2011 YEAR IN REVIEW

January

 

Leon and Evelyn St. Onge escaped with only their pyjamas on their bodies in the Dec. 27 blaze that completely gutted their trailer and outbuilding and nearly cost them their lives. Evelyn was taken to Shuswap Lake General Hospital in Salmon Arm, but her injuries were so severe, she was transferred to hospital in Vancouver. Both of them faced long, extensive recoveries.

 

On Wednesday, Dec. 22, the fire department was called out to a fire at the Solsqua property of Jake and Nush Gjaltema. Upon arrival, firefighters found a structure on the property engulfed in flames. The fire was quickly knocked down and contained to the structure.

 

Juanita Etson, 78, was awarded a $48,500 settlement in B.C. Supreme Court for tripping over a pallet and breaking her hip at an Abbotsford grocery store two years earlier. Justice Barbara Fisher ruled that Etson was 50 per cent responsible for the accident at the Real Canadian Superstore and was entitled to only half the total damages, which were assessed at about $97,000.

 

Dave Reed says he is on a mission to become the Johnny Appleseed of crokinole. The Sicamous resident’s hope is to develop interest in the game throughout the area. To do so, the crokinole enthusiast has got a club up and running and, in addition, will soon be introducing Parkview Elementary students to the game on Wednesdays.

 

2011 is getting off to a sweet start for Nashville Predators captain Shea Weber. Earlier this month the Sicamous native was named to play in the 2011 All-Star Game, Jan. 29-30. On Monday, he was named among the 2011 inductees for the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame.

 

Austin Schneebli has been recognized a second time by the United Soccer Leagues. Eight players from the Thompson Okanagan Football Club were successful in securing an invitation to the high-profile camp, including Sicamous’ Schneebli – a second time for him to receive the honour.

 

Police are searching for residents of a Mara address where a marijuana grow operation was uncovered. In the mid-morning hours on Monday, Jan. 17, Sicamous RCMP executed a warrant to search a property on Highway 97A near Seed Road.

 

Convicted drug smuggler Colin Martin has once again applied for bail. This time, Martin’s application relates to drug charges laid after authorities raided his Malakwa residence and neighbouring workshop in July 2010. Martin’s new bail hearing was held and the judge is expected to make a decision on Jan. 27.

 

The total value of real estate in the Shuswap may have risen since July 2010, but property values, by and large, have remained static or declined.

 

Time to start painting street banners again in Sicamous. The theme this year was Sunny Sicamous. Painting took place between Feb. 1 and  March 15.

 

 

 

At 6:30 am on Jan. 21, firefighters were paged to attend a fire at 909 Sherlock Rd. The burning structure was a roughly 55-by-70-foot workshop on Bud Sherlock’s property. Fire crews on scene were required to position themselves in a safe position away from the explosive elements within the fire, while avoiding overhead power lines.

Leslie Johnson wants to help bring medical marijuana into the mainstream and the first step is getting users and growers licensed. Johnson is licensed to grow and use marijuana. Instead of having to rely on product from out of province, Johnson believes British Columbians should be able to “provide our own medicine for each other and support our own economy.”

 

As of the new year, local First Baptist churches in the area are going by a different name – the Shuswap Community Church. “We did it because we wanted to have a name that was more about the community,” explains Sicamous campus pastor Bob Evans.

 

Sicamous Eagles netminder Chris Kingdon was a force to reckoned with during play against rivals, the Revelstoke Grizzlies. While Sicamous was on the losing end of the 3-2 home-game decision, little fault could be placed on Kingdon, who stopped 55 out of 58 shots on net. On Saturday the Eagles celebrated a 3-2 win against guests the Princeton Posse.

 

February

 

District council is backing a request from Sicamous’ medical community to provide more services to area residents. Sought is a mobile laboratory service so that residents requiring blood work would not have to travel to the often busy lab in Salmon Arm. The clinic is also seeking a nurse practitioner funded by Interior Health, who would be shared between Sicamous and Sorrento.

The 6,600-square-foot home at 3621 Northway Rd. that serves as the residence of convicted drug trafficker Colin Martin and his spouse Jennifer Cahill, could be had for the asking price of $1.75 million. But the listing was abruptly pulled off the market last Thursday. A B.C. Supreme Court order is prohibiting the sale of the residence.

 

The Sicamous Amateur Dram Club was in full rehearsal for their one-act comedy Now Boarding set to run April 14 to 17.

 

Convicted drug trafficker Colin Martin has been denied bail. Reasons for the ruling cannot be reported because of a publication ban.

 

The Sicamous pre-novice hockey team went undefeated at the Revelstoke Fire Pre-novice Tournament on Saturday, Jan. 29. Sicamous came out strong against the undefeated Salmon Arm Jets in the first game, winning 6-3. The Predators dominated the game against Revelstoke Fire, winning 10-4. In the third game, Sicamous played the Vernon Timbit Sharks, winning 8-3.

District council is looking at a bylaw to encourage growth and employment opportunities through tax exemptions. A revitalization bylaw may apply to the value of the land or improvements, or both, though they are limited to municipal property values. The maximum term of an exemption is 10 years.

 

The Sicamous Chamber of Commerce is getting its house in order to give up its house/office on Finlayson. The district has offered the chamber space in the new municipal hall upon its completion.

 

Grade 7 student, Netanya Quessy was the winner of the 2011 Parkview School Spelling Bee. Twenty-three contestants participated, but by the fifth round only three competitors remained. Netanya made it look easy, but it turns out she studied a lot for the bee.

 

The dedicated training leading up to Ryan Allen’s first amateur mixed martial arts fight may have taken a considerable amount of time, but the fight itself did not. Allen finished the fight 20 seconds into the first round, overcoming his opponent with a TKO victory.

The Sicamous and District Recreation Centre Society invited other community groups to meet at the rec centre. The purpose, said society president Kathy Morrison, was to reach out to those groups and offer the society’s assistance in co-ordinating community sports and recreation events. What could be concluded by the end of the two-and-a-half hour, often intense, meeting was that Sicamous volunteers are burned out, and could be working better together to meet similar goals. After the meeting, Eagle Valley Sports and Leisure president Michelle Wolff maintained that a co-ordinator position is needed in the community. Morrison and the society concurred that a co-ordinator may be needed down the road, but isn’t reasonable at this time.

 

A Salmon Arm woman is dead and her husband remains in care after an incident which took place Friday night, Feb. 18 at her Timms Road residence in rural Salmon Arm. The victim is Louise Phillips, 52, who was the office manager for the Salmon Arm Observer/Eagle Valley News. Police continue to deem Louise’s death as suspicious. Police are refusing to comment on the status of Jim Phillips or whether he was injured.

 

The Eagles fell on the losing side of a 5-4 tally against the Kamloops Storm, bringing an end to Sicamous’ hopes of advancing in the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League Okanagan Conference playoffs.

 

March

 

Shuswap MLA George Abbott won’t speculate on a possible role in Christy Clark’s cabinet. Abbott, who placed third in Saturday’s Liberal leadership race, had a brief discussion Sunday with Clark, who rose to the top. He says there was no discussion about him being named a cabinet minister. Abbott has previously served as minister of health, community services, sustainable resource management, aboriginal relations and education.

 

Last summer was one of the best years yet for enforcement on the lake, Sicamous RCMP Sgt. Carl Vinet explained to district council. Vinet also said the Sicamous detachment had a record year for taking down drug dealers and marijuana grow ops. Eleven grow ops were busted in the 2010/11 year, seven outdoor and four indoor.

 

So far Sicamous residents don’t appear too keen about the district’s latest curbside garbage collection offering. The district mailed out surveys to residents to solicit feedback on a new proposal for mandatory curbside garbage and recyclable collection service. As of Wednesday, 168 of those surveys had been returned. The results were 130 against, 37 in favour, and one ‘I don’t know.”

