Kamloops This Week May 17, 2023

HYDRATING THE CITY’S HOMELESS A7

H2O FOR HOPE IS SEEKING DONATIONS OF WATER

FAMILY

OF

FATAL CRASH VICTIM CITES POOR ROAD CONDITIONS

KAMLOOPS THISWEEK

The family of a woman killed in a motorcycle crash on East Shuswap Road earlier this month believes she would be alive today had the road been properly maintained by the provincial government and its road contractor.

According to her family, Alexis Wiltse, 38, died on the afternoon of May 6 after the motorcycle she was riding hit a large pothole on East Shuswap Road, near Miner Road, east of Sun Rivers. A second person on another motorcycle travelling alongside was treated in hospital for minor injuries, according to police.

East Shuswap Road runs through the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc reserve and its maintenance is the responsibility of the provincial government.

Jamie Wiltse, sister of Alexis, pointed to an April 2022 KTW

story regarding provincial government plans to upgrade East Shuswap Road in the summer of 2023.

“My sister was killed on Saturday, May 6, because she hit a pothole on this road while riding her motorcycle,” Jamie said. “Our family is heartbroken and cannot fathom why the province left this road in such poor repair without adequate warning for drivers.”

See EAST SHUSWAP, A6

Thirty-eight-year-old Alexis Wiltse was killed on May 6 after the motorcycle she was on struck a large pothole on East Shuswap Road. The poor state of the road has long been the subject of complaints from area residents and, in the spring of 2022, a letter citing those concerns was sent by Tk’emlups te Secwepemc to the Ministry of Transportation and supported by the City of Kamloops, the ThompsonNicola Regional District and the area’s two MLAs.

ALEXIS WILTSE

FAMILY OF FATAL CRASH

VICTIM CITES POOR ROAD CONDITIONS

The family of a woman killed in a motorcycle crash on East Shuswap Road earlier this month believes she would be alive today had the road been properly maintained by the provincial government and its road contractor.

According to her family, Alexis Wiltse, 38, died on the afternoon of May 6 after the motorcycle she was riding hit a large pothole on East Shuswap Road, near Miner Road, east of Sun Rivers. A second person on another motorcycle travelling alongside was treated in hospital for minor injuries, according to police.

East Shuswap Road runs through the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc reserve and its maintenance is the responsibility of the provincial government.

Jamie Wiltse, sister of Alexis, pointed to an April 2022 KTW

story regarding provincial government plans to upgrade East Shuswap Road in the summer of 2023.

“My sister was killed on Saturday, May 6, because she hit a pothole on this road while riding her motorcycle,” Jamie said. “Our family is heartbroken and cannot fathom why the province left this road in such poor repair without adequate warning for drivers.”

KAMLOOPS THISWEEK

Thirty-eight-year-old Alexis Wiltse was killed on May 6 after the motorcycle she was on struck a large pothole on East Shuswap Road. The poor state of the road has long been the subject of complaints from area residents and, in the spring of 2022, a letter citing those concerns was sent by Tk’emlups te Secwepemc to the Ministry of Transportation and supported by the City of Kamloops, the ThompsonNicola Regional District and the area’s two MLAs. See EAST SHUSWAP, A6

ALEXIS WILTSE

Four and the Core promo finally takes shape

CONTINUED FROM F1

Some early discussions regarding a promotion that would help put additional money back into the local economy fell short because Grover didn’t feel the local impact was significant enough at the time. “It was hard to keep enough inventory on the lot, due to all the local support, to make that wow factor contribution back to their customers and the Kamloops business community ” Grover said

After a discussion with new vehicle sales manager Sam Thacker, they put a plan in place that has come to fruition this May.

“I think we’re OK to move forward with that promo now,” Grover quipped after Thacker let him know more than 30 Ford F-150s

ordered had arrived on the lot. Dearborn Ford will be giving away $3,500 to Kamloops businesses with every 2023 F-150 purchase this May in a promo coined “Four and the Core.” New F-150 owners will get to choose a $2,500 gift certificate to one of four local businesses, as well as a bonus $1,000 in Downtown Bucks to be spent in the downtown core of Kamloops through a partnership with the Kamloops Central Business Improvement Association.

“If we sell all 30 trucks this month, we will be looking at a direct economic impact north of $100,000 to some great local businesses,” Grover said.

Included in the promotion are Gord’s Appliance & Mattress Centre, Lyons

Landscaping and Garden Centre, Cycle Logic and Visions Electronics.

“We wanted to target some segments that $2,500 could make an impact in and potentially put that new truck to use,” Thacker noted.

In turn, Dearborn is offering up to $2,500 off a new truck purchase to customers of participating businesses.

“You will have to talk with them [participating businesses] to see how you qualify, but having the opportunity to reward people for supporting their local business community feels great,” Thacker said.

Grover said the promotion really boils down to gratitude

“In the end, it’s really about saying thank you to the community for their support,” he said of the promotion that has seen the largest Ford F-150 shipment since before the pandemic.

If you are in the market for a new truck, make sure you stop by the Dearborn dealership in Valleyview (2555 East TransCanada Hwy.) this month and check out the inventory of F-150’s. Chances are, Dearborn will have just what you’re looking for, including the new Lightning electric truck, the Tremor model and everything in between

C I T Y PAG E

May 17, 2023

CO U N C I L C A L E N DA R

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

May 30, 2023

1:30 pm - Regular Council Meeting

May 30, 2023

7:00 pm - Public Hearing

June 1, 2023 (Cancelled)

10:00 am - Community and Protective

Ser vices Committee

June 6, 2023

10:00 am - Committee of the Whole

June 13, 2023

1:30 pm - Regular Council Meeting

The complete 2023 Council Calendars is available online at:

Kamloops.ca/CouncilPor tal

CO U N C I L M E E T I N G R E C A P

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

N

OT

I C E TO M OTO R I S T S

Please use caution when driving in the vicinity and obey all traffic control personnel, signs, and devices in the following areas:

• For tune Drive

Oak Road to Overlanders Bridge

• Lorne Street

Mount Paul Way to 10th Avenue

• Westsyde Road Multi-Use Pathway

Westsyde Road to Alview Crescent

• 6th Avenue

Columbia Street to Lansdowne Street

• Highland Road

South of the Valleyview Arena to Valleyview Drive

• Tranquille Road

Ord Road to just south of K amloops BC SPCA

To stay up to date on road work projects, visit:

Kamloops.ca/Kammute

CO N S I D E R A C A R E E R

W I T H U S

Join our team of over 700 employees who work in a variety of fulfilling and challenging careers Visit: Kamloops.ca/Jobs

Repor t an issue: 250-828-3461

For after-hours emergencies, press 1.

SAVE THE PLAY DATE

Riverside Park Spray Park and Playground GRAND OPENING

Saturday, May 20 11:30 am–1:30 pm

Food Trucks | Family Fun

spray park and inclusive playground

2 N D A N N U A L C I T Y AU C T I O N

The City of K amloops, in par tnership with Team Auctions, will be hosting an online auction May 25–28, with in-person viewing at Valleyview arena from 10:00 am–8:00 pm on May 23–27. Find hundreds of surplus assets and unclaimed lost or stolen items up for bid, including electronics, tools, equipment, vehicles, tires, bikes, and more

Bidding opens at 9:00 am on Thursday, May 25, and star ts closing at 9:00 am on Sunday, May 28. Some items are already available to view All bids will take place online and registration is required to par ticipate Visit: Kamloops.ca/Auc tion

Residents seek ing lost or stolen items are encouraged to attend the open house and search the auction web page. Email your name, phone number, and item description, including associated auction number in order to make a claim: purchasing@kamloops.ca and jennifer@teamauctions.com

A Community Ser vices or RCMP representative will contact you to advise on next steps

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

I T ’ S B E A R S M A R T S E A S O N

Unmanaged bear attractants around our homes can unintentionally attract bears to our neighbourhoods as they sniff out food sources

Remember, a fed bear is a dead bear Your actions can save a bear ’s life.

Under the Solid Waste and Rec yclables Bylaw No 40-67:

• Residents must ensure that solid waste car ts are stored securely and made inaccessible to wildlife

• Car ts must not be placed at the curb earlier than 4:00 am on collection day between April 1 and November 30.

• No proper ty owner or occupier shall accumulate, store, or collect any wildlife attractants unless stored in an enclosed structure or closed container.

• Infractions may result in a $100 fine

Did you k now? K amloops is one of only 10 BC communities that has achieved official “Bear Smar t ” status. Thank you for helping K amloops remain a Bear Smar t Community!

Learn more at: Kamloops.ca/BearSmar t

TRU HONORARY DEGREES FOR QUARTET

Honorary degrees are being bestowed upon four people at this year’s spring convocation at Thompson Rivers University.

Director and playwright Christopher Weddell, philanthropist and former professional soccer player Jorge Campos, Indigenous lawyer and activist Bev Sellars and Indigenous educator

TODAY’S FLYERS

YIG*, Walmart*, Ultra Vac*, The Brick*, Shoppers*, Safeway*, Rexall*, Princess Auto*, Peavey Mart*, Nature’s Fare*, M&M Meats*, London Drugs*, Downtown Directory*, Home Hardware*, Freshco*, Home Depot*, Bianca Amor*

WEATHER FORECAST

May 17: Sunny 32/16 (hi/low)

May 18: Sunny/chance showers 34/17 (hi/low)

May 19: Sunny 34/17 (hi/low)

May 20: Sunny 33/16 (hi/low)

May 21: Sun/clouds 28/12 (hi/low)

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and advocate Dr. Verna Billy-Minnabarriet will receive their honorary degrees during ceremonies between June 7 and June 9.

An honorary degree is the highest form of recognition offered by TRU and awarded for demonstrated excellence in the fields of public affairs, the sciences, arts, humanities,

business, law and philanthropy.

Convocation ceremonies will take place on June 7, June 8 and June 9, at 10 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. each day, at the Tournament Capital Centre.

Go online to kamloopsthisweek.com to read more about the recipients.

June 5 court date on murder charge

KAMLOOPS LAWYER ROGELIO “BUTCH” BAGABUYO IS ACCUSED OF KILLING TRU INSTRUCTOR MOHD ABDULLAH IN MARCH 2022

MICHAEL POTESTIO STAFF REPORTER michael@kamloopsthisweek.com

A Kamloops lawyer charged with firstdegree murder intends to seek bail — again.

Kamloops RCMP arrested Rogelio “Butch” Bagabuyo, 55, on May 12 and charged him in connection with the slaying of 60-year-old Mohd Abdullah. Bagabuyo had originally been charged with interfering with human remains in relation to the death of the Thompson Rivers University instructor.

Bagabuyo had an initial appearance hearing in Kamloops provincial court on Monday, May 15, on the new indictment and Monday, June 5, has been set as the next provincial court date, Bagabuyo’s lawyer, Glen Orris, told KTW.

“We’ll be putting together a bail package and making an application,” Orris said. “It will be in [BC] Supreme Court.”

As for whether the charge of interfering with human remains will be stayed or added to the court proceedings, Orris said that is for Crown to decide.

Bagabuyo had elected to stand trial by judge alone in July 2023 on that charge.

On March 17, 2022, the body of Abdullah was found inside a rental van in the 1600block of Monterey Place in Dufferin.

He had been reported missing on March 14 after he failed to attend work. Bagabuyo was arrested shortly thereafter and released on numerous conditions, including that he surrender his passport. For several weeks following Bagabuyo’s arrest, police had a presence at his Victoria Street law office and at his Columbia Street home.

Kamloops RCMP Supt. Jeff Pelley said police engaged in a “lengthy and in-depth investigation” into the death of Abdullah in order to obtain approval of a murder charge by the BC Prosecution Service.

The case is one Pelley’s predecessor,

Supt. Syd Lecky dubbed “a very complex investigation, the likes of which we haven’t seen in this province, certainly not in this city” due to the fact a practising lawyer had been charged in connection with the offence, requiring a judicial referee to oversee the process of police searching Bagabuyo’s law practice.

After Abdullah’s body was found, police asked the public for information regarding a white, 2020 GMC Budget rental van that was parked outside a Monterey Place home in Dufferin in mid-March 2022.

Neighbours told KTW the van didn’t

belong to the people who lived at that address and that it had only been parked there a few days prior to police attending the scene.

Abdullah’s daughter, Sarah Jeet LalataBuco, 26, told KTW last year from the Philippines that Bagabuyo was her father’s lawyer, as well as a trusted friend and confidant. She said her father would often talk about Bagabuyo when Abdullah visited her in the Philippines, noting her father had sought Bagabuyo’s advice about her potentially immigrating to Canada about five years ago.

Rogelio “Butch” Bagabuyo (left) is charged with first-degree murder in connection with the March 2022 death of Thompson Rivers University instructor Mohd Abdullah (right). Abdullah’s daughter, Sarah Jeet Lalata-Buco, told KTW last year that Bagabuyo was her father’s lawyer, as well as a trusted friend and confidant.

This Budget rental van was behind tape at a house in Dufferin in mid-March 2022. The vehicle is part of the investigation into the murder of Mohd Abdullah.

KTW FILE PHOTO

East Shuswap Road resident: hazards ‘very real’

“Only one, small red triangle marked this pothole, right at its location. She would be alive today if this road was properly maintained. She was only 38 years old,” Jamie said.

“Several locals stopped to talk to us when we were at the site of the accident and told us they knew someone would die as a result of the poor condition of the road.”

Following the fatal crash, provincial-contracted road crews filled the pothole with gravel.

At a March 31, 2022, meeting between Kamloops and Tk’emlúps councils, Tk’emlúps Coun. Justin Gottfriedson said East Shuswap Road is one of the “weakest” pieces of provincial transportation infrastructure in Interior British Columbia.

He said East Shuswap Road lacks shoulders, lighting and other safety components. The band drafted a letter to Minister of Transportation Rob Fleming on the matter and enlisted support from the Thompson-Nicola Regional District, local MLAs and the City of

Kamloops in pushing the province for upgrades to the provincial rightof-way.

At that same meeting, City of Kamloops development director Marvin Kwiatkowski called improvements to East Shuswap Road “long overdue” and then-Kamloops

mayor Ken Christian said the route is a “recipe for disaster” due to myriad user groups, including cyclists and motorists.

A week after concerns were raised at that meeting, in early April 2022, KTW contacted the Ministry of Transportation, which responded with a statement on plans for a 17-kilometre stretch of the road.

“East Shuswap Road has seen various maintenance activities in recent years to ensure the safety of the travelling public,” the statement reads. “Now, the road requires rehabilitation of the asphalt surface, along with drainage improvements and road base repair and planning for the road work is underway. The Ministry has completed pavement evaluations and approximately 17 kilometres of asphalt resurfacing is being planned for the summer of

2023. Pothole and overlay patching will continue as needed prior to the summer 2023 rehabilitation project.”

Kamloops RCMP Cpl. Crystal Evelyn said the Tk’emlúps Rural RCMP detachment and BC Coroners Service are investigating a fatal crash, which occurred at about 5:25 p.m.

KTW contacted the Ministry of Transportation regarding the family’s concerns and detailed planned maintenance of East Shuswap Road and asked to interview staff with knowledge of the situation.

The interview request was denied and the ministry instead sent a short statement to KTW:

“The safety of people on our highways and roads is our top priority and our sympathies go out to the family of the victim of the crash,” the statement reads. “The incident is currently being investigated, and we are unable to comment on the details or the possible cause. Shuswap Road is scheduled to be repaved this summer construction season. We anticipate that the paving will begin in late summer.”

Ernie Beadle lives on Shuswap

Road, one kilometre east of where the fatal crash occurred.

He said the road was laid on silt and clay and needs a road base laid down before paving begins this summer.

“They didn’t put a road base down,” Beadle said of Shuswap Road’s construction.

“They just put paving on top of the silt and clay. Well, that just is constantly giving. In fact, where this young lady died, in March, that was a pothole. And overnight it turned into a sinkhole. It was three feet in diameter and just over two feet deep. And that sinkhole occurred in one night. And if anybody would have hit that in the dark, it would have just destroyed the front end of any vehicle.”

Beadle said the current practice of trying to patch potholes on the road has never worked.

“It’s like putting lipstick on a pig. It just is not going do anything. Patching this and that — it’s a BandAid solution. I mean, they keep trying to fix it, but they can’t. It’s like they’re painting a car, but it’s just rust underneath it,” he said.

Beadle conceded putting down a road base of crushed gravel before paving the 17-kilometre stretch of Shuswap Road set to be paved late this summer would be expensive, but he noted lives are at stake.

“They have got to literally strip it and put down a two- or three-foot base and redo it,” he said.

Beadle said the tragic death of Alexis Wiltse has shone a light on a problem that has been ongoing issue for years.

“We’re putting them under pressure and they committed to doing it, but they won’t commit to the time frame or the scope of the work. And [Transportation Minister Rob] Fleming is being very, very vague,” Beadle said.

“And now a young lady has died, but at that same spot three months ago, a vehicle, a little SUV, hit it so hard. They lost control of it and it went off to the right and it flipped upside down. Those people were taken to hospital. It’s an ongoing problem and people that don’t know the road don’t know to look out for these hazards, but it’s there and it’s very real.”

H2O for Hope hydrates homeless

PROJECT

DAVE EAGLES STAFF REPORTER dave@kamloopsthisweek.com

With a sudden heat wave taking hold in Kamloops and beyond for the rest of the week, if not longer, a local street ministry is getting a jump on its H20 for Hope initiative, which involves Kamloopsians pitching in to donate cases of bottled water to be handed out to the homeless population throughout the city.

The Lighthouse Project is a volunteer street outreach program in Kamloops, which was recently featured in a two-part series in Kamloops This Week, chronicling the impact the volunteer-based project is having on the people on the streets of Kamloops.

