Meow’s the time
If you have room in your home and your heart for a new best friend, the BC SPCA invites you to check out the amazing cats looking for a furr-ever family during their adult cat adoption promotion. The event takes place until May 31 in SPCA shelters across B.C.
“We’re offering 50 per cent off adoption fees for all adult cats, which is a great incentive for people who have been thinking about adopting, and it allows us to find homes more quickly for the incredible cats in our care,” says Lorie Chortyk, BC SPCA general manager of communications. “This spring we have taken an overwhelming number of cats into care through hoarding cases and other rescue situations, so our shelters are very full.”
Adopting an adult cat has many benefits, adds Chortyk. “Older cats tend to be more calm; they’ve also been litter box trained and their personalities are developed, so it is easier to find just the right match.”
Last year, the BC SPCA found new loving homes for nearly 10,000 cats and kittens throughout the province. If you’re interested in making an adult cat part of your family, be sure to visit your local BC SPCA branch, or visit www.spca.bc.ca/adopt.
Gold Country Communities Society AGM
Gold Countries Community Society is holding its Annual General Meeting on Tuesday, June 4 starting at 10 a.m. at the Clinton Memorial Hall (306 LeBourdais Avenue, Clinton).
The Society is always looking for new members who are passionate about tourism in the Gold Country region. If you own a company, or are part of an organization or government body and are interested in economic development and furthering the primary purpose of the GCCS, you can apply for membership.
For more information contact the Society at (250) 457-6606 or goldcountry@telus.net.
Equality Project AGM
A reminder that the Equality Project’s Annual General Meeting will be held on Tuesday, June 4 at 2 p.m. at the clubhouse (1260 Stage Road, Cache Creek). All members in good standing are invited to attend and vote on a special resolution: to accept or decline the revised Bylaws of the Society. Copies of the revised Bylaws are available at the clubhouse.
Fun Fair festivities
The annual Desert Sands Community School Fun Fair takes place at the school grounds in Ashcroft on Thursday, June 6 from 4 to 8 p.m., and everyone is welcome at this free, family-friendly event. There will be concessions, raffles, entertainment (including bouncy castles and Uncle Chris the Clown), the ever-popular Cake Walk, and much more. (Speaking of the Cake Walk, donations of cakes and/or cupcakes for the event are greatly appreciated, and can be accepted at the school on the day of the event.)
It’s a great evening that celebrates the school and its students, and raises funds for the DSCS Parent Advisory Council to support student activities throughout the year, so come on out and have some fun.
Ready, Aye, Ready
347 Royal Canadian Sea Cadets Corps Avengers will be holding their 16th annual Ceremonial Review on Sunday, June 9, and all members of the public are invited to attend to support the cadets and celebrate their achievements. The review will take place in the gymnasium at Desert Sands Community School in Ashcroft, and guests are requested to be seated by 3:45 p.m. Business casual dress is encouraged.
The 21 members of 347 Avengers (up from eight a year ago) are currently fundraising for a trip to Halifax, Nova Scotia in May 2020 to commemorate the Battle of the Atlantic. Check out their Facebook page (Ashcroft Sea Cadets – 347 RCSCC Avenger Public Page) for updates about the Corps’ activities and various fundraising ventures.
Business Plan workshop
Community Futures, in partnership with Thompson Rivers University, is facilitating a Business Plan workshop, which will be in Lillooet (June 5), Lytton (June 12), and Ashcroft (June 19), and there are still spaces available. Each workshop runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and will provide participants with the tools necessary to complete a comprehensive business plan, whether you are just starting out or are an existing business that wants to diversify your products or services.
There is no charge to attend the workshop. To register, go to https://www.tru.ca/regionalcentres/register.html.
Provincial budget consultation comes to Kamloops
The Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services, a parliamentary committee of the legislative assembly, will hold public hearings in Kelowna and Kamloops as part of its Budget 2020 consultation. The committee invites British Columbians to meet with the committee to share their priorities and ideas on what should be in the next provincial budget.
The public hearings will both take place on Wednesday, June 12. In Kamloops, the hearing will be from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Thompson Rivers University Conference Centre (85 TRU Way), Alpine Room.
British Columbians can participate in person or by teleconference. Registration to reserve a time with the committee opens on Monday, May 27, 2019, at 9 a.m. via the committee’s website (https://bcleg.ca/FGSbudget). Teleconference opportunities can be requested by calling (250) 356-2933 or 1-877-428-8337 (toll-free in B.C.). The committee will also provide opportunities to share written input, make an audio or video submission, or fill out a survey via its website beginning Monday, June 3.
The consultation closes at 5 p.m. (Pacific time) on Friday, June 28. The committee intends to release its report on the consultation in late July or early August. For more details on the consultation, including the full public hearing schedule, visit the committee’s website.
Walk to End ALS
The Walk to End ALS is the largest volunteer-led fundraiser for ALS Societies across Canada. Family-friendly and fun, it unites Canadians in their desire to put an end to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. This event shows support for the 3,000 Canadians and their families living with the disease, 400 of whom are living in British Columbia.
Among the 15 walks taking place across B.C is the Kamloops Walk on Saturday, June 22 at Riverside Park. There will be a pancake breakfast (donated by Dominion Macklem Mortgages) at 8 a.m., with registration at 9 a.m. and the walk at 10 a.m.
“This event unites the country and rallies people affected by ALS,” says Wendy Toyer, Executive Director, ALS Society of BC. “Participants walk to show support for people living with ALS and/or to honour the memory of a loved one lost. The Walk to End ALS inspires hope. Please join us.”
Proceeds from the Walk to End ALS go to the ALS Society of BC to provide patient services programs for people living with ALS in B.C., and to the ALS Canada Research Program to strive toward a world without ALS. Register or donate today at www.walktoendals.ca.
Atlas Obscura
Atlas Obscura (www.atlasobscura.com) is a website that bills itself as showcasing “Curious and Wondrous Travel Destinations” from around the world. Now and then one of the sites is within striking distance of our region, so travellers might want to check it out next time they’re in the area.
Ghost towns are usually associated with out-of-the-way locales, not federal parks visited by tens of thousands of people annually, but a ghost town lies within the boundaries of Banff National Park: Bankhead, Alberta, called by one historian “the twenty year town”.
Bankhead sat atop coal deposits needed by the Canadian Pacific Railway, and was established in 1903 to feed the railway and the nearby CP-owned Banff Springs Hotel. By 1905 it was a bustling community, but the difficulty of getting to the coal, as well as its poor nature, was an ongoing problem. Poor labour relations were also an issue, and 20 years after it was established, Bankhead was abandoned.
Plaques, a brochure detailing the site’s history, and an interpretative trail allow modern visitors to trace Bankhead’s history. The site is located off Highway 1 northwest of Canmore; for more details, go to http://bit.ly/2ExJSB0.
editorial@accjournal.ca
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter