In addition to the road and landfill upgrade, an Eco Depot will be installed at the Heffley Creek landfill this year. Photo by TNRD.

The Heffley Creek Landfill will receive some major improvements in the next few months including road upgrades, expanded services and the addition of an Eco-Depot.

The current access road, a dirt road leading to the landfill, will be no more. In its place, a paved road will be built, moving about half a kilometre up Sun Peaks Road. The intersection will also be designed to make the road safer for traffic.

“Right now, (when) you come around, you spring basically up to a blind corner,” explained Don May, Thompson Nicola Regional District’s manager of environmental health services. “The key concern was to make the sightlines a lot better so we’ll be meeting the Ministry of Transportation sightlines and safety guidelines.”

In addition, the section of Sun Peaks Road that connects to the turnoff will be upgraded. “We’re going to put in some extra lanes on the Sun Peaks Road so there’ll be a proper turning lane out of the landfill,” added May.
The $456,207 contract was awarded to Extreme Excavating Ltd. from Kamloops with funds coming from three revenue streams: the Building Canada Infrastructure Fund, taxes and tipping fees. This project is expected to be completed by fall of this year.

This restructuring of the road also expands the landfill’s capacity. The new road will connect with the southeast part of the landfill, instead of the middle, and at a higher vantage point. This layout reduces the amount of wasted space at the landfill.

“By coming in higher at the edge of the landfill, all that area where the road used to come in is now free to use (as part of the landfill)”, explained May.

TNRD landfills at Clearwater, Chase and Barriere will be closed this fall and replaced with Eco-Depots.

The final phase of the upgrade is the addition of an Eco-Depot outside the Heffley Creek landfill so customers won’t have to enter the landfill area. Signed and lighted drop off areas will be added as well as safety railings and traffic control devices to ensure safe movement of people and vehicles on site.

“The Eco-Depot will provide all the services that exist at the present landfill and additional services for composting and product stewardship programs,” said May.

May said that after the roadwork is done, they will focus on preparing a detailed site design for the Eco-Depot. The design will also integrate the installation of the double scale at the landfill.

“The double scale facility will be going in next year, probably spring or summer of 2012,” he said.

TNRD’s long term goal is to change the way that waste is disposed in the region and to reduce the adverse effects on the environment.

Photo contributed by Highland Valley Copper

Sun Peaks resident Deb McPhee has helped build many structures in her last four years as a crane operator, but none of them stirs up her national pride like this one.

McPhee helped build domes that feature what could be one of the largest representations of the Canadian flag.

The $25 million dome project is at Highland Valley Copper, an open pit copper mine near Logan Lake. It was designed to solve the site’s dust problem which poses environmental, as well as health, concerns to people in the area.

The three domes were the perfect canvas for the nation’s venerated symbol. The two outer domes are covered in red cladding, while the middle one has a giant red maple leaf with a white background.

“Everybody who’s seen it thought it’s a neat idea,” said Mark Freberg, manager of strategic planning at Highland Valley Copper.

The idea to incorporate a flag to the domes follows an informal tradition at other mines owned by Teck Resources.

“At different operations around the world . . . (Teck uses) the flag of the country that the mine is located in on some of the buildings,” explained Freberg.

He said that the Polaris mine in Nunavut had a huge Canadian flag on the side of its storage building, while a giant American flag was installed at the Red Dog mine in Alaska.

“So when we were designing these, we thought, that’d be kind of neat if we could do the same thing.”

McPhee operated the crane that carried steelworkers as they installed the dome’s cladding. The domes may serve a practical purpose for the mine, but for McPhee and the rest of her 15-member Interior Iron team, working on this project is more than that.

“We’re all pretty proud to be working on this,” said McPhee. “We’re building a part of history, so it’s quite an honour.”

Construction of the domes started in 2009 and was completed in September of this year. Each dome is 100 metres in diameter and 31 metres tall. To build each dome, galvanized steel tubing was fitted into a center aluminum hub. Then the framework was clad with steel. McPhee said it took the crew about seven months to build one dome.

