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TUESDAY.COURTENAY, BC. DECEMBER 16, 2014

ECHO

NEWS Comox Valley Weather



Tuesday Periods of rain. High 6°C.

Wednesday Cloudy with 60% chance of showers. Low. 5°C. High 7°C.

Thursday Periods of rain. Low 3°C. High 7°C.

Friday Cloudy with 70% chance of showers. Low 4°C. High 7°C.

Saturday Periods of rain. Low 3°C. High 6°C.

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For the latest Comox Valley Weather visit: www.comoxvalleyecho.com

A little Christmas miracle in Advent On Sunday December the 7th this little miracle showed up at the Courtenay Train Station. Many groups use the station as a meeting place for their organization including St. Thomas Traditional Anglican Church, an Anglican Catholic Church of Canada parish and part of the Traditional Anglican Communion. On Sunday morning prior to their 11 am worship service, The Reverend Father George Daley discovered this beautiful golden sculpture of the Nativity on an outside ledge as he was entering the station. There was no note or anything else that indicated who left the Nativity at the train station/church. Fr. Daley brought the nativity into the building and made it part of their Advent Wreath. Christmas miracle; it reFor Fr. Daley, “it was a little minded me of the mean-

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www.comoxvalleyecho.com TUESDAY.DECEMBER 16, 2014

COURTENAY FLOODS

Businesses suffer major damages Some owners blame BC Hydro for sudden rise in the water, catching them unaware BY MICHAEL BRIONES Echo Staff

Hosing it down. Fountain Tire worker uses a hose to spray out the mud.

Many businesses on Puntledge Road have been doing a lot of cleaning and repairs to flood damage caused by the excessive rainfall that hit the Comox Valley last week. The eastside location of the City of Courtenay bore the brunt of flooding that took place when the water in the Courtenay River crested over the flood banks. Some business owners estimate the damages could be between $50,000 to $100,000. They’re waiting for their insurance companies to assess the true cost of the damages. Rainforest Living owner Graeme Lister said they were all caught by surprised by the sudden rise in the water rose on Wednesday. “None of the flooding happened at the highest tides,” said Lister. “It wasn’t a tidal event. It wasn’t a storm water event.

None of the flooding happened at the highest tides. It wasn’t a tidal event. It wasn’t a storm water event. It was a BC Hydro event.” GRAEME LISTER Rainforest Living owner

Damaged goods. Lamps and lighting fixtures damaged by the flood waters. It was a BC Hydro event.” Lister as well as the owner of the Light House Lamps and Lighting Kevin Tarrant both indicated that BC Hydro may have contributed to the flooding. “In my opinion, it was the release of water from BC Hydro that caused the flood,” said Lister. “There’s no other reason for it. It

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came in like a wall of water. It wasn’t a naturally slow rising event. It was a very quick appearance. We were dry and an hour later we were flooded.” Earlier on Wednesday, Tarrant said they were already cleaning up because the water was already gone. “I thought it was done,”

he said. “The city said the barricades were coming down by 2 o’clock. We were good but by 2:17 water had poured back in here and it was already back up to my truck near the door. It was pretty sudden and within an hour there was water running through the store.

I thought it was done. The city said the barricades were coming down by 2 o’clock. We were good but by 2:17 water had poured back in here and it was already back up to my truck near the door. It was prettly sudden and within an hour there was water running through the store.” KEVIN TARRANT Light House Lamps and Lighting

(Continued on page 4)

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www.comoxvalleyecho.com TUESDAY.DECEMBER 16, 2014

Emergency response went fairly well BY MICHAEL BRIONES Echo Staff Apart from some damages to local businesses and to some infrastructure in the city, no one was hurt or killed during the major coastal storm that hammered Courtenay and caused flooding at various locations in the community. Provincial Emergency Program Coordinator Mike Fournier said overall, the emergency response at the Emergency Operations Centre set up at city hall when Mayor Larry Jangula declared a state of emergency, “went very well.” Fournier said there were challenges particularly when the first news of imminent danger arose early Tuesday morning. “The flood started at the middle of the night and that made it a lot harder to find out,” said Fournier. “Somebody called me and said I

Comox Valley Ground Search and Rescue swift water rescuers head out to retrieve a woman trapped in her own home Tuesday. better get down there because there’s some flooding. I was still sleeping. It was hard to gauge the situation. But other than that, things went fairly well.”

