V O LU M E 1 , I S S U E 1
NE WS LE T T E R T I T LE
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Inside Story Headline
Community Newsletter
Winter 2014/15
www.mountlorne.yk.net
Joint Effort of the Hamlet Advisory Council and the Lorne Mountain Community Association LORNE MOUNTAIN COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION HAMLET OF MT LORNE ADVISORY COUNCIL Ward 1, Kookatsoon/CCC Jan Aalt Van den Hoorn 667 7268
Ward 4, The Meadows Erin Woods 334-9251
Ward 2, Cowley Peter Percival 668-6817
Ward 5, Annie Lake Rd Al Foster 393-1949
Ward 3, Robinson Bill Dunn Administrative Assistant Carol Spilette
667-7083
Executive President :
Peter Carr
Vice president: Christel S. Percival
668-6817
Treasurer: Michelle Harper
456-4031
DIRECTORS Bob Sharp
668 4965
Dave Bouquot
668 7693
Etienne Tardiff
668 2425
Felix Vogt
633 3045
“To catch the reader's attention, place an interesting sentence or quote from the story here.”
Mailing Address: Box 10009 Whitehorse, Yukon Y1A 7A1 Phone/Fax: 667-7083 E-mail: mtlorne@northwestel.net Website: www.mountlorne.yk.net
Executive Director
Agnes Seitz
Hall Rentals/Membership: Mailing Address: Box 10009 Whitehorse, Yukon Y1A 7A1 E-mail: lmca@northwestel.net Website: www.mountlorne.yk.net
Chocolate for Christmas…?!! A community fundraiser Check it out
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667-7083 667-7083
Letter from the Hamlet Council Yukon government’s Department of Community Services, Community Affairs Branch held a public meeting October 22, 2014, at the LMCC regarding civic addressing for the Hamlet of Mount Lorne. The process of establishing a civic addressing scheme for the rural areas outside of Whitehorse (Marsh Lake, Tagish and Mt. Lorne) has been an on-going process for several years now. The various Local Advisory Councils (LAC) have been trying to get their communities to accept the process, but is has been slow and not with a few ups and downs along the way. Hopefully the meeting helped explain the benefits of having a proper civic addressing scheme in place in our community. If you could not attend the meeting the preliminary information on the civic addressing for Mt. Lorne can be found at the Hamlet website under the tabs Hamlet Council then the tab Mt. Lorne Land Use Documents. The Department of Energy Mines and Resources, Lands Planning Branch have also scheduled a public meeting on November 6, 2014, to discuss the McGowan Lands Subdivision proposal. At this time the council has not been informed exactly what will be presented at this meeting so we cannot provide any further details about what issues the community might have to decide on or provide input to regarding this proposal. Since subdivision of private lands was approved earlier this year, 16 applications have been made to subdivide within the Hamlet. If you need further information on how the subdivision process happens, going to the Yukon Governments website on subdivision http://www.emr.gov.yk.ca/lands/subdivision.html will provide you with the necessary documentation. Some of the issues that we have heard about during the subdivision process have been on setback requirements, road access, zoning appeals, and the authority of the Development Officer. As the Local Advisory Council does not have any authority in these areas, all these matters are dealt with through Yukon Government offices.
Southern Lake’s LACs have been trying to obtain a resident list for each of their communities as a way of sending information out to people. A request to the Minister of Community Services, to have access to such a list, was recently turned down. The Council will continue to try and let residents know what is happening in our community through postings on the Mt. Lorne website, the Lorne Mountain Community Association (LMCA) e-mail list and by word of mouth. Please read on ….. Page 2
Hamlet Council continued More from council
The fall is a good time to think about getting involved in your community. The Hamlet of Mt. Lorne has a population of 410 (2011 census) with 325 being adults. Our community has three organizations that depend on people participating in an active manner to insure that we are heard in government; protected from fire and aided during times of emergency, and are provided with a healthy community lifestyle. In order to function, each of these organizations require a specific core number of people to participate in them: Mount Lorne LAC - 5 councillors; LMCA - 7 board members; and, Mt. Lorne Volunteer Fire Department - 15 trained volunteers. If we as residents want to see these organizations continue to provide these services, we as individual residents need to consider putting in time as members of these organizations. There are people in our community who have volunteered 5, 10, 15 and 20 years making things happen for all of us to enjoy. Don’t you think it is time we give them a chance for a well-deserved rest by stepping forward and volunteering your time to make this community continue to be a great place to live? Al Foster Councillor Annie Lake Road Ward Oct. 23 , 2014
2014 Fire Smart Project in Mt Lorne starts soon The Community Association had submitted a proposal to complete the Robinson perimeter FireSmart project which we have been working on for the last 4 years. However, due to bear activity in the immediate area where crews were expecting to work, the project has been moved to the next priority area which in the top of Annie Lake Road working west. The project has been accepted by Wildland Fire Management and our local contractor will start to complete the 50 metre wide FireSmart thinning on either side of Annie Lake Road starting at the Community Centre and heading west in early November. The goals of firestarting this area is to aid in the access and egress of both home owners and fire crews in the event of a wildland fire. To learn more about what you can do on your property to reduce Wildfire risks please visithttp://www.community.gov.yk.ca/firemanagement/firesmart.html Colin O’Neill
