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Lake Cowichan Gazette Year In Review - Part I

Editor’s note: This past year has been a busy one around Cowichan Lake. Here’s a look back at some of our top stories from the Gazette for 2022.

Editor’s note: This past year has been a busy one around Cowichan Lake. Here’s a look back at some of our top stories from the Gazette for 2022.

January

Less than a week after a rare white Christmas, Mother Nature dropped a fresh blanket of snow on Lake Cowichan overnight between Dec. 29 and Dec. 30. Some residents of the Cowichan Lake area weren’t thrilled with the Town of Lake Cowichan’s response to snow-clearing. The recent snowfall “unfortunately occurred at an awkward time in our small town,” said Lake Cowichan Mayor Bob Day. “Between broken water lines, a snowfall and the holiday season our small public works department was stretched in many directions.”

•••

Single-family homes on waterfront properties in Youbou have increased an amazing 65 per cent in value, from $930,000 to $1,556,000, over last year, according to the latest figures by BC Assessment. Waterfront properties in Honeymoon Bay and Mesachie Lake are not far behind, with a 64 per cent increase, from $881,000 to $1,410,000, since last year.

The average home in Youbou has increased in value by 59 per cent, from $315,000 to $517,000, and 50 per cent in Honeymoon Bay and Mesachie Lake, from $340,000 to $501,000. As for Lake Cowichan, the town saw a 42 per cent increase in the value of a singly-family home, from $367,000 to $521,000.

•••

The Lake Cowichan Food Bank is looking for a new home. Katherine Worsley, treasurer for the Lake Cowichan Food Bank Society, said the group recently received a letter from the landlord of the food bank’s current location at Suite 105-205 South Shore Rd. that their long-term lease, which ends on March 31, will not be renewed.

•••

After a long holiday break, the Lake Cowichan Kraken returned to action on Sunday night with a 6-3 loss to the Campbell River Storm at the Cowichan Lake Sports Arena. The team hadn’t played since Dec. 17, and had only a smattering of practices, with one being cancelled due to road conditions as the tragic death of Peninsula Panthers player Grant Gilbertson in a weather-related car accident loomed over the entire Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League.

•••

February

It’s been two months since the last confirmed sighting of Kevin (Bear) Henry and police and Henry’s family want them home. Family reported Henry missing to Victoria Police Dec. 11 and since then multiple policing agencies across Vancouver Island have been on the lookout. According to the Lake Cowichan RCMP, “Henry was confirmed to be in Lake Cowichan on Nov. 27, 2021 and was driving this brown 1980 Dodge Royal camper van with British Columbia licence plate NB2 06H through a local business’ drive through.”

Henry was last spotted at Gordon River Main FSR 0 KM near the Honeymoon Bay Ecological Centre but had left there by Nov. 29.

•••

All mandates and restrictions related to COVID-19 need to end, say three eateries in the Cowichan Valley. The owners of Maple Bay’s Lion Rampant Scottish Pub, Duncan’s Small Block Brewery and Lake Cowichan’s Farm Table Inn put out a joint press release stating that the province has not shown how any of the restrictions help any longer.

“Many of the restaurants, pubs, breweries and lounges of the Cowichan Valley stand in solidarity in demanding an immediate end to the vaccine pass and all other mandates that affect the restaurant and hospitality industries,” the release said. On Jan. 25, B.C.’s Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry announced the extension to June 30 of the province’s vaccine pass for entry into non-essential services, such as gyms, theatres, restaurants, pubs and lounges.

•••

Kate and Ryan Thompson saw there was a need for a general grocery store on the southwest end of Lake Cowichan and decided to open one. The couple, originally from Ontario, recently opened Jack’s General Store (which is named after Ryan’s father) at 212 South Shore Rd. because there wasn’t a lot available for grocery shoppers, both local and tourists, at that end of town and people had to travel to the middle of the community to get basic supplies.

“The community is happy to have us here, and we’re continuing to grow our inventory as we learn what our customers want us to carry,” said Ryan.