All the different emergency agencies that included the Comox Valley RCMP, Courtenay Fire Department, Comox Valley Ground Search and Res-

cue and many other groups were activated throughout the flooding. Courtenay bore the brunt of the storm. The Puntledge River, Tsolum

River and the Browns River accumulated so much water that it overflowed into low lying areas. The Courtenay River near the Fifth Street Bridge breached the flood banks and water flowed onto Lewis Park and surrounding areas. The businesses, particularly those located on Puntledge Road and the Tsolum River Road, took in about six inches of water and incurred major damages. Around 50 homes at low-lying areas near the river were told to evacuate during the three days of the flooding, said Fournier. Most left on their own accord. Maple Pool was a major concern said Fournier because of the number of people that live there. They were the first to be told to evacuate. Only one rescue was made when a woman residing on Stephan Road got

stranded in her residence. The Comox Valley Ground Search and Rescue took their boat out to reach her. Fournier said they will be having a debriefing and will create a report of the emergency services that were provided during the flooding. “There’s always room for improvement,” said Fournier. “We’re hoping to improve our communication better because that’s always key. “It’s always number one no matter what the event is. We want to report the opening and closing of the roads better so people are aware using the media obviously as the best way. We want to inform the public where to look for that information.” The huge traffic jams that resulted from road closures will also be reviewed and Fournier said the city will be working on a plan to address that.

Some business owners blaming BC Hydro (Continued from page 3) It was pretty bad. Apparently BC Hydro had to open the dam. I am not sure what it was but it was low tide, which was odd. Nothing happens unless it’s high tide.” The businesses at the low end on Puntledge Road tried their best to keep the water out of their premises. They did a lot of sandbagging but on Wednesday, despite all their efforts, it just wasn’t enough to hold by the surging waters. “When the water was coming up fast as it was, it just breached the sandbags,” said Tarrant. “It wasn’t enough,” said Lister. “The water came too fast, too deep.”

Lister and Tarrant said it will take more than a week to get their business back in order. Other businesses in the area that suffered damages to their equipment included Fountain Tire. They spent the whole day Friday hosing the mud and weeding out the ruined tools and stuff. “It looks a lot worse than it is,” said manager Craig … “A lot of it is cosmetic but there’s of course damage to electronics and that kind of stuff. Then there’s paper work that needs to be filed.” BC Hydro spokesperson Stephen Watson said the rainstorm that hit Vancouver Island was one of the worst in recent years.

It was challenging for everyone. The daily inflow volume last Tuesday reached a one-in-50-year event. And the Tuesday and Wednesday combined inflow volume into Comox Lake Reservoir set a new two-day record for BC Hydro that dates back 51 years. Total precipitation just above the Comox Lake Reservoir from Monday through Thursday was a staggering 325 mm – that’s 0.32 metres of rain. The Comox Lake reservoir rose three metres over those four days. It hit a peak of 136.2m, which matches a 50-year historical reservoir high. Watson said they need to release water downstream.

They do it during low tide and back of at high tide. “What makes the flood event on Wednesday afternoon so fascinating is that we increased our discharges from the dam that morning,” said Watson. “At around noon, we were where we should have been at around 240 cubic metres per second total discharge from the dam. We did not increase water flows at 2:30 or 3 o’clock. We in fact decrease the flows. “What happened is the Tsolum River and the Browns River peaked. And so there was 750m3/s of water going through the Fifth Street Bridge at low tide. “There was just a tre-

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mendous amount of water.” Watson said they did their best to keep the contain the water flow and prevent an even worse flooding situation. “We operated to the best of our ability given the severe storm that it us,” said Watson. “It’s the worse we’ve had. The two-day water fall that we had on Tuesday and Wednesday set an all-time record. The issue is, we prevented the flooding from being much worse that what it was.” Watson said it’s unfortunate that some business suffered losses from the flooding but pointed out that when it comes to Mother Nature, they’re always at her mercy.

