Fernie Fix May 2021

MAY 2021 | ISSUE 173

THE

COMMUNITY ISSUE

IN THIS ISSUE: Community Issue Special Feature with Courtney Baker on the progression of the Seniors Centre. Feature Resident Sam Snell discusses what led her to this community and Social Work. Michael Hepher talks about togetherness and hope, while Dr. Taina Turcasso writes about the looming mental health crisis and what we can do as a community.

FERNIEFIX.COM

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SELLER SUCCESS

2020

THINKING OF SELLING IN 2021? LET'S CHAT!

JACQUELINE FIELDHOUSE service oriented | down to earth | professional advisor 250-423-1194 @SOLDINFERNIE

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MAY 2021 | ISSUE 173

THE

COMMUNITY ISSUE

EDITOR’S FIX p7 THE COMMUNITY ISSUE SPECIAL FEATURE p8 A Community Through the Ages

by Courtney Baker

BUSINESS IN THE VALLEY p10

Rental Fix – Yellowstone by Andrew Vallance Events Calendar

COMMUNITY p28 Feature Resident – Sam Snell City Corner – Budget Blues

by Ange Qualizza

BITS AND BYTES p38 The Answer Guy – Shrinking PDFs

by Kevin McIsaac Astrology – May 2021 by Ashley Kristina Through the Lens – Community Photo Gallery The Social Page

Business News Taking Care of Business – Building Fernie’s First Coworking Community by Brad Parsell

RECREATION AND OUTDOOR LIFE p33 Hitting the Trails – Fundraising for Foundry

by Julie Kelly

The Last Page

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT p16

HEALTH AND LIFESTYLE p34

Feature Artist - Harman Delyea Musings of a Bookworm – Renovating Our Living Room by Jessica Bozoky ArtBeat – Lost Together by Michael Hepher At Peace and Yet On Fire – When Huey Lewis Goes to School by Sadie Rosgen

Family Wellness – From One Crisis to the Next: The Looming Mental Health Crisis and How Community Can Help

by Dr. Taina Turcasso This is Life – Support for the Frontline

by Tyla Charbonneau

COVER: Local trail volunteer, Dave Richards crafting deadfall on Deadfall.

Photo by Vince Mo @findingvmo

FERNIE FUN p42

THIS PAGE: Art on the Deck Photo by Tyra Collombin/ Fernie Arts Station @ridge_line_designs FERNIEFIX.COM

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Editor’s Fix

Contributors ANDREW VALLANCE is a cinephile nerd who currently lives on the west coast.

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

ANGE QUALIZZA is a nutty economist who has a passion for policy, governance and everything to do with municipal government! Let’s lift up the carpet and take a closer look inside City Hall.

ASHLEY KRISTINA has studied astrology for over twenty years and has been reading/teaching for five. For an in depth natal chart reading, email mountainashastrology@gmail.com.

BRAD PARSELL is the manager of the Fernie Chamber and loves working with our local vibrant business community. He is also a music nerd with an ever-growing collection of records in his basement.

COURTNEY BAKER has a keen interest in all things community and is inspired by the amazing organizations and volunteers in Fernie. Busy changing out skiing for camping equipment, she is looking forward to laketime and summer events.

JESSICA BOZOKY quit her editing job in Australia to chase the snow. Having settled in Fernie, she’s found herself at home surrounded by mountains (of books).

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 | clarismedia.com

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

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

MICHAEL HEPHER is a painter, printmaker, sculptor and musician living and working in Fernie. His work is collected internationally and can be seen at Clawhammer Press and a variety of galleries in Western Canada.

Every month SADIE ROSGEN teams up with some of Fernie’s brightest young writers collaborating on a given theme. If you are reading this and think that you are that person, drop her a line at sadiepumps@gmail.com.

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.

TYLA CHARBONNEAU is a Registered Psychologist (CPBC2385), dog momma, and nature lover. She loves talking with others about mindfulness, self-compassion, and human nature.

Editor | Krista Turcasso Creative Director | Vanessa Croome Associate Editor | Kevin McIsaac

By Krista Turcasso, Editor The City of Fernie is building a playground in our neighbourhood. Let me say that again.

The City of Fernie is building a playground in our neighbourhood! And we’re stoked!

While Parkland Terrace has been established for nearly 50 years, this is the first playground it has seen and there is a buzz of excitement in the air.

Our kids will be able to walk down the street (or cut through the backyard in our case) to go play in the park. But what we are most excited for is how this will enhance the feeling of community. But why has this not happened yet? We’ve lived here for three years…

Remembering my own childhood, we were friends and spent time with all of the children on our block. Many of the parents were also friends, and at the very least supported and helped one another and their children. The strength of these relationships continues today. While we didn’t have a park, our block was organized so all of the backyards connected… it was one very large green space! Our parents felt it was safe for us to go out the back patio, meet up with the 10+ kids who lived on the block, and play Star Wars until the street lights went out.

It felt like pure magic, even if you had to be a storm trooper… Every. Single. Time.

While we don’t have one big green space, neighbourhood playgrounds can produce the same result by creating space for children in an area to gather regularly. By stepping out of their homes and walking or biking the short distance they are not only immersed in play and exploration, they have the opportunity to make new friendships! And through these, the families who now call Parkland Terrace, Alpine Trails or Canyon Trails home will be connected as well.

And that is what community is all about.

All content copyright Claris Media. The views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily the views of the publisher.

FERNIEFIX.COM

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THE COMMUNITY ISSUE SPECIAL FEATURE

A Community Through the Ages

by COURTNEY BAKER THE Senior Citizens Club of Fernie & District, or the Seniors Centre, is one of those places that you just assume was always there; that building tucked behind Mugshots and across from City Hall. More than just a facility, the Seniors Centre is a gathering place for people of all ages, a place for exercise and games, a homemade meal, learning and sharing, and a fair bit of dancing at the Christmas party.

In 1958, Mark Branch and Howard Martin had a dream to create a place for people to gather to play cards, share a meal, and sing a song. The group soon outgrew the few tables in Harper’s Pool Hall and moved to the space formerly occupied by the New Moon Cafe but once again, they outgrew that space as well. After moving the Club to the Elks Hall in 1978 the members decided that these moves were inconvenient and in 1979 got to work on what is now the Seniors DropIn Centre located on 3rd Avenue. After years of hardwork and dedication by the committed volunteers of the Seniors Club, as well as the generosity of almost every citizen and service club in Fernie donating to the project (updates on the building fund were printed regularly in the Free Press listing who donated and how much), the current Centre was constructed and opened in 1981 on the site of the old fire hall.

The Centre remains true to Mark and Howard’s original vision except now not only can you play a game of pool but you can also do Chair Yoga, Tai Chi, multiple art mediums, use the technology lending library, and much more.

The Seniors Centre, its members, as well as the public, have all felt the impacts of

“From a pool hall to an old fire hall, the Seniors Centre remains a beloved community gathering place where all are welcomed and laughter and friendship abound.”

COVID-19 to the Centre over the past year. That is why the Seniors Centre continues to provide programs as able within health guidelines. Chair Yoga instructor Kim Genovese notes that, “It is exciting to watch the interest and enthusiasm grow with our chair yoga classes. The seniors have been able to connect movement with breath in a safe, friendly place which has been very important to their physical and mental health, especially during COVID.” Untethered by the restraints of the current pandemic, the Seniors Centre typically offers 50 hours of programming a week and operates a delicious coffee and lunch spot Monday to Friday.You do not have to be a member of the Seniors Centre to join them for lunch as the facility is open to all residents of, and visitors to Fernie and dropping in is more than encouraged!

Community has always been at the heart of the Seniors Centre and the Club is proud of the contributions they have made to Fernie over the years. But they are also so proud of the partnerships they have with other community groups, their advocacy efforts for older residents, and the place that Fernie has in its heart for the Centre.

From a pool hall to an old fire hall, the Seniors Centre remains a beloved community gathering place where all are welcomed and laughter and friendship abound.

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Business in the Valley

Emily Park Photography

The Elk Valley’s Newest Garden Centre

threesistersfarmandgreenhouse.com

Submitted Photo

Birdhouse Roofing

Fernie Brewing Co.

birdhouseroofing.ca 250-423-3878

26 Manitou Rd 250-423-7797

Birdhouse Roofing Ltd is owned and managed by Derek Bird and Lynn Henderson. Derek started his roofing career in Whistler in 1995. A year later, Derek moved to Fernie and continued to be a roofer before starting Birdhouse Roofing in 2003.

Saying a triumphant good-bye to singleuse plastics, FBC celebrated spring with the release of their new, recyclable packaging line.