 

School District #83 Secretary-treasurer Sterling Olsen gave trustees a preliminary budget report with a best-case and worst-case scenario for next year’s budget shortfall.

“It could be as little as $600,000 or over $1.8 million,” said Olson.

The school district ended last year with a surplus budget of just under $3 million, but used $1.8 million to cover the previous year’s shortfall.

Losing weight can be as great a challenge as keeping it off. Sicamous’ TOPS (Taking Off Pounds Sensibly) branch offers support for both. The local chapter came into existence after Charlette Cochran’s scale gave her news she did not want to see. There’s a $30 annual fee to be a member, which includes a subscription to TOPS’ monthly magazine. The group gets to use the Employment Place free of charge, only having to make a monthly donation to the food bank.

 

For her husband Brett’s birthday, Vivian Ogino will be giving a gift straight from the heart – well actually, the abdominal region. Vivian is donating one of her kidneys to Brett, whose own kidney is gradually failing due to an inherited defect. Vivian’s donation will also benefit the medical community, as she has volunteered to take part in a long-term medical study on living kidney donors.

 

Sicamous retailers appear to be onboard and excited about hosting a Sturgis North event in July. Mayor Malcolm MacLeod has been courting Sturgis chief executive officer Ray Sasseville, with the hope that the community might be able to host the burnout competition on Main Street. MacLeod informed council that the body sponsoring the burnout, the Canadian Motorcycle Drag Racing Association, has given its thumbs up.

 

Weather-influenced dips on Sicamous roads are expected to smooth out soon. District administrator Alan Harris said most of the dips or depressions are expected to disappear. Those that don’t will be dealt with on a priority basis.

 

The best of what the Shuswap has to offer will be showcased at an upcoming trade show being put on the Sicamous Chamber of Commerce. In the spirit of Shuswap Tourism’s recent rebranding of the area, “beautiful, casual, down-to-earth,” the chamber held the first Shuswap Lifestyle Trade show.

April

 

It was really good, except when it wasn’t. This is how Bruce Moores summarizes the past five years he’s spent as president of the Eagle Valley Snowmobile Club, and the last two as general manager of the Eagle Valley Grooming Society. Moores, who is stepping down from the helm of the clubs, described himself as an “old, retired guy” when he volunteered his name to take over as club president. At the time, he says, Sicamous was still a sleepy place in the winter. But there were people in the community such as Doreen Favel-Wilson, Brad Harris and Gord Bushell, to name a few, who saw a future in the marriage of Sicamous and sledding. Overall, Moores says he’s proud of what he’s been able to accomplish.

Traffic remained restricted to one lane following a fatal collision on the Eagle River Bridge which killed a 29-year-old Abbotsford man. The incident occurred about 8:30 p.m., Saturday, April 9. A westbound semi tractor-trailer and eastbound semi hauling a flatbed clipped each other as they were crossing the bridge. As a result, the driver of the westbound semi lost control and his vehicle collided with the bridge.

 

An eight-year-old girl was taken to hospital for treatment of serious injuries following a two-vehicle accident at the Trans-Canada/Highway 97A intersection. According to police, a vehicle driven by a Sicamous resident was travelling east from Main Street. Upon accessing 97A, it struck a northbound vehicle carrying five occupants – two adults and three children from Innisfail, Alta.

 

If the people are not coming to Sicamous, then take Sicamous to the people. Judy Pennett has embraced this mantra as part of her strategy to sell Sicamous and the Shuswap, and the various flavours of development it has to offer. Pennett moved to the area in October 2010, originally to do some marketing for Silver Sands RV Resort. But the resort’s developer, Terry Gold, came up with a way to get a bigger bang for the buck, by forming a consortium. The plan attracted a wide range of developers, including Hummingbird Resort, the Eagles Roost/The Station, Bayview Estates, Three Buoys and Silver Sands. Pennett notes that when she goes to shows, she’s packing as much information promoting the area as she can.

 

Council voted down the latest version of the curbside garbage and recycling program. The District of Sicamous mailed out 1,112 surveys to property owners who would have been included in the most recent curbside proposal. Of the 439 surveys returned, 92 were in favour of the program while 347 were against.

 

The Eagle Valley Arts Council is hoping to showcase the beauty of the Sicamous area, and give away prizes in the process, with the Beautiful Sicamous Arts Contest. There were eight categories and $1,500 in prizes. The biggest prize, $500, went to the best song for Sicamous.

 

A reception in honour of the winners of the 2010 Remembrance Day Poster contest was held on April 9 at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch #99. Owen Willey, from the Malakwa Learning Academy, won first prize for his primary level black and white poster at both branch and zone level competition, and third prize at the province-wide BC/Yukon Command level. Joanne Jankowski, also from the academy, won first prize for her primary level colour poster at both branch and zone level competition. Netanya Quessy from Parkview won first prize at the intermediate level in both the colour and the black and white competition.

 

Shea Weber’s star continues to rise. The Nashville Predators’ team captain was named one of three finalists for the James Norris Memorial Trophy. The Norris trophy is awarded annually to the defensive player who demonstrates the greatest all-round ability throughout the season.

 

May

 

The Conservative MP was elected for a third consecutive time in the Okanagan-Shuswap riding, giving him a resounding 31,443 votes or 55.4 per cent of the vote share. Looking to the national results, Colin Mayes is understandably pleased with the Conservative majority.

 

If home is where the heart is, then it makes sense that Vancouverite Cindy Wong should be rooting for the Nashville Predators when they play Vancouver in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Wong was raised in Sicamous. Her family owned and operated the Jade Stone Inn for 23 years. Wong isn’t alone in switching allegiances. Back in Sicamous, the orca pennants went down, replaced by the sabre-toothed tiger.

Craig Mitchell has a vision: to get people out into the park and exercising for free.  Mitchell’s vision was challenged when a community member told him he required permission to use the park, and would probably need insurance. Council concurred, suggesting insurance would protect both the district and Mitchell. Mayor Malcolm MacLeod, however, suggested Mitchell might be better off if he were to operate under the auspices of Sicamous Sports and Leisure. Mitchell, while supportive of Sports and Leisure, was reluctant to tie his group down to any form of commitment.

 

Sharon Terriah knows as well as anyone how one person’s trash can be another person’s treasure. But the United Church thrift shop manager knows there’s a line between what items may find a new life in the hands of others, and what is best suited to the landfill. Unfortunately, the thrift shop volunteers frequently find items dropped off outside of store hours that are destined for the dump. “We’re spending anywhere from $6,000 to $8,000 a year, and that’s money that will not be going back into the community,” says Terriah.

 

Sicamous may be a small community, but its residents have shown once again, they have big hearts. This year, donations to date are at $12,577. This year marks a turn of events, with the men’s team, the Heart Throbs, bringing in the larger total of $6,902, compared to the $5,675 brought in by the women’s team, the Quality Strokers.

The Fireworks/Firecracker Area E Regulation Bylaw passed final reading, making it illegal to sell or use fireworks in the area. Fines are: $300 for selling or distributing; $200 for possession and setting off; and $200 for discharging in contravention of a permit. 

With the economic downturn, several projects underway in the Sicamous area appeared to have come to a halt. The nearly completed municipal sewer extension to Two Mile marks a significant step forward for Waterway Houseboats’ current operations, but also for the company’s planned residential development, Beachbay Village. The incomplete Three Buoys development on Riverside Avenue sits idle, but manager Rob Bushel says the company is not, and discussions continue regularly with District of Sicamous staff. Over at the Old Town Bay development, there have been a number of changes, though not all are visible. Twin Anchors’ Greg Kyllo says he and his brother Todd have divested themselves of the majority interest in the project, retaining about four acres in the village centre for Twin Anchors’ future marina.