•••

The North Shore Estates residential development on North Shore Road has begun its second phase. North Shore Estates is part of a plan by the Ts’uubaa-asatx First Nation to transform that waterfront area of North Shore Road into a fully developed residential and recreational area. Aaron Hamilton, the Ts’uubaa-asatx’s operations manager, said work has begun on the first two foundations of the 61 single-family homes that will make up phase two of the project, and up to 15 homes are scheduled to be completed by the end of the year.

•••

At a stunning 18 per cent, the Youbou and Meade Creek communities saw the largest population growth in the Cowichan Valley since 2016. From 2016 to 2021, the populations of Youbou and Meade Creek, which comprise the Cowichan Valley Regional District’s Electoral Area I, increased from 1,206 to 1,423, according to the Census 2021 report that was released by Statistics Canada on Feb. 9. The next highest growth area in the Valley over the same time period, according to the data, is the CVRD’s Electoral Area F (Cowichan Lake South/Skutz Falls) that is next door to Electoral Area I which saw a 10.7 per cent increase; from 1,629 to 1,804.

•••

Bear Henry was lost in the woods of Vancouver Island for 74 days, but it only felt like a week for the missing person. “Your mind just shuts down, it just goes into complete survival mode,” Henry told reporters in Beacon Hill Park Friday. Henry set out for camps at Fairy Creek in a 1980 Dodge camper van on Nov. 27, but unknowingly blew past the Caycuse area in the dark, with a rainstorm pouring down. Thus began an almost three-month ordeal in the thick forest.

•••

March

Lake Cowichan council has opted not to take advantage of up to six sleeping cabins that had been earmarked for the town’s homeless population at this time, according to Mayor Bob Day. “The reason being is that the community does not have enough wrap around services to offer those that would be temporarily housed in these units,” he explained. “These services would need to be provided and funded by other agencies from outside the municipality.” Quite simply, said the mayor, “the municipality and Cowichan Lake Community Services do not have the funding or human capacity to take on a project such as this at this time.”

•••

Sarpino’s Pizzeria, which specializes in take-out and delivery of quality pizzas and pasta, will be opening a location in Lake Cowichan in late March. The franchise currently has 11 stores in B.C., and the one in Lake Cowichan, which will be located at 108 South Shore Rd., will be the ninth on Vancouver Island.

•••

Ross Johnstone, owner of Serenity Yoga at the Lake in Lake Cowichan, believes the worst is behind him after spending the last two years dealing with COVID-19 restrictions and closures. Johnstone, who started his business in February, 2020, right at the beginning of the pandemic, has had to close four times since then due to public health orders, totalling approximately eight months. But he said he used the down time to work on renovations at his building, preparing for when the pandemic finally ends and he can operate his studio unhindered. “Business has not been great, but we’re trickling along,” Johnstone said.

•••

Lake Cowichan town council is still working hard to make its goal of a public works facility on a chunk of the former A.B. Greenwell school site a reality. The old Greenwell school was formally closed by bylaw on May 15, 2013 because it was determined to be surplus to the needs of the district as it underwent reorganization. The province turned down the town’s first application to remove it from the ALR. This next resolution is a different way to approach the request: a non-farm-use application.

•••

The Lake Cowichan Kraken will miss the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League playoffs in their first year of existence. The Kraken were edged out in a three-game set with their expansion cousins from Port Alberni last week, then lost to the Campbell River Storm on Monday in their last chance to salvage a postseason berth. The Kraken controlled their own destiny going into the three games against the Port Alberni Bombers, needing to win two out of three to ensure a spot in the playoffs. The Kraken finished their first season with 19 wins, 30 regulation losses, one overtime loss and one shootout loss for a .392 points percentage, narrowly behind the Bombers’ .410 percentage.

•••

The Town of Lake Cowichan will apply for a grant of approximately $7.3-million from the federal government to help complete the final phase of upgrades at its wastewater treatment plant. Council decided at its meeting on Feb. 22 to make the application for the funding from the Investing in Canada Infrastructure - Environmental Quality Program, and the town has committed to providing the rest of the money, more than $2.7 million, for the $10.1-million project. “And now we wait for the lottery,” said Coun. Tim McGonigle after council voted to apply for the grant funding.

