May 6, 2015

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Wednesday, May 6, 2015

Nepal quake survivor feels ‘lucky’ KEVIN ROTHBAUER CITIZEN

Residents of the village where Cowichan’s Nick Versteeg was staying when the magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck Nepal hunker down in tents after most of the buildings in the settlement were destroyed by the quake. People there are desperately in need of aid, said Versteeg. [NICK VERSTEEG PHOTO]

It’s almost that time of the year again…

All things considered, the cough Nick Versteeg is still coping with, days after his return from Nepal, is pretty minor.

Known as the Khumbu Cough, it afflicts everyone who visits the Mount Everest Base Camp.

“You get small particles of sand in your lungs,” the celebrated Cowichan Bay filmmaker explained on Monday, three days after he got back to Canada on May 1. “Everybody deals with it.

The coughing is incredible. I’ve been coughing more or less the last 14 days.”

After surviving the magnitude7.8 earthquake on April 25 that killed more than 7,600 people, Versteeg will take the cough.

“It’s better than being hit by massive rocks,” he said.

When the devastating earthquake struck, Versteeg and his trekking companion had just returned to Namche Bazaar — the hub for Everest exploration — from Base Camp, and were waiting to rejoin the Seattlebased dentist that Versteeg had been filming on behalf of Rotary International as the dentist did volunteer work among the Sherpas and their families.

They were staying in a lodge in Namche, which provided food and shelter, with no extravagances, and constructed, like most buildings in the village, out of large stones — not bricks or cinderblocks — and no cement.

“You have to envision, it’s not a hotel,” Versteeg said.

See VERSTEEG, Page 10

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3

N. Cowichan shifts tax hike to businesses bution rate was defeated 4-3 and when the option to give homeowners a break came up, Marsh again entered the lists.

“When the representatives of businesses send letters saying: please don’t do this, I feel concerned,” she said.

Siebring disagreed, saying that the word equitable was important to him, particularly following the tax break given to Catalyst.

“Option 2 is a very small step back towards equity,” he said, and his side won by a 4-3 vote.

Before council made its decision, members of the public were asked for comment.

Laurie Thomson said that North Cowichan council should not pretend that their tax rates are low by leaving such things as the levy for the Island Savings Centre out of the equation.

“No one is fooled by those claims,” he said.

Don Graham was concerned that the amount of taxes raised on farmland was “miniscule,” and wondered if council was distracted by considering farmland a “motherhood” issue.

“How many of North Cowichan’s 450 farms are tax dodges?” he asked, suggesting that municipal staff should be asked to investigate.

Kathy Wachs said she was deeply concerned that council might add to the amount of taxes businesses have to pay, calling it “too much of a burden”, especially for some of the hard-pressed small operations in Chemainus.

LEXI BAINAS CITIZEN

Tom Walker, councillor

Kate Marsh, councillor

tiveness? I don’t think so. Not for heavy industry anyway. We’d still be third or fourth lowest. And we’re one of the lower business rates on the Island compared to other municipalities. The lion’s share of this will fall on a handful of properties.

It’s not ideal, but it’s quite a small amount for most businesses. We need a bigger conversation about light industry. That’s goes beyond tweaks in the tax rate,” Douglas said.

Coun. Al Siebring also recognized that helping homeowners would hit industry.

But he reminded council that homeowners had been asked to step up when Catalyst’s mill was in financial trouble only a few years ago.

“This is not a big increase for Catalyst.

This is a small way of trying to regain what we gave up to help them,” he said.

Coun. Tom Walker said council needed “to show we care about homeowners. Many homeowners are now struggling. We keep talking about the average house but I have trouble finding it.”

He suggested that seniors, in particular, are not financially well placed to deal with increases in their taxes, while businesses could write off an increase.

“Choosing Option 2 has a message. It offers hope to homeowners that we’re really concerned about the residential rate.

Maeve Maguire was for Option 1, saying she wanted an alternative that gave hope to business, as shown by a public statement by Kathy Wachs before council started their discussion, urging councillors to note that downtown Mural Town was suffering.

Maguire took up their cause.

“Certainly Chemainus has come here to speak to us today,” she said.

“Option 1 gives a louder message to business. It’s less politically correct but I think

it’s the right choice.”

Then Coun. Kate Marsh passionately urged her colleagues to choose anything but Option 2.

“I feel this is a defining moment for council. We’re in the first year of our term. It’s all about messaging. Who we are as council. We can set the table for business,” she said, pointing out that various programs introduced in the past have helped business towards a stronger foundation but that council needed to be ready to capitalize on that work by offering businesses some tax support now.

She said a lot of people are living precarious lives, facing increasing disparity between rich and poor. She called Option 2 “a bit punitive” to business owners. In other words councillors were saying: “just be good sports and suck it up.”

Behnsen disagreed.

“People are selling their homes and vowing not to live in North Cowichan again. I feel a big responsibility to keep the taxation level down,” she said.

Mayor Lefebure reminded everyone that a lot of work had gone into the idea of equally distributing the Tel: 250·746·8123 increase.

Email: ken@kenneal.com “Everybody at this table had really considered this. From my point of Website: KenNeal.com view it is an accurate reflection of Facebook.com/kennealduncan what we decided. We should support the rate structure that we worked so Service you will hard to put in place,” he said.

An attempt to pass the equal distriHappily Recommend

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It took them more than an hour of heartfelt debate April 30 to finally reach a decision but North Cowichan councillors chose to give homeowners a slight tax break — at the expense of the business and industrial taxpayers.

Residential taxpayers are facing an increase of 2.98 per cent in 2015.

The general municipal taxes on a $200,000 home will be $913.18 while on a $300,000 home they will be $13,69.77 and on a $600,000 home, they will be $2,739.54.

However that choice means the business and industrial communities will have to pick up the slack.

And that was the cause of a lot of passionate discussion in the council chambers at the sparsely attended special budget meeting last Thursday evening.

Coun. Kate Marsh led the charge on behalf of the businesses, with support from Coun. Maeve Maguire and Mayor Jon Lefebure but she met stiff opposition from her colleagues Tom Walker, Joyce Behnsen, Rob Douglas and Al Siebring.

They wanted some reasonable respite for the residential taxpayer and waded in with strong arguments when Marsh pointed out the dire state of many small businesses.

At issue was whether or not to distribute a 3.22 per cent municipal tax increase evenly across all classes of properties (Option 1) or to set the residential tax increase at 2.98 per cent and 3.7 per cent on all other classes (Option 2).

Another choice (Option 3) dropped the rate on light industrial and increased all the other classes 3.7 per cent in an effort to make North Cowichan more attractive to light industrial investors. However, no one wanted to talk at length about that now, preferring to address that subject later this year.

They had plenty to discuss even without that, however.

Coun. Joyce Behnsen said she still thought there was half a million dollars in the budget that could be spent more wisely.

She was referring to $420,000 earmarked for a sidewalk along part of Lane Road and $75,000 for another dog park.

“I don’t believe we should be increasing taxes,” she said.

Coun. Rob Douglas also backed Option 2, but was ready to listen to municipal staff ’s concerns about attracting more investment.

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News

Cowichan Valley Citizen | Wednesday, May 6, 2015

5

Thefts from yard cost Cork out, Nike residents peace of mind Grind in for field ◆ NORTH COWICHAN

ANDREA RONDEAU CITIZEN

Shirley Kruse and her husband have so far lost a lawnmower and a beloved lawn ornament, and theirs isn’t the only house in the neighbourhood around Westview Street and Grieve Road in Duncan that’s had belongings pilfered from it by thieves.

“We’re being targeted big time up here,” Kruse said. “When I go to bed at night I can’t help but wonder who’s crawling around my place and when I wake in the morning I wonder, well, what’s going to be missing today? I got on the verge of I wanted to cry.”

The retired couple moved to the area a year ago, and have since heard of several lawnmowers in the neighbourhood that have been stolen, along with a two-man canoe that was chained and locked down, that everything from the garage of a resident on vacation was cleaned out, and even a compressor was snatched in broad daylight from tradesmen working in the area. They caught the thief in the last instance, Kruse said.

“People in the community should know what’s going on,” said Kruse, who would like to see the thieves shamed.

North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP spokesman Sgt. Chris Swain said the Kruse’s neighbourhood has not been particularly hard-hit as far as the detachment knows, these kinds of thefts from yards and vehicles are just a common type of crime.

“It’s a fairly common offence, unfortunately, but it is; people

wandering around at night looking for something easy to steal,” he said. “I’m hoping everyone phones police when something like that happens; not a lot of people do.”

Notifying the authorities is important, even when the stolen items aren’t worth a lot of money, Swain said, because then police can get an accurate snapshot of what’s happening in a neighbourhood, and if it is being targeted they can step up their vigilance.

Police do conduct patrols at all hours, he said, and there is also the citizens on patrol group as well.

“There’s things we can do, and things we are doing,” Swain said.

Kruse said the thieves likely think people’s insurance will cover the losses, but that’s not the case in many instances, such as the loss of their lawnmower.

The deductible on many policies is so high that it more than covers the cost of many of the missing items, leaving the victims out of pocket.

The Kruses haven’t yet been able to purchase a new mower and have had to pay someone to come and cut their lawn.

The thefts, she said, are even more frustrating and bizarre when one considers that the stolen lawnmower was 16 years old, and the lawn ornament, taken last week, was broken, awaiting a fix with some glue by Kruse. The ornament is in the shape of a little boy with darkcoloured paint.

The first inkling the couple had of problems in the area came when they were waiting to take possession of their home and they had a call from their realtor who informed them that there had been a break-in.

The former owner’s belongings were still in the home when thieves used a chainsaw to cut a hole in the back door. They then boarded up the opening and proceeded to live in the house, eat the food in the freezer, and use the owner’s car to drive around town.

The perpetrators were caught in that case as well, Kruse said.

So far there’s been no such luck with the recent thefts.

It’s not just the items that have been stolen, however, it’s also peace of mind.

“They don’t realize, maybe they don’t care, it’s an inconvenience for the pocketbook for seniors, it’s heartwrenching,” Kruse said.

“Sometimes I’ll clean up at the end of the night and I’ll go out and put something in the garbage; I wouldn’t want to be out there if somebody’s in my backyard.”

LEXI BAINAS CITIZEN

New information about options for the proposed Sherman Road artificial turf field sent North Cowichan councillors back to reword a motion.

