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| A VANTAGE POINT: The tower is easily accessed by walking 15 minutes along the dyke trail just south of Highway 3. —photo courtesy the Wetlander |
A stunning, new two-storey viewing tower is now located in the Creston Valley Wildlife Management Area wetland, thanks to the efforts of the Creston Valley Rotary Club.
Rotary invested close to $30,000, designing and building the tower from the groundup, producing a high quality structure that will endure the tests of time and weather. A floating concrete pad, metal roof and large timbers will ensure that the tower will stand tall for years to come.
The Wildlife Management Area chose to locate the viewing tower in the Corn Creek Marsh unit just north of Highway 3 along the dyke trail. The tower is very visible from the highway as traffic heads east, enticing the traveling public to stop and check it out. Can't you just hear the words: "Dad, what's that? Can we stop?"
Source: the Wetlander Creston Valley Wildlife Management Area newsletter
DECEMBER 6
Smooth landing
Mackenzie Landing—Revelstoke Mountain Resort's latest real estate release since the successful sale of Nelson Lodge resort condominiums in March—proved an enormous success last month, with more than 80 per cent of the single-family estate lots snapped up within a matter of hours. Mackenzie Landing—featuring a select number of lots zoned for helicopter access—offers easy access to more than 500,000 acres of pristine Selkirk Tangiers heli-skiing terrain. The ski-in, ski-out neighbourhood is within walking distance of the village core and has attracted world-wide attention with buyers coming from across Canada and the U.S. and as far away as Britain.
For more information, go to www.discoverrevelstoke.com.
Source: www.discoverrevelstoke.com
DECEMBER 5
Gordon Bell dies at age 74
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| HISTORIC SIGNIFICANCE: Over the years Bell, an avid collector, put together a Ghost Town of authentic heritage buildings he salvaged from dead or dying communities around B.C. and filled them with everything from furniture, tools and utensils to a fantastic car collection. |
His daughter, Melody Keates said he and his wife, Ethel, had been driving back to Revelstoke Saturday after attending a convention in Ottawa when he collapsed during a stop at a store in Dryden, a town in northern Ontario.
They were to return this week. A public memorial will be held at Three Valley Gap on Friday, Nov. 23 at 1 p.m..
Bell was just 74 and had no history of heart problems.
He leaves behind his wife, four children — Melody, George, Carol and Rene — 12 grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
He also leaves behind his highly successful hotel complex 28 kilometres west of Revelstoke, which was 50 years old in September 2006, and a reputation as a shrewd and resourceful businessman who succeeded without a dime of government funding.
DAVID F. ROONEY
Source: Times Review
Editor's note: The management and staff of Kootenay Business extends their sympathies to Ethel Bell and family.
DECEMBER 4
Mountain Perks new shuttle schedule
Mountain Perks Destination Management has announced its Winter 2007-2008 schedule for service to and from the Calgary Airport. Customers can book their
seats live online at www.mountainperks.ca.
New this year, Mountain Perks will offer weekly intra-resort transfers between
Fernie, Kimberley, Invermere and Kicking Horse, as well as daily service between Calgary Airport and Kicking Horse.
For more information, www.mountainperks.ca or 250-423-4023.
NOVEMBER 30
Chamber businesswomen’s network launched in Fernie
The Fernie Chamber of Commerce has partnered with the Women’s Enterprise
Centre to present the first in a series of Chamber Businesswomen’s Network
Breakfasts starting Tuesday, February 5, from 7:30 to 10:30 a.m.
Location: TBA
Stay tuned for more info…
If you’re interested in participating, they’d love to hear from you. Got some ideas or suggestions for breakfast topics/speakers, workshops or seminars?
Email the Fernie Chamber at office@fernichamber.com or call (250) 423-6868.
NOVEMBER 29
Names in the news
Nelson’s Waves on the Lake Hair Design is welcoming Meagan Simpson from Calgary as part of their hair styling team. Meagan comes to the Queen City from Calgary.
Reyno and Runine LaCock are the new owners of Kimberley Physiotherapy located in Kimberley and RecPlex Physiotherapy located in Cranbrook. They LaCock’s are originally from South Africa.
