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www.comoxvalleyecho.com Friday June 6, 2014
Price: 57 cents plus GST
Volume 20, No. 45
City agrees to discussions with Maple Pool supporters By Philip Round Echo Staff
Vintage Wings of Canada spokesperson Terry Chester and Jon Ambler, program manager and volunteer coordinator of the Comox Air Force Museum show off the progress done on the restoration of the World War II Roseland Spitfire.
Y2-K Spitfire to go on a road trip to Quebec Space constraints at local hangar force proponents to move project to Gatineau By Michael Briones Echo Staff The Roseland Y2-K Spitfire will soon be getting its wings. However, the installation on the fuselage of the tailor-made wings from the United Kingdom will not be done here at the Heritage Hangar at 19 Wing, which has housed this historic World War II fighter plane since 2000. Vintage Wings of Canada, the non-profit organization that took over the meticulous restoration of the iconic combat plane from the Comox Valley Air Force Museum, will be taking the Spitfire on the road and travel east to its base in Gatineau, Que. where the aircraft will be completed due to some complexities of the rebuild. Spokesman Terry Chester said they could finish the Spitfire in the valley but it would not have been easy because of the hangar’s space constraints. “That would involve bolting the wings on and then taking them off again,” said Chester. “The way those wings are fitted, there are five to six bolts to put them in.
And when those bolts go in, they can only be taken out so many times before you have to reshim them and reshim the wings. Therefore we decided we just wanted to do one fit. Clearly we can’t fit the wings on here.” Chester said that they needed to do all the final phases of reconstruction in one location where they can paint the aircraft in its distinct 442 Squadron colours, featuring Y2-K call letters, and also hold test flights to be conducted by a Transport Canada certified test pilot. “The way it is with vintage airplanes is you don’t know when you do a test flight, how long it’s going to be, what’s going to
be broken, what needs to be tweaked so it was decided it would be done there,” said Chester. The wings are now almost complete in Gatineau and ready to be connected to the Spitfire. It will take six to nine months to properly install them, hook all the hoses, and all the fittings. “We’re very excited to be moving forward to the next stage of the aircraft,” said Chester. Around $2.5 million has already been spent and more funds will be needed to finish the job. When the project started, Chester said the team behind it showed a lot of enthusiasm but had no idea how they could grow and how expensive it could be. He estimates the final cost to be over $3 million. Once completed, it’s only going to be the second Spitfire every rebuilt in Canada but Chester said it’s going to be a crown jewel because of the way it’s being restored. “Once it’s completed and it’s flying, it’s going to be the best built Spitfire flying in the world,” said Chester. (Continued on page 3)
Did someone just blink? In the ongoing legal standoff between Maple Pool Campground and the City of Courtenay, councillors have agreed staff should meet with the group of business people and campground supporters who have offered to help bring the land up to a standard acceptable to the municipality. Councillors have yet to be convinced anything has changed since a previous face-to-face meeting in November 2012, but they have responded positively to a call by a local realtor to talk to the group on a “without prejudice” basis. Brent Cunliffe wrote to the mayor and councillors to say he believed there had been “huge misunderstanding and miscommunication” in the campground controversy. “On the one hand, I comprehend the concerns of the City with regard to the safety of the residents and being held liable in the event of damage due to flooding,” he wrote. “The opposing view is that eviction of these residents would render most of them homeless and add to an already alarming problem in the area.” He added: “You have stated that you are very willing to help find a solution to resolve the issues at hand, and you have also expressed disappointment that no solutions have been proposed.” Cunliffe noted that two years ago he and Mike Hamilton met with a group of supportive businesspeople with the express intention of finding a solution that would satisfy the concerns of the City and allow the 57 residents to continue living at Maple Pool. “We have presently, and have had for some time, suggestions which we would dearly like to present before council,” he said. In particular they wanted to talk about: - Engineering drawings that had been prepared showing how material could be dug out of low-lying areas of the campground without displacing river water flows and then used to raise existing trailer sites to a height satisfactory to both parties. - The signing of a waiver by the owner and all residents releasing the City from any and all liability in the event of future flooding. - Consultation with BC Hydro to ensure future releases of water from Comox Lake do not coincide with high tides. - The signing of a caveat by the owners of the site (Dali and Jin Lin) stating they will not change the use of the land. Cunliffe added the group is willing to pursue all correspondence necessary to satisfy the requirements of federal and provincial departments and other pertinent bodies. (Continued on page 2)
Local taxi services to be opened up to competition By Philip Round Echo Staff People wanting to call a taxi in the Comox Valley will soon have a choice of operators. The BC Passenger Transportation Board, which regulates the industry, has agreed Ambassador Shuttle Service should be allowed to compete head-on with Comox Taxi. It won’t be a competition of equals, as Comox Taxi’s licensed fleet is far bigger than that being granted to Ambassador, but the landmark ruling ensures future passengers will have alternatives. From later this summer, Ambassador owner Kevin East and his team will be able to pick up people who hail or flag from the street, respond to calls for service, and
It’s all smiles from Ambassador Shuttle Service owner Kevin East, who has been granted a licence to operate a full taxi service in the Comox Valley.
charge metered rates for journeys. His existing licence has restricted operations to pre-booked trips under limited conditions, and those services will continue. East’s bid to run a full-blown taxi service had been vigorously opposed by Dave Smith, the owner of Comox Taxi Ltd., who was joined by the BC Taxi Association and 287 Taxi Ltd. of Campbell River in trying to block the application. But in its ruling, the Passenger Transportation Board (PTB) said there was strong support to open up the market, with 58 submissions backing Ambassador from a wide range of civic and community organizations, restaurants, hotels and other businesses large and small. “Letters of support contain numerous complaints from both businesses
and individuals of excessive wait times, unreliable and poor service,” note papers issued with the PTB’s decision. “Many felt that another taxi provider would have a positive impact with improved customer service, vehicle conditions and reduced wait times.” So strong were some of the comments that the PTB undertook its own follow-up investigation to verify reports of unsatisfactory service. “Ten supporters were contacted and asked a set of questions - the responses corroborated that there are service issues with Comox Taxi,” states the judgment. “We assigned considerable weight to the letters of support for the applicant. “All claimed a public need exists
for a new, additional taxi service. We concur that there are service issues and a public need exists for an additional taxi service.” The PTB noted Comox Taxi submitted ten letters of support for its service, some stating that service levels had improved and wait times decreased since the company began operating with a digital dispatch system. Others argued competition would not be healthy in this case, as profits would fall, potentially impacting employment, vehicle maintenance and public safety. Comox Taxi itself suggested that there was no public need that was not being met, noting it was not even using its own fleet to full capacity. (Continued on page 2)
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