They had decided on April 15 to go ahead with putting out a tender for building the field, but include the possibility of using such materials as cork or coconut husks.

However, since then, the municipality’s parks and recreation director Ernie Mansueti discovered that the cork infill system doesn’t drain quickly enough in very wet weather to actually shed the water. On top of that, in hot and cold weather the cork surface turns hard, which leads to safety and playability issues as well.

Mansueti said he has been able to get information from the City of Port Coquitlam, which has such a field.

In addition, some research done by the Division 1 Cowichan Soccer Club also shows that there is concern that a cork field is not as comfortable to play on in hot weather, he said.

“The Cowichan Valley Soccer Association is now concerned that the cork field may not be playable in very wet, cold or hot weather. The CVSA have committed $300,000 to capital costs of this facility,” he said.

So far, several other options have been examined for an artificial surface and Mansueti

urged council to pull back the cork/coconut husk idea and go ahead with the synthetic turf project as designed and engineered, including a product called Nike Grind as one of the alternative infill options.

Coun. Rob Douglas, who has been the prime mover behind trying to get alternative surfaces in the mix, asked if there might just be a difference between manufacturers of the cork/coconut husk surface that is causing the problem but Mansueti replied, “where we are, I’m more concerned about the wet weather in B.C.” Coun. Kate Marsh and Coun.

Joyce Behnsen said they still had concerns about the idea at all while Coun. Al Siebring asked Mansueti if the Nike Grind — which is made from recycled athletic shoes — would cost more.

Mansueti told him, “I’d say that was certain,” suggesting it could be $200,000 more.

“If it’s above budget, it’s back to you,” he said.

Coun. Tom Walker wanted to see some forward movement.

“This council has heard there might be some health concerns with the surface. We’ve checked it and received assurances. Now we know it’s a safe way to go. I’d like to see us proceed. I think it’s time to move on,” he said.

Councillors votes to go to the next stage, replacing the cork/ coconut husk option with Nike Grind.

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Wednesday, May 6, 2015 | Cowichan Valley Citizen

OUR VIEW

Tax discussion must focus on sustainability I

s the message being sent worth the token amount of savings?

The tough decisions just keep on coming for municipal councils debating and voting on their budgets for the year.

Last week, North Cowichan council broke a previous deadlock and decided to allocate more of a tax increase to business and industrial than to residential taxpayers.

It was a 4-3 decision.

Those who opposed the move wanted to split the tax increase equally among the tax classes.

Doing it that way would have

meant about $3 more increase for residential taxpayers.

For such a small amount of savings, hitting the business community instead seems unwise.

Make no mistake, we see no problem with charging the big guys who can afford it rather than the individual property owner who may just be making ends meet.

The problem is that the tax classes don’t separate out the big guys who can afford it from the small business owners who are counting every penny just as carefully as a senior homeowner

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on a fixed income.

For these folks, even small increases can indeed be make-or-break.

These are the engines of our local economy. These are the business owners who live here in our Valley, who buy things from other local businesses and who employ local people.

These are the folks whose roots are right here — they won’t be looking to move their operation to Mexico for cheaper labour and fewer standards.

We want there to be more of them. Will this help?

We believe that council-

lors made their decisions conscientiously.

But there needs to be some serious discussion, once this budget cycle is done, about the direction this decision is pointing council in and whether it is indeed a road that council wishes to proceed down in the years to come.

It’s high time for a serious discussion about continuing tax increases in general.

As a community, it is folly to count on constant growth to fund ourselves. Incomes are not growing. We must look to sustainability.

Publisher Shirley Skolos Editor Andrea Rondeau Advertising director Shirley Skolos Circulation manager Audette LePage Newsroom 250-748-2666, extension 235 news@cowichanvalleycitizen.com Advertising 250-748-2666, extensions 223, 227, 228, 229, 230

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Ontario’s Andrea Horwath wants whatever Alberta’s NDP leader is having Seniors’ hospital woes only going to get worse I am so glad that Abi, a dedicated RN, was brave enough to risk coming forth with some details about conditions in our CDH. I hope she bears no repercussions for her honesty.

As someone with a senior parent that had the misfortune to be involved with medical system the last seven years of her life I can only concur with her.

It took me a full two years after my mother’s death to recover enough composure to be able to meet with the CDH head of nursing to discuss issues that caused her unexpected death.

I was assured at the time that they were aware of many short-

falls and things were changing, but apparently over a year later they are changing in the wrong direction!

Lack of facilities, poor communication between patient, staff and doctors, and understaffing on the ground level are a few challenges.

Many of the CDH senior problems are exacerbated by an inefficient home care system which does not help prevent so many seniors ending up in a hospital ill equipped to handle them.

This is another system with a top heavy bureaucratic web too complicated to enable one to speak to the same person twice; the ball of responsibility just gets passed back and forth. Lack of proper care in VIHA home-

care, and regulations tying their hands, is causing many people to go to emergency for non-sensical problems. A senior cannot even get their blood pressure taken at Makola, the new stateof-the-art senior care facility. A resident needs to make a doctor appointment for this!

The senior issue is only going to worsen, with current Harperism politics, especially in another decade when we are all there. Let’s not spend a few million or billion more dollars on a study to determine the challenges and get public input. Haven’t billions been spent already on these? We know what the problem is!

Lorene Benoit Duncan

I’ve lived in B.C. my entire 63 years, as has my wife. Most of this in Victoria, and now in the Cowichan Valley. We have had property on Shawnigan Lake for 25 years and never have I been so disappointed in our government, and the way contaminated soil is being allowed to be dumped in our watershed.

Please don’t tell me all appropriate safeguards are, or will be in place. The owners of SIA have demonstrated they are profiteers first, and everything else second. I have no confidence in their ability, or interest, in complying with the requirements of the permit. Neither do I have confidence in the ability of the regulators to detect, or uncover their noncompliance.

The technology and science that is to “safeguard” our drinking water and health, has been debated by experts without any consensus. Given the risks, why would any sensible person, or government, sacrifice the potential health of thousands for the profits of an individual company?

Please do the right think and help us reverse this permit. How one community is allowed to get rid of their garbage by dumping it on another community, without the second community having any say, is beyond me.

Grant and Corinne Price Shawnigan Lake

Send us your letter Write 300 words or less on the topic of your choice and email news@cowichanvalleycitizen.com Include: your name, a town you hail from and a phone number.

Opinion

Cowichan Valley Citizen | Wednesday, May 6, 2015

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Ken Oakes made an interesting attack on Rick Faulkner’s anti-Harper article. But Ken has made a number of mistakes in his critique.

First, the Liberals did not begin the purchase of the F-35 fighters, they began an enquiry of purchase.

I am 80 years old and during my lifetime, there has never been a Conservative government that has balanced a budget. Sure, Liberals have not always been frugal, but PM Brian Mulroney (Conservative) left the largest deficit of any government in Canadian history. The long governments of PM Chrétien and PM Martin (Liberal) not only balanced the budget but paid off more than $150 billion of the national debt.

When PM Harper was elected, he inherited a government with about a $16 billion annual surplus. In short order he blew

Cost control not on North Cowichan agenda During the 2015 tax budget process, everyone talked a good line about holding down spending and taxes. Most of the present council campaigned on that theme. However, Mayor Lefebure and his CAO, David Devana, are not listening to themselves or to their constituents.

In this environment of trying to contain costs, they invited the recently hired, part time communications manager, who just recently resigned, to do a presentation to council about not only making the position full time but creating a whole new bureaucratic department with even more staffing.

Harper on the hook for trade deals, F-35s, GM share sale losses In replying back to Ken Oakes about my previous article regarding Canada’s submarine purchase, I do apologize to the readership and Conservatives as I had not done the proper research on the topic except looking at the Globe and Mail article stating that only three of the four purchased submarines from England are in service. The Liberals were indeed responsible for the purchases.

However, I have done my homework on the other topics.

Regarding the F-35 fighter jets, the Conservatives are carrying

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.

TREE PLANTING HONOURS TWO MEMBERS

LETTERS to the editor Let’s be accurate about Harper’s responsibility

7

that surplus before we entered the 2008 recession, and added approximately $150 billion to our national debt over the next eight years. This debt has not been paid back.

The real fortune for Canada was the tremendous state of the Canadian economy left by the Chrétien/Martin governments.

One of the keys to that success was the refusal of the Cretien/ Martin governments to allow the banks to enter into the subprime mortgage schemes which destroyed the U.S. economy. By the way, Harper chastised the government for not following the Americans into that trap.

PM Harper, in opposition, argued that the government should develop more simplistic tax systems. Now we have the most complicated tax system in Canadian history.

Critique is fine, but let’s be accurate.

David Hobson Chemainus

The mayor and the CAO just do not get it. This is a job we clearly do not need and should not fill. The communications manager position adds zero value to the lives of everyday citizens in North Cowichan.

The job of senior management and the mayor is to present the issues to the public in a meaningful way.

The communication manager will only clog up that process because no communication can be done without the blessing of the mayor and CAO anyway. The mayor and the CAO are bureaucratic empire builders and wasting our money; they should both resign.

Don Swiatlowski North Cowichan

the ball on this one. On April 2012, CBC news carried an article about the F-35 which stated the Auditor General found the Department of National Defence “did not fully inform the decision makers”, “did not exercise due diligence”, and “understated the known costs” to Parliament. I believe this is when the costs went from $16 billion to much higher.

If one Googles the Ottawa Citizen and Bloomberg.com, an article from Michael Gilmore, Pentagon director of combat testing, states that the F-35 has flawed software and serious radar deficiencies required to spot the enemy as well as combat missions. They don’t expect to have this corrected

The weather could not have been more favourable for a tree planting work party on Saturday, April 18 at The Nature Trust of BC’s Cowichan Estuary Conservation area in Cowichan Bay. The warmth of the bright sun eased any sore backs and aching joints from planting 28 trees as a hedgerow restoration project adjacent to the wetlands on Dinsdale Farm.

The assortment of Douglas fir, crabapple, hawthorne, dogwood, and red flowering currant were planted to honour the service of two volunteer board members of The Nature Trust of BC, Rod Silver and Stewart Muir, who are leaving after many years of distinguished service.

