Looking back at what made headlines in 2018 from the pages of the Eagle Valley News.
Here’s a glimpse from November 2018:
• During the evening of Nov. 2, outside a small cafe in Malakwa, a group of peoplegathered to honour Nicole Bell and several other missing or murdered women.
Nicole Bell went missing November 2017 and has not been seen since. She is one of fivewomen who have gone missing in the North Okanagan-Shuswap over the past two years.
Following more than year without a taxi service, Sicamous residents can hail a cab onceagain.
Sicamous Taxi, operated by Krysta Lachowski, has been up and running for just over threeweeks.
• In a ceremony punctuated by speeches evoking the immensely destructive First World Warthat ended 100 years ago Sunday, Sicamous paid tribute to all those who have donned auniform and made sacrifices for the greater good.
The Remembrance Day gathering on Nov. 11 was the first to take place at the newly-upgraded cenotaph plaza next to the Sicamous Royal Canadian Legion branch.
In Malakwa, firefighters formed the honour guard at a Remembrance Day ceremony at theMalakwa cenotaph.
Snow is falling on the mountains around the Shuswap and diehard riders have alreadykicked off the snowmobiling season.
Gord Bushell of the Eagle Valley Snowmobile Club said that while most sledders getstarted around Dec. 1, there are already snow-seekers driving 15 to 20 kilometres up intothe mountains before unloading their machines.
• It was good news, but not quite the news people might have been expecting.
On Nov. 16, District of Sicamous council chamber was packed with political types fromthroughout the area for special guests, federal Minister of Infrastructure and CommunitiesFrancoise-Philippe Champagne and B.C. Transportation and Infrastructure Minister ClaireTrevena, who were there to announce joint funding of $224.5 million is now in place forthe replacement of the more than 50-year-old Bruhn Bridge on Highway 1.
What wasn’t announced, however, was the bridge option the province has chosen to go with.
“I know people are wondering about the final design decision; is it going to be twobridges or one bridge? I’m not going to say,” said Trevena.
“Staff are putting the finishing touches on that important consultation and it will beknown next month.”
• The current JPW Road and Bridge Inc. snow plows and graders that clear snow fromhighways and rural roads in the Okanagan-Shuswap will be replaced, as a new company,Acciona Infrastructure and Maintenance Inc., has been awarded the contract.
They are a subsidiary of Acciona, a large multinational corporation based in Spain andwhose Canadian projects include the construction of the Site C Dam.
Acciona’s contract goes into effect on April 1, 2019 and their service area coversstretches from Monte Creek to Craigellachie and from the Fintry area in the south to wellnorth of Seymour Arm.
• After enacting a prohibition on cannabis sales in March in preparation for thelegalization in October, the District of Sicamous is collecting input from the public on apossible change to their policy on retail cannabis. There will be open houses and anonline survey. Survey respondents will be asked whether they favour continued prohibition,a limit to the number stores in the district or no limit.
@SalmonArm
jim.elliot@saobserver.net
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