CVRN120217_BusinessAndProgress

THE COMOX VALLEY RECORD

Business&Progress

A special section about

economicprogressin the Comox Valley

2012

COMOXVALLEYRECORD.comC O V E R T O C O V E R O N - L I N EC O V E R T O C O V E R O N - L I N EPAPER

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insideAcclaimed roof receives award .............................................pg 4

NIC’s enrollment increases for third year .............................pg 6

Renovated rec centre popular ...............................................pg 10

Construction could begin by summer at CAYET project ....pg 11

Vancouver Island Mountain Centre open .............................pg 14

Ray & Lila Bennett startedBennett Sheet Metal 50 years

ago, they opened a branchin Campbell River in 1971.

The business is stillfamily owned and operated

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2 Friday, February 17, 2012 BUSINESS AND PROGRESS COMOX VALLEY RECORD

New Thrifty Foods store in Courtenay on scheduleRenée AndorRecord Staff

The Thrifty Foods devel-opment at Crown Isle is moving along on time.

“The project’s on sched-ule,” said Erin Kelly, Thrifty Foods communication man-ager.

The steel arrived near the end of January, and the structure is now going up.

Kelly said the grocery chain expects to have the second Courtenay Thrifty Foods store open by this summer.

Double the size of the downtown store, this store will be 39,000 square feet large at the southeast corner of the intersection of Ryan and Lerwick roads.

The current Thrifty Foods will remain open, and the new store is expected to cre-ate 120 new jobs.

An 8,921-square-metre commercial shopping centre will sit on the 4.97 hectares of land there.

Phase 1 of the plan includes eight commercial buildings with a mix of retail, office, financial and restaurant uses, as well as the grocery story. This first phase is about 90,000 square feet total.

The buildings will have a contemporary West Coast look and will feature large canopies of timber with stone bases.

Some residents were con-

cerned about noise, as the development is next door to homes at Crown Isle. Thrifty Foods has worked with a sound engineer to come up with a series of sound atten-

uation fences. They will also plant trees in the 7.5-metre buffer between the develop-ment and the residences behind it.

Kelly said Thrifty Foods is

looking forward to opening its doors this summer.

“We’re excited to be part of the community and to have a second store there in the Valley, and looking

forward to opening our doors and greeting customers and being part of that whole development on Crown Isle,” she said.

[email protected]

THIS SITE AT RYAN AND LERWICK roads will transform into a spiffy new Thrifty Foods by summer. PHOTO BY RENÉE ANDOR

COMOX VALLEY RECORD BUSINESS AND PROGRESS Friday, February 17, 2012 3

Business of the Year improved on several frontsEarle CouperRecord Staff

The introduction of new technology at Mount Wash-ington Alpine Resort has made it easier to introduce skiing and snowboarding to a new generation.

Prior to opening this season, the resort — which was named the Comox Val-ley Business of the Year — underwent major renova-tions.

“Our goal is to make the learning experience for beginner skiers and snow-boarders one of the best in North America,” says Don Sharpe, director of business operations at the resort.

“We removed all of the old lifts in our Green Zone, replaced them with state-of-the-art Magic Carpets and rebranded the area as Easy Acres.”

Easy Acres is the moun-tain’s single largest develop-ment in the past few years. The total project, which includes extensive slope recontouring and the instal-lation of four Magic Carpets, had a budget of $3 million.

Magic Carpets are just like moveable walkways at an airport and are widely recognized as one of the best methods for moving begin-ner skiers and boarders up the slopes.

Mount Washington’s carpets are located on the mountain’s new runs: Easy Street and The Big Easy. Easy Street is the home of three carpets: lower (165 metres), middle (177 metres), and upper (198 metres). The Big Easy is the home of Mount Wash-ington’s teaching carpet (91 metres). “Our network of Magic Carpets is one of the largest in North America and features covered cano-pies to protect riders from the elements on their way up the mountain,” adds Sharpe.

The Magic Carpets replace the Green Chair, which Sharpe notes, “was the hub of our learning area since 1979. It was definitely time for a change. With the addition of the Magic Carpets to the new ter-rain, we are now one of the easiest places to learn to ski and snowboard in North America.”

With the three separate carpets at different eleva-tions, students can choose to go up all three levels and ski down from the top or get off at the first or second carpets and ski down one level at a time.

The other advantage of having four carpets instead of having everyone concen-trated in one area is the resort can spread people out

over the four lifts, separat-ing different skill levels as well as skiers and snow-boarders.