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The City of Courtenay continues to assess the damage of the storm and flooding. According to chief administrator officer David Allen. “The hardest-hit areas were Puntledge Road and Tsolum Road businesses, along with properties on Headquarters Road along the Tsolum River,” said Allen. “Assessments are underway, and will continue for the next few days.” As far as city facilities go, The LINC Youth Centre had some minor damage. Any other flood impacts on facilities look minimal. As for the parks, the main issue so far said Allen has been trail and park cleanup.

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www.comoxvalleyecho.com TUESDAY.DECEMBER 16, 2014

The new Comox Valley Regional District board, from left to right: Courtenay Mayor Larry Jangula, Comox councillors Ken Grant and Barbara Price, Area C’s Edwin Grieve, Area A and new board chair Bruce Jolliffe, Cumberland Coun. Gwyn Sproule, Courtenay councillors Erik Erikssonn and vice-chair Manno Theos, Area C’s Rod Nichol and Courtenay coun. Bob Wells.

CVRD kicked into motion with Bruce Jolliffe as Chair BY DREW A. PENNER Echo Staff

The Comox Valley Regional District elected director Bruce Jolliffe as chair during its inaugural meeting held in a meeting room at the Westerley Hotel Thursday, Dec. 11. He beat out Mano Theos of Courtenay, who had been nominated for the position by brand new director Bob Wells, also from Courtenay. “If you elect me as chair I will bring to the table leadership, the experience and the commitment that this board will need to develop its policies, enact its polices and communicate its policies,” Jolliffe told the board. “The role of the chair is not only to ensure that we have an effective forum where every director’s view is fairly discussed, not only to bring the board together to clearly articulate

its visions and its goals but to also ensure that its policies are effectively implemented by the Comox Valley Regional District staff and are properly communicated to the rest of the community.” Jolliffe, who represents Baynes Sound-Denman/ Hornby Islands (Area A) has spent six years on the Vancouver Island Regional Library Board, chaired the Electoral Area Services Committee for four years, on top of vice chairing the Comox-Strathcona Regional Hospital Board. “We have a refreshed board with many new ideas,” he said, referring to the fresh faces at the table from Courtenay, Comox and the Electoral Areas. “Those of you who have seen me in action know that I’m a good listener, able to comprehend diversity of views, good at building relationships, a quick study and very able

to articulate the will of the board and take it forward to the rest of the Valley.” Theos also pointed to the shifting nature of the board as the reason why he should be elected chair. “I have a slightly different vision than my colleague director Jolliffe,” he said. “When I was going to the doors people were calling for change. I think that call was Valley-wide.” A Courtenay councillor is better positioned to act as chair than someone from the Electoral Areas, since those rural districts are so large, he said. “The simple fact is I see from my perspective that there’s some really big ticket items coming down the well,” he said, referring to solid waste, sewer, and water issues. “All these things have a massive price tag to them. I will look at things in a very different perspective. I’m very open-minded.”

Following the vote for chair, Wells once again put Theos’ name forward for vice chair. Comox councillor Ken Grant and former CVRD chair Edwin Grieve were also nominated for the position, although Grieve opted not to let his name stand. Grant pointed to his ability to work in a complimentary fashion with Jolliffe to get things done. “My reputation is one of making sound, solid and sensible decisions,” he said. “I look forward to getting a little more knowledge in how the board works.” The vote was a tie and, according to CVRD procedure, was repeated. After the second round, Theos was declared the winner. Theos said he hoped to ensure fiscal responsibility of the board while exploring waste to energy and deep well intake opportunities.

