OCTOBER
Local student gets close-up look at politics
Ashcroft student Cecelia McLean—who graduated from Desert Sands Community School in 2017 and is currently studying Political Science at UNBC in Prince George—accompanied members of Ashcroft council and staff to the Union of BC Municipalities AGM and conference at the end of September. McLean was sponsored by the Southern Interior Local Government Association (SILGA), of which the Village of Ashcroft is a member.
SILGA has, for the past two years, asked member municipalities to nominate students who would benefit from attending UBCM, and then selects two or three nominees and pays their costs. Ashcroft council nominated McLean, who was selected, and who shadowed council and staff as they met with ministers and Premier John Horgan. She also sat in on seminars, plenary sessions, and resolution sessions, gaining a first-hand look at how local government works.
“It was really eye-opening, and I enjoyed the entire experience,” said McLean.
Black Powder event cancelled because of fire
The annual Black Powder event hosted by the South Cariboo Sportsman’s Association (SCSA) at the gun club near Campbell Hill airport south of Cache Creek was cancelled, because the Elephant Hill wildfire destroyed much of the gun club site, including infrastructure and targets. “The fire went around the clubhouse, parking lot, and trap area,” said Ken Brown, vice-president of the SCSA. “But the shooting sheds and target stands burnt, and so did our targets in the bush, as well as the stumps we use for the hawk and knife event.” The washrooms also burnt, but have been replaced, and rebuilding had been done to enable people to use the pistol and rifle range. Brown hoped that more rebuilding work could be done at the site in the summer of 2018.
Curling club trying to keep the doors open
The Ashcroft and District Curling Club was between a rock and a hard place, as it struggled to recruit enough members to keep the club viable and the doors of the curling club open.
An agreement to rent out the rink to a tree planting company during the summer had helped keep the club afloat, but the company did not return in the summer of 2017. The club has been applying for grants with no success, and asked the Village of Ashcroft to strike a standing committee to examine the curling club’s viability and ways of keeping it operating. “We have formed a committee with two of the Village councillors and the chief administrative officer in an attempt to brainstorm ways to keep the doors open,” said club secretary Janet Quesnel.
Lieutenant-Governor visits Cache Creek
Lieutenant-Governor Judith Guichon visited Cache Creek Elementary School in October. It was part of her pledge to visit 150 schools throughout the province in 2017, to honour the 150th anniversary of Canada’s Confederation.
Guichon spoke of the many things that join Canadians, including our anthem, the maple leaf, and the railroads, and touched on her duties as the Queen’s representative in British Columbia. She also acknowledged that Canada had some black marks against it, and said she had invented a new word: reconciliaction. “It’s time to take action, not just to talk.”
United Church Women vote to disband
After having to cancel their annual Bean Supper earlier in 2017, the United Church Women of Zion United Church in Ashcroft voted to disband in the New Year. Phyllis Gray said that the decision was made “because of the loss of members and the inability to carry on without a president, and the fact that the few of us left cannot do the jobs that need to be done to carry on.”
Lions Clubs raises funds for fire departments
Lions Clubs in B.C. and Alberta—including the Ashcroft and District Lions Club—raised $12,000 each for the Volunteer Fire Departments in Ashcroft, Cache Creek, and Loon Lake. Ashcroft Lions club secretary Vivian Edwards said that after the Elephant Hill wildfire 18 Alberta Lions clubs raised $23,090 for the Alberta Lions Foundation, who passed the money on to the Mt. Cheam Lions club in Chilliwack.
The Mt. Cheam club raised an additional $7,406.45 and the Steller’s Jay Lions club in Chiliwack raised $500. The Ashcroft and District club added $5,003 to the total, of which $500 came from the Logan Lake Lions Club.
Cache Creek fire chief Tom Moe noted that the Lions have always been a great source of support for the fire department. “But this time they have gone above and beyond. The Lions bring a great community service to the table, and they should all be proud of what they do and achieve.”
Search for missing woman called off
The search for a missing Prince George woman that was centred in the area around Ashcroft after the woman’s car and dog were found in the Venables Valley area was called off after several days of intense searching.
Jenny Lynn Larocque, 61, was last seen in Williams Lake on September 27, and she was believed to be travelling to visit relatives in Hope or Chilliwack. She was reported missing on October 3, and her dog was located in the Venables Valley area on October 15. Her vehicle was located the next day, stuck on a rural road.
Posters were circulated so that those in the back country could keep an eye open for Larocque, who was described as a Caucasian female, 5’3”, about 99 pounds, with green eyes and brown hair.
The Equality Project celebrated its third anniversary at its clubhouse on Stage Road in Cache Creek. For $5 per month, members have access to lunches every Monday and Tuesday, pre-cooked meals, clothes, furniture, opportunities to learn new skills, and more.
A member who spoke at the anniversary luncheon on October 28 said “Volunteering here keeps me out of trouble. This place changed my life and gave me hope. Thank you to all the volunteers.”
NOVEMBER
Elephant Hill wildfire likely to burn until spring
“We’ll remember this fire season for all the wrong reasons,” said Kevin Skrepnek, chief fire information officer for the BC Wildfire Service. “It was an unprecedented summer in terms of the area burned and the money spent on fire suppression. We recognized [by the weekend of July 7] that this would be a summer-long event.”
He added that we can expect the Elephant Hill wildfire to be smouldering deep underground in places for several months. “When the snow melts we could have parts of it pop up; smouldering pockets of smoke won’t be uncommon. People will be out there for a long time, working on this.”
