Comxo Valley Echo - March 3, 2015

Office: 250-703-5054399 Clubhouse Drive, Courtenay

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NEWS

11.Comox decides to demolish Laing’s historic homes

NEWS

08.Military funeral held for SAR TechP R I C E : 5 7 C E N T S P L U S G S T V O L . 2 1 , N O . 1 8

RARE HONOUR FOR TWO BROTHERS.03FRANCE’S LEGION OF HONOUR AWARDGOES TO LOCAL WORLD WAR II VETERANS. 09. SAYING YES PAYS OFF

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COURTENAY, BRITISH COLUMBIA • Tuesday, March 3, 2015

www.comoxvalleyecho.comTUES DAY .COURTENAY,BC. MARCH 3, 2015 2

For the latest Comox Valley Weather visit: www.comoxvalleyecho.com

Comox Valley Weather

TuesdaySunny.

High 8°C.

Wednesday

Sunny.Low 0°C. High 9°C.

Thursday

A mix of sun and cloud.Low 1°C. High 10°C.

Friday

A mix of sun and cloud.Low 4°C. High 10°C.

SaturdaySunny.

Low 2°C. High 12°C.

NEWSEC

HO

Denture Clinic

250.334.4732 331B 6th St. Courtenay

New Patients Welcome

The Green Party of Canada Town Hall Meeting

Meet Glenn Sollitt-your federal candidate

Filberg Center Evergreen Room - Courtenay,

March 4th, 6:30 to 9PM.

• Bring your questions, • Bring a friend • Bring someone who hasn’t voted recently• Learn why Glenn will earn your vote

Courtenay Alberni Electoral District

WE CAN MAKE CANADA STRONG AGAIN,

DEMOCRATICALLY, ENVIRONMENTALLY AND ECONOMICALLY!

Cinema #2: “The Valley Below” one show only

Wednesday, March 4, 7:00 pm (ends approx.8:37 pmCinema #1: “Focus” 14A:Nightly: 7:00 (8:55) & 9:35 (11:30). Saturday & Sunday Matinees: 12:55 (2:50) & 3:50 (5:45)Cinema #2: “McFarland” G: Violence. Nightly: 6:40 (9:00) & 9:30 (11:50)Saturday & Sunday Matinees: 12:35 (2:55) & 3:30 (5:50)Cinema #3: “Fifty Shades of Grey” 18A: No Advisory . Sexually suggestive scenes; nudityNightly Except Wednesday: 6:50 (9:05) & 9:40 (11:55). Wednesday, March 4: 9:40 (11:55). Saturday & Sunday Matinees: 12:45 (3:00) & 3:40 (5:55) Cinema #4: “Kingsman: The Secret Service” 14A: Coarse language; violenceNightly: 6:30 (8:50) & 9:25 (11:45). Saturday & Sunday Matinees: 12:30 (2:50) & 3:25 (5:45)

FEB 26 MARCH 5$1099 Youth & Adults

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Saturday & Sunday Matinees: 12:00 noon - 3:45 pm

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BY DREW A. PENNEREcho Staff

The Village of Cumber-land is looking into buying the only remaining Japa-nese townsite home. Saito house, which is located in Coal Creek Historic Park, is not protected under heritage regulations and is causing headaches for the current owners, who aren’t allowed to subdi-vide the property due to a covenant on the land.

“That’s the only house left that has been relative-ly untouched since those days,” said Coun. Gwyn Sproule, considering po-tential futures for the No. 1 Japanese townsite dwell-ing presented to council by staff during a recent meet-ing. “Clearly the option I would prefer is to have a spare $90,000 to be able to buy it, but I don’t know how much fundraising that would take.”

Masakitchi Saito built the house in 1925 after ar-riving in Cumberland in 1914.

Now it stands as the solitary home in what has become Coal Creek Historic Park, created in 2002 when Weldwood of Canada Inc. transferred

Cumberland considering purchase of Saito house

the property to the Village. At the time a covenant was placed on the proper-ty that restricts uses of the land and development, in order to promote the heri-tage Chinese and Japanese community areas as well protecting the environ-ment.

While the current owners of Saito house, Jan Heller-ud and David Kydd, have maintained the house and served as de facto caretak-ers for that section of the park, they’ve approached Village staff about the po-tential of selling the prop-erty.

Cumberland has been in negotiations with the

owners for about 10 years now, but hasn’t been able to sort anything out.

A staff report noted the house was assessed at $91,5000 in 2015, and suggests it could be rented out with conditions placed on the lease to protect the heritage value.

Coun. Sproule suggest-ed it might be a good idea - although a challenging one - to reach out to the Japanese community as part of discussions about what to do with the prop-erty.

“I mean, I’m sure they would be interested in be-ing involved in the pur-chase,” she said, refl ect-

ing on the World War II internments that cleared that very community from Cumberland, “but on the other hand, those houses were taken away from them in 1942 just like that.”

There are other houses from the Japanese town-site still standing, but they have been moved else-where in the Comox Val-ley.

The building is not of-fi cially recognized as a heritage structure and the Village does not yet have a heritage management plan or a community heri-tage registry.

Coun. Roger Kishi said

it’s important to come up with a plan if Saito House ownership is going to change.

“It’s going to have to be maintained, and what would the use of the house be?” he wondered, adding government ownership of historic buildings can be challenging.

“I think that if we are going to be looking at a possible purchase or even a transfer of the land, I think that it’s really impor-tant that we try to develop a plan for how the proper-ty would be maintained.”

Mayor Leslie Baird said it would be wise to own the property.

“I don’t see it as being subdivided off and some-one else taking owner-ship,” she said. “I think that would create problems for

us down the road.”The Village could rent

Saito house out for a num-ber of years while deciding what to do with it, Baird ventured.

Coun. Sean Sullivan agreed that it’s important to have a plan for the prop-erty, pointing to lessons that can be learned from the Mack Laing property in Comox.

Council voted unani-mously to seek an ap-praisal with the intention of considering a purchase of the property.

“Over the years we’ve lost so many of our heri-tage buildings, and it would be so nice to keep some of them,” Baird said. “We might not appreciate it so much now, but years down the road it will be very much appreciated.”

The Saito House

2215 Cliffe Ave., Courtenay338-5411

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www.comoxvalleyecho.comTUES DAY.MARCH 3, 2015 3

BY DEBRA MARTINEcho Staff

Two Comox Valley broth-ers who served in World War II, were recognized Saturday morning at the Cumberland Legion with France’s highest award, The Legion of Honour.

Out of the close to 400 veterans across Canada to receive the award for their part in the liberation of France, they are believed to be the only pair of broth-ers.

France decided to issue the honour to Canadian veterans to mark the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landing, June 6, 1944 and the Battle of Normandy that followed.

James “Bud” Whyte, who landed on D-Day with the 1st Battalion Canadian Scottish Regiment, and W. Bryson Whyte, who landed a few days later with the Royal Canadian Engineers No. 1 Road Construction, were presented their med-als by Cumberland Mayor Leslie Baird.

“We are so very proud of your service to our coun-try,” she said.

The ceremony was at-tended by dozens of Whyte family members along with representatives from 19 Wing Comox, MP John Duncan’s offi ce and the Royal Canadian Legion.

James Whyte, who is now 92, joined up in Courtenay in June, 1940. His brother Bryson, who is 90, enlisted in the summer of 1942.

“We’re here today to wit-ness the closing of a chap-ter of world history, that, thankfully, most of us will never fully appreciate. An armada like the world has never seen before, or since, crossed the English Chan-nel to begin the liberation of Europe,” said Jim Whyte, son of James, speaking on behalf of the families.

“Filling those landing craft were men coming from the largest cities to the small farm communi-ties and mining communi-ties. There were many who answered the call from the Comox Valley. Two of them are here today to be formally recognized by the Republic of France.”

Whyte said that the French ambassador wrote that the Legion of Hon-our represents “profound gratitude ... Through you, France remembers the sac-rifi ce of all your compatri-ots.”

He noted that two mem-bers of his dad’s regiment, John Bryden and Doug Etherington, were listed among the fallen outside at the Cumberland Legion memorial arch.

(Continued on page 4)

BY MICHAEL BRIONESEcho Staff

Elections BC just released the fi nancial reports of the candi-dates at the last civic elections held in November.

Among the three mayors in the Comox Valley, Village of Cumberland mayor Leslie Baird spent the least money the elec-tion campaign.

Although she won by accla-mation, Baird still doled out $425 of her own money to pay for newspaper ads and election

proceedings.Town of Comox Mayor Paul

Ives recorded the highest amount of contributions re-ceived from individuals, corpo-rations and commercial organi-zations totaling $6,640.

He spent $6554.04 during his successful election campaign while candidate who ran against him Tom Grant’s total expendi-ture was $6,399.

Courtenay Mayor Larry Jan-gula spent $5,274.15 during his campaign.

He received donations total-

ling $5,650 in individual and corporate contributions and got re-elected for another term in offi ce.

He beat Jon Ambler, a for-mer city councillor, who used $3,081.87 of the $3750 individu-al contributions he attained dur-ing the election.

Here’s the amount of contri-butions each elected offi cial in the Comox Valley received dur-ing the election campaign:

• Courtenay councilors - Erik Eriksson ($4,095), Rebecca Len-nox ($3,851.52), Manno Theos

($2,750), Bob Wells ($2,190.15), David Frisch ($4,480.35) and Doug Hillian ($2,235).

• Comox councilors - Mau-reen Swift ($4,149), Russ Arnott ($1,475), Ken Grant ($1,374), Marg Grant ($3,636.08) and Hugh MacKinnon ($1,370.31).

• Cumberland councilors - Jesse Ketler ($1,540), Roger Ki-shi ($1,510.70), Gwyn Sproule ($660) and Sean Sullivan ($723).

