Kamloops This Week January 11, 2023 publication

COUNTRY BLAZE AND A CANNABIS CONTROVERSY

WALLACE STAFF REPORTER jessica@kamloopsthisweek.com

The owner of Country Blaze Growers, a local cannabis farm, is pointing to Health Canada licensing delays for the reason his company owes an unknown, but significant amount of money to vendors.

“We are working with legal counsel to sort out what to do with the operation,” Ryan Scorgie told KTW before Christmas, adding the agricultural operation has been “challenging” and he is working to provide compensation to vendors.

Scorgie, known in Kamloops as a lawyer, rancher, TRU professor and former Kamloops Chamber of Commerce president, said he is living in Salmon Arm and commutes to teach at TRU. He called this the “most challenging period of his life,” noting he and husband and business partner Percy Folkard have divorced.

He said Country Blaze Growers did not produce a cannabis crop in 2022, adding that the company was working to move the 2021 crop, which he said was in storage.

“I have ruined my reputation in Kamloops,” Scorgie said. “A lot of these people did work for me because they knew me and, did I ever anticipate this was going to happen? No. I literally worked, you know, invested my whole life into this. To have something like this, it’s been extremely challenging.”

In January 2022, Kamloops This Week published a story on two local companies — Delta Irrigation and Gallant Trucking — that sought through small claims court thousands of dollars in compensation for goods and services from Country Blaze. Owners of the companies have told KTW they are still waiting to get paid. After the story was published, KTW was contacted by additional vendors seeking payments from Country Blaze.

Two additional civil claims were filed in March 2022. One notice of civil claim states Kamloops Scaffold provided scaffold and labour services on June 13, 2020, and on July 11, 2020, with $12,572 owed. Another notice of civil claim alleges $16,748.57 is owed to Kamloops Plywood Sales for building materials. The claim states no payments were made, despite numerous attempts.

See HEALTH CANADA, A10

JESSICA

C I T Y PAG E

Jan 11, 2023

Stay Connec ted @CityofKamloops Kamloops.ca

Council Calendar

The public, media, delegations, and staff are encouraged to par ticipate in meetings vir tually through Zoom or to observe through the City YouTube channel

Januar y 17, 2023

1:30 pm - Regular Council

Januar y 31, 2023

1:30 pm - Regular Council

Januar y 31, 2023

7:00 pm - Public Hearing

The complete 2023 Council Calendars is available online at: Kamloops.ca/CouncilPor tal

Council Meeting Recap

Sign up for the Council Highlights e -newsletter at: Kamloops.ca/Subscribe

Yard Waste Site Closures

The Bunker Road and Barnhar tvale Yard Waste Sites are now closed for the season. Cinnamon Ridge remains open from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm daily

Indoor Walking Track

The Sandman Centre concourse is available for walk ing Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm until April 2023. Due to K amloops Blazers home games and concer t schedules, some designated walk ing dates may not be available.

Pothole Season

With the current warm weather trend, you may notice more potholes popping up on our streets If you see a pothole, please slow down and proceed with caution We can only fill the ones we are aware of, so help us by repor ting a pothole with the MyK amloops app at: Kamloops.ca/MyKamloops

Become a Snow Angel

Volunteer to help shovel driveways and sidewalks for seniors and others who aren’t able to do it themselves. To learn more, visit: Kamloops.ca/Volunteer

Avoid a penalty! The City of K amloops 2023 business licence payments were due December 31, 2022. If your payment is not received by Januar y 15, 2023, a $25 late payment charge will be added to the balance owing If you have not received your renewal notice or if there has been a change to your business, please contact the Business Licensing office by email at blicensed@k amloops.ca or phone at 250-828-3481 prior to submitting the 2023 payment.

For payment options, visit:

Kamloops.ca/BLicensed

H O M E E N E R G Y H AC K

Did you k now closing your blinds or cur tains at night in the winter keeps the warm air in and the cold air out? This simple step before bed can save on heating costs and make your home more comfor table For more tips and to enter to win a Home Energy Saving Kit, visit:

Kamloops.ca/HomeEnergyHacks

R E N O VAT E S M A R T K A M LO O P S

Do you want to learn more about home energy efficienc y? Sign up for a free Home Energy Per formance Workshop. These online workshops are offered monthly The next workshop is Januar y 17, 12:00–1:00 pm.

To register, visit: Kamloops.ca/RenovateSmar t

Repor t an issue: 250-828-3461

For after-hours emergencies, press 1.

Let's Talk K amloops is our engagement website where you can share your voice and shape our city Please subscribe to the project of interest to receive updates. Sign up and speak up at: LetsTalk.Kamloops.ca.

B U I L D Y O U R F U T U R E H E R E

The City of K amloops ser ves approximately 100,000 people through a wide variety of municipal ser vices, including utilities and streets maintenance, protective ser vices, community planning and development, social development, recreation, culture, and much more Our employees are highly sk illed and are suppor ted through depar tmental and corporate policies and practices that promote a work-life balance for both individuals and families Our work force represents people from diverse backgrounds who contribute to our city's success ever y day

We offer an excellent compensation pack age that includes a best-in- class pension plan, employee well-being benefits, free gyms, and subsidized recreation programs. Explore future career paths with the City through our employee training and development programs and our diverse organizational structure

Join our team and make a positive difference in your community!

Kamloops.ca/Careers

Did you k now? Rec ycled trees save land space and produce compost material that can be used in parks and gardens. To date, K amloops has rec ycled almost 150,000 trees!

Ensure your tree is free of any wires, tinsel, decorations, and plastic prior to rec ycling Drop off your tree by Januar y 15 at the following locations:

• Alber t McGowan Park, 2025 Summit Drive

• Brocklehurst Park, 2470 Fleetwood Avenue

• Dallas Fire Station No. 6,5300 Dallas Drive

• Juniper Park, Qu’Appelle Boulevard

• Len Haughton Park, Lister Road, Heffley Creek

• McAr thur Island, East of the Spor t & Event Centre

• Rae -Mor Park, Arab Run Road

• Westsyde Park, Frank lin Road

• Yacht Club, 1140 River Street

• Yard Waste Depots (open for tree drop off only):Cinnamon Ridge, Bunker Road, and Barnhar tvale

Kamloops.ca/ChristmasTreeRecycling

City Hall: 7 Victoria Street West, K amloops, BC, V2C 1A2 | 250-828-3311

R E C Y C L E Y O U R C H R I S T M A S T R E E

B U S I N E S S L I C E N C E

R E N E WA L S

R E N E WA L PAYM E N TS A R E N O W O V E R D U E

TO BE DEMOLISHED

TODAY’S FLYERS

Wendy Ryan said goodnight to her son, Jakob Gibbon, the night of Wednesday, Dec. 28, only to find he was missing without a trace the next morning.

RIDER FEATURED

WEATHER FORECAST

Jan. 11: Sun/clouds 2/0 (hi/low)

Jan. 12: Showers 6/4 (hi/low)

Jan. 13: Showers 9/4 (hi/low)

Jan. 14: Cloudy 6/1 (hi/low)

Jan. 15: Cloudy 4/0 (hi/low)

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Gibbon, 22, who lives with his stepmother in their home off Schubert Drive in North Kamloops, had seemingly left, taking his wallet and phone in his white 2012 Dodge Avenger, licence plate JM9 04E, which was no longer in the driveway. An eight-hour overnight gap remained unaccounted for.

Ryan and Diana Cattermole, Gibbon’s sister-in-law, have been searching daily since he disappeared.

Police have issued two press releases asking the public for information since Gibbon was reported missing. Kamloops RCMP Cpl. Crystal Evelyn told KTW there has been no evidence to suggest foul play is involved in Gibbon’s disappearance.

Ryan and Cattermole believe Gibbon left on his own, but note his disappearance is out of character and the family to date have been unable to reach him. Gibbon, who works at a veneer plant in Dallas, had the week off when he vanished and has not returned to work, according to police.

An emotional Ryan told KTW she spent the day with her son on Dec. 28. She said she didn’t notice him saying or doing anything out of the ordinary, noting

they attended the Kamloops Blazers-Kelowna Rockets game at Sandman Centre that night with Gibbon’s stepbrother and Cattermole. Ryan said her son bought the family mini-donuts at the game, as he always does, and, on the way home, she and Gibbon stopped at Tim Hortons for coffee.

“Everything was great,” Ryan said, adding they were joking and laughing on the ride home.

At about 11:15 p.m., Ryan said she saw her son lying on his bed as she headed off to sleep.

“And I said, ‘Son, you got to get to bed’ and he said, ‘OK’ and that was it,” Ryan said.

At about 7:45 a.m. on Dec. 29, Ryan noticed her son was gone. She said his room was tidy and his cup of coffee from the night before remained on his nightstand, still nearly full.

Ryan texted and called her son multiple times that morning, but he didn’t answer, nor did he answer a call from Cattermole.

The family members said police have since informed them that Gibbon’s Samsung Galaxy cellphone last pinged to a cell tower located at 377

BLAZERS, SILVERTIPS SWING BIG TRADE A31

Kamloops acquires Olen Zellweger and Ryan Hofer in exchange for four

man desperate for info

Tranquille Rd. — the location of the Northbridge Hotel — at 10:59 a.m. on the morning of Dec. 29, which was around the time family members were trying to contact him.

It’s uncharacteristic for Gibbon to be out of contact with Ryan, who said her son would text her often to check on her.

Gibbon is believed to have left without dressing for the weather, leaving in grey runners, blue jeans, a black Under Armour hoodie and a blue tuque.

Cattermole said police informed the family that there hasn’t been any banking activity from Gibbon since the night of Dec. 28, nor any calls or texts sent from his phone. Nor have there been any posts from his social media accounts. Cattermole said police have checked with towing companies, none of which has recovered Gibbon’s vehicle.

Cattermole said the family has searched many areas: the Tranquille Road area of North Kamloops, down streets and alleys, in parks such as Riverside and McArthur Island and out toward Pritchard and the Shuswap. She said they do not know which direction Gibbon may have travelled when he left his house. One neighbour’s security system caught Ryan and Gibbon driving home from the hockey game, but the system apparently wasn’t triggered when his vehicle left the house overnight.

Ryan and Gibbon live in an area off Schubert Drive, between Birch and Beach avenues. The

family has not disclosed the exact address out of privacy concerns.

Ryan called Gibbon’s biological father and his wife, who live in Alberta, to inform them of the disappearance, and they are now co-ordinating searches, Cattermole said.

Cattermole also started a Facebook page called Missing: Jakob Gibbon, which has grown to 1,300 members sharing information and updates about the search.

Ryan and Cattermole do not know why Gibbon left the house.

Ryan said she doesn’t believe her son to be suicidal, nor does she know him to have addiction issues or involvement with nefarious characters. Cattermole said Gibbon doesn’t have a history of mental-health issues and has never before run off, describing him as a homebody.

Gibbon is a white, stands 5-foot-7 and weighs 122 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes.

Police are urging people with information to call the Kamloops RCMP at 250-8283000 and reference file 202246092.

“If anyone does have information — maybe you’re a neighbour who saw him leave that morning, maybe you’re a friend or co-worker who exchanged texts with him recently — it’s so important that you share that information with police, even if you’ve already told his family or friends about it, to ensure it gets to investigators,” Evelyn said.

JAKOB GIBBON

TRU investigation into administrators is complete

IN FEBRUARY 2021, THE UNIVERSITY’S BOARD RECEIVED A COMPLAINT FROM A NUMBER OF CURRENT AND FORMER EMPLOYEES, ALLEGING DISCRIMINATORY CONDUCT ON THE PART OF TWO SENIOR ADMINISTRATORS

KAMLOOPS THISWEEK

The investigation into a pair of senior administrators at Thompson Rivers University — one of whom is no longer at the school — is finally complete, with a report, or portions thereof, possibly being released later this month.

TRU vice-president of finance and administration Matt Milovick and former associate vice-president of people and culture Larry Phillips are under investigation by TRU’s board of governors as a result of complaints filed in February 2021 by current and former employees at the university.

Phillips departed from the university in December 2021, but TRU has not said why he left.

At least 13 current and former employees made allegations of discriminatory conduct, discriminatory statements and/or harassment on the part of Milovick

and Phillips.

The complainants cited incidents of disparagement of Indigenous people at TRU and in the community.

Phillips has been accused of sexual harassment of female servers and misogynistic references to women.

KTW interviewed many of the complainants over a period of several months in 2021. None of the allegations in the complaint have been proven as the university’s investigation into the matter continued.

The investigation was originally scheduled to

be wrapped up by March 31, 2022. That date was scrapped, however, after TRU said additional witnesses needed to be interviewed before the report could be completed.

TRU communications spokesperson Michelle Nordstrom told KTW

investigators delivered their report to a subcommittee of TRU’s board of governors on Dec. 21.

In a statement, Marilyn McLean, chair of both the TRU board of governors chair and the subcommittee, said the report is covered by provisions in B.C.’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, and is being reviewed by outside counsel to determine what portions must be redacted to protect the privacy of those identified in the report.

McLean said the winter break has caused some delays to the review, adding that it is likely TRU will be able to share some portions of the report.

MATT MILOVICK

LARRY PHILLIPS

TRHD sets provisional budget, chair

HOSPITAL BOARD WILL REVIEW FUNDING REQUESTS AT JANUARY MEETING

MICHAEL POTESTIO STAFF REPORTER michael@kamloopsthisweek.com

Kamloops city councillor Mike O’Reilly has been acclaimed as chair of the Thompson Regional Hospital District (TRHD), which approved a provisional budget of approximately $32 million for the upcoming fiscal year at its inaugural meeting.

The Hospital District Act requires hospital boards adopt a provisional budget ahead of their annual budget to ensure staff have anticipated spending limits based on the previous year’s numbers. ThompsonNicola Regional District (TNRD) staff will bring forward a more comprehensive draft budget to the hospital board’s review at its meeting later this month. The hospital tax rate is not based on the provisional budget.

The capital reserve balance at the end of the 2022 fiscal year, which ends in March, is expected to be $32.6 million and has been drawn down over the last few years due to the construction of the Patient Care Tower at Royal Inland Hospital, a TNRD staff report stated.

Also during the Dec. 15 inaugural meeting, staff from Interior Health presented the hospital board with its annual funding request for equipment expenditures under $100,000 for the current fiscal year.

This is a list of items that have been purchased or in process of being purchased, with 69 items totalling $940,256.

The list includes 53 items for health facilities in Kamloops, 47 of which are for Royal Inland Hospital specifically, including a pair ventilators, gastroscopes and a freezer.

In addition to Kamloops, the list includes equipment for health facilities in Ashcroft, Barriere, Chase, Clearwater, Lilooet and Merritt.

Bylaw consideration from the board for the nearly million dollar funding request is expected to occur at the TRHD meeting later this month on Jan. 20.

Meanwhile, in his address to the board at its inaugural meeting on Dec. 15,

O’Reilly made note of the fact non-band, on-reserve residents in the Kamloops area not paying hospital taxes.

“One thing that is not lost on me is that as we go through our capital requests our friends at Sun Rivers and Siena Ridge are not paying into the hospital tax for the regional district to the tune of $250,000 a year,” O’Reilly said.

O’Reilly said the board needs to strive for equal taxation for these non-paying neighbourhoods to be the same as the level of service Interior Health provides to those residents.

In June 2021, the hospital district board asked Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc to collect taxes from those residents, living in developments like Sun Rivers, Siena Ridge and Silver Sage and G&M trailer parks, but the band declined the request.

Last March 2022, the hospital district board amended its capital budget bylaw to reduce funding to Interior Health by $270,000 in order to account for on-reserve residents who do not pay hospital district taxes.

The TRHD is made up of the 27 board members of the TNRD and four other directors from other regional districts and its purpose is to approve funding for Interior Health capital projects and equipment.

MUG SHOTS OF THE WEEK

ANDERSON, JOADTH

| Eyes: Brown Wanted for: Fail to Comply with Probation Order

MIKE O’REILLY TNHD CHAIR

Kamloops This Week is a politically independent newspaper, published Wednesdays at 1365-B Dalhousie Dr., Kamloops, B.C., V2C 5P6 Phone: 250-374-7467 | Fax: 250-374-1033 email: editor@kamloopsthisweek.com

Building a solid city council team OPINION

This past Tuesday, council met again with a facilitator to continue our team building.

We have had a few sessions because with more than half of council being new, the learning curve is pretty steep — and the workload is about to ramp up.

Later this month, we will meet to create our strategic plan, a process that will set the high-level goals for the term. We will also start to dive deeper into the budget process.

While some may be wondering about this council’s solidarity, given recent media headlines, this new council is already a strong team learning to work together.

As one of the three incumbents, I must say how delighted I am to

see new councillors stepping up from our first gathering together, asking questions, expressing their views and working with staff to keep building our community.

There isn’t a single councillor just sitting quietly and not contributing at all. It is a good, strong council ready to do the work.

You will be hearing a lot from this council. We want you to be involved as we finalize our budget. We already know many aren’t happy with the preliminary property tax rate, but we need to hear more than just “it is simply too high.”

We need to hear what services you think should be reviewed, changed or cut to lower the rate.

We also need to explain that the cost of everything needed to run the city has risen, just as it has increased in households.

You will have plenty of opportunities to provide input. There will

be public meetings focused on the budget. Our Let’s Talk website will provide a link to send comments and suggestions. You can contact council directly by email at citycouncil@kamloops.ca or find our individual emails and phone numbers online at kamloops.ca.

Communication with you will be important going forward. Barring another pandemic-related lockdown, councillors can finally get out to talk with you, listen to you, answer questions or ask our own of you.

Pre-pandemic, I was attending several neighbourhood association meetings to hear from people.

Don’t be surprised to see some of my councillor colleagues showing up, as well. One reality we all

agreed on almost immediately was our need to not only be your representatives at city hall, but to be able to explain to you the realities of municipal government.

The incredibly low voter turnout in the Oct. 15 civic election shows the disconnect between understanding how crucial city government is to you and taking the time to vote.

We councillors are excited to get things going forward — and, with your help, we will definitely buff up our Kamloops shine.

Dale Bass is a Kamloops councillor. Her email address is dbass@ kamloops.ca. Kamloops council columns appear monthly in KTW and online at kamloopsthisweek.com.

A shocking war disclosure by Prince Harry

“In the age of Apaches and laptops, everything I did in the course of two combat tours was recorded, time-stamped. I could always say precisely how many enemy combatants I’d killed. And I felt it vital never to shy away from that number. So, my number — 25. It wasn’t a number that gave me any satisfaction. But neither was it a number that made me feel ashamed.”

That was Prince Harry fulfilling his contractual obligation to spill his guts in his new book Spare. I was shocked by what he said — not by what he did, but by the fact he put a number on it.

I have been in close contact with the military world for much of my life, as a naval officer, as an academic, as a journalist and as a documentary filmmaker. I have interviewed at least a hundred veterans about their experiences in war and none of them ever mentioned how

GWYNNE DYER World View

many people they had killed. Well, almost none. There is no formal ban on talking about your kill count, but it’s in extremely bad taste. As retired Col. Tim Collins, formerly of the British Army, put it: “Harry has badly let the side down. We don’t do notches on the rifle butt.”

Rear Admiral Chris Parry, ex-Royal Navy officer, said: “Over 35 years of service, I’ve never heard anybody in the armed forces say what their score is. I think it’s highly unusual and I think, if we’re going to be kind, it must be the ghostwriter who has put these words into Harry’s mouth.”

Probably, but Harry must have had a final veto on the content.

The whole business of soldiering, when you get down to basics, is efficient killing, yet that is the one and only aspect of their profession soldiers will not talk about. I don’t think they are ashamed of it, but that’s not what they were brought up to do. Nobody was.

Many years ago, I interviewed William Manchester, an American writer who fought as a Marine in the Pacific in the Second World War. He told me about the first time he killed a man.

“I was utterly terrified, petrified, but I knew there had to be a Japanese sniper in a small fishing shack near the shore ... And there was nobody else to go and so I ran towards the shack and broke in. I was absolutely gripped by the fear that this man would expect me and would shoot me, but it turned out he was in a sniper harness and he couldn’t turn around fast enough. He was entangled in the harness, so I shot him with a .45 and I felt remorse and

shame. I can remember whispering foolishly, ‘I’m sorry’ and then just throwing up ... I threw up all over myself. It was a betrayal of what I’d been taught since a child.”

While soldiers will talk about other aspects of battle quite frankly, at least among themselves, only a few misfits would ever mention how many people they have killed.

Insert a little distance into the equation, however, and everything changes. Fighter pilots are happy to talk about their kills and even have a system where five kills makes you an “ace.” An infantryman who talked like that would be viewed as a head-case.

Perhaps this can be Harry’s excuse. He was flying a helicopter gunship and viewing the results on a screen. The distance between him and the men he killed wasn’t very great, but in practical terms, his insulation from reality was almost total.

to limit letters to a maximum word count of 300. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.

Editor:

There are not enough of level 3 electric vehicle chargers available in Kamloops. We have one, a public BC Hydro charger, for a city of 100,000 people.

Vernon has approximately half the population of Kamloops, yet that city has a trio of level 3 chargers — a BC Hydro charger and two Fortis chargers.

I’m fully aware there are several other public electric vehicle chargers in Kamloops, but they are level 2, which in real life means a person would have to leave their vehicle plugged in for at least eight hours, which is not realistic.

I’m also fully aware there are literally banks of Tesla electric vehicle chargers in several different parts of Kamloops, but not everyone can afford to buy a Tesla — and Tesla chargers don’t allow access to other brands of electric vehicles. Unlike in Europe, the federal government has not mandated that Tesla chargers accommodate other brands of electric vehicles.

There are a few other private level 3 chargers in Kamloops, such as the ones at Canadian Tire, but at a considerably higher cost per kilowatt.

If the City of Kamloops is actually serious about encouraging drivers to switch to all-electric vehicles, I sure don’t see any move to make it happen.

There’s still no requirement in place to include one or two electric vehicle chargers in building permits for high-density development. There would be no need to put in one charger for each vehicle, as one or two for each 15 units would work just fine. After all, a level 3 charger takes only about 45 minutes per vehicle.

