Welcome to Lake Flashback. Reporter Sarah Simpson has been combing through old newspapers with the assistance of the Kaatza Station Museum and Archives so we can jog your memory, give you that nostalgic feeling, or just a chuckle, as we take a look at what was making headlines this week around Cowichan Lake in years gone by.
This week around the Cowichan Lake area…
10 years ago
A new elementary school at the Lake? That’s what SD79 wanted according to the Lake Cowichan Gazette of April 2, 2014.
The headline was, you guessed it: “SD79 wants new elementary school at the Lake”.
“Cowichan remains one of the main goals for School District 79. At a public consultation meeting focused on property disposal held this past Saturday at Lake Cowichan School, SD79 treasurer Bob Harper confirmed the goal to be a top priority for the board.
“‘A new elementary school at the Lake still sits as our number one priority,’ said Harper. ‘The former Yount site (in Youbou) is not the proposed site for the new elementary school. The preferred site still on the books is the AB Greenwell site, but it’s entirely the provincial government’s call although we can influence that. ‘The A.B. Greenwell site is on Crown land so if the board’s decision is that it’s no longer required for public education, that reverts back to the Crown. Stanley Gordon is also on Crown land. So there’s no money to be gained there, it’s just costing us money to keep it standing.’”
What year did that idea become a non-priority?
In other news of a decade ago, “Healthcare information session deemed a success,” was the page 2 story.
“A public input session regarding healthcare in the Cowichan Lake area has been deemed a huge success by the hosts. The session was put on last Wednesday by Our Cowichan Communities Health Network, at the meeting room in Cowichan Lake Sports Arena, as locals came out to express their views and what needs to be improved on to make the community more healthy.
“‘What was really wonderful about the sessions was that the participants were able to identify what the real strengths were with regards to healthcare in the Cowichan Lake area,’ said Cindy Lise, Our Cowichan’s regional facilitator. ‘It’s great to see so many wonderful things going on. The people have a vision of a healthy community and what it takes to get there.’”
Two new physicians were set to arrive at Lake Cowichan’s Brookside Medical Clinic that summer.
25 years ago
“Union argues against cuts to support staff announced by trustees” was the page 1 headline on the front of the Lake News of April 7, 1999.
“School Board Trustees of School District #79 announced last week that they plan to initiate cuts ranging from eight to 21 percent across the board to make up for an approximate quarter million dollar short fall in the area of Student Support Services, announced Marlene Crozier, president of CUPE local 606. These cuts will be implemented for September of 1999. According to Crozier this will affect 85 employees of the School District ranging from child care workers, youth and program support workers, alternate education, adult and continuing education programs and teacher assistants.”
Yikes.
In other news, “Pensioner penalized by federal gov’t because post office returned T-5 slips” was another top story in the April 7, 1999 Lake News.
“Irv Lowey of Lake Cowichan has been charged a penalty because the local post office returned his T-5.
“‘This post office sent back my Old Age Security T-5 and my Canada Pension Plan T-5,’ Lowey told the Lake News and now due to a late filing, the federal government is charging him a penalty of $140. ‘I do not think that when something is addressed to Lake Cowichan, with my name, postal code and street number that it is wrongly addressed. Just the postal code alone should eliminate the mail being returned,” Lowey said.
40 years ago
The front page of the April 4, 1984 Lake News had a lot of stories on it but one that caught my eye was this:
“PARENTS PRESSURE ‘AIDE’ ISSUE” and yes, the headline was uncharacteristically in all capital letters. That’s how we know it MUST be important.
“A determined contingent of Cowichan Lake district parents stormed the school board office Monday night in an effort to convince the trustees that volunteers should be allowed back into local classrooms. About 20 concerned parents crowded into the board office to present a 727-name petition and ask the school board to consider changing the contract covering paid teachers’ aides so that volunteers could again help in classroom activities such as listening to children read, helping with art projects or marking books.”
And finally, on the same front page was “Area wins spray victory as [Pesticide Control Branch] makes concessions” and that was about herbicide spraying on the area’s rail lines.
“Several Lake Cowichan property owners won a long-lasting victory when they convinced the Environmental Appeal Board that CP Rail should not be allowed to spray herbicide along the tracks.
“In a spraying permit granted CP Rail last month, ‘excluded properties’ in this area include the Lake Cowichan rail yards — which are near Cowichan Lake — and the Scholey property, the Russell property, the Ehrstein property, and the Kobylnyk property — which all get drinking water from the streams that run under the tracks.”