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www.comoxvalleyecho.com TUESDAY.DECEMBER 16, 2014

ECHO

OPINIONS

LETTERS

The mayor doesn’t really run the show Although unmentioned in the local news, there was an interesting development that occurred at the December 1st Inaugural Meeting of Courtenay City Council. This development occurred in the committee appointments process of Council and in light of the Mayor’s boosters who suggest the Mayor gets to run the show. The events suggest otherwise. In fact, Mayor Jangula ended up as the lame duck of the meeting. The Mayor tabled the motion to make the committee appointments, including to the Comox Valley Regional District. As expected, the motion did not include Councillor Frisch. In fact, the Mayor seemed to think he had a slate including himself and Councillors Theos, Wells and Eriksson, thus, polarizing Council. The speeches he and Councillor Theos made certainly suggested so. It was the same line I got from Councillor Wells when I had a phone conversation with him two days prior to the meeting. Unexpected was an

amendment to the motion from Councillor Hillian, and an astute and diplomatic one at that. It was that Council review the CVRD appointments in a year from now. The Mayor blanched. The amendment carried, 4 to 2. Then Wells broke with the Mayor and Theos and supported the amended motion. The Mayor has the tie breaking vote. This was his agenda. He thought he had three votes for it and three against and he would break the tie. Wrongo! In effect, Councillor Eriksson became the defacto Mayor and broke the tie by supporting the amendment, also shrewd diplomacy. Hey, it’s not me attempting to “...take control of our local government.” with my Charter Right of transparent free speech. His boosters say that only because the Mayor never has had control over his faction, last term and now this. Donovan R Carter Courtenay

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

GUEST COLUMN

What does B.C. want for Christmas? A Plan B. BY DERMOD TRAVIS Dear Santa: You probably don’t get Christmas letters from an entire province, but this year we hope you’ll think of adding B.C. to your magical journey. We know we’re asking a lot of you, but B.C. could really use a Plan B this Christmas. You see it all started a couple of Easters ago. The Easter bunny - you know, the competition down the calendar street - came hoppin’ along and told everyone to put all their eggs into her LNG basket. All of them, Santa. It sounded great at the time, really it did. Who could say no to a prosperity fund? A $100 billion prosperity fund to boot. But it’s not working out so well and everyone just assumed that the Easter bunny had a few other baskets behind her ears if things went south. Well, Santa, it looks like she doesn’t. And a few of us OK, most of us - are getting a little antsy. Here’s the thing Santa, B.C. is developing a bit of a - how do you put it - reputation. Some folk say the province is akin to a never ending battle between huggers and frackers played out on a continuous loop,

year after year after year. Protests, environmental assessments (one or two, take your pick), injunctions, PR strategies (strained or leaked), appeals, human chains, petitions, more protests, SLAPP suits, social license permits. Seriously, Santa, the list goes on and on. And it ain’t going over so well with investors. Never knew they were such nervous Nellies. Heck, one tax break too little and suddenly they’re off playing in another kid’s sandbox. Oh, that reminds us, Kinder Morgan could really use a new GPS this Christmas. They still seem to be using the one left behind by Enron. Then, to top it all off, a few months back the Supreme Court of Canada told some of us that we may be squatters. On someone else’s land. Look, we know you can’t stuff a massive GDP hike into B.C.’s Christmas stocking, but maybe this year you could get us a few of the things from our wish list. A new way to reconcile competing interests in the province on economic development would be great. Like, wow, best gift ever. And it would be so neat if

it came fully assembled. We know you can’t till the entire province into an organic farm, but maybe you could show us a better way to use our agricultural land and market our products. No need to include those trade mission accessories that come with it, there are a whole bunch of folk right here in the neighbourhood who eat all the time. In fact, we crunched some numbers last night and you know what, 16.3 million people live in Alaska, Alberta, Washington State and B.C. combined? Well, of course you did, but that’s still a lot of mouths to feed. Speaking of which, any chance we could return that clawback toy you let B.C. play with a few years back? Not that we’re ungrateful, but it got into the wrong hands. It really should come with instructions. Between us, did you ever notice how uppity the Easter bunny gets whenever anyone says value added? You think she’d know that old saying: give a bunny a carrot and she eats a carrot. Teach a bunny how to cultivate carrots and you’re overrun with bunnies. Or something like that.

