Fernie Fix May 2018

MAY 2018 | ISSUE 137

THE COMMUNITY ISSUE Special Feature by Norm McInnis on Building Community

Ken MacLeod with an overview on the controversial BC speculation tax

Feature Resident Evelyn Cutts shares with us the benefits of volunteering

Katie Hamar on the importance of farmers’ markets, socially and environmentally

Tiffany Schebesch talks about the pros and cons of the Whole 30 diet FERNIEFIX.COM

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BUILDING A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE IN THE ELK VALLEY North Coal Limited is an emerging metallurgical coal producer located in Sparwood, BC. The company is focused on the exploration and development of the proposed Michel Coal Project, located in the Crowsnest Coal field in the Elk Valley.

North Coal understands the unique challenges of operating in the Elk Valley and is committed to operating in a social, economic, and environmentally sustainable way. The North Coal mine design includes a unique combination of features which together will minimize changes to the water quality of Michel Creek using principles of best available technology.

NC Ad Fernie Fix.indd 4

North Coal is also committed to ongoing wildlife monitoring to ensure that mine design features have minimal impact on heavily used wildlife movement and migration corridors. North Coal will look to maintain those areas which have high wildlife use.

Be sure to keep an eye out for the launch of our new website northcoal.ca coming soon.

Should you have any questions about North Coal Limited, please contact our office at 778-518-0775.

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MAY 2018 ISSUE 137

EDITOR’S FIX | 5 COMMUNITY ISSUE SPECIAL FEATURE | 6 Building Community by Norm McInnis

BUSINESS IN THE VALLEY | 7 Business News/New Business Making Social Media Work: Five Ways to Encourage your Community by Christina Pilarski Money Matters: BC Speculation Tax – Good or Bad by Ken MacLeod, CPA

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT | 14 Feature Artist – Nadia Logist At Peace and Yet On Fire - Community Anywhere with Sadie Rosgen Featuring Micah Morris Rental Fix – The Shape of Water

by Andrew Vallance

COMMUNITY AND EVENTS | 20 Feature Resident – Evelyn Cutts Planning Ahead: It Really Does Take a Village by Kerri Wall Family Stoke – Fernie Strong

by Shelby Cain

THE COMMUNITY ISSUE

Food Intelligence – Wayne’s Whole 30 Controversy

by Tiffany Schebesch, RD, BASc Family Wellness – Bucket List for Family Wellness

by Dr. Taina Turcasso, ND, RM

BITS AND BYTES | 43

RECREATION AND OUTDOOR LIFE | 29

The Answer Guy – Facebook Data

by Kevin McIsaac Astrology with Yann Loranger

Two Trails Diverged in a Wood

by Jeff Colden – Support Never Have I Ever – John Mill and Basketball by Jesse Bell Hitting the Trails: FloWrkr – A Community Endeavour

by Julie Kelly, FTA

FERNIE FUN | 46

HEALTH AND LIFESTYLE | 35 For The Love of Food by Katie Hamar – Cultivating Community The Find – Group Dynamics

by Crys Stewart

Fix Trivia

COVER: Calm before the Critter Storm.

Photo by Troy Nixon THIS PAGE: Paddlers sprint finishing the final stretch of the Annual Fernie Raft Race.

Photo by Vince Mo, vincentmo.com

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EDITOR’S FIX

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find it interesting that nearly 12 years ago we decided to dedicate an issue a year to the theme of “community.” Interesting because what I have found through our 136 printed issues of the Fix is that community is the tie that binds this magazine, which is a direct reflection of community being so integral to our little mountain town.

A tie that has been in place since the very beginning, something that runs through each of our lives in many different ways.

When I was three years old, I fell skiing at Fernie Snow Valley and broke my leg.

It’s my first memory, being taken down on the sled and put into the back of an ambulance. The relief and calming effect of Mrs. Delich jumping in and riding with me to the hospital. She was our neighbour and the mom of my best friend. Mrs. Powell, another neighbour was determined to find my mom so she would be at the hospital when I got there, and took my older sister until we got home. My Nana watched my younger sister as my dad was at a job site.

The cast was from my hip to my tippy toes, and I was confined to it for ten weeks. The

CONTRIBUTORS ANDREW VALLANCE is a cinophile nerd who currently lives on the west coast.

Girlfriendless, he spends his time going to movies, buying DVDs and flirting.

CHRISTINE PILARSKI of CIPR Communications believes in the power of meaningful relationships and strategic engagement, both on and offline.

After a 35-years in publishing, CRYS STEWART enjoys road trips with her husband between Fernie and Ontario.

When not writing, taking photographs or riding shotgun, she’s sharing a glass of red with family and friends.

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Fernie BC

neighbourhood kids would pull me in a wagon, taking turns trying out my crutches.

I wasn’t able to attend pre-school for some time, so they came to me in the form of a huge card, signed and decorated by all of my classmates. I wish I still had that card.

But what I do have is these memories.

A couple of years ago, our friends’ son suffered the same injury at the ski hill and these memories came flooding back.

I saw how our tribe gathered, supported, and lightened the load. How all of the little people lifted him up and made the circumstance an adventure. When he started to recover, they were all there to encourage him and help him regain confidence.

These are just small examples, examples that may seem trivial among the spectrum of issues many in our community and beyond face daily. But to a kid, these experiences are monumental and something they will carry with them always. They will remember who was there, the support they received, how it made them feel. And, having experienced this and felt the impacts of community, they will likely give back and be a part of similar acts in future.

Isn’t this what it’s all about? Life is precious, but not always easy. There is so much occurring around us that breaks our hearts and spirits regularly. But, there is also community. A place of belonging, a place of comfort, a place of peace. By being a part of a community, whatever that is to you, we are setting an example and continuing a tradition that has been a part of humanity since its origins. It’s who we are, and something to be celebrated.

So yes, we have a Community Issue. And we are so very grateful to all of you, as you are what makes the heart of this town beat.

The tie that binds. The community. And for that, we thank you.

Krista Turcasso, Editor FERNIE FIX | FERNIEFIX.COM Published monthly by Claris Media. To advertise and for general inquiries: info@clarismedia.com Box 1124, 361A 1st Ave. Fernie, BC V0B 1M0 p: 250-423-4062 www.clarismedia.com Editor | Krista Turcasso Creative Director | Vanessa Croome Associate Editor | Kevin McIsaac Associate Editor | Carolyn Nikodym All content copyright Claris Media. The views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily the views of the publisher.

JESSE BELL meets with her favourite coach, reminisces basketball days, and makes a promise to buy some new shoes, lace up, and play.

NORM MCINNIS is the Chief Administrative Officer at the City of Fernie and teaches Citizen Engagement and Consultation in the Local Government Program at Dalhousie University.

JULIE KELLY is the Manager for the Fernie Trails Alliance and loves spending time on the Fernie trails.

SHELBY CAIN has lived in the East Kootenays most of her life. She’s a fulltime writer and musician in the roots band, Wild Honey. Shelby’s first novel, Mountain Girl, is available at a book store near you.

Her second novel? Any day now…

KATIE HAMAR grew up in the Maritimes and has lived in Fernie for the past five years. She is a self-professed foodie, wine lover and works as the Sales and Event Coordinator at Island Lake Lodge.

KEN MACLEOD can be found playing hockey, golf, curling, biking or enjoying the other activities and culture events that Fernie has to offer.

JAIME HANSON is a staff accountant at GPI Chartered Professional Accountants.

When she is not busy bean counting, she enjoys the great outdoors and experiencing all that Fernie has to offer.

KERRI WALL specializes in group facilitation, mediation, parent coaching, and leadership training. She welcomes inquiries at kerriwall.ca.

JEFF COLDEN is expanding his horizons all the time, always looking for the next adventure in wine, photography and the great outdoors.

KEVIN MCISAAC haunts the coffee shops and streets of Fernie to find his column source material.

DR. TAINA TURCASSO is a naturopathic doctor and midwife practicing in Calgary, Alberta. She spends most of her time catching babies, and is inching her way back to Fernie.

TIFFANY SCHEBESCH is a registered dietitian and owner of Peak Nutrition Consulting where she helps clients create lasting changes towards their nutrition goals.

YANN LORANGER from Happy-Culture Inc. is your resource for Astrology, Tarot and Apitherapy and offers courses at the College of the Rockies in Fernie.

FERNIEFIX.COM

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Business in the Valley

COMMUNITY ISSUE SPECIAL FEATURE

Building Community

by NORM MCINNIS

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ommunity, according to Wikipedia is defined as, “in human communities, intent, belief, resources, preferences, needs, risks, and a number of other conditions may be present and common, affecting the identity of the participants and their degree of cohesiveness.” Too often we think of community as a homogenous group that all share the same values, and if we just work hard enough we can identify those values and all live happily ever after. The fact is that Fernie is a diverse community.

This diversity is a source of strength and a source of conflict; what you value is not always what I will value.

Community development involves the art of recognizing and balancing legitimate, conflicting values. Questions of values really are ‘no right answer problems,’ and they almost always involve difficult choices, which means conflict. Community building is messy because there is no easy formula saying what problems are more important than others and whose values should prevail. Too often conflict is attributed to a clash of personalities or motives, but it is almost certainly built into “the system.” But it doesn’t have to be nasty.

Inside the larger community are value networks that work within the community to increase participation and strengthen cohesiveness. A value network is any purposeful group of people or organization creating social and economic good through complex dynamic exchanges of tangible and intangible value. In a value network, meaningful change is accomplished by people who leverage their skills and assets in ways that can be delivered or used by others. Fernie is blessed with an abundance of value networks that drive our sense of community. We need to create the right conditions for collaboration to happen across these networks and trust in the capacity of the groups to self-organize,

ORGANIZATIONS, INDIVIDUALS AND BUSINESSES WORK TOGETHER ON GRIZ DAYS PHOTO COURTESY OF THE FERNIE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

respond to the environment, and even heal itself if things aren’t working well.Valuesdriven organisations are the most successful organisations on the planet, yet we struggle to harvest the benefits of these groups that are in every community.

Community development is a process of understanding how things influence one another within a whole. In communities, systems consist of people, structures, and processes that work together to make a community healthy or unhealthy.

Community development is a way of understanding the relationships among a system’s parts, rather than the parts themselves, and how these parts evolve together. For example, in Fernie how do we honour the investment business owners have made in traditional accommodation units and at the same time consider shortterm rentals? From a systems perspective, oftentimes, today’s problems come from yesterday’s solutions. We must find new ways for creativity and innovation to bring together the diverse values that both increase and challenge community

cohesiveness to benefit from diversity instead of allowing diverse values to parallelize action.

Barriers to implementing community development ideas are less about our technical capacity – we know enough about viable alternatives and solutions – and more about the mobilization of citizens and their governments to enact change. Communities are struggling to deliver on the holistic promise of community development as we suffer from increased expectations to deliver development that is economically, socially, and environmentally sound, yet fail to acknowledge the increasing capacity gap for implementation. Learning how to engage groups with conflicting values and build community capacity from the resulting tension is a way of creating action to move from our current state towards a vision of a healthier, happier community.

