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www.comoxvalleyecho.com TUESDAY.COURTENAY, BC. NOVEMBER 11, 2014
ECHO
NEWS Comox Valley Weather
Tuesday A mix of sun and cloud. Low 2°C. High 5°C.
Wednesday Sunny. Low -1°C. High 5°C.
Thursday Sunny. Low -3°C. High 5°C.
Friday A mix of sun and cloud. Low -2°C. High 6°C.
Saturday Cloudy. Low 1°C. High 6°C.
For the latest Comox Valley Weather visit: www.comoxvalleyecho.com
POLICE OFFICERS NEEDLED: Five members of the Comox Valley RCMP help Island Health launch its annual Influenza Vaccine Campaign. Inspector Tim Walton, Cpl. Tori Cliffe, Cst. Ryan Archr, Cst. D. George and Cst. M. Scofstra got their shots at the Comox Valley Public Health Nursing office on England Avenue. For more information about where to get a flu shot and flu clinic schedule, visit the Island Health’s website: http://www.viha.ca/flu/
Hospital District expects to save millions with new borrowing plan By Drew A. Penner Echo Staff November is Financial Literacy Month in Canada and it appears local bureaucrats may have gotten the memo. The Comox-Strathcona Regional Hospital Dis-
trict expects it will spend $22 million less paying off debt used to finance the North Island Hospitals Project, thanks to low interest rates, an interim borrowing strategy and tax revenues already set aside to cover costs. “That’s what I wanted
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to stress,” said Beth Dunlop, the corporate financial officer for the Comox Valley Regional District. “It really is a substantial savings.” In a climate where longterm lending rates have dipped below four per cent and with interim rates hov-
ering at the 1.7 per cent mark, debt payments are more likely to cost $12.9 million a year instead of the $13.6 million projected in 2009, staff told the hospital board Nov. 6. The hospital district is required to cover $240.7 million (40 per cent) of the $606.2 million price tag for two hospitals under construction in Courtenay and Campbell River. In 2009 residents started chipping for expenditures and building up a reserve through a tax requisition (costing about $242 per year for an average property owner), and $60 million of this total has already been covered. That allowed administrators to reduce the projected payback period by 20 years, down to just 10. The hospital district is allowed to borrow at an interim rate while construction is taking place but must shift to long-term debt in 2018. Debra Oakman, the CVRD’s CAO, applauded the work of her staffers who fleshed out the millions of dollars in possible savings. “It’s pretty exciting,” she said. “I just wanted to pause and share that with the board. “It’s a really big deal.” The two-hospitals
model was approved in 2009, spurring the creation of the initial financial scheme. At the time staff believed the hospital district could collect $68 million for the reserve fund and would have to pay back a loan at a 6 per cent rate. At this point the same administrators think reserve contributions and funding will actually hit $136.5 million and call a 4 per cent interest rate a “conservative” estimate. In order to revise projections staff had to wait until the financial details of the hospital project were set in stone earlier this year. They considered three options. First they looked Ocean Pacific Realty 282 Anderton Rd., Comox, BC V9M 1Y2 250.339.2021
at entering into debenture debt for the total amount up front. Second they evaluated interim financing as required and entering into debenture debt annually in the fall for that year’s cash requirements. Finally they examined interim financing as required during the project and entering into debenture debt once at the end of the project in 2018. By their calculations this option made the most sense for taxpayers. They recommended the option which the board accepted unanimously. During the Nov. 6 meeting the hospital district also voted to increase its capital expenditures bylaw by $700,000.
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www.comoxvalleyecho.com TUESDAY.NOVEMBER 11, 2014
3
ADVENTURE
Comox couple returns from Nepal storm trek safe and sound They were trapped in chaos, confusion in the Himalayans after weather disaster BY DREW A. PENNER Echo Staff
Safe a home. Avril and Richard Revel are recuperating from their almost disastrous Himalayan trek in Nepal..
A Comox couple in their late 60s sit on the couch in the safety of their livingroom as the rain pours down on the lush vegetation outside. Avril and Richard Revel are physically a world away from the chaos and confusion that trapped them in Himalayan Mountains of Nepal during the worst trekking disaster ever recorded on the Annapurna Circuit, though they haven’t totally left it behind yet. They’ve had bleeding noses, cold and flu symptoms and Avril is battling a lung infection. She also lost her voice somewhere along the route back. Listening to the peppy and downright optimistic way the Revels relate the specific challenges they faced you might miss out
on just how near to disaster they had crept. On Oct. 14 a snowstorm and a number of avalanches hit the Manang and Mustang Districts, resulting in the deaths of at least 43 people, 21 of which were hikers on the Annapurna Circuit. A day before the disaster happened the Revels listened to a woman from BC give a useful talk on altitude sickness. “My husband and I were doing fine,” Avril said, noting their limits would soon be tested. “We were subject to some extreme trekking that we didn’t plan on. You do your best to deal with it.” W h e n t h e s n ow a rrived their guide thought it would just cause a light dusting, since that’s what usually happens this time of year. “I think we had two me-
PUBLIC WORKS
If you happened to notice a white van with strange looking boxes and receivers driving through Courtenay last month, don’t worry; it wasn’t Ghostbusters. The City of Courtenay engaged the Cambridge, Ontario-based firm IMS Infrastructure Manage-
318 A Duncan Ave., Courtenay (Corner of Duncan & 3rd St.)
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vice known as a Laser Road Surface Tester, or RST. This device measures pavement roughness, rutting, cracking and other surface distresses. It also collected digital video and Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) information for cataloging rightof-way assets. The RST is a one-ton Ford van with 4 inside mounted cameras and
(Continued on page 4)
Island rail freight halted
Courtenay goes high tech to analyze roads ment Services to complete a detailed inventory and condition rating of all roadways owned by the City. The data will be collected and analyzed to develop long-term rehabilitation plans and budgets. The field surveys work was completed in two phases using specialized surveying equipment. The first phase involved collecting data using a de-
ters of snow,” she said. “It was just ridiculous.” The group walked and walked, looking for shelter. “You could hear the avalanches on the other side of the valley from us,” she said. “we couldn’t find a place to stay. We had to walk for, oh my goodness, three-quarters-of-an-hour to get to this teahouse on the hill. We didn’t anticipate that there would be snow and that it would last.” The mountain pass closed in the wake of the severe weather conditions and information was scarce. They realized the promised rescue was not showing up any time soon. “We just decided we had to try to come out,” she said. “That was probably the most dangerous part of it.”
GPS receivers and a modified front bumper. Operated by three field technicians, the RST surveyed each roadway at least once. The second phase established the load-carrying capacity of the arterial and collector roadways using a Falling Weight Deflectometer (FWD).
Island rail freight has been suspended from Duncan to Parksville over track safety concerns - and there’s no word on how long it will take Southern Rail of Vancouver Island to resume the service. “After completion of a detailed risk assessment, it was determined
(Continued on page 4)
Dr. Sterling Desmond
Our young porter did slip. Our guide quickly turned around and grabbed him. Most of our route wasn’t on avalanche treks, but there are risky sections of it.” RICHARD REVEL Comox trekker
My husband and I were doing fine. We were subject to some extreme trekking that we didn’t plan on. You do your best to deal with it.” AVRIL REVEL Comox trekker
that the safest course of action was to temporarily discontinue the freight service,” said a statement posted on the Island Corridor Foundation website. Passenger service was suspended in March 2011, after rail conditions were deemed unsafe. Freight, which can move more slowly, continued to travel between Duncan and Parksville until earlier this week. SVI, the operator, and railway owner Island Corridor Foundation worked to secure $20.9 million in funding commitments from three levels of government to restart passenger service.
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www.comoxvalleyecho.com TUESDAY.COURTENAY, BC. NOVEMBER 11 2014
DRUG EDUCATION
Prescription drugs major concern Publice presentation about the dangers of opioids BY IAN LIDSTER Special to the Echo
When we think of drug abuse in Canada we are naturally inclined too look in the direction of so-called “street drugs” like heroin, crack-cocaine, crystal meth and others of that ilk, but we rarely look towards the friendly family physician or the neighborhood pharmacy. It’s not to suggest that the traditionally abused drugs aren’t out there in their plenitude or that responsible physicians and druggists are ‘dealers’, but only to say the reality is that, and not to put too fine a point on it, there is a Canadian drug crisis pertaining to the overprescription of opiate drugs. In that regard on Nov. 18 the Community Drug Strategy Committee and the Comox Valley Division of Family Practice are offering a public presentation designed to explore the facets and risks involved with widely-prescribed pain relief medications, and especially opioids. Stated simply, opioids are medications designed to relieve pain. In it’s essence this is not a bad thing since the scourge of chronic pain saps the quality of life from many Canadians, especially older people and
victims of accidents. However, and this is a huge caveat, these painkillers are also highly addictive since many of them are opium derivatives. Opioids are medications that relieve pain. They reduce the intensity of pain signals reaching the brain and impact the brain areas that control emotion which diminishes the effects of a painful stimulus. The medications that fall into this class include hydrocodone (Vicodin), oxycodone (OxyContin, Percocet), morphine (Kadian, Avinza) codeine and related drugs. Hydrocodone products are most commonly prescribed for a variety of painful conditions including dental and injury related pain. Morphine is often used before and after surgeries to alleviate severe pain. Codeine, on the other hand is often prescribed for mild pain. While opioids have distinct and obvious clinical benefits in terms of pain relief they also pose risks that cannot be discounted. According to a report from clinical pharmacologist, Dr. David Juurlink in a report for the CBC, OxyContin and other opioids are tied to one in eight deaths in young adults in Canada and other find-
ings include “marked inter-provincial variation” in dispensing high-dose opioids in Canada. Among the risks from such drugs, Juurlink’s report cites the role of opioids in such risks as: motor vehicle accidents, fractures, confusion, addiction and death. More than 1,000 Canadians die each year from abuse of these drugs, he says. Bearing this reality in mind the Community Drug Strategy Committee of the Comox Valley in collaboration with the Comox Valley Division of Family Practice are presenting for the pub-
lic on Nov. 18 from 7 to 9 pm in the Stan Hagen Theatre at North Island College an evening devoted to dealing with the realities of opioid use and abuse in society. The presentation is designed as the committee’s annual offering for National Addictions Awareness Week. Included among the events of the presentation will be: - Overdose prevention video: The session will begin with an 11-minute YouTube video concerning the wellbeing of those who are either taking opioids or who will be taking them in the
High tech roadways (Continued from page 3) This device uses nondestructive testing techniques to establish the structural characteristics of the pavement and sub grade layers of a roadway. This information is useful in predicting the pavement’s remaining life. Now that the data has been collected, it will be combined, linked to the City’s GIS mapping software, and used to develop
a series of reports that will allow the city to cost-effectively budget the long-term maintenance of roadways. The project is just one part of the City’s ongoing overall efforts on asset management - formally analyzing the life cycle of the Courtenay’s various forms of infrastructure. Preliminary data from the project should be available to the City later this month.