Coordinator Dan Lal said H20 for Hope is a new opportunity for the Kamloops community to make a difference on city streets, especially as the sudden heat wave arrives with temperatures expected to reach the low-to-mid-30s through May 20.

“When we don’t have enough [water] we have to say no — and it sure is hard saying no,” Lal said.

B.C. Emergency Management Minister Bowinn

Ma said the province is expecting elevated temperatures over the next week or so.

“But we do anticipate it will cool down over the evening, providing much-needed relief for folks who are maybe more vulnerable,” Ma said, adding the province is monitoring the situation and noting elevated temperatures can still impact medically vulnerable people.

Lal said more volunteers have joined the effort to deliver water and food to what he calls their “street friends.”

Volunteers head out from The Lighthouse Church, downtown at 702 Columbia St., every Tuesday at 7 p.m.

“Instead of getting three or four [volunteers] a night, now we’re regularly getting 8 to 10,” Lal said.

Drop-off locations for donated water are at The Lighthouse Church and at Cell Repair in Aberdeen Mall. Those interested in volunteering and/or donating to the cause can call Lal at 778-538-4118 or go online to lighthouseprojects, where more information on The Lighthouse Project and H2O for Hope can be found.

When does child support end?

Generally, support payments end when a child turns 19, but this can vary If a child is attending post-secondary school or is unable to take care of themself, support payment requirements may be extended.

If you have questions, we’re here to help

JOHN GROVER

GATHERING AND DELIVERING WATER TO THOSE IN NEED AMID THE HEAT IS THE LATEST INITIATIVE OF THE VOLUNTEER-LED LIGHTHOUSE

A member of Kamloops’ homeless population pushes a cart full of belongings across a street in Valleyview on Monday, May 15, as the mercury read 31 C. The heat wave is forecast to continue into the weekend.

DAVE EAGLES/KTW

Delving into student outcomes survey OPINION

What university should I attend? Will my degree be worth it?

Every year, these questions are on the minds of prospective students as they think about enrolling for the fall.

Fortunately, many different tools are available for students to help them decide which university best serves their interests.

Various ranking systems and other online tools, such as universitystudy.ca, can help people sort through available post-secondary options.

One of the least known and most underrated tools, however, may be the BC Student Outcomes Survey, conducted by the provincial government.

It provides valuable insights into the experiences, achievements and challenges faced by students at British Columbia’s post-secondary institutions.

The survey explores a wide range of topics, including student satisfaction, employability and transition to the workforce, which are of great interest to students, educators, policymakers and employers.

By conducting the survey annually, the government tracks changes in student outcomes over time, providing a more accurate understanding of the long-term impact of policies, programs and institutional practices.

The results of the 2022 survey, which looked at two years, were recently released and can be found on the B.C. government’s website at outcomes.bcstats.gov.bc.ca.

The tool allows people to quickly compare schools and filter results by student group, program area and program names. The results are compiled in a way that would enable people to gain real-world insights into the value of post-secondary education, both generally and from specific institutions.

For example, the survey reveals that across all institutions in B.C., 88 per cent of the 29,452 people who graduated with a bachelor’s degree and responded to the survey are working full-time, with 76 per cent of them working in a job related to their program. A full 86 per cent of respondents said the knowledge and skills gained in their education were useful in performing their jobs.

Those are impressive numbers and point to the value of postsecondary education.

The survey, however, allows for more targeted results on a schoolby-school basis.

For example, the survey shows TRU scored above the provincial average regarding overall student

satisfaction. Ninety-four per cent of TRU degree graduates surveyed were satisfied or very satisfied with the education received. Some TRU graduates, such as those in human and social services programs, were 98 per cent satisfied.

In terms of employability and workforce readiness, TRU also demonstrated strong results, with a higher percentage of graduates securing employment within six months of graduation, compared to the provincial average.

The 2022 BC Student Outcomes Survey results validates TRU’s dedication to student success and the university’s continuing efforts to innovate and adapt in the face of ever-changing educational and employment landscapes.

The survey is helpful to more than students. TRU uses the data to ensure what we are doing meets the needs of today’s learners.

The results inform program reviews, faculty development, program selection, career planning, student advising and marketing

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programs.

The provincial government uses the results to build accountability frameworks, ministry service plans, new policies and labour supply models.

Employers can use the survey data to understand the skills and competencies of B.C.’s postsecondary graduates and identify potential areas where additional training or support may be needed. By collaborating with educational institutions to address these gaps, employers can help create a more skilled and adaptable workforce better equipped to meet the demands of a rapidly changing economy.

The survey also allows stakeholders to benchmark the performance of post-secondary institutions against national and international standards.

This can help identify areas in which improvements are necessary and highlight best practices that can be adopted across the province.

Most importantly, however, the tool provides objective feedback to current and prospective students about their options. People can learn what past students thought about their experience at a school, figure out what program to choose, plan their careers and learn about the employment outcomes of previous students.

The value of the survey shouldn’t be ignored. The insights it provides serve as a foundation for continuous improvement and innovation in the post-secondary education system, ensuring that the educational landscape in British Columbia remains dynamic, adaptable, and responsive to the evolving needs of students and the broader community.

Dr. Brett Fairbairn is president and vice-chancellor at Thompson Rivers University. He can be reached by email at president@tru.ca. View From TRU columns appear monthly in KTW and online at kamloopsthisweek.com.

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OPINION

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

WEED-FREE WORLD CAN BE DANGEROUS

Editor:

Childhood leukemia is a horrible illness and every year, more and more children are being diagnosed with it.

ABOUT THAT $10M SUMMIT OVERPASS . . .

Editor:

The proposed $10-million Summit Drive overpass to Thompson Rivers University has, understandably, fueled controversy as $10 million is a lot of taxpayer money.

Both sides of the debate present good points, but one question remains firm in my mind: If the students refuse to walk an extra block to get to the crosswalk, why would they walk an extra block to get to an overpass?

I don’t think an overpass will help the situation at all. If students insist on crossing in a particular spot (regardless of whether it is legal), they’re going to continue crossing in that particular

spot (regardless of whether there is a $10-million overpass).

I agree with the letter writer who suggested jaywalking fines be used as a motivator to keep TRU students from crossing Kamloops’ streets illegally.

Perhaps TRU could (voluntarily) erect proper surveillance along its side of Summit Drive and start issuing proper disciplinary actions since the students are their burden and safety should be a priority.

When the budget for a project like this breaches double-digit millions, a public consultation and vote should be mandatory.

TALK BACK Q&A:

Lindsay Conrad Kamloops

MS, Parkinson’s, asthma, chemical sensitivities and other cancers are some other illnesses people are getting.

Why not try preventing these from happening in the first place? There is plenty of scientific evidence that links the use of pesticides to these and other serious illnesses.

Even though our city has a pesticide ban in place for homeowners, the municipality still uses pesticides in and around the city.

Did you know our city “treats” the grounds at various playgrounds?

Knowing that, would you still want to expose your child to toxins?

Some people are still of the belief that if a product is sold, it must be safe, but that is not always the case.

DDT was sold for ages before the government finally banned it. The maker of Roundup is the subject of ongoing lawsuits.

Years ago, our family lost a six-yearold child, years ago to leukemia. She suffered. Her family suffered. They still do.

She lived in an area where the neighbours were into keeping up with the Joneses and they all insisted on having the perfect, weed-free lawn.

Her parents never treated their lawn, but by being outside, in “fresh

air,” she was exposed. Pesticides could have drifted in her direction while she rode her bike. They could have bypassed the fence and leached into her yard. She could have been playing with neighbour kids on their treated lawns.

Everyone is concerned about climate change. Many are also concerned about the decline of our pollinators. All of this is connected and pesticides play a major role.

A weed-free property or a child?

A weed-free property or food?

A weed-free property or your health?

What’s more important to you ?

Diane Czyzewski Kamloops

WALLACE COLUMN TOPIC VERY RELEVANT

Editor:

Congratulations to KTW reporter Jessica Wallace on the birth of her son, Joseph.

I just wanted to say how well written her column of April 5 (‘It’s true — it really does take a village’) was and how relevant it is to the current issue facing pregnant women, who are carrying our future.

Kamloops This Week is a member of the National Newsmedia Council, which is an independent organization established to deal with acceptable journalistic practices and ethical behaviour. If you have concerns about editorial content, please email  editor@kamloopsthisweek.com or call 250-374-7467

If you are not satisfied with the response and wish to file a formal complaint, visit the website at  mediacouncil.ca or call toll-free 1-844-877-1163

Paige Latin, Kamloops

Jessica Wallace is enjoying time at home with baby Joseph.

FREE FOUR-DAY LEADER TRAINING WORKSHOP

The University of Victoria delivers Self-Management Programs for persons living with chronic health conditions in communities across BC. These evidence-based programs are led by trained volunteers, and we are currently looking for persons to lead these programs in your area. Training and support will be provided.

If you are interested in becoming a leader and helping others to live a healthier, happier life, then this training opportunity may be for you!

 Contribute to the well-being of others

 Learn effective strategies that help people manage their health

 Learn how to co-lead a group program to teach these strategies to others

 Gain skills and confidence in managing your own health

A FREE Four-Day Leader Training Workshop for the Chronic Pain Self-Management Program will be held at:

Thompson-Nicola Regional Library, 693 Tranquille Road, Kamloops June 19, 20, 21 & 22 2023 - 10:00am to 4:00pm each day

**OPTIONAL: One-Day Cross-Training in the Diabetes Self-Management Program on Friday, June 23

For more information, call toll-free: 1-866-902-3767

To apply, visit our website: www.selfmanagementbc.ca/applicationformnew

Wildfire warning for long weekend

SEAN BRADY STAFF REPORTER sbrady@kamloopsthisweek.com

Ahead of the May long weekend, the BC Wildfire Service is warning that the current dry and hot conditions are creating an environment ripe for fire — even in the southern half of the province.

Director of wildfire operations Cliff Chapman provided an update to media outside the Provincial Wildfire Coordination Centre in Kamloops on Tuesday morning.

With temperatures soaring above seasonal averages across B.C., Chapman said the fire risk is quickly increasing and the province is preparing for the worst while hoping for the best.

“Given what we’ve seen across B.C. in the past decade, in particular in the past five years, I guess, to be candid, I’m not surprised by much anymore. That’s why we have to turn to preparing for the worst, and ideally the worst does not happen,” he said.

The recent heatwave is worsening the fire situation in the north of the province, where two fire complexes, each comprised of multiple fires, are wreaking havoc and threatening Fort

RAID NETS THREE KILOGRAMS OF FENTANYL

St. John, with residents there currently on evacuation alert.

“The fire hazard is significant and extreme in the northeast of the province. Slowly, but surely, we’re seeing that hazard increase all the way down to the south to the U.S. border, including the coastal fire centre,” Chapman said.

There are no active wildfires in the Kamloops Fire Centre.

Across the province, there has been 206 wildfires to date (since Jan. 1) and most of those (85) have been in the Prince George fire centre. While the number of fires to date is only 44 more than the 10-year average, the number of hectares burned far exceeds the average of 11,000, with more than 50,000 hectares recorded burned so far this year.

While spring fire activity is nothing unusual for B.C., the current recordbreaking temperatures have prompted the BC Wildfire Service to call for caution ahead of the May long weekend, after which the current high pressure ridge is expected to break.

The outlook of the fire season beyond next week is hard to predict, Chapman said, aside from the most prominent indi-

Three kilograms of fentanyl, the drug connected to the vast majority of the more than 11,000 overdose deaths in B.C. since 2016, were seized from a home in Batchelor Heights on May 3. In addition to the fentanyl found via a search warrant at the Stagecoach Drive

cator, which is the amount of rainfall throughout the month of June.

“Unfortunately, when a ridge breaks down, you also see high winds and the potential for thunderstorms, and it doesn’t always come with precipitation on the first day. What that means for B.C. is that we have a high likelihood of seeing fire starts, really across the province, depending on where that lightning tracks if it shows up on the holiday Monday,” Chapman said.

Chapman urged people to use the BC Wildfire Service app and the dial-in number to report potential new starts.

“Please report any smoke you see, even if you think it’s already been reported. We appreciate that information,” he said.

home, police seized a kilogram of cocaine, 550 grams of methamphetamine, two firearms, two tasers, tens of thousands of dollars in cash and two vehicles.

A man was arrested and charges are pending.

The raid on the home was the culmination of

British Columbians can dial *5555 or 1-800663-5555 or use the app to report smoke.

Open burning (Category 2 and Category 3 fires) will be prohibited after Thursday (May 18) across the province. That means fires exceeding two metres in height and three metres in width will not be allowed.

A campfire ban is already in place in the Prince George fire centre, which spans the upper northeast quadrant of the province, and Chapman said further bans may be put in place after the long weekend if conditions warrant such action.

“We’re trying to find balance between allowing safe, appropriate activity in every centre except the north east, but that’s not to say by the weekend we may not shift to a campfire ban across the province, or looking at it next week,” he said.

Other early preparations by the BC Wildfire Service include the hiring of 113 fulltime staff last fall to support preparedness and response efforts and the more recent hiring of 330 new recruits, which Chapman said is about 130 bodies beyond the typical new recruit hiring.

an investigation by the Kamloops RCMP’s targeted enforcement unit that began in January.

The names of those arrested in the operation will be released when the investigation is concluded and charges are approved by Crown.

Cliff Chapman speaks at the podium with Forest Minister Bruce Ralston.

SEAN BRADY/KTW

KNOW AN AMAZING PERSON IN OUR COMMUNITY?

Nominations are now open for the 2023 KTW Community Leader Awards

Submissions should be approximately 250 words and include information such as: length of time nominee has spent in the community; specific examples of the work and/or contribution he/she has made; community associations and memberships. Please provide references of other individuals who may be able to provide further support on the nominee’s behalf.

Scan and tell us who you think is an amazing leader or visit www.kamloopsthisweek.com/leader-awards

NOMINATION CATEGORIES: COACH

Makes a positive contribution to their sport. Is exemplary in developing skills and confidence in participants. A role model who inspires and encourages high athletic achievement.

COMMUNITY BUILDER

Someone who has taken the initiative to engage a variety of local residents in an innovative or new community project or event The initiative may assist different groups to work together, address a gap in community participation, or result in a more inclusive, engaged community.

YOUTH VOLUNTEER MENTOR

A youth that is 19 or under that makes a positive contribution in the community through volunteering. Someone who has committed to making a difference to an organization or individual.

Makes a positive contribution by being a true leader An influential counselor, teacher or educator that provides support or sponsorship Demonstrates a high level of ethics and professional standards, is an inspirational motivator, excellent communicator, good listener and a reliable resource to the community.

This individual makes a positive contribution to the community by volunteering their time to a variety of causes. They are dedicated to making a difference in several initiatives.

This person has risen above adversity or formidable challenges to become a success. As a result, they have had a positive effect on the people around them.

COURAGE ENVIRONMENTAL LEADER

This person has been in Kamloops less than 3 years but is already making an impact in the community in a leadership position in business, volunteer work or other community involvement

VOLUNTEER FRESH IMPACT UNDER 40

This person under 40 is recognized for going above and beyond in our community who in a variety of fields and endeavours.

Everyone is talking about the carbon footprint, but this award celebrates a person who is walking their talk, whether it be riding their bike to work year-round, reusing and reducing, and taking great steps in setting an example for others to follow

INDIGENOUS LEADER

This person is making a positive impact on indigenous business and culture in Kamloops and area. Helping spread awareness and growing relationships within Kamloops with indigenous businesses and organizations.

Change is afoot for North Shore schools

return to a newly built school in 2024, the school board will have to decide what becomes of George Hilliard.

GRAND MARCH INTO THE SUMMIT

The Okanagan Mainline Regional Indigenous Education Council Student Leadership Summit 2023 was held yesterday at Thompson Rivers University, with jingle dancer Laylah Sadegur leading the Grand March into the Brown Family House of Learning. The Council consists of representatives from 10 school districts, including Kamloops-Thompson. The Council meets throughout the year to share initiatives that are improving results for Aboriginal learners and enhancing students’ sense of belonging.

DAVE EAGLES/KTW

Emergency rescinded?

A local state of emergency declared in Noble Creek last week is expected to be rescinded by Wednesday, May 17, after flood waters threatened the irrigation system intake north of Westsyde.

City of Kamloops emergency preparedness manager Will Beatty said the emergency works involved placing large rocks along the creek bank that was eroding toward the Noble Creek pump station. The state of local emergency went into effect at 10 a.m. on May 12, but work to reinforce the bank has now been completed. About 40 to 50 metres of the bank had been washed away, Beatty said.

“The threat of infrastructure failure is no

longer there,” he said, noting the threat to the station was imminent and a state of emergency needed to be declared in order to place the temporary rip rap in time to divert flood waters.

Beatty said the city continues to monitor the water level of the creek, which he said is “not alarming” at the moment. He said there are sandbags atop catch basins around McArthur Island in preparation for any snowmelt impacting the Thompson River, but noted those levels are not alarming at the moment.

“We’ll continue to urge people to stay away from the river. It’s fast moving [and] the erosion is occurring throughout the community. It’s not just the Noble Creek area,” he said.

Anyone with flood or erosion-related concerns is asked to call the City of Kamloops civic operations call centre at 250-828-3461.

A big shakeup is in the works for North Shore schools, with grade configurations and catchment boundaries set to change.

On June 19, the KamloopsThompson board of education will vote on eight recommendations made by district staff to change elementary schools to Kindergarten to Grade 7 and two schools to Grade 8 to Grade 12.

Under the recommendations, Brocklehurst middle school would shift from a Grade 7 to Grade 9 school to a Grade 8 to Grade 12 school and NorKam secondary would shift from grades 10 to 12 to grades 8 to 12.

