May 28, 2014 by Cowichan Valley Citizen

Three compete for David Walden scholarship

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Family makes pilgrimage after missing man’s body found LEXI BAINAS CITIZEN

Ryan Skramstad, left, Doug Harris, Destiny Skramstad, Debby Skramstad Nickell and Heather McNeely gather just down the hill from where Rodney MacKinnon, inset, was found Thursday evening, May 22. They all drove out again Saturday to revisit the spot in the Fairservice logging area where Harris made the discovery. [LEXI BAINAS/CITIZEN]

FLAGSHIP FORD

Debby Skramstad Nickell hiked a steep, remote slope Saturday, driven to visit the site where her son, Rodney MacKinnon, 35, was found dead Thursday evening. “He probably climbed up there to sit and think and look at the sunset and for some reason, he never got up again,” she said. Although Lake Cowichan RCMP had, more than two weeks earlier, called off the official search for the man who had gone missing in the Fairservice logging area south and west of Lake Cowichan May 2, the family had never given up hope that either he would come home or his body would be discovered. Their determination was rewarded May 22 when MacKinnon’s cousins Destiny and Ryan Skramstad, and friend Doug Harris and were able to report that he had been found. It was obvious that MacKinnon had been dead for quite some time because the body was badly decomposed and there was evidence that animals had found it, according to Harris, who made the

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discovery, up above a logging road and a clearcut area the Skramstads knew well because it offers both a great view and a chance to get firewood. Once MacKinnon was located, they called Destiny’s mom, Patty Skramstad so she could notify the RCMP. Then they called Debby to tell her the news about her missing son and to take her out there. “Waiting at the end of the driveway for them to come seemed to take forever,” Debby said. Search and Rescue was called out to the bush to help bring MacKinnon down the hill in a body bag on a rescue stretcher. “They used ropes and they lowered him very, very gently down the hill in a clamshell [stretcher],” Destiny said, as she looked up towards the site from the logging road below on Saturday, after returning to the spot again. Debby had wanted to go up the hill again to see the spot, which is not in dense bush, but just inside the edge of a thinned-out band of trees. See REMOTE AREA, Page 2

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Wednesday, May 28, 2014 | Cowichan Valley Citizen

Remote area where body found ‘our backyard’, says cousin FAMILY, From Page 1 She’d been exhausted after the initial discovery and wanted to spend a little more time up there. “You can well imagine, I spent [Thursday] night on the mountain, and went 48 hours with no sleep. I was just so angry when I first heard about it. I know this will not be pleasant, but he’s my child,” she said. The steep side hill below the site was logged over some time ago, which might have made MacKinnon harder find, according to both Destiny and Harris. “Just cutting through all the clear cut and slash,” Harris said. “I hadn’t been up there before myself.” Destiny agreed. “There had been family up there but it was weird. It’s a small patch of bush. It’s an oddball area and the way the terrain is, there are a

lot of dips. You could have been walking five feet away from him and you wouldn’t see him. It’s not that it’s covered. It’s just the way the ground is,” she said. It was impossible to tell if he had fallen. The family will await reports on exactly how Rodney died. “Animals had been dragging him. We saw a bear up there. There had been decomposition, too,” Destiny said, “but he was in a fetal position.” Harris discovered the body when he and Destiny went to the area to try out her new truck Thursday evening. “Ryan had showed up at the house and said, ‘Do you want to go for a drive?’ And I said, ‘Of course I do, I’m a Skramstad.’ We were getting ready to go and he said, ‘I want to make sure I walk down the mountain.’ When we got there, we saw five turkey vultures sitting at

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the end of the road and my heart sank. Of course we wanted to find him but that wasn’t the way we wanted to find him,” she said. Debby agreed. “You kind of hope it was something else — a dead animal that got trapped maybe,” she said. Harris went up first, saying that was exactly what he had hoped. “If it was just a deer, I wanted to be able tell them. I just wanted to check it out,” he said. The two others had made their way up the hill, working slowly towards where Harris had gone. “I was standing right underneath the area where he found him and Ryan circled up to us.” MacKinnon plainly had been there for a long time. “I believe he’s been there since the day I found the truck,” Destiny said. MacKinnon’s being there at all was a bit of a mystery to the police but not to his family. “The RCMP kept asking, ‘Why would anybody be out here?’ They didn’t realize that this is our backyard, our playground. I have been up here with my cousins, with my dad, since I was able to walk,” Destiny said. She showed that, too, as she drove easily along the maze of logging roads to the isolated spot where Rodney was found, which was not far across country from where his truck was located.

Debby Skramstad Nickell leads the way back from the area where her son was found. [LEXI BAINAS/CITIZEN] Destiny said she felt a strong urge to go to that area Thursday. “That morning when I woke up I was feeling very, very sick. But, the minute we saw those buzzards and my foot touched the ground that feeling left. It was almost relief. Even when I got in the truck with Ryan, I knew. It was like the day we found his truck. I knew then, too, that we were going to find something. I hadn’t had that feeling the entire time until Thursday again,” she said.

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MacKinnon was upset when he left home May 1, Debby said. “From what we are understanding, he was up all night, fighting with [his girlfriend]; they had an on-again off-again relationship. He left a note saying, ‘I’ll see you tomorrow.’ He was going to go just to clear his head. That’s why we thought he’d be home on Friday.” Debby said she was frustrated that the search was called off less than a week after Rodney had gone missing, meaning that his body has lain in the bush all this time. “We were told they’d already looked for a needle in a haystack and they’d already done 800 metres and hadn’t found anything,” she said. The family also had to endure hearing that Rodney had been seen elsewhere, only to find those reports were false. “We were told he was seen on Hudgrove and that he was seen in the info centre and it was a positive ID, but it wasn’t,” Debby said. But, all uncertainty came to an end May 22, when search and rescue brought him down. “I got to stroke his head and talk to him,” Debby said. “I’m glad we’ve had this closure.” A celebration of life will be held Saturday, May 31 at Lake Cowichan’s Centennial Hall starting at 2:30 p.m.

