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.
The downtown historical society run tourist info center enjoys the employ of summer students every summer. The facility is equipped with maps and trail guides as well as offering free coffee or tea.
Supporting young people with summer jobs while studies are in abeyance is a Canadian tradition.
The manager and staff can point out the local stuff and help with gasoline ,car issues as well as give a tour a turn of the 20th century residence.
Two summer students, at the Edwardian era historic house: The Baillie House File Photo KDG
On this Day: June 16th 1891
John Abbot becomes the Prime Minister of Canada.
The 138 KV power line is in to the new wood waste generator, coming down Voght Street from the new upgraded substation behind the court house it goes across Central Park’s western boundary with the gated community known as Sherwood park ( after the developer Ron Sherwood a long time city councilor that developed it and is now retired to Victoria.). It crosses the highway up the hill from Norgaards Ready Mix,after coming across the Nicola Valley Golf and Country Clubs fairway. Down the hill and past the Osprey nest on the highway 8 entrance to town, where it continues across the then Nicola River to twin steel poles leading across the old John Collet Ranch/ Jon Peachy Buffalo Ranch. Onward to cross the Midday Valley Road to the 40 Mega Watt plant,still under construction.
The highlight of the line were the ropes left strung, for some weeks from the pole that supports the Osprey nest to a pole across the Nicola River. It was taunting to see the Osprey return then build a new nest on the cleared off platform while attached by ropes to the power line. The Hydro crews eventually came and placed a new pole 10 feet away from the nest and towering 15 feet above it.
The activity did not seem to put any stress on the birds who still continue their normal fishing and mating activity.( it will be interesting to watch when the line is energized although the birds will make nests on the top of regular power poles with seeming immunity to any kind of harm.) There are about a half dozen of the birds in area) ,only a single pair occupy the nest.
Nest gone File Photo KDG
The operation was supervised by a biologist working with the Lower Nicola Indian Band.
Ospreys returned from where they go in the winter File Photo KDG
On this day: June 15th 1934
The Smokey Mountain national park is established.
A crane drives piles at the start of a 200 million dollar cogen facility in Merritt BC File Photo KDG
The Merritt Green energy project, is now constructing the stack. The construction consortium that are building the 40 Mega watt facility have a height variance of 45 meters in place. It now is starting to be present on the North side of the main building and is visible front he center of town.
Jack Madrigals a local retired man with plant experienced reminded us that the thermal generator in Kamloops a hundred kilometers north of Merritt needed to get another permit to raise their stack to accommodate population. The generator provided and provides electricity for the Kamloops Pulp mill. The operation never exported power off the property.
The Green energy project takes the wood chips from three local mills and produces power to the grid. Wood chips have been going to the Kamloops mill in Kamloops by Arrow trucks made specially for elevated dumping. The Merritt project is constructing the same truck lifting and dumping. According to Len an employee on site.
The Kamloops pulp mill is now operated by Domtar limited, who celebrated 50 years of operation in Kamloops.
The operation began in 1965, when a new and innovative concept for utilizing waste materials from regional sawmilling operations was developed. Sawmill residuals or waste in the form of sawdust and wood chips would be used to make pulp, thereby providing not only economic development in the region, but also addressing a significant environmental challenge facing sawmills of the day. A group of innovative entrepreneurs saw this opportunity and set to constructing a pulp mill in Kamloops.
The Kamloops Pulp mill get wood fiber from 22 interior mills. No word if the Merritt supply effects them however transportation over local use is a Green prerogative.
There Is a new table at the parking arena parking lot on Voght Street. The round four seat-er appeared last week and is on a concrete platform under the maple trees that make the area so attractive for the Farmers market in the summer time.
It is also 25 feet from the quick charger and the 90 amp green highway EV charger.
It makes an invitation to bring a lunch to your EV recharge experience in Merritt. the quick charger is 20 minutes the 90 amp about 2 hours for most EVs.
On this Day: June 10th 1925
The first meeting of the New United Church of Canada in Toronto, making Presbyterian, Methodists and Congregationalists one entity for worship.
The May 19th decision of the twining of the trans mountain twinning of a pipeline was not an absolute, now the conditions are demonstrated is the next challenge.
The 157 conditions apply during various stages of the Project’s life cycle, including before construction, during construction and during operation of the pipeline. Conditions are designed to reduce possible risks identified during the application process and ensure the pipeline is planned, built and operated safely. The requirements also ensure Trans Mountain protects the environment and respects the rights of those directly affected by the Project through construction, mitigation and into many years of operations.
The conditions, which would be enforced by the NEB, cover a wide range of topics, including:
•Safety and integrity of the pipeline;
•Emergency preparedness and response;
•Protection of the environment;
•Ongoing consultation with those affected, including Aboriginal communities;
•Socio-economic matters;
•Affirmation of commercial support for the Project prior to construction; and
•Financial responsibility.
Shell Canada giving up expired oil exploration leases in the arctic, is not one of them listed unless you consider it ongoing consultation and expand it to interested parties.
Health and safety of the stakeholders are an ongoing concern . To live up to the adds on environment and economy in balance is not a mean feat. Its a great promise but should we just say lets see…
clean gas clean gas pump
Trans Mountain has a great record here.
On this Day: June 9th 1948
The International Council of Archives is established.