According to Flying Colours International, the official flag supplier for the Canadian government, the largest Canadian flag ever made was 38 metres by 76 metres for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

In July of this year, Winnipeggers set a record by forming a living Canadian flag in front of the Manitoba legislature. Dressed in red and white, 3,400 people joined the formation, despite the rainy weather, to topple Victoria’s living flag record of 2,100 people.

At crunch time, the Interior Iron team pulled 50-hour work weeks to complete the project. It’s a lot of work, but like the Winnipeggers who stood in line for hours in the rain, they took it in stride.

“This is something the guys would just be proud to be able to tell their grandkids about,” said McPhee. “We all realize that it’s an absolute privilege and we’re all lucky to (have worked) on the largest Canadian flag.”

The council applied for a $100,000 grant under the Union of B.C. Municipalities Operational Fuel Treatment Program for 2011. Under this program, any approved annual grants up to $100,000 will be 90 per cent funded by UBCM and 10 per cent funded by the municipality.

If approved, the amount will be used to treat approximately 25 hectares of land using the existing Strategic Wildfire Plan initiated by Sun Peaks Resort Corporation and the defunct Sun Peaks Improvement District. The work will entail hand piling debris, pruning and cleaning up the forest floor. Fuel treatment work was recently completed in Whitecroft and the council hopes to continue the work all the way to Sun Peaks.

“There’s four sites that we want to treat in the next couple of years, but the ones to the west (of Sun Peaks) are the most important,” said Bruce Morrow, a registered professional forester. Wind blows toward the community from this direction, and is most likely the entry point for a forest fire.

Morrow, who developed the community wildfire plan, said reducing the amount of combustible material in the forests will prevent fires from reaching the community or minimize the intensity of fire that does reach it.

The amount of dead trees to the north and east of Sun Peaks that are not being logged is cause for concern. “The forecast for fires is supposed to be more aggressive, more serious,” said Morrow. “Coupled with a lot of dead trees from the spruce beetle, they’ve got some serious fire challenges around Sun Peaks.”

The completion of the Strategic Wildfire Plan will also provide a safer escape route in case of a wildfire.

“There’s really one safe exit from Sun Peaks and that’s down towards Whitecroft,” said Morrow. “You can go out to McGillivray, but you don’t want to send a bunch of tourists in a rental car out to McGillivray a fire situation.”

“It’s a tough situation because the access is so poor. It increases the risk of people getting injured in a fire.”

The Sun Peaks council hopes to hear back from UBCM sometime in September.

Celebrations for Tod Mountain’s golden year milestone will start in November of this year. After opening in 1961 with just a ski lodge and a chairlift, the resort has since grown into the third largest ski resort in Canada attracting visitors from all over.

To join the celebrations, 10 quilters from Sun Peaks and area have been working away on their special quilting project for about four months and they’re excited for the great reveal late in the fall.

When the Sun Peaks Quilters were asked by the 50th Anniversary Organizing Committee to create a quilt that represented Sun Peaks, the members readily agreed to do it.

“We thought it would be a good project for our little group to embark on,” said Pat Hatchett, a member of the Quilters Guild.

“Seventeen blocks of quilt have been put together by Sun Peaks Quilters,” said Pat Miller, another guild member. “All have a different theme and reason behind them. The full explanation of why each quilter picked the blocks will be part of the unveiling of the quilt.”

Each member worked on a block or two representing seasons and activities that people associate with Sun Peaks.

“We tried to incorporate things that are important to the mountain,” said
Hatchett.

“Everything from when it was originally Tod Mountain to today,” added Miller.

The colourful designs were inspired by things that invoke memories of Sun Peaks, such as the alpine blossoms, bears, skiing and snow.

The 17 blocks will go to a professional quilter in mid-September to be sewn together and made into a large wall hanging.

