Barriere Star Journal, February 05, 2015

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 05, 2015 Volume 41, Issue 06 www.starjournal.net $1.35 Includes GSTPM0040030872

S E R V I N G T H E N O R T H T H O M P S O N VA L L E Y F R O M H E F F L E Y C R E E K TO B L U E R I V E R

7 7 8 1 9 5 5 0 0 1 7 8

2014CCNA

By Keith McNeillThe Times

The section of Highway 5 from Little Fort to Barriere is the highway department’s top priority for passing lanes in this area, according to Paula Cousins, the Ministry of Transportation and In-frastructure district manager in Kamloops.

Speaking during the community-to-communi-ty forum held in Clearwater on Jan. 30, Cousins noted that the existing northbound passing lane in Dar� eld is short and ends before the top of the hill.

Her staff is looking at extending it, as well as installing a southbound passing lane elsewhere in Dar� eld.

“The planning is well advanced for project de-livery,” she said. “Once we get the green light, we will proceed with public consultation.”

A second priority for passing lanes is the sec-tion from Hef� ey Canyon to McLure.

Finding the best location in the steep terrain is the challenge, she said.

New passing lanes were installed between Al-

breda and Chappell Creek north of Blue River in 2014.

This year new passing lanes between Camp Creek and Tete Jaune Cache will go to tender.

LIDAR mapping is being done for possible passing lanes between Clearwater and McMur-phy, but the section is not seen as a top priorities.

A major count to get up-to-date and accurate traf� c numbers on Highway 5 is planned for 2016.

Simpcw First Nation councillor Fred Fortier suggested that the count should include a sepa-rate number for buses and not lump them in with trucks.

Fortier also asked about the size of gravel used to sand the highway in winter.

“It seems to be gravel they are putting on the highway, not sand,” he said. “We need to replace our windshields pretty well every year.”

Cousins said the maximum size in the mix is 12 mm, which might sound large. She noted that if the mix is too light, it is just blown off by trucks.

Highways maintenance contracts will end in a few years and the department will be looking at if it can reduce the maximum size, she said.

In response to a question from Bill Kershaw, TNRD director for Lower North Thompson (Area O), Cousins said a preliminary design has been done on a left-turn lane for Highway 24 in Little Fort.

Re-paving for a section south of Little Fort should go to tender in the next few years.

Clearwater councillor Ken Kjenstad asked about bringing back speed signs for curves on Highway 5.

Cousins said some of the signs had come down as part of the increase in maximum speed for certain highways across the province.

The feeling was that, with the improvement in vehicles, the slow-down signs were no longer needed, and other options, such as chevrons or better delineation, would work as well or better.

Now, however, their engineers are reviewing the change and some signs might go back up.

Cousins said she had heard of two curves in particular that some feel should have slow-down signs. She asked people to let her know if there are others.

New passing lane planned for Dar� eld

Photo: Gai Conan

Could this be the � rst migratory robin to return?

The section of Highway 5 from Little Fort to

The North Thompson Recreation Society has been providing a ski and snowshoe program for Barriere Secondary School grade 8 students now for four years. Students in the program this year have been enjoying great skiing and a “snowshoe for knowledge” trail at Barriere Forks Park. Students stop along the way to identify trees, antlers, wood and animal tracks. The program is facilitated by Recreation Society member and coach, Mary MacLennan.

Submitted photos :

Snowshoeing for knowledge

(Above) Grade 8 students stop along the trail to identify antlers with the help of Rec Society volunteers.(Far left) Students snowshoeing along trails at Barriere Forks Park.(Left) Grade 8’s learn to identify the trees in the area with facilita-tor Mary MacLennan (third from right).

Submitted photos :

North Thompson leaders report

during community-to-community

forum..... page 6

Mayor Smith receives a ceremonial drum from Simpcw

Paradise for rescue ponies in

NT Valley..... page 13

Take heed at first sign of abuse –

and get help..... page 5

A2 www.starjournal.net Thursday, February 05, 2015 North Thompson Star/Journal

For The Record:A photograph

on page 8 of our Jan. 29, 2015 issue, should have stated Drop in Art at the Ridge meets on Fri-days, not Thursday. We apologize for this error.

For The Record:A photograph on

page 10 of our Jan. 29, 2015 issue, in-correctly identi� ed Jo Livingstone as Libby Toman. We apologize for any confusion this may have caused.

By Tom FletcherBlack Press

If you’ve ever had a car insurance claim greeted with suspicion by ICBC, there are a few hundred reasons for that attitude.

B.C.’s basic car in-surance monopoly has released a report on fraud attempts from 2014, part of an esti-mated 10 to 15 per cent of insurance claims it says involve fraud or exaggeration. During the year, ICBC inves-tigators referred 131 cases to Crown prose-cutors for charges, with convictions in nine out of 10 of them.

ICBC highlighted some of the efforts to obtain insurance cov-erage that should not have been paid, and how investigators re-sponded.

• A customer report-ed his truck was stolen

at a movie theatre. The vehicle was recovered, burnt. A vehicle in-spection showed the burnt truck had serious mechanical problems, contrary to what the customer told ICBC. The customer’s cell-phone records revealed that he was at the scene where the burnt vehicle was found.

The customer pleaded guilty to pro-viding a false state-ment, was � ned $4,000 and ordered to pay ICBC back more than $3,000 for investigative and claims costs.

• A customer who was prohibited from driving claimed his vehicle had been sto-len at the time it was involved in a three-vehicle crash. Forensic testing of residue on the vehicle’s driver-side airbag revealed a DNA match to the customer and proved

he was the driver at the time of the crash. The customer was found guilty of providing a false statement, � ned $1,000 and ordered to pay ICBC back more than $18,000 in claims costs and total loss payments for the other two vehicles involved.

• A customer told ICBC his Honda Civic was parked outside his home when it was struck by an unknown vehicle that � ed the scene. Damage was not consistent with a hit-and-run and paint � ecks matching the customer’s Civic were found embedded in a vehicle from another hit-and-run claim.

When confronted with this evidence, the driver of the Civic ad-mitted to making a false claim, as he had � ed the crash scene after his vehicle struck another. Fine: $1,000,

plus $5,600 in claim and repair costs.

• A customer with only basic insurance and an expired driver’s licence rear-ended an-

other vehicle. The cus-tomer asked the driver in the other vehicle to tell ICBC the crash happened a day later so she could buy op-

tional insurance, which would cover the dam-age to her vehicle. The other driver refused.

The underinsured customer then bought

optional insurance on her way home from the crash. She was as-sessed the $7,400 cost of repairs to both ve-hicles.


He took a pay cut to go from the tranquil groves of academe to the bare-knuckle brawl of B.C. politics, but Andrew Weav-er says he’s ready to lead the B.C. Green Party into the next election.

The � rst-term Oak Bay-Gor-don Head MLA told report-ers at the legislature this week he made up his mind over the Christmas holidays to carry on with his political career, after two years of keeping his options open.

Weaver said he will stand for the leadership of the party as it tries to consolidate its Van-couver Island foothold of one provincial and one federal seat, held by federal Green Party leader Elizabeth May. He said that leadership vote likely won’t be until 2016, to prepare for the next scheduled B.C. election in 2017.

A mathematician specializ-

ing in climate models, Weaver took political leave from the faculty of the University of Vic-toria to run in the 2013 election, and defeated former B.C. Lib-eral cabinet minister Ida Chong. He went from a $180,000 job at UVic to $101,000 as an MLA.

Weaver declined to seek the leadership after winning the party’s � rst-ever B.C. seat, and the party appointed Saanich North and the Islands candidate Adam Olsen as interim leader instead. Olsen has indicated he

will run again in the seat where he came close in 2013, with vot-ers who supported May in the last federal election.

Despite the marginal role given independent MLAs, Weaver has made an impression on the government and the op-position NDP. Premier Christy Clark has taken to praising his ideas, such as his call to replace � at-rate Medical Services Plan premiums with a system that shifts more of the cost to high-income earners.

Clark ruled that out for the February budget, but said Weaver’s suggestions are re-freshing after the negative rhet-oric of the NDP.

NDP leader John Horgan said promoting Weaver is just more political tactics by Clark.

“I think they’re trying to draw attention away from us, who I think are doing a rela-tively effective job, and trying to put a spotlight on someone who may well cut our grass over the long term,” Horgan said.

Evan Seal/Black PressAftermath of a three-vehicle crash in North Delta, October 2014. When emergency responders are called, accidents are independently evaluated, but when they aren’t, vehicle owners sometimes attempt to alter the circumstances for their own bene� t.

ICBC frauds include � res, faked crashes

Green Party MLA Andrew Weaver

Green MLA Weaver to seek leadership

He took a pay cut to go from

If you’ve ever had

PJ Party Fundraiser and Silent Auction

*Entry by donation*

Sunday, February 8th, 2015 5:30pm – 9pm

@ “The Ridge” – 4936 Barriere Town Road

Brought to you by:

Proceeds go towards Success by Six Barriere & the “Splash in the Past” project

PARENTS/GAURDIANS: FEATURING – – Parent Retreat

Yes, you read that correctly! Find solace in the parental retreat room.

Coffee * Tea * Pastries * Shopping * Free Hand Treatments * Free Back Massages * Conversation with other adults! * TV * Free Wi-Fi * and more!

Proceeds go towards Success by Six Barriere & the

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Wear your PJ’s !

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“When you need us, we’re close by”When a death occurs, we are here to help you, every step of the way. 24 hours a day, every day. If you have made pre-arrangements elsewhere and would like to discuss having your local funeral home take care of you, please feel free to call.

Drake Smith, MSW(Funeral Director/Owner)

MaryAnn Shewchuk(Funeral Director/Manager)

NORTH THOMPSON FUNERAL SERVICES4638 Barriere Town Rd, Box 859

Barriere, BC, V0E 1E0

Call Drake, MaryAnn or Jennifer at 250-672-1999

or 1-877-674-3030 day or night.


For The Record:A photograph

on page 8 of our Jan. 29, 2015 issue, should have stated Drop in Art at the Ridge meets on Fri-days, not Thursday. We apologize for this error.

For The Record:A photograph on

page 10 of our Jan. 29, 2015 issue, in-correctly identi� ed Jo Livingstone as Libby Toman. We apologize for any confusion this may have caused.


If you’ve ever had a car insurance claim greeted with suspicion by ICBC, there are a few hundred reasons for that attitude.

B.C.’s basic car in-surance monopoly has released a report on fraud attempts from 2014, part of an esti-mated 10 to 15 per cent of insurance claims it says involve fraud or exaggeration. During the year, ICBC inves-tigators referred 131 cases to Crown prose-cutors for charges, with convictions in nine out of 10 of them.

ICBC highlighted some of the efforts to obtain insurance cov-erage that should not have been paid, and how investigators re-sponded.

• A customer report-ed his truck was stolen

at a movie theatre. The vehicle was recovered, burnt. A vehicle in-spection showed the burnt truck had serious mechanical problems, contrary to what the customer told ICBC. The customer’s cell-phone records revealed that he was at the scene where the burnt vehicle was found.

The customer pleaded guilty to pro-viding a false state-ment, was � ned $4,000 and ordered to pay ICBC back more than $3,000 for investigative and claims costs.

• A customer who was prohibited from driving claimed his vehicle had been sto-len at the time it was involved in a three-vehicle crash. Forensic testing of residue on the vehicle’s driver-side airbag revealed a DNA match to the customer and proved

he was the driver at the time of the crash. The customer was found guilty of providing a false statement, � ned $1,000 and ordered to pay ICBC back more than $18,000 in claims costs and total loss payments for the other two vehicles involved.

• A customer told ICBC his Honda Civic was parked outside his home when it was struck by an unknown vehicle that � ed the scene. Damage was not consistent with a hit-and-run and paint � ecks matching the customer’s Civic were found embedded in a vehicle from another hit-and-run claim.

When confronted with this evidence, the driver of the Civic ad-mitted to making a false claim, as he had � ed the crash scene after his vehicle struck another. Fine: $1,000,

plus $5,600 in claim and repair costs.

• A customer with only basic insurance and an expired driver’s licence rear-ended an-

other vehicle. The cus-tomer asked the driver in the other vehicle to tell ICBC the crash happened a day later so she could buy op-

tional insurance, which would cover the dam-age to her vehicle. The other driver refused.

The underinsured customer then bought

optional insurance on her way home from the crash. She was as-sessed the $7,400 cost of repairs to both ve-hicles.


He took a pay cut to go from the tranquil groves of academe to the bare-knuckle brawl of B.C. politics, but Andrew Weav-er says he’s ready to lead the B.C. Green Party into the next election.

The � rst-term Oak Bay-Gor-don Head MLA told report-ers at the legislature this week he made up his mind over the Christmas holidays to carry on with his political career, after two years of keeping his options open.

Weaver said he will stand for the leadership of the party as it tries to consolidate its Van-couver Island foothold of one provincial and one federal seat, held by federal Green Party leader Elizabeth May. He said that leadership vote likely won’t be until 2016, to prepare for the next scheduled B.C. election in 2017.

A mathematician specializ-

ing in climate models, Weaver took political leave from the faculty of the University of Vic-toria to run in the 2013 election, and defeated former B.C. Lib-eral cabinet minister Ida Chong. He went from a $180,000 job at UVic to $101,000 as an MLA.

Weaver declined to seek the leadership after winning the party’s � rst-ever B.C. seat, and the party appointed Saanich North and the Islands candidate Adam Olsen as interim leader instead. Olsen has indicated he

will run again in the seat where he came close in 2013, with vot-ers who supported May in the last federal election.

Despite the marginal role given independent MLAs, Weaver has made an impression on the government and the op-position NDP. Premier Christy Clark has taken to praising his ideas, such as his call to replace � at-rate Medical Services Plan premiums with a system that shifts more of the cost to high-income earners.

Clark ruled that out for the February budget, but said Weaver’s suggestions are re-freshing after the negative rhet-oric of the NDP.

NDP leader John Horgan said promoting Weaver is just more political tactics by Clark.

“I think they’re trying to draw attention away from us, who I think are doing a rela-tively effective job, and trying to put a spotlight on someone who may well cut our grass over the long term,” Horgan said.

Evan Seal/Black PressAftermath of a three-vehicle crash in North Delta, October 2014. When emergency responders are called, accidents are independently evaluated, but when they aren’t, vehicle owners sometimes attempt to alter the circumstances for their own bene� t.

