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www.comoxvalleyecho.com Friday September 26, 2014
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Volume 20, No. 77
Provincial government tells SD71 to return all savings from strike By Michael Briones Echo Staff.
Colleen Henry has a picture of co-worker’s son attached to her handlebars to help her push on through hard times.
Tour de Rock riders on a powerful journey
The provincial government is reclaiming from School District 71 money it has saved during the teachers’ strike. The government had allowed the school district to retain 20 per cent of the strike savings for May and June, which amounted to $480,000, which was used to cover expenses like hydro bills and other central services. But for the month of September, the Liberal government changed the rule. The Ministry of Education informed SD71 secretary treasurer Russell Horswill, it wants all the money paid during the strike returned. Horswill said they are now negotiating with the ministry as to how much of the money the district should retain to pay for fixed costs. The latest development has upset the local school board. Chair of the district’s finance committee Rick Grinham questioned why the government has taken this position. He guessed that perhaps the government needs the money to cover the $40 a day it offered parents and primary caregivers during the strike in September.
By Drew A. Penner Echo Staff The rain was pouring down as the riders pedaled into the Comox Valley Sept. 24. The Canadian Cancer Society Cops for Cancer Tour de Rock cyclists may have been tired as they pulled into their next pit stop, but their joy was palpable, boiling over into smiles, hugs and tears. “It’s a great feeling,” said Const. Andrea Folk, a Cumberland resident, on arriving in familiar territory. “I’ve never been so happy.” Like many of the riders this is her first time doing the fundraising drive on two wheels, a north to south Vancouver Island spanning 14 days and 1,000 km, which collects money for pediatric cancer research and programming. “Seeing the kids in the communities come together is out of this world,” she said. “It’s so emotional seeing all the families and the kids who have cancer.” This tour also helps send kids who have cancer to Camp Goodtimes, a place where they can get away to just be kids for awhile. The group of two-dozen riders set out from Port Alice on Saturday, Sept. 20 and will continue to make plenty of stops on their way to Victoria. Many of the riders have laminated pictures of a junior rider they’ve been paired with or someone else who has battled cancer affixed to their metal steed. “Any time we need a little inspiration we look down at our bikes at pictures of the junior riders we’re doing this for,” said auxiliary constable Chris Kippel, from the Comox Valley. “Physically the ride is going along well. Emotionally it’s getting tougher and tougher as we meet
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Stage three water restrictions lifted but stage two reinstated
A warm welcome for rider in Courtenay more and more of these kids.” Kippel is doing the ride for his two step-daughters Sarah and Emily, and of course his wife Katie, who he watched die of cancer. By 2001 she had already taken on breast cancer and thought she had made it out of the woods. All too soon they got the news that the cancer had metastasized to the bone. He only got to spend seven years with her before cancer took her life, but he thinks of those precious moments now as the muscles tire on his journey down-Island on his bike.
Now he’s hoping his efforts will provide comfort and help for families dealing with a cancer-affected child. “There’s nothing worse for a parent,” he said. “Kids really do touch the heart and it makes it really emotional.” Colleen Henry’s own son got involved raising $500 towards his mom’s ride. She has a picture of a co-worker’s son attached to her handlebars for a reminder who why it’s so important to do battle with cancer while you can. The intensity of the trip for the riders has been powerful.
In Port Alice it seemed half the town came to a Tour de Rock dinner and were anything but short on stories. This kind of sharing has continued throughout the journey. “Last night we met a little girl who had leukemia who got diagnosed a year ago,” Henry said, explaining a Camp Goodtimes trip this year gave the family a chance to be normal again. “It was really awesome,” she said, describing what it was like to share in that memory with them. “Then we know why we’re doing this.”
The Comox Valley Regional District lifted stage three water restrictions as of 4 p.m. on Thursday. However, stage two water restrictions will be reinstated until further notice due to low water flow in the Puntledge River. Stage two follows the even/odd date and address system of stage one, but restricts watering to just twice a week. • People living at an even numbered address can use a sprinkler to water a lawn on Tuesdays and Saturdays from 4 a.m. to 7 a.m. and from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.; • People living at an odd numbered address can use a sprinkler to water a lawn those on Wednesdays and Sundays from 4 a.m. to 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Stage two restrictions do not allow for washing sidewalks, driveways, parking lots. The water that supplies the Comox Valley water local service areas originates in Comox Lake and is taken from the Puntledge River and delivered to approximately 41,000 residents. These water restrictions apply to everyone living in the Town of Comox, the City of Courtenay and the Arden, Comox Valley, England Road, Marsden/Camco, and Greaves Crescent water local service areas. All of these areas are served by the Comox Valley water system. To view the water conservation bylaw and to keep updated with the current water restrictions, visit www.comoxvalleyrd.ca/restrictions.
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