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2012 Year in review

2012 year in review for Barriere and area, November and December

NOVEMBER 2012

Barriere RCMP reported they were taking an educational approach for a short time to allow everyone to learn about the new four-way stop that was installed on Sunday, Oct. 21, at the intersection of Barriere Town Road and Salle Road, next to the Barriere post office. RCMP Cpl. Darin Underhill commented, “We hope that it is a smooth transition and there are no major incidents at our new four-way stop.”

The North Thompson Fall Fair and Rodeo Association facility, as well as a number of workers from the community of Barriere and surrounding area, benefitted from the province’s Job Creation Partnership.

November 4 was a special day in Barriere for Liz and Jim Gilbertson.  It was the day they were given the keys to their new home in Barriere’s Riverwalk subdivision, a home that both had been dreaming about for the past few years.  The couple had been living in an RV since Aug. 24, due to the fact their previous home had sold with a possession date earlier than they expected.  The Gilbertson’s home, from start to finish, was completed in under 12 weeks.

The first day of November marked the first day that Barriere Elementary School principal Phil Janicki had closed the door on a teaching career that has spanned some 33 years after retiring on Oct. 31.   Janicki said retirement from teaching just seemed to come at the right time for him.

On November 6, School District No. 73 school board members met with concerned residents from the Brennan Creek area, to discuss the future of Brennan Creek Elementary and the closing of the school.  Board members were, and still are, looking for suggestions from the public on options.  The SD73 Board says they will likely call another meeting in January or February, when more information and data on the suggested options has been gathered.

Members of Simpcw First Nation and supporters held an information picket at the Highway 5 Vavenby turnoff on Nov. 8.  Close to two-dozen people took part in the demonstration, which was intended to draw attention to Yellowhead Mining’s proposed lead-zinc mine at Harper Creek.

On Saturday, Nov. 17, there was a complete mill dispersal auction at the Chu Chua mill site on Dunn Lake Road. Haydn Auction Services conducted the sale on behalf of Simpcw First Nation.

Barriere Food Bank president Kim Keating reports the Spaghetti Dinner fundraiser for the Food Bank hosted by Sam’s Pizza on Nov. 19, sold so many dinners they finally ran out of food.  Total raised for the Food Bank was $1,087.07.

After a seven year hiatus from a position on the Thompson Nicola Regional District Board of Directors, Barriere resident Bill Kershaw won the seat as TNRD Director for Area ‘O’.  Out of 1,300 eligible voters in Area ‘O’, only 245 eligible votes were cast.  Kershaw won the election with 127 votes in his favour, while running mate Mike Fennell received 118 votes, losing by nine.

District of Barriere Chief Administrative Officer Colleen Hannigan reported at the Nov. 19 council meeting that while Argo had replaced the large stop sign that had been stolen from the corner of Barriere Lakes Road and Barriere Town Road, it had since been stolen again.  Council members passed a motion for the purchase of a security camera for the intersection.

Simpcw First Nation held a number of events related to health and wellness within their community marking national Addictions Awareness Week, Nov. 19 to 23.

Twenty-eight dump truck loads of specially mixed arena footing was delivered into the North Thompson Agriplex, courtesy of area rancher Ian Mitchell.  Mitchell then spent the good part of two days spreading and packing the material.  The new footing brought the Agriplex facility another step closer to hosting the New Year’s Eve Bullarama.

The B.C. Coroners Service reported they were looking into an accidental death that took place at Sun Peaks Resort the afternoon of Nov. 25.  Twenty-four year old Nick Guido died after he crashed into a metal support at the base of a ski chairlift while sledding on a crazy carpet.

Three people were taken to Royal Inland Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries following an accident on icy roads near Sun Peaks Resort on Nov. 20.  Mounties, paramedics and members of the Sun Peaks Fire Department responded to the two-vehicle crash on Heffley Creek Road at 8 a.m.  The driver of a southbound van lost control about eight kilometres from the Highway 6A turnoff, crossed the centreline and collided with a northbound pickup truck driven by a Kamloops man.

Thompson Rivers University and Yellowhead Community Services Society reported they would receive $9,859.76 this fiscal year to support their adult literacy program.