ICBC frauds include � res, faked crashes

Green Party MLA Andrew Weaver

Green MLA Weaver to seek leadership

He took a pay cut to go from

If you’ve ever had

20142014Audrey Rilcoe

Citizen of the Year

Citizen of the Year

Banquet DinnerMarch 14, 2015Tickets $18

Available at the Star/Journal & the Volunteer Centre

Cocktails 5:30pm and Dinner 6:30pm Fall Fair Hall

The Grade 12’s are starting fundraising for their 2015 GRADUATIONThere is an account at the Bag Lady Bottle Depot for the class. So if you would like to donate your bottles to the Grade 12 Class or to a certain Grad Student you can drop them o� at 4365 Borthwickfrom 10am-4pm Monday - Saturday

2015 DRY GRAD

this ad is sponsored by

BARRIERE SEARCH & RESCUE

AGM Tuesday February 10th • 7pm

at the Barriere Search & Rescue Hall

on Fouquet Road

North Thompson Star/Journal February 05, 2015 www.starjournal.net A3

Canadian Snowbird Association

In a recent article which appeared on CBC News’ British Columbia website, it was suggested that Canadian citizens are only allowed to spend 120 days in the United States each year. For clari-� cation purposes, the Canadian Snowbird Asso-ciation would like to remind travellers to the U.S. that this information is incorrect.

“Under current policy, eligible Canadian citi-zens may spend up to six months less a day, in the United States, in any 12 month period,” said Bob Slack, president of the Canadian Snowbird Asso-ciation. From a tax perspective, long-term visitors who typically spend four or more months in the U.S. each calendar year may be deemed resident aliens for tax purposes. In order to be treated as a non-resident alien, these individuals need to claim a “closer connection” to Canada by � ling IRS Form 8840 annually.

Further, the CBC News article also discussed the Entry/Exit Initiative, a bi-national border pro-gram in which entry and exit data will be shared on individuals travelling between Canada and the United States. While this initiative was sched-uled to be expanded on June 30, 2014, to include Canadian and American citizens, the necessary legislative and regulatory changes have not been implemented. At present, the Entry/Exit Initiative is not fully operational.

The Canadian Snowbird Association is an 85,000 member, non-pro� t, non-partisan orga-nization representing Canadian travellers from

across the country. The CSA works in partnership with government and business to educate and ad-vocate on behalf of all travelling Canadians, help-ing to ensure access to safe, healthy travel with no restrictions on freedom of movement.

By Cam FortemsKamloops This Week

Local hunters are taking aim at the B.C. Liberal government’s pro-posed changes to hunting regulations, changes they say favour tourists over taxpayers.

The B.C. Wildlife Federation (BCWF) and the Kamloops Fish and Game Association are holding a fo-rum on Thursday, Jan. 29, at 7 p.m. at the Coast Kamloops Hotel and Con-ference Centre to rally opposition to the proposed changes.

Federation member and local or-ganizer Verne Sundstrom said he expects hunters to come from Kam-loops, Chase and Salmon Arm to hear details on the BCWF’s position.

The Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resoruce Operations propos-es reallocating about 600 limited-entry hunt (LEH) tags from resident hunt-ers to non-resident hunters — tourists under care of guide out� tters.

LEH tags give hunters the oppor-tunity to hunt for highly managed game, including moose, elk and griz-zly bear.

“For myself or my son, we go

hunting for moose. We apply for LEH tags,” Sundstrom said, adding among his circle of 10 or so hunting friends, success in the lottery for LEH tags is slim.

“Over that time, we’ve got one drawn,” he said.

The reallocation would not affect general hunting opportunities.

Instead, it would adjust the ratio of resident hunters and guide out� tters for LEH opportunities, most of them in the North. There are six limited entry hunts (LEH) in the Kamloops region for cow and bull moose, moun-tain goat, grizzly bear, antlerless mule deer and the bighorn sheep.

However, Sundstrom said, hunt-ers from the region travel across the province for the opportunity to hunt moose, for example.

The ministry estimates the pro-posed changes would give 186 animals to guide out� tters and their clients — the highest-spending tourists who visit the province.

But, Sundstrom said, based on an estimated 20 per cent success ratio for resident hunters, that equates to nearly 1,000 lost hunting opportunities for B.C. hunters.


The Mount Pol-ley mine dam failed because of an over-looked glacial material layer in the foundation and a series of steep additions that eventu-ally overcame it, an in-dependent engineering review has concluded.

“Basically the weight of the dam was too much for the weak materials in the foun-dation to bear,” said U.S. consulting engi-neer Steven Vick, one of three experts called in to examine the fail-ure that caused the dam to breach and fail in August 2014.

The report con-cludes that the con-crete-like glacial till material in the base of the dam wasn’t under-stood in enough detail when the dam was designed and built in 1997. Later raising of the dam to hold more water and tailings weakened the base layer and led to the

failure.Vick said the addi-

tions to the dam were built at a steeper slope than the original dam, and plans to buttress the area were delayed until it was too late.

Energy and Mines Minister Bill Bennett said the report shows there were no warning signs, and no surface inspections could have detected the problem that was overlooked in

the design and original construction.

Two more investi-gations of the mine failure are pending. Bennett said the Chief Inspector of Mines is likely to release his re-port by this summer, and the Conservation Of� cers’ Service will also report when its investigation is com-plete.

Bennett said the government is willing

to see the Mount Pol-ley mine reopen, but the other investiga-tions must be complete � rst. The parent com-pany Imperial Metals has applied to use an existing pit to store tailings and resume operations without using the original tail-ings pond again.

“This was a horri-ble accident,” Bennett said. “We now know how it happened.”

Hunters gather in Kamloops; argue pending

changes favour tourists

Local hunters are taking aim at

Ministry of Environment

Tailings dam at Mount Polley mine has been modi� ed since the Aug. 4 breach to contain further � ow of tailings into Quesnel Lake.

Mount Polley design, steep addition led to failure

The Mount Pol-

Canadian Snowbird Association clari� es U.S. travel rules

In a recent article which appeared on CBC with government and business to educate and ad-vocate on behalf of all travelling Canadians, help-

By Cam FortemsKamloops This Week

the B.C. Liberal government’s pro-posed changes to hunting regulations, changes they say favour tourists over taxpayers.

(BCWF) and the Kamloops Fish and Game Association are holding a fo-rum on Thursday, Jan. 29, at 7 p.m. at the Coast Kamloops Hotel and Con-ference Centre to rally opposition to the proposed changes.

ganizer Verne Sundstrom said he expects hunters to come from Kam-loops, Chase and Salmon Arm to hear details on the BCWF’s position.

Natural Resoruce Operations propos-es reallocating about 600 limited-entry hunt (LEH) tags from resident hunt-ers to non-resident hunters — tourists under care of guide out� tters.

tunity to hunt for highly managed game, including moose, elk and griz-zly bear.

Kamloops; argue pending


OPINION The North Thompson STAR/JOURNAL

Unit 10 - 4353 Connor Road, Box 1020, Barriere, B.C., V0E 1E0

250-672-5611

Editor ia l ; B.C. Views with Tom Fletcher

VICTORIA – The B.C. education ministry put on a forum on the future of edu-cation last week, bringing together public and private school leaders with experts from around the world.

I watched the proceedings via webcast from the Wosk Centre for Dialogue in Vancouver, which gives you a hint about the forces pressing in on our century-old industrial model of schooling.

First up was Andreas Schleicher, on video link from his of� ce in Paris, where he is director of education and skills for the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. He began with the international problem of people coming out of university who can’t � nd jobs, amid a skills shortage.

Schleicher said this is happening today because, “it’s not what you know but what you can do with what you know.” Some education systems are adapting better than others as the value of merely passing on facts has declined.

He said these days, almost any student can pass any multiple-choice test if they have a smartphone. The question for parents is what to do “if you want your child to be smarter than a smartphone.”

The OECD runs international testing that consistently ranks B.C. and Canada among the best schools in the world, and Schleicher described how that testing has evolved to keep up.

But our progress in the past 10 years has tended to be slower than some Asian countries, despite B.C. being on the “high end of investment” in education. He warned against the trap of the industrial school model, “pouring money in” to “do more of the same.”

Some of the best results emerging from a decade of digitally-driven globaliza-tion have been achieved through innovations that were � nanced through bigger class sizes, Schleicher said.

This was too much for one B.C. Teachers’ Federation representative in the audi-ence, who introduced herself as someone who spent the last transformational de-cade working for the union, not in a classroom. She disputed the OECD’s � nancial calculations, lecturing some of the world’s top economists that based on “spend-ing power,” B.C. schools are cash starved.

She followed this with the laundry list of BCTF demands that hasn’t changed in 40 years – smaller classes, more prep time, more money.

The keynote speaker was Yong Zhao, University of Oregon professor of educa-tional measurement, who gave a highly entertaining critique of standardized testing and creativity-crushing drills of the basics. (You can � nd a video archive at www.bcedplan.ca.)

Yong sparked a lively discussion about the need for foundation skills, which he and others agreed remain vital to success. The issue seems to be how to instil those basics while avoiding the disengagement of students who see school as irrelevant to their lives.

Education Minister Peter Fassbender announced at the forum that the province is about to unveil new curriculum that moves toward individual learning for all students. And he said there will be a series of experiments conducted at yet-to-be-identi� ed B.C. schools to pioneer new models of learning.

BCTF president Jim Iker sat stoically through the proceedings, where speak-ers described integrating community groups and businesses directly with schools. That’s underway here, with trades training in particular.

Iker’s record on adaptation is clear from his own career. The only school where he actually taught was in the northwest B.C. village of Topley, and it closed in 2010 due to a long-term decline in rural students.

By 2001 Iker had left the classroom to work for the Burns Lake teacher union local, which the BCTF continues to staff eight years after that school district and others disappeared through amalgamation.

Tom Fletcher is legislature reporter and columnist for Black Press. Twitter: @tom-� etcherbc Email: t� [email protected]

Too late for the Caribou

The North Thompson Star/Journal is a member of the British Columbia Press Council, a self-regulatory body governing the province’s newspaper industry. The council considers complaints from the public about the conduct of member newspapers. Directors oversee the mediation of complaints, with input from both the newspaper and the complaint holder. If talking with the editor or publisher does not resolve your complaint about coverage or story treatment, you may contact the B.C. Press Council. Your written concern, with documen-tation, should be sent to B.C. Press Council, P.O. Box 1356, Ladysmith, B.C., V9G 1A9. For information, phone 888-687-2213 or go to www.bcpresscouncil.org.

To the editor;In regards to Sadie Parr letter, Jan. 22/15 issue, “B.C. wolves running out of places to hide”,. I agree with Sadie Parr that our plans to kill 184 wolves in B.C. will not do much to protect our

caribou. Parr goes on to say that critical caribou habitat must be preserved in the � rst place”.. This last sentence is key, as the woodland caribou need undisturbed old growth forests to survive.

Even if we now started to set large areas aside, restrict logging, mining, road building, trails and pipelines, installed a strict ban on all potentially harmful human activity, and kill the wolves it would take decades for the environment to recover back to suitable caribou habitat. While wolves may now be the immediate and urgent threat to the caribou; habitat loss, climate change and environmental degradation is the vital cause.

While the government says that it now has plans to protect and restore high-elevation caribou habitat by putting restrictions on logging and recreational activity in habitat areas I can’t help but wonder if this is all too little too late and our wild woodland caribou will sadly; soon become a part of our history.

Reminds me of the song ‘Where have all the � owers gone”, or in this case the Caribou. When will we ever learn!

Mary MacLennan, Barriere, B.C.

Teachers adapting, but not union

Al KirkwoodPublisher

Jill HaywardEditor

Lisa QuidingProduction

We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Periodical Fund (CPF) of the Department of Canadian Heritage.

The North Thompson Star/Journal is published each Thursday by Cariboo Press (1969) Ltd. in Barriere, B.C. We welcome readers’ articles, photographs, comments and letters. All contents are copyright and any reproduction is strictly prohibited by the

rightsholder.

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Newsroom: [email protected]@starjournal.net • [email protected]


To the editor;I found Dale Bass’s articles

on domestic violence in the Jan. 16 edition of Kamloops This Week interesting.

It is difficult for me to revisit the subject of domestic abuse again after so many years, but I do so in the hope my story will empower others to seek the re-sources available to them today, but denied women in the mid-1950s. Abused women were not only isolated by their own husbands, but by society as a whole.

It was deemed the victim’s fault for her partner’s violence. I stayed in the situation for many years, not because I liked it, as has been suggested by var-ious people, but because I had children who needed me to stay sane and care for them.

I certainly did not love my husband, but I did fear him.

I did not suffer a mental ill-ness and neither he nor I used drugs or alcohol.

My husband was 16 years my senior, was handsome, had a good job and insisted he loved me and the children. He did not abuse the kids.

As a child, he had been the victim of abuse. The violence in his childhood home was so bad that when he stepped on a rusty nail while fishing, and the resulting blood poisoning caused him to fall into a coma for a week, he was sent to the hospital in Vernon and aban-doned by his mother and step-father. He was eight years old at the time, afraid, sick and ob-viously suffering brain damage. I am not rationalizing his treat-

ment of me as being reasonable behaviour, because it isn’t.

I have forgiven him because he is dead, but I have not for-gotten the incidents of vio-lence, nor do I think any type of physical or mental abuse is acceptable — because they are not. They changed my life. They robbed me of the joy of be-ing married, of having a home and friends and they took away from me the vibrance of being a young mother.

The morning I discovered he had locked me and the children in the house when he went to work was terrifying.

He tore the phone out of the wall and took my coat and shoes.

When he came home that night, I told him I wanted to leave.

He threatened me with more violence and, when I stood up to him, he pushed me down a flight of stairs into the base-ment. I had two black eyes, a sprained ankle and a bleeding nose.

He said he was going to put me in a hospital that had locked rooms because I was insane and that I would never see the children again. He then raped me and tried to choke me.

I left because I realized the next step was probably murder.

I had already lost many bat-tles with authorities who said there was no use helping me because I would just go back to him.

No one would listen to me when I wanted to charge him with assault and rape. I was told the main reason men abuse

their wives is because they had a sexual relationship before marriage.

