#2-7 April 6, 2000

 “4,300 feet of business opportunity lighting the 21st century” was the headline for the lead story on the airport in the premier issue of the OpenMinder on April 1st 1999.

One year later, on the first issue of our second year, and we have a story about a very reputable company, flying one of the best (if not the best) aircraft in the industry for servicing the interior of B.C., setting up a flight service to connect Grand Forks to the rest of B.C. and the world.
Al Neufeld of Montair, who we reported on in January of this year, arrived back in Grand Forks on Monday April 3rd, to attend a kick off event for the new flight service. The event, held at the airport, was complete with tours of the aircraft, a chance to ask questions, light snacks and coffee, and several draws. Eight lucky ticket holders were taken for a short flight in the PC12 to show how quiet and smooth a ride it is and upon return several more draws gave away hats and visors. The ones that everyone was waiting for were the two draws for return tickets to Vancouver, of which Ron Wyers, and Marj Clark, were the lucky ticket holders.

Al Neufeld of Montair

Free Ride

For those of us that will have to pay for our trips, here is the scheduling and costs for traveling to Vancouver and back.
Vancouver – Grand Forks fares. / One Way Full Fare – $279 / Full Fare return $499 / 7 Day advance return $399 / 14 Day Advance return $349 Schedules as follows Monday’s, Wednesdays, Fridays, & Sundays Leave Grand Forks 18:55 PDT (6:55pm) Arrive Vancouver 19:55 (7:55pm) / Leave Vancouver 16:00 PDT (4:00pm) Arrive Grand Forks 18:25 (6:25pm)
What else has gone on in the past year at the airport? B.C. Forest Service, after moving their Rock Creek office here has been expanding their operations and Western Aviation has gotten busier. For 2 days, May 20th & 21st, the Grand Forks Flying Club/Copa Flight #62, will be hosting another Fly In. They are also the ones to get the credit for bringing the Snowbirds here in July as well. National and International attention is once again on Grand Forks. To help give a little background the OpenMinder talked to Anne and Don Gordon who have been involved with the airport development for quite some time now. If it wasn’t for the tireless work of these knowledgeable people, we would not be enjoying the economic benefits of the airport now.
OM: How do you feel about the growth of the airport in the past year.
Don: I don’t think that there has been all that much yet. The main reason is that, until you get all four phases working you don’t really get any dividends on the first one, the second or the third. I takes all four together to get the real dividends. The fourth one hasn’t come yet.
OM: What are the four phases
Don: 1. We have the lighting which gives night landing endorsement on it. 2. We have the security fence to keep deer from wandering onto the runway accidentally. 3. We have the automatic weather station now, with one module that will be added soon, by the end of May at the latest, that will be the instrument that measures the ceiling. Now the last phase is the instrument approach.
I was talking to Vancouver Friday morning, and I got the word on what they basically feel we can do.
Different airports of differing sizes and locations have different ways of carrying on an instrument approach. For example Vancouver has 15 different approaches for 3 runways where we at the beginning will have one approach, at one end of the runway. What I’m trying to get now is going to give us the best efficiency for the money that we can afford. It is not the best approach; the best approach would cost us another quarter million dollars. I will do the best I can with the funds the city has allocated. The approach to complete the fourth phase will be a Global Positioning System (GPS) approach, basically thanks to the US Dept. of Defence. They are all the rage right now, in fact any new airport, or the many in isolated parts of the country could not afford the cost of the traditional instrument approach.
This GPS approach should cost us in the order of ten thousand dollars. Of the two facilities we have here, there is a Non Directional Beacon approach (NDB)and there is a Distance Measuring Device (DMV) With that as a back up, with the U.S. Dept of Defence GPS, we will get a minimum decent altitude around 4,000 feet. I had figured it out a year ago at about 3,940.
OM: How high is that for us here in Grand Forks?
Don: Now 4,000 feet above sea level is about 2,200 feet above ground level for us here in Grand Forks. So we’re going to have, for about $10,000, using the present facilities, the ability to have aircraft land, day night or what ever, as long as there is a 2,200 foot or greater ceiling.
OM: For the layman, do you mean the height of the clouds above us?
Don: For overcast clouds where the pilot has to start seeing ground before he comes below that 2,200 feet above ground level in Grand Forks. If that is not possible then the pilot heads off to the alternate destination, that is pre-filed with the airport he leaves from.
OM: What kind of improvement is that, from what we had before?
