WEDNESDAY
October 19, 2011
A division of
Vol. 26 No. 83
Record Staff
Facing no opposition, Leslie Baird will become mayor of Cumberland for the next three years, following the Nov. 19 municipal election. The longtime member of council will replace outgoing mayor Fred Bates. “I’m just so pleased at being acclaimed,” said Baird, who will be sworn in when the new council meets for the first time in December. “It is an honour.” Incumbents Gwyn Sproule and Kate Greening are again seeking re-election while longserving councillor and former mayor Bronco Moncrief is not. Also running are Roger Kishi, Bruce Barnes, Conner Copeman, Scott Easterbrook, Eric Kozak, Todd Riley and former Cumberland councillor Leona Castle. Four council seats are available. “It’s up to the public to come out and vote for the candidate
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they want representing them,” Baird said. After the election, the new council will need to be brought up to speed on options for sewer, garbage, water, solid waste and roads. Regarding the latter, Baird said, “There is no sense paving the roads until you do the sewer and water upgrades.” Baird does not plan to forward her name to continue sitting on the regional district board. “I think that being the mayor is where I want to focus my energies at,” she said. Born in Comox and raised in Cumberland, Baird has been married 42 years to husband John, a former Cumberland fire department chief. The couple has two boys, both living in Grande Prairie, Alta., and three grandchildren. See municipal candidate statements on pages A7 to A12. Editorial, A28.
The Kings’ winning ways ended in a shootout. ■ B8
TELETHON COMING
reporter@comoxvalleyrecord.com
MARISSA JADE BRIDGE died Sunday in a head-on collision on Highway 19 near Parksville. PHOTO COURTESY OF FACEBOOK
The smoke has cleared and all Comox Valley candidates declared for the Comox Valley portion of provincewide municipal elections Nov. 19. (A-Acclaimed. I-Incumbent. The first number in brackets indicates seats; the second number indicates number of candidates.)
Crash kills Comox girl
Cumberland Mayor A-Leslie Baird Council (4/9) Bruce Barnes Leona Castle
Conner Copeman Scott Easterbrook I-Kate Greening Roger Kishi Eric Kozak Todd Riley I-Gwyn Sproule SD 71 Courtenay (2) AI-Janice Caton A-Donna Gambacorta Comox (1) A-Dr. Peter Coleman Cumberland (1/2) Yolanda Goodwin Rick Grinham Area A (1) AI-Sheila McDonnell Area B (1) AI-Tom Weber Area C (1) A-Paula Selby
CVRD AI-Bruce Jolliffe (Area A) AI-Jim Gillis (Area B) AI-Edwin Grieve (Area C) Islands Trust Denman (2/6) Laura Busheikin David Critchley Kathy Dunster Bill Engleson I-David Graham Laura Pope Hornby (2/5) Alex Allen Ron Emerson I-Fred Hunt I-Tony Law William Thomas
Erin Haluschak Record Staff
Staff from School District 71’s critical response team spent the day at Aspen Park Elementary School Monday following the death of a classmate who died Sunday afternoon in a collision on Highway 19. Marissa Jade Bridge, 12, from Comox, along with her father Michael David Anderson, 39, of Duncan, died Sunday afternoon during a crash near the Alberni cutoff that also killed a Nanaimo man. According to Oceanside RCMP, Bridge and Anderson were in a green Nissan Pathfinder that was travelling northbound near Exit 51 shortly before 4:30 p.m. RCMP note the Pathfinder left
the highway, travelled across the grass median and into the southbound lanes, where it struck a southbound blue Ford pickup truck head-on. Traffic was detoured for some time Sunday evening while investigators continued to examine the crash scene. On their website, Aspen Park Elementary School posted a note expressing their sympathy to the girl’s family. They added parents could also visit a link to a website named Understanding Grief to help with resources for teens and death. A Facebook page has been created to share memories about Marissa. The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
The Vancouver Canucks are winners in the eyes of the Comox Valley Child Development Association. The Canucks have donated two VIP tickets for the association’s hockey raffle package. Tickets are for the Canucks’ Dec. 23 home game against the Calgary Flames. The raffle winner will also collect overnight accommodation at the Rosedale on Robson Hotel in downtown Vancouver and BC Ferries vouchers to make this trip a hockey fan’s dream come true.
photos@comoxvalleyrecord.com
...Full story on page ■ B1
FINDER ■ Weather
A2
■ Lottery
A6
■ Ferry Schedule
A6
■ Editorial
A28
■ Opinion
A29
■ Arts
B1
■ Sports
B8
■ Classified
B11
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