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danger and is a common cause of accidental overdose. - Overdose Prevention: Sarah Sullivan of AIDS Vancouver Island in Courtenay will present a video on overdose prevention and information on the topic. The video demonstrates how to respond medically to someone who has overdosed. She will also go over the Naxolone kit. Naxolone injectors are used to arrest the effects of an opioid overdose. - Dealing with pain by other means than Opioids: Registered Nurse Brenda Bouttell from the Comox Valley Nursing Centre Pain Clinic will explore other means for controlling pain. - Considering commercials about proper disposal of medications: Basically how to keep children from getting into substances that could take their lives if ingested.
Return from Nepal (Continued from page 3) Their guide kept them informed of the various hazards they might face along the journey back down, while their porter trudged along with their gear. “You get the sun in the day and then it gets very cold so you’re really susceptible to avalanches and you also get a lot of landslides,” she said, noting they were on little ledges with a drops hundreds of feet deep below. “At times we had a few rocks fly past our faces.” Suddenly, a near calamity. “Our young porter did slip,” Richard said. “Our guide quickly turned around and grabbed him.” In order to make it back to their flight on time they had to cover twice the ground they normally would in a day. “We did unplanned extreme trekking,” he said. “Most of our route wasn’t
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future. The video provides background information on such drugs as OxyContin, Percocet and Tylenol 3 with codeine. It further explores such issues as why they are used, what they are and their history of use in our society. - Valley physician speaking on the opioid issue: Physician lead of the Comox Valley Division Safe Opioid Prescribing Practices Working Group and family physician Dr. Charuka Maheswaran will speak on such topics as the current problems of opioids and the new acknowledgment of this, a brief background on why we are where we are and what we as a physician community are doing to redress this. She will also link in with this information the dangers in mixing medications and especially benzodiazepines with alcohol, which poses an inherent
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on avalanche treks, but there are risky sections of it.” They made it to Katmandu, flew to China and made it back to Canada in time for Halloween. Their daughter Andrea can’t wait to see her parents when she comes to Comox for her yearly visit at Christmas. “Emotionally and mentally they’re doing really well,” she said, noting it was amazing to get the news that they were finally on home soil. “I know I needed to hear their voices to know that they were okay with everything that happened.” She calls her folks “gogetters” who follow a strong Anglican belief system. “Their faith helps to get them through a lot,” she said, adding humour was another important tool that carried them along their journey. “They had to laugh because, what else are you going to do?”
www.comoxvalleyecho.com TUESDAY.NOVEMBER 11, 2014
5
FISHERY
Volunteers and hatchery work to improve local fish habitat
Dumping dead chum salmon may be stinky but it helps revitalize the riverways
BY JOHN DOE Staff Writer Listening to the THUD, THUD, THUD of chum salmon slamming against the small metal barrier on the side of the bridge before splashing into Rhys Creek below you might think Nick Strussi wasn’t very good at tossing fish. As gross as it might seem to an outsider, allowing the blood and guts to coat the physical landscape here upstream of the Puntledge River and even Comox Lake is a technique to boost the health of the ecosystem – and this project coordinator knows it. “Bears will come and eat some of that and they’ll crap in the woods,” he said, explaining how nutrients from the dead brood stock are distributed throughout the forest upon release. “There was no fish here for years and years after they put the dam in.” That dam, on the Puntledge River, generates millions of dollars for BC Hydro every year and provides a solid chunk of electricity that residents consider essential to modern life. Wellington Collieries (Dunsmuir) Ltd. complet
Bears will come and eat some of that and they’ll crap in the woods ... there was no fish here for years and years after they put the dam in” NICK STRUSSI Chum toss founder
ed the Comox Dam and the Puntledge Diversion Dam in 1912. It provided Cumberland coal mines with the power they needed to operate. But Comox Dam didn’t have a useable fishway for a full 10 years until the federal government and Dunsmuir were able to work out a deal to construct an upstream passage structure. Officials originally pegged the principal spawning area as 3 km upstream of the dam, but noted it likely included tributaries to Comox Lake, too. At the end of the 20th century BC Hydro ran through a series of experiments that ultimately led to boosting the survival rate for Chinook, Coho, sockeye and steelhead smolts
to 90 per cent. Now BC Hydro kicks in $2,000 every year so Strussi and a crew of guys and girls from the Puntledge River Hatchery, the Courtenay Fish and Game Club and the Steelhead Society of BC can rent a truck to haul dead chum up the river system for dumping. Cheryl Burroughs, a fish culture assistant at the Puntledge River Hatchery, says the yearly depositing of brood stock chum into tributaries upstream of Comox Lake plays a vital role in rejuvenating the ecosystem. “We dump off the carcasses which decay,” she said. “It’s just lots of nutrients.” The idea is to encourage a natural bloom throughout the entire food chain. “Lots of fish don’t get up here,” she said, noting things have been improving in recent years. Part of this has to do with the release of young salmon within the river. These fish are added to the waterways in the spring in hopes that in future years they will travel this far up into the mountains when they come back to spawn. Continued on page 9
Throwing fish around. Nick Strussi, right in full fish fish toss mode
Rhys Creek feeds into Comox Lake, which in turn feeds into the Puntledge River.
The BC Hydro donation allowed the crew to rent this truck.
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www.comoxvalleyecho.com TUESDAY.COURTENAY, BC. NOVEMBER 11 2014
Can you help put on FIESTA? F I E STA -WO R L D CRAFT BAZAAR is again a two day global experience, Nov. 22nd and 23rd. Both floors of the Filberg Centre will be transformed into an international bazaar. You will be able to wander from Asia, to Central and South America and on to Africa and still have time for a delicious ethnic lunch. We have new vendors and all our old favourites, with over 120 tables. It takes many volunteers to make FIESTA the success it has become.
ELECT DON DAVIS
Would you please consider volunteering a few hours of your time? Please contact Coordinator Dave Talbot by email at kye_bay@shaw.ca or at 250 339-4975 and be part of the feel good fun of FIESTA. Canada’s largest Fair Trade Global Craft Fair will run Nov. 22nd from 10 a.m. to 4p.m. and Sunday Nov. 23th from 10am. to 3pm. Handmade gifts made just for you! Left, last year Ba Cisse selling his shea butter products to Kathryn Mackinnon.
F O R P R O G R E S S I V E , D E D I C AT E D , V I B R A N T L E A D E R S H I P
FOR COMOX COUNCIL Proven & Reliable Has stayed current on issues by regularly attending Council meetings.
PLATFORM • Maintain Infrastructure • Keep Taxes Affordable • Affordable Housing • More and Better Public Involvement Any issues or questions PLEASE PHONE (H) 250-339-0505 or (C) 250-702-2876 or dondaviscampaign@telus.net
Vote for Change with Experience on November 15th, Vote for Don Davis.
“I have had the honour to serve the Town of Comox as Mayor for the last 6 years (and as Councillor for the previous 6 years). I am asking the residents of Comox for the privilege to continue serving as Mayor of Comox in the upcoming election. ” For more information on important issues that have an effect on the future of Comox please visit my website or call 250-897-2557 with any questions you might have or if you need a ride to the polls courtesy Ambassador Shuttle Service .
Make your vote Count for Comox November 15, 2014
@paulrodneyives
Authorized by Garry Murdock, Financial Agent • Ph: 250-338-0105 • email: garrym1@shaw.ca
www.comoxvalleyecho.com TUESDAY.NOVEMBER 11, 2014
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TELUS STORES Courtenay 795 Ryan Rd. 1599 Cliffe Ave. 2885 Cliffe Ave. *Offer available with a 3 year service agreement; current rental rates apply thereafter. A cancellation fee applies to the early termination of a service agreement and will be $10 for the PVR and digital boxes multiplied by the number of months remaining in the term. Rental equipment must be returned in good condition upon cancellation of service, otherwise the replacement cost will be charged to the account. Wireless signal range will vary and can be affected by conditions in the home, including interference from other electronic devices and the materials used in construction. Digital boxes are not weatherproof and should not be left outdoors or exposed to water. Adequate signal transmission is required within the home and will be tested by a TELUS representative before installation. †Contribution ends December 31, 2014, to a maximum of $40,000. ‡Offer available until December 31, 2014, to residential customers who have not subscribed to Optik TV or Internet in the past 90 days. Offer includes Optik TV Essentials and TELUS Internet 15. Offer includes a wireless gateway rental at no extra cost. Minimum system requirements apply. Final eligibility for the services will be determined by a TELUS representative. TELUS reserves the right to modify channel lineups and packaging, and regular pricing without notice. Cannot be combined with other offers. Offer not available in all areas. Call now for eligibility. TELUS, the TELUS logo, Optik, Optik TV, the future is friendly, and telus.com are trademarks of TELUS Corporation, used under licence. © 2014 TELUS.