After the unveiling, the 50th anniversary quilt will be displayed at the resort’s Guest Services office for a year. Then, it will be donated and displayed at either the municipal hall or the Sun Peaks clinic.

Sun Peaks Quilters is open to new members, from beginners to advanced. The guild meets every third Thursday from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Cahilty Lodge.

Transport Canada’s 2010 Canadian National Survey on Child Restraint Use reveals that parents are diligent about using car seats. Researchers found 95.8 per cent of child passengers in the study were restrained.

However, the national rate of correct use of child restraints was only about 64 per cent. In B.C., it was a bit higher at just over 68 per cent, but still way below the Road Safety 2010 target of 95 per cent.

When used appropriately, child restraints can reduce the risk of death and serious injury by about 70 per cent. Unfortunately, many children die or are injured in motor vehicle accidents every year because they weren’t properly restrained.

“The bulk of our focus is on that approximately five per cent that aren’t using the child seat at all,” said Marg Deibert, senior child safety seat educator with BCAA’s Road Traffic Safety Foundation.

This includes parents who restrain their kids with seatbelts alone instead of booster seats.

According to Transport Canada rules, children between four and nine years old need to use booster seats, unless they exceed a height of 145 cm and weigh more than 18 kg. Children are at a greater risk of sustaining injuries, specifically abdominal injuries, when using seatbelts alone compared to using a booster seat.

“(Without a booster seat, children’s) knees don’t bend naturally at the front of the vehicle’s seat, so they slouch and they slide forward,” she explained. When the child slides forward, the lap belt pushes against the child’s soft abdominal area. The shoulder belt also rubs uncomfortably against the neck, so kids tend to put their seatbelt under the arm or behind the back. “And that becomes a very dangerous situation.”

Deibert says it’s easy to ensure children are properly secured in safety seats.

“When they’re in a child seat, the harness for rear-facing should be as close to the shoulder or below. If it’s forward facing, the harness needs to be above the shoulders. For tightening, it’s all the same. You want it snug so you can slide two fingers comfortably underneath.”

When installing child seats to the vehicle, it’s important to apply body weight to get a proper fit.

“If they just tighten the seat up without applying the body weight, when a child goes to sit down on the child seat, it pushes down and then the seatbelt is loose.”

Using child seats may seem like more work than necessary, but an accident can happen in an instant. As the adage goes, it’s better to be safe than sorry.

For more information, visit www.childseatinfo.ca.

Photo contributed by the UBC Solar Team

Unlike what most people think, it’s really not that hard to give your beloved gas-guzzling, carbon-belching vehicle a vacation. All you need is commitment.

“It’s really just a matter of making the mental switch to say ‘Yeah I want to do this.’ And once you start, it’s not that hard,” said Kamloops resident Gisela Ruckert.

After a test run last year, Ruckert is getting better at using sustainable modes of travel in her daily life.

“This year, I’ve been using my bike for transportation on a regular basis,” she said. “It’s no fun in the rain, but it’s been great on a beautiful day. And the more I do it, the better I get at it.”

She’s also started walking more. She now walks with her family from her Lower Sahali home to downtown Kamloops to watch the Blazers.

“It’s probably about a 20-minute walk. We make more of an effort to just walk. It’s better for us, so why not? There’s no downside.”

As a member of Kamloops 350, an organization that aims for a healthier future by preserving the environment, Ruckert knows how important it is to cut down on her carbon emissions.

Kamloops 350 is an offshoot of 350.org, an international organization spearheading a global campaign on climate change. The number 350 stands for 350 parts per million, the safe upper limit of carbon dioxide level in the atmosphere according to the world’s leading scientists and climate experts. When CO2 levels exceed this limit, it initiates an irreversible chain reaction that adversely affects life on earth.

“We’re currently at 392,” said Ruckert. “We not only have to maintain, we also have to reduce the levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to avoid the really catastrophic effects of climate change.”

