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Comox Valley Record Year in Review: MAY

Man survives trestle fall; VI Fitness files for bankruptcy
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A 60-year-old male motorcyclist died in hospital from his injuries following an afternoon collision involving a city bus in Courtenay. The incident happened at Ryan Road and Cowichan Avenue, just outside the entrance to North Island College.

• A motorcyclist was taken to hospital after a collision with a dog on the 6300 block of Headquarters Road north of Courtenay. The dog, a yellow lab, died as a result of the collision.

• Forty-six homes are proposed to be built on City-owned land at 988-8th St., as part of a partnership between the provincial government and the City of Courtenay. The build is new modular housing in an effort to address the need for supportive housing in the Comox Valley.

•Site clearing began at the newest Habitat for Humanity project at 1330 Lake Trail Rd. in Courtenay. The first four homes (two duplexes) are expected to be built this year, with two ready for occupancy in the fall. The goal is to complete the entire 10-unit project by 2020.

• A Comox Valley RCMP officer was facing a single count of assault stemming from an incident during a traffic stop in Comox in November 2017. The BC Prosecution Service announced the charge has been approved against Const. Geory Penner.

The B and F robotics teams from NIDES competed at the VEX World Championships in Louisville, Kentucky. From left: August McClellan, Sawyer McClellan, Sam Crouch, Theo Lemay, Matteus Gagne and Jacob Walter. Photo supplied

• A pair of robotics teams from Navigate/NIDES (North Island Distance Education School) placed sixth out of 97 teams in the science division at the VEX World Championships in Louisville, Kentucky.

• A taxi driver in the Comox Valley returned to work quickly after a passenger bit off the top portion of his ring finger. Driver Bruce Morgan was taken to hospital following an altercation with a passenger.

• Cumberland resident and Qualicum First Nation Child Care Centre manager Pam Moore received national recognition from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for her extensive career working with Indigenous youth on Vancouver Island. She received the Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence in Early Childhood Education.

• A man survived a 100-foot fall off a trestle south of Courtenay. Rescuers discovered him at the bottom of a riverbed about two feet from the water. The man, in his 40s, fell from a train trestle about one kilometre from Hatton Road in Royston near the Trent River.

• Workers at 40 Knots Vineyard and Estate Winery made a grim discovery - a dead sheep, a victim of an apparent cougar attack.

• Comox Valley RCMP officers were investigating after gunshots ran out in Courtenay. Witnesses said shots were fired following an altercation between residents of Panorama Crescent. While no one was injured in the incident, a silver car was struck by at least one of the bullets.

• A team of Grade 9 students at G.P. Vanier Secondary were in celebration mode after taking home first place in the improv category at the global finals of the Destination Imagination competition in Knoxville, Tennessee.

BUSINESS

Two Comox Valley residents were among Vancouver Island’s “Top 20 Under 40.” One hundred finalists were announced as part of the 2018 Top 20 Under 40 Business and Community Achievement Awards. James Flawith of L’il Worker Safety Gear and Kris Trudeau of Halftone Pixel Website Design and Consulting were among the top 20.

Movers transport equipment out of the VI Fitness location in Oak Bay. VI Fitness has declared bankruptcy and permanently closed all of its locations across the Island, letting its patrons and staff know with an early morning email. Keri Coles/OAK BAY NEWS

• VI Fitness Centres Inc., a fitness company with eight gyms located across Vancouver Island, has filed for bankruptcy. Many VI Fitness patrons throughout the Island only learned about the bankruptcy when they arrived for morning workouts.

• Modernized spa change rooms were unveiled at the Kingfisher Oceanside Resort and Spa as part of their multi-million dollar renovations.

ARTS

Comox Valley resident Jennifer Spruit’s debut novel, A Handbook For Beautiful People, has been awarded the Bronze Medal for Popular Fiction by the International Publisher Book Awards.

SPORTS

Courtenay-born and raised Brent Flahr, who has been with the Minnesota Wild of the NHL as their assistant GM since 2009, was named interim GM of the team.

• Comox-raised golfer Riley Wheeldon earned a share of seventh place at the final Mackenzie-Tour-PGA Tour Canada qualifying school tournament May 1 to 4 at Crown Isle.

• Levi Timmermans, a six-foot-nine post for the G.P. Vanier senior boys basketball team, signed a letter of intent to play for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies next season.



Erin Haluschak

About the Author: Erin Haluschak

Erin Haluschak is a journalist with the Comox Valley Record since 2008. She is also the editor of Trio Magazine...
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