MLA Norm Macdonald

The spring session of the British Columbia legislature begins soon and will continue through until summer.  The session will focus on the provincial economy as we debate the provincial budget.

I will participate in what is called the ‘estimates debate’ where as critic for Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations I will question the Minister on each line of the proposed provincial budget for forestry.

As an MLA, it is my responsibility to represent you in Victoria.  I will bring to each debate the economic, social and environmental perspectives of our area.  My office receives contact from thousands of local residents annually, whether through a phone call, private meeting, email or by signing a petition.

You have told me that you want steps taken to strengthen our democratic rights.  You want fairness and social justice.  And you want a provincial government that will properly manage our public lands and our public assets in the best interest of British Columbians.

Hearing from you is a very important part of my job; a job I can’t do without your input.

As an Opposition MLA, I also have an obligation to scrutinize government and hold them to account.  If government takes an action that is ill-considered or does not benefit the public, it is my job to speak out against that action.

For instance, the Premier’s so-called job plan has been promoted by an advertizing campaign that cost more than $1 million.  It was your tax dollars that paid that bill, but has it actually resulted in more jobs?

And the campaign to promote the HST cost taxpayers even more.  Whether it was the constant TV ads or the costly full-colour pamphlet that was printed but never mailed, millions and millions of taxpayers’ dollars were wasted try to convince you to change your mind.

Clearly, British Columbians deserve better.

We live in one of the most beautiful and prosperous places in the world but we must actively work to ensure that average British Columbians are the ones who receive the benefit from that prosperity.

Norm Macdonald is the MLA for Columbia River – Revelstoke. You can contact him at 250 344 4816 | 1 866 870 4188 |104, 806 9th Street N | Box 2052 Golden BC V0A 1H0 | www.NormMacdonald.ca

The Community Development Corporation is launching a new program to promote volunteerism in our community. Revelstoke has a strong history of volunteerism, contributing not only to the ‘hidden’ economy but also to the vitality and spirit that makes our community “the friendly, happening place we all know and love,” it said in a news release.

“The Spirit of Revelstoke award program recognizes citizens who have made outstanding volunteer contributions to our community,” the release said.

“Award recipients will be honoured with a personal letter from the Mayor of Revelstoke and a small token of appreciation. Names of recipients will be published in local media and entered into a draw to win a Spirit of Revelstoke print designed by local artist Rob Buchanan. The names of nominators will remain confidential.”

The volunteer nominated can be any age and his or her  contribution must be significant:

• Having occurred on a regular basis over time (i.e. shoveling a neighbour’s driveway all winter), or
• Related to a community organization, or
• Having made a major impact on a specific project that will benefit the community at large.

Please click here to access an interactive nomination form.

Nomination forms can also be picked up at Chamber of Commerce reception (204 Campbell Ave) or requested via email to: volunteer@revelstokecf.com

Send us your completed nomination form to Volunteer Revelstoke via email to:  volunteer@revelstokecf.com

OR drop off at 204 Campbell Ave. or mail to PO Box 2398 Revelstoke BC V0E 2S0

Over the past year, Revelstoke has been rocked by the sudden deaths of several young and middle aged men and at least one woman with Revelstoke roots. Local counsellor Tuulikki Tennant, “Revelstoke has had a particularly rough year,” so much so that people have begun to “brace themselves psychologically” for the next loss. Around seven young men have died, ranging in age from nine to 28, including the tragic death of nine-year-old Jake Gericke in a bicycle accident and the murder of the talented young musician, Daniel Levesque.

Responding to the sheer numbers of people needing help in dealing with their grief, Tennant decided to run a four-part series of talks on Healing Grief. “You can always reach more people in a venue like this, she said. The first talk, The Experience of Grief, was held at the Community Centre Thursday evening and was attended by more than 30 people.

“Often how we see life, and what we believe life to be about, affects us in our grief,” Tennant explained. Many people are stuck on the word “fair.” It’s not fair that their loved one, who was a good person, was taken away. Shattering the worldview of life as fair leads some to question other aspects of their life.