To get there, every little bit counts. Choosing a smart mode of transportation is a great way to start.

In partnership with the City of Kamloops and the B.C. Sustainable Energy Association, Kamloops 350 is launching the Great Green Transportation Tune-Up to help people reduce their travel-related carbon emissions. The event will run from Sept. 26 to Oct. 1 in Kamloops.

The lineup of activities combines fun and information. Those who love a good game can join the Transit Treasure Hunt, where participants ride the bus to pick up clues and win prizes, or the Bike, Bus or Boogie Challenge where contestants complete a set of errands by cycling, bussing or running.

The “Green Your Transportation” pledge encourages people to commit to walking, biking, taking the bus or carpooling for a chance to win prizes.

At the Cool Wheels display, sustainable vehicles like hybrids, electric cars and e-bikes will be on display. A solar car built by a team from the University of British Columbia will also make a stop at this event. At the Imagination Station, people can share their vision of sustainable travel through text or drawing.

Change doesn’t happen overnight, and nobody knows it more than Ruckert.

“I don’t want to say that I don’t drive my car anymore,” she admitted. “But little by little, I’m offsetting a little more of that all the time.”

For Kamloops 350, the goal is showing how change, even in small collective increments, is possible.

For more information, visit www.kamloops350.com.

When SPIN visited the site, a group of men had just finished putting the final touches on the landscaping in front of the sales office in Chase. The air was tinged with wood, soil and anticipation as the team envisions a one-of-a-kind zipline traversing the Chase Creek Canyon.

It was a long way to get to this point for the fledgling company. Ron Betts, general manager of Treetop Flyers and former Tourism Sun Peaks (TSP) regional sales manager, says he’s relieved to finally get a glimpse of their goal. What started out as an award-winning business plan is now turning into reality.

The idea behind Treetop Flyers was conceived by Daniel Ruzic and Matt Lepp as adventure tourism students at Thompson Rivers University. Along with Betts and zipline builder Kevin Smith of Skyline Ziplines, the team sought to fill the lack of a ziplining course in the Interior.

“It’s a fun activity and we saw the potential for it in this area,” said Ruzic, who also worked at TSP before embarking on this venture. “It’s such a cool and new emerging activity that’s getting more and more known worldwide.”

For those who are unfamiliar with the activity, ziplining falls under the category of other adrenaline-inducing outdoor recreational activities like bungee jumping, kayaking, or whitewater rafting.

A zipline is a cable installed on a slope where a pulley or a trolley can be attached. Using a harness and with the help of gravity, a person zips down the line in mid-air. People say the experience is much like flying.

Treetop Flyers will be offering two zipline experiences. The Flying Fox features two parallel 100 metre cables that allow you to try ziplining on a smaller scale. A guide teaches the flying and braking positions before you zip from the top of the 15 metre tower onto the roof of the sales office. The 30 km per hour ride is perfect for first timers. It will also be used as a training line for those who are going on the canyon zipline.

A full canyon tour will also be available for those who want a more adventurous zipline experience.

“We’ve been calling it among ourselves “The Bighorn”,” said Betts of the soon-to-be launched 213 meter zipline. Visitors can spot the bighorn sheep and enjoy the scenery at the Chase Creek Canyon before flying 60 to 80 km per hour past the canyon walls and the waterfalls.

“We’re going to go right through the middle of the canyon. Once you go past the opening, you’re gonna be close to the canyon walls,” said Betts. “You’re just going to feel like you’re flying in an airplane low to the ground. And you’re going to fly right up to the waterfall.”

Dangling on a cable through a canyon may sound intimidating, but there’s no reason to worry, said Betts. “On a risk scale, it’s one of those things that people perceive as more risky than it actually is. I think we’re thrilling but we’re not risky.”

“There’s several safety checks for every single rider and in every single ride,” added Ruzic. “Plus we have daily inspections on all of our equipment.”