Elementary schools, including A.E. Perry, Arthur Hatton, Bert Edwards, Kay Bingham, Parkcrest and Rayleigh, would become Kindergarten to Grade 7 schools.

The changes would not take place until September 2024 and consultation with school communities is currently underway.

When Parkcrest elementary burned to the ground in 2019, its students moved to George Hilliard elementary. With Parkcrest students set to

Staff made two recommendations for George Hilliard: to either reopen it as a Kindergarten to Grade 7 school or move Twin Rivers Education Centre (TREC) students, who were displaced when Parkcrest students came in, back into the building.

Art McDonald, director of facilities for SD73, listed the pros and cons for each option during a presentation to the NorKam school community.

If George Hilliard reopens as a K-7 school, McDonald said there would be more catchment changes for elementary schools, space constraints may relocate TREC programs and some students might request transfers due to catchment boundary lines located close to NorKam and A.E. Perry.

Under the other option, with TREC moving into George Hilliard, McDonald said more portables would be required at elementary schools, there would be fewer students at Brocklehurst secondary and more at NorKam secondary (and less balance between the two) and less room for future growth in elementary schools.

“This option requires the least change for all involved,” McDonald told staff and par-

ents during the presentation. Assistant superintendent Vessy Mochikas said TREC runs three programs, including Four Directions (34 students), Bridges (11 students) and Alternative Education (188 students).

Following consultation with TREC staff, Mochikas said concerns are around space and programming pressures, as well as a previous promise for the program to return to George Hilliard.

“The majority of TREC staff did support the three recommendations, including ... to make George Hilliard a K-7 school,” Mochikas said.

Student populations at each of the affected schools stand to change, with the most notable being A.E. Perry, which is currently at 107 per cent capacity. If George Hilliard were to reopen as a K-7 school, A.E. Perry’s usage would drop to 95 per cent, while the other scenario would push the school to 117 per cent capacity.

NorKam secondary, currently at 88 per cent capacity, would drop to 87 per cent if George Hilliard reopens and to 94 per cent if it does not, while Brock secondary would start off with 66 per cent usage with George Hilliard as a K-7 school and to 57 per cent capacity otherwise.

SEAN BRADY STAFF REPORTER sbrady@kamloopsthisweek.com

MICHAEL POTESTIO STAFF REPORTER michael@kamloopsthisweek.com

These maps show the catchment areas for schools on the North Shore under two scenarios.

Strike, lockout notices at WestJet Airlines

Shortly after the union that represents WestJet and Swoop pilots issued 72-hour strike notification on Monday, May 15, the airline responded by issuing lockout notice.

That means flight disruptions in Kamloops and across Canada could occur as of 1 a.m. on Friday, May 19, which is the start of the Victoria Day long weekend.

In a release, the WestJet Group said it hopes to reach a deal before then.

While the company said issuing lockout notice does not necessarily mean a work stoppage will occur, it is nonetheless taking steps to manage impacts as much as possible.

This includes:

• Beginning preparations to operate a reduced schedule, which will lead to a significant reduction from WestJet and Swoop’s current networks;

• Managing changes and cancellations to ensure the ability to communicate with travellers in advance of changes;

• Providing flexible change and cancel options for those who wish to make alternate arrangements.

In a release, the Air Line Pilots Association — which represents about 1,600 flight crew members at WestJet and its subsidiary Swoop — said pilots will begin job action on May 19, a decision the group said “could include grounding all aircraft and effectively shutting down operations.”

At issue, according to the union, is job protection, pay and

scheduling, with the union saying about 340 pilots have quit working for WestJet in the past 18 months, with most migrating to other airlines.

In contrast, the WestJet Group said it has brought forward a contract proposal that would make first officers and captains the highest-paid

narrow-body pilots in Canada, “with a significant advantage over the next best-paying Canadian airline.”

The company added that the proposed contract would also address concerns of WestJet and Swoop pilots surrounding job security and scope.

The WestJet Group said the union’s desire to have its employees paid wages on par with peers in the United States is untenable in Canada.

“This expectation is not reasonable and is impeding the WestJet Group’s ability to reach an agreement in advance of the upcoming long weekend,”

the company said.

Should flight delays or cancellations occur, WestJet customers impacted will be refunded or re-accommodated, as applicable, according to the company,

For those who booked directly with WestJet or Swoop, changes to existing travel will

be directly communicated via email.

Travellers who booked through a travel agent or online booking agency are being asked to contact them directly. For flight status, travel changes and more, go online to westjet.com or flyswoop.com.

KAMLOOPS THISWEEK

Reported assault has BIA concerned

MICHAEL POTESTIO STAFF REPORTER michael@kamloopsthisweek.com

A member of the downtown Customer Care and Patrol (CAP) Team was reportedly assaulted on May 12 and it has the head of the Kamloops Central Business Improvement Association (KCBIA) concerned for the safety of the team and the public.

The 23-year-old man was riding his scooter along the sidewalk of Third Avenue past the former Stuart Wood elementary ahead of his 8 a.m. shift when he was assaulted by a man who uses the homeless shelter within the former school, according to KCBIA executive director Howie Reimer.

WEAPONSRELATED CHARGES

Reimer said the CAP member was pushed off his scooter near the corner of Third Avenue and St. Paul Street and injured his leg and shoulder. Reimer said he did not miss his shift, nor was his scooter stolen in the incident.

Reimer said the assault did not continue after the push, which he said was unprovoked.

Renee Stein, executive director of the Out of the Cold Society that operates the shelter at Stuart Wood for BC Housing, said she is working to determine precisely what happened.

Stein said she reviewed security cameras from the site that overlook the area where the reported assault took place, but noted there is no footage to substantiate the claim.

She added said she spoke to witnesses who denied the assault took place.

“I ran the tapes. There’s nothing of note on our end,” Stein said.

Reimer said he went to the area after the alleged assault to speak to witnesses and took a photograph of the suspect, whom the assault victim identified as the person who pushed him. Another CAP member, who also works at the Stuart Wood shelter, identified the suspect as a shelter user.

The man who allegedly committed the assault was arrested by police later that day while he was hanging around near the KCBIA office on Second Avenue, Reimer said.

Stein confirmed he has also been kicked out of the shelter while

A Kamloops man is facing six charges after being arrested on Talasa Way in Sun Rivers on May 14.

Kamloops RCMP Cpl. Crystal Evelyn said officers were called to the 1600-block of Centennial Drive for a report of a vehicle fire, which soon evolved into an investigation that included firearms offences.

Much o f li fe is ab ou t balance . To o stric t o f a diet tends to lead to it s failure To o much indulging in one area can lead to complications in another A s my wi fe Amanda pu t s it , she work s ou t to stay healthy and… to say ye s to de s ser t Ever y thing in mo deration

Inve sting ne e ds balance as well Eric and I have create d our own "Inve stment Philo sophy and 10 Core Belie fs" that we use to help manage mone y We b elie ve the se are 10 e vidence -base d strate gie s that can help re duce risk and enhance returns .

One o f our core b elie fs is to rebalance p or tfolio s on a re gular basis

A s set allo cation is the prop or tion o f inve stment s traditionall y inve ste d acro s s cash, b onds and sto ck s It is se en as the cornerstone to inve sting (also a core b elie f we can discus s in greater detail another time) For us , inve stors should align their p or tfolio and as set allo cation to their p ersonal inve stment ob je c tive s , risk tolerance and time hori zon E x tensive re search has

Davis Senior Portfolio Manager and Senior Investment Advisor

they investigate the claim.

“Even though it hasn’t been proven yet, just because we want to be diligent in supporting our community partners,” Stein said. “Sometimes it’s best to take a time out so we can gather information and make a clear plan moving forward to make sure everyone is safe.”

Kamloops RCMP Cpl. Crystal Evelyn told KTW police received a report of the assault, then found and arrested the suspect, who was later released as the CAP member was not interested in pursuing charges.

“A file number was provided for reference and in case anything changes,” Evelyn said.

Asked if the termination of the shelter’s use by the suspect is a

Evelyn said officers at the vehicle fire were able to identify a suspect, establish his location on Talasa Way and gather information for risk assessment. Due to the reported presence of firearms and other details of the investigation, the emergency response team was called, the apartment unit targeted was contained and residents from surrounding units were evacuated.

It 's Abou t Balance

shown that as set allo cation account s for roughl y 90% o f a p or tfolio's return O ver time , inve stment returns for sto ck s , b onds and cash will var y and can skew one's p or tfolio, highlighting the ne e d to rebalance .

Let 's as sume Jane has a $5 00,000 p or tfolio inve ste d in 6 0% e quitie s (sto ck s) and 4 0% income (b onds)

A s suming that the e stimate d return for sto ck s is 7 % and b onds is 4%, withou t fac toring fe e s , taxe s etc Jane would have a pro je c te d return o f 5 8% a year After 5 years , her p or tfolio would grow to $652 ,62 0. Be cause o f the stronger p er formance in e quitie s , it has grown to b e come nearl y 65% o f Jane's inve stment s . Po sitive p er formance is a go o d thing , bu t i f le ft unche cke d, it can unintentionall y push Jane ou t side her de sire d ob je c tive s and risk tolerance .

The solu tion is to rebalance a p or tfolio back to it s original as set allo cation target That means trimming 5% o ff e quitie s and adding 5% to b onds , thereby returning Jane's p or tfolio back to original 6 0/4 0 ob je c tive

A few b ene f it s to rebalanc ing :

1. Ou tper forms buy and hold

According to re search by Morningstar in Jul y 2 02 0, an annuall y rebalance d p or tfolio ou tp er forms a buy and hold p or tfolio through the last 3 major market crashe s : The Te ch Wre ck in 2 000, the 2 008 Global Financ ial Crisis and the 2 02 0 C OVI D sell- o ff.

satisfactory resolution, Reimer said he would like to see more security service patrols in the areas around the shelter, as opposed to on the property, where there is security.

“Is it satisfactory? No, someone was assaulted. Satisfactory is going to be safety for our citizens and business owners and employees at the KCBIA,” Reimer said, noting he maintains a good relationship with Stein.

Reimer said no other CAP members have been assaulted this year, but noted he has safety concerns with the Stuart Wood shelter heading into its first summer in operation.

The CAP team acts as downtown ambassadors and directs and assists tourists and helps the homeless population.

Evelyn said the suspect later left the residence and was taken into custody without incident. He faces three charges related to possessing a .22 semi-automatic rifle, an 858 semiautomatic rifle and a shotgun while prohibited from doing so. He also faces three counts of using, carrying and transporting firearms in a careless manner.

2 . Lowers risk

The same stud y found that annual rebalanc ing lowere d the risk , or standard de viation, by 1 6% more than the buy and hold strate gy over the past 15 years

3 Forces discipline

Inve sting is an emotional pro ce s s and we can b e reluc tant to trim our winners Sy stematic rebalanc ing remove s emotion and ke ep s a metho dical pro ce s s to managing one's p or tfolio. Emotions o ften are the bigge st downfall to an inve stor 's succe s s .

4 . Takes advantage of market volatilit y

Rebalanc ing can p otentiall y enhance returns during market volatilit y During a corre c tion, this would mean buying more as set s that have fallen in value and selling tho se that have held up well Or pu t in other words , one would increase p otential to buy low and sell high

The past year has b e en a rollercoaster ride for inve stors . A s market volatilit y increase s , so do e s the p o s sibilit y o f one's p or tfolio p otentiall y straying from their ob je c tive s . It may b e time to re view your p or tfolio and se e i f any adjustment s are ne e de d A s alway s , we encourage consulting with an inve stment pro fe s sional.

Until nex t time... Invest Well. L i ve Well.

Written by Keith

Police probe series of downtown dumpster fires

MICHAEL POTESTIO STAFF REPORTER michael@kamloopsthisweek.com

Kamloops Mounties and firefighters are investigating after a series of fires were set in downtown dumpsters over the course of an hour on Monday (May 15) night.

The series of blazes were ignited from 10:45 p.m. onward. According to police, one fire came “extremely close” to spreading to the Frick and Frack restaurant at the corner of Victoria Street and Sixth Avenue.

Four more dumpster fires were reported and extinguished in alleyways between Victoria and Seymour streets.

The next day, at just before 8 a.m. on Tuesday, May 16, officers were called to the 700-block of Sydney Avenue on the North Shore, where a man was reportedly lighting grass on fire, but he fled before police arrived.

That suspect is described as a white male standing approximately 5-foot-8 and wearing a white muscle shirt and white pants.

“The timing and proximity of multiple dumpster fires last night is definitely suspicious and is not believed to be an individual or random event,” Cpl. Crystal Evelyn said in a release, noting the arsons are a “very serious safety concern.”

At this time, police said it is not known if the May 15 dumpster fires are connected to any other recent blazes in the city, including a series of arson attacks on vehicles in Aberdeen and Knutsford on May 13 and a number of fires in April that police and fire officials are investigating together.

Kamloops Fire Rescue Deputy Chief Scott Karpiak said business owners are encouraged to lock their dumpsters and to move them away from their

buildings as far as possible.

“We realize space is at a premium, but believe that creating some distance between a dumpster and a building can be effective in helping to prevent fire spread through radiant heat or direct flame impingement,” Karpiak said.

Police and fire officials continue their appeal to the public for witnesses and video that could help identify a suspect in

the arson investigations.

“If you haven’t already, please take a look at any security footage you may have to see if it captured anything that could be of assistance,” Evelyn said.

Anyone with information is asked to call Kamloops RCMP at 250-828-3000.

Those seeking more information on fire safety can contact Kamloops Fire Rescue at 250-372-5131.

Suspects sought in May 13 vehicle arson attacks

KAMLOOPS THISWEEK

Kamloops Mounties are investigating a series of arson attacks on vehicles over the weekend.

On Saturday, May 13, at about 3 a.m., police were called to the 400-block of Laurier Drive in Aberdeen, where Kamloops Fire and Rescue had just extinguished a vehicle fire. Several other vehicles nearby had gasoline poured on them.

As officers were investigating the first blaze, firefighters told them of another fire in the 2600-block of Highway 5A in Knutsford, where three vehicles were set ablaze. A house and fence also sustained minor damage.

“Due to the timing and proximity of the fires, police believe they are related,” Cpl. Crystal Evelyn said in a release.

As part of the investigation, Evelyn said, officers obtained statements and collected

evidence for forensic examination. Two people dressed in black were seen in the Laurier Drive area at the time of the fire and were connected with a newer-model, lightcoloured Honda CRV with a rear hatch.

Anyone in the area who may have dashcamera footage, security video, or information that may be related to the investigation is asked to call Kamloops RCMP can be reached by phoning 250-828-3000 and referencing files 2023-16616 or 2023-16619.

This dumpster in the alley behind the Frick and Frack restaurant, downtown at Victoria Street and Sixth Avenue, was among five set ablaze on the night of May 15.

BRAD FORD PHOTO

69,000 REASONS TO LOVE MCHAPPY DAY

annual McHappy Day, held on May 10 to raise money for Ronald McDonald Houses, collected about $69,000 at Kamloops and Merritt McDonald’s restaurants. The money raised locally will be used for the creation of the Ronald McDonald Room in Royal Inland Hospital’s Phil and Jennie Gaglardi Patient Care Tower. Ronald McDonald Houses and Rooms are places for families to stay together while their children are in hospital. The Ronald McDonald Room, slated to open in late 2024, will be situated next to the pediatric and neonatal intensive-care units at RIH. In the photo: Sahali

Kamloops Cit y Auc tion

AT T E N T I O N LO C A L B A R G A I N F I N D E R S!

The City of K amloops, in par tnership with Team Auc tions, will be hosting its second annual online auc tion May 25–28, with in-person viewing star ting on May 23. Find hundreds of surplus assets and unclaimed lost or stolen items up for bid, including elec tronics, tools, equipment, vehicles, tires, bikes, and more All bids will take place online, registration required

Viewing:

May 23–27, 10:00 am–8:00 pm

Valleyview Arena (353 Highland Road

Valhalla Smoke House food truck on site

City’s second auction set for May 25 to May 28

The City of Kamloops will be hosting an online auction from May 25 to May 28 to sell hundreds of surplus assets and unclaimed lost or stolen items.

A full inventory with pictures will be available on the Team Auctions website, where all of the bidding will take place. Some items are already available online at kamloops.ca/auction. Bidding will open at 9 a.m. on May 25 and close at 9 a.m. on May 28. All bids will take place online, and registration is required to participate.

Items can be viewed in person in advance of bidding at Valleyview Arena, 353 Highland Rd., from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. from May 23 to May 27. The Valhalla Smoke House food truck will be on site serving food for the event.

“Last year, at our first inaugural city auction, we had over 300 registered bidders, sold off the vast majority of available assets

and even sparked a connection leading to the donation of an auction item to the Royal Inland Hospital to construct a gaming station for pediatric patients,” said Ray Sison, the city’s purchasing and inventory manager. “The event was a success for the entire community.”

Last year’s event also included a pre-auction burglary at the arena, so security will be enhanced this year.

The auction will include close to 100 unclaimed items that have been acquired by the city and the RCMP. Residents seeking a lost or stolen items are encouraged to attend the open house and search the Team Auctions webpage. Identified items should be reported by email to purchasing@ kamloops.ca and to jennifer@ teamauctions.com, with the claimant’s full name, a contact phone number and a description of the item and its auction number.

Bidding:

Opens May 25, 9:00 am

Closing begins May 28, 9:00 am

The

McDonald’s assistant manager Rouble BhuiIn snaps a photo of shift supervisor Lee Lopez, assistant manager Happy Kaur and day-side crew member Jannah Sebastian.

DAVE EAGLES/KTW

KAMLOOPS THISWEEK

LOCAL NEWS

B.C. turns to United States for cancer care

A new provincial pilot will be sending eligible cancer patients across the border to receive radiation treatment, in efforts to reduce wait times in B.C.

