14 minute read
EVENTS CALENDAR
MONTHLY EVENTS Make sure to stay up to date by visiting FernieFix.com/events. Send your events to krista@clarismedia.com for inclusion!
Friday 1.4.2022
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Envy Duo Live @ Kodiak Lounge, playing the best of the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s. Lonesome Ace String Band @ The Central, bluegrass music at its best.
Cheers to Charity: Elk Valley Suicide Task Force
@ Fernie Brewing Co. All flights raise funds for this important non-profit organisation.
Saturday 2.4.2022
Where’s the Egg Challenge @ Fernie Trails, FMBC has hidden eggs out on the trail – can you find them? FMBC.ca 60th Anniversary Celebration @ FAR, Retro events, dress up and live music! Envy Duo Live @ Kodiak Lounge, playing the best of the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s.
Sunday 3.4.2022
Live Music with Liquid Silence @ The Griz Bar, FAR
Wednesday 6.4.2022
Hot Dog Day @ Fernie Alpine Resort
WEEKLY EVENTS
Mondays
Parent-tot Funtimes @ Facebook Page
Les Tiguidous French activities for toddlers
(0-5yo) 10:30am @ the Cokato Park playground Club All Play – Fernie Pickeleball @ Max Turyk Courts, 8:30-10:30am Le Club Baguette Junior @ Rotary Park, outdoor activities and games in French ages 7-12, 3:30pm After School Adventures @ Branch Out Learning Jam Night @ Kodiak Lounge, 9pm
*BACK IN MAY - Poutine, PBR & Pool
Tournament @ The Pub. The Pub will be closed on Mondays in April.
Tuesdays
Storytime (ages 3-5) @ Fernie Heritage Library Live Instagram and Facebook Seniors Walking Program @ Fernie Community Centre, 11:15am After School Adventures @ Branch Out Learning, 3-6pm Open League @ Fernie Curling Club, 6:30pm Seniors Only League @ Fernie Curling Club, afternoons
Fernie Options for Sexual Health Clinic
Open @ Elk Valley Hospital, 6:30-8:30pm by appointment Parent-tot Funtimes @ Facebook Page Burger and Beer Night @ The Northern Wing Night @ The Pub
Saturday 9.4.2022 Fernival with Music by Stage Fright and Live
Wire @ Fernie Alpine Resort
Sunday 10.4.2022
Fernival with Music by Hark Raving Sirens @ Fernie Alpine Resort Powder, Pedal, Paddle (Tentative) @ Fernie Alpine Resort
Sgraffito Ceramic Decorating Workshop
@ H Squared Gallery, 2pm
Monday 11.4.2022
Spring Bonus Week Begins @ FAR
Saturday 16.4. 2022
Live DJs @ The Plaza and Griz Bar, FAR
Sunday 17.4.2022
Easter Eggstravaganza @ FAR Closing Day with DJs @ The Plaza and Griz Bar, FAR
Wednesday 20.4.2022
Volunteer Recognition Day @ Fernie Nordic Society
Fernie Options Clinic @ Elk Valley Hospital, 6:30-8:30pm Inventors Club @ Fernie Heritage Library, ages 8-10 starts April 12
Wednesdays
Club All Play – Fernie Pickeleball @ Max Turyk Courts, 8:30-10:30am Seniors Walking Program @ Fernie Community Centre, 11:15am Curbside Craft @ Fernie Heritage Library, Pickup is from 10am each Wednesday (ages 5-7) Toddlertime (Ages 0-2 years) @ Fernie Heritage Library Live Instagram and Facebook After School Adventures @ Branch Out Learning, 3-6pm Fernie Youth Art Collective @ The Arts Station Open League @ Fernie Curling Club, 6:30pm
Inclusive Kids and Teen Mindfulness Yoga
Classes @ Branch Out Learning Trivia @ Fernie Hotel Pub
Thursdays
Seniors Walking Program @ Fernie Community Centre, 11:15am Bellies to Babies @ Zoom, 2pm
Club Baguette Junior French tutoring and
activities 3pm @ Isabella Dickens library
Club Baguette Adults learn and converse in
French for adults 7pm @ Zoom Pub Team Trivia @ The Pub
Thursday 21.4.2022 Read Local Book Club: Tangle of Time by
Maureen Thorpe @ Fernie Heritage Library, 7:30pm
Saturday 23.4.2022
Pick up For a Plant @ Fernie Heritage Library, Celebrate Earth Day by cleaning up and in turn receive a plant to take home. 11am – 4pm Girls Can Rugby Event – Elk Valley @ Elk Valley RFC
Tuesday 26.4.2022 Teen Book Club: Broken Strings by Kathy Kacer
@ Fernie Heritage Library, 6:30pm
Wednesday 27.4.2022
Hardcore @ The Northern with Cancer Bats, Come Back Kid and Misery Signals.