Silver and Muir did not get to rest on their laurels, nor their shovels! They pitched right in and did much of the planting themselves. Muir brought his father Jim Muir along for the work (pictured above) and Silver brought his wife Wendy and one son, Matt, who all gamely helped out.

Also in on the exercise were The Nature Trust’s Steve Housser, Tom Reid, Steve Godfrey and CEO Dr. Jasper Lament. Lament praised the contributions and connections that Muir and Silver both brought to the board.

In addition to the hedgerow plantings, eight brand new and very attractive bird houses — or “Bird Hotels” were installed. [SUBMITTED]

until 2018. Many countries have cut back their orders as the F-35 has still to be proven capable.

Two interesting sites are the www.defenceindustrydaily. com, and www.defencetech. org or Military.com, where an article states the gatling gun on the F-35 won’t be working for four more years. My point of the F-35 is that from all these articles online, the plane seems too costly and may not achieve the claims of the manufacturer when completely finished.

Now with the mention of NAFTA. Yes, Brian Mulroney did bring in NAFTA, but a Conservative is a Conservative, and Mr. Harper is still trying to get more countries involved. As far as I am concerned, NAFTA has

been the downfall of the middle class and many losses of good paying jobs. Under Canadian Government, NAFTA, from 2013 to 2015 there are nine cases of Notices of Intent Received and Current Arbitrations. In the Huffingtonpost.ca, there is an article stating under Chapter 11, NAFTA, Canada is the most sued country under the Free Trade Tribunals.

Now, here is where I think Mr. Oakes and I may have different sources as to the outcome of the GM share sale by the federal government. In the Ottawa Citizen, Bloomberg. ca, Auto Industry Reports, and theglobeandmail.com, April 7, 2015, an article states the taxpayer is on the hook for $3.5

billion. The Auditor General reported last year on the 2009 auto rescue by the federal and Ontario governments. The governments received $5.4 billion Canadian back on their loan of $13.7 billion. GM bought back $400 million in preferred shares.

Ontario sold their remaining shares for $1.1 billion before the federal government share sale for $3.2 billion. Total proceeds back to the governments are around $10.2 billion. Invested $13.7 billion minus return of $10.2 billion equals $3.5 billion in the hole.

Is this good fiscal management?

Rick Faulkner Chemainus

8

Opinion

Wednesday, May 6, 2015 | Cowichan Valley Citizen

ASCENDING BROOM MOUNTAIN

Cowichan not sunny enough for solar I am somewhat bemused by Mr. Slade’s “Special to the Citizen” on solar energy in the April 29 edition.

I am the speaker that had the temerity to question the wisdom of people in our area rushing headlong into solar power investment.

My sole motive is to inform, to educate. As I said during the meeting, solar power is an excellent technology, when it is applied in its proper context.

For those of us who watched the video presentation, did you notice that all of the filming took place somewhere in the U.S. southwest?

For good reason, that area gets plenty of sun, which is critical to making solar power generation cost-effective.

The Cowichan is a Warm Land but not quite sunny enough to reward solar power users with a reasonable payback on their investment.

By all means, buy into solar power if you feel inclined; but please do not expect support from local government and your fellow taxpayers to do so. Our taxes are already much too high, thank you very much.

And, lest we forget: somewhere down the line, those solar panels are going to have to be replaced

and recycled. The problem is the recycling and it goes like this: let’s say there are 50 cents worth of recoverable selenium in a solar panel. However, (I am just guessing now, but won’t be far off the mark) it costs, say $5 to recover that selenium. Who will pay that recovery cost? Our grandchildren?

You know how these things go. The used solar panels will be quietly stockpiled and left to decay in someone else’s back yard. Not what citizens of good conscience intend.

Oh! Before I close on this subject, please remember that Mr. Slade is promoting this technology. He stands to make a buck.

One might wonder: at whose expense?

On the subject of thorium and thorium power, yes, it is a technology that is “out there.” But China and India are already researching it vigorously and Canada’s own Candu reactors are very well-suited for re-purposing for thorium fission. Why not push for a technology that is clean, easy to handle and moves us further away from uranium and plutonium, which are primarily war materiel?

I hope that the above gives you some balance and food for thought.

Laurie Thomson Duncan

Great adventure for 1st Quamichan Cubs. Broom busting at Birds Eye Cove Farm on Saturday, April 25.

[PHOTO SUBMITTED BY EVELYN THOMPSON-SMITH]

Hearing aid needed, not PR person It appears that a number of our regional directors are unaware of the final outcome of the Eco Depot. This is disquieting.

To be on record at a regional district board meeting opining that “had the public only known” appears either disingenuous or simply a failure to understand that a private citizen requested a legal judgment regarding a CVRD bylaw.

I doubt that the judge who made the decision really cared whether the proposed use was

NEPAL Relief Fundraising Event

SIA permit a terrible idea Finally South Island Aggregates (SIA) has received the go-ahead to fill their quarry on Stebbings Road with giant containers constructed out of plastic liners filled with contaminated soil. To be clear, this is not about “dirt from dredging the ocean” or just “some soil from an old gas station”; the permit gives SIA the permission to accept soil containing high concentrations of chemicals/metals like mercury, pesticides (including DDT), and PCBs. In addition, this is not just local soil. Soil has already been brought to the Island from places as far away as Prince Rupert.

The Ministry of Environment knows that Shawnigan Lake is a valuable source of drinking water that needs to be protected.

Unfortunately, rather than finding a low risk site, the Ministry is depending on engineered containment in the form of liners, clay and a sophisticated water treatment plant to keep the watershed safe. There are various reasons this is a terrible idea: • The location couldn’t be worse.

The dump is on a hill, next to a stream, over an aquifer.

• Water leaving the site will enter the creek and eventually Shawnigan Lake or possibly even the aqui-

described as an Eco Depot, a transfer station with garbage privileges, a drop off, a miniBings’ Creek, a dump, or a place to recycle Aunt Hepsibah’s tea bags. In this instance, the CVRD was wrong.

CVRD spent over $1 million in taxes on this little fiasco, and still owns that half of the property that is a hay field in summer and a duck pond in winter. We have knowledgeable, experienced, educated people living in the Cowichan Valley. Many of them are very willing to share their expertise. The CVRD should, in good faith, work with its citizens.

Rather than considering a communications officer, it would seem that certain regional directors would derive more benefit from a hearing aid.

Lavonne Huneck Cobble Hill

$100-$200 Sales Event to raise money for Nepal at The Community Farm Store

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fer beneath the site. (On the topic of aquifers, the dump is actually closer to Victoria’s watershed than it is to Shawnigan Lake.)

• SIA is going to continue blasting in the quarry, even after they start installing the plastic liners and accepting fill.

• The monitoring of the site is done by SIA themselves.

• SIA has already failed, at least once, to properly treat the water leaving the site This is not about finding a place to put the waste in the absence of a good alternative. There are other places this waste could go on the south Island. The CVRD has even offered to help find additional sites. The fundamental issue is that the current site offers no real natural containment: it is on the side of a hill, next to a stream, over an aquifer. If the engineered containment solution fails, pollution will enter the watershed. The problem is, liners can leak and water treatment plants need to be maintained. In fact, we really don’t need to look any farther than the Mt. Polley disaster to see what can happen when we rely solely on engineering to protect our natural environment.

Alex Acton Shawnigan Lake

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News

Cowichan Valley Citizen | Wednesday, May 6, 2015

Grants unusual, but will benefit whole town

9

READY TO TRY PUBLIC SPEAKING

LEXI BAINAS CITIZEN

Lady of the Lake candidates are ready for their first speeches at Lake Cowichan town council April 28. They are, front row from left, Kristen Hamilton (Miss Legion), Kirsten Mackie (Miss Kinsmen), Sidney Fothergill (Miss Countrywide Realty), Madison Youmans (Miss Country Grocer), Amanda Nixon (Miss Lions) and back row, Gianna Egilson (Miss Shaker Mill), Crystal Bell (Miss Copper Lane )and Avi Ursulom (Miss B.P.O.Elks). [LEXI BAINAS/CITIZEN]

Mayor Ross Forrest and going along with EDI numbers that Dr. Hasselback brings to us year after year, we’re hoping that will also help with that as well,” McGonigle said.

Forrest explained that the request for a digital sign board comes from the PAC. “The town has looked at that as an opportunity for collaboration with them for advertising purposes. It’s also of benefit to ourselves here. If the town needs to get information out, such as about boil water advisories, the digital sign board will be really useful for us as well. The more people we can get information to at all times on any issues the better. It’s a local asset,” he said.

After recent budget discussions, the rest of the grants-in-aid will go to Cowichan Lake Lady of the Lake ($500 for parade and pageant expenses), Cowichan Lake River & Stewardship Society ($500 for ongoing stewardship at Saywell Park), Lake Cowichan Downtown Renewal Society ($1,000 for a Lake Cowichan farmers market), Scouts Canada ($500), Summer Nights ($500 for music in the park: a grant that is still waiting to see if the program will run at all this year) and Lake Cowichan Secondary School ($500 for a scholarship).

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LAKE Cowichan Beer garden must have fence, council decides Cowichan Lake Days will again be allowed to host a beer garden but town councillors have one concern: they want a fence around it.

Coun. Tim McGonigle, while noting that BC Liquor Control regulations now allow an open beer garden, said that the town still had some authority in issuing permits and wanted to see it used in this regard when looking at the annual request for a beer garden.

“They didn’t request [an open beer garden] specifically but it wasn’t clear within the letter so we just wanted to be sure.

It’s a public event and there are small children involved. I think you have more control when it’s fenced in, for that reason alone.

That was my concern,” he said.

His colleagues agreed.

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using part of the Lake Cowichan Credit Union building for the local food bank.

He pointed out that “it’s got space, it’s got water, it’s got toilets and it’s not being used at all and my impression was there are no major plans to use it” and it could be a good use for the space.

Mayor Ross Forrest said he had noted the idea.

Coun. Tim McGonigle said it could be worth looking at because the current stop-gap Councillor Tim McGonigle location for the foodbank — in a town-owned building right on Idea floated to house the main street — could pose prifood bank at the bank vacy concerns for those who use Resident Dave Ridley asked the service.

Ridley said it might be a great Lake Cowichan town council The Cowichan Regional Districttime (CVRD) will be carrying to talk about it because he that, when Valley they have a lunch theon: impression that First meeting 4 with out flushingMay of the waterrepresentasystems listedhad below tives from Island Savings to West was “very keen” to show discuss the recent merger with their community involvement.