 

June

 

The Eagle Valley Senior Citizens Housing Society welcomes the development of a new facility. At a fundraiser, the society’s president, Regina Forry, announced plans to build a fourth facility along Gordon Mackie Lane on two undeveloped acres along Highway 97A.

Conversation around the Moore family dinner table isn’t exactly normal fare, especially when father John and daughter Heather have spent the afternoon rescuing someone from an automobile wreck. The Moores are members of the Eagle Valley Rescue Society – a line of work they’ll readily admit is not for everyone. It’s a similar story at the residence of Sherry Watson and son Tyler, as well as the home of Linda Schroeder, son Tyler and daughter Kristal – all of whom are rescue society volunteers. At age 16, Heather Moore, Tyler Schroeder and Tyler Watson are the youngest members of the crew. Sixteen is the minimum age to join.

 

Sicamous’ mayor and council have given their approval for the creation of a bylaw that would allow the development of a commercial/residential structure at 213 Main St. The applicant is proposing to construct a three-storey building, or mixed commercial and residential use.

 

The Sicamous Lions have begun raising funds for the Lions Park project. The goal is to create a park and playground that is accessible to people of all ages and abilities. To help make this goal a reality, the club has dusted off its loonie donation banks and placed them in businesses throughout the community.

 

Sicamous resident Chad Hare recently won the singles event at Lakeview Heights Tennis Club in Kelowna. A former junior player, Hare has picked up the racket again, joining the Salmon Arm Tennis Club.

 

Donations have been pouring into the food bank as of late from Sicamous stratas, which have been on a campaign to curb hunger in the community. “The support has been phenomenal and we have received food and funds from the Sails, Narrows, White Pines and Legacy with offers to help as they can,” says Janet McLean-Senft of the Eagle Valley Community Food Bank.

 

Though self-proclaimed “rock-chick” Robin Brock calls Annis Bay home, and considers Sicamous and Salmon Arm her stomping grounds, her music career has kept her overseas, touring Europe and the UK. Brock says when she heard that Sturgis was happening in Salmon Arm, she jumped on the opportunity to once again play to a home audience.

 

Dylan Johns’ golf game was on a high with a low at another successful Juniors Night.  Johns captured first place with a low gross score of 40 at the June 1 contest.

 

Mary Ann Metal is grateful for a good Samaritan whose selfless actions prevented her livelihood from going up in flames. After catching a movie in Salmon Arm, David Lewis was heading back home that evening to Revelstoke. As he was passing the Malakwa Supermarket, Lewis noticed flames emanating from the front porch. Lewis removed a burning chair, then found a bucket and water and was able to deal with the building. Sicamous RCMP Sgt. Carl Vinet says a 61-year-old Malakwa man was arrested soon after the incident. Asked if he has any formal firefighter training, Lewis, a handyman by trade, said no, that he just did what came naturally to him.

 

A revision to the vision for the Lions Park will need input from the public before Sicamous council fully supports changes to an existing plan. Council wished to compare the two plans, but spoke favourably to the new one. However, it was agreed that the public should be given an opportunity to provide input, as was the case with the first plan.

 

It might be the nicest gift the Columbia Shuswap Regional District has ever received: a 51-acre parcel of park land worth $424,500. Peter Jennings donated his land on the lower Perry River to the CSRD to be kept in perpetuity for recreation and conservation.

 

The Sicamous Garden tour was held on Sunday, July 10. This event was sponsored by the Sicamous Dragon Boat Paddlers in collaboration with the Eagle Valley Brush & Palette Club.

 

Ruth Cameron isn’t waiting for any public open house to voice her concerns over a proposal for Lions Park. The self-professed “crabby old lady,” doesn’t buy into the vision currently being promoted by the Sicamous Lions Club, that is raising funds to add a variety of equipment that would make the park accessible to youth and seniors alike.

 

Sicamous council said farewell to its old home. It was the last time council would hold its committee of the whole meeting at the district office on Riverside Avenue and meet for its regular council meeting at the Seniors Activity Centre on Shuswap Avenue.

 

A review of the management structure for the Sicamous and District Recreation Centre is long overdue. This was Sicamous council’s conclusion after reviewing and accepting the latest draft of the district’s new Parks, Recreation and Open Space Plan. District administrator Alan Harris noted the rec centre society’s contract with the CSRD is only for the maintenance of the facility, and does not include programming.

 

The Sicamous Lions Club hosted an Aunty Esther’s Cinnamon Bun Breakfast Picnic and tour of the site on Saturday and Sunday, July 9 and 10. This event was a fundraiser and information event for the park project. This was an opportunity for all potential users to visit and see for themselves what the possibilities are.

JULY

A boat to service BC Ambulance on Shuswap and Mara lakes appears to be a go, a fire boat is a bust. Currently, the District of Sicamous, BC Ambulance, the regional district, the Canadian Coast Guard and the Provincial Emergency Program are in preliminary discussions on having a boat located in Sicamous to handle ambulance emergencies on Shuswap and Mara lakes, said chief administrative officer, Alan Harris.

 

Cody Franson’s first hockey jersey wasn’t for a Sicamous squad. It was a Toronto Maple Leafs sweater put on him when he was a two-month-old baby. The 23-year-old, six foot five defenceman will wear the storied Leafs jersey for real as the Toronto club acquired him in a trade with the Nashville Predators.

 

As the November municipal election nears, Mayor Malcolm MacLeod isn’t shying away from the idea of serving a second term as mayor of Sicamous. Earlier, former mayor Lorraine March declared her intentions to run again for the mayoral seat after being defeated in the last election. Coun. Heidi deWit has said, that at this time, she has no plans to run for a second term. Having also served one term on council, Coun. Jerry Silva says he is weighing the pros and cons of running for public office before he makes a decision to run for a second term. Couns. Charlotte Hutchinson and Don Richardson, who were elected in October’s by-election, are both leaning towards running again. Couns. Lynn Miller and Fred Busch have disclosed they will run again for their sixth terms.

 

They support improvements to the Highway 97 transportation corridor, but Columbia Shuswap Regional District directors don’t want the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure to forget about the need to improve the Trans- Canada Highway. The issue arose at the regional district’s June 15 board meeting, whose agenda included an invitation to attend the Okanagan Valley Transportation Symposium one-day workshops taking place July 18 to 22 and again in September, to develop a unified vision for transportation improvements along Highway 97, 97A and 97B.  While the board unanimously approved the attendance of Area D director Rene Talbot and Area E director Rhona Martin, directors expressed concerns about the Trans-Canada and directed staff to write a letter to the Ministry of Transportation.

 

With a new development proposal in the making, Eagle Pass Landing, the restaurant that fosters Sicamous’ past, could become history itself. At the July 22 committee-of-the- whole meeting, owners Dave and Linda Hare presented the affordable housing proposal that would remove the building altogether from the site. “The purpose here this morning is to try to convince Alan (Harris), Steve (Noakes) and yourselves (council) that it’s a good idea to eliminate Eagle Pass Landing and replace it with expanding the Ridgeview Mobile Home Park into the Eagle Pass Landing property,” said Dave Hare, who with his wife, owns the property adjacent to Eagle Pass Landing that houses the non-strata park.

 

Just because you are from a small town, doesn’t mean you can’t dream big, and nobody knows this better than Christine Dewitt. The 17-year-old Sicamous talent and Salmon Arm Secondary grad has received a four-year $80,000 athletic scholarship to play NCAA Division 1 softball at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, South Carolina.

 

Mosquitoes are putting the bite on Sicamous tourism and raising more than welts with the locals. And the company hired to keep the annoying insects in check is unable to provide treatment. A Silver Sands Road resident since 1971, Epp Dejong says he hasn’t seen so many mosquitoes since the flood of 1972.