This year is going to be one of the most uncertain years we have faced. Suppliers have warned of materials shortages and more price increases. At Birdhouse, they are planning ahead and urging clients to confirm as early as possible to secure the materials needed for their project.

Their schedule is filling up fast. If you are considering a new roof this season, contact them today.

3132 Anderson Rd OPEN Daily 9am-5pm

BUSINESS NEWS

Committed to making positive, sustainable changes from Brewery to Tasting Room and beyond, all six-packs are switching over to colourful, recyclable cartons; while their four-packs now use reusable PakTech carriers, made from recycled milk jugs and 100% post-consumer waste.

Local? Be sure to hit up their new Take Back Program on FBC PakTech carriers.

You can return them to the Brewery for a $0.10 credit, to be sanitized and reused.

These changes alone will help FBC keep 5,700lbs of plastics from entering landfills annually. That’s a change you can cheers to! ferniebrewing.com

Business in the Valley

BUSINESS NEWS

Submitted Photo

Submitted Photo

Submitted Photo

Fernie Freestyle Ski Club

Freshies Café

Heaven Boutique

601A 2nd Ave

ferniefreestyle.ca

A new chapter for Freshies Café is well under way – the end of April will mark four months at their new location at Huckleberry Plaza. Brighter and more open than the old venue, the indoor space has been well-received.

106 Centennial Square 250-425-0032

Fernie Freestyle would like to acknowledge and thank Troy Nixon, outgoing President since 2017. Troy’s passion and dedication has been instrumental in getting Fernie Freestyle to the energetic, organized, and competitive Club it is currently. Troy’s motto has always been, “Friends, Fun and Fitness” which is evident in the spirit of the Club and is something athletes have significantly benefitted from.

Also, a big thank you to outgoing Treasurer Mike Holub who has been diligently keeping the books since 2017.

“With a large outdoor seating area in the centre of downtown Fernie, we’re excited to see the new venue grow through the spring and summer to become a hub for meeting friends and family and enjoying the summer sun.”

Freshies offers a custom blend of single origin coffee from Chronicle, a speciality coffee roaster based in Calgary, as well as breakfast sandwiches made in house, baked With the growth of the Club, Fernie Kaiser buns and a wide selection of daily Freestyle is excited to announce a full-time, baking, including vegan and gluten free year-round position of Program Director options. and Head Coach with Chris Ebbern. Chris brings a wealth of experience and energy Check out the new venue at Huckleberry and has programmed a fantastic summer Plaza where Freshies is open daily 7:30amtraining schedule including trampoline and 4:30pm. water ramp camps, along with a ski camp in Order online at freshiesfernie.com.

Whistler.

Find details on their year-round programming at ferniefreestyle.ca.

Heaven Boutique is now open in Sparwood! Established in 2008, Heaven Boutique operated on 2nd Ave in downtown Fernie for 12 years, closing when COVID-19 hit last spring. While continuing business through various online platforms over the past year, Heaven Boutique was recently invited to set up shop within The Green Petal Sparwood location.

Heaven Boutique is thrilled to have joined Kim’s team in the Sparwood shop. You can find new and gently used women’s clothing, shoes and accessories on consignment. Stocking a range of sizes and styles, they hope to provide a sustainable and affordable choice for women of all ages in the Elk Valley.

The shop is open Tuesday-Saturday each week from 10:30am-5:30pm. Masks are required and there is a limit of five customers in the store.

You can follow Heaven Boutique on Facebook and Instagram for the latest updates

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A New Initiative to Support Local, Be Rewarded & Win! Local businesses, organizations and the tourism sector have endured many challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Participate in this new and fun initiative between April 29th and June 20th. For full details visit FernieStrong.com.

How it Works: 1. PICK one, or many, local Fernie and area businesses or organizations.

2. SUPPORT it by spending, or purchasing a gift card, at that location between April 29th - June 20th, 2021.

- Spend at least $100. Shop on-location, by phone, do take-out or buy online!

3. GET a free thank you gift & contest entry.

- Bring your receipt(s) to the Fernie Visitor Centre or email them to ferniestrong@tourismfernie.com and you’ll receive a free limited edition Loyal to Local #FernieStrong shirt or hat and be entered to win a $1,000 Fernie Staycation Prize.

ferniestrong.com | #ferniestrong ferniestrong@tourismfernie.com

3. SHARE* your support by posting on social media.

- Add the hashtag #FernieStrong and tag @ tourismfernie and @ferniechamber in your post showing the supported business. Tag your friends to spread the word! * If you aren’t on social media you can still participate and get your gift and entry!

5. CHALLENGE your friends and/or family with a good ol’ friendly guilt-trip by getting them to participate and you’ll get extra Staycation Prize entries!

6. WEAR your awesome shirt or hat around town!

Be proud!

Business in the Valley

BUSINESS NEWS

PRICE REDUCED

Spectacular Family Home 5

3

11 Cedar Bowl Cr. $1,275,000

Submitted Photo

Submitted Photo

Huguette M. ForestCoultry

West Fernie Counselling

jtwquest.com

westferniecounselling.com

Mike (Huguette M. Forest-Coultry) and her family have been a part of the Fernie community since the 1980’s. Nature has continually impacted her writings and viewpoints. Some pieces are stark or subtle, some are meditative and soul-searching.

Each one invites the reader to their own interpretation.

West Fernie Counselling strives to provide you with the support you need to navigate the challenges that life throws your way.

Offering counselling services to men, women, and children (10 and up) in a private and comfortable setting with both indoor and outdoor counselling space.

“From the anguish and hopes of adolescence and adulthood to the peaceful understanding that the years may bring, these narratives allow for the recollection and reflection of past memories and the creation of wondrous new ones.

Jordan Vlasschaert, a registered clinical counsellor, wants to help you find more enjoyment in life. He believes that you are the expert of your own life and will work collaboratively with you to find practical solutions, new ways to think about problems, and helpful coping strategies that work for you. By working together, he will help you discover your own strengths and the confidence to take on life’s challenges.

This is the story of our search for light, joy, enthusiasm and optimism. It welcomes us to examine our relationship to the world and to one another.”

For more information visit westferniecounselling.com or email Jordan directly at jordan@westferniecounselling. com.

This is how she describes Journeying the Waters: A Book of Poetry and Prose.

For Buying & Selling Assistance

Contact Sharon Taylor sharon@fernielistings.com 250 423 8903 1241 7th Ave, Fernie, BC 250-423-4444

Fernie Property Management Contact Ashley Taylor fernielocal@gmail.com 250 423 9695 Taking care of your rentals so you have

Time to Play!

You can access her site at jtwquest. com. Should you have any questions or remarks to share please email Mike at journeyingthewaters@outlook.com.

FERNIEFIX.COM

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HAVE YOU HEARD?

North Coal is a Canadian resource company based in Sparwood. We are committed to developing the Michel Coal project, providing a long-term source of steel-making coal for export to global markets, bringing sensible economic opportunity to the Elk Valley region.

We live in the Elk Valley and we understand the unique challenges and opportunities it offers. Our innovative approach includes using globally proven technologies for protecting the integrity of water, ensuring dust control, and delivering progressive reclamation.

We are committed to keeping you informed about our project and its progress.

Visit www.northcoal.ca to learn more and join our mailing list for updates.

Business in the Valley

TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS

Building Fernie’s First Coworking Community

by BRAD PARSELL The overall Fernie community is made up of a patchwork of many smaller and vibrant, well, communities! We have an incredible snowboarding community, for example. An awesome arts community. We also have an ever-growing community of people who work remotely from home.

However, these home-based workers may not necessarily feel part of that community, what with being isolated in their home offices and rarely meeting other professionals who also work remotely.

Enter 2nd Edition Coworking – Fernie’s new downtown community coworking space that was opened late last year by the Fernie Chamber in the old Free Press building.

Having access to a coworking space is of particular value to people who are not bound to a traditional office, including self-employed professionals and creatives, and remote workers of larger organizations.

With the impacts of COVID-19 and the normalization of working from home, I expect the value of having a coworking space here in Fernie will only increase as we recover from the pandemic. With our community being an increasingly attractive place to live and play, the addition of a collaborative workspace will also help position Fernie as an attractive place to work, particularly for those who can work from anywhere.

One of the key goals of opening 2nd Edition Coworking was to create a vibrant and entrepreneurial coworking community. By bringing together groups of people with different skillsets, abilities, and connections, coworking spaces create their own microeconomies where member tenants provide services to each other and where tenants can collaborate on larger and more lucrative projects. Therefore, a

shared workspace can play an important role in local economic development and diversification, as well as community capacity-building. Coworking spaces also provide home-based workers with a more social work environment while providing a greater opportunity for collaboration. The creation of a shared skills economy where local businesses purchase more services from, and sell more services to, other local businesses is a key potential economic benefit of creating a Fernie coworking facility.

