August 15 2014 by Peachland View

PEACHLAND VIEW

Every week... Every house... Every business

Residents will now be able to connect between communities and get to the Kelowna International Airport after the official launch of the Let’s Go ground shuttle service.

Erin Christie Peachland View With files from Joanne Layh

the blaze within the first 24 hours. Efforts also included the deployment of three helicopters, two air tankers and four skimmers (amphibious planes), as well as 45 additional fire personnel. Kelsey Winter, a fire information officer with the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resources, says fire crews’ swift response and speed in snuffing out the potentially tragic blaze with little damage to the nearby community, reflects a new tack among firefighters. “Get them early, before they become a bigger fire. That’s one of our strategies now,” Winter told The View. “We had our skimmers, which come from Kamloops, ready and on site within 30 minutes of receiving the call.” Winter said this more “aggressive” strategy will result in the deployment of fewer firefighting troops, in the long run.

Habitat for Humanity is one step closer to putting its development plan into action following a well-attended public hearing held prior to a municipal council meeting Tuesday evening. Council unanimously passed ﬁrst and second readings of the OCP and zoning amendment bylaws required to move the development forward earlier this summer. On August 12, the proposal received its third reading, before returning to council for ﬁnal consideration this fall, pending the submission of additional information required for the development permit and development variance applications. District director of planning and development services Cory Gain said she felt Tuesday’s reading went “very smoothly,” and if council approves the development permit and the variances, the proposal will be considered for a fourth reading and adoption of the OCP and zone amending bylaws at the same meeting. Habitat for Humanity will be in a position to proceed with submitting a

See MAJORITY OF SUMMER FIRES on page 5

See HABITAT on page 2

page 3

Local swimmers discover Peachland’s best kept secret

The annual Rattlesnake Island Swim attracted 142 participants in its 21st installment on August 9. page 10

Historic Okanagan opera examines origins of Ogopogo

News 2-3,5 Opinion 4 Commentary 5-6 Community 6 Arts & Culture 7 Sign-Up Time 8-9 Sports & Recreation 10 What’s On 11 Puzzles 12 Horoscope 12 Classifieds 13 Faith 14 Feature 15

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Habitat for Humanity moving forward

New shuttle will keep South Okanagan residents moving

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August 15, 2014 / Volume 10 Number 33 / www.peachlandview.com

AT A GLANCE

Singer Delphine Derickson will perform The Lake, a Canadian chamber opera based on the life story of pioneer Susan Allison, and the events surrounding the first sighting of Ogopogo, or N-ha-a-itk. page 15

BOWFLEX TREADCLIMBER

ERIN CHRISTIE

THE DROUGHT HILL FIRE near Peachland that started last Thursday is now contained. The fire scorched 40 hectares before it was brought under control.

Drought Hill Fire 100 per cent contained Erin Christie / Peachland View Fire personnel will continue to monitor the area for flareups, but BC Wildfire Management Branch officials say the evacuation alert stemming from the Drought Hill fire for one property on MacKinnon Road has been rescinded. According to a release issued by the Central Okanagan Emergency Operations Centre on August 13, the fire is 100 per cent contained and 50 fire personnel will be mopping up the area and monitor hot spots for the remainder of the week. The fire, which reached 40 hectares in size at its peak, broke out on the north side of Highway 97C, known as the Okanagan Connector, about three kilometres from the Highway 97 interchange at approximately 2:30 p.m. on August 7. Approximately 35 fire personnel from the West Kelowna and Peachland fire departments, as well structural fire crews and BC Wildfire Management, were dispatched to battle