It is anticipated that over two years, about 4,800 patients will use the temporary program, Health Minister Adrian Dix announced on Monday, May 15. Starting on May 29, those eligible will be able to go to two clinics in Bellingham, Wash., for treatment — equating to as many as 50 patients each week. Costs related to treatment, such as travel, meals and accommoda-

tion, will be covered through BC Cancer and the Provincial Health Services Authority. A BC Cancer support team will help arrange and coordinate travel plans to the two clinics: PeaceHealth St. Joseph Cancer Centre and the North Cascade Cancer Centre.

As well, all costs for medical services, testing and medication related to the patient’s radiation treatment, prescription medications and laboratory testing will be covered by the province.

Breast cancer and prostate cancer patients will be the first patient groups eligible to travel to Bellingham for their treatment because they are the largest group

of patients receiving radiation therapy, the province said.

Health Minister Adrian Dix called the measures temporary, but integral to ensuring that patients get the care they need, when they need it. In 2021, more than 30,000 people in B.C. were newly diagnosed with cancer.

While there is a cancer care centre at Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops, it lacks radiation treatment, resulting in patients in the Kamloops area being forced to travel to Kelowna for that treatment.

During the 2020 provincial election campaign, Premier John Horgan stopped in Kamloops and

promised a full cancer care centre, including radiation treatment, would be in place in the city within his government’s four-year mandate, if his New Democrats won the election.

The NDP won the election, but the government now says a full cancer care centre in Kamloops is actually part of a 10-year cancer care plan.

Over the next two years, B.C. is expecting to see approximately 1,000 new patients requiring radiation treatment. By adding capacity in the U.S., the province said it will ensure more people receive radiation treatment by their clinical benchmark.

SKATING INTO THE PAST

Tournament City Derby Diversified hosted a Roller Disco Night on May 13 at McArthur Island Sport and Event Centre, with plenty of retro outfits on display. The club is hosting a scrimmage on McArthur Island on May 25 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. More information is on the Tournament City Derby Diversified page on Facebook.

KAMLOOPS THISWEEK

ALLEN DOUGLAS PHOTOS/KTW

Homeless shelter site will eventually become a car wash

Kamloops council has approved the development of a car wash at the former Greyhound depot site — now being used as an emergency homeless shelter — at 725 Notre Dame Dr. in Southgate.

With the permit application approved by council following staff’s recommendation to do so, developer Zen Group Inc. will demolish the structure in two years, once

the property’s lease with BC Housing expires on March 31, 2025.

There was little discussion on the matter at the May 9 council meeting, as only Coun. Nancy Bepple asked about the application, inquiring as to how the car wash would dispose of its wastewater.

Development director Marvin Kwiatkowski said bylaw requirements specify which chemicals can be disposed of, noting that most newer car wash develop-

ments recirculate their water in order to curb usage.

A report from city staff noted that to maintain traffic mobility along Notre Dame Drive, the primary access to the development will be from Laval Crescent, with a secondary right-in-only access from Notre Dame Drive.

A new sidewalk will be constructed along Laval Crescent in conjunction with the development. A total of 16 parking spaces

— seven standard parking spaces, one vanaccessible parking space and eight vacuum spaces — will be provided on site, which meets zoning regulations.

Landscaping for the development includes a combination of trees, shrubs and perennial plantings for visual interest and to enhance the urban tree canopy, with staff noting registration of the development permit will be subject to registration of landscape security for $142,297.50.

Pipeline construction is wrapping up in the Kamloops area

transmountain.com

Construction of the Trans Mountain Expansion Project is nearing completion in the Kamloops area, between Black Pines and the Kamloops Terminal Work crews wi ll re m a in in th e re gi o n th ro u gh o ut 202 3 to co m p lete ri ght- of-way cle an up an d re cl am ation T h ank yo u for yo ur pati e n ce durin g construc tion For inform ation on construction progress in other re gions an d to learn m ore a

D u r i n g th i s fi n a l p h a s e of wo r k , yo u m ay n oti ce s m a l l c rew s wo r k i n g i nte r m i t te ntly to co m p lete:

• Va lve i n s t a l l ati o n

• R i g ht- of-w ay a n d a cce s s ro a d cle a n u p

• Re s to r ati o n of tr a i l a cce s s

• Re s e e d i n g , re p l a nti n g a n d l a n d re cl a m ati o n

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

Rocky Mountain High: Celebrating the Music of John Denver will feature the Worrall brothers on stage with eight core players and a small ensemble of players from various symphonies from across B.C. The tour stops at Sagebrush Theatre on Sunday, May 28.

Rocky Mountain High coming to Kamloops

Country Roads or Rocky Mountain High?

Now is your chance to hear those John Denver classics and many more, performed live and staying true to their original arrangements.

Geek SOS Productions is presenting Rocky Mountain High: Celebrating the Music of John Denver at Sagebrush Theatre on Sunday, May 28.

“I think it’s important to keep John’s music legacy alive, especially today,” show producer Rick Worrall said. “This concert series is a true celebration of his music and the incredible legacy of songs he left us.”

Worrall is a Canadian record-

ing artist who, along with brother Steve Worrall and Grammy and Emmy award-winning conductor and arranger Lee Holdridge, started performing the concert series in 2018.

“My brother and I cut our teeth on John Denver and other folk artists like Cat Stevens and James Taylor,” Worrall said.

“His voice was so pure and honest and his lyrics so poignant. In 1975, I saw him perform with a full symphony at the CNE in Toronto. He was at the height of his career and, as a kid, it left such an impression on me.”

Worrall said he was inspired to create this kind of show after doing a fill-in performance for an Elton John celebration with a symphony in Kelowna.

“I really enjoyed it and I couldn’t stop thinking about

doing the same thing with John Denver’s music. After a Google search for Lee Holdridge, I reached out to him with my idea. He was John’s arranger/conductor and loved the idea,” Worrall said.

“So, we worked together, painstakingly a little at a time, ‘rescuing’ John’s entire library of songs from Lee’s handwritten conductor scores.”

Unlike other tributes trying to emulate Denver’s look and voice, this production focuses on his incredible legacy of songs.

“My voice is similar in character to John’s, but I’m not impersonating him. There was only one John Denver,” Worrall said.

“Instead, we give the audience an opportunity to let go and simply enjoy the music and Lee Holdridge’s arrangements. It’s

important to note that Lee is a legend himself — he continues working in Hollywood, writing movie scores and developing operas, and often quips he’s still working for John.”

For this tour, each show features the Worrall brothers, accompanied by eight core players and a small ensemble of players from various symphonies from across B.C.

“It truly amazes me how John’s music transcends time,” Worrall said. “Back in the ’70s, there was no TikTok or YouTube, but he was still known around the world and was a No. 1 artist three years in a row. During our recent Christmas tour, after our show in Edmonton, a young boy about 11 years old came up to me all starry-eyed and said, ‘I just love John Denver!’ Now that’s what it’s all about.”

Denver lived in Colorado for much of his life and, in 1974, he was named poet laureate of the state. Denver died on Oct. 12, 1997, when his home-built airplane crashed in Monterey Bay in California.

As well as being a worldrenowned artist, Denver was an environmentalist and philanthropist.

To honour that part of his legacy, a portion of the proceeds from Rocky Mountain High: Celebrating the Music of John Denver will go to HOPE International, a faith-based non-profit organization that operates in 16 underserved countries, helping people access clean water and food security, among other endeavours.

For tickets to the show, go to www.rockymountainhighconcert. com/concerts.

GEEK SOS PRODUCTIONS PHOTO

Concert review: KSO’s Ode to Joy

LESLIE HALL SPECIAL TO KTW

The Kamloops Symphony Orchestra finished the 2023 season with a masterworks concert to beat all: Poem for Orchestra by Canadian Violet Archer (Berlin, 1940) and Ludwig van Beethoven’s career highlight, Symphony No. 9 in D minor (Vienna, 1824).

It is an impossible challenge for an amateur reviewer to do even a modicum of justice to these composers. One can simply be grateful that Kamloops has a symphony orchestra and chorus that can ably perform the works, as it did at Sagebrush Theatre on May 12 and May 13.

Placing Archer’s piece as the prelude to this Beethoven symphony was effective. Her use of the cellos and bass was a nice preparation for the moment when the longanticipated theme of the Ninth is introduced by the same instruments.

We can learn so much from these two greats. From Archer, with her early association with major 20th-century composers and her long career of teaching and innovation, we can see how music has advanced in Canada. From Beethoven, we can see that music is the art form that most draws us to each other.

The ending of the Ninth, with the cho-

rus going full tilt, is a call that continues to thrill us 200 years later — and it’s an ideal one to practise during this summer’s gatherings.

On the business side, there was loud applause for the gift of Kelson Hall from the Fawcett family.

Outgoing KSO executive director Daniel Mills made reference to the welcome

Distinguished Gentleman ride

The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride, the world’s largest charity motorcycle event, is coming to Kamloops on Sunday, May 21.

Those taking part will gather at the A&W restaurant at Fortune Drive and Eighth Street in North Kamloops at 9 a.m., with the ride set to begin at 10 a.m. The event is strictly for classic and vintage motorcycles, with riders dressed in dapper theme.

The ride has raised raising more than $40 million since 2012 for prostate cancer research and men’s mental-health projects. Globally, men die an average six years before women, and for largely preventable reasons.

received and the friendships made in Kamloops over the past four years, while KSO conductor Dina Gilbert praised Mills for the added value he gave to the symphony on account of his performing experience. There will be 10 concerts in the 20232024 KSO season, which begins on Sept. 22. Details on the season to come will be released later.

The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride Together and the Movember charity have funded more than 1,200 men’s health projects around the world in the past 14 years. The two groups have also launched the DGR Social Connections Challenge and the Veteran’s and First Responders Grant Fund, which work to provide mental health support for men in motorcycling and for veterans and first responders.

For more information, email rideupdates@ gentlemansride.com.

KAMLOOPS THISWEEK

The Kamloops Symphony Orchestra and guest performers wowed the Sagebrush Theatre crowd in the season’s final concerts on May 12 and May 13. More photos can be seen online at kamloopsthisweek.com under the Community tab.

ALLEN DOUGLAS/KTW

New Gold is deeply involved in Kamloops area

In 2022, New Gold’s New Afton Mine just west of Kamloops celebrated the milestone of 10 years of commercial production while producing 31.1-million pounds of copper and 41,551 ounces of gold.

For our C-Zone production area, we took receipt of our mining permit and conducted our first bell blast, major steps towards production beginning there later this year.

We also started our new thickened and amended tailings facility, which is expected to lower the site’s overall freshwater consumption.

As well, we introduced two autonomous scoop loaders, resulting in positive impacts to the health and safety of our operators, and two battery-electric haul trucks, which aided in reducing our emissions equivalent to that of taking 180 cars off the road, while also reducing heat, diesel particulate and respirable dust in the underground working environment.

In line with our culture of zero

harm, New Gold in 2022 launched its Courage to Care program, which focuses our attention on its three pillars: to never compromise on safety, to look out for one another and to stop work if it’s not safe.

As a result of our relentless focus on health and safety and the introduction of the Courage to Care program, New Afton last year achieved a 58 per cent reduction in the total reportable injury frequency rate.

In recognition of our outstanding safety record and for achieving the lowest reportable injury rate among metal mines in the BC-Yukon region, we were awarded the John T. Ryan Regional Metal Trophy by the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum.

With more than 80 per cent of our employees coming from the Kamloops region, we understand the importance of investing in sustainable community development

In 2022, New Afton donated $292,000 to 34 charities and non-profits, including $21,000 to local volunteer fire departments. New Afton employees also raised more than $80,000 for 12 charities and non-profits, including donations of $22,724 to each of the Chris Rose Therapy Centre for Autism, Kamloops Hospice Association and Hopewell Clinic and Pregnancy Centre.

In 2022, New Afton conducted four sustainability-focused projects, including the continued restoration of local wetlands and bird and bat habitats, and recycling 580 tons of steel milling equipment.

We also funded three local biodiversity-related initiatives, including making a $25,000 contribution to the BC Wildlife Park to help build an aquatic rehabilitation centre for injured waterfowl.

New Afton is certified ISO 14001 in our environmental management system, which guides our site-level activities and initiatives, and was recently recognized with a Towards Sustainable Mining

Environmental Excellence Award by the Mining Association of Canada for innovative projects and initiatives that expand and promote sustainable development within the mining sector.

In 2022, New Afton’s energy management system was recertified to ISO 50001:2018 and we remain the only mine in North America to be certified to this stringent, internationally recognized standard.

Over the past year, we exceeded our annual energy objective by 70 per cent, with a total energy reduction equivalent to the average annual electricity needed to power 304 average houses in B.C. We extend our thanks to our employees, Indigenous partners, vendors and the Kamloops community for their contributions to our successes.

By ensuring responsible operations, the health, safety and wellbeing of our people and meaningful community partnerships, New Gold will continue to contribute to the local community for years to come.

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If you have a photo of a charity donation, a grand-opening picture or other uplifting images, email them to editor@kamloopsthisweek.com, with “eye on community” in the subject line.

GO BY BIKE WEEK IS BACK FOR SPRING

Spring Go by Bike Week takes place between May 29 and June 4.

GoByBike Kamloops is a not-for-profit event made possible by a number of sponsors, both locally and provincially. Their aim is to make a fun and engaging event that brings the community together, promoting health, wellness, sustainability and biking.

Logging your rides is completed in exchange for being entered to win a prize from a draw but many participants choose to participate in an effort to focus on their active transportation efforts.

After completing registration online, you can log the kilometres that you have ridden online through the provincial program. The purpose of the week-long event is geared toward encouraging British Columbians to cycle as much as possible — whether it’s commuting to work or school, for fun or simply to relieve stress.

You can register as a cyclist for this spring’s event online at gobybikebc.ca/ kamloops.

GRANNIES KEEP GOING: The CanGo Grannies held five plant sales around Kamloops to raise money for the Stephen Lewis Foundation’s Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign, which supports grandmothers in sub-Saharan Africa who are raising grandchildren whose parents died of AIDS. The Grannies would like to thank those who helped in so many ways: Kamloops Regional Correctional Centre, master gardeners Dianna and Theresa, Gardengate Horticulture Program, Thompson Rivers University horticulture program, friends, neighbours and other supporters who answered their pleas for more plants to sell and customers who came to the sales and donated generously. For more information on the group, search “CanGo Grannies” on Facebook.

FAITH: A CORONATION UNLIKE ANY OTHER

On May 5, the world witnessed the glamorous coronation of King Charles III.

The event was estimated to have been watched by hundreds of millions worldwide.

This old Earth of ours has had some remarkable coronation scenes.

Before the 1917 revolution in Russia, when a czar died and a new czar came into succession, the custom went as follows: The officials, the titled folk, the military men and the leaders met in the Kremlin Church in Moscow.

As the crown of the czar rested upon the head of the incoming czar, they all stood in their brilliant apparel. Flashing their swords in the air, they cried out joyously, “The czar! The white czar! Who is comparable to our Czar?”

Many years later, a company of kings, princes and generals met in the famous hall in Versailles in France. They spent three or four days earnestly conferring.

Then, a wondrous scene took place,

as these kings and princes and generals picked out a man, William, King of Prussia, put him upon the elevated platform and they all stood around him and they flashed swords in the air.

They took the crowns from their heads and cried out, “All hail to William, the first emperor of the new united German Empire.”

A wonderful scene indeed.

But these coronations, famous as they have been, would pale in comparison with the crowning day of the King of kings, Lord Jesus. “There shall be upon His head many diadems,” according to choruses in the Book of Revelation.

The third weekend in the month of May is the Victoria Day long weekend in Canada. I heard in my youth the story of the noble Queen Victoria. It is perhaps familiar to every Englishman, but it stirred my young heart much at that time.

During her Coronation week, the Queen sat in the royal box, I presume in Albert Hall, while Handel’s Messiah was being played.

The lady-in-waiting went to her and said, “Everyone in the hall, when they reach the ‘Hallelujah Chorus, ’ will rise

and stand till the music ceases, except the Queen.

It is the Royal etiquette that the Queen should keep her seat.”

The music continued, sweeter and fuller, sweet enough for heaven. When the Hallelujah Chorus was reached, the people rose and stood with bowed heads.

It was noticed that the Queen was deeply moved. Her lips quivered, her eyes filled with tears, her body trembled, until they came to that burst of melody, “King of kings and Lord of lords.”

Then, in spite of Royal etiquette, the young Queen stood up and, with bowed head, remained standing until the music ceased. A nobler, queenlier thing she never did.

The Bible prophesies that a whole lot glamorous and dazzling crowning day of the King of kings is coming.

Who will have share in that wondrous, gracious, coronation day, much more glorious than the recent crowning of King Charles III?

It also answers that question by emphasizing that only those who crown Him now as Lord of all will have a share in that.

Narayan Mitra is a volunteer chaplain at Thompson Rivers University. His email address is ryanmitra225@gmail.com.

KTW welcomes submissions to its Faith page. KTW welcomes submissions to its Faith page. Columns should be about 700 words in length and can be emailed to editor@kamloopsthisweek.com. Please include a very short bio and a photo.

BLOOMING TIME AT GARDENGATE

Rob Davies (above) was among many people who visited the annual Gardengate Plant Sale in Brocklehurst on Saturday, May 13. To learn more about the Open Door Group’s Gardengate horticulture program that offers a space of healing and recovery for individuals living with addictions or mental health conditions, go online to opendoorgroup.org/programs/gardengate. Also

Curbside Organic Waste Collec tion

Coming

Curb Near You…

The many benefits of planting native species

Do you compost at home? Over one -third of the par ticipating households on the organics pilot program routes were home composters, and over 70% consistently indicated suppor t for the program. Most said they like to use it for yard waste, and many said they use it for food scraps that shouldn’t go in the home compost, such as meats, bones, oils, cooked foods, and foodsoiled paper waste.

