EAGLE VALLEY
NEWS
Police take out Larch Avenue grow operation Page 2
ERS students honoured for fundraiser Page 9
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Vol. 53 No. 17 Sicamous, B.C., • 1.25 (HST included) • www.eaglevalleynews.com
Her ship’s come in: BC Ambulance Service Sicamous Unit Chief Kathy Crandlemire gives the Shuswap’s new emergency boat a hug as it’s dropped off late Wednesday afternoon. Crandlemire has been angling for several years to get a vessel in the Shuswap dedicated to on-water medical emergencies, about 40 of which occur annually. The boat, brought in through the Shuswap Emergency Program, will be operated by volunteers with the Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary. It will be another month before the vessel is fully operational, as crews continue with familiarization training. Photo by Lachlan Labere
Dredging of Sicamous Narrows back on district’s radar By Lachlan Labere Eagle Valley News
An old, unresolved issue was dredged up once more before Sicamous council. In a presentation to council, Twin Anchor’s Todd Kyllo emphasized the link between Sicamous’ economy and the narrows, which he argues is in dire need of dredging. “I know we’re looking at moving our marina facilities, but still, the channel is a very important factor for Sicamous, it’s an economic factor for Sicamous, and we need to take care of it or look after it,” said Kyllo. “So even if we were to develop, or a developer buys our property or whatever hap-
… pens, the foreshore… report was completed y It’s unusable the way after the Departit sits today.” ment of Fisheries and Kyllo noted twoo Oceans (DFO) indistudies that have beenn cated in 2005 that a Basically, what this study says is ndone on the chanplan for the narrows that we can take the channel the 5, nel, the first in 1985, was needed before way it is now and make it better as which he says has district would be aland a more viable place for fish little science behindd lowed to dredge. habitat… mit. The second, com“Basically, what pleted in 2006, is a this study says is that Todd Kyllo nreport by Triton Enwe can take the chanTwin Anchors lvironmental Consulnel the way it is now h tants. Funded by the and make it a better district and local stakeholders, to the tune and a more viable place for fish habitat, as of about $100,000 according to Kyllo, this well as our economics, because there’s kind
of a fight right now between both,” said Kyllo, who later referred to two studies. One, by DFO, looked at extensive foreshore alteration (50 per cent) over three years in three areas. Over that time, no effects on “water chemistry, chlorophyll or invertebrates” was witnessed. The second, looked at the grounding of docks on the Shuswap foreshore and the impact on fish habitat. Again, there was no effect, though Kyllo added where there would be problems is on tidal waters. Any dredging, be it through the narrows, or even just in the channel leading into the narrows from Shuswap Lake, has been a struggle for the district. About six years ago, See Mayor on page 2