First West Credit Union, 28, they2014 March 24, 2014 to March ask about the possibility of Lexi Bainas, Citizen

Cvrd Water Systems Flushing Notice

Fernridge Water System Cherry Point Water System Dogwood Ridge Water System Arbutus Mountain Estates Water System

Cvrd Water Systems

SALTAIR PUBLIC Flushing Notice March 31, 2014 to April 4, 2014 MEETING The Cowichan Valley Regional District (CVRD) will be carrying Hill Water outDouglas flushing of the water systemsSystem listed below on: Burnum Water System Thursday, May 7th

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March 24, 2014 to March 28, 2014 TIME: 7:00 pm Fernridge Water System Residents may experience air in School the lines and PLACE: Mt. Brenton Centre – 3850some South Oyster Cherry Point Water System discolouration of the water supply during these operations.

Road, Ladysmith Dogwood Ridge Water System Arbutus Mountain Estates Water System Should this occur, running a cold water tap for a short period 6954689

Two unusual requests stood out from the Town of Lake Cowichan’s grants-in-aid list this spring.

Lake Cowichan town council pared the requests down by almost half but the municipality is still handing out $4,800 in grants-in-aid for 2015. This includes $1,000 for a request for a digital sign from Lake Cowichan School Parent Advisory Council and $500 for a morning program at Palsson Elementary School.

It’s not common to see municipalities handing out money for school programs or to parent advisory councils but Lake Cowichan is an unusual case, according to Mayor Ross Forrest and Coun. Tim McGonigle.

Forrest explained that neither request came from the school board or the schools themselves.

Helping Palsson with a morning program is based on “a concern that is held in our community,” he said.

Island Health’s Dr. Paul Hasselback has reported in recent years that Lake Cowichan’s young children are significantly less ready for school than kids in many other areas. While the school district is attempting to find ways to help them, the overall community remains concerned.

So much so, in fact, that the Our Cowichan Communities Health Network has scheduled a special community meeting for Monday, May 4 starting at 7 p.m. to talk about “the dramatic worsening” in the early childhood index for the Lake area.

But, in the meantime, Lake Cowichan council is stepping up to help by giving a grant-in-aid to the Palsson program.

“We’ve heard of many students going to schools hungry and it’s affecting their learning abilities.

So that’s part of it; they’re trying to help that. We engaged to give them $300 to help that along,” Forrest said.

McGonigle was able to flesh that out with a bit more information.

“It’s a branch out of a program that began over at Lake Cowichan middle school that the principal wanted to try at the elementary school.”

That not only addressed hunger but tardiness, he said.

“By offering an early morning exercise and nutrition program they are hoping that it will encourage parents to get the students there on time for this program.”

It could easily do so, based on the experience at Lake Cowichan School.

“Attendance with that initial program increased by 40 per cent, so she’s looking at similar results

6958931

Residents experience air in the lines and Questionsmay to Director Melsome Dorey discolouration of the water supply during these operations.

Should this occur, running a cold water tap for a short period will help to restore the water quality to normal.

ShoulD The pRoblem peRSiST, please call the CVRD’s Engineering Services Department at (250) 746-2530.

10 10 Wednesday, Wednesday,May May6,6,2015 2015 ||

CowichanValley Valley Citizen Cowichan Citizen

News

A resident attempts to clean up the rubble that was once a home. [SUBMITTED]

The village where Nick Versteeg was staying when the earthquake hit Nepal was mostly destroyed, with many buildings left crumbling, spilling piles of rubble that were once walls. [SUBMITTED]

Big blocks of stone from floors and ceiling litter a room in Nepal. [SUBMITTED]

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Versteeg narrowly missed being crushed one from the village to a camp at the top of a nearby mountain.

Around that same time, Versteeg and his friend were reunited “It’s very simple; super basic.” with the Seattle dentist and his guide. The guide was evenVersteeg and his friend had just ordered lunch, and managed tually able to arrange for a helicopter ride to Lukla, where to convince the Australian fellow whose bedroom was next to the nearest airport to Namche Bazaar is located. They waited Versteeg’s (and who had been up all night with the Khumbu there a couple of days before they could fly to Kathmandu.

Cough) to join them rather than head to his room for a nap.

The capital and largest city in Nepal, Kathmandu was just Then the earthquake hit. They all ran outside, feeling the 80 kilometres from the earthquake’s epicentre, and sustained ground shake beneath them while the building in front of significant damage, particularly in older parts of the 3,000them swayed left and right and cracks appeared. year-old city.

“I had never been in a 7.8 earthquake before,” Versteeg “The situation was pretty grave, but I was surprised by how noted. much was still standing,” Versteeg said.

After a major aftershock struck about an hour later, and after Versteeg and his companions stayed in a hotel that remained the Nepalese paramilitary police had arrived to take control of intact with some structural damage, and where all the staff the situation, they returned to the lodge, where the wall they had been laid off as tourists fled the country. While they had been sitting beside had fallen inwards, and the Australian were eating a breakfast of boiled eggs, white bread and tea, a man’s bedroom was destroyed. couple came in — Versteeg doesn’t know if they were English “Where we had been sitting, the whole ceiling had come or American — expecting the hotel’s usual spread and taken down,” Versteeg said. “I felt incredibly lucky.” aback by what they considered “camping.” That was the only Fortunately, Versteeg was able to recover his equipment, time Versteeg lost his composure. including six weeks of film footage, which was dusty, but not “I lost it,” he admitted. “There were 5,000 people dead. I found damaged. it incredibly rude. That was the only negative thing.”

Despite what they were going through, the Nepalese people It wasn’t easy to leave Kathmandu, and Versteeg spent a day did their best to take care of the many international visitors at the airport before he was able to get a flight out. There, he who were trapped by the quake. was able to watch the international aid efforts in action.

“The people from Namche were fantastic,” Versteeg said.

“There were huge planes coming in — Russian, Chinese, “There were hundreds of trekkers from all over the place who Turkish — and all the unloading was done by hand, which didn’t know what to do.” would take a couple of hours,” he recalled. “And everything After another night of aftershocks, the police moved every- was stocked on the side of the runway. What we felt they need is people with forklifts and trucks.”

Eventually, Versteeg flew from Kathmandu Watermain Chlorination to Delhi, beginning his journey home. It was 41 South End Water System hours before he made it to Vancouver for a “tearAs part of an ongoing program of providing quality water to our custom- ful reunion” with his wife, Elly Driessen, and her ers, please be advised that the Municipality of North Cowichan, Utilities De- sister. “That was a minor inconvenience after partment, will be undertaking routine watermain flushing in various areas of what we went through,” he said. the South End water system between Monday, May 4 and Tuesday, Versteeg had already planned a showing of his June 30, 2015 inclusive. two latest productions, 71 Years (about a Second Users may experience some chlorine odour and flavor. There may be short World War-era military flight that crashed on periods of low pressure and discolouration of water. Commercial establish- Vancouver Island and wasn’t discovered until ments, such as laundromats and beauty salons will receive advance warning 2013) and One Man’s Dream (about the creation of flushing in their area if a request for such notification is received. of the Malahat Highway) at the Cowichan PerMunicipal staff will try to minimize any inconvenience. Your patience is ap- forming Arts Centre on June 3. That will still go preciated. For further information, contact the Operations Department at ahead, but now all the profits will go to the Nepal250-746-3106. ese village of Khumjung, where Versteeg filmed In no case can responsibility be accepted for any damage arising out of the the Seattle dentist in action, and which has been completely destroyed. Versteeg is also planning use of discoloured water. to put together a short film about his earthquake 7030 Trans-Canada Highway | Box 278 | Duncan, BC V9L 3X4 experience for that event.

T 250.746.3100 F 250.746.3133 www.northcowichan.ca “A couple of thousand dollars would go a long way in helping these people out,” he said.

NEPAL QUAKE SURVIVOR, From Page 1

Cowichan Valley Citizen | Wednesday, May 6, 2015

11

B.C. mapmakers have been unkind to coal mining Dunsmuirs

6955607

Ken & Kelli Janicki Anderson We put your Best Interest First

After years of arguing business policy with the headstrong matriarch, and of increasing resentment at their sisters’ sharing the profits without contributing to the earnings, James and Alex bought Mrs. Dunsmuir’s interest, incorporated the company — and cut a secret deal whereby each willed his share of the company to the other brother rather than to his wife and children.

Finally freed of needing his mother’s approval, Alex married his “secret” live-in companion of 20 years and died

from “alcoholic dementia.” He’d literally killed himself with booze. Years of bitter litigation between the surviving Dunsmuirs followed.

In short, you won’t find mention of Alex Dunsmuir on a B.C. map. But he is immortalized in California.

When his train paused at the small station of Pusher in 1886, so struck was he by its lack of amenities that he offered its citizens a water fountain See U.S. TOWN, Page 12

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it was too late. He would, in fact, die of acute alcoholism at the age of 46.

Sober, he and James made a formidable team, Alex handling American sales, promotion and distribution, James running the Island collieries, railways and steamships. They did it so well that the revenues poured in, further enriching themselves, their mother (sole owner since Robert’s death) and ensuring that their idle sisters (and their idle husbands) could live the lives of luxury to which they’d become accustomed.

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One might think that they’ve been deliberately snubbed. ’ve mentioned before the somewhat tentative tributes that mapmakers have paid the Dunsmuirs of Vancouver Island coal mining fame/ CHRONICLES infamy. When one considers the economic, political T.W. Paterson and social clout that this coal mining dynasty held over B.C. for half a century, their immortality, as measured by their enduring geographical presence, seems slight.

One might think, in fact, that they’ve been deliberately snubbed.

Where’s the glory in Qualicum’s tiny Dunsmuir, Ladysmith’s Dunsmuir Islands and Burleith Arm, Cedar’s Joan Point, Crofton’s Joan Avenue, or Vancouver’s, Victoria’s, Nanaimo’s or Cumberland’s Dunsmuir streets? Not a mountain peak, river or city — not even those townships founded by the Dunsmuirs themselves.

