Road to 2017 begins at Shawnigan Lake
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• Mutual Fun ds • GIC’s • Income Solu tions Chris Schultz CF
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Retired hatchery worker goes back to roots
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www.cowichanvalleycitizen.com
Friday, March 25, 2016
BACKYARD BURNING Fresh Air Team seeking ban ROBERT BARRON CITIZEN
While many others can’t wait for the sunny weather and gentle breezes of spring, Jennifer Lawson is praying for continuous rain during the next month. Lawson lives in North Cowichan, where local bylaws allow backyard burning for residents to get rid of the wood waste on their properties from March 15 to April 15, and Oct. 15 to Nov. 15, each year.
But Lawson said she is “very sensitive” to woodsmoke and is forced to wear a mask with filters at times when the woodsmoke from the other properties in her neighbourhood becomes too excessive. “To a lot of people around here, especially the older ones, burning wood waste is as natural as a mother’s milk,” said Lawson, who is a member of the Cowichan Fresh Air Team. “But it’s a fact that a lot of the particulate matter from
this burning causes all kinds of health problems. We were hoping that the last burning season would have been the last. I just wish for rain to discourage people from burning.” Backyard burning is allowed in North Cowichan and a number of the electoral areas of the Cowichan Valley Regional District during the designated periods each fall and spring, albeit with regulations. See BURNING, Page 11
The amount of smoke in the air gets so severe that some like Jennifer Lawson must wear a mask to try to filter out some of the contaminants. [ROBERT BARRON/CITIZEN]
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Keep ‘em Guessing
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Bad Driver Award #623: Keep ‘em Guessing
Trixie Turner
Bad drivers like Trixie bring us good drivers like you. So watch out for people who don’t signal (and don’t forget to signal yourself)! And when you do need collision repair, remember BC’s favourite bodyshop, Craftsman Collision. ®™ Trademark of AIR MILES International Trading B.V. Used under licence by LoyaltyOne, Inc. and Craftsman Collision Ltd.
www.colbertcreative.com (604) 681-5386
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