The Cheeky Monkey restaurant in Grand Forks in now up and running. The diners is operated and operated by the husband and wife team of Michael Graf and Fatima Faria.
Earth Elements is a new recycling company in Cranbrook. It is owned and operated by Brenna Baker. The new company will sort, pack, transport and deposit your recyclables.
Well-knowned retired educator, George Watson, has joined the sales team at Cranbrook’s Shadow Mountain golf resort development.
Home Hardware, owner Al Miller was recently elected to be the new president of the Columbia Valley Chamber of Commerce in Invermere. Past president was Dee Conklin.
Havaday Developments, which is the developer of the Wildstone project has announced that Shayne Dysart is the company’s new vice-president of resort operations.
NOVEMBER 28
Pope & Talbot announces agreement
to sell three sawmills to Interfor
Pope & Talbot, Inc (Pink Sheets: PTBT) has announced that it has agreed sell three sawmills and related timber tenures to International Forest Products Limited (Interfor www.interfor.com) for roughly $69 million plus the value of certain current assets and liabilities assumed. The three mills, located in Castlegar, British
Columbia, Grand Forks, British Columbia and Spearfish, South Dakota are
producers of high-quality softwood lumber products.
The acquisition of the three sawmills, if completed, will increase Interfor’s total lumber capacity by approximately 580 million board feet per year to approximately 1.9 billion board feet.
The acquisition also includes timber tenures representing annual harvesting rights of approximately one million cubic metres in the Southern Interior of British Columbia.
The Castlegar and Grand Forks mills are large producers of specialty and commodity grade lumber products serving markets principally in the United States and Canada.
The Spearfish mill is a small but profitable operation serving specialty markets in the United States.
For more information, please check our website at www.poptal.com.
NOVEMBER 27
Kootenay Rockies wins E-Tourism award
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| TOURISM ONLINE: Karen Cook, manager, publications & website and Chris Dadson, president, Kootenay Rockies Tourism are proud to display the Canadian E-Tourism Silver Award for KootenayRockies.mobi. |
Kootenay Rockies Tourism Association has won silver at the prestigious Canadian e-Tourism Awards Ceremony which was presented in conjunction with the Canada-e-Connect e-Tourism Strategy Conference in Vancouver, November 8 and 9, 2007.
The Canadian e-Tourism Council presented awards for Website Design, Online Marketing Campaigns and Innovation. Kootenay Rockies Tourism was recognized for their Innovation in creating the World's Most Extensive Mobile Tourism Website: www.KootenayRockies.mobi
"It's great to be recognized by your peers, especially for something we are so passionate about," says Chris Dadson. "This kind of technology is a big part of the future of tourism."
NOVEMBER 26
Cindy Gallinger leaves Elk Valley Coal
Longtime public and community relations person, Cindy Gallinger, has left Elkford-based Elk Valley Coal which operated five coal mines in the Elk Valley.
Gallinger had held the position for many years and was the publisher of Fernie Free Press prior to that.
Sources tell Kootenay Business that Gallinger’s departure was sudden and unexpected. Gallinger says she will now pursue other opportunities.
Nic Mulligan of Elk Valley Coal has assumed her responsibilities at this time.
Elk Valley Coal is owned and operated by Teck Cominco (40%) and Fording Canadian Coal Income Trust (60%).
The company is the largest company and employer in the Kootenays with over 3,000 employees and $1.8 billion in revenue.
For more info on the company visit www.elkvalleycoal.ca
NOVEMBER 23
First ever Career Connections deemed a success
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GETTING CONNECTED: Grade 11 and 12 students were eager to ask questions and gather information from local businesses and employers.
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Career Connections, an event organized by Kootenay Business magazine, was held Tuesday, November 20, at Mt Baker School in Cranbrook and on Wednesday, November 21, at Selkirk High School in Kimberley.
The event proved to be an effective way to interact with Grade 11 and 12 students, as potential employers set up information display booths and
talked with hundreds of students.
