Every school day, upwards of 50 to 100 students from Mark Isfeld walk to the stores at the Crown Isle shopping centre to purchase food, drinks, etc. Every school day, some students discard food and drink containers along their route back to school. It is unfortunate that all of the students get the same reputation because of a few irresponsible students. Perhaps some peer pressure from other students can help correct this behaviour. Pick up after yourselves.
A round of applause to all the amazing caregivers working with children and youth in the John Howard Society of North Island’s programs. Thank you for choosing to share your home, your family, and your time. Each one of you brings unique gifts and strengths to your work and we are grateful to have you as part of our team. Thank you Bill, Brian, Carol, Cathy, Chris, Coleen, Dan, Dave, Deb, Drew, Esther, Henriette, Ingrid, Jane, Jeannie, Ken, Kerry, Leah, Lynda, Marilyn, Marty, Mike, Molly, Norm, Rob, Robin, Rod, Sadie, Sam, Sharon, Suzanne, Terry, Tina, Trudy, and Vaughn.
Interesting that the CVRD administration has/will have enough money in reserve funds, to fund the $25-million deep-water intake. Also interesting that the consultant report says that 15 per cent of the CVRD water is wasted by leakage — enough water for thousands of new customers. It would seem that some of the reserve fund should be used to find and fix leaks in the present water mains — like the big leaks in the Arden system that went on, unrepaired, for years.
Kudos to Rotary for their Books for the Cure event. However, I do feel sorry for the used book store in Comox as they cannot compete and it is cutting in to their business. They donate as well to the Rotary. Sad to see all the recent store closures on Comox Avenue.
This is something that has bothered me since the beginning of the school year. It's hard to imagine: the people in the trust of hundreds of children at Puntledge Elementary have given those children a mere 20-minute lunch break. What happened to the lunch hour? Children have to rush to their bags where they have to have get into elbow fights with their classmates in an earnest frenzy to give themselves the time they need to eat. I would wager that the average child has 15 minutes or less to actually sit down and eat before they're told they are out of time, often leaving half-eaten lunches. Ask your local doctor about the effects of eating too quickly. Among the side effects can be indigestion and obesity. Even employers in B.C. are required to give their employees a 30-minute break. Are we seriously saying we can't afford to give children the basic minimum that adults are entitled?
Very pleased to have a coffee shop with fresh, local, creative and tasty food open in the downtown Comox area. The Twisted Dishes Café proved to be as good as the comments I had from friends on my recent return to town. Service was great, too, and the talented owner-operator enthusiastic and energetic.
A late Thanksgiving thank you to the yard waste pickup crews in Comox. We love our gardens, but really have to be thankful for the great pickup service we get when our gardens are done for the season.
On Sept. 3 a male driver in a dark-coloured, four-door, full-sized truck veered into the oncoming lane of traffic, causing the motorist of an E-Bike to be chased off the road and into the ditch. The driver of the truck then pulled over, approached the ditch, only to have a change in judgment and return to his vehicle to speed off and abandon the scene of the accident. The E-Bike rider was left in the ditch with serious head injuries. If you or anyone you know has information about this accident, call Randy at 250-339-7885.
The North Vancouver Island Chefs Association thanks those who donated time, product, and enthusiasm to the Stone Soup Dinner at the K’omoks Hall during World Food Week. As a vehicle to give back to the community, it was a sold-out success as the tickets were affordable to most. Money raised is being funnelled back into either LUSH Valley programs or CCFCC-North Vancouver Island Chefs Association bursaries. The menu, which went beyond our soups (Harvest Bison & Beef Minestrone and Hubbard Squash Soup with Chanterelle Mushrooms), included Spicy Mixed Grill on Eatmore Sprouts, Boerenkaus Buttermilk Biscuits with Chickpea Butter, Gluten-Free Heavenly Goodies, and Fall Fruit Crisp with Tree island Yogurt. Many thanks again to everybody for their support.
The Province deserves recognition for their work on the Water Sustainability Act. It's a start to recognize the value of ground and surface water in B.C. User pay makes sense for all water consumers but the proposed $.85 /1000 m3 offers little incentive for conservation of groundwater. On the other hand, water should not be a "cash cow" for local governments. At $.64/m3, the CVRD raises as much income from Comox Lake water as the B.C. government will collect from all major groundwater customers in B.C. — about $5 million per year! This comparison puts the questions about CVRD water costs in perspective.
I see that Edwin and Bruce are totally giddy at the prospect of collecting garbage in areas A, B and C. Edwin trots out figures that cite $400 roughly for weekly pickup and $250 for biweekly. What? Where does he get this tripe? We live at Ships Point, we pay $129 for biweekly pickup. Should we pay weekly, which we would never need by the way — it would be $150. This is nowhere near the amount the CVRD claims that are roughly being paid right now. They say that $150 would be the rate roughly for three years, then what, you know what, up and up it will go, willy nilly, bet the farm on it. Yes, let's vote, in the late spring when we can all vote, Fairly.
OK, here is something that makes me grind my teeth. Go to get a semi-annual teeth-cleaning — one hour, great, except the gal spends about 25 minutes of that typing oh-so-important facts about my teeth into a computer. Jeepers, I remember a few years ago when they would really get in there and clean for a long time, and then also polish them as well. Why are they wasting time flossing? I floss at home properly. Can't anybody do a job with out a computer anymore? Well, that waste of time means I have to go to hunting to find someone who will clean my teeth for one hour and nothing else. Gad.
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Do you have somebody to praise or something you have to get off your chest? Have your say by submitting to editor@comoxvalleyrecord.com. Please focus on people's ideas rather than speculating about their character. You can also get a written submission to 765 McPhee Ave., Courtenay, B.C. V9N 2Z7 or fax to 250-338-5568. If you wish to talk to the editor, phone Mark Allan at 250-338-7816, 2309.