Each of the above-named geographical features recognize father and mother (Robert and Joan) and first son James. There’s no mention of James’s younger brother Alexander although he helped to further the family fortune, too. According to the Gazetteer, B.C. has 12 Alexanders, six Alexandras, five Alex’s, one Alexandria and an “Alex Allan.” Only Alexandra Peak, east of Buttle Lake, is on Vancouver Island. None of them is named for Alex Dunsmuir.

Years ago, there was the Alexandria Slope, one of many mines working the Douglas coal seam at South Wellington. Begun by James Beck in 1879, it was acquired by Robert Dunsmuir and partners three years later. When Robert became sole proprietor he named it (according to one source) the Alexander, the Alexandria or the Alexandra (after the Princess of Wales, wife of the future King Edward VII, no doubt).

Ah, we’re getting warm. Dunsmuir—Alexander — Alexander Dunsmuir? Nope, the B.C. Dept. of Mines’ Annual Report(s), but for a single reference to Alexandra, refer to Alexandria.

Whichever spelling or gender, it’s a moot point now as the mine’s long shut down and filled in.

Which more or less applies to Alex Dunsmuir, too: buried and forgotten.

So what’s the story behind “Mr. Alex’s” apparent anonymity, even when alive? He was, among other accomplishments, the first white child born in Nanaimo and his parents’ favourite son.

Upon the death of Robert Dunsmuir he and elder brother James controlled one of the largest industrial empires on the Pacific Coast. Fame, to a degree, and fortune were his birthright. What went wrong?

As manager of the San Francisco office where the bulk and best of Dunsmuir coal was sold, Alexander found himself for the first time his own boss — no parents or older brother to watch over him. He began to drink — for more complex reasons than his being unsupervised, of course.

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12

Living

Wednesday, May 6, 2015 | Cowichan Valley Citizen

U.S. town named for Alex B.C. MAPMAKERS, From Page 11 (there’s irony for you!) if they renamed their community for him. They did and the fountain’s there today, in Dunsmuir, Cal., its donor gratefully acknowledged by a small plaque.

The Alexander/Alexandra/Alexandria Mine had its own townsite during the few years it operated.

After the mine closed, the small settlement (as many as 300 residents at its peak) survived as South Wellington village. By this time the Dunsmuirs were no longer active participants, Pacific Coast Collieries, then Canadian Collieries (Dunsmuir) Ltd. and smaller independents providing most of the employment for residents. Today, an unrecognizable depression immediately beside the E&N Railway grade just north of South Wellington townsite is all there is to show for the Alexandria Mine. Or the Dunsmuirs, for that matter.

Richardson slope in South Wellington, adjacent to the Alexandra mine — not named for Dunsmuir. [PHOTO COURTESY OF TOM TEER]

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first wrote about drivers whose behaviour in the “no zone” around heavy trucks left much to be desired back in 2004.

Little seems to have changed since then as when I listen to the trucking radio channels the most common complaint involves drivers who jam themselves in front of a truck and then slow down. There are many possible outcomes to this scenario when it goes wrong; the trucker is able to swerve out of the way and nothing happens, the trucker swerves out of the way and harms themselves or perhaps the trucker chooses to maintain course and harms the foolish driver.

A heavy commercial truck may have as little as 60 per cent of the braking capacity of a car or pickup truck. This essentially means that once the brakes are applied, the big truck takes twice as long to stop as you do.

Air brake systems can take more time between pressing the brake pedal and the braking components starting to do their job than your hydraulic brakes. You can extend the stopping distance even further if all of the heavy truck’s brakes are overheated, not in good condition or properly adjusted.

Do you still think that it’s a good idea to get close to the front bumper of a big truck and hit your brakes? Self-preservation might dictate that you slow down, lane change behind the truck and then make your right turn or use the exit. If you are continuing straight ahead check traffic conditions ahead before you change lanes and either avoid having to brake or have a light vehicle behind you instead.

While we’re on the topic of the “no zone”, there are many other bad places to be as you cruise alongside or behind a large commercial vehicle. If you cannot see the driver in his mirrors or through any of his windows, he cannot see you! Being invisible to a trucker is definitely not what you want to be. A fender bender for the truck could be a catastrophe for you.

Tim Schewe is a retired constable with many years of traffic law enforcement experience. To comment or learn more, please visit drivesmartbc.ca

Living

Cowichan Valley Citizen

|

Wednesday, May 6, 2015

Cowichan Valley Citizen | Wednesday, May 6, 2015

13

13

◆ SCOTIABANK MS WALK PROFILE

MS Walk Citizen of the Week Presented by:

In partnership with: www.mswalks.ca

Name: Mike Bateman, owner/operator Student Works Painting Team: Student Works Painting I lace up to: “Support the MS Society and give back to the community.”

Painters MS heroes

S

tudent Works Painting is one of the MS Society’s national sponsors and over the past six years they have donated over $750,000 to the cause. They have a program in place that matches MS donations; every franchisee donates $5 per job and Student Works Painting matches that to make it a total of $10 per job. This year they will be participating at the local Duncan Scotiabank MS Walk taking place on Sunday, May 24 at the Cowichan Sportsplex.

Mike Bateman is the owner/operator in Duncan and has decided to donate a free house painting job to a person in the Cowichan Valley living with MS. When asked why he was donating he said, “I wanted to do something nice for someone else and give back to the community”.

Bateman also mentioned that MS has touched the Student Works Painting Community; it is a cause that is very important to their organization.

Cloverdale Paint will be donating the paint for this project. If you would like to make an online donation go to www.mswalks.ca then search the team name Student Works Painting.

Since its founding in 1948, the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada has acted as a key partner to the MS research community. The MS Society currently provides over $10 million per year to MS research and is the single largest funder of MS research in Canada.

The Duncan MS Walk is an inclusive and family oriented event with face painting, balloons, coffee and continental breakfast, healthy lunch, doggie treats and bandanas, motivational speakers and lots of community spirit. All routes are wheel chair accessible.

For more information or to register go to www. mswalks.ca or call the local MS Society office at 250-748-7010.

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Wednesday, May 6, 2015 | Cowichan Valley Citizen

Happy Mother’s Day! Explore the ways to show you care this Mother’s Day

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Mother’s Day is the one day each is available in most grocery stores, and year when men, women and children can typically be found in the Asian food across the country gather to honor section. the mothers in their lives. Though it • Make a meal to remember. Mom can be challenging to find new and deserves a night off from dinner detail, unique ways to display your affection for and while dining out is an option, a Mom on Mother’s Day, rest assured that homemade meal may come across as sometimes the simplest concepts are the more intimate and heartfelt. Thanks to ones mothers most appreciate. This year, kitchen appliances that make it easier look no further than the following ideas than ever to prepare gourmet meals at for some inspiration as you aim to make home, you can now make restaurantthis Mother’s Day as special as possible style meals in your kitchen without sacrificing restaurant-quality taste. for the mother or mothers in your life.

• Give the gift of sweet treats. What better For example, new tacook Rice Cookers way to highlight mom’s sweetness from Tiger Corporation do more than than with some delicious treats made just perfectly steam rice. They also just for her? Whether you decide to incorporate synchro-cooking to cook whip up some homemade confections two different items at once. Present in the kitchen or visit a nearby store mom with her favorite Asian-inspired for something decadent, mom will poultry-and-rice dish or use the cooker Moms are sure to appreciate no doubt appreciate the chance to to easily bake bread or steam a side indulge on her big day. Moms who of vegetables. Pair the meal with her Mother’s Day celebrations focused prefer cookies and portable snacks will favorite wine and make sure you handle on food, pampering and fun. no doubt enjoy Pocky and Péjoy biscuit all the cleanup. sticks. These tasty snacks from Gilco are • Plan a Mother’s Day picnic. Busy moms or cold foods when you have Tiger dipped or filled with popular flavors, may look forward to a break from the Stainless Steel Thermal Wares on hand. such as chocolate and strawberry, bustle of daily routines. An afternoon A refreshing fruit salad can be kept and are now available with green tea picnicking outdoors can be the ideal cool for about 8 hours. If mom prefers cream. Pair with a cup of tea, coffee or way to enjoy a special Mother’s Day. pasta primavera, the thermal container whichever beverage mom prefers to Plan an easy menu of foods that have can keep it warm and ready until it’s complement her favorite treat. Pocky portability. It’s easy to transport hot time to enjoy.

Mother’s Day HANGING BASKET EXTRAVAGANZA ✵ ATTENTION DAD’S ✵ (All kids must be accompanied by an Adult when registering and creating their baskets)

First 50 Kids between the age of 6-12 years old to come into SAVE ON FOODS CUSTOMER SERVICE DESK and fill out a registration form and make a $10 donation.

Hanging Baskets will be made on Saturday May 9th between 12pm and 5pm.

Once registered you will be given a time to come in by appointment.

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Only First 50 Kids to come in and register will get to participate

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Cowichan Valley Citizen | Wednesday, May 6, 2015

15

Happy Mother’s Day!

FITNESS TIPS FOR BUSY MOMS

Working mothers have a lot on their plates. In addition to the responsibilities that come with raising a family, working moms also must focus on their careers.

Many mothers find that managing such hectic balancing acts leaves little time for physical fitness. But there are ways for working moms to stay physically fit even as they juggle their commitments to career and family.

• Work out in the early morning. Working out in the early morning, when the kids are still asleep and the office has yet to open, is a great way for busy working mothers to get their daily exercise. Designate a room in your home where you can spend time each morning doing some light strength training before hitting the treadmill or elliptical machine. The United States Department of Health and Human Services recommends that adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity each week, and women who get up just 45 minutes earlier each morning can meet those requirements and then some. An added benefit to working out in the early morning is that many people who follow such regimens insist they

have more energy throughout the rest of the day.

• Exercise with the kids. Working mothers looking to find time for exercise can turn part of family time into a time to exercise with their children. Play in the yard with youngsters while dinner is cooking or go for nightly post-meal walks. Exercising with kids is a great way for mothers to get their daily exercise while also instilling a love of physical activity in their children.

• Have a backup plan on hand. Working out at a gym can be motivational, as many mothers want to make sure their monthly membership fees aren’t going to waste. But there will inevitably be days when working mothers can’t get to the gym. Prepare for such days by purchasing home workout DVDs you can play while the kids are doing their homework or after they have gone to bed.

• Look for gyms with childcare. Many gyms now offer on-site childcare to parents of young children who can’t stay home alone while their folks are at the gym. Gyms that offer on-site childcare may prove more reliable and even less expensive than hiring a sitter, and some

gyms even offer fitness programs to youngsters, helping to ensure kids get the daily exercise they need as well.