• School District Trustees - Tom Weber ($0.0), Janice Ca-ton ($1,771.54), Ian Hargreaves

($0.0), Sheila McDonnell ($1,362), Cliff Boldt ($1,584.49), Peter Coleman ($1,077.23) and Vickey Brown ($0.0).

• Comox Valley Regional Dis-trict - Edwin Grieve ($1,669.09), Bruce Jolliff e ($2042.72) and Rodney Nichol ($1,062.09).

Anyone wishing to get more information on candidates’ list of contributors and the dollar amount can go visit Elections BC website, http://www.elec-tions.bc.ca/index.php/electoral-fi nance/fi nancial-reports-politi-cal-contributions.

A rare decoration for two Valley brothersJames and Bryson Whyte receive French Legion of Honour

Elections BC releases fi nancial reports of municipal candidatesComox’s Paul Ives spends the most out of the mayoralty candidates

Bill Whyte, centre, did the piping honours for his dad James ‘Bud’ Whyte, left, and uncle Bryson Whyte at the induction ceremony Saturday for the French Legion of Honour. Bill is wearing the Canadian Scottish kilt worn by the offi cer who ‘signed up’ his dad into the regiment.

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James Whyte K575171st BattalionCanadian Scottish Regiment

In June of 1940 I “joined up” in Courtenay near Comox Creamery. The Legion was across the street.

Went by bus to Victoria for basic training at Work Point Barracks where I had my 18th birthday, June 28, 1940.

We traveled by train from Vancouver and ar-rived October 9, 1941 in Truro, Nova Scotia to fi nd a new base where the bar-racks had no heat, win-dows or plumbing and red mud everywhere. There was more training in weapons, driver/mechanic training for the trucks and bren gun carriers.

We left Debert on Au-gust 25, 1942 and landed September 1, 1942 on Firth of Clyde then to Al-dershot, September 3rd. From then on until the embarkation for D-Day the battalion trained in all aspects of warfare includ-ing commando training in Inverary, Scotland.

In preparation for the invasion, the LCTs (landing craft tank) were loaded with a variety of equipment from sister reg-iments of the 7th Brigade. The universal carriers and bulldozers were backed in so when we landed on the beach they could be driven straight off . The bulldoz-ers were to make a road-way over or through the seawall which lined “Juno Beach”. At 8:20 June 6th, D-Day I landed on beach.

At the close of D-Day the Canadian Scottish had advanced farther inland through Courseulles-sur-Mer, towards their objec-tive, than any other regi-ment. There was a swift retaliation of a counter attack by the SS Panzer Division which is said to have given the Canadian Scottish their “baptism of fi re”. Canada’s volunteer army proved they were committed to ridding the world of the oppressors.

For nearly four months the 7th Brigade fought up the coast of France. Some of the villages and cities liberated were Putot en Bessin, Cussy, Rots, Fal-aise, Caen, Calais, Rouen, Boulogne.

Deas Gu Cath

W. Bryson Whyte K16373Royal Canadian EngineersNo. 1 Road Construction

In the summer of 1942 two friends and I went to Vancouver. My friends were going to join up, and I was going to sign up at U.B.C. Instead I also decided to enlist. After taking preliminary tests, I joined the army engi-neers as a sapper.

We were sent home to be called later and on January 17, 1943 I was to report to Victoria. From there to Little Moun-tain in Vancouver for uniforms and kit, then on to Grand Prairie for basic training. Back to Chilliwack for advanced training in bridge build-ing, such as Inglis, Bailey, and timber construction; also explosive training, gas chambers, long route marches, wading across the Vedder River in full pack. All to toughen up the troops.

Next move was to Hali-fax to board the Queen Mary. Twenty-thousand on board we were told. We took turns sleeping on deck and below deck in hammocks. We landed in Scotland and then off to Aldershot and Guil-ford for further training and fi nally to Pitch Hill near Redding. Here we were formed into a heavy equipment company and learned how to operate cats, graders, shovels and stationary equipment.

D-D was approach-ing so waterproofi ng our equipment was primary. Soon 06 June took place and several days later our little company took off and landed on June Beach. Eventually we ar-rived in the town of Bu-ron not far out of Caen. Our job was to clear streets and highways so the transports could get through.

My partner and I were sent onto the Caen-Fal-aise highway to remove debris and maintain con-ditions as the net around Falaise was tightening. One day on the highway in a small valley below, the Polish army was ad-vancing toward Falaise. In short order the Air Force bombers appeared. We could look up at the low fl ying aircraft and see the bomb bay doors open

and bombs came pouring out, unfortunately onto the Polish army. Another short bombing similar to one a few weeks earlier near Caen.

After the fall of Falaise the resistance seemed to weaken and progress was faster.

Soon we had left France and entered Belgium,

Holand, and on to Ger-many and the end (May 8/45).

Back to Halifax on the Queen Elizabeth and dis-charged 07 Dec 1945 after

returning on train to Van-couver.

(A few memories from W.B. Whyte)

A rare honour: Two brothers received the French Legion of Honour for their role in the liberation of France in a Saturday ceremony at the Cum-berland Legion. From left to right, L. Col. Keith Stewart, 19 Wing Comox; medal recipient James Whyte; Cumberland Mayor Leslie Baird; medal recipient Bryson Whyte.

(Continued from page 3)

“The time has come in our history when the torch of remembrance is passed to the next generations. It will be our task, nay our duty, not only to perpetu-ate the memory (of the fallen) but of those who went away as young men and came back forever changed.

“Life after the war wasn’t easy nor the return to civilian life. The memo-

ries of the incomprehensi-ble death and destruction just didn’t wash off .

“Veterans were told do something you enjoy. It is understandable that my uncle Bryson and father each in their own way became builders - skills learned in wartime were applied in peacetime.

“They both worked in construction after the war. Dad continued to work with heavy equipment and Bryson took teacher train-

ing so that he might share his love of woodworking with others”.

Another of James’ sons, Bill, played the bagpipes for the occasion - an his-toric set of Hendersons from WWI, believed to be one of only three sets from that batch still in ex-istence.

One of the sets was played by Victoria Cross winner Piper Richardson of the Canadian Scottish. They are now displayed

in the rotunda at the B.C. Legislature.

He also wore a Hunting Stuart tartan kilt that had been worn by Major Art Constable who signed up his father into the Cana-dian Scottish.

Whyte extended a spe-cial thank-you to the com-rades of the Cumberland Legion for visiting his dad and uncle, completing the paperwork to apply for the medals and arranging the ceremony.

Brothers receive French Legion of Honour

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Open Sunday: 11am to 5pm | Open Monday to Friday: 9:30am to 5:30pmClosed Saturday

Dear Friends of the Comox Valley,

We at AnMARCOS Furniture & Mattresses would like to thank everyone for your ongoing sup-port over the past two years! Ever since we opened our doors, we have been received by you with open arms, the best of wishes, and a lot of business! Thank you! AnMARCOS Furniture has grown so much in customer volume that we now have three full-time employees, all from the Comox Valley! We started out on day one with Denis Lacasse. He was instru-mental in helping us to build on a solid foundation, and he continues to play an integral role in our com-pany. Later we added Allan Moon to the team. Always willing to work hard, he started part-time, and has continued full-time for close to a year now. Both of them work well together, and we often are told how accommodating they are when they deliver our products to you. And now, since November last, we have Pam Roy who came to us asking if she could join our team at the very time we needed help on the showroom floor. Pam was one of our very first cus-tomers! We feel honoured to have all three working with us in the AnMARCOS family-run furniture and mattress store.

We also want to thank everyone in the Valley for being so understanding with regards to us being closed on Saturdays. This we do for our own personal faith reasons. At the beginning, some of our suppliers told us that it would not work if we were not open on Saturdays. How grateful we are that they were wrong! Our growing customer base (you) have been incredibly obliging, and we can’t thank you enough. Some of the products we sell at AnMARCOS Furniture & Mattresses have changed over the course of time, while others have gotten better and even more popular. Our Cool Chrome Dinettes have taken off like a rocket. These sets are made in Canada by the original chrome company in Winnipeg! Everyone loves them, and we have sold them all over Vancouver Island. And the BC made flippable mattresses are very popular. There is virtually nowhere else on Vancouver Island that you will find mattresses that are made for use on both sides, and yet the benefits are incredibly obvious. Our upholstery lines at AnMARCOS are extremely well made by Van Gogh Designs and Deluxe Designs, both of which are strong BC companies that make great products. Our customer feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. We also carry prod-ucts by a whole host of other well known, and some not so well known, companies from many different parts of the globe. We have a very interesting collection of art work, lamps, and gift pieces that are cool and affordable! We at AnMARCOS Furniture & Mattresses will continue to strive to bring you the very best in quality and customer service. It matters to you, and it matters to us!

Thank you,Sincerely, Mark, Ana, Family & Staff.

AnMARCOS ... A Growing Concern!

Back Row (l-r): Denis, Pam, Allan Front Row (l-r): Ana, Mark, Kerry, Micheal

Q: Hearing loss is to be expected as we get older.. Why should we do anything about it? Jennifer Frey,

Registered Audiologist

A: It is normal for older people to have hearing loss but it should not be considered normal for them to be isolated or handicapped by that hearing loss. Untreated hearing loss at any age is associated with depression, anxiety, stress and social withdrawal. Properly fitted hearing aids make speech more audible and intelligible. Hearing aids, along with strategies for better communication, can reduce the effect of age related hearing loss and keep hearing impaired elderly people connected to their families, friends and communities. Hearing loss should not be ignored. Everyone over fifty years of age should have a baseline hearing test done by a qualified Hearing Care Professional.