 

Operation Drywater quickly turned into Operation Deficiency on Okanagan and Shuswap lakes. Enforcement officials had set up Operation Drywater over the June 24-26 weekend to educate people on impaired boating. The initiative, was set up on Kal Lake, Wood Lake, Shuswap Lake, Okanagan Lake in Kelowna and Osoyoos Lake. And while officials only found a handful of boats with alcohol on board, they quickly discovered a great majority of vessels checked had some kind of deficiencies.

 

A vicious little storm delivered a cold front to the Shuswap – along with 800 lightning strikes between Kamloops and Revelstoke. The Kamloops Fire Centre received more than 100 smoke reports and, thanks to alert members of the public, the crews were able to respond quickly to put them out, says fire information officer Kayla Pepper.  The good news is that there have only been five fires in the Salmon Arm Zone this year, all under one hectare in size. The bad news is that every one of them was person caused.

 

Another Canada Day celebration has come and gone, and again it was a wonderful weekend for the arts. The annual art show by the Eagle Valley Brush and Palette Club and the Eagle Valley Arts Council was again outstanding, and it is true that this one was the best. On Canada Day, the people waiting for their wonderful strawberry breakfast, served by the Lions Club were entertained by Matt Duffus. It all came together beautifully. Then, of course, there was the Band on the Barge concert at the park. For the second year, the band Scarecrow entertained the crowd at the park. By the time 10 p.m. rolled around, the park was filled with people and there was an enormous number of boats on the lake.

 

There was an overwhelmingly positive vibe downtown when hundreds of bikes and riders from the Salmon Arm-based motorcycle rally packed Main Street for Sturgis’ burnout competition. Bikers, residents and other visitors walked up and down the block, admiring the bikes, taking in the motorcycle stunts, and spending money at vendors and local businesses.

 

Following a council meeting, the district has agreed to adulticide for mosquitoes at residences that qualify through a public petitioning process. District works services manager Grady MacDonald said spraying would occur on Old Town Road where allowable. However, residents wanting to spray will have to follow provincial guidelines and will require approval of neighbours, all part of the required petition process.

 

It’s possible Bryson Dick knows more about Nazareth than the band does themselves. So one can just imagine Dick’s excitement when he, by chance, came across the rock legends from Dunfermline, Scotland having a rest and a beverage in downtown Sicamous at Brothers Pub. “As soon as I saw the guy who stepped out of the bus had grey hair, I knew it was one of the good bands, because the good bands are pretty well older people,” said Dick, who was unable to see the band perform but is thrilled to have met them.

 

The Sicamous branch of the Okanagan Regional Library offered a delightful summer escape for kids ages five to 12 with the Summer Reading Club. Bob Evans taught techniques for drawing popular cartoon characters, July 27, Shuswap storyteller James Murray taught the art of storytelling through puppets. On Aug. 9, storyteller/musician Tom McComack performed.

 

Tons of frustration, anger and disbelief resonate in John Moore’s voice as he explains how someone has been vandalizing roadside memorials erected by the Eagle Valley Rescue Society. Moore, a rescue society volunteer, says that for the past 10 years, he and the society have been erecting crosses along roads and highways at scenes of fatal accidents. It’s a practice intended to pay respect to those whose lives were lost, to show that they are not forgotten. Now, someone is tearing the crosses down, an action Moore calls a malicious act of vandalism. Moore says a total of nine crosses have been torn down.

 

Criticism over the flow of information from administration to council, and from council to the community, created an uncomfortable stir at the July 13 district committee-of-the-whole meeting. Criticism began to flow when Mayor Malcolm MacLeod took Coun. Lynn Miller to task for comments she made in the July 6 Eagle Valley News. Miller expressed concern over what hasn’t been accomplished in the community, and said she was frustrated over the public not having avenues to provide input, such as committees. In response, MacLeod named off a list of successes, as well as works in progress. As for committees, MacLeod said he had been informed by former committee chairs that here was no need for them. Couns. Jerry Silva and Don Richardson said they are satisfied with the current leadership and administration. However, both agreed more of an effort could be made to keep council informed.

 

AUGUST

 

At their July 27 committee-of-the-whole meeting, Sicamous council (with the exception of Couns. Charlotte Hutchinson and Heidi Dewit) agreed to have district administrator Alan Harris report back on a recommendation to amend the pest management plan to allow for fogging with provision of 48-hours notice. This would apply to areas where fogging does not come into conflict with provincial regulations protecting fish habitat, and/or in residential neighbourhoods (but not on private property) where neighbours have provided approval in advance. The recommendation was the result of a lengthy discussion over concerns raised by Coun. Fred Busch with regard to the current petition process, which requires 100 per cent approval of residents and the passing of a provincially-required bite count (three bites in one minute) before a neighbourhood can be fogged. “If we’re going to fog, I’d like to see some way to speed the process up,” said Busch.

 

The view may be fine, but the outlook towards turning the west side of the former Sicamous bridge into a public lookout is puzzling to Kim Hyde.  “What we’re trying to do is just clean it up because when you look at it from Main Street Landing, it’s blah and whatever,” says district administrator Alan Harris. While no signage is proposed to mark the lookout on the nearby Trans-Canada Highway, Hyde is baffled by why the district would do anything that encourages people to pull over and stop. “It’s not for someone to stop and park along the road because it’s not wide enough to do that.”

 

They don’t have all the numbers yet, but RCMP report that overall, safety compliance on Shuswap Lake was significantly improved from previous patrols. Sicamous detachment assisted local paramedics with a male who fell off a houseboat at Nielsen Beach and hit his head.

 

Police received a report of the theft of a red Dodge pickup truck from Waterways overflow parking lot Saturday, July 30. An attempt to steal a second vehicle from the same lot occurred later in the day.

 

On July 24, a young Revelstoke woman was driving her Toyota Matrix eastbound on the Trans-Canada Highway near Yard Creek Bridge, when she lost control of the vehicle and rolled into the ditch.

 

Softball BC awarded the Men’s Provincial Championship to Sicamous once again, after the community received rave reviews by participating teams last year.

 

The Eagle Valley Sports and Leisure Association (EVSLA) knows that summer sun means water activities. EVSLA and certified swimming instructor Brianne von Niessen offered lessons to all ages.

 

A supportive community, solid coaching and celebrity instructors – these are definite factors behind the success of the Sicamous Hockey School. As expected, the program filled up quickly, but not to a point where kids couldn’t get some one-on-one if needed. Having guest instructors like Kris Beech, Cody Franson and Shea Weber is an added bonus.

 

Redline Garages, a multiple-unit storage development, was first proposed by Gord Bushell and Brad Harris in 2007. Because of the economic downturn, the project was put on hold and the original development permits have since lapsed. But the two now have a modified plan and new partners willing to invest millions into the project. And while some variances are needed, the biggest issue facing the developers, at least from the view of municipal staff, is the form and character of the building and its lack of compliance with Sicamous’ Official Community Plan. Subsequently, staff recommended that a development permit not be issued. Councillors decided, however, that the project could proceed to a regular meeting of council for deliberation.

 

Repair work is underway on the Bruhn Bridge after pieces of the structure fell into a boat travelling below. Ministry of Transportation spokesperson Kate Trotter said that on Aug. 9, a triangular strip of concrete approximately three feet long by three inches thick fell from the outside deck of the bridge. “On being informed about the incident, Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure immediately inspected the bridge to ensure there was no danger,” said Trotter. “Incidents such as this are very rare in B.C. due to a thorough and ongoing bridge maintenance program.”

 

Aug. 21 marks the return of the Forever Young Run. Tim Atkinson says this year’s run will still be the eighth annual, despite the seventh being put off for a family wedding. The run began in Calgary in 2004, and was expanded to Sicamous in 2007, as a tribute to Atkinson’s daughter Joah, and Brian Collins, who at ages 20 and 21 were struck and killed by a careless driver while crossing a crosswalk. Two $3,000 athletics scholarships are awarded annually to University of Calgary students. Another beneficiary of the run is Eagle River Secondary. Each year one student is chosen to receive the $500 Joah Atkinson/Brian Collins forever Young Athletic Award.