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Cowichan Valley Citizen | Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Vandals senselessly wreck boat for sale on roadside, police investigate KEVIN ROTHBAUER CITIZEN

A fishing boat parked beside the TransCanada Highway earlier this month was damaged extensively, and police are hoping someone can help them find the culprits. Rosie’s Choice was parked at the corner of the TCH and Mays Road north of Duncan between May 9 and 12, with a “for sale” sign on it. “The owner was hoping to stir up some interest in his boat in an attempt to sell it,” Cpl. Krista Hobday explained. “Unknown

culprits had other thoughts and have damaged the boat extensively.” The boat’s upholstery was slashed, along with every surface, including the ceiling of the interior cabin. The toilet was smashed beyond repair, and gasoline was poured throughout the interior. “This is a senseless crime,” Hobday said. Anyone with more information about the crime should contact the North Cowichan/ Duncan RCMP at 250-748-5522 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

Community Policing stalwart Chris Rolls explains her group’s difficult situation as she makes a presentation to North Cowichan council May 21. [LEXI BAINAS/CITIZEN]

Future uncertain for community policing LEXI BAINAS CITIZEN

“If the program disbands, you’ll be seeing the police more in your communities,” said Cowichan Community Policing’s Carol Ann Rolls as she urged North Cowichan councillors to take a close look at her group’s mandate going forward. “We can’t continue to provide the service at the level we’ve been providing,” she said, explaining that the money coming to the group is not sufficient to do the work it is expected to do in the community. “It’s increasingly difficult to operate as more and more of our time is diverted to fundraising,” Rolls said. “Our $98,000 [funding] hasn’t increased in five years,” she said but pointed out that expenses are mounting. “We pay $11,000 in rent for the Chemainus Community Policing Office but we only had 118 visits last year. “Many people are too busy to volunteer. Are our programs still working? Is there a better way to do this? Maybe you want a part-time position. I’m the only one who has anything to lose, the only one who’d be out of a job,” she said. Cutting programs or disbanding the service altogether would mean the local Mounties probably would have to re-examine some of their outreach, too, she said. Rolls said the programs themselves don’t cost much but organizing them and getting them to work effectively in the community requires organization if they are to continue. “Can we continue to do them all? Should we?” she asked. Coun. Al Siebring said that it is difficult to look just at figures like those from Chemainus because visits are determined at least in part by what hours the office is open and those hours are determined by volunteer availability. If talks about cutting programs were to start, “would you be able to set parameters

as to which programs should be kept?” he asked Rolls. She replied, “Not at this time,” adding that a meeting of the Community Policing directors that very morning had been “pulled in all directions.” Coun. John Koury suggested, “it sounds like there’s a piling on of mandates,” and Rolls agreed. She herself used to do certain jobs when she was still an auxiliary RCMP constable, a post she resigned from in 2012, and some of those duties have followed her, Rolls said. “It does make it harder for me to say no,” she said. Then Rolls told council that it was also frustrating to make an effort for a community and be promised volunteer help only to arrive and find no one there. That lack of manpower means the future of some work is in the balance, she said. “Do we continue as a community policing office or just offer crime prevention programs?” “I can tell you are faced with a tremendous amount of stress,” said Coun. Ruth Hartmann. “We have come to rely on you. Hopefully council can help give some direction.” Rolls said quickly, “I’m not Community Policing. It’s not about me.” But Mayor Jon Lefebure continued that theme. “When we created the CVRD function we saw you as a champion. It’s possible that the CVRD could raise the amount of funding,” he said, and then suggested to his council colleagues that the subject go for further discussion to the protective services committee. Coun. Kate Marsh said, “I’m saddened it’s gotten so challenging. It’s difficult to get the message out.” “Carol Ann has certainly dealt with the peaks and valleys of volunteerism,” Lefebure agreed.

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Use Lake Cowichan’s doctors, health pros, or lose them, residents warned LEXI BAINAS CITIZEN

“It’s use them or lose them.” That’s the message to the people of Lake Cowichan from Mayor Ross Forrest. With Lake Cowichan finally getting doctors back into the community, it’s time for the people to take advantage of their services, he said at a recent council meeting. “One thing that is a bit of a concern is that we have health care here now; we have a nurse practitioner, we have doctors in town. But, they are not as busy as they should be. We have these people here now and people should be utilizing them.” At the prospect of seeing their last two Lake Cowichan-based physicians moving practices to Duncan, residents mobilized, forming a committee and working with the Vancouver Island Health Authority to try to regain some services. As a result, a group of Duncan doctors organized a drop-in clinic in one location, former doctors are returning for part-time service to Lake Cowichan patients in another spot, with the help of a nurse practitioner, and the Kaatza Health Unit’s staff has been bumped up to form an integral part of an integrated health care team. Lake Cowichan town councillor Bob Day said the Choose Cowichan Lake

CHILDREN’S EDUCATION DAY Thursday May 29th | 10 am - 4:30 pm

Ross Forrest, Lake Cowichan mayor committee is trying to decide whether to disband now or continue working, with a lower profile, on whatever subjects come to hand. “The primary health care team is open for business at the health unit. There’s a dietitian, a behaviourist and a primary health care nurse there as well as public health people. “They are working on a multitude of programs to get people involved in, if they are chronically ill.” He urged the public to take advantage of the service. “So, if you know someone who is suf-

Forest Discovery Centre oﬀers free admission on strike day LEXI BAINAS CITIZEN

Admission FREE for children (up to 13 years) when accompanied by an adult Adult admission $8.00 (Maximum 3 children per adult)

All museum buildings and the Bloedel Fire Display will be open You will have a lot of fun and you may even learn something.