According to Tennant, grief is “love turned inside out. The depth that you loved someone is the intensity that you feel grief.” This can be even harder if the death is sudden, if the deceased is a child or if he or she killed herself or was murdered. But even with these terrible tragedies, loved ones can move through their grief, supported by those around them.

“Grief doesn’t need to be the center-point of your life. For me, it’s love that is the center-point,” Tennant said. “You’ll always hold onto the love in your heart.” For Tennant, despite losing several loved ones, “I want to be a little old lady in my rocking chair, saying ‘I loved deeply.’”

Society often places a lot of pressure on people to move quickly through their grief, to “move on” or “at least not talk about it,” Tennant said. While the first year is known to be the toughest, grief can last a very long time and hit people in waves. Just when a bereaved person thinks he or she is fine, a song or a milestone in the deceased’s life can trigger a wave of sadness. This is especially the case with the loss of a child. The date the child would have graduated or the marriage of friends can be painful.

Revelstoke is blessed by being a very close and supportive community, Tennant said. In the 16 years that she has lived and worked in Revelstoke as a counsellor and social worker she has appreciated that support which can be so valuable to people in times of loss. Because of this, Tennant was inspired to organize these events, as a volunteer, as an “act of gratitude” to the community. She particularly encourages young people who have been affected by recent losses to attend.

The next three talks will be held on Thursdays, February 2, 9 and 16 from 7 pm to 8:30 pm in the MacPherson Room at the Community Center. The talks will be:

• February 2:             Movement and Stillness through Grief
• February 9:             Caring for Self and Others
• February 16:           Creation of Connections for Support

Jackie Goodman poses in front of semi bearing the logo of the Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer. Darrell Goodman photo

As a member of the Lake Revelstoke Dragon Boat Society Jackie Goodman is an active campaigner against cancer. Now’s she’s expanding her participation in cancer research fund raising by cycling from Surrey to Seattle.

“t was nice talking to you the other afternoon,” her husband, Darrell said in an e-mail Wednesday. “To further our conversation, Jackie and I are doing something I think is pretty amazing at our age. We are doing a bike ride in June together from Surrey to Seattle in two days.

“Jackie did it last year and I was her cheering squad, photographer and roadie and I kind of got caught up in the whole moment when there were 2,874 people on bikes to raise money for cancer research that benefits the B.C. Cancer Foundation.”

Now these are a lot of bikes. In fact, they are some of the the bikes that were dropped off the night before for the early departure from Surrey. Darrell Goodman photo

Darrell and Jackie are now working out three times a week, and as soon as the snow is gone they’ll be on their bikes training for this year’s Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer, which last year raised $11.3 million dollars that stays in British Columbia for cancer research.

Last summer's rain made for a wet ride but that didn't deter Jackie and other ardent campaigners for cancer research. Darrell Goodman photo

If you’d like to learn more, please watch the video below:

Some of the highest fee increases are those for development services. Please click on the image to see a larger version of it. Revelstoke Current scan

By David F. Rooney

Proposed changes to the City’s schedule of fees and charges mean yu may end up paying more for the privilege of playing Bingo or renting a ball field. You’ll also pay 2% interest — up from 1.5% on overdue accounts — and a whopping $35 on any NSF cheques — up from $15, under this plan intended to help the City recover the cost of some services.

A couple of years ago the City hired a cost and management consultant, James Pammenter, to complete a Cost-Recovery Report for the City’s Planning/Building Department and Fire Rescue Services to compare fees against neighbouring communities similar to Revelstoke. Last spring, Council decided to refer the cost recovery report to the Economic Development Commission for review and comment. The response was to have further public input once the language was clarified from the report to the new bylaw.

There are also a number of new fees attached to certain Fire Rescue Service and Engineering and Public Works charges. For instance, it will now cost you $30 to register a fire alarm, $110 to have a fire alarm installation or modification inspected, or $480 for a Fire Safety Plan review.

A Heritage Alteration Permit will set you back $300 and there are some real eye-poppers contained in a section detailing proposed increases to municipal development service charges.