“The key here is we want to develop this whole con-cept of snow play. The idea is to get people to come up and play in the snow, and find out it’s not intimidat-ing,” resort president Peter Gibson said.

The new Magic Carpets do not affect overall lift operations, resort director of maintenance and operations George Trousdell said. “It is almost the same. The chair takes a few more people to operate and the carpets take a few less. But because there are so many, it works out the same.

“It definitely improves the beginner experience,” Trous-dell said. “That old double chair is old technology and a bit of a white-knuckle ride for beginners.”

John Trimmer, head coach and program director for the Mount Washington Ski Club, is a big fan of the Magic Carpets.

“I think they (are) a great addition to the mountain and a benefit to the club. Awesome for younger ath-letes as they are so easy to load. The Magic Carpets ... also create shorter lineups and increase runs for our groups because fewer people have trouble loading and riding the lifts. Big bonus for mountain and club!”

The four carpets run at 80 per cent of the speed the old Green Chair did, but because they run constantly they are more efficient. The chairlift used to stop and start all the time, and on busy days it took a long time

to get to the top of the Green Face.

Slow but steady is a great way to go for those new to skiing and snowboarding, notes Sharpe, adding that the covered conveyors have been receiving rave reviews.

“The snow pros that are providing instruction to our new skiers and boarders love the Magic Carpets. The learning curve has been dra-matically improved and our guests are having a blast in the snow.”

[email protected]

A NEW MOUNTAIN centre complete with exercise facilities

has enhanced the offerings at the Mount Washington Alpine

Resort, which also introduced Magic Carpets (right) to get

skiers to the slopes in comfort and style.


Acclaimed roof receives award

SEEN DURING CONSTRUCTION, the Deep Bay Marine Field Station includes an award-winning roof built by

Cumberland’s Nelson Roofing and Sheet Metal. PHOTO BY VANCOUVER ISLAND UNIVERSITY

Erin HaluschakRecord Staff

Its unique shape is as eye-catching as the surrounding environment, as the curved metal roof atop the Deep Bay Marine Field Station not only sets the building apart, but allows it to blend into its loca-tion.

The curved roof, created to emulate crashing waves or a clamshell, was created by Cum-berland’s Nelson Roofing and Sheet Metal.

Bryan Hignell, commercial sheet metal superintendent for the company said the unique roof took about eight months to complete from planning stages to production, but the company was prepared for the challenge.

“We’ve done a few simi-lar roofs before, with lots of residential with curved appli-cations, and some commercial such as the Comox Airport, but with this particular esthetic it definitely presented some chal-lenges,” he noted. “We had to figure out how to get the curved panels on the roof.”

Hignell added the eight-man crew used a pulley-type system with boards to pull the panels up to the top.

The champagne metallic seam panels were custom roll-formed and curved on site, he noted. The roof has three dif-ferent radiuses, and the longest panels are approximately 70 feet.

The panels, which are part of the LEED Platinum accredita-tion of the building as a whole, are composed of recycled pieces and are completely recyclable.

In recognition of the unique-ness of the project, Nelson Roof-ing received the award for Best Metal Roof of the Year for their work on the station in Septem-ber from the Chicago-based industry trade magazine Metal-Mag in their 2011 Architectural Awards.

“It was a pretty big accom-plishment. We were up against some very impressive projects from the States,” said Hignell. “It really put us on the map.”

Judge Tim Wurtele noted in MetMag magazine the roof is “a bold abstraction of form that subtly lies in the hillside landscape with a view onto the bay ... expressing the struc-ture under the curved metal skin gives the impression that the metal shell could actually open.”

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Visitor Centre quietly opens doorsScott Stanfield Record Staff

The Vancouver Island Visitor Centre — that wooden, drum-shaped building with the green roof at the highway inter-change — is scheduled to officially open to the public April 1, though it has been operating the past few weeks.

The name morphed from its original moniker, the Vancouver Island and Coast Discovery Centre, to represent the entire region, though Comox Valley appears on the wood drum facing the highway and below the title at the front of the concrete building.

“We wanted to make sure people knew as they came off the highway that they’re in the Comox Val-ley,” said John Watson,

economic development officer at the Comox Val-ley Economic Development Society. “It’s not often we get Comox Valley signage on the highway.”

The centre is located at Small Road in Cumberland at the interchange of the Inland Island Highway and the Comox Valley Park-way. It is intended to help drive tourism in the North Central Island and coastal regions, and to showcase regional industries. It will also support and promote First Nations with an emphasis on the K’ómoks First Nation.