The next time you find yourself in a conflict about values try to think about the things you share rather than the things that divide.

Business in the Valley

BUSINESS NEWS

The Fernie Trails Alliance fernietrailsalliance.com

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he Fernie Trails Alliance (FTA) is an umbrella organization representing recreational groups that works with government and private landowners to enhance and maintain the Fernie trail network.

SUBMITTED PHOTO

OUTDOOR CONNECTIONS PHOTO

Emily Brydon Youth Foundation emilybrydonyouthfoundation.com

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he Emily Brydon Youth Foundation (EBYF) is a community-focused organization supporting the youth in the Elk Valley. Since its inception in 2006, EBYF has invested approximately $500,000 in the community helping hundreds of youth across various channels, activities, and programs. With each year the reach and impact grows and evolves, inspiring the organization to follow suit.

In 2017, EBYF processed more than 150 applications. Fundraising is essential in allowing the EBYF to continue its efforts, including the upcoming Summer Social this August 4 at the Fernie Golf Course Cast Iron Grill. In its third year, the Social is a great way for the EBYF to celebrate a fantastic year with the community, with live music, refreshments, and appetizers as well as a silent and live auction. The winner of the FAR season pass will be chosen; tickets are currently available at the Scotia Bank and Guide’s Hut.

As the network expands, so does the maintenance. This spring, an effort is placed on cleaning blowdown from last fall’s windstorms. The FTA is offering a free TERRY NELSON PHOTO Chainsaw Safety course at the COTR for volunteers interested. Brushing throughout the network, and continued improvements to the Stupid Traverse, Kushes, and Sherwoody Trails are also priorities.

New projects include building 8km of singletrack from Coal Discovery to Hosmer on the Elk Valley Trail, construction of an Inclusive Trail, widening of lower Uprooted, and completion of Contra – the flow trail. Projects in planning include the Epic and Fernie to Ski Hill trails. The FTA is also working with landowners to sort out potential liability issues, and motorized winter grooming permissions.

Support the FTA, get your FBMC membership and tickets to Trail Razr III this May!

The Fernie Legion 551 1st Ave

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emembrance, support, and community. These three words describe the hard-working volunteers at the Fernie Legion Branch #36.

They have recently added ‘rejuvenation’ to the list with a complete interior renovation. To coincide, they have welcomed new managers, Rachel SUBMITTED PHOTO Butterworth and Emma Polit, who bring with them a wealth of experience in hospitality, marketing, social media, website design, and most importantly, a love for our community. They are determined to help Branch 36 thrive once again.

Rachel and Emma have hit the ground running with plans for many exciting events already in the works. Their aim is to promote Remembrance whilst bringing all generations together to help the Fernie Legion raise money to contribute back to our community.

The Grand Opening celebration for the Legion’s newly renovated space is on May 19.

There will be a BBQ, drinks, and music! Everyone is welcome. Memberships are always for sale.

FERNIEFIX.COM

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Business in the Valley

BUSINESS NEWS

Giv’Er Shirt Works 672 2nd Ave 250-423-6615

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iv’Er is pleased to announce its third bi-annual Giv’Er-ShirtAway Competition. They are giving away another 50 shirts this June to a non-profit/charity organization in the Elk Valley. These shirts could be used for a fund-raising effort, an internal giveaway, staff shirts or some other awesome idea. The winning organization will get to print its own design with up to two colours!

How it works: in 25 words or less tell Giv’Er why your organization should win. It’s that simple! Entry forms can be picked up at Giv’Er’s retail store starting May 1 and entries are due by May 30. The winner will be chosen by the Giv’Er staff and announced on Friday, June 1, 2018.

Giv’Er is excited to be helping those who help our fantastic community, so get creative with your entries and good luck to everyone!

Kootenay Game Changers

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he Third Annual Kootenay Game Changer Awards is taking place this fall and beginning May 1 you are encouraged to nominate individuals, community groups, and organizations that are making a difference in your community. There are 14 categories: recognizing youth, families, seniors, health and wellness, education, protective services, food and agriculture, arts and culture, First Nations, outdoors and environment, sports and recreation, tourism, unsung heroes, and lifetime achievers.Voting is open until July 31, with the finalists announced September 1. Four finalists in each category are treated to a first-class dinner at St. Eugene Golf Resort and Casino September 22, 2018 where one finalist will be recognized as one of this year’s Game Changers.

Voting is easy – visit e-know.ca/gamechangers, read through the criteria, and nominate those you feel deserve the recognition and are truly integral to the changes you see taking place around you.

SUBMITTED PHOTO

Tara Higgins Tarahiggins.com

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his May the exhibit Home on the Range: Reflections of a Mountain Town by artist Tara Higgins will be on display at the Fernie Arts Station.

Alongside this exhibit, the artist will be on hand for special events including the exhibit opening reception on May 3, a Round Table Discussion May 11 entitled “Why Art Matters,” and the “Bold Strokes” workshop held on May 26 and 27.

Bold Strokes is a fun, exploratory weekend workshop and a great opportunity to get your brush working for you. Learn to simplify your composition to get your point of interest across and to think abstract while staying true to the shape and form of the subject.

Oil and acrylic painters welcome.

Tara will demonstrate technique, offer paint along studies, and help you work towards a finished piece by the end of the weekend. $260 per person. Limit of six.

Supply list available after sign up. theartsstation.com

Business in the Valley

NEW BUSINESS

The Fernie Community Fund cranbrookcf.ca

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he Fernie Community Fund is busy growing and giving!

Established in the fall of 2016 and administered by the Cranbrook and District Community Foundation, the Fernie Community Fund is very proud to hold over $135,000 in permanently invested funds. The annual interest from these funds returns to Fernie and surrounding area, including the South Country, every year, forever. Local volunteers make up the Fernie Community Fund Steering Committee, and they generously donate their time and energy to grow the fund and to facilitate the annual grants application process. The annual grants support local non-profits that are doing great things in the community. In 2017, with matching Canada 150 funds, the Fernie Community Fund granted a total of $5400. In 2018, the Fernie community Fund has $1635.41 available to grant, and in 2019 that number is expected to grow to over $3000. For more information about the Fernie Community Fund, contact Lynnette Wray, CDCF Executive Director at 250-426-1119 or email lynnette.wray@ cranbrookcf.ca

SUBMITTED PHOTO

THREE MEMBERS OF THE FERNIE COMMUNITY FUND STEERING COMMITTEE: PATTY VADNAIS, ERIC JOHNSTONE, AYSHA HAINES SUBMITTED PHOTO

Mountain Life Pilates mountainlifepilates.com

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ate Richardson is excited to announce the opening of Mountain Life Pilates. A former Olympian, and registered physiotherapist, movement has always been an integral part of Kate’s life. Her combined experience led her to the Pilates method, which she hopes will complement the active lifestyle of other Fernie-ites as much as it has her own.

The Pilates method is a system of therapeutic exercises designed to balance the myofascial system, decompress joints, and increase circulation and vitality. Pilates uses full-bodied movements and specialized equipment to develop uniformity in the body.

SUBMITTED PHOTO

Mountain Life Pilates offers one-on-one, equipment-based sessions tailored to your body’s unique needs - whether it is to help enhance recovery from injury, to improve your posture, or simply to connect to your body in a new and different way.

Visit her website for more information, or contact mountainlifepilates@gmail.com to book an appointment.

FERNIEFIX.COM

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Business in the Valley

Engagement – Five Ways to Encourage your Community

by CHRISTINA PILARSKI

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ho is your community online? Your customers, your neighbours, your friends and family, your employees? These individuals can help ensure your social media following grows.

Measuring the success of social media is measuring engagement. Engagement is every time someone interacts directly with your content – clicking a link, liking a post, commenting or mentioning, and retweeting, reposting or sharing.

Communications is defined as creating common understanding. Engagement is your way to know if your community is understanding your posts. Reach tells you how many eyeballs saw it, but engagement tells you how many people are paying attention – and get it.

1. Contests This one is obvious, but there are right ways and wrong ways to run a successful online contest. I have three tips. First, make sure you include a disclaimer and rules within the post. Second, always make one of the contest stipulations to tag a friend, which is your best way to extend the reach of that single post. Third, invest in the post with a small promotional budget, which will help the contest grow legs and become organically effective.

2. Fame One of social media’s strengths is the ability to give almost anyone fifteen minutes of fame. Chances are if that content is about me (or my mom, or my best friend, or my neighbour) I’m going to engage with it. Feature a photo of a customer of the week and tell followers what day you will be looking for your new customer of the week – they might just prioritize popping in to see you.

MAKING SOCIAL MEDIA WORK

3. Content That Matters You need to give your community a reason to regularly engage with your content.

If you only post about sales and new products, chances are you won’t maintain consistent engagement. Think about what your customers are interested in and post about those things too. If you’re a golf course post golf tips and golf news. If you’re a print shop post graphic design tips and examples of amazing designs from around the world. Be creative and give your followers content they want to talk about.

4. Incentives Everyone loves a deal. Consider offering your social media followers a special discount code or password from time to time. There are a few ways you can do this – post a discount and tell your customers they must mention the post at the time of purchase; ask customers to private message you and reply with a secret code they can mention when they are next in the store; or be even more mysterious –

when someone comments on your page reply with an individual discount just for them.Your other followers will see this transaction and will be more likely to keep engaging if they know they could receive their own incentive one day too.

5. Just Ask Posts rarely go viral on their own. In the offline world, we do not hesitate to ask friends and family to advocate on our behalf – the online world is no different.

Ask your community to share your latest post or leave a comment. Seems simple, and it is. By ensuring you have reached at least your own network you are automatically extending it to their network too.

Start encouraging your community to engage with you and your business on social media – more engagement leads to more followers. I would love to hear how you are putting this into action - engage with me directly by using @CIPRComs and by using the hashtags #PRPower and #FernieSuccess.

The purpose of the Communities of Interest Advisory Initiative is to foster dialogue and communication between the five coal operations and community representatives within their area of influence.

MEET SOME MEMBERS Lee-Anne Walker, Executive Director of the Elk River Alliance is an involved community water champion who has been a part of the Initiative since its beginning.

She represents Fernie and environmental non-governmental organizations.

Scott Robinson represents Fernie and community safety on the Steering Committee. Scott is very involved with search and rescue and is currently the Emergency Social Services Director for the City of Fernie and the Regional District of the East Kootenay Areas A and B.

www.evcnpvoice.com

Andrew Craig is a student at The Fernie Academy who represents Fernie and youth on the Steering Committee. As Andrew graduates soon and moves on to the next phase of his life, the Committee will be looking for someone to fill the youth position.

Sign up for the newsletter for more information.