I not only care about climate change, but I also know that electric vehicles have other low carbon footprint benefits. There’s virtually no maintenance costs, no oil changes are required and the vehicles are totally fun to drive.

Heide Neighbor Kamloops

HEALTH CANADA: NO DESTRUCTION REQUIRED

Jim Dobrovolny and Gallant

“We were told that the first crop was grown with out [sic] proper documentation in place and that the government came and destroyed the crop,” the claim states.

“We were also told that a second crop was grown and that they were taking the crop off and that payment would be made as soon as funds were gathered from the sale of the crop. To date, we have not received any payments and we have not received any communication from Ryan Scorgie on his payment due on his account since an email sent to Bryan [owner], October 29th, 2021, explaining that when payment was made for the crop he would settle his bill.”

The explanation is different from one provided in response to an earlier notice of claim by Gallant Trucking, which stated the company was told the crop was lost due to frost.

Federal online records of authorized licensed cultivators, processors and sellers under the Cannabis Act show Country Blaze Growers Inc. was initially licensed on April 23, 2021. Work, meanwhile, was conducted in the summer of 2020, before the farm was licensed.

Scorgie told KTW licensing includes submission of plant genetics, which essentially means plants are included in the package to Health Canada. He said plants grown in 2020 were part of the licence.

Scorgie said work was done in advance of licensing because it is required to apply for a licence as part of government regulations to legalize black market cannabis, noting growers cannot bring in additional genetics in the future and only get one declaration opportunity.

Most licenses, Scorgie said, are for indoor facilities, which can grow plants year-round. Outdoor growers, however, can only keep

plants alive during growing season.

“We got a destruction order from Health Canada for the 2020 crop,” Scorgie said. “Where every single problem has come from with Country Blaze was due to the delay in licensing with Health Canada, which they blamed on staff working from home due to COVID, or during COVID.”

Scorgie said the crop “got destroyed.”

Health Canada, however, has a different story. In a statement to KTW, senior media relations advisor Tammy Jarbeau said: “Health Canada is not aware of any crop destruction at this location. Health Canada did not require the destruction of crops or material associated with the above

mentioned licences or licence applications. The cultivation of industrial hemp and cannabis can only begin once a licence is issued at a site as per the Cannabis Act, the Cannabis Regulations and the Industrial Hemp Regulations.”

Scorgie said he didn’t know why Health Canada was saying something different, noting it was his “understanding” that Health Canada ordered the crop destruction.

Asked to provide evidence to KTW of the ordered destruction, Scorgie replied by email, stating: “I reviewed our records and you were correct. Health Canada did not issue a destruction order. They stated we must be in compliance with the Cannabis act and during the license review they asked us to

provide them with our destruction records.”

Scorgie was again asked to provide KTW with the destruction records.

“Yes we had to provide them with destruction records,” he replied by email. “And we have copies of all of the records. We do not wish to share this information as it is not info that needs to be in the paper.”

KTW went back to Health Canada for clarification.

“In response to your followup question, Health Canada did not request or require that the applicant [Country Blaze] destroy plants, nor did the Department request a record of destruction,” Jarbeau said.

“As part of the licensing review process, all applicants are asked to demonstrate they have a process in place to destroy waste cannabis. This includes demonstrating a way of keeping records of destruction.”

Kamloops This Week obtained an investor package for Country Blaze Growers dated March 2020. It showed anticipated gross profits in 2020 to be $14.55 million.

Asked if those numbers could be and were realized in 2020, Scorgie said: “No. No. Why do you think people called you?”

Nor was money recuperated in 2021, Scorgie said, when the farm was licensed and another crop was planted, due to processor issues. He said the 2021 crop is in storage and work continues to obtain a new processor. He said the company has not made any money and no crop was planted in 2022.

It is not clear how much money is owed to vendors, as Scorgie would not specify a number, instead alluding to a “large outstanding amount” owed by Country Blaze.

Delta Irrigation owner

Trucking owner Steve Smith told KTW they are still owed money from Country Blaze.

“Not at all,” Dobrovolny said, when asked if he has been paid since the lawsuit. “He ignored us. He ignored us completely. We even offered. We offered to settle, even gave him what he was asking for just so that we could recoup our cost and he ignored us.”

Smith said he won in small claims court. but has not received compensation. He said he heard Country Blaze had shuttered. Scorgie, however, said the company did not operate in 2022, but it is not in receivership or bankruptcy.

“Not yet. We’ve so far worked with all our creditors, even ones where there’s litigation,” Scorgie said. “You want to pay back creditors, obviously, so we’re trying to make that happen.”

Investors were solicited and Dobrovolny suggested “there’s a lot of them out there.” The 2020 investor presentation obtained by KTW showed a total of 25,000 shares, with a share value of up to $5 million, would be offered, though it is not clear how much was actually sold or invested.

The assessed value of the company was stated to be $11 million as of Feb. 18, 2020. The minimum investment was stated to be $100,000. Scorgie would not specify who invested or how much was invested in the company.

“Yes, we have investors,” he said. “I’m not able to disclose any of the investors or who they are. But it’s a risk, like any investment, and it’s a risk in agriculture and there are challenges — some foreseen and some not. So we’ve been looking at how to recover.”

The investor package for Country Blaze Growers pitched potential investors to: “Join in on the sustainable agriculture revolution and make a difference, while making a significant profit.”

One in a number of claims made against Country Blaze for alleged nonpayment for services rendered.

Cannabis market remains in flux

JESSICA WALLACE STAFF REPORTER jessica@kamloopsthisweek.com

Thompson Rivers University business professor Paul Clark has researched cannabis consumption and said the cannabis industry has not panned out to what a lot of people thought it would be upon legalization in the fall of 2018.

He said there was an oversupply of product and consumption did not meet expectations. Clark said suppliers “overcommitted,” pointing to Aurora Cannabis’ decision last spring to close its large farm in Westwold.

“They were too positive about the industry outlook,” Clark said.

He said the black market and grey market cannabis users did move to purchasing from licensed cannabis retailers.

However, Clark added, despite that, there was not a massive consumption increase or spike in new consumers.

Some reasons may be

because cannabis was already easily accessible in Canada, meaning those who wanted it could already get it, or regulations on marketing has inhibited luring in new users.

Clark said his research has suggested there is still stigma

attached to cannabis use.

“It still hasn’t gained social acceptance, it seems,” he said.

Clark pointed to legalization day — Oct. 17, 2018 — as an “uneventful and anticlimactic event” in Canada, despite concerns in advance about driving

under the influence and access of the products by children.

Prior to legalization, some on Kamloops council expressed concerns that residents would be smoking cannabis on sidewalks and debated the potential need for a bylaw to ban pot smoking on sidewalks. Those concerns never materialized.

Clark said new industries go through an explosion of entrepreneurial activity before growing and maturing, with fewer suppliers and consolidation. At one time, he said, there were hundreds of car companies and now there are fewer than a dozen in the United States.

Clark added that plans to export cannabis outside of Canada have not materialized and pointed to the United States market as one that has not opened up.

He said additional licensing requirements would be required, including not only an export licence, but also an import license from the destination country.

Country Blaze never realized expected profits

From A12

The investor package stated the company, established in 2016, would offer “premium-grade certified organic medical cannabis to medical retailers across North America and Europe” and become leaders in sustainable cannabis.

The target customers were those seeking premium-grade medical cannabis and it touted messaging around the product being sustainable, organic, having a positive environmental impact, quality and luxury.

The presentation also stated Country Blaze Growers would be submitting its package for outdoor cultivation to Health Canada for the 2020 growing season, noting it had cleared “critical” application review intake requirements in 2019. The presentation also noted the first harvest was anticipated in autumn of 2020.

Scorgie insists he did not jump the gun.

“Normally, when we applied for our

licence, the review period had been taking 30 to 60 days,” he said. “So we applied for our license in May, the end of May of 2020, and we got our licence in April of 2021.”

Health Canada would not comment on the specifics of the licence application, but noted service standards of 30 days for screening new commercial cannabis applications and 80 days for review. It noted time the application is with the applicant is not counted toward those numbers.

Before a licence is issued, Health Canada said, assessment is required of physical security measures at the site, the process that will be used for the building and the equipment to help ensure the cannabis meets quality standards, security profiles of key personnel, record tracking information and more.

The March 2020 investor presentation noted the company generated $1.8 million in start-up capital, allocated to facility design,

engineering and construction preparation. It appears to have sought further investment, forecasting annual returns of up to 40 per cent.

The presentation showed the company anticipated it would produce 291 kilograms of cannabis per acre on 25 acres and sell at $2,000 per kilogram for $14.55 million in gross profits in 2020. That number was expected to rise with higher production in subsequent years, with up to $20.3 million in gross profits in 2022.

Dobrovolny pointed to Aurora Cannabis reportedly closing down its outdoor cannabis farm in Westwold. He suggested the underground cannabis market remains strong, despite an era of legalization.

“This cannabis thing is really not what it’s cracked up to be,” he said.

Kamloops This Week reached out to Percy Folkard for comment, but did not receive a reply.

In the spring of 2022, Aurora Cannabis closed its 200-acre cannabis farm in Westwold. It was believed to have been the largest such farm in Canada.

AURORA CANNABIS PHOTO

Emergency operation centres to reopen at RIH

EOCS CONSIST OF EXPERTS WHO WORK TOGETHER TO CO-ORDINATE RESPONSES. THEY WERE LAST OPENED DURING THE OMICRON VARIANT OUTBREAK ONE YEAR AGO THIS MONTH

Beginning Monday, Jan. 9, emergency operation centres (EOCs) will be reactivated in 20 hospitals in B.C., including Royal Inland in Kamloops.

Emergency operations centres are activated during health emergencies and have been used during the current COVID-19 pandemic. The EOCs consist of experts who work together to coordinate responses. They were last opened during the Omicron variant outbreak a year ago this month.

At a press conference on Friday, Jan. 6, Health Minister Adrian Dix said health officials at EOCs will review hospital bed availability and identify solutions to ease emergency department congestion.

“These actions increase patient

flow so that the most vulnerable patients, including those who need critical care, get the care they need,” Dix said.

Dix said activating EOCs is intended to provide enhanced supports and a coordinated response during periods of expected additional pressure for hospitals. He said they ensure people have continued quality access to hospital care, noting people who require ongoing hospital care will continue to receive it.

The province has also used the centres during wildfire and extreme weather events, including the recent extreme cold weather and snowstorms.

The EOCs will be in place for a minimum of six weeks, with those in charge reviewing hospital bed availability and identifying solutions to ease emergency department congestion.

In addition, EOCs enable staff to support patients who are ready to be discharged from hospital, helping them to transition in a safe way. Resources will be available seven days a week.

Over the next two weeks, through the EOC structures, health authorities will reduce overall hospital occupancy and ensure emergency departments have available beds for acutely ill patients.

Dix said hospitals are dealing with an unprecedented increase in demand following the holiday period and urged British Columbians to support the health-care system by getting vaccinated against influenza and COVID-19 and staying home when they’re sick.

“We’re doing more surgeries, more diagnostic tests, more primary care vis-

its than ever before,” Dix said.

“But the impact of the pandemic, the overdose public health emergency, the impact of these things continues to be profound, not just directly in terms of COVID-19 cases, but in the impact they’ve had on the entire community.”

On Thursday, Dix said hospitals haven’t yet seen the bump in COVID-19 infections that have been recorded after previous holidays during the pandemic, but noted the health system is still feeling the strain of respiratory illnesses.

He said the combination of COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses in the height of winter will make for challenges in the weeks ahead.

Meanwhile, the BC Centre for Disease Control confirmed on Thursday that at least 12 cases

of Kraken, a new subvariant of the Omicron strain of the virus that causes COVID-19, have been recorded in B.C. However, Dix said the actual number of cases circulating among the population would be higher.

The Kraken variant, officially known as XBB.1.5 is highly transmissible, though it is not yet known if the severity of illness associated with it is any greater than previous strains.

ADVICE FROM THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH

People with life-threatening symptoms should go to their hospital emergency department. Those with non-emergency health concerns can visit their care provider or a walk-in clinic. People who need urgent, same-day care can contact an urgent and primary care centre. If unsure, call 811 for advice or visit healthlinkbc.ca.

If you’re among BC’s approximately 2 million property owners, you should receive your 2023 property assessment in the mail early in January If you haven’t, call us toll-free at 1-866-valueBC

Access and compare property assessment information using our free assessment search service at bcassessment ca

The 2023 assessments are based on market value as of July 1, 2022.

If you have questions or want more information, contact us at 1-866-valueBC or online at bcassessment ca

For more property information and assessment highlights, visit bcassessment ca

The deadline to file an appeal for your assessment is January 31, 2023.

Hundreds of properties now under fire protection agreement in Monte Creek

THE PUSH FOR A FIRE HALL IN MONTE CREEK CAME IN THE WAKE OF FATAL HOUSE FIRE ON JUNE 8, 2021

MICHAEL POTESTIO STAFF REPORTER michael@kamloopsthisweek.com

Structural fire protection service is now available to residents of the Monte Creek area, the Thompson-Nicola Regional District (TNRD) has announced.

The new service came into effect back on Jan. 1 for 356 properties in Monte Creek, Del Oro, Lafarge and the east end of Barnhartvale, the TNRD said in a press release.

Residents within the structural fire protection area approved the new service by referendum in May 2022, with 72 per cent in favour (142 in favour and 54 votes against).

The vote for the new fire department includes construction of a new fire hall, purchase of a fire truck, purchase of firefighting equipment and recruitment of volunteer firefighters.

A maximum annual tax requisition of $289,000, or $1.0982/$1,000 of net taxable value of land and improvements, whichever is greater, was approved as was authorizing the TNRD to borrow an amount not to exceed $1,250,000 for the purpose of constructing a fire hall and purchasing firefighting apparatus and equipment for the Monte Creek Fire Protection Service.

For now, fire protection service

for the Monte Creek area is being temporarily provided via the Pritchard Fire Department, which is located further east compared to where the permanent Monte Creek Fire Hall will be located.

Recruitment for the Monte Creek Fire Department began last summer, and 17 recruits are currently in training to become certified exterior-level firefighters by mid-2023.

“We have been impressed with the response by people in the Monte Creek area who have joined their local fire department. We want to thank residents for stepping into this role, and we all look forward to the establishment of their new fire department,” Jason Tomlin, TNRD manager of fire protection services said in the release.

Once training is complete, members of the Monte Creek Fire Department will respond to calls out of Pritchard’s fire hall, alongside Pritchard Fire Department members, until construction of the Monte Creek fire hall is finished.

Design work for the new Monte Creek facility is currently underway, and the fire hall is planned to be built at 1215 Hook Rd., in a central location of Monte Creek with convenient highway access.

The push for a fire hall

in Monte Creek came in the wake of a fatal house fire on June 8, 2021.

The fire occurred on property that had previously been offered up as a donation for the purpose of building a fire hall to serve the area by its late owner Ed Herman who died in the fire.

“Ed’s wife, Linda, has upheld the donation offer. The TNRD appreciates this contribution made by the Herman family,” the TNRD said in a press release.

Following the 2021 blaze, residents expressed concern about fire protection in the area, which is located outside the city boundaries of east Kamloops.

Without fire protection, property owners are at the behest of nearby fire departments and are required to request service in times of emergency, hoping enough resources are available for help from a neighbour.

Week has over 300 local youth, adults

Flames engulf a house at 1257 Hook Rd. east of Kamloops on June 8, 2021. One person died in the blaze.

JAMES DYLAN SANFORD IS ACCUSED OF STABBING 33-YEAR-OLD DANIEL THOMAS MYLES TO DEATH

KAMLOOPS

A Kamloops man is expected to stand trial this week for a 2020 homicide in downtown Kamloops.

James Dylan Sanford is accused of stabbing 33-yearold Daniel Thomas Myles to death more than two years ago on Sept. 12, 2020, near the Canada’s Best Value Inn (formerly the Acadian Inn) in the 1300-block of Columbia Street in downtown Kamloops.

Police were called to the 1300-block of Columbia Street at 6:30 a.m. that day, where the victim was found with serious injuries.

He was tended to by paramedics and taken to Royal Inland Hospital, where he died. He had been stabbed in the chest.

Mounties said the stabbing was preceded by an altercation in the parking lot of the Acadian Motor Inn.

Former Kamloops RCMP Staff Sgt. Simon Pillay said at the time the victim was dealing wth criminal charges that were before the court and was under release conditions that included no-contact conditions, including not to be at the Acadian Motor Inn, where he was stabbed.

JAMES DYLAN SANFORD

At the time Sanford had been dealing with drug charges dating back to 2018, for which he received a conditional sentence order this past June.

Pillay said Sanford and the victim knew each other.

“This event can best be described as an ongoing conflict between associates, which, unfortunately, culminated with a murder,” Pillay said.

According to online court documents 20 days have been set aside for the trial, which is proceeding by judge and jury.

Sanford had been on bail and was sentenced in June to house arrest ahead of this trial.

KAMLOOPS MOUNTIES NOT AT FAULT FOR OCTOBER HIGHWAY CRASH

The Kamloops RCMP has been cleared by the Independent Investigations Office of BC (IIOBC) of any wrongdoing in connection with a crash on Highway 1 near Chase this past October.

On Oct. 16, 2022 Kamloops RCMP was contacted by a person who had concerns about a man who was planning to drive to Calgary.

The caller expressed doubt about the man’s ability to do so safely.

The man who called police said the driver in question was waiting at the caller’s location and available to speak to officers before departing for Alberta.

The IIOBC said the non-police call-takers issued an alert to police to be on the lookout for the car in question.

Operational issues, however, caused a 42-minute delay in dispatching information about the potential inability of the

man to drive safely and in sharing that he was waiting to speak to police.

The IIOBC said the man waited for approximately 30 minutes from the time of the call before departing the caller’s location.

A few hours later, he was involved in a collision with an oncoming vehicle on Highway 1 near Chase.

The man was seriously injured and airlifted to hospital for treatment. The occupants of the other vehicle were also injured.

Ronald MacDonald, the Independent Investigations Office of BC’s chief civilian director, has reviewed the records and evidence and determined that, given the delay in the dispatch of information to police, the collision cannot be said to be the result of the actions or inactions of an officer.

The Independent Investigations Office of BC is a civilian-led police oversight agency.

It is responsible for conducting investigations into incidents of death or serious harm that may have been the result of the actions or inactions of a police officer, whether on or off duty.

DRUGS, WEAPONS AND CASH SEIZED IN KAMLOOPS TRAFFIC STOP

A traffic stop on New Year’s Eve yielded police street drugs, cash and weapons.

Kamloops RCMP officers were patrolling in the 600-block of Duncan Avenue in North Kamloops at about 8 p.m. on Dec. 31 when they saw a man with ties to the drug trade leave a home and depart in an idling vehicle outside.

The house is within shouting distance of the Kamloops RCMP North Shore community policing station on Seventh Street.

The traffic stop led to police seizing brass knuckles, a loaded 9-mm handgun, more than $5,000 in cash and upwards of 400 grams of suspected fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine and codeine.

“Keeping these drugs and weapons off the streets of our community will have an immeasurable impact, but has likely saved lives,” Supt. Jeff Pelley said in a release.

“We will continue to identify and proactively target those connected to the drug trade in Kamloops in our efforts to keep our community safe.”

The investigation continues and no charges have yet been laid.

Tár January 13 at 6:30pm, 14 at 2:30pm, 20, 21 & 27 at 6:30pm Co-presented with

NY Cat Film Festival January 28 at 6:30pm

10% of every ticket sold goes to the local SPCA!!

THISWEEK

BRIEFS

Investigation into improper direction of security company clears mayor of wrongdoings

MICHAEL POTESTIO STAFF REPORTER michael@kamloopsthisweek.com

An investigation into wrongdoings by new Kamloops Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson has wrapped, concluding he did not act with any intent to gain an unfair advantage when he directed a city-contracted security company to park near his West Victoria Street business last November.

City of Kamloops Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) David Trawin had been looking into an accusation that the mayor directed Neptune Security, which is contracted by the municipality to patrol Victoria Street West.

Trawin told KTW he received an email, forwarded to him by staff, from Neptune Security stating that on three occasions in November, Hamer-Jackson instructed security guards to

move their vehicle close to his business, TRU Auto Market, at 260 Victoria St. W, and to monitor the location.

Trawin said he launched an investigation upon receiving the email and was obligated, as the CAO, to seek direction from council and the city’s solicitor on how to proceed. At issue was whether the mayor’s actions could be constituted an abuse of

power and/or a conflict of interest.

Trawin told KTW that upon reviewing the email, conducting myriad interviews, including with Hamer-Jackson, he doesn’t believe Hamer-Jackson felt he was acting in his capacity as mayor nor was seeking an advantage to his business in his direction of the security company.

“I truly believe the mayor thought he was acting no different than he did when he was a private citizen,” Trawin told KTW

“I hope he’s learned and I think he’s realizing that when he does stuff and he says stuff he is the mayor of the City of Kamloops and people look at it that way.”

According to Hamer-Jackson, he was reacting to concerns expressed by area business and property owners in his direction of Neptune security guards. The

mayor’s personal lawyer, David McMillan, told KTW there was no impropriety on the mayor’s part, noting Hamer-Jackson no longer carries on regular operations of his auto dealership, and has been attempting to co-ordinate security services along that route as a private citizen since before he was elected.

Trawin said he relayed his thoughts to the rest of council, which indicated to him they were comfortable to move forward.

“I just think he was Reid Hamer-Jackson saying ‘hey, instead of parking over there at the end of the street why don’t you park in the middle of the street, for example near my property, where you can see where all the issues are,’” Trawin said.

Trawin said he believes the mayor is starting to realize the fact that his role doesn’t involve

Which is Best Now ? GICs or Bonds?

202 2 was a tough year for many investors Not just stock markets, but bond markets had their worst year in over 40 years In an effor t to combat high inflation, the U S Federal Reser ve (Fed) aggressively raised their polic y rate from 0.0% to 4 25% which caused bond prices to drop This has been one of the fastest interest rate increases we have seen According to Morningstar, the F TSE Canada Universe Bond Index , which tracks investment grade government and corporate bonds, was down -11.7% in 202 2 .