 

Cody Franson knows what it means for a kid to be taught what you love by someone you look up to. Franson, currently a blueliner with the Toronto Maple Leafs, was back in his hometown to once again help out as a guest instructor with the school, along with former Nashville Predator’s teammate Shea Weber, and fellow Sicamous product Kris Beech.

Despite having a mobile concession, Cathy and Artemio Barraza didn’t expect to be as mobile as they have been this last summer – a result of complications relating to municipal works and regulations. The Barrazas were in the Eagle River Secondary parking lot, serving up fresh, authentic tacos, quesadillas and other delights from their mobile concession stand, Mexican Food  & More. “Originally, when I got my business licence in January, it said Main Street Landing which is where I was last summer,” says Cathy.  Council agreed the bylaw needs to be amended, and brought it back to the July 27 committee-of-the-whole meeting for further discussion. Meanwhile, business remains slow at the taco stand.

 

An Alberta resident was taken to hospital with head injuries after their vehicle collided with two oncoming pickup trucks with horse trailers. Police say the Alberta driver had crossed the centre line, striking the two trucks with trailers.

 

For a resort community, Sicamous could be doing more to support mobile vendors and concessions, says Dennis “the Hotdog Guy” Barbe. Barbe’s big beef, he says, has to do with the district’s lack of a specific plan for where such operations should go.

 

The Sicamous Volunteer Fire Department and the Eagle Valley Rescue Society received a financial boost courtesy of vendors attending the Sturgis North burnout competition in Sicamous. The Sicamous Chamber of Commerce, who helped co-ordinate the local event, submitted cheques of $500 to the fire department and the rescue society. The Juvenile Diabetes Foundation received a donation from the Cedars Motel, Sicamous Dollar or More donated to the Eagle Valley Community Food Bank, and Eagle Valley Sports and Leisure received a donation from Inkx Design and Printing Solutions.

 

The Lion’s Park tour on July 9 and 10 was well received, just not well attended by locals.  In the end, everyone was asked to fill out a survey form to show that they understood what the options were. Donations totalling $261 were received. Without a doubt, putting the playground equipment in was top priority for everybody concerned.

 

The Salmon Arm Folk Music Society will debut their Routes and Blues concert series, a great new program where you can get your boots on a local hiking trail in the afternoon and your dancing shoes on for a fantastic concert in an intimate setting in the evening. The Routes and Blues programs were held Aug. 11 to 16 – six days of hiking, concerts and food was planned in six communities around the Shuwsap. Malakwa was on the 11th, with hiking on the Eagle River Nature trails. After exploring the area, the day ended at the Malakwa Community Hall with a healthy offering of lasagna and garlic toast, followed by the swanky grooves of Aarom Nazrul and the Boom Booms.

 

Shea Weber can now add highest-paid blueliner to the long list of distinctions he has earned throughout his hockey career. The Sicamous native was awarded a one-year contract worth $7.5 million, the most ever earned by an NHL player through salary arbitration.

 

This high-energy, on-ice summer ringette program is designed for players entering or playing in the U12 (Petite), U14 (Tween) and U16 (Junior) divisions.

 

Lucy Rego, husband Rick Halley and children Meleana and Jennifer Halley are homeless after losing the majority of their worldly possessions in a fire. The experience has been one of great sadness and discomfort for the family.

A 30-year-old Red Deer, Alta. man died after the motorcycle he was driving collided with the rear end of a semi trailer. Sicamous RCMP Sgt. Carl Vinet says that at 9 a.m. on Aug. 19, officers were called to the scene of a serious motor vehicle collision on the Trans- Canada Highway, east of the Malakwa Bridge.

 

When an illegal turn causes a crash, a 69-year-old was fined. The incident occurred at noon on Aug. 20 in the 800 block of the Trans-Canada Highway. Sicamous RCMP Sgt. Carl Vinet says the driver of a grey 2008 Ford pickup was travelling east on the Trans-Canada and decided to make an illegal northbound turn across double yellow lines to enter the exit of the Tim Hortons parking lot. The second vehicle involved, a brown 1998 Ford van, was travelling west at the time and the driver was unable to avoid the pickup truck.

 

A 27-year-old Victoria woman who was tubing on Shuswap Lake suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries after colliding with a houseboat. Sicamous RCMP Sgt. Carl Vinet says that on Aug. 21 at around 2:24 p.m., police responded to a report of a collision involving a houseboat and a Sea-Doo pulling a female on a tube (both parties were associated).

 

In the early morning hours of Aug. 10, Sicamous RCMP responded to a report of a house fire at 8131 Hutchinson Rd. in Mara. Sicamous RCMP Sgt. Carl Vinet says officers arrived on the scene to find the vacant home burned to the ground and a bystander attempting to prevent the fire from spreading to the nearby forest. Further investigation revealed that the lock to the main entrance gate had been cut, and the contents of the home had been removed prior to the fire.

 

Accomplished martial arts competitor, coach and personal trainer Holly Raczynski has achieved so many titles in so many martial arts disciplines that it’s hard to keep track of them all, even for her. Add to that movie stunt work as well as a successful gymnastics career as a youngster, starting when she was age two. Razynski, who moved to Sicamous from Calgary about a year ago, is planning to teach karate and kickboxing in the Shuswap.

 

Rob Gagno sees a good thing in the Sicamous and District Recreation Centre, and he aims to take advantage of it. Gagno, with partners Wayne Lenihan and Ryan Turner, have brought Top Flight Hockey School to the community.

 

Sicamous Chamber of Commerce president John Schlosar appreciates the democratic process that saw 55 per cent of British Columbians vote to extinguish the 12 per cent harmonized sales tax in favour of returning to the two-tax system of the seven-per cent provincial sales tax (PST) and the five-per cent federal goods and services tax (GST). But he says the turmoil over the HST has come at a tremendous cost to the province. Like his counterparts with the B.C. chamber, Schlosar wishes to move forward, but with the hope that the provincial government, in the 18-month transitional phase back to the PST, will consult with the public and look at ways in which the administratively cumbersome tax could be improved.

 

The 48-year-old Bruhn Bridge, which carries the Trans-Canada Highway across the Sicamous channel, recently underwent a thorough inspection after a three-foot-long by three-inch-thick piece of concrete broke off the outside deck and fell into a boat travelling below. No one was injured, though the bridge, subsequently, looks as though it was attacked by sledgehammers – which isn’t that far from the truth. Ed Dodds, the Ministry of Transportation’s area manager of bridges for the Okanagan District, says that once the piece of concrete fell off, a specialized truck was brought in that allowed the maintenance contractor to inspect the entire bridge. “And we took a chipping hammer and we went over every inch of it, and anything that showed the slightest crack was taken off and removed,” said Dodds.

 

RCMP Sgt. Carl Vinet says the report of an aggressive bruin was received on the evening of Aug. 25, at around 10:20 p.m. The bear appears to be three or four years old. After the initial report, Vinet said several more were received of the bear going into shops and garbage cans. The bear was eventually located on Hemlock Crescent, where it was killed.

 

Nomination packages for mayor and six positions on council were available at the municipal hall. The nomination period begins at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 4 and ends at 4 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 14.

 

A trust account has been set up for a Sicamous family who recently lost their home in a fire. Lucy Rego, husband Rick Halley and children Meleana and Jennifer Halley have taken up temporary lodgings at the Anchor Riverfront Motel, as they seek a new place to live.

 

Some of you may have seen the colourful children’s book Hot Rod Greta on display in places such as Askew’s, True Value Hardware and many other places in Sicamous and Salmon Arm. It is written by Sicamous resident Lynn Minion and illustrated by Carla Gosgnach from Salmon Arm.

