SEPTEMBER 2020 | ISSUE 165
THE
Education ISSUE
IN THIS ISSUE: Feature Resident, Clayton Lamb • Feature Artist, Gabriela Escobar Ari Plus, insights into education and learning including the importance of doodling, thought provoking questions about school, learning in the outdoors, and effective education through online resources. FERNIEFIX.COM
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Strengthening the places
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SEPTEMBER 2020 ISSUE 165
EDITOR’S FIX p5 BUSINESS IN THE VALLEY p7 Business News It’s in the Numbers by Roman Rybar, CFP - Risk Tolerance and Stage of Life
ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT p10 Feature Artist – Gabriela Escobar Ari ArtBeat - The Serial Doodler by Michael Hepher At Peace and Yet On Fire – Spirited Summer by Sadie Rosgen Rental Fix – The Great by Andrew Vallance Events This Month
COMMUNITY p18 Feature Resident - Clayton Lamb by Krista Turcasso City Corner - The New Normal by Ange Qualizza Planning Ahead - What is the Point of School? by Kerri Wall
THE
EDUCATION ISSUE
RECREATION AND OUTDOOR LIFE p26 Hitting the Trails - Trail Etiquette by Julie Kelly and The Lunch Loop by Brittney Tracey, STA Fernie Scavenger Hunt by Wes RobinsonShaw - The Pig Rocks, Pinecones, Stumps! by Yvonne Prest
HEALTH AND LIFESTYLE p31 Bark Break - Veterinary Health Care by Val Lanthier Family Wellness with Dr Taina Turcasso, ND RM - Navigating Resources Wisely Elements of Movement – Pistol Squat Progression with Maddy Alaric This is Life by Tyla Charbonneau Our Trickster Brains
BITS AND BYTES p39 The Answer Guy – COVID Alert by Kevin McIsaac Astrology – September 2020 by Ashley Kristina
FERNIE FUN p42 The Last Page
COVER: Hand fishing off the dock. Photo by Matt Kuhn, @mkuhnphoto
THIS PAGE: Revival of home grown produce. Photo by Emily Park Photography, @ emilyparkphotographyfernie FERNIEFIX.COM 3
YOUR LOCAL CANNABIS STORE
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SELECTORIZED
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. BRITTNEY TRACEY is a local born, winter-hating ultramarathoner who spends her free time eating beef jerky and trying to get people out on the trails. She sits on the board for the Sparwood Trails Alliance and hosts their Thursday Night Run Club. JULIE KELLY is the Manager for the Fernie Trails Alliance and loves spending time on the Fernie trails. KERRI WALL specialises in group facilitation, mediation, parent coaching, and leadership training. She welcomes inquiries at kerriwall.ca. KEVIN MCISAAC haunts the coffee shops and streets of Fernie to find his column source material. MADDY ALARIC is a lover of putting things down and picking them back up again, whether it be weights or her children. She loves inspiring people through her classes at Soar Studios and looks forward to sharing this love through her column. 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.
Editor’s Fix By Krista Turcasso, Editor
ROMAN RYBAR has worked in the financial industry since 1996. He became a Limited Partner with Edward Jones in 2004. When he is not helping clients he can be found enjoying bike trails or manning the bbq for family and friends.
EDUCATION. I, like many of you and, as you’ll soon find, many of our writers, have been working through what this means to me.
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.
1. The process of receiving or giving systematic instruction, especially at school or university.
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. VAL LANTHIER is the Vet Tech behind local pet sitting and dog walking services, Pet Tech Care. For her, it’s animals all day every day, with a focus on how we can enrich their lives. WES ROBINSON-SHAW is a 14 year old avid biker and skier. After a great year competing at xc skiing at the provincial level his season finished abruptly with the cancelation of the National Championships due to Covid-19. He is already training hard for next season. YVONNE PREST wears a lot of hats: New mom, writer, teacher, councillor, chips and salsa fanatic. Her favourite hat is being a Fernie-ite.
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CONNECT WITH US @FERNIEFIX
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 Editor | Krista Turcasso • Creative Director | Vanessa Croome • Associate Editor | Kevin McIsaac All content copyright Claris Media. The views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily the views of the publisher.
Not surprisingly, I looked up the definition.
2. An enlightening experience. Instantly, I connect with option two. Maybe it’s because my kids are still small. Maybe it’s because of this big shift and revival we have all been going through. Maybe it’s because during this pandemic, we have been truly exposed to what’s important - life, in all of its forms and manifestations. Or maybe it’s all of the above, alongside being in desperate need of an enlightening experience at this very moment (is it even possible to be a stay-athome-mom-teacher-editor?). I’m sitting in my office, curled up on a sofa chair, listening to a playlist I made years ago… when things were simpler. When Fernie was quieter. When I only had to worry about me, and it was easy to turn a blind eye. The playlist still rocks, but it sounds different. I know more, about me and the world and how ugly it can be but also how absolutely gracious and beautiful it is at the same time. I guess you could say, I have gained an education… and am dedicated to continuing to learn with each day. This September, as we go back to school or home school or unschool or outdoor school or distance learn… let’s be easy on ourselves and on others as everyone is doing their best. This can be an education - an enlightening experience, from which we grow and evolve. Let’s choose that. FERNIEFIX.COM
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YOU’RE INVITED! The Plan is Ready! PUBLIC ONLINE LAUNCH & PLAN PRESENTATION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2020 7:00PM - 8:00PM To attend or to request a copy of the plan please RSVP to info@tourismplanfernie.com Fernie’s tourism industry and partners came together in late 2018 with a desire to understand and address opportunities and concerns related to one of Fernie’s key economic industries, and to develop a Tourism Master Plan (TMP) for the community. In collaboration with stakeholders and significant engagment with community members a draft plan was completed in 2019. COVID-19 has since required the industry, through the TMP Task Force and Champion Group to delay the initial launch planned for March 2020 and update the plan. Our industry is now ready to present it’s updated and evolving plan. Please join us! TourismPlanFernie.com
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Business in the Valley
Submitted Photo
Fernie Pride Society ferniepride.ca THE Elk Valley Pride Festival is back! It may look a little different but the same spirit of love, inclusion, and celebration is stronger than ever. From September 24-27 the Fernie Pride Society is hosting both virtual and in-person events throughout Fernie. Classic events like the much-loved Drag Storytime and Craft will be virtual so all kids can join in the fun while other activities will be a combination of a small group of people while also being available online to watch and participate in. New additions to the Festival include a Drive-In Movie, an Outside with Pride author event, Art History with Jackie, new workshops and education sessions, and much more! For more info on the Fernie Pride Society and the Elk Valley Pride Festival please visit ferniepride.ca. Thank you to community partners, the City of Fernie, Fernie Arts Station, Fernie Heritage Library, Fernie Museum, and REEL Film Festival.
BUSINESS NEWS
Submitted Photo
Thunder Meadows Health & Wellness Inc. 632 2nd Ave 250-423-2673 THUNDER Meadows is very excited to welcome Mireille Fortier, RMT. Mireille is a Massage Therapist with over 15 years of experience in a variety of clinics, wellness spas and sporting events. She has worked as a massage therapist for many road cycling teams and at sports events through Quebec and the USA, as well as in clinical settings. Mireille is available for morning and evening appointments and is looking forward to seeing familiar faces and meeting new ones. To find out more about Mireille and to book a massage please visit thundermeadowshealth.ca.
Submitted Photo
Sparrow Hair 641 7 Ave 250-423-7175 SPARROW Hair is bringing Bumble and bumble to Fernie! Salon born in 1977 in New York City, Bumble and bumble hair care and styling products stand for high quality and high performance. For the past ten years, Sparrow Hair has been an Aveda salon that has developed a bit of an Aveda fan club. Although the experience has been great, salon owners Stacey Goldade and Noel Vanoostenbrugge felt it was time to bring something new, fresh, and fun to their clients. Sparrow Hair is the only salon in the Kootenays to offer Bumble and bumble hair care products all of which are cruelty free, paraben and silicone free. With the exception of few, they are also vegan. Bumble and bumble and select Aveda products are available for in-salon purchase or curb side pickup.
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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
IT’S IN THE NUMBERS
Risk Tolerance and Stage of Life by ROMAN RYBAR, CFP AS an investor, you’ll always need to deal with risk of some kind. But how can you manage the risk that’s been made clear by the recent volatility in the financial markets? The answer to this question may depend on where you are in life.
to stay ahead of inflation. Establishing a withdrawal rate – the amount you take out each year from your investments – that’s appropriate for your lifestyle and projected longevity can reduce the risk of outliving your money. Of course, if there’s an extended market downturn during any time of your retirement, you may want to lower your withdrawal rate temporarily.