It is important to stress here that most user fees and charges will not change. Most fees and charges are not changing but there there are increases, many of them quite stiff.

Council gave the changes proposed in Bylaw No. 2008 first and second reading. It will now actively seek public comment on the changes until February 8. They will be presented to Council during its regular meeting on February 14 with third and final reading of the bylaw expected sometime after that. However, it is worth noting that the increased revenue anticipated from these changes is included in the Five-Year Financial Plan 2012 to 2016 — in other words, the next budget.

Planning Director John Guenther said many existing fees had not been adjusted in many years and consequently when increases are proposed some people believe the changes are inordinate and unfair when, in fact, they are not.

The real question is whether service is being improved, he said.

Additional fee schedules will be forthcoming in 2012 for water, sewer, animal control, business licensing and the cemetery.

Click here to read the full set of proposed changes

FERNIE — In recent years, a new trend has become clear in British Columbia’s backcountry, as more and more snowmobilers are being killed. As a result, the Canadian Avalanche Centre (CAC) is launching the Mountain Snowmobile Education Project, thanks to federal, provincial and municipal government funding, announced Jan. 20 in a brief ceremony in Fernie. From left - CAC executive director Ian Tomm, Kootenay-Columbia MP David Wilks, East Kootenay MLA Bill Bennett and Fernie Mayor Mary Giuliano, at last week's announcement at the Fernie Best Western. Photo courtesy of Ian Cobb/East Kootenay News Online Weekly

By Ian Cobb
East Kootenay Online Weekly

FERNIE — In recent years, a new trend has become clear in British Columbia’s backcountry, as more and more snowmobilers are being killed.

As a result, the Canadian Avalanche Centre (CAC) is launching the Mountain Snowmobile Education Project, thanks to federal, provincial and municipal government funding, announced Jan. 20 in a brief ceremony in Fernie.

East Kootenay MLA Bill Bennett said the $689,000 going to the CAC (over three years) will help establish a program that will help educate backcountry snowmobilers on the perils of avalanches and in avalanche preparation and safety measures.

“It’s important for us to recognize what has happened in the last 30 years, 20 years and 10 years,” Bennett said, noting that 30 years ago snowmobilers accounted for one-quarter of all recorded avalanche deaths. Ten years later that number had risen to 38% of all deaths. In 2008/09, the year of the Sparwood tragedy, 73% of all avalanche fatalities were snowmobile-related.

“At the same time that trend line for other sports is going down,” Bennett said, adding he hopes the funding helps the CAC “reverse that trend line” for snowmobilers.

Bennett highlighted the tourism benefits realized from snowmobilers coming to the province, pointing out he saw a truck full of sleds with Saskatchewan plates on his way to Fernie. He said he hoped the visitors were avalanche savvy.

“We hope they get the brochures and take the time” to become aware of the dangers inherent in the mountains. “These machines that they have today are unbelievable. They’re like rocket-ships. It’s a dangerous sport,” he said.

Kootenay-Columbia MP David Wilks, who was Sparwood’s mayor in 2008, and received high praise for his handling of the tragedy that swept through the town and region, noted he knows “too well the tragedy of avalanches.”

Along with the 2008 avalanche, Wilks was the lead officer (RCMP) in charge of another multi-fatality avalanche in the Bugaboos in 1991, when nine heli-skiers perished in a massive slide.

“I witnessed, first hand, the power of an avalanche,” he said, adding he’s proud to be able to represent the federal government in contributing to the program.

Federal funds are coming from the National Search and Rescue Secretariat (NSS), which is a department of National Defence.

“NSS grants are just one way that the Government of Canada has made its contributions to public avalanche safety. Environment Canada – through Parks Canada and the Meteorological Service of Canada – is also a long-time supporter of the CAC. We are pleased to support programs and services that provide a public safety net and enrich the lives of Canadians and our visitors,” Wilks said.

CAC executive director Ian Tomm said the funding boost will allow his organization to expand on an already “impressive suite of programs.