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fering from something like diabetes or some other condition, who is struggling to maintain their regular lifestyle, please tell them to go there. “You can just walk in and get signed up and they’ll come up with a good care plan for you that will help you get back to somewhat of a normal life with education and diets. Don’t hesitate to use them. They are probably able to handle 2,500,” he said. Forrest added that he hoped people whose doctors have moved out of the community would reconsider their own situations, as he was himself. “I’m not trying to take business away from Dr. Kerswell and Dr. Postuk [who moved their practices to Duncan] but our concern is our community and the doctors here and the nurse practitioner, who is paid by VIHA, they have to stay busy. It’s taken a lot of work to attract them here. We want to keep them here. “And there are a lot of people who don’t have a doctor, who maybe are not aware. They should go in and sign up and get back in the flow of things and people do use the health care we do have,” he said. In addition, there are new services. “The integrated health is new to our area and a lot of people don’t understand what is available there. There is a great service provided there for people who need it. I hope they will take advantage of it soon,” Forrest said.

Thursday May 29, when the kids are out of school during the labour dispute, why not bring them to Children’s Education Day at the BC Forest Discovery Centre? For the one day only, children under 13 are admitted free when accompanied by an adult. From 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. you and your children can spend a fun-filled and educational day exploring the 100-acre facility. Hop aboard a train, explore the buildings and see how loggers lived and worked in the logging camps years ago. Climb the stairs of the Forest Ranger lookout tower and see all over the park, learn all about forest history in the museum and take in the current museum exhibit which tells the story of the huge 1938 Bloedel fire. Centre manager Chris Gale thinks it’s a great idea.

“This day is a great opportunity for parents, babysitters, day camp leaders, or anyone with school age children, to have a special day of fun together and learn a lot in the process.” CHRIS GALE, BC Forest Discovery Centre manager.

“This day is a great opportunity for parents, babysitters, day camp leaders, or anyone with school-age children, to have a special day of fun together and learn a lot in the process. With educating a mandate of the BC Forest Discovery Centre, we’ve decided to offer this day with a special discounted rate,” he said last week. For safety purposes there is a maximum of three children per adult that will be strictly enforced. An adult special rate of only $8 is also in effect for the one day. “Plan to stay for the whole day, and join us for a barbecue of a hot Steve Drane Harley-Davidson® dog for $2, or a delicious hamburgVancouver Island's only authorized Harley-Davidson® retailer er for only $3, and add a beverage for only $1,” Gale said, adding, “at BC Forest Discovery Centre, 2940 Ed Nixon Terrace the we are always looking for ways to Victoria, BC V9B 0B2 learn in a fun way so join us and 250-475-1345 take home with you some history of what your ancestors experienced working in the forests of SteveDraneHarley.com British Columbia.” Check out www.bcforestdiscoverycentre.com

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Two Valley shows bring Broadway

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YOUNG MUSICIAN OF THE WEEK

LEXI BAINAS CITIZEN

This cartoon by Mike Duncan depicts David Walden, for whom the memorial scholarship competition is named. [SUBMITTED]

Three compete for Walden scholarship LEXI BAINAS CITIZEN

The fourth annual David Walden Memorial Scholarship Competition is taking place Friday, May 30 at Sylvan United Church in Mill Bay. The three competitors are Lahna Lampson, Zander Felton and Madison Gray. Lampson, a harpist, will perform Fall in Vancouver by Elizabeth Bligh and Nataliana by Deborah Hensen-Conant. Felton, whose field is classical voice, will sing Vaga Luna by Vincenzo Bellini and Star of the County Down, an Irish Folk Song arranged by Herbert Hues. Gray, a pianist, is set to perform Beethoven’s Sonata Op. 10 No. 1 in C Minor, II & III and The Rails by Vladimir Deshevov. As can be seen by the selections, these young performers are out to wow the judges with their versatility as well as their technical prowess. While the judges are deliberating on what they have seen and heard, organizers are offering the audience extra entertainment by

way of a selection of performances from the recently completed Pianofest. On the list to play are Noah Herle, Avital Stopeck, Nathan Lowe, a duet by Jizelle Balae and Madeleine Thomson, Julia Cutt, Geoffrey Arrowsmith, Diane Thomson, a duet by Christiaan De Beer and Mateo Moody, Jizelle Balae, Joseph Pimenta, Polina Poberezhnyk and another duet by Julia and Liam Brockley will finish things off. Young people pursuing post-secondary studies in music may apply for this $650 bursary, as these three competitors have already done. The scholarship arose through public donations in 2009, as the Valley’s music community wished to remember the late David Walden, who is retired from Ryerson Theatre School in Toronto. He only lived in the Cowichan Valley for three years but brought encouragement to everyone who wished to study music, which Walden saw as part of a lifelong journey. The competition is open to the public by donation.