So, what drives people to join a coworking community like 2nd Edition? From the feasibility study that was completed for this coworking space project, remote workers surveyed identified the following top reasons for being part of a coworking community:

Submitted Photo 1. To have a more private and professional space with better equipment.

2. To have a more social work environment and meet others in the community.

3. To have access to an adequate space to host meetings and events.

4. To gain access to expertise and individuals who can help build my business.

If these reasons sound appealing, consider joining Fernie’s newly established coworking community. Our Community Manager is available to give you a COVID-safe tour of the space and discuss the many flexible work options on offer.

Help us build Fernie’s newest community of entrepreneurs! For more information, please visit coworkingfernie.com.

FERNIEFIX.COM

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Arts and Entertainment

FEATURE ARTIST

Harman Delyea I knew I could draw and paint from an early age. but I didn’t start painting seriously until nearing retirement from my regular job. My wife, Bev, bought me a Robert Bateman book for my birthday and I knew then that painting was something I would like to do. About the wildlife art I looked at, I said, “I can do that!”

Having spent all my recreation time outdoors hiking, fishing, skiing, hunting and camping along with studying ecology—painting came naturally. I am

self-taught and I use my natural ability to paint nature the way I see it. I paint in my studio nearly every morning that I’m at home and find it distracting to paint outdoors.

We love to travel and walk in the footsteps of the great artists, viewing landscapes across Canada and Europe.

At a potential site for a painting, I take numerous photographs of the subject from different angles and distances.

Back in my studio, I put a scene together the way I want it to look. I enjoy this

creativity and use my photos only for technical details. I choose nature’s colours and my colours for the way I want to see it. Observation of nature is important to me for studying shadows, transparency, movement of water in creeks, falls and lakes as well as falling snow and shapes of clouds and sky colours ranging from grey, blue and green.

I very seldom use a preliminary sketch; I like to paint directly onto my canvases.

To start, I usually apply a base coat of

Titanium White; for example, If I’m painting a sky, I apply numerous thin layers of short and long dashes of every colour of blue with some green, yellow, orange and mauve! Paint is used like water colours and I build up the tones I want. I don’t worry about composition.

My favourite artist is Claude Monet because of the way he uses colours and brush strokes. When we visit big city art galleries, I study famous painters’ use of colours and brush strokes.

Every one of my paintings has a story. I paint for myself and from my experiences.

Although I’ve experimented in early years with other painting styles, such as impressionism, I found it difficult to move away from realism. However, I’m looking at a change from pure realism to abstract impressionism.

I received recognition for my work at juried art shows and a painting was selected as one of three finalists from across Canada for the Readers’ Digest

magazine. I have active member status with the Federation of Canadian Artists.

I am a member of the Fernie Arts Co-op, the Cranbrook and District Art Gallery and Friends of Yoho which operates a gift shop in Field, BC. My art is online at delyeaart.com as well as on Facebook and Instagram.

Marilyn Brock

Managing Broker/Owner/REALTOR® 250-423-8650 • marilyn@c21fernie.ca marilynbrock.com

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Arts and Entertainment

MUSINGS OF A BOOKWORM

Renovating Our Living Room

by JESSICA BOZOKY The value of community, connection, and knowledge is what draws people to becoming librarians. In a world that can seem gloomier and more difficult by the day, we want to shine light for our neighbours and offer a safe, accessible, and welcoming space for people from all walks of life. To offer magic, wonder, education, and hope for everyone. To share the stories and voices of people from diverse backgrounds, ethnicities, genders, races, sexualities, socio-economic classes, and more. To build stronger connections and champion cultural lives. To connect people with the resources they’re seeking, even the ones they didn’t know they were looking for.

We know how to find things, it was a librarian’s job even before the internet.

Some may even be bold enough to say librarians were the original search engine.

Above all, we are at the service of our public. We provide our community with what they need, and help them to find the information, resources, and assistance they require. We tailor our programming in the same way, to build upon our already inspiring community of Fernie, uplift and enlighten the residents who live here, and foster social cohesion for people who might otherwise be alone.

The root of the word ‘liber’ means both ‘book’ and ‘free,’ a disambiguated Latin and Roman translation. The modern world has solidified this, since libraries are one of the only public places where anyone is welcome to spend time without having to spend money. Our open-door policy welcomes the privileged and educated in no different way than the lesseradvantaged, including those society would see as disruptive or troubled. In American sociologist Eric Klinenberg’s words:

and social lifestyle changes, we have taken the initiative to advance. It is because of these challenges Fernie Heritage Library is the cultural hub it is today. Through it all, our community has supported our endeavours, celebrated our achievements, and helped us through. Because we are there for them in the same vein.

Illustration By Pruthvi Harshan Visit ferniefix.com to find the black and white illiustration to colour in!

“Our open-door policy welcomes the privileged and educated in no different way than the lesser-advantaged, including those society would see as disruptive or troubled.” “a library is a palace for the people.”

Libraries assume the best in people, and that if given the chance and the right resources, people will do good and better themselves.

Challenges are common in the library field, we view them as an opportunity to advance and adapt along with our community. Amid an increasingly digital world with its abundance of political and technological revolution, budget revisions,

When the Pandemic began, we took it our stride and began reviewing and evolving.

We closed our doors for one day. One. We developed a plan so we could continue providing our community with what they needed: support, entertainment, education, activities, and of course, books! During the world’s most vulnerable time, we stood strong to uphold community values and connection. We’ve renovated our community living room, the paint is still drying, but our door is wide-open and the welcome mat is out.

“Libraries are the kinds of places where ordinary people with different backgrounds, passions, and interests can take part in a living democratic culture,” says Klinenberg. “They are the kinds of places where the public, private, and philanthropic sectors can work together to reach for something higher than the bottom line.” Building a better world starts with education. It starts with our neighbours. It starts in our community.

Share The Nuggets We’d love to know how you think we could better serve our community. Let us know by phone, email, social media, a letter, post-it note, message in a bottle, or skywriter. However you communicate, we want to hear from you!

FERNIEFIX.COM

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Arts and Entertainment

ARTBEAT

Lost Together

by MICHAEL HEPHER The lead up to the birth of our first child was full of excitement for me and my partner. Our planned home-birth would be guided by our infinitely capable midwife; Jane Blackmore. When the time arrived, Anie soldiered through the first 48 hours of labour like a champ, but it was clear progress wasn’t coming fast enough.

She had breathed through countless contractions, done an Olympic-level number of squats, and kept her spirits high through all of it. When Jane made the call that we needed to go to the hospital to get Anie some rest, it was like a switch was flipped and the pains became unbearable.

With the dream of a simple birth gone, suddenly everything started to hurt more.

Before we knew it there was an epidural and a team gathering in the O.R. for an emergency cesarean.

Hope is a fascinating thing—it’s a humble feeling that helps us to endure so much.

Give hope and humans can face many challenges—we can rise to occasions and endure all kinds of adversity. Take it away and very quickly we start to suffer.

As an artist and a musician, in the early days of the first lockdown I felt a great joy and sense of community in acting together with an unprecedented number of humans on our planet. Was there ever a time we were so focused and like-minded? Have we ever faced a single threat as a unified planet? I was honoured to do my part by supporting local restaurants, sending out good vibes with music, and cozying into a new kind of pared-back life with my favourite gingers. Somehow, we made it through 2020.

More recently the promising results of many different vaccines have accelerated our anticipation of some semblance of normalcy, but somehow I think 2021 is

Ty West Photo

“The message of artists is one of hope, but when the artists start to feel hopeless it’s as if a bucket of water is splashed on the last glow of our ember. We find ourselves alone and wandering in the dark. ”

going to be anything but normal. After fourteen months of carrying the flame of hope, we’re starting to falter and press on into the dark with nothing but a wispy ember to guide us. Suddenly everything is starting to hurt more.

For the last year our humble artisan business has been fine. Like many small businesses we’ve had ups and downs. We are grateful for government programs during the downs, and forever indebted to long-term clients and commissions that have come despite hard times in many sectors. Our little studio, in concert with the arts and cultural sector, has suffered greatly, but willingly and hopefully, for the

good of our community. We have lasted a year with some style and aplomb, but this second year is going to be harder. The message of artists is one of hope, but when the artists start to feel hopeless it’s as if a bucket of water is splashed on the last glow of our ember. We find ourselves alone and wandering in the dark.

Our response to this moment of despair may define a generation.

