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2014 Year in Review: What made the news in the Star/Journal in September and October

A review of news items the Star/Journal reported on during 2014
***StarJournal pages Sept.25, 2014.indd
Star/Journal file photo: The Lion’s Club gazebo in Fadear Park was officially dedicated by the Club to Ken Popp (r)

Continued from our

Jan. 15, 2015, issue...

SEPTEMBER

The Annual North Thompson Fall Fair and Rodeo took over the small rural community of Barriere for the 65th time, with over 10,000 visitors attending.  Despite a major thunder storm, complete with hail and torrential rain for a short period of time; for the most part the weather was amiable with bright sun for the big Saturday parade, and a few light rain showers to keep the dust down on Sunday.

Barriere cowgirl Jamie Myram came away with top spot in the Junior Steer Riding event at the North Thompson Fall Fair BCRA Rodeo.  Myram competed against 38 other riders and won the event with a score of 72.

North Thompson Food Action Committee members Susan Garland, Ted Richardson and Cheryl Thomas were presented with certificates of appreciation by Norm Embry, chair of Interior Health Authority.  The awards were given for the work they have done on developing a food security plan for the region, plus helping to set up community gardens, farmers markets and a food security website.

The Reverend Father Paul Simms became the new  Roman Catholic priest for the North Thompson Valley, serving churches in Barriere, Clearwater, Blue River and Valemount.  He took over from the Reverend Father Donal O’Reilly, who retired and planned to continue living in Barriere.

The 8th Annual Thunder Alley Stomp’n Toy Run hosted by Barb and Paul Morris was held in Barriere on Sept. 13. Thanks to the large number of bike riders who participated, the events included and all the generous donations made from residents and businesses in the community, the total cash received from the Toy Run for the local Food Bank was approximately $4,000, plus a mountain of toys, stuffies and food items.

One hundred participants turned out on Sunday, Sept. 14, for the annual Terry Fox Run in Barriere.   Participants contributed to raising $10,734, the largest amount raised to date by Barriere, which included a generous pledge of $5,000 from Ted Smith.  Barriere has raised a total of $124,619.09 between 1989 to 2014 for the Terry Fox Foundation.

Cattle ranchers were happy for the first time in a decade to see cattle prices per pound steadily climbing again.  Fall prices were reaching $2.30 to $2.40 a pound in the auction ring — a 50 per cent increase in a year.

The Barriere Curling Club  were excited to receive a donation of $2,000  from the United Way.

Several crews were doing archeological surveys in the area in preparation for Kinder Morgan’s plans to twin its Transmountain Pipeline.  According to a Transmountain spokesperson, the purpose of the archaeological survey was to locate, record and assess any archaeological site that may be impacted by the project. The information gathered was to be used in consideration for route and project planning.

Louis Creek residents in the area of Country Store Antiques were warned of a bear in the area that had mauled and killed a number of miniature goats within an enclosure outside a local residence.  Conservation officers responded and set a bear trap in the hopes of catching the bear for relocation.

The hay bale tractor display at the gate to the Rainer Farm in Darfield was set on fire during the early morning hours of Sept. 16, and completely destroyed.   Cause of the fire was unknown at the time, but vandalism was suspected.

The Thompson-Nicola Regional District (TNRD) announced at its Sept. 18, Board of Directors meeting that it had been awarded a Level 3 Achievement of Carbon Neutrality from the Climate Action Charter.

A repeat of road work happening on each side of the highway in Barriere had many residents scratching their heads as to why this area had been dug up again during construction of the new wastewater project.  District of Barriere stated that the first attempt at drilling under the highway appeared to be successful based on the fact the elevations of where the drill went in on one side of the highway, and where it came out on the other were within specifications. However, when they laser-tested, it was discovered that something must have caused the drill to deviate upwards part way through. Since the wastewater line had to be gravity flow through this area, this pipe was not acceptable and the drilling company had to come back and re-drill.  The District noted they were not be responsible for these additional costs.

The Lion’s  Club gazebo in Fadear Park  was officially dedicated by the Club to Ken Popp, a Barriere Lions Club member of 43 years.  Popp attended the dedication in person on Sept. 20, and the get together following.

Schools opened three weeks late for the fall semester as a result of the Teacher’s Strike, putting teachers into a position of playing “catchup” with their curriculum for students to get the full benefit of the courses provided.

Barriere was awarded the Heritage Trophy and Four Blooms status from the 2014 B.C. Communities in Bloom program.