Treetop Flyers use Smith’s patented trolley and harness system, more comfortable and stable than the standard climbing harness used by other zipline operations. A person has to be at least six years old and 60 lbs to ride the zipline. The maximum weight limit is 275 lbs.

Sun Peaks visitors can do either a half-day or a full-day itinerary. Located on the Shuswap along the East Trans-Canada Highway route, visitors can easily add whitewater rafting, boating or standup paddle boarding to their list of activities when visiting the area.

“They could come over in the morning, do the experience and be back in Sun Peaks if they wanted to go golfing in the afternoon,” said Betts.

“We hope that it’s going to be a benefit to the region. It gives more people one more reason to come to Sun Peaks, Kamloops or Salmon Arm.”

Photo by Keven Dubinsky/Team BC

The Western Canada Summer Games held last month revealed a very strong team of upcoming wrestlers from B.C. including Sun Peaks’ Alize Perriard-Abdoh.

With scores of 4-0 and 3-1 with a pin, Perriard was awarded the gold medal after beating her opponent from Manitoba in the 46 kg category.

Perriard says the win was a surprise for her, and something made more memorable by her team and coaches.

“None of this would’ve been possible without the volunteers and coaches that used their time to make the games possible,” said Perriard-Abdoh. “Special thanks to Brian Dick who’s always been an amazing coach. I couldn’t have done it without him.”

“It’s nice to have the team because they’re all very supportive. They kept yelling at me from the sidelines, which made it more exciting.”
She may be young but she’s a veteran of the sport, wrestling as a member of the NorKam Wrestling Team with her older sister Aliocha. The 15-year-old’s personal best so far is winning fourth place at the Nationals.

“It was very rewarding watching Alize win the gold, especially as it showcased how much her wrestling has improved over the past few months,” said Lyndsay Belisle, Team B.C. regional development coach. “She trained and wrestled hard and deserved to win. Alize should be very proud of herself.”

Many people may see Perriard as a shy teenager, but what people don’t know is that she is a very motivated athlete, which becomes apparent on the wrestling mat.

“Alize has been training with Team B.C. for less than a year, but she has been wrestling for seven years,” said Belisle. “She made Team B.C. at the team qualifiers in May.”

“Alize is a tough competitor, she has the determination to continually work and improve and is always asking what she can do to be better. Alize is a very coachable athlete and I think she’s going to be tough to beat.”
Team B.C. won 22 medals in total at the wrestling matches with 11 gold medals, six silvers and five bronze.

Belisle attributed the success of the athletes to the hard work of the coaches.

“I think that the athlete’s success had a lot to do with the many coaches who worked with (them, whether from their own club, their individual coaches or with Team B.C.) Also the support and commitment of many of the parents,” she said. “They committed hours of time and energy to help these athletes be able to perform at their best.”

Reed recently published A Taste of Sun Peaks, a compilation of recipes from people who live at, or frequent, the resort community.

If you’re not a meat lover, no problem. There’s certainly something for everyone in the cookbook’s 342 entries.

“It’s very eclectic. It’s got a lot of different styles of cooking—vegetarian, desserts, salads, mains, casseroles—kind of a catchall of this and that.”

Reed, who volunteers at the Sun Peaks Health Centre, is donating proceeds to the clinic’s capital fund, so sales of the cookbook will contribute to the overall health of the community in the long-term.

“This is all for the clinic,” she said. “Proceeds will go directly to the Health Centre.”

Reed came up with the idea when a former co-worker put together a cookbook of her own recipes. As Reed browsed its pages, she realized she could raise funds for the clinic through a cookbook that would appeal to Sun Peaks locals.

“It’s great to have such wonderful volunteers like Terri,” said Sun Peaks Health Association president John Hatchett, adding that he appreciates Reed’s dedication to the cause. This year, organizers had to cancel the clinic’s biggest annual fundraiser, so Hatchett said the funds are certainly welcome.