Historic Hat Creek posts good numbers
Despite being under evacuation order twice for a total of more than four weeks, and the prolonged closures of Highways 97 and 99 this past summer, Historic Hat Creek had a total of 20,767 visitors in 2017; only the second time (after 2016, with 21,615 visitors) that the site has cracked the 20,000 visitor mark.
Manager Don Pearse said that with Canada being promoted around the world as one of the top travel destinations in 2017 because of Canada 150, it was set to be a perfect year at Historic Hat Creek. “I’d like to think we could have cleared 25,000 visits,” he said. He looked ahead to 2018, when 30 new campsites will be added to the site, and work will start on a new fire hall/residence building; both projects had received funding prior to 2017’s wildfires.
The Winding Rivers Arts & Performance Society’s production of Anne of Green Gables: The Musical began the first of five performances at the Ashcroft HUB on November 2. It was the first time that WRAPS had sold tickets for a theatre performance rather than collecting donations at the door, and the result was five sold-out shows.
Reviewer Esther Darlington wrote that Vivian McLean played Anne with “the kind of professionalism you’d expect on a New York stage” and called her performance a “standout”, adding that director Mavourneen Varcoe-Ryan had once again directed a production that “many will remember for years”.
When Harpaul Nandhra—a Vancouver Island artist and mother of three—heard about the disappearance of Cache Creek fire chief Clayton Cassidy, and how he was found three weeks later, she knew she had to do something. “I didn’t know the family, but I read about it online when they were searching, and then when they found him. I felt I really needed to do something for the family.”
The result was a pencil portrait of Cassidy, which she sent to his wife Rose. “[I] heard back from her that she loved it. Clayton’s son Derek got in touch with me and said I’d captured his eyes and smile perfectly. That was what I wanted to do; and I started crying.”
Resident recovery manager for TNRD
The Thompson-Nicola Regional District (TNRD) announced that it had hired Bob Finley as a recovery manager, to help coordinate efforts with property owners within the TNRD who had suffered damage to, or total loss of, structures during the summer’s wildfires.
“Bob will reach out to those who lost structures, help identify their needs, see what’s in the jurisdiction of local government, and guide them through the process,” said TNRD CAO Sukh Gill. “We feel for those who lost structures, and want to help them and ease the process as much as we can. Compassion and caring: those are the reasons we put Bob in place.”
Economic recovery manager for TNRD
Colin O’Leary was engaged by the TNRD to reach out to businesses affected by the summer’s wildfires, and identify gaps in the assistance being provided to them. Debbie Sell, director of human resources for the TNRD, said that O’Leary would be able to help business owners identify what support programs had already been generated. “We can be the central point of contact, and can spread information to people out there.
Over the weekend of November 18, Drylands Arena and the Thompson Cariboo Minor Hockey Association (TCMHA) played host to “Hockey Weekend in Ashcroft”. November 18 featured a Major Midget game between the Thompson Blazers and the Greater Vancouver Canadians, and later that evening there was a charity game to benefit the food bank.
November 19 saw the Vancouver Canucks organization bring its “Learn to Play” skills clinic to the arena. Close to 30 children aged five to 10 who had never played hockey were given full head-to-toe hockey equipment—which they got to keep—by the Canucks, then taken out on the ice for a session with coaches (who included Canucks alumni Dave Babych and “Captain” Kirk McLean, as well as Fin, the Canucks’ mascot). After the skills session, Babych and McLean held a hot stove session at the Community Hall.
“It was a tremendous success,” said TCMHA president Lewis Kinvig, noting that the event raised $3,350 and a truck-load of food for the local food bank. “It was something the community needed. It was a positive event and a celebration for the community.”
Mural celebrates 50 years of the Ashcroft Art Club
It was a little delayed because of the summer’s wildfires; but the Ashcroft Art Club unveiled a new mural on the side of the Royal LePage/Rolgear/Sam’s Diner building in Ashcroft to mark the organization’s 50th anniversary. The mural depicts several local buildings and scenes, and celebrates the visual arts. “I’m just glad we got it up in the club’s 50th year,” said club vice-president Sharon Rennie.
Cache Creek begins age friendly assessment
A survey for residents of Cache Creek aged 55+ marked phase one of a three-phase age friendly assessment, which will listen to residents’ concerns and allow the Village to develop actions and policies for the future, and enhance the community from an age friendly perspective.
Transportation, housing, and a “one stop shop” information portal about services available for seniors were the top three areas identified as concerns in the survey. Keir Gervais, Cache Creek’s chief administrative officer, said that transportation and housing were both on council’s priority list for 2017/18.
Ashcroft residents weigh in on future of Village
As part of its plan to overhaul Ashcroft’s Official Community Plan (OCP) and zoning bylaw, the Village held an “OCP in a week” session from November 27 to 30. Consultants met with several community groups and members of the public to get feedback about what people see the Village’s future looking like, and there was also a public workshop.
At an open house on November 30, the draft results of the consultations and surveys were presented. Key themes that emerged included infrastructure, housing, the need to attract young families, economic development, and health care.
DECEMBER
Report on cause of Elephant Hill wildfire coming soon
The BC Wildfire service said that a report on the cause of the Elephant Hill wildfire is expected to be completed early in 2018. The site of origin of the fire was determined at an early stage, and it was confirmed that the fire was human-caused, although train rail activities have been eliminated as a possible cause.
The report will be turned over to the RCMP, which has also been conducting an ongoing investigation into the fire’s cause.
editorial@accjournal.ca
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