In the next couple of weeks, fans of big musicals can get their fill of melodic magic in two shows. First up is Variety Fare, pianist Bob Leblanc’s singing group, presenting a Broadway showcase Thursday, May 29 at the T. Gil Bunch Theatre at Brentwood College. Fresh from a 16-show run in Victoria, the group features six singers — Tim Kyle, Lisa Tinney, Dwayne Gordon, Kristy Gislason, Stan Davis, Merissa Cox — with Leblanc as music director, soloist and accompanist. Accomplished musical theatre performers all, expect lively presentations of favourites in a fast-moving and entertaining two-hour tribute to Broadway’s great musicals, featuring the music of composers George Gershwin, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Irving Berlin, Cole Porter and Rodgers and Hammerstein from such shows as the Phantom of the Opera, Les Misérables, A Chorus Line, and more. Tickets are available through the Brentwood College box office, at 250-743-5521, on the Internet, or at the door. All seats are $25 and all are reserved. Showtime is 7.30 p.m. Meanwhile, at the Cowichan Theatre, another presentation, entitled Broadway: Decades in Revue, hits the stage Saturday, June 7 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, June 8 at 2 p.m. The Victoria Operatic Society is making its Cowichan Valley debut in a show that is directed and choreographed by Sylvia Hosie with musical direction and arrangements by Heather Burns. This show offers songs from Broadway’s Golden Age right through to the present, with selections from Guys and Dolls, Hello Dolly, Gypsy, Jesus Christ Superstar, Chicago and Wicked. Tickets are $32 each for adults and $30 for students and seniors. Get them at cowichantheatre. ca or call 250-748-7529 to reserve.

Quin Norman is 11 and attends Grade 6 at École Cobble Hill. Quin has a wide musical background, having learned with Jennie Stevens at Woodruff Music, and has played marimba, recorder and ukulele. She studied voice for two years with Eve Daniell and now with Iris Cooke-Chislett, working at a Grade 3 level. She learns theory with Trisha Daniell and wrote the basic rudiments exam last December. COURTESY COWICHANMUSICTEACHERS.COM

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Wednesday, May 28, 2014 | Cowichan Valley Citizen

OUR VIEW

Uncertain future: not enough money, bodies t has become a sadly familiar story: a community organization facing closure or significant cuts due to lack of funding and volunteers. In the news right now it is Cowichan Community Policing that is looking at an uncertain future. Their core funding of $98,000 hasn’t increased in five years, though expenses certainly haven’t frozen during that time. And the refrain of volunteers being hard to find is one we’ve heard before. So is the weary admission that more and more time is being diverted to trying

to raise money to stay a step ahead of closure. Community Policing isn’t the only group hurting for funds and manpower. Earlier this spring the Canadian Cancer Society had to cancel the Relay for Life event because they couldn’t get enough volunteers or participants. For the first time, the Cancer Society’s Daffodil Campaign had to hire a coordinator, because a volunteer could not be found to fill the post. The idea behind the United Way was to do one big fundraising blitz each year that would

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supply core funding to most of the community’s non-profits in one fell swoop, so there wasn’t a fundraiser on every corner. While the United Way campaign undoubtedly still does excellent work and provides much-needed money to its organizations, it is clearly no longer enough to meet the entire needs of the groups it serves. The number of additional fundraisers that take place throughout the year tell us that. So do the reports from these groups when they approach local municipal governments for grants to help keep their lights

on and doors open. Yet these groups provide more and more key services as governments from the feds to the province shed responsibility for groups and programs that range from the disabled to the homeless. Sure, they still offer a few paltry grants that groups can compete for, but it doesn’t make up for real organizational and structural funding that’s been lost. Now, these programs and services are under threat of disappearing forever as volunteers struggle to keep them afloat. All too often they are depend-

Taxpayers to pay as emotion wins the day

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ahead and ask the contenders, “What’s the plan?” In the many years of debate over plans for the undeveloped forest there has been little discussion about the remaining parkland. How will trails be maintained? Will invasive species be controlled? How will residents and, more importantly, Penelakut First Nation, be involved in creating this living legacy? Are there plans to educate the community (and themselves) about the treasures of this forest? Good on everyone for making the right decision — in the wrong way. Hopefully, we all have learned.

At the May 21 North Cowichan council meeting I spoke in favour of developing Echo Heights. There are two main reasons: 1. This property is arguably the municipality’s biggest revenueproducing asset. Revenue from lot sales held the potential to reduce the rising tax burden. 2. The municipality already has 50 parks. Alas, my taxpayer’s view did not prevail. A mere nine per cent of Echo Heights will be developed, resulting in millions of lost municipal revenue. Revenue reduction from development of nine per cent instead of 20 per cent did not motivate the majority of council, although the 20 per cent previously proposed was to be largely on disturbed Scotch broom-infested land. The majority of council appeared to be ground down by the Cowichan Residents Association’s emotional campaign. Councillor John Koury cast the sole vote against the reduction. Councillors Al Siebring and Jennifer Woike, who were previously opposed the nine per cent solution proposed by Mayor John Lefebure, reversed themselves. Not to worry, you and I, the taxpayers, will make up for the loss. Congratulations to CRA for providing another example of how a Not In My Back Yard group can sway a council. The appeals of the CRA failed to demonstrate what Echo Heights has to offer that is not found in the 50 parks we now have. Nevertheless, emotion won the day. As a result the backyards of Echo Heights will be preserved to the financial detriment of the larger community.

Mark Kiemele Chemainus

Don Graham Chemainus

Publisher Shirley Skolos Editor Andrea Rondeau Customer service manager Dawn Heggie Production supervisor Alice Brownbridge Newsroom 250-748-2666, extension 235 news@cowichanvalleycitizen.com Advertising 250-748-2666, extensions 223, 227, 228, 229, 230 Classified ads 1-866-415-9169

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ent on a precarious foundation of one or two dedicated and hardworking individuals who heroically shoulder the burden. But when something happens to those individuals, the whole structure can quickly crumble. Having the person who runs the program actually run the program rather than having to be a professional grant proposal writer would be helpful. These programs and services enrich our communities and our lives. There needs to be a better way to properly fund them in a stable manner.