It would be fantastic though if we could add some value to B.C.’s natural resources right here in B.C. before we ship them off overseas only to buy them back in manufactured goods a few months later. That new board game “How not to cut off your nose to spite your face” would be cool too. You know the one. The winner is the first to clue in that government cuts in one area may result in massive losses for government in another, thereby negating the original savings and then some. The best part of getting a Plan B for Christmas, Santa, is that if the Easter bunny turns out to have only been partly right (still not looking good on that front BTW), we get the best of both plans. O h , n e a r l y f o rg o t . Please don’t go down the chimney at the legislature. Seismic issues. We’ll put the milk and cookies on the main steps. Yours truly, British Columbia PS: If you can do anything about ferry fares, no grumbling from this quarter. Dermod Travis is the executive director of IntegrityBC. www.integritybc.ca

www.comoxvalleyecho.com TUESDAY.DECEMBER 16, 2014

TRUCK LIGHT PARADE

Organizers thankful for all the support Organizers of the 2014 Truck Light Parade say they were overwhelmed with the support they received from the community. Trudy Logan, the event coordinator from Cumberland Sand and Gravel, said it was the contributions of everyone involved who helped make the new routing a success. “The event could not have happened without the trucks that spent a great number of hours decorating and lighting up their vehicles for everyone to enjoy,” she said. “There were 21 entries this year and the trucks travelled on a new route which had the parade ending in the Village of Cumberland. “ Over 50 volunteers helped to boost the festive spirit, organizing trucks, baking cookies, entertaining guests, controlling traffic and decorating Village Square. This year trucks drove up Dunsmuir Ave and then returned back down Dunsmuir Ave and parked on

the street, giving everyone a chance to get a good look at the entries and vote for their favorite truck. “It was a big hit with all of the spectators and businesses,” Logan said. “There was lots of praise for all the beautifully decorated trucks.” The fan favorite truck this year was #13, Spick & Sons Projects Ltd from Powell River. The company received a gift basket donated by Cumberland Laundry. Strate Scapes Landscaping continued to tour around the Valley with their decorated truck, trailer and bobcat to visit seniors housing complexes and other places where the people couldn’t make it out to the parade. The favorite business went to Dodge City Cycles and they received a gift basket donated by Enex Fuels in Courtenay Trudy also expressed a big thank you to the companies that donated or supplied items to the event this year including Always Invited Event Rentals, Comox Valley Search & Res-

cue, Cumberland 1st Credit Union, Cumberland Fire Department, Cumberland Laundry, Cumberland Legion, Cumberland Motorcycle Round-Up, Cumberland Ready Mix, Cumberland Sand & Gravel, Dukes of Dodge, Enex Fuels, Hyland Precast, the Lantern Festival Committee, Pilon Tool Rentals, Speedpro Signs, Tayco Paving Co, Tim Hor-

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tons. She also said the Village of Cumberland deserved recognition for their help, too. “Please forgive me if I have not mentioned your name on this thank you list as there were so many,” she said. “You know we appreciate you all, as did the spectators that were able to enjoy the parade this year because of you.”

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www.comoxvalleyecho.com TUESDAY.DECEMBER 16, 2014

Around 650 Christmas Care Packages were created for the homeless by students in School District 71 for this year’s Everyone Deserves a Smile project.

