You are presumed to be honest and responsible without evidence to the contrary beyond a reasonable doubt… on the balance of probablilties you are justified by 51 % likelyhood.
Many places in BC and Alberta have upper levels that require a lot of snow removal. Watch for snow removal equipment, limit travel, take extra time when traveling. Use the drive BC service on line for conditions and warnings. Stay safe and arrive alive.
File Photo KDG
Snow is falling in the interior of BC and the forecast is for more and colder conditions.
A moist Pacific frontal system will bring heavy snow to the southwestern interior. The snow will intensify later this morning and will ease Wednesday morning . Source Environment Canada.
The sun west of Merritt, Red from smoke, of the 2017 fire season in the Sothern interior of BC File Photo KDG
The provincial government is doing an intake for their 2018 Wildfire protection initiative. Embers can find fuel in places around and on buildings, making your property fire safe is a goal of the BC government.
Applications for fuel management prescriptions supported by a current and approved Community Wildfire Protection Plan, and for operational treatment projects supported by a current and approved prescription, will be considered for funding.
Program materials and intake information for the February intake will be available at the Union of BC Municipalities website at the end of December 2017.
Future intakes to SWPI will be subject to the outcomes of the provincial wildfire reviews. source UBCM
The local Merritt Naturalists are having their annual bird count and identification of species this coming Saturday.
Data collected is shared for such things as global warming and conservation.
Merritt Christmas Bird Count – Saturday December 16th, 2017. If you are interested in participating send an e-mail to nicolanaturalists@gmail.ca For information on our 2016 count click here: 2016 Merritt CBC
The Trans Mountain Pipeline people have a equal opportunity policy to hiring:
Worley Parsons Cord (WPC) is the Engineering, Procurement and Construction Contractor for the Edmonton Terminal and 12 pump stations included in the Trans Mountain Expansion Project. Their work includes addition of four new storage tanks at Edmonton Terminal, 11 new pump stations along the route in British Columbia and Alberta and one new pipeline on the existing pipeline.
What’s your process for hiring the construction crews and related workers who will be building the Trans Mountain Expansion Project?
WorleyParsonsCord is an equal opportunity employer. Our process includes a very strong local and Aboriginal hiring focus for multiple reasons, including commercial returns to the communities engaged in the project, reduced travel risks by using workers and subcontractors living close to our construction sites, and creating a sense of pride among the respective work forces which results in improved quality. We have dedicated human resource staff that research local and Aboriginal labour sources and identify skilled workers who can bring value to our project delivery source: Trans Mountain.
The expansion of the existing line to Burnaby was approved by the NEB, the detailed route is under review( Chapter Four) by the NEB at this time. detailed route.
There is a coming a local transit service increase. Sunday service and a 10:15 PM end service trip to Lower Nicola is part of an increase. As well Trying a curb side service and two buses running at the same time ” requiring an increase of a driver.”
Merritt British Columbia Canada, a semi rural city in BC’s South Central Interior is celebrating 10 years of transit. Former councillor Alastair Murdock initiating chair.
Former City council member and transit principal Alastair Murdoch cuts anniversary cake . File Photo KDG
Alastair Murdock at an earlier anniversary of the local transit he was able to establish after moving to Merritt from Victoria. Alastair had joined the community of Merritt after purchasing the Accounting firm Best, Reimer, Mclean he also taught Ti chi at the Merritt Seniors center. and used the bus service as well. Murdock did not use a private motor vehicle in his normal routine.
The Merritt transit service is 10 years old and is having a contest to celebrate, enter by December 15th.
Sunday bus service begins on January 2nd 2018. source
The provincial government has received its federal gas tax report for monies spent…
Since 2005, the Federal Gas Tax Fund has provided $1.4 billion to 3,729 infrastructure and capacity building projects in B.C. communities. UBCM’s report on expenditures for the 2016 program year is now available. Along with aggregate comparisons of 2014-2016 reporting data, the report provides a complete list of the 896 projects under way during reporting period. Source UBCM
We are still inextricably tied to the production, distribution and consumption of Fossil fuels.