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PEACHLAND VIEW

AUGUST 15, 2014

NEWS

Habitat for Humanity development in motion Continued from page 1

building permit application at that time. “We are really excited about going ahead with this,” Habitat for Humanity executive director Deborah Guthrie told council at the conclusion of Tuesday’s public hearing. “It’s something that Peachland needs.” “There is this misconception that we give homes away and we do not do that,” Guthrie told The View in an interview earlier this spring. “Our partner families work very hard to fulfill their commitment to us and it’s an important piece of the relationship.” Guthrie told The View the partner families who will occupy the homes are also required to invest a significant contribution of their time to the project. “One of the main pillars of the Habitat policy is 500 sweat equity hours that the partner families contribute in some way to the Habitat affiliate,” Guthrie explained. However, she added, when it comes to building the housing, Habitat for Humanity will also be seeking volunteer labour from the community to help make the project a reality. In November 2013, Peach-

land council agreed to donate the .73-acre municipally owned Princeton Avenue property, currently occupied by the food bank and potters guild, to Habitat for Humanity for the purpose of developing an affordable housing project. Council also agreed to waive development fees and permits, Development Cost Charges (DCCs) and community amenity contributions. The existing food bank and pottery studio buildings, which have reached their end of life cycle, will be demolished. A new location was found for the Peachland Food Bank in the downtown area between 5th and 6th Streets, while CAO Elsie Lemke continues to collaborate with the guild in their search for a new suitable location. Though the HFH’s proposal passed its third reading unanimously at Tuesday’s meeting, some councillors and members of the audience expressed concerns. One audience member told Guthrie he was unsure of HFH’s mandate and was curious as to whether or not the prospective residents would “flip” the homes if they decided they didn’t like the area. Guthrie pointed out that Habitat for Humanity is a non-profit organization that works Brewith

ERIN CHRISTIE

BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS - Local youth ambassadors helped members of the community start their day right with

a royal brunch held at the Peachland Community Centre on August 10. The event, which included the annual Ambassadors Cake Auction, was supported by more than 50 community members, with proceeds from the meal and the auction going towards the Peachland Youth Ambassadors program. Celebrating a successful morning, from left to right are: B.C. youth ambassador candidate Nav Takhar, Peachland ambassador candidate in waiting Nicholas Nixon, outgoing Peachland ambassador Liam McDonald, former youth ambassador and the event’s master of ceremonies Stacey Takenaka, outgoing Peachland ambassador Tayler Pelland, and Castlegar youth ambassadors Sophie Jansen and Alexanderia D’Onofrio.

CMHC to provide affordable home ownership for low-income families that could not otherwise qualify for mortgage financing. The organization builds lowincome homes using donated goods and community volunteer labour. “The homeowner still pays for the home,” she told the audience. “But through a no-interest, no down-payment mortgage with manageable payments. There are a lot of stipulations when it comes to getting assistance for subsidized housing. One of them is that their current living conditions are almost unhabitable, and

they must have children. This is geared toward helping families – and most times their current living situation is almost deplorable when they come to us.” Councillor Terry Condon told the crowd he still fully supported the change of land use but had some reservations about “legal matters.” “I like the project,” he reiterated. “I think it’s very worthwhile, I am just cautious about proceeding with a fourth reading without getting the land title permits legitimized. It seems to me we should ensure the people

who reside on the property that this development is encroaching on, on Sanderson Avenue, are on board before we start digging holes.” But Gain says an encroachment agreement will be considered for approval at the time that the variances are approved and will not be necessary once the property has been consolidated. “But that could take many months,” she noted. “Rather than hold the application up we are entering into the agreement for the intervening time. None of the buildings will be impacted.”

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PEACHLAND VIEW

AUGUST 15, 2014

NEWS

New shuttle will keep South Okanagan residents moving OK Falls

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inter-community stops between Osoyoos and Kelowna International Airport, including stops in Oliver, Okanagan Falls, Penticton, Summerland, Peachland, West Kelowna and Kelowna. The flat one-way fee for passengers in Osoyoos will range from $15 to Oliver to $45 to Orchard Park Mall in Kelowna and $45 to Kelowna International Airport. Rates to Peachland are $35, $20 to Penticton and $25 to Summerland. “Having a regularly scheduled transportation link between Osoyoos and Kelowna is something we have needed for years,” said South Okanagan Chamber of Commerce president Myers Bennett. “Tourists flying into Kelowna and Penticton airports have been looking for an easy way to come and stay at our resorts and our residents have wanted more than one time option during the day to connect to our neighbouring communities and airports for appointments and flights.” The South Okanagan is promoted and marketed as a world-class tourism destination but was lacking an efficient, effective and easy to access regional transportation system, said Glenn Mandziuk, president and CEO of the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association. “This new shuttle service is a major step forward for the South Okanagan…to attract new tourists and business travellers,” he said. “What makes this

project a success right out of the gate is the strong public and private partnerships that have been forged in the delivery and marketing of this shuttle.” Peachland Chamber of Commerce president Dave Collins told The View he offered kudos to the organizations that partnered to bring the project to fruition, and offers his full support. “I think this is great project, and though I don’t see any direct benefits to our economy, I see it as a great service that our residents can benfit from and I want to help keep it viable and robust.” The vision for a South Okanagan shuttle service was launched more than a year ago as numerous community-based partners joined together to discuss the concept of providing air travellers with improved ground transportation options to the airports in Kelowna and Penticton. Through a Request for Proposal process, Let’s Go Transportation was awarded the

contract that will provide daily service that will include four round trips from Osoyoos to Kelowna as well as the 10 inter-community stops at easy to access pickup and drop off areas in all of the communities. “We plan to give our passengers the best in customer service and a value-added experience when they step onto our shuttles,” said Birgit Santana. Kevin Howlett, Air Canada’s senior vicepresident of regional markets, said his company views this new shuttle service as a unique opportunity to connect air travellers to both airports to the entire South Okanagan. “We are delighted to work together with the SOCC, TOTA and Kelowna Airport to promote an efficient and economical shuttle service for our customers flying in and out of the Okanagan Valley,” said Howlett. “Air Canada’s flights from Kelowna and Penticton all connect with our extensive worldwide network from our Van-

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couver, Calgary and Toronto hubs and Let’s Go Transportation shuttle is a wonderfully convenient option for both local residents and visiting customers alike to travel between the airports and the wide array of vibrant resorts, wineries and communities in the Okanagan Valley.” The earliest daily pickup from Osoyoos will be at 7:30 a.m. at Nk’ Mip Resort. The last passengers will be

dropped off at the Watermark Beach Resort at 11:45 p.m. and Nk’ Mip Resort at 11:55 p.m. The earliest pick up of passengers will be at 4:10 a.m. from the Petro Canada station in Penticton for those who have to catch the earliest flights leaving Kelowna International Airport. Let’s Go Transportation has been offering shuttle services to residents in the Central and North Okanagan

for several years and adding to their fleet and extending services to the South Okanagan is a natural fit, said Birgit Santana. Let’s Go started as a shuttle service out of Los Angeles International Airport several years ago and expanded to the Okanagan Valley three years ago. To reserve a spot on the shuttle service, go online and access www.letsgotransportation.ca.

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If you live in Peachland and are planning a trip to Halifax, Toronto or even Australia, you can now leave your car parked in your driveway and no longer have to worry about parking your vehicle or getting to Kelowna International Airport. After many months of hard work and negotiations, residents across the South Okanagan will now be able to connect between communities and get to the Kelowna International Airport after the official launch of the Let’s Go ground shuttle service. Shuttle service between the communities spread across the South Okanagan officially began Monday morning with four daily round trips offered between Osoyoos and Kelowna International Airport. “With this new transportation link, I believe it will open up some great economic development opportunities,” said Town of Osoyoos Mayor Stu Wells, who was one of several dignitaries who attended last Friday’s official launch of the new shuttle service outside the Nk’ Mip Cellars Winery in Osoyoos. “Now that this service is up and ready to go, we have to make it work because there are some tremendous opportunities now available to us.” Partners from several organizations, including the South Okanagan Chamber of Commerce, Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association, Greater Westside Board of Trade and Air Canada were on hand to announce the launch of the new daily scheduled shuttle service from Osoyoos to Kelowna International Airport. Customers will be shuttled in modern, air-conditioned 15-passenger vans initially, but Let’s Go Transportation owners Birgit and Fabio Santana said they will be looking at expanding the current fleet if there is sufficient demand for their service. There will be 10

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PEACHLAND VIEW

AUGUST 15, 2014

OPINION PEACHLAND

VIEW

Steve Ceron Group Publisher

sceron@aberdeenpublishing.com

Joanne Layh Publisher

sales@peachlandview.com

Erin Christie Editor

editor@peachlandview.com

Mike Rieger Graphic Designer

designer@peachlandview.com

THE PEACHLAND VIEW WELCOMES LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

on subjects of interest to our readers. Short letters are most likely to be chosen for publication, but the use of any material is at the discretion of the editor. The editor reserves the right to edit letters for taste, brevity and clarity or to avoid obscenity, libel or invasion of privacy. Upon request, we will use a pseudonym only, but only rarely and for compelling reasons. Letters published do not necessarily reflect the editorial policies or beliefs of this newspaper. All letters must include your first and last name, contact number, and town or city of residence to be considered.