•••

Students from Lake Cowichan Secondary School took to the streets of the town on March 3 to show their support for Ukraine as the European nation continues to desperately fight a massive invasion from Russia. Members of the school’s Social Justice 12 Class made signs condemning Russia and its leader, President Vladimir Putin, for the invasion and supporting the Ukrainian people as they fight for their freedom and their lives. The students are joining protests that are being held around the world against the invasion as the destruction continues and the death toll mounts in the uneven battle.

•••

It was announced in March that music legends John Fogerty and Tom Cochrane with Red Rider are the headliners at this year’s Laketown Rock 2022 event that will be held on July 22-23.

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Island Savings, a division of First West Credit Union, has officially opened its new location at 75 Cowichan Lake Rd. where the RBC branch was located before it closed last year. To celebrate this occasion, Island Savings is donating $7,200 to the Lake Cowichan Food Bank Society to symbolize 72 years of serving the community. “As a member-owned financial co-operative, we know how important it is to be a part of the social and economic fabric of the community and we’re thankful to our membership for enabling us to support the community in meaningful ways over the past 70 years,” says James Funfer, manager at Island Saving’s Lake Cowichan branch. “We’re excited to reaffirm our commitment to Lake Cowichan with our new location which offers increased convenience and accessibility while maintaining the customized, trusted advice members expect.”

•••

Laketown Ranch, the site that hosts the popular annual Sunfest Country Music Festival and other events, is looking to add a large residential area and an industrial zone to more than 40 hectares of land it owns adjacent to the festival site. The Cowichan Valley Regional District’s electoral area services committee gave the comprehensive project the green light to proceed to the next planning stage, which will include a public hearing, in a 5-3 vote at its meeting on March 16. Laketown Ranch applied to the Cowichan Valley Regional District for rezoning to build 182 manufactured homes, 50 cabins intended for year-round living, three single-family dwellings to be used as caretaker residences and 122 year-round RV camping sites. The industrial area would contain a cannabis production facility if the project proceeds. The cabins and manufactured homes are proposed to be small, between 450-600 sq. ft, on small lots, and hooked up to a privately-owned water and sewer service.

•••

The Kaatza Historical Society is “delighted” to receive $35,689 from the Cultural Heritage Awareness fund for their project ‘Indigenizing the Public History of Cowichan Lake: A Kaatza Historical Society and Ts’uubaa-asatx First Nation Partnership.’ “We are very pleased that we got this grant, and really pleased that there will be two amazing new displays for First Nations history in our museum,” said Pat Foster, president of the Kaatza Historical Society. “We have a protocol agreement between us and Ts’uubaa-asatx and have really enjoyed working together so far.”

•••

A man is dead after an altercation in a rural home in the Lake Cowichan area on Saturday, March 26. Lake Cowichan RCMP received numerous 9-1-1 calls reporting an altercation between two men in a residence. When police arrived, there were several people in the residence and one man had been stabbed. BC Emergency Health Services arrived and declared the man to be dead. One man was taken into custody and later released. The Vancouver Island Integrated Major Crime Unit and Lake Cowichan RCMP are investigating the circumstances along with the BC Coroner Service. This is an isolated incident and there is no risk to the public, RCMP say.

•••

Lake Cowichan School math and physics teacher Susan Barton calls Owen van Basten, “the hardest working student I’ve ever had.” According to Barton, van Basten has an “enormous” course load but still gets everything done “extremely well.” On top of that, the Grade 12 student works a part-time job, and competes in high school sports like volleyball and climbing. For all that, van Basten was nominated by Barton and other staff members at LCS to receive the Duncan Rotary Club’s Student of the Month Award for February.