Spring and summer present ideal growing conditions for many plants, making these seasons an ideal time to tend to lawns and gardens. Though it’s easy to succumb to the temptation of exotic plants, avid gardeners and ecoconscious planters recognize the significance of native plants.

Recognition of the many benefits of native plants can make for healthier lawns and gardens and a healthier planet.

September 2021 to August 2022 Pilot program along five select collection routes

Mid to Late 2023

Implement curbside organic waste collection for all single - and multifamily households

• Native plants are built for local climates: One of the issues gardeners who plant exotic plants run into is keeping those plants thriving when weather turns harsh. For example, exotic plants may require extra watering in areas that experience drought or even long periods without precipitation in spring and notably summer. Planting native plants can help to combat

water shortages by reducing the need to water plants if conditions become dry in late spring and summer.

• Native plants save money: It’s also important to note that native plants save homeowners money. Because they’re capable of thriving in local conditions, native plants tend to require less watering, which can help homeowners reduce their utility costs. But native plants also require less upkeep, which means homeowners can save on potentially costly, not to mention eco-unfriendly, pesticides and other amendments in order to maintain the look of exotic plants. And though it’s not always the case, exotic plants tend to cost more than natives.

• Native plants save gardeners time: In addition to saving money, native plants don’t require as much attention. Though

spring and summer is a great time to be in the yard, it’s also a great time to be out and about. Because native plants thrive in local conditions, gardeners won’t need to spend much of their free time tending to them. Exotics tend to require a lot of extra attention and effort, especially when conditions become extreme. Spending more time outdoors in extreme weather does not appeal to most gardeners.

• Native plants blend in with an existing landscape. Native plants look natural within an existing landscape, adding some instant aesthetic appeal without breaking the bank. When planting exotics, homeowners may feel a need to redesign their entire gardens to create a certain look (think Japanese garden). That can quickly consume a budget and take up a lot of free time in both the short- and long-term.

at the sale were Corene McKay (top right), a master gardener with the Thompson-Shuswap Master Gardeners Association, Leah Botha (bottom left), with friend Alivia and her mother Juanita Willson, and others shopping for plants.

ALLEN DOUGLAS PHOTOS/KTW

Makauwahi Cave: a treasure trove of fossils

limestone walls.

From ground level, the opening in the rock face is about a metre high.

It is dark inside so it is hard to tell how long the passage is, but I know it leads to a cavern. I crouch down as low as I can, try not to hit my head, and duck walk my way through.

On Kauai’s south shore lies the Makauwahi Cave Reserve. It has the largest limestone cave in the Pacific, is the most fossil rich site in Hawaii and one of the richest in the world.

To reach the entrance, we saunter atop coast line cliffs where the trail’s red dirt contrasts with green shrubs and the blue ocean. We pause often to watch the crashing waves, check for breeching humpback whales, and admire the distant, almost empty, white sand beach backed by a lushly vegetated hillside.

After safely negotiating the entrance passage and exiting the low-ceilinged cavern it led us to, we cross a large open area. At the entrance to a larger cave, we join Jerry, a volunteer guide from the Reserve Society.

Over hundreds of thousands of years, the heart of an ancient sand dune here turned to stone and formed a huge cave.

About 7,000 years ago, the cave’s central ceiling collapsed and the rubble blocked off the tidal ocean water. Fresh water and ground water collected, forming an inland sink hole lake.

An artist’s rendering of what it might have looked like features extinct birds flying over the lake and lush native vegetation.

Jerry explains, “Whatever falls into the water of that lake gets preserved in the sediment in the bottom of the lake. Over the thousands of years since the roof collapsed, the sediment is now built up and the lake is now dry.”

We stand on 310 metres of sediment recording 10,000 years of time. The layers bear evidence of a myriad plants and animals, floods, droughts and dramatic events, such as a tsunami and hurricanes.

Archaeological bores have

revealed finds such as the huge talon of an extinct bird-hunting owl, bones of extinct flightless ducks, and evidence of the first settlers, fish hooks, octopus lures, and shell jewelry — all preserved in this natural time capsule.

The selection of plants for the sink hole floor restoration was guided by the fossils found. A stand of native palms is a focus point and some are almost as tall as the outer walls. Outside the sinkhole, more reforestation with native plants is an on-going project. Integral to the process are African land tortoises.

These lumbering, pre-historic

looking beasts munch on low lying invasive species but do not have teeth to chew on the bark of newly planted native trees.

We follow Jerry deeper into the sand floor cave. Openings to the surface let in wind-blown sand, which is very fine and it filters down through the rock to the cave floor. In the light from his flashlight we see popcornlike flowstone, formed from condensation, dimpling the ceiling. Water flowing through cracks in the walls has formed delicate lines of stone drapery.

It is impossible to count the multitude of diagonal layers of sand that make up the

There are smaller caves behind this larger one. They are culturally significant for Hawaiians and are “kapu” or forbidden to others.

One is a wet cave and in its total darkness live rare creatures which are totally adapted to their environment. The white Kauai cave spider has no pigment or eyes and hunts other blind cave dwelling invertebrates. They only live here and in a few other locations nearby.

I am glad we are not exploring that cave.

Retracing our steps, we exit the cave and blink in the brightness of the day. Strolling around the sinkhole, we study the formations in the rock walls and admire the lush greenery of the reintroduced native and Polynesian plants. In typical Kauai fashion, a downpour suddenly starts. We take shelter in the cave near the entrance and contemplate the likelihood that thousands of years ago, early visitors to this site must have also sheltered from the rain like this.

Once the storm abates, we crouch down low and make our way out through the entrance hole. The rim trails, which wind through more native plantings, lead us to views into the sinkhole from above.

Looking at it from here, it is amazing to think of the thousands of years of history preserved just below the sinkhole floor.

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

The African land tortoise is an amazing sight. The lumbering, pre-historic looking beast are an integral part of the ecology and archeology of the Polynesian life.

KAROLINE CULLEN PHOTO

INSIDE: Gaglardi talks Stars, Blazers, ownership future |

Whyte making most of B.C. homecoming

Former Semiahmoo

secondary fly half Sean Whyte harkened back to his Man of the Match performance in a Sandcastle Cup triumph, sneaking in a few jabs at the Earl Marriott Mariners and making sure to note he slotted three crucial penalty kicks in the annual crosstown South Surrey high school rugby grudge match.

Twenty years or so later, with some grey in his hair, 37-year-old Whyte is still letting it fly in front of friends and family, booting field goals on his second tour of duty with the B.C. Lions.

“It’s phenomenal, man,” Whyte said while speaking to Kamloops This Week on May 14 at Hillside Stadium, with opening day of the CFL club’s main camp landing on Mother’s Day.

“The biggest thing for me is my mom [Pat] and dad [Tom] are my biggest fans and they’ve sacrificed a lot of their own life to allow me to play this sport. To have them at every home game and they have their own suite now, and my dad has his popcorn and his beer, and my mom has her own bathroom, basically. They deserve that. I know exactly where they sit. I see them and she waves to me before every game.”

The Sean Whyte Homecoming Tour was not booked without risk.

At 36, he came back to B.C. — where he started his CFL career in 2009 — on a one-year deal, an aging veteran asked to steady a position that plagued the Leos in 2021, when three kickers failed to nail down the job.

“I compare kicking to being a golfer,” said Whyte, the 5-foot-9, 175-pound White Rock product who toiled for the Surrey Rams during his junior football career. “You only get better with age, just swinging easier and the mental part of things. I’ve been lucky. Not all people get a second chance. I’ve been cut. I’ve been traded. I’ve been benched. I’ve been through it all. I’ve missed big kicks, but all of that is a learning experience. I’ve learned from my mistakes and I think that’s the biggest thing for me.”

When inconsistency may have marked the end of his pro career, Whyte came through with panache in 2022, connecting on a league-leading 92.3 per cent of field goals [36-for-39] in the regular season and going 4-for-4 in two post-season contests.

“It’s big,” Lions’ head coach Rick Campbell said. “When I talk about the core group of players

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coming back, Sean would definitely be one of them. He was a steadying presence last year. You always want that in the kicking game and it’s great to have him back again this year.”

Winning the Grey Cup with Edmonton in 2015 is among career highlights, along with exacting revenge on the Montreal Alouettes, who released him earlier that year, citing waning leg power.

“I made my career long against them at 55 yards and basically knocked them out of playoff contention, so that one felt really frigging good,” said Whyte, who in December signed a one-year extension with the Lions.

Whyte has made good on 418 field goals during his 13-year career [2023 marks Year 14] to land 11th on the all-time CFL list — but nowhere in range of record-holder Lui Passaglia, the Lions’ legend who played

in the league for 25 years and nudged 875 pigskins through the uprights.

A low moment came in the 2013 East Division semifinal, in which Whyte and his Alouettes squared off against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats amid 46 kilometreper-hour winds in Guelph, Ont.

“I hit one from 27 yards out and the ball landed on the 2-yard line,” Whyte said with a laugh. “It went up and backwards. Not only did we lose that day, but I was on C’Mon Man on Monday Night Football the next day. It did give me some comic relief.”

Whyte wears No. 10 for two reasons: his favourite NHL star — Vancouver Canucks’ icon Pavel Bure — wore it for part of his career and it is the number assigned to those who play the position of fly half in rugby, as the former Semiahmoo standoff did.

“I grew up playing rugby and it’s probably the best team sport

I’ve ever played,” Whyte said. “Then you come to a team like I had last year and now this year — it’s a family atmosphere. We’re all brothers. If I’m not having fun, I’m not doing this. They make it fun.”

A few of those old rugby pals will take in games this season at BC Place Stadium and perhaps some will be lucky enough to follow No. 10 to Mexico in December for his wedding, along with Pat and Tom.

“I’d be dead in a ditch somewhere if it wasn’t for her,” Whyte said of his mother. “She’s an unbelievable lady. I owe her everything. I just want her to have the best life from now on, so she can relax and do nothing. This is so much fun for me, even with the boys from back in rugby days coming out and watching. If I didn’t have the support system I have, I would never be able to last this long.”

MARTY HASTINGS STAFF REPORTER sports@kamloopsthisweek.com

B.C. Lions’ kicker Sean Whyte prepares to launch at Hillside Stadium. The Lions began main camp on May 14 and will be hosting Fanfest on May 20, from 2 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at Hillside.

B.C. LIONS’ PHOTO

Gaglardi weighs in on Blazers, Stars

Tom Gaglardi is embracing a productive period of hockey ownership, with his Kamloops Blazers and Dallas Stars at the centre of the hockey world.

The Memorial Cup will get underway later this month in Kamloops. The host Blazers are aiming to finish strong after the Seattle Thunderbirds knocked them out of the WHL post-season in Round 3.

Meanwhile, the Stars are off to Round 3 of the NHL playoffs.

Gaglardi checked in with Marty Hastings of Kamloops This Week/ Kamloops Last Week during a break from the action.

MH: What has this period of ownership been like for you, with two teams on notable post-season runs and the Blazers preparing to host the Memorial Cup?

TG: Pretty stressful. The Blazers had a long run and so every day you’re in the pressure cooker, it seems. It seemed like a lot of the Blazers and the Stars playing days rotated, so never

really had much of a day off, but proud of our group and just fell a little short in the third round.

MH: What is this Stars’ run doing for the fan base?

TG: It’s good. Business continues to grow, our revenues continue to grow and our ticket base will be as high as ever going into next season. Things are good and healthy and the future is bright.

Most of our best players are young, so we have a bright future.

MH: How do you assess the Blazers’ season so far?

TG: It was a great season. Just a great season, really. We had some injuries to deal with, like most teams do, and we just fell short. Seattle is a heck of a team. That’s as good a team that’s been produced in the Dub in a long, long

time. It wouldn’t surprise me to see them win the league this year, but we are right there. We know we can beat them. Our best players have got to be our best players and I think they have a bit more to give. I was in the building for Game 6 against Seattle. The kids looked tired. Seattle seemed to have a little more oomph to them. We, unfortunately, just didn’t have the greatest night for energy and it cost us, but it’s close. That overtime game, Game 2, really turned out to be the difference.

MH: What else is it going to take to overcome the Thunderbirds if you do see them again in the Memorial Cup?

TG: We beat them twice. We lost in overtime. We were right there. They weren’t much better than we were. It’s going to be, in all likelihood, play them once in the round-robin and, hopefully, maybe you play them again in the elimination round. We’ll have to be good. We’ll have to play Blazer hockey, limit our mistakes and

score more than they do. We need our power play. We relied on it all year. We’ll need our goaltender. Ernie’s [Blazers’ goaltender Dylan Ernst] been great. At the end of the day, give Milic [T-Birds’ netminder Thomas Milic] credit. Milic made some saves and he’s obviously an accomplished goalie.

I didn’t think that was the difference. I didn’t think goaltending was the difference in that series. I thought there were other things and Seattle just got the best of us, but not by a lot. We’ll be ready to go. We’re disappointed about losing, but we’re going to be rested. That’s an advantage going into this.

MH: What will constitute success at the Memorial Cup?

TG: We want to win it. That’s the goal. There’s nothing other than that. We’re not thinking about any other accomplishments other than winning the thing.

Tom Gaglardi: “We want to win it [Memorial Cup]. There’s nothing other than that.”

KTW FILE PHOTO

SPORTS

TITANIC LEAD

Feron Wallace of the South Kamloops Titans takes the lead in the 3,000-metre running event last week at Hillside Stadium during the Okanagan North and West Zone high school track and field championships. Wallace won gold.

DAVE EAGLES/KTW

Gaglardi on ownership future

From A28

MH: What do you make of the buzz in the city and what this tournament can do for Kamloops?

TG: It’s already kind of happened. There was a renaissance for Kamloops and the Blazers that happened about four or five years ago. We’ve just been rolling ever since. Unfortunately, COVID cost us a couple of playoff runs. It would have been great to see how the kids would have done, but here we are now. I’m super excited for Kamloops. It’s so thrilling to see the community support for the Blazers back to where it was at its peak. We’ve got a major fan base. We’ve really put ourselves back on the hockey map in the last five years. We’re a destination where good players want to play. Agents want their clients playing in Kamloops now. We’ve worked hard to get to this position to earn our credibility back.

MH: As far as your ownership of the Blazers, is it something you see as a longterm, lifelong type thing or do you have a time frame in mind for when you’d like to move on?

TG: I suppose if you ever lost the passion for the club. I own sports teams. I get offered other sports teams in other leagues or other sports and so I’m just not really that interested in doing it. You’ve only got so much emotional space for these things. In my opinion, if you’re not engaged emotionally and involved, then it’s not a business you really want to be in. I’m full up and, as I say, if you’re not passionately connected to it, then maybe it’s time to step aside and to have the club owned and managed by someone who is. But having said that, that desire and connection certainly hasn’t waned on my part in the 16 years that we’ve owned the team. And I don’t expect that it will.

Rivers rolled

Vancouver-based Nautsa’mawt Football Club knocked off Rivers FC in men’s and women’s League1 BC soccer action on May 13 at Hillside Stadium.

In the women’s match, Nautsa’mawt (4-0-0) vanquished Rivers 7-3 to leave the Kamloops club with a record of 0-0-3 on the campaign.

Jessye Large, Emily Clark and

Katie Chun scored for Rivers in a losing effort. Altitude FC (1-0-2) of North Vancouver will host Rivers on Sunday, May 21, in North Vancouver. Nautsa’mawt (1-21) earned a 2-0 win over Rivers (1-1-1) in the men’s tilt. Rivers will be in action against Altitude FC (0-1-2) on Sunday in North Vancouver.

Kamloops athletes hit podium at nationals

Two Kamloops athletes earned medals on the weekend at the Under-18 National Aboriginal Hockey Championships in Winnipeg, while two others snared fourth-place finishes.

Goaltender Benjamin Turvey of the Whispering Pines/Clinton

First Nation and defenceman Jobie Siemens of the Bonaparte

First Nation won bronze with Team B.C., which knocked off Saskatchewan 6-2 in the third-place game.

Manitoba topped Ontario 5-2 in the boys’ final. Meanwhile, defenders Jaylah Bottle of T’kemlups te Secwepmec first nation and Kate Streek represented the province on the female side.

Alberta edged B.C. 3-2 in the bronze-medal game. Ontario doubled Manitoba 2-1 to claim gold.

FREEZE BRINGS HEAT AT WORLDS

Three Freeze Athletics cheer teams earned top-25 finishes at recent world championship competitions in Orlando, Fla.

Eva Byczek, Cian Watters, Madison Brien and Sean Mitchell toiled for the national youth co-ed team in the International Cheerleading Union World Cheerleading Championship and took home silver, finishing six points behind first-place England and 20 points ahead of bronzemedallist Chile.

Freeze team Arctic Chill was in action in the Level 5 small co-ed division at the IASF/USASF All Star Cheer World Championships.

Arctic Chill had a season-best performance to finish 22nd among

40 teams and place eighth among Canadian teams in the division.

The Level 2, under-16 Blizzard posted its highest score of the campaign to place 23rd among 32 teams in the Summit Cheerleading Championships, competing in a field that included opposition from Australia, Sweden, Germany, Scotland, England, Japan, Canada and the U.S.

Athletes interested in trying out for an elite team for the fall are invited to team tryouts at the end of May.

Find more information online at freezeathletics.com.

Benjamin Turvey (left) and Jobie Siemens won bronze with Team B.C. at the National Aboriginal Hockey Championships in Winnipeg.

Ainsley Grether of Kamloops pushes up the pitch for Rivers FC on May 13 at Hillside Stadium in League1 BC soccer action.