FERNIEFIX.COM

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Creating a brighter future together

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Business in the Valley

BC Speculation Tax – Good or Bad

To help offset the tax liability, BC residents who own secondary homes in the subscribed areas with a value under $400,000 will receive a non-refundable credit of $2,000 that is immediately applied against the tax. This is meant to alleviate the tax on cottage properties for BC residents.

by KEN MACLEOD, CPA

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he government of British Columbia is proposing to apply a new “speculation� tax on real estate in specific areas of the province in an attempt to stem the increasing number of properties that are secondary homes not being lived in and that are not provided for rental use. These secondary homes are mostly owned by non-resident speculators, foreign nationalities, as well as satellite families who live in other parts of BC and homeowners who are Canadian residents of other provinces.

The pressure on the real estate market due to the purchase of secondary homes from all sources has driven up the price of homes to the point where many local residents are not able to enter the market due to the high cost.

The new tax which is currently proposed to come into effect October 1, 2018, aims to end speculation on real estate and to reduce the number of secondary homes.

The anticipated result is that more homes will be available for purchase or rental by BC residents at a reasonable price. The annual tax will be assessed on anyone who owns a secondary home that is not rented out long term. This will also include cottages and vacation properties in designated areas.

Due to a huge outcry over the proposed tax, the BC government made some changes to the tax rates and modifications to those areas affected. As it stands now, for 2018 the annual tax will be .5% of the 2018 assessed property value for all secondary homes in the prescribed areas.

The tax applies to Metro Vancouver, the Capital and Nanaimo regional districts, Fraser Valley, and Kelowna and West Kelowna areas. Most Islands are excluded.

MONEY MATTERS

STOCK PHOTO

The belief is that having the [speculation] tax here in Fernie would lower the real estate market and allow entry into the housing market for first time home buyers.

What do you think?

In 2019 and subsequent years, the tax rate will increase to 1% for Canadian citizens or permanent residents who do not live in BC and to 2% for non-residents of Canada and satellite families who live in BC but do not pay their share of income taxes in the large urban centres facing the housing affordability crisis.

As a result, a secondary home owned by a BC resident with a value of $1,000,000 will pay a tax of $5,000 in 2018 and beyond. The same house owned by a Canadian living outside the Province will pay $5,000 in 2018 and $10,000 in 2019 and future years. A non-Canadian will pay $5,000 in 2018 and $20,000 in 2019 and future years.

To avoid the tax, properties which fall within the scope of the proposal will have to be rented long term for at least three months in 2018 and six months for periods of at least 30 days in 2019.

The problem here is that for homes with a value greater than $400,000, such as described in the above scenario, the BC homeowner will still be paying the portion of the tax that exceeds the $2000 credit, i.e. $3000 speculation tax rather than $5000.

The biggest outcry over the tax proposal is from Kelowna where a great number of people from Alberta and other provinces own property in the area, either as recreation property or for future retirement. The fear is that the tax will have a damaging effect on the economy of the area as people choose other unaffected areas to invest in or will sell their homes creating havoc to builders and suppliers as new development will be curtailed.

The Whistler and Elk Valley areas have avoided being included as designated taxable areas. We are considered Resort Destination areas and the Government did not wish to impact the tourism industry.

Polls would indicate that possibly four out of five people in BC support the new tax.

There has been talk recently that it would have been good for Fernie to be included in the taxable areas. The suggestion is that our local young people cannot afford to buy a home here as the values have been driven out of reach by non-residents who have bought homes for recreational purposes and do not live here permanently.

The belief is that having the tax here in Fernie would lower the real estate market and allow entry into the housing market for first time home buyers.

What do you think?

For more information on the requirement for electronic record retention and management please consult with your professional tax advisor.

FERNIEFIX.COM

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Arts and Entertainment

FEATURE ARTIST

Nadia Logist I grew up in a family of musicians. My grandfather was a famous accordionist, composer and arranger in Belgium. I started musical studies in Southern France when I was eight and the music of Peter Deunov was part of my everyday life. One day I saw a friend play the violin and told my parents that this was what I wanted to do and started playing under the supervision of Mr Petit. He was passionate about music and even now, when I teach my students, I feel this passion still alive within me. I went to a music conservatory for two years and practiced every morning before going to school. Soon, my instructor told my parents that they needed to find another teacher because he felt that I was too gifted. They found me a private teacher and he built my technic and taught me the fundamentals of music.At the age of 11, I practiced five hours a day. By the time I was 13 I was home-

schooled because of the intense practice schedule. My studies led me to Toulon and Marseille (France), Brussels (Belgium) where I finished high school in a specialised school with emphasis in music education.

Afterwards I went to Boston, MA where I graduated in 1998 from the New England Conservatory of Music. Circumstances led me to Jaffray where I made a bunch of friends, played a lot of music, recorded many cd’s and played in many concerts.

Thanks to the holistic vision of the founder of the I.D.E.A.L Society these days were filled with singing, cooking, arts, mythology, philosophy, theatre, education, health and nutrition, apiculture, gardening, and other activities that were inspiring and uplifting.

In 2003, I started teaching violin in Jaffray with students coming from Cranbrook, Kimberley, Fernie, and Sparwood. I had never thought of teaching but soon

discovered a love for it. As my students progressed, I brought them to the East Kootenay Performing Arts Festival, prepared them for the RCM exams and the Symphony of the Kootenays auditions.

I founded the East Kootenay Strings with Anita Douglas (now the East Kootenay Ensemble), an ensemble made out of mostly students. They participated in many concerts with the Vera Choir and this gave them the chance to become better musicians. I recently began working with the ensemble again with students from Fernie, Jaffray, and Cranbrook and they were chosen by the string adjudicator to play in the Festival Showcase last March. I was so happy to see them up there. I love to see a group come together like this. Ensemble playing teaches students to be part of a team. It explores team bonding, listening skills, support, good communication, it is

goal oriented, teaches respect, reliability, and it is highly motivational. Among other things, I have volunteered teaching choir at the Jaffray School for four years, and at the Fernie Academy for a few months. I participated as well in the creation of the summer camp programs at I.D.E.A.L. In 2011, my husband and I started the Judo Summer Camp and the Summer School of Music that later became the Violin/Ukulele Musical Adventure Camp.

What I am really excited about is the recordings I’ve been working on the past two years. Sounds of the Kootenays is inspired by many people and places especially the Kootenay region but also Hawaii.The music has instrumental classical with folklore tones. Some tracks are playful and others calm and serene. My son Keakua says,‘‘some pieces make me want to dance and feel happy, while other pieces are calm and slow

and make me want to think of all the nice moments I’ve had.’’ This music is definitely inspired by the beauty of nature found in the Kootenay region, this incredible place that my family and I chose to make our home.

I also worked on another CD, Paneurhythmy

by Peter Deunov for violin solo which came out last January and a third album that should come out before next summer called Tribute to Peter Deunov.

Music is a universal language that speaks straight to the heart. It is my hope that this music will inspire you and bring you joy. When I was young, I wished to play music so that people would be profoundly transformed inwardly; those that were unhappy would become happy, and those that needed support would find it. Today my wish is to share what I have to offer with our community, either through live music at concerts, weddings or other events

or through these recordings. I also love to share music with my students, inspire them, see them flourish and progress and I really love the music summer camps. I love to see the kids lie on their backs after judo practice and relax to the sound of the violin mixed with the sounds of nature. I hope my students will also get involved and share their music with our community. I also plan to continue composing and I would love to get my students to be part of the recording process in the new pieces to come.

Sound of the Kootenays can be found at Polar Peek Books and is available online as downloads or CD purchase at store.cdbaby. com/cd/nadialogist.You can listen to tracks either on CD Baby or at nadialogistmusic. com.

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www.montanefernie.ca This is not an offering for sale. Lots are sold under a disclosure statement. All maps are for relative location purposes only and are not to scale. All materials and photos, features, dimensions, specification, improvements and amenities depicted or described herein are conceptual in nature and subject to change or cancellation (in whole or in part) without notice.

Certain photographs may not have been taken at the site and views are not from a particular lot.

TAGE 4

Arts and Entertainment

AT PEACE AND YET ON FIRE

Community Anywhere

by SADIE ROSGEN Featuring Micah Morris

As an avid reader of the Fix, I was always swept away by Micah Morris’ writing. She has a natural gift for telling stories with passion and so, with my creative admiration looming, I asked her to write with me for our Community issue. Through emails and Instagram messaging, we connected deeply on what it means to be a part of a community.

There is no denying what an incredible community we continue to build here in Fernie but in a broader sense, I beg the question, “what is community anywhere?”

Current Times

by Micah Morris A hunter silent in the wood at dark A ski bums only dream is perfect pow A teenage wanders with devilry Whispering gossip On 2nd Ave An old local sips his coffee A Kiwi and an Aussie work the season shifts A miner wakes to a setting sun Shopkeepers wake to a rising one A young traveller packs their bags New lands wait These people immersed in their own lives Maybe staying strangers Maybe mad lovers, intertwined as strongly as roots hold the soil together Flow like a river’s current along the riverbanks In and out of each other’s lives as each season turns Each of us bonded Snow falls Sun shines

HERE

by Sadie Rosgen community realness the unifying pain we feel symbols of strength and resilience these are our shields connection beyond recognition with love as the ammunition finding your tribe to survive knowing, really knowing knowing knowing knowing following the path with trust indulging our desire the fire that matters we’re distracted by hate in spite of how we relate so join come together find out how to come alive strive with this single opportunity be public HERE

In search of our own belonging FERNIEFIX.COM

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Arts and Entertainment

The Shape of Water

Globe for her role in The Help (2011).

She received an Oscar nomination for her portrayal of NASA mathematician Dorothy Vaughan in Hidden Figures (2016) and has been nominated yet again for her role as Eliza’s spunky co-worker in The Shape of Water.

by ANDREW VALLANCE

I

t is very difficult to find North American movies which feature romantic and/or sexual relationships between people with disabilities. Hollywood romances that deal with the issue of disability usually feature a couple with one able-bodied partner and one partner with a disability. It is only recently with the release of Guillermo del Toro’s wonderful film The Shape of Water, that the American movie industry has taken tentative steps towards remedying this situation.

The film, which takes place in early 1960s America, tells the story of Eliza, a mute janitor who works at a shadowy government facility, and her erotic and romantic relationship with an Amazonian fish man who is being held captive by unscrupulous government agents who regard him as a biological specimen and hope to turn his special talents into a weapon.

Sally Hawkins does a great job as Eliza.

Her facial expressions speak volumes, and her performance proves that an actor can portray a character who is deeply sexual and sensual without being conventionally attractive. Hawkins was born in England to parents who are illustrators and authors of children’s books. She started her acting career in 1996, gaining international recognition in Happy-Go-Lucky in 2008.

Her other successes have been in Blue Jasmine (2013), Paddington (2014), Maudie (2016) and Paddington 2 (2017).