 

If you have a taste for speed, or something sweeter, Mike Helfrick and Melissa Yarmoloy should have you covered. This summer, the entrepreneurial couple began two separate businesses in town, Helfrick with Reds Rentals and Yarmoloy with Sicamosu Treats.

 

Ryan Allen continues to pound out a name for himself in the world of mixed martial arts fighting. The 28-year-old Canoe resident, formerly of Sicamous, earned himself a TKO 51 seconds into the second round against fellow amateur MMA fighter Brett Deacon during Battlefield Fight League 10 held in Vernon Aug. 20 at the Wesbild Centre.

 

SEPTEMBER

 

The public hearings are done and now the proposed foreshore and water zoning bylaw goes to the Columbia Shuswap Regional District board for third reading. CSRD planner Marcin Pachcinski told the crowds in Sicamous, Celista and Sorrento the proposed bylaw has been amended in response to the comments from earlier public consultations. Pachcinski said the portion of the bylaw concerning docks is more lenient than Department of Fisheries and Oceans regulations but it reflects the needs of Shuswap residents.

 

The need for employment in Sicamous is certainly a driving factor for at least two residents planning to throw their hats into the political ring. Former mayor, Lorraine March, will again be running for the position, as well as incumbent Mayor Malcolm MacLeod, who indicated he too is hoping to serve another term. Charlotte Hutchinson and Don Richardson, who were elected in an October byelection, both said they will run again, as did Lynn Miller and Fred Busch. Jerry Silva said he is weighing the pros and cons, while Heidi Dewit has said she will not seek re-election. Newcomers in the running include Terry Sinton, Joan Thomson and Greg Kyllo. Sinton expressed grave concern for the community, saying focus needs to be put on the economy. Thomson, a resident of the community for the past 31 years, is of a similar mindset. Thomson says it’s vital the community pursue economic development or else it risks becoming a ghost town.

 

The Sicamous Eagles’ lineup is shaping up into a formidable force for the 2011/12 season. Despite the positive outlook, manager Wayne March stresses that with the Eagles, the game is not about the win, it’s about developing players and moving them onwards and upwards.

 

The number of students in secondary schools in the district continues to decline; however, the number of students in the younger grades is starting to level off, and even see a marginal increase in some schools. Dave Witt, superintendent for School District #83, says this district, which includes Salmon Arm, Sicamous, Enderby and Armstrong is down between 150 and 200 secondary-level students. Currently Eagles River’s student population has dropped below 200 students to 196.  Parkview Elementary is showing a slight drop in students for a total of 184; however, the kindergarten class has the highest enrolment in three years.

 

Greg Kyllo is almost 90 per cent sure he will file his papers to run in the November municipal election. But he wants to talk to members of the community first.

“ I need to hear what others think,” says Kyllo.

 

The Sicamous & District Chamber of Commerce has stepped out of their pink Finlayson Avenue home, and into new digs, and the Visitor Centre will shut. The Visitor Centre will move to the new Civic Centre on Oct. 3, a location that will provide increased traffic flow, as well as offer the newly installed library and museum great exposure to visitors. The chamber has partnered with the Employment Place and Stepping Stones consulting to rent office space at 1217C Shuswap Ave.

 

A community fundraiser is being held to assist a Sicamous family who lost everything in an Aug. 16 house fire. Now, Sicamous residents could offer their help by supporting a beef on a bun and beverage fundraiser on Sept. 17 at the Haven, across from the Seniors Activity Centre.

 

Twin Anchors Marine rep Georgina Kyllo says the company was approached by the Russian firm of Trade Marine to create a boat with a sleek “Euro” design. “The houseboat is designed for day use on the rivers and lakes between St. Petersburg and Moscow and differs in many way from what we usually build, says Kyllo.

 

Only one of five Shuswap directors at the Columbia Shuswap Regional District board intends to call it a day. Area F North Shuswap director Denis Delisle is ready to hang up his hat after serving on the board for six years. Throwing their hats into the election ring are Area B Revelstoke-Columbia director Loni Parker, Area C South Shuswap director Ted Bacigalupo, Area D Falkland/Silver Creek/Ranchero’s Reno Talbot and Area E rural Sicamous director Rhona Martin. After 21 years of serving her constituents, Martin is still enthusiastic about the job. Looking back on her long tenure, Martin says she’s probably most proud of getting 911 service to the region.

 

A land-use amendment bylaw requested by OPD Ventures Ltd. for Pete Martin Bay in Anstey Arm was turned down at the Columbia Shuswap Regional District board meeting in Salmon Arm. Applicant Lorne Davidson asked to have his property rezoned rural holdings in order to accommodate a bare land strata subdivision consisting of nine eight-hectare lots and common property.  Staff recommended the board turn down the proposal because it would create additional lots without access to a public road.

 

League play didn’t begin on a high note for the Sicamous Eagles, but manager Wayne March foresees good things down the road from the largely rookie team.

 

The 10th Annual Scottie Hyde Memorial Golf Tourney was a great tribute to Scottie’s memory and the generous spirit of the Hyde family. The combination of wonderful support from local and area businesses, the help of many volunteers and the incredible generosity of the golfers will provide Eagle Valley Community Support Society (EVCSS), recipients of the funds raised at the tourney, with more than $9,000 to support their programs.

 

Olympic gold medals, the Memorial Cup, the Norris Trophy and the Stanley Cup. Between them, former Kelowna Rockets defencemen Shea Weber and Duncan Keith have won some impressive trophies. The two are now joined together forever as inductees of the BC Sports Hall of Fame. Weber and Keith, along with nine other individuals and two teams, were celebrated at the recent 43rd Annual Banquet of Champions in Vancouver. Weber and Keith entered the hall as members of the 2010 Olympic gold medal-winning Canadian hockey team.

 

Eyes were set to the sky over Sicamous for the colourful show of grace and skill put on during the B.C. Hang Gliding Reunion. Organizer Brian Dodd said there were about 18 active pilots in the air, though about 100 people showed up for the weekend reunion. Dodd, a former Sicamous resident, was part of the local hang gliding scene during its heyday in the late 70s, early ‘80s when the community hosted two Canadian nationals competitions and hang gliders were a common sight over Sicamous.

 

Terry Rysz says he will be offering his extensive background in business management for the benefit of the community in the coming municipal election. A Sicamous resident for the past 10 years, Rysz views his varied business background and the leadership roles he’s played as a key asset in his bid for council.

 

A technical difficulty during the last go-round hasn’t deterred Sheldon Ready from making another run for a seat on council. A framing carpenter by trade, Ready moved to Sicamous in 1989.

 

Sgt. Carl Vinet says the “rampage” began on Thursday, Sept. 22, with the attempted theft of an ATM machine from the Shell gas station. The rampage continued with an attempt to steal a truck on Tecumseh Road, and a separate attempt to steal a truck and a car on Montcalm Crescent. A break and enter at Two Mile landfill was later reported after staff there discovered the gate had been cut and the shack window broken. The crime sprees are believed to have concluded on Sept. 25 with the theft of a white 2006 Ford F350 from Blue Water Houseboats parking lot.

 

Sicamous RCMP are investigating a dispute that involved an axe being taken to two pickup trucks.

 

Teresa Hebert admits to being enthralled with the public education system long before she became a trustee for Sicamous-Malakwa and School District #83. During the majority of her time as a trustee, Hebert has sat on what is now the First Nations Education Council, and more recently she has been a director on the board of the BC School Trustees Association. The low point for Hebert was the closure of Malakwa Elementary School.

 

The Sicamosu Eagles had reason to crow this weekend after taking two out of three games. The first contest was Friday, Sept. 23 against hosts the Chase Heat with a 3-1 win. On Saturday, Sept. 24 the Eagles had a more humbling experience when they were shut down 6-0 by guests the Revelstoke Grizzlies. Despite the upset, the team had clearly licked their wounds and moved on by the evening of Sunday, Sept. 25, when the Eagles dominated play against guests, the Columbia Valley Rockies, to earn a 9-2 victory.

