Trail Times Thursday, December 5, 2013 www.trailtimes.ca A3
Local
RDKB
Local 480 membership helps out food bank
Directors voting for new chair
Gray stepping down for role he held for two years By Sheri Regnier Times Staff
A new chair for the regional district board will be elected tonight after Larry Gray steps down. Gray has been holding the position for two years, but confirmed on Tuesday that he will not seek reelection although he will continue serving as a councillor in Fruitvale and as the village’s director on the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary (RDKB) board. The election of the RDKB chair is an annual event that takes place at the inaugural meeting in December, said Gray. “I think it is a good idea for the chair position to be one where there is a rotation,” he said. “So that all areas of the RDKB have an opportunity for leadership.” The RDKB is home to more than 30,000 residents living in 8,096 square kilometres that encompass five rural areas and eight municipalities stretching from Beaver Valley through to rural Grand Forks and as far north as Big White Ski Resort. Only those directors who let their name stand for tonight’s elections are included in the vote that will take place during the meeting, when all 13 directors cast their choice by secret ballot. “I have really enjoyed the chance to work with all the diverse communities within the RDKB and the opportunity to learn about
their issues and success stories,” said Gray. The most important role of the chair is to assist the directors and provide support to the different jurisdictions as needed and the chair appoints all members and chairs of the various board committees, he explained. “The chair needs to understand the difference between political oversight/guidance and the running of the organization, which is the function of staff,” said Gray. “There is a leadership responsibility for the RDKB in the political sense but not in the operations of the organization.” The current base stipend for the chair of the RDKB board position is $1,911 with additional payments for each committee attended. He explained that directors are expected to be on duty for questions from the public or media and there are no standards nor expectations for the number of hours dedicated to RDKB work. “I have documented 120 hours of work based on a single typical month, but this included council business as well,” said Gray. “My best guess would be that the job takes between 80 and 100 hours per month on average, so it is like a half time job.” Gray is grandfather to 10 with two more on the way, and wishes to spend more time with the family. “This position takes considerable time and effort to do it justice,” he added.
Submitted photo
Local 480 presented a cheque to Kate's Kitchen food bank in the amount of $2,500. The money came out of the Steelworkers Humanity Fund. Local 480 members at Teck donate 1 cent per hour into the fund to help people in need. Local 480 president Armindo deMedeiros and grievance chair Brian Onyschak presented cheque to food bank representatives Linda Radtke and Maryanne Leschiutta.
MLA questions push behind changes FROM PAGE 1 shoppers to pick up a bottle of wine or six-pack with their groceries.” As well as recommending grocery store liquor sales, Yap also offered supporting recommendations that B.C. should maintain the current cap on the total number of retail outlets in the province, that the new law requires that liquor be kept separate from grocery products, and that the province should adopt a gradual, phased-in approach to the new
retail model. Other steps by the government since 2012 has seen the allowance of liquor in theatres, allowing distillers and brewers to provide on-site lounges and special event areas, and allowing B.C. residents to import wine for personal consumption from other provinces in Canada. Katrine Conroy, MLA for Kootenay West, finds the drive for grocery store liquor sales curious. “Whenever I talked to
people I’ve rarely heard anyone say they wanted to buy liquor in grocery stores,” she said. “They wanted to go out for lunch or dinner at a local pub and have their whole family go with them. I’m really curious, I’d like to see the numbers, where this is coming from, who is actually driving this.” Among other questions around the process, Conroy’s concerns are more focussed on the existing store owners and employees.
Christmas spirit abounds in Greater Trail communities Grapevine is a public service provided by the Trail Times and is not a guaranteed submission. For full list of events visit trailtimes.ca. • Today, The Riverbelle Restaurant in downtown Trail. Angus Reid of the BC Lions and Tracy Porteus from Ending Violence Assn of BC will present “Be More Than A Bystander,” an initiative to understand men’s violence against women. Public invited. Tickets $10 includes dinner and door prizes, available at Trail FAIR Society, Trail and Castlegar RCMP detachments and Nelson Advocacy Centre. • Friday and Saturday, Huckleberry’s Restaurant will be hosting a silent auction with proceeds going directly to the Philippines to aid survivors of Typhoon Haiyan. Call Carole at 368-3346 or Anne-Marie at 6381576. Live music by Keith Park,
leave a bid, tasty Christmas craft fair. lunch specials. Photos with Santa, • Friday, Silver supervised craft corCity Nites in downner. town Trail kicks off • Saturday, Trail with Santa’s Candy United Church 10 Parade at 6:15 p.m. Events & Happenings in a.m. until noon for a • Saturday, the Lower Columbia Christmas coffee party Fruitvale Memorial at Knox Hall. Bake, Hall from 9-11 a.m. Pancake, egg craft and toonie table and more. and sausage breakfast cooked by Admission by donation. All welthe Fruitvale firemen and Beaver come. For info call 368-3984. Valley Nitehawks. $3 small, $5 Film large. All proceeds donated to • Saturday, 9:55 a.m. Royal the Fruitvale Community Chest. Theatre presents the Met Opera’s Bring kids for pictures with production of Tosca. Puccini’s Santa. timeless verismo score led by • Saturday, 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Patricia Racett in the title role of Rossland Health Care Auxiliary the jealous diva. Thrift Shop from 10 a.m. until • Sunday, Royal Theatre 4:30 4 p.m. for the Annual Christmas p.m. for Sunday Cinema showToy Sale in conjunction with the ing Fill The Void. Shira, a young Rekindle the Spirit of Christmas woman living in ultra-orthodox celebration. Tel Aviv faces a choice not unlike • Saturday, St. Michael’s gym those of the heroines of Jane from 10 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. for Austen novels. Tickets $9 or $40
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for the series. Music • Today, Charles Bailey Theatre, 7:30 p.m. for Ensemble Caprice, Christmas in the Baroque Era. Musical traditions as celebrated in Europe, Mexico and South America with this Juno-winning Canadian group. Ticket $30, contact 368-9669 or email trail_arts@telus.net. Gallery • Saturday, VISAC Gallery’s open house for Seasonal Treasures. Fine art and crafts for Christmas gifts. Call 364-1181 for info. Upcoming • Dec. 11, Charles Bailey Theatre, doors open at 7:15 p.m. for the Annual Rotary Christmas Carol Concert. Seven choirs and the Maple Leaf Band. Collection during intermission with all proceeds donated to the Salvation Army Christmas Hamper Fund.
Come in and check out our large selection of stocking stuffers and gift packs! Gift Certificates also available
• Dec. 12, Muriel Griffiths room in the Greater Trail Community Centre at 7:30 p.m. for the Clinton Swanson Quartet. The jazz ensemble includes Swanson on sax, drummer Tony Ferraro, guitarist Doug Stephenson and Rob Fahie on acoustic bass. Tickets $10 in advance $15 at the door. Call Charles Bailey box office or 3699669 for info. • Dec. 13, Trail Market goes indoors for the last time this year at the Trail Memorial Centre gym from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Artisan vendors, music, good eats and more. Call 368-3144 for info. • Dec. 14, The 114th Christmas Bird Count will be held in the Trail-Rossland-Fruitvale area. For more info contact Linda-Rossland at 362-7107 and Shirley-Trail at 364-0339 To submit to the Grapevine email newsroom@trailtimes.ca
250.364.2377 1198 Cedar Ave