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www.comoxvalleyecho.com TUESDAY.COURTENAY, BC. NOVEMBER 11 2014
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www.comoxvalleyecho.com TUESDAY.NOVEMBER 11, 2014
9
COURTENAY POLITICS
Maple Pool a hot topic once again in this year’s city election BY MICHAEL BRIONES Echo Staf
We don’t make it up as we go along. Before we go in-camera, we actually read out a section of law that explains why we’re doing it. It’s not a whim. It’s the law.”
Maple Pool was a major issue at the previous election and this year, it’s still a major issue. It’s an unfinished legacy of the previous City of Courtenay council and mayor that new candidates are using as an integral part of their elections campaign. Some criticized former members of council for lack of transparency for keeping the Maple Pool business hidden from the public, dealing with it mostly in-camera. Dan Doerksen was one of them. “Maple Pool has got to go away,” Doerksen said in his introductory remark. “It’s an embarrassment. I recall being in Edmonton and watching it on the national news. It just shouldn’t have happened in the first place. Forgive me council but that’s the way I feel.” Doerksen also pointed out that, although at times they are necessary, in-camera meetings were held far too often. “The public should know what we’re doing,” said Doerksen, who is a former RCMP officer. “When I was in law enforcement, they had a saying that’s been around for a long time, ‘justice must not only be done, it must be seen to be done.’ That’s the same with council.” Mayoral candidate Jon Ambler said they follow the guidelines set in the community charter when holding in-camera meetings.
JON AMBLER Mayoralty candidate
Speed campaigning. Mayor Larry Jangular, left, chats with interested voters
Complex problems are tough to resolve. We all know that from our own lives.” DOUG HILLIAN Courtenay councillor
“These people who have never been elected all say we won’t go in-camera; it’s the law,” Ambler told citizens who asked him about this issue. “We don’t make it up as we go along. Before we go in-camera, we actually read out a section of law that explains why we’re do-
ing it. It’s not a whim. It’s the law.” Only three from the previous council mentioned Maple Pool in their introductory speech — incumbent mayor Larry Jangula and incumbent councillors Starr Winchester and Manno Theos, who all made a commitment to end the city’s legal battle and work with the owners of the campsite as well as its supporters. The city has an ongoing lawsuit against Maple Pool owners Jin and Dali Lin for non-compliance with land use bylaws. If successful,
more than 50 residents there will be rendered homeless. As well, it has already cost taxpayers over $120,000 in legal fees. Incumbent councillor Doug Hillian said it’s easy for people to form opinions from the outside and determine that there’s a black and white answer to complex problems. “Complex problems are tough to resolve,” Hillian said. “We all know that from our own lives. People look out our families and our communities from the outside and pass judge-
ment without knowing the inside story. I encourage everybody who really cares about community and the issues that we face, to take the time to get engaged, to talk to your councillor candidates and to come to an understanding of the issues that we face.” Homelessness, affordable housing, and the slow processing of development permits were the other hot topics at the unusual allcandidates forum that followed a speed dating format where each candidate spent seven minutes at one table to talk to people before moving to the next table. It was held at the Best Western The Westerly Hotel and Convention Centre and organized by Comox Valley Chamber of Commerce in conjunction with the Creative Employment Access Society. Council hopeful Rebecca Lennox acknowledges that Maple Pool is a major issue but for her personally, she feels it is overshadowing much bigger issues like affordable housing. She also said that they should find ways to create sustainable jobs so citizens can work here and stay here with their families instead of going off to the oil patches in Alberta.
RE-ELECT DOUG HILLIAN Your candidate for Courtenay City Council
Helping the riverways along (Continued from page 5) “We put Coho fry in the rivers,” she said. “We’ll raise them at the hatchery. “In May and June we release them.” Frank Leigh, a volunteer who joined for the salmon dump, explained times have changed with industry and environmental officials. “I love the smell of fish,” he said, jokingly when asked why he wanted to give his time for the endeavour. “Oh, I don’t know it seemed like a good I idea.” Leigh looked up the hill to where a logging company was actively falling trees then looked back at Rhys Creek. The bridge he was standing on, for example can easily be removed if the logging company ever doesn’t need it anymore. “It’s just two pieces of concrete,” he
said. “They could take this bridge out and use it somewhere else on a road in.” It’s these kinds of actions on the part of industry, coupled with the volunteers work performed by members of the Courtenay Fish and Game and the Steelhead Society that has improved quality of life for animals in the area, he said. BC Hydro spokesperson Stephen Watson couldn’t agree more that local citizens are making a difference. “BC Hydro is pleased to provide a donation to an initiative that is community driven and supports fish productivity across the watershed,” he said. “The Puntledge River Fish Hatchery staff and the volunteers from the Steelhead Society of BC and the Courtenay Fish and Game Club are taking a leadership role in environmental stewardship.”
It has been a privilege to serve you since 2009. If re-elected, I will continue to offer a reasonable and progressive approach to the issues we face while remaining responsive and accessible to all citizens. For more information please visit
DougHillian.ca Authorized by Pam Munroe: dpmunroe@gmail.com
BUILDING COMMUNITY TOGETHER
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www.comoxvalleyecho.com TUESDAY.COURTENAY, BC. NOVEMBER 11 2014
FEDERAL POLITICS
Green Party leader visits Valley with her new book Green Party leader Elizabeth May has a new book, “Who We Are.” She will be launching it at the Courtenay Public Library on Nov. 14 at around 7 p.m. In this highly-praised memoir and manifesto, May reflects on her extraordinary life to date, providing personal perspectives on her approach to politics, policy, and what it means to be Canadian. Inspired by activist parents, May gravitated to politics early in life. Who We Are follows her path to a political career: from waitress and cook on Cape Breton Island to law student and lawyer, environmentalist, and finally to leader of the Green Party and first elected Canadian Green Member of Parliament. May strongly believes that Canadians must rescue our threatened democracy, develop a sustainable economy, and take immediate and deci-
sive action to address the climate crisis. Her dedication to her ideals illuminate the pages where she documents campaigns won and lost, always with the underlying conviction that politicians must steer a course to benefit the many, not primarily to advantage the few. We are asked to answer Who We Are: as Canadians, as stewards of the planet, and as individuals with the ability and responsibility to initiate change. This is both a fascinating portrait of a remarkable woman and an urgent call to action. “Elizabeth May is a born storyteller in the grand tradition. It may well be that she will achieve her greatest successes in defense of life upon this outraged planet as a writer whose clarity, honesty, and conviction brook no denials.” - Farley Mowat
Date selected to release in-camera voting records on Maple Pool lawsuit Courtenay resident and long-time Friends of Maple Pool advocate Dick Clancy is pleased to announce that a date for the Office of the Information and Privacy Commission Inquiry has now been confirmed. At issue is the release of the much awaited voting record of Courtenay’s mayor and six councillors on how they individually voted at in camera meetings with regard to the Maple Pool lawsuit. The OIPC requires that all the “in camera” material must be submitted before November 12th and submissions from Mr. Clancy’s legal counsel as well as the City of Courtenay are due no later than November 19th. The final hearing will be conducted on December 5th. Clancy further notes that the responsibility to withhold the information from becoming public, also referred to as “the burden of proof”, rests solely with the City. He states
that task may be very difficult to achieve. Evidence will be provided to the Privacy Commissioner that several Courtenay councillors have pierced the veil of secrecy by discussing the matter outside the confines of the in camera meetings and therefore the City’s argument to further withhold the information is without foundation. Clancy maintains that some elected officials actually campaigned for election in 2011 stating that they would terminate the lawsuit but have then gone behind closed doors and voted to pursue this unpopular action. “I believe that this shakes the very core of our democratic system”, said Clancy. “I am not seeking the substance of the in camera deliberations but simply the voting records of the individual elected officials. It is regrettable that we will not get the information we are seeking prior to the pending civic election”.
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www.comoxvalleyecho.com TUESDAY.NOVEMBER 11, 2014
ECHO
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250-8903439 if you are able to attend.
etc. YOUTH CRAFTERS WANTED FOR FAIR
FREE TRAVEL CLINIC NOV. 13 If you have a trip planned now is the time to try traveling with just a carry-on size bag. Yes, ease your mind, save some money and focus on your destination, not your luggage; Packables Travel Solutions will show you how. With the new checked bag fees a family of 4 will pay an additional $200 round trip to fly anywhere! This fun, lively 90 minute workshop covers everything from trip preparation and documentation to security, money tips, scams and of course packing. Have everything you need packed neatly & efficiently into a carry-on size bag and travel savvier and smarter. Next Travel Clinics are Thursday, November 13th, 27th and December 11, all at 12:30. Seating is limited so reservations are required, please call 250-703-2141 to book your seat. The workshop takes place in Packables Travel Solutions at 301 5th St., downtown Courtenay, lots of parking at the back.
MS GROUP TO HEAR FOURNIER Mike Fournier, the Coordinator for Comox Valley Emergency Preparedness, will be explaining how to prepare to be on our own for 72 hours after a disaster and also special instructions for people with disabilities. The Multiple Sclerosis selfhelp group meeting will be held at the Whitespot meeting room, Thursday Nov. 13 from 11:30am to 1pm. Please contact Jan Elman 250339-3053 or Cherie Kamenz
Looking to make some extra holiday spending money? Are you crafty and between the ages of 10-19 years? Then The Gnarly Little Christmas Craft Fair sounds perfect for you! Each year Courtenay Recreation hosts this unique, youth craft fair, especially designed for local youth to sell their wares and show off their crafting talent just in time for Christmas. “I continue to be blown away by the quality of crafts and baking I see each year,” explains Kristine Klupsas, Youth Services Coordinator, “I usually end up buying my stocking stuffers at this craft fair, and it feels good to support local youth” she continues. The 6th Annual Gnarly Little Christmas Craft Fair will be taking place at The Lewis Centre December 6th, 113pm, and it is only $10 to register a table. To book a table please call The Lewis Center at 250-338-5371. For more information please call Kristine Klupsas at 250334-8138 ext. 223.