Let’s look at some different life stages and how you might deal with risk at each of them. When you’re first starting out - If you’re early in your career, with perhaps four or even five decades to go until you retire, you can likely afford to invest primarily for growth, which also means you’ll be taking on a higher level of risk, as risk and reward are positively correlated. But, given your age, you have time to overcome the market downturns that are both inevitable and a normal part of investing. Consequently, your risk tolerance may be relatively high. Still, even at this stage, being overaggressive can be costly. When you’re in the middle stages - At this time of your life, you’re well along in your career, and you’re probably working on at least a couple of financial goals, such as saving for retirement and possibly for your children’s post-secondary education. So, you still need to be investing for growth, which means you’ll likely need to maintain a relatively high-risk tolerance. Nonetheless, it’s a good idea to have some balance in your portfolio, so you’ll want to consider a mix of investments that align with each of your goals. When you’re a few years from retirement - Now, you might have already achieved some key goals – perhaps your children have finished school and you’ve paid off your mortgage. This may mean you have more money available to put away for
V. Croome Photo retirement, but you’ll still have to think carefully about how much risk you’re willing to take. Since you’re going to retire soon, you might consider rebalancing your portfolio to include some more conservative investments, whose value is less susceptible to financial market fluctuations. The reason? In just a few years, when you’re retired, you will need to start taking withdrawals from your investment portfolio – essentially, you’ll be selling investments, so, as much as possible, you’ll want to avoid selling them when their price is down. Nonetheless, having a balanced and diversified portfolio doesn’t fully protect against a loss. However, you can further reduce the future risk of being overly dependent on selling variable investments by devoting a certain percentage of your portfolio to cash and cash equivalents and designating this portion to be used for your daily expenses during the years immediately preceding, and possibly spilling into, your retirement. When you’re retired - Once you’re retired, you might think you should take no risks at all. But you could spend two or three decades in retirement, so you may need some growth potential in your portfolio
As you can see, your tolerance for risk, and your methods of dealing with it, can change over time. By being aware of this progression, you can make better-informed investment decisions.
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Arts and Entertainment
FEATURE ARTIST
Gabriela Escobar Ari
Communication has turned into visual experiences more than ever in history; in this sense photography can be the medium for absolutely everything. As humans we never stop learning. A lifetime seems too short to learn about all the things I wish I could know. I moved to Canada six years ago, and I am still learning about history, nature, and different lifestyles, and loving every minute. I have been practicing photography for around twelve years, and I wanted to redirect my ‘visual culture’ to the context I
am in, but it is not always easy to change focus. I am now into my second year of operating a local business in Fernie. It was a ‘now or never’ type of decision after being on and off with part time jobs and engaging photography as a hobby. Originally, I am from Bolivia where I studied and worked as an archaeologist until moving to Fernie. My interest in archaeology is probably what facilitated my desire to understand historical viewpoints. When working as a photographer of the Ethnography and
Folklore National Museum in La Paz, Bolivia, I learned about the manipulation of archaeological collections for databases, exhibitions, and publications. Once in Fernie, I realized that photography is much more versatile than I had originally thought possible. This opened me up to exploring more opportunities into more commercial photography, such as family portraits, documenting events, and can proudly say it is now a passion of mine. As with any profession, I decided to further my technical knowledge by taking
some time to study photography at SAIT in Calgary. This opportunity not only furthered my skill development but also allowed me to network with incredibly talented people in the industry and receive mentoring from world-renowned photographers. Mentorship taught me that no matter how famous a photographer you become, you can still be a humble and a very accessible person. Being very shy by nature does not help at all! But it felt good to be appreciated for my work and has given me the confidence to be one with my camera.
The world of photography has so many directions. I continue to be drawn to creating stories and timelines. Film photography and old photographic processes have always been my cup of tea! Right now, I improvised a tiny dark room in my basement and have been developing negatives for some customers in town. In the near future, I would like to source a larger dark room to organize film photography workshops. I am very thankful of all the people I have met over the past couple of years who did not just help, but pushed me to follow
my dreams. When I asked one of them, what can I do to give back, all those great things that made me feel good, they told me, “Just share it, share your knowledge, don’t keep secrets, give it all.� Now I am doing just that, and will continue learning from the new people I photograph, too. Listening to their stories, and capturing priceless moments of their lives is very rewarding. For more on Gabbi and her work, visit gabbiescobar.com
Arts and Entertainment
ARTBEAT
The Serial Doodler by MICHAEL HEPHER “MICHAEL, put down your pencil and pay attention!” was a phrase commonly directed at me in elementary school. Being an obedient kid I would lay my pencil down and, my mind untethered, would quickly drift off into another realm. Stopping doodling was like letting go of the string of a balloon—the balloon being my ability to focus on the moment. Over time I recognized that doodling kept me anchored in class in a tangible way, so by high school I would preemptively inform my teachers that doodling helped me listen. It’s amazing how much I could retain if I had a leash on the wandering part of my brain. Drawing in class was a coping mechanism that helped me survive an education not designed for my learning style. I was expected to participate in the system so I found ways to make it work for me—I learned how to learn. Historically we have based our school system on the idea that we need to cram information into empty brains, so like data dumps we have stuffed volumes of dates, events, and theorems into overwhelmed children and hoped that some percentage doesn’t leak out through the cracks of irrelevance or time. Unfortunately it felt to me like on the whole the glue holding the things in there was missing—I needed a why or a how to make it relevant to me. If you have the right motivation, learning is easy (or easier, at least). Greek philosopher Plutarch suggested that, “The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled.” The implication is that we need interest to engage with incoming information to curate it, and bind it to relevant ganglia so it’s not lost. Curiosity is the fuel that pushes the train over the hill to coast down the other side. But how
Illutration by Michael Hepher
“When we learn to learn it means every person and every problem in our lives has the potential to teach us.” do you teach curiosity? Perhaps we don’t have to. Psychologist and Social Philosopher B.F. Skinner believed curiosity is innate, but that it can be extinguished. “No one asks how to motivate a baby. A baby explores everything it can get at,” he writes.“This tendency doesn’t die out, it’s wiped out.” I often hear people say that they can’t draw, which is a parallel fallacy. After grade six most people simply don’t draw, and therein lies the problem: we use it or we lose it. Experts in brain development are showing us that it is during our teenage years that unused pathways are pruned. Connections are discarded and rerouted. If we don’t make use of skills through our teens it becomes very difficult to relearn them later. If they are not exercised, they are exorcised.
That may sound like bad news at first, but since curiosity is built into our kids, all we have to do is get out of the way. When we raise humans hungry for knowledge they will find things to feed themselves. My curiosity was fed at home first. If I wanted to build something I was given a hammer and some guidance about how to use it. If I wanted to draw, paper and pen were produced. Of all the skills I’ve learned over the years the ability to engage myself in the process of learning has served me the best. Curiosity that has driven me up close to beautiful paintings to examine the brush strokes. Curiosity has kept me awake at night turning over printmaking problems in my head until I found a unique solution. This characteristic has been my saving grace as I have navigated a world that often recognizes formal learning above experiential learning.
Now as a parent I have to resist my tendency to ‘dad-splain’ everything so my kids have an opportunity to figure things out on their own too. As we move into this new month where our school is at best different, at worst cancelled, we have an opportunity to reinvent our education system in a radical way. As we do, the thing we need to remember is that as long as we find ways to inspire rather than instruct, our kids will find ways to learn. When we learn to learn it means every person and every problem in our lives has the potential to teach us. Sometimes that means breaking conventional models and allowing the learner to direct the process, so keep doodling you crazy kids.
Health. Beauty. Happiness. Confidence.
“Curiosity is the engine of achievement.” ~ Ken Robinson “I had discovered that learning something, no matter how complex, wasn’t hard when I had a reason to want to know it.”
Bright Smiles, Bright Minds
“People say: idle curiosity. The one thing that curiosity cannot be is idle.”
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THINK. DO. REACT. CARE. TREAT. SOOTHE.
BECOME.