The parking lot includes an archway by Randy Frank, 30 to 40 parking spots, an electric car-charging station, five bus parking spots and a transit stop.

“Eventually we hope to

see public transit here,” Watson said.

Inside the building is a visitor service/sales centre and an exhibit hall that features a touch table akin to a giant iPad. Exhibits come with interpretive boards, videos and three-dimensional displays that illustrate forest, alpine, ocean and agriculture themes.

“The B.C. Shellfish Growers Association was instrumental in supporting the shellfish and oceans exhibit,” said Lara Grea-sley, marketing and com-munications director at CVEDS. “They contributed some support so we were able to create a touch tank for kids to get their hands wet and learn about our shellfish industry.”

The centre includes a staff office at the back.

“It’s meant to be a very open place, not an office building,” Watson said. Last year, the federal govern-ment committed $3 million to the centre. The Province contributed operating funds and, through the Island Coastal Economic Trust, another $745,000. Trilogy Properties Corp. donated the land. The centre is part of Trilogy’s mixed-use devel-opment dubbed CAYET.

Adventure Management Ltd. has been contracted to operate the visitor centre. The award-winning com-pany operates visitor cen-tres in Kamloops, Merritt, Osoyoos, Mount Robson and Valemount in northern B.C., where it is based.

“We’ve had over 300 applications,” owner Wendy Dyson said. “This is the most we have ever received.”

REALLY A REST area and experience, a place where people

can explore, they can experiment with certain things and

get a sense that the Island has so much to offer.

PHOTOS BY SCOTT STANFIELD

Comox Valley BladeRunners ProgramBladeRunners is a Youth Skills Link program that builds community partnerships through connecting motivated & job ready youth with valuable employment opportunities in the customer service, tourism, security, marine & construction industries. The BladeRunners programs has been helping local youth participate in training opportunities, connect with employers and obtain employment in the Comox Valley since 2007. In 2010, the Comox Valley BladeRunners program provided employment based training & work placements to over 60 youth.

Eligibility requirements: • Youth between the ages of 15-30 and out of school. • In need of assistance to overcome employment barriers. • Canadian citizens, permanent residents. • Not in receipt of Employment Insurance (EI).

BladeRunners will: • Participate in four weeks of paid in-class skill enhancement. • Participate in two weeks of work exposure / training. • Be eligible for safety gear and tools and/ or a clothing allowance. • Obtain employment based certifi cates & receive

individual support and guidance.

Employers will: • Receive 60 hours of work exposure / training hours from

a BladeRunners participant at no cost to the employer. • Receive a $3.00/hr wage subsidy contribution based on

a minimum $10.50/hr wage. • Connect with job ready and motivated youth.

To connect with the Comox Valley BladeRunners program please contact:William Kosloski 250-334-3138 ext. 229 [email protected] Lakusta 250-713-4311 [email protected]

The Government of Canada has contributed funding to this initiative.

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NIC’s enrolment increases for third year in a rowRenée AndorRecord Staff

The Comox Valley North Island College (NIC) campus is still grow-in’ strong.

The fall/winter 2011/2012 enrol-ment numbers for all campuses show a two-per-cent increase in registrations over the previous year, and NIC director of college and community relations Susan Auchterlonie said the increase builds on past years.

“It’s the third year in a row of consecutive growth for the college, which is just incredibly good new for us and our communities,” said Auchterlonie.

While NIC as a whole has high-er enrolment numbers this year, Auchterlonie said the Comox Val-ley campus in particular has “very strong” enrolment numbers.

The boosts are in humanities, social science, English, business administration, and health and human services like early child-hood education and nursing.

The new trades centre, which opened about a year ago, has helped keep enrolment numbers up for trades, according to Auchter-lonie.

“As a result of that trades cen-tre, we’re offering carpentry train-ing here and we have full classes every time we offer an intake, which is exactly what we had pro-jected would happen,” she said.

However, that’s not the case at

all campuses. The trades programs’ enrolments have decreased by two per cent overall and the appren-ticeship programs’ enrolments have decreased by four.

“There was such a large pent-up demand for carpentry; we’ve been able to sustain it in the Comox Valley, but other programs that

are offered in Campbell River and Port Alberni are just seeing a bit of softening,” explained Auchterlonie, adding that these enrolments are “cyclical” and depend on the job market.

Meanwhile, NIC as a whole has seen a spike in the number of stu-dents enrolled in the continuing

education and training division, with the number up to 142 this year, compared to 49 the previous year.

Auchterlonie said NIC continues to attract international students to its campuses, after a large increase of 40 per cent in 2010/2011 from the year before.