Businesses and employers participating included:
BC Ambulance Service
Heritage Inn
College of the Rockies
Golden Life Management
Interior Health -- East Kootenay
Metis Provincial Council
BDO Dunwoody
St Eugene Golf Resort
Steele O'Neil Employment Service (Kimberley only)
BC Winter Games
Mainroad Contracting
Kootenay Aboriginal Business Advocates Society
Kootenay Business/Koocanusa Publications
Plans are underway to make this an annual event and expand the business
participation level. For more information about Career Connections call
Kootenay Business magazine at 1-800-663-8555.
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NOVEMBER 22
Third quarter highlights for Fording Coal
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Boyd Payne, president of Fording Canadian Coal Trust
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"The financial and operating results of this quarter were in line with our expectations," said Boyd Payne, president of Fording Canadian Coal Trust. "Looking forward, the hard coking coal markets appear to be robust, however if the Canadian dollar remains at current levels, substantial increases in the 2008 U.S. dollar coal price will be required to avoid significant reductions in our margins."
Highlights:
- Cash available for distribution was $61 million for the quarter, or $0.41 per unit, down from $123 million, or $0.83 per unit in 2006. Distributions to unitholders for the quarter were $0.60 per unit compared with $0.80 per unit in 2006. The net proceeds from the sale of NYCO of $31 million, or $0.21 per unit, which were received late in the second quarter, were included in the third quarter distribution.
- The average realized coal price in the third quarter of 2007 was $97 per tonne (US$93), which was down from $124 per tonne (US$109) in 2006. On a year-to-date basis, the average realized coal price was $110 per tonne (US$99), which was down from $136 per tonne (US$115) in 2006. The decreases in average U.S. dollar prices reflect successive decreases in coal prices for the 2006 and 2007 coal years.
- The significant weakening of the U.S. dollar had a significant negative impact on the business of Elk Valley Coal during the quarter. This was mitigated somewhat since the Trust uses foreign exchange forward contracts to fix the rate at which its anticipated U.S. dollar cash flows are exchanged for Canadian dollars. Realized gains on the Trust's forward contracts contributed $25 million or $0.17 per unit to distributable cash for the quarter ($31 million or $0.21 per unit year-to-date). The Trust has outstanding forward contracts until March 31, 2008 and will become fully exposed to the weaker U.S. dollar on April 1, 2008.
- Coal sales volumes of 3.4 million tonnes for the third quarter were 4 per cent lower than 2006 levels. On a year-to-date basis, coal sales volumes of 10.0 million tonnes were down slightly from 2006.
- Elk Valley Coal's unit cost of product sold decreased by four per cent to $41 per tonne for the third quarter of 2007 compared with $42.60 per tonne in 2006. Year-to-date, the unit cost of product sold increased by four per cent to $41.80 per tonne in 2007 compared with $40.20 per tonne in 2006.
- Elk Valley Coal's unit transportation costs were essentially unchanged at $35.80 per tonne for the third quarter of 2007 compared with $35.60 per tonne for the third quarter of 2006. On a year-to-date basis, unit transportation costs decreased by three per cent to $35.90 per tonne compared with $36.90 per tonne in 2006.
- The union labour agreement at the Cardinal River operation, which had expired on June 30, 2007, was settled during the third quarter. The new agreement expires in 2012. With this settlement, all five of Elk Valley Coal's unionized mines are now covered by multi-year labour agreements, the first of which will expire in late 2009.
NOVEMBER 21
Little shop of smells
One of Nelson’s more unique shops is owned and operated by Valentina Fierro and is called Isis Essentials. The shop which sells over 300 types of hand-blended oils, recently moved to a roomier new location at 582 Ward Street in downtown Nelson.
Fierro uses all organic materials and deals directly with farmers, focusing on fair trade and ethically sourced oils.
The oils can serve many health needs, Fierro told the Nelson Express newspaper and she is available for custom consultations.
“The oils really talk to you,” says Isis Essentials proprietor Valentina Fierro.
Source: Nelson Express www.expressnews.ca.
