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PREMIERE LIFESTYLES EDITION No.1

WINTER 2015

Kamloops Lifestyles Magazine

Main Feature

Jo Berry Run Club

Running For Her Life FIRST EDITION

Jo Berry Is Spreading The Word About What Cultivates Happiness

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Pages 6 & 7

We asked, they answered What is the best advice you’ve ever received?

Wine Trails

Don Hay Pages 8 & 9

Head coach Kamloops Blazers

Corner Table

Page 10

Corner Table-Recipe

The best advice that I have been given was from my father-in-law, Mr. Bond, he once told me, ‘Don't worry — work.’ I try to follow his message every day. “

Terry Lake MLA, Kamloops-North Thompson Minister of Health

Pages 14-17

“

Main Feature- Jo Berry

“

Finance

Brad Mueller

No question, the best advice I ever received was, ‘Stay out of the sun.’”

Page 18

Kamloops RCMP Superintendent

Pages 20 & 21

“ Wine Reviews

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An important part of my professional development is the advice that I have received in regards to the importance of building trust and positive relationships with the people around you. There is a saying that you cannot value your team or organization without valuing the people in it and I have certainly found this to be a fundamentally true in my 'leadership journey.'

I also attribute a great deal of my personal and professional success to my years of playing on several successful hockey teams and the influence my coaches had on me in reference to commitment and character, in the sense of having a strong work ethic and always doing what is right and not necessarily what is easy.”

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WINERIES | KAMLOOPS 15

y

5505 Westsyde Road www.privato.ca 250 319-0919

Yello whea d Hw

THE WINE TRAIL LESS TRAVELLED

PRIVATO VINEYARD & WINERY

By Jessica Klymchuk WINERIES | KAMLOOPS 15

While the Kamloops wine industry has been growing for the last several years, it’s only recently that a brand has begin to develop for the region as a whole.

The Kamloops Wineries Association was created in fall of 2014, a partnership between the four local wineries — Harper’s Trail Winery, Sagewood Winery, Privato Vineyard and Winery and Monte Creek Ranch — and spearheaded by industry veteran director Trish Morelli.

The not-for-profit association has begun working to collectively market and promote the emerging wine region in the Thompson Valley and launch the Kamloops wine trail brand.

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“Those kind of economic impact numbers are what is staggering really, so to bring some of that home to Kamloops is a real benefit,” said Morelli, who has marketed B.C. wines for 25 years. “It’s just time for us to get together as a group and collectively market the Kamloops wine region, give the region a bigger voice and put Kamloops on the B.C. wine map.”

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The B.C. wine industry generates $2 billion for the province and $476 million in tourism and tourism related businesses. $180 million is generated in direct revenue from B.C. wine tourism.

Many people, even within the industry, are unaware of Kamloops is home to wineries, Morelli said.

Sagewood Winery forged the path for grape-growing locally when it planted vineyards in 2005 and farms the oldest vineyards in the region. Harper’s Trail followed suit in 2008, but was the first to make the investment to build an operating winery and tasting room. Privato was the second to establish itself as an operating winery and harvested its first crush in 2010. Monte Creek, the newest Kamloops winery, released its first vintage this year and will officially open its tasting room later in 2015.

The biggest misconception, owners agree, is that Kamloops isn’t suitable for winemaking because of the climate.

“I can remember back, when winters were a lot cooler and a lot of the varieties we grow now wouldn’t have survived the winters we used to have. With climate change, things are changing here,” said Doug Wood, owner and winemaker at Sagewood Winery and longtime resident of Kamloops.

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" I t hink w ha t i s g o i ng to be n e a t is that i n t i m ate hands on e x p e r ience. Sitting w i t h t he o w ner a nd t h e winemaker is g o i n g to be more of t h e n orm than the e x c e ption."

Kamloops is ranked third in Canada for most growing- T r i s h M o r e l l i , d i r e c t o r degree days, 166, and 2,000 hours of sunshine. With o f t h e K a m l o o p s W i n e r i e s A s s o c i at i o n average 30C summer temperatures, warm days and

cooler nights promote balance in the wines. The region is experiencing increasingly milder winters, although early frosts, like the one experienced in fall of 2014, can still damage vines.

Erik Fisher, general manager at Monte Creek, said ripening is not a big concern because of Kamloops' favourable heat units, but they plant vines suitable for winter hardiness. Monte Creek is the only winery in town growing five unique varieties developed at the University of Minnesota and engineered to withstand winter temperatures down to -35C. "We like to think that once we prove their effectiveness that others will follow, especially in these kind of cool climate regions," Fisher said, noting that Kelowna and anywhere north can be considered cool-climate viticulture.

Overall, there are many parallels between the Okanagan Valley and the Thompson Valley. Although Kamloops lacks the large moderating lake, the river helps create a lot of airflow and provides a bit of

Kamloops Lifestyles Magazine

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KAML O OPS

W I NTrail E HARPER'S TRAIL ESTATE WINERY

SAGEWOOD WINERY

2761 Shushwap Road www.harperstrail.com

589 Meadow Lark Rd www.sagewoodwinery.ca 250 573-1921

250 573-5855

Trans Canada Hwy

MONTE CREEK RANCH M2420 Miner's Bluff Road www.montecreekranch.com 250 572-4040

NicolaVall 0021567

moderation, Fisher said.

Active ariflows through the Thomspon Valley help to regulate temperatures in the vineyards and reduce moisture on the vines.

"If we have an early frost, they have the same cold snap in the Okanagan as well," said Debbie Woodward, co-owner of Privato. "We may get one or two degrees colder, but it's not a whole lot different. People think it is, but it really isn't."

Kamloops shares similar heat units to Burgundy, France, Morelli and Woodward both noted. The average heat accumulation, used to compare regions and vine-growing conditions, is referred to as growing-degree days. The degree-day average in the Kamloops region is 1280, while the Dijon, Burgundy area of France is 1279.

Built on a bed of limestone, volcanic rock and clay, soils range from loam — a clay, silt and sand

combination — to dominantly gravel. According to the association, such soils offer good drainage, which controls moisture levels.

The cool-climate wines are high in brightness, acidity and balance, most like wines from Alsace and Bergundy, the association says. Dominant grape plantings include pinot noir, cab franc, marechal foch and gamey noir for the reds.

Amongst the dominant white grapes are chardonnay, riesling, pinot gris, gewürztraminer, kerner and marquette.

Morelli said much of the marketing will be dedicated to promoting the Kamloops "terroir," a sense of place for a wine, referring to the overall geography, climate and conditions of the winegrowing region. They will launch the public brand "The Kamloops wine trail" as a very authentic and relaxed experience, free from all the hustle and bustle, pomp and pretense of other regions.

"I think what is going to be neat is that intimate hands on experience," Morelli said. "Sitting with the owner and the winemaker is going to be more of the norm than the exception."

"There is a sense of more wildness to it all. Sitting at the winery, overlooking the river and seeing the bighorn sheep and the cattle walking around the gates of the vineyard, it has a real sense of natural beauty — the wine trail less travelled."

The Kamloops Wineries Association will be rolling out billboard advertising, a wine trail map and brochure this spring, as well as beginning to lobby the government to get wine trail signage erected.

Morelli said they are looking to develop the wine trail as a destination activity, bringing tourists into the city, where they can also experience the rest of what Kamloops has to offer.

7 WINERIES | KAMLOOPS 15

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By Jessica Klymchuk

D

avid Tombs is the head chef and owner at Terra Restaurant and vice-president of Farm2Chefs, a partnership between local

chefs and farmers that brings organic products to the tables of Kamloops restaurants. Tombs says using local product is fundamental to his craft and he is very deliberate about encouraging the use of fresh, organic food in

Beet salad Three varieties of roasted beets — chioggia, golden and red — goat

Tombs was the executive chef at the Delta in Sun Peaks. He had a classical

cheese, fennel slaw on the base, pomegranate vinaigrette, pistachios,

French instruction at Dubrulle Culinary Institute in Vancouver and has worked

radish and a small amount of beet reduction.

as a chef in Japan, Newfoundland, New Brunswick and Montreal. He says

Tombs described this dish as a cold/hot starter treated like a salad. It’s a

cooking is all about balance and contrast.

little bit zippy because of the pomegranate vinaigrette, so it’s intended to

“I like the creating part. I like surprising people,” he said. “There’s so much

wake up your taste buds and get things moving in your mouth. There’s

information out there now. People who say they can’t cook don’t want to

a cross-section of flavours between the earthiness and sweetness of

cook. Don’t be afraid. Just experiment and have fun.”

the beet, the richness of the goat cheese and the sharpness of the

At Terra, Tombs revises the menu every month. While dishes that have

pomegranate. There is also a hint of grapefruit to add an acidic sweetness.

appeared before will return to the menu, Tombs said they are always

This dish was paired with Ex Nihilo Pinot Gris. The wine has luscious tropical

tweaking and creating new variations of a dish, allowing the style to evolve.

fruit and citrus notes, including a note of pink grapefruit.

The cooking at his restaurant is very personal, he says. Without recipes, the chefs learn through experience how a dish should taste.

We sat down at the chef’s table and let Tombs work his magic. He created five dishes to share and paired each with a different B.C. wine.

Pan roasted scallops As part of the chef’s table, Tombs will often serve a seafood course as the second dish. This dish is pan-roasted scallops with beluga lentils, a carrot puree and lemon beurre blanc. Lentils include some local double-smoked bacon and

COURSE TWO:

| C O R N E R TA B L E

his dishes. He also only serves B.C. wine. Before opening Terra in 2011

COURSE ONE:

the carrots are also locally grown and organic. The lentils have a rich, earthiness to them. The carrot puree has a sweetness to it because it’s been reduced down, pureed and seasoned with spice that cuts through the contrasting richness in the dish. Lemon and seafood is a favourable pairing, Tombs said, and the beurre blanc is intended to complement the mouth feel of the scallop.

The dish has a small amount of chicken-stock reduction, adding an earthiness that plays off the lentils.

This dish was paired with Blue Mountain Chardonnay. Tombs said the balance between the oak and the fruit in the wine cuts through the richness of the scallops and helps to cleanse your palate in between bites and also has notes of lemon.

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COURSE FOUR:

Roasted Fraser Valley duck breast Duck breast, polenta flavoured with a pumpkin seed mole, cranberry port reduction and seasonal vegetables. On the duck is a spiced honey glaze, a combination of 14 spices cooked down with honey and maple syrup very slowly and an addition of balsamic vinegar at the end. The duck tends to be a sweeter meat. It’s very rich and treated very delicately. The breast was cooked in the pan for about four minutes and in the oven for three minutes. Tombs said he

COURSE THREE:

doesn’t ask about doneness; he

Mushroom fettuccine

best flavour. Corn and duck are a

A truffle shallot cream over handmade

mole introduces a Central American

fettuccine with shaved parmesan, pea

or Mexican flavour to add some

shoots, shimeji, black trumpet and shiitaki

spice and some contrast. A port

mushrooms. The cream is the binder that

sauce pulls it all together.

holds the dish together. Tombs said he will

Paired with the Moon Cursor Syrah.

dice shallots very fine, cook them in white

The wine has notes of black pepper,

wine for 20-30 minutes, then cook them in a

currants and blueberries. The

vegetable or chicken stock very slowly until

spice of the polenta gives a nice

they’re dry again, add cream and cook it one

perspective to the wine.

always cooks it medium-rare for the natural pair, but the pumpkin seed

last time slowly before straining the shallots out. Left is a highly aromatic, beautifully flavoured cream to which he will add white truffle oil, lemon juice and some seasoning.

Paired with Castoro de Oro Pinot Noir for its earthy, mushroom flavour and black cherry notes similar to the flavours of the dish.

COURSE FIVE: For desserts, Tombs said he will often take one element and present it in multiple ways, featuring different flavours and textures using the same ingredient. Here we have a raspberry-themed dessert dish, with a raspberry mousse, topped with chiboust, an almond sable, similar to a shortbread crust, on the bottom. Other variations of raspberry are showcased in the dried raspberry meringue, raspberry shard, fruit leather and coulis.

Dessert was paired with a Quails Gate fortified Foch, which Tombs said is a nice digestive at the end of the meal, and the berry components complement the

Allen Douglas photos

raspberry flavours nicely.

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| C O R N E R TA B L E

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140F and no more than 150F.

Cheese Mixture 125 grams mascarpone

5W hip with the whisk

125 grams cream cheese 1 tsp. lemon juice

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4 Warm until it reaches

Mascarpone Chiboust

Seeds from one vanilla bean salt Swiss Meringue 90 grams egg whites 180 grams sugar 1 Warm the cheeses

in a microwave for 30 seconds, stir and repeat once more.

2 Place in small food

processor and combine with other ingredients for the cheese mixture.

Once completely smooth, put into a medium-sized metal bowl and set aside at room temperature.

3 Over a double boiler,

place egg whites and sugar for the swiss meringue.

attachment in the stand mixer until it's thick, at a stiff peak and slightly cooled.

6 Fold it into the

cheese mixture and cool for at least two hours in the fridge before putting in a piping bag.

Raspberry Curd 3 cups frozen raspberries 2 tbsp. lemon juice Pinch of salt and pink pepper 14 egg yolks 1 1/2 cups butter, unsalted 1 cup sugar 4 gelatin sheets 1P lace your gelatin

sheets in cold water, set aside.

2M elt butter with

raspberries and lemon juice.

3W hisk yolks and

Vanilla Sable 127 grams soft unsalted butter

4T emper eggs with

81 grams confectioners sugar seeds from 1 vanilla bean

sugar together in a metal bowl. butter mixture. Cook over double boiler to 180F. Stir in gelatin sheets that have been drained from the water.

5S train. Pour into

moulds. Freeze until firm. Unmould.

1 egg (room temperature) 190 grams AP Flour 47 grams corn starch 1W hip butter in stand

mixer with paddle attachment until fluffy.

2A dd sugar, salt and

vanilla and whip until well combined.

3 W ipe down sides of

the bowl and then add the egg. Mix until well combined.

4A dd flour and

Form into a ball and chill.

When baking, be sure to completely chill your shaped dough prior to baking. Bake at around 325F until cooked, but not browned. To warm your egg quickly, place it in hot tap water for about 5 minutes or so.

cornstarch and mix until just combined.

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FEBRUARY 2015

Feb. 27 Photography Mary Spencer, Photographer, opens at the Kamloops Museum and Archives, 207 Victoria St. and continues to June 30.

The exhibit includes 60 pictures taken by the pioneer photographer, who had a studio on Victoria Street West and who is perhaps best know for her iconic shot of train robber Bill Miner and his gang.

An opening reception for the exhibition is on Feb. 27 from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Feb. 28 Music Mezzo-soprano Ingrid Mapson will be the featured performer when the Thompson Valley Orchestra presents Romantic Interludes at Calvary Community Church, 1205 Rogers Way. Born in South America, Mapson grew up in Vancouver and now lives in 100 Mile House. She was raised in a musical family and can perform in several languages, including French, Spanish and Italian.

The concert will feature music by Bizet, Elgar and Wagner, along with other modern romantic and jazzy pieces.

Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for children and $25 for a family. Admission is at the door.

The show starts at 7 p.m.

Art Art Exposed, a community-centred visual arts exhibit hosted by the Kamloops Arts Council runs until March 8 at the Old Courthouse Cultural Centre, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Admission is by donation with artwork available for purchase or rent. More info is available at kamloopsarts.ca.

Community

• The U.S.-France production Still Alice, starring Julianne Moore as a professor struggling with early onset Alzheimer’s. Moore has been nominated for an Oscar for her performance.

• CitizenFour, a Germany-U.S. documentary on the meeting between documentarian Laura Poitras and journalists Glenn Greenwald with U.S. government whistle-blower Edward Snowden.

March 11 Community Ron MacLean is a welcome guest in millions of homes across the country every Saturday evening.

Who better to give the keynote address for the Canadian Home Builders’ Association Central Interior dinner meeting? The longtime host of CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada, MacLean will address the association. The dinner and keynote address will take place at the Coast Hotel and Conference Centre and is open to both CHBA CI members and the public. There are 600 spots available. Tickets are $90 plus GST.

March 14 Music Burton Cummings and his band are headed to Kamloops for a show at Interior Savings Centre.

Opening act is Wil. Tickets range from $97.50 to $110.50, plus service charges, and are available at ticketmaster.ca or by calling 1-855-985-5000.

Music Trio Con Brio will perform at a fundraising concert for the Kamloops Hospice Association on Saturday, March 14, at St. Paul’s Anglican Church, 360 Nicola St., at 7 p.m. in the church sanctuary.

The trio is composed of Jacquie Shinkewski on French horn, Cindy Hoveveen on trombone and Rob Hogeveen on trumpet. Admission is by donation at the door.

Daybreak Rotary’s Beach ’n Crabfest, held at the Coast Hotel. Ticket are $75 and are available from the Plaza Hotel front desk, by emailing tickets4crabfest@gmail.com or by calling 250377-4651.

