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Final reconsideration report out tomorrow…

Filed under: Enterprize, Government Works, Politics and Politicians by Kevin Griffiths — Leave a comment
February 21, 2019

The Trans Mountain court ordered final reconsideration report is out tomorrow. This comes in the light of contracts to move 150,000 barrels a day that the Alberta Government entered into with CN and CP Rail. The scope is the twinning of the existing 60 year old pipeline and its increase of tanker traffic out of Burnaby.

Burnaby South By election Monday.

A By-election is also being held on Monday for the federal riding most effected by the expansion. The CBC is reporting a massive advance pole interest this week. The by-election may elect the current NDP leader but a loss would not stop him from running in the election next fall.

Gas price, the availability of fuel File Photo KDG

Pipeline in effect nationalised

Alberta is putting taxpayer money into rail and pipeline as well as billions spent by the federal government acquiring the existing trans mountain line. This is all peripheral to the efforts of the governments to re-examine the regulatory approval process ( NEB). With all the government activity it seems that they are far from a process that gives permitting any kind of guarantee of production.

  • Pipe for oil field File:Photo KDG
  • Model train set in local library had a car stuck in a tunnel! Trains are a big part of our heritage! File photo KDG

Keep emotions cool…

The amount of effect this issue has on all of us is enormous. Stay cool keep on keeping on with peace and understanding…

On this Day: February 21st 1948

NASCAR is incorporated.

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Nicola Valley Community Theater Society presents the Shari Ulrich band!

Filed under: Arts and Culture by Kevin Griffiths — Leave a comment
February 20, 2019

Saturday March 2nd 2019

The Nicola Valley Community Arts Council is having a concert in Merritt at the Civic Center 1950 Merritt avenue at 7:30 PM. Tickets are 25 dollars,20 for students, available @ nicolavalleyartscouncil.com

Band

On this Day: February 20th 1943

The US government begins censoring movies with the permission of studios.

Theater progress
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Chinese museum

Filed under: Vegtable soup by Kevin Griffiths — Leave a comment
February 19, 2019
The true north strong and free…Photo KDG:

British Columbia Chinese culture…

The Chinese people have made significant contributions to Canada and its development as a nation. Recently the Government of Canada has been developing a museum to remember their input as well as the to provide a forum to enjoy the rich culture they brought with them.

The Province of British Columbia and the City of Vancouver are working together to have Vancouver’s Chinatown designated a United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage site. As part of this, the Province and the City have also committed to establishing a Chinese Canadian Museum. You can read the B.C. Government news release on the commitment to establish a Chinese Canadian museum. http://www.engagegov.bc/canadainchinesemusum

Feedback collected…

The months of January and February were used to look at feedback collected up to January 4th 2019. A summary of the data will come public in the spring of 2019.

Working group.

The working group includes John Adams of UBC history, Wendy Au, former Vancouver city assistant manager, and Thomas Chan, accountant.

The true north strong and free…Photo KDG:

On this Day: February 19th 1985

The first successful heart transplant to leave the hospital.

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TGIF- Happy Family Day.

Filed under: Holidays, War and conflict by Kevin Griffiths — Leave a comment
February 15, 2019
  • trip of a lifetime
    East coast bound, a pair of immigrants from eastern Europe take a trip to celebrate a more relaxed lifestyle free from fear of violence File Photo KDG

Monday a paid holiday..

Monday is a paid holiday for many Canadians, no its not a half hour later in Newfoundland, it is a stat holiday in 6 provinces. Two others have February holidays PEI Day and Louise Riel day in Manitoba.

Long hall since new years…

Family Day was originally created to give people time to spend with their families but it also provides a day off between New Years Day and Good Friday as they are approximately three months apart.

Source http://www.statutoryhoildays.com

A day to be considerate

It is a lot of work to maintain relationships and allow and sometime suffer for others choices and overlap of values. The statutory holidays site is currently running and ad saying that the Trans Mountain pipeline is on the side of Canadians, some may differ but one thing is true you have a day off with ( many people) pay to enjoy or block put the world. Your choice , your power…

On this Day February 15th 2012

Three hundred Honduras prisoners die in a fire.

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Grizzly Bears, Francis Iredale

Filed under: Nicola Naturalists by Kevin Griffiths — Leave a comment
February 14, 2019
Alan Burger and a speaker discuss a presentation, Nicola Naturalists, Merritt BC ,Ca File Photo KDG

The Nicola Naturalists are having their February meeting on February 21st 2019. Francis Iredale will present on Grizzly bears in the south Chilcotin.


