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2012 Year in Review - Summer blooms and toxic fly ash

Year in Review for The Journal's readership area: September to December.
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In August

September

Hwy 1 car/truck collision claims one

A head on collision 2 km north of the Nicomen River on Hwy 1 has left a Lower Mainland resident dead and three people injured.

Lytton RCMP and Central Interior Traffic Services attended the crash on Sept. 7 at approximately 3:30 pm. The two vehicles involved were a tractor-trailer delivering groceries to Williams Lake and a Honda Civic heading to the Lower Mainland.

While travelling back home from Ashcroft, the driver of the Civic lost control of his vehicle in a curve and hit the gravel shoulder. The car then hit a cement barricade, overturned and collided with the tractor trailer head on. One passenger in the Civic was pronounced dead at the scene.

Three blooms for Cache Creek

Cache Creek was awarded three blooms this year by the provincial Communities in Bloom group for 2012, with a special mention for the Gateway Park at the main intersection.

No police needed for First Nations gathering

RCMP were notified on Sept. 14 that there would be a First Nations gathering on Sept. 21-23 at Juniper Beach Provincial Park, 10 km east of Cache Creek, and that the event organizer had requested that all non-natives leave the park. As a result of that, there was a concern of public unrest and negotiations took place between the organizer, Bonaparte Band member Steve Basel and BC Parks and the Minister of Environment.

There was no eviction, but most of the campers left voluntarily. Between 200-300 First Nations were expected, but less than 100 reportedly attended. The weekend gathering was peaceful from the RCMP point of view, and they received no calls to attend the park.

Clinton receives five blooms

Three members of the Clinton Communities in Bloom Garden Club attended the CiB Conference in Kelowna on Sept. 21-23 to learn that the Village of Clinton once again earned five blooms and an honorary mention for the Community Garden.

 

October

Ashcroft CiB finishes a close second

Ashcroft has once again been awarded Five Blooms in the national Communities in Bloom competition, edged out ever so slightly by the town of Beausejour, Manitoba which captured top spot with Ashcroft close on their heels finishing in second place.

Ashcroft received 83.5 per cent and a Five Bloom rating. Ashcroft also received a special recognition for “xeriscape landscaping in aid of water conservation” for the refurbishment projects in Heritage Place Park.

Clinton residents honoured

Clinton Mayor Jim Rivett and Councillor Wayne Marchant attended the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal Ceremony in Kamloops on Oct. 10 where Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo MP Cathy McLeod, presented medals to Clinton residents Rita Welsh and Robin Fennell for their ideals and devotion to service.

Greyhound cuts continue

Greyhound Bus is proposing more cuts their its routes in BC, leaving Cache Creek Council resigned to the fact that the town could lose another scheduled stop.

“Now they appear interested in reducing northbound trips to PG from three trips to two trips per day,” noted former Greyhound Bus driver John Ranta at Cache Creek’s Oct. 9 Council meeting.

At its Oct. 11 board of directors meeting, the TNRD also voted to send a letter to the BC Passenger Transportation Board “expressing extreme disappointment” regarding the proposed reduction of Greyhound service “and the continued erosion of services to rural communities.”

Toxic fly ash deposited in Cache Creek Landfill

Shipments of fly ash from Covanta’s Burnaby incinerator to the Cache Creek Landfill have been halted until further notice after two months worth of the treated waste tested positive for high amounts of cadmium.

Cache Creek Mayor John Ranta informed his Council of the situation on Monday night. He said it had been brought to his attention by Wastech, the landfill operators, just a few days before that.

The 1,800 tonnes of contaminated fly ash was trucked up in July and August. “To the best of my knowledge,” said Ranta, it is now deposited in the Landfill.”

The fly ash is treated to bind the heavy metals to it. It is tested prior to leaving the incinerator to make sure the process has resulted in a product that is suitable for deposit in the Cache Creek Landfill, said Ranta.

Shipments in July and August did not meet test requirements, he said, and “could actually be classified as hazardous waste.”

River’s future at risk

The attractive natural qualities of Loon Lake Road and the Bonaparte River valley could be negatively affected in the future with the proposed changes at the federal government level where the Navigable Waters Protection Act is being replaced with a Navigation Protection Act in Bill C-45.

This new act will protect only 150 rivers and lakes across Canada (100 in Ontario, 24 in BC). All bodies of water NOT listed, including our Loon Lake and the Bonaparte River, will no longer be protected and could  be subject to all sorts of intrusions including crossing by pipelines, power lines, mining activity and other environmentally destructive activities without any consultation with the public or any review process and ignoring traditional uses.

Blain voted Chief in AIB election

Incumbent Chief of the Ashcroft Indian Band, Greg Blain, was re-elected for another two-year term during elections held on Nov. 15.

Blain was challenged by former Band Councillor Angie Thorne and Esther Spye.

Cache Creek cancels bus service

Cache Creek Council decided to withdraw from the BC Transit agreement it has with Ashcroft and Clinton at its Nov. 26 Council meeting.

Council has been questioning the value of the service since 2007 when the agreement was signed, but escalating costs for maintenance and bus replacement this year, with steadily rising costs for the next several years, made them decide to pull out.

Clinton, Whispering Pines sign protocol

Clinton Mayor Jim Rivett and Whispering Pines/Clinton Indian Band Chief Michael Lebourdais signed a Protocol Agreement on co-operation and communication on Nov. 21 in Clinton.

The Village and First Nation Band have shown a commitment to a continuing working relationship that is built on co-operation and trust between the two parties. Their hope is to strengthen this relationship over time by the implementation of joint actions and partnerships on economic growth, servicing facilities, and exploring future options for the betterment of the broader community of the greater Clinton area and the residents of both parties.

$128,300 grant awarded for Cache Creek park

The Cache Creek Community Park will undergo some major improvements with the help of $128,300 from the federal government.

Cache Creek will match the grant with their own $128,000 and use the money to raise the existing level of the playground to address flooding issues, install paving stones around the Gazebo to make it wheelchair accessible, and level the sloped area between the pool and playground. The Village will also replace existing playground equipment to meet current safety standards.

Clinton CIB going national

At the Nov. 28 regular council meeting Council voted to accept the invitation from Communities in Bloom to enter the 2013 Communities in Bloom National Edition. The Clinton CiB Garden Club members are excited to get started.