March 20

Comedy

Twist and Shout — an international broadway show based on music by The Beatles is coming to Kamloops in March. The show — dubbed Let It Be after the famed Beatles song — begins traveling across the country this month, with shows that include just two stops in B.C., in Vancouver and Kamloops.

Over 40 Beatles songs chart the band’s rise from their beginning in Liverpool through Beatlemania and their later studio pieces. Some of the songs included in the show are Hard Day’s Night, Day Tripper, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club, Twist and Shout, Get Back, I Wanna Hold Your Hand and Strawberry Fields. The show lands in Kamloops at Interior Savings Centre. Tickets start at $69 and can be purchased online at ticketmaster.ca.

Train Wreck, featuring Rob Balsdon and Jamie Charest, B.C. comics at Tumbleweeds Pub, 5220 Bogetti Rd. Tickets are $5 at the door. Doors open at 8 p.m., show starts at 8:30 p.m.

March 5 Film The Kamloops Film Society has announced some of the films it is bringing in for the annual Kamloops Film Festival, which runs from March 5 to March 14 at Paramount Theatre.

The list includes Leviathon, which won best screenplay at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival and best foreign-language film at the recent Golden Globes.

The Russian drama draws its inspiration from the Book of Job in the Bible, telling the tale of a man who fights a corrupt mayor over a piece of land.

Other films include: • The Canada-India production The Backwards Class, a documentary-drama that looks at the caste system in Indian as students prepare for a national graduation exam that could impact their future;

Music

Theatre A Memory, A Monologue, A rant and a A Prayer, held at the Barber Centre at TRU, with doors opening at 6:30 p.m., a silent auction and the show starting at 7:30 p.m. Profits will support the White Buffalo Aboriginal and Metis Health Society’s men’s health groups. Tickets are $45 for adults and $30 for seniors and students. They are available at Kamloops Live box office, 1025 Lorne St., 250-3745483 or kamloopslive.ca.

March 21 Theatre A Memory, A Monologue, A rant and a A Prayer, held at the Barber Centre at TRU, with doors opening at 6:30 p.m., a silent auction and the show starting at 7:30 p.m. Profits will support the White Buffalo Aboriginal and Metis Health Society’s men’s health groups. Tickets are $45 for adults and $30 for seniors and students. They are available at Kamloops Live box office, 1025 Lorne St., 250-3745483 or kamloopslive.ca.

EVENTS

Entertainment

Until April 23 Community The Kamloops Exploration Group has another series of lectures planned for early in 2015. The schedule includes: March 5: The Yellowstone Hot Spot; One Of The Worlds Largest Volcanoes, with Jamie Farrell of the University of Utah’s department of geology and geophysics.

March 19: Critical Raw Materials, with George Simandl of the B.C. Geological Survey.

March 26: Tailings Ponds, with Eric Domingue, manager of operations, environment divisi, DST Consulting Inc. April 23: New Afton Mine Update, with Marty Henning, senior geologist, New Gold Inc. All sessions are in the Mountain Room at the Campus Activity Centre at Thompson Rivers University. Each starts at 7 p.m.

April 26 Music Colin James is bringing an acoustic show to Kamloops.

The Canadian blues artist is known for songs like Man’s Gotta be a Stone, I’m Losing You, Into the Mystic and Voodoo Thing.

He has won six Juno awards, 17 Maple Blues Awards for his music — which spans blues, rock, R n’ B, blues, swing and blues-rock — and his albums have reached gold and platinum status.

He will perform an intimate show at Sagebrush Theatre beginning at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets are $45 from Kamloops Live box office, 1025 Lorne St., 250-374-5483 or kamloopslive.ca.

April 27 Comedy Derek Edwards, a stand-up comedian who has been called “the funniest man in Canada” by Rick Mercer — who is no slouch at comedy himself — is bringing his Baloney and Wine show to Kamloops at Sagebrush Theatre on April 27.

A veteran of the Just for Laughs comedy shows, he’s been nominated four times for best standup comic at the Canadian Comedy Awards, winning once.

Edwards has also been nominated many times for a Gemini Award for Best Performance in a Comedy.

He’s won the Vail National Comedy Invitational in Vail, Colo. — the only Canadian to have won the award.

Tickets are $40 plus service charges. They go on sale on Monday, Nov. 17, at the Kamloops Live Box Office, 1025 Lorne St., 250-374-5483, kamloopslive.ca.

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W

hen Lisa and Colin first debuted Fresh is Best Salsa at the local Farmers Market in 1999 they were aiming to provide healthier food options. Today, the all natural, Fresh is Best products can be found across British Columbia and Alber ta. The salsas are all Fresh made and can be found in the refrigerated area of the Deli section of most major grocer y retailers.

With some great advice and information from the Community Futures team, Colin and Lisa followed their dream and made Fresh is Best Salsa & Co a reality. Before they made it into major retailers, they travelled to trade shows across BC and Alber ta and opened their first retail outlet in Kamloops.

Fresh is Best has remained dedicated to providing a product free from additives and preser vatives, but its not just about Salsa anymore. They star ted of fering hand-cut tor tilla chips shor tly after their debut at the Farmers Market and now produce Guacamole, Garlic Spinach Dip, Southwestern Corn and Black Bean Salsa, Smokey Black Bean Dip, Layer Dips, Hot Sauces, and the all new Taco Seasoning.

Fresh is Best opened a 12,000 sq foot production facility at 1425 Cariboo Pl, in 2012, after the demand for their product outgrew their facility on Hugh Allan Dr. The new facility- where all of their products are made - features a full retail outlet with exclusive sales of the Fresh, Guacamole, Garlic Spinach Dip, Southwestern Corn and Black Bean Salsa, Smokey Black Bean Dip, and Layer Dips. They also have a second outlet, at 2908 West Broadway, in Vancouver.

