal wellness to the aboriginal families of the East Kootenays. Develop and expand relationships with families - advocate, counsel, respond, guide, assess, facilitate and support.

Qualications: • Diploma in Human Service Work, ECE, Social Work • 2+ years experience within an aboriginal organization and/or community • Experience in working with aboriginal families at Risk • Combinations of education and work experience considered

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT - part time position ?Akisqnuk (Windermere)

A new position within our service area, initially a part-time position that could develop to full-time. Greet clients either in person or on the telephone tactfully and efciently. Provide administrative support to Social Workers and Family Support staff.

Qualications: • Successful completion of an Ofce Administration Program, or combination of education and experience • 1-2 years directly related experience • Procient computer skills in MS Word, Excel, e-mail and internet • Exceptional customer/client service skills • Excellent organizational and interpersonal skills We highly encourage you to review the detailed descriptions provided on our website: http://www.ktunaxa.org

GET OUT AND DO SOMETHING!

The Pioneer s “Out & About” section on page 11, is full of local community events going on every week!

Please fax your cover letter and resume to Judith Paul, Human Resources Coordinator at 250-489-2438 or email to jpaul@ktunaxa.org

THE PIONEER Double the circulation, double the advertising power of any other local newspaper!

David Thompson quilt ready to roll Interested organizations across Canada wishing to display the David Thompson Quilt are invited to apply for permission.

The David Thompson Quilt, to be unveiled to the public here in April, is a three-panel display mural representing the life and times of David Thompson in the Columbia Valley. It is entitled “Latitude 50 degrees, 32 feet, 12 inches North, Longitude 115 degrees, 56 feet 15 inches West” after David Thompson’s positioning of Kootenae House below Mount Nelson in 1807.

Thompson and his sextant are represented, as is the map of Canada he created over the years of his travels. Quilt blocks represent birds, animals, geographic locations, and events.

Groups, museums, and civic functions and celebrations may request the David Thompson Quilt. We shall provide the wedge tent frame, three quilts, and an information brochure and posters for you to copy and disseminate.

Interested groups must agree to sign our contract: accepting delivery and reporting any damage, and guaranteeing staff support to set up, supervise the display, dismantle and prepare for shipping.

For bookings, please contact: Joyce McLeod, Box 2243 Invermere, B.C. V0A 1K0; telephone (250) 342-9667 or e-mail: ejoymcleod@ shaw.ca.

The Columbia Valley Pioneer • 31

February 23, 2007

FAITH

Thank you for being our home Rev. Dieter Magnus, Senior Pastor Lake Windermere Alliance Church Editor’s Note: this is the last Faith column from Pastor Dieter Magnus, who is moving on to another ministry in Richmond. The Pioneer would like to wish Pastor Dieter and his family all the best in their new home. God speed.

It was just over nine years ago that my wife, Deborah, our two sons and I came to Invermere for the first time. We were candidating for the position of Senior Pastor at Lake Windermere Alliance Church. It was cold (about -32C); Deborah was sick; and we were wondering what God had in store for us.

We met the people, saw the town, and felt God leading us here. On March 15, 1998 I started my new job. We have loved our time here. The people in the church took us in and made us feel part of them very quickly. Through the years many people have come and gone through our doors. Many ministries have changed or been added.

Jared and Rebecca Enns moved here to serve in the Associate role just over ten months later, and we’ve had the privilege of working together for eight years.

I thank God for all the things He has taught me, and the joys and sorrows I’ve had the privilege of sharing with others through the years.

We shared births and deaths; 50th anniversaries and wedding ceremonies; golf games and barbecues; Bible studies and burgers at A&W, as well as many other things. Thank you to Lake Windermere Alliance Church for loving us and our family through these years.

It has also been a privilege to be part of this community. I will miss the golf games at Windermere and Greywolf; refereeing basketball at DTSS; working with folks at the Family Resource Center; the other pastors from the ministerial; the staff at the hospital when someone was sick; and walking into a store where the

Grants here for local groups

owner greets you by name.

We will miss the deer looking in our basement window, and the incredible view from the top of Mt. Swansea.

We will miss being a local instead of one of the tourists when we come back for visits (and we will be back!)

Thank you for being the place we’ve called home for the longest stretch in our 30 years of marriage.

God is doing a new thing in our lives and in His church. He has called us to pastor at the Richmond Alliance

Church.

It will change our lives in so many ways, and we believe that those changes will cause us to depend more on Him and less on ourselves. That is always a good thing in life.

My prayer is that, through my life and my work here, some may have been drawn closer to God. Through Jesus Christ, He calls us into a personal relationship with Him. It has enabled Deborah and me to face all kinds of situations in life and come through stronger. I have seen faith enable people to endure when there was no human reason for them to do so.

If you have not yet come into relationship with God, pick up a Bible and read His love letter to you.

Allow me to share with you these verses from Paul’s letter to the Romans: “But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:22,23) This is my wish for each person in this valley. Thank you for being our friends.

Finally, I want to say thank you to The Pioneer for allowing the pastors of this community to have a voice.

Our prayer is that this voice will lead many to faith, as they consider the call of God on their lives.

Thank you, goodbye, and may God bless you as you call on Him.

The Regional District of East Kootenay is accepting applications for the 2007/2008 Columbia Basin Trust Community Initiatives Program.

Those encouraged to apply are registered non-profit organizations or individuals that are sponsored by an organization. The funding is designed for projects that will benefit

communities and support activities in their area.

Application forms and a complete list of the project requirements and guidelines are available at the Cranbrook and Columbia Valley RDEK offices or online at www.rdek. bc.ca. Proposals must be submitted by March 6, 2007.

Valley Churches LAKE WINDERMERE ALLIANCE CHURCH 10:30 a.m., Sunday, March 4th – Worship and Life Instruction, “My Prayer for You”

Sunday School, 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 10:30 a.m. - Invermere - Christ Church Trinity, Worship & Sunday School.

Rev. Sandy Ferguson • 110 - 7th Avenue, Invermere • 342-6644 VALLEY CHRISTIAN ASSEMBLY Sunday • 10:00 a.m.

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 p.m. Mass • Sunday, 9:00 a.m. Mass St. Joseph’s Church, Hwy 93/95 Radium Sunday, 11:00 a.m. Mass St. Anthony’s Church, Canal Flats Sunday, 4:00 p.m. 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 at Christ Church Trinity 110 - 7th Ave., Invermere Pastor Rev. Fraser Coltman • 1-866-426-7564 RADIUM CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP Every Sunday 10:00 am Pastor Wayne and Linda Frater • Radium Seniors’ Hall • 342-6633 THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTERDAY SAINTS Sunday, 10:00 am President Grant Watkins • Columbia Valley Branch 5014 Fairway, Fairmont Hot Springs • 345-0079

Selkirk TV & Appliance • Kitchenaid • Inglis • Whirlpool • Roper

Panasonic Pioneer Cell Phones Electronics & Service Christian Books, Music & Misc.

1229-7th Ave., Invermere

WE SELL REAL ESTATE • Radium • Invermere • Panorama • Windermere • Fairmont

342-6415

Call 341-6151 or 1-888-341-6155

rayfergusonrealty.ca HOLDING / INVESTMENT Existing home with suite.

Zoned for townhomes.

Walk to beach, town amenities.

MLS# K160424

$425,000

February 23, 2007

32 • The Columbia Valley Pioneer

www.ReMaxInvermere.com

Invermere

At Panorama: 250-341-4898 Toll Free: 1-888-258-9911

Independently Owned and Operated

250-342-6505

Wende Brash 342-1300

Bernie Raven

Daniel Zurgilgen

342-7415

342-1612

Ed English 342-1194

Close to the Beach

Jan Klimek 342-1195

John McCarthy 342-1758

Scott Wallace 342-5309

Andy Smith 342-1709

Bryan Hookenson

Perfect for a Family

Rob Rice

341-1266

341-5935

Deborah-Kim Rice 342-5935

Katie Wallace 342-5785

Radium Golf Course

Paul Glassford 341-1395

Live the mountain resort lifestyle in this recently updated 3 bedroom town home overlooking the golf course. This personal retreat comes fully furnished and ready to move into. Minutes to the Hot Springs, Lake Windermere and Panorama. This is a great vacation location. MLS#new

Immaculate best describes this well built family home in the heart of Wilder Subdivision.

This home offers 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, den, large kitchen, main oor laundry, 2 sundecks one of which is covered. Lower level has a newly renovated, fully developed and furnished 2 bedroom in-law suite with private entrance. MLS#K160670

Good location. Family home close to all schools and parks. Great starter with developed backyard. 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms located close to primary school.

MLS#new

Golf Retreat

Kicking Horse Mountain Resort

B&B Possibilities

3 Bedroom Fairmont Ridge Condo located just above the Mountainside Golf course. Fully furnished, ready to have some fun, complete with pool table in the recreation room. Large country kitchen, open design makes this condo a winner!!

MLS# K160746

Mountaineer Lodge one bedroom condo with lock-off. Use it as a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom condo or take advantage of lock off unit. Mountain views and great location with all the amenities. Ski in ski out access. MLS# new

B & B possibilities or just a large home in Radium Hot Springs. 6 bedrooms, 6.5 bathrooms, 3 oors, large hot tub and mountain views. Large private back yard and great sundeck. Lots of extras and walking distance to downtown or golf course.

MLS# K160744

Room to Grow

Location is Key

Getaway to Riverstone Villas

Three lots overlooking the Purcell Mountain range and the Columbia River. There is one lot that can be Sold off or keep it for the kids to roam. With over 1600 sq/ft of living space on the main oor and a nished basement that is a full walkout, there is loads of room for everyone. MLS#K160730

A one bedroom unit at Horsethief Lodge Panorama with an unobstructed view of Paradise Ridge. Across the street from the Gondola makes easy access to the ski lifts and the upper village. New appliances. New Vision paid in full. MLS#K151902

This town home offers the best of this development, with attached garage, 3 bedrooms corner unit backing onto park space, plus it comes fully furnished for turnkey ready rental/revenue investment. MLS#K151807

$124,500+gst

$295,000

$419,000

$489,900

$425,000

Timber Ridge Beauty

Two and one half levels of nished living area, contains ve bedrooms, 2 full baths, custom kitchen with eating bar opening to a vaulted dining and living room featuring a stone replace. MLS#K160736

$695,000

$289,000

$319,000

$359,900+gst

$480,000

Panorama Mountain Home

Large 3 bedroom, 4 bath home with rental suite and tenant in place. Close to Toby and Sunbird Chairlifts with great views of the 10th Fairway!

Bright sunny home! MLS#K160770

$690,000