Earthquake
Powell River Peak staff were left shaking on the floor Wednesday morning. Shaking with laughter that is, having a little fun during a province-wide event to encourage earthquake preparedness.
At 10 am on Wednesday, January 26, 2,469 people in Powell River, including the Peak staff, dropped to the floor, crawled under desks or tables and held on as if the “big one” had hit. A total of 460,000 British Columbians were registered for the event, making it the largest earthquake drill in Canadian history.
Schools, businesses and individuals throughout the Powell River region took part. Emergency Program Coordinator for the Powell River Regional District Ryan Thoms sent out an email immediately following the “earthquake” congratulating all who participated and heralding the success of the event both locally and provincially.
With more than fair warning and an unrealistic countdown to the main event, the Peak staff put aside work for a minute to huddle under desks and hold on for safety. Laura Walz, editor, took photographs during the event, which would be ill-advised during a real earthquake but considering it was a drill and an opportunity to cover a story without leaving the office it was allowed.
The event provided an opportunity, as was intended, to walk around the office afterward and consider how the office could be more “earthquake resistant.” A number of bookshelves were pointed out as being in need of fastening, some desks were identified as being too small to fully protect a person and there was general discussion about what the greatest risks were. All told the event was a great opportunity to take a moment to prepare for a potentially disastrous event that could occur at any time.
Liberals choose
BC Liberal Party members of the Powell River Sunshine Coast Riding Association met on January 15 in Powell River to select delegates to the party’s extraordinary convention on February 12 in Vancouver.
Nineteen delegates were elected to vote at the convention. They will be attending in Vancouver and Comox via a video link.
The elected delegates from each riding association will vote to modernize the party’s constitution to give each member one vote in selecting the next party leader along with giving every region of the province an equal say. This amendment needs to receive approval from two-thirds of the delegates in attendance.
On February 26, the party will be holding a province-wide leadership vote. The BC Liberal Party official membership deadline for eligibility to cast a ballot in the leadership vote is 5 pm on Friday, February 4.
Voting on February 26 will be online and via telephone, so all members in good standing will be able to vote from the comfort of their own home, according to Kevin Sigouin, riding president. “The BC Liberals have never made it easier to elect the next premier of the province,” he said. “We can help set a new course for the future of BC.”
For more information or to become a member, contact Sigouin at 604.483.6543 or email powellriversunshinecoast@bcliberals.com. Information is also available online.
Conservation
A new online tool features fact sheets on species at risk in the coastal region of BC. The South Coast Conservation Program, in partnership with International Forest Products Ltd., has created the field guide with a $60,000 grant from the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI).
The fact sheets feature photographs for field identification and current conservation status of forest-dependent species, such as the Great Blue Heron, Pacific water shrew, western screech owl and marbled murrelet.
Each species profile contains the most up-to-date science on conservation issues from as many open-access sources as possible.