Students make homeless people smile with care packages Around seven schools in SD71 join this year’s ‘Everyone Deserves A Smile’ campaign BY MICHAEL BRIONES Echo Staff Every year students in School District 71 are learning more and more about the sad plight of homelessness through the “Everyone Deserves a Smile.” EDAS, an non-profit group that is geared towards creating

Christmas care packages for those who are homeless annually, was introduced by teacher Chantal Stefan at Ecole Puntledge Park Elementary two years ago. It has dramatically grown since then because this Christmas season, more schools in the district have participated in the

charitable endeavour. “It’s been really amazing,” said Stefan. “This is probably our biggest year ever in the sense of seeing the outpouring of love and connection and support from our community. We have seven different schools involved.” The schools that joined

this year included Brooklyn, Queenesh, Denman Island, Robb Road, Huband, Vanier, Glacier View and Mark Isfeld. Students helped create the bags, putting their personal touches on each one. Each bag contained woolen socks, toques, scarves, gloves, tooth brushes, tooth paste,

soap, Christmas card, a book and home made cookies. The school board trustees as well as staff helped the students fill each Christmas bag last week. At the end of the day, last Friday, they’d created 650 care packages. (Continued on page 9)

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EDAS gifts (Continued from page 8) “The number of homeless people have gone up so we’re handing out more in the Comox Valley,” said Stefan. With the help of 18 students from Ecole Puntledge, they distributed the care bags in the community and then went on a road trip to Victoria and Nanaimo to hand them out at different centres there. The students who went along are members of the inaugural EDAS club that was created at Puntledge this year. They met three times a week and Stefan said, they basically ran the entire project. “They deserved to go on the road trip and help distribute the care packages,” said Stefan. “They have been great.” The students have derived some valuable lessons from the experience and feel they are making a difference. “Usually you think the homeless people are just there on the streets but I learnt how they got homeless and how hard it is on them,” said Janaya. “No matter what, they’re outside and how sad it is that they’re on the streets. These small packages are not much but I believe it makes a difference as it gives them a nice feeling this Christmas knowing that we care about them.” “I feel sad for them because just a thought that I have a nice house and food every night and they don’t have that,” said Molly Keyes. “I am really happy I am with this club and to be able to help my community.”

CHRISTMAS

Nativity sets display joy around the world

You’re invited to visit a display of nativity sets from around the world at “Joy to the World!”, being held at Comox Valley Presbyterian Church Dec. 19 and 20. The event will also include a children’s activity area, live music, and a local woodcarver working on a set. Nativity sets are scenes that depict the birth of Jesus. The first nativity scene was staged by St. Francis of Assisi when he called villagers to a cave where they found a few animals and a child lying in a manger. St. Francis used the scene as an illustration for a sermon. It captured the imagination of the people,

and the concept spread throughout Christendom. Now nativity scenes are found all around the world, often crafted to reflect the culture of the local people. When you’re on an extended bicycle tour and space in your saddlebags is limited, the last thing you might take along is a nativity set. But that’s what Comox res ident Heidi Hyser packed with her on a trip that took her half way around the world. Hyser purchased her nativity set in a market in Mexico when she was on an extended bicycle adventure in 1988. (Continued on page 10)

WISHING EVERYONE A HAPPY HOLIDAY SEASON! THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT OVER THE YEARS!

Joan Morrison shows off one of the many multicultural nativity scenes that will be displayed at Joy to the World!, an event being held at Comox Valley Presbyterian Church.

www.comoxvalleyecho.com TUESDAY.DECEMBER 16, 2014

Nativity (Continued from page 9) The set accompanied her to Guatemala, where she celebrated Christmas, then down the coast to Tierra del Fuego, back up again to Rio de Janiero, across the ocean to Europe, back again to the US, and after several years, has found a more permanent home here in Comox. “It only cost me a dollar back then,” she says, “but it’s worth a million to me, now, with all the memories it brings back.” In contrast, Joan Morrison’s set is as local as you can get, made of driftwood she’s found on the beaches. “When I hold a little piece of driftwood, I can immediately see a figure in it,” she This tiny nativity ornament, created by Peruvian craftspeople, will be one says. She creates nativity of many on display at Joy to the World!an event being held at Comox Valley scenes with the driftwood, Presbyterian Church. clothing the figures with scraps of cloth and add- event” says church pas- wheelchair accessible. The ing details such as a shiny tor the Rev. Jenn Geddes. display will be open to sestar. “We are excited to invite niors and those with moHyser’s and Morrison’s the community to come bility issues Friday, Dec. sets will be part of the and see these unique nativ- 19, from 2-4 p.m., and to extensive display at the ity sets. This is the season the general public from 5-8 church, including scenes when we celebrate Jesus’ p.m., and Saturday Dec. created from wood, glass, message of love that is for 20 from 11-4 p.m. Admisceramic and cloth by crafts- all the world. These sets re- sion is free. For more inmen in Ecuador, Peru, Afri- mind us of this message of formation, check out the ca, Israel, the Phillippines, love and joy.” church’s website at www. and many more countries. Comox Valley Presby- comoxvalleypresbyterian. “We’re really looking terian Church, located at ca or phone the church offorward to this first-time 725 Aspen Rd in Comox, is fice at 250-339-2882.

