WEDNESDAY
$1.25
January 4, 2012
A division of
Vol. 27 No. 1
COMOX VALLEY RECORD Your community. Your newspaper. www.comoxvalleyrecord.com
inc. H.S.T.
ICY PLUNGE E
Hydro issues high flow advisory
More polar bear swim photos on page ■ 3
NAKO BETTER
Black Creek resident Samantha Garstang is “amazed” at the amount of support her family dog Nako has received on his road to recovery. “He’s really feeling all the love and we certainly are too,” said Garstang. “It’s been like this beautiful miracle.” Nako, an eight-month-old border collie-Jack Russell cross, was severely injured Dec. 15 evening when he went out for a bathroom break on Garstang’s property at Hamm and Macaulay roads. Garstang found him just 20 minutes after he went outside and discovered punctures and lacerations to his back legs and belly, a punctured kneecap and severed tail, among other things.
...Complete story on page ■ 8
FINDER ■ Weather
2
■ Lottery
6
■ Ferry Schedule
6
■ Arts
9
■ Sports
11
■ Classified
21
■ Editorial
28
■ Opinion
29
KATHLEEN AND NICK DUGAS celebrate the arrival of their New Year’s baby — Brielle Marie Dugas — born Jan. 1 at 8:20 a.m. PHOTO BY ERIN HALUSCHAK
New Year’s joy for Comox couple Erin Haluschak Record Staff
It was a celebration worthy of more than just champagne for Kathleen and Nick Dugas on Jan.1, as the husband and wife celebrated the birth of their baby girl Brielle Marie Dugas. Brielle was born at St. Joseph’s Hospital at 8:20 a.m. on New Year’s Day, weighing eight pounds, 13 ounces. “She was due earlier — Dec. 30,” explained Kathleen in their Comox home. “We were watching the ball drop on TV on New Years Eve around 11:30 p.m. when my water broke.”
The couple, who were married in Victoria in February, moved to the Comox Valley in July. Nick is a firefighter at 19 Wing and a volunteer with the Town of Comox, while Katheen is a registered care attendant for the Vancouver Island Health Authority. Although the family has a history of births on the first of the month — four-year old big brother Brenden was born on July 1, along with nieces of the couple who were born on May 1 and April 1— Kathleen admitted she never thought Brielle would be the Comox Valley’s New Years baby.
“It never crossed my mind; I was actually a bit disappointed she wasn’t here for Christmas,” she said with a laugh. She noted the delivery was quicker than with Brenden, but “was still painful.” The couple said the name Brielle was chosen prior to the birth, while Marie was chosen as a middle name as it is a family name for both Kathleen and Nick. Kathleen added Brenden is ready for the role of big brother, and is already very protective of his new sister. “He can’t wait for her to grow up,” she added.
BC Hydro has lowered the Comox Lake Reservoir by about a half-metre over the last three days, in advance of a storm hitting the watershed, the company said Tuesday. The reservoir has plenty of room to absorb the two-day storm and allow BC Hydro to significantly cut back discharges from the dam before high tides hit. The reservoir is lower than normal for this time of year. Hydro is in a good position for flood risk management. Water inflows into the reservoir are forecasted to be high with heavy rain and warm temperatures causing snow melt. Rain amounts might exceed 100 millimetres over the next two days while the freezing level is expected to rise to about 2,000 metres. Snow pack is lower than normal — which will help the situation — along with high ocean tides that are also lower than normal. It is uncertain what the Brown and Tsolum rivers may hit for peak flows and if they peak at the high ocean tide. High river flows will be in place with potentially fluctuating river flows as BC Hydro adjusts its operations to ocean tides. The public is therefore advised to stay away from the rivers through Thursday. Kayakers enjoyed ideal conditions Monday. — BC Hydro
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