We can already see how our actions affect those around us. At the time of writing Canada has lost 23,000 souls to COVID-19. Each one a preventable death. How many people are mourning these tragic losses by themselves right now? The ripples of mental health issues caused by isolation will radiate for years. We are lost—but there’s still hope. In the words of Canadian Alt-Country crooners Blue Rodeo: if we’re lost, then we are lost together.

Discovering that we’re lost is not a problem, but how we respond could be. Anyone who’s ever gotten disoriented in the forest should know the simple actions that can save your life: stop, stay calm, stay put. Panic is your biggest enemy. It strikes me that this is also the best advice we have for this time. It’s not time to wander around or act rashly. Don’t panic. We are still all in this together. If we stay together, we’ll survive.

I say these reassuring words to myself as much as to you, my community.

Just as I did for Anie as they wheeled her into the operating room: It’s going to be okay—we’ll make it through this. I didn’t know it for sure, but I believed it. I had hope, and it was okay in the end. When Anie felt hopeless, her family and her community rallied around to restore that hope. We acted together and together we were able to bear that moment until it passed.

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To book a tour please call: 250-423-0212 451 2nd Avenue, Fernie B.C. CONTACT OUR PRINCIPAL Jocelyn Sombrowski: info@thefernieacademy.ca

FERNIEFIX.COM

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Proud Of Our Past.

Committed To The Future.

This Mining Month, Teck is celebrating 50 years of operations at Fording River.

Thank you to all those that contributed to this legacy and to those that continue to develop our world-leading practices.

Together we can build the future of responsible mining.

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Arts and Entertainment

EVENT CALENDAR

MONTHLY EVENTS Friday 7.5.2021 Mother’s Day Tea Party @ Fernie Heritage Library, 11am Crafternoon @ Fernie Heritage Library, 4pm ages 8-10 Monday 10.5.2021 Regular Council Meeting @ City of Fernie, 7pm Wednesday 12.5.2021 Fernie Labour Shortage Panel Discussion @ Fernie Chamber of Commerce Thursday 13.5.2021 Riddle Me This @ Fernie Heritage Library, 4pm kids ages 10-12 Senior Club Opening @ Fernie Golf Club SheJumps and Sports Basement Basic Bike Mechanics Workshop @ Online, 6:30pm Friday 14.5.2021 Walkie Talkie PodClub: Community @ Fernie Heritage Library, 10am. Email information@fernieheritagelibrary. com for this month’s Podcast list!

Opening Day @ Fernie Golf Club Rainbow Connections @ Fernie Pride Society, 6pm

Tuesday 25.5.2021 Regular Council Meeting @ City of Fernie, 7pm

Monday 17.5.2021 Committee of the Whole Meeting @ City of Fernie, 4pm

Thursday 27.5.2021 Fernie Secondary School Gallery Show: Exposing Birch @ The Arts Station, 10am

Tuesday 18.5.2021 Virtual Fernie Ambassador Program @ Fernie Chamber of Commerce Ladies League Opening @ The Golf Club

Friday 28.5.2021 Tea and Talk Book Club: Song of a Captive Bird by Jasmin Darznik @ Fernie Heritage Library, 1:30pm

Wednesday 19.5.2021 Men’s League Opening @ The Golf Club

Saturday 29.5.2021 Keep Calm and Stay Cozy: Adult Craft Kit @ Fernie Heritage Library, 2pm

Thursday 20.5.2021 Marvellous Mythical Creatures @ Fernie Heritage Library, 4pm ages 7-9pm Ears for Peers @ Fernie Pride Society, 6:30pm Read Local Book Club: This One Wild Life by Angie Abdou @ Fernie Heritage Library, 7pm

LOYAL to LOCAL! Spend or purchase a gift card at a local business, share your support and you could win!

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WEEKLY EVENTS Mondays Parent-tot Funtimes @ Facebook Page Les Tiguidous – Virtual activities with songs, stories or manual hands-on in French ages 0-5 @ AFRos Fernie, 10am Le Club Baguette Junior @ The Arts Station, art activities and games in French ages 7 and up on zoom, 3:30-4:30pm Tuesdays Baby Goose @ Zoom, 9:30am Storytime (ages 3-5) @ Fernie Heritage Library Live Instagram and Facebook Try it at Home @ Fernie Heritage Library, weekly STEM/DIY for kids Fernie Youth Art Collective @ The Arts Station, 6pm Volunteer Tax Program @ Fernie Seniors Dropin Centre, 10am-2pm Ladies’ League @ Fernie Golf Club Fernie Options for Sexual Health Clinic Open @ Elk Valley Hospital, 6:30-8:30pm by appointment

Parent-tot Funtimes @ Facebook Page Burger and Beer Night @ The Northern Wing Night @ The Pub Wednesdays Curbside Craft @ Fernie Heritage Library, pick up between 12-4pm, Tuesday through Friday Toddlertime (Ages 0-2 years) @ Fernie Heritage Library Live Instagram and Facebook Team Trivia @ The Fernie Meet Draw @ The Legion Men’s League @ Fernie Golf Club Thursdays InterActive Hour @ Zoom, 10am Bellies to Babies @ Zoom, 2pm Seniors’ League @ Fernie Golf Club Club Baguette Adultes - Practice Speaking French @ AFRos Fernie via Zoom, 7pm Pub Team Trivia @ The Pub

Fridays Storytime (ages 0-5) @ Fernie Heritage Library Live Instagram and Facebook Spring Fling Scavenger Hunts @ Fernie Heritage Library, 10am Club Cre8 @ The Arts Station Fish and Chips @ The Pub Fish and Chips Take Away @ Fernie Hotel, 4pm Meat Draw @ The Fernie Saturdays Shawarma Take Out @ Fernie Hotel, 4pm Meat Draw @ The Legion

Many events are subject to Covid restrictions. As things change and evolve, additional events may be added to the calendar. Make sure to stay up to date by visiting FernieFix.com/events Do you have an event to share? Send it to krista@clarismedia.com for inclusion!

FERNIEFIX.COM

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Arts and Entertainment

AT PEACE AND YET ON FIRE

When Huey Lewis Goes to School

by SADIE ROSGEN This year I have been bestowed the great honor of being named Poet Laureate of The Fernie Academy. This means so much to me not only because I get to raise awareness around literacy during poetry month, simply put, I get to write poems and support my community with my skills as an artist. I also get to inspire young writers, (among them, my two strong boys) and encourage the creative impulse in kids and adults of all ages.

This poem was inspired by a very special dog who attends the school this year, Huey Lewis.You might have seen him smiling around town with owner Mike Bull. This legend of a dog is a playful reminder of the good in the world right now. Thanks Huey, I look forward to watching you grow and thrive in our amazing community of dogs and humans alike.

When Huey Lewis Goes to School

by SADIE ROSGEN When Huey Lewis goes to school, He doesn’t bark, or whine, or drool.

He climbs the stairs with careful foot, while teachers take a second look.

When Huey Lewis goes to school, He sits so still, he knows that rule!

He doesn’t jump, or run or play, He knows good boys lay down and stay.

When Huey Lewis goes to school, He’s the only pup around.

He sniffs the hallways up and down, with smells of snacks and lost and found!

When Huey Lewis goes to school, He gets to play at recess too!

He’ll fetch a stick, or bone, or ball, He’s the fastest of them all!

When Huey Lewis goes to school He gets love from everyone, He wags his tail, proud and tall, He’s the best student of them all!

Mike Bull Photo FERNIEFIX.COM

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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.

Each year, during the week of May 5th, the District of Sparwood honors its sister city, Kamisunagawa, and Japan’s national ‘Children’s Day’ by flying carp banners at the District office. Children’s Day is to show respect for and honor children for their individual strengths and to wish happiness upon them. For more information visit: www.sparwood.ca/our-sister-city

District of Sparwood Photo

Honoring Japan’s Children’s Day, May 5

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Arts and Entertainment

THE RENTAL FIX

Yellowstone

by ANDREW VALLANCE

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Created by Taylor Sheridan, Yellowstone is a Paramount Network television series focusing on John Dutton, a powerful Montana cattle baron, played by Kevin Costner, and his dysfunctional family as they attempt to defend their ranch from real estate tycoons, corporations and Californian tourists. It is a series that is beautifully shot, with much of the show shot on location in Montana, and the performances are great. Costner in particular does a wonderful job portraying Dutton, the gruff patriarch of a crumbling dynasty.

like Wyoming and Montana by European settlers. They feed misconceptions about the ethos of the early West, like the idea that every cowboy wore a tengallon hat (they didn’t) or that gun control laws in the old West were really lax (they weren’t).

These films usually feature forthright, kindhearted cowboys, and cruel, bloodthirsty indigenous peoples.