The gasoline prices going into the American Thanksgiving weekend are from $1.29.9- $1.32.9 a liter. Long weekends should not effect prices as oil is done by futures contacts. However as a trigger to action we in Canada could reduce our driving by regulating speed, tuning up autos, pooling, planning trips to advantage, not driving unnecessarily.
Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) works with provinces and territories, other government departments, and Canadian and international groups to explore how to meet our energy needs and adapt to changes in distribution methods while considering the environmental impact of doing so.
Canadian crude oil and petroleum product inventories have been relatively stable for the last five years. Inventory levels for some products, such as gasoline and furnace oil, fluctuate significantly over the year. Demand for these products is very seasonal and at its peak can exceed the production capacity of refineries. Therefore, refiners need to anticipate the peak consumption periods by building inventories in advance. Gasoline inventories increase during the first quarter of the year and are used during the summer months to supplement refinery production. Furnace oil stocks grow during the fall and are drawn during the coldest months of winter when demand is at its highest level. Source Canadian Government.
Sixty percent of Americans are traveling this weekend, slow down and save a little gas in your travels, better your chances to arrive alive and save some grief. Delay a pipeline a minute without costly retail gas prices encouraging it.
On this Day: November 24th 1973
An oil supply crisis sees a speed limit put on the German Autobahn , it lasts 4 months.
The price of gas is having a roller coaster ride in this morning with some at a dollar thirty two and some at $1.38.9. Prices had been at $1.38.9 last week then were put down to $1.25.9.
There is a petition against more taxes on gasoline on the gas buddy site. The context is the new provincial government of John Horgan has a razor thin coalition majority in the parliament and relies on the Green party to govern. The executive took tolls of some bridges in the lower mainland and is due for a budget. However the petition is for the Capital Region in Victoria for transit funding.
At this writing the difference between the downtown Petrocan and the on Dewolf road leaving town on highway 5 is 5 cents a liter. The Chevron on Dewolf is 2 cent s more then Petrocan at $1.32.9.
Tonight will see an October full moon. Moons at this time are known as harvest moons as the ability to work into the night at harvest was a boon for farmers.
The moon will be full at 8:40:08 Central European Time or 11:40:08 Pacific Daylight Time.
Merritt BC has a huge impact on the province because of grasslands. It is the biggest part of the Southern Interior Uplands region (185 thousand hectors of grasslands in The British Columbia Grasslands Conservation Councils operations.
The Southern Thompson Upland is the rolling plateau area south of the Thompson River and bounded by the Fraser River valley in the west, the Okanagan valley in the east and the Similkameen River valley in the south. Almost 75% of the grasslands occur in the Interior Douglas-fir zone and 20% in the Bunchgrass zone. Over 85% of all the grasslands are found in the Nicola Valley with smaller areas around Princeton, at Tunkwa Lake and in the Mamit valley. Variations in the grassland species throughout the plateau reflect influences from the surrounding large valleys.
Douglas lake cattle company is a major operation with cattle in the grasslands and is positioned n the watershed above Merritt. The Douglas through Nicola lakes by the Nicola river drains a major highland plateau. The area also supplys a history back to european contact and province building under BCs first British Governor James Douglas.
The largest area of grasslands is located in the Nicola Basin area east of Merritt and extending north towards Kamloops. This area matches the extent of the Glacial Lake Merritt that drained north towards the Thompson River. A smaller area of grasslands around Princeton covers another former glacial lake that occupied the Similkameen valley. source GCCofBC
The local Nicola Naturalists have had a serious concern for the grasslands of the Valley. since 2010 they have had fall and winter meeting, spring outings, Christmas bird counts, Frog surveys and many other activities in respect to the land and creatures. They usually meet on the 3rd Thursday of the month starting in September. Alan Burger contact UVic.
Kevin Griffiths
percypaschal
The Proprietor Review 