It was still assumed I had given him liberties even after I said it didn’t apply in my case.

The following day, he locked me in again, but a travelling salesman came to the door.

When I told him I couldn’t open it because I was locked in, he hesitated only a minute be-fore asking me if I wanted him to break down the door and get us out. I said yes.

He drove us to his own home, where his wife gave me shoes and clothes for the kids. He then asked where I wanted to go.

I trusted a complete stranger who luckily was a good person. He took a day off work to drive us from Penticton to Kam-loops, where I got help from my parents and assistance from a social worker. What a wonder-ful woman! She allowed me to make my own decision. It made me feel worthwhile and did a lot to restore my self-esteem.

I no longer believed my hus-band’s opinion that I was too stupid to get a job and too sinful for even God to bother with me.

He had threatened me with loss of my children and went so far as to say I would be sent to an insane asylum because it was obvious I was crazy.

My message to girls out there is to take heed of the very first sign of abuse and promises that it will never happen again — because it will.Beth, Kamloops, B.C.(Full name withheld at request of the writer)

Take heed at the first sign of abuse — and get help

Find more ‘Letters to the Editor’on page 19...

To the editor;Recent articles in Kamloops

This Week on domestic violence give me concern that the articles give the impression only women are victims of domestic violence and men are always the perpetra-tors.

Obviously, that is often true, but singling out one gender for blame in this matter is hardly fair.

A large scale study done by Health Canada (Trocme, 2001) found that the largest single group for violence against chil-dren is biological mothers.

Domestic violence in same-sex relationships is almost double that for heterosexual couples, with lesbians couples registering the highest level of violent inci-dents.

Statistics from Great Britain found that, on average, 40 per cent of the victims of relation-ship violence were men.

But, men are much less likely to report violence and, when they

do, police may actually side with the women.

Statistics Canada’s Family Violence report from 2011 stated that between 2000 and 2009, men were most likely to be killed by a common-law partner (66 per cent), with stabbing as the most common method.

The General Social Survey of 2009 found 4.4 per cent of Cana-dian men reported relationship violence from their current part-ner, while 3.2 per cent of women reported such violence.

In other words, women perpe-trate more violence against their current partners than do men (it was 20.1 female vs 14.2 male for former relationships, though).

The bottom line is relationship violence is a complex issue, but one hopes police and social agen-cies will take violence committed by women as seriously as violence committed by men.Chris KemplingKamloops, B.C.

Don’t forget aboutviolence against men

Raffle winnerLiz Gilbertson, chair for the Barriere Investors Group Walk For Memo-ries on Jan. 25, chats with area resident Alec Schmidt regarding the framed print he received first prize in the Walk For Memories Raffle. Other raffle winners were: Seal-A-Meal freezer packaging unit – Linda Underhill, T-Light Lantern set – Doug McGregor, and necklace and earring set – Doreen Livingstone.

STAR/JOURNAL photo: Margaret Houben

October 9th, 2015

Discover China with the Barriere & District Chamber of Commerce as we host a nine day, all-inclusive trip to China. Travellers will visit four of China’s leading cities – Beijing, Suzhou, Hangzhou and Shanghai – to see the natural beauty, culture and traditions of a country home to 1.3 billion people.

For more info please contact the Chamber Office 250-672-9221

email [email protected] or visit www.barrierechamber.com

$2,499 per person for Barriere Chamber Member & Guest$2,649 per person for Non-Member & Guest Includes air fare/acc./meals/all taxes & fees. Based on double occupancy. Registration Deadline: August 1, 2015

Join us for an information session on Monday, March 16th • 5:30 pm in the

Multi Purpose Room at the Ridge.

Abbotsford, BC BCR#23568



Re p re s e n t at ive s from all North Thomp-son Valley local gov-ernments, including Simpcw First Nation and Thompson-Nicola Regional District, met on Friday, Jan. 30 to communicate and coor-dinate.

The community-to-community forum was held in Clearwater’s new Dutch Lake Commu-nity Centre, the former Dutch Lake School.

During introduc-tory remarks at the start of the forum, Simpcw chief Rita Matthew re-ported that there are no band members on income assistance, other than those with disabil-ity pensions.

“Our � rst goal is to see as many of our people employed as pos-sible,” she said. A close second for the band is

to see other residents of the Valley have jobs.

“We see the bene� ts of economic develop-ment. It’s a challenge to live in the Valley and raise a family,” the chief said.

Economic develop-ment also needs to be balanced with concern about the environment, Matthew said.

The chief noted that the Simpcw and the oth-er residents of the North Thompson Valley have a history of working to-gether. She hoped that tradition would con-tinue.

Barriere’s new mayor Virginia Smith reported that her community’s sewer project is proceed-ing and should be in op-eration by July.

The project will serve many of the homes in the older portion of town, a number of which have problems with their septic tanks.

It will use an inno-vative approach. The sewage waste will be used to feed plants in a greenhouse. The puri-� ed water will then be used to water plants in municipal parks.

“I look forward to inviting everybody to look at our new sewage plant,” she said. “Now, doesn’t that sound excit-ing?”

Clearwater mayor John Harwood talked about partnerships – one of his favorite themes.

Working with the school district allowed the municipality to lease the former Dutch Lake School for 25 years at $1 per year. Working with other levels of govern-ment brought in grants that allowed the former school to be renovated into a community center at very little cost to local taxpayers.

District of Clearwa-

ter now plans to convert the building from pro-pane heat to biomass (wood chips). Expected payback time for the investment will be � ve years, he said.

Building permits in Clearwater last year to-talled $9.3 million, the most of any of the elec-toral areas or munici-palities in the Thomp-son-Nicola Regional District, other than Ka-mloops.

“It was an exception-al year,” Harwood said.

A septage receiving facility in Clearwater should be up and run-ning within a couple of months to take in septic tank sludge from all the upper North Thomp-son Valley.

Since Greyhound cut back its service to the bare minimum, the area’s transit service has expanded enormously, the mayor reported. Buses now go twice a week to Kamloops.

The municipal-ity would like to see a staffed intermediate care facility located in Clearwater. This would provide a level of care between that at Ev-ergreen Acres, where people more or less take care of themselves, and Forestview Place in the hospital, where pretty

well all of the patients’ needs are done for them.

At the Union of BC Municipalities conven-tion last year, Clearwa-ter helped ask for addi-tional policing for Blue River.

That led to funding for extra policing over Christmas in Blue River, which in turn resulted in

two impaired drivers be-ing taken off the streets within a 30-minute pe-riod.

“We are part of the North Thompson Val-ley, and it’s exciting to hear of good things happening in the valley,” said Al Raine, mayor of Sun Peaks.

The resort munici-

pality is having a suc-cessful ski season de-spite a relatively poor snow season, he said.

He thanked John Harwood for the work he did when he was a school trustee to get a school for Sun Peaks.

The school now has 60 students and is a big factor in retaining employees and others with young families.

The weak Cana-dian dollar is creat-ing opportunities for growth at Sun Peaks, Raine said.

C o m mu n i t y - t o -community forums have been sponsored by UBCM and First Nations Summit since 1997. Purpose of the forums is to allow local governments and First Nations to communi-cate and coordinate bet-ter.

The local group has been meeting since 2009.

3x3 Thank You

moved from page 7

North Thompson leaders report during community-to-community forum

Re p re s e n t at ive s

Simpcw First Nation band councillor Fred Fortier presents a ceremonial drum to Barriere mayor Virginia Smith during a community-to-community forum held in Clearwater on Friday. The meeting was one of a series held over the past few years to improve communication and coordination between all lo-cal governments in the North Thompson Valley, including First Nations and Thompson-Nicola Regional District.

THE TIMES photo: Keith McNeill

To win in the marketplace, you must first win in the workplace.

1.855.678.7833 @localworkbc/localwork-bc

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with MICHELLE

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PHARMASAVEMon-Fri 9-6 • Sat 9-5

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CLEARWATER, 250-674-3122

Tea is the most popular beverage in the world. It is low in caffeine (about 40mg per cup). It’s inexpensive and it also contains antioxidants and phytochemicals which some believe are good for our health. Even the people of Turkey where some great coffee has been made for centuries, prefer tea. Had your cuppa today?

Some drugs can be given only by injection because stomach acid destroys the drug when given by mouth. There is research going on at MIT which developed a special capsule coated with tiny needles which can release the drug into the stomach lining. The gold standard drug for this approach is insulin which traditionally must be given by injection. It’s early times but promising.

Take good care of your feet. There are 56 bones in a pair of feet. That’s about one-quarter of all the bones in our body. Give them a thorough check each time you bathe. Check for redness, sores or colour changes. Wear good-fitting shoes which allow the toes some room. Finally, exercise them regular. Your whole body will benefit.

February is Heart Month in Canada. Today, heart disease and stroke take one life every seven minutes and 90 per cent of Canadians have at least one risk factor. Heart Month is an opportunity to learn the risk factors of heart disease and stroke and help us avoid being a heart death statistic.

The best part of our pharmacy’s inventory goes home each night. Our staff!

The family of June Paige would like to express our deep appreciation to everyone for all the cards, phone calls, food, visits, warm condolences, flowers and donations

to the Kamloops Hospice House.

To MaryAnn and staff at North Thompson Funeral Services, thank you for your caring and compassionate nature.

You helped to make a difficult time a little easier. We thank you all for being so thoughtful at this sad

time in our lives. June was so loved and will be dearly missed.

With our Thanks...


Every Thursday we br ing you the NEWS and the V IEWS f rom the Lower Nor th Thompson Va l ley.

The STAR/JOURNALKeeping va l ley res idents

in fo rmed!

North Thompson Community-To -Community Forum

Thirty-one local government and First Na-tion representatives from the North Thompson Valley attended a Community to Community forum in Clearwater on Jan. 30. The Districts of Barriere and Clearwater were presented with a drum crafted by Sam Saul and hand-painted by Clint Donald. Presentations were given by Telus, Yellowhead Mines, Kinder Morgan, Ven-ture Kamloops and the Ministries of Transpor-tation and Infrastructure and Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training.Feb. 16 – 20 Proclaimed 2015 Chamber of Commerce Week

Mayor Virginia Smith, on behalf of Council, proclaimed Feb. 16 – 20, 2015 as “Chamber of Commerce Week” in the District of Barriere. The Barriere and District Chamber of Commerce is a business organization dedicated to strengthen-ing Barriere’s business community and helping our town thrive. Let’s celebrate our Chamber and local businesses all year round, but especial-ly during the week of Feb. 16 – 20. Greenhouse Think Tank Committee Appointed

The main feature of the new wastewater reclamation centre behind the Fire Hall is the greenhouse where wastewater will undergo the majority of its treatment. The plants that will be a direct contributor to this innovative process will grow in eight feet high bins of water. It has always been the District’s plan to create not only healthy plants but to explore the possibility of creating a small revenue stream that could be ap-plied against the cost of running the operation. Many individuals responded to the District’s re-cent request for interested parties to participate in a “Think Tank” committee. After a prelimi-nary meeting with these volunteers to discuss the mandate of the proposed committee, Council appointed Grace Baker, Mary Bernt, Barb Bu-chanan, John Krop, Brian Schilling, Susan Ross, Bill Kershaw, Kim Rink, Lynn Wright, Doug Borrill, Colleen Hannigan and Mayor Smith, to form the committee. Garbage Rate Increase Adopted

An amendment to the District’s Fees & Charges Bylaw has been adopted by council in

response to the TNRD’s rate increase from $60 a tonne, to $80 a tonne for household waste. This represents an increase of $1.50 per month for all utility billings. Council Remuneration Policy Amended

Council Remuneration is reported annual-ly and, as per policy, the remuneration for the mayor and councillors is increased on January 1 of each year by an amount equivalent to the percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index for B.C. for the immediate preceding year. If the change in the Consumer Price Index for B.C. for the preceding year is negative, the remuneration for the mayor and councillors will remain un-changed for the year thereafter. The BC Con-sumer Price Index rose 1.2 per cent for the 2014 calendar year.Memorial Bench Program Changes

Currently the District has had a selection of two benches available for residents and business to purchase and donate as part of its Memo-rial Program at a cost of $1,800 that includes a customized plaque and installation. Unfortu-nately, the supplier cost of these two benches and their shipping fees have increased dramati-cally. In order to avoid an increase in the cost of the program, council approved a selection of two similar style benches that donators will now be able to choose from. Anyone who would like more information on the Memorial Bench Pro-gram and/or the changes to the bench styles, can phone the District office or email [email protected] . BC Mountain Bike Tourism Association to Develop McBride to Barriere Strategy

Council resolved to provide a letter of sup-port to the BC Mountain Bike Tourism Associa-tion for its funding application to the provincial Labour Market Partnership program to prepare a mountain bike strategy for the corridor from McBride to Barriere. Upcoming Roads Issues Roundtable for Public input:

February 19 at 6:30 p.m. at the Ridge, 4936 Barriere Town Road.Upcoming Budget Meeting:

February 10 at 3:00 p.m. at the Ridge, 4936 Barriere Town Road.

Greenhouse Think Tank Committee appointed

Highlights from Feb. 2 Barriere council meeting

Are you free a few hours a week?

Would you like to meet other members

of the community who have

similar interests?

Would you like to improve the lifestyle

of your community?

Try volunteering with one of the

numerous organizations that make the

Lower North Thompson Valley

a nice place to live.

You’ll find the information you need

at the North Thompson Volunteer and

Information Centre

in the Ridge, 4936 Barriere Town Road.

Back in townThis American Gold Finch was just one of many who have been spotted in the area within the last few weeks. They are a little hard to identify while wearing their dull winter feathers, but if you look closely you will see the bright yellows that the males are known for starting to show around their necks.

STAR/JOURNAL photo: Jill Hayward

W A N T E D : News, photos, event information, and letters for your community newspaper –

The North Thompson STAR/JOURNALemail: news@starjournal .net • call 250-672-5611



Re p re s e n t at ive s from all North Thomp-son Valley local gov-ernments, including Simpcw First Nation and Thompson-Nicola Regional District, met on Friday, Jan. 30 to communicate and coor-dinate.

The community-to-community forum was held in Clearwater’s new Dutch Lake Commu-nity Centre, the former Dutch Lake School.

During introduc-tory remarks at the start of the forum, Simpcw chief Rita Matthew re-ported that there are no band members on income assistance, other than those with disabil-ity pensions.

“Our � rst goal is to see as many of our people employed as pos-sible,” she said. A close second for the band is

to see other residents of the Valley have jobs.

“We see the bene� ts of economic develop-ment. It’s a challenge to live in the Valley and raise a family,” the chief said.

Economic develop-ment also needs to be balanced with concern about the environment, Matthew said.

The chief noted that the Simpcw and the oth-er residents of the North Thompson Valley have a history of working to-gether. She hoped that tradition would con-tinue.

Barriere’s new mayor Virginia Smith reported that her community’s sewer project is proceed-ing and should be in op-eration by July.

The project will serve many of the homes in the older portion of town, a number of which have problems with their septic tanks.

It will use an inno-vative approach. The sewage waste will be used to feed plants in a greenhouse. The puri-� ed water will then be used to water plants in municipal parks.

“I look forward to inviting everybody to look at our new sewage plant,” she said. “Now, doesn’t that sound excit-ing?”

Clearwater mayor John Harwood talked about partnerships – one of his favorite themes.

Working with the school district allowed the municipality to lease the former Dutch Lake School for 25 years at $1 per year. Working with other levels of govern-ment brought in grants that allowed the former school to be renovated into a community center at very little cost to local taxpayers.

District of Clearwa-

ter now plans to convert the building from pro-pane heat to biomass (wood chips). Expected payback time for the investment will be � ve years, he said.

Building permits in Clearwater last year to-talled $9.3 million, the most of any of the elec-toral areas or munici-palities in the Thomp-son-Nicola Regional District, other than Ka-mloops.

“It was an exception-al year,” Harwood said.

A septage receiving facility in Clearwater should be up and run-ning within a couple of months to take in septic tank sludge from all the upper North Thomp-son Valley.

Since Greyhound cut back its service to the bare minimum, the area’s transit service has expanded enormously, the mayor reported. Buses now go twice a week to Kamloops.

The municipal-ity would like to see a staffed intermediate care facility located in Clearwater. This would provide a level of care between that at Ev-ergreen Acres, where people more or less take care of themselves, and Forestview Place in the hospital, where pretty

well all of the patients’ needs are done for them.

At the Union of BC Municipalities conven-tion last year, Clearwa-ter helped ask for addi-tional policing for Blue River.

That led to funding for extra policing over Christmas in Blue River, which in turn resulted in

two impaired drivers be-ing taken off the streets within a 30-minute pe-riod.

“We are part of the North Thompson Val-ley, and it’s exciting to hear of good things happening in the valley,” said Al Raine, mayor of Sun Peaks.

The resort munici-

pality is having a suc-cessful ski season de-spite a relatively poor snow season, he said.

He thanked John Harwood for the work he did when he was a school trustee to get a school for Sun Peaks.

The school now has 60 students and is a big factor in retaining employees and others with young families.

The weak Cana-dian dollar is creat-ing opportunities for growth at Sun Peaks, Raine said.

C o m mu n i t y - t o -community forums have been sponsored by UBCM and First Nations Summit since 1997. Purpose of the forums is to allow local governments and First Nations to communi-cate and coordinate bet-ter.

The local group has been meeting since 2009.

3x3 Thank You

moved from page 7

North Thompson leaders report during community-to-community forum

Re p re s e n t at ive s

Simpcw First Nation band councillor Fred Fortier presents a ceremonial drum to Barriere mayor Virginia Smith during a community-to-community forum held in Clearwater on Friday. The meeting was one of a series held over the past few years to improve communication and coordination between all lo-cal governments in the North Thompson Valley, including First Nations and Thompson-Nicola Regional District.

THE TIMES photo: Keith McNeill

Valentine’s Day Specials

Including � ower arrangements

YVONNE’S FLOWERS & GIFTS250-672-0060 or 250-672-0104

4353 Connor Rd, Barriere BCOPEN LATE VALENTINE’S DAY


Fall Fair spaghetti dinner � ndraiser was an event

By Elli KohnertNorth Thompson Star/Journal

Drydyn Oja-Ames celebrated his sixth birth-day Nov. 19, 2014, with friends at his home. Everything required for a party was there, but something was missing, there were no presents for Drydyn. This was because Drydyn asked his party guests to sponsor him in the Alzheimer’s Society of B.C. Walk for Memories instead of bringing him gifts.

Drydyn was the youngest sponsored partici-pant in the Walk for Memories in Barriere on Jan. 25. Although a little shy for his photo, he looked pleased when presenting his cheque for $75 raised for the Walk.

Young Drydyn has demonstrated that no one can ever be too young to be a caring and giv-ing person. Thanks to supporters like himself, raising funds brings dementia and Alzheimer’s researchers one step closer to � nding a cure.

Youngest sponsored participant in Walk For Memories, Barriere

Drydyn Oja-Ames celebrated his sixth birth-

STAR/JOURNAL photo: Elli KohnertDrydyn Oja-Ames.

RCMP Report

On Tuesday, Jan. 27, Clearwater RCMP re-ceived a report of a traf� c complaint on High-way 5 in the Dar� eld area south of Little Fort.

A brown Chevrolet Camaro was passing dan-gerously on double solid lines and almost caused a motor vehicle incident.

Police located the vehicle, which was driv-ing at a high rate of speed and pulled it over. A number of offences being committed were then discovered.

Police served the driver with violation tickets for speeding, driving without due care, wrong number plate and failing to produce a driver’s license. Marijuana was also seized from the ve-hicle.

Erratic driver leads to drug seizure

south of Little Fort

On Tuesday, Jan. 27, Clearwater RCMP re-

Every Thursday we bring you the NEWS and the VIEWS from the Lower North Thompson Valley.

The STAR/JOURNALKeeping valley residents informed!

North Thompson Star/Journal

The North Thomp-son Fall Fair and Ro-deo Association’s Jan. 26 all you can eat spa-ghetti dinner fundraiser was all that it could be and more.

A big thanks goes out to everyone who stepped up and helped, donated cakes and pies for the dessert auction, served, washed dishes, decorated and cleaned up, donated food and other items, served at the bar or provide great live music.

Organizer Marnie Pfeifer said she was amazed at how many

folks turned out for the meal; 195 spaghetti din-ners served, along with caesar salad and garlic toast in just under three hours.

Sam’s Pizza and Rib House owner Do-reen Landry cooked up a storm in the Fall Fair Hall kitchen, and she was able to keep the food coming even though the original number of plates was for just 150.

In all, the three hour fundraiser was fun for all who attended; and Marnie says she already has plans in the works for another great event for the association in the upcoming months.

The North Thomp-

Sam’s Pizza’s Doreen Landry (left) cooked up a storm for the event, receiving plenty of help in the Fall Fair Hall kitchen from Bernie Kersha (r) and Laura Mairs (centre). Yellowhead 4H members can be seen in the background on dish washing duty while other 4H members and their parents, along with NTFFRA Ambassadors helped with serving and table cleaning.

STAR/JOURNAL photos: Jill Hayward

There’s a new band town, and after only two practices together they sure produced some great music at the spaghetti dinner even getting some folks out on the dance � oor. Pictured (l-r) James Mason, Gordie West, Tracey Corraini and Gary Pfeifer.

Youngest sponsored participant


son Fall Fair and Ro-deo Association’s Jan. 26 all you can eat spa-ghetti dinner fundraiser was all that it could be and more.

out to everyone who stepped up and helped, donated cakes and pies for the dessert auction, served, washed dishes, decorated and cleaned up, donated food and other items, served at

Wednesday - Friday. 3pm - 10pm (or later!) Saturdays 2pm - 10pm (or later!)In-House Raf� es Every Sat. At 3 PM • Non Members Welcome681 Shaver Road, Barriere, BC • 250-672-5913

• LEGION NEWS •


CRIB & DARTS - 7pm Thurs. • FREE POOL - Fri. • MEAT DRAW Sat. Feb. 6 - Karaoke 8pm • Feb. 14 - Valentines Dinner & Dance tickets $15

Feb. 17 - Executive Meeting 6:30pm & General Meeting 7pm

IN-HOUSE RAFFLES Jan 31/15 1st Draw: Sam Starzko, Joanne Lewis,

Mike Cline, Laura Mairs2nd Draw: William Baillie, Sam Starzko,

Bill Hubbard, John Willox3rd Draw: Jessica Genier, Bobby Sorensen,

Joe Prevolsek, Danny Miller4th Draw: John Genier, D Hagen, Michelle

Thalheimer, Ray M.Bonus: Laura Neighbor50/50 Winner of $98 was Ray M.

CRIB Jan 29/15 • 16 Players1st: Betty Wol� 2nd: Ivy Johnson 3rd:

Crystal Chenier High Hand: Orm Strom Skunk: Patsy Martin

DARTS Jan 29/15 • 14 Players1st: BJ Lyons & Maureen Wiseman 2nd:

Emil Gammel & Paulette Bombardier 3rd: Ray Glebe & Dorothy Carby High Score: Maureen Wiseman 122 & BJ Lyons 140 High Finish: Emil Gammel & Danielle Kashino 180

Valentines Dinner &Dance

February 14, 2015Steak or Chicken Dinner 6pm

Limited Tickets available at the bar $15/each

Dance 7pm Gordie West Band

Royal Canadian Legion Branch 242250-672-5913

Family DayOur of� ces will be closed Monday Feb. 9 for Family Day

REVISED DEADLINEfor the Feb. 12 paper is Feb. 6 at 9am

February 9

Jim McCreight is on location in the Royal LePage Real Estate office every

Wednesday.

www.mjblaw.com

1-888-374-3161

Serious Issues require Serious Lawyers

• ICBC Claims• Family Law• Real Estate


Sunday snow tough on driversLast Sunday’s all day snowfall created treacherous conditions on North Thompson Valley Roads. This tractor trailer unit hit the ditch alongside Highway 5 in McLure, an area that had a number of MVA’s throughout the day due to the road conditions.

Submitted photo from Facebook:

Chamber invites travelers on a 9 day trip to China


Barriere and District Chamber of Commerce have announced they are inviting people to join them in an all inclusive nine day trip to China this October.

Travellers will visit four of China’s leading cit-ies – Beijing, Suzhou, Hangzhou and Shanghai. Highlights of the trip will be the Great Wall of China, the Forbidden City, the Ming Tombs and the Palace Museum.

In Suzhou and Hangzhou the tour includes the Lingering Garden, Tiger Hill, and the Lingyin Temple, as well as a boat cruise on West Lake.

China is a country that is home to 1.3 billion people, and this trip introduces travellers to the traditions and culture of its residents and the nat-ural beauty of the land.

The Chamber’s trip is with Citslinc Interna-tional, Inc., who are a tour operator established since June of 1992, who operates out of Monterey Park, California. Citslinc is also a member of the Barriere Chamber.

Leo Liu is the president of Citslinc, and Cham-ber rep Marie Downing says he has been coor-dinating tours to China for more than 15 years, partnering with over 1000 Chambers of Com-merce and Boards of Trade since 2001.

“Each year more than 8,000 tourists visit China on Chamber tours such as this one,” says Downing, “And we have a local travel partner who will be handling all the payment transactions as per provincial regulations.”

Downing notes the trip includes roundtrip air-fare from Vancouver, accommodation in � ve star hotels (based on double occupancy), three meals a day, deluxe bus tours, all in-country transpor-tation, and all gratuities taxes and fees. Tour guides are experienced and � uent in the English language.

Barriere Chamber members and their guest re-ceive a discounted rate based on double occupan-

cy. Non-members and their guest will pay $150 more each. Tours must be booked and paid for by Aug. 1, 2015.

Downing says the Chamber is inviting anyone who would like to learn more about the trip to at-tend a trip information session on Monday, Mar. 16, at 5:30 p.m., in the multi-purpose room at the Ridge, 4936 Barriere Town Road.

Downing says she’s already packing her suit-case, and can hardly wait “for a trip of a life-time”.

In the meantime you can use your computer to learn about where the trip itinerary will take those participating, or stop by the Library and check out a book on China. You can aslo contact the Chamber at 250-672-9221 or email:[email protected]

Barriere and District Chamber of Commerce

Barriere and District Chamber of Commerce is hosting a nine day trip to China this October that will include a visit to the famous Forbidden City.

Your 2014 Tax Slips will be arriving over the next few weeks, and now is the time to get all your information together.

Do you have Medical Expenses now is the time to get all receipts together?

If so you may be eligible to claim travel ex-penses. You can claim eligible medical expenses paid in any 12-month period ending in 2014 and not claimed for 2013. Generally, you can claim all amounts paid, even if they were not paid in Canada.

If you had to travel at least 40 kilometres (one way) from your home to obtain medical services, you may be able to claim the public transporta-tion expenses you paid (for example, taxis, bus, or train) as medical expenses. Where public transportation is not readily available, you may be able to claim vehicle expenses.

If you had to travel at least 80 kilometres (one way) from your home to obtain medical services, you may be able to claim accommodation, meal, and parking expenses in addition to your trans-portation expenses as medical expenses.

To claim transportation and travel expenses, the following conditions must be met:

• Substantially equivalent medical services were not available near your home;

• You took a reasonably direct travelling route; and

• It is reasonable, under the circumstances, for you to have travelled to that place for those medical services.

If a medical practitioner certi� es in writing that you were incapable of travelling alone to obtain medical services, you can also claim the transportation and travel expenses of an atten-dant who accompanied you.

If you have any questions about your medical expenses please contact us at: Armour Moun-tain Of� ce Services, #1 - 4353 Connor Road, Barriere, B.C., V0E 1E0. Or call 250-672-9994, or email: [email protected]

Tax Tipswith Lana Laskovic

Claiming medical expenses on your 2015 tax form

February 12, 2:30 p.m. Barriere LibraryWriter’s block? Got your characters in a sticky situation you don’t know how to get them out of? Looking for inspiration? Join us!

All writers or prospective writers of all ages are welcome to join, whether you write: Poetry, Novels, Short Stories, Children’s Books, Songs, etc.

For more information, call Margaret at 250-672-9330.

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The Thompson-Nicola Regional Dis-trict Board of Directors’ meeting of Jan. 16, 2015, included the following decisions.

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When longtime Bar-riere resident Brian Knowles Lodge suc-cumbed to Alzheimer’s disease on January 7 of this year, he left family and many close friends to mourn his passing.