Right decision made in the wrong way Now that 90 per cent of Echo Heights Forest in Chemainus has been saved, it is time to take a look back and a glimpse forward. North Cowichan municipal elections are in a few months. There will be much trumpeting amongst candidates about how they listened to the vast majority of residents and saved most of this special place while practicing good fiscal management by the proposed low-risk housing development on the remaining portion. What they won’t be chattering about are their closed ears and minds during the 3,000 days it took to make this happen. Yes,

it was more than eight years ago that our public servants first floated the hare-brained plan to build more than 200 homes on about half the 54-acre property. But they can pat themselves on the back for creating a groundswell of opposition from citizens throughout the municipality, resulting in an active residents association that educated many about not-so-smart growth and bureaucratic duplicity. What they will try to hide is an accounting for the hundreds of thousands of dollars paid to staff and consultants since 2005. As busy beaver builders begin to make their marks on the edge of Echo Heights Forest, and candidates strut their stuff, it will be time for voters to look

Opinion

Cowichan Valley Citizen | Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Publisher, Shirley Skolos

Sports, Kevin Rothbauer

Local News, Sarah Simpson

sskolos@cowichanvalleycitizen.com

sports@cowichanvalleycitizen.com

Editor, Andrea Rondeau

Arts, Lexi Bainas

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ssimpson@cowichanvalleycitizen.com Distribution, Audette LePage audettelepage@shaw.ca

Would you move to the Cowichan Valley for $100,000 a year?

consultant’s hands. They worried aloud about which regional district was the most valid “comparable”. Not one director asked whether inflation should be a factor in wage increases. Not one asked how to factor in the incomes of taxpayers in the region. If they had, they might have learned that local taxpayers, who must foot the bill for the big salaries, showed average income increases even lower than inflation over the past 10 years. Local citizens should demand that our elected directors revise their approach to hiring senior staff. The current approach has led to the rapid escalation of top salaries in local government all across the country. Locally, this approach led to the hiring of CVRD head Warren Jones from a municipality on the Mainland in 2008. That didn’t work out so well. After a few years of rapidly increasing pay, Mr. Jones was let go earlier this year, though the CVRD won’t give details. What we do know is that he was given a lavish $350,000 publicly-funded severance package. Now, the CVRD board will again hire a new head for the organization. Inexplicably, the directors appear to be again focused on the conventional approach, with its inevitable salary escalation as regions leapfrog each other to stay with the pack. Meanwhile, human resources consultants, who are typically paid a percentage of the salaries of executives they find, laugh all the way to the bank. Wages and benefits are the single biggest cost in the CVRD budget. Every annual increase is

Here’s the deal: a salary of $100,000 a year, a secure government job with full benefits, and a gold-plated pension plan. One imagines there would be no shortage of good applicants for such a plum job. Unfortunately, the elected board of the Cowichan Valley Regional District apparently thinks $100,000 is not nearly enough. Ten years ago, the head of the CVRD, Frank Raimondo, was paid $110,000 at the top of his scale. By 2013, the top man, Warren Jones, was being paid over $200,000. How did the top salary at the CVRD increase by almost 100 per cent, while inflation over the 10year period was less than 20 per cent? The rapid rise in pay at the CVRD isn’t limited to the top position. The average increase for top CVRD management positions was 76 per cent for the 10 years, according to the publicly available Statements of Financial Information on the CVRD website. (SOFI statements do not include employer-paid pension contributions, so these remuneration figures actually understate the full cost to citizens.) At a recent meeting of the CVRD compensation committee, directors heard a presentation from a “human resources” consultant, focusing particularly on what other regional districts pay. The elected directors, who have responsibility for setting CVRD salaries, played right into the

built into the budget, becoming an ever-escalating baseline for further increases the next year. Top salaries are the most important, as they drive salary levels of staff down the line. From a taxpayer perspective, salaries matter. One solution could be to limit total future increases to the rate of inflation. Not only across-theboard increases, but increases for any reason. Salaries and benefits are the biggest single item in the CVRD budget and the biggest driver of tax increases. Directors have total control over this item. Challenging the status quo will take courage. It will mean directors going against staff recommendations. It will mean directors making decisions without staff in the room, which they rarely do. However if CVRD directors ultimately decide to take effective action, they will look better to the electorate in November. And they might even have a case that their own modest salaries — typically $16,000 to $24,000 — could legitimately be increased.

The Cowichan Valley Citizen is a division of VI Newspaper Group Limited Partnership. A copy of our privacy policy is available at www.van.net or by contacting 604-439-2603.

Don’t punish everyone for the mess of a few Regarding removal of recycling bins. I am not one who would call another person’s intelligence less than that of a door knob, but doesn’t this completely go against what we have been doing for years? We knew the pitfalls when we started these projects. We accepted them. We don’t punish the masses for the misdeeds of the few. That is just justifying wrong. Why would we hire whin-

Thanks to stranger who gave up appointment Thank you so much to the nice woman that gave up her X-Ray appointment Thursday, May 22, so we would make the

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ers and complainers in the first place if they can’t do the job properly that they have been paid extra to do well for us? Maybe we, the employers, should be thinking of removing a few door knobs completely. And now we have security guards where the mighty recycle bins once sat. I am still interested in recycling at a local level all my small items of metal, plastic, paper and glass. And maybe a few door knobs too.