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Disaster funds to help those hurt by flooding The BC government is providing disaster financial assistance to those people that suffered property damages and losses from the major flooding from Dec. 8-12 in Courtenay, Comox, Cumberland, and the Comox Valley Regional District. The provincial Disaster Financial Assistance has been authorized for qualifying claimants, such as home owners, residential tenants, small business owners, farmers, charitable organizations and local government bodies, who were unable to obtain insurance to cover these di-

saster-related losses. “All applicants should first check with their insurance agent to determine if their current insurance policy provides coverage for the resulting damage. Depending on the circumstances, businesses and farmers may have been able to obtain commercial insurance for certain losses. As part of the DFA qualification process, businesses, farmers and charitable/volunteer organizations will need to provide a letter from their insurer indicating that they could not have purchased insurance to cover these disas-

ter-related losses.” People are encouraged to submit their application as soon as possible so that damage assessment can be completed promptly. The deadline date for EMBC to receive this form is March 12, 2015. Information about Disaster Financial Assistance is available on the DFA web site at http://www.embc. gov.bc.ca/em/dfa_claims/ dfa.html. There you will find the DFA Application Form, ‘Disaster Financial Assistance Guidelines for Private Sector’ and ‘One Step at a time – A Guide to Disaster Recovery,’”

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VALLEYVIEW

Dead orca at Bates Beach drew lots of curious onlookers

Orca necropsy shows fetus died ﬁrst according to report BY LOUISE DICKSON Special to the Echo A 1 9 - y e a r- o l d o r c a whose body was found last week off Courtenay had a near full-term fetus disintegrating in her uterus, says a preliminary necropsy report from the Center for Whale Research. It appears the fetus died some time before the mother, said Kenneth Balcomb, executive director and principal investigator at the centre in Friday Harbor, Washington. The mother’s death was probably caused by difficulties trying to expel the fetus, he said.

Balcomb was present Saturday at the necropsy performed on the whale, known as J-32 or Rhapsody, by Dr. Steven Raverty, a veterinary pathologist with B.C.’s Ministry of Agriculture. In his preliminary necropsy report, published on the centre’s website, Balcomb said he believes the whale probably died Dec. 3. The whale’s body was spotted by Courtenay residents on Dec. 4. During the necropsy, Balcomb observed that the whale’s blubber layer was relatively thin and dry of oil, indicating that J-32 existed on an inadequate diet

Dr. Sterling Desmond

for an extended period. He noted that her spleen was enlarged and there was an enlarged lymph node adjacent to the uterus, which suggests something had been wrong for a while. Her reproductive organs have been sent to Vancouver for analysis. Tissue samples were taken for analysis, Balcomb said. J-32’s death doesn’t bode well for the population of southern resident killer whales, which has only about 12 reproductively viable females, Bal-

comb said. Balcomb wants the U.S. and Canadian governments to curtail the harvest of fish to ensure adequate supplies of chinook salmon, the orcas’ preferred food. “I think we must restore abundant healthy prey resources as soon as possible if these whales are to have any chance of avoiding extinction. The critical point for their recovery may have already passed.”