1.888.850.9979

250.338.0903www.theHomeMedicalShop.com

Foot

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Q: I have custom orthotics. Is there footwear availableto fit my custom orthotics? Paula Granger

Owner

A: Many shoes have removable foot beds, but the Portofino line of footwear is specifically designed to fit your custom othotics, and are available exclusively at Pavia Shoe Co. Come in and be pleasantly surprised by our stylish selec-tion of Portofino footwear. They are fashion-able, beautifully hand-crafted in Spain, come in a wide variety of styles for all seasons, and have a deep toe box that allows for a proper fit of your custom orthotics. Treat your feet to some-thing special!ecial!

Do I need to wear my glasses while I sleep so I see my dreams clearly?

Hmmm..........if it helps you – go for it!

Pruning is a source of confusion and worry to many gardeners. Luckily a few simple quidelines provide good advice for growing most types of flowering shrubs.

1-Don't prune. Many gardeners labor under the belief that

they must prune regularly to keep their shrubs in good condition. Not true. Most shrubs need only one significant pruning session a year and many don’t even need that. Many flowering shrubs will look their best when allowed to grow in their natural form or habit.

2-Prune spring flowering shrubs right after flowering. If you

prune these spring bloomers in fall or winter you’ll remove the flower buds and won’t have flowers that year.

3-Prune summer flowering shrubs in late winter or early

spring.

When do I prune flowering shrubs?

DENT

ISTR

Y

What causes bad breath?

Dr. Colleen Clancy & Dr. Ann Lu

Dentists

Causes of bad breath include stomach upset or other metabolic conditions, foods like garlic, onions, coffee, and refined sugars that are easily digested by plaque on the teeth. Bacteria in the mouth release chemicals that produce an unpleasant smell. Minimizing the numbers of these bacteria and their chemicals is the way to freshen up your breath. Gum disease causes pockets around teeth where bacteria can hide. Bacteria can also stick to your tongue. Brushing your tongue will break up the film of bacteria. Dry mouth is another cause. Without the normal flow of saliva, there is less rinsing of the mouth occurring naturally. Don’t forget regular brushing and flossing. This is an easy way to keep teeth clean and minimize the amount of bacteria in the mouth.

Dr. Colleen Clancy and Associates#98-1742 Cliffe Avenue, Courtenay, BC V9N 2K8Phone: 250-338-2599Web: www.drcolleenclancy.com

My 4 year old has a bad cough, why are there no cough syrupsrecommended forchildren under 6?

Typically, medications for colds and flu are not cures but can help control symptoms. Hard candies and cough drops can help soothe sore throats due to cough but can be hazardous in children under 4. Honey based syrups and other natural remedies can help soothe and control coughs in children under 6. Moist air can help children with croup. Time in a steamy bathroom followed by cool morning air can also be helpful. For chronic coughs in children with asthma steroids or other prescription drugs may be needed. DO NOT give adult cough medicine to children under 6. Not only are these drugs not approved but there is no clinical proof that there is any benefit. In addition, the sedation that these drugs cause may be hazardous.

TUESDAY. MARCH 3, 2015 www.comoxvalleyecho.com6

Send your questions for any of these professionals to: COMOX VALLEY ECHO, 407-E Fifth Street, Courtenay, BC V8N 1J7 or [email protected] or FAX 250-334-3172

7

What is the difference between arefrigerant handling ticket and arefrigeration ticket?

A refrigerant handling ticket is a certification required for anyone who wants to purchase, sell

or install heat pumps or refrigeration equipment. A handling ticket is a 4 hour course that

teaches the importance of properly handling refrigerants that can cause harm to the

environment.

A refrigeration ticket is a Red Seal certification from the government of Canada that takes 5 years to complete. A registered refrigeration apprentice must complete thousands of hours

on the job, months of in class schooling, a government exam and signed off by a Red Seal

Refrigeration technician. This is a rigorous program that ensures only well trained technicians

carry this certification that is recognized across the country and world wide.

There currently is no governing body to ensure only Red Seal refrigeration technicians are

servicing and installing heat pumps and other types of refrigeration equipment. Only the

customer can ensure this by asking for proof of a red seal certification.

For more information on Red Seal Certifications contact us at tempriteclimatesolutions.com

How do I arrange to pre-pay my funeral expenses?

Eric ToneffFUNERAL DIRECTOR

FU

NE

RA

L S

ER

VIC

ES

1–204 North Island Highway, Courtenay

Call us 250.338.4463

Under the Funeral Directors Act, in B.C., all pre-pay-ments for final arrangements must be held by a Trustee. Pre-paid arrangements at Toneff Funeral Services are held by Canada Purple Shield. Canada Purple Shield has been looking after the pre-payment deposits of Canadian Families for 52 years and the company is registered in all 10 provinces. You can make a lump sum deposit or arrange a monthly payment that will suit you budget. Eric and Emma will be pleased to provide more details. Feel free to contact them to discuss this option.

WHEN AND HOW DO I PLANT A BARE ROOT FRUIT TREE?

Bare root fruit trees must be planted in late winter or early spring before they break dormancy. This year spring seems to be coming early, so the time is definitely now. Prune dry, damaged or broken roots then soak in Transplanting fertilizer for a minimum of 2 hours before planting. Dig a hole in a sunny well-drained area twice as deep and at least 3 times as wide as the root spread. Mix a small amount of organic matter like peat with the existing soil and add a large handful of bone meal. Planting depth is indicated by the soil line visible around the base of the trunk, don’t plant any deeper. At this time a product like Myke ®can be added around the roots to promote root development and aid in the uptake of phosphorous. Stake the trunk and fill in the hole, shaking the tree to settle soil, then tamp gently and water thoroughly. Mulch well to prevent moisture loss, being sure to keep the mulch 2 or 3 inches away from the trunk. Water well twice a week, more in hot dry weather, making sure the water goes deep.

Why Book with a Travel Agent?

We get asked this question many times a week, so I thought I would highlight just some top reasons!Agents are trained experts and know how to sort through the myriad of travel information available. They spend all day, every day, researching the best possible vacation options for their clients. They have more knowledge than you can garner from an online search. Agents understand complex travel code and internet jargon – and know how to make sense of it for you. Agents have access to exclusive deals and will find the best products for the best value – that fit your unique vacations needs. Your agent ensures you get where you want to go, when you want to go, and is there to provide timely, insightful, professional guidance along the way. Travel agents work for their clients, not for a travel supplier. Let you agent do the work for you with unbiased recommendations. If you experience a problem while traveling, your agent acts on your behalf, as your personal travel advocate. Plus many agents are part of larger industry groups that carry a lot of clout. They can accomplish more – better and faster – than any one consumer can.

Do I have cataracts?

Since you're asking, it sounds like this may have been mentioned at your last eye exam. We think of cataracts as the loss of clarity within the internal lens of the eye. Consider this: the internal lens of the eye loses transparency naturally over time, and this happens to almost everyone eventually - often so gradually that it is imperceptible. Sometimes the lens can develop opacities quickly, and this often affects vision more noticeably. One can also be born with imperfections in the lens. In any case, it's a worthwhile conversation you should have with your eye doctor, at least to address any anxiety you may have about cataracts. Your eye doctor should be able to tell you how well you're seeing and if there's any impending concern, especially if the topic of eye surgery is introduced.

No, not really. None of the teeth whitening products on the market today are meant for dentures, they are likely to damage your denture if you try them. Regular care and maintenance can help them remain at their original colour. Some food and drinks can lead to staining of denture teeth like blueberries, wine and coffee. Smoking can also cause denture staining. Some staining can be addressed by soaking your denture in undiluted white vinegar twice a week for half an hour each time followed by a thorough rinse and brushing.

Always use a non-abrasive cleaner when brushing your denture. Toothpaste, for example, is abrasive and can leave micro-abrasions on your denture that can lead to easier staining. Modern denture teeth are very detailed to resem-ble natural teeth, make sure you are happy with the teeth chosen whenever you get a new denture. Your Denturist will have teeth in many colours, shapes and sizes to choose from. Have questions? Email us at [email protected]

Is there any way to whiten my denture teeth?

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COMOX VALLEY ECHO407 - E Fifth Street, Courtenay, BC V8N 1J7or send your question to Keith Currie at [email protected] or by fax to 250-334-3172

www.comoxvalleyecho.com TUESDAY. MARCH 3, 2015


The 442 Squadron hangar at CFB Comox was fi lled with mourners from near and far as Capt. Francois Fasquelle (on the podium) opened the proceedings.

SEARCH AND RESCUE

SAR Tech died ‘doing what he loved most’

BY PHILIP ROUNDReport and picturesSpecial to the Echo

Colleagues described SAR Tech Sgt. Mark Sa-lesse as a giant of a man and a born leader at his military funeral held at CFB Comox on Saturday.

But to his proud mom, Liz Quinn, “he was the loving threads that held the colourful quilt of friends together - and by the many gathered here today, he saw beauty in each of you, and you in him.”

Mark, she told around 400 military and civilian mourners assembled in the 442 Squadron hangar, was a friend to everyone.

Salesse (44) died on a military training exercise in the icy mountains of Banff National Park on February 5. He and three other Search and Rescue Technicians has com-pleted an ascent and were on the way down when an avalanche swept Salesse off the side of a narrow cliff . He body was recov-ered after a six-day search that had been hampered by bad weather.

Although a native of New Brunswick and most recently based in Win-nipeg, Salesse loved the outdoors of BC and had

Full military honours at funeral held for Sgt. Mark Salesse at 19 Wing

The attributes of exem-plary leadership were all there with Mark: honesty, resilience, determination, personal and physical excellence - qualities of the very best soldiers - and he wielded those qualities with grace and integrity”

CWO JEFF WARDENCommandant, Canadian Forces School of Search and Rescue

been stationed for a pe-riod with the Search and Rescue Squadron in Co-mox, and had also been a volunteer with Comox Valley Ground Search and Rescue and with Mount Washington Ski Patrol.