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FIRST AID TRAINING Occupational First Aid – Level 1
September 14
Occupational First Aid – Level 1
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Occupational First Aid – Level 3
September 21
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November 18
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Watch for our Continuing Education brochure coming out mid-September. FOR MORE INFORMATION: Phone: 250-423-4691 | email: fernie@cotr.bc.ca
Arts and Entertainment
AT PEACE AND YET ON FIRE
Spirited Summer by SADIE ROSGEN
“
If you truly love nature, you will find beauty everywhere. -Vincent Van Gogh
”
September can feel like the most anticipated goodbye to a deliciously golden season. Summer is a season so anticipated here that we are grieving its departure before it’s fully over! Summer, sweet, sweet summertime. As we dawn our masks and crack open the books for another academic year, I remind you to reminisce, to soak up those September rays, and remember how life sometimes can feel perfectly in bloom.
Spirited Summer by SADIE ROSGEN
hematoma sunshine
there’s a beach where you can play and dip your feet!
tsunamis of nostalgia coursing through our veins
bonk the sky pocket rocks we come here every year
petrocore turn gold summer beckons me with her creamed skin and undivided light gayles of wind move me hotter now yellow smash
fing fong foowee in the backyard marquee the lightning leads me home
kites pierce through a cumulus sky lead only by a fragile string
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Arts and Entertainment
THE RENTAL FIX
The Great by ANDREW VALLANCE THE Great is a satirical, comedic American television series loosely based on the life of Catherine the Great, the longest reigning female ruler in the history of Russia. She was born Sophie of AnhaltZerbst in Prussia, and after the death of her husband, Peter III, she ruled as Empress of Russia from 1762 until 1796.
state. Largely written by Tony McNamara, writer of the critically acclaimed The Favourite, and based on his previous play, the series stars Elle Fanning as Catherine and Nicolas Holt as Peter III. Both give great performances, with Hoult giving perhaps the best and most villainous performance of his career.
Peter III was born in northern Germany where he was groomed for the Swedish throne. However, at the age of 14 he was brought to Russia by his aunt Elizabeth, Empress of Russia who proclaimed him her heir. In 1762, at the age of 34, he was named Emperor, but his reign lasted a mere six months before he was overthrown by his wife Catherine. He died in July of that same year. The cause of death is uncertain, but he was possibly assassinated.
The Great takes a darkly comedic look at the first six months of Catherine the Great’s time in the Russian court, and is largely a work of historical fiction, portraying our heroine as a bombthrowing revolutionary as opposed to an enlightened despot.
During his reign Peter made some progressive reforms. He proclaimed religious freedom and encouraged education. He tried to modernize the Russian army and abolished the secret police. However, much of this is overshadowed by his strongly proPrussian policies which alienated the Russian people, whom he is thought to have despised. The modern view of Peter’s character is mainly drawn out of the memoirs of his wife and successor, Catherine, who described him as an idiot and drunkard, and, unfortunately, history is written by the victors. Catherine came from a relatively poor princely family and was groomed to become the wife of some powerful ruler in order to improve the position of her family. The Empress Elizabeth and Frederick II of Prussia arranged for her marriage to Peter, the prospective tsar, in order to strengthen the friendship between Prussia and Russia. Catherine first met Peter at the age of 10, and found him detestable. However, she
made the decision to do whatever was necessary in order to wear the Russian crown. She arrived in Russia in 1744 and made every effort to ingratiate herself to Empress Elizabeth, her husband-to-be and the Russian people. One year later, when Sophie turned 16, and after joining the Russian Orthodox Church, the longplanned marriage finally occurred. Then, in 1762, Catherine suspected that Peter was set to divorce her, and she conspired with a lover to overthrow a husband whom she described as depraved and dangerous.
The series is currently available on Amazon Prime and is definitely worth a look.
The period of Catherine the Great’s rule is considered the Golden Age of Russia, as it became one of the great powers of Europe. Its Empire expanded rapidly by conquest and diplomacy. As a patron of the arts Catherine established the first state-financed higher education institution for women in Europe. Unfortunately, the economy continued to depend on serfdom, and this was one of the reasons behind rebellions by cossacks and peasants. Catherine was a fascinating women, and as such, it makes sense that Hulu should choose to make a mini series detailing her struggle to gain control of the Russian FERNIEFIX.COM
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Community
FEATURE RESIDENT
Clayton Lamb by KRISTA TURCASSO A few years ago, I saw pictures of Ange Qualizza (now the Mayor of Fernie) and her daughters out in the woods, picking grizzly hair off trees. “What the heck is going on?” I thought. “Why are they collecting grizzly bear hair and how is it on the trees?” This is when I discovered the South Rockies Grizzly Bear Project. This project began in 2006 - a time when Grizzly populations were increasingly of concern and more data was needed to better protect these animals and also to arm us with the knowledge and understanding to implement any necessary changes. Enter Clayton Lamb, who facilitated this project starting in 2013. Originally from Chilliwack, BC, Clayton grew up “hunting and fishing and trapping,” he tells me. “My parents were teachers, so we spent our summers out on the landscape.” Not surprisingly, when he attended UBC’s Okanagan campus, he went into sciences and studied ecology. “Then I went to Oregon and worked on Mount Hood and sampled Pika, collecting hair. For Pika, we just had to use packing tape and create a tube and they would leave their hair on it. I went from something tiny to a huge bear, using barbwire on trees.” Clayton continued his studies at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, completing a masters and transferring directly into a doctoral program. It was at this time he was running the South Rockies Grizzly Bear Project. “I felt like I was just scratching the surface and really liked my lifestyle. I wanted to learn more about the Elk Valley and BC, so I just kept going. That’s when it went from the Elk Valley scale to province wide,” Clayton says. One of the things he noticed
through this project and his studies is that it was difficult to decipher from the hair the cause of death, which is when they began the collar project. “We have collared 55 bears between Elko and Elkford. This tells us what individual bears do, where they are, how they die. Every spring we fly over to see if they have cubs/still have cubs. We learn a lot abut the animals.” Especially when combined with the genetic data the hair collecting provides - giving them the big picture! For example, they have found that grizzly bear deaths on the road or railway are rarely reported. Clayton learns this the hard way, by going to the site and discovering their passing. Starting out, Clayton would spend the summer and fall in the Valley… then he added spring. “I was only spending a few months of the year in Edmonton… and the worst months! So by 2017, I moved here for good.” Up until six months ago, his focus was on “grizzly bear stuff ” but now he has secured a fellowship conducting post doctoral research with UBC to study Caribou. “This is conservation work, learning how to translate science into action,” he shares. “It’s the application side of it, and not letting the science end with the journal
Submitted Photo article. How can we turn it into something meaningful?” He began studying the herds in the Peace region, which were plummeting. “There were only 36 in the herd in 2016, and the First Nations decided to take action as the neighbouring population had just gone to zero. They conducted an aggressive campaign, and now there are 88 of them,” Clayton says. “I’m the science side, weaving indigenous knowledge with western science to bring the story to light in an academic way.”
While Clayton is now predominantly working on Caribou, he shares that he continues to work on grizzly bears, “on the side, because it never really ends.” Most recently, this has involved working with a group of individuals and organizations on safe animal crossings. “This is one of the most fun projects of my career. It’s a win-win. We’re not asking anyone to make a compromise to allow wildlife to exist. Everyone wants to travel on the highway safely, and we want animals to get across safely. It’s an easy sell, safe for people and wildlife!” The first phase is from Hosmer to the Alberta Border along Highway 3, with the goal to reduce or eliminate animal collisions. “Elsewhere, they have been reduced by 80-90%,” he says, and I am shocked! But then he shares that between the crossings it is totally fenced. “The idea is to use existing structures and create access to the great walkways beneath them, along the river the bridges traverse,” Clayton says. They are also planning one overpass, which are “effective but expensive,” over the Alexander drainage just after Sparwood. “This is a busy spot. Between Hosmer and the border, 200 large mammals are hit every year,” he says adding that when you estimate the cumulative costs of these accidents it’s roughly $3 million on this stretch alone. “It creates a good business case, it’s actually cheaper to do something.” Like Clayton mentioned earlier, truly a win-win preventative measure for all involved. “This is a good step towards using technology and advancements to coexist with wildlife in the Valley.” Clayton’s work is increasingly recognized and appreciated by residents in the Valley, and this project is an exciting move forward for us. He admits to loving life and the community here, but also recognizes that his research may take him elsewhere in future. But for now, he is happy calling Fernie home and says he’ll always keep his place here as he knows he’ll want to come back. “It’s an interesting place to live,” he tells me, adding that he feels privileged to work on these projects from here.