“(The cookbook project) certainly helps to offset operating costs this year.”

At the end of every recipe, there’s a personal note from each of the 108 contributors, including Nancy Greene-Raine, Crazy Canuck Steve Podborski, and even SPIN’s publisher Adam Earle. Reed says there’s a broad range of contributors, many of whom call Sun Peaks home.

Two of the most familiar representations of Sun Peaks, a winter scene of the European style village and a summer scene of the covered bridge, adorn the front and back covers of the cookbook. The watercolours were painted by Connie McKnight, a Sun Peaks local and clinic volunteer. She said she was more than happy to create the artwork.

“I think it’s a wonderful initiative,” McKnight said. “Everybody wants (to offer) a hand to support the clinic.”

The Sun Peaks clinic operates out of a temporary facility and is run by volunteer physicians and staff. The Health Association has set aside $400,000 from fundraising efforts as a capital building fund. The goal is to build a two-level medical centre, which will include ski patrol facilities, a clinic, and an Emergency Operations Centre. Last year, over 600 patients were served at the clinic.

The cookbook costs $20 and will be available at the beginning of ski season in November at the Sun Peaks Health Centre, Fusion North and Lone Wolf Gallery.

To order a copy, contact Terri at 250-578-8004 or e-mail terrireed4@yahoo.com.

Please note, Terri’s email address was published incorrectly in the print version of this month’s SPIN. Sorry for the confusion this may have caused, and do be sure to drop her a note at the address published above — Ed.

The Sun Peaks Municipal council introduced the initial draft and passed two readings of the Animal Control Bylaw No. 0018, 2011 at the council meeting last Aug. 15.

A significant portion of the proposed bylaw’s content is related to dog regulations. Among other things, the bylaw specifies leashed areas and off-leash areas.

One of the polarizing parts of the bylaw is the leashed areas. If the bylaw is passed after a third reading scheduled on Sept. 19, dog owners will be required to keep their dogs on a leash in the village core, the Valley Trail and on the base of ski areas. The idea was to ensure the safety of people in the community’s high traffic areas.

All other areas are considered off-leash, however dog owners must still supervise their dogs and be prepared to use a leash if necessary.

“I think it’s a great idea. I have no problem with that; I think that’s how it should be,” said Celeste McLaren, a dog owner and Sun Peaks resident. McLaren said she thinks the expectation from dog owners won’t really change that much if the bylaw is put in place. She said she has observed dog owners being responsible with their canines in Sun Peaks.

“Whenever I walk the Valley Trail, I generally see people with their dogs on a leash,” she said. “People are with their dogs and they’re not running at large (in our subdivision).”

Other dog owners are not entirely thrilled with the idea. They feel that if a dog owner has been responsible with their dog being off-leash and the dog has not caused trouble, they should be allowed to continue. It’s not uncommon for some dog owners to walk with their dogs off-leash at night in the village when there’s hardly anyone around.

Still for others, the answer is not as clear-cut.

“I don’t like it, but I think I have to put my personal emotions and feelings aside,” said resident and dog owner Peter Ernst of creating specified leashed areas. “The bylaw is understandable. With all the animals up here, I truly believe that, yes, that should be done.”

He said that dogs may intimidate people, especially seniors and little kids who frequent the village, so it makes sense to keep dogs on a leash in areas of the resort where there’s a lot of people.

However, as a business owner, he’s concerned how an animal control bylaw will be perceived by people who are visiting the resort.

“I don’t want to be known as a non-dog friendly resort,” he said. “Maybe there should be an area located in the future resort planning (where dogs can run off-leash, like a mini dog park). Sun Peaks needs to accommodate all walks of life.”

Ernst said he’s fine with an animal control bylaw if the requirements are reasonable and don’t drive dog owners away from the resort. “We don’t want to lose that market.”

The council will read the draft bylaw for a third time on Sept. 19 at 7 p.m. in council chambers.