This year, “we’ve got a single digit increase over the last year, which is very good news, given the fact that is was such a large increase the previous year, just to sustain it,” said Auchterlonie. “It is part of our long-term strategy to increase our international educa-tion.”

THE COMOX VALLEY CAMPUS of North Island College continues to grow. PHOTO SUBMITTED

We need your input!

We need your feedback on proposed programs to:

Reduce the garbage we produce

Expand existing landfills

Compost our food waste

And more!

Attend an open house and presentation near you!

Please join us at one of our open houses and stay

for the presentation and question and answer

period. View information displays and talk to staff

and technical experts to learn more.

Help Us Plan for the future of our waste

Enter to win!

Fill in our feedback form at the open house or online and enter for a chance to win one of five prizes worth $100 in groceries

at a local grocery store!

Attend an open house or visit www.cswm.ca/plan for details

and conditions.

What Do You Think?Your input is important and will be used to help guide decisions about new programs and services, creating a plan for the future of our garbage.

Here’s how to provide your feedback, or find out more:

Come to one of our open houses and presentations.

Visit www.cswm.ca/plan. Simply review the information and fill in our feedback form.

Email: [email protected]

Mail: 600 Comox Road, Courtenay, BC V9N 3P6

Tel: 250-334-6099 or Toll-free: 1-800-331-6007

Fax: 250-334-8156

OPEN HOUSE AND PRESENTATION SCHEDULECOMMUNITIES DATE OPEN PRESENTATION VENUE

HOUSE ON OPTIONS

Baynes Sound-Denman/ Mar. 5 5-8pm 7pm Union Bay community hall

Hornby Islands

(Area ‘A’ - CVRD)

Denman Island Mar. 7 5-8pm 7pm Denman Island community hall

Hornby Island Mar. 8 5-8pm 7pm Hornby Island community hall

Village of Cumberland Mar. 13 5-8pm 7pm Cumberland seniors centre

Puntledge-Black Creek Mar. 14 5-8pm 7pm Horst Henning hall, Oyster Bay Resort

(Area ‘C’ - CVRD)

Oyster River-Buttle Lake

(Area ‘D’ - SRD)

Discovery Islands-

Mainland Inlets (Area ‘C’ - SRD) Mar. 15 7-9pm 7:30pm Quadra Elementary School

Village of Gold River Mar. 19 5-7pm 6pm Gerry Morgan Memorial Centre

Village of Tahsis Mar. 20 5-7pm 6pm Tahsis recreation centre

City of Campbell River Mar. 21 5-8pm 7pm Museum at Campbell River

Town of Comox and

Lazo North (Area ‘B’ - CVRD) Mar. 28 5-8pm 7pm Comox seniors centre

City of Courtenay Mar. 29 5-8pm 7pm CVRD boardroom, 550B Comox Road

Cortes (Area ‘B’ - SRD) Apr. 12 7-9pm 7:30pm Gorge hall

Village of Sayward Apr. 16 7-9pm 8pm Heritage hall, Sayward Valley

Village of Zeballos and

Kyuquot-Nootka / Sayward

(Area ‘A’ - SRD) Apr. 17 5-7pm 6pm Zeballos community hall

QR Code

Follow comoxvalleyrd

Can’t make it in person? Simply review the information online at www.cswm.ca/plan and then fill in our feedback form and enter for your chance to win! It’s that easy!


Renée AndorRecord Staff

With a new Board of Education and a con-tinuing push towards 21st-century learning, School District 71 will continue to change this year.

SD71 superintendent Sherry Elwood said she’s looking forward to working with the newly elected trustees to build on the past board’s accomplishments.

“When you lose one board and gain a new one, there’s always excitement about the newness, but you want to honour and thank the previous board that got you to where you are today,” said Elwood.

Board chair Tom Weber, vice-chair Jan-ice Caton and trustee Sheila McDonnell are returning board mem-bers.

Trustee Rick Grin-ham is back after one term off, and trustees Peter Coleman, Donna Gambacorta and Paula Selby are brand new to the board.

Elwood said she’s pleased there’s a mix of new and old faces on the board.

“It’s always good to have some veteran experience as you have new folks, but new folks bring new ideas and a fresh way of looking at things,” explained Elwood.

SD71 also has some new faces on its senior staff; Ian Heselgrave became the director of operations in early January, and Russell Horswill became the secretary trea-surer at the end of January.

“So we’ve got new faces on our own team, so it’s a great time to reaffirm the directions that we want to go in and to brainstorm together and plan and dream big for the future,” said Elwood.