Costner rose to prominence with his portrayal of Eliot Ness in The Untouchables (1987). This was followed by starring roles in No Way Out (1987), Bull Durham (1988), Field of Dreams (1989), Dances with Wolves (1990), JFK (1991), Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991), The Bodyguard (1992), and A Perfect World (1993). In 1995, Costner starred in and co-produced Waterworld, the most expensive film ever made at the time but which was a box-office failure. His second directorial feature, The Postman, was released in 1997.

As long as the Western in question has sympathetic characters and/or a slightly comedic sensibility, I am willing to overlook the imperfections in the oeuvre.

Sadly, none of the main characters in Yellowstone are sympathetic, and the tone of the show is so grim that there isn’t really much room for comedy. John Dutton and his children are spoiled, emotionally stunted, and violent individuals who brand the people who work for them, while insisting upon pain of death that their underlings participate in criminal activity on their behalf.

He received two Academy Awards for his roles in Dances with Wolves, and a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in the miniseries Hatfields & McCoys.

I have to admit that many of my favourite shows and movies have either western topes or are actually set in the old West. These include series like Deadwood, Longmire, Firefly, Justified and The Mandalorian, as well as movies such as The Jackbull, starring John Cusack, and the Cohen Brothers’ 2010 remake of True Grit, starring Jeff Bridges.

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And yet, to my mind the western movie is problematic. Westerns, or at least westerns from the genre’s golden age (1940s and 50s), lie about the colonization of places

Despite all of this, director Taylor Sheridan seems dead set on convincing his audience that John Dutton is a straight-shooting, horny-handed son of toil, defending his land against evil coastal elites, all the while showing that Dutton is one of the most powerful men in Montana, and that he lives in a mansion. There are moments in the show when you feel more sorry for the real estate developers than you do for Dutton, which, I’m sure, was not Sheridan’s aim.

Unfortunately, I am reluctant to recommend this show, but if you really do insist on watching it, it is currently on Amazon Prime.

FERNIEFIX.COM

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Community

FEATURE RESIDENT

Sam Snell

by KRISTA TURCASSO While this last year has been extremely challenging, it has helped us to recognize what matters to us personally. Our family, physical and mental well-being, taking care of one another, being kind…science (to name a few)! More than a year in, as we continue to deal with a global pandemic we are also starting to see some of the long-term effects. Burnout, financial stress, anxiety, isolation, homelessness… and the truth is, many of us are shielded from the bigger issues individuals and families in our valley deal with on a regular basis.

Issues that have become heightened and more problematic during a strenuous and uncertain time.

Fortunately, there are resources in place to support and help those in need. One of these resources is the Child and Family Services Office on 2nd Avenue. The employees at this office are dedicated to protecting children, providing children and youth with mental health, and adoption services.

I discovered recently that my daughter’s classmate’s mom works as a Child Protection Social Worker in the Fernie office. Sam is like a ray of sunshine and laughter, and I was immediately impressed with her generous heart and dedication to not only her family and friends, but the many in need in our valley.

Sam grew up as an “army brat” so she has lived in many places including Ontario, the Mediterranean, Germany, Okotoks and Cold Lake. “I’ve been all over the place. It taught me resiliency, and how important experiencing the world and making connections is.” Sam and her husband Brad continue to share these values with their two children. “We want them to

experience other cultures and to teach them that there is more than just Fernie.”

When Sam finished high school, she studied Kinesiology at the University of Lethbridge. “And then I was like… I don’t want to do this, but I’m too far in to throw it away.” After graduating, her mom had decided to pursue a Bachelors in Social Work. “So, I decided to do it, too. We went to University together!” With her BSW from the University of Calgary in hand, Sam moved to Victoria to work with youth homeless shelters and youth addiction. Not able to afford the cost of living, she headed back to Calgary and began her career in child protection with a multi-service team

Krista Turcasso Photo working with urban Indigenous families.

“Then I met a boy, quit my job, and followed him to Fernie to work at Rip ‘n Richards.”

The boy was Brad, and in true Fernie fashion an opportunity landed on Sam’s ‘tray’ when a customer commented on her necklace. “It was an Indigenous silver necklace my co-workers gave me. I told her I was a social worker and that I would love to do that work here but knew it was a small office. Serendipitously, she worked at that very office and was leaving. It will be ten years this November that I’ve worked there!”

What keeps Sam in this role? “The cheesy answer is helping people.You get fulfillment from supporting families. Seeing people’s willingness to make change for themselves and their families is worth it,” she says, adding that she knows it’s not for everybody and it takes time to learn to leave things at the door. “It also makes me so grateful for what I have and to be present with my family. Sometimes it’s hard, but having a supportive partner helps me to tap out when I need space. I also unwind with the women I work with. It’s a great team and we debrief together.”

When COVID-19 hit, Sam made sure to get out for a walk everyday once Brad was home. She also seeks support through counselling as recognizes the importance of taking care of her mental health. Sam shares that there is a lot of stigma around social workers and they often play a negative role to some people. “We work with the more vulnerable populations.

Most people don’t know what we do and aren’t aware that some families need support.Yes, even in Fernie… in all of the Elk Valley. It would be great to normalize needing support!”

She adds that for a small area, the Elk Valley offers a lot of support for families in need.

“There’s in-home support service, contracted agencies that support parents with strategies and tools, child-care workers who work with kids and help them to make connections outside of the home, the East Kootenay Addiction Services, child and youth mental health, a lot of counselling services. Some are more intrusive than others, sometimes it’s a strong encouragement and sometimes it’s a recommendation.”

Sam and her co-workers have been working throughout the pandemic and are seeing the compounding effects a year after its onset. “Stress is at an all-time high and we’re seeing a lot of first-time families struggling with mental health, being appropriate parents for their kids, drug use has gone up. It has a trickling down affect, many people being affected by one person.

How do you best support this? Sometimes it’s just not possible.”

What Sam wants most is for everyone to be kind and be there for one another.

She also hopes the stigma changes around their role. “We would like people to see us as supportive and not intrusive. There are a lot of services we can offer families, and the end goal is to do whatever we can to support families and to keep people safe. I would like to see us playing more of a preventative role and I hope that is what the Ministry is trending towards.

Ultimately there has been a huge shift but there’s a lot of work to do.”

While it’s a challenge every day, that’s also what holds Sam’s interest. That, and being part of this community that continues to be there for one another. “It takes all of these wonderful people to see a need and work together to meet it.”

Thank you, Sam and to the many frontline workers out there supporting our community during one of the most challenging times many have experienced.

You are appreciated.

4. What keeps you here?

I think the connections I’ve made with friends and our kids… I said to Brad it’s so great to live in such a small town and walk down the street and say hi to people and know 30% of the people downtown and chat. Also the relationships and building families with the people we have met.

5. Do you have a favourite Fernie pastime?

We like family bike rides, we love camping, super stoked for nice weather to do that!

Just being outside in Fernie.

6. What time of the year do you love most in Fernie, and why?

That’s hard. I like summer, because of the fun things you can do – float the river, go to the lake. I like fall because it’s beautiful.

7. Where do you see or hope to see Fernie in five years?

More affordable and sustainable housing.

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

If you know a family who needs support or you suspect a child or youth is being abused or neglected, please call the 24/7 number at 1-800-663-9122.

Since August last year I have been going to the gym at 6am! I drink a big ol’ glass of water and go to Fernie Mountain Fitness!

That’s a new thing, so I’m always tired.

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

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

A boy brought me here, who is now my husband. January, 2011.

I can’t do a cartwheel… I’m an army brat… I tree planted for years… I don’t think people know social working is a thing.

2. Who did you first meet?

I met Lindsay McDermid and Allison Pace in University!

3. Do you remember your first general impression of Fernie?

10. Quote to live by: “To the world you may be one person but to one person you may be the world.” Dr Suess

Ya, it was really fun. There was lots going on, always social events to connect with people.

FERNIEFIX.COM

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Community

CITY CORNER

Budget Blues

by ANGE QUALIZZA On August 14, 2017 Council received a report from the late Lloyd Smith, our Director of Leisure Services on the condition of our public works building.

For those of us in the room, it was startling.

meet the needs of Fernie. Currently we contribute $640,000 a year towards arts and culture, and this year to balance the overwhelming need of the organization we considered a proposed funding cut that would see the Museum move from receiving $53,808 to receiving $43,046.

Likewise, the Art Station moving from $45,372 to $36,298.

“A number of buildings located at the public works yard have not been maintained adequately over the last thirty years. In 2016, the Quonset building was decommissioned after engineers identified structural issues. These issues had been previously outlined in a report completed and supplied to the City in 1997 but were never addressed.”

Fast forward to August 17, 2020 when Ken Oldenburger presented to Council about the state of our Records Management Assessment and suggested that Fernie was one of the worst he’s ever seen, and that our records fall firmly in what he categorizes as ‘Sub Standard’ - bringing unreasonable financial and legal risk to the organization.

