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www.comoxvalleyecho.com Tuesday April 22, 2014
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Volume 20, No. 32
Decision day for new Evangelical church and community facility By Philip Round Echo Staff For nearly 20 years, the congregation of the Central Evangelical Free Church of the Comox Valley has yearned to have a permanent place for worship.
And tonight (Tuesday) their hopes and prayers could take a big leap towards being fulfilled as Courtenay Council votes on granting a development permit for a new church on Inverclyde Way. If approved, the final push to raise the necessary funds will get under-
way with a view to starting construction in the spring of next year, lead Pastor Dave Koleba told the Echo. And he promised the new building, designed to accommodate more than 460 worshippers, would be a multi-purpose structure specifically intended to be an important commu-
nity facility, too. The main auditorium would have removable seats so that it could be rented for events such as dinners, wedding receptions or sports activities, and there would be a cafeteria and smaller side rooms that could double up as space for Sunday School
or discussion groups one day and be children’s activity centres or community meeting rooms on another. The chosen site for the church is nearly five acres of vacant land at 2700 Inverclyde Way, at the end of Carstairs Drive. (Continued on page 2)
‘Positive progress’ in K’ómoks treaty talks By Philip Round Echo Staff
Ski seaon ends with Crush Slush Cup About 30 participants signed up for the Crush Slush Cup April 20, in which contestants with a gnarly side took off down a mini-mountain constructed outside the chalet with a healthy crowd of onlookers cheering and jeering in jest as they took of and touched down in a giant pool of water with a splash. Children dressed up in costume
joined the fun, and “divers” were in the pool at the ready to ferry them to safety. You could spot a number of animals from giant frogs to sasquatches to Easter bunnies all getting in on the action. The event marks the penultimate day on Mount Washington’s alpine calendar, which started out with low snow challenges only to enjoy quality
powder for the second half of the season. Or as the Slush Cup announcer put it while addressing the crowd lining the ice-filled pond: “Three cheers for the season that almost didn’t happen! Hip hip horay! Hip hip horay! Hip hip horay!” Photo by Drew A. Penner/Echo Staff
Positive progress on treaty negotiations between the K’ómoks First Nation and both the federal and provincial governments is being reported by the Band’s chief negotiator, Mark Stevenson. It is now three years since an Agreement in Principle was endorsed in a vote of the K’ómoks people, and two years since that AIP was formally signed by all three governments to set the parameters for detailed negotiations. But getting to a final treaty, including an agreed settlement of all cash and land issues, is inevitably taking time and it is in everyone’s interests to get it right, Stevenson told the Echo. He recently reported to Band members at their annual treaty update meeting that the next 12 months should see many key issues coming to a head. And he is optimistic that things are heading in the right direction, with goodwill on all sides to reach a fair and final settlement that will be put to the 300+ Band members in another vote. The annual KFN meeting had been really successful, Stevenson noted. “There was a good turnout, a good spirit and good exchanges. That’s very important.” He assured Band members that negotiators were making progress on a number of issues and that “nothing negative is happening.” He added: “It all just takes time, and we understand that.” In particular, he told the Echo, there has been good progress on economic development issues and opportunities, and the role the Band sought to play in pursuing commercial and employment initiatives. (Continued on page 2)
19 Wing Commander heads up disaster training contingent in Peru By Drew A. Penner Echo Staff When Col Jim Benninger, was asked to head up the Canadian contingent as part of Pan-American disaster training mission he leapt at the chance. He was named Air Task Force Commander for the Royal Canadian Air Force as part of the third installment of Exercise COOPERACIÓN, an effort to build international cooperation between friendly military forces through dryrun scenarios April 19-May 2. Under his command are military goods such as a 426 Squadron CC-130J Hercules transport plane and a CH-149 Cormorant helicopter from 413 Squadron, and a 429 Squadron CC-177 Globemaster III. He will also take charge of crews joining the foray from 8 Wing Trenton, 9 Wing Gander and 14 Wing Greenwood. Of course he will be a little more familiar with Cpt. Trevor Reid and Sgt. Yan Senechal, who hail right here from 19 Wing Comox - where he serves as base commander. In total about 60 members were tasked with taking part in the mission which focuses on providing
disaster relief, and represents an opportunity for the Canadian military to try out a few tricks that have never been tested before. This is the first time Canada will try to squeeze a Cormorant into a C-117 and would represent an improvement on disaster relief and other military functionality. It’s also the first time a Cormorant has headed outside of North America on official business. As Canadian Forces busied themselves at a military airbase in Peru attached to Jorge Chávez International Airport, a port which served more than 15 million passengers last year, Cpt. Trevor Reid paused for a moment to describe the excitement building among fellow soldiers. “It’s looking pretty good right now,” he said, explaining the complex process involved in removing rotor and tail blades from the helicopter. “We’ll have a test flight tomorrow morning.” Another first for the mission will be using the specially designed air transport kit, which is a crucial component of taking parts of the Cormorant apart and reassembling the yellow bird flawlessly. (Continued on page 2)
A CH-149 Cormorant helicopter is loaded into a CC-177 Globemaster III in preparation for deployment to Peru to take part in Exercise COOPERACIÓN III, a key Latin American multi-
national exercise with a focus on disaster relief, which will be conducted from April 19 to May 2. (Wing Imaging)
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