ALLEN DOUGLAS/KTW

WEDNESDAY, May 17, 2023 A31 www.kamloopsthisweek.com

SPORTS

Rodgers joins pro pickleball circuit

Casey Rodgers, a top-rated professional pickleball player, will be competing in gender doubles, mixed doubles and singles tiebreaker matches.

“I’m thrilled to be joining the CNPL and competing against some of the best pickleball players across Canada,” Rodgers said in a release. “I’m also excited about helping grow the sport and encouraging more people to pick up a paddle and play.”

The CNPL will have eight teams with different ownership groups, one of which includes TJ Brodie, Mark Giordano and Alex Kerfoot of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Another team is co-owned by Canadian curling champions Glenn Howard and Jennifer Jones.

Teams will compete in communities across Canada for prize money and league titles.

Rodgers began playing the sport with the Kamloops Pickleball Club, which has courts set aside for its players on certain days and times in Riverside Park downtown and in McDonald Park in North Kamloops. Her biggest fan, her father, introduced her to the sport and continues to support her by travelling to out-of-town tournaments, watching the live streams and following her progress on pickleball websites.

“The Kamloops Pickleball Club helped me meet a ton of people who were always willing to help me along the way,” Rodgers said. “I’m grateful for their support and inspiration.”

Rodgers said she likes the Kamloops pickleball scene’s community feel at the courts and friendships she has made along the way.

As a top-rated professional player, Rodgers has been in the Top 50 in the Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating, the most accurate and only global rating system for pickleball. She has peaked at No. 2 in Canada and has won two golds at the Canadian National Championship.

Looking ahead, Rodgers hopes to continue travelling and playing pickleball throughout Canada, the U.S. and other countries. She would also like to see the sport grow in Kamloops with the addition of a junior program, more exposure in school gym classes and/or in intramural programs and an indoor facility.

SEE RODGERS IN ACTION

Rodgers will be competing at the Kamloops Open, presented by Comazetto & Associates Wealth Advisory, from June 9 to June 11 at Riverside Park. She will be joined by nine other CNPL professionals, including local pro and pickleball entrepreneur Brett Forsythe. To register for the tournament visit kamloopspickleballclub. ca Rodgers can be followed on Instagram.

National medallist Casey Rodgers of Kamloops is joining the Canadian National Pickleball League.

AC T I V

I T Y P RO G R A M S

Programs are

Walking Tour: West End Homes

All Ages 1/$5

Join the KMA for a sneak peak at our summer walking tour featuring West End homes Tour will meet at the Kamloops Museum and Archives (207 Seymour Street) and tour through the West End neighbourhood Please dress for the weather and bring a water bottle

Fri May 26 1:15 PM - 2:15 PM

Saturday on Seymour

Riley Peterson of the Kamloops Rattlers prepares to shoot on Saturday at Memorial Arena. ALLEN DOUGLAS/KTW

PRIMUS PACES SNAKES IN THE PIT

Also tallying points for the Rattlers were Tylor Seabrooke (3G, 1A), Ben

Creasser (3G, 1A), Riley Peterson (2G, 5A), Morgan Bloom (2G, 1A), Colton Boomer (1G, 1A), Quinn Smith (7A), Brady Georget (2A), Drew Bannister (2A) and Chace Jones (1A). Ethan Milobar was between the pipes for Kamloops, which improved to 4-2 on the campaign.

Brennan Plante (2G, 1A), Jordy Barr (2G), Jacob Brewer (1G, 1A), Tyler Plante (1A), Skylar Hodgson (1A), Brett Wolgram (1A) and Tony Minchenko (1A) had points for the Tigers.

The Armstrong Shamrocks will play host to Kamloops on Thursday, May 18.

on graduating with your Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of Victoria and also graduating with a Bachelor of Education Degree from the University of British Columbia Your first year as a middle school teacher has been a great success with many more successful years to come!

We love you so much, and we are so proud of you

Join the KMA on the third Saturday of the month for creative activities for the whole family to enjoy Explore a fun and new theme each month! This is a drop in program, and does not require registration

Sat May 20 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM

Beginner Crochet 4 /$80

In this beginner course focuses on teaching you the basic crochet stitches, tools and terms and takes you through project that will allow you to utilize these stitches Some supplies required Sa-Hali Secondary School

Wed May 31 - June 21 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM

XploreSportz Pro D Day Camp

Ages 7-12 1/$49

Try 2 sports throughout the day while meeting new friends and having fun!

City of Kamloops

Congratulations

A Kamloops resident will be among the players in the new professional Canadian National Pickleball League (CNPL).

KAMLOOPS THISWEEK

2667 NECHAKO DRIVE JUNIPER WEST – $924,500

Having Denise as our REMAX Kamloopsrealtor gave immediate relief, her experience & knowledge in the real estate market paid off She had a special "spidey sense" that sale would go quickly We sold on the same day of the first showing Unbelieveable, I was truly amazed & impressed with Denise!

Thanks alot Denise

– Debbie

www.denisebouwmeestersales.com

Cell: 250-319-3876 | Email: dbinkamloops@shaw.ca

• 51 acres of with rich grasslands and Paul Creek

• Custom home 2427 sq ft with 3 bedroom and 3 baths

• Attached garage plus detached garage w/almost finished suite

• 95' by 30' Clear Span greenhouse with 20' ceilings which could be converted to a barn

• Beautifully done with flagstone paving stones, polished cement and zeroscaping

• Beautiful South Thompson River home beautifully maintained and landscaped

• Easily suited or Air B & B

• 2 bedrooms, 2 baths up and 1 bedroom, 1 bath down

• Double garage and cabin for storage

(Kamloops) Real Estate

• Lovely, beautifully cared for 3 bedroom 2 bath home

• Full suitable basement with sauna

• Double garage plus detached double garage

• 2 driveways and gorgeous yard w/ gazebo and privacy fenced

• Gorgeous gated community 55 plus

• Lovely panoramic views or North Thompson and mountains

• 3 bedroom and 3 baths & double garage

• Many updates including quartz countertops/flooring/ furnace/central/roof

3488 PINANTAN PRITCHARD ROAD � $1,395,000 1783 FERRY ROAD MONTE CREEK � $1,150,000

ROBIN DRIVE, BARRIERE � $710,000

7-1575 SPRINGHILL DRIVE (CRESTVIEW HEIGHTS) � $799,000

• Centrally located apartment in The Manor House with 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom

• 55+ building with no

• Quick possession possible

• Great starter or investment apartment with 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom

• Beautifully updated throughout including kitchen, bathroom, flooring, and more

• Pet friendly building and rentals allowed

• Centrally located 1 bedroom 1 bathroom and den apartment in Hillside Lofts

• Top floor with many updates throughout including kitchen, bathroom, flooring, and more

• Includes 1 underground parking stall and storage locker

• Well cared for 1+2 bedroom 2 bathroom bareland strata in Glencairn Hill

• Lots of updated throughout

• Bareland strata fee of $160/month

• Immaculate 2+2 bedroom 2 bathroom home in central North Kamloops location

• 24x30 heated and wired detached shop

• Lots of parking including RV parking

• Beautifully updated and maintained 2+1 bedroom 3 bathroom home

• Fully finished walk-out basement with separate entry

• Many updates through including furnace, hot water tank , flooring, and more

• Fabulous location in this 3+1 bedroom 3 bathroom home in Sahali

• Rancher style with main floor laundry

• Partially finished basement with separate entry

Inclusive playground, spray park set to open

MICHAEL POTESTIO STAFF REPORTER michael@kamloopsthisweek.com

The accessible spray park and inclusive playground in Riverside Park are set to officially open this coming Victoria Day long weekend.

The City of Kamloops will hold a grand opening and ribbon cutting, with food trucks and children’s activities, on Saturday, May 20, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

The two new features have been under construction since November 2021, when the city began a $5.1-million project in the park that includes flood-mitigation work, demolishing the old concession and washroom buildings, constructing a new change room and washroom building and replacing the spray park.

As part of the Riverside Park improvements, the new playground — built to incorporate the existing playground within the park — will be the first fully accessible and inclusive playground in Kamloops.

Several new inclusive structures, including a We-Go-Round, a We-Saw and a ZipKrooz, will be featured in the playground, allowing children of all abilities to enjoy the park.

In addition, the entire playground surface has been upgraded to an accessible impact surface, while the upgraded spray park includes new accessible features in its design. Additional improvements recently made to Riverside Park include a new year-round change room and washroom building.

Jeff Putnam, the city’s parks and civic facilities manager, said the new washroom building will be open year-round to improve community access in the most-

visited park in Kamloops.

Flood-mitigation work, including raising Rivers Trail between Uji Gardens and Sandman Centre, a paved and widened portion of Rivers Trail, new lighting, picnic tables, benches and garbage receptacles along Rivers Trail, an expanded community plaza and an accessible beach mat for those requiring mobility assistance are among other improvements.

The city received a contribution of $200,000 from Trans Mountain toward the

The new inclusive spray park in Riverside Park downtown will be filled with kids when it officially opens on Saturday, May 20, with the forecast calling for sunshine and a high of 34 C.

construction of the inclusive playground. Meanwhile, as Mother Nature has brought the heat, the City of Kamloops has brought the much-needed water.

With a heat wave in the Environment Canada forecast for the foreseeable future (Kamloops is expected to hit a high of 33 C on Wednesday, 33 C on Thursday, 35 C on Friday, 34 C on Saturday and 28 C on Sunday), the city decided to open spray parks earlier than usual.

Last weekend, on May 13, the city opened spray parks in Albert McGowan Park in Upper Sahali and Westsyde Centennial Park, with spray parks in Riverside Park downtown and McDonald Park in North Kamloops, along with the wading pool in Prince Charles Park downtown, set to open on Saturday, May 20.

The outdoor Brock Pool in Brocklehurst is still scheduled to open on Monday, June 5.

CITY OF KAMLOOPS PHOTO

WEEKLY COMICS

WEEKLY HOROSCOPES

Aries, tr y to rectify an imbalance in a relationship with another person close to you this week It ’s never too late to make amends, and the rewards are fully wor th it

Taurus, friction can be overcome with patience and perseverance Take an even-keeled approach and give things time to simmer Change will come

The brighter you shine, the more things will come your way this week, Gemini Wear a big smile on your face and get out into the thick of things

Cancer, you may have to change your way of thinking to get on the same wavelength as some others this week Be open-minded to new experiences

Impor tant lessons about balance could come your way soon, Leo You need to find that happy medium between work and home responsibilities

Events this week could leave you a little dazed and bewildered, Virgo Nothing seems to be going to plan and that could get on your ner ves Figure out a way to de -stress

Libra, your urge to take action comes on strong this week Figure out a project you can put your effor ts behind as soon as possible and then dive in with maximum effor t

Use this week as an oppor tunity to tend to your own needs, Scorpio Indulge in a spa treatment or play hooky and go on a road trip all by yourself

Sagittarius, your desire to get ahead is ver y strong over the course of the next few days Now you only need to figure out the venture that you will take on

MAY 17, 2023 - MAY 23, 2023

Others may be begging for your attention, Capricorn But this week is all about self-healing for you Focus inward to bring about any personal change you desire

You can accomplish a great deal when you happen to get moving, Aquarius This week the struggle may be finding the motivation to take the first step

Pisces, take a break from reality by reading a good fantasy book, watching a movie or enjoying a stage show You can use the respite

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 by Rick Kirkman & Jerry Scott

NEW YORK TIMES CROSSWORD

64. Hindu god of pleasure 65. Does away with 67. Climbing Kilimanjaro, e.g. 69. Learned 71. ‘‘Squawk

NAME DROPPING

BY LEWIS ROTHLEIN AND JEFF CHEN

122. Subject of many a political scandal DOWN

1 Something that may elicit stares, in brief

2 Amp (up)

3 Pac-12 Conference athlete

4 Desirable flight option

5 Radiates

6 Goes out with

7 Improv bits

8 What a gavel bang may mean

9 ‘‘Oh well, it didn’t matter anyway’’

10 Give a lecture, with out

11 Concerns for coders and copy editors

12 Has a ‘‘ruff

Curved edges formed by intersecting vaults, in architecture 49. Cutting part of The Onion? 51. Before, in poetry 52. 5, 6 or 7, in golf 54. Baseball slang for a home run

Ones getting hit on at parties?

WORD SCRAMBLE

CROSSWORD ANSWERS FOUND ON A31

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!

ANSWER:DCIA

Antique china cabinet $600 250-376-4161

Duncan Phyfe table, extra leaf, buffet, hutch and 4 chairs Exec cond $600 778-2577155

Animals sold as "purebred stock" must be registrable in compliance with the Canadian Pedigree Act.

BROCK

WALK IN TUBS SAFETY, QUALITY & COMFORT!

Stay Independent and safe in your home Soothe the pain of arthritis and fibromyalgia with heated therapeutic jets. Walk in Tubs have never been so afforable!

Locally owned!!!

Serving Kamloops and area

M/S on r ims Total perfor mance 285/45R22 $1700 250-215-3488

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

2:00 PM Wednesday May 24, 2023

Sun Peaks Mounta n Resort Municipality Counci gives notice that it will hold a

Pub ic Hearing at the Sun Peaks Centre located at 3200 Village Way, Sun Peaks to consider proposed Rezoning Bylaw No 0208, 2023

What is Rezoning Bylaw No 0208, 2023?

Rezoning Bylaw No 0208, 2023, if approved, would permit a site-specific amendment to construct 58 employee housing units on the Light Industrial (LI-1) zoned property Variances decreasing parking and setbacks would also be approved

250-682-4932 info@walkintubsbc.com Walkintubsbc.com

250-319-8784

KTW is looking for warehouse space for distribution

We need approximately 1,500 sq ft of flat, dry space one night a week to receive a 53’ trailer, offload skid cages of newspapers and transfer loads to our local drivers in smaller delivery vehicles. We typically receive between 16 and 18 skids We have an onsite supervisor who co-ordinates the unloading and loading.

Gardens Rototilled Tractor mounted tiller Seniors discount 250376-4163

Al persons who be ieve that their interest in property may be affected by the proposed Bylaw shall be afforded a reasonable opportun ty to be heard at the Publ c Hearing Additionally, they may make written subm ssions on the matter of this Bylaw (via any of the below options) which must be received at our office pr or to 4:00 p m on the 19 h day of May, 2023 The entire content of all subm ssions will be made publ c and form a part of the pub ic record on this matter

How do I get more information?

A copy of the proposed Bylaws and a l support ng information can be inspected from 8:30 a m to 4:00 p m Monday - Friday at our office unt l 3:00 p m the day of the Hearing; or please contact us via any of the below options.

No representations w l be received by Counci after the Pub ic Hearing has been concluded

Nicky Jonsson D rector of Corporate Services

Phone: 250-578-2020

Email: adm n@sunpeaksmunicipality ca

Website: www sunpeaksmunicipa ity ca

BigSteelBox Corp at 1284 Salish Road, Kamloops, BC. claims a PPSA Lien Against Koehler, Sophia of Kamloops, BC, for arrears of container rent amounting to $850.08 plus any additional costs of storage that accrue If not paid in full, the contents of the storage container filled with: a microwave, boxes, and other miscellaneous items will be sold online auction via Ibid4Storage.com on May 22, 2023.

Notice of Sale

Notice is hereby given to Michelle Kendra Carswell

Please be advised

Typically the work happens between midnight Tuesday and 10:00 am Wednesday but it can go longer if we have bad weather, highway closures or heavier papers.

We are open to renting or subletting space in a suitable location or subcontracting the receiving operation to a logistics operator

We store a forklift and a skid of stacked pallets on the site.

For more information contact Ray Jolicoeur at: 250-371-1333

250-319-2618

a man and a women 19,700kms, excellent condition $5000/

Call: 250-574-5006

2017

Full brothers exhaust 5500kms $5,400/obo

250-299-4564

2013

19ft Queenbed, A/C $18,650 Call 250-376-7789

NOTICE OF SALE Notice is hereby given to QUANT MICHAEL, please be advised that your 2007 Kawasaki VIN

JK AVN2B137A014806 located at 1350 Kootenay Way, Kamloops, BC will be sold to cover debt of $966 00 on May 24 2023 at 9:00 am Kamloops Auto Recycling Ltd

Yamaha FX6R-4

2000 Kawasaki Vulcan complete with saddle bags, three helmets and leather r iding gear for

obo

2018 GMC Z71 SLT Crewcab 4X4 fully equipped Excellent condition Black with black leather 140,000 kms $37,300

2 5 4-stroke Merc motor 1 - elec boat motor + batter y $1,000/all 778470-2007

2010 Crossroads Cruiser 26RKX 5th Wheel 27ft $25,000 604-856-8530

4-Michelin Defender LTX

Dutchmen

Casa Azul is looking for a cook to prepare meals and follow establishment recipes.