• Exercise during lunch breaks. If possible, squeeze in your daily exercise during lunch breaks. Take advantage of on-site exercise facilities if your company offers them. If not, take your lunch outside and then go for a walk around the campus or a nearby park rather than eating at your desk.

Finding time to exercise is a common dilemma for working mothers. But there are some creative ways for moms to stay fit without affecting their commitments to work and family.

Ha Mothppy e Day r’s

Mother’s Day Buffet Brunch

Sunday, May 10, 2015 Seatings at 10:00am and 12:20pm Our wonderful Ballroom will be decked out in Grand style for all of those Special Moms in our lives.

The Kiwanis Club of Duncan is hosting a Silent Auction from 10:00am – 2:00pm There will be a special draw for just our Moms. Door prizes and raffle prizes to be won.

Our special Mother’s Day Brunch Buffett features a Create your own Omelette Bar and Live Carving Station.

The Buffet Line boasts a selection of Eggs Benedict, French Toast, Fresh Salads, Pastries and so much more.

Drink Specials designed for Mom

Adults $25.00 - Children $12.50

Call ahead for Reservations 250 748-4311 6958827

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Wednesday, May 6, 2015 | Cowichan Valley Citizen

A&E

YOUNG MUSICIAN OF THE WEEK

Rowan Prentice is age five and a half and attends kindergarten at Alex Aitken Elementary School.

This young musician has taken piano lessons for almost a year and is progressing nicely. Rowan likes listening to all types of music. She has now met Mozart Mouse, Beethoven Bear and Clara Schumann-Cat, who she sees at her weekly piano lesson with Susan Davies.

COURTESY COWICHANMUSICTEACHERS.COM

Mt. Prevost students rehearse a scene from the beginning of Act Two of Beauty and the Beast, where Belle is attacked by wolves in the forest. The show also features the school’s signature huge choir, made up of 275 children from Grades 3-7. [LEXI BAINAS/CITIZEN]

Students stage classic fairy tale By

Agatha Christie

LEXI BAINAS CITIZEN

The students of École Mt. Prevost are presenting the Disney musical, Beauty and the Beast, Thursday, May 7 at the Cowichan Performing Arts Centre at 10:30 a.m. and again at 6:30 p.m.

Under the direction of Michelle Trem-

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blay and Gia Jane, this family show features the school’s huge Grade 3-7 choir of 275 children along with 20 actors from the school’s Grade 7 students.

The children were working hard last week as their preparations really took shape.

“It’s such a great show. We have won-

derful costumes and colourful backdrops. And, as you know, true love conquers all in this fairy tale, which has been so good for the kids to learn,” Tremblay said.

Tickets are $5 each. Check with the school office to see if any tickets are left.

A&E

Cowichan Valley Citizen | Wednesday, May 6, 2015

Spend Summer Nights at the Lake

◆ DANCE FOR A CAUSE

Shimmy Mob ready to shake for cause

The family friendly Summer Nights concert series will be back at Lake Cowichan’s riverside bandshell this summer.

Organizer Mike Bishop has been trying to gather up enough volunteers to run the event again and announced April 30 that a group has emerged.

“Your participation has ensured that there will be fun in the park again for the summer of 2015,” he said. “One big change in 2015 is that each evening will start with an hour dedicated to children’s entertainment and activities to fill in the time, while the big kids get the stage ready.”

There will be five shows this summer. Starting on July 4, there will be outdoor entertainment at Central Park every other weekend after that. (July 4, July 18, Aug. 1, Aug. 15 with the finale on Aug. 29.)

“Let’s have the biggest audiences ever ready to participate in some great entertainment and down home good times,” he said.

LEXI BAINAS CITIZEN

On Saturday, May 9, Shimmy Mob, belly dancers will take to stages around the Valley and even on Thetis Island.

The dance event performed worldwide to raise awareness of belly dance as an art form and to raise money for local women’s centres and shelters, is a redletter day for the local shimmy crowd.

On that Saturday, the Cowichan Valley Shimmy Mob team will be out and about in the Valley, dancing at 9:30 a.m. at Wendy Mitton’s Garage Sale for Somenos House at the Country Grocer parking lot in Lake Cowichan, at 10:30 a.m. at Cobble Hill Curves, at 11:30 a.m. at the Community Farm Store and at 12:30 p.m. at the Duncan Farmers Market. In addition, the Valley group is offering Shimmy and Silk 2015, its fundraising belly dance fashion show on Wednesday, June 10 at starting at 5:30 p.m. at the Cow Cafe in Cowichan Bay. Meanwhile, the Gypsy Dancers of the Salish Sea have announced that members of their dance troupe from Thetis Island are participating in this year’s Shimmy Mob at Thetis Island Marina to raise money for the Cowichan Women Against Violence Society.

Cash donations there can be made directly to any of the dancers but cheques payable to Cowichan Women Against Violence Society should be sent to Shimmy Mob c/o Char Aaberg, P.O. Box 18-8, Thetis Island, B.C., V0R 2Y0.

Marylyn Pegg, Myla Frankel, Char Aaberg, (Team Leader), Cecilia Inness, Janice Young and Nicole Chiassong will be joined by Kelly Bannister for the Thetis Island event. [SUBMITTED]

Lexi Bainas, Citizen

The Duncan Choral Society PRESENTS

Members of the Cowichan Valley Shimmy Mob, who danced at City Square last year, will be taking their performances all over the Valley Saturday. [LEXI BAINAS/CITIZEN]

MUSICAL MEMORIES SATURDAY, MAY 9TH 7:30 PM

Choral Society takes trip through memories Ready for a nostalgic evening?

The Duncan Choral Society has one lined up for you this Saturday, May 9 starting at 7:30 p.m. at the Christian Reformed Church.

According to choir director Susan Doughty, the group has prepared a whole list of well-loved tunes for your listening pleasure.

“We’re calling it Musical Memories and

it’s mostly songs that people will be familiar with,” she said.

“We’ve got folk songs like Early One Morning and The Last Rose of Summer and the men are doing a really good version of When the Saints Go Marching In.” Singers from the choir are also presenting solos, she said.

So look for Laurie Schmidt singing Vilja from The Merry Widow, Lisa Dallin presenting Memory from Cats and Karen

Bigelow singing Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child.

“They’re all great, strong singers,” Doughty said. “We also have a choral arrangement of Lascia Ch’io Pianga, which some people would know as an Italian aria. And we’re doing Time to Say Goodbye, which will be accompanied by mandolin. It’s a real variety as usual.”

Tickets are $15 for adults and $12 for students, with children under 12 admitted free. Get them at the door.

CHRISTIAN REFORMED CHURCH 930 TRUNK ROAD

6947669

LEXI BAINAS CITIZEN

17

TICKETS AVAILABLE AT THE DOOR AND FROM CHOIR MEMBERS

Adults $1500 • Students $1200

18

A&E

Wednesday, May 6, 2015 | Cowichan Valley Citizen Monte Nordstrom, right, well known as a supporter of Providence Farm’s excellent work for a variety of Valley people, is bringing his great music to the Cowichan Folk Guild Coffeehouse on Saturday evening.

www.cowichanvalleycitizen.com

[SUBMITTED]

Nordstrom goes acoustic LEXI BAINAS CITIZEN

Valley favourite Monte Nordstrom is the headliner for the Cowichan Folk Guild Coffeehouse at Duncan United Church on Saturday, May 9.

Doors open at 7 p.m. The open stage starts at 7:30 p.m. and will be followed by the main show.

Nordstrom is well-known in the Cowichan Valley, and especially at Providence Farm where he coordinates the

Segues day program. A talented multi-instrumentalist, singer and songwriter, he began writing his own music in the late 1960s, developing a unique and innovative guitar style.

He has showcased his songs in Nashville, recorded at Sun Studio in Memphis, and even performed solo concerts in Japan.

On Saturday, fans will hear a specially selected acoustic program of original material, featuring story songs and ballads

on six and 12 string guitars with a rack-mounted harmonica.

There will be a focus on local and regional subjects in such selections as Doubloon and the Stranger, the Mount Sicker Manhunt and The Flying Dutchman.

Accompanying Nordstrom will be John Robertson on stand-up bass.

Admission at the door for this special evening is $10 per person or $5 for CFG members.

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The South Island Musical Theatre Society has announced to its members that next year’s production will be Anne of Green Gables.

With music by Norman Campbell and lyrics by Don Harron, Norman Campbell, Elaine Campbell and Mavor Moore, this show is a piece of true Canadiana.

It’s based on Lucy Maud Mont-

gomery’s beloved stories of Anne Shirley, a young orphan girl who is mistakenly sent to a middle-aged brother and sister who were hoping to adopt a boy to help them on their farm in Prince Edward Island.

The musical currently holds the Guinness World Record for the longest-running annual musical theatre production, having been performed every summer in Charlottetown since 1965.

The show will offer a great variety of solo and chorus work for performers of all ages and the society’s executive thinks it’s a great fit for the Valley, according to board member Laura Westwick.

Anne will be on stage at the Cowichan Performing Arts Centre on April 1-3, 2016, and at the Port Theatre in Nanaimo on April 9 and 10, 2016.

Auditions are expected to take place in the fall.

Arts Calendar

Cowichan Valley Citizen | Wednesday, May 6, 2015

Arts • Maple Bay Painters Spring Show and Sale Saturday, May 9, 10 a.m.4 p.m., Duncan United Church Hall.

• Cherry Point Artists Spring Show and Sale Friday, May 22 and Saturday, May 23, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Duncan United Church. Framed and unframed art, pottery. Admission free.

• Ladysmith Camera Club presents “Dogs in Motion”, a how-to by Doug Bell, Saltair photographer on his methods and techniques to create captivating animal action sequences.

Tuesday, May 26, 7 p.m., Hardwick Hall, High Street at 3rd Ave., Ladysmith. Non-member $5 drop-in fee.

Info: www.LadysmithCameraClub. com • See the two-artists show, with works by Maple Bay Painters’ Bonnie Schmaus and Catherine Taron, Valley Medical Centre, 335 Jubilee St., from April to June.

• Warmland Calligraphers meet on the second Tuesday of the month at 9 a.m.-noon, Mellor Hall, Cowichan Exhibition g rounds.