MYELOMA GROUP MEETING NOV. 18 The North Island Myeloma Support Group is having its monthly meeting on Nov 18, in the dining room at the Best Western Westerly Hotel, 1590 Cliffe Avenue, Courtenay. Come for lunch at 12:15 (optional, buy your own lunch), meeting starts at 1:30. Keep up to date on the latest info on myeloma and enjoy socializing with others affected by the disease. Please contact Sandy at: bowsersandy@shaw.ca or 250757-9248 if you plan to attend or for more info.
" I wish to take a leading role to engage citizens to create a Vision for the Old Field Sawmill Site LET THE RIVER RUN FREE "
CITY OF COURTENAY COUNCILLOR
November 15 - ReElect Starr! Authorized by Starr Winchester, Financial Agent.ph250-334-2664:starrwin@shaw.ca
CHRISTMAS HOUSE TOUR
Enjoy a Comox Valley tradition, help Gardens O
n November 22 and 23, tour six extraordinary homes in the Comox Valley stunningly decorated for the Christmas season. It’s your chance to peek inside these beautiful homes and gather lots of great ideas to enhance your own holiday decorating and entertaining. Homes are open from 10am to 4pm each day. Bring your friends and family and make it a day by planning a stop for a bite to eat using one of the coupons provided by seven local restaurants, or stop for a wine tasting at 40 Knots Vineyard and Estate Winery. You have a chance to win a door prize at every home, so remember to try your hand at picking the winning ticket. Each of the beautiful homes is uniquely decorated by a local inte-
rior designer whose creativity and many ideas will be sure to inspire. Designers for this year’s Tour include Leanne Anglin (Tab Imports), Norma Cronmiller, Shelley Gartside, Stephanie Happach, and Tamara Penna (Purely Flower Boutique). Many of the ornaments and décor items the designers include in the individual homes are provided by local retail shops and businesses. So, if you spot items that are particularly fantastic and you just have to have them, the Tour hosts will be able to direct you to the retailers that supplied them, including Art Knapp, A Step Above - Quality Foods, Canadian Tire, Duduza Bed and Bath, Lazy Boy Furniture Gallery, Merit Home Furniture, Purely Flower Boutique, TAB Imports, and Target. Purchase your Christmas Home
Tour tickets ($25 each) in advance in Comox at Duduza Bed & Bath, in Black Creek at Heart & Home Gifts, in Cumberland at Seeds Natural Food Market, and in Courtenay at Art Knapp, Home & Garden Gate, Purely Flower Boutique, and TAB Imports. For more information, visit gardensonanderton.org The Gardens on Anderton Christmas Home Tour is the major fundraiser of the Anderton Therapeutic Gardens Society, which operates The Gardens on Anderton. The Gardens, open May through September, promote health and well-being and benefit many Comox Valley residents who enjoy The Gardens’ wheelchair accessibility, the opportunity to be in a beautiful outdoor space, learning about gardening, and socializing with other members and visitors.
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www.comoxvalleyecho.com TUESDAY.COURTENAY, BC. NOVEMBER 11, 2014
ECHO
OPINIONS A disturbing trend
I am writing this letter as I have concerns on the way our society is treating Remembrance Day. I walk around town and witness businesses decorating their stores with Christmas decorations before we have even had Remembrance Day. Should we not be able to celebrate Remembrance Day before being overwhelmed with Christmas? As a proud Canadian, I find this annual trend disturbing and disrespectful. I believe there are two very important days every calendar year that need to be respected and celebrated. These days are Canada Day and Remembrance Day, when we should take a moment and appreciate all the freedom we have as a result of countless brave and selfless men and women and all the sacrifices they have made over the years, for all Canadians to live in this great country. The other day I heard a person say, “Once the last surviving soldier from WWII passes away, Remembrance Day will no longer happen or be needed”. I was totally shocked and upset at such a statement. I did not hear the entire conversation and what I heard could have been misinterpreted, but I find
this very disturbing. Is the history of what this country has done being forgotten? How is it possible that Remembrance Day is not a National Holiday across the whole country? I for one will “Never Forget”, and to the people that maybe have, please remember and take a moment to reflect on what our country is, because of all the great citizens that have ever been, “Canadian”. To all those people that have forgotten, or do not believe it to be such a “big thing”, shame on you. To every Canadian that has gone away for conflicts, (to protect our country and citizens), and paid the ultimate sacrifice for our country, “Thank-you”. To all the Canadians that have gone away for these conflicts and were able to come back home alive, “Thank-you”. To all the Canadian citizens that have done “whatever it takes” to support Canada during these crisis’, “Thank-you”. To all the Canadian people who take up the cause today protecting our country and everything this country means to all, “Thank-you”.
Murray Bailey Comox
COMOX VALLEY ECHO An independently owned and operated newspaper published by Echo Publications at 407-E Fifth Street, Courtenay, B.C. V9N 1J7 Phone 250-334-4722 Fax 250-334-3172 Classifieds 250- 334-4215 Circulation 250-334-4734 E-mail: echo@comoxvalleyecho.com Publisher Dave MacDonald Editor Debra Martin Advertising Manager Keith Currie Office Administrator Deb Fowler Circulation Manager Hedi MacDonald Production Manager Ryan Getz All material herein is protected by copyright. Reproduction in whole or in part is not permitted without written authorization from the publisher. Canadian Publications Mail Agreement Number #0661538
Hydro didn’t cause flooding I would like to respond to some comments over the years, and most recently in paid advertisements in October, from people aligned with the Maple Pool campground that inaccurately claim BC Hydro played a role in the localised flooding in Courtenay in 2009 and 2010. It is time to say those comments are incorrect. We played a beneficial role in limiting the flooding. But first, some background. Water ultimately entering the Courtenay River includes water flows from the Puntledge, Browns and Tsolum rivers. There are also streams like Supply Creek, Morrison Creek and Arden Creek. Other than BC Hydro’s Comox Dam that can regulate releases down the Puntledge River, all of these rivers and creeks are naturally flowing. At the 5th Street Bridge, and often backwatering to the Tsolum River and the campground area, localised flooding can begin at about 400 cubic metres per second (m3/s) of river flow along with high ocean tides. Unfortunately, high ocean tides called King
BC Hydro’s Comox Dam located at the outlet of the Comox Lake Reservoir
Tides occur in the fall/ winter season. Very high tides, coupled with ocean storm surges from high winds that are often handin-hand with a large storm system, push water inland up the river estuary. P i n e a p p l e E x p re s s storm systems originate from tropical zones and carry with them warmer temperatures and heavy rain. More recent weather terms call these systems atmospheric rivers. This is a double-whammy of heavy rain (100 mm per day) on top of snow melt. One such system in itself
can cause flooding, but back-to-back systems are ill-fated for flood risk management - it’s simply too much water. BC Hydro has meteorologists, hydrologists, senior engineers, biologists, facilities, shift engineers and community relations staff that coordinate and plan our operations 24/7. Our operations are well-planned for what we know at the time, based on stream flows and forecasted weather. Our focus in storm events is dam safety and flood risk management. Water released from
the Comox Dam takes about two hours to arrive at the Courtenay River, and we adjust discharges where possible up and down in consideration of ocean tides. In potential flood situations we work closely with Comox Valley emergency responders, and particularly the City of Courtenay. Before, during and following those flood events we had one-two calls per day with them until the risk had ended. There was good communication and understanding. When looking at the most recent flood event in January 2010, three storms hit in rapid succession over five days. Thankfully the third storm had freezing levels drop and most of the precipitation fell as snow. BC Hydro spilled water in advance of the storms and of course during and after the events. To throw some numbers at you the peak inflow into Comox Lake, during the second storm, hit over 1000 m3/s - remember flooding in the Courtenay River can take place at 400 m3/s.