NOVEMBER 20
Newspaper making news
The Cranbrook Daily Townsman owned by Vancouver-based Glacier Ventures (www.glacierventures.com) has been busy over the last few months. Over the summer the Townsman, with paid circulation of some 3.800 copies, installed new printing presses with the goal of becoming the central printing facility to the chain’s Kootenay papers.
At the end of the year, longtime publisher and regional manager Steen Jorgensen is slated to retire, after over 30 years of service to the Sterling, Hollinger and Glacier Ventures newspaper chains. It is anticipated that current Associate Publisher Brian Sims will step up as the new publisher.
And just last week the Cranbrook Daily Townsman introduced their new advertising manager, Karen Johnston. She brings over 23 years of sales, marketing and customer service experience to the position. Karen was most recently marketing manager for the Red Deer Express.
For more information about the Daily Townsman visit www.dailytownsman.com.
NOVEMBER 19
Selkirk College students named
Millennium Excellence Award winners
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| RECEIVING RECOGNITION: (L to R) Kim Lipscombe, Selkirk College president Marilyn Luscombe and Geri Rinkel. |
Kim Lipscombe and Geri Rinkel have a number of identical qualities: they’re both passionate about their interests, excel at their studies, are generous with their time and completely modest about their accomplishments.
Now they have one more thing in common: they’re both Millennium Excellence Award winners.
The two Selkirk College students were recently awarded one of Canada’s most prestigious post-secondary scholarship, which will provide each of them with $4,000 towards their studies and related expenses.
According to the Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation, the chance of receiving the award is approximately one in 800, but having a strong work ethic, earning consistently high marks and volunteering in the community helps.
NOVEMBER 16
KBS under new ownership
Standard Radio a national chain of radio stations recently completed a deal which saw the company sell out to Astral Media. What does this mean for the Kootenays? Well Kootenay Broadcasting Systems or KBS was part of the Standard Radio network and is now part and parcel of Astral Media.
This transaction makes Astral Media, Canada’s biggest radio organization. KBS is celebrating it’s 75th anniversary of being on the air in the Kootenays.
The West Kootenay based KBS also has a station in Creston and recently won the Platinum Award in Kootenay Business magazine’s Best of Business awards.
For more info about KBS visit them on line at www.kbsradio.ca.
NOVEMBER 15
Need More Storage Space?
One of the biggest storage operations in the valley has recently opened in the Columbia Valley. Calgary-based StorEdge has swung open the doors at their new facility in Windermere, right on Highway 92/95.
The massive facility has 332 storage units, offers both heated and non-units and sports a state-of-the-art security camera system. The company has hired Ute Juras to run the new Windermere location.
StorEdge has a total of 13 locations in three provinces and has plans to expand nationwide in the future.
For more information about StorEdge see their advertisement in the new BetterBook PhoneBook or visit their website at www.storedge.com.
NOVEMBER 14
Former president gives inside
view of years at Pope and Talbot
Pope and Talbot—with mills in Grand Forks and Castlegar -- has been in the news a lot lately, unfortunately for all the wrong reasons…shutdowns, cutbacks, bankruptcy proceedings and more.
Recently retired and longtime president, Abe Friesen, of forest industry giant Pope and Talbot is also making news. He has put pen to paper and written a book about his experiences running the company’s Canadian division.
Friesen’s new book is called In Over My Head, recounts his story at the helm of the Portland, Oregon-based forest resource company, gives an insider viewpoint of everything from the Canadian Softwood Lumber deal to what is like to run a major forestry company in these challenging times.
The self-published book is available at local bookstores and watch for Abe Friesen at book signing events throughout the Kootenay/Boundary region.
NOVEMBER 13
Wildstone appoints Shayne Dysart
as vice-president resort operations
Wildstone, a 900-acre resort and residential community under development in Cranbrook, B.C., announced today the appointment of Shayne Dysart to the position of vice-president resort operations. Dysart will oversee the exciting task of developing and preparing the resort in order to welcome golfers in 2008 to the first of two courses designed by the Gary Player Design Group. In addition to managing golf course operations, Dysart will also be responsible for the development and implementation of all additional resort facilities and services such as extensive food and beverage venues, state of the art clubhouse and full fitness, pool and spa facilities, as well as other sport venues. He will also oversee the rental programming and customer service business models.