“Last year we saw a big jump in training among mountain sledders, along with a tremendous shift in attitude towards avalanche safety. We look forward to continuing to work closely with clubs and organizations to increase the avalanche knowledge base and skill level within this community,” Tomms said.

Fernie was selected as the site to make the funding announcement because it was the first municipality in the province to provide the CAC with funds.

“We all know our mountains can bring tragedy. Sadly, our region has had more than its share of avalanche tragedies over the years,” said City of Fernie Mayor Mary Giuliano. “The CAC’s avalanche forecast for this region is a highly valued product for many of our residents, as well as our visitors. Public avalanche safety affects all of us who live in B.C.”

Fernie Snowmobile Association president Paul Kramer agreed, noting how snow conditions in the Elk Valley are different than elsewhere in the province.

“We are getting more pertinent information on the area with more specific information. It’s very welcome news,” he said of the CAC program launch. “They recognize there is a need for better avalanche projection in this area.”

Fledgling Elk Valley Snowmobile Club president Dan Rotella said he is looking forward to learning more about what CAC will be providing.

“I think this is great,” he said.

Ian Cobb is the editor and publisher of the East Kootenay News Online Weekly

Councillor Steve Bender, who was hospitalized in Vancouver last week after he experienced serious internal bleeding, could be back home in Revelstoke by the end of the week.

His wife, Adelheid, said “his vital signs are good” and doctors at Vancouver General Hospital have resumed his blood thinner treatments. He started taking Warfarin after heart surgery in 2010. The blood thinners were suspended after he collapsed last week.

“He doesn’t have cancer, he has a kidney condition where scar tissue forms on the kidneys that cause them not to work properly,” Adelheid said.

“His kidneys are about 20% working, but he doesn’t have to go on dialysis at this time.

“He must be getting better he is starting to get grumpy.”

Maybe if everything goes well we can take him back to Revelstoke at the end of next week.”

Her husband’s ordeal began Jan 5, when he underwent a kidney biopsy at Royal Inland Hospital.  He was sent home on January 7 and January 14 he experienced abdominal pain and severe vomiting. That night he was taken to  Queen Victoria Hospital where they diagnosed internal bleeding from the kidney and measured his blood pressure at 70/35 — far, far below normal.

Steve was then transported to Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops and from there to Vancouver General by air ambulance at which point he was sent to surgery.  He had only 20% function in his kidneys and he lapsed into a coma and was attached to a ventilator. He was then sent to the Intensive Care Unit.

“By the end of that day — Monday — he was breathing on his own,” Adelheid said in an interview from Vancouver last week. “His hands and feet are very swollen and his stomach is hugely swollen.

It looks a lot like your house… wait a minute! It is your house.

This sounds like a bad joke but it has really happened to one Revelstoke woman.

School teacher Sue Leach said a good friend contacted her on January 14 to tell her that her house was being advertised for rent.

Imagine checking The Stoke List one day and finding your own house posted for rent! Would that surprise you? You bet it would. The scammer who claimed to own Sue Leach's house scooped this photo of her house from a legitimate real estate web site. Screen Shot by The Revelstoke Current

“Yikes!” Sue said as she asked me if I could contact the Stoke List’s Karilyn Kempton “in case there is a scam in the making.”

I called Karilyn who was alarmed when I told her that Sue’s house at 1300 Front Street was being listed as a rental when it was actually up for sale. She said that was the second complaint she had received about a local house being falsely listed for rent.

“Crazy story!” she said.

“The sad thing is, people do get scammed on the Internet.  Good to put the word out there. Occasionally Stoke List users will post warnings about scams, so I’m glad to see that it is a little bit self-policing. I do try to delete as many scam ads as I can (some, like the exotic pet ads, are quite obvious). Someone posted a while back about a scam and finished it by saying we might as well be flattered that scammers think the Stoke List is important enough to scam. Glad you picked up on it right away.”

Karilyn’s partner, Simon Wex said he hadn’t spent any real time investigating such scams.