Brian was well loved by them; and as a result they wanted to honour his life in a meaningful way to remember him by.

With that in mind, Brian’s daughter, Lou-ise Lodge, suggested paying tribute to her father’s life in the Inves-tor’s Group Walk For Memories that was to held in Barriere on Jan. 25.

Louise was still in Barriere at the time, but was returning to her job as a school sports coor-dinator in Cairo, Egypt, before the Walk was to take place.

However, before she left, Louise and a group of Brian’s close friends formed ‘Team Brian’ to take part in the Walk.

Louise then asked Audrey Rilcoe (Barri-ere’s newest Citizen of the Year) to be the cap-tain of the team as she would be back in Cairo at that time.

On her arrival in Cairo, Louise quickly formed another Team Brian there with friends and students. They also Walked For Memories, raising just over $1,500 in her Dad’s name to be added to the money raised by their sister group in Barriere.

“I was honored to be asked to look after everything that had to be done for the Walk,” said Audrey, “We all wore with pride our Team Brian shirts that had been made by Louise, and I am very proud of our two groups who came to-gether and raised more than $2,500 in Brian’s name to go towards making Alzheimer’s become a curable dis-ease.”

Funds raised in Cairo, Egypt, and Barriere by Team Brian, in memory of Brian Lodge

When longtime Bar-

(Above) Team Brian in Cairo Egypt raised just over $1,500 that was added to the money raised by its sister group in Barriere, bringing the total to $2,500 in the name of Brian Lodge for the annual Walk For Memories in Barriere. Louise Lodge (wearing white shirt) organized this walk with friends and students in memory of her Dad.

(Top right) Team Brian in Barriere. Pictured front row (l-r); Audrey Rilcoe, Audrey Deveau, Marion Lodge. Rear (l-r): Gwen Travis, Stacy Gartner, Melody Shepard, Carol Young, Trisha Thompson and Pat Thompson.

Submitted photos:

Tean Brian in Barriere waiting to start the Investors Group Walk For Memories on Jan. 25.

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SPORTS

Do you have a sports story or event picture? If you do we’d love to hear from you.

Call 250-672-5611 or email: news@star/journal.net

Barriere Secondary School’s Junior Girls Basketball team won a tournament in Ashcroft on Jan. 16 – 17, and are pictured here with the winning trophy. Front row (l-r): Lee Dionne, Ally Dunn (holding trophy), Taylynn Eustache. Back row: Lauren Ficke, Pamela LeFeuvre, Jordan Bauer, Ivanna Villeneuve, Leanna Mitchell, Kamryn Cousins and coach Ian Mitchell.

The school’s Junior Boys Basketball Team won a second place trophy in their tournament at Brock Middle School on the same weekend.

Submitted photo:

BSS junior girls team win tournament in Ashcroft

Grade 8 pn snowshoesCassie Pedersen

Warm hat!Cassie Pedersen, looks warm and happy in her wolf toque while participating in the North Thompson Recreation Society’s school snowshoe program for grade 8’s at Barriere Forks Trails.

Submitted photo:

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Congratulations to the Pharmasave Staff - Winners of Hockey Days Photo Contest

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“Around the World”


VALLEY VOICESVALLEY VOICESParadise for rescue ponies in NT ValleyBY Jill HaywardNorth Thompson Star/Journal

My Little Pony Horse Rescue is a special place in the North Thompson Valley where the smallest of the equine world are quite literally in “pony paradise”.

Located just off Highway 5, the rescue is situated on a little “piece of heaven” in Louis Creek. It’s here that a young mom strives to provide a loving, friendly, and healthy environ-ment, not just for her own fam-ily, but for miniature horses as well.

Kyra Blackburn is the driv-ing force behind the rescue. She is the founder and hands-on op-erator of this unique facility for little horses.

“I was born and raised in this small town, and after moving away for a few years have found myself back to raise my own family here on a nice little piece of heaven on Agate Bay Road,” tells Kyra, “I have always had horses, and have a huge pas-sion for them. For the past three years I have been helping and rescuing horses and miniatures on my own.

“It was in October of 2013 when I read an ad in the Kelow-na paper offering three minia-ture horses free to a good home. I phoned and spoke with the man and went out the next day to pick them up. These three minis were in absolute dire con-dition, they had feet that looked like elf shoes, they were full of worms and underweight.”

Unfortunately, one mini was too far gone to help and she was humanely put down. Af-ter months of getting the other two back to a healthy state Kyra decided to keep one as a mas-cot for the rescue; a little white mare named Bunny. The third one was adopted to Kamloops Therapeutic Riding Associa-tion, where she still resides as their mascot.

Kyra says at this point she re-

alized that there were so many other minis that needed her help, and that she would love nothing more then to do that, which resulted in starting up the rescue.

“At one point I took in larger horses,” said Kyra, “But I soon found it was too much to take on, and had to make the hard decision to stick with miniature horses only.”

Kyra says that since October of 2013 she has successfully tak-en in 38 animals, which included � ve large horses, three donkeys and 30 miniature horses. Out of those 38 animals the rescue has rehabbed and adopted out the � ve horses, the three don-keys, and 20 of the miniature horses. Currently they have 10 beautiful miniature horses that still reside at the rescue and are awaiting for a family to come along and adopt them as well.

“I try and do things the best I can out here, and am always open to suggestion or help,” says Kyra, “My goal with the rescue is to provide some health and happiness to ponies that no lon-ger have a place to call their for-ever home, and of course to � nd that forever home for them.”

Kyra also tells that in order to cut overhead costs she at-tended a course with the Or-egon School of Natural Hoof Care and became a certi� ed barefoot farrier. This has saved the rescue a lot of money in far-rier costs as she now does all the hoof trims herself.

Whether the pony is a sur-render or an abandoned ani-mal, or even just there to be re-homed, they all enter an equine rehabilitation program and stay at the rescue until each one has completed and graduated from the program before available for adoption to a new family.

Kyra runs the rescue on her own, with the help of a few volunteers who stop by to help with mucking out the pens and brushing out the minis.

She is also quick to point out that the support she has received along this journey with the horses and ponies has made it all possible. Veterinar-ians, those who donate hay, the people who donate their time, the ones who donate dollars, and those that help spread the word and participate in rescue fundraisers.

“They are all amazing,” says Kyra, “Running this rescue has been a huge eye opener for me as to what some animals have to encounter and at the end of the day after all the hard work is done, everything pays off watching these horses and po-nies light up somebody’s world, watching them � nd their new families and helping them get there. Thank you to everybody that has brought the rescue this far, it couldn’t have been done without you.”

Asked what the future holds for the program, Kyra says she she’s the continuation of help-ing ponies in need of love and care.

“I really love my job,” says rescue founder Kyra Blackburn.

My Little Pony Horse Res-cue is a non-pro� t organization. They do not go out actively seeking donations, but do great-ly appreciate them. The stan-dard adoption fee for a mini is $400, and all minis come with a vet check, current inoculations and farrier care. Applicants must be able to offer a loving suitable home that is willing to provide for the ponies and offer them a great life.

If you are interested in adop-tion or volunteering, contact Kyra Blackburn by calling 250-299-4040, or email: [email protected], or � nd/follow on Facebook by typ-ing in “My Little Pony Horse Rescue” in the search bar.

Please remember that My Little Pony Horse Rescue is open to visitors by appointment only.

all myself. We have a won-derful veterinarian, Denton Moffat of Moffat Equine Ser-vices based out of Armstrong, I owe him a Huge Thank you as he has been such a big help to this rescue, I would not be able to do with without him. We also use Kamloops Large Animal Veterinarian Hospital in emer-gency situations and they have been wonderful to us in taking care of our sick minis during a quick trip to town in the middle of the night.

My Little Pony Horse Rescue

(Right) Kyra’s daughter Claireese, all dressed up with little Bunny. Bunny is My Little Pony Horse Rescue’s mascot, she was one of the � rst three minis to come to the rescue and the reason it has become a reality.

(Bottom right) Why a miniature horse? Miniature horses are just like big horses only they require a lot less feed. They make great companions for numer-ous farm animals, they make great con� dence builders, they help young children to learn to care for a horse, to pick up feet, brush it, feed it, etcetera. Minis also take up much less space than a big horse.

(Above) My Little Pony Horse Rescue founder and operator, Kyra Blackburn hugging rescued miniature horse Buttercup who is munching on hay.

Submitted photos:

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The small settle-ment of Vavenby is home to Ecki Manthei, a gifted artist who‘s artwork grows out of his connection to nature, and his drive to follow every new idea with a passion that moves him to create what is in his imagina-tion, without delay.

Ecki’s home stands out from all others in the Vavenby trailer park where it cannot be missed. Two large life-like eagles formed from wood, seem to be guarding his prop-erty. Varieties of crea-tures also made from wood, line the path to the house; and the ambiance of this place leaves no doubt that an artist lives here.

Ecki, and his life partner, Marilyn, arrived in the North Thompson Valley about five years ago. When they saw the trailer court in Vavenby, they “liked it right away and bought it”; a comfort-able, quiet place that allows his creativity to flourish.

Ecki says he emi-grated with his parents from Austria when he was a very young boy in 1945. He has lived and worked in various northern locations in

Canada, and eventu-ally came to live in Cloverdale, B.C. It is there that he began his artistic career.

Seashells were his medium then, tells Ecki as he explains how they lend them-selves to be made into clocks for instance, or be used as a canvas for his paintings.

When the couple eventually settled in the community of Vavenby, it is here that Ecki took on art as his life work.

Ecki has trans-formed one room of their home into an art gallery, where he now displays the numer-ous ‘Art By Ecki’ cre-ations.

The variety of his work is remarkable; it ranges from usable art, like wooden spoons and clocks, to wildlife and nature paintings. Ecki uses antlers for many of his carvings that depict wildlife, especially wolves, in their habitat.

“When I am walking in the forest, or along a stream, I often see something that gives me an idea for a proj-ect,” says the artist, “I may pick up a rock that would be just right to paint something on, or maybe I am lucky to find a moose or deer antler, and I know right away what I want to

carve on it!” He notes that near-

ly all the materials he uses in his creations are natural; giving the artwork its special character.

Sometimes a per-son may come into the gallery to view Ecki’s work, and they may purchase a special item of art for their own home. Most of the time though, Ecki and Marilyn market the art work by taking part in craft fairs.

“At some I do well, with others I do not,” commented the art-

ist on selling his work through craft fairs.

The couple say they have a few tentative ideas in mind for mar-keting; such as going on the road to sell their creations. But right now, they have no immediate plans that they want to follow.

“We like it here in Vavenby,” says Ecki, “We feel comfortable around here, and we do enjoy to be with the friends we have made in the area. For now, ‘Ecki’s Art’ will have its home in the North Thompson Valley .”

Nature plays a large part in Art by Ecki

(Above) Ecki Manthei of Vavenby shows one of the many ant-lers he has carved that are displayed in his home gallery.

(Top left) Ecki’s life partner, Marilyn, looks on on as he passionately describes his art creations to the Star/Journal reporter.

(Bottom left) Some of the beautiful creations that Ecki offers for sale to the public from his Vavenby gallery or at craft fairs.

STAR/JOURNAL photos: Elli Kohnert

Celebration of Art in Barriere June 23, 24By Jill HaywardNorth Thompson Star/Journal

Everything is in place for the June 23, and 24, Barriere Celebration of The Arts. The venue will be similar to last year’s event and will once again be hosted on property beside Highway 5 in Barriere, now the home of Sam’s Pizza and Rib House.

The two day Celebration of Art event is an extravaganza of art and culture, featuring the amazing talent of the North Thompson Valley and British Columbia.

Put on by the North Thomspon Arts Council, and the Yellowhead Artists Cooperative, the venue

continues to be admission free to the public, and encourages youth to attend and participate in the 12 years and under Art Activity Area.

Those involved say they expect a strong turnout of ven-dors this year and that they are looking forward to presenting such a broad range of top qual-ity art for exhibition and/or for sale.

Organizers say booth space is being filled fast by artists and artisans, and they encourage those who have not yet registered to do so now and avoid being disappointed. Service groups and organizations are also wel-come to participate to promote their programs in a booth at the site. Vendors are reminded they

must supply their own canopy or tent, and that power is not available.

If you would like more infor-mation or would like to book a space, or volunteer, please call Jessie at 250-672-9772.

“We figure that all the rain will be done with by then,” said one positive thinker, “It will be a great weekend, and the vendor tents will be to provide shade from the sun, not keep the rain off. We are expecting lots of art-ists, and a steady stream of visi-tors to our presentation. Come on down and see the extremely good works being produced from people within our art com-munity. You’ll be impressed – I guarantee it!”

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I have discussed this topic before, but after a conversa-tion I had about an upcoming photog-raphy exhibition in Kamloops with one of the judges and, of course, the heated de-bate now raging about that $6.5M photo of a canyon, I thought I would revisit it.

Wikipedia’s on-line encyclopedia says, “Fine art photogra-phy is photography created in accordance with the vision of the artist as photogra-pher. Fine art pho-tography stands in contrast to represen-tational photography, such as photojournal-ism, which provides a documentary visual account of speci� c subjects and events, literally re-presenting objective reality rath-er than the subjective intent of the pho-tographer; and com-mercial photography, the primary focus of which is to advertise products or services”.

Photography as art has changed since its beginnings in the mid 1800s, and, in my opinion, with the increased interest in photography because of the ease of mak-ing photographs since digital technology became the mainstay, photography as an art interests more and more people.

That art may be nothing more than a screensaver on one’s computer display. Some photographers go further and it is not unusual to see a personal photograph, or one of a friend, framed and hanging on the walls in some-one’s home.

I have been interest-ed in photography as an artistic medium for a very long time and have attended many exhibitions of artis-

tic world-renowned photographers. And I think Wikipedia’s def-inition is worth noting because it separates what it declares as � ne art photography from photojournalism and commercial pho-tography, classi� ca-tions that could divide those photographers in new ways for me.

By the middle of the nineteenth cen-tury photographers felt their art should be held in the same exalt-ed status that paint-ers claimed for theirs. Their contention was that it’s the photogra-pher, not the camera that makes the picture. The goal was, and still may be, to convince not only the art com-munity, but also those interested in creative arts that photography is art. Then, as now, the discussion was about whether the dif-ferent aspects of pho-tography, commercial, photojournalistic, or those created only as personal creative vi-sion should be consid-ered art.