"To be involved with Gary Player's first golf course project in Canada is an absolute honour and a milestone that will undoubtedly enhance Western Canada's growing reputation as an international golf destination," said Dysart. "The whole vision for the Wildstone Resort is first class and I am excited to be an integral part of the team that will make it a reality."
Most recently serving as general manager of the Grand Niagara Resort, Dysart was responsible for overseeing the operational startup of the 800-acre five-star resort community. He was also the general manager for the Toronto Board of Trade Golf & Country Club—Canada's largest and most established private golf course facility. With extensive experience in golf resort development and management throughout Canada, Dysart brings more than 20 years of expertise to the Wildstone team—the ideal candidate for this important position.
NOVEMBER 9
College announces new international scholarships
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| INTERNATIONAL ASSISTANCE: College of the Rockies senior instructional officer Doug McLachlan presents COTR student Jaclyn Knipfel with a $3,000 One World Scholarship for self-directed study in Kenya last year. |
The College of the Rockies is launching 10 new international scholarship opportunities worth $2,000 each for COTR students as part of the College's Internationalization Strategy to train a workforce with the skills to respond to and work in a global environment.
The College of the Rockies Global Learning Scholarships recognize international learning opportunities for COTR students. Five scholarships per year of up to $2,000 each will be awarded for students to complete international experiences including studies, practica, volunteer postings, internships or other approved experiences, and who are returning to COTR for at least one semester.
The International Student Excellence Scholarships are open to current international students planning to continue their studies at COTR in programs including University Studies, Business Administration, Tourism or Recreation Management.
The current application deadline for these awards is November 30, 2007 with ongoing application deadlines on March 1 every year.
For more information on these awards go to: www.cotr.bc.ca/financialaid or call 250-489-2751 ext. 8468.
NOVEMBER 8
B.C. stats highlights
Here are some interesting highlights from BC Stats for the 2nd Quarter….
Labour Force: British Columbia’s unemployment rate inched up to 4.4 per cent (seasonally adjusted) in October. The modest increase in the jobless rate occurred as the province’s labour force expanded slightly more (+6,700) than the number of jobs (+5,800).
Labour market conditions in BC as well as the Prairie provinces have been very robust of late, and all four western provinces continue to record jobless rates that are significantly lower than the national average. Although BC had the highest unemployment rate in western Canada last month, it was still 1.4 percentage points lower than the average (5.8 per cent) for all of Canada.
The Kootenay’s jobless rate rose to 5.8 per cent in October.
Room Revenue: Room revenues in BC showed modest gains (+0.8 per cent) in the second quarter of 2007. The Kootenays (+2.4 per cent) witnessed an increase in room revenues for the sixth straight quarter.
Provincial room revenues in the second quarter of 2007 reached approximately $492 million.
NOVEMBER 7
Selkirk College's Geoff Tellier
—everyday hero with access to the stars
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| ALL-AROUND GOOD GUY: In addition to being an instructor, a cook for seniors and a chef to the stars, Tellier also operates his own home-based business called Chef to Hire, which is a rent-a-chef-type business for any private or public event, dinner or function. |
Geoff Tellier spends a good portion of his week working as a teacher in Transitional Training program at Selkirk College's Trail campus.
The course is part of the college's Adult Special Education program and is designed to provide opportunity for special needs students to learn entry-level skills for the food service industry.
A Red Seal chef since 1986, Tellier also offers his services to the Charles Bailey Theatre.
“Because of our connection with the theatre, which is housed in the same building, we’ve had the privilege of cooking for many big names like Tom Cochrane, Michelle Write, Prairie Oyster and Jason McCoy,” said Tellier.
In his free time, Tellier is busy being a father to his two teenage children, a husband and an active member of his church. And as if that wasn’t enough, he also volunteers as a cub leader for the First Robson Cubs and is a BCGEU representative for the Trail Campus on the Selkirk Education Council.
“I guess I have a sense of pride in my community,” said Tellier. “When you feel good about what you do, you have a lot of energy to do it.”