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HUNT FOR HISTORY BY JUDY HAGEN

Louise Carvalho named to Walk of Achievement “An Honour won is a promise of more.”(Old French Proverb)

the Interim Administration office. From 2002 until 2008 she was a Legal Advisor to the European Union on Economic Development in Kosovo. This was followed by three years as Legal Advisor to EULEX, the European Union Rule of the Mission in Kosovo Louise loves languages. During her years in Kosovo she wanted to be able to speak with the people so she became proficient in Albanian just as she had learnt Danish while studying in Denmark. Like her mother she has great love for animals. While in Kosovo she began to help with the rescue of dogs. A group of European Veterinarians set up a “Kosovo Dog Shelter” where Louise would help by feeding and walking the dogs as well as fund raising for their care. Eventually she adopted two dogs whom she brought home to Comox when her mission in Kosovo ended. For two years she worked in Brussels for

OPCW, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, which earned the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize. Louise feels privileged to have worked with group, just as she had the privilege to work with European Union in Kosovo which also earned the Nobel Peace Prize in 2012. She has recently begun working in Geneva with CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research which earned the Nobel Physics Prize in 2001. While her practice is International Administrative Law, Louise has found that when she takes time to work within the community she has had extraordinary experiences and made wonderful friendships. The public is invited to attend the Walk of Achievement Ceremony Sunday 21 December at noon The Lobby of the Sid Williams Theatre

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Fare Change Louise Carvalho (Photo from private collection) bers of Christ the King Parish where Louise was active in the Youth activities and was often asked to read the lessons at Mass. She studied piano with Ruth Williams, then Miriam Lancaster completing her Grade 8 Toronto Conservatory level. She believes that growing up in the Comox Valley she was afforded the opportunities to have a well balanced childhood that now gives her a proper adult life She chose to study International Relations

at UBC where she coauthored a revision to a handbook for student entitled “Global Pursuits Careers in International Relations”, a book that was distributed to High Schools throughout the province. After graduation, in 1992 she spent the summer in India under the auspices of the Shastri Institute; she was one of 20 Canadian students who observed the development issues in India. That same year, she was awarded a $25,000 International Rotary

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On 21 December, Louise Carvalho will be inducted into the Comox Valley Walk of Achievement. Delighted with the honour, she says “As an immensely proud former (and informal) resident of the Comox Valley I am just thrilled to find myself permanently embedded in the public pavement”. She credits her childhood in the Comox Valley for her great grounding for all she has achieved in her International career. Anyone who knew Louise in those early years will also know that she has always strived to do her best whether it was at school, in her piano lessons, Girl Guides or a variety of sports activities. In 1975, Lui and Sheila Carvalho decided to emigrate from England because they felt that Canada would give their two children Louise and Simon more opportunities. Louise praises her parents and her brother for all the encouragement they have given her. She has high praise for the standards of excellence in School District 71 believing that she was given the best education that she could have had to reach her goals. She started school at Comox Elementary where in grade 6, she was awarded the “Triple A Award” for “All Round Student”. At Robb Road she won an Athletics’ Award. During those years she was a Brownie, then a Girl Guide and a Pathfinder. Her “All Round Cord” was presented to her by her maternal Grandmother who was an active member of Girl Guiding in Great Britain. During her years at Highland School she organized a recycling programme, participated in Drama productions, Field Hockey and track events. She was elected School President. In her graduating year she was Co-Valedictorian and won the prestigious Ostler Award for All Round Student. Always interested in sports, she played tennis, skied, went wind surfing and rock climbing. Her family are mem-

Scholarship. She chose to study for one year at “Institut d’Etudes Politque” in Grenoble France where she was able to “polish her French language skills” and make life long friendships. She took her law degree at the University of Calgary with one semester of study in Human Rights and Refugee Law at the University of Copenhagen. When she graduated with her law degree in 1995, Louise was honoured with the Howard Tidswell Memorial Award for public spiritedness and integrity, the top Legal Prize. After graduation from Law School she spent a summer working for the Ministry of the Attorney General in Victoria followed by 3 years in the Legal Service Branch. In 1996 she moved to London, England to work for Arthur Anderson. Louise went to Kosovo in 2001 as a United Nations “volunteer” working in the legal department of

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