(Continued on page 13)
www.comoxvalleyecho.com TUESDAY.NOVEMBER 11, 2014
13
JUSTICE
Family of hit-andrun victim Molly Burton seeks licence crackdown Youth had been banned from driving six months before he got his learner’s permit BY SUSAN LAZARUK The Province A Comox Valley man is outraged that a teen who while driving drunk smashed into his daughter and left her to die was given a driver’s licence in the first place. Ralph and Molly Burton have written a letter to the province’s superintendent of motor vehicles demanding the law be changed to better screen and deny, if necessary, a learner’s licence to young people who have a long list of driving infractions, like this youth did. “He’s absolutely proven he should never be allowed to drive,” said Molly, 26, who was rescued from the September 2013 crash and undergoes physio three times a week to learn to walk again, but still spends 80 per cent of her time in a
Molly Burton. wheelchair. “He’s shown complete disrespect for the safety of others,” she said in a call from her Comox home. Supt . Sam MacLeod hasn’t yet answered the family’s letter, but said in an email statement that the province’s graduated-
licensing program, which slowly introduces new drivers with descending restrictions, is designed to help new drivers become safe drivers. “Individuals who commit driving infractions before they begin the GLP are not prevented from beginning the program,” he said. “It’s not the expectation that they enter the program with those [safe-driving] habits fully formed.” But Ralph said the youth’s long list of driving infractions from age 10 to 16 while driving dirt bikes and ATVs on the family farm, which came out during his sentencing hearing, should have prevented him from getting his licence. Those 18 violations, including for driving on roads without insurance and without a helmet, resulted in a six-month driving ban for the youth, who
can’t be named because he was 16 at the time. “He was banned from driving six months before he even got this licence,” said Molly. He got his learner’s permit after the ban expired and six months later, drove his car into Molly on a dark Comox road. He was charged with drunk driving (court heard he had earlier shotgunned beers) and dangerous driving, and evidence showed he was speeding at more than twice the 50 km/h limit. He was also driving alone, after dark, and using his cellphone, all prohibited for “L” drivers. “He told police he was reaching for his cellphone before the crash,” Ralph Burton said. “This is a person who isn’t responsible enough to have a driver’s licence,” he said by phone from Comox. “There should at least be a cursory check to find out if new drivers have any [Motor Vehicle Act] violations. He had several and he was just 16. Is this the type of guy we want on the road?” The crash sent Molly flying 15 metres. She landed in blackberry brambles in a muddy, intertidal ditch with the tide coming in. The teen drove away (he told court he thought he hit a deer), leaving Molly screaming in the cold and the dark for five hours until Good Samaritan Brody Fullerton, 21, of Comox found her after an hourlong search. Molly suffered serious injuries, including a mangled and fractured arm
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BC Hydro can’t prevent flooding (Continued from page 12) A 1000 m3/s flow rate can fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool in 2.5 seconds. During the entire series of storms, BC Hydro released downstream a range of 50 m3/s (high tide) to over 300 m3/s (low tide). Far more water was coming into the reservoir than going out. The reservoir rose a remarkable 2 metres in about 36 hours as we held water back. For a reservoir analogy, the bathtub became full. The reservoir level peaked about one metre above the overflow spillway, and much of our operational flexibility was
gone. The Tsolum River hit about 250 m3/s twice in less than 24 hours and the Browns River reached 120 m3/s before the gauge was washed out by the flood flows. These naturally flowing rivers and streams, along with high oceans tides and storm surge, on their own can cause flooding as water moves out of the river banks. While there is flooding focus downstream of the dam, there are also properties along the Comox Lake Reservoir that can sustain some damage from the storm. Everyone can be impacted by these large events.
Why has there been no significant flooding since January 2010? The reason is the weather, and while we had some significant storms we were all able to manage through, particularly in late 2010, we have not been presented with very large events like January 2010. In addition, we went through a record dry period last fall and winter where there wasn’t one storm of any significance. BC Hydro will do what we can to manage the Puntledge River system and we are spending millions of dollars starting in 2015 to improve numerous water gauges placed through-
out the watershed that measure flow rates. This will give us an even better understanding of the real time flow conditions and how we can consider them in our planned decisions. However, should the stars align where conditions outlined above take place with large storm systems, there will be localised downstream flooding. BC Hydro can limit the flood impacts but we are unable to prevent flooding. BC Hydro will continue to operate during flood risk management situations within the full rights of our water licence.
Stephen Watson BC Hydro
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www.comoxvalleyecho.com TUESDAY.COURTENAY, BC. NOVEMBER 11, 2014
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Furniture & Mattresses!
Hi Friends! We have exciting news! It has been two years since Anmarcos Furniture & Mattresses was incorporated, and we would like to share our joy with you and offer you a break on the sales tax on your next purchase at Anmarcos . On Remembrance Day, Tuesday November 11, we will open at 11:05am in honour of our Veterans, and from that moment on for a two week period, there will be NO TAXES on anything in stock! And we have lots in stock! So please come in to Anmarcos and share the joy during this awesome.
NO TAX Event! Open Sunday: 11am to 5pm | Open Monday to Thursday: 9:30am to 5:30pm Open Friday: 9:30am to 3pm | Closed Saturday
www.comoxvalleyecho.com TUESDAY.NOVEMBER 11, 2014
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A shoe-in for success at Home Medical BY MICHAEL BRIONES Echo Staff
P
aula Granger has embarked on a venture that she feels will become a shoe-in at her current Home Medical Shop. The Courtenay businesses owner recently opened Pavia Shoe Company that will exclusively sell handcrafted shoes made in Spain. Not only are they fashionable, stylish and pleasant to look at, but they’re also a health relief for your feet. That’s the Portofino Shoes, an Italian brand name. They’re being sold here in the Comox Valley inside the Home Medical Shop located on 1070 Cliffe Avenue in Courtenay. They are special orthopedic shoes, which are designed to be not only medically functionable but also fashionable. Granger said she has been searching for these types of orthopedic shoes for three years. It was at a recent shoe show in Vancouver where she discovered Portofino Shoes, created by a retired former
Kenneth Cole designer, who Granger said took the “ugly” out of orthopedic shoes. “Women want to wear orthopedic shoes but they don’t want them to be ugly,” quipped Granger, who is an orthopedic fitter. “Being in business for many years — 29 to be exact — and one, who loves shoes, I saw a missing link. Women want to put in orthotics in a nice pair of good looking shoes.” Orthopedic shoes are specially designed footwear to provide support and relief for people suffering with some type of pain in the legs, ankles or feet such as bunions, ham-
Paula Granger shows off one of the Portofino Shoes that is specially designed for orthotics. They are now on sale at Pavia Shoe Company located inside the Home Medical Shop on 1070 Cliffe Avenue. mertoes or fallen arches. They are different from basic shoes. Granger added Pavia Shoe Company inside her shop as a separate entity. It is only one of three places on Vancouver Island that have exclusive rights to sell Portofino Shoes. The other two are located in Nanaimo and Victoria. The name Pavia incidentally came about when Granger’s future son-in-law
mispelled her name Paula, replacing the letter U with a V and the L with an I. It’s a name that stuck in the family Granger said. They then decided to use it for the new business venture. To determine whether it will be a suitable business name, Granger’s graphics artist researched Pavia and discovered that it is actually a province in Italy and incidentally borders Portofino, the place where the
family who owns the Portofino Shoes company is from. “How coincidental is that?” said Granger. “We were a bit blown away by that and so we went for it.” Granger said the Portofino Shoes are handmade in Spain and are specifically designed to be inserted with orthotics. The shoes have a rounded toe for this purpose. “When you put in orthotics in a shoe that doesn’t have a rounded toe, often they have to be trimmed or much has to be changed,” Granger explained. “But when it costs around $400 they don’t want to change or cut them. It’s important the shoe is totally designed for orthotics. Nobody would think they are orthotic shoes. As soon as I saw them, I loved them to begin with.” The shoes, which come in different colours, styles and shapes from high heels to boots, use flexible leather that is user-friendly especially for those suffering from bunions. The heels are also made of rubber. If you don’t have orthotics,
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Women want to wear orthopedic shoes but they don’t want them to be ugly. I saw a missing link. Women want to put in orthotics in a nice pair of good loooking shoes.” PAULA GRANGER Home Medical Shop
the foot bed, Granger said is “ergonomically correct.” The price range of the shoes goes from $180 to $300. Granger said that people with extended health care options can get coverage for the shoes with a doctor’s prescription. Adding a shoe store to the shop is Granger’s way of diversifying her business especially at a time when the health care system, along with new innovations and approaches, is changing rapidly. “We have to roll with the times,” said Granger. “We have to learn to provide new services to our community.”
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www.comoxvalleyecho.com TUESDAY.COURTENAY, BC. NOVEMBER 11 2014
REMEMBRANCE DAY
A journey of love to build local remembrance cairn Farmers brought stones from throughout the district BY JUDY HAGEN Echo History Writer
The Sandwick Cairn. The stones came from farms throughout the district. (Photo courtesy Courtenay & District Museum, P90-99)
On November 7th 1921, three years after the end of the “War to End all Wars”, the farmers of the Comox Valley began a unique procession to the Dingwall farm which met the Island highway at Sandwick corner. This journey of love was to provide the material for the Memorial Cairn, a project of the newly formed Great War Veteran’s Association. The veterans wanted to provide a fitting tribute to their fallen comrades who had not returned to the valley they loved It was decided that the cairn should be made from the “land” which the soldiers had left when they served their country overseas. So every family who had sent a man overseas was asked to provide stones for the memorial. The Cairn was so unusual that it was newsworthy outside the valley. On June 10 1922, the Vancouver Province noted: “The low cost ($500) is explained by the fact that the labour has been performed voluntarily by the community as a whole. “Last November when the foundation stone was laid, dozens of farmers rose at dawn to load stones taken from their farms to help erect the cairn...while some wagons were hauling rocks others were at the river load-
ing sand to make concrete with which the stones were cemented together and the whole district turned out to unload the wagons and pile up the stones.” The Cornerstone was laid by Mayor Charles Simms and Mrs. Alex Beaton whose three sons had enlisted. Malcolm and John died overseas, Angus came home an amputee. The site donated by Mrs. Dingwall, was chosen because it was so visible to anyone traveling the Island Highway. The Province article noted that “the view is of the great glacier of the Beaufort Range which broods over Courtenay, of the pleasant pastureland where the greensward is dotted with Jersey herds, of the blue waters of Comox Bay.” Through the spring of 1922, the Cairn was constructed by volunteer labour under the direction of Mr. Sutherland of the Department of Roads. When the Veterans of the Great War Association asked for names to be submitted for the memorial plaque, one name was refused, that of George Gage, because his mother thought a cairn should be built in Comox. She didn’t want a son of Comox on the Courtenay Memorial. So his name was unfortunately omitted from the Honour Roll which was unveiled at the Armistice Day ceremonies in 1922.
The affection that everyone had for the Cairn was expressed in verse many years later by, Ernest J. Costain, who in the 1930’s was the principal of Courtenay High School.
