Vol. 26 No. 68
Your community. Your newspaper.
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COMOX VALLEY RECORD
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A division of
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August 26, 2011
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FRIDAY
ANNIVERSARY
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www.comoxvalleyrecord.com
Helicopter hovers in Black Creek
CULTURAL SWAP
Erin Haluschak Record Staff
The projects, which will include building new stores and expanding, remodelling or relocating existing stores, represent an investment of more than half a billion dollars in Canadian communities, according to Walmart, which noted the supercentres are expected to generate more than 9,200 store and construction jobs. Walmart Canada’s supercentre format, which was first launched in Ontario in 2006 and is available in Alberta, British Columbia and Saskatchewan, provides a full range of groceries and general merchandise under one roof. As of Jan. 31, Walmart Canada operates 325 stores across the country, 124 of which are supercentres. By the end of January 2012, Walmart is expected to have 333 stores in Canada, including 164 supercentres and 169 discount stores.
Angie Prescott is used to helicopters flying over her Black Creek home, but she was not prepared for the one which flew near her property Thursday morning. Prescott said around 9 a.m., a dark green helicopter flew overtop the roof of her home, circled closely over her property, and then dropped down close to a field behind her home. She said her family is used to seeing military, RCMP and Coast Guard helicopters fly by, but never has one flown so close. She added during the approximate hour-and-a-half session, the helicopter blade wash and vibration shook her home so much that not only did she have to raise her voice to talk with family members, but bolts holding a wardrobe to the wall ripped out of the wall from the vibration, and caused damage to the wall. “It looked like a training session in an army helicopter; they flew directly over the house and then they dropped down,” she noted. “The side door was open, and I could see soldiers or people in some sort of uniform sitting on the edge.” Prescott called the RCMP who directed her to contact 19 Wing Comox, who said they can’t confirm if it was a military helicopter. “It’s a total residential area and seems like a bad place to practice drills, especially for our neighbours who have horses,” she added. Lieut. Trevor Reid, 19 Wing Comox public affairs officer, confirmed the helicopter was under the RCMP jurisdiction. Cpl. Darren Lagan, communications officer for the RCMP Island District, said the helicopter “is most likely military” but could not comment further.
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CLOSE SHAVE TRYING her hair out for size as a mustache, Tammy Fassaert from the St. Joseph’s General Hospital laboratory was one of 13 people who raised money for the annual hospital cancer fundraiser. The group — which included volunteers from a variety of hospital departments and members of the public — raised $11,400. The hospital is currently collecting a list of volunteers for next years’ headshave; for more information, contact Lynn Dashkewytch at 250-890-3046. PHOTO BY ERIN HALUSCHAK
Walmart eyed as supercentre Lindsay Chung Record Staff
Courtenay’s Walmart is being eyed as a supercentre. The City of Courtenay has received an application to expand the Walmart at the Anfield Shopping Centre to include a large grocery section and extend and enclose the garden centre. The application has not gone before council but is expected to in early September. The existing Walmart is 106,585 square feet, and the total area would be 135,295 square feet after the expansion, according to the documents at City Hall. A 28,710-square-foot grocery section is being proposed to extend into the land that Walmart leases beside Staples currently being used for parking, while plans also include extending and enclosing the garden centre, creating a sec-
ond entrance at the front of the store and constructing one new loading bay. Courtenay planning technician Erin Ferguson says the Walmart expansion has been a possibility since the development began 10 years ago. “It was always in the works from the initial development permit that was approved,” she said. “When they designed the whole complex, they always considered that Walmart might expand in the future.” In its application, Walmart has included a contribution toward street trees, noted Ferguson. Walmart Canada announced in late January that it planned to open 40 supercentres and expand the supercentre format into two new provinces — Manitoba and Quebec — in the company’s next fiscal year, which runs from Feb. 1, 2011, to Jan. 31, 2012.
Andy Everson learned lots from performing in Taiwan. ■ B1
PLAYS WITH PROS
He started out at local ball diamonds before moving on to the provincial and college ranks. This season, Carter Bell has stepped up to professional-level baseball with the Yakima Bears of the Class A ShortSeason Northwest League. Although the team sports more losses than wins as the regular season winds down, the third baseman said his squad is “turning it around” and getting better.
...Full story on page ■ B11
FINDER ■ Weather
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