On a positive note, higher interest rates have made Guaranteed Investment Cer tificates (GICs) more enticing This has left some investors questioning if they should dump their bonds for GICs. Bonds are publicly traded instruments that can easily be bought and sold, whereas non-redeemable GICs must be held until maturit y An argument can be made that GICs are more secure since they include Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation (CDIC) coverage, which provides additional protection in the event of a bankruptc y, but is limited to $100,000 per financial institution. When considering bonds or GICs, investors should pay attention to yields, creditwor thiness, taxation, and liquidit y

Bonds are Looking Cheap

Typically, bonds are issued at “par ” which is $100 and promise to pay a “coupon” until they mature As interest rates increase, an existing bond issued at a lower rate will trade at a discount to compensate a prospective buyer Currently, several bonds are trading at a discount around $90-$95. Once these bonds mature, investors will earn a capital gain of $5-$10 because the bond pays out at par In addition, they will also clip the coupons

Bonds Offer Tax Advantages

Tax is a key consideration in evaluating your actual returns In non-registered accounts, GIC returns are categorized as interest and taxed at an individual’s marginal rate - in B C it is t ypically between 20%-54 %. On the other hand, yields or total returns for bonds include the coupon (interest payments) plus bond price appreciation, and it ’s this price appreciation that ’s categorized as a capital gain (or loss). Only half of the capital gains are taxed To illustrate hypothetically, we’ve compared a 1-Year GIC with a 1-year corporate bond trading at a

directing staff or contractors, but to set policy and high-level guidance.

He also noted every mayor of Kamloops since he’s worked at the municipality, dating back to Terry Lake in 2006, has had some experience on city council before taking on the mayor’s chair, so there’s a larger learning curve to be expected with Hamer-Jackson, who is making his first political foray at any level.

“There’s a lot to learn and they’re [council] all very keen and want to get going, and some of those [procedures] needs to happen, and I can understand that because his [HamerJackson’s] personality is one of let’s get that done, and I’m not saying that’s bad, I’m just saying it’s all of council that needs to put things forward and direct staff and prioritize what the next four years is going to look like,” Trawin said.

The overall 5.00% yield to maturit y for this bond is comprised of 2 .3% from coupon payments and 2 .7% from the bond appreciating from $97 31 to par of $100 Price increases are taxed as capital gains and lead to a higher after-tax return relative to a GIC with a similar yield and term Rates are nearing their peak

In December 202 2 , both the Bank of Canada and US Fed mentioned they are near peak interest rates Currently, the “ yield cur ve” is inver ted which means shor t-term rates exceed longer-term This suggests that governments may need to lower interest rates to help spur economic grow th As rates drop, the value of bonds tend to rise and could quickly surpass GIC returns

We believe that an allocation to bonds presents an oppor tunit y we have not seen in over a decade Fur thermore, fixed income can help to provide diversification benefits, reduce overall por tfolio volatilit y and preser ve capital over the long term. While it has been a tough ride for bond investors, we feel that brighter skies are on the horizon and patience will be rewarded.

by Eric Davis

Invest Well. Live Well.

Written

MAYOR REID HAMER-JACKSON

Historic Northbridge Hotel set for demolition

THE CITY INTENDS TO DEMOLISH THE VACANT HOTEL IN THE EARLY PART OF 2023

THISWEEK

The longstanding Northbridge Hotel along Tranquille Road is slated for demolition following a city council decision late last year.

In a news release issued Monday afternoon, the City of Kamloops stated the hotel, which it purchased for redevelopment for $7.15 million — $4 million above assessed value — will be torn down in a bid to make the property more attractive to prospective buyers.

Council voted unanimously during a closed council meeting on Dec. 13, 2022 to tear down the hotel at 377 Tranquille Rd. in North Kamloops which has been a prominent fixture of the Tranquille Corridor since the 1950s.

In addition to attempt to appeal to a broader development market, the city opted to demolish the building to decrease liability associated with the vacant building, and improve the safety and general aesthetic of the area, the release said.

The demolition is expected to take place in early 2023.

City staff are now in the process of drafting a request for proposal for the property’s redevelopment, the municipal press release stated.

According to the city, all 54 tenants living in 51 rooms of the hotel have now been moved out and rehoused.

ASK Wellness, which at one point was managing the building, and BC Housing

worked to help find alternative housing for the tenants, with many tenants rehoused with local non-profit housing providers or in market accommodations, according top the release.

“The demolition of this building is positive change for this area,” deputy mayor Dale Bass said.

“We look forward to realizing the

development potential of this key site to bring more market housing to this neighbourhood.”

The City of Kamloops also purchased 346 Campbell Avenue, a one-acre parcel with a vacant building on it directly behind the hotel, with the intention it will be purchased by BC Housing, which intends to build affordable housing for seniors andf families on that site.

The former hotel and Duchess nightclub fronting Tranquille Road is intended for a market redevelopment opportunity at a future date, the city press release stated.

The city intends to issue a request for proposals for the property’s redevelopment once demolition of the 30,000 square-foot site is complete, outlining specific parameters for the redevelopment to meet community needs.

More details will be provided once the request for proposals has been developed.

The City of Kamloops took out a $7.15 million loan to purchase the two properties back in October 2021 and paid just under the asking price of $7.49 million.

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The city purchased 377 Tranquille Rd. (home to the hotel) and 346 Campbell Ave. ( a one-acre parcel of land behind the hotel that has a vacant building on it).

DAVE EAGLES/KTW FILE

B.C. paramedics union, province agree on tentative new contract

The union representing more than 4,500 paramedics and emergency dispatchers in B.C. and the provincial government have reached a tentative deal on a new contract.

The deal comes after more than nine months of negotiations between the Ambulance Paramedics of BC, its employer BC Emergency Health Services and the province, with the last collective agreement having expired on April 1, 2022.

Details of the potential new deal aren’t being released yet, as it’s now up to members of the union to vote on whether they want to ratify it.

Ambulance Paramedics of BC said in a news release this will happen over the coming weeks. Union president Troy Clifford did say the new deal will acknowledge the unique challenges of the profession.

“Our members and service

have been undervalued for years, making it impossible to keep up with recruitment and retention of highly trained paramedics and dispatchers,” Clifford said.

“This has affected our ability to respond to people in their time of need. We have[n’t] been acknowledged appropriately for a long time, and our service has deteriorated as a result.”

The Health Employers Association of B.C. and the Ambulance Paramedics and Ambulance Dispatchers Bargaining Association said the two sides reached a deal with the help of mediator Vince Ready.

Clifford said while he wasn’t able to go into specifics, it

was no secret they had been focused on recruitment and retention of staff and service delivery, especially in rural and remote parts of B.C.

“I think you can definitely understand that we wouldn’t be coming back if we didn’t feel those issues were dealt with,” Clifford said.

The paramedics’ union, has for years been vocal about staffing challenges. These came in full view as the demands of the COVID-19 pandemic, the toxic drug crisis and the heat dome in the summer of 2021, led to multiple cases of patients waiting too long for ambulances.

The two sides started at the table in October and for the first few months there wasn’t

much progress until early December, he said. After that, they agreed to bring in Ready to help assess negotiations.

“From the 14th of December leading to Christmas, (Ready) really worked us hard to really nail down the issues and move the things off the table that were not meaningful to get to a deal. And then he sent us home over the holidays to really work on how close we can get on those key priority issues, and that’s what happened last week. “We came back and we buckled down and we able to get to the key issues to the point where on Friday, we had a 16 hour day to reach the deal,” Clifford said.

— with files from the Vancouver Sun

A $1-million gift for Royal Inland Hospital

GUY MERCIER DONATES $1 MILLION TO RIH NEONATAL INTENSIVE CARE UNIT

Royal Inland Hospital Foundation announced Wednesday (Jan. 4) a $1 million donation to RIH Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) by local businessman, Guy Mercier.

Mercier has been a supporter of Royal Inland Hospital Foundation for more than 20 years.

A well-known philanthropist in Kamloops, Mercier has supported many organizations such as: BC SPCA, BC Wildlife Park, Kamloops Women’s Shelter, prostate cancer, Thompson Rivers University and local sporting organizations.

Mercier said this gift is close to his heart, as it commemorates his mother, Rita C. Mercier.

Mercier said it is due to her strength, perseverance and tireless dedication to her family and surviving six children that their family remains strong to this day.

Mercier’s parents suffered the loss of

four children all before the age of four, and Mercier felt that naming the new NICU after her was a “beautiful way to honour her memory and strength.”

Access to the same type of neonatal services was not available in their small town of Mont Saint-Pierre, Quebec, at the time.

“Listening to my mother tell the stories of the loss of their newborn daughter and three sons provide a perspective of what many parents go through with a sick baby or toddler,” Guy Mercier said.

Mercier resides in Kamloops and founded

Acres Enterprises Ltd. in 1980.

In 2012, Mercier sold the company to focus on his other passions — real estate development and philanthropy.

Ventures, which would allow Mercier to be part of the planning and building of prosperous neighbourhoods and communities while also donating to causes close to his heart.

During the past 35 years in the construction industry, Mercier focused on many projects that set the groundwork for thriving communities — encouraging

economic development and creating an impact for the betterment of Kamloops and other communities.

“On behalf of the entire Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, we are truly grateful to be the recipient of this wonderful gift, as it allows us to provide optimal family-centred care to our patients and loved ones,” said Dr. Denise Chapple, RIH Chief of Pediatrics.

“This generous contribution will help to fit each private patient room in the NICU with a refrigerator and sleeper chair so that out-of-town parents can enjoy the comforts of home while staying with their newborn babies.”

The new expanded NICU at Royal Inland Hospital includes eight single bassinet rooms and four stabilization bays, giving parents the opportunity to be bedside with an option of an overnight stay with their baby.

The labour and delivery departments are now on the same floor, which keeps mothers receiving postnatal care close to the babies at all times.

“This was one way for my family to impact change,” Mercier said.

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In h i s s p a re ti m e Da n e n j oys a c ti n g go l fi n g c ro s s - co u nt r y a n d d ow n h i l l s k i i n g , a n d m o u nt a i n b i k i n g

DANIEL T. PAT TERSON PARTNER

Guy Mercier (left) with granddaughter Briar, son Justin and daughter Aimee, holding a photo of grandmother Rita C. Mercier at Royal Inland Hospital Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

Here are the most valuable homes in Kamloops and Sun Peaks

TOPPING THE LIST IN KAMLOOPS IS 1490 WESTERDALE

DR., ASSESSED AT $3 MILLION; IN SUN PEAKS, 4137

DOUGLAS CRT. IS ASSESSED AT $5.2 MILLION

The BC Assessment Authority is reporting that the average increase in assessed value for single-family homes is 11 per cent in Kamloops and 44 per cent in Sun Peaks, with some properties in Kamloops surpassing $3 million and others in Sun Peaks cresting the $5-million mark.

BC Assessment released its annual assessments this week, with the valuation of properties tied to what the market values were a half-year ago, on July 1, 2022. The agency has warned that assessed value today may be less than the current market value due to a significant change in the real estate market in the past six months.

Those changes include rising interest rates and lower sales prices.

KTW obtained a list of the top 25 valued properties in Kamloops and Sun Peaks.

In Kamloops, No. 1 on the list is the property at 1490 Westerdale Dr. in Aberdeen, which has topped the city list for the past several years. It is assessed at $3 million.

The home, built in 2002, is a three-storey house with five bedrooms and seven bathrooms, measured at 14,153 square feet on 4.35 acres of land. No sales are listed for the past three years and the previous year’s assessment came in at $2.771 million.

The second spot on the list is 1300 Finlay Ave. in Juniper Ridge, assessed at $2.87 million this year — up $358,000 over last year. The property was last sold for $2.1 million in August 2020.

Third on the list is another Juniper Ridge property. Assessed at $2.745 million, 3080 Kicking Horse Dr. has six bedrooms and five bathrooms and measures 7,536 square feet across two floors on a half-acre of land.

Top neighbourhoods in the city include Juniper Heights, which has six properties on the top 25 list, including two acreages, Dallas, with four single-family homes and one acreage on the list, and Aberdeen, Dufferin and Pineview, a trio counted as one neighbourhood and with one acreage and four single-family homes in the top 25 list.

In Sun Peaks, 4137 Douglas Ct. is the topvalued property, assessed at $5.2 million, followed by 4121 Sundance Dr. at $5 million and 4117 Sundance Dr. at $4.9 million.

THE MOST VALUABLE RESIDENTIAL PROPERTIES IN KAMLOOPS:

1490 Westerdale Dr.: $3,016,000 (Aberdeen)

1300 Finlay Ave.: $2,870,000 (Juniper Ridge)

3080 Kicking Horse Dr.: $2,745,000 (Juniper Ridge)

850 Lorne St.: $2,731,000 (east of downtown)

1000 Fernie Rd.: $2,730,000 (Guerin Creek)

2070 High Forest Pl.: $2,685,000 (Rose Hill)

6404 Chukar Dr.: $2,466,000 (Dallas)

95 Urban Rd.: $2,395,000 (Dallas)

2040 High Forest Pl.: $2,343,000 (Rose Hill)

6282 Chukar Dr.: $2,332,000 (Dallas)

5025 Cammeray Dr.: $2,332,000 (Rayleigh)

2622 Thompson Dr.: $2,327,000 (Valleyview)

2940 Cheakamus Pl.: $2,254,000 (Juniper Ridge)

1525 Kicking Horse Way: $2,238,000 (Juniper Ridge)

888 Cantle Dr.: $2,231,000 (Batchelor Heights)

2158 Crosshill Dr.: $2,226,000 (Aberdeen)

153 Chancellor Dr.: $2,189,000 (Upper Sahali)

1450 Capilano Pl.: $2,185,000 (Juniper Ridge)

6474 Chukar Dr.: $2,180,000 (Dallas)

1771 Cheakamus Dr.: $2,169,000 (Juniper Ridge)

854 Guerin Creek Way: $2,168,000 (Guerin Creek)

1876 Grasslands Blvd.: $2,163,000 (Batchelor Heights)

1580 Lorne St. E: $2,146,000 (east of downtown)

1101 St. Andrews Way: $2,138,000 (Aberdeen)

2055 Glenmohr Dr.: $2,137,000 (Aberdeen)

THE MOST VALUABLE RESIDENTIAL PROPERTIES IN SUN PEAKS: 4137 Douglas Crt.: $5,206,000 4121 Sundance Dr.: $5,067,000 4117 Sundance Dr.: $4,900,000 4141 Douglas Crt.: $4,828,000 4250 Bella Vista Dr.: $4,554,000 4127 Sundance Dr.: $4,150,000 4119 Sundance Dr.: $3,945,000 5345 Lookout Ridge Dr.: $3,897,000

4133 Douglas Crt.: $3,872,000

4257 Bella Vista Dr.: $3,815,000

4202 Bella Vista Dr.: $3,756,000 4209 Bella Vista Dr.: $3,651,000

4253 Bella Vista Dr.: $3,630,000

4143 Douglas Crt.: $3,594,000

4221 Bella Vista Dr.: $3,588,000

4145 Douglas Crt.: $3,536,000 4217 Bella Vista Dr.: $3,513,000

4131 Douglas Crt.: $3,389,000 4213 Bella Vista Dr.: $3,351,000

4111 Sundance Dr.: $3,305,000

4261 Bella Vista Dr.: $3,269,000 5321 Lookout Ridge Dr.: $3,181,000 5437 Lookout Ridge Pl.: $3,063,000 2576 Mountain View Dr.: $3,008,000

Rick Miller returns to Western Canada Theatre with BOOM X

Western Canada Theatre (WCT) is welcoming back to Kamloops, fan favourite, Rick Miller — returning for the second year with the sequel to last year’s hit, BOOM.

Filled with history, music, and personal stories, the 70s, 80s, and 90s will boom to life on stage in BOOM X, written, directed and performed by Rick Miller. It runs from Jan. 19 to Jan. 28 at the Sagebrush Theatre.

Picking up where BOOM left off, at the end of the Baby Boom generation at Woodstock in August of 1969, BOOM X takes audiences on a magical, multimedia journey back to 1995, when the internet first began.

“We’re thrilled to welcome back the profoundly talented Rick Miller for the second year in a row,” said James MacDonald, Western Canada Theatre

artistic director.

“Rick brings us the gifts of an astonishingly talented and versatile performer, and he is also a brilliant writer and storyteller. BOOM X manages that rare double in the theatre: a show that manages to be tremendously entertaining while also engaging our thoughts and our hearts.”

A multi award-winning writer, director, actor, musician, and educator, Rick Miller has been praised as a “one-man show master” by CBC News BOOM X will again showcase his signature style of oneman-show, featuring stunning visuals and mind-blowing impersonations. Miller embodies

over 100 colourful characters from the days of disco, the oil crisis, Watergate, the Cold War, video games, punk rock, the (second) British Invasion, and more — all while bringing real life stories and experiences to life.

The range of Miller’s talent is also featured in the musical performance of 35 generationdefining songs, including: American Woman, Hooked on a Feeling, Kung Fu Fighting, Proud Mary, Staying Alive, Under Pressure, Walk this Way, Whip It, and more.

“If BOOM was the story of my parents’ generation, BOOM X is the story of my own generation, Generation X,” Rick Miller said.

“This is the second in a trilogy of shows designed to tell a bigpicture story — 75 years of history in this corner of our planet. The stories of GenXers give a unique perspective, one that can hopefully build bridges and break

through walls.”

After three years of development, the world premiere was presented at Theatre Calgary in January 2019.

The second in a trilogy of explosive solo shows, BOOM X documents the years of 1970 to 1995 and the people and places that shaped Generation X.

Overall, the BOOM trilogy (BOOM, BOOM X, BOOM YZ) chronicles 75 years of history and collectively documents music, politics and culture from 1945 to the present.

While each show explores a different generation and the events and trends that define them, all three tell personal and historical stories through unforgettable performance, multimedia and the voices of over 300 influential figures and musicians.

For tickets and information, go online to wctlive.ca/boomx.

KAMLOOPS THISWEEK

Writer and performer Rick Miller returns to Kamloops in the Western Canada Theatre production of BOOM X.

Flat tire, doggiedoo among top 10 nuisance calls to 9-1-1

E-Comm, which handles 99 per cent of B.C.’s 9-1-1 call volume at its two emergency communications centres, has released its annual top 10 list of calls that don’t belong on 9-1-1.

E-Comm call taker Mark Kolomejac has responded to many nuisance calls during his time as a police call-taker.

“Nuisance calls never belong on emergency lines, but it’s extremely concerning how often callers know their non-urgent concerns aren’t an appropriate reason to call 9-1-1,” Kolomejac said.

“We regularly get callers stating, ‘I know this isn’t an emergency, but I didn’t know who else to call.’ If you have a flat tire or a broken windshield wiper,

for example, we can’t help you on 9-1-1, but a towing company or roadside assistance will be able to get you the support that you need.”

It can be confusing to know the right resource to reach out to, so E-Comm has a comprehensive list of alternative resources on its website at nonemergency.ca.

E-Comm answered 2,109,440 calls on 9-1-1 in 2022, marking the busiest year in the organization’s history, with a 1.8 per cent increase from 2021.

Of those calls, 98 per cent were answered in five seconds or faster, surpassing both E-Comm’s contracted service level and industry standards for 9-1-1 calls.

However, despite a rise in demand for all emergency services, E-Comm call takers continue to field

nuisance calls on 9-1-1, diverting critical resources from British Columbians in real emergency situations.

TOP 10 NUISANCE CALLS OF 2022:

• The nozzle wasn’t working at the gas station;

• They had a flat tire;

• People were playing basketball on a public court at night time;

• Someone wasn’t picking up after their dog;

• Someone was using their garbage bin;

• Complaining about children drawing with chalk at a playground;

• Their phone was stuck in a bench;

• Looking for an update on a nationwide telco outage;

• Someone called 9-1-1 because they had a broken window wiper;

• Someone cut in line at the car wash.

E-COMM HAS RELEASED A LIST OF CALLS THAT SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN MADE IN 2022

KAMLOOPS THISWEEK

Heather Andrews fields emergency phone calls on behalf of E-Comm.

E-COMM PHOTO

B.C. cuts costs to bring international, retired nurses into the fray

JANE SKRYPNEK BLACK PRESS

B.C. is investing fresh dollars into getting retired nurses back to work and internationally-educated ones into the health-care system.

Premier David Eby announced Monday (Jan. 9) the province is working to reduce both the time and cost it takes for nurses to get registered, in an effort to fill the 5,264 vacancies currently seen across B.C. The largest lump sum is $1.3

million, which will go to expediting the process for internationally-educated nurses (IENs). First announced in September, the fund aims to reduce registration wait times from up to three years to four to nine months. Eby didn’t offer a timeline on that goal, but said the new process will launch by the end of January.

Another major barrier IENs face is the cost of getting licensed in B.C.

Speaking at the news conference Monday, IEN Jennie Arceno

said it cost her $40,000 for all the applications and exams required to become a registered nurse in B.C. Another IEN, Monique Wee, said it cost her $10,000 just to get her license converted. Both women had numerous years of experience under their belts prior to moving to Canada.

B.C. said going forward the province will cover IENs’ initial application and assessment fees, which cost more than $3,700. That’s on top of $12 million announced last April, which was intended to help cover up to $1,600

in individual costs for 1,500 IENs.

B.C. is offering even greater funds to convince B.C. nurses who have left the profession to return. Those nurses can apply for bursaries up to $10,000 to cover the cost of any additional education required to get back to work.

Eby said he believes they’ll have up to 2,000 new nurses working in B.C. in the next 90 days. He said that’s how many are currently making their way through the province’s registration process.

Several thousands more have expressed interest in working in B.C. but haven’t yet started the process, according to Eby. He said he’s hopeful the latest changes will make the difference in their decisions.

The BC Nurses’ Union president, Aman Grewal, expressed some relief at the change. She said she believes it will give nurses who are currently burned out a bit of respite to look forward to.