“Working on conserving Caribou in BC is one of the greatest conservation projects in the province and in Canada. It’s the next big challenge, and one I won’t probably solve myself.” Well, we think differently Clayton! Thanks for all you have and continue to do for wildlife in our area.
5. Do you have a favourite Fernie pastime? I think it’s to ski… to ski powder. 6. What time of the year do you love most in Fernie, and why?
Keen to take part in the South Rockies Grizzly Bear Project? Visit grizzlyresearch. ca. Go for a hike, have an adventure, and you might even get a cool hat!
I like the fall. Which doesn’t overlap with my favourite activities, but I love seeing the valley in its peak golden phase. And I’m excited for winter to come. It’s a slow period and we can breathe for a second… it’s a little less chaotic and beautiful.
1. When did you first arrive in the Valley and what brought you here?
7. Where do you see or hope to see Fernie in five years?
I arrived in 2013 and I came to collect grizzly bear hair.
One of the first people I met was Bill Hanlon. I lost power to my RV and had to plug into his barn… and ended up living in his house all summer after that and his family kind of adopted me.
I think that Fernie is working to develop a sustainable and responsible tourism industry and that seems to be bringing the valley to the spotlight at a multiprovincial level. And that’s exciting - it’s on a good trajectory. And then I guess broadly, looking beyond Fernie, the Hosmer to Alberta highway project will provide a safer connection for our neighbours and for those of us who travel that way.
3. Do you remember your first general impression of Fernie?
8. How do you start your day or what is one of your daily rituals?
That was a long time ago now. I had been all over BC, the most remote places and had never been to the East Kootenays. I think that I was sort of like amazed at all of the opportunities… I couldn’t choose what I wanted to do. Fish the Michel, learn to mountain bike, hike Heiko’s trail. I was at a loss every day.
Just before COVID hit, I bought an espresso machine off the Fernie market place and it was the best investment, as I have a latte every morning.
2. Who did you first meet?
4. What keeps you here? I think the landscape for sure. Every morning I wake up and have a coffee looking at the Lizard Range. And, the different types of ways we can enjoy the landscape here. Fishing, hiking, hunting, skiing. And I really like the people here. For someone who hasn’t been here for very long, I feel a part of the community and I like the way the community comes together.
9. Tell us something people might be surprised to learn about you. I used to run a log furniture business, and build handmade log furniture when I was younger! 10. Quote to live by: A ship in harbour is safe, but that is not what ships are built for. - John Augustus Shedd
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Community
CITY CORNER
The New Normal by ANGE QUALIZZA IN the local government world, we are missing two very important annual conferences due to Covid-19. These conferences allow us to come together in camaraderie, learn from each other and return to our respective communities energized. The first is the Association of the Kootenay Boundary Local Government Association annual AGM. The AKBLG was established in 1933 and represents the south-eastern portion of BC. I have been elected to this board for six years and we identify and illuminate issues that impact the economy, environment and social well-being of people in our area. We focus on advocacy to effect long-term solutions for issues that impact our region. The second major opportunity that feels like it is leaving a significant gap this year is the Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM) annual conference. In addition to the professional development week, the value of this conference is that we also have a unique opportunity to meet with Ministers on issues that impact our respective communities. Last year we met with the Honourable Selina Robinson and BC Housing to celebrate the first purpose built rental complex being built in Fernie in twenty years, we were able to express concerns of the project cost and asked for additional funding to see those much needed units in our community in an affordable range. I would very much like to take the opportunity to thank the Honourable Selina Robinson, the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, and BC Housing for taking our meeting at UBCM. As a result, the province committed extra
Submitted Photo
“The reality is, everything feels uncertain and it is ok to admit that. Waiting and seeing is our new normal.” funding of 1.49 million dollars to ensure these units come onto the market to meet Fernie’s needs.
regulations, and we thanked Minister Beare for the continued commitment to the Resort Municipalities.
We took meetings to advocate for; ultrasound services for our Elk Valley Hospital, single use plastic options for local governments prior to federal legislation, we asked for immediate investment in safe pedestrian connectivity from West Fernie to Anderson Road, we asked that the Private Forest Managed Lands Act be brought in-line with Crown forest
Through the RDEK we were able to advocate to the Honourable Minister Travena regarding the Kicking Horse Canyon Project that will require a closure of Highway 1 through Golden, many of us are concerned that the increase in traffic levels will create significant pressure on many of our communities.
I presented on a panel, ‘Tourism by Design: Planning for Resilient Communities’ where we were able to speak about diversifying economies and use real examples to show communities just starting on this path a few different approaches. UBCM is a whirlwind of scheduled meetings, and one of my favourite events is with the Resort Municipality Collective, the resort mayors and city mangers spend an afternoon working together to support the Resort Municipality Initiative (RMI) with ministerial staff. The last hour of the meeting is a beautiful celebration of outstanding projects our colleagues have done with the RMI funding opportunity, seeing and celebrating pride of community is extremely rewarding. Both of the AKBLG and UBCM will proceed virtually, and I know that is the absolute best we all can do right now, but what we will miss by meeting in person is huge. As is always the case, the magic often happens in the hallways. Leaning into a conversation, following up on a point that was raised, talking strategy and success. It truly is a wonderful week. It is wedding week for a large part of my university crew right now, and as one of my oldest and dearest friends was due to arrive earlier this week one of my daughters looked at me and asked if she could hug Auntie Rhonda when she arrived. Meeting her sadness with my own, I answered ‘I don’t know if Auntie Rhonda is ok with hugs. Let’s wait and see.’ The reality is, everything feels uncertain and it is ok to admit that. Waiting and seeing is our new normal. The City of Fernie will continue to work together to respond to what comes next, continue to deliver core services and try to meet our community needs despite not knowing what the future holds. I am extremely proud of local governments across the province right now for navigating these uncertain waters. It is remarkable.
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Support Local. Have a Fernie Staycation.
As summer season transitions to fall Fernie’s local businesses and tourism industry will continue to weather the COVID-19 pandemic. Shop locally and support their sustainability for the long-term. Be a tourist in your own town. Enjoy dine-in or take-out from cafés and restaurants. Book a guide for fly fishing or hit the fairways. Enjoy the many activities during this spectacular time of year. Let’s all Support Local this fall!