Friday 29.4.2022
Tea and Talk Book Club @ Fernie Heritage Library, 1:30pm
After School Adventures @ Branch Out Learning, 3-6pm Open Mic Night @ Fernie Distillers, 7pm Drop in Curling @ Fernie Curling Club, 7pm
Fridays
Club All Play – Fernie Pickeleball @ Max Turyk Courts, 8:30-10:30am Storytime (ages 0-5) @ Fernie Heritage Library Live Instagram and Facebook Fish and Chips @ The Pub Fish and Chips Take Away @ Fernie Hotel, 4pm Meat Draw @ The Fernie Club Cre8 @ The Arts Station After School Adventures @ Branch Out Learning, 3-6pm Open Mic Night @ Fernie Distillers, 7pm Equine Assisted Learning Life @ Fernie Therapeutic Horse and Pony Club through Branch Out Learning
Saturdays
Meat Draw @ The Legion Ski Under the Lights @ Elk Valley Nordic Centre, 6-8pm Supernatural Saturdays @ The Central
Sundays Roast Dinner Special (includes Beer Pint or
Glass of Wine) for $20 & Pool Tournament @ The Pub. Pool Tournament moved to Sundays for the month of April.
French Bakery
Open Wednesday to Sunday 7.45AM to 5.00PM Handcrafted Sourdough Breads - Croissants - Pains au chocolat - Almond croissants - Vegan options and more! Fresh every day & baked with organic flour and lots of love
Le Suisse Le Pain au Chocolat La Baguette Tarte Choco-Caramel
792B- 3rd Avenue, Fernie, BC / 250-278-0109
@lebonpainfernie Le Bon Pain Fernie
rockies notary & legal
A Division of Rockies Law Corporation
Real Estate, Family Law, Business Law, Corporate and Commercial, Civil Litigation, Personal Injury, Tax Law, Wills and Estates
Karen Tse | Graeme R. Nunn | Marian Gravelle
Fernie
PO Box 490, Suite 202, 502 Third avenue Fernie, BC V0B 1M0 Tel: (250) 423-4446 | Fax: (250) 423-4065
Sparwood
PO Box 1886, #116 - 101 Red Cedar Drive Sparwood, BC V0B 2G0 Tel: (250) 425-2114 | Fax: (250) 425-2204
Bracing for Police Costs
by ANGE QUALIZZA
The way local governments tax for services is a flawed model, in my opinion, it puts local governments in a position that makes it hard for us to be a winner. One of the largest misconceptions is that the tax you pay goes entirely into our municipal budget.
In 2020, of the taxes we collected, only 51% went to Fernie’s municipal services. The other tax authorities were; the RDEK (11%), the Elk Valley Regional Hospital (2%), School District No. 5 (29%), BC Assessment Authority and Municipal Finance Authority (1%) and RCMP (6%).
Our budgets just like your own personal budgets are also facing cost drivers; insurance costs, fuel costs, wages and benefits, insurance and the increasing costs associated with the challenges of the new reality of supply chains.
Everything is simply taking longer, and harder to get. Energy costs are escalating.
One of the most uncertain impacts to our budget that we have been bracing for is the RCMP unionization costs. RCMP salaries have been frozen since December 31, 2016 when the most recent pay package expired.
At UBCM, the executive which I am a part of, we are absolutely advocating for affordability and sustainability of policing for our communities, and that the federal government engage directly with local governments. This did not happen, in fact, there was a glaring absence of consultation with local governments, and we were put in a very uncomfortable position heading into this budget not knowing the true costs of the compensation package. ratified a six- year collective agreement. Including retroactive pay and new base compensations, this means that the compound total increase in RCMP salaries is 23.8% and will have a significant impact on our municipal budgets.
In some communities based on their population, policing costs can take up to almost 30% of their municipal budget, which is going to put pressure on property tax. Fernie pays 70% of RCMP costs because we are a community over 5,000.
Our federal lobby group, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities has put a call to action to the federal government to cover all retroactive costs associated with the labour agreement it has negotiated with the RCMP for local contract policing.
UBCM joined that call and issued a letter to the federal Minister of Public Safety supporting the request for the federal government to absorb all retroactive costs and noted the lack of adequate communication and consultation with local government throughout the entire process.
Currently, eight Vancouver Island south local governments are calling for immediate action as they were inexplicably faced with a direct download of E-Comm 9-1-1 services for the first time. The costs were previously covered by senior governments, 30% from Ottawa and 70% from BC.
By forcing these local government to absorb 100% of the E-Comm 9-1-1 service, North Cowichan reported that through the three-year phase of this service, that download would translate into approximately a 2% tax increase for their municipal taxpayers.
These eight local governments are facing the exact same challenges Fernie is - an aging inventory of facilities, cost escalators, managing their asset management program and trying to meet the increasing needs of their community. In some of those communities, they are also strained with the opioid and mental health crisis we face today.
It is time to start talking about the true cost of protective services and how much more local governments can bare, as it will impact our ability to provide the services our community wants, and our ability to keep taxes down.
I want to conclude by saying we are very thankful to the Elk Valley RCMP and their commitment to our health and safety. They are valuable contract partners, but the truth is simply that the federal government needs to absorb more of the police cost.
The Earth is a Green Issue All Year
by SYLVIA AYERS
Let’s look at the One and Only Place We Have to Live.