Info: warmlandcallig raphers@ shaw.ca or http://members.shaw. ca/warmlandcalligraphers.

• Cherry Point artists weekly painting sessions (September to June), Thursdays, 9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at Cowichan Exhibition fairgrounds.

Experienced and beginners welcome. Info: Jack 250-746-4795 or Olive 250-746-8020.

• Cowichan Valley Artisans year round studio tour: 14 professional studios to explore. From Mill Bay to Ladysmith. www.cowichanvalleyartisans.com for details of each studio’s hours. Admission free.

• Enjoy ‘Ways of Writing’ - short stories, memoirs, poems - Wednesdays, 12:24-3 p.m. at the Seniors Centre in Lake Cowichan. More info: 250-749-4176.

• Tzouhalem Spinners and Weavers Guild meets the second and fourth Tuesday of each month, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., St. Peter’s Anglican Church, 5800 Church Rd., Duncan. Everyone welcome. Info: www.tswguild.wordpress.com or Alison 250-746-6330.

• Basics of Soapstone Carving. The one-day course includes the soapstone, use of tools, approximately eight hours of learning, and you will take home your carved soapstone work. Shorter and advanced courses available. Courses usually run on one of the weekdays and Sundays. Call Brian or Linda 250-743-4155. brianclark@shaw.ca • Cowichan Valley Heritage Quilters meet Mondays at St. Peter’s Church Hall, Maple Bay Road, Duncan, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. $1.50 drop-in charge, $10 annual membership. All skill levels accepted. New members welcome.

Info: Darlene 250-748-9738.

• Valley Writers meet alternate Monday mornings to share their works and improve their skills. New members welcome. Call Stephen Watson 250-746-7637.

Music • Encore! Women’s Choir spring concert “We Are One” Saturday, May 23, 7:30 p.m., Christian Reformed Church, Duncan. Mix of music from folk to classical.

• Cowichan Consort Orchestra rehearsal Mondays, 7:30 p.m. Sylvan United Church. Come play with us.

All strings welcome. Info: 748-8982.

• Cowichan Consort Choir Wednesdays, 7:30 p.m., Sylvan United Church.

Come sing with us. Info: 743-7445.

• Chant Circle at the Art House (1756 Wilmot Ave., Shawnigan Lake) first Thursday of the month 7:308:30 p.m. By donation. Vocal experiments, techniques and world chants in a safe, sacred and playful environment to explore the power of the voice. Info: www.MoonDanceArts.ca • Enjoy a jam of old time music every second Thursday at Twisted Sisters Tearoom, 9885 Maple Street, Chemainus. Info: Steve Heizer at 250-722-3115 or Peter Sussman 250-929-8226.

• Chemainus Seniors Centre choirs: Men’s Choir, Mondays, 9-10:30 a.m., Ladies Choir, Mondays, 11 a.m.12:30 p.m., mixed choir, Fridays, 10-11:45 a.m.

• Jubilate Choir rehearses Monday nights 7:30 -9 p.m., St. John’s Anglican Church Hall, Duncan. Early and contemporary sacred songs, Eastern European, African songs and more. New members welcome. Info: 250-701-0687.

• Cowichan Valley Music Teachers Association meets monthly for fellowship and professional development.

Info: 250-748-8196, www.cowichan musicteachers.com • St. Michael’s Presents Classical Concert Series 2010-11, monthly concerts October-June. Brochures and season tickets now available. Info: 250-748-8383 or www.smpconcerts.ca • BRATZ Music Jam Sunday evenings 9 p.m. to midnight at Roadhouse Pub, Grand Motel, Duncan. Bring your instruments or your ears. No cover. Info: 250-715-8115.

• Anyone interested in getting together to play ukelele or penny whistle call Sherie: 250-748-8769.

• Cowichan Valley Community Band meets every Monday from 7 p.m.8:30 p.m. Info: Sherie 250-748-8769.

• African Music Workshops and classes with Ted Wright of Marimba Muzuva. Learn to play the joyous and energetic rhythms of Southern Africa. Beginners welcome. All instruments provided. Info: Ted 250-743-2106 or email: info@bopoma.org • The Cowichan Valley Youth Choir, directed by Sheila Johnson, accepts members aged 8-plus by audition.

Two levels: Junior Choir and Concert Choir. Boys with changed voices (tenor or baritone) encouraged to come out and sing. Rehearsals on Thursdays. Info: 250-597-0114.

• Cowichan Valley Concert Band rehearses Thursdays in the Cowichan Secondary School Band Room. New members welcome. Info: Norma 250743-4484 or Kathy 250-748-8052.

• Freestyle Adult Show Choir for adult singers. Call 250-743-1450 and see www.minstrelsmusic.ca • Community Song Circle, Thursdays, 7:30-9 p.m., Lila Music Studio, 322A Gibbins Rd., Duncan. More info: 250-701-0978 or joythroughmusic@ shaw.ca • Cowichan Valley Community Band. Interested? Call Sherie 250-748-8769.

• Song Circle every 3rd Thursday of each month, 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Everyone welcome. Call Lynn at 250-746-6561 • Beginner’s Hand Drumming Classes with Karin Lewis Monday evenings 7 p.m. - 8 p.m. at SoulSpeak in Duncan. Drop-ins welcome. For

Business at a

details please call 748-6750 or email: playfulrhythms@msn.com

Dancing • Learn to square dance. Lessons at Girl Guide Hall, 321 Cairnsmore St., Duncan. Info: 250-748-6056 or 250-748-9140.

• Cowichan Valley International Folkdancers meet Mondays, 7:309:30 p.m., Mill Bay Community Hall, beside Kerry Park Arena. $5 drop-in fee, $80 yearly membership. First night free. Call Kate 250-743-5068 or Lyn 250-743-2686.

• Cowichan Ballroom Dance Club welcomes all fellow dancers to regular 6:30 p.m. Wednesday night practices at Valley Seniors Centre. Info: 250-597-1132.

• Cowichan Valley Scottish Country Dancers, 6:30 p.m. every Thursday at Chemainus Seniors Centre. Singles and couples welcome.

• Cape Breton Stepdancing Classes, Wednesdays, 7:30-8:30 p.m., Yum Yoga Studio-1701 Pavenham. Info cowichanfiddlers@gmail.com or 250-709-9662.

• Argentine Tango Classes: Teens through Seniors. No partner required.

For schedule call 250-743-5995.

• Belly dance classes. Call Lynene 250-746-1077. Beginner to advanced.

• Square dance lessons every Sunday, 7 p.m., at the Girl Guide Hall on Cairnsmore Street, Duncan. Brushups welcome. More info: 250-746-4127, 250-748-9140, 250-748-3675.

• Clogging dance classes Mondays and Tuesdays in Cobble Hill and Wednesdays at Chemainus Seniors Drop-In Centre. All levels. Call Ev 250-743-2902.

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Wednesday, May 6, 2015

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Cowichan Valley Citizen

Cowichan Valley Citizen

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Wednesday, May 6, 2015

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Wednesday, May 6, 2015

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Cowichan Valley Citizen

Sports

250-748-2666 ext. 236 sports@cowichanvalleycitizen.com

Seen during the BC Cup quarterfinal against Langley, Andres Algarin (left) scored Cowichan’s second goal of the game during the semifinal loss to EDC FC last Saturday. [KEVIN ROTHBAUER/CITIZEN]

Cowichan Valley Citizen | Wednesday, May 6, 2015

23

Emily Zurrer expresses her joy at being named to the Canadian Women’s National Team in a Twitter photo on April 27. [SUBMITTED]

One minute from glory: Zurrer hopes Cup LMG falls in BC Cup semi trail leads to B.C. KEVIN ROTHBAUER CITIZEN

Just one minute of soccer separated Cowichan LMG from the BC Cup championship match.

Leading 2-1 after 90 minutes of regulation and one minute of injury time in last Saturday’s semifinal in Burnaby, Cowichan just had to get through 60 more seconds without allowing a goal.

Unfortunately, that was all that EDC FC needed to draw even and force overtime.

Neither team scored in overtime, and the game went to the dreaded penalty goals, where EDC edged past Cowichan 6-5, sending themselves to the final and putting an end to LMG’s incredible season.

“We were just as good [as EDC],” Cowichan coach Glen Martin said. “We were one minute away from being in the final, but it wasn’t meant to be.”

After both teams started the game cautiously, Cowichan got on the board first when Dan Cato headed in a cross from Craig Gorman at the 30-minute mark. The 1-0 score held up through the 45minute mark.

“We felt pretty good at halftime,” Martin said. “But they were a strong team. I felt we were going to need more than one goal.”

At 57 minutes, EDC finally scored their first goal on a clear offside that the linesperson missed, but the Cowichan players didn’t let that throw them off.

“The guys kept their compo-

“We were just as good [as EDC]. We were one minute away from being in the final, but it wasn’t meant to be.”

GLEN MARTIN, Cowichan LMG head coach

sure,” Martin said.

At that point, the game opened up. Martin ended up making his first substitution of the game with 20 minutes left, sending Andres Algarin in for Dan Citra, and the move paid off just minutes later when defender Tyler Hughes got the ball to Gorman, who completed another perfect cross that Algarin finished off.

Cowichan had chances to make it 3-1 after that, but the EDC goalie came up big every time.

“Their goalie had a strong game,” Martin said. “Both goalies did.”

After regulation, the ref called for two minutes of extra time, which turned out to be one too many for Cowichan. On the tying goal, an EDC player sent a cross over the head of Jesse Winter, and his teammate brought the ball down with his chest and volleyed it into the corner behind Cowichan goalie Scott Brown. It was reminiscent of another late goal in a big game this season, albeit one that Cowichan managed to overcome with a victory.

“The guys were just gutted,” Martin said. “It was the Jackson Cup all over again, a last-shot-of-

the-game kind of thing.”

Cowichan controlled the first 15-minute overtime, and had chances to score, but couldn’t capitalize. In the second 15, EDC set the pace, but Brown kept Cowichan alive.

When it went to penalties Paddy Nelson and Hughes scored, Steve Scott was stopped, and Gorman and Keevan Webb scored, while EDC’s first three shooters scored, the fourth was stopped, and the fifth put the ball in off the crossbar to keep the game going.

“It was a game of inches,” Martin said.