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Arts and Entertainment
EVENT CALENDAR
MONTHLY EVENTS Tuesday 1.9.2020 The North Face Trail Race Series @ Fernie Alpine Resort, 6:30pm
Tuesday 8.9.2020 Hearth Care Assistant Course @ College of the Rockies, 9am
Thursday 24.9.2020 - Sunday 27.9.2020 Fourth Annual Elk Valley Pride Festival Weekend @ Fernie, ferniepride.ca
Wednesday 2.9.2020 Wheels in the Valley Bi-Monthly Cruise @ Fernie Legion, 5:45pm Last Scott Race Series for Kids and Youth @ Fernie Alpine Resort, 4:30pm
Thursday 10.9.2020 World Suicide Prevention Day
Friday 25.9.2020 Tea and Talk Book Club @ Fernie Heritage Library, 1:30pm
Thursday 3.9.2020 Last Scott Race Series @ Fernie Alpine Resort, 7pm Friday 4.9.2020 Ten-Year Anniversary Sale Weekend @ Gear Hub Sports Saturday 5.9.2020 Elk Valley Epic Mountain Bike Event @ The Great Trail, Elkford to Fernie, fmbc.ca Sunday 6.9.2020 Last Fernie Mountain Market @ Rotary Park, 10am-2pm Paint ’N Sip @ Cirque Restaurant, 3pm Elk Valley Epic Mountain Bike Event @ The Great Trail, Elkford to Fernie, fmbc.ca
Monday 14.9.2020 Regular Council Meeting @ City of Fernie, Fernie.ca Wednesday 16.9.2020 Wheels in the Valley Bi-Monthly Cruise @ Fernie Legion, 5:45pm Thursday 17.9.2020 Fernie and District Arts Council AGM @ Virtual via Zoom, 6pm Sunday 20.9.2020 Terry Fox Run @ Sparwood, 8am Thursday 24.9.2020 Virtual Fernie Ambassador Program @ College of the Rockies, cotr.bc.ca Teen Book Club - Airborn by Kenneth Oppel @ Fernie Heritage Library, 7:30pm
Monday 28.9.2020 Regular Council Meeting @ City of Fernie, fernie.ca Tuesday 29.9.2020 Virtual Workshop - Cash Flow Management @ Fernie Chamber of Commerce, ferniechamber.com Read Local Book Club: The Wild Heavens by Nelson author Sarah Louise Butler @ Fernie Heritage Library, 7pm Wednesday 30.9.2020 Tourism Master Plan Online Launch and Presentation @ Online, 7pm. RSVP to info@ tourismplanfernie.com
WEEKLY EVENTS Mondays Parent-tot Funtimes @ Facebook Page Date Night @ Island Lake Lodge Tuesdays Baby Goose @ Zoom, 9:30am Storytime (ages 3-5) @ Fernie Heritage Library. 11:15am Try it for school-aged kids @ Home Challenge with the Fernie Heritage Library Family Fun Scavenger Hunt @ Fernie Heritage Library Parent-tot Funtimes @ Facebook Page Ladies Night @ Fernie Golf Club Wednesdays Curbside Challenge for school-aged kids @ with the Fernie Heritage Library Toddlertime (Ages 0-2 years) @ Fernie Heritage Library. 11:15am Family Fun Scavenger Hunt @ Fernie Heritage Library Men’s Night @ Fernie Golf Club
Fernie Women on Wheels @ Bike Park, 6:30pm Live Music @ The Royal Patio Team Trivia @ The Fernie Meet Draw @ The Legion Thursdays InterActive Hour @ Zoom, 10am Bellies to Babies @ Zoom, 2pm Reading Club with the Fernie Heritage Library Family Fun Scavenger Hunt @ Fernie Heritage Library Art on the Deck @ The Arts Station, 1pm practice the style of each week’s featured artist Art History with Jackie Weekly Video Launch @ The Arts Station FTA Trail Work @ Dirt Jump Park, 6pm Seniors Club @ Fernie Golf Club Cedar Valley Specials @ Island Lake Lodge
Fridays Fernie Women on Wheels @ Bike Park, 9:30am Storytime (ages 0-5) @ Fernie Heritage Library. 11:15am Family Fun Scavenger Hunt @ Fernie Heritage Library Fish and Chips Take Away @ Fernie Hotel, 4pm Meat Draw @ The Fernie Saturdays Shawarma Take Out @ Fernie Hotel, 4pm Decks on the Deck @ The Royal, 7pm Sundays BBQ and Beats @ Infinitea, 6pm From the Grill Family-Style Dinner @ Island Lake Lodge
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Community
PLANNING AHEAD
What is the Point of School? by KERRI WALL I have spoken with and heard from several teachers and parents in recent weeks who are navigating a brand new back-to-school atmosphere. We’ve never had a September like this! Many of our societal conventions have been exposed and challenged, including the notions that folks with desk jobs should work in offices or that young people have to go to school. Most of us think ‘learning’ and ‘education’ are basically the same things, and we accept that they take place within institutional settings. Is that really so? What if we broke down some of this language and interrogated our assumptions? I have written here before about children learning what they live, and the importance of modelling the behaviours we want to see our kids adopt. Critical thinking is one of the skills we want them to acquire, so let’s start with ourselves and examine the following ideas:
1. Young people need an education. The first thing to do with this statement is dig into the term education. What does it mean for you? How do you think young people learn? At some point each child comes to understand that stoves might burn and older siblings might hit back. Did they need education to know this? You might notice that education appears to be preparation for adulthood. What are the criteria for successfully ‘completing’ childhood? This is a complex and personal inquiry; we may all have our individual responses and reasoning.
2. Kids need to be in school. The novel coronavirus situation has proven this one to be false. I’ve had recent conversations with parents and teachers concerned about avoiding transmission of COVID-19, and they are considering that ‘kids need to be in school’ might be a
4. We need to pass on knowledge and prepare younger generations to take over leadership of society. This is another piece of accepted – but next level – wisdom. Helping young people understand history, the mistakes of the past, and the importance of carrying forward the life-giving parts of civilization and eliminating things like racism and exploitation are crucial. Is this a job for schools?
5. Schools can be marvellous places where magic happens and life-long memories are made. Courtney Haeusler Photo myth. Sometimes reading and arithmetic come as easily as potty training – they just require calm and steady adult guidance along with consistent repetition. Like everything else in life, school has its positives and its negatives. What if you made a pros and cons list? Unschooling is another alternative. If you don’t already know what that is, you could do a little research and show your kids that learning is a lifelong process of discovery.
3. Children need to socialise with each other. For a lot of young people, being around friends and peers is the single best thing about school. That was certainly true for both me and my son! However, socializing is generally discouraged and seen as a distraction in many classrooms. Is school the only place socializing can happen? Is school an effective environment to pick up healthy social practices? When you think about bullying and competitive peer groups, it’s apparent that not all social interactions at school are the helpful kind.
The shared experiences, the milestones reached, and the community celebrations – these are wonderful parts of school for so many. And usually we can recall at least one special adult who noticed us, supported our goals, or really showed us they cared. Teachers are heroes; that’s one thing I kept hearing when students stayed home this spring. It’s like parents got a new insight about what teachers do and how hard they work. For me school was quite literally the best of times and the worst of times. That’s probably the case for a lot of you grownups and teenagers. As we wrestle with big questions and apply critical thinking to the role schools play, I know this to be true: Parents need help! Friends, neighbours, extended family, coaches, librarians – and yes, schools – are part of the village all moms and dads need to raise their family. Every parent has been a teacher since their first day on the job, but none of us can do it on our own. Pandemic parenting is a group activity.
Recreation and Outdoor Life
Trail Etiquette by JULIE KELLY, FTA SEPTEMBER’S Education Issue is a great time to review and bring awareness to trail etiquette. There are number of things to keep in mind when you are out there on the trails either on foot or on a bike. The main overall theme is to be courteous and safe when encountering other trail users, but here are a few key tips to play safe. We have a number of two-way trails in Fernie. A great example is Lazy Lizard. As you know this is a very busy trail for all levels of riders, especially on the weekends. The thing to remember here is that the uphill rider has the right of way. However, you should always be aware and prepared to pull over regardless of the direction. Make noise to ensure riders know you are approaching, and communicate if you would like to pass.
The Lunch Loop by BRITTNEY TRACEY, STA THE Sparwood Trails Alliance (STA) has been working diligently to provide the Valley with new trails this year. We’d like to highlight our newest completed project this month: The Lunch Loop. We’ve recently completed the first section of a multi-year trail building project that will provide users with beautiful, multidirectional beginner and intermediate trails. The newly finished section is a 2.4km trail open to bikers, runners and hikers alike. Although we do recommend riding counter-clockwise for maximum appreciation, it can be ridden in both directions.
HITTING THE TRAILS users, unless the trail is cleary signed for bike-only travel.”
NO UPHILL TRAFFIC We also have trails in town that are oneway and signed, “No uphill traffic.” Red Sonja is a great example of this and is the route of the month for September. Please respect the one-way direction on these trails and you can giv’er on the downhill. If the trail isn’t marked, and you know it’s a popular descent but choose to climb it, be especially aware and prepared to step aside for riders. Like all trail networks, there is an array of types of trail users including bikers, hikers and runners, as well as equestrian on some trails. As IMBA Canada outlines, “bicyclists should yield to other non-motorized trail
Finally, remember to leave no trace. This means not riding the trails when they are muddy, staying on the existing trail, and making sure to pack out what you pack in.
Route of the Month: Red Sonja Time: 1-1.25 hrs. Distance: 3.5 km Level: Black To start this route head over to Burma Road and look for the small pull out and signage to Phat Bastard. Head up this technical climb with lots of roots, bridges and a few punchy sections. It will top out at the powerline, which you cross and continue on the double track, taking a right on Red Sonja, where the fun begins. There are lots of fun corners, wooden features and tight sections in the trees. Cross the section of trail you climbed up enjoying the rollers and the bridge over the old car to finish things off. That should put a smile on your face for sure!
The trail, along with Middletown and Middletown extension (another new build funded by the Community Initiative Grant) are now uploaded to Trailforks for ease of use. The build was done partly by our amazing volunteers and partly by the very talented BackCountry Trail Experts, with funding from Teck Coal and the Columbia Basin Trust. The STA is working really hard on expanding its trail network to make the best parts of Sparwood rideable, runnable and hikeable and look forward to seeing you all out enjoying what Sparwood has to offer, and if you like what you see, consider becoming a member of the Sparwood Trails Alliance. Follow them on Social Media for updates and announcements on all our new projects!