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Stage 1 Sprinkling Regulations for the following CVRD Water Systems In order to promote water conservation, customers of the CVRD water systems listed below are required to comply with the following sprinkling restrictions:

REGIONAL AFFORDABLE HOUSING SURVEY

• Shellwood

• Arbutus Ridge

• Lambourn Estates

• Carlton

• Youbou

• Mesachie Lake

Residents of Duncan, North Cowichan, Ladysmith, Lake Cowichan and CVRD Electoral Areas are invited to participate in a short online survey about housing challenges and opportunities at:

• Burnum

• Kerry Village

• Honeymoon Bay

• Douglas Hill

• Fernridge

• Bald Mountain

• Dogwood Ridge

• Satellite Park

• Cherry Point Estates

• Shawnigan Lake North • Arbutus Mountain Estates

www.cvrd.bc.ca/housing The survey will close May 31, 2014. Input will go toward the Regional Affordable Housing Needs Assessment – a study which examines housing market conditions, household incomes, and other factors, and identi¿es the people such as seniors, low-income families and single parents, who face the greatest challenges ¿nding affordable and suitable housing. The Regional Affordable Housing Needs Assessment will provide a benchmark for government agencies, non-pro¿t societies and developers for future planning and housing projects. More information is available at www.cvrd.bc.ca/housing. FOR MORE INFORMATION Contact Ann Kjerulf, Senior Planner, at 250-746-2629.

EFFECTIVE JUNE 1, 2014 TO OCTOBER 1, 2014 Sprinkling may be carried out during one of the following time periods 6:00 am and 9:00 am OR 7:00 pm and 10:00 pm Odd numbered houses may sprinkle on odd numbered days ONLY. Even numbered houses may sprinkle on even numbered days ONLY. FOR MORE INFORMATION please contact the Engineering Services Department at (250) 746-2530. Your full cooperation is expected and appreciated.

Prime Time

Wednesday, May 28, 2014 | Cowichan Valley Citizen

Medford Singers set to take on pop tunes in spring concert The Medford Singers are performing a show entitled Spring into Song Saturday, May 31 starting at 7:30 p.m. at Duncan United Church. Director Simon Leung will be conducting the group in a variety of uplifting pieces. The selections range from pop tunes like an Abba medley, the Beatles’ Here Comes the Sun, Jim Croce’s Time in a Bottle and You’ve Got a Friend, made famous by both James Taylor and Carole King to He,

Watching over Israel from Mendelssohn’s oratorio, Elijah and Oscar Peterson’s Hymn to Freedom. With a three-piece ensemble as accompaniment and guest soloists Sarah Lane, Elizabeth Barrett and Mark Marquette on deck, it promises to be an entertaining evening. Tickets are $15 for adults. Get them from Volume One Books, the Duncan United Church office or from choir members. Entry is free for children under 12. Lexi Bainas, Citizen

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Cognitive load reduction a risk Aging can be fun if you lay increased cognitive load leads back and enjoy it. — Clint to impaired mobility decisions Eastwood in seniors at risk for falls. It n cognitive psychology, further mentioned that sen“cognitive load” is the load iors with reduced executive related to the control of our functioning — such as seniors working memory. Theories say with a history of falls — may that during complex learning be prone to poor mobility deciactivities the amount of inforsions/results, especially under FROM NEXT mation that must be processed dual-task conditions. DOOR simultaneously can overload The study classified particiChris Wilkinson pants as “at-risk” and “not-atthe overall limit of working memory one possesses. risk” for falls using a validated Working memory also includes visfall risk assessment. ual representation of pending body Dual-task performance was assessed in a movements. virtual reality environment where particiThe more a person attempts to learn/ pants crossed a simulated street by walkprocess in a shorter amount of time, the ing on a manual treadmill while listening more difficult it is to process that inforto music or conversing on a phone. mation in working memory. Those “at-risk” experienced more colliFor example, consider trying to read sions with oncoming cars and had longer this article and toss/catch a ball repeticrossing times in the music/phone conditively, while adding 1+2+3+4+5+ etc. The tion compared to controls. cognitive load is much higher because So basically, elderly individuals trying the brain’s working memory must to concentrate on a certain task and who work harder to process language while were mobile were at higher risk for a fall, simultaneously trying to integrate new which can be a life threatening injury. information. So, what do we do with this info? And these processes are sensitive to age. Let’s encourage our elderly loved ones Working memory is associated with cogwho have suffered a fall to focus on the nitive development, and research shows quality of their mobility. that its capacity tends to decline as we To avoid multitasking when being age. mobile. Much research has demonstrated that Let’s all be patient with our elderly cognitive aging is accompanied by a loved ones in conversation when it is reduction of working memory, a genapparent that the information we are proeral slowing of mental processes, and a viding is coming at them too fast and is decline of the ability to repress irrelevant overwhelming. information. Let’s slow it down a touch. Let’s We’ve all seen our aging loved ones understand. struggle with multitasking. And even Chris Wilkinson is the owner/GM for Nurse Next more concerning, it’s likely that the Door Home Care Services for Cowichan and cenreduction in cognitive load ability as we tral Vancouver Island. For questions or a free inage contributes to fall risk in our elderly home caring consult call 250-748-4357, or email loved ones. Cowichan@NurseNextDoor.com One particular study stated that

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Cowichan Valley Citizen | Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Island Oak High School students work in the Jubilee Community Gardens. [SUBMITTED]

Students help out, learn from seniors Inspecting the various hydraulicking operations at work on Yukon rivers usually meant opportunities for Const. George Wall to big game hunt and fish. —Yukon Travel & Information photo