Doug Jones (Star Trek Discovery, Hellboy 2, The Watch, Pan’s Labyrinth) expertly plays the fish man, a complex character who, like Eliza, oozes eroticism in spite of the fact that he is a giant amphibian. He has to deal with restricted movement, facial expression and a lack of speech, but that makes him no less compelling as a character.

THE RENTAL FIX

Richard Jenkins (The Visitor, Let Me In, Kong: Skull Island) gives a wonderfully sympathetic performance as Eliza’s gay best friend, as does Michael Stuhlbarg who plays a kind-hearted government scientist.

Octavia Spencer landed her first on-screen role in A Time to Kill (1995) and won both an Academy Award and a Golden

Michael Shannon has been nominated twice for best-supporting actor awards, in both cases for sympathetic roles, as a mentally ill man in Revolutionary Road, and a detective in Nocturnal Animals. In The Shape of Water he plays the film’s villain, a perpetually angry and fanatical government agent who is convinced that the US should win the cold war at any cost. Shannon is very good in the role, but it’s nothing his fans haven’t seen before. He played a similar role in the successful television series Boardwalk Empire.

I give this movie two thumbs up. It absolutely deserves a look.

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Community and Events

FEATURE RESIDENT

Evelyn Cutts

by KRISTA TURCASSO

T

here are so many individuals who regularly give their time and expertise to help make Fernie a better place to be. When putting this issue together, I was trying to pinpoint an individual who embodies the meaning of community and when I ran through the many organizations in Fernie, one name kept rising to the surface. Evelyn Cutts.

She is everywhere! Just how does this powerhouse do it?

Ev grew up in Fernie and fascinatingly still lives in the house she was raised in. “We added to it where and when we needed to,” she says, as her family continues to grow. From a young age, Ev has been involved. As a teenager, she was president of the school council. From there, it was being involved in the organizations her kids were part of, including Girl Guides, Fernie Figure Skating Club, Fernie Minor Hockey Moms, PAC at both IDES and FSS, and the School Board. “I wanted to get involved at a higher level to ensure parents had a voice within the school system,” she tells me, adding that she was really proud to be a part of the “new” high school.

Once her kids had graduated, Ev was interested in getting involved in a bigger way and ran for Mayor of Fernie, becoming Fernie’s first female mayor.

While she was only able to run for one term as her mom suffered a stroke and she had to make a “life-changing decision,” Ev had told me years ago that she misses it like crazy and always thinks about going back. She was on the Chamber of Commerce Board for 20 years, has been a part of the Fernie Rotary Club for twenty years, and sits on the Columbia Basin Trust Board (seven years and going strong). “I had served on provincial boards when with Girls Guides and liked the idea of working with a regional group. Everyone at the

KYLE HAMILTON PHOTO

table has what is best for the Basin in their sights. It’s a great opportunity to serve the people.”

And that’s what it is for her, giving back to a community she feels has given her and her family so much. This perspective is something that has been passed down, generation to generation in her family.

“In my grannie’s time, it was social for women. They were involved in church and service clubs. My mom, on the other hand, was one of a few working moms at the time,” she says. But she still managed to be involved and volunteer. Ev’s family’s community involvement goes back to her great-grandfather, who was part of a theatre group at Coal Creek. “It was a social point for them in the community.”

On top of raising a family and her involvement with all of these organizations, Ev and her husband Bob own and operate Koocanusa Campsite. The government had

recently put the land up for sale and there was a bidding war between a few buyers.

“We were out at Loon Lake cleaning up my parent’s cabin, and Bob went to the dump and came back saying he had bought the land. The guy who won the bid felt overwhelmed by the project,” Ev says. At the time, it was a gravel pit. “Bob told him to meet at Majic’s Law office on Tuesday morning, and they showed up!”

They fenced the property and built it from there with a few sites at a time. “Now we have 250 sites and 110 boat slips.”

Speaking with Ev, I can’t help but ask how she does it all. With two small children, a business, sitting on a couple of boards, organizing a couple of events, feeling wiped but wanting to do more, I’m looking for something… a secret, some tips she can share to help us all “do it all.”

“Without volunteers, the community wouldn’t run,” she says. “I’ve always felt

that one of Fernie’s biggest assets is the people who live here. Born and raised or moved here to embrace what we love. The community is better for every person who volunteers, no matter how big or how small it helps make the fabric of Fernie.”

dad built the house and we have added on as our family grew.

Fall. We’re not as busy, and I just love the colour of the mountains and coolness.

3. What was your first impression?

7. Where do you see Fernie in 5 to 10 years?

My mom always told me a story, about when I had wandered away without her knowing. I had gotten my doll buggy stuck outside of an insurance company and a woman working there called my mom. I got home without getting into any trouble, and it just shows the safety of the community.

So really, the secret is loving where you live and wanting to see it be the best it can be.

We all want that, right?

“Volunteering is good for your mental health and your physical health.You feel good when you’ve made an impact, small or large. I really do think you feel better about yourself and about your community.”

4. What keeps you in Fernie?

Family and work.

That helps, too! Thanks, Ev.You are truly an inspiration and pioneer.

5. Do you have a favourite Fernie memory?

1. When did you first arrive in Fernie and what brought you here?

The curse lifting was right up there, I was quite young. It also always warmed my heart when my dad drove the Zamboni.

I was born and raised here.

6. What is your favourite time of the year in Fernie and why?

2. Where did you first live in town?

I would hope for controlled growth, that there are no more developments up the valley sides. And bustling with lots of volunteers with the events we have and new ones that come our way.

8. How do you start your day or what is one of your daily rituals?

I turn the coffee on the minute I get up.

Then we sit and have a cup of coffee together and talk about what our day is going to be.

9. Tell us something people might be surprised to learn about you.

That I really like Yoga. I really enjoy it.

10. Quote to live by: “Fernie – it’s the people.”

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Community and Events

It Really Does Take a Village

classroom to share – and each of those encounters helped encourage me. Because no matter how delightful your teenager is to other people, at home his or her parents get the other side of the coin.

by KERRI WALL

W

I tried hard to do the same for others, and I would go out of my way to tell parents about the pleasant interactions I had with their teenagers. I would tell those moms and dads how clever/funny/thoughtful/ generous their kids were and we would talk about raising teenagers. Other adults play an important role when we have difficulty with our own kids.

hen your kid is a teenager, you don’t see as much of them as you used to. More and more they have a life of their own and you are less connected to their school activities, their friends, and where they go.

Your teenager may pull away from family time, he may spend evenings on his phone in a private bubble, or she might start hanging out with people that you find questionable.

How are we supposed to support and guide our teens when they resist our presence?

Before your kid was a teenager they wanted lots of direct attention, even more than you were able to give. When my son was young he had a constant refrain of ‘watch me! Look at this!’ But as teens, they are in a cocoon of change and don’t want our intense gaze nearly as much. This is where it helps to have other eyes on them.

A community of friends and neighbours can act as an information network if we are able to plug into it. Here are some ideas.

Even though there were times my teen didn’t think I was the coolest adult in town, some of his friends did. I worked hard to create a relaxed and welcoming environment at home where the kids could hang out if they wanted to. Though they weren’t there to visit me I would offer food and be sociable, and over the years I learned a lot of things about a lot of young people and had some great conversations about what it felt like to be them.

It also helped that I frequent places like the dirt jumps, the ski hill, and the swimming pool because those are great venues for teenagers. I had a policy of always driving a kid home when they asked, and usually, I offered. Moments with teens can be brief,

PLANNING AHEAD

COMMUNITY CREATING OPPORTUNITIES FOR TEENS | V. CROOME PHOTO

but they add up and can be approached strategically as an opportunity to build relationships and expand your network.

Other families acted in a reciprocal fashion, and they would often feed and drive my kid around when he happened to be at their place. This may be an indirect method of community building but it is effective because I would inevitably run into the parents of other teenagers at work or the grocery store or just on the street and we would share information. Often it would begin with, ‘thanks for giving my kid a ride home from the game the other night,’ and then the other parent would reply, ‘oh no problem! He is always so polite and friendly.’ Then the first parent would say, ‘you’re talking about MY kid?!’

Parents of teenagers can feel a bit desperate to catch glimpses of the sweet child they remember from those pre-teen days gone by. Even though our teens may seem moody and mysterious at home, they can appear quite average and appealing out in the world. I assure you I felt validated every time some other adult in the community had a nice report about my son. Random people would tell me they were served by him at the cinema or Big Bang Bagels, or his teachers would have a story from the

Don’t let yourself get tricked into thinking you’re the only person struggling as you parent a teenager. There is no such thing as a kid so ‘good’ that they don’t have friction at home. That would be like saying a baby was too cute to make an explosion in their diaper. Both are totally normal phases of development that are more easily managed with the community by our side.

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May 2018 MONTHLY EVENTS TUESDAY 1.5.2018 Learn to Sew Class @ Infinitea by Fernie Clothing Repairs and Alterations, 6pm Ken Hamm @ The Arts Station, 8pm WEDNESDAY 2.5.2018 Fernie Caregiver Support Group @ Rocky Mountain Village, 1pm Senior Story Time @ Tom Uphill Manor, 1:30pm THURSDAY 3.5.2018 IDES Spring Tea @ Isabella Dicken, 11am-2pm.

Tickets are $4 at the door, 4 and under are free.

Elk Valley 1st Annual Spring Job Fair @ Fernie Family Centre. 2–5pm Exhibit Opening: Home on the Range by Tara Higgins @ The Arts Station, 7pm FRIDAY 4.5.2018 FYAN Presents Photography Classes @ Kyle Hamilton Studio, 4-5pm.

Kettle Bells 101 Workshop @ Soar Studios, 5:307:30pm SATURDAY 5.5.2018 Spring Craft Fair @ The Community Centre, 10am – 3pm The Singing Breakthrough Session @ Soar Studios, 2-3:15pm Cinco de Mayo Party @ The Pub with live entertainment, special FBC cask and food specials Cinco de Mayo Party @ Nevados, margarita specials, Mexican street food, 427s surf rock band, 5-11pm SUNDAY 6.5.2018 Day of Decadence @ Seniors Drop-in Centre, 1pm.

An annual fundraising spa day!

MONDAY 7.5.2018 Children’s Dance Workshop in Fernie: Rock and Roll Trolls @ Heart and Soul Dance and Theatre Collective and Sole Beats.

TUESDAY 8.5.2018 Slocan Ramblers @ The Arts Station, 8pm WEDNESDAY 9.5.2018 Walkie Talkie Book Club: Jade Peony by Wayson Choy @ Fernie Heritage Library, 10am Senior Story Time @ Rocky Mountain Village, 1pm THURSDAY 10.5.2018 Tentative Course Opening @ Fernie Golf Club Seussical @ Key City Theatre, 7pm Meet the Sitter Night @ Fernie Heritage Library, 6-7:30pm FRIDAY 11.5.2018 FYAN Presents Photography Classes @ Kyle Hamilton Studio, 4-5pm.