 

OCTOBER

 

Yes” wasn’t Michael Fitzpatrick’s initial response when he was asked by a friend, Nadja Oberholzer, if he might be willing to take part in the Gore-Tex Transalpine Run, a gruelling eight-day, 277-kilometre mountain running race with climbs of up to 10,000 feet in a single day. The Transalpine was something the 36-year-old, former Sicamous resident and Eagle River Secondary alumni had been planning to do next year. When none of his friends responded, Fitzpatrick decided to fast forward his plan.

 

 

A Sicamous senior will be serving four-and-a-half years in jail for his 20th impaired driving offence.  On Sept. 26, just days after celebrating his 64th birthday, Moris Dizenbachs pled guilty in Salmon Arm Law Courts to one charge of operating a motor vehicle while impaired.

 

 

If you’re going out on the water, make sure you follow the rules – or it could cost you. Six violation tickets ranging from $115 to $230 were issued by officers from the Ministry of Environment Conservation Officer Service, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations.

 

 

Another summer of fundraising by Shuswap Lakeside Vacations owners, Leanne and Jim Roberts, has once again concluded with a $1,000 cheque presentation to Shuswap Community Church Sicamous Pastor Bob Evans.

 

 

Brittany Kyllo is making her bloody mark in an independent romantic horror flick called The Dead Mile. The Sicamous native is working alongside makeup artists from Los Angeles. The movie will be released in 2012.

When internationally-renowned sculptor Audrey Nanimahoo was ordered by the City of Revelstoke to stop carving in her home because her work contravened area zoning, she was deeply discouraged. Nanimahoo eventually came to the decision that she would leave her home of 14 years, and make a fresh start in Malakwa.

 

 

The Sicamous Eagles played well, taking a 4-2 win in away-action against the North Okanagan Knights.

 

 

This year’s Union of B.C. Municipalities convention offered some hope but little inspiration for Sicamous’ Mayor Malcolm MacLeod.

 

 

The Sicamous Eagles helped the Columbia Shuswap Regional District with the first cleanup on Old Sicamous Road where they picked up 1,775 kilograms of waste.

 

 

This Thanksgiving, Ken and Alice Dayton gave thanks to Esther Erikson, whose efforts have assured the Daytons’ sons will not be forgotten. On Oct. 7, the Daytons, of Calgary, Alta., returned to their former home of Sicamous, with extended family, to gather where they stood 10 years ago, before the memorial in front of Eagle River Secondary. On that memorial are the names of approximately 50 Sicamous-area youth who lost their lives to one tragic event or another. Ken and Alice Dayton’s boys, Andrew and Darren, are among them.

 

 

As of nomination deadline, the following had filed their nominations papers for council: Fred Busch (incumbent), Charlotte Hutchinson (incumbent), Bruce Krahn, Kevin Kruger, Greg, Kyllo, Lynn Miller (incumbent), Don Richardson (incumbent),Terry Rysz, Jerry Sylva (incumbent), Terry Sinton, Diana Stooshnov and Joan Thomson. Running for mayor are Malcolm MacLeod (incumbent), Lorraine March, Sheldon Ready and Darrell Trouton. For the Columbia Shuswap Regional District, it’s no contest for Rhona Martin, who will be acclaimed as director for Sicamous-Malakwa Area E. There is a race, however, to replace retiring North Okanagan School District #83 Sicamous-Malakwa trustee Teresa Hebert. In the running are Barry Chafe and Sharon Gibb.

 

 

On Friday, Oct. 14, the Eagles iced the Chase Heat with a 9-1 victory. On Saturday, Oct. 15, the Eagles were on the losing end of a 7-1 contest against the Revelstoke Grizzlies.

On Sunday, Oct. 16, the Sicamous Novice Hockey team hosted the North Okanagan Knights in their first game of the year. Final score, North Okanagan 10, Sicamous 3.

 

 

When Grade 12 Eagle River Secondary students Chelsea Roeters and Katelynn Robert learned of the BCAA Dry Grad video challenge, intended to depict the dangers of drinking (or doing drugs) and then driving, they thought it would be a worthwhile pursuit. Two days were spent discussing what direction the film would take. The resulting story, says Roeters, begins at a party. A couple in attendance, who have been drinking, decide to go for a drive, and wind up colliding with another vehicle. It’s at this point that things get uncomfortable. Someone dies, others are battered and bloody.

 

 

Sicamous is a partner community in a project funded by the Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions that will look at the potential of using biomass (fallen wood, beetle kill, etc.) from Crown land in the district’s interface areas for heating fuel.

 

 

Where Salmon Arm council is supporting a soils removal and deposition bylaw proposed by the CSRD, Sicamous council is not only offering its support, but having a similar bylaw prepared for the municipality. In August the Columbia Shuswap Regional District gave first reading to the bylaw, intended to regulate larger scale commercial and industrial operations in the regional district that remove more than 350 cubic metres of soil per year.

Sicamous RCMP were called out to the Esso station Monday morning following an attempted theft of an ATM machine. Sgt. Carl Vinet says officers were called to the MacLean-MacPherson Road business at 5:19 Oct. 24. Upon arrival, they found the front door had been shattered. The ATM machine, however, remained in place, as the suspects had been scared off by an audible alarm.

 

 

Two youths were apprehended by a Sicamous resident during an attempted theft of an all-terrain vehicle (ATV). Sgt. Carl Vinet says the youths were caught Sunday night on Solsqua-Sicamous Road. as they were attempting to flee into the forest after jumping off a Polaris ATV believed to have been stolen.

 

 

On Thursday, Oct. 20, Waterway Houseboat Vacations reported the theft of power tools including chop saws, a sander, a grinder and a brad nailer from their shop area. Some of the tools may be marked with WWH or WWHB.

 

 

Police and the fire department were called to the scene of a fire on Riverside Avenue, where two trees were found to have burned to the ground. Vinet says that although the trees were close to a Sicamsus Marina boat storage, the flames, fortunately, did not spread to the facility.

 

 

Branch #99 of the Royal Canadian Legion has been part of the community of Sicamous for more than 80 years. In that time, the branch has experienced many ups and downs, but with the help of the community and its membership we have survived to become a strong advocate for our veterans, their dependents and the community at large. Branch #99, in a typical year, donates $12,000 to $15,000 to local charities and community groups, and spends more than $100,000 on goods and services within the community.

 

 

Sicamous lost 3-1 to the Kamloops Storm on Friday, Oct. 21. A similar scenario played out on the evening of Saturday, Oct. 22, when the Eagles suffered a 4-2 loss to the North Okanagan Knights.

The Sicamous Peewee Predators travelled to Lumby for their first game of the 2011/12 hockey season for a 3-2 win.

 

NOVEMBER

 

 

The mayoral and council hopefuls received questions relating to their personal philosophies on such things as responsibility to the electorate and affordable housing.

 

 

Legion president Cyril Gosse said Branch #99 received a cheque for $2,000 from Mike Ryan and the Fraser Valley Thunder Rally Society (FTRS). The money was collected during the Sturgis North veterans ride, one of the charity events held during Sturgis that was co-ordinated by the FTRS.

 

 

On Saturday, Nov. 5, the Eagles were on the winning side of a 2-0 tally against guests North Okanagan Knights. The following day Sicamous was in Summerland where they fell to a 7-6 come-from-behind victory for the Steam.

Darrell Trouton says he’d just got back into town and was driving along Larch when he discovered numerous trees had been cut down in the District of Sicamous’ right of way, across from Finlayson Park. Trouton says he was never informed beforehand that the trees would be taken out, and he was subsequently shocked, frustrated and saddened to find out after the fact.

 

 

The 24-hour accessible recycle bin in the Sicamous and District Recreation Centre parking lot was removed after someone lit the materials inside on fire. Until another suitable location is found, Sicamous residents can use the co-mingled recycle bin at their local landfill. Recycling can only be brought in during regular operating hours, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. from Friday to Tuesday.