The Petro Canada Station here in Merritt received a delivery of gasoline yesterday ending its 2 day lack. Today it is selling regular gasoline at a dollar nineteen a liter.
When we asked a customer fueling his vehicle bearing Saskatchewan plates if he had any trouble greeting gas on his trip from the east he said no. ” didn’t have to carry some in your pockets to get here ” “no”.
At this writing the Chevron station on Dewolf way is selling regular gasoline at $116.9 a liter. http://www.gasbuddy.com/
Gas price, the availability of fuel File Photo KDG
There was no gasoline available at the Petro Canada outlet at the Junction of Highway 5 and 97c.
On Monday there was no word on when there would be any available from their refiner Sun Corp.
The outlet was selling regular gasoline at 119.9 a liter on the weekend.
At 11 am this morning the downtown Petro Canada said they don’t have any idea when they will have fuel and the other Petro Canada off the freeway exit here has none.
The source didn’t know if other such as Shell or Chevron had gas.
Gas buddy is reporting prices but not availability. The postings are calling it temporary.
On this day: June 7th 1909
Mary Pickford starts her cinematic career the tender age of 16.
The City recreation department has a music program in Central Park here in Merritt. Tomorrow evening they are featuring Kenny Hess.Ken is a principle in the Merritt Rockin on the River Music Festival, and is enjoying a full page add for his park appearance in the local newspaper, the Merritt Herald.
The event includes an open house at the for his summer festival at the Canadain Country Music Hall of Fame,2025 Quilchena Avenue in Merritt. The open house is from 4 PM to 5 and the performance is at 6 PM.
The Merritt Rockin on the River Music Festival is on July 28th to 31 2016, at the old Merritt Mountain Music Festival grounds.
Ken Hess is a country music performer from the lower mainland of BC.
The music in the park program continues with through the summer Thursdays ,see Merritt .Ca for details.
On this Day: June 22 1990
Checkpoint Charlie comes down in Berlin.
The country singer Glen Campbell visited Merritt for the Merritt Mountain Music Festival . He left a set of hand prints in a concrete star that was placed in a viewing stone in front of the Merritt News building, on Granite and Voght. The Merritt News moved to the new part of town and left the iconic image in front of the building.
The building has been left mostly empty for a number of years. A sore confusion with the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame being around the corner.
Glen Campbell was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2011 , and now lives in a home. The Walk of Stars that Glen’s star belongs to is on city property.( side walk tour)
Glen Campbell was married four times and has two intervening children.
A star handprint from the walk of stars in Merritt. File Photo KDG
A source says the building is being renovated for a retail operation. The stars are being cleaned and repainted about town at this writing.
The Merritt news eventually ceased publishing with its parent The Kamloops Daily News.
There is a Tanya Tucker mural on the north side of the building being renovated. The mural was done by Michael Loughery and signed by Tanya Tucker in 2006.
On this Day: June 3rd 1937
The Duke of Winsor marries an American divorcee, Wallis Simpson.
An emphasis on some sort of fire awareness. The board is back to its pointer reading low risk today. File photo: KDG
The downtown fire station has a hazard board out side that shows current risk for the area. It is currently at low, “it was at extreme but we have had some rain” says the fire captain while crew were washing an engine that just came back from a call yesterday AM.
The spring has been exemplary here for us in the south central part of BC. The river run off saturation peaked at 30 percent just the limit that sandbagging is considered. We had two days of dead grass on the surrounding hills before rain and natural greening occurred leaving the valley here in Merritt exquisite in tone and esthetic. The Spruce Bud Worm problem abated some years ago and the local hills lost its red streaks.
The lower mainland is experiencing floods at this writing from run off.
High tides of 15 feet with lows of 5 feet today in New West Minister are graduating down to 15 foot highs and 1 ft lows by Saturday. Tide levels are not much of a concern for us here in the interior.
“The periodic rise and fall of the water along ocean coasts is a phenomenon familiar to all of us. Even those who have never been to the seashore have heard enough about the tides to know that they follow a rhythmic daily pattern. We also know that the tide has a profound effect on navigation and harbor” construction. Source:http://www.tides.gc.ca/eng/info/tides
On this day June 1st 1967
The song Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band is released.
The Historic Baillie house had another stay over to engage the said ghost on the 21st of May. A documentary crew doing a series on alledged haunting in BC adds its name to the list of recent investigations held at the 2201 Vought Street site. BC Spirits had a recording session in 2008 and a reporter from the local newspaper the Merritt Herald spend a night alone a few years ago. All parties were seeking communication with haunting spirits.
Crying , and muffled speech by a number of entities as well as exploding light bulbs . A picture of an apparition was published by BC Spirits in a 2008 report.
We took this picture of a tree in the yard and when opened in the pixel program on our laptop it seemed to show a face. The tree died then came back to life the following year.
The white space at the Baillie house…..shows a ghostly face. Photo KDG
Realtor Tom McDonough who lived in the house with his family for four years believes a number of the Edwardian houses in the downtown area of Merritt are haunted. Tom now lives in Vancouver.
Sandy Curnow, manager of the historical site said that the May 21st investigation was ” the strongest of the 13 documented: By the film crew .
More to come;
Editors note: believing and communicating about apparitions may effect your credibility.
On this Day May 31st 1669
Saying that he has poor eyesight Samuel Pepys records his last diary entry.
Kevin Griffiths
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