It was also in BC that his military career began with the British Columbia Regiment in Vancouver.

So his family’s prefer-ence was for a funeral on Vancouver Island to refl ect his passion for the mountains, adventure and outdoor sports he so enjoyed both profession-

ally and in his own time on the West Coast.

Among the congrega-tion were former friends and representatives of civilian search and rescue teams, as well as around 100 current and former military SAR person-nel from across Canada. Also there to pay respects was the federal minister of national defence, Jason Kenney.

Before the service began, the cortege includ-ing the coffi n draped in the Canadian fl ag made its way from the Comox Valley Funeral Home in Courtenay to CFB Co-mox via Ryan Road, along which several groups of individuals had gathered

A lone SAR Buffalo aircraft fl ies by in tribute to a fallen colleague.

to pay their respects. They included a con-

tingent of volunteers and vehicles from Comox Fire and Rescue Depart-ment, whose members displayed national fl ags in a similar fashion to trib-utes along the Highway

of Heroes in Ontario for repatriated soldiers.

The service was con-ducted by 19 Wing Padre Matthew Lucas, with the Canadian Military Wives Choir (Comox) singing O Canada. Poems were read and music played,

Pallbearers who were all former colleagues of Sgt. Salesse carry his fl ag-draped coffi n into theservice

interspersed with tributes from his mother and from friends and former col-leagues.

Chief Warrant Offi cer Jeff Warden, the Com-mandant of the Canadian Forces School of Search and Rescue, gave the eulogy.

He said Salesse was a true leader of men, a role model and a team builder, “but most importantly, Mark genuinely loved looking after people and was always humble about it.”

He added: “The attri-butes of exemplary lead-ership were all there with Mark: honesty, resilience, determination, personal and physical excellence -- qualities of the very best soldiers - and he wielded those qualities with grace and integrity.”


Comox Fire and Rescue personnel were among several groups paying tribute as the funeral cortege traveled along Ryan Road.

Sgt. Mark Salesse



Warden recalled how, as a teenager fresh into the army, Salesse taught others how to rappel, and the skill became almost an addiction for him.

“Some of his friends were soon chalking up rappels on all the bridges in Vancouver, including the Lions Gate, during the day and at night.

“Mark was soon ‘hooking up’ other sol-diers in his Vancouver regiment by coaching them off high structures. He never broke the rules, but he bent them just a tiny bit.”

As his career in the military progressed, he became a known and respected leader, “and this giant among men subsequently served his brethren well at every Search and Rescue Squadron he worked at.”

Warden concluded: “Our consolation is that Mark has died doing

what he loved most, in the majestic moun-tains that so beckoned him. He chose his fi nal resting place -- he is at peace.”

After the closing prayer, the Last Post and Reveille were sounded and a piper played a lament as the Canadian fl ag was removed from the coffi n and folded for presenta-tion to his mother by L/Col Brent Andrews, the Commanding Offi cer of Salesse’s last Squadron in Winnipeg.

A SAR Buff alo aircraft fl ew over in a fi nal aerial tribute and a six-man party representing his fi rst BC Regiment fi red a volley to conclude the service.

Mark Salesse’s body was returned to Bathurst (NB) on Sunday so his father, Maurice Salesse -- who was unable to travel to Comox for the military service -- and other family members out east could pay their fi nal respects at a private interment. Around 100 current and former SAR Techs from bases across Canada were present at the military funeral.

Military funeralAbove: The Canadian fl ag that had draped Sgt. Salesse’s coffi n was pre-sented to his mother, Liz Quinn, and family representatives.

Right: A six-man party fi re one of three volleys in tribute to conclude the service.

Saying ‘YES’ to the Extra pays off for Courtenay residentDiane Levis’ decision

to change up her lottery purchase and say ‘yes’ to the Extra paid off to the tune of half a million dol-lars on the February 21, 2015 Lotto 6/49 draw.

Levis purchased the $10 Big Jackpot Pack which meant she was automatically entered in for a chance to win the Extra prize.

“I usually don’t buy the Extra, but I’ve learned my lesson,” smiles Levis. “I will never say ‘no’ again.”

When the Courtenay resident checked her tick-et at the General Store in Cumberland and the ter-minal froze, she initially thought it was $5,000.

The cashier told her to look at the screen again, and that was when she realized she had won big.

“I couldn’t believe what I was seeing,” recalls

Levis. “I’ve been in a fog since

Sunday. It’s a head spin-ner!”

Levis matched all four numbers on the Lotto Max Extra draw to win the top prize of $500,000. After validating her tick-et, she went straight home to share the news with her family.

Levis will be putting her winnings in the bank, but not before paying off the loan on her new truck.

“It will be nice to be debt free,” she says.

The winning ticket was purchased at the Cliffe Avenue 7-11 in Courtenay.

Say ‘Yes’ to the Extra for the chance to win up to $500,000. Extra is available with Lotto 6/49, Lotto Max, and BC/49 at any BCLC lottery retailer or at PlayNow.com. Diane Levis plans to pay off the loan on her new truck before putting the rest of her winnings in the bank for now.

business and with normal maintenance which does not cost more then $ 100. a year, your system can last much longer then the 15 or 20 years Mrs. Fehlan claims.

Wake up people in Royston, Kilmarnock and Union Bay. Your will get on the hook for an initial astronomic amount and if that is not bad enough, also for the rest of your life with recurring and increasing maintenance expenses, just $ 390 in year one and with 2 or 3% increase over 400 in year 2 and on and on. A democratic proces for this sewer project in area A requires a current referen-dum or vote, not one from 10 years ago.

Marianne Buijs

Kudos to Bruce Curtis of the Comox Valley Com-munity Justice Centre, City of Courtenay Centennial Committee, and North Island College for bring-ing The Right Honourable Beverley McLachlin, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada, as the keynote speaker for the 4th Annual Iona Campagnolo Lecture series on Restor-ative Justice on Thursday Feb. 26th.

The Right Honourable McLachlin’s comments tracing the recent Cana-dian history of the move towards more restorative

justice compared to tra-ditional sentencing was insightful and encouraging.

Her caution that restor-ative justice is not the end all be all in considering options in dealing with criminal cases in our courts was not lost on us.

However, her historical lesson highlighting the fact that restorative justice has been utilized most suc-cessfully in many cultures for centuries as a solution to deal with injustices cer-tainly struck a chord with many.

Regarding Young Of-fenders in our Comox Valley Community, we are very fortunate to have a R.C.M.P. detachment that is very open to consider-ing, when appropriate, as a preferred option, diversion from the courts towards Restorative Justice oppor-tunities provided by our Community Justice Centre.

In my experience as a public school administra-tor, referring Young Of-fenders to the Restorative Justice process as opposed to sending Young Of-fenders through the court system which often has long waits and potential criminal records a possible outcome, was a much pre-ferred and more instructive option in most cases.

Having the Young Of-fender Face the person(s) the off ence was committed against, hearing the conse-quences caused as a result

of the off ence, giving the young off ender a chance to listen and be heard and to be part of an agreed solu-tion with other community elders, regarding compen-sation and/or retribution in some form, can be a positive life changer for a young off ender.

If the Chief Justice of Canada’s Supreme Court, with all of her years of experience, sees Restor-ative Justice as the prefer-able option, that should support the consideration of diverting Young Off end-ers to a Restorative Justice opportunity, that our R.C.M.P.detachment seems to be willing to consider, when appropriate! Kudos to our judges, our RCMP, and the many volunteers of our Community Justice Centre who consider and make the opportunity of Restorative Justice for Young Off enders in our community happen!

Hugh MacKinnonComox

In the spirit of calling a ‘Spade is a Spade’, please consider the following.

I was at the “Re-Think our Watershed” open house the other night @ the NIC.

A very nice gathering of leaders from some of the direct stakeholders in our Watershed, plus 240 or so privates interested enough to show up.

Now I arrived ‘In the Valley’ this past April, after 35 years+ on the praries; meaning I am a ‘Virgin’ as far as the arguments as-sociated with the turbidity and other problems facing this watershed. So here we go.

July and August arrived and brought water restric-tions, followed in Novem-ber to January by Boil Water Advisories. OK, I can deal with this, but this was a bit of an eye opener to potential problems in the future. I have followed the discussions in the news and in the letters to the Editor.

Now when I go to Goose Spit nearly every morn-ing and gaze at the vistas around the Comox Gla-cier, I see an awful lot of clear cuts, nearly one on every mountain side; am I to think this practice has nothing to do with our water problems?

One thing struck me as I listened to the presenta-tions, not once was the word Clear Cut Logging mentioned or brought for-ward, or is that something that can not be mentioned near this general area?

Yes I like the spirit of cooperation and respect, however, at some point in time a spade becomes a spade, or is it simply an entrenched and hands-off “Elephant in this Room”?

Kris NielsenComox

www.comoxvalleyecho.comTUESDAY.MARCH 3 201510

LETTERS

An independently owned and operated

newspaper published by Echo Publications at

407-E Fifth Street, Courtenay, B.C. V9N 1J7

Phone 250-334-4722

Fax 250-334-3172

Classifi eds 250- 334-4215

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E-mail: [email protected]

Publisher Dave MacDonald

Editor Debra Martin

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All material herein is protected by copyright.Reproduction in whole or in part is not permitted without written authorization from the publisher.

Canadian Publications Mail Agreement Number #0661538

COMOX VALLEY ECHO

OPINIONSEC

HO

A SPADE IS A SPADE

RESTORATIVE JUSTICE

REAL COST OF SEWER

Leave thatbridge alone

Councillor Eriksson, wel-come to the Comox Valley. I know you are a member of the Courtenay council but you appear to have forgotten something about the Comox Valley. Its big on that “green idea”. You know the “R” stuff : reduce, recycle, repair.