•••

April

The dramatic rise in property values is the main reason why Electoral Area I (Youbou/Meade Creek) has the highest tax increase in the Cowichan Valley Regional District this year, according to Klaus Kuhn. Kuhn, the CVRD’s director for the area, said the price of an average home in Youbou/Meade Creek is now assessed at $975,011, the highest in the CVRD, and that is playing a big part in why homeowners in the electoral area are facing a tax increase of approximately $370 this year, if their home falls near that average. That’s significantly more than in Shawnigan Lake, which has the next highest tax increase in the CVRD this year.

•••

Members of the Save Our Holmes environmental conservation organization may be on the verge of celebrating success after years of battling for the forested slopes above Youbou and Meade Creek to remain intact. In a media release March 25, Mosaic Forest Management, the largest private landowner in the province — and owner of the slope above the Cowichan Lake communities, which includes Mount Holmes — has announced it intends to defer 40,000 hectares (400 square kilometres) of its old growth and older second-growth forests from logging for the next 25 years through a carbon credit program, potentially including Mount Holmes.

•••

Lake Cowichan’s branch of the Vancouver Island Public Library was one of five to hit the picket lines on April 7 as part of the BCGEU’s rotating strike. According to a weekend update from the VIRL, trustees are reengaging the assigned Labour Relations Board mediator in the hopes of ending the impasse.

•••

Lake Cowichan’s water and sewer parcel taxes are increasing in 2022. At a special committee of the whole meeting on Feb. 1, council debated the merits of various increases for the two parcel taxes and during their March 22 council meeting, council adopted the new parcel tax rates, which are both set to increase by $100 in order to beef up the reserve funds for capital projects.

•••

When the folks at the Lake Cowichan 50+ Activity Centre put out the call to raise money for the Victoria Ukrainian Society’s Ukrainian Relief Fund, Lakers and their friends answered with great gusto. It didn’t take long for news to get around that the Centre would be hosting an April 7 noon luncheon featuring perogies, cabbage rolls, bratwurst, sauerkraut, sweets, and more for just $12 a pop and before organizers knew it, the event was at full capacity.

•••

The Kaatza Station Museum in Lake Cowichan won the “Resilient Business of the Year” award at the 2022 Vancouver Island Tourism Conference Industry Awards ceremony that was held on April 13 in Victoria. This award celebrates the industry members who participated in the Vancouver Island Coastal Tourism Resiliency Program and demonstrated a keen ability to innovate, adapt and build during the course of the COVID-19 pandemic.

•••

The Lake Cowichan Fire Department and the Keith Nelson Countrywide Realty U18 Lakers faced off at the Cowichan Lake Arena on April 9 in their annual benefit game for the Lake Cowichan Food Bank. Both teams created plenty of scoring chances, but in the end, the Fire Department came out on top, beating the U18 team 11-8.

•••

A Cowichan Lake family is preparing for the trip of a lifetime. Tod and Carla Spooner and their three kids, aged 11, 13, and 15 — and their one-year-old terrier too — are getting ready to ride their bicycles across Canada. What’s more, “everyone will be pedaling under their own power,” Carla noted.

•••

The new playground at the Duck Pond (Riverside Park) will be available for use by the end of August, according to the Lake Cowichan Kinsmen, stewards of the park since the 1960s.

•••

May

Grade 4, 5 and 6 students from Lake Cowichan School added another 100 salmon to the ecosystem on Tuesday, April 19. Students from three classes — taught by Lisa Huck, Trina Dyer and Becky Olson — took turns releasing coho salmon fry into the waters of Cowichan Lake from the dock at Saywell Park. “We’ve been doing a lot on salmon and the cultural importance of salmon,” Huck said. “We’re hoping for better weather so we can get out on the land more.”

•••

The B.C. Conservation Officer Service is asking the public for information related to the poaching of two cougar kittens near Hill 60 Forest Service Road sometime within the last week. According to officers, the animals were found with their paws and heads removed. Poaching wildlife is a serious offence under the BC Wildlife Act, reminds the Conservation Officer Service, and it is illegal to kill cougar kittens (any cougar with spots or under one year of age), or cougars in a family unit. “The killing of cougar kittens shows a blatant disregard for ethical hunting and wildlife conservation,” said Duncan Conservation Officer Mark Kissinger. “Thankfully, this is not the type of offence we see frequently.”