Everyone loves hearing about Grizzly Bears and the presentation by Francis Iredale is especially worth attending. Since 2008 Francis has worked for the Province to conserve and manage species at risk and big game animals in the Thompson Region. He enjoys collaborating with indigenous communities and non-government organizations towards the long-term conservation of local wildlife populations. For several years Francis has been studying the special relationship that Grizzly Bears in the dry mountains of the Chilcotin have with Whitebark Pine in the fall. Understanding the resource use of these bears is essential to build up their diminished population. At the same time, the selection of Whitebark Pine needs to be understood for the conservation of this endangered tree species. Not to be missed!

Source Nicola Naturalists

The meeting time is 7PM at the NVIT lecture theater, free parking, no food or drink in the theater. The group is fond of saying all welcome membership or donation requested.

Alan is giving a presentation at the Merritt Library on Tuesday the 19th as well.

File Photo KDG

On this Day: February 14th 1966

Austrailian currency is decriminalized.

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New contractor taking old workers…

Filed under: Government Works by Kevin Griffiths — Leave a comment
February 13, 2019
File: Photo: KDG

The highways maintenance contract for Merritt has been won away from VSA by Yellowhead Road and Bridge.

VSA a proven force:

VSA Highway Maintenance Ltd. provides road, highway, bridge and structure maintenance for large portions of the Coquihalla Highway, Phase 1 and Phase 2 from Portia to Walloper; the Lac Le Jeune/Logan Lake Overpass, and the Okanagan Connector from Merritt to the Pennask Summit.

Source VSA

Yellowhead Road and Bridge assumes Nicola work.

The new maintenance contract for the Nicola region — which includes a section of the Coquihalla Highway between Kamloops and Hope — has been awarded to Yellowhead Road & Bridge Ltd. The company will take over on July 1, as the current agreement with VSA is set to expire on June 30.

Source Merritt Herald

Current VSA workers are said to be able to work for the new contactor at their old jobs. There have been some vocal complaints about maintenance of the Coquihalla including published ones by Merritt’s former Mayor Neil Menard.

VSA did its road maintenance for Fraser and Nicola from 5 facilities its management comes from Merritt. The change is from the Nicola region away from VSA.

On this day: February 13th 1981

Sewer explosions destroys 2 miles of streets in Louisville Kentucky.

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Missing people, Ben Tyner 32

Filed under: Crime and punishment, Public health by Kevin Griffiths — Leave a comment
February 12, 2019
Tracy Dunsmore Search and Rescue, avoid employing Tracy! File Photo KDG

The Nicola Valley has its share of mysteries the most recent is the disappearance of a local ranch manager at the historic Nicola Ranch.

Ben Tyner’s Horse comes back…

Fact is that his horse came back and the search is no longer a rescue, this after 7 days of search. The 32-year-old cowboy’s disappearance has caused the Mounties to deploy major crimes investigation units without a word on the public safety status.

Kelly Morrison…

Kelly Morrison went missing from Stump lake ranch October 22nd 2013 and his whereabouts remains a mystery. Dean Kelly Morrison was employed at the ranch north of the Nicola Ranch and had been let go. He had car troubles and had called a tow truck then went missing. The family still maintains a 3000 dollar reward for info with posters about including the window of Merritt printing. Morrison had been a volunteer in the last election attempt of Harry Lali . The campaign failed to elect Lali. There is no indication that it had anything to do with his disappearance other then contributing to a sense of failure.

Dean Kelly Morrison was a volunteer in this election the saw former NDP cabinet minister Harry Lali get 39% of the vote going down to the Liberal MLA 44%

Missing First Nations and the municipal election cycle.

Garry Handlen has been in the system for the murder and disappearance of local FN girls in the last two election cycles for municipalities both cycles the family has expressed gratitude for the justice given in the case going back to 1978. Closure for these types of situations seems to be elusive and life consuming. We recommend that every one have a good attitude toward personal safety and avoid situations that could cause preventable grief to the community. ( Even the Trudeau family could have avoided this by Shasa not being out alone and presumably drowning on November 13th 1994 , never being found.)

On this Day: February 12th 1994

The Scream is stolen from an art museum, in Norway.