One the big dreams is to keep the dis-trict moving in the direction of 21st-century learning. Trustee Caton said the district

already has deep roots in this style of learn-ing, but moving further in that direction is a priority.

“Our district is actually a lighthouse on that one (21st-century learning). We are leading the province in how we are support-ing our students into better learning plans than what we’re doing,” she said. “We will be looking at this new 21st-century learning and the impact it will have on our students in the classroom. What will it mean, how do we support our teachers, how do we support our students?”

Elwood agreed and added that even big-ger changes to the way students are taught will be coming in the next few years. She said that teachers’ roles will shift to more of advisors and guides rather than the tradi-tional ‘teacher’ of infor-mation.

Students “don’t need us for facts and figures — they’ve got

everything in their cell phone today — so we have to change our relationship with learn-ing with them,” said Elwood. “We need to be facilitators of knowledge.”

According to Elwood, changes coming over the next few years will be gradual; some programs have already been piloted over the past couple of years and some more are planned for this September.

Caton said advocacy for educational fund-ing will be a high priority this year as well, adding that the issue is on-going and fund-ing woes are not getting any easier.

“Every year we have to cut because the Ministry of Education chooses to fund educa-tion not fully,” said Caton.

“The next year, it’s going to be fun, I think it’s going to be energizing, but we’re also looking at the issues of money, and money is a big issue,” said Caton.

[email protected]

New faces, same direction

SCHOOL DISTRICT 71 superintendent Sherry Elwood looks forward to working with the

new Board of Education. PHOTO BY RENÉE ANDOR

❝ When you lose one board and gain a new one, there’s always excitement about the newness, but you want to hon-our and thank the previous board that got you to where you are today. ❞ — Sherry Elwood

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Erin HaluschakRecord Staff

Although CFB Comox may look the same to a passerby, many changes are afoot for 19 Wing, including many new projects coming to completion in 2012.

Lieut. Trevor Reid, public affairs office for the base, explained there are many changes, includ-ing new buildings and infra-structure upgrades which may not be visible to the public.

“One of our big projects is extensive utility upgrades near the main gate,” he explained. “There’s going to be improvements to traffic

flow, safety and security.”Currently, the utility cor-

ridors are being upgraded, and it’s all part of a larger infrastructure systems upgrade, noted Reid.

Another project, which is due to be completed by late summer of this year, is a new health services build-ing. Reid said the existing facility, which provides ser-vices for military members, is more than 60 years old.

“The new building will provide members with effi-cient and expert services. The new location will be

more of a purpose-built building,” he added.

Reid said the firefight-ing tower is also undergo-ing main-

tenance — a facility which helps improve the skills of members, which will help as it keeps firefighters on base, rather then sending them to another location for training.

Looking ahead to the

spring, one returning event to CFB Comox will be the arrival and training of the Snowbirds.

Reid said the demonstra-tion team will return to the Valley April 23 and remain until May 8, with an air

show planned.The Snowbirds have been

performing for four decades, with the first one in Moose Jaw in July of 1971. The group was made up of volun-teer instructor pilots at first. In April of 1978, the Snow-

birds were made a perma-nent squadron and renamed the 431 (Air Demonstration) Squadron.

The Snowbirds are known as ‘Canadian ambassadors’ for the Department of National Defense, and their

acrobatic maneuvers are performed all over North America.

In addition, the regional cadet gliders will return this summer to the Regional Gliding School located at the base, confirmed Reid.

19 Wing, upgrades finishing this year

New buildings on the way for CFB Comox and Snowbirds back this spring

THE SNOWBIRD TEAM will return to 19 Wing Comox this spring, ending their visit with an air show scheduled for May 8.

FILE PHOTO

❝ The new building will provide members with efficient and expert services. The new location will be more of a purpose-built building. ❞ — Lieut. Trevor Reid

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DCOMOX VALLEY RECORD BUSINESS AND PROGRESS Friday, February 17, 2012 9

Airport in Comox always seeking ways to improveErin HaluschakRecord Staff

Shirley de Silva is proud for the way in which the Comox Valley Airport is heading.

The chief executive officer for the Comox Valley Airport Commission (CVAC) and said a strong financial per-formance in 2011 in addition to increased passenger num-bers have provided a strong base for future growth for mid-Island airport.

“We want this to be the best airport — your trip begins here from the moment you step into the building,” explained de Silva, who said last week she is resigning as CEO for per-sonal reasons.

CVAC’s five-year strategic plan sets goals that include expanding air services, facilities meeting customer needs and effective commu-nications.