It is much less expensive to repair the bridge than to build a new one. Its better for the environment to keep a bridge which has another 35 years in it. A paint job has less impact on the environment. You sighted the Craigfl ower Bridge in Victoria as an ex-ample of how good a new bridge might be. I’d like to refer you to the Johnston St. bridge with its faulty steel from China. The cur-rent bridge is made from good old North American steel. A lot of stuff built in the 1950s and 60s is still in good working order, in-cluding a lot of us humans.

If the current bridge has another 35 years of life, than it will give Courtenay council that much time to “save” for a new bridge. The Craigfl ower Bridge in Victoria may have been built with money from Ottawa, but that is still tax payer’s money. I’d prefer not to spend money when we don’t have to.

There is nothing wrong with the current bridge, a paint job and some repairs

won’t fi x. I love how it looks.

E. A. FosterComox

Mrs Barb Fehlan re-sponded to my earlier warning to all people in Union Bay to Royston that I negatively portray the issue of cost with Option C. Why don’t you look it up so you can see that it is actually the second least expensive solution. Wake up people! Because your connection is really going to cost you around 25,000 if you pay it upfront (do you have 25,000 under your mattress?) or double that amount if you have to borrow it or take 20 years to pay it off .

And since when, Mrs Fehlan, do you accept your plumber or contractor to come up with an estimate with a possible variation of + or - 30%? Further more and this is the most important thing, the voting on this plan was nearly 10 TEN! Years ago with the suggestion at that time that you would pay 1/3 and governmental agencies 2/3. Now YOU will be on the hook for 70% (+/_ 25,000)and the funding from agen-cies is only 30%. You call this a fair game? Respon-sible people would have taken care of their septic


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The Town of Comox is going ahead with the plan to remove the historic homes of the well-known naturalist and author Hamilton Mack Laing.

The houses, known as Baybrook and Shakesides, were scheduled to be torn down in 2013 but were de-layed following a request from Comox Valley Natu-ralists Society and Project Watershed that they be given the opportunity to conduct a feasibility study. Both groups felt strongly the heritage properties are worth saving and could further enhance tourism in the valley.

The Mack Laing Heri-tage Society, a group that was formed to lead the campaign to save the his-torical landmarks, came up with a plan and pre-sented it to council last year. They assessed Bay-brook and Shakesides. The report stated the for-mer could potentially be salvaged while the latter was not as it was in a more dilapidated state.

The society also deter-

Mack Laing’s historical homes to be torn downSociety’s feasibility study fails to convince council that they are worth saving

mined Baybrook carried a greater historical signifi -cance because it is where Laing did most of his original works. When La-ing’s wife passed away in 1950, he built a new home on an adjacent property Baybrook, referred to as Shakesides, which the

town eventually inher-ited and is now known as Mack Laing Park.

Staff had the opportu-nity to review the report. The chief administrative offi cer Richard Kanigan told council at last week’s committee of the whole, the society’s proposed

strategies and the project-ed potential for a positive economic impact gener-ated through conservation tourism were not feasible and that the numbers sim-ply did not add up.

The society indicated in its report that it would be self-sustaining and would

not cost the taxpayers anything.

Kanigan said they did not believe the sources of funding to preserve and maintain Baybrook are reliable enough over the long term to make the so-ciety’s proposal work.

The models the society based their projects on included the Swan Lake Nature Centre located in Saanich. Kanigan said it operated on major con-tributions from the mu-nicipality and is currently facing fi nancial hurdles relating to fundraising.

As well, the society lost one of the economic com-ponents of its strategic plan, when the proponents of a nature pre-school moved its focus to the Vil-lage of Cumberland. The school was regarded as a possible source of rev-enue.

Kanigan also said the society’s recommendation to transfer the mandate of the Mack Laing Trust Fund from the preserva-tion of Shakesides as re-quested by Laing in his will to Baybrook is not a simple legal undertaking. As well, he added, the so-

ciety failed to indicate who would cover the legal cost, estimated to be around $10,000.

Kanigan said the re-maining structures are in poor condition and recommended to council that they be removed so the town can fi nalize the park use plan to return the property to a natural state for passive recreation.

Councillor Barbara Price asked if the town could salvage anything from the demolition and use it in creating a pavilion.

Kanigan said the timber is worth saving and could be incorporated in any fu-ture design for the park.

Council approved the demolition of the historic structures.

Staff had previously suggested a national park type structure with ad-ditional interpretive pan-els be built as well as a new open-air structure. Although they would not meet the exact require-ments of the Trust Fund, which was for the creation of a natural history mu-seum, Kanigan said, they would still refl ect Mack Laing’s legacy.

The house known as Baybrook is too far gone to save, especially given the fi nancials

The Comox Valley Small Business Associa-tion (SBA), now in its 18th year in the Valley, is host-ing a meeting on Thurs-day, March 5, 2015.

The meeting is held the Filberg Center, lower level (Evergreen Room). The meeting will start at 5:30 pm. There will be net-working from 5:30-6, and then the educational por-tion of the meeting starts and runs until 7pm.

The guest speaker is Bob Cassady, owner of Software Systems. He will speak about custom and off -the-shelf software solutions, pros and cons, and advice for knowing when custom is better.

The organization’s March 19th meeting, also at the Filberg Center, will include networking and a “mastermind” sessions.

There is no charge to at-tend SBA meetings as a guest for up to two meet-ings per year.

Network and learn at Small Busiess Associationmeetings

“Showing genuine inter-est in others is a positive step forward in maintain-ing unity among believers, and reaching out to the community”.

With these words the women of the Bahamas encapsulate the World Day of Prayer. On Friday March 6th, 2015, these women invite you to join with them in this year’s World Day of Prayer ser-vice, a celebration of their culture and history, their land and their legacy.

The sounds of the ocean breeze of Junkanoo, of rake “n” scrape and the beat of a goomby drum, leave us poised to listen for more.

The women of the Ba-hamas have stories to tell. Their stories begin with a question : “Jesus said to them, “do you know what I have done to you ?”

The World Day of Prayer has its roots in an ecumenical day of prayer organized by women in Canada and the United

states in 1920. This event became the

international World Day of Prayer in 1922 and Chris-tians around the world began celebrating this event on the fi rst Friday in March.

In Canada, World Day of Prayer is coordinated by the Women’s inter Church Council of Cana-da. Please join us and in-vite your friends and fam-ily to attend the service and learn more about the culture and heritage of the Bahamas.

Join Christians in more that 170 countries around the world and in 2,000 communities across Can-ada who will gather to pray and act in solidarity with the people of the Ba-hamas.

Local service will be held at the Black Creek United Mennonite Church, 2277 Enns Rd. Black Creek, B.C. , Friday March 6th, 2 p.m.

Refreshments to follow.

Women of Bahamaswrite service forWorld Prayer Day


Register Nowfor Minor Baseball and Softball

Register online at www.cvba.ca Divisions:Blast Ball 2011 - 2010T-ball 2009 - 2008Rookie 2007 - 2006Mosquito 2005 - 2004Peewee 2003 - 2002Bantam 2001 - 2000Midget 1999, 1998 or 1997

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For more information about our program visit www.cvba.caFor more information about our program visit www.cvba.ca

SPRING PROGRAMS AVAILABLEFOR YOUTH & WOMEN

Youth House, UDP & Select Try-OutsOver 30's Women's Soccer - Summer Camps

COMOX VALLEY UNITED SOCCER CLUBCOMOX VALLEY UNITED SOCCER CLUB

For more info, please visit our website at www.cvusc.org

or contact us at [email protected]: 250-334-0422

Spring Schedules

Swimming Aquafit Skating Swim & Skate Lessons Shinny Hockey Roller Hockey Leadership Courses Yoga Watch for our special spring break schedules

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www.comoxvalleyecho.comTUESDAY.MARCH 3, 2015 13

Comox RecreationCOME PLAY WITH US!

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Get the jump on Spring Registration !

Programs for the whole family!View our Spring Programs at www.comox.ca/recreation or LIKE us on Facebook.

Spring Football April 14th til June 21st

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Smartphones and tablets ap-pear to have staying power. The Pew Research Center confi rms that smartphone penetration has surpassed the 50 percent mark among mobile subscribers. Many others are routinely using tablets to access books, television shows, movies, and magazines. In multi-screen homes, televisions are still king. According to a 2012 Nielsen report, the average American over the age of two spends more than 34 hours a week, or more than 4 hours per day, watching live televi-sion. Those fi ndings should raise an eyebrow, as health experts warn that excessive screen time can be hazardous to one’s health.

A sedentary lifestyle spent in front of computers and video game consoles contributes to poor health. Of the leading industrial-ized countries, the United States has the highest obesity statistics, and Canada is not far behind. Obe-sity can impact cholesterol, car-diovascular health, risk for type 2 diabetes, and risk for stroke. Ex-cessive screen time can lead to sleep and eating disorders, inter-fere with a person’s ability to focus

and negatively aff ect a person’s performance at school or work. Getting a family active and reduc-ing time spent in front of a screen can have profound eff ects, and re-ducing screen time doesn’t have to be diffi cult.

* Gradually implement chang-es. Families immersed in electron-ic devices can cut down on screen time slowly and over the course of several weeks rather than tuning out cold turkey. Start by reducing time spent watching television or playing video games by one hour per week, and gradually reduce time spent devoted to such activi-ties in the ensuing weeks.

* Hide devices. The mantra, “out of sight, out of mind” can work with respect to digital de-vices. If tablets or smartphones are tucked away, family members may feel less inclined to reach for them at any given time. Just as you wouldn’t stock your pantry full of fattening foods while trying to lose weight, don’t make digital devices readily available throughout the day.

* Keep televisions out of the bedroom. Children who have tele-

visions in their bedrooms tend to watch an additional 90 minutes of programming per day than those who do not have televisions in their room. Keep the television in a shared area of the house so that time spent watching the TV can be monitored and adjusted.