What about our water source you ask?

On March 15, 2021 we heard a detailed presentation about our Fairy Creek Source assessment, and the immediate need for investment to make sure we can continue to supply water to Fernie.

Fairy Creek Water Source | V. Croome Photo to start funding investment for scheduled replacement of the identified infrastructure.

The report highlights that current investment level is inadequate to fund the identified projects, and that infrastructure failure is a real risk.

Our Integrated Infrastructure Capital Plan Completion presentation on August 17, 2020 was designed to show Council how this plan will impact future budget spending. Moving through the process of asset management to shore up Fernie now, and into the future by informing Council on asset renewal, expansion and/ or divestment.

This year our budget communication anchored around the idea that due to years of organizational change, gaps in reporting and inconsistent processes, escalating cost drivers, a practice of funding operational expenditures from capital reserves (leading to insufficient investment in infrastructure) and amplified by the impact of COVID-19, the City of Fernie is in an extremely precarious situation. We were faced with nothing but impossible decisions which included -despite all of the need I’ve just listed- a reduction in our contribution to reserves.

A key recommendation in this report is that after reviewing our road network and utilities with a 20-year horizon, we need

We looked everywhere to find a middle ground, a palatable solution going forward.

One that we could be proud of and

The letter writing campaign started in earnest, imploring us to value art and culture. We value arts and culture, we do it annually to the tune of $640,000. This year though, after the third-party financial audit demonstrated years of unreliable financial information, we found ourselves in a very challenging situation, but that information apparently fell on deaf ears.

I naively waited for the asset management champions to start their own letter writing campaign, demanding that we set a tax rate that would not pass along the cost of necessary investment onto the next years’ budget at an increased cost. A pattern all too familiar to the city. Remember, we had our own public works building condemned.

Right now, the budget is out the door, and adopted as of last night and I am left with a pit in my stomach. I have one goal this year, to keep talking about asset management and how important it is.

Council will spend this year reviewing service levels and how we navigate these competing needs, so please stay with us in conversation, this is your budget also. We are merely stewards of the assets that you own for a brief period of time.

As my high school teacher Mr.Vallance famously says, “If you aren’t pissed off it’s because you aren’t paying attention.”

FERNIEFIX.COM

31

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Recreation and Outdoor Life

HITTING THE TRAILS

Fundraising for Foundry

by JULIE KELLY, FTA There is nothing that creates a sense of community more than people coming together for a great cause! On April 2-4, 81 people ran or walked 4 miles (or biked 16km) every 4 hrs for 48hrs to raise funds to contribute to the start-up of Foundry East Kootenay. The Foundry will offer young people ages 12-24 health and wellness resources, services and supports online and through integrated service.

Runners, bikers and walkers were treated to some nice weather in Fernie on Friday evening for the start of the challenge at 8pm. Riding, running and walking in the dark allowed those participating to recognize others doing the same as bobbing lights met them in the night.

Temperatures dropped down to -4C in the wee hours of morning with some light winds. Saturday also turned out to be a nice day with some higher winds and warmer temperatures in the evening. The weather rolled in on Sunday morning with rain and some hail the majority of the day.

However, this did not stop the tribe. People were out there getting it done on Cokato Rd. and on various other roads in town or inside to reach their goal.

The final tally for funds raised was not in at the time of this article. However, it was already close to $15,000 with the hope of reaching $20,000! It was amazing to see a wide range of ages come out to support this cause and have some fun. Abi Moore who took part as a runner had this to say: “Call me weird, but as a lover of organized fun, good times and type two adventures, that was the funnest 48hrs I’ve had in a while.”

Congratulations to everyone who took part and challenged themselves in their own way.

Abi Moore Photos

“Call me weird, but as a lover of organized fun, good times and type two adventures, that was the funnest 48hrs I’ve had in a while.”

Time: 48 hours Distance: Runners and walkers: 48-52 miles per person or team (12-13 rounds) Bikers: 192-208 kms per person or team (12-13 rounds) Difficulty: Hard!!!

FERNIEFIX.COM

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Health and Lifestyle

FAMILY WELLNESS

From One Crisis to the Next: The Looming Mental Health Crisis and How Community Can Help

by DR TAINA TURCASSO, ND RM May is the “Community” issue of the Fernie Fix and never has the idea of community seemed so topical and essential as it does now. This pandemic has become an ultra marathon and even if we can’t feel the effects of the stress acutely, it is undoubtedly chipping away at our defences and ready to rear its ugly head when we least expect it. We are just continuously moving forward, coping, taking each twist and turn as they come, and never really pausing to take stock of how this all must be affecting us. Fear, stress, uncertainty, grief, worry - these are all emotions that most of us have felt at one time or another (or even often) throughout these last several months and while we may have experienced them in the past, most of us have never had to cope with them consistently for this amount of time.

We are one year in and we know with certainty that it is having an effect on our collective mental health. Women are leaving the workforce in droves due to an increase in their unpaid care (childcare, schooling, shopping, cooking, cleaning, etc.). In the U.S., 2020’s “Women in the Workforce” study revealed that 1 in 4 women are considering leaving the workforce due to the increased demands on their time secondary to the pandemic.

These are not easy decisions and the impact of having to abandon your career in order to care for your family is one that will have clear ramifications on mental health and well-being. Beyond the impact on a personal level, this movement of women out of the workforce will have a global economical effect. The same study suggested that women in the workforce

health deterioration. This shows up in the form of depression, anxiety, irritability, decreased attention span, hyperactivity, and obsessions/compulsions and 70.2% of school-aged (six to 18 years old) and 66.1% of preschool-aged (two to five years old) children report deterioration in at least one of these domains.

V. Croome Photo

“...start small and ask someone how they are doing today and when they respond, LISTEN.” won’t get back to pre-pandemic levels until 2024, two years after men.

New research from SickKids hospital in Toronto, Ontario shows that a large majority of children and youth have experienced harm to their mental health during the first wave of the pandemic (and we are now in the third wave). The increased stress of social isolation, including both the cancellation of important events and the loss of in-person social interactions was strongly associated with mental

33% of all healthcare workers and 77% of those who are in direct contact with patients affected by COVID-19 are self-reporting that their mental health is “fair” or “poor” in a survey completed

by Statistics Canada at the end of 2020.

Because healthcare workers are often seen as superhuman or as the caregivers and not the care-receivers, there can be a stigma on those admitting they struggle with their mental health. The impact of this stigma or fear of being stigmatized when 33% of ALL healthcare workers are struggling is staggering.

Decreased productivity, increased pressure on health care systems, suicide, and domestic abuse are just a few of the potential results of the mental health crisis that is headed our way (or is already here).

We may not have the power individually to solve a problem of this magnitude, but we can work towards solutions for ourselves and within our own community.

Public health authorities and healthcare workers should see this as an eventuality and default in favour of mental health care for everyone, particularly those in high risk groups such as healthcare workers providing care in COVID-19 units.

Everyone should not only have access to care but should be offered an assessment or

a session with a mental health specialist to assess for risk and to make a plan for care.

Our children and youth are resilient but they are less likely to self-advocate than adults are so ideally there should be routine counsellor visits scheduled for all students so that there is no stigma associated with seeing the school (or other) counsellor.

As a community, we need to look after one another. We all have a role to play in the coming months and years as we finally get through and then begin to recover from the trauma that we have collectively and individually endured. A recovery plan that focuses on economy and health care without addressing and accounting for a post-pandemic mental health crisis will be incomplete and ineffective. We should put pressure on our provincial and federal governments to provide this care for us but we also have the power locally to make changes to support one another. While we are still in it and struggling with social isolation, check in with your neighbour/ friend/child to see how they are and create an opportunity for connection.

Take advantage of the improving weather to spend time together safely and outside, as restrictions allow. Being outside and especially exercising outside supports mental health beyond the benefits of being social and connecting with one another.

As a healthcare provider, default to providing your patients/clients with mental health resources even if they don’t have a mental health-related complaint. Advocate for access to mental health services for you and your peers through public health.

If you are a mental health provider, reach out to the different providers in the community, public health, and schools as appropriate to ensure that everyone knows how to access your care. Maybe consider small groups for specific populations.

Everyone should be talking about mental health as it impacts ALL of us.

First and foremost, start small and ask someone how they are doing today and when they respond, LISTEN. We can get through this, together.

ELK VALLEY

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35

Pay Debit And Support

Local Charities May 2021

FSS Grad Fundraising 2021

Fernie Secondary School 2021 Grad Committee Fernie Cardlock donates 4¢ per litre of fuel purchased using Interac Debit.