“I think this gives some hope and that’s what we’ve all been waiting for.”

Pedestrian killed while trying to cross the Halston Connector Campus/community radio station CFBX on the hunt for volunteers

Campus/community radio station CFBX is preparing for its annual winter volunteer drive, taking place between Jan. 9 and Jan. 15.

Anyone interested in working in radio — either on air or behind the scenes — can apply to the station, which broadcasts at 92.5 on the FM band.

CFBX is a volunteer-run and programmed radio station and is always looking for energetic and

creative volunteers to help out on air and off air. Volunteers do not need to be TRU students to get involved.

No experience is needed to get started at the station and volunteers do not need to be TRU students.

CFBX programs a wide variety of music and spoken word programming with a non-commercial focus. Music programming includes folk, roots, country, classical, jazz, funk, blues, punk, metal, hip-hop and electronic.

Spoken word programming ranges from social and political issues to sports and entertainment. In addition, CFBX is especially in need of classical music hosts, hip-hop hosts, First Nations hosts and anyone interested in programming in a language other than English. Anyone interested in getting involved with CFBX can call the station at 250-377-3988, email radio@thex.ca or drop by the station at House 8, behind the Campus Activity Centre on the TRU campus.

KAMLOOPS THISWEEK

A man from Alberta was struck and killed by a car as he attempted to cross the busy Halston Connector on Thursday evening (Jan. 5).

Kamloops RCMP Cpl. Crystal Evelyn said the man, in his 30s, was trying to cross the road just east of Salish Road — near where the two Esso gas stations are located on either side of Halston — when he was struck by a sedan

being driven west on Halston, in the far right lane.

The collision occurred at about 6:30 p.m. and the road was closed for about five hours. Evelyn said the driver of the sedan remained on scene and is co-operating with the investigation.

Police and the BC Coroners Service are investigating.

Anybody with information related to the collision is asked to call Tk’emlúps Rural RCMP at 250-314-1800.

KAMLOOPS THISWEEK

Thief who hid from police in bushes sentenced

A Kamloops woman is spending the next two months behind bars after pleading guilty to a pair of theft charges from last summer.

Shaina Juarez, who is in her early 20s, pleaded guilty to robbery stemming from a July 5,

2022 incident and was sentenced to time served in Kamloops provincial court back on Jan. 4. She received credit for 204 days, calculated at 1.5 days for every day served behind bars in pretrial custody. Juarez was also sentenced to a year on probation.

The Crown stayed a charge of obstructing a police officer during

the incident, which she had also been facing.

Juarez also pleaded guilty on Jan. 4 to charges of theft under $5,000 and resisting arrest dating back to a Sept. 15, 2022 incident in Kamloops. Juarez was handed 60 new days in jail for those offences, as well as one year probation.

Kamloops Mounties reported

back on July 5 officers attended, just after 10 p.m., a store in the 1200-block of Summit Drive, where Juarez had attempted to leave from with unpaid merchandise, then pulled out a knife when an employee tried to stop her.

The 1200-block of Summit Drive is home to stores in the

Construction is under way in your area.

Columbia Place Shopping Centre, which include The Lounge game store, Save-on-Foods and Shoppers Drug Mart, all of which would have been open or about to close at the time of the theft.

Police said they received a description of the suspect and located Juarez hiding in nearby vegetation.

A s construction of the Trans Mountain E xpansion Project progresses , we want y o u t o b e i n f o r m e d a b o u t p o t e n t i a l a c t i v i t y i n y o u r n e i g h b o u r h o o d s o y o u c a n p l a n a c c o r d i n g l y O n o u r w e b s i t e , y o u c a n v i e w a n i n t e r a c t i v e m a p o f construction areas , sign up for notifications , track what ’ s happening along the route and much more

A s always , s afet y is our numb e r one priorit y, eve r y m etre of the way

i n f o @ t r a n s m o u n t a i n c o m I 1 8 6 6 5 1 4 6 7 0 0 I t r a n s m o u n t a i n c o m

L e p r é s e n t m e s s a g e c o n t i e n t d e s r e n s e g n e m e n t s im p o r t a n t s S v o u s a v e z b e s o i n d u n e t r a d u c t o n v e u i l e z c o mm u n i q u e r a v e c i n f o @ t r a n s m o u n t a n c o m

Jubal Vander Werff: Growth as a Trials Cyclist

BREANNE MASSEY STAFF REPORTER breanne@kamloopsthisweek.com

Most cyclists are all too familiar with the end of riding season — the loss of daylight hours, the arrival of cooler temperatures and a puzzling brainstorm about where to store your equipment safely.

They embrace the off-season as a period of time to recover.

For others, however, the changing seasons represent the transition into off-season cycling fitness, which includes sessions with indoor bike trainers and setting lofty new goals for the next riding season.

For Jubal Vander Werff, though, winter is a time devoted to trials riding, both indoors and outdoors.

“Trials riding is a little bit harder to get started on without a proper bicycle, but the good news is, you can start in your basement,” Vander Werff said, explaining a cyclist can practise balancing without a seat on a trials bike indoors.

In fact, Vander Werff made this a

practice in his college dorm several years ago.

The discipline of trials biking is an extreme sport in which cyclists balance and ride over boulders, streams, logs, hills, tree roots and architecture on a small bicycle. Trials bikes are designed to have no seat on your ride and the goal is to remain balanced when you’re pitted against the terrain.

The tire pressure is typically kept low on a trials bike to help riders stay balanced. From there, riders try to solve complex problems without their feet ever touching the ground. Truly proficient trials riders maintain the practice year-long.

“The winter riding is really fun,” Vander Werff said. “My favourite part is, with trials riding, you’re not moving forward really quickly, so you don’t get the wind chill factor. You still get the workout, but you don't get as cold.”

Vander Werff first developed an interest in trials riding at

the age of 13 after watching an episode of Drop In TV and devoted his teen years to learning the sport independently through the trial and error process.

“I was lucky enough that my parents let me ride my bike in the winter in our basement,” Vender Werff said.

“I couldn’t do any tricks or anything because the roof was a regular eight-foot height, but I was a kid, so I was able to stand up on my bike and not hit my head… it was a really efficient way to burn off some energy.”

The now-29-yearold cyclist relocated to Kamloops from Prince George in 2018. With a brief stint in Edmonton to attend university, Vander Werff met a group of trials riders in Alberta and credits those life experiences for his unique ability to trackstand — balancing your feet on the pedals, while pausing between dangerous places to rest and access your next move — and control the brakes with balanced weight distribution.

“The biggest challenge would be

not being able to see somebody else riding, which led to a lack of visualization,” he said, adding it sometimes took up to a month to learn tricks independently in Prince George as a teen.

“Nobody else around me could really do that and nobody else wanted to practise over and over… being able to see somebody else do these moves over and over [in Edmonton] made it a lot easier to do,” he said.

Vander Werff believes that riding trials throughout the winter is a great way to stay warm and in shape for the spring season.

He is optimistic about finding an indoors location to cycle year-round in the future.

“The best thing about winter is that, come springtime, you’re already warmed up,” he said. “A lot of mountain bikers have to get back into the swing of things.”

Vander Werff said the “bike body expression” in trials

riding allows you to separate your body from your bike, which he said he finds “rewarding.”

“People often compare trials riding to being the parkour of the bike world,” he said with a chuckle.

As a small token for his dedication, Vander Werff was pleasantly surprised to learn that Jones Soda Company’s staff recently chose to feature an image of him on his bicycle on 50,000 of its popular soda bottles — and they are still being found on the shelves of stores in

North America.

“My pic didn’t get voted in, but they liked mine, so they made it the staff pick and put it on their bottles,” he said.

“Jubal was an easy choice for us,” Curt Thompson, director of marketing at Jones Soda, told KTW. “Not only is he a skilled BMX biker with fun videos to watch, but he’s also a Jones Soda fan of both cream soda and orange and cream. His submission came in and we knew right away we

wanted him on our bottles.”

Today, Vander Werff can be found working as a bike mechanic at We Are One Composites in Brocklehurst, in the pursuit of manufacturing bikes locally. He is responsible for making carbon fibre bikes, wheels and handlebars that are light, durable and strong — the latest trend for cycling enthusiasts.

“It’s my dream job,” he said. “I literally have my dream job. Sometimes they let us ride bikes in the warehouse.”

Tom LaRoche 4XWorld Kickboxing Champion

The 29-year-old cyclist balances his trials bike on stones at Riverside Park (left). Jones Soda Co. recently selected Jubal Vander Werff to appear as their Staff’s Pick on 50K soda bottles (top).

DAVE EAGLES/KTW

Free kids’ ice fishing day on Jan. 15

ANNUAL EVENT WILL

KAMLOOPS THISWEEK

The Kamloops Fish and Game Club will host a children's ice fishing day at Walloper Lake on Sunday, Jan. 15.

The fish and game club will provide rods and equipment and kids can pull rainbow trout out of the lake with the help of club members — many of whom are former con-

servation officers.

TAKE

The event will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Hot dogs, donuts and hot drinks will also be on hand, with donations to the club appreciated.

Dave Helmer, who has been organizing the event for the past 14 years, said it has always been a lot of fun.

"The thing with Walloper Lake, it's

PLACE

FROM 10 A.M. TO 2 P.M.

actually stocked by fisheries and the fish aren't big, but there's lots of them. You're virtually guaranteed to catch at least three or four during the day," Helmer said.

This year, international students from School District 73 are expected to join the fish out. Helmer said it's always rewarding to see someone pull out their first fish.

"One year, there were three young girls from Germany, fishing and socializing, and then, the changeover was incredible,” he said. “After one caught a fish, they got serious.”

Helmer said the fish are small, but edible. He recommends pan frying after cleaning, with lots of butter.

Helmer also recommends those in atten-

dance wear waterproof shoes or boots, as water tends to cover the ice surface.

The Kamloops Fish and Game Club has been running the day of ice fishing, among other events, for decades. It was originally founded in 1918.

Walloper Lake is southwest of Kamloops at the Logan Lake exit off the Coquihalla Highway.

Legendary Powder Blues on their way to Kamloops

THISWEEK

Vancouver-based band Tom Lavin and the Legendary Powder Blues are preparing for their 45th anniversary tour, which will begin in Kamloops at Sagebrush Theatre on Feb. 11, followed by a show the next night in Kelowna. Ticket information is online at kamloopslive.com.

For more than four decades, Powder Blues has been Canada’s leading blues band, with a mix of swing, blues, jazz, rock ‘n’ roll and R&B. Over the years, the band has toured non-stop through Canada, the United States and overseas.

Powder Blues’ 1979 debut album, Uncut , was ignored by major record labels, which claimed there was no market for the blues. Undiscouraged, the band sold it off stage and sent it

to radio stations, where it gained popularity. After selling 30,000 copies in a few weeks, record labels then competed to distribute the album. To date Powder Blues have sold more than onemillion records worldwide.

The Juno Award-winning band has headlined the worldfamous Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland, won the Blues Foundation Award in Memphis and toured the U.S. and Europe with legends such as Willie Dixon, John Lee Hooker, B.B. King, James Brown, Albert Collins and Stevie Ray Vaughn.

Lavin wrote many of the band’s best-known songs, including Doin’ It Right (On the Wrong Side of Town) and Boppin With the Blues . Born in Chicago, where he worked with local bands and blues legends, Lavin moved to Vancouver, gigging the

nightclub scene. That led to work as a studio musician, a songwriter, a band leader, a record producer and a film composer.

Lavin has won awards for guitarist, singer, songwriter and producer of the year, a Juno Award award for best new band and the American W.C. Handy Award. He has more than a dozen gold and platinum records for his work with Powder Blues, Prism, April Wine, Long John Baldry, Amos Garrett and many others.

A B I G

T H A N K Y O U from NorKam Senior Secondary

NorKam Senior Secondary would like to once again thank the following community volunteers for their assistance with our annual school-wide luncheon hosted on Wednesday, December 14, 2022. Without the help of our community, our luncheons would not be the successful events that they continue to be.

Special thanks to:

Mr Karl deBruijn, family and friends

Store manager Jamie Simpson from Canada Safeway (Fortune Center)

Family and friends of staff at NorKam Senior Secondary BGC Kamloops

Canuel Caterers

Thank you once again to all of our volunteers for helping to make our luncheon such an awesome experience for the students of NorKam Senior Secondary.

look forward to you joining us again next year

POWDER BLUES ARE HISTORY

The National Canadian Museum of History has completed an acquisition of Powder Blues artifacts that will become a part of the museum’s permanent collection.

“We are incredibly honoured that the National Canadian Museum of History has chosen to preserve our legacy,” Lavin said. “It is our hope the display will convey some of the joy, passion and energy that we have shared with and received from our great audiences over the past 44 years. It’s satisfying to know that these items will be protected and shared for years to come. I could not have asked for a more perfect home than this great and respected museum in Gatineau.”

Items include a rare, transparent blue vinyl

LP of the band’s first release in 1979, Uncut, the “million-mile guitar case,” Lavin’s custom blue D’Angelico New Yorker archtop guitar, the original manuscript for Lavin’s travelogue of the band’s 1990 tour of the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, numerous historical photos and a Canadian Recording Industry Association Double Platinum Award. Much of the collection has never or rarely been seen by the public.

The Canadian Museum of History is a national museum of anthropology, Canadian history, cultural studies and ethnology in Gatineau, Que. The purpose of the museum is to promote the heritage of Canada, as well as support related research.

For more information on the band that was formed in 1978, go online to powderblues.net.

KAMLOOPS

ICONIC BAND WILL KICK OFF ITS 45TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR AT SAGEBRUSH THEATRE ON FEB. 11

Kamloops student a winner in nationwide forestry-related art contest

ARTWORK OF DALLAS STUDENT NIXON GAJIC DEEMED AMONG THE BEST, AWARDED A CASH PRIZE

Grade 1 student

A Kamloops student has won a nationwide forestry-related art contest.

Nixon Gajic, a Grade 1 student at Dallas elementary, was one of four youths from across Canada whose artwork was chosen for cash prizes by the FORED BC Society.

FORED BC is a charity that offers educational tools to promote the environmental, cultural and economic values of forests and other natural resources. The group was founded in 1925 by volunteers and B.C. foresters in government, industry and non-government organizations.

FORED BC’s annual National Forest Week art, photography and video contest had as its theme Canada’s Forests: Solutions for a Changing Climate, noting forests are key to climate challenges by removing carbon dioxide, providing sustainably harvested wood

and providing parks and animal habitats.

Entries from youths ages 5 to 18 were received from across Canada, with Nixon among four named winners.

Other winners included Grade 3 student Chloe Chiang of Surrey, Grade 12 student

Eliza Siddiqui of Calgary and the combined video effort of students in grades 1 to 6 at Lions Gate Montessori School in Vancouver.

“Climate challenges us daily. We are pleased to see youth communicating their views and solutions through so many art

mediums, from drawings to digital media,” FORED BC educational director Victor Godin said in a statement.

“The collaborative video spanning multiple grade levels was truly inspired, given climate strategies involve so many stakeholders, from scientists to

Nixon Gajic’s artwork was deemed worthy of a cash prize by charity FORED BC.

industry and Indigenous participants.”

Nixon’s father Hunter Deacon said his son has always had a creative and thoughtful spirit.

“He has a love of all things outdoors, especially wildlife,” Deacon said. “His passions include building legos, drawing, playing board games and Pokemon. Nixon is very proud of this accomplishment as is everyone who knows him. His family is beyond proud of his hard work and artistic talent. With his prize money, he is going to invest in some Pokemon cards and put the rest in his savings account. Nixon would like to thank his teacher, Mrs. Chapman, for encouraging him and submitting his drawing.

KAMLOOPS THISWEEK

Dig It: Timeless cooking, it’s soup season

JOANNE HAMMOND SPECIAL TO KTW

It’s soup season in the Interior.

As winter grinds on and we hunker down inside, many of us will step up our consumption of nourishing, communal and comforting meals of soups and stews.

This week’s column salutes the warm, timeless and so-very-human tradition of broth with an archaeological tour of this culinary staple.

Soup, when you think about it, is a game-changing invention for humanity: water-based meals allow for the cooking of otherwise undigestible raw foods like grains, the extraction of essential calories, minerals and nutrients from bones and the varied use of dried meats, fish, and plants.

They provide easy nourishment to the very young and very old, and to sick and disabled people who otherwise have difficulty with solid foods. And they are comfort in a bowl (or an animal skin).

As much as a spit-roasted animal is a quintessential image of early human cuisine, it’s very likely that soup is as old as cooking itself. While discarded animal bones, shells, seeds and other chunky dietary remains are easy to identify in the archaeological record, evidence for compound foods is comparatively rare.

This is both because fragmentary organics preserve poorly over time and because identifying complex mixes and preparations is a real challenge for the science of food residue analysis, which relies on trace elements left behind on cooking pots and implements or on features such as ovens and hearths.

Archaeological signatures of soup- and stew-making often come from what we call “indirect evidence ”— clues left in archaeological sites that suggest behaviours or products we can no longer see. These include boiling stones and the fire-cracked rock that is left of them, greasy pit features, chemically transformed foods (grains), food packaging (barks) and ceramic or metal cooking vessels.

Boiling bones to create a nutritious broth was very likely the first widespread approach to soup. Archaeologists have inferred brothmaking from stone-age site assemblages in which the ends of long bones were notably missing — the parts containing abundant collagen, an important source of protein in pre-industrial diets.

The first soups were made long before metal or clay cooking pots. Immersion heating, using boiling stones heated in fires, then deposited in water, has been used for cooking worldwide. These stones can be dropped in water-tight baskets or vessels

made of wood, gourd or gut to boil or steam foods. Skin-lined pits dug in the ground made serviceable containers, into which food and hot rocks were dropped.

Intriguingly, archaeologists and survivalists have found that materials considered too flammable for direct heat, such as bark, animal skin and even plastic, can be used to boil water over open flame without disintegrating.

Archaeologists infer that “wet cooking,” using boiling water, was used by humans during the Middle Paleolithic, an enormous span of time from 300,000 to 30,000 years ago. Evidence from Belgium and Iraq suggests boiling stones were likely used by Neanderthals to cook grains 36,000 years ago.

Soup likely became more serious eats once vessels that could more reliably resist high temperatures and moisture were developed, and which allowed for preparation of greater volumes of food.

Fragments of clay pots found at Xianren Cave in China dating to around 20,000 years ago are believed to be among the oldest known ceramic cooking vessels, which became more widespread about 10,000 years ago.

Another Chinese site in the ancient capital of Xian revealed a 2,400-year-old lidded bronze cooking vessel, which was found sealed — with soup still inside.

Vessels like these also allow archaeologists to identify carbonized remains and protein and lipid residue analyses can extract and identify chemical signatures of the specific plants and animals cooked.

From a single clay vessel found in Southern Ontario, scientists found traces of a 1,300-year-old stew made of pickerel, bass, sturgeon and deer and seasoned with walnuts and purslane.

Here on the Interior plateau, soups and stews have long been an Indigenous dietary staple, where dehydration was a primary method of processing foods for storage.

Dried meats, fish and berries stored in cache pits bring flavour, variety and nutrition to mid-winter diets. Roots, bulbs and tubers that were roasted, dried and ground in season were added to thicken soups and provide valuable carbohydrates and vitamins.

Making and sharing soups is part of the continuity of human experience. Since time out of mind, families have gathered around hearths and ovens and pits and pots to prepare and enjoy the liquid nourishment of this communal meal.

From bone broth to hearty stews, from special occasion treats to whatever’s-in-thecellar specials, soup has always sustained us. Here’s to good food made with love.

Joanne Hammond is a Kamloops-based archaeologist. Interested in more? Go online to republicofarchaeology.ca. Dig It is KTW’s regularly published column on the history beneath our feet in the region.

LEFT: 15,000-year-old ceramic vessel containing fish soup. Photo Tokamachi City Museum, Japan. ABOVE: 2,400-year-old bronze vessel containing bone soup. Photo: Shaanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology, China.

Maneuvering Morocco’s mountain market

CHRIS MCBEATH SPECIAL TO KTW travelwriterstales.com

We were high in Morocco’s Atlas Mountains, surrounded by Berbers and beautiful, but inhospitable country.

“Take off your jewelry, leave your wallet with the driver, and don’t leave my side.”

His instructions were more like orders and for one uneasy moment, I wondered if this was how neophytes were seconded into white slavery. But I really wanted to explore this extraordinary market and if this was the price, so be it. After all, my escorts were “official guides” and with that status, my safety as a tourist was more than their own lives were worth.

A two-hour drive from Marrakech, the tiny market village of Asni is barely visible on the map yet come Saturday, it is one of the busiest Berber souks (markets) you will find. While these markets are generally safe, foreigners still represent easy pickings to many stall-keepers and traders.

At one time, the hassling of tourists had become such a problem that by royal command, undercover “tourist police” were installed to mingle with the crowds and haul away overly zealous hawkers.

Consequently, souvenir shopping today is fairly hassle free, save for the odd bartering session, and tourism is relatively safe.

Here in the mountains, however, such royal edicts are less easily enforced so it was with

common-sense wisdom that I secured an escort.

The market was a mass of humanity jostling for space to set up make-shift stalls, box displays, and ground covers.

Merchants showcased everything from turnips to false teeth, and as I looked at the rather unappetizing selection of dentures atop a wooden crate, those in need seemed happy to slip a pair into their mouth, trying them out rather like you do with a new pair of shoes.

As with many traditional markets, fresh meat and produce are the order of the day and soon, we were walking down a path lined with the just-skinned heads of sheep as if on some kind of satanic trail. It led to the open-air abattoir where Berbers

were feverishly haggling over the plumpness of chickens, entrails and very fresh lamb. This market is not for the squeamish.

In another area lay baskets of dried fruits, nuts and spices, their aromas suddenly sweetening the air in stark contrast from where we had just been.

A series of fold-away barber salons were doing a brisk trade, herbalists administered their doctrines to various parts of a patient’s anatomy, and the baker, tucked in a cavernous ditch nearby, was busy piling loaves of unleavened bread into an earth-oven.