It kept going: Kevan Brown scored for Cowichan, and EDC matched that. Then LMG defender Brad Archibald was stopped — just barely — and EDC’s seventh shooter sealed it up with a goal.

“It was a really heartbreaking game for the guys,” Martin said.

“It was hard to take.”

Martin also made sure to thank the fans who have supported the team all season, noting that at last weekend’s match, they had nearly as many supporters as the home team did.

“We have the best fans in the province at this level,” he said.

The loss to EDC brings an end to a season in which Cowichan achieved its goals of winning the Vancouver Island Soccer League title and the Jackson Cup, and was within sight of completing the trifecta with a BC Cup championship.

“You can’t get closer than what happened to us,” Martin said.

KEVIN ROTHBAUER CITIZEN

The opportunity to play a Women’s World Cup game in Vancouver would mean a lot to Emily Zurrer on so many levels.

For one, Team Canada doesn’t have any group-stage matches scheduled at BC Place, so the only way they would get to play in Vancouver would be if they reached the quarterfinals or semis — or the final on July 5.

It would also mean a homecoming for Zurrer, who grew up in Crofton and still has strong family ties to the Cowichan Valley.

“That’s the ultimate goal,” Zurrer said on Tuesday, a month and a day before Canada’s first World Cup match against China in Edmonton on June 6. “We’ve been training the past year in Vancouver, and that’s my home base, so there would be nothing better than to play a game in my home province, in front of my friends and family and the crowd here.”

The 2015 Women’s World Cup is an opportunity for redemption for Canada, which placed last out of 16 teams at the 2011 tournament.

“That was disappointing for all of us,” Zurrer recalled. “It was one of the lowest points of our careers.”

That disappointment led to the hiring of head coach John Herdman, who immediately turned things around and guided Canada to a bronze medal at the Olympics just a year later.

“That goes to show how important a coach can be and a leader can be,” Zurrer said. “He was able to get the most out of us when we were at the lowest point in our careers.”

Despite being ranked eighth in the world right now and not being a favourite, Canada’s aim is to finish first on home soil.

“Our goal is to win the World Cup,” Zurrer said. “It’s as simple as that. I think we’ll be the most prepared team. We are so connected both on and off the field.”

Playing at home comes with pressure, but the Canadians are embracing that.

“I think that’s going to help us,” Zurrer said.

Canada will keep busy until that game against China. Next, they will head to Los Angeles for closed-door matches against the U.S. and Mexico. Then it’s off to Mexico for a heat-acclimatization camp. Finally, they will play their last exhibition match against England in Hamilton on May 29.

The Canadian Women’s National Team is partnering with Mondelez Canada for the Pride & Joy campaign. Throughout the World Cup, fans can activate the Pride & Joy app on their smartphones and raise money for local youth soccer clubs across Canada every time they shake their phones during a game. The app will be released on May 11, and more information is available at prideandjoy2015.ca

24

Sports

Wednesday, May 6, 2015 | Cowichan Valley Citizen

Ole McKay, pictured during the semifinal in Duncan, scored both goals for the Cowichan Blackout in a 3-2 loss in the Coastal Cup final in Aldergrove last Sunday. [KEVIN ROTHBAUER/CITIZEN]

Blackout bows out in cup final KEVIN ROTHBAUER CITIZEN

The Cowichan Blackout suffered their first loss of the 2014/15 soccer season in last Sunday’s Coastal Cup championship game, but the U14 boys Gold team will live to play another day.

The Blackout carried their perfect record into the Coastal Cup final in Aldergrove, but ended up falling to Surrey’s CCB United in overtime by a 3-2 score.

Cowichan built up a 2-0 lead, but CCB battled back to send the game to overtime. The game went back and forth in the extra session, until finally CCB man-

aged to get the ball to an open player in front of the Cowichan net, and he capitalized.

“Our goalie couldn’t get to it,” Cowichan coach Will Chaster said. “It happened too quick.”

There was still time on the clock when the Surrey team scored, but not enough for the Blackout to get the equalizer.

Both Cowichan goals were scored by Ole McKay. “One of them was a pretty spectacular one,” Chaster said.

“He dribbled his way through about four players to score that one. There were lots of oohs and aahs from the crowd.”

The Blackout players did have trouble adjusting to CCB’s style of play, something they hadn’t encountered much on the Island.

“It was a kind of game we weren’t too familiar with,” Chaster said. “They’re much more aggressive in Surrey, and that distracted the boys a little bit; they weren’t used to the manhandling.”

The Blackout will get some rest before heading to 100 Mile House for provincials in July.

“The good news is we got that one loss out of our system,” Chaster noted.

Caps collect Carrier from Clippers KEVIN ROTHBAUER CITIZEN

The Cowichan Valley Capitals turned a player who hadn’t skated for them since 2013 into what promises to be a key contributor for the upcoming season.

At the B.C. Hockey League trade deadline last January, the Caps shipped the rights to defenceman Ryan Coghlan back to his hometown Nanaimo Clippers. Coghlan hadn’t played for the Caps since 2012/13, having moved to the Western Hockey League after that, where he skated for the Saskatoon Blades and Prince Albert Raiders.

He returned to the BCHL partway through the 2014/15 campaign, but the Caps sent him to Nanaimo before he got into a game.

To complete the deadline deal, the Caps acquired forward Nicolas Carrier, a 1995-born player who scored 21 goals and added 26 assists for 47 points in 57 games with Nanaimo last season, good for eighth among BCHL rookies. The product of Delson, Quebec added another

DCS’s Minseok Kim prepares to serve during a mixed doubles match at the North Island badminton championships. [KEVIN ROTHBAUER/CITIZEN]

DCS third in N. Island badminton KEVIN ROTHBAUER CITIZEN

Duncan Christian School finished third at the North Island badminton championships hosted by the school late last month.

DCS beat Ucluelet 6-5, while losing to Dover Bay 7-4 and Alberni District 10-1.

Against Ucluelet, Jany Fernandez and Sujin Lim won two doubles matches, Micaylla Broadway and Rebecca Bakker won one doubles match, Clark Johnny and Matt Brandsma won a doubles match, Tessa Bouchard won a singles match, and Nick and Adam Kapteyn won a singles match.

Against Dover Bay, Lim and Minseok Kim won a mixed doubles match, and each won a singles match, while Nick Kapteyn and Georrance Atsma

also won a doubles match.

Atsma and Adam Kapteyn teamed up to win a doubles match for DCS against Alberni.

DCS also sent three players to the BC Christian Secondary School senior badminton championships in Surrey last weekend.

Rebecca Bakker and Tessa Bouchard had a strong showing in the girls doubles tournament, reaching the semifinals, where they fell to the eventual tournament champions from Pacific Christian before being edged 2220, 21-19 by Richmond Christian in the bronze medal match to finish fourth overall.

The girls also competed in the singles tournament, and ended up tied for fifth.

Lewis Luo earned one victory and plenty of experience in a difficult boys singles pool.

Multiple medals for Mia Butcher KEVIN ROTHBAUER CITIZEN

Nicolas Carrier skates for the Nanaimo Clippers in a game last season.

[NANAIMO DAILY NEWS PHOTO]

10 points on five goals and five assists in 23 postseason games as the Clippers reached the league final.

“Nicolas is an excellent allaround forward that can add offence and maintain a presence in the defensive zone,” Capitals

head coach and general manager Bob Beatty said. “He is a tremendous penalty killer and his biggest asset is his compete level which he continuously displayed in games against us and throughout the playoffs in key situations.”

Gymnast Mia Butcher, who lives in Duncan and trains with Falcon Gymnastics in Victoria, capped off a successful season at the provincial championships in North Vancouver last month, taking a silver medal on the bars in the Junior Olympic 7 division, and finishing seventh all-around.

Butcher, a Grade 7 student at Queen of Angels School, had already claimed several medals in competitions throughout the season.

At the Flip City Invitational in Langley, she won gold on bars, and placed fourth on vault and sixth all-around.

At the San Diego Invitational, she finished sixth on bars.

Butcher added a silver on the vault and a bronze on floor at the Christy Fraser Memorial meet

Duncan-based gymnast Mia Butcher. [SUBMITTED] in Langley, as well as a fourth on bars, fifth on beam and fifth all-around.

At the Twisters Invitational in Abbotsford in March, Butcher won gold on bars and bronze allround, and placed sixth on beam as well as winning the Floor Choreography Award.

Sports

Cowichan Valley Citizen

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Wednesday, May 6, 2015

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Cowichan Valley Citizen | Wednesday, May 6, 2015

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Caiden Varasteh and her horse, Harley, at Valley View Farms. [KEVIN ROTHBAUER/CITIZEN]

Canadian dream

Saddle seat rider cracks national team KEVIN ROTHBAUER CITIZEN

A Duncan horseback rider will be one of five from across Canada representing the country at the 2014 Saddle Seat Invitational in New Orleans at the end of June.

“I’m excited to be on the team for Canada, to be able to go different places and represent Canada,” said Caiden Varasteh, a 14year-old rider out of Valley View Farms.

Saddle seat, for the uninitiated, is a style of riding within the category of English riding, with a very specific look for both the horse and rider. The rider wears a suit and hat, while the horse — usually a Morgan, Arabian or Saddlebred — sports two reins and shows off high-trotting form.

“The horse usually presents with its head nice and high,” Varasteh said. “They pick up their feet very high compared to most horses.”

In competitions, there is a special challenge for the riders. Unlike many types of equestrian competition, saddle seat riders don’t travel with their own horses, and the luck of the draw determines which one they will ride when they get there.

“You only have 15 minutes and a bio about the horse [to get acquainted],” Varasteh explained. “You have to figure out what the horse needs. The horses I’ve had have been pretty good for me.”

When Varasteh, who also competes with the Fuller Lake Skating Club, started riding at Valley View, she didn’t know anything about saddle seat.

“I originally thought horseback riding was horseback riding,” she said.

Now, it’s her passion. Even at shows that aren’t specifically for saddle seat riding, Varasteh wears her suit and rides saddle

“I’m excited to be on the team for Canada, to be able to go to different places and represent Canada.”

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To get to New Orleans, Varasteh will have to put up $1,500, as do all of her 5410 Trans teammates. She is selling chocolates and homemade items and planning hot dog sales. Anyone interested in sponsoring her trip should contact Valley View Farms at 250-710-1517.

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6958043

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