Kettle Bells 101 Workshop @ Soar Studios, 5:307:30pm Shop Late Friday @ Freyja Lifestyle Fashion, 5pm Shop Local, Shop Late and Shop for Mom @ Local Shops, staying open until 8:30pm Artist Roundtable @ The Arts Station, 7pm with Tara Higgins SATURDAY 12.5.2018 The Singing Breakthrough and Dance Session @ Soar Studios, 6:30-9pm SUNDAY 13.5.2018 Mother’s Day Brunch @ Best Western Fernie, 10am to 2pm Mother’s Day Buffet @ The Bridge Bistro, 10am Mother’s Day Brunch @ Max Restaurant Mother’s Day Brunch @ Cast Iron Grill, Fernie Golf Course TUESDAY 15.5.2018 Employment Law Information Session @ Parkplace Lodge, 7:30-9:30am Ladies Opening @ Fernie Golf Club, 6pm TUESDAY 15.5.2018 – 16.5.2018 Collections Management for Community Museums Workshop @ Fernie Heritage Library, 9:30am to 4pm WEDNESDAY 16.5.2018 Men’s Opening @ Fernie Golf Club, 5pm THURSDAY 17.5.2018 Ukulele 101 for All Ages @ Fernie Heritage Library, 6:30-7:30pm FRIDAY 18.5.2018 FYAN Presents Photography Classes @ Kyle Hamilton Studio, 4-5pm.

SATURDAY 19.5.2018 Spring Bike Blitz @ Elks Hall, includes a bike swap, BBQ, Kid’s Scavenger Hunt and FMBC AGM. Rocky Mountain Demo Day @ Gear Hub Official Grand Re-Opening @ Fernie Legion WEDNESDAY 23.5.2018 Senior Story Time @ Trinity Lodge, 1:30pm FRIDAY 25.5.2018 Tea and Talk Book Club: Into the Water by Paula Hawkins @ Fernie Heritage Library, 1:30pm Franco Fest featuring Mathieu Lippé @ The Arts Station. 7-9pm SATURDAY 26.5.2018 Plan Your Garden – KFR Workshop @ College of the Rockies, 7pm Trail Razr III @ Fernie Community Centre, 6:30pm.

Dinner, live and silent auction, raffle, music, dancing and more!

CHECK OUT THE FERNIE FIX EVENTS CALENDAR ONLINE AT FERNIEFIX.COM

SATURDAY 26.5.2018 – SUNDAY 27.5.2018 Bold Strokes Workshop with Tara Higgins @ The Arts Station SUNDAY 27.5.2018 Junior Open @ Fernie Golf Club Making Living Compost – KFR Workshop @ College of the Rockies, 10am MONDAY 28.5.2018 Wildsight Elk Valley AGM @ The Walker’s House.

Contact elkvalley@wildsight.ca.

MONDAY 28.5.2018 – SUNDAY June 3, 2018 Bike to Work and School Week @ Fernie, register online at Biketowork.ca WEDNESDAY 30.5.2018 Fungus Among Us @ WIldsight. Join Wild Nature Tours for a fun and informative forest outing.

THURSDAY 31.5.2018 Ride with Librarians @ Fernie Heritage Library.

Launching the Fernie Book Bike for the Season, meet at the library garden and end at the Bridge Bistro. 4pm-5:30pm FRIDAY 1.6.2018 – Sunday 3.6.2018 Snow Valley Slam @ Sparwood Arena. A Roller Derby extravaganza!

SATURDAY 2.6.2018 Fernie Community Yard Sale @ Fernie. A sidewalk shopping bonanza with garage sales, yard sales and sidewalk clearances. 8am-12pm Fernie Disability Awareness Night @ The Community Centre, 5pm. Enjoy L’impossible documentary, dinner and a silent auction. Tickets available at Canadianadaptivenetwork.com, Gear Hub and Elevation.

save the dates spring bike blitz Saturday May 19

trail razr iii Saturday May 26

For events in your inbox each week, sign up for our e-Fix newsletter at Ferniefix.com

CONTACT INFO@CLARISMEDIA.COM TO SHARE YOUR EVENTS, BOTH ONLINE AND IN PRINT. IT’S FREE!

May 2018 WEEKLY EVENTS

DINING, NIGHTLIFE and SPECIALS MONDAYS Pair it up Appies @ Boston Pizza Pool Tourney Mondays @ The Pub Lasagna Specials @ Elk Valley Pizza Shoppe Wing Night @ The Fernie Hotel $6 meals & Free Movie Night @ Infinitea Ladies Night @ The Northern Local Jam Night @ The Kodiak Lounge Monday Mayhem with Goffles @ The Royal Store and Tasting Room Open @ Fernie Brewing Company Snowshoe and Dine @ Fernie Alpine Resort Pasta Night @ Loaf Happy Hour @ Loaf, 3-5pm Pizza and Beer Specials TUESDAYS Gourmet Pasta Specials @ Boston Pizza Wing Night @ The Pub Bar & Grill Pizza Night @ Elk Valley Pizza Shoppe Beer, Burger and Bingo Night @ The Northern Cheap Night @ The Vogue Theatre Karaoke @ The Royal Half Price Appetizers @ The Fernie Hotel Store and Tasting Room Open @ Fernie Brewing Company Happy Hour @ Loaf, 3-5pm Pizza and Beer Specials Pasta and Wine Night @ Cirque Restaurant WEDNESDAYS High Flyers Pool Comp @ Kodiak Lounge Wings Night @ Boston Pizza

OUTDOOR & FAMILY MONDAYS Parent Power Hour @ Fernie Chamber of Commerce Dominoes, Duplicate and Mahjong @ The Seniors Drop in Centre Pickleball @ Fernie Community Centre Indoor Walking @ The Community Centre Ladies Only @ Fernie Old School Boxing Parent Tot Funtimes @ Fernie Family Centre StrongStart @ Isabella Dicken Elementary School ages 0-4 Tiguidous – Learn French While Having Fun @ CBAL Office Public Swimming @ The Aquatic Centre Cribbage Club @ Trinity Lodge, Grades 1-6 Drop-In @ Elk Valley Gymnastics, 11-12pm for ages 0-4 TUESDAYS Crib/Whist, Chess and Drop In @ Seniors Drop in Centre Storytime Ages 3-5 @ Heritage Library Ladies Archery @ The Elks Hall Junior Boxing @ Fernie Old School Boxing Club Indoor Walking Program @ Fernie Community Centre Open Climbing @ Evolution English Conversation Cafe @ CBAL Office Drop in Climbing @ College of the Rockies StrongStart @ Isabella Dicken Elementary School Fernie Community Choir @ The Fernie Arts Station Kindergym @ Fernie Family Centre Family Early Years Hub @ Fernie Heritage Library Free Guided Meditation @ Soar Studios Public Swimming @ The Aquatic Centre Earth Kids @ Fernie Heritage Library

Wine Evenings @ The Brickhouse Trivia Night @ The Fernie Hotel Wing Night @ The Northern Wax On Wednesday @ 901 Spa Store and Tasting Room Open @ Fernie Brewing Company Zak’s Jam Night @ The Royal Half Price Ice Bar @ Lizard Creek Lodge Ice Bar Tarot Readings @ Infinitea, 7pm Happy Hour @ Loaf, 3-5pm Pizza and Beer Specials THURSDAYS Pizza Night @ Boston Pizza Jam Night @ The Brickhouse Hot and Cold Cocktail Night @ Infinitea Featured Pub Burgers @ Max Restaurant & The Pub Bar & Grill Burger and Beer Special @ The Fernie Medium Pizza Special @ Elk Valley Pizza Store and Tasting Room Open @ Fernie Brewing Company Pub Team Trivia @ The Pub Bar & Grill Thirsty Thursdays @ Kodiak Lounge Pizza Night @ Loaf Happy Hour @ Loaf, 3-5pm Pizza and Beer Specials Winter Bike and Dine @ Fernie Alpine Resort FRIDAYS Nacho Night @ Boston Pizza Fish & Chips @ The Pub Bar & Grill Meat Draw and Members Draw @ The Fernie Hotel Seniors Programming

Kids Programming

WEDNESDAYS Crib, Gentle Exercise and Tai Chi @ Seniors Drop in Centre Adult Badminton @ The Community Centre AA Meetings @ The Anglican Church Basement Competitive Boxing @ Fernie Old School Boxing Club Toddlertime Ages 0-2 @ Fernie Heritage Library Indoor Walking Program @ Fernie Community Centre Open Climbing @ Evolution English Conversation Cafe @ CBAL office StrongStart @ Isabella Dicken Elementary School Kindergym @ Fernie Family Centre Celebrate Recovery @ Mountainside Church Knit Clique @ Fernie Heritage Library Drop-In @ Elk Valley Gymnastics, 11-12pm for ages 0-4 Public Swimming @ The Aquatic Centre Wine and Wheel @ The Arts Station Latin Vibes: Rhumba @ The Arts Station Lego Club @ Fernie Heritage Library, ages 7+ Apres Ski Yoga @ Lizard Creek Lodge THURSDAYS Morning Yoga, Drop in, and Canasta/Cards @ Senior’s Centre Pickleball @ Fernie Community Centre RC Club @ Fernie Community Centre Community Basketball @ Fernie Secondary School Mixed Senior Recreational Boxing @ Fernie Old School Boxing Youth Archery @ The Elks Hall Bellies to Babies @ Fernie Women’s Centre Open Roller Skating @ Max Turyk Gym

Date Night Special @ Spa 901 Fish & Chip Night @ The Pub Live Music @ Loaf, 6-9pm Happy Hour @ Loaf, 3-5pm Pizza and Beer Specials Live music @ Infinitea SATURDAYS Kids Pool Party, BBQ and Movie Night @ Lizard Creek Lodge Meat Draw & Bar Quiz @ The Legion Coffee and Baileys Special @ The Bridge Bistro Vinyl Appreciation Night @ Infinitea Rib Night @ Max Restaurant and The Pub Open Mic Night @ Fernie Hotel Happy Hour @ Loaf, 3-5pm Pizza and Beer Specials SUNDAYS Hip Hop Sundays @ Kodiak Lounge Cocktail Specials @ Cirque Restaurant Kids Specials @ Boston Pizza Caesars on Special @ The Brickhouse All day breakfast @ The Fernie Roast Dinner @ Infinitea Curry Sundays @ The Pub Caesars Special @ The Bridge Bistro Happy Hour @ Loaf, 3-5pm Pizza and Beer Specials Half Price Cocktails @ Cirque Restaurant

Swim

Skate

Library Program

Other

Indoor Walking Program @ Fernie Community Centre, StrongStart @ Isabella Dicken Elementary School Free Guided Meditation @ Soar Studios Public Swimming @ The Aquatic Centre Knits and Knots @ Fernie Heritage Library, ages 8+ FRIDAYS Cribbage @ Seniors Drop in Centre Jitney Darts @ Fernie Legion Toddlertime Ages 0-2 @ Fernie Heritage Library StrongStart @ Isabella Dicken Elementary School Kindergym @ Fernie Family Centre Public Swimming @ The Aquatic Centre Evening Uptracking Tour @ Fernie Alpine Resort Pre Ski Saturdays Stretch and Warm Up @ Lizard Creek Lodge SATURDAYS Karma Meditation Class @ Essential Yoga Studio Open Climbing @ Evolution Prenatal Yoga @ Essential Yoga Public Swimming @ The Aquatic Centre SUNDAYS AA Meetings @ The Anglican Church Basement Public Swimming @ The Aquatic Centre Guided Meditation @ Soar Studios Drop-In @ Elk Valley Gymnastics, 12:45-1:45pm for ages 5+

FERNIEFIX.COM

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Community and Events

Fernie Strong

through their front door. That’s how it should end. But we don’t get to write the story.

by SHELBY CAIN

W

ho has your back? When you’re in a tough spot, and life has thrown you into a dark place you never dreamed possible, who cares if you find your way out? We do. Us. The collective group that shares some affiliation with you.Your town or your neighbours or your book club.Your country. Because we are part of something the same, and that makes us a team. A group. A tribe. Human nature shows that when faced with adversity, we come together and stand up for our people.