Duties

Cuisine Specialties: Mexican

• Prepare and cook complete meals or individual dishes and foods using a grill, oven, or fryer

• Prepare dishes for customers with food allergies or intolerances

• Plan menus, determine size of food portions, estimate food requirements and costs, and monitor and order supplies

• Inspect kitchens and food service areas

• Train staff in preparation, cooking and handling of food

• Order supplies and equipment

• Supervise kitchen staff and helpers

• Maintain inventory and records of food, supplies and equipment

• Clean kitchen and work areas

• Organize and manage buffets and banquets

• Manage kitchen operations

Work conditions and physical capabilities

• Attention to detail

• Fast-paced environment

• Repetitive tasks

• Standing for extended periods

• Work under pressure

Health benefits

• Dental plan

• Disability benefits

• Health care plan

• Vision care benefits

Languages: English

Education:

• Secondary (high) school graduation certificate

• Completion of a three-year apprenticeship program for cooks or completion of college

• FoodSafe

Experience: 2 to 3 years, 1 vacancy

Those legally entitled to work in Canada are welcome to apply

Salary: $21 50/hour

Full time, 40 hours/week

START DATE: AS SOON AS POSSIBLE

Employment conditions:

Morning, Day, Evening, Weekend, Night, Flexible hours

Employment groups:

Veterans of the Canadian Armed Forces, Visible minorities, Persons with disabilities, Indigenous people, Newcomers to Canada, Apprentices

Looking for a meat cutter / wrapper to join our team

Some experience needed, along with a great work ethic and attitude We are a provincially inspected

Class A Abattoir with a far m to plate concept and are located nor th of Kamloops, BC Valid

Driver ’s licence and reliable transpor tation a must Benefits available after three months Par t time and full-time positions currently available Please send resume to: rangelandjob @hotmail com

Looking for a meat cutter / wrapper to join our team

Some experience needed, along with a great work ethic and attitude We are a provincially inspected

Class A Abattoir with a far m to plate concept and are located nor th of Kamloops, BC Valid

Driver ’s licence and reliable transpor tation a must Benefits available after three months Par t time and full-time positions currently available Please send resume to: rangelandjob @hotmail com

Business Oportunities

CAUTION

While we tr y to ensure all adver tisements appearing in Kamloops This Week are placed by reputable businesses with legitimate offers, we do caution our readers to under take due diligence when answering any adver tisement, par ticularly when the adver tiser is asking for monies up front

INTERESTED? CALL 250-374-0462

MULTI MEDIA ADVERTISING CONSULTANT

Award-winning media company Kamloops This Week has an opening for an Advertising Sales Consultant for our suite of print and digital products The successful candidate will be a self-starter, highly organized and able to work in a fast-paced environment The candidate will lead KTW to great success in this dynamic position and have a strong drive for networking The candidate will also work creatively with a diverse team to provide the appropriate marketing opportunities and solutions for our clients Marketing and/or advertising background is an asset, but not required

YOU HAVE:

• Strong understanding of goal-oriented sales

• Passion for digital marketing

• Passion to be creative

• Strong, genuine customer service skills

• Building strategic marketing campaigns

• Brand awareness

• Be able to adapt to different types of clients

• Passion to drive business and create long-term relationships

WHAT’S IN IT FOR YOU:

• Company benefits

• Professional print & digital training

• Competitive compensation based on previous experience

Interested applicants should send or email resume to: Liz Spivey, Sales Manager Kamloops This Week

1365-B Dalhousie Drive

Kamloops B.C. V2C 5P6

liz@kamloopsthisweek.com

Rest

Grace Clapperton

Our amazing mother, Grace Clapperton, aged 106, passed away on Tuesday, April 4, 2023 at the Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops, BC.

She is survived by her daughters, Lorraine, Evelyn, Ruth (Kerry) and son David (Inge), four granddaughters and six great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by her husband Wallace and granddaughter Tania.

A celebration of life will be held at Schoening's Funeral Chapel, 513 Seymour Street, Kamloops at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 27, 2023.

Donations may be made in Grace's honour to the Marjorie Willoughby Snowden Hospice Society or Kamloops Royal Inland Hospital.

For messages of condolence, please go to www.korucremation.com/obituaries

Love’s greatest gift is remembrance.

Audrey Margaret Johnson (née McCabe)

March 26, 1932 - April 4, 2023

Our beloved Mom, Nanny, Sister, Aunt and Friend left us, peacefully, surrounded by the love of her family, with her daughter Lisa, holding her hand, on April 4, 2023.

Audrey was born in Napanee, Ontario in her parents' home, on her mother ’s birthday

Audrey was Mom to Heidi Johnson, Kim Johnson, Bill Johnson (Uli) and Lisa Somogyi (Randy). Nanny to seven wonderful grandchildren whom she adored: Cameron Johnson, Robert, Laura, William and Rory Johnston and Daniel and Matthew Somogyi. Also, Nanny to five great-grandchildren and sister to John McCabe. As well as many nieces and nephews. We all mourn her loss, and we miss her terribly

Mom was fearless. If she wanted to do something, she did it. In her late teens she and a friend hitchhiked from Ontario to Alberta. It was there that she had met Dad (Merrill Kenneth Johnson) and they were married on July 29, 1953. Mom and Dad started their family in Uranium City and later moved to Edmonton, and later to Sherwood Park, AB, where they raised their family They relocated and made Kamloops, BC their home in 1973.

Mom loved to make beautiful things, she quilted (gorgeous rag quilts, that many in the family treasure), paper tole, knitting, crochet, needle point, and petit point to name a few She was generous with her creations and gifted many of them to family and friends. But her talents weren’t restricted to the fine crafts, she built rock fireplaces in the home that she and Dad built in the 1970’s in Westsyde.

Audrey was an accomplished seamstress and made dance hall dresses for Klondike days in Edmonton, and wedding attire for whole bridal parties. Her needle skills were amazing, nothing was impossible for her

She also made the best pies ever! She was a great cook; her hot mustard was always a hit, and she couldn’t make it fast enough, everyone who tasted it wanted some to take home.

Travelling was another passion of hers, Mom and Dad would travel to Melaque, Mexico for the winter months where they made lifelong friends who would visit them in Kamloops. Mom loved it all. She drove across Canada, many times, to visit family Lately she had come to enjoy cruising and cruised to Cabo and Alaska.

Audrey loved people, she had a great sense of style, she always looked ready for anything, her many rings taking center stage. She was a great lady Audrey will be 29 forever!

She is predeceased by her husband, Merrill Kenneth Johnson, parents, Gordon, and Mae McCabe of Napanee, Ontario, her brother Ernie, sisters Betty, Lorna, and Doris. We hope their reunion is a great celebration.

Our hearts ache for her, but she is in our hearts forever

A private celebration of life, for family only, will be held at a later date.

Thank You

I would like to thank the many caring souls that came to my rescue on April 21st The three ambulance rides were with caring professional EMTs. By the way, my new Teddy made it home.

The nurses, doctors, technicians housekeeping, and kind volunteers dietary, and lastly, but not least, the lady that heard my cry for help.

Thank you!!

A whole hearted THANK YOU to each and everyone for your help in these troubled times.

Sincerely, Dawn and Ken Olynyk

Glenn Madsen

Glenn Paul Madsen passed away peacefully on April 28th, 2023, at the age of 80. He will be fondly remembered by his wife of 55 years, Colleen Madsen, his two children Dean (Kim) and Dawn, and his two brothers John (Joyce) and Bob. His two grandchildren Owen and Wyatt and the furry grand-dog, Murphy, round out the family who will dearly miss their “Grumpa”.

Glenn was born in Edmonton in 1942 but grew up in Kamloops where he met and married Colleen. He built a successful career as a skilled carpenter which spanned 50 years. Their twins were born in 1968 and shortly after Glenn moved his young family to the Shuswap where he enjoyed 42 years of “lake life” in Eagle Bay Glenn was an avid fisherman who could be seen on any given night in his hand-crafted boat just off the shores of the Shuswap. He passed on his love of fishing and carpentry to his son, Dean and his creative side shines brightly in his daughter, Dawn. Glenn was a talented hockey player who enjoyed the comradery of the game, and he formed many life-long friendships with his teammates throughout the years. Once retired, Glenn and Colleen moved to Penticton in 2014 where they could be closer to the “kids”. Glenn passed his time working in the family vineyard, occasionally fishing, and taking Murphy on many relaxing walks.

Glenn’s infectious laugh and sense of humour will be forever missed. Fish-on Glenn…

In lieu of flowers, those who wish to remember Glenn may consider a donation to a charity of their choice.

Condolences may be shared with the family by visiting providencefuneralhomes.com

One Final Gift

Audrey Francis Lamb 1929 - 2023

We sadly announce the passing of our Mother, Nana, and G.G. Audrey Francis Lamb on May 3, 2023. She was born in St. Boniface, Manitoba May 13, 1929 to Frank and Harriett Smith. Mom is survived by her three children Raelene Tulk, Tom (Elaine) Lamb and Barry Lamb. Her grandchildren Peter (Tiffany), Scott (Adam), Tiffany (Robert), Chelsea (Ryan), Ryan (Candace), and Melissa (Dustin) and great-grandchildren Peter, Chase, Zoey, Mila, Sadie, Ava, Lilah, Bryce, Brooke and Kale. She will also be missed by Debi Lamb and Tony’s family

Mom was predeceased by our father Raymond Lamb and later by her second husband Tony White. By her parents, four siblings and their spouses and her son-in-law Peter Tulk.

Mom and Dad lived in a number of communities in Manitoba before transferring with the CNR to B.C. and moving to Vernon. There they had a home over looking Kal Lake that was always filled with family and friends. They later moved to Kamloops and once more made many good friends. After Dad passed Mom met and married Tony

Over the years Mom was able to take many cruises and tropical holidays with family and friends. She also made three trips to England and parts of Europe. She considered herself very fortunate.

by DJ Kramer

Mom’s last years were happily spent to Ridgepointe.

Alfred Henry Perry

Alfred Henry Perry, age 101, of Kamloops, British Columbia passed away on Tuesday, April 25, 2023.

It is with profound sadness that the family of Alfred Henry Perry, age 101, of Kamloops, British Columbia, announce his passing on Tuesday, April 25, 2023. Alfred was born in Calgary AB in 1922. Al lived an full and adventurous life.

Alfred was predeceased by his wife Megan Perry in 2022. They were married for 77 years – love birds till the end. Alfred was also predeceased by his brothers Robert, Gordon, and Donald and his sister Bernice Taylor

Al is survived by his sons Brian Perry (Lori), Doug Perry, brother Charlie Perry and sister Margaret Rodgers. Al is fondly remembered by Kelly Perry and many, many others. He leaves behind a legacy of 6 grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren and 4 great, great-grandchildren. Most of these grandchildren attended his 100th birthday – he will be greatly missed. There are also many nieces and nephews as part of the Perry clan.

Alfred left an indelible mark on the Kamloops and Chase area communities. As a child, Alfred’s family moved to Kamloops in August 1930 from Balzac, Alberta. He grew up in North Kamloops and the McArthur Island park area. As a teenager, he was a member of the Rocky Mountain Rangers. Al started with Overwaitea Groceries in June of 1940. Al was a manager for Overwaitea for 27 years and a store supervisor for 7 years. He retired from Overwaitea in 1974. In the summer of 1958, Al water skied non-stop from Kamloops to Salmon Arm on the South Thompson river and Shuswap lake. This was an adventure Al spoke of right up until his passing. In 1965-66, Al managed Tod Mountain. This led to a life long love of skiing; he skied with “Italian Ski team” until age 85. Most notably, in 1974, Al and Megan started Perry’s Place in Chase, BC – a grocery store and men’s and ladies ready to wear store. Perry’s Place was a fixture of Chase for 23 years. They retired in 1997 to Kamloops, travelled the world, enjoyed family and attended numerous Perry reunions.

Al and Megan had been living in Kamloops Senior Village for the past 17 years. Al was very proud of having his pilot license. He was the oldest surviving manager of Overwaitea. He was a founding board member of Kamloops Community Futures and CASE counselled in BC. Al was also a great photographer and ensured we had many family memories captured in photos.

Our family is extremely grateful for the compassion and care shown by the staff and doctors at Royal Inland Hospital and the incredible staff at Kamloops Seniors Village.

A gathering of friends and family will take place on Saturday, June 3, 2023 at Schoening Funeral Home at 11:00am with a tea to follow and then an interment will follow at Hillside Cemetery Kamloops, BC.

Alexis Devon Wiltse

July 31, 1984 - May 6, 2023

It is with great sadness that we announce the sudden passing of Alexis Devon Wiltse on Saturday May 6, 2023. Alexis passed doing what she loved most, enjoying the freedom of the open road on her beloved Harley Davidson FXR. Alexis was born in Kamloops where she touched the lives of anyone she crossed paths with. Her larger than life personality, unmatched sense of humour, and gift for holding safe space for anyone no matter their path in life was the essence of her spirit. Alexis was proud and passionate about her work as a social worker and Team Lead for Secwepemc Child & Family Services where she fiercely supported families to stay together with her amazing work family

Alexis leaves behind a large loving family; she is survived by her mom Cindy Wiltse and stepfather Jim Benton, her sisters Missy Wiltse (David & Graysen), Jamie Wiltse (Mark, Jacksen, Cade & Mirra), and Erin Wiltse. Her extended family includes Uncle Shane Clarke, Aunt Deanna Atkins (Shane & Ethan), and Uncle Rusty Clarke. Alexis is joining the loving arms of her dad, Denny Wiltse, grandparents Ken & Dorothy Wiltse, and grandmother Leone Atkins who have all passed before her Alexis’ dynamic family also included: her birth father, Steve Carnovale (Michelle), brothers Luciano Carnovale (Amber & Emilia), and Matteo Carnovale (Kate), uncles Frank Carnovale (Christine & Aleah, Nataly Mia and Maximo) and Michael (Chris), as well as her grandparents Vito and Lena Carnovale.

Although it wasn’t forever, Alexis is also survived by her long term partner, Ty Szigeti who lovingly accepted her passionate and strong willed spirit for many years. Alexis deeply loved her many friends including her best friend and soul sister, Courtney Dalgleish (David & Leah and Ella).

Alexis was loyal to her core, always led with love, and her sass and spirit was guaranteed to keep things lively in her presence. She never chose the easy road, but instead found a way to make any road travelled nothing but her own.

We extend deep gratitude to all those who went above and beyond to try and save Alexis. We acknowledge the brave bystanders, BCEHS, RCMP, and staff at Royal Inland who all did their very best for Alexis.

The family welcomes anyone who was touched by Alexis’ spirit to join us in a Celebration of Life on Friday, May 19th, 2023 hosted at the Colombo Lodge at 1:00 pm.

Two separate viewings will also be held on Thursday, May 18th for those who wish to say goodbye to Alexis. Family is invited from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm and friends from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm at Schoening Funeral Home. We extend a thank you to Schoening for supporting the family during this difficult time.

In lieu of flowers, donations are welcome to be made to Kamloops Aboriginal Friendship Society, youth programs.

Condolences may be expressed at: www.schoeningfuneralservice.com

As you share the stories and the memories of how they lived their lives and how very much they meant, may you find comfort...

Fond memories linger every day, Remembrance keeps them near.

Bruno Doberstein

August 8, 1936 - April 19, 2023

It is with a heavy heart that we said goodbye to Bruno after struggling with congestive heart failure. Like he lived his life he left this earth on his terms and with complete control.

Bruno was born in Vernon, BC in August 1936 to Ted and Elizabeth (Nickel) Doberstein (their 3rd child). Bruno was unfortunate to have a major accident in 1954 where he sustained a severe crush injury to his pelvis when a log rolled off a truck and struck him. He fought back and began to walk again and WCB assisted him in attending trade school in Nanaimo, becoming a heavy duty mechanic in 1958.

Bruno always had grand plans, and his first was to have extensive money in the bank and a house paid for before he got married. His wife (Vesta Esche) had other plans and was persistent until he proposed and they were married August 13, 1960.

Not long after Bruno and Vesta were married he was transferred to Prince George to be a salesman with Pacific Tractor & Equipment and A.R. Williams Machinery Here they made many life long friend and their son Trent was born. They then transferred to Coquitlam and their daughter Sue was born. The last transfer took them to Kamloops in 1971 and dad would retire at age 55. Bruno recently moved to Kelowna to be closer to his daughter and to work with Kelowna General Hospital at the heart function clinic.

Bruno and Vesta loved to travel and did so extensively by car, van, motorhome and plane. Bruno loved to golf and was one of the original shareholders of the Kamloops Golf and Country Club.

Bruno was preceded by his wife Vesta (2014), his mother Elizabeth (Kady) (1985), father Ted (2007 at 106 years of age), sister Agnes (2019), sister Irene (2020) and sister Martha.

Bruno leaves behind his siblings Ruth Childs (Lake Country), Harry Doberstein (Merritt), his children Trent (Charlene) Doberstein, Sue (Tim) Porter, his grandson Jacob (Rebecca) Doberstein (and their children Ezra and Isabella) and many nieces and nephews and friends from all over the world.

The family would like to thank Dr Liciu in Kamloops for being so patient with our family, The nurses and cardiologists at both Royal Inland Hospital (Kamloops) and Kelowna General Hospital for their compassionate care. To the team at both Hawthorn Park and Orchard Manor in Kelowna - you made his last days and weeks the best that they could be. He laughed and showed his sense of humour right up to the end (while listening to his favourite singer Dean Martin).

We love you, and miss you. Give Vesta a big kiss from us all - and enjoy another dance together

In lieu of flowers please make a donation in Bruno’s name to one of his favorite organizations:

Royal Inland Hospital Foundation https://www.rihfoundation.ca/donate/ Kelowna General Hospital Foundation https://kghfoundation.crowdchange.co/14594/donate

Heart & Stroke Foundation https://securesupport.heartandstroke.ca/site/SPageServer?pagename=DMDonation

Form&s_locale=en_CA&s_fT=cont&s_pres=hsweb&s_cscid=hsweb_nav

There will not be a service as per dad’s wishes but we will have a celebration of life at a later date.

Condolences may be sent to the family by visiting www.firstmemorialfuneralkelowna.com

Arrangements entrusted with First Memorial Funeral Services, Kelowna, BC 250-762-2299

Darlene Sharp

It’s with sadness the family of Darlene Sharp would like to share her peaceful passing on Monday, May 8, 2023 at the age of 81. Born in Virden, Manitoba, moving to Calgary in her teens where she met her love Donald in 1957 marrying him in 1958. In 1964 they moved to Surrey, BC where she worked for the Nabob Co. In 1972 they moved the family to the Oasis Campground in Osoyoos, BC.