* Establish guidelines. Set fi rm limits on how much screen time will be allowed per day and stick with it. Adults can lead by example.

* Plan more family activities. Boredom can easily give way to time spent fooling around on the Internet or channel surfi ng. Par-ents should have a cache of ideas at the ready that promote active family time. Neighborhood walks or tossing around a baseball in the yard are enjoyable activities that cut back on time spent being sedentary. Encourage indoor ac-tivities, such as puzzles or board games, if the weather is not coop-erating.

* Be steadfast. Do not throw in the towel too soon. Families should stand their ground when attempt-ing to decrease their screen time in favor of healthier activities.

Decreasing family screen time


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How to reduce your injury risk when exercising

Exercise enthusiasts look to avoid injury like the plague. Inju-ries are akin to kryptonite for ath-letes, who tend to be averse to in-activity and unaccustomed to life away from the gym.

But injuries are a legitimate threat to athletes of all ages. For-tunately, there are several steps athletes can take to reduce their risk of injury.

• Work with a professional. Personal trainers can be expen-sive, but novices might want to work with a trainer as they begin a new fi tness regimen. Even veter-an athletes can benefi t from work-ing with a professional, who can help individuals tailor a workout routine that best suits their bod-ies and fi tness goals. A trainer can show you how to use machines properly, and many trainers stay abreast of the latest develop-ments in exercise science, making them valuable sources of informa-tion on everything from workout tips to stretching techniques and more. Even if you can only aff ord one or two sessions with a trainer, make the most of those sessions by asking as many questions as possible.

• Recognize your limitations. Whether you are beginning a new workout regimen or already have an established routine, you still need to recognize your limita-tions. If you’re just starting out, don’t push yourself, as your body will need time to adjust to regu-lar exercise. If weightlifting will be part of your new routine, lift light weights initially and gradu-ally work up to heavier weights as your body grows more accli-mated to strength training. If you already have a set routine, it’s also important that you recognize any limitations you might have. For example, if you have nagging knee injuries, avoid exercise that might prove especially taxing on your knees.

• Take a slow and steady ap-proach to each workout. One of the easiest ways to suff er an in-jury while exercising is to dive into vigorous exercise without fi rst preparing your body. Warm up your body before hitting the weights or going full bore on the treadmill. Warming up before a workout readies your muscles for the stress that’s coming later in your routine. If you don’t warm up beforehand, your muscles will be cold and loose, possibly leading to strains, tears or other painful

injuries. Gradually increasing the intensity of your workout as your body warms up, rather than go-ing full steam from the get-go, can greatly reduce your risk of injury.

• Stretch at the end of each workout. Soreness and stiff ness should not be a regular byproduct of your workouts. While novices will almost certainly experience some soreness and stiff ness at the onset of their routines, such feelings are normal because you are exercising muscles that likely have not been worked out in quite some time. But as your body be-comes acclimated to routine ex-ercise, that soreness and stiff ness should go away. If it does not, that’s likely because you are not stretching enough at the end of your workouts. Muscles shorten during a weightlifting regimen

thanks to the repeated contrac-tions they undergo as the body does repetition after repetition. Stretching helps the body return to a more natural position, reduc-ing the likelihood that you will de-velop tight, sore and stiff muscles.

• Take time off . Even the most accomplished athletes in the world take days off from their exercise regimens. Tired, over-worked muscles are more suscep-tible to injury, so make sure your body has enough time to rest and recover. Skip a workout if your muscles seem stiff and sore, or change up your routine so you aren’t taxing the muscles that don’t feel up to snuff .

The risk of injury is always present for exercise enthusiasts. But there are several ways to greatly reduce that risk.

Professional trainers can help men and women tailor their exercise regimens to meet their specifi c needs and reduce their risk of injury.



Dale Erhart lunges left to catch the tennis ball that’s fl ying through the air. The next thing you know the former F18 pilot instructor is chucking the green sphere at a group of men and women in business attire sitting at a long folding table listen-ing to his presentation.

Earhart is not in the middle of a corporate meltdown and in the process of taking it out on the rest of the folks at the meeting. Quite the opposite, he’s in the midst of demonstrating the nature of G forces for his fellow Toastmasters International members, while accomplishing the day’s assignment - getting comfortable with visual aides.

“With centrifugal force the pilot pulls down on a stick and he can go all the way around,” he says, swinging a bucket holding a ball in a circular mo-tion. “He has positive G. In other words, he’s still sitting in his seat - like we are.”

It’s just another Thurs-day in the life for the weekly 60 Minutes Toast-masters Club #8010, where Comox Valley

residents come to brush up on real-world abilities while supporting others on their own journey.

Toastmasters Interna-tional has thrived by the

way it melds business skill development with a community atmosphere you might fi nd in local service clubs like the Li-ons or Rotary. At its core

Dale Erhart uses Toastmasters to build his capacity as a professional speaker.

Toastmasters provides opportunity for personal developmentPublic speaking group teaches leadership and professionalism

Toastmasters provides members the opportunity to brush up on their pub-lic speaking and personal organization, but just talk to the participants and you’ll fi nd out for them it’s been so much more.

Many describe deeper changes taking place, from fi nding their place in a community to building their sense of self.

Gaetane Palardy, a small business owner from Comox, loves to attend because it allows her to work on her profes-sional development.

She says she’s gotten better at networking and picked up management skills in the process.

David Stevenson, the sergeant-at-arms, said he enjoys getting to try his hand at diff erent roles each time he comes to the meeting. This time, for example, he was the Toastmaster, taking on duties similar to that of a chairperson.

Erhart is using Toast-masters as a chance to build his capacity in a very real sense, since he’s trying to get more involved in giving cruise ship lectures on aviation.

He had just followed a speech by club president Gaynor Bereza, who runs one of three Comox Val-

ley Toastmaster groups.She won applause for

her ability to overcome a brief bobble and fi nish strong with an engaging phrase to sum up the rel-evancy of Robbie Burns to today’s world.

“You can take the Scot out of Scotland,” she said, “but you can’t take Scot-land out of the Scot.”

After Erhart, Marla Limousin, a 57-year-old who has been attending Toastmasters for over a year, led the “table topics” portion of the meeting, where multiple speakers had the chance to respond to one of a handful of questions.

Today’s theme was designated as “stretch” and the word of the day was “extenuating,” and re-sponders were reminded they could “lie, cheat or steal” their way through this section - although everyone seemed to take the high road.

Beth Campbell Duke, 49, for example, respond-ed to a question about what she fi nds a “stretch” to do, by talking about her initial fear with public speaking.

She said after going through the rigours of Toastmaster, speaking at the TEDX event in Victo-ria was a breeze.

* Join the 60 Minute Toastmasters audience for their fabulous Inter-national Speech contest March 5. Thursday noon til 1 - please arrive 5 minutes early. Lewis Park (Room location). Every-one Welcome.

Marla Limousin led the “table topics” portion of Toastmasters during a recent meeting.

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PLANNING TO LIVE TO 100

LOOKING FOR INCOME WITH REITS

Janice Armour BBA, CPCA

Not that many years ago, living to 100 seemed an impossible dream. Not any-more. Population projections tell us that centenarians, those aged 100 and over, rose 87.7 per cent between 2004 and 20111 -- and the number of centenarians is expected to triple or quadruple by 20362.

What all that means to you is this: You should not only reasonably expect to en-joy a much longer life, you should also begin planning for all those extra years of retirement right away. After all, you will want to be sure your income will extend for the 20 years beyond retirement that today’s 65-year-olds can expect to live, on average3. Start your income longevity planning with these tips.

• Decide on your desired retirement

lifestyle.• Add to your Registered Retirement

Savings Plan income with a complemen-tary portfolio of investments that are eli-gible plus non-registered investments.

• Assess your projected spending for essential and discretionary expenses and adopt an investment strategy that will match your spending needs. For example, plan to meet such essential expenses as housing, food, clothing and medical treat-ments for longer than your life expec-tancy; plan to spend an increased amount for discretionary expenses like travel, din-ing out and a new car during the fi rst ten years that diminishes thereafter.

• After retirement, manage your retire-ment savings withdrawal rate based on the size of your retirement savings, the average return on your investments over

time, and the number of years you plan to make withdrawals.

• Use life insurance to shelter excess capital and maximize the value of your es-tate; consider a life annuity that will pro-vide a guaranteed regular income no mat-ter how long you live.

• Protect your income (and your spouse’s) with life insurance and supple-mentary health insurance including dis-ability, critical illness and long-term care coverage.

• Revisit your plan regularly to assess investment performance, changes in ex-pense levels or any other factors that can impact on how much you can spend in re-tirement for how long.

Ask your professional advisor about how these and other income longevity strategies can help make sure you enjoy

a comfortable retirement for a long time.

1 Annual population estimates by age group and sexat July 1, provincial perspective — Canada, Estimatesare fi nal intercensal up to 2005, fi nal postcensal from2006 to 2008, updated postcensal for 2009 and 2010and preliminary postcensal for 2011.

2 The Daily (Statistics Canada), Wednesday, May26, 2010

3 The Daily (Statistics Canada), Tuesday, Septem-ber 27, 2011 - Deaths

This column, written and published by InvestorsGroup Financial Services Inc. (in Québec – a FinancialServices Firm), and Investors Group Securities Inc. (inQuébec, a fi rm in Financial Planning) presents generalinformation only and is not a solicitation to buy or sellany investments. Contact your own advisor for spe-cifi c advice about your circumstances. For more in-formation on this topic please contact your InvestorsGroup Consultant.