Short-terms goals include the installation of free Wi-Fi around the airport terminal, a redesign of the passenger lounge and a new website to be revealed in the early months of 2012 to make it more user-friendly, she noted.

In 2011, the airport served 308,937 passengers,

which resulted in a 4.2-per-cent increase over the previous year. This places the airport growth above the minimal passenger growth experienced by most airports across North America.

The airport’s busiest month was August, which saw a total of 34,580 passen-gers — an increase of 992 passengers over the same month in 2010.

CVAC’s strategic plan estimates an annual passenger increase of three per cent, which could place the airport’s passenger numbers as high as 344,125 by 2015.

de Silva said within the past year, she has presented 14 business cases to a vari-ety of airlines and met with multiple carriers about look-ing at the possibility of an airline proving transborder service to the U.S. from Comox.

“We are looking at new destinations,” she said, and added the airport has a very strong airline incentive pro-gram which she explained as an important tool to strengthen the air service development business cases for airlines, which includes terminal fee reductions and marketing support.

In 2011, de Silva noted

the Cancun direct option was added for travellers leaving Comox with the establishment of Air Transat and Nolitours at the air-

port, while Flair Air added a charter flight to and from Fort Nelson.

The past year also saw the launch of the new strate-

gic marketing and branding campaign.

The plan, de Silva said, is to follow the strategic plan for steady, sustainable pas-

senger growth, examining additional air services and continuing a high level of customer satisfaction.

[email protected]

THE COMOX VALLEY Airport offers many flights by WestJet. PHOTO BY ERIN HALUSCHAK

Constituency Office437 5th St., Courtenay BC V9N 1J7

Phone: (250) 703-2422 Fax: (250) 703-2425Email: [email protected]

DON MCRAE, MLAComox Valley

www.donmcraemla.bc.ca

CONGRATULATIONSto all Comox Valley Businesses

on your successes and thanks for the part you playin creating the thriving community we enjoy today.

Fresh food, friendly service, and commitment to community since 1994.We are located at 6th and England Avenue in Courtenay, BC.

Since January 1994……Thrifty Foods has served Courtenay, Comox and the sur-rounding areas by providing quality food products, competitive prices, friendly helpful staff, and a clean, well-stocked store.

“Thank you for the support and loyalty over the years!We are confi dent that we can meet all of your shopping needs. Please feel free to contact myself or any of my team at(250) 338-1383 if we can be of any assistance.”

Andy Carter,Store Manager


PEOPLE HAVE REACTED enthusiastically to an extensive renovation inside and outside at the Comox Community Centre.

Build it and they will come.In 2010 the Comox Community Centre

began a renovation that would change the face of recreation in the Town of Comox.

The 1965 Centennial Wing was torn down and by the spring of 2011 a 3,000-square-foot multi-purpose hall, offices, sev-eral storage rooms and a 5,000-square-foot fitness studio stood in its place.

The citizens of Comox were ready and from the day the doors opened they came in droves. The recreation centre now sees an average of 1,200 visitors per day, 400 of whom are fitness studio customers.

Not bad for a town with a population of just over 12,000.

Rental space in Comox was also at a premium. With the addition of the multi-purpose hall, the community centre has seen an influx of weekend bookings for

events such as wedding receptions, Christ-mas parties, symposiums and trade shows. Weekdays, the hall is filled with martial arts, zumba and other fitness programs. Second-floor renovations have created three separate rooms. A brightly lit boardroom, used by many local groups for their monthly meetings, an arts and crafts/childcare room equipped with a kitchen and industrial size sink and a third room which offers soft lights, a wood floor and mirrors, making it very suitable for such programs as yoga, tai chi and ballet.

When newcomers to the Valley are asked, “Why Comox?” the answer is invariably “for the lifestyle.” Comox is committed to main-taining its recreation infrastructure, which in turn will help maintain the lifestyle that attracts so many to its shores.

— Comox Recreation

Renovated rec centre popular

J • E • W • E • L • L • E • R •SDowntown Courtenay 250-334-4523

It has been a pleasure to see the Comox Valley evolve to the thriving community it is today.

Thank you to our loyal customersfor your support over the years.

The Graham family and staff.


THE KUMUGWE DANCERS perform at a presentation by Trilogy Group president/CEO

John Evans (top right). Plans for one section of Trilogy’s CAYET development in Cumberland

can be seen at right.

