Snow to Surf returns
After a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, the 2022 Royal Le Page Snow to Surf took place on May 1 with a total of 121 teams registered for the multi-sport adventure race that starts at Mount Washington and finishes at Marina Park in Comox. It features skiing, running, mountain biking, kayaking, road biking and canoeing. Balfe, Martin Private Wealth Banzai was the first team to ring the bell.
Connect Centre reopens
The Comox Valley Coalition to End Homelessness Connect Centre reopened in downtown Courtenay. The Comox Valley Transition Society - a member agency of the coalition - has been operating the centre at 685 Cliffe Ave. for more than two years. It supports individuals who are experiencing homelessness. The daytime portion of the service had closed for about a month.
Cumberland planning 125th anniversary
Cumberland is taking the next steps toward its 125th-anniversary celebration. Council passed a motion to submit an application to a federal Building Communities Through Arts and Heritage Program which typically provides funding for anniversary projects of 100 years or more, in 25-year celebration increments. They also asked staff to report back on the financial costs of administering and co-ordinating a successful grant application, so that costs can be included in 2023 budget discussions and work plans.
CORE back on TV
CORE Landscape Projects got the celebrity touch again. The Comox-based company’s products were featured on Celebrity IOU, a spin-off of the Property Brothers. The May 9 episode on HGTV Canada featured comedian, actress and writer Ali Wong. Piously, a Celebrity IOU episode featured the grid product from CORE for a project for actor Justin Hartley of the TV show, This Is Us.
Kenyans visit NIC
Delegates from Kenya embarked on tours of North Island College and Campbell River campuses as part of an initiative to increase employment opportunities for young people, particularly women, in the East African country. NIC worked with Vancouver Island University and the British Columbia Institute of Technology as partners in the Young Africa Works in Kenya: Youth Employability Through Technical and Vocational Education ad Training initiative. The international initiative is being implemented by Colleges and Institutes Canada in partnership with the Kenyan Ministry of Education, relevant government agencies and the private sector to increase youth workforce education in Kenya’s four major sectors: manufacturing, affordable housing, universal health care and food security.
Air Canada adds flights
Early in the month, Air Canada increased frequency to and from Comox with additional Air Canada Express service connections via Vancouver Airport.
Comox war hero dies
James (Stocky) Edwards, a decorated fighter pilot and long-time Comox resident, passed away Saturday, May 14 at the age of 100. Stocky flew Spitfires during the war, serving with 260 Squadron in North Africa in 1943. He was Canada’s highest scoring ace in the Western Desert Campaign, earning the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Distinguished Flying Medal.
Lance White honoured
A Courtenay conservationist was honoured by the BC Achievement Foundation for his efforts to restore the local habitat. Wayne White was one of the 22 people in the province who received the BC Achievement Community Award during a May 10 ceremony in Victoria with Lt.-Gov. Janet Austin. For more than 40 years, White has worked on protecting the environment, dating back to his days aw a school trustee in the 1980s.
MusicFest poster artist selected
Courtenay artist Laura Jayne was chosen to design the 2022 Vancouver Island MusicFest poster. The MusicFest team was first drawn to Jayne’s work in 2020 and asked her to create an image for the poster.
SPORTS
60-year-old bodybuilder
Ken Dickinson, a 60-year-old Comox Valley bodybuilder, was chasing the 50-plus grand-masters and 40-plus masters titles at a recent competition. He won both divisions at the Vancouver Naturals bodybuilding event May 7 in North Vancouver. He also won a silver medal in masters men’s physique and placed sixth out of eight in the open class.
Cumberland lands triathlon championships
Canada’s first-ever standalone cross-triathlon national championship is set for September in Cumberland. Triathlon Canada has chosen Frontrunners Fit Chiropractic Dodge City X, an annual off-road triathlon entering its fourth year in the village, to host the championship, a responsibility that race organizers describe as “a huge honour.”
Hendren named Canadian coach
Cycling Canada has appointed Chad Hendren of the Comox Valley to the national MTB coaching team for the 2022 season. He aimed to target athletes with opportunities to progress on the international stage.
20 years for Hope Afloat
Hope Afloat members, dignitaries and members of other dragon boat teams gather in Comox at the marina to mark 20 years for the Comox Valley team. The team was started by breast cancer survivors in May 2002 and has grown to include other members, in particular women, who have survived other forms of cancer.