The question pho-tographers can ask is, whether the pho-tograph’s goal is as “visual support”, to “sell a product”, as a “documentary”, or as a creative vision?

I have come to think that de� nitions like those of Wikipe-dia’s have changed. Maybe it is the way modern viewers see and use photography. That quickly-snapped portrait of a favorite pet displayed in the owner’s home prob-ably needs an expla-nation to go along with it, but is cher-ished enough to be in-cluded with the rest of the owner’s art even though art scholars would disagree.

Remember, pho-tographers are still contending with those

critics that hold that only painting and sculpture are art and that photography is but a technology. For me the lines have be-come blurred, and I see photography as an artistic medium equal to others, although I am not altogether se-cure in categorizing any photographer’s work.

Debates like those in The Guardian news-paper, http://petapix-el .com/2014/12/11/columnists-guardian-debate-whether-not-photography-art/ are fun, but in the end for-get that the camera is just a tool, absolutely a high technology tool for sure, but a tool just the same, that helps any person to be creative and pho-

tographers only need to decide on their own particular style, and what, as Wikipedia states, is “created to ful� ll the creative vi-sion of the artist”. What that vision is should be entirely up to the photographer and the audience for whom the image is produced.

These are my thoughts for this week. Contact me at www.enmanscamera.com or [email protected]. Stop by Enman’s Camera at 423 Tran-quille Road in Kam-loops.

I sell an interesting selection of used pho-tographic equipment. And if you want an experienced photogra-pher please call me at 250-371-3069.

withMaking Pictures

J ohn Enman

Photography as a Fine Art

“Fine art photography is photography created in accordance with the vision of the artist as photographer.” – Wikipedia

John Enman Photo


The North Thompson Arts Council (NTAC) say they are proud to an-nounce the grand opening of its Gallery in Clearwater, B.C.

“By opening this Gallery we aim to support the artists within the Valley and strengthen the cultural component of the community,” says Richard Stroh, president, “Next to the Gallery is NTAC’s studio space. Here we of-fer a place for artists to work on their projects, conduct and participate in workshops and classes, as well as socialize amongst their friends and peers.

“Since 2009 the North Thompson Arts Council, a not-for-pro� t organi-zation, has strived towards furthering the artistic community throughout the Valley. Being inclusive to all disciplines and genres, through educa-tion and collaboration, we have held successful endeavors in many forms; Clearwater Arts Festival, Children’s Arts Contest, Art Crawl, Live Figure Drawing Classes, Poetry and Potluck, as well as many other collaborations and events.”

Gallery Hours: Tues/Wed/Sat from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.Dutch Lake Community Centre209 Dutch Lake Road, Clearwater, B.C.For further information about NTAC and membership, email: north-

[email protected] or call 250-674-3530

NT Arts Council Gallery now open in Clearwater

The North Thompson Arts Council (NTAC) say they are proud to an-

Birthday zoomingBarriere resident Peggy Armstrong turned 95 on Jan. 21, and in celebra-tion of the occasion, her son Bob took her for an ATV ride in the snow.

Have you dropped a loonie in the

Food Bank Can?To donate

drygoods or food items, call

250-672-0029.

Submitted photo:

Barriere GenealogyGroupFebruary 12, 1 p.m.

at the Barriere Library

All those interested in genealogy are welcome to join.

For more information, call Margaret at 250-672-9330.

Join us on Facebook group: Barriere Genealogy Club

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FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY

February 19– March 20

January 20– February 18

December 22– January 19

May 21– June 21

April 20– May 20

August 23– September 22

July 23– August 22

November 22– December 21

October 23– November 21

March 21– April 19

June 22– July 22

September 23– October 22

A p r i l 2 3 - 2 9 , 2 0 1 2

This week is all about give and take, Capricorn. Do for others, and they will do for you. A special event calls for some extra-special gifts.

Some habits are hard to break, Aquarius. Look to a mentor to help and you will succeed. A fitness goal is easily achieved with a new piece of equipment.

The odds may be stacked against you, Pisces, but that doesn’t mean you won’t come out on top with a little ingenuity. A weekend endeavor requires a leap of faith.

Speak up, Aries, and the problem will be solved. A little miracle at home makes for an interesting weekend. Travel plans come together.

Cast aside all doubt, Taurus. The offer is genuine and will bring you many rewards. A test of faith begins— be strong. Money woes ease.

Feeling blessed these days, Gemini? Pay it forward. A compromise at home raises everyone’s spirits and fun ensues all weekend long!

A business relationship blossoms with an addition. A larger-than- life personality drops by with an offer you can’t refuse. Oh boy, oh boy, Cancer.

Oops, Leo. You fall behind on a project, raising some eyebrows. Not to worry. You will get back on track sooner than you think, thanks to an innovation.

Spend less, save more and you’ll definitely get more, Virgo. More in your bottom line and more peace of mind. Flowers provide a great pick-me-up.

Lady Luck smiles on you, Libra, and there is nothing beyond your reach. A treasured heirloom resurfaces, bringing back many fond memories.

The tiniest of changes make a vast improvement in a project. A rejection is a blessing in disguise. Be grateful for what you’re given, Scorpio.

News from afar gets the creative juices flowing, and you accomplish more than you have in some time, Sagittarius. A game of wits at the office proves challenging.

February 5 - 11, 2015

Aries, you may feel that a goal is beyond reach, but you can get there if you are willing to make some sacrifices. Make a decision quickly this week.

Cancer, be honest about what you de-sire, even if it seems like getting it is im-possible. You never know what you can achieve if you push yourself and have a little patience.

Libra, you may have to be a little more assertive than usual to get your way this week. If you have good ideas, stick be-hind them and make your voice heard.

Capricorn, make the most of a business opportunity that presents itself in the coming weeks. This opportunity could be the chance you have long been waiting for.

Don’t push yourself beyond your limits this week, Aquarius. There’s no rush to get things done and no need to subject yourself to fatigue or burnout.

Many different people, including loved ones and col-leagues, hold you in high regard, Taurus. That’s because you are a forward thinker willing to take chances.

Leo, you have many good ideas and are ready for many of them to come to fruition. Muster up some energy and clear your schedule so you can conquer the tasks at hand.

Set goals that are difficult to reach, Scorpio. This is a great way to push yourself to be the best you can be. Expect some special news to arrive very soon.

Pisces, do not let your daydreams get you into trouble. Harness your imagi-nation in the next few days so you can focus on the here and now.

Gemini, take a care-ful approach to any obstacles that come your way this week. A problem that arises will require some thoughtful analyis and a slow and steady approach.

Virgo, you have more in common with a colleague at work than you originally imagined. Pool your resources and work as a team to get the job done.

Something that may have been important to you a few days ago has lost its luster this week, Sagittarius. Don’t pursue it any longer because it’s not worth your time.

BARRIERE FIRST RESPONDERS

BARRIERE FIRE DEPARTMENTPractices every Thursday at the Barriere Fire Hall Come out and join the team!!

COM

MUN

ITY

EVEN

TS &

SER

VICE

S

Feb. 5 - Barriere & District Seniors Society AGM 3pm at the Seniors Hall

Feb. 8 - Barriere Search and Rescue AGM 7pm at the Rescue Hall (Fouquet Road)

Feb. 8 - Barriere Family Fun Day at the RidgeFeb. 12 - Geneology Group meeting 1pm Barriere LibraryFeb. 12 - Writers Group meeting 2:30pm Barriere LibraryFeb. 14 - Barriere Farmer’s Market 10am-1pm Legion

Basement. Feb. 14 - Valentines Dinner (Steak or Chicken 6pm) &

Dance (7pm) $15, limited tickets available at the bar, live entertainment by the Gordie West Band, Barriere Legion.

Feb. 14 - Story teller James Murray, Squam Bay Hall 7:30 admission by donation to the Squam Bay Hall

Feb. 28 - Heffley Creek Acoustic Coffee House 6:30-9:30 Call 250-578-7525

Feb. 28 - Barriere Farmer’s Market 10am-1pm Legion Basement.

Feb. 28 - Spring Beach Dance Fall Fair Hall 8pm-1pm, no minors, grad fundraiser, DJ music by Charlie Kibble tickets$10 available at the Petro Can or from a grad.

Feb. 19 - Crimestoppers General Meeting at the Ridge 1pmMar. 14 - Barriere Farmer’s Market 10am-1pm Legion

Basement.Mar. 28 - Barriere Farmer’s Market 10am-1pm Legion

Basement. Apr. 11 - Barriere Farmer’s Market 10am-1pm Legion

Basement. Apr. 11 - True Grit Rodeo at the NT Agriplex 6pm,

Cabaret Dance to follow, watch the newspaper for ticket information.

Army Cadets - 2941 RCACC Cadet Corp. - ages 12-18. New Recruits Welcome. Hethar McIntosh 250-587-0027.

Adult Day Program: Mon. & Wed. 9-2. Lunch, crafts & music at the Seniors Ctr. Sherry Jardine 672-5121

After School Program: Mon.-Fri. 3-6pm @ Ridge (NTVIC room). For info call 250-672-0033.

Baha’i Night: Fri., 7:30pm, @ Marge Mitchell’s 672-5615.Barriere & District Heritage Society: 3rd Wed. of mth, 1pm

at NTVIC in winter, at Museum in summer.Barriere & District Seniors Events: Whist - Mon. 7pm,

Carpet Bowling - Tues., Thurs. & Sat. 10am-12, Fun Cards - Wed. 1:30pm, Breakfast - every 3rd Sun. at 8am

Barriere Youth Group - Fridays ages 12-18 at the Ridge 7-10pm. Enjoy activities, sports and more.

Riding Club: Apr-Oct: 3rd Thurs. 7pm at NTVIC. www.barrieredistrictridingclub.com. Darcey 250-318-9975.

Cancer Support: 672-9263, 672-0017 or 672-1890Choir: Thurs. @ Christian Life Assembly, Annesty Rd. Youth

7-18 3:30pm; Adults 19+ 6:30pm. Leah 250-957-8440.

Crib: Barriere Legion 242, every Thurs. 7pm, Sept. to May.Darts: Barriere Legion 242, Thurs. 7pm, Sept. to May. Curling Club: Oct.-Mar. Curling, league & bonspiels.Drop In Art. Fridays 11:30am-2:30pm at NTVIC end of Sep to

Mar (except holidays). Nominal fee. Barriere A-A: Every Tues. 7:30pm at the Pentecostal Church

818 Amnesty Rd. 250-672-9643 or 250-672-9934Barriere Elementary PAC: 1st Wed. of mth, 6:30pm, call

672-9916.Barriere Drop In Art. Fridays 11:30am-2:30pm at NTVIC from

end of Sept to March (except holidays). Nominal fee. All welcome.

Barriere Fire Dept.: Firehall, Thurs., 7pmBarriere Food Bank: Every Wed. 672-0029Barriere Fibre Arts: Every Tues, 6:30pm at the Ridge.Barriere Genealogy: once a mth at the Library, except Jul/

Aug. For dates/times call 250-672-9330.Barriere Hospice: Loans out handicap equip. 250-672-9391.Photography Club. Shelley Lampreau 250-672-5728.Community Quilters: Every Thurs. 2pm at the Barriere Food

Bank. Judy 250-672-5275 or Fran 250-672-2012.Barriere Search & Rescue: 2nd Tues. of mth, 7pm. Training

on 4th Tues. of mth, 7pm.BSS PAC & Booster Club: 1st Tues., 5:30pm. 250-672-9943.

Survivors of Brain Injuries: John 250-372-1799.Bethany Baptist Church Prayer: Every Tues., 7pm.Carpet Bowling: Mon, Wed & Fri., 9:30am-12 @ Little Fort

Hall. Community Kitchen: Call Dede 554-3134.Community Soup Day: Christian Life Assembly on Annesty

Rd. 3rd Mon., 11:30 am.Crib: Mon. & Fri. 1-4pm @ Little Fort Hall.Family & Caregivers Group: 1st Mon. of the mth, 10am @

Ridge, kitchen. Info call 778-220-5930.Gambler’s Anonymous: 250-374-9165 or 250-374-9866.Literacy Tutoring: Learn to read FREE. Jill 250-319-8023.Little Fort Recreation: 1st Thurs. each mth 7pmLNT Catholic Women’s League: 2nd Sat. each mth, 9am at

St. George’s. Call 250-672-9330 for info.McLure Rec.: 1st Wed. each mth at 7:30pm McLure Firehall.

Except Jul & Aug. 250-578-7565 for info.McLure Fire Dept.: 2nd & 4th Tues., 7pm, Firehall Men’s Floor Hockey: Tues., 8-10pm at Barriere Sec. NT Fish & Game: 4th Mon. each mth 7pm NTVIC. 672-1070NT Valley Hospice: 3rd Tues, 11am, Little Fort Hall. 672-5660.Quilting: 1st Tues, 10am @ Little Fort Hall.Safe Home: Get away from domestic abuse, call 250-674-

2135 (Clw) or 250-682-6444 (Barriere).

From KitchenMyBy Dee

Salmon with Dill1 lb salmon � llets or steaks1/4 tsp salt1/2 tsp ground black pepper1 tsp onion powder1 tsp dried dill weed2 tbsp butterDirectionsPreheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Rinse salmon, and arrange in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Sprinkle salt, pepper, onion powder, and dill over the � sh. Place pieces of butter evenly over the � sh. Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes. Salmon is done when it � akes easily with a fork.

Apple Raisin Cakes2 eggs, beaten1 cup applesauce1 tsp ground cinnamon2 tsp white sugar

1 cup all-purpose � our1/2 cup whole wheat � our2 tsp baking powder2 tsp vanilla extract1/2 cup raisinsDirectionsIn a large mixing bowl, combine eggs, applesauce, cinnamon, sugar, � our, baking powder, vanilla, and raisins. Form small cakes out of the batter. Heat a nonstick griddle over mediumheat, fry the cakes until both sides are browned, about 5 to 7 minutes.

Classic Hummus2 cans garbanzo beans (chick peas)4 cloves fresh garlic1 tbsp dried dill¼ cup lemon juice1 tbsp tahiniAlso can add for personal preference if you like, any one of the following to taste: Red pepper,onions, parsley , basil, sun driedtomatoesMethod:Puree garlic in food processor. Add drained garbanzo beans (chick peas) puree until well blended. Add last ingredients and continue to puree. If you wish change the � avour from the classic by adding any one of the other options. Refrigerate and serve whendesired with crackers.