Our community.

Like a giant onion, community is a layered and expanding concept. It is not your address. It is the places you inhabit with all of your multiple identities, each with their own distinct traits. Some niche and specific. Some broad and inclusive. Human.

Woman. Elk Valley resident. Fernie writer.

The circles get smaller and numbers fewer, but there is no question you belong to multiple communities. And, when times are tough, you need them. Their support and encouragement and even just the simplest tap on your shoulder. An acknowledgement that you have a place.

You’re with us.

Researchers have discovered that humans have a definitive need for affiliation, specifically when faced with fear or stress.

It’s an instinct. When bad stuff happens, we come together. Putting aside our differences and focusing on similarities, as small as they might be. Recognizing that we’re stronger as a group. Parkland strong.

Humboldt strong. Fernie strong.

The community of Fernie faced a devastating tragedy last October, but it’s effect reached far past the city limits. Across the province and the country, people felt our pain. It tore us from our moorings and set us adrift in a sea of shock and uncertainty. How could this happen? A regular day on the job for three hard-

FAMILY STOKE

SUBMITTED PHOTO

working souls that should’ve ended with them stepping through their front doors.

Our hearts and prayers remain with the families of the men that were lost. It felt senseless, and so deeply sad, that all we could do was gather together and cling to our likeness, our shared grief, our place.

Everyone was inspired to reach out – to do something that might help someone.

Floundering for what I could personally do, I found myself walking down main street. Smiling through teary eyes at anyone who looked up, desperate to offer a gesture that might bring solace in some small way.

I bought chocolates and brought them to the library. I felt the need to acknowledge a place that always feels open and helpful and accepting of us all. Others did so much more. Extending themselves in countless, selfless ways that helped so many.

And now, once again, we are coming together as communities. Hockey fans.

Parents. Athletes. Canadians. My eyes burn from the tears and the TV screen.

Humboldt, Saskatchewan is suffering so severely and our hearts are breaking for them. With them. The loss is overwhelming and incomprehensible and again I feel blindsided by the magnitude of my shock.

How can this happen? They were just going to play a game, with their team, on a bus. Like so many of us have done so often.

The day should end with them walking

This morning I placed a hockey stick on my porch. For the boys. It’s what everyone else is doing, and once again I find myself seeking camaraderie and struggling desperately to reach out. Somehow. Make a tiny gesture that says I’m with you.

Through the pain and the mourning and the wondering why. I’m on your team and part of your community. Because in dark times, even though it can really feel like you are, you’re not alone. Tragedy brings unity. But through all the tragedies we will face, we might do well to remember this compassion and affiliation for each other on the normal days, too. We’re in this together, and we don’t have to wait for the monumental struggles to reach out. To tap each other on the shoulder and say, I’m with you. We’re a team. Sometimes, a tiny tap goes a long way. Stay strong. Humboldt strong. Fernie strong.

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27

Celebrating B.C. Mining Month May 2018 Teck is proud to recognize the skills and dedication of our employees, contractors and suppliers during B.C. Mining Month.

Thank you for your valuable contribution to the mining industry in B.C. Contact Sparwood Chamber of Commerce for local activities, including mine tours (May 14–17), mining luncheon (May 10) and community barbecue (May 30).

Call 250.425.2423 or visit bcminingmonth.ca

Outdoor Life

Support

by JEFF COLDEN

I

have never been much of a writer. In fact, through my youth, I was downright dreadful. Math came easily, physics too, but never writing. My mother can tell you stories of sitting at the kitchen table fighting with me on a weekly basis for hours in order to complete my spelling assignments. Her convincing my teachers to make me redo poor assignments. It’s a problem I struggle with to this day. It routinely crops up as feedback at work, that I continue to need to work on technical writing, my emails, etc. In fact, my writing, both in the literary sense, and my handwriting were diagnosed as learning disabilities.

I never sought out to write this column.

My friend Ahmed Mumeni, who wrote and took pictures in this space previously, connected me with the editor, Krista, to support my photography - a field in which he was somewhat of a mentor to me.

Krista took that suggestion and offered this column as well. I thought about it quite a lot and quite hard. Eventually, I figured that I would give it a go. I figured that after a column or two, and a little ribbing from colleagues, I would be invited to stop writing, but hopefully keep taking pictures.

It seemed to be a small risk. As well as an opportunity to work on a weakness. So, I got on with it.

I did, in fact, hear from my colleagues and friends on my writing, but I couldn’t have been more wrong on the tone and spirit of what I heard. I have been given strong endorsements and encouragement from people I respect, and whose writing I respect, some of who make their careers, non-trivially on their ability to write.

Though upon receiving a copy of the first issue, my mother did say she thought “Hell must have frozen over.”

Some of the feedback has been hilarious, such as the colleague who told me, last

TWO TRAILS DIVERGED IN A WOOD

month, “We followed a ‘game trail’ once – only it turned out to lead to someone’s ‘wild herb garden’.” To the incredibly specific instruction to read up on Lord Byron, specially Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage verse CLXXVIII in Canto the Fourth, if not the whole book.

I trust that you will forgive me waxing on about myself, a dull subject if ever there was one, but there is a method to it. This is the Community Issue of the Fernie Fix and I never felt such a sense of support and fraternity. This is Fernie. We provide support to one another; we help one another; we celebrate each other’s successes and lend aid in times of trouble.

I promise next month to return to the topic of the outdoors. Also, Byron’s poem is on its way from Amazon, and I think I shall make a point of reading it on a sunny day, under a tree.

JEFF COLDEN PHOTO

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29

Outdoor Life

NEVER HAVE I EVER

SUBMITTED PHOTO

John Mill and Basketball

by JESSE BELL

I

n any gym, there’s a shrill squeak of sneakers against the polished wood floor, and the echoing thud of a basketball. More often than not, if you’re a good shot, there’s a swish of the net.

And in Fernie Secondary School’s gym, in particular, there’s a man who shoots the ball with precision, at least most of the time. A man who might not recognize his significance or impact, but who goes to the gym purely for the love of the game.

That man is John Mill—I call him Milldog.

He’s my high school basketball coach.

John and basketball might be the only reason I made it through high school. Not necessarily just because Principles of Math 12 sucked (it did), and Biology was a doozy (it was), but because first-love relationships ended in turmoil and heartbreak, and catty teenage girls oftentimes made walking the hallways unbearable (I wasn’t as cool as I am now).

The moment the gym opened, and I laced up my shoes and grabbed a basketball, every adolescent worry melted away.

John would blow his whistle and we’d run across the gym for two hours. Practices were a mid-week reprieve, weekend tournaments were mini-holidays. And

though we didn’t always win, and we weren’t always great, being a part of a team greatly shaped our character, providing stability in an incredibly unstable time of life. I’m a little nostalgic just thinking about it.

But this isn’t about me, it’s about John. We met at the high school gym one afternoon in March to reminisce about his time on the court—he’s retiring this year after 28 years of coaching the senior girls’ basketball team.

John played on outdoor courts as a kid in East Vancouver and moved to Fernie in 1980 to teach. He refereed, helped coached boys basketball, and taught math. In 1990 an opportunity arose to coach the senior girls; he took it.

Excluding the 2009 season, when John’s son’s team needed a coach, he’s been the head coach of the senior girls. He never quit, despite challenges on and off the court. Basketball is life.

and teams from his first years in 1990 and 1991 wound up fourth and eight in the province. But even when the teams didn’t, it never mattered. For John, coaching was never about winning.

“What was the difference between coaching boys and girls?” I ask as we sit on the bench.

“I love coaching,” he says. “It’s been such a fun way to spend the winters. Ex-players come back and want to help. Just the atmosphere in here is enough.”

“The tears,” he replies.

“We cried a lot, didn’t we?”

“Yep.” It’s true—we cried all the time. I remember losing games or making mistakes and becoming completely dislodged, us girls hiding our faces in the wide necks of our jerseys to stifle sobs. We really loved basketball. John never reprimanded us for our emotional attachment to the game, though. He just coached.

He took his senior girls team to provincials over 50 percent of the years he coached,

John doesn’t mention it as we sit on the bench—because he’s a humble man—but he’s received awards from the British Columbia Basketball Officials Association (BCBOA) for his lengthy contributions to refereeing and coaching. I can’t think of anyone more deserving.

“I’m going to buy a new pair of basketball shoes,” I promise him as we leave the gym.

“And come out to play on Thursdays in the fall.”

Players come home to Fernie each Christmas for an alumni game—I’ve played in a few myself. Sentiment floods back upon entering the gym; memories of bleachers filled with friends and family, of John and his incredible co-coaches rooting for their team from the bench, of the feeling of a swish in the net from a threepoint shot far outside the key.

“You really should,” he replies.

With my new shoes, I might land a couple left-handed layups (I was so good at those).

But if I don’t, because I’ve more than likely lost my magic touch, and the only reward instead is to lace up and play alongside John, it’ll be more than enough.

Try as I might to remember anything bad about playing ball, I can’t. Basketball with Milldog was awesome. I still wear my FSS sweatpants all the time, for goodness sake.

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Outdoor Life

FloWrkr – A Community Endeavour

by JULIE KELLY, FTA

Distance: 6km (out and back) Time: 1 hour Difficulty: Black

O

ur trails do not build themselves.

It is only because of our strong community of passionate volunteers and contractors that we have the amazing trail network we have in Fernie. A true community effort occurred last October when the local bike shops came together for a work party on the new trail FloWrkr.

Approximately 30 volunteers came out for the day. Go and explore this trail, which will hopefully be ready to ride by the time you are reading this!

Access the trail from Coal Creek Heritage Trail, just after you cross Ridgemont Road look for the trail to the left.