Fresh is Best products are currently available in over 800 stores throughout BC and Alber ta and Fresh is Best Tor tilla Chips are making it into major retailers as far east as Ontario.With close to 6000 followers and fans on Social Media, Fresh is Best has created a fan base, that continues to grow ever yday, stretching across Canada.

Believing in giving back to the community that helped Fresh is Best grow to where they are today, Colin and Lisa actively suppor t many events throughout the Kamloops area all year long with both product donations and cash sponsorships. They are proud to be par t of such a vibrant and caring community and look for ward to another 15 years and more!

Fresh is Best is gaining momentum ever yday, growing its influence in the snack food game and conquering Canada one Salsa-holic at a time.

They are grateful to all the Kamloops fans that have made this success possible!

Sals

Tor t

& c om

Web: freshisbest.ca Twitter: @freshisbestco Facebook: Fresh is Best Salsa & Company

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| M A I N F E AT U R E

THOMPSON RIVER

PUBLICATIONS

Running For

Jo Berry Is Spreading The Word About What Cultivates Happiness

By Jessica Klymchuk

| Main Feature

“

You've heard the mantra: movement is change. In Kamloops, hundreds have joined RUNClub to learn the meaning behind the message. Many have been motivated by an inner circle of friends, all eager to take on the challenge, or maybe even coerced by a spouse. But, "movement is change" is not just a slogan or a marketing scheme. It's not just a motto or a catchphrase. Jo Berry discovered how movement can change a life many years ago, and has been helping others realize it ever since.

Berry founded the community run and fundraiser Boogie the Bridge 17 years ago and RUNClub the year after. Today, Boogie the Bridge has raised more than $1 million for local charities, growing from 62 runners crossing the finish line in 1998 to close to 2,500 in recent years. It's the largest wellness event in Kamloops.

With four clinics a year, including a spring training leading up to Boogie, RUNClub has got thousands of people outdoors.

Coaching staff began with Berry, Penny McGuire and Brenda Larson and has grown to 13 trainers. Berry now works full-time on Boogie and RUNClub.

"It started really innocently," Berry says. "I didn’t really want to go into business or be entrepreneurial, but it happened."

The non-competitive, inclusive program is based on support and finding your own pace, she says — a simple enough concept, but one that has roots in self-confidence, spiritual and emotional happiness and a positive lifestyle. Berry's messaging can be so strong, she knows some people are perplexed by it, but for the many that find guidance through her program, she says it's all worth it.

Empowering confidence and lifestyle change, that’s my favourite currency, watching people become happier."

Hitting the pavement Berry ran her first marathon at 22. Out of the 6,000 runners at the Victoria Marathon that day, the Province picked up a photo of her and a friend and followed up with them for a story on the connection between friendship and running. She still has that photo and says it, in many ways, makes her realize nothing happens by accident.

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"I think, that is so weird. Little did I know that my life would be based completely around movement," Berry says.

Her involvement with fitness began at age 18, teaching classes, but she grew up as wildly active as she is today. As a young girl, she was involved in everything from figure skating and

Kamloops Lifestyles Magazine

P R E M I E R E

E D I T I O N

FEBRUARY 2015

Her Life

tap dancing, to horse back riding and baton twirling — never the courage or the confidence to go out and be part of that overly athletic, but always moving. Her vibrating personality community." and seemingly bottomless pool of energy is something she was While teaching fitness classes, she says she grew a passion simply born with. for movement, but became disillusioned with the lack of inner "People always ask me you are just like 'this' all the time and, processes it inspired — "there was a lot of work going on on the well, it’s just the way I was since I was a little "It's nice to be kid. I just couldn't sit still," she says. "It’s recognized... authentic because if it wasn’t, you’d fall over dead." because some people think I'm a little but quirky, a little bit eccentric, a Berry started running when she was in her little bit weird, because my messaging is so strong," Berry says. early 20s and, like many others, says she never thought she could be a runner. It was intimidating. It was uninviting — a group of long-legged gazelles with their 10 per cent body fat. She quickly learned running programs and events were outside, but not a lot going on on the inside." geared toward the elite runner. Berry joined her first running club She returned to school at Thompson Rivers University and after slowly working her way up to 30 minutes of running on her received her bachelor of social work and English degree. own, only to come in dead last after taking two hours to run 10 Then, in 1998, Berry lost her mother to suicide after she spent kilometres. a lifetime of battling with chronic depression. It was Berry's first "After that experience, I was very deflated and I thought, 'I’ll major loss and a period of grief and depression followed. never be a runner,'" Berry says. "As a fitness trainer, I always "It was a huge, huge catalyst of change for me," she says. "Just wanted to be a runner, but it seemed like I couldn’t. I didn’t have really figuring out how I wanted to be in the world, what my core 15

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THOMPSON RIVER

PUBLICATIONS

Get Involved

Web: runclub.ca Web: boogiethebridge.com Email : joberry@telus.net

| Main Feature

Boogie Training starts Sunday March 8 at 8:15 a.m.

Tuesday March 10 at 6 p.m.

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values were, the parts of me I didn't like, my ego, my negativity.

"I started to put the dots together."

It was at this time she became, in her own words, "obsessed with what cultivates happiness." Through the death of her mom and her own struggles with depression, she realized what movement — especially outdoors — could do for her and others.

Berry eventually married her academic background with her passion for fitness and started to develop a leisure counselling model based on movement outdoors and how it acts as therapy.

Berry endeavoured to create a program unlike the one she experienced as a beginner runner, not competitive, not based on how fast or how far, but on individual goals and motivation — empowering people to cross their own finish line and maintaining you don't have to be 100 pounds to run.