PEACHLAND VIEWS Residents send big thank yous to local firefighters As residents at the end of Gladstone Rd. we are extremely grateful to the firefighters, who raced past our place to contain the blaze only about one half a kilometre from our residence. The helicopters flying no more than 50 feet above our roof, rattled our windows – a sound of caring people! The wonderful paths from Harrington Court up to the fire certainly

speeded up the entry into the fire zone. Thus we are also thankful to whoever built those trails for the firefighters to use. I do hope we eventually get a connected network of trails up in those hills, so that in case of fire the ground crews can reach the blaze in an efficient way. Thanks again firefighters! Chris Muendel, Peachland

Expect Peachland to get even hotter in the future Annick Stoltz Office Administrator

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Tel: 250-767-7771 Fax: 250-767-3337 The Peachland View is a free community newspaper that is distributed each Friday to everyone in Peachland. Anyone who lives outside the distribution area but within Canada can purchase a subscription at $60 per year plus GST. The Peachland View reserves the right to refuse publication of any advertising or editorial submission at its discretion. Material submitted by columnists does not reflect the opinions of the Peachland View or its employees. The Peachland View retains complete and sole copyright of any content, including stories, photographs and advertisements published in the Peachland View. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission or consent from the publisher is strictly prohibited.

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I have read with interest the recent letters to the editor concerning climate change. Here is some information that I hope readers will find helpful in trying to sort out what to believe and what to do. First, the vast majority of scientists working on climate and related subjects in the western world accepts that the climate is warming and that human activity is the primary cause. Of course, there are scientists, some of them prominent scientists, who do not believe the climate is warming or, if it is, that humans have anything to do with it. This is not surprising; scientists disagree about everything. However, five recent carefully conducted surveys of climate scientists and other professionals working on climate related issues showed that between 82 per cent and 98 per cent of those surveyed agreed that climate change was occurring and that it was largely caused by humans. Only one to six per cent of those surveyed believed that humans had little or no effect on climate. This is a remarkable degree of consensus among professionals who make their living by disagreeing with one another. Second, how do we know that climate is warming and that it is caused by the accumulation in the atmosphere of carbon dioxide and a few other gases from human use of fossil fuels? This conclusion is based on three kinds of evidence: theory, observation and models. The theory emerged 200 years ago. Since early in the 19th century it has been known that certain gases in the atmosphere (what we now call “greenhouse gases”) help keep the earth warm by absorbing energy from the sun during the day and radiating it back to the earth at night and that changes in the amounts of these gases could affect climate. In 1896, Svante Arrhenius, a Swedish scientist, calculated that a doubling of atmospheric carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels would result in a 5 - 6°C increase in surface temperature of the earth. The theory is solid. No one disputes it. Observation supports the theory. Routine measurement of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere began in the late 1950s but it is possible to estimate concentrations earlier in time by analyzing bubbles of air trapped in Arctic ice. These measurements show that carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has increased from about 0.028 per cent at the start of the industrial revolution to almost 0.04 per cent today, an increase of more than 1.4 times.

Global average temperature has tracked the increase in carbon dioxide quite closely, rising from an average of about 13.5°C at the start of the industrial revolution to about 15°C today. From theory and observation, therefore, we know that the earth is warming up, that it is caused by increasing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and that burning fossil fuels is the primary source of greenhouse gases today. Theory and observation tell us what is happening today and in the past. If we want to look to the future, however, we must turn to climate models. Although the early climate models were rather crude, current models are very sophisticated and we can place considerable confidence in their ability to project future climate. We can have this confidence because the models have predicted past climates very well and for some time now have also predicted climate change a few years ahead very well. These models predict that, if we continue to burn fossil fuels at the rate we are today, global temperature will increase by at least 2°C over the next century. Temperature increases more toward the poles than at the equator. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has estimated that average temperature in the U.S. will increase 2 to 6°C by 2100 depending on greenhouse gas emissions. We can expect, therefore, that the world, and Peachland, will get much warmer in the future. For us here in the Okanagan the most immediate local consequences of climate change will be increased wildfires and reductions in water supply. Unfortunately, increasing temperature is not the only consequence of increasing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Other unpleasant and dangerous changes in our environment go hand in hand with global warming. These include increased frequency and intensity of storms, longer and more intense droughts, rising sea level, and acidification of the ocean. Global warming and its associated effects are real, they are happening now, and their consequences for humanity are predominantly bad. As Burt Putt pointed out, we have the technologies to greatly reduce our use of fossil fuels if we have the courage and the will to pursue them. Michael Healey, Professor emeritus, UBC

PEACHLAND VIEW

AUGUST 15, 2014

NEWS | COMMENTARY

Majority of summer fires said to be human-caused Continued from page 1

Though the tinder-dry conditions this summer have been less than helpful, Winter said, the greatest threat when it comes to wildfires in the Okanagan Valley appears to be humans. Winter says the Drought Hill fire, which falls into the Penticton fire area, is suspected to have been human-caused. This brings the total number of human-sparked incidents this summer to 37 of a total 57. Winter further added that in the Kamloops Fire Centre, which includes Kelowna,

TRU DIXON

RCMP officers said that they dealt with several episodes of boaters getting in the path of water bombers loading up in Okanagan Lake, during the Drought Hill fire. Kelsey Winter, a fire information officer with the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resources says this impedes firefighting efforts and hopes boaters will be more cautious.

there have been a total of 260 fires. Of those incidents, 140

were caused by humans and 120 by lightning. Winter pointed out that

another safety concern of note over the weekend was boaters getting in the path of water bombers loading up in Okanagan Lake, during the Drought Hill fire. “I understand that it’s interesting to watch, and people want to get photos for Facebook or whatever, but when they get too close it does impede our efforts and we hope if we get the message out people will take that seriously,” she explained. “RCMP ended up having to get involved this weekend. We don’t want that to happen again.” As a result of high to extreme fire hazard and

extremely dry conditions in the area, the District of Peachland has closed several municipal parks until further notice: • Pincushion Mountain Park and Trails; • Pincushion Place Park; • MacKinnon Park; • Sanderson Park; and • Mountain View Park (except the riding club land and premises located at 5380 Princeton Avenue). In addition, the following regional parks are closed until further notice: • Hardy Falls Regional Park; and • Trepanier Creek Greenway Regional Park.

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Questions on the First Nations Financial Transparency Act MP Dan Albas Commentary Recently I have received a number of inquiries on the First Nations Financial Transparency Act. In large part, the comments have been raised over the financial disclosure (as required under the law) that a B.C. First Nations chief from the Kwikwetlem First Nation received over $914,000 in the 2013/2014 fiscal year. Further commentary occurred this week when it was reported that if elected to government, the leader of the Liberal Party would scrap the new First Nations Financial Transparency Act. The bill was opposed by the Liberals in the House of Commons. This leads to the question: what is the First Nations Financial Transparency Act? A brief summary of this act, which recently came into force, is that it requires First Nations to publicly disclose consolidated financial statements that include financial information on how much individual First Nations leaders are being paid, including expenses. In short, the same type of information that is publicly available from other levels of government. Why the need to make this disclosure requirement a law? It should be pointed out that in some cases there are First Nations communities that have, for some time, voluntarily provided this information to band members. However, in other cases this information was

unavailable and in some situations band members were unsuccessful in having this information provided to them. Some have suggested that this may dissuade interested band members from inquiring further out of fear of repercussion. In these situations, the only recourse for a band member was to appeal directly to the Minister of the Department of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development. Rather than have the minister deal with such requests on an ad hoc basis, a more fair and balanced approach is to create a standard that applies equally across the board to ensure information can be easily found by band members. Accountability is a basic principle of democratic governance and it is important for all elected officials to be