It was ‘always the open spaces’ for George Wall, NWMP, RCMP

t the time of his interthree years passed quickly and view for the Colonist, pleasantly but, by then, he was in 1977, George Inglis ready for a change and, taking described George Wall of Mill his discharge, he set out for Bay as a “quiet...gentleman of New Zealand. 81”. Which means, of course, In San Francisco, he learned that this onetime Royal Norththat he required both passport west Mounted Police officer and a birth certificate, neither has gone to his final reward. As of which he had as few people CHRONICLES have, most definitely, the five did in those days, particularly T.W. Paterson other former members of the when travelling within the NWMP who were still around British Commonwealth. In in 1977. Los Angeles, he found work as a cable Thanks to Inglis, however, we know splicer for a telephone company. But he something of Wall’s career. Derby-born in didn’t care for the heat and he re-applied, 1896, he came of age just in time to enlist this time to the RCMP, for another northin the Royal Artillery at the outbreak of ern posting. His name was placed on a the First World War. For four years his list and, within a year, he was called to unit fought its way across France but Vancouver. Signing on for two years, he Wall greeted Armistice without a scratch. was soon on his way to Baillie Island, on “I sure was lucky,” he told Inglis. the edge of the Beaufort Sea, with only By then ready for a new start, he chose another constable and two Hudson’s Bay Canada and landed in Montreal early in Co. employees for company. 1919. His first job, as a lumberjack in the For all the isolation, he enjoyed it Quebec woods, “was the only job I could enough to re-sign for two more years: “It get,” he explained with a smile. “They was peaceful and easy. About all we saw were all Frenchmen in the camp. Only were Eskimos [sic] when they came into three spoke any English.” the post to trade their skins. The old tradOne of them showed him a newspaper ing schooner from Herschel Island to the ad seeking recruits for the NWMP: $60 west, would drop anchor during the short a month with room and board. His cosummer. worker said there was no future for him “There were no aeroplanes in those in the Quebec woods. Why didn’t he apply days, no radio. But, there was always to the Mounties? something to do. We built our own sleds, Wall did apply, was accepted, and was fished for the winter’s supply of dog feed, off to Regina for basic training then to his shot seals. When the long winter days first posting, for three years, in Carcross, came we would hitch up the dogs, collect Y.T. More than half a century and much an Eskimo guide-interpreter and make a of a lifetime later, in the comfort of his patrol of, maybe 1,000 miles. These Arctic Mill Bay living room, he downplayed any patrols were made to emphasize Canada’s suggestion that life in the North in the claim to Arctic sovereignty.” 1920s (this was long after the Klondike Isolation worked for George Wall: “The gold rush had peaked) had been romantic northern silence never bothered me. I or exciting — there had been no manhunt used to read a lot, everything I could get a for the infamous Mad Trapper to enliven hold of. I suppose that’s why, even today, I his days! have a great interest in reading.” But he did enjoy patrolling by dog team, He retired from the RCMP, aged 44. It hunting mountain goats high above Lake had been a good 20 years: “I never once Bennett, hunting for moose and caribou, met with any violence,” he told Inglis and fishing, often while on official busiwith obvious satisfaction in 1977. ness such as inspecting the hydraulickwww.twpaterson.com ing operations on Yukon creeks. Those

What’s better than pushing a pencil indoors on a spring day? Getting outside and digging in the dirt! Island Oak High School students spent the day down at the Jubilee Community Gardens in Centennial Park last Friday helping the mainly senior gardeners prepare the gardens for planting. “We greatly appreciate the help, and we hope they learned something,” said Ted Leischner of the Jubilee Community Gardens. Students turned compost, mulched fruit trees, and weeded the raised garden beds. As the students worked, Leischner and other Community Garden volunteers taught them how to provide bee habitat, construct worm composters and practice permaculture. Teacher Regina Montag said that by doing instead of just learning at a desk, students are more likely to put

what they learn into practice. While the Jubilee Gardens are now an established part of the Duncan community, that wasn’t always the case. “Before the gardens were there, seniors were afraid to go to that part of Centennial Park,” says Barb Kruger, a volunteer with Jubilee Community Gardens. Kruger said the gardens were started by the Green Community, the Land Trust and the Vancouver Foundation with help from other organizations like the Maxwell International School. “The energy was around building bridges between seniors and youth,” she said. That’s an impulse Ida Steenson, a Grade 9 Island Oak High School student who helped mulch a fruit tree at the gardens, agrees with. “Youth and seniors learn from each other,” she said.

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Cowichan Valley Citizen | Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Shawnigan and Brentwood advance in provincial rugby championships FIRST ROUND:

Cowichan and Kelsey ousted by high seeds KEVIN ROTHBAUER CITIZEN

Hayley Baker is at home on the vault. [KEVIN ROTHBAUER/CITIZEN]

Dynamics’ Baker heads to nationals KEVIN ROTHBAUER CITIZEN

It’s a month of milestones for Hayley Baker. The veteran gymnast with the Duncan Dynamics turned 16 last Thursday, and this week she is in Ottawa competing at her first national championships. Reaching nationals has been Baker’s goal since she started gymnastics 10 years ago, but she is going into the event with an open mind. “I’m not really expecting anything,” she said. “I’ll just do my best and see what I can achieve. This is my first time at nationals, so I’m just really happy I get to go.” To qualify for Team BC, Baker had to complete three trials, with the best two used for qualifying. She is the reigning provincial champion in vault, and is competing in Ottawa in that event as well as the other three elements: floor, beam and bars. Earlier this year, she finished fourth in vault in the National Stream Cup in Montreal, barely missing out on a bronze medal. This is the second year that the Dynamics have sent a gymnast to nationals, following Micaylla Broadway’s appearance last year. It’s a big step for the club, according to head coach Olga Mataganova, who is thrilled to see Baker making the trip. “I’m very proud of her,” s h e s a i d . “ I ’ m h a p py s h e made it. She’s one of our best gymnasts.” Vault isn’t just Baker’s best event; it’s also her favourite. “I like that I’m just really powerful, so it’s easy for me to do,” she said. “It’s always been comfortable for me.” Baker’s big goals don’t stop with qualifying for nationals. She wants to be the first Dynamics gymnast to earn an NCAA scholarship, and will be touring colleges this summer.