"You’re sort of guided towards something," she says. "Every one of us is given something that we are supposed to give away and it was such a process of spiritual guidance on what I’m supposed to do and I just started to connect the dots, from the loss of my

mom from my own health and my own passion and how I feel when I move outdoors."

Although she recognizes the physical benefits of running, Berry’s motivation comes from the benefits of emotional fitness, the idea that movement is medicine. It took her down a path of research about serotonin and dopamine. She calls it brain food.

For her, running is church. She says it's the place she goes to think, whether she's happy or sad. It's a place where she can sort through things and organize her thoughts. By now, it's effortless.

It's second nature. It's no longer just about exercise.

"It's hard to explain but, for someone who has been a runner for a long time, you can't imagine your life without it. You just can't," Berry says. "I've absolutely overdosed on endorphins."

At 50, Berry says she is grateful to be as physically healthy and happy as she is. She says it's not about drinking mineral water and eating salads — it's about crossing the finishing line and having beer with your friends. Indulging in red wine, living your life and having fun.

Kamloops Lifestyles Magazine

RUNClub — and by extension Boogie the Bridge — is all about sharing that positive lifestyle.

Her first club began with 18 individuals and slowly grew in popularity — each of the four clinics per year now attract nearly one hundred people. It soon became about helping the community as a whole be healthier and more positive.

She's seen people lose weight and kick their blood-pressure medication, go from overweight to running marathons, but she's also seen people work through challenges and become more involved with the people around them. She says the positive changes she sees in people are the best currencies in her life.

"I like to see people look younger, and look brighter in their eyes and less stress in their life, and be able to let go of things easier," Berry says. "Empowering confidence and lifestyle change, that’s my favourite currency, watching people become happier."

"It's a real blessing to see people think they could never do the things they end up doing."

Boogie was created from her pure desire to help the community.

Berry, still in her social work program, recruited a group of women to organize the event — then an all-women run/walk.

62 runners came out and raised funds for The Shop Program Women's Lending Circle and the BPW club.

The fundraiser quickly evolved to include anyone and everyone of all ages and tripled in participants in just two years. Over the years Boogie has raised funds for the Women's Resource Centre, Kamloops Boys and Girls Club, Kamloops Sexual Assault Centre, the KELLI literacy program, ASK Wellness, CMHA Youth Clubhouse, Big Brothers and Sisters of Kamloops and the Family Tree Family Centre. Berry has remained loyal to supporting programs that lack government funding.

Last year alone it raised $143,371.43.

Boogie now has a board of directors, 25 team leaders, many volunteers and close to 30 sponsors. The event draws runners and walkers of all ages, features 17 bands along the route and boasts a very loud, supportive finish line.

"I love that the brand is off me, it’s off a person and it’s a city event now. It’s something that will sustain itself," Berry says.

"That’s the success. When it’s taken off a person and put onto a team that puts that puts it onto a community."

But, she hasn't escaped without any recognition. She's received the Women of Distinction Award, BC Community Achievement Award, Thompson Rivers University Distinguished Alumni Award and the Pioneer Award for community health and wellness.

"It's nice to be recognized because some people think I'm a little but quirky, a little bit eccentric, a little bit weird, because my messaging is so strong," Berry said. "The awards have been this little beautiful thing to give me confidence to keep going."

She hopes to be able to spread her message to other communities that lack a place to go that's not the 10 per cent elite runner, but the 90 per cent of people who think they could never run, she says.

"While I'm running, people yell at me from across the street all the time, 'You’re going to die anyways,' but while I’m here, I’m going to feel great," she says.

P R E M I E R E

E D I T I O N

FEBRUARY 2015

In her own words

Movement is Change

By Jo Berry It’s almost Boogie training time and our team’s No. 1 passion is changing lives one footstep at a time.

Our desire to change lives drives us each and every year to make an impact on the individual, the family, the workplace, in the schools and in the community. Is this your year to change your life? We hope you will join us.

Yes, this type of training changes lives. There is no doubt about that in Kamloops. You can see it everywhere. More people are running, moving and sharing lifetime friendships through the act of movement.

Of course, we all know there are numerous physical benefits to running but, what inspires me most is the mental and spiritual benefits that come from movement. The science is emerging, and we are seeing scientific support for how good running (movement) is for the mind and spirit. This is important because it is not enough to say ‘just go and do exercise.’” There has to be a bigger picture and now there is scientific support for the enormous benefits movement has on brain chemistry. Movement is indeed change. Neurotransmitters, including dopamine and serotonin, are chemicals responsible for carrying messages to and from the body. They are responsible for regulating mood, and there is evidence that people feel better when those neurotransmitters are acting at capacity. This can contribute to huge stress reduction, less anxiety, less depression and an overall better quality of life.

My life has been powerfully impacted by movement. I lost my mom to depression and have been profoundly influenced by the healing and mental benefits of living a life based on movement.

In a nutshell, running has been my place of prayer, healing, joy and friendship. I couldn’t live without it and am grateful every day to have the opportunity to share this and contribute to my community. What may surprise you, is I never started as a runner. I was never an athlete. I found a way to move that was good for my body. It wasn’t too much. It wasn’t too far.

It was based on an ego-less energy with no pressure and no competition.

You don’t have to be a runner to join the Boogie training program. It starts Sunday March 8 at 8:15 a.m. and Tuesday March 10 at 6 p.m. All you need is the courage to make the leap and start making a change. In partnership with our community sponsors (CFJC-TV and Kamloops This Week) , the training program is professional, informational, energetic and inspiring.

You will change your life. There is no doubt about it. There are countless stories of people’s lives changing for the better.

All you need is the courage to step into an environment and experience a life altering training program. Boogie training is about community health and happiness and we want to reach as many people as possible. We love Kamloops and would love to see you there.

If you are a runner already, we have a special place for you too.