Construction by Trilogy might begin this summer

Scott Stanfield Record Staff

Pending servicing and financing, construc-tion could begin by summer at the CAYET project that falls within Cumberland’s boundaries at the junction of the Inland Island Highway and the Comox Valley Park-way, says Trilogy Group president/CEO John Evans.

CAYET loosely derives from aboriginal language meaning water, lake and moun-tains. It is a 700-acre, mixed-use development, hailed as a commercial hub of retail, res-taurants, hotels and housing at an acre-age formerly owned by Comox Timber.

Evans expects engineering draw-ings to be complete by April. Financ-ing to construct infrastructure is valued at about $50 million to service the land.

“We’re fortunate,” Evans said. “British Columbia and indeed the Comox Valley are very well received as I speak with people literally around the world. There is a rec-ognition and an acknowledgement of the attractiveness of this region.”

The project has various components. CAYET Discovery is to be anchored by the Vancouver Island Visitor Centre, and will include a retail and educational component. CAYET Traders is commercial space for automotive and mid-box retail, with an off-ramp to the south.

CAYET Commons, a 400,000 square-foot entertainment component that includes housing and possibly a resort or casino, will be across the street from Discovery. Zoning allows for more than 1,300 residential units. Housing styles will include studio apart-ments, townhouses and single family homes. Residential lands extend to the edge.

• • •In another development, Cumberland

council has adopted bylaws and a covenant for Coal Valley Estates. Zoning bylaw

amendments allow for the construction of 1,000 units between Phases 4 and 5 of the project.

The company received first and sec-ond reading on Phase 4 bylaws in 2007, but the application was stalled due to the lack of available water con-nections and sewage

treatment capacity. The following year, Coal Valley applied for Phase 5 which includes single and multi-family units, a seniors care facility and commercial services totaling 870 units. Phase 5 is separated by a greenway just north of Dunsmuir Avenue.

Concern has been raised about retain-ing trees in the proposed greenway. Council approved a ‘no build/no fill/no disturbance’ covenant area. The ‘no build’ area includes a 25-foot radius from each mature tree. A clause calls for a geotechnical analysis of the hill near Camp Road before building further subdivisions.

[email protected]

❝ British Columbia and indeed the Comox Valley are very well received as I speak with people literally around the world. There is a recognition and an acknowledgement of the attrac-tiveness of this region. ❞ — John Evans

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Renée AndorRecord Staff

The Comox Valley Farmers’ Market will be at its new site on Wednesdays and its old site on Saturdays again this summer.

Organizers tried out the new location at Comox Bay Farm (formerly Farquharson Farm) on Wednesdays this past summer.

Farmers’ Market general manager Vickey Brown said there were some initial concerns about the new site, including wind, traffic issues and whether people would stop in, but the trial was a success.

“We found all those things to be not really issues at all,” said Brown. “People stopped there who had never been there before, who had never been to the Farmers’ Market, so that was great exposure for us and it’s beautiful, it’s a beautiful place to be.”

Despite the new location’s success, Brown said it will be a while until the larger Satur-day market is moved from the Comox Valley Exhibition Grounds.

Brown said the Exhibition Grounds are a good setup for the larger market because there’s electricity and bathrooms, and the new site needs some work before it’s ready

for the larger crowds.“The Saturday market will remain at

Headquarters, probably until we get a build-ing up on that site, or at least permanent bathrooms,” said Brown.

“Even if we were to move to the new site, it would need to be levelled and seeded and all of that stuff and it’s unlikely that we would get that together for this coming sum-mer.”

According to Brown, this year will be used for planning and design of the new building, and then the Farmer’s Market will start looking for funds to build it.

“Once we figure out what the building’s going to look like, we’ll get a budget around it, and then we’ll go look-

ing for cash,” said Brown.Ducks Unlimited Canada owns the site,

and the Farmer’s Market entered an agree-ment with the organization and the City of Courtenay that allows the market to lease the part of the area that isn’t good farming.

She expects construction to begin in the next couple of years, and is looking forward to the permanent home for the entire Comox Valley Farmers’ Market.

“We want somewhere where the market can grow,” said Brown.

THE COMOX VALLEY FARMERS’ MARKET was a success in its new Wednesday market

home this past summer. PHOTO SUBMITTED

Farmers still working on permanent market site

Experiment at new location very popular last summer

❝ People stopped there who had never been there before, who had never been to the Farmers’ Market, so that was great expo-sure for us and it’s beautiful, it’s a beautiful place to be. ❞ — Vickey Brown

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Earle CouperRecord Staff

The Vancouver Island Mountain Centre opened its doors Dec. 8 on Mount Washington and they’re extending an invitation for groups and individuals to beat a path to those doors.