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TGIF- Case popular, opinion…

Filed under: Vegtable soup by Kevin Griffiths — Leave a comment
February 8, 2019

The sentencing of a confessed multiple killer in Canada today is a serious matter. Gone is the equal value of life that criminal sanctions for 1st degree murder protected. The Harper government opened up an age old resource in 2010 when it allowed for popular reasons to be used in the penalties used in dealing with once capital crimes. Gone is the life sentence as defined as 25 years in jail with faint hope at 15, and with a life time of being on supervision. The jail release could be challenged by a ” Dangerous Offender” motion brought by someone to continue detention in jail beyond the 25 years.

Hardened criminals and hardened corrections…

The incentive for escape with its public jeopardy is multiplied greatly along with more hardened correction people, harder public and a jeopardy for parts of the public to be hardened by believing that justice is in part according to ethnicity good or bad.

Hope…

Hope is going to be with convicted one way or another wether its placed in escape revenge or some other vehicle humans can’t exist without it. Look at the example of Stephen Harper for misplaced hope.

An internal study by the Justice Department, never made public, praised Canada’s so-called “faint hope” clause for murderers even as the Harper government pressed for – and won – its elimination.
The controversial clause, which allowed first- and second-degree murderers to request an early parole hearing after serving 15 years in prison, was repealed just two days before the federal election was called.
The repeal was opposed by the New Democrats and Bloc Québécois, but passed with the support of the Liberals after a difficult journey through committees of the Senate and House of Commons.

Source https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/ottawa-study-praising-faint-hope-clause-for-murderers-never-released/article1322268/

The man who paroqued parliament to steer Canada away from confidence in government to a emulation of the American system of fixed election dates. Is this another emulation of American style of desperate incarceration and hardened criminal manufacture by the system. Even the controversial Trump as done some reforms lately. Has Canadian justice turned to gambler effect balancing judgements off with other case popular sentencing of token minorities like gay or female, or oil producing rooted ethnics?

Aggravation

The question of how to deal with aggravation remains unanswered consecutive sentencing deals with more then one killing, how to deal with heinous single acts on one person, can the public stomach torture and faint hope or 25 years. YOU BE THE JUDGE!

On this Day: February 8th 1575

William the silent founds Leiden University.

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Frendship funding…

Filed under: First Nations People, Government Works by Kevin Griffiths — Leave a comment
February 7, 2019

File Photo KDG

C2C funding is available for local governments to build relationships with neighbouring FN groups.

C2C- Community to Community Forum…

Funding permitting, the application deadlines for 2019/20 are:
March 15, 2019. For events between April 1, 2019 and March 31, 2020
September 13, 2019.  For events between September 30, 2019 and March 31, 2020
December 6, 2019. For events between January 1 and March 31, 2020
The C2C program is administered by the UBCM and the First Nations Summit.  In most years since 1999, the Ministry of Municipal Affairs & Housing and Indigenous Services Canada have provided funding. In this time, nearly 630 C2C Forums have been held across the province.

Source UBCM

On this Day: February 7th 1940

Walt Disney’s Pinocchio premiers .

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Transit

Filed under: films, Veterans, War and conflict by Kevin Griffiths — 1 Comment
February 6, 2019

Nicola Valley Film Society presents:

Transit February 11th 2019

NVFS

On February 11th 2019 the local international film buffs will present Transit at the NVIT lecture theater here in Merritt BC. The film is for members, a 2 dollar membership available) and admission is 5 dollars. Free parking no food or drinks in the theater. NVIT is at the top of the hill Belshaw avenue turn off Voght ( 5A, 5) north end of town.

On this Day February 6th 1919

The American Legion is formed.

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Presentation launch, Alan Burger

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February 5, 2019

February 19th 2019, Merritt Library

At 6 pm Alan Burger will launch a birders presentation at the Merritt Library. Alan is the current president of the Nicola Naturalists Society as well as BC Nature. The presentation is called Budding Birder Backpacks, using binoculars.guidebooks and information on birds The presentation was produced in most by the activities around the his evolvement in the naturalists club in the BC South Central Interior City of Merritt .

  • Merritt Public Library 1691 Garcia St File Photo KDG

On this Day: February 5th 1971

Apollo 14 mission gets on the moon.

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TGIF- artists reception

Filed under: Arts and Culture by Kevin Griffiths — Leave a comment
February 1, 2019
File Photo: KDG

The artists reception is on at the Court House Gallery in Merritt is on tonight. The Art of Sound is the community art show a goes for the month of February to March 2nd.

On this Day: February 1st 2013

The Shard opens in the EU

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