You are right into climbing mode with a couple of tight switchbacks to navigate. I had the pleasure of riding this with one of the trail masterminds last fall. I remember thinking at the time, the one coffee I had beforehand was not enough to fuel this endeavour.

Be sure to top up your caffeine levels before heading out on this one!

The trail continues with some interesting rock features, more tight turns and a couple of punchy climbs. It brings you out on Rifle Range Road.You can continue up the road, past the Big Money turn off and tie into the Ridgemont network.

Alternatively, you can turn around and

HITTING THE TRAILS

SUBMITTED PHOTO

enjoy riding it down. It’s just as fun and challenging down as up.

Further construction will take place this spring extending the trail to 7km in length.

Join us for a work party on a Thursday evening to become part of our trail building community.

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Health and Lifestyle

FERNIE FLAVOURS

Cultivating Community

by KATIE HAMAR

I

t’s Sunday morning at Fernie Mountain Market. The midday summer heat has yet to hit and the grass is still cool with dew from the night. Among the shaded edges of a tree-lined field, booths display fresh local produce and artisanal crafts. Grabbing a coffee and some dumplings, you wave hello to friends as you peruse the farm-fresh offerings. Shopping at a farmers market is not your typical consumer experience.

In a 1971 article written for the Geographical Review, an academic journal for the American Geographical Society, it was predicted that farmers markets were on the “verge of collapse,” “doomed by a changing society” and it was becoming the trend for the vendors to be resellers instead of the actual farmers of the goods. Approximately 340 farmers markets were running in the United States at the time.

The Geographical Review was mistaken.

The 21st century brought a major farmers market comeback. Between 2004 and 2014, the number of farmers markets in the United States increased from approximately 3,700 to 8,200. Within the same decade, the number of web searches for farmers markets tripled and the mention of farmers markets within newspaper articles quadrupled.

There are several reasons why farmers markets have become so popular.

In a world where GMOs, pesticides, and hormones are the norms, farmers markets are a healthy alternative to many of the foods found at big box stores. Most local farms use organic practices to grow their produce and raise their livestock in humane environments without the use of added hormones. With the growing trend towards health and wellness, market-goers enjoy meeting the people who grow their food as it fosters trust and a personal sense of

V. CROOME PHOTO

Farmers markets are feelgood hubs where you obtain healthier, more delicious food that has a lower environmental impact.

You see old friends, make new ones and camaraderie between vendor and consumer is created.

produce less carbon monoxide than their corporate counterparts and usually avoid pesticides and chemical fertilizers which cause further environmental harm.

Another motivation for buyers to shop at local farmers markets is the community.

When you shop at a farmers market, you support local businesses and community members. This supportive relationship is not only fostered through a monetary exchange of purchasing goods but via a trade that bonds the two parties based on their shared values of fellowship, health and environmental stewardship that farmers markets stand for.

pride for taking care of oneself. Plus, the food tastes more vibrant, is picked at its peak ripeness, and you oftentimes find a more interesting variety of offerings. Purple Farmers markets are feel-good hubs where peppers and garlic scapes from Three Crows you obtain healthier, more delicious food Farms are a couple local favourites. that has a lower environmental impact.

You see old friends, make new ones Lower environmental impact is another and camaraderie between vendor and reason consumers choose to visit farmers markets for their grocery needs. Given that consumer is created. When picking up your purple peppers and garlic scapes at Fernie most market food is grown fewer than a couple hundred kilometres away, its carbon Mountain Market, don’t forget what else you are taking home with you. footprint is significantly lesser than large stores whose goods travel vast distances Fernie Mountain Market opens July 1st at the utilizing an extortionate amount of fossil Fernie Aquatic Centre and runs every Sunday fuels which cause pollution. The small until Labour Day in Rotary Park. farms from which market food comes also FERNIEFIX.COM

35

Health and Lifestyle

THE FIND

Group Dynamics

by CRYS STEWART

COMING TOGETHER TO CAPTURE A MOMENT, SCORE A GREAT BUY, AND SPREAD GOOD CHEER.

Crowd-Sourcing A Bargain This is a heads up about potentially amazing finds to be found only on June 2. That’s the day of the Wildsight Community Yard Sale. What kind of amazing finds might you ask? “Good bikes! Decorative antiques!” exclaimed Courtney Baker, Fernie Wildsight’s Elk Valley Branch Coordinator, listing some of the items on sale at last year’s event, involving 42 homes. This year, Wildsight is upping the chances of yard sale shoppers scoring a terrific find by also offering a communal outdoor space (across the street from the Wildsight office) for sellers who don’t have a front yard to hold their own yard sale. And there’s more: The White Elephant sale is back. New to the event last year, this sale, held at the Wildsight office, offers items donated by wanna-be participants who can’t do the big day. When I met with Courtney, back in mid-March, Wildsight had already received a variety of donations, including–you COURTNEY BAKER OF FERNIE’S WILDSIGHT guessed it–a Dutch town bike as well as a set of golf clubs and some small kitchen appliances. Proceeds from the White Elephant sale go directly to the Fernie’s Wildsight Elk Valley branch. So mark your calendar and get some cash ready.Your neighbour may be offering the bargain you’ve been waiting for.

Bikes, antiques, appliances and more, June 2 only, front yards city-wide. Yard sale map available in the May 31 edition of the Fernie Free Press. White Elephant sale at Wildsight, 891 2nd Ave. Group yard sale across the street from Wildsight.

Where Everybody Knows Your Name “It was old!” said Jeannie Watson, President of RCL Branch #36, describing the condition of Fernie’s Legion hall before recent renovations. “The beer taps were obsolete. It would almost cost the same to replace everything as repair it all.”

Though the official grand re-opening takes place May 19, the spiffed-up (and still non-profit) bar is already welcoming everyone–whether you’re a member or not.

Haven’t been yet? Just be sure to sign the guestbook when you arrive (a necessity since, technically, the Legion is still a private veteran’s club). And, guys, you’ll have to remove your hats out of respect for our veterans. Having said that, you can play pool, throw darts, or just enjoy a glass with your mates and help someone out at the same time.

JEANNIE WATSON BEHIND THE BAR AT THE NEWLY RENOVATED LEGION.

“Our mandate,” explained Watson, “is to support veterans, seniors, and youth in our community and surrounding area.” Regular meat draws and other fund drives drum up money for local registered charities including the Salvation Army food bank and the Fernie hospital. “This isn’t your grandfather’s Legion anymore,” proclaimed Watson. But there are some nice holdovers. Swearing is avoided, for instance. But, just in case someone forgets, Watson pointed out, “There’s a Cuss Box.” Open Wednesday to Saturday, 3pm to 11pm, 551 1st Ave.

Joy to the Family Joy Segovia got into family portraiture after she received a photo of herself as a child with her Dad, who had since passed away. The photo, which she hadn’t seen before, inspired her to help others capture their own special moments as a family. Now, as an associate at Kyle Hamilton Photography, she’s addressing what Hamilton described as “an unmet demand [in Fernie],” adding that, except for Segovia, “There aren’t any professional photographers offering a professional family portrait service that deliver high-quality print products.”

What Segovia isn’t offering is one-size-fits-all photo packages. There are no price minimums and you won’t be handed a disc of digital images. Instead, “everything is KYLE HAMILTON AND ASSOCIATE JOY SEGOVIA OF ordered a la carte,” she said. On the menu: a long list of KYLE HAMILTON PHOTOGRAPHY. options including gift prints, framed photos, albums and even wall art. A three-appointment process is designed to maximize communication between Segovia and her clients. It seems to be working. She lit up as she recalled a recent client of hers–a single father with his two little girls. “We had an amazing session,” she said. “It makes me feel good to give that to them.”

Email hello@kylehamiltonphotography.com for an appointment. Sitting fee, $150. Includes a consultation, a 90-minute portrait session at location of your choice and an ordering appointment. Kyle Hamilton Photography, 341C 3rd Ave.

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5

7 6 9 0 5 1 0 An Evening 3 8 7 7 2 4 Interlude 1 6 18 Black Tie Gala Step into Downton Abbey

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Health and Lifestyle

FOOD INTELLIGENCE

Wayne’s Whole 30 Controversy

sound extreme, but the language used in the book makes it clear that there is no room for mistakes.

by TIFFANY SCHEBESCH, RD, BASC

“Unless you physically tripped and your face landed in a box of doughnuts, there is no ‘slip.’You make a choice to eat something unhealthy. It is always a choice, so do not phrase it as if you had an accident.”

T

he sun is shining, small plants are creeping out of the ground, and Wayne is ready to get his healthy lifestyle back on track. As a competitive varsity athlete, Wayne raced track and field like his life depended on it. He was young, fit and at the top of his game. Fast-forward 20 years and Wayne’s top priorities look quite different, namely balancing long hours at work with the needs of his family.

He still makes time for gym sessions but knows his once “clean diet” is trending to more convenience, quick meals. He’s been gaining a bit of weight over the years and with spring is ready to get on track. After chatting with friends at his local gym, Wayne decides to give the Whole 30 a try.

What is the Whole 30?

The Whole30 diet was founded by a husband and wife duo claiming they can help you improve your metabolism, weight loss efforts, relationship with food, unexplainable aches and pains, energy levels, skin, fertility, digestive and inflammatory issues, seasonal allergies. How do they propose you do this? “Eliminate the most common craving-inducing, blood sugar disrupting, gut-damaging, inflammatory food groups for a full 30 days. Let your body heal and recover from whatever effects those foods may be causing.”

What’s left on the menu once these have been eliminated? Mainly meat, seafood, eggs, vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds and oil.

After the initial elimination phase comes the reintroduction phase of introducing one food group at a time over ten days to determine what has been causing your unwanted GI upset.

I’m going to dig into the pros and cons of this diet trend I’ve seen growing in popularity to give you all the facts before trying it out for yourself.

Ouch! I understand that adopting healthier eating habits can be tough, but this is downright offensive. Eating is more than just fuel; it should be a source of pleasure and socializing. When we start associating these healthy foods with guilt and shame, we’re setting ourselves up for the yo-yo dieting cycle of restriction and binging.

SUBMITTED PHOTO

Pros First, although it’s very restrictive, it’s not meant as a lifelong eating pattern and they don’t suggest it is followed for more than 30 days. Instead, they have a Whole 9 focusing on nine factors for optimal health to include in daily life. Additionally, they have a very weight-neutral approach, suggesting not weighing yourself for the entire month and instead focusing on your changes in sleep, skin, energy and overall wellbeing. This holistic approach to nutrition is more in line with my personal views, focusing on healthy diet and lifestyle habits rather than the number on the scale.