Firesmart Coordinator LMCA Page 3
LORNE MOUNTAIN COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION Hello friends and neighbors‌
President’s Report
it's great to see so many of you coming out for the "coming of the snow" season events at the Community Hall. Thanks to our outgoing President, Sharon Hickey, one of the most memorable of our recent events was an evening of music with the "Leesiders band" from Whitehorse. Sharon and her partner Carol gifted us with their infectious and oh so danceable music as a going away present and the band was available to help us celebrate the arrival of new Zambomi in the valley. Along with the funds raised from an earlier Skate-a-thon, ticket sales from the sold out Leesiders dance and a sizeable donation from an anonymous supporter of LMCA have left us in the happy position of raising a good part of our share of the purchase price. Once again the good folks at the Community Development fund demonstrated their ongoing and much appreciated support of our community by providing 90% of the cost of this much needed improvement. The old Olympia machine so generously passed along to us from the City of Whitehorse has soldiered on for more than 20 years and will be retired later this winter. A representative from the manufacturer (made in Canada!!) will be coming up to offer a training session to those volunteers that might like to add "Zamboni Driver" to their resume. Contact Agnes or Andy Lera for details on the when, where and how of those sessions. Opportunities exist as well for individuals, firms or groups to get their name(s) on the new machine by way of special decals that will be made up in coming months. We will also gladly accept suggestions on what to do with the old one : say a pedestal mounted weather vane like the DC-3 at the airport..an indestructible flower and veggie grow box or even a ZHot Tub! On behalf of the LMCA board and membership I would also like to extend congratulations and thanks to our tireless Exec Director/Co-ordinator/Den Mother/Chef par excelence... Agnes for another great year of events big and small at the hall. I remember remarking to a friend during the Leesiders dance that the same spirit that drove our efforts in the formative years of the Lorne Mountain Community Association was still very much alive and well and growing. I am also heartened by the mix of ages evident at many of our events like the popular coffee houses and local talent music nights, Canada Day, the Southern Lakes Harvest Fair and Ingestible festival and many more. to borrow some words from an Old Shaker song...Simple Gifts.... its a gift to be simple, its a gift to be free, it's a gift to come down where you want to be and when you find yourself in the place just right, it will be in the valley of love and delight.
Have a great winter on the ski trails, out on the rink or at one of the many events planned as we launch into 2015 in this very special valley we call home. PS.. Don't forget to renew your membership and introduce some of your "away" friends to our neighborhood. The more..the merrier... Peter Carr Page 4
News from the Mt Lorne Firehall
Summer 2014 was quite the opposite of Summer 2013. The rain doused just about all possibilities of forest fires, however, it brought flooding in June. Although not “officially” involved, several of our volunteers helped out for several days with the serious flooding of the Wheaton River near the Perren residence on the Annie Lake Road. We helped with sandbag preparations and building a small makeshift bridge so the family could get to dry land easily. There were several minor call-outs as well, in addition to providing mutual aid to the Golden Horn Volunteer Fire Department with a trailer and truck fire at an RV park. In July, we helped with the 12th anniversary MisAdventure Run through the golf course and up Mt. Lorne. It’s always a fun event and hardly seems like work to help with the trail clearing and marking, road crossings, communications and chili lunch. It was a perfect day for a run and we raised $750. It’s always a pleasure to see our “regular” runners year after year and the support that they give to our volunteer fire department. Our hard-working Director, Peter Percival, was out knocking on your doors again last Summer fundraising. The community support is very much appreciated. In case Peter missed you this year, you can always send a cheque to Mount Lorne Volunteer Fire Department at Box 10009, Whitehorse, YT Y1A 7A1. We have official charity status with Revenue Canada and can give income tax receipts for any donations members of the community wish to make. This year these funds were used to purchase 12 pairs of brand new coveralls and helmets/ear protectors for wildland fire fighting. Fortunately, they did not see much active use this summer, other than training. Training at the fire hall continues on the second and fourth Wednesday of each month, at 1900 hours. We are also there on the first and third Wednesdays. This is when we do the extra duties, such as checking trucks and equipment and would welcome new volunteers on any evening. For further information you can contact: Fire Chief Colin O’Neill at 668-6613 or oneill.ce@gmail.com or Deputy Chief Claire Desmarais at 393-1949 or cdesmarais@northwestel.net. If you are not interested in being an active firefighter, but would like to be part of the firehall, there are always other things you can help out with. Page5
More from the fire hall….