•••

Honeymoon Bay Fire Rescue has served the community for 75 years and Raymond Wear has been there for more than half of them. On Monday, May 2, the Honeymoon Bay Fire Chief received his 40-year Exemplary Service Bar from Cowichan Valley Regional District board chair Lori Iannidinardo on behalf of the Governor General of Canada. The ceremony was attended by many friends, family, and fire service colleagues at the Honeymoon Bay Fire hall.

•••

After a two-year hiatus, Youbou will once again become a picker’s paradise as the annual progressive community garage sale returns on Saturday, May 14. “New treasures await the adventurous as Youbou homeowners offer their no-longer-loved items to bargain hunters from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.,” explained Julia Martinusen, Youbou Community Association chair. “And, don’t miss the garage sale at historic Youbou Church, where homemade goodies will be on sale.”

It’s a win-win for everyone as sellers can get rid of their no-longer-wanted items and buyers can find new things for their collections.

•••

Six 11th graders have thrown their hats into the ring to become the 2002 Lady of the Lake. Those brave and confident young women include: Roselyn Baird - sponsored by Countrywide Village Realty Ltd., Danielle Bissett - Royal Canadian Legion Br. 210, Jenae Weir - Lake Cowichan Kin, Sarah Brown - Ed’s Coffeehouse, Elise Nelson - A&W and Sunny Dalman - RE/MAX Generation.

Jocelyn Lundberg, who organizes the Lady of the Lake ambassador program aimed at “supporting the growth, education, and confidence of Cowichan Lake’s young women,” said it’s good to be back in person.

•••

Donations totalling $161,000 will help the Cowichan Lake Elder Care Society continue with its plans for an expansion of the society’s housing facility on a parcel of land adjacent to its existing building in Lake Cowichan. The three organizations that stepped forward with the funding to purchase the land are the Cowichan Lake Community Forest Cooperative ($60,000), the Cowichan Housing Association ($51,000) and the Providence Village Housing Society ($50,000).

The purchase of the land will provide the necessary space, room for parking and user access to the area to allow the construction of the new seniors’ residence, which will have 26 units, to move forward.

•••

Fishers rejoice, it’s time to break out that tackle box and hook a big one! The Cowichan Lake and Bear Lake Fishing Derby is taking place alongside the Family Heritage Days long weekend festivities May 21-22 and along with giving folks the pure joy of getting out on the lake, the event will help support the Kinsmen’s Duck Pond project.

“It’s going to be an annual event,” said Grant Treger, manager of Lake Cowichan Fly and Tackle. The first was back in 2019 but the sophomore derby was put on hold until the COVID-19 restrictions were lifted.

•••

Area resident Bruce MacMillan looked across the lake recently and noticed something was missing from the usual viewscape. The floating walkway near Lake View Campsite had up and vanished.

“It was having age issues and needed repairs. I haven’t seen any mention of it and wondered if it is gone for good or if the municipality has plans to refurbish it and bring it back,” he said. “It will certainly be a big amenity loss if it is gone for good.”

•••

One man is missing and two people were saved after a boat capsized near Nitinat Narrows on Thursday, May 19. Lake Cowichan RCMP received reports of an overturned boat just after 8 p.m. on Thursday and officers went to the nearest boat launch and found that members of the Ditidaht First Nation community had already taken to the water to assist after being contacted by the Canadian Coast Guard. The police officers learned that the boat was carrying three people and two survivors were located by the Coast Guard. One man remains unaccounted for.

•••

June

A group that works to ensure the health and protection of the watershed in the Lake Cowichan area has won an award and a $10,000 grant from the BC Conservation & Biodiversity Awards Foundation. In partnership with the BC Conservation Foundation, the Cowichan Lake & River Stewardship Society was one of 13 award recipients from across the province in 2022 that was recognized for its work restoring riparian habitat in the area.