Each unbaked loaf had been carried to him from mountain homesteads wrapped in a colorful cloth into which he returned the baked bread. This cloth identified

which of the one thousand loaves belonged to whom.

For many mountain folk, getting their goods to market is almost a day’s hike, clambering beside lush valleys and through the crumbly terra cotta mountains that resemble mille-feuilles of loose strata. With them come hundreds of mules, each piled high with loads so heavy, they leave a legacy of sway backs, sores and split hooves.

Once at market, these forlornlooking creatures are herded into a corral where they were fed, watered and shod. On-the-spot blacksmiths tend the line while first aid “mechanics” wrap grubby cloths around bleeding hooves so the animal can make the return trek home.

As the procession of marketers

started to leave, it was time for the drive back to Marrakech.

Of all my travels in Morocco, this had been among the most authentic.

As a working market, Asni offers an insight into a way of life that seems frozen in time; only today the merchandise includes old Nike running shoes alongside kitchen utensils carved out of bone.

Although take-home souvenirs were virtually nonexistent here, Asni offers something more — a travel experience that stirs curiosity and captures the imagination for years to come.

Travel Writers’ Tales is an independent newspaper column syndicate. For more, go online to travelwriterstales.com.

May

Jun

ABOVE: A Berber shepherd cares for his herd of sheep. A woman sits in a busy marketplace with her wares for sale in the small village of Marrakech, Morocco.

CHRIS MCBEATH PHOTOS

An apocalyptic view of Christmas

Christmas 2022, according to the English calendar, is come and gone.

But its Orthodox version is still knocking on the doors of the faithful in several parts of the world.

Is the commonly observed date of Dec. 25 of much relevance to the practitioners of perhaps the most celebrated festival?

December 25 came from the pagan birthday observance of a young conquered Sun and is certainly not biblical. During that period of time, the pagan held two weeks of feast, parades, special music, gift-giving, lighting candles on green trees.

And some ambitious church members, living in that pagan culture, decided to Christianize the holiday.

Some historians suggest that Emperor Constantine declared Christ’s birthday as an official Roman holiday in AD336. There were protesters, such as Chrysostom, who rebuked Christians for adopting this pagan thing, but it stuck.

We really don’t know when Jesus was born.

Some say Jan.6, others March 29 or April 20, May 20, and some even say Sept.29. But nobody really knows and Dec. 25 is strictly a grab-bag day, dedicated to a pagan festival which has nothing to do with the Bible

So, it isn’t really the date (unlike July 1 or Nov.11 in Canada) that has some historical significance.

What about the name? May be the name has some significance, if not the day?

Well, it’s a short form of Christ’s Mass, which grew out of a specific feast day known as Christos Masse, which was established in AD1038. It too has certainly nothing to do with Scriptures.

No, Christmas is not a holy day, is not a divinely prescribed day.

And, in fact, it was in AD1224, St. Francis of Assisi really started the baby manger thing when he started a

new cult of worship of Mary by surrounding her in a manger with a baby.

Well, questions will surely be asked, “What is Christian about Christmas then?”

None of it. None of it is biblical, not a bit of it was commanded by the Lord, none of it is scriptural, apostolic. As a matter of fact, none of it was ever observed by the Early Church.

Then we come to the obvious last query: What about the birth of Christ? Now that’s something for sure. But that’s not something to be celebrated once a year but every day.

We sure can enjoy the day with family and friends, sharing our love and being together.

I think Christmas is important because it gives Christians (and others) the opportunity to catch a world which is at least aware of Jesus, and give them the truth.

The famous English preacher Charles Spurgeon said, “Look, Christmas is here. We might as well live with it and take the opportunity to exalt Christ.”

At Christmas time, a study of Christ’s coming in the book of Revelation will meaningfully double up the reason of His incarnation.

Christ came 2,000 years ago, but I am quite confident it won’t be another 2,000 years before He returns. I am confident also that the world is quite happy to let Jesus be a baby in a manger, but not be the sovereign King and Lord that He is.

In the Bible, in Rev.22:16

we read the words of Jesus as He summarizes the book of Revelation: “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the root and offspring of David.”

The question is always asked: Who is Jesus Christ? Here, at the end of Revelation, He says, “I am the offspring (descendent) of David.”

But He also adds, “I am the root of David,” which is an outstanding statement. For in it He is saying that not only He was born of the seed of David, but He is the one who made David in the first place.

The Lord Jesus Christ whom we exalt each Dec. 25 is not just a baby in a manger. He is not just a part of children’s stories. He is far more than that.

The first time He came veiled in the form of a child and not too many really knew it. The world didn’t take much notice. Some did, but most did not.

But the second time He comes, and we believe it would be very soon, He comes unveiled, without the robe of human flesh in terms of an infant.

And when He comes then, it would be abundantly clear and immediately clear to the whole world just who He really is.

The first time a star marked His arrival.

Next time He comes, the whole heaven would roll up like a scroll and all the stars would fall out of the sky and He himself will light them.

The first time He came, wise men and shepherds brought Him gifts. Next time, He would bring gifts, rewards, for His own people.

The first time, there was no room for Him to be born in a decent place. Next time, the whole world won’t be able to contain His glory.

The first time, only a few attended His arrival. Next time, every eye shall see Him. The first time, a baby –soon He comes as sovereign King and the Lord.

In the Scriptures, there are many portraits of Christ.

Every year as we approach Christmas, it would be wonderful if we can see Him, as presented in the book of Isaiah, as the Messiah, the Wonderful Counsellor, the Mighty God, the Prince of Peace, the Father of eternity. We could look at all the Old Testament pictures.

We could study Him as one co-equal with God.

Or , we could go into the gospels and see Him there as a gentle baby, as an unique child, a humble man, a loving friend, as a powerful miracle worker, as the suffering Saviour and as a risen and ascending Lord.

Narayan Mitra is a volunteer Chaplain at Thompson Rivers University. KTW welcomes submissions to its Faith page. Columns should be no longer than 700 words in length. Email submissions to editor@ kamloopsthisweek.com.

Local artist to present show at KAG exploring her Jewish identity

KAMLOOPS THISWEEK

Local artist Lindsey Tyne Johnson invites the community to explore the complexities of identifying as Jewish in her upcoming art show, Hebrew Spelled Backwards.

Through a series of digital illustrations, Johnson examines the fear and uncertainty that often come with discovering one’s heritage later in life and its connection to familiar experiences and art. The sandy coloured palette of the digital works serves to evoke a sense of being in a desert, a significant landscape to the Jewish people, while each art piece incorporates a piece of Judaism in an unexpected

way, challenging traditional notions of Jewishness.

In addition to modern and spiritual themes, the show incorporates supernatural narratives as a way of understanding culture — creating a space for dialogue and inclusivity.

By inviting people to learn more about cultures which they may not understand, Johnson aims to foster a greater understanding of diverse cultures.

This thought-provoking and unique exhibit, Hebrew Spelled Backwards will be on display at the Kamloops Art Gallery from January 21 to April 1.

For more information, email Lindsey at yrbird@ hotmail.ca or go online to lindseytynejohnson.com.

NARAYAN MITRA You Gotta Have FAITH

SPORTS: MARTY HASTINGS

Phone: 250-374-7467

Email: sports@kamloopsthisweek.com

Twitter: @MarTheReporter

Inside look at colossal Blazers’ deadline deal

Let’s dive into the trade that rocked the hockey world on Sunday, a Kamloops Blazers-Everett Silvertips swap that is among the most notable in Canadian Hockey League history.

Blazers’ head coach and general manager Shaun Clouston spoke for about 45 minutes on Monday, answering questions on the genesis and execution of the blockbuster, addressing immediate criticism from media and the Blazers’ fan base and providing other tidbits that may be of interest.

Information for this column — a look at the Kamloops thought process — has been gleaned since last summer from sources close to the club and others with knowledge of league scuttlebutt.

THE DEAL

Kamloops acquired 19-yearold defenceman Olen Zellweger and 20-year-old forward Ryan Hofer in exchange for 17-year-old defenceman Kaden Hammell, 20-year old forward Drew Englot, 17-year-old defenceman Rylan Pearce (currently toiling for the Flin Flon Bombers in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey

League), 15-year-old forward Jack Bakker (Blazers’ draft pick who plays for under-18 Delta Hockey Academy), nine WHL Prospects Draft picks and one conditional prospects draft pick.

The Blazers parted with four first-round picks (2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026), a second-round pick in 2023, a third-round pick in 2025, a fourth-round pick in 2023, a fifth-round pick in 2024

and a sixth-round pick in 2026.

Everett also acquired a conditional second-round pick in 2026. The Tips will get the pick if Zellweger comes back to the WHL for his 20-year-old campaign, a doubtful scenario considering he has signed a threeyear entry-level deal with the Anaheim Ducks

The Blazers were kicking tires on Zellweger — who was among

their top-tier targets heading into the campaign — as of October and were under the impression the Silvertips were not interested in moving him at that point, with the U.S. Division club needing time to evaluate its aspirations for the season.

Business began to pick up around Jan. 1, while Silvertips’ GM and bench boss Dennis Williams was handling head

coaching duties for Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championship in Halifax.

Clouston said significant work on the trade ratcheted up after the Canadians edged Czechia 3-2 in overtime on Jan. 5, with help from Zellweger and his new Blazers’ teammates Logan Stankoven and Caedan Bankier.

Olen Zellweger will be wearing different colours on Wednesday, when his Kamloops Blazers play host to the Vancouver Giants at Sandman Centre.

ALLEN DOUGLAS/KTW

Potential dealbreaker Hammell waived no-trade clause

From

(Stankoven and Zellweger toiled together on Canadian teams that won gold at the world juniors in 2023 and 2022 and at the 2021 Under-18 World Hockey Championship in Frisco, Texas).

The deal was finalized on Sunday, Jan. 8.

HAMMELL, HOFER HURDLES

NHL Draft prospect Hammell was coveted by the Silvertips and his inclusion in the transaction was essential to its completion.

The Blazers approached Hammell’s agent, Kevin Epp, on Saturday to inform him of the proposed mega-swap, which required the 17-year-old right shot from Langley to waive his no-trade clause and jump ship from a club primed to host the 2023 Memorial Cup.

Hammell’s camp took about 24 hours to consider the move south, speaking to both the Blazers and Silvertips before making the decision to alter his hockey future and join a team that offers monster

minutes in the wake of Zellweger’s departure.

The deal may have died if Hammell refused to waive his notrade clause.

Near the top of the Blazers’ wishlist: veteran power forward who can score.

Kamloops, which was in on the Zack Ostapchuk sweepstakes,

saw an opportunity to satisfy its primary needs up front and on the back end in one trade and pursued Hofer, the 6-foot-3 left shot from Winnipeg who was more sought after by the Blazers than made available by the Tips, according to one source close to the situation.

“This is two really, really big

pieces in one deal,” Clouston said. “People can divvy them up how they want, but if Ostapchuk (10 goals and 29 points in 21 games this season) went for three firsts and four players and Hofer has 23 goals … what’s he worth?

“What made sense for us was both those players in the same deal. This was a way to get the big, skilled, hard forward into our lineup and arguably the top defenceman in the league.”

THE PICKS

Criticism was inevitable and much of it is aimed at the dispatching of draft picks, most notably four first-rounders.

Clouston disagrees with those who say the Blazers sold the farm.

“If you move out all your 17and 18-year-olds and you don’t have guys coming back, that, to me, is selling the farm,” Clouston said. “We were really in an enviable position, with six first-round picks going into the Memorial Cup season.

“We didn’t have a ton of depth

from the start of the year. There were some teams in better or different situations where they had more depth. We’ve got a number of young players that are going to be important parts moving forward and we weren’t going to be able to part with any more players. That’s why it became important to link those two players [Zellweger, Hofer] together to a really, really good young player [Hammell] and make up the difference with picks.”

The Blazers have an undeniably scarce WHL Prospects Draft board in 2023, with picks in the third, sixth and seventh through 12th rounds.

Kamloops is without first-, fifth- and seventh-round picks in 2024, second-, third-, sixth- and eighth-round picks in 2025 and first-, second-, third- and sixthround picks in 2026.

“I’m not trying to downplay it,” said Clouston, noting his Blazers can recoup draft picks in future trades.

See ENGLOT, A33

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CHAMPIONS FOR FAMILY MEDICINE

Did you know Kamloops has one of the most innovative family practice clinic models in BC? Learn more about the work STEPS is doing for 17,000 patients in Kamloops, and how you can support the dedicated family practitioners in our region through the Champions for Family Medicine program at trdfp ca (click on the Champions tab).

THANKS TO OUR MEDIA SPONSORS

Pictured from left: Christine Matuschewski, CEO, Dr Selena Lawrie, and Colin O'Leary, President

Ryan Hofer (left), a premier power forward, has joined the Kamloops Blazers, but will not make his debut against Vancouver on Wednesday at Sandman Centre. He will serve a one-game suspension and be in the lineup on Friday, when his former club, the Everett Silvertips, play host to the Blazers.

ALLEN DOUGLAS/KTW

Englot, twice traded, talks of emotional goodbyes

“You put some pressure on the scouting staff, but there is opportunity to pick up players. There are so many good players picked late in drafts (Clouston referenced fourthround bantam draft pick Fraser Minten, a Toronto Maple Leafs’ prospect, and 10th-round bantam draft pick Daylan Kuefler, a New York Islanders’ prospect].

“And, you can look and say, ‘Well, this team had three first-round picks in the draft and it never got parlayed into a championship team,” Clouston said. “I think that’s one of the reasons why the GMs in this environment, they all want players. The bantam draft is no sure thing.”

The Blazers have added seven roster players — top-four defenceman Kyle Masters, depth forwards Shea Van Olm and Ashton Ferster, elite defenceman Olen Zellweger, premier power forward Ryan Hofer, sizeable, topsix import forward Jakub Demek and goaltender Matthew Kieper.

They have parted with three roster players: Hammell, Buffalo Sabres’ prospect Mats Lindgren and 20-year-old Drew Englot, an effective, heart-and-soul power forward whose presence in the dressing room will be missed.

Pushing all-in this season will have ramifications in the future.

The club feels an obligation to repre-

sent the WHL with the best team possible and believes the payoff will be worth the steep price if the prize is a national championship.

Inaction was out of the question.

“Our mindset from the very beginning is we have to use these draft picks, based on where our roster is at and the age of our team,” Clouston said. “We had a full deck and extra picks.”

THE TIMING Impatience was brewing among some fans while dominoes fell across the league.

The Winnipeg Ice landed Graham Sward and the Seattle Thunderbirds acquired Luke Prokop in late October in trades featuring high-end defencemen who could have helped the Blazers.

Seattle pounced again in November, trading for stud Prince Albert blueliner Nolan Allan.

“We’ve been active daily,” Clouston said, noting his Blazers were in on the Allan sweepstakes. “We’ve been in conversations weekly, if not daily, from September to today. There was no waiting. We were involved in conversations constantly.”

Might prices

have been lower if the Blazers acted sooner?

“Sward went for five pieces really early on in the process,” Clouston said. “The Allan deal, which we were looking at and discussing, that ended up being eight or nine pieces for one player.

“Masters was a pre-season deal. We did the Demek deal [on Nov. 14] as soon as it was a possibility. Two really big things to do. We didn’t have to trade any talented, young roster players for Demek.”

Clouston said in some cases, such as Zellweger’s, it was impossible to act earlier.

“We thought, maybe, if Zellweger ever became available, he would be the guy we would really, really go after,” Clouston said. “This was something that we thought about for a long time. And this wasn’t a trade that was even possible to make. Teams are evaluating.”

Perhaps if the Blazers had built more roster depth heading into the season, they could have kept more draft picks.

“People can discuss and that’s the really cool thing,” Clouston said. “People get excited about the trade deadline. Some people love it. Some people hate it. In today’s world, everybody has ideas and opinions. That’s part of it. People do get to be a fan or an armchair GM and discuss things and evaluate things.”

Kamloops made one trade on

Tuesday to cap its deadline transactions, acquiring the rights to 19-year-old defenceman Daylan Weigel in exchange for a ninth-round pick in 2026.

Weigel is expected to play this season in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League.

BEDARD

Clouston was asked to offer any sort of insight on recent interactions with the Regina Pats, whose GM and head coach John Paddock told media in Kamloops his club will not be trading 17-year-old phenom Connor Bedard, who has a no-trade clause.

The Blazers’ GM opted not to comment.

KTW has learned both the Pats and Blazers have had their wrists slapped by the league for their handling of Bedard questions in the media.

THE BOSS

Tom Gaglardi is majority owner of the Blazers.

Clouston was asked to describe Gaglardi’s role in the most eye-popping trade in club history.

“The way we work here is we discuss everything,” Clouston said. “Tim, myself, Tom, Robbie [assistant GM Robbie Sandland] … these things are discussed and shared moment by moment.”

NEW TOYS

Clouston used the power play to illustrate a point on togetherness and how it can be

impacted by recent additions and subtractions.

“We can make 1A and 1B powerplay groups,” said Clouston, who is tasked with determining line combinations and defensive pairings.

“It’s going to be really important we get these five players agreeing to share power-play time with these five players. That’s not the easiest thing to

do, but if we can get to the point where it’s a team-first mindset, it could be really, really dangerous.”

KTW reached Englot on Sunday, when he spoke of emotional goodbyes with teammates and his billet parents, Val and Les Davidson.

“I got to be really, really close with them,” Englot said of the Davidsons. “They’re awesome

people, a second family to me. It’s definitely probably the hardest part. A second family, they raise you. You learn new things from them. It’s another mom and another dad.

“But for me, you’ve got to look at the positives. I’m happy where I’m going. It’s a great opportunity for me. I can’t dwell on it. It happens. It’s part of life. You’ll go

through stretches like this. There’s no need to think negatively about it.”

Englot was on Monday traded to Swift Current from Everett.

“There’s always risks when you move players out,” Clouston said.

“There are friendships. The current players have to welcome the new players. There has to be an integration.”

DREW ENGLOT

City of Kamloops

WolfPack cheer versus the world

The TRU WolfPack cheer team will compete in the International Cheer Union University World Cup Cheerleading Championships, which are scheduled to run from Jan. 13 to Jan. 15 in Orlando, Florida.

TRU soared to firstand second-place finishes last March in two divisions at the 2022 BC Sport Cheer Provincial Championships.

Kids Yoga

Ages 3-5 10/$93 30

Each class will start with movement, to release energy Yoga mats will become magic carpets while you play games and explore making your body into shapes animals, trees and mountains You will take turns holding the ‘talking stick' and exploring breath control in a fun and gentle way: cannonball breath, lion’s breath, horse lips

TCC

Tues Jan 10 - Mar 14 10:30 AM – 11:00 AM

Memory Quilt - T-shirts/Jerseys/ Baby Clothes/Assorted Clothing 4/$130

If you've always wanted to make a memory quilt but find the idea a little intimidating, this is the perfect course for you In this workshop, quilt enthusiast Marnie Freeman will share some sewing tips for working with clothing items You will learn a method of sewing stretchy fabrics without using interfacing Participants are required to bring their sewing machine West Highland Community Centre

Wed Feb 1 - Feb 22 6:30 PM – 9:00 PM

Learn to Play

Ages 7-10 years $60

This program is designed for children to learn to move their bodies and socialize with others They will have an opportunity to learn a variety of sports games and physical activities that support their physical literacy development

West Highlands Community Centre

Thurs Jan 26 - Mar 2

5:45 PM – 6:30 PM

Visit: Kamloops ca/Register

Sports on Mats Ages 2-6 $60

This program is designed for children to learn to move their bodies, including tumbling falling rolling and lateral movements using mats and play These skills will develop movement patterns to prepare for many activities and sports Valleyview Community Hall Sat Jan 28 - Mar 11 9:30 AM – 10:15 AM

Visit: Kamloops ca/Register

Snow Shoeing Adult 4/$48

Try something new this winter! This program is designed for adults who want to learn something new, meet other outdoor enthusiasts and have a fun adventure in the snow Participants will learn how to snowshoe in a safe and supportive environment with an experienced outdoor expedition instructor Snowshoes and headlamp provided Kenna Cartwright Park

Tues Jan 10 - Jan 31

5:30 PM – 6:30 PM

Those strong performances won the team an invitation to the 2023 World Cup, which features athletes from across the world.

NEED FOR NOMINEES

The Kamloops Sports Council is asking for nominations for its 2022 athletics awards, which are expected to be handed out this spring during a banquet that also features Kamloops Sports Hall

of Fame inductions.

For details on how to submit nominations, go online to kamloopsthisweek.com.

The deadline for nominations is March 1.

VOLUNTEERS WANTED

The 2023 Special Olympics BC Winter Games will run from Feb. 2 to Feb. 4 in Kamloops — and organizers are searching for volunteers.

Register online at sobcgameskamloops.ca.

The support of about 800 volunteers will be

required for the event, which is the first SOBC provincial Games in four years and will offer great opportunity to athletes with intellectual disabilities who experienced isolation amid the pandemic.

The Games will feature about 500 athletes with intellectual disabilities competing with pride in eight SOBC winter sports: 5-pin bowling, alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, curling, figure skating, floor hockey, snowshoeing and speed skating.

ON THE ICE

The Scotties BC Women’s Curling Championship, presented by Best Western, and the 2023 BC Men’s Curling Championship are underway in Chilliwack.

Both events feature curlers from Kamloops and are slated to conclude on Sunday at the Chilliwack Curling Club

On the women’s side, Team Brown is aiming to earn a spot at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts, which will take place in February in Kamloops.

The Kamloops Curling Club rink includes skip Corryn

Brown, third Erin Pincott, second Dezaray Hawes and lead Samantha Fisher.

Cierra Fisher of Kamloops belongs to Victoria-based Team Reese-Hansen.

On the men’s side, skip Jim Cotter, who lives in Vernon but is from Kamloops, and third Grant Olsen of Kamloops toil for Team Cotter, a Kamloops/ Kelowna/Vernon rink.

Jared Kolomaya of Kamloops plays second for New Westminsterbased Team Pierce, the defending B.C. champions.