By Robyn K. Thompson

Q – With Canadian interest rates once again at rock bottom, income investors are hard-pressed to fi nd any good income-producing assets without incurring a high degree of extra risk. I’ve heard that invest-ment funds that hold real estate investment trusts (REITs) might be a good choice for more conservative investors (say, retirees) looking for a steady stream of income, be-cause they are diversifi ed and have a better risk profi le than, say, common shares of big blue-chip companies. Can you shed some light on this? – Randall P., Nepean, Ontario

A – Real Estate Investment Trusts, or REITs, have performed well in the past few years, and their higher yields have attract-ed a lot of investor interest. To illustrate, the S&P/TSX Capped REIT Index has re-turned 19.22% over the past year to Jan. 31, 2015, compared with 12.33% for the S&P/TSX 60 Index. Longer-term, REITs have also held up, delivering 8.75% over three years (9.81% for the S&P/TSX 60), and 13.55% over fi ve years (8.82% for the S&P/TSX 60).

REITs are specially-structured trust se-curities that trade on stock exchanges like any other stock. REITs acquire full or part ownership of commercial or residential real estate properties that produce a steady rev-enue stream. These include properties like shopping centres, offi ce buildings, hotels, apartments, and retirement residences. REITs generally are liquid investments, meaning you can buy and sell units without

diffi culty. REITs must distribute their income to

unitholders, so they pay a regular dividend. Compared with other high-yield income-producing securities, REITs can be quite attractive. However, in Canada the REIT market is small and choices are limited choices. Recently, REITs have performed well, mostly because the commercial and residential rental real estate markets are quite strong in most regions. But remem-ber that because REITs are so closely tied to the real estate market, they’ll be subject to the same ups and downs as the market. What goes up eventually must come down.

I do like REITs as part of a larger income portfolio, because they can provide income, liquidity, along with some growth potential. You can trade REITs individually or invest in a mutual fund or exchange-traded fund that holds a variety of REITs in its portfo-lio. Many mutual funds in the Real Estate Equity category hold REITs, as do funds in the Miscellaneous – Income and Real Property category. More broadly, funds in the larger Canadian Dividend and Income Equity category may hold REITs as part of their portfolios, as do funds other catego-ries, but do not necessarily focus on them.

In addition, a number of index-tracking pure REIT ETFs are available, including (in alphabetical order) BMO Equal Weight REITs Index ETF (TSX: ZRE), First Asset Active Canadian REIT ETF (TSX: FRF), iShares SP/TSX Capped REIT Index ETF (TSX: XRE), and Vanguard FTSE Cana-dian Capped REIT Index ETF (TSX: VRE).

With a proper allocation, REITs can be a valuable addition to the income component of your portfolio. But diversifi cation with-in the asset class and within your broader portfolio remains a paramount consider-ation.

For example, as of Jan. 31, the pure REIT ETF, iShares S&P/TSX Capped REIT In-dex ETF had a 3-year standard deviation (a measure of risk) of 10.57%, and a volatility ranking of 8/10, which is near the top. So REIT funds don’t necessarily have a bet-ter risk profi le than, say, a quality dividend fund, such as iShares S&P/TSX Canadian Dividend Aristocrats Index ETF (TSX: CDZ), which has a 3-year standard devia-tion of 6.97% and a volatility ranking of 5/10.

In looking for income, then, you wouldn’t exclusively hold REITs or REIT funds. In-stead, you’d look to diversify among other types of income-producing as-sets and funds as well, includ-ing dividend funds. As always, your risk tolerance and invest-ment objectives should give you some guidance here, and with the help of a qualifi ed fi -nancial planner, you should be able to build a suitable income-producing portfolio. – Robyn

Robyn Thompson, CFP, CIM, FCSI, is the founder of Castlemark Wealth Man-agement, a boutique fi nancial advisory fi rm specializing in wealth manage-ment for high net worth individuals and

families. Contact her directly by phone at 647-352-5735, or by email at [email protected] for a confi dential planning consultation. FollowRobyn on Twitter and Facebook.

Submit a question on investments, fi nancial plan-ning, or portfolio management. We cannot reply per-sonally and cannot guarantee your question will beused.

Notes and Disclaimer© 2015 by the Fund Library. All rights reserved. Re-

production in whole or in part by any means withoutprior written permission is prohibited.

The foregoing is for general information purposesonly and is the opinion of the writer. Securities andinvestment vehicles mentioned carry risk of loss. Noguarantee of investment performance is made or im-plied. It is not intended to provide specifi c personal-ized advice including, without limitation, investment,fi nancial, legal, accounting or tax advice. Please con-tact the author to discuss your particular circum-stances.

250-338-27025522

Lori Ste. CroixInvestment Advisor

318 A Duncan Ave., Courtenay (Corner of Duncan & 3rd St.)


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The BC minister of edu-cation was impressed with the novel educational pro-grams the Comox Valley school district havw ad-opted into its curriculum.

Peter Fassbender, along with BC Teachers’ Feder-ation president, Jim Iker, visited the valley last week and was given a good glimpse on new learning systems and programs that are now being applied in the district.

“This is a district that has gone out of its way to fi nd innovative ways to bring education to their students,” said Fass-bender. “I was impressed by not only the programs but the enthusiasm from everyone whether it was from the teachers I met, the administrators and the people from the com-munity. I see a community that is very engaged in the future of their kids educa-tion and being willing to try some innovative and new things.”

School District 71 was chosen to host the fi rst K-12 Innovative Forum that the province launched in January. It was held at Highland Secondary School in Comox. It’s part of the BC Education Plan that focuses on more personalized learning. It challenges the K-12 sys-tem to provide students with more fl exible, hands-

Fassbender impressed with novel education programsSD 71 is the fi rst to host the K-12 Innovative Forum initiative by Ministry of Education

BC minister of education Peter Fassbender gets a closer look at the projects of the students in the Navigation/Highland Secondary Robotics class during his visit to the Comox Valley last week.

BCTF president Jim Iker was impressed with the Navigation/Highland Secondary Robotics Program.

on opportunities to apply their knowledge in real-world settings out the tra-ditional classroom.

The forum engaged local leaders and explored what they can do to support the innovative learning oppor-tunities for students in the community.

Fassbender and Iker toured Ecole Puntledge

Park Elementary School where students built their own desks and also introduced community initiatives like Everyone Deserves a Smile project. They also went to look at the Try-A-Trade Program at the Sandwick Alternate School, as well as the Ro-botics Program at High-land Secondary School.

“What we’re looking for is a transformational cul-ture in education and what I saw here was absolutely that being put into practice in this community,” said Fassbender. “I think the basic principles of what I saw is absolutely what we want to do throughout the province. The cooperation between the community and the school district and

the schools is something we want to implement in every district in the prov-ince.”

School board vice-chair-man Janice Caton said it was an “honour” to have Fassbender and Iker see the new culture of educa-tion the school district has been establishing here.


To be able to high-light what we do here is an honour. We were able to show the strong leadership our superintendent and staff do. I am really proud of our district”

JANICE CATONSchool board trustee


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“To be able to highlight what we do here is an hon-our,” said Caton. “We were able to show the strong leadership our superin-tendent and our staff do. I am really proud of our district.”

Iker, who was invited by Fassbender to join him and the group that will be establishing the K-12 In-novative Strategy, gave kudos to creativity in the school district’s educa-tional programs. He was impressed with the Ro-botics program.

“It’s unique that there

are students who have the option to be in a program that is very hands-on ori-ented,” said Iker. “They are able to develop some of their passions having that opportunity as well as being in a classroom with other students that they can get feedback. They have a great place where they can feel safe in terms of their own learning style and developing what they want.”

Iker said he would like to see more of this approach happen in schools but they’re also contingent on how the province supports public education.

“There’s a lot of good things happening in our public schools and we have to celebrate that,” said Iker. “We also have to know that our pub-lic schools need fund-ing. In the latest budget, school districts have cut another $29 million and that’s shameful. It’s time to move the funding up at

least to the Canadian av-erage. But programs likethese in every school needfunding.

“We believe in a verybroad K-12 program andstudents all across theprovince get the samekind of access to variousprograms that will invigo-rate them in terms of theirlearning.”

FINAL SESSION ONCLIMATE CHANGE

Comox United Church and the Comox Valley Unitarian Fellowship have been sponsoring a six session course on The Climate Change Era. The sixth and fi nal session is entitled Facing the Climate Change Era In the Comox Valley: The Inner Journey. It will take place on Thursday evening, March 5, 2015 from 7-9 p.m. in the main hall of Comox United Church, 250 Beach Drive in Comox. All are welcome. Cost by donation. The recent news that more than a dozen coal leases covering a third of the Comox Valley have been issued by the provincial government certainly has a way of focusing our attention. It seems that we are “under development” by outside interests intent on turning us into Appalachia North. We need a development strategy. Over the years there have been a number of them put down on paper. They ran into the head winds of economic priorities and rigid political ideologies. And none of them were equipped to deal with the new reality-climate change that is changing everything.create a mutually enhancing The session will be led by Mike Bell. He has MA degrees in Communications and Theology. He was a friend and fellow monk with Thomas Berry, geologian and the Father of the New Cosmology. For further information contact Mike at 250-890-3671 or [email protected]

HIKE FOR HUNGERIN COMOX

This year the Girl Guides of Canada and the 386 Royal Canadian Air Cadet Squadron will coordinate the 5th Annual Hike for Hunger in the Town of Comox and East Courtenay. From 9:30am to 1:00pm on Saturday March 7, 2015, the 1st Komux Guides, 1st Komux Pathfi nders, 1st Comox Valley Rangers and the 386 Air Cadets will be in your neighbourhood. They will be knocking on your door, collecting food for the Comox Valley Food Bank. Most needed items include: macaroni and cheese or pasta and sauce; canned fi sh or meat; peanut butter; powdered milk; infant formula and baby food; breakfast cereal; canned soups and stews; canned fruits or vegetables and other delicious non-perishables.If you would like to make a donation and these members do not come to your door, you can drop off a non-perishable food item at the Comox Fire Hall or on Saturday morning at the Comox Pentecostal Church, 1919 Guthrie Road, Comox . Should you have any questions about this event, contact Debbie Wright at 250-334-3569 or [email protected].