The new non-profit centre hosted the second annual First Nations Snowboard-ing Coaches Clinic on Dec. 8 to 11, and VIMC manager Andrew Scherck said partici-pants were impressed. And well they might be.

The centre features dorm-style accommodations for 40, a double kitchen, state-of-the-art fitness facility, a massage therapist, office space and a large meeting/dining room.

The VIMC recently hosted 33 Montessori school visi-tors from the South Island area and in March will welcome a Japanese vol-leyball team coached by former Mount Washington Ski School instructor Masato Miyazawa.

The centre offers a vari-ety of in-house and pack-aged outdoor recreation and adventure programs designed for school, youth, senior, adult, special interest and corporate groups as well as the general public.

Scherck says word is defi-nitely getting around about all the centre has to offer.

“So far as accommodation, we’re booked every weekend till the third weekend in April. Midweek is a chal-

lenge, because normally we would be getting our public schools, but they’re on work-to-rule right now. But we’re getting a few private schools midweek, which is good.

“The first year is always going to be our most chal-lenging and hardest year, trying to get the word out,” Sherck said. “We’re hoping next year our problem will be trying to fit everybody in.

“Once the ski season is over, the challenge will be how to fill this place in the summer. We have a barrier-free trail now, and lots of seniors groups were coming through last year. I talked with some of the assisted living and independent liv-ing places in the Valley and they said they would be interested in visiting during the summer.”

Scherck has also been in touch with universities about the possibility of using the centre as a retreat for team-building and bond-ing in the fall prior to the start of their winter sports seasons.

Scherck notes local groups such as the Strathcona Nor-dic Cross-Country Club are using the centre, and adds the Seymour and Cypress teams that were here when the Mount Washington Ski Club hosted a recent K1

downhill race all rebooked before they left and will return in April for the zone finals.

Scherck said local teams are welcome to use the GoodLife Fitness facility for free as long as they are accompanied by a coach and pre-book. He added the masseuse has proven to be popular with skiers and snowboarders after they’ve enjoyed a busy day on the slopes.

The positive feedback

and good reviews from those who have already visited the VIMC certainly helps spread the good word about all the centre has to offer, Sherck said. The centre welcomes inquires about all its facili-ties and services.

Contact them at 250-331-9355 or e-mail [email protected].

To find the centre, turn left off the Strathcona Park-way onto Nordic Road and you will see the impressive VIMC building directly across from Raven Lodge. There is onsite parking.

Two non-profit organiza-tions are involved in the Vancouver Island Mountain Centre. The Vancouver Island Mountain Sports Society (VIMSS) has worked hard since 2008 to acquire funding, design and com-

plete the construction of the VIMC. The Tribune Bay Outdoor Education Society (TBOES) has been con-tracted by VIMSS to run the day-to-day operations of the VIMC.

Designed by CEI and Associates, the facility is approximately 8,000 square feet, developed over two floors, with meeting and video rooms, training facili-ties with fitness equipment, sport science lab space, equipment storage, mainte-nance rooms and dorm-style accommodations with cook-ing facilities designed to meet the needs of a variety of groups. “This facility is a legacy of the Vancouver 2010Games and we hope to keep the excitement and energy ofthe Games going by helping athletes train in mountain sports and introducing a variety of sports and activi-ties to those who love the outdoors,” said VIMSS chair Rick Morson.

Renowned Olympic skier, Allison Forsyth, a VIMSS board member who started her ski career at Mount Washington, feels that the facility, “will truly change the training and competi-tion environment at Mount Washington.

“I would have loved to have had an opportunity to train and stay at a facility like this as a youth grow-ing up on the mountain. Facilities like this will make all the difference to young athletes and will further help support the emergence of more events and sports to the Mount Washington area. To be able to provide afford-able accommodation and coaching to young athletes is key to their success - this facility will offer both,” she said.


INSIDE AND OUT, the Vancouver Island Mountain Centre is an impressive sight. It’s functional, too, with a kitchen (below) and as well as dormitory facilities, meeting rooms and a gym to help athletes train. PHOTOS COURTESY VANCOUVER ISLAND MOUNTAIN CENTRE

Mountain centre built, waiting for them to comeNew building at Mount Washing-ton Alpine Resort getting business as word spreads

❝ We have a barrier-free trail now, and lots of seniors groups were coming through last year. I talked with some of the assisted living and independent living places in the Valley and they said they would be interested in visiting during the summer. ❞ — Andrew Scherck

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