River City product Mitchell Kopytko is playing second for Team Geall, a Salmon Arm/ Penticton/Kamloops team.

The winning team will represent B.C. at the Tim Hortons Brier in March in London, Ont.

Mar y ____, first lady s maiden name

Large jug

Grande who has broken 27 (and counting) Guinness world records for musical accomplishments 66. Par tly covered, in a way 69. Cut with a letter opener? 70. High times? 71. ‘My Way ’’ lyricist Paul 72. Debate airer 73. The Rose City so nick named for its pink sandstone 74. Bounds 78. Sun, in Santiago 79. Hit list 80. I.R.S. employee: Abbr 81. Without direction 82. [I k now it ’s wrong] 83. Snippy 84. The creeps 86. 1980s-’90s legal drama 87. All over again 90. Passover ser vings 91. dozen 92. Some acids, informally 98. Student 100 Phil ____, Joan Baez contemporar y 101 Antipirac y org 102 Role for George Burns, Morgan Freeman and Whoopi Goldberg 103 Tax amount 104 Pointer for an Olympian? 105 Scare word 106 Safari or Chrome address in brief 107 Slip into 108 Catch sight of

NOVEL THINKING

By John Martz

FUN BY THE NUMBERS

Sudoku puzzles are formatted as a 9x9 grid, broken down into nine 3x3 boxes To solve a sudoku, the numbers 1 through 9 must fill each row, column and box. Each number can appear only once in each row, column and box. You can figure out the order in which the numbers will appear by using the numeric clues already provided in the boxes The more numbers you name, the easier it gets to solve the puzzle!

HOROSCOPES

ARIES - Mar 21/Apr 20

Aries, you are willing to take risks and never afraid to tr y new things This benefits you as you seek new solutions regarding how to get things done

TAURUS - Apr 21/May 21

Taurus, figure out a new goal to pursue and star t to make a list of how to get to the finish line You may need to recruit a few volunteers to help along the way

CANCER - Jun 22/Jul 22

Could this be the right time to think about making a career move, Cancer? The new year marks a fresh star t, and perhaps you have had your eyes on a new work oppor tunity

LEO - Jul 23/Aug 23

There’s more than meets the eye this week when someone from your past suddenly pops up on your radar again, Leo Learn all of the facts before you make assumptions

LIBRA - Sept 23/Oct 23

You’ve been keeping quite busy, Libra, but don’t forget to make time to touch base with friends and loved ones from time to time Keep those lines of communication open

SCORPIO - Oct 24/Nov 22

Patience is a vir tue of which you are in shor t supply recently, Scorpio You have no control over the timeline on cer tain things and that can be frustrating Wait it out

CAPRICORN - Dec 22/Jan20

Think about all the possibilities you have before you, Capricorn When you consider all of the positives in your life, the negatives just may fade away

AQUARIUS - Jan 21/Feb 18

Your name is on the lips of so many people That is likely because you are affecting change wherever you go Keep forging ahead because you are helping others

Gemini, when a project at work lands on your desk, you may be ambivalent about it You appreciate the challenge, but already have a long list of things to do

ZITS by Jerry Scott & Jim Borgman

SHOE by Gary Brookins & Susie Macnelly

HAGAR THE HORRIBLE by Chris Browne

PARDON MY PLANET by Vic Lee

ARCTIC CIRCLE by Alex Hallatt

BABY BLUES

Rick Kirkman & Jerry Scott

LINDA SKELLY

JODI LAWRENCE

RYLAN WILLOUGHBY Print/Digital Sales

MARCIA STEWART Print/Digital Sales

JACK BELL Print/Digital Sales

NOTICE OF SALE

NOTICE OF SALE

NOTICE OF SALE

Notice is hereby given to Urquhar t Kenneth, please be advised that your 2012 Lancer VIN JA32V2FWXCU608850 located at 1350

totes, a mattress, and other miscellaneous items. Will be sold online auction

Ibid4Storage.com on Januar y 16, 2023.

JOB POSTINGS

3 EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUC ATORS

Full-Time Permanent Positions

Bridge River Head Star t / Daycare Program is seek ing an individual to commit to

COMMUNITY HEALTH REPRESENTATIVE

P A P E R R O U T E S A V A I L A B L E

DOWNTOWN

Rte 306 – 261 6th Ave 614-911 Seymour St 600-696 St Pau St 753-761 V ctoria St -26 p

Rte 308 – 355 9th Ave 703977 St Pau St –35 p Rte 310 – 651-695 2nd Ave 660-690 3rd Ave 110-292 Co umb a St Even S de) 106-321 Nico a St -43 p Rte 311 – 423-676 1st Ave 400-533 2nd Ave 107-237 Battle St 135-173 St Pau St -27 p Rte 313 – 430-566 4th Ave 520-577 5th Ave 435-559 Batt e St 506 Co umb a St 406-576 N co a St 418-478 St Pau St -34 p

Rte 317 – 535-649 7th Ave 702-794 Columb a St Even S de) 702-799 N co a St -40 p

Rte 318 – 463 6th Ave 446490 7th Ave 409-585 8th Ave 604-794 Battle St -17 p

Rte 319 – 545 6th Ave 604-690 Co umb a St(Even S de 604-692 N cola St -12 p

Rte 322 – 694 11th Ave 575-694 13th Ave 1003-1091 Batt e St 1004-1286 Co umb a St(Even S de 1004-1314 N co a St -56 p

Rte 323 – 755-783 6th Ave 763-884 7th Ave 744-764 8th Ave 603-783 Co umbia St(Odd Side) 605-793 Dom n on St -52 p

Rte 324 – 606-795 Pine St -33 p

Rte 325 – 764-825 9th Ave 805-979 Columbia St(Odd Side) 804-987 Dom n on St 805-986 P ne St -64 p

Rte 326 – 850 11th Ave 1003-1083

Columbia St(Odd Side) 10031195 Dom n on St -33 p

Rte 327 – 1103-1459 Columb a St(Odd S de) 1203-1296 Dom n on St -38 p

Rte 328 – 935 13th Ave Clover eaf Cres

Dom n on Cres Park Cres P ne Cres -62 p

Rte 329 – 880-1101 6th Ave 925-1045 7th Ave 878-1020 8th Ave 605-795 Pleasant St -39 p

Rte 330 – 1062-1125 7th Ave 1066-1140 8th Ave 601-783 Doug as St -37 p

Rte 331 – 984-987 9th Ave 1125 10th Ave 901-981 Doug as St 902-999 Munro St -33 p

Rte 335 – 1175-1460 6th Ave 1165-1185 7th Ave Cowan St 550-792 Munro St -56 p

Rte 339 – 1265-1401 9th Ave 916-1095 Fraser St -26 p Rte 340 – McMurdo Dr -23 p

Rte 370 – Nicola Wagon Rd 35-377 W Seymour St -36 p Rte 371 – Connaught Rd 451-475 Lee Rd W St Pau St -73 p Rte 380 – Arbutus St Chaparral P Powers Rd Sequoia P -69 p Rte 381 – 20-128 Centre Ave Hemlock St 605-800 Lombard St -42 p Rte 382 – 114-150 Fern e Pl Fern e Rd 860-895 Lombard St -23 p Rte 389 – B uff P 390 Centre Ave 242-416 W Co umbia St, Dufferin Terr Garden Terr, Grandview Terr -51 p

LOWER SAHALI/SAHALI

JOB POSTINGS

LANDS COORDINATOR/FIELD TECHNICIAN

Full-Time Position

The Lands Coordinator is responsible for managing Environmental monitoring and work ing with Xwisten land referrals. You will be writing proposals and responsible for writing repor ts, and communications for Lands Depar tment The Lands Coordinator is par t of a team that works closely with the Lands Manager, Lands Superintendent and Lands O ffice Manager to organize and administer Resource Stewardship

HOMEMAKER

Permanent par t-time position under the super vision of the social development depar tment Hours depending on clients Xwisten Social Development requires one homemaker to provide housekeeping ser vices to Elders and adults requiring in home care on reser ve, while the person is home This person must be reliable, have good communication sk ills, and have their own transpor tation. The hours are flexible but a regular schedule must be maintained with the elders to be respectful of their time

Only those shor t listed will be contacted and to apply submit resumes and cover letter:

Gar y Forsyth, Administrator

Fax: 250-256-7999 E-mail: administrator@x wisten.ca

Deadline: Open until filled

Rte 400 – 383 W Co umb a St -21 p Rte 401 – 250-395 405-425 Pemberton Terr –81 p Rte 403 – 405-482 Greenstone Dr Tod Cres -28 p Rte 404 – Chapperon Dr 108-395 Greenstone Dr Pyramid Crt -54 p Rte 405 – Anvi Cres 98-279 Bestwick Dr Bestw ck Crt E Bestw ck Crt W Morr sey P -51 p Rte 410 – 56-203 Arrowstone Dr S verthrone Cres -47 p Rte 449 – Azure Pl –43 p Rte 451 – Od n Crt Wh teshield Cres Wh tesh e d P -39 p

Rte 452 – 1430-1469 Spr nghill Dr -64 p Rte 453 – 1575-1580 Spr nghill Dr -73 p

Rte 454 – Crosby Rd Humphrey Rd Spr ngfie d P 1600-1799 Spr nghil Dr -34 p

Rte 459 – Monarch Crt & P –38 p Rte 463 – 1750 & 1787-1898 McK nley Crt 545-659 Monarch Dr -73 p Rte 467 – 1605+1625 Summ t Dr –28 p Rte 471 – 100-293 Monmouth Dr -37 p Rte 474 – Coppertree Crt Trophy Crt -21 p Rte 475 – Cast e Towers Dr Sedgewick Crt & Dr -47 p Rte 476 – Tanta us Crt T nn swood Crt 2018-2095 Tremerton Dr -50 p Rte 485 – 690 Robson Dr 2020+2084 Robson Pl -45 p Rte 487 – 201-475+485-495 Ho yburn Dr Panorama Crt -75 p

MT DUFFERIN/ PINEVIEW VALLEY

Rte 561 – Ash Wynd Fir P 1700-1798 Lodgepo e Dr –58 p Rte 580 – 1300-1466 Pac fic Way Pra r e Rose Dr Rockcress Dr -83 p Rte 581 – Cannel Dr Cascade St 1500-1539 H s de Dr Mel ors P -44 p Rte 582 – 1540-1670 Hi s de Dr 15001625 Mt Duffer n Ave, Windward P -38 p Rte 584 – 1752-1855 Hi s de Dr -26 p Rte 586 – Mt Duffer n Cres Park Way Plateau P -26 p Rte 587 – Sunshine Crt & Pl -51 p Rte 588 – Dav es P 1680-1751 H side Dr H ls de Pl Monterey P Scott Pl -46 p Rte 589 – 1200-1385 Copperhead Dr -48 p Rte 590 – 1397 Copperhead Dr, Saskatoon P -36 p

ABERDEEN

Rte 501 – 655-899 F eming Dr F eming P -49 p Rte 503 – F em ng C rc, Hampsh re Dr, & Pl, Hector Dr -51 p Rte 504 – 2146-2294 Sifton Ave S fton Lane -48 p Rte 505 – 2005-2141 Sifton Ave -51 p Rte 508 – 700-810 Hugh A an Dr -49 p Rte 509 – 459-551 Laurier Dr Shaughnessy H -46 p Rte 510 – 372-586 Aberdeen Dr 402-455 Laur er Dr -36 p Rte 511 – Drummond Crt -50 p Rte 512 – Ains e P Ba four Crt Braemar Dr MacIntyre Pl -69 p Rte 513 – Braemar Way 556-696 Laur er Dr 2214-2296 Van Horne Dr -36 p Rte 516 – Garymede Crt 2204-2263 Garymede Dr G lmour Pl -38 p Rte 517 – 2267-2299 Garymede Dr Greenock Crt & P 32 p Rte 518 – 2100-2198 Garymede Dr Glasgow Pl Greystone Cres –58 p Rte 519 – Regent Cres & P -52 p Rte 522 – 604-747 Dunrob n Dr Dunrob n P -65 p Rte 526 – 2015-2069 Van Horne Dr -69 p Rte 527 – Hunter Pl Hunt e gh Cres -25 p Rte 528 – 1115-1180 Howe Rd 1115-1185 Hugh A en Dr -47 p Rte 530 – Benta Dr Ed nburgh B vd & Crt Ta bot Pl 2688-2689 W owbrae Dr -61 p Rte 532 – Harr son P & Way, 1181-1290 Howe Rd -38 p Rte 537 – 1221 Hugh Allan Dr -26 p Rte 538 – Ta bot Dr W owbrae Crt & P 2592-2672 W llowbrae Dr -51 p Rte 542 – Coal Hil Pl Crosshill Dr Dunbar Dr -57 p Rte 543 – 1250 Aberdeen Dr K nross P L nfie d Dr -102 p Rte 544 – 2070-2130 Van Horne

Dr Ho yrood C rc & Pl -23 p

VALLEYVIEW

Rte 602 – Apple Lane Knol wood Cres Parkhi Dr 1783 Va eyview Dr -54 p Rte 603 – Comazzetto Rd Strom Rd 1625-1764 Va leyv ew Dr -42 p Rte 606 – Orchard Dr Russet Wynd 1815-1899 Va leyv ew Dr -39 p Rte 607 – Card na Dr 19092003 Va leyv ew Dr -33 p Rte 608 – Curlew P & Rd 19251980 G enwood Dr -70 p Rte 614 – 2504-2667 Sunset Dr 2459-2669 E Trans Canada Hwy -49 p Rte 615 – R ver Rd Sunset Crt 2415-2487 Sunset Dr –43 p Rte 617 – 2401-2515 Va eyview Dr Valleyv ew P -51 p Rte 618 – B g N cke P Chapman Pl Marsh Rd Pau Rd Peter Rd 2440-2605 Thompson Dr -58 p Rte 620 – MacAdam Rd McKay P Pyper Way 2516-2580 Valleyv ew Dr -63 p Rte 621 – Duck Rd Ske y Rd 96 Tanager Dr 2606-2876 Thompson Dr -46 p

JUNIPER

Rte 650 – 1520-1620 Ab tib Ave Om neca Dr –62 p Rte 651 – 1470 Ab tib Ave 1400-1470 F nlay Ave 2210-2295 Nechako Dr -55 p Rte 655 – 1685 F nlay Ave 2202-2385 Skeena Dr 2416-2458 Skeena Dr (Even S de -34 p

Rte 663 – Kech ka Crt & St 2050 Qu appe le B vd Stikine P & St -52 p Rte 664 – Kick ng Horse Dr & Way -30 p Rte 669 – Emera d Dr -55 p Rte 670 – Galore Cres, Crt & Pl – 94 p Rte 671 – 1830-1997 Qu Appe e B vd Myra P -68 p

BARNHARTVALE

Rte 701 – Freda Ave, Klahan e Dr Morr s Pl She y Dr 901-935 Todd Rd -87 p Rte 706 – 1078-1298 Lamar Dr Mo-Lin Pl -29 p Rte 718 – Be a r Dr -22 p Rte 721 – 5530-5697 C earv ew Dr Coo r dge P W dwood Dr -38 p

DALLAS

Rte 750 – 5101-5299 Da as Dr Odd S de Mary P N na P Rachel P -31 p Rte 751 – 5310 Barnhartva e Rd Bogetti Pl 5300-5599 Da las Dr 5485-5497 ETC Hwy V king Dr Wade P -64 p Rte 752 – Coster P 5600-5998

Da as Dr Harper P & Rd -69 p Rte 755 – 6159-6596 Da as Dr McAuley P Me rose P Yarrow Pl -71 p Rte 759 – Bever y P 6724-7250

Furrer Rd McIver Pl Pat Rd –42 p Rte 760 – Beaver Cres Chukar Dr -62 p

NORTH SHORE/BATCHELOR

Rte 102 – 1071 10th St 1084-1086 12th St 813-1166 Lethbr dge Ave –42 p Rte 103 – 1167-1201 8th St 1179-1229 10th St 1182-1185 11th St 1188-1294 12th St 823-1166 Sudbury Ave –69 p Rte 107 – 1177 8th St 1109-1139 10th St 1110-1140 11th St 1138 12th St 809-1175 Pembroke Ave -84 p Rte 108 – 1010 11th St 831-1017 12th St 821-1161 Se k rk Ave -68 p Rte 137 – 106-229 231-330 C apperton Rd 203-266 268-285 Leigh Rd 172-180 Wilson St -23 p Rte 140 – 217 Beach Ave Fa rv ew Ave Larch Ave 237-247 Schubert Dr -43 p Rte 170 – A v ew Cres 16801770 Westsyde Rd -50 p Rte 173 – 1655 Batche or Dr Leighton P 1708-1729 North River Dr Pennask Terr -36 p Rte 175 – Norfo k Crt Norv ew P

821-991 Norv ew Rd -36 p Rte 180 – 807-1104 Qua Dr Qua s Roost Crt & Dr -79 p Rte 185 – Bearcroft Crt 10031099 Norv ew Rd – 44 p

WESTSYDE/ WESTMOUNT

Rte 206 – D ckenson Rd Wa kem Rd 1835-1995 Westsyde Rd Odd S de Yates Rd -51 p Rte 207 – 820-895 Anderson Terr 1920-1990 Westsyde Rd (Even S de -24 p

Rte 221 – 3013-3072 Bank Rd Bermer P 710-790 B ssette Rd 3007-3045 Westsyde Rd (Odd Side) -60 p

Rte 234 – Orcrest Dr Sage Dr -35 p

Rte 235 – 3440-3808 Westsyde Rd -71 p

Rte 249 – 3085-3132 Bank Rd, 600-655 B ssette Rd Cooper P Hayward P Norbury Rd – 57 p

Rte 253 – Irving P 2401-2477

Parkv ew Dr Rhonmore Cres 2380+2416 Westsyde Rd -45 p Rte 254 – E ston Dr 2410 Oak H lls B vd -23 p Rte 255 – 2478-2681 Parkv ew Dr – 28 p

BROCKLEHURST

Rte 1 – Argyle Ave Ayr P 10631199 Crest ne St 1008-1080 Moray St Perth P -93 p

Rte 2 – 2605-2795 Joyce Ave -52 p Rte 4 – 727-795 Crest ne St 2412-2680 Tranqu lle Rd -40 p Rte 5 – Young P -44 p Rte 6 – 2450-2599 Briarwood Ave 2592 Crest ne St 2431-2585 Edgemount Ave Pau sen P 2406-2598 Rosewood Ave 1101-1199 Schre ner St –79 p Rte 19 – Downie P & St Moody Ave & Pl 2307-2391 Tranquil e Rd -50 p Rte 20 – Barbara Ave, Pa a Mesa Pl Strauss St Townsend P 21052288 Tranqu lle Rd -49 p Rte 24 – Da e Pl L sa Pl 806-999 W ndbreak St –50 p Rte 27 – Bent ey Pl Kamwood P 1866-1944 Parkcrest Ave -59 p Rte 30 – 1810-1897 F eetwood Ave 995-1085 Southi St -30 p Rte 31 – Desmond P 10081028 Desmond St Ing ewood Dr Newton St Oxford St -54 p Rte 33 – 2115-2280 F eetwood Ave Ponderosa Ave 1002-1090 W ndbreak St -71 p Rte 38 – 1725-1797 Greenfie d Ave Newton Crt 907-990 Stardust St -35 p Rte 41 – Alex s Ave 520-796 S ngh St Slater Ave -59 p Rte 42 – 1718-1755 Brunner Ave De nor Cres 608-790 Ho t St -46 p Rte 49 – Centennia Dr 1005-1080 Ho t St 1661-1699 Parkcrest Ave –31 p Rte 59 – O lek St 1454 Tranqu e Rd –60 p Rte 61 – Popp St Stratford P 1371-1413 Tranqu lle Rd Waterloo P Woodstock Pl -38 p Rte 64 – Va hal a Dr -93 p Rte 105 – 1525 Ord Rd -49 p

RAYLEIGH Rte 830 – Chetwynd Dr Stevens Dr -55 p Rte 832 – Bo ean Dr & P Ch co Ave Kathleen P -57 p Rte 833 – Cameron Rd Dav e Rd -44 p Rte 835 – Mattoch-McKeague Rd Sabiston Crt & Rd –28 p Rte 836 – 136-199 Cah ty Cres Hyas P 4551-4648 Spurraway Rd -35 p Rte 838 – 4556-4797 Cammeray Dr Strawberry Lane -62 p Rte 840 – Br gade Rd 44044493 Cammeray Dr Montego Rd 309-474 Puett Ranch Rd -49 p Rte 841 – Furiak Rd M chael Way 100-287 Puett Ranch Rd -43 p

James Sydney Boydell

Jim passed away peacefully December 31, 2022 at Ridgeview Lodge in Kamloops, British Columbia.

He is survived by wife, Joyce (née Hume) and children Shirley, John (Dorothea) and Ned (Linda). He is also survived by 8 grandchildren and 21 great-grandchildren. He is predeceased by parents, Jack and Ellen, sister Joan, brother Michael, infant son Alfred and son-in-law Richard.

Jim was born in Kamloops on November 23, 1931. He married Joyce on April 19, 1954. He started working for Trans Mountain Oil Pipeline in 1953 and retired from the company in 1986.

Jim enjoyed hunting and fishing most of his life. He kept busy during his retirement years with projects such as making recipe boxes and side tables from repurposed wood, and making boat loaders, wrought iron railings and utility trailers.

The family would like to thank Dr Chahal, Dr Wynne and the staff at Ridgeview Lodge for his care. Special thanks to Al Collins for the many lunch trips which always brightened his day

Jim requested there be no funeral service. There will be a celebration of life at a later date.

No flowers please. Donations to the Parkinson Society of British Columbia in Jim’s memory would be appreciated.

Penny Gabriel

It is with deep sadness that I, Dennis Paget, announce the passing of my wife Penny Gabriel on December 21, 2022. Penny was born in Rosetown, Saskatchewan in September 1943.