The B.C. Little Britches Rodeo Finals were held at the Fall Fair grounds in Barriere with youth attending from throughout southern B.C. for the Saturday finals and awards banquet, followed on Sunday by a jackpot rodeo.

A 2010 Dodge Dakota pickup went into the North Thompson River from Westsyde Road just south of McLure on Aug. 25.  Residents in the area reported that the driver was distracted at the time, but was not seriously injured in the accident.  However, the truck spent a few weeks almost completely submerged in the river before it could be removed in September, because to a study being conducted on the by the Ministry of Environment.

A Fun Soccer Play Day was held on the Ridge fields on Sept. 20.  This was the last of four fun days played between Clearwater and Barriere.

Barriere’s Halle Smith joined the IGNITE™ Athlete Development Squad for the 2014/15 year under Alpine Racing.

The team of Ernie Yungen (Skip), and Louis and Anke Zijderveld, representing Zone 8 at the B.C. Senior Games, won all their games against the best in the province, bringing home the Gold Medal for Carpet Bowling in the 3’s.

The 76th annual Provincial Winter Fair was held at the North Thompson Fall Fair facility in Barriere with a full contingent of competitions filled with 4H youth from many parts of the Interior of B.C.  On the Monday the fair wrapped up with a Parade of Champions and then a well received auction of market beef and lamb that had been shown during the event.  The Provincial Winter Fair will be returning to Barriere in 2015.

Walter Vandercamp rode his saddle bronc to a 74 point ride and clinched himself a win in the Kamloops Top Hand Bucking Horse competition during the 76th annual Provincial Winter Fair held at the North Thompson Fairgrounds in Barriere.

The Lower North Thompson Community Forest Society announced they would be donating a total of $31,000 for 2013/14 to be disbursed: $16,000 allocated to Barriere Secondary School for student scholarships and/or bursaries, and $15,000 allocated for distribution through their grants program to local non-profit organizations.

OCTOBER

On Oct. 1, motorists were advised by the Province that winter tires were now required on many highways (including Highway 5) throughout the province.

The second annual “Apple Pie Construction Marathon” fundraiser for the Barriere Splash in the Past project, was held at the Lion’s Hall. Over 280 apple pies were prepared from scratch.

School superintendent Karl deBruijn reported Barriere Secondary School was one of several in School District 73 that saw its enrolment go up when school finally started in September.

Nominations closed for civic elections. In Barriere, Lower North Thompson (Area O) TNRD director Bill Kershaw was challenged by Mike Fennell,  Bill Humphreys, the incumbent mayor of Barriere, was challenged by Virginia Smith. Ten people put their names forward for Barriere’s town council: Harry Eberts, Donna Kibble, Glen Stanley, Amanda Sabyan, Ward Stamer, Mike Fennell, Al Fortin, Shane Quiding, Pat Paula and Christine Janis. Rhonda Kershaw, the Dschool District 73 trustee for the Little Fort-Barriere area was returned by acclamation.

Twenty students from Barriere Elementary’s grade seven classes and 15 students from grades nine to 11 from Barriere Secondary attended We Day at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, with 20,000 students and educators from more than 700 schools.

The cedar log posts that were supplied by Gilbert Smith Forest Products for erecting signage at the Louis Creek Industrial park were bucked up and carried off by an unknown thief.  Additional posts were ordered and, this time, were not be delivered to the site until they day they were to be erected.

The Alberta Medical Association’s (AMA’s) Section of Rural Medicine presented the Tarrant Scholarship to two medical students in Alberta.  The Tarrant Scholarship is awarded to third-year medical students from the University of Alberta and the University of Calgary who have demonstrated a strong interest in focusing their medical career and undergraduate studies on rural medicine and related issues.  The 2014 recipients are University of Alberta medical student Adam Mildenberger from Beaverlodge, AB, and University of Calgary medical student Darby Ewashina from Barriere, B.C.

Four Barriere residents traveled to Kelowna on Oct. 5, to participate in the Kelowna ‘CIBC Run For The Cure’, a 5km designated run thoughout town. The team gathered  in support of Tena McKenzie (Monteith), a former Barriere resident and a Breast Cancer Survivor.  Tena’s team consisted of about 15 participants in total, who came from all over the province. This elite team brought in $3000 for the cause which raises money and awareness for Breast Cancer research.

Barriere Senior boys soccer had their first win of the season versus Clearwater at an away game winning 4-2 on Oct. 9.