On Nov. 22, the Barriere Elementary Volleyball Girls Team attended the Tier 1 playoffs at McGowan Elementary School in Kamloops, where they won four out of six games.

DECEMBER 2012

Barriere Secondary’s Me to We Club announced they were raising money to help ensure a clean water supply in villages in Africa.  The high school students were collecting pennies before they are taken out of circulation, and in doing so were attempting to fill a 20 gallon water jug with pennies.

The Thompson Nicola Regional District were progressively closing the Barriere Landfill.  Beginning on Dec. 1, 2012, household garbage, recycling and small amounts of demolition would be collected in bins and transported to the Heffley Creek Landfill.  Waste was no longer to be buried at the Barriere Landfill.

The Barriere Christmas Parade was held after dark for the first time in 2012, with spectators saying they ‘really enjoyed seeing all the lights on the parade floats’.

A young Clearwater couple lost their lives following a single vehicle accident the evening of Dec. 9.  According to Clearwater RCMP, the vehicle being driven northbound by Skye and Courtney Buck went out of control and off Highway 5 at Wolf’s Corner approximately 17 km south of Clearwater.  The vehicle went down a 30 m embankment and into the North Thompson River.

On Dec. 8, Cathy McLeod, MP for Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo, on behalf of the Honourable Lynne Yelich, Minister of State for Western Economic Diversification, announced federal funding for upgrades to the North Thompson Fall Fair and Rodeo Association’s facility under the Harper Government’s Community Infrastructure Improvement Fund.

The 911 Golf Tournament coordinators presented funding cheques totalling $6,000 to representatives of area groups and projects recipients in front of the Barriere Fire Hall.

Barriere resident Faith Yurkiw, title holder of Miss Eastern British Columbia, reported she will be competing in the Miss Teen Canada Globe Beauty Pageant of 2013.

Christmas came early for the North Thompson Fall Fair and Rodeo Assocation on Dec. 12, thanks to a partnership with Community Futures Thompson Country and the Farm Kids Scholarship Fund.  NTFFRA president Jill Hayward said the partnership came to be thanks to Farm Kids Fund founder Steven Puhallo, who initially approached CFTC in regards to a need for rodeo chutes and pens in the North Thompson Agriplex.  As a result of that discussion, an arrangement that was beneficial to the three parties involved was agreed upon.  “In a nutshell, the Agriplex has just received a full set of brand new Two-W rodeo chutes and pens,” said Jill Hayward, NTFFRA president, “We have a very special thank you to extend to CFTC, as they have provided the funding in its entirety to acquire this equipment.”

It was announced that the first annual Celebration of Rural Living Expo and Trade Show will be hosted at the North Thompson Agriplex and Fall Fair Facility in Barriere.  The weekend of April 27 and 28 will offer two full days of everything that relates to the lifestyle that is enjoyed here in the North Thompson Valley.

Unusual weather conditions led to BC Hydro implementing an interesting solution on Dec. 19, to ensure reliable power service to several hundred of their customers near Barriere in the Little Fort, Lemieux Creek and Dalwood areas.  BC Hydro used a helicopter to blast snow and ice off trees near a power line that crosses through an area of dense forest along Highway 6 north of Barriere.

The North Thompson Arts Council announced their 6th Annual Celebration of the Arts Festival will be held on April 27 and 28, 2013, in conjunction with the 1st Annual Celebration of Rural Living Expo and Trade Show, at the North Thompson Agriplex and Fall Fair Facility.

Local business couple, Eldon and Kim Law, donated two cheques to the Barriere Food Bank just before Christmas, one for $1,000 from the A&W, and one for $2,000 from the Petro Can Station.

Barriere Elementary School held a fundraiser to assist in setting up a new playground. The fundraiser was a silent auction held on Dec. 20, during the school’s Christmas Concert,   with the final total coming in at just over $2,700.

The New Year’s Eve Bullarama at the North Thompson Agriplex performed to a sold out crowd, and the community was happy to hear that the event had raised $5,000 for the Farm Kids Scholarship Fund, and would be returning in 2013.