We offer the experienced runner a professional, high-energy program for you to reach your goals and find more joy in your running. You too will be changed from running in this community of like-minded people.

This eight-week training program includes professional coaching, personal consultation, emails, structure and all within a kind, generous, dynamic community. It is also a whole lot of fun. We keep the fun in the run and encourage everyone to live a big, healthy, juicy life.

See you March 8 and March 10. Bring a friend, co-worker or family member. You will change a life and together we can change a community.

| M A I N F E AT U R E

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THOMPSON RIVER

PUBLICATIONS

How To Get Ready For Tax Season TAXATION SERVICES Senior manager, KPMG LLP

By Leni Reichor With the start of the new year also comes tax time. If you are like many Canadians you, procrastinate as long as possible to file your taxes. Here are some tips that make filing your taxes easier for you, get you your refund quicker and, most importantly, maximize your refund.

1. Use one central location, such as a file folder or a designated drawer, to collect all your tax documents. Now is the time to prepare this folder as all your tax slips come in the mail from January to March. If you collect all your tax information in one central location, you have all the information available when you are ready to file your return.

a. Collect all your income and RRSP slips, such as your

expenses for any 12-month period ending in 2014. This

T4 employment income, T3/T5 investment income, T4A

means that if you have medical expenses from 2013

pension slips and any other slips that report income

that you did not claim last year, you can still claim them,

you received during the year. Make sure you have your

as long as you don’t exceed the 12-month period. For

RRSP slips for your RRSP deductions you made during

example, you can claim medical expenses incurred from

the year and in the first 60 days in 2015.

b. If you have an investment account, ask your broker for a

Oct. 3, 2013 to Oct. 2, 2014.

e. Collect all your donation receipts. The tax credit for

gain/loss report that shows all your transactions and the

the first $200 donation gets you a tax reduction of

related gains and losses for the year. If you don’t have

approximately $40. Any donation in excess of $200

a broker, you will need to calculate any gains or losses

will get you a tax reduction of about 44 per cent of the

from the transaction summaries.

donation amount.

c. If you have a business, sort your business expenses

f. Collect any other receipts, such as receipts for your

into the major categories such as office, advertising,

children’s fitness and arts classes, moving receipts,

supplies, travel, etc.

university tuition and investment fees.

d. Collect all your medical receipts for the year for you and

| FINANCE

your dependent family members. You can claim medical

2. Once you have all this information together, you are ready to complete and file your tax return. If your tax situation is fairly simple, you can complete the return yourself, either on paper, using the CRA Netfile feature or using one of the many software programs available. A software program usually helps you maximize your credits and deductions.

3. If your situation is a bit more complex or you had unusual transactions in the year, it is best to seek out a professional advisor.

This will ensure your return is filed correctly and your taxes are minimized.

4. Make sure you keep your actual slips, receipts and invoices. Credit-card statements and debit receipts are not sufficient in case the Canada Revenue Agency wants to see backup at a later point in time.

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| WINE REVIEWS

THOMPSON RIVER

PUBLICATIONS

SAGEWOOD MARECHAL FOCH From the winemaker, this wine is “aged in American and eastern European oak and stainless-steel tanks. An intense dark-coloured wine with aromas of black fruits.”

This was a sweet red wine with a well-rounded flavour. It has an acidic taste, with black cherry and black currant notes being dominant. There’s also a hint of coffee. As people who consume a favourable amount of both coffee and wine, we found this combination pleasing. Now, if we could only drink coffee-wine when we arrive at the office at 8:30 a.m. One out of four reviewers named this wine their favourite.

MONTE CREEK RANCH HANDS UP WHITE

WINE

REVIEWS

This is a white wine blend of 59 per cent frontenac blanc, 29 per cent viognier and 12 per cent la crescent. The alcohol content is 15 per cent. “An aromatic and easy blend. Noticeable residual sugars are held at bay with medium acidity, providing complementary opposites of light sweetness and refreshing acids. Melon, honey, citrus, tangerine and orange blossoms create a heady nose and full palate,” says the description.

We found this wine to have a light taste. The citrus and tangerine comes through in the aroma and is sweet on the tongue. The aftertaste resembled honey. We appreciated this wine’s slightly higher percentage point from the Hands Up Red and concluded, in our expert opinion, that this wine would result in a wicked hangover. This is a good thing. The winemaker said the sum of the whole of this wine is greater than its individual parts — and we have to agree.

MONTE CREEK RANCH HANDS UP RED According to the winemaker, Hands Up Red is a blend of 49 per cent frontenac noir, 20 per cent marquette, 10 per cent St. Croix, eight per cent cabernet sauvignon, eight per cent merlot and five per cent savervois. The alcohol content is 14 per cent. vv According to the description, “red and black fruits carry through from the nose to the palate — cherry, blackberry, currant and sour cherry. This is a medium body wine with medium acidity, integrated tannins and a mid-length finish.”

The cherry was potent on this wine along with a hint of plum. We found the taste to be mild but not overpowering. Since this wine is a blend there’s a good chance your favourite variety is included, which must mean you’ll enjoy it. That’s how it works, right? Also, we debated over what the tannins mean and decided not to go there because — let’s face it — that’s out of our league. One out of four reviewers called this wine their favourite.

SAGEWOOD KERNER From the winemaker, this kerner is “an aromatic white-grape variety, a cross of trollinger (a redgrape variety) and riesling. A pronounced varietal bouquet with fresh aromas offering a tasty blend of mixed white fruits, with hints of apple, grapefruit and a tropical whif of mango.”

This wine smells like apples and tastes fresh and light. It has an acidic citrusy savour, with the tartness of apple, but not the flavour. Perhaps that’s the grapefruit coming through. We didn’t get mango, but we also couldn’t tell you what this wine was called if we hadn’t recited the label before trying it. Two out of four reviewers named this their favourite.