THE CAIRN “No blood!” you say, “A stone can have no blood!” And were you here the day They brought us? Do you remember well, the way They sought us? The lips tight-pressed? The salty flood Of brimming hearts? The tender hands? From every field in these near lands They came and wrought us To stand symbolic of the men Who died-stout hearts alive again In stone, in granite, sand and lime A pulse of freedom in the void of time!
www.comoxvalleyecho.com TUESDAY.NOVEMBER 11, 2014
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REMEMBRANCE DAY
Memorial Arch built in Cumberland Tudor-style portal designed by Collieries engineer unveiled during 1921 Empire Day BY JUDY HAGEN Echo History Writer The Cumberland Memorial to honour the men who had died in the Great War was unveiled as part
of the Empire Day Celebrations in 1921. The Memorial which was placed in front of the new Veterans Memorial Hall was an arch designed Mr. W A. Owen, the Construction Engi-
THE ROLL OF HONOUR FOR THOSE MEN FROM CUMBERLAND WHO FELL IN ACTION DURING THE GREAT WAR 1914-18 Anderson, John Armstrong, C.T. Cameron S. Campbell William Connor S Dempsey James Garrick, Thomas Gillespie, John McLane Glover, John *Halcrow, William *Haywood Abraham Jackson, E.W. *Matsumura, Toraki Milligan, John
McInulty, John McIntosh, J Norman, R *Pickard, Albert Day Slaughter, A Spears, J Urquhart, Harry Waldon, D Ward, Albert Whyte, J Williamson, Barnet Wright, William *Yamada, Masaji
*Listed on the Vimy Memorial
neer for the Canadian Collieries. The Arch, reminiscent of 15th century Tudor portals, had an opening ten feet wide and 11 feet high at the apex. Each column had a recess for the bronze tablets listing the 28 names of the dead. The permanent tablets which were being made by Henry Birks and Sons of Montreal did not arrive in time for the official opening. The Cumberland Islander wrote a splendid account of the day’s events with a headline: UNVEILING MEMORIAL ARCH WITNESSED BY THOUSANDS “Very impressive ceremony took place Empire Day when Memorial Arch Unveiled. “As befitting the great festal day of the British Empire on Tuesday last the memorial Arch erected to the memory of those in the district who paid the supreme sacrifice in the Great War of the Great
Cumberland Memorial Hall and Arch. (Photo from Cumberland Museum and Archives, #C30-21) Empire which we are so proud to belong was unveiled with the ceremony due such an event” - 28 May 1921 The dedication was the
first event for the Empire Day programme; a parade had formed at City Hall and then proceeded down Dunsmuir Avenue to the Great War Veterans Hall
where two immense Union Jacks were draped over the Arch. The dignitaries included His worship, Mayor MacDonald of Cumberland, Rev. Thomas Menzies, MLA, Capt. C. Brown, Rev. Leversedge, and Rev. James Hall. The parade had included returned veterans, Boy Scouts, Girl Guides and the Cumberland Patriotic Society. In his opening remarks the Mayor said “If the great sacrifice which these men have made will only lead us to see that if we preserve peace throughout the world they will not have died in vain.” Then as the Last Post was played the two flags were withdrawn by Mary and Harriet McInulty, daughters of one of the men named on the Memorial Arch. At the conclusion of the ceremony, the parade continued to the park for the Empire Day events.
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Remembering those who have fallen and who serve our country with courage.
18
www.comoxvalleyecho.com TUESDAY.COURTENAY, BC. NOVEMBER 11 2014
HUNT FOR HISTORY
First Valley man killed in WWI was ‘a great drunk and crack shot’ Charles Grundy graduated from Oxford, served in the Boer War, farmed in the Valley, volunteered to serve in WWI
I
n November 1914 the Courtenay Review was focused on news about the war. With the capture in Comox of spies’ intent on relaying messages sent through the wireless station at Lazo, a detail of men had
been sent up from Victoria to guard the wireless station. Now in November they were being replaced because the original eight had volunteered for the front. When Grove Carter, the principal of Minto School left for the front his friends held a party wishing him God speed and singing patriotic songs. Bursts of
camaraderie were repeated often when others left the area. Friends would gather at the train station cheering and singing “It’s a Long Way to Tipperary�. Capt. Bates, who had been in the forefront of organizing the community at the time the war was declared, was authorized by the government to raise a squadron of mounted
troops from this district. J.C Kidd auctioned off his farm and all his possessions so that he could rejoin his regiment. There were a number of men who had settled in the valley after their years of service in British regiments. Many had been in the South African Conflict of 1897-1901 One such volunteer was Charles Grundy who had served during the Boer War. He came to the valley about 1910 and lived for a
time with his friend George Bates until he found property between the Casanave and Evans farms on the lower Prairie Road. Charles, born in Prestwick, England on February 2 1879, graduated from New College Oxford in 1897 then joined the Oxford University Reserve Volunteers serving in the South African Campaign from 1897-1900. On his return to England he joined his father’s office as a So-
licitor’s clerk. Although Charles only lived in the valley for a short time, he made his mark as a “crack shot�, reputed to be the best shot in the valley and later his pals thought he must have been the best shot in the whole allied army! “They barred him from shooting at the local turkey shoots, so he’d go to the Riverside Hotel and get primed, and even then he wouldn’t miss.
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Grundy ‘was a genial whole-souled fellow’ (Continued from page 18) “He would lean over backwards and shoot upside down.” (Les Marshall in 1978 interview by Ruth Masters for her book “Lest We Forget”.) Grundy was not the only one barred from the turkey shoots. Bob Childs and Jabe Day were two others who were not allowed to enter what was a strange contest where individual live turkeys were place in a box with only their heads poking out of a hole. The idea was to shoot their heads off. It is believed that Grundy was a Remittance man because he never worked. He was a great friend of Bates and the men were often seen riding their horses throughout the valley.. Tom Menzies recalled that he was a “single man, a terrific horseman and great drunk and he used to gallop his horse up the Lower Road. One time he got drunk at the Courtenay Hotel, and they painted a skull on his bald head.” (Interview with Ruth Masters 1977). When the war started, Grundy was not going to miss out on this great adventure! He was among the first to go to Victoria where on November 9th he enlisted
He was a single man, a terrific horseman and great drunk and he used to gallop his horse up the Lower Road. One time he got drunk at the Courtenay Hotel, and they painted a skull on his bald head.” TOM MENZIES 1977 interview with Ruth Masters
with the Princess Patricia Canadian Light Infantry. He embarked for Britain on 20 January 1915, and was sent to France on 11 March 1915. “The Patricia’s had been in the Ypres salient since early April and moved into the line at Polygon Wood on April 9th. In the spring of 1915, woods were still well-treed. Bellewaerde Ridge to the rear was only about 20 feet above the undulating plain.”(Official history of the Regiment). The great battle of Frezenberg (2nd Battle of Ypres), considered the most celebrated of the all the battle honours born by the Patricia Regimental Battle colours, would not begin until May 8th. Private Charles Grundy would not live long enough to experience that great
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HONOURING OUR MILITARY Throughout history, at home and overseas, our military has put their love for Canada above all else. On Remembrance Day, we proudly honour these brave men and women for their courage, commitment and resourcefulness. To all who have sacrificed so much, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
PAUL CHISHOLM
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We are the Dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved, and were loved, and now we lie In Flanders fields. Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw The torch, be yours to hold it high. If ye break faith with us who die We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders fields - Col. John McCrae, 1915
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chosen to reinforce the first contingent. He was a genial whole-souled fellow and would share his last shilling with less fortunate fellows”. In early May a funeral service to remember all the soldiers who had been killed in recent fighting was held at St. John’s Anglican Church. It was noted that the only local man to have lost his life was Charles Grundy who had been a member of that congregation. His friends had intended to have a silver tablet suitably engraved and placed in an oak base to be sent to Charles’ widowed mother, Mary Grundy of Church Lane Georges Terrace, Prestwick England. Charles Grundy is remembered on the Sandwick Cairn and the Ypres Menin Gate Memorial. He is listed in Ruth Masters’ book “Lest We Forget” which is on display in the Courtenay and District Museum. (A photo of Charles Grundy has not been located.)
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adventure. He was killed in action on 11 April. He was the first of the Courtenay men to be killed “at the front” The Courtenay Review 22 April 1915:”Among those killed and wounded in the recent charge where the Canadian forces won undying fame were many well known to the people of Courtenay. The only soldier killed among those sent from here was Pte. Charles Grundy who lived here for the past three or so years and was well known to us all. He was an exceptionally well educated man, who could converse intelligently on almost any subject. He was an ardent Imperialist and when the war broke out assisted Capt. Bates in forming the Legion of Frontiersmen and when the time to enlist came he insisted upon going although the doctor only granted him a provisional certificate. However, after going to Victoria he improved and proved himself a splendid marksman and was among those
19
BRIAN BALFE, B.COMM. Investment Advisor & Portfolio Manager
RBC Dominion Securities 777A Fitzgerald Avenue Courtenay, BC 250-334-5600
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TUESDAY.COURTENAY, BC. NOVEMBER 11 2014
A Courtenay medic in WW1 describes the horrors BY JUDY HAGEN Echo History Writer
F
ebruary 1916, Edwin G. Everett of Courtenay enlisted in the 102nd Battalion which was stationed at “the Spit” in Comox. He was assigned to the Hospital staff. In May he was transferred to the 13th Field Ambulance Corps at West Point Barracks, Victoria. A month later he left for England receiving additional training before being sent in to France in August. Private Everett kept a diary during his years at the front. The following are excerpts which describe how difficult it was to work with the casualties: “We went to take over a dressing station which was about 4 to 5 miles from the firing line and about half ways between Ypres and St.Eloi. Both places have seen very heavy fighting and at each place the Canadians have made a good name for themselves. “From this dressing station we had 3 other dressing stations to collect from where our boys were stationed. These three were bad places to get to as they
We always got our wounded through. Some of them were very bad cases. One man had 28 pieces of shrapnel in his back and some had very remarkable escapes from death. How cheerful the boys were with it all.” EDWIN G. EVERETT 13th Field Ambulance Corps
were under fire of the enemy and we were only allowed to go and get to the wounded from these places at night. I had do the trip one night and I was rather hot, shells were firing over and all around but we did not get hit, these snipers were very bad at the first two places and some were hard to locate. When they were found it was all over with them. Even some of the Belgians were caught sniping and one accounted for 6 men in one night before he was brought low, but we always got our wounded through. Some of them
were very bad cases. One man had 28 pieces of shrapnel in his back and some had very remarkable escapes from death, while others were of minor cases. How cheerful the boys were with it all. We had 80 men pass through our hands on one night, but other nights it might be from 20 to 30.”