She was a Registered (Head) Nurse, did some social work and eventually worked in real estate. Her nursing career started in St. Boniface then she moved, following her husband's career as a meteorologist, on to Watson Lake, Whitehorse, Fort Nelson, Burnaby and eventually North Vancouver

She leaves behind two sons Brad and Cameron, her sister Alicia as well as her ex husband Gerald.

There will be no service.

With loss I am reminded of a poem by Leonard Cohen directed to Anne:

With Penny gone whose eyes to compare with the morning sun not that I did compare but I do compare now that she is gone.

Louise Ann Overli

On January 4th, 2023 we had to say goodbye to the matriarch of our family, our Dear Mother Louise Ann Overli. Louise was eighty-six years old and was born in Saskatchewan on September 1, 1936. The family moved to Kamloops from Regina in 1966.

Our Mother had a love of nature and the outdoors. She had a lifetime full of camping, hiking and wiener roasts which were shared with her kids and grandkids. Volunteering was very important to Mom and she remained active until health issues interfered. Louise practiced daily gratitude which helped her during life’s challenges. Louise’s many friends valued her kind acceptance and gracious hospitality How Mom lived, exemplified her faith.

Louise will be lovingly remembered by her son Michael Overli, her daughter Kathryn Overli - granddaughter Ruby Overli (Cody), her daughter Judi Corno (Carlo)grandchildren Anisha Corno (Josh), Daniela Corno (Dan), and Nicola Corno (Grace). Mom adored her great grandsons Maksimus and Dominik (Anisha). Her loving sister Dody Blackburn is left to cherish her memory as well as numerous nieces and nephews.

Louise is predeceased by her parents and her sister Dorothy Schlosser

Prayers will be held at St. John Vianney @ 2826 Bank Road on Friday, January 13th, 2023 @ 7:00 pm. A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, January 14th, 2023 @ 10:30 am

Should friends desire, donations may be made to Marjorie Willoughby Hospice, where Louise passed on and was a

Carmen Soraya Schmitz

1940 - 2023

Carmen passed away peacefully on January 5, 2023 after a period of declining health that was further complicated by a bout with Influenza. She was predeceased by her husband Heribert Schmitz in 1989, and is lovingly remembered by her son Patrick (Philippa).

Carmen was born in Colombia, South America, in the capital of Bogota which is located in the Andes, to her parents Carmen Elisa and Jose Eduoro. Early in adulthood, Carmen realized her dream to further her career, and moved to the bright lights of New York City working as an administrative assistant and in bookkeeping. It is there, where her future husband came to meet her, and sweep her away to Canada. They lived first in Savona, before moving to Kamloops where their son was born. She even enjoyed country life for 10 years in Deadman's Valley before moving back to Kamloops in the mid 80's.

Carmen was an agreeable lady, she enjoyed playing cards with the gals, socializing, and participating in various social groups, as well as functions at the Sacred Heart Catholic church.

Special thanks to the dedicated nurses and care workers of Overlander Long Term Care who do yeoman's work ensuring that the residents have the best care. They always knew how to get a giggle out of Carmen.

Prayers will be recited on Monday, January 16, 2023 at 5:00 pm in Sacred Heart Cathedral. The Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Tuesday, January 17, 2023 at 11:00 am in the Cathedral, followed by interment at Hillside Cemetery

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Alzheimer's

DO NOT GO GENTLE INTO THAT GOOD NIGHT

Condolences may be expressed at: www.schoeningfuneralservice.com

Do not go gentle into that good night, Old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right, Because their words had forked no lightening they Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay, Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight, And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way, Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay, Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height, Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray. Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

by Dylan Thomas

Norma Jones

June 2, 1943 - January 3, 2023

It is with great sadness that we announce the sudden passing of Norma Marilyn Jones.

She is survived by her son Guy Jones, daughter Kelli Jones, four grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.

Norma had a wonderful circle of friends that were always there for her as well as many long time friends. She had a great sense of humour and quick to offer a cup of coffee and socializing.

She will be greatly missed. She leaves us with her famous quote “If you can’t hold it in your hands then let it go.”

Condolences may be expressed to the family from www.myalternatives.ca

Thomas Olsson

June 28, 1940 - December 27, 2022

It is with heavy hearts we announce the peaceful passing of our beloved Tom on December 27, 2022 with his loving family by his side.

He leaves behind his wife Lorna of 61 years, his sons, Jason (Enriqueta) Olsson, step grandsons Ernie and Everest of Antioch, California. Michael (Robin Jacobson) Olsson, granddaughter Brooklyn, step grandsons Jaxxson and Josh of Delta, BC and granddaughter Sophia. Craig (Liz Wolfer) Olsson of Nakusp, BC. Also cherishing his memory are his brother Rick (Karn) Olsson of Thailand, his sister Lennie Blas of White Rock, BC and his sister Teresa, his sisters-in-law Chris Martin of Vernon and Coni McArdle of Rancho Santa Fe, California as well as several nieces and nephews.

Tom was predeceased by his parents Bert and Florence, his brothers-in-law Wally Warsimage, Art McArdle and George Blas, his sister-in-law Betty Warsimage.

Tom was such a unique man with so many admirable qualities that only those close to him, if they were patient, were privileged to be a part of. He was humble, with a quiet sense of humour and a gentleman to his core. He was a caring, nonjudgmental husband, father, uncle and brother always putting others first. He leaves a deep void in our lives but we take much comfort knowing he touched many of us in a positive way that will be with us forever

Tom was born in Port Arthur, Ontario and then moved to Fort Francis, Ontario. In his late teens, he moved to Melville, Saskatchewan when his father was transferred. They later moved to Kamloops, BC. Tom came for Christmas visit and decided this is where he would like to relocate returning a year later to stay

He met Lorna shortly after arriving and married a year later They resided in several parts of Kamloops, their last place of residence was in Sun Rivers where they met and made many friends.

Tom hired on with the CNR as a Switchman in 1959 to the early 70’s. Went to Gimli, Manitoba to train as an engineer and held this position until retiring at 57. He had been retired for a few years when he got his dream job with Rocky Mountain Railtours. He was working from April to October and was able to travel during the winter months.

Tom loved travelling, visiting and being with his family and friends. He loved good food good times and was always the last one to go home! Tom enjoyed golfing and had many golfing buddies over the years. He also enjoyed curling with the CNR and Hydro leagues making many good friends along the way

Thank you to Tom’s caregivers for looking after him during this last year There will be a family gathering at a later date.

Condolences may be made to: www.schoeningfuneralservice.com

Nels Vollo

June 16, 1930 - January 3, 2023

Nels (aka Hagar the Horrible) was born in Admiral, Saskatchewan of Norwegian Parents. He grew up on a farm and attended a one room school at Prairie Lan, Saskatchewan, high schools in Admiral, Shaunovan, and Outlook, and graduated in Regina. He went on to the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon where he met his future wife Anne at the boarding house where they both lived. They were married in 1951and moved, after Nels finished his geology degree, to Snow Lake, Manitoba where they lived for the next five years and had two sons Ron and Richard. The family followed Nels as his career took him to mining areas in Quebec and Saskatchewan as well as Montreal where he obtained his masters in geology from McGill.

In 1966 the family moved to Kamloops where Nels has lived ever since. His career focus changed from mine geology to exploration. He investigated prospective properties in the USA and South America but primarily worked in BC. He laid out the aerial surveying plan which eventually became the Rabbit Lake Uranium Mine in northern Saskatchewan.

Some of his many interests over the years included sailing, skiing, curling, golf and gardening. He grew beautiful flowers and had a vegetable patch where weeds didn’t stand a chance. Every day started with the careful perusal of the Globe and Mail. His ability to repair and refurbish resulted in a home largely unchanged from when the family moved in in 1966. He made his own pickled pigs feet and was on batch 452 when he retired his home brewing equipment. He saved a fortune on the dish soap he refused to use.

Nels is a founding member of the aptly named Kamloops Exploration Group (KEG) which is an association of mineral oriented people in BC. He donated generously to the geology program at Thompson Rivers University and was recently awarded a membership in its Presidents circle. The local federal liberal riding association and the sons of Norway were groups he belonged to and supported.

Nels was the proud patriarch of and leaves behind sons Ron (Kim) and Richard, grandsons Owen, Ted (Lauren), Gordon (Nadia), and Nathan (Tammy), and granddaughters Natasha (Jesse) and Shelby (Jordon). He has 6 greatgrandchildren. He also leaves behind longtime friend and companion Jean McGauchie with whom he shared a love of bridge and the Vancouver Canucks.

He was predeceased by his parents Ingvald and Ingeborg and his brother Fred. His

Fly Me

He understands every mode of force He knows what’s true of the elements

He is subtle but genuine at lift off and landing

He is an airplane ride blowing through the clouds He is an airplane window that reveals a whole dimension He is a propeller to delve farther deep into the universe like fractals

He is an airplane grounded in the sky mighty with fuel He is an airplane engine efficient, sustaining and swift He is a wing of a plane that stabilizes my lift

He has an open storage to keep the baggage balanced on flight He has a trap door that releases the body of pain He has a water tank to keep the peace

Here is a safe place to crash

A ride in the sky at night reveals a bright shiny movement You, my plane, are visible to the naked eye in each spectrum

by Kathy Ruth Manongdo Written on Father’s Day 2010

Am I your passenger?

Am I your wingman?

Am I your baggage?

Am I your well oiled engine?

Fly Me

He understands every mode of force He knows what’s true of the elements

He is subtle but genuine at lift off and landing

He is an airplane ride blowing through the clouds

He is an airplane window that reveals a whole dimension

He is a propeller to delve farther deep into the universe like fractals

He is an airplane grounded in the sky mighty with fuel

He is an airplane engine efficient, sustaining and swift He is a wing of a plane that stabilizes my lift

He has an open storage to keep the baggage balanced on flight He has a trap door that releases the body of pain He has a water tank to keep the peace

Psalms 91:4 says, “He shall cover you with His feathers, And under his wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler”

Fly Me

by Kathy Ruth Manongdo Written on Father’s Day 2010

Am I your

Am I your

I am all that you shape me to be You have a windshield view exposing the picture beyond Only you fit the pilot’s seat As your hands and feet heart and eyes are trained to work the plane

You know every part and how to fix it

You are navigating by the spirit You belong to a solid tender heart and so accepted as firm to soar You’re worth the shiniest mint coins and bills in circulation and so loved Your competence as an airplane secures my place

I am all that You have exposing You know You are navigating You belong and so accepted You’re worth coins and Your competence

Psalms 91:4 says, “He shall cover you with His feathers,

“Rest in Peace Tom, we love you”

by Kathy Written on

Elizabeth (Betty) Mary Abbott (née McGlashan) May 31, 1930 - January 5, 2023

Betty passed away peacefully on January 5th, 2023 in Kamloops, BC at the age of 92 with her daughter at her side.

Betty was born and grew up in Vancouver, BC. She graduated from BC Provincial Normal School in 1949 and began her teaching career in Cawston, BC. After teaching in Cawston and then Richmond, she headed north to Whitehorse. She became very active with the church there and met Bob while attending the Young People’s group. They were married on April 3rd, 1956.

Betty and Bob settled in Savona, BC as the teachers of the two-room school. Betty always made it known that when she took a leave from teaching to raise her children, they had to hire two teachers to replace her! In 1960 they moved into Kamloops. A few years later, Betty accepted a position at a private Kindergarten in the Valleyview Community Hall.

In 1966, Betty and Bob moved to Powell River, BC. They returned to Savona each summer to enjoy time at the cabin they had built on Kamloops Lake. In Powell River, Betty taught Kindergarten until the birth of two more children. When she later returned to teaching, she taught preschool for special needs children for the Artaban Society and then started the first special needs class within the public school system in Powell River She returned to teaching Kindergarten for the last 7 years of her career After retiring in 1989, Betty and Bob travelled the world before moving back to Kamloops in 2012.

Betty was very active with the churches in both Powell River and Kamloops. She was also active with Girl Guides and Beta Sigma Phi. She was very devoted to her faith, her family, and her friends.

Betty is predeceased by her husband Bob, her parents, Mary and Lyall McGlashan, and her brother Ian. She is survived by her children, Heather Awmack (Ken), Rob Abbott, Ernie Abbott (Tracey), Tricia Huffman (Kara-Lynn), and grandchildren David (Krystle), Jae, Emily, Amanda (Najib), Tobin, Eric, Kylie, Grace and Jaden, and great-grandchildren Blake and Emersyn.

A Memorial service will be held at 11:00 AM on Saturday, January 14, 2023 in St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, 1136 - 6th Ave., Kamloops, BC. The service will also be live streamed at www.standrewskamloops.com/live

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Betty’s memory to The BC Cancer Society or St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Kamloops.

Condolences may be expressed at: www.schoeningfuneralservice.com

Keith Douglas Adams

July 12, 1942 - December 22, 2022

Keith passed away peacefully on December 22, 2022 at Marjorie Willoughby Snowden Hospice.

Keith is survived by his wife Colleen, son Richard and children, daughter Catherine Schmidt and her son Paul and family, his sister Barb Goard, and his wonderful nieces and nephews.

He was predeceased by his parents Isadore and Wylda Adams, sister Sheila and husband Louie Loam, brother Philip Adams, grandson Andrew Schmidt.

Keith's passion was music. He played guitar and sang old time country music and Blue Grass in most of the Senior Homes, especially Overland Hospital.

He was a member of The Kamloops Old Time Fiddlers for many years.

Our heartfelt thank you to the staff at the RIH Kidney Clinic and Marjorie Willoughby Snowden Hospice.

There will be no formal ceremony by Keith's request.

Basil (Bam) Booth

1930 - 2022

Basil (Bam) Booth of Kamloops, BC passed away on December 29, 2022, at 92 years of age.

He is survived by his children Sheila (Doug) Penner of Kamloops, Mike (Beth) Booth of Kamloops, and Valerie (Thomas) Morgan of Vavenby, grandchildren Shane (Jessi) Minnabarriet, Samantha Minnabarriet, Brittany Pollard (Stephen O’Grady, Shandi (Troy) Bremner, Braiden Rempel, Leanna Penner (Travis Wilson) and Michael (Cheri) Penner, Great Grandchildren Shawn & Jacob Minnabarriet, Daxson & Sadie Klimach, Finnley, Liam & Emmett Pollard O’ Grady, Wyatt & Kase Bremner, Heidi Wilson and Rylen Penner

Basil is predeceased by his wife Hilda Booth in 2006 and son Philip Brent Booth passed away in February of 2021.

Basil was born in Macclesfield, Cheshire, England in 1930. He was a member of the 36th Regiment, Royal Artillery, Bombardier, British Army, and was stationed in Malta. He moved to Cache Creek with his wife and daughter in 1957, where he had 3 more children. He worked on the Bonaparte Ranch, and the BA Gas Station in Cache Creek for many years. He also worked as a heavy-duty mechanic for Arrow Transport in Ashcroft, Kamloops, and Quesnel. He then lived in Abbotsford and Ferndale, Washington (he was affectionately known by a few of his grand children as Grandpa Washington) then for a few years he moved to Yuma, Arizona where he worked as a sheriff for the Arizona County Attorneys and Sheriff’s Association in 2004.

He then moved to Puerto Rico for a while, then returned to Canada to live with his daughter Val for a few years. He then lived with his son Mike and Beth, where he enjoyed working in the garden, reading the newspaper and writing many letters to friends and to many newspapers regarding causes that concerned him.

Thank you to Dr Wynn who took care of Dad. Your professionalism was appreciated. Dad also had his favorite caregivers at Ridgeview Lodge, and we know he appreciated them.

Dad you are missed…R.I.P.

There will be no service at Basil’s request.

Condolences may be expressed to the family from www.myalternatives.ca

The Little Unicorn

by Peggy Kociscin, Albuquerque, New Mexico

There lived a little unicorn (From when the earth was new), His coat so white it glistened, His eyes a sparkling blue.

In innocence and beauty, He danced through woods and streams. The animals danced with him, His heart aglow with dreams.

He laughed and played with rainbows, So happy all day through, He loved to kiss the flowers

As their petals shone with dew.

He wandered through the meadows In the moon’s soft, silver light. He loved to gaze at all the stars That lightened up the night. He listened to the music

Of the birds that graced the trees.

He frolicked with the butterflies And raced the gentle breeze.

But, as he grew and learned of life, The sparkle in his eye Grew misty as he realized Just what it means to cry.

He learned that there are shadows In spite of shining sun.

The more he grew, he found that life Was never always fun.

For now he’d learn of feelings That come from deep within; No longer in the “dream world” Where (for so long) he’d been.

His gentle heart desired But to know the pleasure of To give and to receive The very precious gift of love.

To love meant to be happy, And yet it also brought him pain; For those he loved could hurt him Again.. and yet again.

His mother held him lovingly And tried to ease his fears About the sadness life could bring... The lonely, bitter tears.

She said, “Life is like a mountain, (And surely this is true) That we must climb as best we can.

There’s no ‘around or ‘through.’”

The unicorn tried tirelessly, And gave the climb his best; But he felt it was not good enough, He felt he’d failed the test.

He could not understand it When he felt himself rejected –When all his gentle being asked Was but to be accepted.

All this was just too much for him, He knew not what to do. That he was special as himself, Somehow, he never knew.

His spirit crushed, he felt defeated, And lonely tears would start. Not understanding how to love, It simply broke his heart.

But now he’s in a loving place Where all his pain has ceased, Where all accepted him and his love, Where all he knows is peace.

A loving Being tells him, “You’re delightful as you are.”

His spirit free, his brilliance now Outshines the brightest star!

Miyeko "Mike" Kobayashi

1936 - 2022

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Miyeko “Mike” Kobayashi on Saturday, December 31st, 2022, at Overlander Extended Care Hospital.

Mike is predeceased by her parents Ishisaburo and Shizue Kobayashi, brother Shigeo and sisters Pamela and Sumiko. Mike is survived by Toshiko (Irene) Maeda, Kazuko Kobayashi, Mutsuko (Bill) Barclay, Koji Kobayashi, Hiro (Dona) Kobayashi, Yoko McMillan, Satoko Kobayashi, Ines (Doug) Thornton, Eileen Gill, Ken Kobayashi, Jo-Anne Kobayashi (Don). She is also survived by 20 nieces and nephews and 25 great nieces and nephews.

Mike was born on April 10th, 1936 in Vancouver The family was interned to Blind Bay in the summer of 1942 and eventually moved to Singh Street in Brocklehurst in 1943 until the family home was built in 1948 on Desmond Street. Mike resided at this address until she moved to Overlander Extended Care in late August 2022.

Mike and her siblings walked to Brocklehurst Elementary School (a 2 room school without indoor plumbing) on Crestline Street. After elementary school, she studied business courses at Kamloops High School. Upon graduation, her first and only job was at the Royal Bank at branches Downtown and on the North Shore Mike was trained in various departments within the Royal Bank and because of her experience she was asked to train employees from Vancouver Throughout her career, Mike was able to substitute in any position within the branch. During her 41 years working in the Royal Bank, she enjoyed socializing with several employees.

Mike enjoyed playing the piano, sewing, baking and weeding the vegetable garden. She also enjoyed the family celebrations over the years.

Our heartfelt thanks to her Nurse Practitioner, Natalie, the staff at Overlander Extended Care Hospital and her long time hairdresser, the late, Marie Brooks.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Parkinson Society of British Columbia or a charity of your choice.

A private service will take place at a later date.

Condolences may be sent to the family from www.kamloopsfuneralhome.com 250-554-2577

Marie MacAulay

It is with heavy hearts and great sadness that we announce the sudden and unexpected passing of Marie MacAulay (Payette, Limpright) a very kind and supportive woman who will be deeply missed by all who knew her

Marie was a devoted and loving wife, mother and grandmother who always put the needs of others before her own. She was a constant source of love and support to her family and friends, always there to lend an ear or offer a helping hand.

Marie will be remembered for her kind and caring nature, her free spirt and unwavering dedication to her loved ones. She will be forever missed.

Lovingly remembered by her husband Stephen “Sam” MacAulay, her children Jason (Felicia) Limpright and Jeff (Shannon) Limpright and her grandchildren Tyres, Jacob, Kaiden, Freya, Atticus and Allister As well as her many sibling, cousins, nieces and nephews.

A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, January 14, 2023 at 11:00 a.m. in the Schoening Funeral Chapel with a reception to follow

The funeral ceremony will be available Live Streamed on Saturday, January 14, 2023 starting at 10:50 a.m.at: https://funeraweb.tv/en/diffusions/66993 with the Password: 341801005170

In lieu of flowers, the family ask that donations be made in Marie’s memory to the Kamloops SPCA.

Rest in peace, Marie. You will be greatly missed!

Condolences may be expressed at: www.schoeningfuneralservice.com

James Robert Walch

On Sunday, December 18th, 2022 at 1:42 am, James Robert Walch passed away peacefully Jim was born July 21, 1934 in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan to Samuel and Vera Walch, and was a hard working man who instilled a strong work ethic in his boys and a loyalty to his wife, family and friends beyond measure. He is predeceased by his parents, brother Jack (Jo), in-laws Frances and Dick Blacklock, daughter-in-law Debbie, along with many friends he dearly admired and loved.

Leaving to miss him are the love of his life and wife of 63 years, Donna; his four sons who he was so proud of, Dale (Barb), Wayne (Sheryl), Brett (Deb) and Lee (Caroline); seven grandchildren who idolized their grandpa, Craig, Curtis (Rebecca), Morgan (Shalyn), Danielle (Ryan), Colton (Alexis), Kim (Jarred), and Jake; and twelve greatgrandchildren, Zayden, Attaia, Elijah, Everest, Amiah, Bentley, Oliver, Kaizer, Trey, Kalla, Denver and Tilden, who shone brightly in his eyes. Also, niece Sharon Walch.

Jim was known for his many years of volunteering in his community and will be missed by many

A memorial service will be held on January 28th, 2023 at 1:00pm at the Clinton Memorial Hall.

In lieu of flowers, donations to the Heart and Stroke Foundation would be greatly appreciated.

Selma Halladay

July 12, 1929 - January 5, 2023

Our dear mother Selma Halladay (Sal) passed away on January 5th, 2023, age 93, at Gemstone Care Centre in Kamloops, BC, with Steve and Gay by her side.