FREE PARENTPRESENTATION

Families and caregivers in the Comox Valley are invited to a FREE presentation on Thurs. Mar. 5 from 7:00 - 8:30pm. Presentation will take place in the Multi-purpose room, Mark R Isfl ed Secondary School, 1551 Lerwick Road, Courtenay. Seating is limited so please click here to register:. https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/friends-parent-program-presentation-tickets-15803008223. If you don’t have internet access, please phone: 1-855-887-8004 RSVP Deadline is Tues. Mar. 2The presentation is sponsored by School District 71, Comox Valley DPAC and is free, however, donations to the Local Food Bank are appreciatedA FRIENDS Parent presentation is designed for parents, families and caregivers to learn more about the online portion of the BC FRIENDS Parent Program. FMI: www.friendsparentprogram.com

LEARN HOW TO PRUNE FRUIT TREE

Join Dr Kent Mullinix for an intensive workshop on how to prune fruit trees for optimal fruit production. The workshop will be indoors for the background information, but will then move to the outdoors to Amara Farm for practical experience. Please dress for the weather and bring a lunch. Dr. Kent Mullinix is an agricultural scientist, promologist, and educator. He is currently the director of Sustainable Agri-Food Systems at Kwantlen University. The cost is $40.00 per person and takes place Saturday, March 7 from 12:00 to 4:00 p.m. at the Black Creek Community Centre, 2001 Black Creek Rd. And Amara Farms 2641 Kirby Rd, Courtenay Preregistration is required. For more information Call (250) 337-5190 or email [email protected]. Visit our website at www.blackcreek-cc.com or on Facebook.

etc.ECHO

GREEN PARTY TOWN HALL MAR. 5

Glenn Sollitt, Green Party Candidate for the Courtenay Alberni riding will be holding a Town Hall Meeting, Wednesday, March 4th, at 6:30 pm at the Filberg Center in the Evergreen Room. Glenn invites you to come with your questions.

Local school district programs impress minister


The Town of Comox has begun crunching its budget numbers and so far it’s been a challenging task.

While it’s still review-ing strategic and capital plans, the initial draft of the financial plan has already reflected a short-fall of over $1.76 million even with a 2.7 per cent increase in taxes that was projected last year.

The town is looking at infrastructure projects, requests for funding, pay increases as well as a myriad of expenditures in the next five years.

Given the town had a larger surplus last year, around $1.2 million,

Donald Jacquest, the Director of Finance, indi-cated in his brief to coun-cil it could help reduce the shortfall to just $560,000.

Councillor Ken Grant recommended to staff that they start off by fig-uring if the finances could be balanced this year with a 2.5 per cent increase for homeowners and 1.5 per cent hike for commer-cial.

Jacquest said in his report that any tax reduc-tion in the next five years could impact revenues. Each 0.1 per cent decrease across all five years of the financial plan brings down the total tax reve-nues by $119,000.

Among some of the items that staff have to

consider include the $20,000 casual wages the Comox Fire Department is requesting from the operating bud-get.

Fire chief Gord Schreiner said that they’ve been struggling to find volunteers who are available during nor-mal business hours. They’ve addressed this situation by bringing in casual help on some days.The casual workers are typically younger fire-fighters who are under-employed.

Schreiner said they work around 200 days a year and get paid $19 per hour. The additional $20,000, Schreiner said, would add another 100 days per year.

Another request for funds the town will be considering in the next couple of weeks, is from the founder and directorof the Alberni Project — HMCS Alberni Museum. Lewis Bartholomew is asking for five-year com-mitment for an annual operations grant of $6,000.

Some other expendi-tures that the town will have to address include the Marina waterfront, Lazo shoreline, Rob resurfacing, Rodello roundabout and Port Augusta Storm Drain replacement project.

Staff will again bring another financial report to council highlighting options they could choosein balancing the books.

Comox budget reflects shortfall even with tax hike


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‘Mother’s Day’ Concert * Sunday, May 10th – 2PM

40 men singing in 4 part harmony


A 75-year-old woman

from Comox is thrilled now that one of her most prized possessions has turned up after days for frantic searching. Dianne Murray was struggling with the thought that the school desk she’s had for more than 30 years, a key fi xture in grandchildren and great-grandchildren visits, could be gone for-ever.

“I liked it because I knew the grandchildren could sit and play with me,” she said. “It’s my memories of the grandchildren and the memories of them sitting at the desk.”

The green desk with a wood top came from the old Union Bay school. It was an item Murray knew would be a fun - and edu-cational - addition to the water guns, bubbles and other toys that were part of her grandma arsenal. It went missing last Wednes-day during a paint job of the room in which it was being stored.

Her daughter Kelly Bri-macombe, 48, said the scrapes and the paint marks are little bits of per-sonal history that can’t be replaced.

“There’s no value to this desk - it’s sentimental,” she said. “It really is an heirloom.”

The desk is a tradi-tional solid structure with an inkwell and space for books and other supplies.

Brimacombe remem-bers her mother using the desk as part of Scouts Canada activities, too.

“My mom was a Bea-ver leader and she would have crafts with the kids,” she said. “She’d spend an hour taking stickers off and putting them on crafts.”

Murray says she’s “not just the average grandma,” adding her grandchildren call her “GG.”

But the way she tells it, it was her own dad who was the OG - an original gangster who ran guns with Al Capone.

“I can tell you honestly he was a bad cat,” she said. “He talked about it a lot.”

One of her fondest memories with the desk was the time she told a grandson the story of her dad’s exploits - how he got shot by the police and had to change his name before starting a new life.

“I was telling him how his great-grandfather ran with Al Capone,” she said. “He drew a picture and took it to school and told the class.”

The rudimentary sketch of a car with a stick man on the side holding a gun tickled her pink, as did the text he wrote up to go with it.

As Murray’s grandchil-dren grew, the desk fell into disuse. She moved it into storage in an empty room.

On Feb. 25 a painter put the desk outside while working to fi x up the

space.“He was going to start

painting it and he didn’t want to get paint on it,” she said. “It was an hon-est mistake.”

Almost as soon as it hadstarted drinking in freshair, it was scooped up by aneighbour.

By the time Murraytracked it down to the St.Joseph’s Hospital Auxilia-ry-run Cottage Thrift Shoplater that day, the desk hadalready been sold.

“All she’s done is cry,”Brimacombe said, recall-ing her attempts to get hermother to face a new real-ity. “Mom, you know, youcan’t take this with you.”

Murray said she wouldeven consider fi ndinga way to bring the deskalong to her fi nal restingplace.

“I said, ‘You could havetaken it apart and put it inmy plot.’”

On Monday she got thegood news - the desk hadbeen found.

Turns out a woman hadpicked it up at the Cottagefor a steal and planned toresell it to make a bit ofcash.

“I started to cry and I of-fered to pay her whatevershe paid for it,” Murraysaid.

“You don’t want to knowwhat I paid for it,” she re-plied, before revealing the$3 price tag.

Murray’s just glad she’sgetting the desk back, anda reunion has already beenplanned.

“I’m so emotional,” shesaid. “And so happy.”

I liked it because I knew the grandchil-dren could sit and play with me. It’s my memories of the grandchildren and the memories of them sitting at the desk.”

DIANNE MURRAYOwner of desk

The green desk with a wooden top holds a special place in the life of Dianne Murray’s family.

Comox senior jubilant as schoolhouse desk located


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Enter to WIN! 2 tickets to theCanucks/Stars

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plus! $100 dinner gift certifi cate and overnight accomodation

Contest closesMarch 25, 2015 @ 4 pm

Find the answers to the skill testing questions inside the ads. Write the name of the advertiser as the answer to the question below.

Who was the fi rst Canucks captain?

Where was Trevor Linden born?

What year did the Canucks join the NHL?

Your Name: Address:

Phone # Email: Submit your ballot to:Comox Valley Echo Newspaper407E Fifth Street, Courtenay V9N 1J7

03-03

Pavel Bure Toronto Maple Leafs

Orland Kurtenbach

Three times

Trevor Linden

Tiger

NoneRogers Arena

Markus Naslund

Two

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Number 12

1970

‘What would you do?First Aid in the outdoors

During the spring mem-bers of the Comox Valley Paddlers Club suggest and co-ordinate paddling trips for the summer season. But what hap-

pens if things don’t go to plan and a member of the group falls ill, has an acci-dent or injury? Would you or a member of the group have the skills to deal with

the situation?Wendy Walker will pres-

ent “What would you do?” at the March meeting of the CV Paddlers Club. Her presentation will be interactive and informa-tive about the relevancy of fi rst aid in a marine envi-ronment - just as paddling rescue skills give confi -dence, so will some fi rst

aid knowledge. Wendy is a Wilderness First Re-sponder Instructor and has training in Search and Rescue. She is certifi ed as a Level 2 Kayak Guide with the Sea Kayaks Guide Alli-ance of BC and is a gradu-ate and alumni member of National Outdoor Leader-ship School (NOLS).

Topics will include the

components of fi rst aid, a case study discussion, identifi cation of emer-gency and non-emergency situations; a discussion on the protocols learned on a fi rst aid course plus recommended items to include in a fi rst aid kit. Wendy will also share some of her light hearted guiding moments.

The presentation com-mences at 7:00 pm on Thursday, March 5 at the Lion’s Den, 1729 Comox Ave, behind the Pearl El-lis Art Gallery. Doors open at 6:30. Non-members are welcome to attend the meeting. FMI: [email protected] or visit www.comoxvalleypad-dlers.ca

Comxo Valley Echo - March 3, 2015

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