Recreation and Outdoor Life
FERNIE SCAVENGER HUNT
FERNIE
The Pig
SWEEPS
by WES ROBINSON-SHAW
CHIMNEY
Fernie Trails Alliance Photo IT’S September, how did that happen? It’s also the last of the Donation Box Scavenger Hunt, with the most challenging location to date - Swine Flu! When this article was written, the Pig Donation Box was located lower down on this wonderful trail on Mount Proctor, but has recently been moved to the top of the trail, offering stunning views of the mountains and town of Fernie. Hopefully over the summer, you have gained strength, endurance and curiosity and you and your family will make it to the best location yet!
4. The Pig
Professional Chimney Sweeping Now Booking August 3 to October 7 To book an appointment: email ferniechimneysweeps @gmail.com or text 250-430-1680
From the Fernie Visitor Center trail head follow the signs for Swine Flu until you reach the top, where you will find the Pig and a bench to take in the view and snack before either returning the way you came or continuing to complete the whole Swine Flu loop! This is a big climb for a young biker, it may be better to do as a hike. It is also a popular trail, so be aware of other riders and ensure you are loud on the trail. Scavenger Hunt Bonus: Find the donation bin at the Montane Hut! There are multiple ways to reach this box, the most accessible being the Fernie Adaptive Trail (Montane Green on TrailForks). This is a great route for all riders and walkers with a rewarding lookout from the hut. Don’t forget to check in at Edge of the World for your sticker, and to email proof of completing all four challenges to wesrovinsonshaw@icloud.com or johnnypshaw@ hotmail.com to be entered in the grand prize draw! Congratulations to everyone who took part in this summer’s Scavenger Hut! FERNIEFIX.COM
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Recreation and Outdoor Life
FERNIE MOUNTAIN MAMAS
Rocks, Pinecones, Stumps! by YVONNE PREST IF Einstein was right (and I think he often was) in stating that imagination is more valuable than knowledge, then schools that focus on creating space for imaginative play are exactly what we need. Enter: Forest School. Enter: Little Einsteins. Local mother and educator, Courtney Haeusler, found herself inside the classroom gazing out the window and longing to play in the falling snow amongst the mountains. She dreamt that one day she could take education to the next level: outdoors. Her partner, Erich Leidums, also an outdoor education enthusiast, was readily on board as they had just welcomed their first child into the world. Together, they established a non-profit group called Outdoor Connections. The team’s goal was to provide “affordable opportunities for children of all ages to connect to themselves, to each other and to the natural world.” In the beginning, they provided outdoor summer camps, after-school programs and no-school Friday adventures for school-aged children. As time went on, Courtney, now a mother of two, became involved in a “newly developed Fernie (informal) forest school group which consisted of a few parents wanting to get outside with their little ones.” By winter, Courtney received a phone call from a local teacher named Sinead Murphy that would “change everything.” Sinead had heard about Courtney’s involvement with the informal Forest School group and wanted to know more. “We chatted and before we knew it, we were both signed up to take the Forest School practitioners course in Calgary that spring. Sinead and I spent the summer preparing and planning, and officially opened Forest School in September 2016. In that first year, we were running just one
Courtney Haeusler Photo
“We have no toys and no traditional learning resources. Rather we have sticks, rocks, rope, leaves, pine cones and stumps!” class of 12 students, as well as completing our Forest School assignments online. We spent the year reflecting, reading, discussing and adapting which really helped us create a program that was meaningful and intentional.” In Courtney’s opinion, the most “defining characteristics of Forest School is PLAY.” Free play is highly valued as children learn at their own pace, through their own interests and through their own intrinsic motivation. “Our team of educators allow the children to make their own choices on how they want to spend their time at Forest School, and support/foster their own decisions as they see fit.”
The Child and Nature Alliance of Canada has outlined 10 principles that many of the Forest Schools in Canada follow, which Courtney summarized here: • Take place in a variety of natural spaces • Regular repeated sessions in the same natural spaces • Views children as competent and capable learners • Led by a qualified Forest and Nature School educator • Values play • Views the opportunity to experience risk as an integral part of a child’s learning
• Uses loose, natural materials to support open-ended experiences • Values the process as much as the outcome • Seeks to honour the past and current realities of First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples • Builds diverse communities “Each day at Forest School can be very different. Sometimes the children work collaboratively solving problems, creating imaginary worlds, and decoding their social world together.” While other times children may play independently, finding joy and “comfort in their own creations, thoughts and observations. We have no toys and no traditional learning resources. Rather we have sticks, rocks, rope, leaves, pine cones and stumps!” The world, or forest, truly is their oyster. The children thrive in this free environment of imagination and play. Forest School takes place on over 60 acres of private land just 12 kilometres south of Fernie. Courtney reveals that students
gain “improved physical stamina, growth in confidence and social skills, and an improvement in creativity and critical thinking skills.” Forest School operates their preschool classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays for children ages 3-5 years old. They also deliver a 5-7 year old class that runs on Wednesdays. Applications to join their Forest School open online in March every year.You can also go to their website at connectoutdoors.ca/forestschool and apply online. Over the past four years, Forest School has been going strong and Courtney “finds it to be one of the most holistic and rewarding jobs [she has] ever had.” She wanted to thank her dear friend Sinead, her family, all those who are a part of their Forest School family, and especially Sonya and Marcel of Birch Meadows, for their continued support of outdoor play and learning.
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Health and Lifestyle
BARK BREAK
Veterinary Health Care by VAL LANTHIER THIS handsome redhead is Tig! His humans don’t know exactly how old he is, when his birthday might be or where he even came from, but none of that matters because he is one good boy living one great life in one of the most beautiful places on earth.
to complement and expand their practice. For example, those who can do animal chiropractic or veterinary orthopedic manipulation are able to further help patients with physical ailments and these types of methods can be very effective for pain management. Same with canine physiotherapy, although these practitioners are not usually veterinarians, but they work alongside them through referrals. Either your vet can refer you or you can ask for one if you feel your dog needs physical therapy or even professional massage.
His day to day life includes going for walks, which might seem pretty routine but for him, it’s basically his job because his mom is a full-time Fernie dog walker with Pet Tech Care. Tig makes so many friends, he gets along with absolutely everyone. Each day he gets to explore a different trail and when he’s not adventuring, he’s happily sharing his bed when his friends stay for a sleepover. He is the most patient, go-withthe-flow assistant anyone could ask for. Coming up on a year ago, he developed a very concerning and rare condition called Trigeminal Neuritis. In short, it’s a sudden and usually unknown paralysis of the face. From one day to the next, he couldn’t close his jaw which made it difficult for him to eat and drink. Unfortunately there is no treatment and dogs typically improve slowly over time. For Tig, he lost a lot of facial muscle mass and took many months to recover. One of the most difficult aspects in being a pet owner is facing the challenge in our animals not being able to tell us how they’re feeling when they aren’t well. It doesn’t take long for us to feel lost and helpless. Most of us will do just about anything to help them and there is no better way to achieve that than by working with the right veterinarian. Between both Fernie and Cranbrook, we have a surprising number of options available to us, some which are lesser known. Not only do we have a handful
Mary Bullock Photo
“Much like us, dogs are individually unique and some methods work better than others. It’s important to build a trusting relationship with your veterinarian because you inevitably have to work together.” of clinics to choose from, we also have some vets offering complementary and alternative veterinary medicine.
We have one Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine doctor who offers a wide range of options including acupuncture, food therapy, herbal medicine and homeopathy. These alternative modalities can be helpful to treat the same medical issues as conventional medicine, simply with a different approach. Much like us, dogs are individually unique and some methods work better than others. It’s important to build a trusting relationship with your veterinarian because you inevitably have to work together. Our role is to prioritize our dogs and make decisions for them. We easily forget, but remember that we each have the opportunity to choose our veterinarians as well as communicate openly and clearly with them. There’s nothing worse than working with someone you don’t agree with and veterinarians often get a bad rep but in those cases, they feel the same. They are professionals who want to give the best advice that they can. Inform yourself on their skills, ask questions, seek what you feel is right and you will be pleased and have the best success at keeping your dog healthy.