 

 

Sicamous Sgt. Carl Vinet reports that on Oct. 31, at approximately 3:45 a.m., two suspects wearing dark- coloured coveralls and balaclavas used an axe on a door window to break into the Sicamous Integra tire store and make off with a safe.

 

 

The Sicamous Eagles were sent home to lick their wounds on Saturday, Nov. 12, after suffering a 5-2 loss to hosts the Kamloops Storm.

The Peewee Predators travelled to Vernon on Oct. 30 to play the Sharks, and were treated to a tight, high-pressure and pretty physical game. Unfortunately, a rash of penalties near the end of the game put Vernon on the four-on-three power play, and they scored at 1:03 left, to take the lead and the win 2-1. The Predators hosted the North Okanagan Knights on Nov. 6, with the Knights winning 9-1.

 

 

Timmy’s Christmas Telethon returns in December, and the Sicamous Lions Club will be raising funds for the well-known annual event. The Sicamous Eagles are onboard on Nov. 27; $1 from every ticket sold will be going to the Lions for the telethon.

 

 

SEP co-ordinator Cliff Doherty says that by next summer, the area will have a Coast Guard vessel dedicated to rescue and medical transport on Shuswap and Mara lakes. “This is the first time in B.C. that the Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary will have a rescue station on fresh water,” says Doherty.

 

 

If Terry Rysz’ enthusiasm is anything to go by, activity over the next three years in the Sicamous council chamber should be interesting – in a good way. Results saw Darrell Trouton succeed Malcolm MacLeod as mayor, with Rysz, incumbents Fred Busch and Charlotte Hutchinson, and Greg Kyllo and Joan Thomson serving on council. Don Richardson was the other unofficial elected candidate with one more vote than incumbent Lynn Miller.  With a somewhat laid-back tone, Trouton was obviously pleased with the results, and said he looks forward to bringing about changes with council and administration that will make them more accountable and reliable to the public. Kyllo, who received the most votes, said he was overwhelmed by the support he received. One of the first orders of business for Kyllo, Rysz and Thomson, who was also elated with the support she received, is to establish an economic development committee that will work specifically for Sicamous. Incumbents Charlotte Hutchinson and Fred Busch say they are both grateful and humbled to have received another opportunity to serve on council.

 

 

Malcolm MacLeod is looking forward to having more time for fishing and travel, but he won’t be letting local politics out of his sight soon. The outgoing Sicamous mayor says he was disappointed with the election results, but he’s proud of what council has been able to accomplish over the past three years.

 

 

The Eagle Valley Rescue Society could use some helping hands. Rescue society unit chief Linda Schroeder says a good number of the volunteer crew have headed north for work, leaving the society short-handed to face the winter.

 

 

A number of Eagle River Secondary students have identified a pursuit they are passionate about and have been given an unusual opportunity to tailor part of their education to their interest through a course called independent directed studies (IDS), part of the personalized learning initiative being supported by the province. Personalized learning allows students to come up with unique, individualized ways of meeting their learning requirements.

 

 

Eagle Valley Sports and Leisure Association (EVSLA) is offering classes in self-defence and Red Cross Babysitting certification.

 

 

The Peewee Predators travelled to Vernon on Nov. 13 to play the Blazers, with Vernon winning the game 6-4. The Predators saw the Salmon Arm Warriors come to town on Nov. 20 for a win of 3-2. The Predators are now 3 and 3 on the season.

 

 

The Sicamous Lions are backing out of the Lions Park project. Lions president Betty Powell announced the club has cancelled its plans to help transform the park into an active park. Powell does not dismiss the possibility of the Lions Club pursuing the park project at a later date, but not in the coming year.

 

 

A semi truck/trailer driver was airlifted to hospital in Kamloops following a head-on collision with another semi while crossing the Eagle River Bridge. The collision occurred on Friday, Nov. 25 about 3:15 p.m. This was the second collision this year between semis crossing the narrow Eagle River Bridge.

 

 

While conducting neighbourhood enquiries on Nov. 26 into a break and enter of a seasonal residence on Old Spallumcheen Road, police discovered other cabins in the area had been broken into. On the same day, police learned of a break-in at a residence on Malakwa Road.

Some might say the Sicamous Eagles Saturday, Nov. 26 win was the result of their energetic presence and maturing team play. Others might chalk it up to, at least in part, to the pink jerseys and Movember ’stashes they wore to raise awareness and funds for breast cancer and prostate cancer. Whatever it was, the Eagles scored two victories that night; they smothered the Chase Heat with a 6-1 win. The pink jerseys were later auctioneered off, raising more than $1,400 to be donated to the Canadian Cancer Society. The following evening, $1 from every Eagles ticket sold went to the Sicamous Lions Club for Timmy’s Christmas Telethon. Karma repaid the team in kind with a 3-1 win against the Creston Valley Thunder Cats. The only sour note for Sicamous on the weekend came on Friday evening in the form of a 6-5 upset to guests the Revelstoke Grizzlies.

 

 

DECEMBER

 

It may have been one of the shortest meetings Sicamous’ new council will have over the next three years, but that didn’t diminish its significance. Family, friends and fellow supporters packed the council chamber Monday evening to witness Mayor Darell Trouton, and Couns. Fred Busch, Charlotte Hutchinson, Greg Kyllo, Don Richardson, Terry Rysz and Joan Thomson being sworn in.

 

Christmas is typically a time when people remember to support their local food bank. But Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church has been doing so all year, and would like to see other churches do the same. Denise Dory says that every Sunday service, she and her fellow parishioners fill a box with food donations for the Sicamous Food Bank.

 

The Sicamous Eagles enjoyed a stellar weekend of home game wins – 4-0 against the Penticton Lakers and 6-2 against the Chase Heat.

Despite having to put out a house fire Saturday night, Swansea Point firefighters still came through for the kids Sunday morning. On Dec. 10 around 8:30 p.m., the Swansea Point fire department was called out to a Swanbeach Road residence. Upon arrival, firefighters found a blaze had burned through about half of the home. The house wasn’t occupied at the time. At 10 a.m. Sunday, firefighters were still mopping up the scene. But that didn’t keep the fire crew from going ahead with the Swansea Point annual Fireman’s Stocking Run.

 

After having served 15 years on Sicamous council, Lynn Miller is considering a new business venture. But when it comes to politics, she is as feisty as ever. Miller has a number of beefs with the direction council took over the past three years, one of the biggest being the lack of committees where community members could come and express their district-related issues or concerns and find the help they need.

 

The Kamloops Crown office has approved a pair of criminal charges against the driver of a boat involved in a deadly Shuswap collision last year. Leon Michael Reinbrecht, 49, is facing one count each of criminal negligence causing death and crimnal negligence causing bodily harm.

 

On Wednesday, Dec. 7 the Sicamous Eagles were in Armstrong where they defeated the North Okanagan Knights 3-1. Sunday saw the Eagles in Kimberley, where they were obliterated 10-3 by the Dynamiters.

The Winfield Bruins came to Sicamous for an afternoon game on Dec. 10, the first meeting between the two teams this season. The game ended in a 2-2 tie. The Predators travelled to Vernon the next day to play the Blues in the Wesbild Centre. Vernon took the win 5-1. The Predators now have three wins, five losses and one tie.

 

It’s never as much fun taking down your Christmas tree as it is putting it up. But this year, when you have the sad task of taking your tree to the landfill or transfer station, the CSRD won’t charge you for dropping it off.

 

Having unexpected variances for the new mayor’s development on the agenda for the first committee meeting of the new council was a bit much for at least one councillor. Coun. Charlotte Hutchinson commented on Trouton’s project coming before council right after the election. “When I first read this... I was completely overwhelmed by it,” said Hutchinson.