She was born to Benny and Kristi Simonson.

She is survived by sisters Ruth and Nansy

Mom and Roy Halladay had 3 children: Steve (Gay), Ed (Sheila), Dianne (Jess), grandson Bret Ferguson (Cat), and a great granddaughter Giselle.

Mom also enjoyed a second family with John Armstrong for 30 years.

Mom loved spending time in the kitchen creating delicious meals for her family She had a talent for interior decorating and took a lot of pride and joy in gardening. She had a great sense of humour and always enjoyed a good joke. She dressed smartly and had a skip in her walk. She was always loving and caring with everyone she met and was deeply loved by her family & friends.

A special thank you to all the staff at Gemstone Care Centre for all of their loving care.

A. I’m guessing about a dozen people have a sked me about this over the years. Interest stir red up by the media on a slow news day perhaps. T he answer is yes but it will cost you a for t une.

Claire Dion Foisy Boyer

It is with heavy hearts that we say “see you later” to a beloved mother, grandmother, sister, and friend. Claire passed away peacefully, surrounded by family, on December 30th, 2022 after a brief battle with cancer

Born into a family of 14 brothers and sisters on a small farm in northern Québec, Claire’s childhood was busy and there was always work to be done.

Together with her first husband Maurice Levesque, Claire moved out west to make a life in British Columbia. They settled in Terrace for a time where they had their daughter Tammy They had great times with family and friends in Terrace but work called and they decided to move to 100 Mile House where Claire made many wonderful memories.

Claire eventually moved to Barriere, where she married Ray Foisy Her life with Ray was wonderful and they shared many happy memories and adventures together until Ray’s passing in 2001.

Claire’s heartbreak was dampened when she met widower, Maurice Boyer The two enjoyed each other ’s company and shared similar interests. They quickly became good friends and married.

Claire enjoyed learning new skills and had many different hobbies including quilting, ceramics, knitting, crocheting, and painting. She also liked to play a variety of games such as; cards, bingo, and puzzles, even learning a new card game in the last couple months. Her smile was infectious and she was always ready for adventure and fun. Her health challenges didn’t stop her from travelling and she enjoyed seeing new sights and travelling to Québec to visit family

Claire leaves her family and friends with many cherished memories. She adored her grandchildren and great-grandchildren and was very proud of them. Her most important role in life was that of a grandmother and she was an amazing and loving grandma.

She was predeceased by her stepson Allen Foisy and 7 of her brothers and sisters. She leaves behind and is greatly missed by her family; Tammy Levesque-Holyk (William), Pauline Ekren (Darcy), and Ken Foisy Grandchildren; Aaron, Alana (Dave), Ashley and Megan and great-granddaughters Navy and Saylor She was so thankful and blessed to meet the littlest girls this September She also leaves behind 7 brothers and sisters and numerous extended Dion family members. She shared special times and memories with the extended Foisy family, time with Marie and Rick Foisy and their family was cherished. She enjoyed her friends at Mayfair Thanks to Jean and Dan for checking in with Claire and the family during this difficult time.

Also mourning her loss is her friend Les Major, her faithful canine companion Daisy, and her many family and friends.

The family would like to thank the doctors, nurses and health care professionals who helped care for Claire. A special “thank you” to the caring staff at 6 North and to Marilyn and Charlotte.

No service by request but in lieu of flowers you may choose to donate to your favourite charity or by doing a simple random act of kindness. Claire will be deeply missed by all who loved her. Her spirit shines brightly

Condolences may be sent to the family at DrakeCremation.com 250-377-8225.

Joseph (Joe) Wallis

It is with profound sadness that the family of Joe Wallis announce his passing on Friday, December 30th, 2022 after a long and hard fought battle with cancer at the age of 64.

Joe will be lovingly remembered by his wife of 42 years, Cindy, and his beloved dog Charlie; children Joanna, AJ (Carina), Mike (Katie), Stephanie and stepdaughter Jennifer; grandchildren Alexis, Ireland, Dylan, Jack, Olivia, Abbi, Lena, Logan, Liam and grandpuppy Hunter; his mother Jean and sisters Colleen and Lesley (Mike); Aunt G and niece Kelly and numerous extended family and friends. Joe was predeceased by his father Arnie.

Joe was born and raised in North Vancouver This is where he created friendships with the "zoo crew" that still held strong until his passing. It was through these friends that he would meet the love of his life and best friend, Cindy Joe started out his career as a heavy-duty mechanic in the Yukon, returning to North Vancouver and working for Smithrite Disposal. Joe and Cindy then moved their family to Pinantan Lake, where Joe enjoyed rebuilding trucks and tinkering away in his custom built garage, 4x4ing on back roads, family camping trips to Shuswap Lake, and watching his kids grow up. After 16 years in Pinantan Lake, Joe and Cindy made the move to Kamloops. Joe worked several years at Kamloops Mack, after which he went on to establish himself as a successful entrepreneur and industry partner when he opened his own business with his wife Cindy: J&C Wallis Truck Services. Through his work he was not only able to share and bond with both his sons, but he was able to create friendships that went beyond just work. His business will continue to be run and operated by his family to live out his legacy

Friday night beers at the shop with Ken, camping in Osoyoos with the old crew from North Vancouver, and trips to Home Depot with Cindy and Charlie were just a few of the things that Joe loved.

We would like to thank the Marjorie Willoughby Snowden Memorial Hospice Home for the care Joe received. We kindly ask that in lieu of flowers, a donation be made in his name.

A celebration of life will be held in the Spring of 2023.

Constance (Connie) Margaret Scanks

Sunrise: January 14, 1940 - Sunset: January 5, 2023

Connie was born to a family of 8 children in Scotchfort, PEI. Connie passed away peacefully surrounded by family in Kamloops, BC at the age of 82 years.

Predeceased by her son Nigel Scanks and her siblings Stirling Egan, David Egan, Fred Egan, Joe Egan, and Maureen Benko (née Egan).

Survived by her husband John Scanks, her brother Allan Egan and sister Bernie Hagley (née Egan), her grandson Kyle Adam Tournachon-Scanks and numerous nieces, nephews and extended family and friends.

As a young lady Connie came to BC from PEI to teach school in Quilchena, BC from there she worked in education on several reserves and went on to teach for over 3 decades at St. Ann’s Academy in Kamloops, BC.

A couple of years after moving to BC she met her husband John and they were married June 27, 1969. Her home has always had an open-door policy since they moved there. So many lives have been touched by Connie because of her incredible heart and passion to make life better for all that were lucky enough to meet her Connie was a Founder of the Kamloops Sexual Assault Center and volunteered with many organizations that aimed to help assault victims, children, and families Among many other awards, Connie was a recipient of a Canada Volunteer Award by the federal and provincial governments in a ceremony in Ottawa in 1985.

In summer 2023 a simple Celebration of Life will be held. Family will release details when appropriate.

In lieu of flowers please donate to Kamloops Hospice Association.

Paul Gomes Da Silva

It is with profound sorrow that we announce the sudden passing of Paul Gomes Da Silva on December 28, 2022 at the age of 50 years.

Paul was born in France and at approximately the age of 2 the family moved to Prince Rupert, BC from Portugal. Paul went to both elementary and secondary school there, graduated and later worked for several years at the pulp and paper mill until it closed.

When the mill closed Paul moved to Calgary to pursue and complete the HVAC trade at the Southern Alberta School of Technology He began his career with Loblaws in Calgary and later transferred with that company to Kamloops with his wife Suzanne in 2007. Later in 2011 their twins Sam and Sophie were born, and they have been a source of the greatest joy for Paul and Suzanne.

He was a very engaged and loving dad to his children, and as Sam got older, they both shared a love of sports and followed football and hockey together Sophie was the light of his life, and they shared a special father daughter bond. He always loved spending time with the kids and took pride in all their accomplishments and activities, but most of all he was fun for them to be with.

He also was an avid motorcyclist and many summer weekend days or evenings he would enjoy riding. He and a group of friends went almost every year on a ride together for a couple of days to Revelstoke, a trip he always looked forward to.

Paul was not only an incredibly hard-working man, he was also an exceptionally kind, generous and charismatic person. He had a strong dedication to his family and was a wonderful father, husband, son, and brother

His outgoing personality had a positive impact on everyone he met, and he made many wonderful friends and work relationships in his life.

Paul leaves behind his wife Suzanne, children Sam and Sophie as well as his parents Frank and Odete Gomes and his sister Jenny McConaghy and her husband Kraig and daughter Lola, his in laws, Gina and Patrick, Dylan and Jonathan Regush.

This unexpected loss of Paul has left us beyond heartbroken, but we are grateful for the time we had with him, and the many wonderful memories that will sustain us in the years to come. Our hearts will forever be with him.

Goodbye to our cherished Paul, you can rest your hardworking hands now, and may you be at peace.

Thank you to all our family, and family of friends and co-workers who have looked after us in so many generous ways during this very sad time.

A funeral mass will take place for Paul on Saturday at 1:00pm January 14, 2023, at Holy Family Catholic Church located at 2797 Sunset Drive in Kamloops, BC. A reception will follow at the Colombo Lodge located on 814 Lorne St.

In lieu of flowers donations can be made to the Royal Inland Hospital Foundation in Kamloops, BC at www.rihfoundation.ca

Condolences may be sent to the family at DrakeCremation.com

Marilyn Glennis Ann Thomson 1940 - 2022

Marilyn Glennis Ann Thomson passed away on Saturday, December 31, 2022 at the age of 82. Marilyn was born in Brandon, Manitoba on October 31, 1940 to Reginald and Ella Pearen. She completed their little family, joining her big sister Darlene.

Reg owned a road construction company, and that’s how Marilyn met the man who would become her lifelong love, Murray Thomson. She followed him from Manitoba in her beloved VW Bug to the furthest reaches of Pouce Coupe, B.C. in the fall of 1958 and on May 23, 1959, she and Murray were married. They lived there until moving to Dawson Creek in 1961, just after their son Kelly was born. When he came along, Marilyn left her job at the bank and devoted the next decades to being the best mother and wife she could. Marilyn and Murray moved to Kamloops in June of 1968, and by the end of that year their daughter Kari-Lynn had completed their family The couple would stay in Kamloops and raise their family, love their neighbours, be devoted to God and be a loving and positive influence on many Marilyn filled the role of a homemaker brilliantly, and when Murray went into business for himself with Smitty’s Trailer Hauling, she also took on the responsibility of managing that business just as successfully

Marilyn loved Jesus, Murray, her children, and pretty much everyone else she met. She was unfailingly hospitable, always having a cake or other treats ready to go in the freezer just in case someone dropped in. Marilyn loved nothing more than to have people over for coffee, friends gathering in her home for conversation, laughter, and inevitably, prayer When Marilyn prayed for you, you just knew God heard her and would answer her She loved flowers, and believed God often comforted her through a strategically placed bloom. Marilyn had an epic sweet tooth and would never turn down an opportunity for tea and cookies. She had a hard time sitting still, and often would multi-task her way through a movie or TV show with some knitting or other craft in her lap. Marilyn adored her grandchildren and prayed for them fervently. Her family is ever grateful for her love and influence in their lives.

The family would like to give sincere thanks to Dr Wynne and the staff at Gemstone Care Centre for their loving care of mom.

Marilyn is predeceased by her parents, Reg and Ella, and her sister Darlene. She is survived by her husband of 63 years, Murray; her son Kelly Thomson and his wife, Brenda; her daughter Kari-Lynn Kauffman and her husband, Karl; her grandchildren Jared Thomson and his wife, Angelina; Tennille Phipps and her husband, Aaron; Ethan Kauffman; and Parker Kauffman.

Services will be held at the Alliance Church in Kamloops on January 12th, 2023 at 1:00pm. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you consider a donation to the Alzheimer ’s Foundation or The Mustard Seed.

Condolences may be expressed to the family from www.myalternatives.ca

Hannah Hanako Tabata

January 3, 1925 - December 23, 2022

Hannah Tabata passed away peacefully on December 23, 2022 at her home at Kamloops Seniors Village. She was days away from her 98th birthday Hannah was blessed with remarkable health throughout her lifetime.

Mom was a kind and gentle soul; a caring wife, mother and grandmother who always put her family first. She worked closely with her husband Harry on many volunteer initiatives, including the formation of the Kamloops Japanese Canadian Association. Her Christian faith was a constant throughout her life.

Mom was a wizard in the kitchen. She and Dad hosted many fabulous dinner gatherings for friends and family As was typical of her generation, and long before the development of official recycling programs, she diligently reduced, reused, and recycled practically everything. As a working mother for many years, Hannah was employed at Drew Sawmill and later at BMO. While enjoying retirement, she and Dad traveled extensively to Asia, the United States and central Canada.

Mom and Dad were skilled gardeners, producing nutritious food for the table and colourful, fragrant flowers that pleased the senses. Mom also excelled at creating an array of handicrafts, all while enjoying the comradery of friends.

Hannah, along with her three siblings were born in Vancouver to Kanejiro and Nobu Kawai. She and her family were interned to the B.C. interior in 1942. Following their release, the family moved to Montréal. Hannah and Harry were married in 1950 and made Kamloops, B.C. their forever home.

Hannah is survived by her children Joy Voykin and Les (Colleen) Tabata, sister Jenny Onodera and sister-in-law Toshiko Kawai, grandchildren Dean (Jess) Voykin, Spencer Voykin, Nicola Tabata (Logan Scott), and Aiden Tabata. She was very proud of her great-grandchildren Rhys and Quinn Voykin. Hannah’s extended family consists of numerous nieces, nephews and cousins. She is predeceased by her loving husband Harry, son-in-law Stan Voykin, sister Jane Ebata, brother Ted Kawai, brothers-in-law Jim Onodera, Toyo Ebata, Saburo Tabata, Takao Tabata, Takeo Nakano and sisters-in-law Fumiko Nakano and Nobue Tabata.

Hannah moved to Kamloops Seniors Village in 2011. She appreciated the compassionate care provided to her by the dedicated staff. The family also sincerely thanks Dr F Kruger, and the Royal Inland Hospital renal clinic for their kindness and support.

A memorial gathering to honour her long and meaningful life will be held in Kamloops on a date to be determined.

Condolences may be sent to DrakeCremation.com

WAYNE MONTGOMERY

To know and share time with Wayne Alvin Roy Montgomery was to be with a kind, generous and happy man He savoured his days and even more, his wife, children, grandsons and friends. Wayne died suddenly, and tragically, near Chase, B.C. on January 3, 2023

Wayne and Trudy Nicol married in 1966 and have had decades of embracing life as they raised their children and delighted in each grandson's arrival, and in each other's companionship as they travelled to distant places, boated and camped. And when they looked at each other in their elder years, their family and friends knew Wayne still saw the pretty, vivacious 15-yr-old he'd first met and Trudy saw her amiable handsome 19-yr-old old drummer

Hockey was Wayne's sports love, and from 1977 to 2012, he lived and breathed Old Timer hockey, first with the Port Coquitlam's Coachmen and the Chuggers, then in Kamloops with several league teams plus what he called the 'most fun Friday Noon Goons.' He was a fervent and faithful Canucks fan, supportive of them, even when they lost.

Wayne graduated from Kamloops High in 1961 and began his forty-year career in the bearing and transmission industry At the age of 60, he joined Trudy in real estate in Kamloops until his retirement in 2011.

Wayne leaves a family mourning our loss of him: Soulmate Trudy, his dear son Jason, wife Nicole and grandsons Alton and Boston; his cherished daughter Tanya Giles, husband Kevin and grandsons Kaden, Tristan and Makai; his sister Sharon Howe; and his in-laws, Sharon and Wayne Nicol and Lynne Stonier-Newman and Brian Newman, as well as many nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. He was predeceased by his parents, Vera and Monty Montgomery of Valleyview

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the charity of your choice. A celebration of life will be held in the Spring.

Condolences may be sent to the family from www.kamloopsfuneralhome.com 250-554-2577

By Helen Steiner Rice

Albert Noel Johnston

December 24, 1942 - December 26, 2022

Albert was born in Smithers, BC to parents Ted and Marie Johnston (née Desjardins). He grew up on “The Ranch” with his 15 brothers and sisters.

Albert is survived by his wife Della Marie Etienne. They met in 1984 and were married on October 27, 2007. Everyone enjoyed his sense of humour, always quick with a one liner joke, teased us and he was positive and upbeat.

Remaining siblings to mourn him are: “Lamb” Crescentia (Harrison), Agnes (Parks), Margaret (Piffer), Roberta (Ekman) and Robert Johnston. Albert’s twin Jeanne Anne (Metcalfe) and 9 other brothers & sisters predeceased him. He has numerous nieces and nephews as well.

Albert was a devout Roman Catholic who brought light and laughter into the lives of everyone he met. He was a man of great faith who believed in the power of prayer Albert liked to help out at his church whenever he could.

He enjoyed his teaching career (19 years)…2 years at Fort Babine, 4 years at Brennan Creek and 13 years at A.E. Perry As he started his teaching journey at age 42 so it is never too late to start a new career He was great with the children, having received energy and enthusiasm from his students and enjoyed working well with all staff. Albert received great pleasure in seeing the happy faces of so many former students when he met them. Albert said even though teaching has been a career of continual interruptions, it has given him a sense of satisfaction and humble gratitude.

A funeral/Celebration of Life mass will be arranged in the Spring of 2023. In lieu of flowers please feel free to make a donation to the charity of your choice.

Arrangements entrusted to Alternatives Funeral & Cremation Services Condolences for the family can be offered at www.myalternatives.ca

With sad hear ts, we announce the passing of Joe Har vey He had a medical event at his home in Westwold, B C and then later passed away peacefully in the Vernon Jubilee Hospital on December 18th, 2022 at the age of 84 years

Joe is sur vived by his daughters, Roseanne (Alex) and Bonita; his son, James (Sandra); four grandchildren, Zachar y, Winter (Cameron), Malin and Cassidy ; and one greatgranddaughter, Annabel He was preceded in death by his wife Eva, to whom he was married for fifty years; two sons, George and Vernon; and one sister, Rosemar y Har vey. Joe was born on July 20th, 1938 in the Westwold Valley, residing there for most of his life with the exception of a few years spent in Vernon and Lumby His life began on the same proper ty on which it ended, at the east end of the valley Joe worked as a mechanic, truck driver, and farmer and he and Eva ran a successful ceramics business for a number of years

Passionate about cars, “Gentleman Joe” was a well-known figure in the Okanagan stock car racing community in the 1960s and 1970s Once his racing days were behind him, he bought, sold, traded and restored cars, most notably being a ‘56 Crown Victoria. He loved his home in Westwold, his family and his many friends Joe was loved for the stories and jokes he enjoyed sharing He could walk into any pub in the B C Interior and know someone there but if he didn’t know anyone,

he would play some Keno and quickly make new friends.

Joe will be missed by ever yone who knew him. In respecting his wishes, Joe was cremated and a celebration of his legendar y life will take place in the Spring of 2023

Cremation arrangements were made with BETHEL FUNERAL CHAPEL LTD , 5605-27th Street, Vernon, B C V1T 8Z5 250-542-1187

On December 28th, 2022 our beautiful Anne was picked up by her Dan to travel “home”. Anne was born to John Melville (Mel) Christie and Isabel Marguerite DeLaplante in Toronto. Anne’s birth mother died and Mel Christie married Florence Johnston in 1934. As a child Anne grew up in Preston, Ontario. She attended Preston High School where she met Dan Dally, four years her senior She married Dan in 1954. Their two children were born and she became a full time loving and caring homemaker Dan’s employer, General Motors, in 1961 transferred the young Dally family west to Kamloops where they quickly bought camping gear and a red chestnut canoe to enjoy family time out at Shuswap Lake Provincial Park. Anne and Dan became lifelong parents to Charlotte and Mike Jensen, much needed siblings for Bruce and Diane. We shared a wonderful life. (Please visit the website) Mum’s wish was to join her ashes with Dad’s at Walloper Lake. We children are so grateful for the values they instilled in us and for the love, protection, guidance and support we received as we pursued our own dreams. She was a kind and loving soul. No service by request.

Dally 1932 - 2022 You are invited to leave a personal message of condolence at the family’s online obituary @ www.MyAlternatives.ca

Arrangements entrusted to ALTERNATIVES FUNERAL & CREMATION SERVICES ® Vernon 250-558-0866 & Armstrong 250-546-7237

In Loving Memory of Evelyn (Evie) Ewen

A beautiful spirit passed on December 29, 2022. Evelyn (Evie) Ewen died after a brief illness. While much could be said about her last days and how marvelous everyone at Salmon Arm Hospital was, and how she was surrounded in love at her passing, it is really how she lived her 85 years that seems most worthy to share.

She was a woman who knew how to love without condition. Her family was everything to her Evie always said that life had a way of evening out and how good her life had been. She married a good man, Neal Ewen, and they built a marvelous life together She loved her children to the depths of her soul, and of course, her grandchildren, and greatgrandchildren, were a joy to her She loved them all deeply, and they loved her deeply in return.

She brought joy and laughter and caring every day to all that were fortunate enough to know and love her Evie loved her little dogs and sought to be a kind neighbour and good friend to all she met. Words cannot express how deeply we are grieving her death.

Evie was predeceased by her son Glyn and her husband Neal.

A gathering to celebrate Evie’s life will be held on Saturday May 6, 2023 at her home in Blind Bay All who knew and cared about her are invited to come and spend some time remembering her in joy and in love. Details will be shared closer to the date.

Condolences to the family can be made online at www.bowersfuneralservice.com

In Loving Memory of KIM FITZPATRICK

November 18, 1969 –January 15, 2021

We hold Beautiful Warm Cherished Memories. Kim was an amazing Mother, Daughter, Sister, and Friend. An emptiness fills our hearts and lives since we lost her. Those that we love don’t go away They Walk beside us Everyday Unseen Unheard but always Near Still Loved – Still Missed – and Always Dear “

In loving memory of Joseph Alexander (Joe) Harvey

Anne

In Memoriams

Memoriams