Grade eight students from Fernie Secondary School (FSS) will “paint the town for fish” this May, an outcome of their participation in Columbia Basin Trust’s (CBT’s) Know Your Watershed program.

Tessa Holmes, class spokesperson, recently introduced the project to Fernie City Council.

“We want to paint the storm drains around Fernie to remind residents that only rain should go down them,” Holmes said. “Pollution off streets, driveways and homes is carried in storm water, which goes directly into the Elk River and can harm fish.”

CBT has provided $1,000 to support the two classes participating in the project.

“We’re pleased to see youth actively working on a project about water,” said Kindy Gosal, CBT director, Water and Environment. “Congratulations to the students, their teacher and the environmental educators for initiating this project in Fernie.”

“Class posters will be used for public education at the school and throughout the community during April and May,” said Mike Tomney, FSS grade eight science teacher.

Know Your Watershed is a CBT water stewardship education program aimed at grade eight science classes. This hands-on education initiative helps students understand where their water comes from, how it is used and where their water goes after it is used.

The students are looking for adult volunteers interested in supervising painting teams on the blitz in May when students are painting the town for fish. If you can help, please contact Lee-Anne Walker, Know Your Watershed environmental educator, at 250-423-3322 or knowyourwatershed@gmail.com.

The new Canadian Store is roughly 30,000 square feet and contains a Mark’s Work Wearhouse, an automotive centre, storage space and a garden centre.

The store was custom designed to fit into the Columbia Valley’s retail scene and has been in operation for a number of weeks after a soft opening earlier in the year.

Before the new store opened in Invermere the Cranbrook Canadian Tire location was the closest to the Columbia Valley.

With the addition of the Invermere store, Canadian Tire now has five locations throughout the Kootenays—Cranbrook, Fernie, Trail, Castlegar and now Invermere.

Canadian Tire is one of Canada’s largest and most successful retailers.

The building that Loaf Bakery, Café & Pizzeria is relocating to used to be the home of Fernie Quality Bakery. According to Gadd, the building has been empty for quite a while and there is a lot of work that needs to be done to it before his business can move in. Parastone Developments in Fernie and LeBlond Partnership Architects and Planners based in Calgary, Alberta, are working on the renovations.

When the building is finished, Loaf Bakery, Café & Pizzeria will have a new retail bakery as well as a 50-seat restaurant. The pizzeria at Loaf Bakery is currently open three nights a week but in the new location, Gadd said it will be open five evenings a week and the menu will feature a wider selection. He will also be hiring between three and five new employees.

Gadd is hoping that the renovations will be complete by the end of June and that Loaf Bakery, Café & Pizzeria will be up and running in its new location in July. Until then, it will remain open at its current location on Sixth Avenue.

For more information on Loaf Bakery, Café & Pizzeria, see the website. 

Parastone Developments and LeBlond Partnership worked together to design and develop 901 Fernie and its spa and wellness centre. LeBlond Partnership is also responsible for designing the Solace Spa at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel in Banff, Alberta. According to Simon Howse, who is the general manager of Parastone Developments, 901 Fernie is unique and he said it will help to attract more tourists to Fernie.

Shelly MacGregor is the owner of Spa 901 and she also owns and operates two massage therapy clinics in Calgary, Alberta, as well as a mobile spa in Calgary called SpaGoes.

In a recent press release, MacGregor said that the work that Parastone Developments has put into the spa and wellness centre will amaze people.

“The beautiful brick walls and high ceilings create a truly unique spa experience that offers surprising value,” said MacGregor. “We are excited to be a part of this iconic building and the community.”

901 Fernie features 44 condominium suites and the highlights of Spa 901 include five treatment rooms, a couple’s fireplace treatment room, two infrared saunas, co-ed and women-only fireplace relaxation lounges and an outdoor hot pool. Esthetician services, therapeutic massage and private bath treatments are also offered at Spa 901. Visitors can make reservations at 901 Fernie and Spa 901 by using Fernie Central Reservations.

If you are a keen skier, passionate about skiing and or just want to hear perspectives from some of Canada’s top ski media, you will want to take part in a session called "What will the next 50 years bring for the sport of skiing and current ski trends?" led by Iain Macmillan—editor of Ski Canada Magazine; mountain sport writing legend, Whistler local and editor emiterius of Skiing Magazine, Mike Berard; and the very talented Krista Turcasso, who can not only rip on skis but is a top mountain biker and founder of local success story, the Fernie Fix.

This is sure to be a lively session as each one of them will have a dynamic and different perspective. Next up is Al Raine, mayor of Sun Peaks resort municipality, who will share his wealth of knowledge and expertise on the "History of Ski Development in BC and the Future of Mountain Living Towns." Ending Ski Heritage Week will be a spirited session by Sheldon Decosse, Decosse Custom Skis, and Mitchell Scott, publisher, Kootenay Mountain Culture Magazine, called "Building Brands for the Future."

If all of this is not enough, during Ski Heritage Week, the celebration of 50 years of skiing is taken from the mountain to main street, as everyone in the community of Fernie celebrates the "Powderful tradition of Skiing, People and Passion" in this mountain town cradled by the Rocky Mountains.

The endless fun continues with a community street party with a live band on Mainstreet, BC Telemark Association Race Weekend, Ski Instructors Reunion (a la the movie Hot Tub Time Machine), torchlight ski run, fireworks and ends with the Griz Bar Heritage Ski Party (famous for keeping Rippers Ripped).  And if this still is not enough . . . snow and more snow keeps on falling in Fernie, close to 40 centimetres of fresh powder fell in 24 hours and more than 100 centimetres new this week. Fernie, home of the legendary powder, continues to have some of the deepest snow in North America and the most snow in the Canadian Rockies; now that is powderful history!