Each month a community charity or fundraising effort is selected to receive this donation.

Contact us to learn more! info@ferniecardlock.com

THANK YOU! Premium off road gasoline • Regular gasoline • Diesel • Marked Diesel

24/7/365

www.ferniecardlock.com 250.423.7205 • 1592-9th Ave., Fernie

rockies notary & legal A Division of Rockies Law Corporation

“Anyone, anywhere can make a difference.

Our mission is to work with, and support our community in making lasting change one small step at a time”

Real Estate, Family Law, Business Law, Corporate and Commercial, Civil Litigation, Personal Injury, Tax Law, Wills and Estates

Karen Tse | Graeme R. Nunn | Marian Gravelle

Fernie

Sparwood

PO Box 490, Suite 202, 502 Third avenue Fernie, BC V0B 1M0 Tel: (250) 423-4446 | Fax: (250) 423-4065

PO Box 1886, #116 - 101 Red Cedar Drive Sparwood, BC V0B 2G0 Tel: (250) 425-2114 | Fax: (250) 425-2204

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Health and Lifestyle

THIS IS LIFE

Support For the Frontline

by TYLA CHARBONNEAU Right now, there is an integral part of our community that needs our support.

When the pandemic began, we saw volunteer groups come together to support those in need. So many of us were touched by the support for our healthcare professionals and we smiled at the fun care packages we left on each other’s doorsteps.

While all this was happening, there were individuals behind the scenes who we do not always think about. Often because they give so effortlessly and with a sense of pride that makes you feel like they can handle and do anything. As the world slowly opens up and we plan trips and social events I worry that these individuals who give, often at a cost to themselves, will see higher rates of burnout and compassion fatigue. It is not during difficult events that we see the full cost to individuals in our communities, it is often after the calm where we learn the true impact of living in and supporting each other through these events.

Take a moment and think about your life or someone you love and care about.

Are you seeing instances of irritability, exhaustion, avoidance of simple work tasks (ex. emails, filing, returning phone calls), changes in diet, decrease in socialization, less effort to exercise, an avoidance of activities and people that bring joy, a pull towards negativity, nightmares, thinking about work in personal time, and/or a decreasing lack of hope? These are all signs of burnout (taken from Gentry and Monson’s professional resilience workbook) and as a community it is important to care about each other’s mental well-being.

Emily Nagoski wrote, “To be ‘well’ is not to live in a state of perpetual safety and calm, but to move fluidly from a state of adversity, risk, adventure, or excitement, back to safety and calm, and out again”

in her book called Burnout:The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle (a highly recommended read). For those who dedicate their lives to helping others this is an important and difficult skill to develop.

When life throws us challenging events, our workload increases, and stress is high our minds tend to perceive threat. This is not a threat of physical danger but rather a worry that we are not doing enough to help, that we do not have the skills or information to stay on top of what is needed in our workplaces, or in exhaustion of not being able to help with everything that others are demanding of us. This tends to lead to a constant state of fight, flight, or freeze having our sympathetic nervous systems working in overdrive when they are meant for short periods of time.

Sustaining this for long periods of time unfortunately leads to exhaustion and often burnout.

Check in with your healthcare professional friends, teachers, first responders, retail staff, social service providers, local and provincial

Submitted Photo government, anyone who is working with humans in a supportive role right now. How are they really doing? Are they doing okay? Could they use a little extra kindness right now? If you want to show your support for the frontline workers in our community consider checking out an amazing awareness campaign called Beat the Burn (letsbeattheburn.com) drawing attention to the mental well-being of those who give.You can purchase a pin that can be a personal reminder to check in with yourself about your well-being or wear it in support of your friends who may need some extra love and kindness. This site also provides resources for those in need, including information on burnout and how to be resilient.

The content provided in this article is for information purposes only. It is not meant as a substitute for professional medical or psychological advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you find yourself in distress, please reach out to your local physician who can provide mental health resources in your community.

FERNIEFIX.COM

37

Bits and Bytes

THE ANSWER GUY

Shrinking PDFs

by KEVIN MCISAAC

Recently a friend of mine had an important presentation to make and they wanted to send their presentation to their audience in advance. The problem?

The PDF that PowerPoint produced was enormous. Far too large to send via email.

They were frustrated. I’ve seen it many times before and there are a few things you can do to ensure your PDFs are of a reasonable size.

One of the first things most people try is making the images themselves smaller by compressing them more. JPG images for example can often be compressed to 30% of their original detail with virtually no loss in quality to the human eye. In modern versions of Adobe Acrobat, this surprisingly doesn’t work and the reason why is interesting.

Acrobat itself has a compression engine.

It can reduce the size of a PDF file quite efficiently. And the problem with already compressed JPG files is trying to reduce them doesn’t work that well. Keep in mind I’m talking about compression of quality.

Making the image smaller in dimensions does work. And this should always be your first tactic in creating a PDF that you want to keep small: use small images on the page.

Full-page and half-page images just take up a lot more space.

Another thing to think about is using images that are easy for Acrobat to compress. PNG images are considered lossless, meaning that image details are not lost when compressing, as opposed to JPGs which are lossy. However, they are extremely efficient at storing uniform areas of colour. So, complex PNGs won’t compress as well, but often the type of images included in PDFs such as graphs, illustrations, etc., have plenty of uniformly

If you’ve been provided with the images and don’t have much control over them then the next thing to do is make them as small as you can on the page. Then after saving the file see if you can reduce it further. Again, modern Acrobat has a Reduce File Size built-in which in my experience can often take the file size down to 25 – 30% of the original size. Sometimes more. A creative layout with plenty of white space is generally preferable in many scenarios anyway, so shrink away.

Stock Photo

“PDFs have become ubiquitous and are the lingua franca of document exchange in the business world still so it’s worth spending a bit of time learning how to share them easily.” coloured areas and hence compress very efficiently. And Acrobat compresses them further.

Sometimes you have the option of using vector images such as Adobe Illustrator files and these are stored as descriptions of images and can be stored extremely efficiently. And they have the benefit of scaling up and down in size without loss of fidelity at all. Almost always the best choice if you can choose it.

If you’re not using Acrobat there are a few other options. Smallpdf.com will let you upload a PDF up to 5GB in size and reduce it considerably. This is a good option for personal stuff but perhaps not the best choice for business material of a sensitive nature. SmallPDF promises to delete your file within an hour, and privacy is guaranteed, but still...

Adobe.com also has an online tool that lets you optimize your PDF files. Their limit is 2GB but they do have a few more options. The same privacy concerns exist with uploading sensitive documents with Adobe too.

There are also some desktop tools such as Soda PDF which can be found at Sodapdf. com. There is a free version that can be found under the Free Forever area on the home page.You have to create an account, but the free version gets you compression along with some other PDF features.

PDFs have become ubiquitous and are the lingua franca of document exchange in the business world still so it’s worth spending a bit of time learning how to share them easily.

Happy Computing

Bits and Bytes

ASTROLOGY

May 2021

by ASHLEY KRISTINA For most of the month, the Sun, Uranus, the Moon, Black Moon Lilith,Venus, Mercury, and the North Node are all travelling together in the sky in late degrees of Taurus and early degrees of Gemini, and Neptune travels in the sky with Pallas, the asteroid of wisdom.

Aries

So much is happening in the sky, and Astrology allows us to predict patterns.

To me it looks like there will be another lockdown as planets begin to go retrograde by the third week of May, especially with Pluto retrograde and Saturn joining. This is the theme of power and control. It will not be as extreme as the first lockdown but there will be a revisit of this energy as Pluto retrogrades to the same place in the sky. Remember, retrograde energy is a revisit of the past, and an inward time.

Soak it up! So many planets are in Taurus this month and this allows you lots of power to excel and feel supported in life.

All the Taurus energy sits directly across from you so it’s a balancing month for you, creating a grounded and nourishing, soul-revival time. This month allows you to spend time with you, instead of soaking in all the other energies.

Gemini

Sagittarius

There are some very special energies this month with great opportunity though, especially the first three weeks.

Communication will be light-hearted and it is a great time to rest, plant, have fun, be creative and romantic. The theme of nourishment is pervasive, and home and family are everything this month.

Identity is also a very major theme, which includes discernment, authenticity and differentiation. Truthful alignment and guidance of self, with meditation being key.

There is potential at the end of the month for revolutions as the sun sits in the energy of the sky that speaks of revolution and shifts. During this time, the moon which rules emotions sits in place that speaks of wisdom, insight, clear vision and poised energy. It is a major time of change.

The month will feel slow for your energy, and as planets re-enter retrograde it may even feel frustrating. Patience for the next four months is crucial.