The Mount Lorne VFD will soon have proper tools and training to run a vehicle extrication should we get a call for those services. With these new tools comes the need to practice a whole new set of skills. Therefore, we are asking the community for the donation of any scrap vehicles you have on your property that you would like gone. You can even watch us cut it up into little pieces. Please contact one of the firefighters or call the Chief or Deputy Chief (numbers above) to arrange a time for us to have the vehicle towed/driven to our hall. We always want to remind you of fire safety around your own home. We can only help you in an emergency if we can find your property. The new road signs installed this past Summer will help, as will reflectors at the bottom of your driveway. Property owners should keep driveways accessible for our large vehicles. Homeowners who burn wood should clean their chimney on a regular basis and store firewood away from the main building. Smoke alarms should have batteries changed when the clocks turn back in the Fall and ensure your carbon monoxide detectors are in good working order by pressing the test button once a month. Have your home heating systems serviced by a professional. Have an escape plan and make sure every member of your household is familiar with that route and a designated meeting place. It’s also a good idea to keep spare warm clothing for each family member in a separate shed or garage in case of a hasty exit from your home. Remember…phone 911 and ask for the Mount Lorne Volunteer Fire Department. In addition, you might want to consider how you would handle other emergencies. During an extended power outage, you should have an adequate supply of bottled water, canned and dried goods, flashlights and batteries. A battery-operated radio and regular plug-in phone will keep you informed and able to communicate. Be prepared for anything and everything. Drive a little slower on winter roads and watch out for wildlife. We wish you all a safe Winter and holiday season.
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Solar Power Generation on the Annie Lake Road When we first moved out to the Annie Lake Road there was no power lines along the road. So like many Yukoners back then we looked for a way to generate our own power. We erected a wind generator and had a battery bank for storing energy, plus a backup gas generator when needed. That worked fine for many years, but when it came time to replace the equipment, power lines now ran past our place and we made the decision to hook into the electrical grid. But I must admit I really liked being my own power company as it gave me a real feel for what it costs to produce power as well as strong conservation ethic about how to use power when you have it. In the back of my mind I knew at some point I would revisit producing our own power. That point happened when the Micro-Generation policy was put in place by the Yukon Government. Here was a way that I could produce my own power, feed any surplus I had back into the grid for others to use, as well draw power from the grid when my demand was greater than my production capacity. Over the years I had followed the development of the various fields of renewable energy production solar, wind and biomass. I settled on solar as being the most likely to work for us. The roofs on our house and shop faced south, the advancement in solar panels and inverter technology now insured reliability in the 20 to 25 year span and the cost had dropped dramatically. So in 2014 we decided to go ahead with the installation of a 3.5KW grid inter-tie solar photo-voltaic installation on our shop roof. First step was to contact the people who administer the Micro-Generation policy, the Yukon Government’s Energy Solutions office. The actual process means you end up dealing with Energy Solutions, the Building Inspection branch (building and electrical permits) and Yukon Electric. There are a lot of suppliers of solar equipment out there and it really pays to do your research on the equipment you want to install. We settled on installing fourteen 250 watt solar panels, with individual micro invertors for each panel and an aluminum roof mount that runs parallel to the slope of the roof. Our supplier was Cory Gordon (Sow’s Ear Renewable Energy) who is the local dealer for Home Energy Solutions out of Victoria. See more next page…. PAGE 7
Read on… Things you need to know during the installation: 1. Understand how the Micro-Generation policy works by meeting with the Energy Solution people. 2. If you live outside of Whitehorse and plan on mounting your solar panels on your roof, you will need a building permit. Which means you better know how your roof was constructed and possibly have the building drawings. Initially I wanted to tilt our panels on the roof to get better production, but to do this you will need to provide an engineering analysis of your roof to prove that it can take the extra wind load. If you leave them parallel to the roof the analysis is not required. 3. Electrical permit is required and a certified person must make the connection to the panel. Use of micro inverter technology simplifies the whole wiring installation plus gives several other advantages during solar production. 4. Once your installation is complete and both the building and electrical inspections are signed off, Yukon Electric will come out and replace your electrical meter with a biadirectional meter. This meter keeps track of when you consume energy from the grid at $.14/kwh and when you supply your surplus energy back to the grid at $.21/kwh (the meter does not supply you with your total production). Our installation was completed in June and has been working flawlessly. You do find yourself looking at the meter every time you walk by it to see how much power we have supplied back to the grid. You also find yourself being a bit more energy conservative, as you don’t want to waste that energy that you are now producing. I’m actually thinking of expanding our system in the future. I’ve been talking with the Lorne Mountain Community Association (LMCA) about the feasibility of the LMCA putting a solar installation on the Community Centre’s roof as well as the roof of the log pavilion, as there is the possibility of Federal government funding through a Green Energy Initiative for public infrastructure. Al Foster
ph 393 1949
Mt Lorne Transformation Station Winter HOURS Saturdays
10.00 am— 6.00pm
Sundays
10.00 am—6.00 pm
Mondays
7.00 am - 3.00 pm
You can donate your recyclables now Towards
LMCA !!