“I did find that the obvious scams weren’t being posted from Revelstoke. You’ll notice that I then added the “Posted From” field at the bottom of posts. It isn’t 100% accurate, but for a free service, it was the best I could do.”

Curious, I decided to see what would happen if I sent an e-mail inquiry to the person who posted the for-rent ad on Sue’s home.

“How much are you asking for this?” I asked

Here’s the reply I received:

From:        Derek Herringthon triangle@ireland.com
Subject:        Re: 4 bedroom home for rent in downtown revy
Date:        January 15, 2012 11:51:23 AM PST
To:        David Rooney <drooney1@telus.net>

Hello Tenant,
The house offers comfort and style, from the bright and elegant living room to the contemporary designer kitchen, which comes fully-equipped with everything you may need during your living there, It is also spacious and inviting, and has been furnished with top quality fittings and features. their is carefully selected light fittings to the intricate interior decor. Bedrooms are bright and spacious, and offer a cozzy experience.
Amenities: Parking, TV, DVD Player, Wifi High-Speed Internet, Gas Heating (“Gas Natural”), Central Air Conditioning, Refrigerator, Dishwasher, Washing Machine, Dryer, Oven, Microwave, electric kettle, cooker, autonomous hot water supply,The floor is heated,the apartment has a perfect location.
Don’t be nervous am saying so much classy thing about my place,what is your budget and are you looking for short or long term?how many of you would be living there?I relocated from there to Ukraine and that’s why am renting it out,if not it’s a lovely place to reside.My phone number might not go as it is roamed or might be switched off if am not at work.
Thanks
Derek
Omega Equipment Services, Inc.
Derek +447011120311
jupongatana01@omegaequipment.com
omegaequip@excite.co.uk
www. omegaequipment.com

Do you notice anything about this guy’s command of the English language? Despite his use of the word “cooker,” which is an Anglicism, he doesn’t write as though he is a true English speaker, does he?

It was obvious to me and to Sue that this was a scam. The friend who originally told Sue about it  received a nearly identical response. And although she didn’t take it much further, I did. I wanted to know who and where this guy was and how much money he thought he could scam from us. So, I asked him how much he wanted for it. Here’s his reply:

Hello,
You will make out a refundable deposit payment to me as a sign of commitment,you will then give me a date so i can come over to hand over keys,receipt,sign lease and show you around.
Deposit would be refunded if you won’t be in the area any longer,maybe found another place to stay or my rental doesn’t seem appealing again after viewing which i know it’s impossible.Forget to say their is fridge and freezer and oven.I will exchange location area details and more pictures if you want to proceed.
Sincerely
Derek

When I asked him how much he wanted as a deposit he responded:

Hello,
The deposit will be made out through western union money transfer or money gram agent near to you,i will be needing some of your details before i send you my details and address to which the money will be made out.As soon as i receive the payment i will travel over to meet with keys and relevant document. 2 yrs ago when vacating abroad some Mexican contacted my wife and me to rent and we sent address to them to look up,they leverage on the opportunity of our not been around to loot our property ok?I will travel over and meet you personally if you are interested in this,the value of the property is higher than what we are giving out because a tenant that will take care of it matters to us most.I have accepted your budget.I would be there whenever you want me to be in as much you make out the deposit.i can send more pics and address ok?
Bye
Derek

I really wanted this putz to ask for a specific amount of money so I sent him another e-mail:

From: “David Rooney” <drooney1@telus.net>
To: “Derek Herringthon” <triangle@ireland.com>
Sent: Sunday, 15 January, 2012 18:15:22 GMT -08:00 US/Canada Pacific
Subject: Re: 4 bedroom home for rent in downtown revy

Hi Derek:
My partner would like to see some additional photos. And I would like to know how much you want for the deposit and what the monthly rent will be. Once I have those I can arrange a deposit on Monday afternoon or Tuesday morning.
David

Derek, of course, thought he had hooked a real sucker and sent us a selection of photos. We have no idea where he got them but they are obviously not Sue’s house. Here’s his reply:

The man who tried to scam Sue Leach attempted to claim that there were shots from her house. Anyone who has been inside Sue's house would know they're not. Screen Shot by The Revelstoke Current

Hello David,
I hope your partner like the details i supply below,do you know the western union money transfer agent close to you?