Then off to Salmon River Motel in Salmon Arm (1978) then back to Osoyoos (1979). In (1980) they went to Silver Tip Motel in Revelstoke, a short stint in Rutland then to Rider ’s Motor Inn in Kamloops (1982-87). Slowing life down Don and Darlene moved to Canoe BC (1987-1991) When she suffered her 1st heart attack then to Sicamous Sands (1991-96) in summers and becoming snowbirds to Yuma in winters where they enjoyed socializing, crafting, playing pool, and cards. Darlene continued to enjoy crafting and being close to many of the grandchildren and greatgrandchildren when settling back in Kamloops (1996-present) after suffering a couple more heart attacks from which she made the best of her remaining years to make her final move to heaven.

Darlene is survived by her sons Timothy (Lorna) Sharp of Calgary, Alberta, Troy (Shannon-deceased) Sharp of Salmon Arm, BC, Kevin Sharp of Scotch Creek, BC and daughter Kimberly (Mathew) Edmondson of Savona, BC. She also leaves behind 9 grandchildren, 9 great grandchildren and sister, Ilene Hand of Calgary and numerous nieces and nephews.

She is predeceased by her husband Don, brothers Maurice, Wally, Lawrence and sisters Lois, Shirley, Mima, and 1 great-granddaughter Jade Edmondson-Forman.

The family wishes to extend a big Thank you to the staff at Royal Inland Hospital.

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation in Darlene’s name to Heart & Stroke, Cancer research, or charity of choice.

Condolences may be expressed at: www.firstmemorialkamloops.com

Donald James Johnson

Donald James Johnson, 87, of Monte Lake, BC, passed away peacefully on May 6th, 2023, surrounded by loved ones.

Donald is survived by his wife Fran, daughter Deana Alexandre (Doug), son Kelly (Michele), grandchildren Andrea, Shana, and Josh, great-grandchildren Andrew and Payton, and sister Patsy (Pat).

Donald was born December 29, 1935 in Grande Prairie, Alberta. In 1946 his family moved to Monte Lake, BC and bought the Monte Lake store. As a young man, Donnie started off his trucking career driving tanker, and then chip truck for Arrow In 1963 he married Fran Goddard and they resided in Kamloops where they raised their two children, Deana and Kelly In 1972 he bought a gravel truck and hauled gravel and asphalt until he retired in 1987. In 1997 Don and Fran moved to Monte Lake, where he enjoyed the outdoors, visiting with family and friends, and spending time with all his beloved pets. He connected with people through his story telling and will forever be remembered for his amusing anecdotes and occasional tall tales.

A special thank you to Kelsie and Kaylee Rodgers for their kindness, care, and visits with Don during his time at Ponderosa.

A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date.

Condolences may be sent to the family at DrakeCremation.com

James A. W. Roode

June 3, 1935 - April 14, 2023

It is with profound sadness and heavy hearts that we announce the passing of James (Jim) A.W Roode on April 14, 2023. A private service was held on April 20, 2023.

Jim was born in Cape Town in South Africa on June 3, 1935. He started working for the Municipality of Cape Town in January 1954 and left this employer as a successful police officer in 1967 to emigrate to Canada. After his arrival in Kamloops, BC, with his wife Mavis, his daughter Pauline and his sons Terrance and Kevin, he took in November 1967 the job as purchasing agent for the BC Ministry of Human Resources in Tranquille until 1985. Between 1985 and 1988 he worked at the BC Correction Branch and Royal Inland Hospital. In 1988 he was offered retirement.

His great passions were music and sports. Every morning he checked on his iPad the scores of cricket, soccer, golf, etc. and of course, hockey From 1981 to 1990 Jim voluntarily managed and represented Kamloops Minor Hockey Association (KMHA) as President. He received the "Outstanding Service Award" for the years 1991-1992. KMHA also created the "Jim Roode Volunteer of the Year" Award starting in 2009 as a recognition of his longtime service to the hockey community in Kamloops. In 2011 he received the Tim Horton KIBIHT award as past president.

From 1997 to 2008 Jim and Mavis helped raise Pauline's twins, Damara and Dayne. In 2008 Jim conquered his first battle with cancer In December 2009 Mavis passed away and Jim remained the stabilizing father figure for the twins.

Mid 2012 Jim joined the Kamloops Duplicate Bridge Club and met his second wife Christl. They decided to spend their twilight years together and married shortly thereafter They divided their living between Kamloops and Palm Desert, where her circle of friends made him warmly welcome. They visited several times her family in Germany and France. They travelled to Sault Ste. Marie, to Halifax, to Edmonton, to Winnipeg and thoroughly enjoyed several trips to Sedona in Arizona. But playing competitive bridge became both their passion for the next 10 years. Jim always remembered each detail of his wins, but never seemed to remember his losses.

A strong love connected Jim and Christl and they both did not take anything for granted after both having previously experienced the pain of losing a spouse. Jim was strong and tenacious and endearingly stubborn. He was proud yet humble and uncommonly generous and kind. Jim had the greatest capacity for unconditional love, which was shared with those who were fortunate enough to be part of his daily life.

Jim loved God and Jesus with all his heart, soul and mind.

Special thanks to all the doctors and nurses on 6 South in the Royal Inland Hospital for their care and compassion shown to Jim during his last weeks of life.

A celebration of life may be organized by Jim's children at a later time.

Condolences may be expressed at: www.schoeningfuneralservice.com

Jacob Befurt

In deep sorrow we announce the passing of Jacob Befurt on May 7, 2023, in Kamloops, BC.,, family by his side. It was the very day of his wedding anniversary with his beloved Vera Lillian Berry at Kamloops United Church in 1949.

Jacob was predeceased by Vera after 72 loving years together on December 20, 2021. Also gone before were dearly beloved newborn daughter Wendy Witten Vera Befurt 1960, grandson Jacob Russell Befurt 1999, and eldest son Richard Shane Befurt 2017 (Dianne); Mom Eva and Dad Jacob Befurt, and sisters, Chris Erlandson (Smokey), Eva Mayrhofer (Joseph).

Jacob leaves to mourn, his children: Thomas Befurt (Nicole), Wilna Capostinsky (Steve), Trevor Befurt (Kathie), Roger Befurt (Debbie); grandchildren: Amanda, Miranda, Troy, Hunter, Roger, Alexis, James, Julia, Liam; great-grandchildren: Mahleah, Aria, Jacob-Trevor, Clarke, Calissa, Parker, Zara, Wyatt; and treasured nieces and nephews, dear extended family and friends.

Jacob was born July 2, 1926 in Konigsveld, Yugoslavia and emigrated to Kamloops, Canada by steamship with his family at age four They owned and operated a farm and dairy in North Kamloops and also worked for the cannery, wood mills, and CNR. Jacob was proud that his mother Eva had helped begin the first Lutheran Church here in Kamloops.

Jacob was a proud Canadian Army Veteran. He was a CNR Locomotive Engineer who began in their shop, then firing coal burning locomotives, then Engineering as CNR converted to diesel locomotives, and tracks and signals controlled electronically Jacob loved to get together to work, support, and socialize with his community He was pleased to contribute many hours of volunteer service as Railway Union Representative, and to the Boy Scouts of Canada. Jacob was Second North Kamloops Boy Scouts Group Committee Chairman for many years and then Kamloops District Commissioner for many more.

Jacob enjoyed CN Pensioners events, singing in the German Choir, taking part in Friends of the German Language, Kamloops Pipe Band, Schlaraffia, Gardening, Bee Keeping and selling at Kamloops Farmers Market, travelling Europe, Hawaii, Australia, New Zealand and Fiji, and especially time with family

A Graveside service will take place at Hillside Cemetery on Tuesday, May 23, 2023 at 1:30 pm.

Condolences may be sent to the family from www.kamloopsfuneralhome.com 250-554-2577

Marija

Troskot

September 24, 1934 - May 14, 2023

After a lengthy illness, Marija passed away peacefully at hospice on May 14, 2023.

A graveside service will be held on Thursday, May 18, 2023 at 11:00 am at Hillside Cemetery

The family would like to express their sincere thanks to the staff at hospice for their care and support.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the BC Cancer Foundation or the Kamloops Hospice Association.

Celebration of Life for Kathie Lock

A Celebration of Life for Kathie Lock will take place on Saturday, May 20, 2023 at 11:00 am at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church, 635 Tranquille Road. Reception to follow in Parish Hall.

Pat Chapman

After a long life well lived, Pat Chapman of Kamloops passed away peacefully on April 19, 2023, just shy of her 95th birthday

Pat was born at home in a log cabin in the hamlet of Vanrena, near the town of Fairview, Alberta. She was brought into the world by her mother ’s lifelong friend Thelma.

When Pat was a young child, her family made their way to Vancouver, BC where she and her siblings would spend their youth during the Great Depression.

Pat met her future husband Alex in Savona, BC while she was visiting with her sister and her sister ’s family In 1962, she and Alex moved from Savona to Prince George with two children in tow While the children were young, she would join the Order of the Eastern Star, began curling, took up oil painting and began a lifetime of volunteerism.

Pat and Alex and the children moved to Kamloops in 1967. Pat was an active and devoted member of The Order of the Eastern Star Adah Chapter for over fifty years. She looked forward to Grand Chapter and General Grand Chapter sessions. She was fortunate to have been able to attend sessions in cities such as Toronto, Portland, Nashville, Anaheim, Seattle, Atlanta, Orlando and Memphis. She had a close-knit group of “Roomies” whose friendships she cherished to the end.

Pat played many sports but curling and golf would become her favourite. She and Alex were instrumental in establishing the North Kamloops Curling Club, also serving on the executive committee. Even when her back and knees would no longer allow her to play, she became an official with Curling Canada volunteering at many memorable local events She enjoyed watching Alex, who continued to curl into his mid-eighties.

Pat and Alex were avid golfers and were long-standing members of the Kamloops Golf and Country Club, also serving on the executive committee. Their shared love of golf and travel allowed them to meet people from around the globe and were thrilled when they were asked to serve as Marshals at the Hawaiian Open held annually at the Waialae Country Club. Pat’s love of sports always gave her something to do in her later years as she enjoyed watching everything from baseball to curling. She and Alex, and their large group of friends held

legendary Grey Cup parties, complete with homemade jerseys. They were season-ticket holders and enjoyed many years in the stands cheering on The Kamloops Blazers.

They felt very fortunate to have been able to travel throughout their lives. They made two trips to Europe, enjoying visiting various countries via numerous modes of transportation. They also enjoyed many cruises and loved spending time at their place in Birch Bay, WA, made extra special as her brother Del and his wife Kitty were just a few doors down. No matter if they were on land or sea, good friends were always at the centre of their adventures.

Above all else, Pat and Alex had a love for Hawaii which began in 1972. Over many seasons, they travelled to various islands including Molokai. Most winters they would travel with their close friends Don and Doreen. Their many golf games were always followed up by “Happy Hour” Hawaiian style. Their decades-long friendship was remarkable, sharing joy and sorrow always with an abundance of humour

Pat was predeceased by her siblings; Doug, Curly, Mary and Del. She was also predeceased by her husband Alex and by her son Gary She is survived by her daughter Debbie, her granddaughter Kayla (Mike) and her dearly loved six-month old great grandson Jett. Pat is also survived by her brother-in-law John, many nephews and nieces as well as their spouses, children and grandchildren. Also left to miss her are her special friends Doug and Marg.

She was fortunate to have lived independently right up until the morning of her passing We would like to thank all the first responders for their kind and compassionate care. A special thank you to Pat’s family physician Dr Lesch (and Marisa) who were always there to provide outstanding care.

We would also like to thank the members of Adah Chapter No. 16 and the local Masonic Lodges. She so enjoyed her last “Ladies Night”, organized by the Masons. Thank you to all who made her feel special.

At her request, there will be an informal service which will be held later in the fall.

A MEMORIAL TO CELEBRATE THE LIFE OF RAYMOND OSCAR SCOTT (RAY)

In Ray's memory we will gather and celebrate his life, and to share memories.

FRIDAY, MAY 19, 2023 from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm at

Condolence messages for the family may be left at www.schoeningfuneralservice.com

Rachel Henri

Rachel Henri, of Kamloops, BC born February 24, 1932 in St. Joseph D’Alma, Quebec, passed peacefully in the presence of her sons, Denis (Gail) Henri, Remi Henri and Daniel Henri on May 7, 2023.

At 19 years old and known for her feisty character, Rachel ventured west where she soon met Robert Henri from Saskatchewan. Realizing they were a perfect match, they were soon married and moved to Peace River, Alberta in 1951 where they started their young family having three sons. Moving to Lac La Hache, BC in 1955 to find employment, Rachel learned to speak and write English while raising their boys.

In 1960 they moved to Kamloops, BC and while completing the construction of their home in 1967, Daniel was born.

The family suffered a tragedy when their third son Roger deceased in a vehicle accident in 1975.

Robert and Rachel remained married for 55 years until Robert passed in 2006.

Devoted to the Catholic Church, Rachel enjoyed praying for her family and the ones she loved. She took pride in going to the shops where the employees knew her by name and maintaining her home.

Survived by four brothers and one sister, five grandchildren and eight greatgrandchildren.

Special thank you to the home care nurse program that was truly amazing during this difficult time, and to Father Rajesh Madtha for the blessings and comfort that Rachel received.

Mom will be remembered for her devoted love to her family, delicious meals that were always made with her special touch. Forever in our hearts, rest in peace mom. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to OLPH Catholic Church. Thank You.

Prayers were recited on Tuesday, May 16, 2023 at 5:00 p.m. in Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church. The Reverend Father Rajesh Madtha OCD will celebrate the Funeral Mass in the church on Wednesday, May 17, 2023 at 11:00 a.m. Interment will follow at Hillside Cemetery

Marcel Paul Marini

July 03, 1929 - April 15, 2023

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, Marcel (Mitch) Marini, who was born July 03, 1929. Mitch passed away peacefully on Saturday, April 15, 2023 surrounded by his loving family

Dad was predeceased by his beloved wife, Leigh Marini, his parents (Raphael and Julienne), and his siblings (John, Gil, Rita, Rose, and Eddie) He is survived by his five children (Michelle, Julie/Ken, John/Janice, Robin, and Andrea/Bruce), his ten grandchildren (Angela, David, Joel, Kristen, Miranda, Adam, Rudy, Emily, Danielle, and Joey), as well as his four great grandchildren (Ryder, Noah, Amara, and Jayse). His remaining siblings (Pat and Bernie) and his close friends (Jerry Poelzer, Gunner Slack, and many others) also mourn his loss.

To his family and friends, Mitch was known as persistent, strong-willed, inventive, and resourceful. He led a widely colourful and fulfilled life from working with his father in Saskatchewan to starting his own business with his brothers. Mitch has contributed to a lot of the architecture within Kamloops and the surrounding areas, including the building and restoration of schools, businesses, churches, and homes – leaving his imprint everywhere if you know where to look. If he wasn’t at home having a Caribou with Leigh, he was at the Lake where he could be found tinkering on old machinery, hunting for agates, or getting into all sorts of trouble – his favourite pastimes. He was always on the move, willing to help anyone that needed it, and ready to tackle any project – no matter how big or small. He will truly be missed by all who knew him.

The family would like to offer special thanks to all that visited Mitch during his final days, to Msgr Jerry Desmond for his friendship and presence, and to his palliative doctors, particularly Dr Arduini. Mitch and all his family and friends appreciate your kindness and support.

No service at this time. A celebration of life will follow at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you do something fun, wild, and spontaneous in the true spirit of Mitch.

Michelle Lea Long

April 02, 1969 - March 26, 2023

We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of our beautiful wife and mother, Michelle Lea Long.

Katharina Berker

1924 - 2023

Katharina Berker passed away at Gemstone Care Center in Kamloops, BC on May 13, 2023, at the age of 99. She was born in Yugoslavia on February 22, 1924 to parents Elizabeth and Martin Popp.

Katharina is predeceased by her husband, Helmut; her sister, Eva; and her three brothers William, Martin, and Matt. She is survived by her four children: Frank Glassen, Rose Connor, Ursula Kerr, and Manfred Berker; as well as six grandchildren and numerous great-grandchildren.

A celebration of life for Katharina will be held at a later date.

Condolences to Katharina’s family may be expressed at www.schoeningfuneralservice.com

Ask DRAKE

Drake Smith, MSW Funeral Director Every Wednesday in KTW!

Q. Double Disposition?

A. Laws in BC say that a deceased body must be “disposed of” (what a horrendous word!) and it can happen in one of two ways: burial or cremation. If it’s buried, the law considers “disposal” complete. If it’s disposed of by cremation, it has to be disposed of again once it becomes ashes That second disposal can be complicated!

210 Lansdowne • 425 Tranquille Rd. 250-377-8225 • DrakeCremation.com

Michelle will be dearly missed by her husband, Bob Long of 29 years, daughters Emily and Makena Long, her mother Nancy Hambly, sister Shannon Anderson & husband (Bob), her nieces, nephews, family, and numerous friends. Predeceased by her father Bub Hambly

Michelle loved her family unconditionally; her greatest joy and calling was raising her two amazing daughters.

Michelle played soccer till late in life, enjoyed golfing, visiting, and lounging poolside with family and friends. She loved taking the roof down on her yellow VW Beetle and just driving with the sun on her face, bucket hats, hair flowing, and her music playing loudly Michelle loved going on beach vacations with her family and exploring all that was out there in the world to see.

Michelle believed in treating people with respect and fairly, she would not hesitate to lend a hand to anyone that needed her She was a great friend and confidant. Michelle had a smile that would brighten up any room. Those of us who knew her will never forget her infectious laugh.

Michelle, you were gone far too soon, will be forever loved, and never forgotten. Rest well and peacefully, beautiful.

Michelle’s Celebration of Life will be held in Kamloops, BC at Thompson Rivers University Grand Hall on Saturday, June 10th, 2023 @ 11:30 am. Luncheon to follow

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