We have a pretty big and important problem going on called ‘climate change.’ Which is? A change in the usual weather found in a place. This could be a change in how much rain a place usually gets in a year. Or it could be a change in a place’s usual temperature for a month or season. People drive cars, heat and cool their houses, cook food. All those things take energy that puts gases into the air. The gases cause the air to heat up and change the climate of a place. The climate of each place will change differently. More snow and more melting ice. Oceans rise higher. Some places get hotter. Some places get colder. Some places get more rain. Other places get less rain. Some places have stronger hurricanes.
The earth’s climate has warmed up about 1.2 degrees and WE need to keep this warming to no more than 1.5 degrees so all these changes are manageable. This is no problem if most of us try to imperfectly do a few simple things!
Each and every one of us can make a big impact on 40% of climate change.
If we eat just one meal a week with no meat we can bring down 14% of all greenhouse gases that come from livestock! Let’s walk, bike,
stroll, skateboard,
or mosey more because 25% of greenhouse gas is caused by cars and planes.
Turn off
lights when you leave a room and turn off the water while you brush your teeth.
Plant a tree!
It can store up to a ton of carbon throughout its life.
Amateur or Expert?
by FRED GIETZ
sci·ence
/ˈsīəns/
The intellectual and practical activity encompassing the systematic study of the structure and behaviour of the physical and natural world through observation and experiment.
In more simple terms, science is knowledge about the natural world that is based on facts learned through experiments and observation. Unfortunately, we often make science too complicated for the average person, or worse we take for granted some of the basic science of the natural world which we depend on. Let’s take a look at some examples of science knowledge.
We all need water to survive. It is essential to every plant and animal on earth. Yet this essential substance of life is too often taken for granted as we scurry along with our busy lives. What makes water so special, and what are some of the properties that make it so unique? Let’s challenge our critical thinking skills and look at ‘dihydrogen oxide’ as an example of everyday science. The main properties of water are its polarity, cohesion, adhesion, surface tension, high specific heat, and evaporative cooling properties.
Well, that seems a bit complicated, doesn’t it? Like so many things in our modern world, how much detailed information do you want or need and how well can you deal with it? Do you have the skill set to follow the complex information or will you look towards an expert in the field to help explain the information? I might be able to help you understand those unique properties of water; having said that, I look for a certified mechanic to help explain a major vehicle problem which is not my area of expertise. Sadly, in our modern times, the line between being well informed and being an expert has become blurred. Even more unfortunate is that what many people call research is all too often the opinion of a biased few… and all too often those biased views can result in some real negative consequences.
Over the last few years, I’ve had some great conversations (debates?) with friends and colleagues over some significant science and technology issues. Topics range from the practicality of electric cars, the state of the oil and gas industry, and issues involving wildlife and water resources in our valley, and almost always we agree that we’re amateurs and need to rely on some expert information and studies. Yet of late there are some topics that seem to inflame some very ‘unscientific’ responses – ranging from climate change, evolution theory and of course, vaccines and vaccinations.
Stock Photo
So, let’s get back to water and look at it as amateur scientists fascinated in the wonders of the natural world and happy to share new-found knowledge. For example, did you know that up to 60% of the human body is made up of water, or that 71% of the Earth is made up of water (makes you wonder why our planet isn’t called “Water”?) Ahh… no problem, we have lots of water. But wait, only 3% of that water is fresh water and the rest is salty! Perhaps we should be a bit more careful with this resource.
What really makes water interesting is that so many of its properties are exactly opposite to what we would expect. For example, the water molecule is much lighter than oxygen, carbon dioxide or nitrogen which are all gasses at room temperature – yet water is a liquid. Another curiosity is that unlike all other matter, water will actually expand when you cool it to become a solid (yup, solid ice is less dense than liquid water). Stop and consider this; if water behaved like all other forms of matter, life as we know it would not exist. Really - what would happen if solid water sank to the bottom of our lakes? One thing I can tell you is that ice fishing would be a whole lot more interesting!
With our dependence on water to support life one would think we would be much more informed on where our water comes from and how it’s being used. Sadly, I have found that when I’ve asked the occasional city folk the source of their water I have been told “from the tap.” Before we get too smug, how many of us in the Elk Valley know the source of the Elk River and what keeps it flowing during the summer months? Perhaps some well-informed research and critical thinking skills will be in order; and never underestimate the power of curiosity that powers the advancement of science and knowledge of the natural world!
Curious about some of those special properties of water?
Here’s a little activity that will help explain how those water bugs seem to be able to skate on the surface of a lake. Water molecules hold together tight enough to let insects stay on top of the water. You can test surface tension by filling a glass with water and gently laying a needle on the surface of the water using a fork. Now try the same experiment using some rubbing alcohol. What is it about water molecules that will hold the needle on the surface, whereas the alcohol cannot? Well now… looks like we need to use the scientific method here!
Spring Chocolate Collection
Fresh • Bright • Delicious
581A 2nd Ave., Downtown Fernie 250.423.2680
OPEN DAILY
Locally owned and operated.