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Kamloops Lifestyles Magazine

P R E M I E R E

E D I T I O N

FEBRUARY 2015

Wine and Dine

By Jessica Klymchuk

Let's just start out by saying wine is good. I like wine. I like wine on the patio in the summer, in front of a great flick and in the bathtub. I like it in a tall glass with a broad bowl, in a mason jar or straight from the bottle.

I recently read that drinking a glass of merlot is equivalent to an hour-long workout. The rule doesn't apply to non-reds, so you chardonnay and pinot grigio lovers are out of luck, and it doesn't mean that a whole bottle is equivalent to five workouts. But, it's still good news for us pinot noir devotees.

I read this on bustle.com, which got it from the Journal of Physiology and Science Daily. It has something to do with "natural compounds" and sounds legitimate.

This makes me like wine even more.

I've seen approximately one documentary about sommeliers, who so elegantly waft wine up their nostrils only to identify notes of tennis ball and freshly cut garden hose.

I've never smelled garden hose anywhere other than in my backyard and in the seasonal aisle in Walmart but, having seen this documentary, I believe I am somewhat familiar with the techniques of such experts — minus the years and years of studying varietals and terroir.

Four amateurs put our palates to the test with some local wines. We tried them much like you would — poured into cheap stemware and sipped throughout good conversation.

So, let's take a break from Beer Friday and try a little Wine Wednesday. After all, a glass of wine a day keeps the doctor away. Or is that apples?

Disclaimer: The vast majority of the wine my fellow reviewers and I consume comes in a box. The featured wines were generously donated and graciously accepted for review.

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| H O M E S TA G I N G

THOMPSON RIVER

PUBLICATIONS

All The World's A Stage

Maximize your home's appeal when selling

By Jessica Klymchuk There’s a reason you’ll never walk into an empty show home. For most people, it’s difficult to visualize what a space will look like and how it can be lived in. Properly furnishing a home can completely alter your impression of it and, more often than not, have you wishing you could buy the furniture as well.

When you’re selling a home that’s already being lived in, the same approach can greatly improve your house’s appeal.

“What you’re trying to do is create a feeling so that, when people walk in, they feel like they could live there or they could make this space work with what they have,” said Lenna Sawyer of Lenna’s Creative Interiors, who stages show homes at Sun Rivers. “It’s about enhancing a room or a space and showing what it can be used for.”

Home staging is a young business in Kamloops, but a popular technique in bigger cities like Calgary, Vancouver and even Kelowna.

Professional home stager Dena Hartling, of DLT Staging & Design, has been outfitting vacant homes and resale homes in Kamloops since 2006. She’s a member of the Certified Canadian Staging Professionals and has staged over $30 million worth of real estate. Realtors often come to her or refer their clients to her to make their home look its best before it goes on the market.

“The idea is to sell the house for top dollar as quickly as possible,” she said. “You want it on the market and then off the market.”

The Real Estate Staging Association (RESA)’s 2010 research showed staged homes spend 67 per cent less time on the market. It studied 97 homes previously on the market an average of 181 days before the homeowners called a professional stager. The same homes sold, on average, in 60 days after staging.

RESA also studied 184 homes that were staged before gong on the market. These homes sold, on average, in 35 days.

With the high number of active listings in Kamloops right now — 2014 saw 4,954 new listings compared to 4,908 in 2013 — Hartling says staged homes have a much higher chance of selling.

“I always say live in your house how you want to live in your house, but when you want to sell it, it’s a different story, especially in our kind of a market,” said Ingrid Pfeiffer, president of the Kamloops and District Real Estate Association. “You have people coming and really, really looking at everything.”

The most important thing is to match the visual appeal of the house to the price point you are trying to achieve, Hartling said — a home priced at $580,000 might be a beautiful home, but the outdated furniture and pink walls will decrease its appeal.

We use only the most advanced systems available to provide you with the highest quality service.

| HOME

S TA G I N G

Staging is a three-step process. First, Hartling will have a consultation and review the state of the house, then recommend any work that needs to be done, such as painting the walls, refinishing the kitchen cupboards or installing new flooring. The third step is staging the furniture in the most attractive way possible, which can include bringing in rentals. Hartling has her own inventory of furniture homeowners can rent or she will work with a local furniture company.

Some homeowners will only take the first step and work from Hartling’s recommendations without fully staging their home. But, she says, even if homeowners do 50 per cent of the things she recommends, the house is going to show much better.

“I find this in clients, with selling homes in Kamloops that have used Dena’s services, we get great feedback,” said Lisa Villamo, realtor with Century 21.

“People like that they just feel the home is more move-in ready and better presented to prospective buyers.”

The most important improvement is decluttering and cleaning. Removing any personal items, like photos or personal art, is recommended because people often can’t visualize themselves living in a home that is either too cluttered or too personalized, Pfeiffer said.

Hartling said there is a 75-100 per cent return on investment when you update your bathroom or kitchen and a 50-75 per cent return on investment if you update your flooring or paint the walls. In 90 per cent of the homes Hartling looks at, she says she recommends at least one light fixture be replaced — an inexpensive update that can make a huge difference in the appeal of a room.

Most of the time Hartling works with the furniture already in the house, by rearranging it to enhance a focal points, such as a view or a fireplace and removing secondary focal points like a television. Most often, she says, people have too much furniture or oversized furniture. Placement is everything — whether it be adjusting where a clock sits on the wall or moving the couches away from the walls to make a room look larger.

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Lastly, don’t underestimate the curb appeal of your house — 74 per cent of buyers drive by first, and Hartling said they will not even look at the inside of the home if the exterior is unappealing. Painting the exterior, replacing light fixtures and cleaning outdoors can have a profound impact, Hartling said.

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