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Health and Lifestyle
FAMILY WELLNESS
Navigating Resources Wisely by DR TAINA TURCASSO, ND RM IN our culture there is so much emphasis placed on preparing for pregnancy and even for labour and delivery and perhaps not enough on preparing for parenthood. Add to that the fact that most of us are living on our own and not in multigenerational households like in other parts of the world and what you get are new parents, wideeyed, sleep-deprived, responsible for these helpless little beings and unsure of how to handle even the smallest task. There is so much self-doubt and so many questions that need answering so where do you turn for advice? Historically, we might have turned to our parents, siblings or friends for advice and we still do, but more and more we are turning to the internet, via our phones, computers, tablets, and even e-readers because there are infinite number of resources that can be found at our fingertips, 24/7. An infinite number of resources sounds like good news, right? Well, the problem is that literally anyone can put almost anything onto the internet so there is quite a range in quality and accuracy in the information available. This is most notably relevant when it comes to sources found on social media, in blogs, or on forums. Even in the world of research, there is a big difference between good quality studies and those whose results should never have seen the light of day. The challenge is being able to tell the difference. In addition, 21st century parents are researching everything, not just which brand of diapers is the best or how to soothe a crying baby. They are looking to sources on the internet, both good and bad, for answers to questions like whether or not to send your child to school during a global pandemic and whether to immunize your child. I am definitely on board with parents (and adults in general)
“Trust your gut, back it up with evidence, and keep your health care team in the loop. Education is power.� taking responsibility for their own health and having a more heightened awareness of what is going on with their bodies, including what will help, what will hurt, and what different treatments do, instead of just blindly accepting a diagnosis and treatment plan without understanding anything about it. Of course, there are exceptions to this and whatever I might think, there are some people who will just be happier not knowing or understanding too much about what is happening with their bodies. The concern I have is with people trying to get actively involved
V. Croome Photo in their health and the health of their children without fully understanding all of the pieces. It’s irresponsible and it can be dangerous. What is the happy medium? Well, I advocate for having a health care provider or team that you have a relationship with and who you trust. When you have that relationship, you will feel comfortable discussing things openly and honestly with them (even if they disagree). It can be dangerous for them to provide care to you without having all of the information. I also think it is a good idea to arm yourself with information. Talk to your doctor about resources like books, websites etc. For new parents, I really like Dr. Sears, The Baby Book because it is both comprehensive and balanced. That being said, there is no single perfect resource. They are all flawed and they all eventually become outdated. The internet is a great, ever-evolving resource but you need to be skilled at looking at a
resource and determining whether or not it is valid information. Be critical and try to stick to articles and websites that don’t appear to be too passionate in one way or another but provide a more balanced view. Stay away from forums where people are asking for advice and everyone is chiming in with “well my doctor says…”. These can be great for emotional support or even advice about non-medical topics but be wary of taking medical advice from them. The same is true for blogs, which can be wonderful resources for both emotional support and to pique your interest about a topic but they are largely opinion-based. If there is something that really resonates with you on a blog and you want to know more about it, do some research. Hopefully they will have referenced an article so go straight to the source. If not, don’t take any medical advice to heart without getting some more information. If you are keen to do your own research, it takes time (and a lot of us have studied research and statistics at length in order to be able to find the golden research articles amongst the weeds) to sift through what can be an overwhelming amount of information and data to find what you are looking for but it is possible. If I’m in a rush, I start with cochrane.org which is pretty user friendly and compiles data on one topic to give a balanced summary. Try to focus on evidence-based material and if you read an article, support your opinion by going through the references to get a little more information. Ultimately, it is up to you to compile this information and make the best decision for you and your family. When it comes to parenting, unfortunately (or maybe fortunately), there is often not just one right answer but that is how you learn to parent and trust yourself to make the best choice.You might have four different resources, all valuable, giving you different advice about how to feed your baby but it is up to you to decide which approach will work for you. Trust your gut, back it up with evidence, and keep your health care team in the loop. Education is power.
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Located in the heart of historic downtown Fernie BC this Ministry of Education recognized independent school offers a full complement of high standard academic programming combined with a focus on athletics and the arts. Hosting students from Kindergarten through Grade 12,The Fernie Academy focuses on individual students preparing them for the challenges of today’s demanding world. To book a tour please call: 250-423-0212 451 2nd Avenue, Fernie B.C. CONTACT OUR PRINCIPAL Jocelyn Sombrowski: info@thefernieacademy.ca
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Health and Lifestyle
ELEMENTS OF MOVEMENT
Pistol Squat Progression by MADDY ALARIC A friend suggested I read a book that she claimed ‘everyone should read,’ and you know what? I think she’s right. Roar by Stacy Sims is a book based on how to match your food and fitness to the female physiology for optimum performance and great health.Yes, this book is based on the female body so parts certainly don’t apply to men, but there are some interesting points that lead me to this month’s article, which I find to be very beneficial for both men and women. Stacy describes your glutes and hips as the steering wheel and stabilizer of your legs. If you don’t have a solid steering wheel, your legs will go in every which way. Wobbly ankles and knees collapsing inward are a recipe for disaster. AKA injury. The good news, both are preventable. Living in a mountain town, quad dominance is a common trend and is a subject I think we need to bring some light to. By balancing out our strengths and utilizing the entire body, we are setting ourselves up for success and ensuring that we can continue to do the things we love. As we start to consider the glutes and hips as the body’s steering wheel, we also need to look at what we can do to keep them strong for better balance and stability. A bodyweight movement I find to be very beneficial is the Pistol Squat. This unilateral movement (single leg) requires glutes, hamstrings, quads, calves, core and a certain level of ankle mobility. When done to full range of motion, the thigh and back of the calf may touch. Sounds crazy, right? Not to worry, we will spend time below activating and mobilizing the posterior chain, core, and ankles to ensure the squat can be performed properly and effectively. Regardless of what your depth in this movement looks like, we need to be
Box supported pistol Calf ankle mobilizer
Pistol squat
Assisted pistol
Submitted Photos
“By balancing out our strengths and utilizing the entire body, we are setting ourselves up for success and ensuring that we can continue to do the things we love.” mindful that the knee isn’t collapsing inward, the heel isn’t lifting and that we are working to fire the glutes/stabilizers instead of relying on the dominance of our quads. Okay, so how do we do this? Let’s start with muscle mind connection. This means you actively think about muscles you are using while performing the movement.
Essentially, what I am asking you to do is think about your butt right now as we start with a warm up followed by the progressions!
Warm up: 2 rounds Sustained weighted calf stretch Standing on a step, allow the heel to slowly drop down, emphasising the calf. Hold for 15-30s. Repeat 4-6x per leg. *Thank you Dr. Steph McDowell for this suggestion.
Vortex Dry-Hopped Sour
Dropping in 3, 2, 1...
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Single Toe Raise - Hands on hips, bend left knee up, contract right glute by coming onto toes, engage core to maintain balance. Slowly lower heel back down. Repeat 8-10 reps per side. Glute Bridge - Lie on your back with knees bent and feet on the floor. Raise glutes off the ground and squeeze, lift one foot off the ground being mindful that hips stay level, lower foot back down. Option to do all 10 on one side or alternate for a total 20 reps. Pistol Squat:
FBC Athlete: Micah Morris Photo Credit: Nathaniel Atakora Martin
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• Begin by placing chair/box beneath you. • Extend left leg, bending right leg and press your hips back. Keep a long spine. • Lower yourself to box (stack yoga blocks/books to make higher if need be). • Drive grounding foot into floor, keeping knee in a solid position as you stand up. Option 1: Remove box and lower as far as possible while keeping good form. This is where thigh and back of calf may touch. Option 2: For more support hold onto a stable surface or use a band. Bonus points: Do this without shoes on. Goal: Perform 3-5 good quality reps per side. FERNIEFIX.COM
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Health and Lifestyle
THIS IS LIFE
Our Trickster Brain by TYLA CHARBONNEAU OUR brains tell us lies each and every day. Over the years I have discovered three main lies that my brain tells me: 1. I am not good enough. 2. I am going to do something wrong and get in trouble. 3. I am not likeable. If I am sad, angry, or frustrated I can usually trace whatever I am feeling or how I am behaving back to one of these three trigger points. I can then use logic to identify just how my brain is convincing me to believe things about myself that are not always true. Unfortunately these thoughts, true or not, drive our feelings and behaviours, which is problematic because we may lash out at others or shut ourselves away from the world all on the basis of something our brain convinces us to believe and not always the facts. So why do our brains lie? Well, think of your brain as a data entry machine that is constantly taking in information from the environment around you. Perhaps at a pivotal moment in your life someone said something to you that stuck, or you heard something negative about yourself on repeat like you are not smart, attractive, or likeable.Your brain essentially stored this information in a file labelled ‘you.’ Now, even though you have heard many great things about yourself or had instances that promote you these salient memories reign and continually convince you to believe these untruths. Unless, of course we rewrite that file by making a conscious effort to the truth in front of us.Your brain says, “you do not fit in.” Take a minute and
V. Croome Photo
“In order to decipher between healthy and unhealthy thinking patterns you first need to identify your triggers.” check this, are there places you do fit? Is this a leftover belief from years ago? How is it serving you to hang on to it now?