Just let them know ! Thanks!!
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LORNE MOUNTAIN COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION
Mt Lorne Ski Club season 2014/15 · Track Attack TA: ages 10+ ski · Jack Rabbits JR: ages 6-9 ski · Bunnies: ages 3-5 (6 beginnners)
Fridays
4:30-6.00pm 4:30- 5:45 4:30- 5:15 (5:30)
COST: 40$/ child plus family LM membership. For more info check lorne mountain website www.mountlorne.yk.net Healthy Snacks in hall afterwards
REGISTRATION: November 7th Friday at 4pm We will start some dryland Nov 7th for JR and TA. Friday Nov 14th skiing with everyone TR JR and Bunnies too MT Lorne Classic Ski Race planned for February 21st 2015
Learning Lions - Mt Lorne homeschoolers Please contact Bianka if you are planning to come or have any ideas /questions (walcher-b@northwestel.net)
Fridays 2-4 pm
And here is our plan…. Nov7th: PHOTOGRAPHING PATTERNS Nov 14th NEEDLEFELTING Nov 21rst DR SEUSS DAY Nov 28 KITCHEN FUN create chefs hats /aprons ,basic kitchen rules Fee: $5 per child, please register Dec 5 Dec 12 Dec 19
HOLIDAY CRAFTs and theatre HOLIDAY FABRIC FUN BAKING- baking holiday treats and practice theatre for Solstice Party Page 9
LORNE MOUNTAIN COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION
Mt Lorne Crafters
Volunteer in your community!
Tuesday November 25th 7pm Drop in , bring your current project .. And ask Dawn Bouquot For help with any and all…!!
Give us a hand for some of these upcoming events:
Presents
Tickets $ 25.00 Incl. Mexican snack food buffet
The Morgan Girls
Black Iron Blossom Celtic Tide Saturday , November 22nd ,7 pm Reserve your ticket now Page 10
December 7th concession help,
December 20th BBQ chef, clean up LMCA Foodie club
Persian cuisine
Homegrown One night- 3 Yukon bands
kitchenhelp, bartender
kids activities help
MT Lorne Art event series
Nov 22nd
November 26th , We 7pm We will cook :
Winter squash and walnut fritters with rose
Jeweled basmati rice and quinoa
Kebabs with minty cilantro lime sauce
Spiced nutty chocolate bark
Cost $ 20.00 per person Please register—limited space … 667 7083 Bring your containers ! Got any good ideas on what to cook next...let me know..
LORNE MOUNTAIN COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION
Country Christmas Craft Fair
Women’s Self-Care Group Monday Nights 6:00pm to 9:00pm October 27th to December 15th 2014 Lorne Mountain Community Center
Sunday, December 7th
Km 1 Annie Lk. Rd.
12 - 4 pm
FREE! trouble finding time to get out for exercise? Attend a yoga class? Practice some meditation? Want new ideas for healthy snacks that you’ll enjoy? Wouldn’t it be more fun to do these things together?
Indoor arts and craft fair
Kids on Ice activities : Ice Sculptures, ice balloons,
Cranberry café open
6pm to 7pm – Guided Meditation with Ruth Lera and Yoga Sharing
Solstice skating party
7pm to 8pm – Into the kitchen for smoothies and raw treats 8pm to 9pm- Bring your running shoes, skates or skis for outside play No registration necessary. Just drop in for the whole evening or come for part of it.
Skiing and skating
December 20th 6-9pm With
Skating to music
Winter BBQ
Kids Theatre performance
Sparkler skate and more…
Volunteer appreciation party !! For more information contact Ruth Lera at ruthrootawakening@gmail.com or 6685871
Just come on in…!