held to account by the citizens who elect them. Increased information through disclosure can also help provide clarity and put to rest allegations and rumours that may be unhelpful and not factual. My thoughts on this legislation? As most will know, I support increased accountability; however, it is also important to recognize that while one chief is paid $914,000, in our riding, for example, the chief of the Lower Nicola First Nation was paid just over $25,000 during the same period. It is also worth recognizing that some chiefs also serve as the band’s economic development officer, an added responsibility that may understandably increase annual compensation. I have recently been asked whether or not elected officials should be allowed to serve as

employees, particularly if they are the ones who are in charge of compensation as well as hiring. These are good governance questions for First Nation communities. We should note that bands themselves have also become far more complex operations than many citizens may realize. For example, the Penticton Indian Band in the 2012/2013 fiscal period received federal funding in excess of $9 million to provide many critical services to band members. As these are significant amounts with many services involved, increased accountability through the First Nations Financial Transparency Act is, in my view, helpful to provide more information for all involved. Now that the First Nations Financial Transparency Act has

come into force and some would prefer it was scrapped, I would also be interested in hearing your thoughts on this new legislation. As always, I welcome

all comments and questions on this or on other federal matters and can be reached at dan. albas@parl.gc.ca or toll-free at 1-800-6658711.

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PEACHLAND VIEW

AUGUST 15, 2014

COMMUNITY | COMMENTARY BYLAW BEAT

Fire season woes Dale Zimmerman Special to the Peachland View

PHOTOS RICHARD SMITH

Members of the Peachland Boys and Girls club enjoy an afternoon of paddling on stand up boards under sunny skies.

The summer heat is here, and that means more problems with fires. The Fire and Life Safety and Smoke Control Regulatory (Bylaw #1718, 2007, Section 9.3), states that you can not set fireworks off without a permit from the fire department. It is very easy to start a forest fire with fireworks. This is not a bylaw, but common sense. If a homeowner lets dry grasses and other flammable materials build up on and around their property, it can become a fire hazard. Store your firewood as far away from the house as possible. It is also a good idea to keep your grasses alive and well with a bit of water now and then. You can water on even and odd days of the week, depending on what your house number ends with. Even numbered addresses can water on even numbered days of the month and odd numbered addresses on odd days. If you see any firefighting equipment on the lake please be sure to give them lots of room to fill their buckets and planes. We all need to do our part to keep our community safe. If you see any smoke in the forest please call *5555 to report as soon as possible. Many of the bylaws of Peachland are posted on our website and can be viewed by anyone free of charge. These notes are from the bylaws but have been edited, please check our website for the exact wording at www.peachland.ca or you can purchase a copy of a bylaw at City Hall.

Negotiations will put an end to teacher bargaining limbo Moyra Baxter Commentary The flyers we receive with our newspapers are advertising the backto-school sales. This is the time of year when students and teachers usually prepare for the new school year with

excitement and perhaps some trepidation. Yet, as I write this, there has been no conclusion to teacher bargaining here in B.C. and it is still uncertain whether schools will open on September 2. The past year has been difficult with

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regard to teacher bargaining. Just over a year ago, the provincial government took control of the BC Public School Employers’ Association. The BCPSEA Board consisted of nine elected school trustees, one of whom served as the chair, along with two appointees from the Public Sector Employers’ Council and two from the Ministry of Education. There were also two non-voting members, a superintendent of schools and a school district secretary-treasurer. This board of directors was replaced by an appoint-

ed public administrator. In essence, the provincial government, in my opinion, took absolute control of bargaining with the teachers of the province. Although BCPSEA remains the bargaining agent for all 60 boards of education, how it operates, who it is accountable to, and who is in charge, has changed dramatically. Since then, there has been what could be described as a standoff, stalemate, or a deadlock. Any way we describe it, everything came to a head with the rotating strikes in May, the lockout imposed by

government, and the full-blown strike in the middle of June. The effect that the job action had on our students and parents is well documented, especially for those students who were graduating this year. Teachers, too, have been affected, and are also waiting to see if they can prepare for school opening on September 2. On August 6, I called a special public board meeting to discuss both the BC School Trustees’ Back to School Action Plan, and the proposed meeting between the BC Teachers’ Federa-