negative and persistent thoughts are what Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) calls core beliefs.You can save yourself a lot of stress, sadness, and frustration by writing these down and in challenging times stop and ask yourself which trigger button is being pushed. Then, also using CBT strategies, you can look at the evidence that supports that thought and evidence that does not. For example, your brain tells you that you have annoyed someone you care about and they are upset with you because they have not texted you back. Think of all the reasons they might not be texting you back: they are busy, out of town, left their phone at home, are upset, did not see the text. Then think of the evidence that supports your friendship and past experiences, the good times you spend together, the lovely text you received last week, or the way in which this friend supports you in difficult times. Another favourite trick comes from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and it is called thanking the mind. When your brain starts in on the negative thinking about yourself and your abilities, take a breath and say/think, “Thanks brain.”You can thank your brain for the thought and then chose not to follow it down the rabbit hole of negative thoughts. You may have to do this on repeat in order to defuse yourself from these unhelpful thinking patterns. Just like everything else in life the more you practice the better you will get at it.
In order to decipher between healthy and unhealthy thinking patterns you first need to identify your triggers.You can do this by filling in the blank, “I am…” those
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Bits and Bytes
THE ANSWER GUY
COVID Alert by KEVIN MCISAAC THE COVID Alert app has captured a bunch of attention in Canada for both good and bad reasons. There are plenty of reasons to believe that a good contact tracing app can help limit the spread of the COVID virus by alerting potentially infected persons to self isolate and get tested. Unfortunately, there are plenty of reasons for people to be concerned about the privacy of their health data too. Is there a way to determine if you’ve been exposed without informing everyone of your daily activities? Yes, but it’s a little complicated. A little caveat here before my analogy, if you are carrying around a cell phone you are broadcasting your activities already. A cell phone can’t operate without a location connection to a cell tower, so while the COVID Alert app bends over backwards to prevent the individual identification, it cannot prevent your phone or other apps from recording and/or broadcasting your location. Some of what makes the COVID Alert app work is complicated because it relies on cryptographic hashing, which is a mathematical technique for taking some information and turning it into a unique code that cannot then be used to work backwards to the original data. Think of it like taking last night’s leftovers, chopping them all up, and frying them with some sauce to make a hash. Each dish is unique and there’s no way to go back to the original leftover roast or vegetables. (And it’s delicious.) Okay, so bearing in mind that no analogy is perfect here’s my go at how the COVID Alert app would work if we weren’t using phones and still wanted to alert everyone that you’ve potentially been in contact with a COVID positive person.
of your cards have been posted, or if any of the cards posted match ones that someone put in your backpack then you have been in close contact with someone that tested positive.You don’t know who because you don’t know who gave you those cards. So, you self-isolate and get tested. No one knows who’s positive, or who’s been in contact with a positive person, but everyone can find out if they are at risk by looking at the board. Imagine if everyone in Fernie wore a backpack every time they left the house. And also imagine that we all have our own unique deck of cards. Now, while we’re out and about in town, grabbing a coffee, going to the post office, etc. whenever we stand together with someone for more than 15 minutes within a couple of metres we turn our back and let them put one of their cards in our backpack and we put one of ours in theirs. If there are several people we all do that. None of us know each other’s cards so we don’t know who put which card in there, we just have the cards. Every day we go through our backpack and throw out all the cards that are more than two weeks old as anyone with the virus would have known by then. Now, eventually, someone tests positive for COVID. When they do that they go to the bulletin board across from the post office and they post copies of the cards that they’ve handed out and all the cards that they’ve received from other people for the last two weeks. You go by the post office every day and stop and check the bulletin board. If any
Now, of course, all this is happening on your phone and not on the bulletin board across from the post office. And the “cards” I’m referring to are actually unique hash codes, but that’s essentially how it works. As you can see the system affords a high degree of anonymity on the users, but there are a couple of points in the system where there’s potential for exposure (of information, not COVID.) If you happen to live in a town with only a handful of people where only a couple have cell phones, then a report of a positive will likely reveal who because the pool of possibilities is extremely small. The other opportunity is through IP addresses. Every server records the IP addresses of connections and there exists the possibility, if your phone never moves from its location, it may keep the same IP for a long enough period for someone to trace it back if they were so inclined. The likelihood of this occurring is probably about the same as winning the Lotto Max, so I wouldn’t worry too much about it. The only other thing to mention is that the more people signed on the better the system works and the more anonymous it becomes, so download it and let’s hope BC signs on to use it soon. FERNIEFIX.COM
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Bits and Bytes
ASTROLOGY
September 2020 by ASHLEY KRISTINA A very happy birthday to September’s Virgos and Libras! While the Sun travels through Virgo, the energy on earth is best used for cleaning and organizing (life and home). This energy is practical and rational and all about energetic purification. It’s a good time to remove debris from life and home, and to get into a new healthy regime and routine. The last week this month is Libra energy, which is about balance and refinement. Autumn starts to settle in and we also start to settle in, a little bit more into our homes and we balance a bit more with our partners, our surroundings and pay attention to ‘beautifying’ our space. The main themes of the planets this month are: *September 1 is a Full Moon in Pisces, conjunct to Neptune which feels ethereal. A Virgo New Moon occurs September 17. *Venus travels through Leo most of the month, creating romance, fun and jovial times. *Mars turns retrograde on September 9 and will stay retrograde until November 13. Mars rules our will, passion, effort and ability to get things done (it also rules our sex drive) and turns retrograde every 26 months. Retrograde energy is about both the past and going inward. When a planet goes retrograde, momentum forward of the energy of that planet typically halts on earth. This can mean that our energy will go back to a project that we have already begun or go inward to our important self work. *Jupiter and Saturn turn direct with Pluto continues its retrograde *Saturn, Pluto and Jupiter are still travelling
in the sky together in the late degrees of Capricorn.
Aries Your own actions, passions and energy will feel regressed as your ruling planet, Mars goes retrograde. There is a sense of completion that comes this month, a release of the past.
Taurus Venus sits in your house of communication bringing love and joy this month in your connection with others. Optimistic communication abounds with friends, your romantic other and the community.
Gemini September is the month to invest your energy in yourself and your home life. Friends from the past may show up and the full moon will illuminate your instincts in respect to your work life. Channel your creativity!
Cancer Reflection and research are the themes for you this month along with communication and cleansing the air with family or people who feel like family. Revisit themes of stability and security.
Leo It is a very uplifting month for you and you really draw people’s attention. It is not a good time to travel but a great time to finish projects of the past, including studies.
Virgo There is a divine energy that is connecting you to a surreal and mystical, and very in love, love. If there is no relationship, pay attention to who enters your life at the beginning of this month: divine timing.
Libra Your health regime is a major theme. Love and passion is in your house of friendship and community and it is a good month to socialize and to speak up and use your voice. The past is coming up for reassessment and release.
Scorpio You are of the rare energy on earth at this time where it’s a good time to start a business, especially one that is of your joy and love. Reactivation of a health regime is also recommended.
Sagittarius It is a social month for you with family and friends and it is a good time to return to something you used to do creatively or musically. It is a great time to study another culture or a far off land.
Capricorn Be very aware of your energy, mannerisms, the ‘vibes’ you exude as you will communicate strongly in this esoteric way this month. There is a return to a place you once called home.
Aquarius Your financial investments are asking you to take a faithful and positive trust in them. Spend time manifesting your finances: how it feels, how you act, how you live. It is not a good time to spend.
Pisces A release is your theme this month, most likely with something from the past which leads to a revitalization in love.Your boundaries and values are asking for reexamination and refreshment. FERNIEFIX.COM
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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 apple. Can you find it?
Name the Location
Answers Last Month
These businesses, buildings or locations are located somewhere in Fernie, can you name them? Yamagoya, Salvation Army, Rotary Park, Le Grand Fromage
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