Weapons charge nets time
A man arrested for whom police needed a flash grenade to flush out of a Black Creek public washroom was sentenced in provincial court in Courtenay.
Stephen Charles Pawlak, 44, of Campbell River was given a four-year sentence for weapons charges, but with credit for time in custody, this brought the net time down to two years less a day.
Pawlak was arrested in October 2019 after an altercation at the Black Creek General Store where, carrying a pistol, he pulled in to use the washroom.
Blooming Barn comes back
A popular rural flower stand reopened in the community, after nearly two decades of dormancy.
The Blooming Barn was a well-known flower business at 3617 Dove Creek Rd. until its closure in the early 2000s. When the Van Housen family bought the property a few years ago, the plan to revive the roadside flower stand took shape. It officially reopened on Mother’s Day weekend.
Accolades for Comox singer
A songwriter from Comox has made her way to the international stage as a finalist in the Song Academy Young Songwriter competition, and she’s only 10 years old.
Evangeline Durupt was recently selected as a top 10 finalist in the international (age eight to 12) category in the SAYS competition for her song Colourful. Durupt ultimately placed second overall in the competition, which attracted more than 1,000 entries.
Bigfoot Donuts wins award
Bigfoot Donuts won the Premier’s People’s Choice category of the Small Business BC Awards, as announced Thursday, May 6.
The award category is presented to a business that can demonstrate it has the loyal support of the community. The criteria to win the People’s Choice is to gain the most votes.
Besides People’s Choice, Bigfoot Donuts was also a finalist in the Best Youth Entrepreneur and Best Community Impact categories.
Book award for photographer
Nature photographer Catherine Babault of Courtenay won a prestigious Silver Nautilus Book Award for her book Vancouver Island Wildlife, a Photo Journey published in October, 2020.
The Nautilus Book Awards are given out annually to promote “books that inspire and connect our lives as individuals, families, communities and global citizens.” The judges’ panel includes editors, writers and librarians.
Woods wins World Cup races
Nineteen-year-old Carter Woods of Cumberland won the first UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale) Mountain Bike World Cup race of the season, May 8, in Altstadt, Germany. He followed that up with a win the next week, in the Czech Republic.
Snowbirds return to Comox
The Snowbirds returned to Comox for their usual spring training in 2021, after a one-year layoff due to travel restrictions associated with COVID-19.
While ongoing COVID restrictions limited interaction of pilots and civilians, the team flew most days during its three-week stay, offering fans plenty of photo ops. The F-18 demo team also held its spring training session in Comox in May.
14 years for shooting incident
Richard Daniel Vigneault was sentenced to 14 years for numerous charges, including four break-and-enter counts, discharging a firearm with intent, aggravated assault, two counts related to firearms possession and one for carrying a concealed weapon.
The incidents took place between March 12-15 in the Merville area, and included a vicious assault on resident Robert Scott, who found Vigneault in his home the evening of March 14.
Scott offered the intruder a drink, let Vigneault use his bathroom, and even offered him some money, to help him out.
In turn, Vigneault raised a handgun at Scott and pulled the trigger. The gun jammed at first, but then Vigneault fired the gun at the victim’s face.
The bullet entered the jaw and made a path through the victim’s head, resting adjacent to the cervical vertebrae.
Habitat auction wins award
Habitat For Humanity Vancouver Island North had to get creative in its fundraising efforts in 2020, due to the onset of COVID-19.
The team created its 2020 #BidtoBuild Online Auction fundraiser in an effort to keep funds rolling in, as ReStores were forced to close due to the pandemic.
The auction was a massive success and was recognized at the national Habitat For Humanity annual conference with the Habitat for Humanity Canada Epic Engagement Award.
Robotics teams take on world
Three local teams took part at the 2021 VEX Competitive Robotics World Championships May 16 to 22, hosted virtually from the REC Foundation’s headquarters in Greenville, Texas, with notable results.
Finalists from more than 12,200 registered teams vied for world supremacy in the field of VEX robotics, a program for students. Overall, teams representing Canada earned six of the top 10 positions at the World’s LRS competition, including a Comox Valley team, finishing sixth. The Navigators team 7842B - Theo Lemay and Sawyer McLellan – was the only Canadian team outside of Ontario to place in the top 10.
MasterChef Canada runner-up
Comox Valley-raised Thea VanHerwaarden has earned a second runner-up finish at MasterChef Canada. The 2021 series was an all-star competition among 12 returning cooks. She first appeared on the CTV reality television show in 2017.
She primarily cooked Italian or Latin American dishes with a West Coast spin. For her final dish, she created a fish taco appetizer, drawing on memories of fishing in the Comox Valley and her family’s love of Mexican food. She used Vancouver Island venison for the main dish.
Vigils held for victims
The entire country was left reeling at the end of May, by the discovery of the remains of 215 children, buried on the site of a former residential school in Kamloops. The discovery led to searches at former residential schools across the country, with death tolls mounting at every search.
At Simms Millennium Park in Courtenay, a vigil was held on May 31, with more than 300 people in attendance.
“Many of us are hurting right now – there is sadness, there is anger,” said Kristy Bell, one of the speakers at the ceremony. “But today, we’re here to remember the 215 children. There is plenty of time in the days, weeks, months and years ahead to hold our government to account for what they have done. But today, please let us remember we are here for those 215 beautiful little children who are no longer with us.… we are going to be grieving and mourning together for a very long time.”
The searches continue.