MARCH
District of Clearwater would receive $390,000 if the project to double the Trans Mountain pipeline went ahead, according to a memorandum of understanding with Kinder Morgan Canada. Blue River and Avola (Area B) would get $350,000, and another $175,000 would go to Vavenby, Birch Island, Blackpool and area (Area A).
After Hours Theatre presented “Collected Obsessions”, a production of seven short plays about people with fixations.
Clearwater town council instructed staff to prepare an application for $1.1 million in federal funding to build a third well. The new well was needed to provide a more consistent and secure source of water.
Employees at Jim’s Family Market in Little Fort spent part of their breaks balancing eggs - a tradition for Chinese New Year. That afternoon there was a fine Chinese dinner at Little Fort Hall.
Five workshops held in communities from Sun Peaks to McBride explored a proposal to have Wells Gray Park’s volcanoes and other sites in the area declared a Global Geopark. The proposal was seen as less expensive and more achievable than getting UNESCO World Heritage status.
Bird numbers were up from the previous year but the number of species was down as Clearwater and area residents participated in the Great Backyard Bird Count. The most frequently spotted species was the black-capped chickadee (on 107 checklists).
Upper Clearwater artist Doris Laner put on a retrospective show of works she had done before she came to this area. Portraits dominated her earlier works.
A slim majority of Upper Clearwater property owners opted to continue a grant-in-aid for Upper Clearwater Hall for one more year. However, they were divided in what should happen after that, with 48 per cent indicating the grant should continue, 35 per cent saying the money for the grant should not be collected but the grant-in-aid service should remain in place, and 29 per cent saying the service should end.
A letter to the editor from Wendy Bentley of Kamloops told about her meeting in Fiji Ray Chandra, a Fijian who taught at Birch Island for four years in the late 1960s. He later got his Ph.D. and returned to Fiji.
CSS students Jacob Madden won a gold medal in carpentry in a regional Skills Canada competition in Kamloops, while Larson Wadlegger won gold in welding and fabricating.
Teams from Creston, Chetwynd, Burns Lake, Kelowna, White Rock and Clearwater took part in the Tier 4 Midget provincial championships in the Sportsplex. The Ice Hawks placed fifth in the six-team tournament.
Garnet Peak (located near the junction of Clearwater and Azure lakes) was displaced as the highest mountain in Wells Gray Park. Climbers from the Alpine Club of Canada had found one higher in the north end of the park, said Roland Neave, author of “Exploring Wells Gray Park.”
Former Vavenby fire chief Leo Vermette received gifts of appreciation for his years of service. He had been a member of the fire department for 22 years, fire chief for 18, and a member of the board for 29.
Former Clearwater resident “Fast Eddy” Dostaler ran through the North Thompson Valley near the beginning of his proposed trip across Canada and back to benefit the Alzheimer’s Society of Canada and the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.
Rotary Richard went for a swim in Dutch Lake on Mar. 22. The official time was 4:01 a.m. Money raised through the sale of guesses is used to fund Rotary initiatives such as student exchanges.
APRIL
Clearwater needs a new cenotaph, Legion Branch #259 representative Joe Short told town council. The Boy Scouts under Rich Willan made the present structure in Reg Small Park in the late 1990s but it needed repair plus was not in a good location, he felt.
CSS student William Ellis called on town council to enact a handicapped parking bylaw. “Before my dad became disabled I didn’t care as much,” he said. “Now I realize how much difference a few steps can make.”
Times editor Keith McNeill announced he planned to cycle from Toronto to Ottawa to promote a petition calling for carbon fee-and-dividend in Canada as a way to control global warming. The big question was whether he would be able to keep up with his cycling partner, Jean Nelson.
Jon Kreke, owner of Dutch Lake Resort and Painted Turtle Restaurant, was chosen to be the new president of Clearwater and District Chamber of Commerce. He took over from Jeff Lamond of Rooted by the River Nursery.
Fire totally destroyed the McLure Restaurant south of Barriere. McLure Fire Department received help from Barriere Fire Department, even though there is no mutual aid agreement between the two.
Clearwater town council voted to change the name of Clearwater Canoe Regatta to Clearwater Fall Festival. “Let’s have a festival (in September) in Rotary Sports Park and move the canoe events to Canada Day, when the water is warmer and there are more tourists,” said councilor Barry Banford.
North Thompson Community Chorus put on “Broadway Revue,” a concert of songs from Broadway musicals. Wes Morden played the role of Tevye from “Fiddler on the Roof” when he sang “If I Were a Rich Man.”
Yellowhead Mining must submit a report on alternatives for wet tailings storage at its proposed Harper Creek copper mine, the BC Environmental Assessment Office said. The panel that had investigated the Mt. Polley tailings dam breach had pointed to filtered or dry-stack tailings as best practice.
Members of Upper Clearwater Farmers Institute posted “No Trespassing” signs around the Upper Clearwater Hall. The Institute said they were to prevent people from camping overnight by the hall while critics said they were to discourage people from attending the Institute’s annual general meeting.
Longtime local resident Murray Stockton asked for more flexibility from authorities for seniors in rural areas after his driver’s license was taken away.
Randy Hedlund sang a song he had written, “An Ode to Angila Wilson” during a candlelight vigil held in Weyerhaeuser Park on the first anniversary of Wilson's death. Domestic violence is not just a problem for women but for all of society, said Stop the Violence counsellor Ava Perraton.
Upper Clearwater Farmers Institute needs to update its constitution and bylaws, president Andrew Nelson told the organization's annual general meeting. A new set of bylaws, imposed in 1984, had replaced the original bylaws from the 1930s but were inadequate, he said.
A new program, Seniors Networking with Seniors and the Community, began with a complimentary luncheon at the Elks Hall. Lynne Frizzle was introduced as the senior coordinator.
Cindy Wilgosh of the North Thompson Aboriginal Cultural Centre and Jack Keough, executive director of Yellowhead Community Services, received their B.C. Community Achievement Awards during a ceremony at Government House in Victoria.
Representatives from Wells Gray Community Forest toured Clearwater Secondary School to see some of the items purchased with help from the community forest. These included spotlights for the stage, a CNC router, and rugby jerseys. WGCF has distributed about $1.2 million since its inception.