T
he medical corps was always on the move. In early October Pvt. Edwin was near Albert during the Battle of the Somme. “About 6pm we got orders to go to the lines, so 100 of us had to pack up and move another 4 miles with full pack and all of a rush. When we got to the dressing station we were all in, but we left our kit there and started off on our errand of mercy. “It was not a bad night for the moon wad unfairly good, and it was all lit up with stray shells. Here we had 1 1/2 miles to pack the wounded, we packed all the night and next day until 2pm, when it quieted down a little. We got nothing to eat until Monday noon and only a little water. “Truly war is Hell, for what we had to go through
that night; it is a wonder that we were not all killed. We were being shelled all the time and there was several snipers but we were very lucky for all 3 of the boys got hit, the effect of shell fire, but not very seriously the other sights were terrible - dead men lying in all directions and the ground covered with holes made by shells, but we ducked as often as we could from the shells, but with a poor fellow on your shoulder, we could not drop much.”
T
he most heinous moment of the war was the attack by gas. In March 1917 Everett was treating those wounded after a gas attack. He would for years after the war have reoccurring bouts from having been “gassed”: “We all got sent in, we were expecting a big rush as we were going to put over gas, and the boys were going over after. At 12pm it was put off for 24 hours but we got little sleep during the day, and were up next night. “Then still put off, then another and little sleep during then up a night and
over went the gas about 3 am March 1st and another wave at 4 am and the boys went at 5am. “Before this time we had quite a number of fellows brought back in having had a dose of gas for the wind had changed a little and made it bad for our boys. “It was not long before they started to come back and then we were busy for there was a very large number of wounded and the 54th Batt., which I was at, had about the worst of it. “They lost a large number including their Col. And there was a bunch of poor fellows who died at the Aid Post after having been dressed and we were packing out the wounded
all that day and night. It was noon of the 2nd before the last man was taken out.”
O
n April 4th after the gas attack, Everett was sent to C.C.W. No 6. at Barlin: “It was here that I saw some of the real horrors, as the first day I was put in the Operation Room. Here I saw poor fellows who were shot in all kinds of places and many an arm and leg came off in there. One day 34 legs and 15 arms were cut off, and the Doctors worked day and night on cases. “After the first day I was put in Ward 2 with two other orderlies. (Continued on page 21)
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A Courtenay medic writes of war (Cont. from page 20) Here we had 40 stretcher beds and it was in this ward that all the cases came that had to go the Operating Room.”
A
lthough he was not at Vimy Ridge, he made these observations: “The 4th Can.Div.has been very highly praised for the splendid work they did in taking Vimy Ridge on April 9th and the 13th Can .Fld. Amb. got mentioned in dispatches for the way they handled the walking cases on that great day. For from 10:00 am until
midnight a little over 3,000 cases passed through their hands and each one had their dressings seen to and had a meal, and a clean pair of socks put on. Up to midnight of the 12 over 11,000 walking cases went through that one hospital and the Pimple which is on the north side of Vimy Ridge as taken on the morning of the 12th by Canadians.”
H
e concludes his diary in 1918 writing: “We can sleep if we don’t get a convoy in but each time we have had to get up during the night to help with the wounded and we
had to carry on next day as usual. Now things went on fine until May 19th when about 10:30 pm we had a very great surprise as the Huns were over in force, with their bombing and planes and dropped a lot of bombs in various camps I think the Life Guards got the most as they had over 400 killed and wounded, but they also dropped a lot on the hospitals. 27 bombs on or around our hospital killed 2 of our staff and 10 patients and wounded 8 others of the staff and over 30 patients. 6 of the staff died of wounds and 2 patients while others lost limbs and our kitchen was badly smashed”.
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Let’s make this a tradition A big thank you to the 35 hardworking volunteers from the community who helped out on Saturday, November 1. Following a Candlelight Tribute Ceremony, 30 veterans’ graves were cleaned up at St. Andrews cemetery in preparation for Remembrance Day. Let us make this a tradition here in the Valley to honor our fallen soldiers buried in that cemetery. (In photo: Rob Austin, one of the volunteers cleaning up the veterans’graves)
22
www.comoxvalleyecho.com TUESDAY.COURTENAY, BC. NOVEMBER 11 2014
REMEMBRANCE DAY
A tale as old as time: A Comox woman gets to know her father June Gillrie was born a year before he was killed in WWI BY MICHAEL BRIONES Echo Staff A tale as old as time It’s hard growing up not knowing who your father was. But better late than never is June Gillrie’s story. It took her close to a century to learn about her father, Sergeant William Kinnear Leslie. Gillrie, who is 98-years old, didn’t really know who Leslie was. She never met him. She grew up without him and never experienced a deep father-daughter relationship. It was 100 years ago in
Sgt. William Kinnear Leslie. He was killed in action shortly after June Gillrie was born
There was never a lot said about my father. It’s lucky I came across them (medals) and got looking into them,” JUNE GILLRIE Daughter of WWI soldier
1914 when Leslie enlisted to serve with the 72nd Infantry Battalion known as the Seaforth Highlanders of Canada. It was during the First World War. Gillrie wasn’t even born yet. In 1915, Leslie wanted to go to Europe to fight but the 72nd Battalion, at the time,
was not being deployed for combat yet. He decided to enlist with the 67th Battalion — the Western Scots — that was stationed in Victoria. The troops were shipped to Britain first then were sent to France. They were at the front lines at both locations, fighting, digging trenches, laying wires and helping
LEST WE FORGET
build railways. Meanwhile, thousands of miles away from the trenches, on June 23, 1916 Gillrie was born in Vancouver. Her father wasn’t there. Her mother Maud sent Leslie a telegram to inform him he had just became the father of a baby girl. Leslie wrote back expressing happiness. He said he wasn’t surprised because he was expecting it but indicated he couldn’t contain his smile when he read the news. He shared the news with his colleagues who teased him about it. In his touching letter, Leslie briefly addressed his newborn baby. “I feel sorry for you dear girl and would like to come home but it can’t be done,” Leslie wrote. That was the only correspondence Gillrie ever had from her father. On June 5, 1917, just a couple of days before Gillrie’s first birthday, Leslie was sadly killed in action. He was 31-years old. His body was never brought back home to Canada and was buried among the thousands of Canadian war heroes at Villers Station Cemetery in France.
Since that time, Gillrie had not thought much about her father. All she knew was, he died during the war. Her mother, being busy working and raising two other children from a previous marriage, hardly talked about Leslie, Gillrie recalled. “There was never a lot said about my father,” said Gillrie. “I never really knew much about my father because he wasn’t there.” That significantly changed just a few years ago. Gillrie stumbled upon an old chest that used to belong to her mother. She has had the chest since she moved to Comox in 1977 from West Vancouver. But she had never bothered with it until one day when she opened it she found military medals belonging to her father along with letters he wrote to her mother, citations, photos, and correspondence from different military officers and departments. She didn’t know her mother kept all of these because they were never displayed or shown to her. “It’s lucky I came across them and got looking into them,” said Gillrie. (Continued on page 23)
Remembering and honouring the men and women who have served
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A father she never knew (Continued from page 22) Gillrie took the medals and had someone from Victoria research their significance. She found out her father served in the 102nd Comox-Atlin Battalion that was stationed in Comox. Leslie joined this regiment when the 67th Battalion was disbanded on May 1917 because it suffered heavy casualties. The remaining members, that included Leslie, were re-allocated to the 102nd Battalion. On June 5, 1917, Leslie was killed in France. Based on the letters written about her father by military personnel, Gillrie said she got a good impression and knowledge of what her father was like. “All the write-ups when he was in the service, all the write-ups from the officers, just say what a wonderful man he was,” said Gillrie. “All I can say is, I’m just very proud of what my father did.” Since discovering what her fa-
ther had achieved as soldier, every year Gillrie has honoured him by putting a remembrance piece in the local paper with a picture of him. “When you haven’t had a father, you just don’t know,” said Gillrie. “What you find out about him afterwards, it’s wonderful to know, he was such a brave man. It’s pretty hard to express when you haven’t had a father. I am proud of what he did.” Also, to immortalize her father’s heroic deed and contributions, Gillrie has donated all of Leslie’s medals, commendations, letters, and photos to The Alberni Project museum in Comox, which is adding artifacts from World War I. “We are using the display of Sergeant Leslie as the core of the display that we’re putting together,” said curator Lewis Bartholomew. (Continued on page 24)
June Gillrie looks at special display in The Alberni Museum about her father
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TUESDAY.COURTENAY, BC. NOVEMBER 11 2014
REMEMBRANCE DAY - SALVATION ARMY
Doughboys: Sally Ann to offer WWI doughnuts BY MICHAEL BRIONES Echo Staf
June Gillrie reads her father’s letter, sent from France to acknowledge he’d received news of her birth.