Taurus

The culmination of the Gemini-Sagittarius 2020 eclipse occurs for you this month. A shadow is illuminated but even the shadow itself is light. A great sense of finality.

Cancer A very grounded month for you after a year and a half of waiting. All the Cancer things around the home are the way to be, so enjoy cooking, resting, nourishing, family and home time.

Leo May 9 is a very special day for your energy this month where mind and matter meet and there is an ability to conquer this realm through mind-set, to bring in the higher forms of existence.

Virgo A month of synergy and progression!

Taurus energy is synergistic with Virgo as Earth signs stabilize each other. Likewise, the Gemini energy that comes by the third week is also synergistic as Mercury rules both Virgo and Gemini.

Libra The first three weeks are a great time for you to communicate and as communication is ultimately all we have,

this brings great opportunity. Mid-month is an energy of potential, an infinite ocean of virgin space. Creation is your theme.

Scorpio

A balancing month for you too, and alignment. The eclipse energy of 2020 is culminating for you this month, how far have you come? Especially in the last six months? Gratitude is always the special key in transformation.

Capricorn Pluto, the planet of power has turned retrograde in Capricorn this month, and your ruling sign of Saturn also goes retrograde by the third week of May. Your themes are power, insight, control, discipline, structure and restriction.

Aquarius The theme for you is your immediate environment. The slowness of this month allows you to ground your mental activity and perhaps gain some refreshing inspiration.

Pisces It’s a new time on earth, the seed was planted a long time ago and it’s sprouting.

Your ruling planet, Neptune is bringing you lots of divine wisdom this month as it travels with Pallas.

FERNIEFIX.COM

39

Bits and Bytes

THROUGH THE LENS

Community, Through Your Lens Photo by VINCE MO Photo: GRASSROOTS SPORTS IN OUR COMMUNITY The Max Turyk Community Centre officially opened its new soccer fields seven years ago on September 2014. The launch event was accented with a BC Soccer coaching camp for local kids and a training demo featuring squad members of the Vancouver Whitecaps. Facilities such as these are not only essential for the development of grassroots sports, but they also bring the community together no matter age, sex, or background.

Photo by: RAYELIN ASSELIN Photo: LATE EVENINGS You may make judgements seeing us “young adults” hanging out at the skatepark late in the evening but we are truly just trying to have a good safe time while respecting COVID rules.

I want to segway this image into the conversation around a new skatepark, we need one. As our town grows we continue to have two quite successful skate shops and this park is getting small and crowded.

I know it’s not falling apart yet and that’s why I would suggest we actually keep the old one and have a second one because it would allow twice the fun and the old park isn’t falling apart so why get rid of it?

We truly believe a new park would be a very wise investment for this town as our summers continue to be more and more popular along with the winters.

Bits and Bytes

S OCIA L PAGE

Out in the Community: What do you love most about our community?

Ryan Frazer What I love about this community is the ability of our residents to adapt to any situation. Whether it be challenges with COVID, the economy, housing, work and even the weather, Fernie is full of residents that are driven, entrepreneurial and dynamic in all situations.

Erin Teeple Aside from the natural beauty of our glorious mountains and outdoors, I love the volunteer spirit of our community. People of Fernie are so supportive of local initiatives and ideas and are some of the most outgoing, go getter type people you will ever meet. There are so many wonderful people that are driving awesome ideas (whether it be environmental stewardship or volunteering for children’s sports programs); the people of Fernie always step up to the plate to support the ideas important to them, and I think that is really wonderful and incredibly important work.

Lucy Harrup Easy one - without a doubt the support with raising kids with no family around. From the great programs on offer but also all the school pickups, extra play dates, sharing of gear etc. The community members who then become friends.

Very close second - the way this community encourages, supports and shares stoke for exercise and the outdoors. We are so grateful to be here and raising our family here.

Martin Brock It is hard to pinpoint one thing I love about this community. Is it the fact that you can ski, bike, hike, fish all within minutes of your front door or the fact that our community groups and businesses offer us such a diverse amount of entertainment and events throughout the year, or is it just simply the people, always ready to lend a hand when needed or just a friendly hello as you walk by. We do have so much to be grateful for living in Fernie!

FYI Phase two engagement of the City of Fernie’s Active Transportation Master Plan ends this month. This is a longrange strategic plan that will define the role and function of the transportation system in Fernie, and guide the City in designing and implementing an improved multi-modal transportation network over the next 25 years. Ensuring a robust transportation network that safely and comfortably incorporates all modes will be important to the City’s continued economic growth, livability, and success. Head to letstalk.fernie.ca for more information!

Did you know that the Fernie Seniors Centre offers amazing lunches for pick-up Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays?

Homemade soup, sandwiches, salads and sometimes amazing pies are available from 10am to 2pm, call 250423-3312 to order! What’s on offer varies depending on the day, sandwich options can include BLT, tuna, egg, ham, veggie, club and grilled cheese. Support a local community organization and enjoy a delicious lunch – win-win.

This month, the Columbia Basin Alliance for Literacy (CBAL) invites you to join a free five-week program to learn and tell your COVID story through photos and captions! Running Tuesdays April 27 to May 25 from 10-11am on Zoom, the end product will be a professionally bound photo book from Shutterfly. Program, supplies and final photo book are all free, email chill@cbal.org or call 250-946-7257 to register. cbal.org The Fernie Arts Station Moose on the Loose community art exhibit continues this month with local artist, Samantha Sedlowsky. Just what will they have up their sleeves this month and wherever will we find these installations? Stay up to date by checking out the details on theartsstation.com/ moose-on-the-loose where you can expect some clues for your monthly moose hunt!

The Elk Valley Physicians have been busy with the onset of the mass vaccination clinics which began mid-April! “Doses put in arms. No doses wasted. We need to congratulate our colleagues in public health that made this a success: nurses and doctors providing vaccinations, Interior Health administration, our local municipalities for providing venues – the City of Fernie, Sparwood and District of Elkford and thanks to those that have been vaccinated, adding to our fight against this pandemic,” they posted April 16, 2021 on their Facebook page.

Registration is now open, and once you’re registered you will be notified when you can get vaccinated. getvaccinated.gov. bc.ca/s/ FERNIEFIX.COM

41

Fernie Fun

THE LAST PAGE

Spot the Difference

FIND THE

Can you find five differences between these two pictures?

Have a picture to submit for Fernie Fun? Send it to info@clarismedia.com.

Somewhere in this issue is a little crocus Can you find it?

Name the Location

Answers Last Month

These businesses, buildings or locations are located somewhere in Fernie, can you name them?

Happy Cow, RCMP, Kootenay Fly Shop, Fernie Fitness

“Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of riding a bike” – John F Kennedy

MOUNTAIN BIKE COURSES: Beginner and Intermediate Series

Kid’s Mountain Bike (General)

In-Field | $265 + GST | GIRE-663 To help advance your progression, sign up for your beginner and subsequent intermediate course and we will do our best to ensure you have the same instructor and class to ride with throughout!

Signup for full series at a discounted rate.

In-Field | $169 | GIRE-153 This three-day program for young riders offers kids ages 8 to 13 the opportunity to discover the fun of mountain biking and trail riding in a safe environment.

Fernie May 10 – June 28

Mini Rippers In-Field | $45 | GIRE-152 One-day basic course for 5 to 8 year olds who know how to ride a bike. This course is an introduction to the skills needed to take your bike from the sidewalk to the trails and dirt park safely. Instructor to student ratio 1:10 per class.

Fernie July 5 | July 6 | July 7 | July 17 | July 18 August 7 | August 8 For more information on courses, please visit our website at cotr.ca/ConEd or phone 250-423-4691

Fernie July 9 - 11 | July 20 – 22 | August 13 – 15

Kid’s Mountain Bike (Advanced) In-Field | $169 | GIRE-155 This is for advanced riders who have completed the Kid’s Mountain Bike (General) course and wish to perfect their skills on more challenging terrain.

Fernie August 21 – 23

A glimpse into the remarkable stories of people and places in the Columbia Basin.

How Collaboration Keeps Fernie Fed The number of people accessing the Fernie food bank more than doubled last spring. Majors Kirk and Linda Green worked with food bank volunteers to deliver gift cards and almost 7,000 pounds of food to kids and families. Support came in from donors and Columbia Basin Trust.

Seniors in 31 suites at Trinity Lodge were thrilled to receive weekly, contactless deliveries to their doors.

A year later, with a steady number of patrons coming each week, they’ve adapted further. Seniors-only days replace weekly deliveries. Students at the high school prepare soups with donations from a local restaurant. A minimum of five volunteers help weekly, now preparing for a busy summer of food hampers for families with children on summer break.

Full Story

Find more on

ourtrust.org/stories