Cons The Whole 30 diet is ultimately just that, a diet. It contains quite the restrictive list of foods that must be avoided, as previously mentioned. Once you start creating a set of rules regarding “good” and “bad” foods, you’re heading down the dangerous path of developing an unhealthy relationship with food. The obsession with eating strictly clean foods sounds like a path towards developing an eating disorder. This may

Another problem is the lack of plantbased protein options. The diet clearly recommends some animal proteins are to be included in your diet daily. This means that unless you’re willing to include some animal proteins, you’re unable to follow the Whole30. This high intake of meat products could be harmful to not only the environment but our bodies as well.

Graciously, they’ve included a vegetarian option, however, the only protein sources allowed are eggs and fish, at every meal, for a month.

Finally, there are diet facets associated with the Whole30 that I can’t stand by as a dietitian, namely the lack of scientific evidence for the claims made. These include promises to detox your body, the ability to cure health ailments from digestion to mood swings, and of course how expensive it can be.

The bottom line? The Whole30 includes strict guidelines about which foods you’re allowed to eat. This is paving a path towards unhealthy relationships with food and removing the innate pleasure and excitement associated with eating. I don’t believe in a need to suffer to reap the health benefits of eating properly and enjoying food without obsessive rules.

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Health and Lifestyle

FAMILY WELLNESS

Bucket List for Family Wellness

accomplish during this year’s spring and summer season. Here are five ideas to get you started:

by DR. TAINA TURCASSO, N.D., R.M.

Create a Gratitude Practice The problems we have are our own, and it’s ok to feel sad about the things that happen in our lives. That being said, it’s also important to have some awareness of the fact that those of us who have regular access to food, water, and shelter have a lot to be grateful for. Establishing a regular practice of gratitude will improve your mental health and your overall quality of life. Start by doing a daily gratitude journal and include your kids, listing three things that you are grateful for at the end of every day.

Make it a project and write it down so you can all look back on your lists as you go.

L

ists are a great way to organize whether you are preparing for a trip, planning the week ahead, or jotting down goals that you have for your life. Bucket lists tend to be a list of big ticket items that you would like to accomplish in your lifetime, possibly as a means of ensuring that you have a full life. These lists are going to be different for everyone, but most of us want to ensure that when we get to the end of our lives we have no regrets about how we lived. Beyond that, if we are accomplishing items from our buckets list, at least we are working towards that goal even if we don’t complete it. I would even venture a guess that most people don’t even expect to check off all of the items listed, but rather use the list as a means of guiding their choices throughout their lives.

STOCK PHOTO

The benefits of having such a list are clear; you will likely do more if you have a list of items to follow. Why not use this same practice and make a list of things that you’d like to do in your own household to improve the quality of your family’s health? Make a list for your family to

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Eliminate Processed Foods Challenge your family to eliminate processed foods for a week, a month, or the whole summer. This bucket list item

will benefit you and your family in many ways as it will force you to look at the ingredients before you buy anything. If you are a household that relies heavily on prepared foods, this will be particularly challenging because you will have to get used to preparing your own whole foods.

The beauty of a challenge like this is that you will never go back to not checking the ingredients.You may let some things slide as you move back into the world of moderation, but developing awareness of what you put in your body will impact your food choices for the rest of your life.

Try a New Activity Pick a new activity to try out this summer.

Make it a challenge to try it not just once or twice but for at least a month, if not longer. If you have a bigger family, pick an activity that everyone can do together. It’s really easy to settle into our comfortable and familiar habits.You may be very active already, but it will still benefit you to try something new and to move your body in

a new way. Once you pick your activity, decide on a goal to reach or develop a way to celebrate when you’ve reached the end of your trial.

Grow Your Food While there are limitations to what we are able to grow here, there are still plenty of foods that flourish in this environment and learning how to grow food that you can actually use to feed yourself and your family will change your relationship with food. Gardening can be an overwhelming task, especially when you compare yourself to those neighbours who have full, colourful gardens every year, but everyone has to start somewhere. Pick a few vegetables that you know will grow well here (kale!) and plant a small garden.

Include your kids in the tending and picking of the garden and if they are old enough, let them have their own little plot.

Start small, but stick with it throughout the summer and reap the rewards of eating food that you have grown yourself.

Sleep Hygiene As always, I cannot overstate the importance of good quality of sleep. Take a good look at your sleep habits, including any bedtime rituals, what you do in the hour before bed, how your bedroom, is organized, etc. Decide what you want that to look like and set the goal of achieving that in the next month. Creating a bedtime ritual and making a habit of it will improve your sleep quality which will improve your health.

Maybe your “Bucket List to Wellness” looks different than this, but whatever you decide to put on it, having it on a list will make you more likely to do it.Visualize what you want your future wellness to look like, and check in with the list frequently to hold yourself accountable to your goals. If you fail, pick yourself up and try again.

Happy List-Making!

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Bits and Bytes

Facebook Data

designed specifically to get you to hand over personal data, then at least use something else for your security questions.

by KEVIN MCISAAC

Q

uite a few people have been asking me lately about the Facebook data issues that have been in the news lately. The issue has been covered extensively and so I wondered what if anything could I add to the conversation. After a bit of reading, I realized that a large part of the problem hasn’t been addressed: you!

Yes, Facebook (and others) shoulder much of the blame here by making it extraordinarily easy for third-party actors to scrape up your data. Sure. But who put the data up there? Hmm? You did.You couldn’t resist taking the poll about your high school mascot, or the one about your favourite ten albums, or what was your first dog’s name? There is an endless supply of these supposedly harmless little polls on Facebook. When you were answering them, did they look familiar to you at all? Perhaps they looked a little like those security questions that your bank made you answer when you signed up for online banking. Or the ones that Apple had you fill out along with your credit card information to secure your account.

Or any of dozens of Internet locations that store your personal data and use security questions to control access.

THE ANSWER GUY

STOCK PHOTO

of people. That knowledge helps hackers.

It narrows the guessing by many orders of magnitude.

Most identity theft happens like this: “Hi this is Apple support, how can I help you today?”

“Hi, I have a problem. My husband and I are divorcing and he has all the passwords to our accounts. I need access to my Apple account to change the credit card number.”

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. I’m just going to ask you a couple of security questions.

Are you ready?”

When I fill out security questions I record the answers in my KeyPass database along with the password. And I use answers which make sense but aren’t applicable to me. For example, if the security question is “What was your high school mascot?” I may use “Scooby Doo” or “Cyclops.” The program doesn’t care if the answer is true, just that you can respond with the correct one if asked.

Finally, don’t be afraid to use Facebook or social media in general, just make sure what your sharing is of interest only to your friends and family.

And never forget, if you aren’t paying to use it, you’re paying for it with your use. p.s. If you have any specific questions for the Answer Guy send them to info@clarismedia. com. Chances are good that if you want to know others do too.

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If you take nothing else away from this column, remember this: Assume that anything that you post online can and will be read by anyone.

“That’s right. And where did your mother and father meet?”

Most identity theft hacking doesn’t happen the way you see it in the movies with a lone hacker guessing your password with a couple of tries. Even poor passwords are difficult to straight-up guess unless the hacker has a bunch of information to narrow their search. For example, are you one of those people that uses a really difficult password to guess, but then uses it everywhere.Yikes! How about using a pattern like six letters, two numbers, and an exclamation point. Guess what, so do a lot

“That’s correct. I’ll send you a temporary password to your email.”

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Facebook, Twitter, Google, Instagram, etc. all have some work to do, but stop making it so easy for the bad guys.

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Bits and Bytes

May 2018

by YANN LORANGER

W

ith the beginning of May, the focus on efficiency and structure diminishes day by day until we reach a point where our energies will feel scattered around mid-May. From mid-May to the end of the month, we concentrate on a more intuitive and heart-felt energy that reaches its peak at end of the month with the full moon.

Since we all have a little bit of each sign within us, consider each of the following as addressing a specific part of yourself. Read it all for every aspect within yourself.

Aries (March 21 - April 29) Regroup As springtime becomes more apparent, you feel as though new life needs to show up! You’re putting out a lot of energy to help make this ‘new life’ available to all.

Be careful not to exhaust yourself - try to stay energized and observe how the energy flows around you instead.

Taurus (April 20 - May 20) Change The stability from the Earthy dynamic that’s been happening since the beginning of the year felt good. As the month goes on, things start changing and get a bit more watery.You might feel a bit insecure because of this change in the atmosphere.

Don’t panic, you’ll like it soon enough.

Gemini (May 21 - June 20) The Zone In such period of movement, change and transition, you’re very comfortable and feel as though life is exactly as it should be.You don’t even wish for holidays.You have all you’ve wished for and are ready to think positively about your future.

From mid-May to the end of the month, we concentrate on a more intuitive and heart-felt energy that reaches its peak at end of the month with the full moon.

Cancer (June 21 - July 22) Poetic You’re finally getting some attention.

These last months you’ve felt a bit dry, but as the warmer weather arrives your inner river has begun to run again. It’s taken a while to warm up this year, but it’s finally happening and you appreciate all the lively colours and bursts of activities.

ASTROLOGY

and where you are going… and all those enigmatic questions.

Scorpio (Oct 23 - Nov 21) Blessing The closer you get to the end of the month, the more you’ll feel a special gift, some kind of inspiration that you will learn how to handle. Then, you will be able to take the lead of great initiatives since you are aware of this this lead, this connection.

Sagittarius (Nov 22 - Dec 21) Patience Even when everything is torn apart, you remain patient, waiting for the moment.

This moment will come late in May as the Full Moon takes place, only then will you feel fully committed. Before then, no one will get your attention.

Leo (July 23 - Aug 22) Discretion

Capricorn (Dec 22 - Jan 19) Cooling

You will feel something cultivating throughout the month of May, something emerging, that benefits from all the scattered energies of spring. It’s difficult for you to be discreet, but possible. It is best for this project or idea or whatever it is you feel growing to be kept a secret for a little longer.

The enthusiasm brought by efficiency and powerful, well-planned action will finally leave you. As disorganization gains terrain, your cheerful participation will cool down to a point where cold wisdom reigns.

Virgo (Aug 23 - Sept 22) Realistic Being an Earth sign, you really feel the instability of this overall situation.You want to make up for it, trying to keep everyone together in the same boat. Try to calm down and find an intelligent way to cope with it since this is a real shift that cannot be stopped.

Libra (Sept 23 - Oct 22) Emotions The generosity and the amplitude of your social life will elevate three levels this month! You begin to value and put more energy towards your relationships, which in turn helps you to understand yourself

Aquarius (Jan 20 - Feb 18) Inclusive Your activist spirit is turned towards inclusivity.You’re convinced that everyone should participate, that all are equally important. No one left behind! You’re ready to slow down everything and mix up the minds of everyone in order to gather those who feel left out of the big picture.

Pisces (Feb 19 - March 20) Sharing You have big plans and big ideas, very often too big for your contemporaries.

Since the social fabric is getting stronger this month, you will have a chance, a tiny window opening through which you will be able to infuse your vision and perspective.

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Fernie Fun

FIX TRIVIA

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COMMUNITY BUILDINGS Can you identify these four historic, community buildings located in Fernie?

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