During World War I, Salvation Army workers brought cheer and smiles to thousands of combatweary soldiers at the trenches in France nearly a hundred years ago by feeding them doughnuts. The simple dough confectionery became comfort food to many soldiers at the front lines as rations were scant and lacking. The Comox Valley Salvation Army is celebrating the historic doughnut, giving recognition by cooking doughnuts on Remembrance Day using the original WW1 recipe and sharing them with the community. “It’s a pretty neat story,” said Brent Hobden, Communities Ministries Director. (Continued on page 25)
(Cont. from page 23)
Grain Bakery’s Michael Pitcher and baker Franki Gajda, along with Salvation Army’s Brent Hobden prepares the dough made from the original doughnut recipe.
“This particular one is a poignant one for our World War I exhibit because of that letter where he is so excited about the birth of his daughter. You can almost hear the excitement. “And when you actually read his handwriting, it’s not a text and it’s not something that’s printed out, it’s something that actually came from his own hand. That in itself is more important than showing his medals for bravery and gallantry. It’s a letter of a father who
is on the frontlines then soon loses his life.” Bartholomew, in appreciation for Gillrie’s contribution to the Alberni Project, had asked a former student of his who was traveling to France with her husband, who is a soldier in the US army, to take a photo of Leslie’s grave at Villers Station Cemetery. Gillrie received photo collage of the place where Leslie now rests. At the base of his gravestone, it reads “he died that we may live in peace and has gone to his glorious reward.”
Thank you for your courage, so we may enjoy peace at home. 278 North Island Highway Courtenay 250-338-0101 www.canadiantire.ca Monday to Saturday 8:30-5:00 Sunday 9:30-5:00
Thank you to all those who serve and have served in the past.
We remember.
Take time this
Remembrance Day to pay tribute to those brave men and women who fought for the freedoms we enjoy every day.
Don McRae, M.L.A. (Comox Valley) 437 5th Street, Courtenay BC tel: 250.703.2422 www.donmcraemla.bc.ca
www.comoxvalleyecho.com TUESDAY.NOVEMBER 11, 2014
25
Sally Ann reproducing WWI doughnut to mark Valley anniversary (Cont. from page 24) “It goes back all the way to the First World War. The Salvation Army used this inexpensive recipe and they would make them out there at the battlefields. They deep fried them and handed them out to the troops in the trenches with a cup of tea or coffee.” It was in 1917 when young Helen Purviance, an ensign in the Salvation Army working with the American First Division in
France put her Hoosier ingenuity to work. She and a fellow officer, Ensign Margaret Sheldon, patted the first dough into shape by hand and later used an ordinary wine bottle as a rolling pin. They used a knife to cut the dough into strips and then twisted them into crullers. The doughnut was a big hit among the thousands of soldiers, who lined up for them along the frontline trenches. The simple doughnut went on to be-
Honouring our Veterans
Doughnuts given out during the First World War to be given out on veterans’ day seem to be a nice fit to help remember what our veterans went through. ” BRENT HOBDEN Salvation Army
come a symbol of all that the Salvation Army was doing to ease the hardships of
the frontline fighting man. With this year being the Comox Valley Salvation Army’s 50th anniversary, and also the centennial year of First World War, Hobden said reproducing the original doughnut is going to be perfect for Remembrance Day celebrations. “Doughnuts given out during the First World War to be given out on veterans’ day seem to be a nice fit to help remember what our veterans went through and the sacrifice they made for
PLEASE REMEMBER All Quality Foods Stores Will Be Closed
us,” said Hobden. The local Sally Ann will put up a booth on the corner of Fourth Street and Cliffe Avenue near the Courtenay cenotaph on Tuesday. Once the Remembrance Day service is over, Sally Ann staff and volunteers will be out there handing out doughnuts and coffee for free. Grains Bakery in Courtenay will be producing the dough for the traditional doughnuts. Owner Michael Pitcher has been a staunch
a ys w l A
supporter of the local Salvation Army and considers the doughnuts a great idea. “The first thing you do is say yes and we figure it out how to do it,” said Pitcher “It’s such a natural fit for us.” It’s also a way for their business to give back to the community and also to recognize the thousands of veterans and heroes who fought for our freedom. Hobden said they will be frying around 30 dozen doughnuts on Nov. 11.
Re m e m b
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Tuesday, November 11th
to honour those who gave their services, their futures and their lives so that we may all live in peace.
Quality FOODS
Courtenay: 2937 Kilpatrick Ave. • 250.871.6074
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WINTER TIRES
HEATED MIRRORS
2014 CLEAROUT UP TO $6,000 CASH BONUS WE’VE GOT YOU COVERED
LX AT
2015
4,503
%
BE READY FOR WINTER WITH OUR WINTER READY MODELS
*5-year/100,000 km worry-free comprehensive warranty.
1
Optima SX Turbo AT shown5 - hwy / city 100km 6: 5.7L/8.9L
OWN IT FROM
Offer includes delivery, destination, fees and a $1,500 loan rebate7. Offer based on 2015 Rio LX MT (RO541F) with a selling price of $15,602.
ST E LA ANC CH
NEXT YEAR
WEEKLY
Rio4 SX with Navigation shown5 - hwy / city 100km 6: 5.3L/7.3L
2015
DON’T PAY
10
REMOTE STARTER
3
Graham Kia Victoria
Kia West
Kia South Vancouver
Applewood Kia
2620 Government Street, Victoria, BC (250) 360-1111
688 Lougheed Highway, Coquitlam, BC (604) 931-5425
396 Southwest Marine Drive Vancouver, BC (604) 326-6868
16299 Fraser Highway, Surrey, BC (604) 635-3010
Courtenay Kia
Richmond Kia
Harris Kia
Applewood Langley Kia
1025B Comox Road, Courtenay, BC (250) 334-9993
3351 No. 3 Road, Richmond, BC (604) 273-1800
2575 Bowen Road, Nanaimo, BC (250) 751-1168
19764 Langley By-Pass, Langley, BC (604) 533-7881
Offer(s) available on select new 2014/2015 models through participating dealers to qualified retail customers who take delivery from November 1 to December 1, 2014. Dealers may sell or lease for less. Some conditions apply. See dealer for complete details. Vehicles shown may include optional accessories and upgrades available at extra cost. All offers are subject to change without notice. All pricing includes delivery and destination fees up to $1,665, other fees and certain levies (including tire levies) and $100 A/C charge (where applicable), and excludes licensing, registration, insurance, other taxes and variable dealer administration fees (up to $699). Other dealer charges may be required at the time of purchase. Other lease and financing options also available. 1“Don’t Pay Until Next Year” (60-day payment deferral) applies to purchase financing offers on all new 2015 models on approved credit. No interest will accrue during the first 30 days of the finance contract. After this period, interest starts to accrue and the purchaser will repay the principal interest monthly over the term of the contract. Offer ends December 1, 2014. 20% purchase financing is available on select new 2015 models on approved credit. Terms vary by model and trim, see dealer for complete details. 3Cash bonus amounts are offered on select 2014 models and are deducted from the negotiated purchase price before taxes. Available on cash purchase offers only. Offer varies by trim. Certain conditions apply. $6,000 maximum cash bonus amount only available on the 2014 Optima Hybrid EX (OP74CE) and includes a $1,000 ECO-Credit. 4Representative finance example: 0% financing offer for up to 84 months available to qualified retail customers on approved credit for the new 2015 Rio LX MT (RO541F)/2015 Optima LX AT (OP742F) with a selling price of $14,102/$25,902 and includes delivery and destination fees of $1,485, tire tax and AMVIC fee of $22 and a $1,500/$500 loan rebate. 364 weekly payments of $39/$71 for 84 months with $0 down payment. Credit fees of $0. Total obligation is $14,102/$25,902. See retailer for complete details. 5Model shown Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price for 2015 Forte SX (FO748F)/2015 Rio4 SX with Navigation (RO749F)/2015 Optima SX Turbo AT (OP748F) is $26,695/$22,395/$34,895. 6Highway/city fuel consumption is based on the 2015 Rio LX+ ECO AT/2015 Forte 1.8L MPI 4-cyl MT/2015 Optima 2.4L GDI (A/T). These updated estimates are based on the Government of Canada’s approved criteria and testing methods. Refer to the EnerGuide Fuel Consumption Guide. Your actual fuel consumption will vary based on driving habits and other factors. 7Loan rebate amounts are offered on select 2014/2015 models and are deducted from the negotiated purchase price before taxes. Available on financing offer only. Offer varies by trim. Certain conditions apply. Offer ends December 1, 2014. See your dealer for complete details. 8Cash purchase price offer for the new 2015 Forte LX MT (FO541F) with a selling price of $12,999 includes delivery and destination fees of up to $1,665, tire tax and AMVIC fee of $22 and a $4,503 cash credit (including a $3 dealer contribution). See retailer for complete details. 9Cash credit amounts are offered on select 2014/2015 models and are deducted from the negotiated cash purchase price before taxes. Available on cash purchase offer only. Offer varies by trim. Certain conditions apply. Offer ends December 1, 2014. See your dealer for complete details. 10$1,000 Holiday Bonus amounts are offered on select 2015 Winter Edition models and are deducted from the negotiated purchase price before taxes. Available on finance offers only. Certain conditions apply. $1,000 Holiday Bonus amount available on the 2015 Forte LX+ AT Winter SE (FO74SF), 2015 Rondo LX AT 5-seater Winter SE (RN75SF), 2015 Rondo LX AT 7-seater Winter SE (RN75TF) and 2015 Optima LX AT Winter SE (OP74SF). Information in this advertisement is believed to be accurate at the time of printing. For more information on our 5-year warranty coverage, visit kia.ca or call us at 1-877-542-2886. Kia is a trademark of Kia Motors Corporation.