A B.C. Supreme Court judge found a North Thompson homeowner in contempt of court for failing to properly fix a six-foot-deep hole into which she and her husband had been  dumping raw sewage. Gloria Pearson and her husband, Paul, appeared in B.C. Supreme Court in Kamloops on Tuesday, Oct. 14.

Lower North Thompson Community Forest Society representative Mike Francis, reported it was a good year for the Society, with significant progress in it’s development as an organization.

To celebrate commitment to the community, on Oct. 16, Interior Savings closed all credit union and insurance branches at 2 p.m. to allow their employees to volunteer within their own communities for “Interior Savings Day of Difference.” In Barriere the Interior Savings team turned out to prepare two homemade soups, fresh buns and coffee in the Barriere Seniors Hall; all at no cost, but with any donations gladly accepted for the Barriere Food Bank.

A successful spaghetti dinner and pie sale fundraiser on Oct. 17, at the Barriere Seniors Hall was hosted jointly by the Barriere and District Seniors Society and the North Thompson Catholic Women’s League.  Proceeds from the dinner were split 50/50 between the two groups, and proceeds from the pie sale went to the CWL.

On Oct. 20, 2014, at the regular District of Barriere council meeting, councillors voted unanimously to declare their support for the proposed Trans Mountain Expansion Project by Kinder Morgan Canada. Humphreys states that resources are the economic engine of rural communities, and they continue to provide jobs for families while at the same time providing the necessary government revenues and economic activity that even cities in the Lower Mainland need to operate.

“Our council felt that it was important that the people of British Columbia know that communities like Barriere rely on companies like Trans Mountain to help keep our towns working and prosperous,” said the Mayor, “Today Kinder Morgan Canada pays over $5.6 million in local taxes annually in the Thompson Valley Regional District. If the project is approved, that will move to over $13 million paid every year.”

A medical marijuana start-up firm made a tentative deal to buy two industrial lots in Barriere’s Louis Creek Industrial Park for a production and research facility. GreenSkyLabs, a company incorporated in Alberta, made its plans public on Oct. 27, to locate an operation in the North Thompson  by submiting an offer to purchase two lots in the Louis Creek Industrial Park — contingent on it receiving approval from Health Canada.

The annual Barriere Lions Club Book Fair was held with the Lions Hall filled from end to end with books for every taste and age group.  Funds raised from the sale support Barriere and Area Literacy Outreach.

Residents in the Glen Grove subdivision and surrounding area were angry about the killing of a mule deer buck was shot the evening of  Friday, Oct. 24.  The shot had been fired in the area and the next morning a neighbourhood resident found the buck with a bullet hole in the rear and his antlers sawed off.

After almost 10 years, with many hours of volunteer labour involved, an agreement was finally signed between the Little Fort Recreation Society and the TNRD on Oct. 26, 2014, by outgoing president Barb Denton, outgoing vice-president Darlene Jennings, and TNRD Area ‘O’ representative Bill Kershaw.  The operating agreement ironed out the final details between the TNRD and the Society regarding the Little Fort Community Hall.

The Church of St Paul in Barriere was pleased to host the Fall meeting of the Kamloops-Okanagan Presbytery of the United Church of Canada on Oct. 24-26.

The province confirmed a suspected arson on a bridge across Adams River leading to a proposed underground mine.  A group calling itself Secwepemc Ts’ka7 Warriors posted a statement on an activist website, claiming responsibility for torching the bridge, located about 70 kilometres northeast of Clearwater, near Tumtum Lake on Oliver Creek forest service road.

A calf was found shot and butchered on range in the Bartlett Forest Service Road area.  The cow was also found in the area partially butchered, but the removal of the meat was not completed.   This was the second incident of cattle theft and killing cattle in the area.

Area Carpet Bowling enthusiasts held a tournament in the Fall Fair Hall  in Barriere, with teams from several communities attending.

The North Thompson Fish and Game Society presented an in-depth look at what the Society is about in a presentation to Thompson Nicola Regional District staff, board chair and directors for Area “O” and “P” at a Public Hearing in the North Thompson Fall Fair Hall. Oct. 21.  The Hearing was regarding bylaw approval for the building of a club house on land where the Society’s shooting range is located. First and second readings were subsequently approved by the TNRD board representatives, and the meeting then adjourned.

The Healthy Beginnings gang turned out in full costume at the Barriere Ridge for their annual Halloween party, and facilitator Shelley Piva noted that everyone had a ”spooktacular time”.

Find the last two months of our 2014 Review inside our next issue.