NOVEMBER 6
Minerals South Conference schedule
Here is a preliminary itinerary for the conference:
Tuesday, November 6, 2007: One day short course “Mineral Deposit Alteration” presented by the mineral deposit research unit from University of British Columbia (UBC).
Wednesday, November 7, 2007: Official Opening of the “Resources in Rockies” conference and technical presentations.
Thursday, November 8, 2007: Technical presentations.
Friday, November 9, 2007: Field trips to operating mines in region.
For more information on the upcoming Minerals South Conference, to obtain a display booth or to register for the conference visit the East Kootenay Chamber of Mines website at www.ekcm.org.
NOVEMBER 5
Mineral South Conference coming to Fernie
It’s time for the mining industry to mark their calendars for this fall’s Minerals South Conference to be held in Fernie, in the heart of the Elk Valley’s coal mining country.
What is Minerals South?
“The conference came together a few years ago to complement the many other technical mining conferences that were occurring across the province," said Chuck Downie, a director with the East Kootenay Chamber of Mines said. "The South and Southeast, seemed to be left out. The Minerals South conference is a ‘Technical’ conference providing an opportunity for the mining community to come together, to network and to listen to scientific presentations about new concepts in exploration and geology specific to this area.”
“It promises to be bigger and better than ever,” said Ross Stanfield, president of the East Kootenay Chamber of Mines. “Last year the conference was in Nelson and they really put on a good show in Nelson. We want to build on that success. Our 3rd annual Minerals South Conference is shaping up to be our best ever. We are expecting this conference to be one of best attended in the Kootenay mining sector.”
Mining industry people, prospectors and scientists will converge on Fernie’s Best Western Mountain Lodge and Park Place Lodge November 6 to 9 for the “Resources in the Rockies” conference. The event is expected to again attract over 200 mining experts from across North America and they will have an opportunity to discover what mining opportunities prevail in the Kootenays.
Why the theme, “Resources in the Rockies?” This popular conference format offers the opportunity to network with other mining professionals and gain valuable knowledge about the projects, initiatives and issues that are impacting the region’s mining industry.
NOVEMBER 2
Endless Harvest wins community impact award
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| ALL SMILES: (Top row L to R): Emily Hedges, Danita Luke, Kashka Zerafa, Lyndon Schiewe; (bottom row L to R) Velvet Kavanagh, Nancy Roulston. |
Endless Harvest, the West Kootenay’s organic food home delivery service, was the recipient of the Community Impact award at the 2007 Community Futures Client Awards held on October 17 at the Hume Hotel.
The awards, now in their eighth year, recognize those among the 150 Community Futures clients who demonstrate outstanding achievement in each of nine categories. A Community Futures committee determines the winners in each categories, chosen from nominees put forth by their clients and the general public.
"The recognition is appreciated," said Velvet Kavanagh, owner of Endless Harvest. “Many small businesses in the Kootenays seem want to create a business that contributes to the community and it’s nice to hear people say that they support that.”
NOVEMBER 1
Selkirk College hosts dinner for
Tourism B.C.'s board of directors
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| A BOOST FOR EDUCATION: Allen Tozer, chair of Tourism B.C.’s board of directors, presented Bob Falle, chair of Selkirk College’s School of Hospitality and Tourism, with a cheque for $2,000 to help cover expenses related to student cooking and resort management competitions held annually in the province. |
When the board members for Tourism B.C. come to town, it requires something of a command performance in the art of fine dining and hospitality. And while the province’s top tourism leaders might not be instantly recognizable, the crown corporation they govern and its brand—Super, Natural British Columbia—certainly is.
So to whom did these titans of tourism turn when it came time to break bread and indulge their appetites? Selkirk College, that’s who.
“The province’s nearly $10 billion tourism industry depends on a skilled and knowledgeable workforce,” said Allen Tozer, chair of Tourism B.C.’s board of directors. “Selkirk College students and faculty proved themselves to be more than capable of delivering an unforgettable dining experience to probably the most discerning members of our business. It was very encouraging to see that.”
Blog index:
2007: January/February | March/April | May/June | July/August | September/October | November/December
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