To which I responded:

Hi Derek:

My partner was pleased with the photos. And the $2,000 is reasonable for a house like that. Let’s do this.
How do you want me to send the money to you?
Cheers
David

At this point I contacted RCMP Const. Michael Shannon at our local detachment.

Mike and I talked it over and we decided that once he sent me the details of how the money would be transferred to this guy we would, if he was here in Canada, contact the nearest RCMP detachment and have them talk to the Western Union office Derek specified. They’d get Western Union to alert them when they called our buddy Derek and, when he showed up to collect the cash, they could bust him.

Unfortunately that didn’t happen.

And, finally, Derek (or perhaps I should call him Igor) sent this last message:

Make out the deposit through western union to my details below
Derek Hetherington
Address-2b matrosava
City-lugansk
Country-ukraine.
Zip code- 91001
when you are through let me know and let me have the mtcn number then we shall organise meeting
thanks.

That was definitely my last conversation with “Derek” who also sent me what he claimed was a scan of his British passport and birth certificate.

Not only is "Derek Herringthon" or "Derek Hetherington" incapable of writing in English, he doesn't even look like someone from the British isles. Screen Shot by The Revelstoke Current

The fact that this self-described Brit was asking for the money to be sent to the Ukraine told Shannon and I that this guy was most likely working the scam for an East European criminal gang. There would be no point in going to the Ukrainian police as East European police forces are allegedly very corrupt and deeply penetrated by organized crime.

All of this info was, however, sent to the Mounties division that follows national and international frauds.

I haven’t heard anything back from Derek or Igor or whoever he is and don’t expect to hear from him either. But perhaps I’ll send him a copy of this column… just for fun.

PS: Is there a moral to this story? Be careful on the Internet. That sounds trite. But most people think nothing bad will happen to them online. And that is the wrong way to think. Bad stuff does happen to nice people

Fire Chief Rob Gerard said Revelstoke Fire Rescue Services received a First Responder call at 6:30 pm about a man on fire at a residence in the 900 Block of Begbie Road.

“Upon arrival fire crews discovered an elderly male who suffered significant burns to his body and was treated by First Responders and Paramedics on the scene,” he said in a statement Friday. “The remainder of the fire crews checked the mobile home for fire extension that had received minor fire damage The occupant of the residence was transported by BC Ambulance to Queen Victoria Hospital.

Girard said the clothing material worn by the senior citizen was ignited by a propane portable heater that he was using inside the residence to thaw a frozen water line.  He said using portable propane heaters used inside a residence is “an extremely dangerous and potentially lethal act.”

“This time of the year when it is cold, residents need to exercise extreme caution with space heaters of any kind and the overloading of electrical extension cords in their homes,” Girard said.  “The use of these types of products are, more often than not, the cause of residential house fires.”

The Chief also cautioned wood stove and pellet stove users to regularly clean their stoves to prevent a fire in their houses.

Fire fighters battled an afternoon fire on Simpson Street on Friday. Photo courtesy of Revelstoke Fire Rescue Services

Revelstoke Fire Rescue Services responded to a 911 call about an house fire in the 400 block of Simpson Street on Friday afternoon.

“Fire crews quickly extinguished the fire, located in the rear of the residence”, Fire Chief Rob Girard said in a statement.  ”The fire was located in the basement, main floor and extended into the attic space and our crews did a great job in actioning the fire.”

He said that firefighters initially feared that one of the occupants was still inside the building, but that person was accounted for shortly afterwards.

“Firefighters extinguished and overhauled the fire in just under an hour and a half, with no injuries to fire personnel,” Girard said.

He said the three occupants were quickly assisted by an Emergency Social volunteer who helped them find temporary shelter.

“I cannot stress enough how appreciative we are to have ESS volunteers available within our community to come to the aid of individuals in these types of circumstances,” Girard said.

The fire is under investigation.