From KitchenMyBy DeeCelebrating 36 years

250-674-2674

Bayley’s BistroBayley’s Bistroin the Brookfield Shopping Centre in Clearwater

Eat in or Take out Fried Chicken

250-674-2674


North Thompson Star Journal Thursday, February 5, 2015 www.starjournal.net A17

Is BAD CREDIT keeping you up at night?

Are “LIFE SETBACKS” keeping you “STUCK”?

CALL DAN & KARI HELP YOU INTO YOUR DREAM VEHICLE AND A STRONGER CREDIT FUTURE.1-866-374-4477

DRIVER - Hy’s N. Transportation BC0453TRAIL MAINTENANCE PERSON –Lower North Thompson - BC0473

MECHANIC – Hillside Motors – BC0474SUPPORT WORKER – Yellowhead Community Services B0476

GENERAL LABORER –Woodco – BC0493OCCUP. HEALTH & SAFETY OFFICER – Hy’s North Transportation BC0505

PREP PERSON/DRIVER – Sam’s Pizza B0513

LABOURER – Gilbert Smith Forest Products Ltd. B0512

LOG TRUCK DRIVER – Piva Contracting BC0529

DAY CARE WORKER – BC0528SAND/PLOW TRUCK DRIVER – Blade Tec Road Services BC0519

Barriere Employment Services

YOUR GATEWAY TO LABOUR MARKET INFORMATION

The Employment Program of British Columbia is funded by the Government of Canada and the Province of British Columbia In Partnership with Barriere & District Chamber of Commerce and Yellowhead Community Services

Skill Development: If you have been on Employment Insurance in the past 3 years (5 years maternity) & are currently unemployed, you may be eligible for re-training dollars. Book an appointment to see one of our counselors for information. Free computer & Internet access • Free resume help • Free info on many services

629 Barriere Town Rd. V0E 1E0 • 250-672-0036 • Fax: 250-672-2159 E-mail: [email protected] • Website: www.barriere-employment.ca

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE ABOVE JOBS PLEASE GO TO www.barriere-employment.ca

Mike Wiegele - http://www.wiegele.com/employment.htmSun Peaks - http://www.sunpeaksresort.com/corporate/work-and-play/opportunities

#JobPostingsFollow us on Twitter for the latest local job postings in BC. @LocalWorkBC

Help Wanted

Help Wanted

Announcements

InformationAPPLY NOW: A $2,500 Pen-ny Wise scholarship is available for a woman entering the Journalism Certifi cate Pro-gram at Langara College in Vancouver. Application dead-line April 30, 2015. Send appli-cations: [email protected] More information avail. online: www.bccommunitynews.com /our-programs/scholarship.

Barriere A-A MeetingsEvery Tuesday at 7:30pm

Pentecostal Church818 Amnesty Road

250-672-9643250-672-9934

Safe Home Response Providing a safe place to

escape for women and their children.

Volunteers always needed. Call 250-674-2135.

HOSPITAL AUXILIARY THRIFT SHOP

Located across the railway tracks in Vavenby, B.C.

Wednesday 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.Sunday 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Great deals - low prices

Help Wanted

Announcements

InformationWednesday Night Sunshine Group

With our deepest regret the Wednesday night AA has been cancelled due to low turnout. ~Thank you Jeff

PersonalsClearwater: AA MeetingsEvery Wednesday, #11 Lodge Drive, side door. Call 250-587-0026 anytime

MEET SINGLES right now! No paid operators, just real peo-ple like you. Browse greetings, exchange messages and con-nect live. Try it free. Call now: 1-800-712-9851

Older gentleman seeking 60+ woman for companion-ship, outings, conversation, possibly travel. Am 5’11”, 170 lbs, no beer-belly. Own own home. Hobbies: music, sports, writing, love to travel & have some post-grad ed. You: physically fi t, easy to talk to, n/drinker, n/s, can be easy on eyes, some means of your own. Contact: c/o Box 1020, Barriere BC V0E 1E0.

Help Wanted

Announcements

Lost & FoundLost: Set of keys in the down town area of Barriere on Janu-ary 16th. If found please call 250-672-5566

Travel

TimeshareCANCEL YOUR Timeshare. No risk program stop mort-gage & maintenance pay-ments today. 100% money back guarantee. Free consul-tation. Call us now. We can help! 1-888-356-5248.

TravelRV LOT rentals $8.95 a day. 362 days of sunshine, pets, events, classes, entertain-ment. Reserve by 02/14/2015. www.hemetrvresort.com. Call: 1-800-926-5593

Employment

Business Opportunities

GET FREE vending machines. Can earn $100,000+ per year. All cash-retire in just 3 years. Protected Territories. Full De-tails call now 1-866-668-6629. Website www.tcvend.com.

THE DISABILITY Tax Credit. $1500 yearly tax credit. $15,000 lump sum refund (on avg). Covers: hip/knee re-placements, back conditions and restrictions in walking and dressing. 1-844-453-5372.

Career Opportunities

NEW YEAR, new career! Can-Scribe Medical Transcription graduates are in high demand. Enrol today and be working from home in one year! Email: [email protected]. Call 1-800-466-1535. Website: www.canscribe.com.

Home Stay FamiliesHOST FAMILIES needed! Northern Youth Abroad is looking for families to host 2 youth from Nunavut/NWT vol-unteering in your community July/August. www.nya.ca or Toll-Free 1-866-212-2307.

Medical/DentalMEDICAL TRANSCRIPTION is an in-demand career in Canada! Employers have work-at-home positions available. Get the online train-ing you need from an employ-er-trusted program. Visit: CareerStep.ca/MT or 1-888-528-0809 to start training for your work-at-home career to-day!

Trades, TechnicalCLIMBER/BUCKET operator needed immediately for tree service company in the Fraser Valley. $35.00/hr based on ex-perience. [email protected]

Help Wanted

Services

Financial ServicesARE YOU $10K or more in debt? DebtGo can help reduce a signifi cant portion of your debt load. Call now and see if you qualify. 1-800-351-1783

IF YOU own a home or real estate, Alpine Credits can lend you money: It’s That Simple. Your Credit / Age / Income is not an issue. 1.800.587.2161.

Photography / VideoPHOTOS

by Keith McNeillDigital and fi lm photographs.

Phone 250-674-3252 or email:[email protected]

Home ImprovementsFULL SERVICE Plumbing from Parker Dean. Fast, re-liable, 24/7 service. Take $50 off your next job if you present this ad. Vancouver area. 1-800-573-2928.

Household ServicesTwo hardworking house-keepers available at rea-sonable rates in the Barriere Area. Call 250-682-6234

Merchandise for Sale

AuctionsBUD HAYNES & Ward’s Fire-arms Auction. Saturday, March 7, 10 a.m., 11802 - 145 St., Edmonton, Alberta. One Man’s Collection, store disper-sal, case lots, ammo, etc. Consign now. Catalogue w/pictures online. Phone 403-347-5855 or 780-451-4549; www.budhaynesauctions.com; www.WardsAuctions.com.

Help Wanted

Merchandise for Sale

Heavy Duty Machinery

A-STEEL SHIPPING DRY STORAGE CONTAINERS

Used 20’40’45’53’ and insulated containers all

sizes in stock. Trades are welcome.

40’Containers under $2500!DMG 40’ containers under $2,000 each. Also JD 544 & 644 wheel Loaders & 20,000 lb CAT forklift.

Wanted to buy 300 size hydraulic excavator.

Ph Toll free 1-866-528-71081-778-298-3192 8am-5pm

Delivery BC and ABwww.rtccontainer.com

Misc. for SaleSAWMILLS FROM only $4,397 - Make money & save money with your own bandmill - Cut lumber any dimension. In stock ready to ship. Free info & DVD available online: www.NorwoodSawmills.com/ 400OT or call 1-800-566-6899 Ext:400OT.STEEL BUILDINGS/metal buildings 60% off! 20x28, 30x40, 40x62, 45x90, 50x120, 60x150, 80x100 sell for bal-ance owed! Call 1-800-457-2206 or visit us online: www.crownsteelbuildings.ca.STEEL BUILDINGS. “Really big sale!” All steel building models and sizes. Plus extra savings. Buy now and we will store until spring. Call Pioneer Steel at 1-800-668-5422 or on-line: www.pioneersteel.caVacuum Cleaner for sale: Kirby Sentria (upright) w/all ac-cessories incl shampooer and extra bags; under 2 yrs old and like new. A steal @ $350 (original purchase price over $1,000); ph 250-674-2790

Misc. WantedPrivate Collector Looking toBuy Coin Collections, Silver,Antiques, Native Art, Estates +Chad: 778-281-0030 Local

Real Estate

Business for SaleDVD RENTAL business. Selling due to illness. Fully stocked $5500.00 OBO.www.tigressevideorentals.com 250-542-0473

Rentals

Apt/Condo for RentBachelor suite in Seniors Housing. $360, utilities not in-cluded. Applications can be picked up at: Yellowhead Pio-neer Residence, 4557 Barriere Town Road.

Duplex / 4 PlexBarriere: 3 bdrm, 1 1/2 bath, duplex, large fenced backyard, 1 car garage. $895 + util. DD. Pets neg., N/P, N/S. 250-672-0041.

Barriere: 3 bdrm, 1 1/2 bath, duplex, large fenced backyard, 1 car garage. $895 + util. DD. Pets neg., N/P, N/S. 250-672-0041.

Barriere: large 1 bdrm apart-ment in quiet neighbour-hood.750sqft. $615/mo. Pets negotiable. Call 250-682-2231

Mobile Homes & Pads

Clearwater: 3bdrm MH in Mountain Meadows MH Park, 950 sqft, $650/mo, w/d, avail immed. Ph Eric 604-618-9599

Homes for RentClearwater: 3 bdrm, 2 bath, home on Bain Rd. Wood pellet & elec heat, 10 acre lot. $1250/mo + util. Mature adult. NS Ph. 403-816-7979

Clearwater: 3bdrm, Peavine Rd, new renos, lg deck, 1500 sqft. $850/mo; 3bdrm, 220 Dutch Lk Rd, $795/mo, recent renos; 3bdrm, 2.5 bath, dbl garage, 225 Murtle Cres, avail Mar 1. NP Call 250-674-3668

Clearwater: Modern factory 2-bdrm home, fridge, range, w/d, central air, carport. $750/mo Site #7 Thompson Crossing. View 250-587-6151

Clearwater: Older 2 bdrm fac-tory home, fridge, range, w/d. Avail mid Feb. Rental pur-chase option avail. $625/mo. Thompson Crossing. Ph 250-587-6151

Help Wanted

Rentals

Homes for RentVavenby: Nice clean 3bdrmhouse w/bsmt, carport, & stor-age sheds on half acre, w/river view. F/S, W/D, $850/mo, $450/dd Call 250-674-0002

Transportation

Vehicle WantedVolkswagen van/bus with splitfront window. Any info pls call Kevin 403-690-7646 or email [email protected]

Your community. Your classifi eds.

250.672.5611

fax 250.672.9900 email offi [email protected]

Buy a Classified in the Star/Journal and your

ad goes into The Times FREE

Office Hours: Mon. - Fri. 9am -5pm

359 Borthwick Ave. Box 1020, Barriere BC V0E 1EoPh: 250.672.5611 • Fax: 250.672.9900

CHECK YOUR AD! Notice of error must be given in time for correction before the second insertion of any advertisement. The paper will not be responsible for omis-sions or for more than one incorrect insertion, or for damages or costs beyond the cost of the space actually occupied by the error.Advertisers are reminded that Provincial legislation forbids the publication of ads which discriminate against any person because of race, religion, sex, color, nationality, ancestry or place of origin or age, unless the condition is justified by a bona fide requirement for the work involved.Readers; in ads where ‘male’ is referred to, please read also as ‘female’ and where ‘female’ is used, read also ‘male’.NOTE: When ordering items out of province, the purchaser is responsible to pay provincial sales tax. Do not send money in response to an advertisement without confirming the credentials of that business, and be aware that some telephone numbers will be charged for by the minute

Regular Rate: 8.50 + GSTMaximum 15 words.20c per word extra

Special Rates: 3 Weeks;$22.15 + GST

Free Ads: Lost, Found,Student Work WantedFree ads maximum 15 wordswill run 2 consecutive weeks.

Happy Occasions:Happy Birthday, Happy Anniversary, etc.1 column by 3 inch - $18.49 + GST

Deadlines:Word Ads: Display Ads: Mondays 12pm Mondays 12pm

It is the policy of The Star/Journal and The Times to receive pre-payment on all classified advertisements.Ads may be submitted by phone if charged to a VISA, MC or an existing account.

CLASSIFIED RATES AND DEADLINES

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FightBack.Volunteeryour time,energy andskills today.


Last week we talk-ed about the stresses teenagers face as they transition to adult-hood.

Adding to that challenging journey, which all teens must make, is the fact that 75 per cent of all mental health condi-tions show up in the teen and early adult years.

Today we talk about bipolar disor-der and schizophre-nia, which tend to first show their signs and symptoms be-tween the ages of 13 and 25. As noted last week, and in all the

columns to date: If you are worried that your child or teen may be showing signs of a mental illness, talk to your family doctor, or contact the Child and

Youth Mental Health program provided by the Ministry of Children and Family Development in your region. Call Service BC at 1-800-661-8773 for the MCFD office nearest to you.

Bipolar: Originally called manic-depres-sion, bipolar disorder is marked by extreme shifts in mood, energy and activity levels, ranging from severe depression on one side to mania on the other.

During a manic ep-isode, the youth will be highly talkative, energetic, full of ideas and enthusiasms, may take risks or behave impulsively, and may even become jittery, sleepless and irritable. During a depressive episode, the youth is very tired or feels slowed down, is very sad and hopeless, has

a hard time concen-trating or making de-cisions, and may also be restless or irritable.

Different types of bipolar disorder have different extremes in moods and dif-ferent speeds of cy-cling between them, but most high or low episodes last several days or longer. Some-times the extremes in moods can bring on psychosis — los-ing touch with reality and having hallucina-tions (hearing, see-ing, smelling, tasting, or feeling things that are not actually there) and delusions (a strong, illogical belief, such as feeling one’s actions are being controlled by others.) Early psychosis inter-vention, called EPI, is very successful. An EPI program exists in many communities in each health authority in B.C., see earlypsy-chosis.ca.

Bipolar disorder is known to run in families, but most in-dividuals who have a family member with the disorder will nev-er develop this con-dition — some other trigger is often need-ed and research is not yet clear what that is. Many famous and highly successful indi-viduals have bipolar disorder, in part be-cause the manic phase can produce extreme creativity and produc-tivity. Yet the disorder

can cause havoc with family relationships, jobs and finances. Substance use, par-ticularly excessive al-cohol consumption, is common with the disorder, especially during a manic phase.

Significant mood changes can be sta-bilized with various medications, or their combinations, plus different types of psychotherapy. With long-term treatment productive lives can be lived. Attention to good sleep, healthy diet and exercise, regular routines, and avoidance of mind-altering substances, along with medica-tion and therapy, can minimize the number of mood episodes.

For more informa-tion see Mood Disor-ders Association of BC, mdabc.net; and heretohelp.bc.ca;

S c h i z o p h r e n i a : Perhaps no men-tal health diagnosis causes parents and youth more fear than schizophrenia, which is marked by los-ing touch with real-ity and experiencing hallucination, delu-sions, disorganiza-tion and cognitive impairment, such as poor judgement and decision-making. But the outlook need not be bleak: treatment works, and recovery and a return to good functioning occurs regularly.

About one per cent of all British Colum-bians have this illness and it affects men and women equally, but first symptoms often appear for men be-tween ages 16 and 20, and women between ages 20 and 30.

While schizophre-nia also runs in fami-lies, it usually needs more than just genet-ics to arise, although exactly what else triggers it is not fully known. Sometimes it occurs in individuals with no family histo-ry, perhaps as a result of a subtle or past brain injury.

In the last decade, new antipsychotic medication and the introduction of Early Psychosis Interven-tion (EPI) programs, noted above, are greatly helping newly diagnosed people with schizophre-nia. Like bipolar disor-der, along with the right combination of medica-tion, good sleep, healthy diets, regular exercise, established routines and avoiding mind-altering substances will help those with the diagnosis live full and productive lives.

In fact, dynamic and well-spoken in-dividuals like BC’s Brent Seal, who was diagnosed with schizophrenia while a university student and now runs a com-pany called “Seal Wellness” are helping change the face of

schizophrenia. Seal, a mountain climber, u l t ra - m a rat h o n e r, wellness coach and inspirational speaker, as well as others who are thriving after a schizophrenia diag-nosis, show that good, meaningful lives are possible with the right treatment.

For more informa-tion about schizo-phrenia in B.C. see ear lypsychos i s. ca ; mindcheck.ca; the BC Schizophrenia Society, bcss.org; and the Ca-nadian Mental Health Association BC chap-ter, cmha.bc.ca.

Dr. David Smith is an adolescent and adult psychiatrist and the medical director of the Okanagan Psy-chiatric services for Interior Health. This series of columns on common child and youth mental health issues is a project of the Child and Youth Mental Health and Substances Use Col-laborative. The Col-laborative involves multiple individuals, organizations and ministries all work-ing together to in-crease the number of children, youth, and their families receiving timely access to men-tal health services and support in the Interior Health and Vancouver Island regions. The Collaborative is jointly funded by Doctors of BC and the govern-ment of BC.

When it’s more than anxiety and depression: Bipolar disorder and Schizophrenia

The sixth column, in a series on mental health for children and teenagers by Dr. David Smith

Dr. David Smith

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A18 www.starjournal.net Thursday, February 5, 2015 North Thompson Star Journal

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To the editor;Every law enforce-

ment spouse fears that one day, they will get “the knock” at the door to tell us our loved one has been hurt, but most of us think “it will not happen to me”.

On December 3rd 2014, I received that knock in the middle of the night, and my world was shattered. My husband, Jean-Rene Michaud, was shot multiple times and critically wounded in a senseless and unforgiv-able act of violence.

Jean-Rene is the loving father of our two young children, and an amazing, sup-portive husband. He is a hardworking, proac-tive, dedicated member of the RCMP, who has a passion for making the communities we are posted in safer.

Our family has suf-fered a great deal of pain over the last two months, and I am deeply saddened and angry that two more families are experienc-ing similar pain over the recent, senseless act of violence in Al-

berta. These members are people who have dedicated their lives to making the world a better place. They are sons, fathers, hus-bands, and integral members of the com-munities they live and serve in. What hap-pened to them is com-pletely unacceptable.

Jean-Rene has en-dured many surgeries, countless complica-tions with setbacks, and will still have a long road to recovery; but he has shown cour-age and strength every step of the way. We are � nally feeling con� dent that he will overcome his substantial injuries, and we are hoping he will be medically stable enough to transport back to Royal Inland Hospital shortly.

Our family has re-ceived overwhelming support, not only from residents of Kamloops, but also from across Canada. Words cannot describe how thankful we are for your words of encouragement, and your thoughtfulness. Your messages have given me strength in the

darkest of days, and I know they will help Jean-Rene throughout his recovery.

We would like to thank and recognize the RCMP members, dispatch workers, and other � rst respond-ers who were on scene that night, as well as all of the amazing care providers at Royal In-land Hospital and in Vancouver, for doing everything you did to keep Jean-Rene alive.

We also extend our deepest gratitude to Thompson Rivers University, Nick Gra-bas of Anything Paint and Body, West Jet, Air Canada and numerous local businesses that have contributed in many ways.

Thank you to our amazing neighbors, families, friends, the people in Kamloops, and to the law enforce-ment agencies from across Canada for their support.

And � nally, to our RCMP family, thank you will never be enough to sum up how grateful we are for you. You were there for

Jean-Rene that night, and your presence not only saved his life, but also gave him great comfort.

You have sup-ported me in every way through this dif-� cult journey, and you have rallied together to help Jean-Rene. It was heartbreaking to not be with our chil-dren for Christmas, but you made sure their Christmas was magical regardless, and for that we are forever grateful. You are an incredible family to be a part of, thank you for your un-wavering support.Released on behalf of Cpl. Michaud’s family by:Cpl. Cheryl BushKamloops RCMP

Thank-you Statementfrom Cpl. Michaud’s Family

Letters to the Editor: continued from page 5...

To the editor;Small businesses in the BC interior create good-paying, full-time middle

class jobs and need more federal government support. We need policies and regulations that will help the manufacturing sector and small busi-nesses create more jobs and ensure that our communities will weather the storm in the months and years ahead.

With more than 1.3 million unemployed Canadians and 200,000 more people out of work than before the recession, supporting small business by practical steps helps get the economy on track. The Harper government has played favourites and put too many eggs in one basket - with falling oil prices, a budget in limbo, and neglecting a balanced economy.

Small businesses are responsible for nearly 40 percent of Canada?s GDP, employ more than 7.7 million Canadians, and created 78 percent of all new private sector jobs over the last decade.

This week federal NDP leader Tom Mulcair announced that an NDP government will trigger manufacturing investment by extending for an ad-ditional two years the accelerated capital cost allowance, scheduled to ex-pire later this year.

Additionally, New Democrats will cut the Small Business tax rate from 11 per cent, to 10, and then 9 per cent to provide immediate and perma-nent help for Canada?s hard working small business owners who are the backbone of local communities.

These innovations directly bene� t our communities when compared to the tens of billions of dollars the Conservatives have recklessly handed over to already pro� table large corporations. Bill Sundhu,Federal NDP Candidate,Kamloops-Thompson-CaribooHome Address: Kamloops, B.C.

Federal NDP supporting for small business

Donation to Walk For MemoriesInvestors Group Walk For Memories in Barriere raised approximately $10,000 during the event, thanks to the participant’s fundraising and indi-vidual donations. Pictured is walk organizer for Barriere, Liz Gilbertson, and event MC, Ward Stamer, receiving a cheque for the walk on behalf of Barriere Elementary from student Shae Penno. Gilbertson says the Lion’s Club and Investors Group also presented cheques to this year’s walk.

STAR/JOURNAL photo: Elli Kohnert


Last week we talk-ed about the stresses teenagers face as they transition to adult-hood.

Adding to that challenging journey, which all teens must make, is the fact that 75 per cent of all mental health condi-tions show up in the teen and early adult years.

Today we talk about bipolar disor-der and schizophre-nia, which tend to first show their signs and symptoms be-tween the ages of 13 and 25. As noted last week, and in all the

columns to date: If you are worried that your child or teen may be showing signs of a mental illness, talk to your family doctor, or contact the Child and

Youth Mental Health program provided by the Ministry of Children and Family Development in your region. Call Service BC at 1-800-661-8773 for the MCFD office nearest to you.

Bipolar: Originally called manic-depres-sion, bipolar disorder is marked by extreme shifts in mood, energy and activity levels, ranging from severe depression on one side to mania on the other.

During a manic ep-isode, the youth will be highly talkative, energetic, full of ideas and enthusiasms, may take risks or behave impulsively, and may even become jittery, sleepless and irritable. During a depressive episode, the youth is very tired or feels slowed down, is very sad and hopeless, has

a hard time concen-trating or making de-cisions, and may also be restless or irritable.

Different types of bipolar disorder have different extremes in moods and dif-ferent speeds of cy-cling between them, but most high or low episodes last several days or longer. Some-times the extremes in moods can bring on psychosis — los-ing touch with reality and having hallucina-tions (hearing, see-ing, smelling, tasting, or feeling things that are not actually there) and delusions (a strong, illogical belief, such as feeling one’s actions are being controlled by others.) Early psychosis inter-vention, called EPI, is very successful. An EPI program exists in many communities in each health authority in B.C., see earlypsy-chosis.ca.

Bipolar disorder is known to run in families, but most in-dividuals who have a family member with the disorder will nev-er develop this con-dition — some other trigger is often need-ed and research is not yet clear what that is. Many famous and highly successful indi-viduals have bipolar disorder, in part be-cause the manic phase can produce extreme creativity and produc-tivity. Yet the disorder

can cause havoc with family relationships, jobs and finances. Substance use, par-ticularly excessive al-cohol consumption, is common with the disorder, especially during a manic phase.

Significant mood changes can be sta-bilized with various medications, or their combinations, plus different types of psychotherapy. With long-term treatment productive lives can be lived. Attention to good sleep, healthy diet and exercise, regular routines, and avoidance of mind-altering substances, along with medica-tion and therapy, can minimize the number of mood episodes.

For more informa-tion see Mood Disor-ders Association of BC, mdabc.net; and heretohelp.bc.ca;

S c h i z o p h r e n i a : Perhaps no men-tal health diagnosis causes parents and youth more fear than schizophrenia, which is marked by los-ing touch with real-ity and experiencing hallucination, delu-sions, disorganiza-tion and cognitive impairment, such as poor judgement and decision-making. But the outlook need not be bleak: treatment works, and recovery and a return to good functioning occurs regularly.

About one per cent of all British Colum-bians have this illness and it affects men and women equally, but first symptoms often appear for men be-tween ages 16 and 20, and women between ages 20 and 30.

While schizophre-nia also runs in fami-lies, it usually needs more than just genet-ics to arise, although exactly what else triggers it is not fully known. Sometimes it occurs in individuals with no family histo-ry, perhaps as a result of a subtle or past brain injury.

In the last decade, new antipsychotic medication and the introduction of Early Psychosis Interven-tion (EPI) programs, noted above, are greatly helping newly diagnosed people with schizophre-nia. Like bipolar disor-der, along with the right combination of medica-tion, good sleep, healthy diets, regular exercise, established routines and avoiding mind-altering substances will help those with the diagnosis live full and productive lives.

In fact, dynamic and well-spoken in-dividuals like BC’s Brent Seal, who was diagnosed with schizophrenia while a university student and now runs a com-pany called “Seal Wellness” are helping change the face of

schizophrenia. Seal, a mountain climber, u l t ra - m a rat h o n e r, wellness coach and inspirational speaker, as well as others who are thriving after a schizophrenia diag-nosis, show that good, meaningful lives are possible with the right treatment.

For more informa-tion about schizo-phrenia in B.C. see ear lypsychos i s. ca ; mindcheck.ca; the BC Schizophrenia Society, bcss.org; and the Ca-nadian Mental Health Association BC chap-ter, cmha.bc.ca.

Dr. David Smith is an adolescent and adult psychiatrist and the medical director of the Okanagan Psy-chiatric services for Interior Health. This series of columns on common child and youth mental health issues is a project of the Child and Youth Mental Health and Substances Use Col-laborative. The Col-laborative involves multiple individuals, organizations and ministries all work-ing together to in-crease the number of children, youth, and their families receiving timely access to men-tal health services and support in the Interior Health and Vancouver Island regions. The Collaborative is jointly funded by Doctors of BC and the govern-ment of BC.

When it’s more than anxiety and depression: Bipolar disorder and Schizophrenia

The sixth column, in a series on mental health for children and teenagers by Dr. David Smith

Dr. David Smith

Snow sculptureMother Nature seems to

have created her own

snow sculpture using this

garden fountain during a

recent snowfall.

Increase your customers.

Book your advertising space in the

North Thompson

STAR/JOURNAL

and see there really is a difference!Give us a call

250- 672-5611STAR/JOURNAL photo: Elli Kohnert

ADVERTISERS!It’s been 138 years since Alexander Graham

Bell first invented the telephone in 1876.

And guess what?

It’s still the best way for your customers to find you and give you their business.

Ph 250-672-5611and reserve your space.

Ph 250-674-3343and reserve your space.

Ad Deadline: January 30, 2015

Publication Date: February 27, 2015

Don’t miss out on the 19th annual

North Thompson Telephone Directory

and keep that business phone

ringing all year long!


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March 2, 2015. Credit is a manufacturer to consumer incentive (tax inclusive): $1,500 credit available on eligible GMC vehicles (except GMC Canyon 2SA). Offer is transferable to a family member living within the same household (proof of address required). As part of the transaction, dealer may request documentation and contact General Motors of Canada Limited (GMCL) to verify eligibility. This offer may not be redeemed for cash and may not be combined with certain other consumer incentives. Certain limitations or conditions apply. Void where prohibited. See your GMCL dealer for details. GMCL reserves the right to amend or terminate offers for any reason in whole or in part at any time without prior notice. ††Offer

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