Shawnigan Lake School and Brentwood College took steps forward in their quest for provincial boys rugby championships as the first round of the tournament got under way at Brentwood last Saturday. Top-seeded Shawnigan began its quest for a sixth consecutive provincial AAA title with a 34-0 win over Gleneagle. Head coach Tim Murdy was pleased with the win but identified areas where his squad can improve. “We played very well in passages but will need to be more consistent moving forward,” he said. Playing on their own turf, Brentwood, the third seed in the AA tournament, managed a convincing 50-20 victory over 14thranked Glenlyon Norfolk. As the tournament moves to Abbotsford on Wednesday, Shawnigan will face AAA ninthseed Yale, and Brentwood will take on Hugh McRoberts, the sixth seed in the AA bracket. Cowichan Secondary and Frances Kelsey both played exceptional games under the circumstances, but suffered losses on Saturday.

Shawnigan’s George Barton slips away from a Gleneagle tackler on his way to scoring a try. [KEVIN ROTHBAUER/CITIZEN] Cowichan, the 14th seed in the AAA tournament, was beaten 33-5 by Oak Bay, while Kelsey, ranked 13th in the AA tourney, lost 4112 to St. Michael’s University School. The Cowichan Thunderbirds went into their game missing eight players from the lineup, including half a dozen starters. Despite that, the T-Birds held the Barbarians to a single try through most of the first half, and kept things close with Kyle Joe’s try in the 25th minute. The Barbarians were limited to just two more tries

in the second half. “The T-Birds’ hard running and persistent defence unnerved the dominant Oak Bay side,” Cowichan coach Ron Glass said. Like the T-Birds, the Kelsey Breakers were missing six starters as they squared off with SMUS. The Breakers controlled possession for the first 10 minutes of the match, and got on the board first with a try by Jed Leech. “The boys played with a ton of heart and held the lead for most of the first half,” assistant coach Tom Fogarty said. “How-

ever, towards the end of the half, SMUS’s fitness and speed eventually broke through and they were able to get their attack firing as they put Kelsey under tremendous pressure.” The Breakers continued to battle in the second half, and were rewarded when Leech, a standout in his first year of rugby, scored his second and added a conversion. In Abbotsford on Wednesday, Cowichan will face 11th-seeded Handsworth, while Kelsey will battle 12th-seeded L.V. Rogers.

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Sports

Wednesday, May 28, 2014 | Cowichan Valley Citizen

Brentwood tops Shawnigan in AA consolation, Cowichan seventh in AAA KEVIN ROTHBAUER CITIZEN

“We won when it counted,” one of Brentwood College School’s rugby players announced to her teammates after they defeated Shawnigan Lake School 25-12 in the consolation final at the AA provincial championships in Port Alberni last weekend. While neither team was in contention for the B.C. title, pride was on the line as the South Cowichan rivals faced each other in a rematch of the Island final won by Shawnigan. “It was very satisfying for our players,” Brentwood coach Marius Felix said. “Shawnigan beat us fairly handily early in the year, and we had a competitive Island

championship. It was a terrific tribute to our players for responding in an excellent way.” Brentwood got tries from Brooklyn Navarette and Shannyn O’Callaghan in the final, with Avi Sharabi kicking two penalties and a conversion After beating Lake City in the first round, a kicked conversion was the only difference as Brentwood lost to Abbotsford 12-10 in the semifinals. “Probably the most competitive game of the entire tournament was our semifinal against Abbotsford,” Felix said. “Bateman would probably take exception if I said we were the second best team there, but I firmly believe we were.”

Abbotsford would go on to defeat Bateman 26-12 in the final. Shawnigan will lose Commissioner’s XV selection Jenn Lemon to graduation along with Katrina Florez, Carolina Mahecha, Nambi Mbaja and Mack Sharpe, but the team has several players coming back who have had significant playing time this year, including Navarette and Grade 10 No. 10 McKenna Haz. “Our goal is always to be in the top four in the province, and I think we’ll be capable of doing that next year,” Felix said. Shawnigan opened the tournament with a 17-5 win over Heritage Park, then lost 17-12 to Robert Bateman in the semis to set up the third-place game with

Brentwood. Cowichan Secondary placed seventh in the AAA tournament, finishing up with a 38-10 win over Norkam. Mariah Fontana had three tries and three conversions in the last match, while Hannah Morten and Brigitte Reid had single tries and Maddi Pirie slotted a conversion. The defending provincial champions, Cowichan lost their opener against Elgin Park 8-5 on penalty kicks after a scoreless overtime. Meena Manhas scored the Thunderbirds’ lone try. They were edged 12-10 by Carson Graham in the second round, with Fontana and Darien Hobday doing the scoring. For a variety of reasons, the

T-Birds were without several key players at provincials. “When you don’t have your top and most experienced players on the field before the B.C.’s or at the B.C.’s, you can’t be successful against quality competition,” coach Brad Skene said. “Even though we were missing six or seven and then eight players who were starters a month ago, I was impressed by the character that a number of our Grade 12s showed leading a group of young kids at their first B.C.’s, that played with a lot of heart and guts.” The T-Birds will lose a lot of experienced Grade 12s this year, but 28 players will return, all with valuable experience at the provincial tournament.

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