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tion and the BC Public School Employers’ Association. The board decided to endorse the BCSTA’s Action Plan and to ask the BCTF and BCPSEA to consider the plan during any negotiations. The board particularly asked that any funds saved during the strike action go back into the public education system and not be used for any other purpose. This, of course, included not using such funds for the recently announced $40 per child /per day payment to parents of students under 13 years of age if there not be an agreement by September 2. On Friday, August 8, the BC Teachers’ Federation and the BC Public School Employers’ Association met to discuss moving forward with bargain-

ing, which had been in limbo since June. Prior to the meeting, the Minister of Education and the BCTF spokesperson both stated that they had new items to bring to the table. I hope that by the time you read this, the dispute will be over and everyone can get on with working together for the public school students of British Columbia. If you would like more information on the BCSTA Back to School Action Plan, or the letter our board wrote to all parties involved in teacher bargaining, please let me know. Moyra Baxter is a school trustee and currently serves as Chairperson for the Central Okanagan Board of Education. She can be reached at moyra.baxter@sd23. bc.ca or 250.767.6153.

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PEACHLAND VIEW

AUGUST 15, 2014

ARTS AND CULTURE

Peachland Fall Fair offers western flair Martha Jenkins Special to the Peachland View As the dog days of summer are upon us, the countdown begins to the 95th Peachland Fall Fair. The fair is held at the Peachland Community and Recreation Centre on Saturday, September 6 from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m., and on Sunday, September 7 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The awards ceremony will be held September 7 at 4 p.m., when the awards ceremony begins. Our theme this year is “there’s an old west flair at the Peachland Fall Fair.” You will see country at its finest and most of our sections will have special prizes for entries in the themed categories. There is still plenty of time to get your baking and preserves done, perk up your flowers and finish off the final stitching on your needlework. Be sure to save the best of the fruit and nuts for fresh picking, coax along your vegetables, prepare your honey, and convince your laying chickens to give you their best eggs. Don’t forget to finish that special handicraft, get your vases ready for your flower arranging, sample your wine and beer, get them bottled, preserve all your best memories on film or digital clips and print them off for entry into the photography section. If you have children, dig out their best projects from school last year or hope for a few cloudy days and have them get their own projects ready for the fair. Most of the sections have categories for junior entries and the children can win ribbons, prizes and money. You can still pick up the fall fair booklet at different businesses around town, or you can go online at www. PeachlandFallFair.ca to find all the categories and general rules and regulations. Entry fee is 50 cents

for adult sections and 25 cents for junior sections. Advance exhibitor tag sales at the community centre are on Tuesday, September 2, between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., and from 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m., and again on Friday, September 5 from 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. If you have a number of items for entry, it is highly recommended you get your tickets in advance as they must be filled out completely and signed by the exhibitor. Bring in your items to the community centre on Friday, September 5 between 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. You can purchase tickets to the fair at the same time if you wish. Judging will be done Saturday morning. Along with all the displays, we have local magician Leif David performing his

spectacular illusions on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. Our lovely facepainter Jessi Etchart will be with us both days, and Par-T-Perfec will have the bounce house on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. For “Old West” entertainment, we have a wonderful fiddler “Just Tyme, featuring Eddie Plotnikoff” on Sunday between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Our Peachland Ladies Hospital Auxiliary will provide tea and goodies for refreshments on both days as well. We are so fortunate to have so much community support every year. We definitely couldn’t do this without our dedicated volunteers! Admission to the fair is $3 for adults, $1 for youth, and $.50 for children 12 and under. Thank you all, and I will see you at the fair!

CONTRIBUTED

“DREAM” BOAT -

Robert Fine and the Dreamland Band entertained an enthusiastic crowd of approximately 300 Peachlanders during the fourth installment of the Rotary Peace Concert series on August 10. Proceeds from the concert are donated to ShelterBox, a global disaster relief program spearheaded by Rotary. The last concert of the 2014 series will feature Cod Gone Wild, and will be held on August 17.

Pet of the Week Name: Joy Age: 14 years Breed: Birman Joy is very caring cat and is truly a joy in everyone’s lives.

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