LMCA Page 11
LORNE MOUNTAIN COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION Our new Zamboni is here.. And ready for winter
Buy great Chocolate gifts.. and help us fundraise !
check out Purdys chocolate website.. order and pay online -pick up at LMCC and your Community Centre will get a boost…
Our fundraiser concert was a great success !!
a special THANK YOU Goes out to a very generous —anonymous—donor !!! $ 5000.00
and here is how it works:
Your contribution is appreciated and will help a long way towards our fundraising goal of $ 15,000.00
Orders for Purdy's chocolates for Christmas 2014 will be accepted until
We still have $ 3800.00 to raise
Step 1 Step 2Step 3-
And here are some ways..
get your name on our machine for $ 50 Help organize a hockey tournament
Buy chocolate—see next... Got any other ideas ??
ICE ICE
ICE
We started on it...but still can use a few hands ...give us a call if you have a few hours.. Zamboni drivers training coming in November– sign up !! Page 12
November 17, 2014 go to www.purdys.gpp.com register as a New Customer Join #23307
Lorne Mountain Community Association Step 4 Shop Online Step 5-Review and pay using your credit card Step 6 The chocolate orders will available for you to pick up at Christmas Fair December 7th noon- 4pm at Lorne Mountain Community Centre Happy chocolate shopping….. Questions call Agnes or Christel 667 7083
LMCC
Happening at LORNE MOUNTAIN COMMUNITY CENTER
Stories and Voices of the Valley Wednesday December 3rd 7pm Come and listen to interviews recorded by Peter Carr
with Betty Lou Linville, or an earlier interview with Bill Sinclair Everybody welcome - just drop in!!Refreshments and snacks provided..
A LMCA project initiated by local seniors- gathering history on the Hamlet of Mt Lorne.
Please find all stories at : www.mountlorne.yk.net Youth programs and youth employment at LMCC We offer various youth jobs throughout the winter . For details check our website.. Do you have an idea for a youth event or activity at LMCC ?? Contact us to make it happen !!!
667 7084
www.mountlorne.yk.net
We had great programming and events throughout the last fiscal year and
LMCA would like to thank:
YTG -Community Youth Activities 2014/15 Program Funding for $ 14,000.00
Lotteries Yukon for Community Lottery Program 2014/15 $ 12 ,896.00
Sport and Recreation department YTG—for all their support in keeping our great facilities going !
Growing Forward 2 / YTG Agriculture Branch for supporting our Northern backyard gardening 2014
Yukon Arts Fund for contributing to our Fall Arts Event series $ 7500.00
Firesmart YT— for our upcoming firesmart efforts in Robinson
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COMMUNITY BUSINESS DIRECTORY
Kevin Barr, MLA
LMCC
Mount Lorne-Southern Lakes
Facility
Phone 867-393-7015
rental
Toll-free 1-800-661-0408 ext. 7015 kevin.barr@yla.gov.yk.ca www.yukonndpcaucus.ca
Community hall, kitchen , outdoor pavilion, showers, camp area — everything for your special event…book now for next summer check www.mountlorne.yk.net for rates and more info or call 667 7083
Watson River Design and Woodworking Custom woodworking, CNC routing, Wooden signs and Snow plowing Contact Al Foster at: Box 11258, Whitehorse Yukon, Y1A 6N5 Tel. (867) 393-1949 E-mail: afoster@northwestel.net
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COMMUNITY BUSINESS DIRECTORY Mt Lorne Community Newsletter Is now available at http://whatsupyukon.com/communities/marsh-lake---mtn-lorne The CTRRC is the local management body for fish, wildlife and forestry in the Carcross Tagish First Nation Settlement area. The Council is your voice in managing local renewable resources. We provide strong input into planning and regulation processes by raising public awareness of specific issues and by providing local and traditional information. The Council also plays an important advisory role to territorial, federal and First Nations governments and the Yukon Fish & Wildlife Management Board. The CTRRC is comprised of 8 Council members including 2 alternate members. Three members and 1 alternate are each nominated by the First Nation and the Yukon Government. Your representatives are: Albert James (Co-Chair) Ken Reeder (Co-Chair) Paul Brisley Patrick James Don Toews Edna Helm Blair Corley (Alternate) Ted Hall (Alternate) Regular Council meetings are held on the first Monday of each month at the Tagish Community Hall from 10:00 am - 4.00pm You are welcome to attend. To find out more about what we do or to add your voice call us or visit our office in the Tagish Community Centre.
THE OFFICE IS OPEN: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 10:00 am 4:00 pm –
Ph: 867.399.4923 Fax: 867.399.4978 Email: carcrosstagishrrc@gmail.com