•••

Lake Cowichan town council has voted to take steps to silence the town’s fire siren between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. following a recent letter from a Lake Cowichan mother that reignited an on-going debate. Council didn’t have a firm date on when the siren would be silenced overnight, as there is a system upgrade in the works along with the town hall renovation and a timeline hasn’t been sent to council.

•••

The Ts’uubaa-asatx First Nation’s plan to build a 61-unit development and connect to the Town of Lake Cowichan’s sewer system was bolstered by an expert’s report citing room within the existing system if some inflow and infiltration (I&I) issues could be fixed. The Town of Lake Cowichan currently has a moratorium on new sewer system connections but Aaron Hamilton, operations manager for Ts’uubaa-asatx First Nation hopes the band’s willingness to hire Engineer Steve Underwood of True Consulting shows proof of good will, reconciliation and a positive working relationship between the two local governments.

•••

Six Cowichan Lake area fire departments will benefit from a $30,000 donation from the Cowichan Lake Community Forest Cooperative. The CLCFC gave $5,000 cheques to each of Caycuse chief Laura Couch, Honeymoon Bay chief Ray Wear, Mesachie Lake chief Kevin Smith, Lake Cowichan chief Doug Knott, Youbou chief Orest Smycniuk, and Sahtlam chief Randy Busch on June 3 at the Lake Cowichan fire hall, noting that each fire department provides invaluable services to their respective communities.

•••

The sister of a Lake Cowichan man who died as a result of a logging truck losing its load has set up a GoFundMe for his wife and children. Andrew Linklater, 43, died May 24 on the northbound on-ramp to Highway 19 off the Comox Valley Parkway. Still in shock over their loss, Linklater’s devastated little sister Summer Muzyka has set up a GoFundMe account to help Linklater’s widow and their children as they grieve.

“Andrew has left behind Donna, his partner for 16 years and the mother of his children, Ashton and Sienna, Josh and Brentyn,” Muzyka said on the GoFundMe page. “We are all so devastated. We are in disbelief. We are hurting. We don’t know how we will ever find happiness again.”

•••

Cowichan Station, the Cowichan Lake area, the Ditidaht First Nation and Thetis and Penelakut islands have been identified as being the most underserved in the region for internet and cellular connectivity. After months of studies and surveys assessing the connectivity capabilities of different parts of the region, the Cowichan Valley Regional District’s economic development division and the IBI Group presented the first stages in the development of a regional connectivity strategy at a special committee of the whole meeting on June 9.

•••

Lake Cowichan’s new royalty has been crowned after a successful 2022 program that saw six candidates vying for three opportunities to represent the Lake in the coming year. At an in-person event, the trio was crowned in front of family and friends on Saturday, June 11.

“No matter what the outcome is, you’re all winners because getting through this program is a prize in itself,” said the reigning Lady of the Lake, Mariah Segee. “Your 2022/2023 Cowichan Lake Lady of the Lake is Jenae Weir,” she added, handing Weir flowers and transferring her crown to the victor. Outgoing second princess Macey Anderson awarded incoming second princess honours to Elise Nelson, who was sponsored by A&W. Outgoing first princess Megan Rowbottom awarded incoming first princess honours to Danielle Bissett, who was sponsored by Royal Canadian Legion Branch 210.

•••

Lake Cowichan RCMP had a busy start to the summer over the weekend of June 18-19 making arrests and impounding vehicles. Between proactive enforcement and answering calls for service, the RCMP impounded eight vehicles due to violations of the Motor Vehicle Act, arrested four prohibited drivers and issued several violation tickets, including two for excessive speeding.

•••

Cowichan Valley School District principals Lori Hryniuk and Jaime Doyle are essentially trading places. Hryniuk will be going from Chemainus Secondary School to Lake Cowichan School and vice versa for Doyle during the 2022-23 school year.

•••

For a look back at the last six months of 2022, be sure to check out our next edition of the Lake Cowichan Gazette.



Sarah Simpson

About the Author: Sarah Simpson

I started my time with Black Press Media as an intern, before joining the Citizen in the summer of 2004.
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