Don: Before, we weren’t allowed to have a descent below 1,000 feet above the highest mountain withing 25 nautical miles of the airport. Galena there is 6,250 above sea level, putting the ceiling at 7,250 feet above sea level. Now with the systems we have in here and paid for, we can get down to 4,000 feet. What I would like to get it down to is 1,000 feet. In aviation you have two factors. The lower you get to the ground, the more it costs. Not much you can do about it except for one thing.
Grand Forks was one of the original airports in Canada. The old airport in Grand Forks created in 1935, was essentially just over by the hospital. I understand it was the first one in BC outside of the coast. Unfortunately back in 1935, instrument flying was virtually unheard of. It was just in its infancy, and night flying was just as new. So, at that time any of the people who would come to Grand Forks, would be thinking in terms of good weather and daylight. That airport at that time was in the smoothest area around. There was no thought to having a 24 hour approach. As long as they could come down below 10,000 feet to see the mountains, then there was lots of room. Now we are getting into 24 hour systems, landing in bad visibility or nights with no moon. The old runway as I was told used to run between the hospital and Hardy mountain. Then (about 1971)a fellow by the name of Jack Goddard, the former mayor of Grand Forks, and Wes Docksteader, one of the only pilots in the area, started to work on getting the people to agree to the moving of the airport to its current location. It took them from ’71 to about ’75 to do it, to get all the people to move etc. What they did was, in 1975, provide the opportunity for what I started doing in 1997 ’98 ’99. There were a couple of things that didn’t get done, and I can well understand why. This is when we want to go below the 4,000 feet, we have to do a number of things.
We will have to take the facilities that we have there and relocate them. We essentially have the 4,000 feet, compliments of the US GPS. If it wasn’t for that we would be back up to 7,200 feet. If we want to be able to bring another 800 feet off that ceiling then the DMV has to be moved to about 3,000 feet west of the centerline of the airport. What that will do, will be to raise the ability of navigation by the facility from about 8 miles which it is right now, to about 80 miles. The DMV is a line of sight instrument and unfortunately Observation Mountain makes a better door than window for sighting up the North Fork Valley.
The second thing that wasn’t done, which has been an advantage, was that not much equipment was bought back then. The advantage is that the same equipment is being used and now you can get it for about a tenth of the cost, and that is what we have been doing for the past 3 years. For example, this lighting system was put in for under $440,000. When the City started first getting quotes for this, they were coming in at $1.2 to $3.7 million. And in the end Transport Canada wouldn’t let them in because the Valley was too narrow.
Because of my dealing in airports right up until moving here, I’ve managed two other airports, and before that I flew 4 engine aircraft for 25 years, including landing a Hercules in Castlegar. When I came here I went with the assistant city engineer, and we did the work according to 308, the manual of criteria for instrument procedures. We set the transits up and we did both ends of the valley, and one of the things we noticed that Jack Goddard had the airport placed in the best possible location, dead centre to the valley. It will give us a good approach from Mt Right and we get a good approach from Santa Rosa. Then when we did all the clear zoning, we found that the airport is zoned for an instrument runway. There is nothing, mountain wise, that prohibits this from becoming a full instrument approach runway, and the only one in the Kootenays.
OM: With the instrument approach that we will be getting, will we be an alternate to Castlegar if it was clouded over?
Don: We can be a primary destination but not an alternate. An aircraft can come to Grand Forks and if he can’t land he can divert to Castlegar or Kelowna. I’m trying to set up a system here that will be second nature and run every day. It will be primarily for Medivac, and it will be there to help facilitate economic development, for Grand Forks or the whole West Kootenays.
With Grand Forks being located where it is, we can be the best connection to the West Kootenays and South Central BC. The economic development of our airport should be in the minds of the politicians and businesses of Nelson, Trail, Castlegar and area, as well as here.
OM: Given the capabilities of our airport, location, etc, what do you see as the maximum size plane that will land here.?
Don: Anything up to a Dehavlin Dash 8, seating up to 40 passengers. Most are turbo-prop, quiet and small in comparison.
Anne: With the new technology and new aircraft, you hardly know they are here. The traffic coming through the valley on #3 Hwy. is noisier than these new planes. Now the Snow Birds are different. The engines are 1951 designs on a 30 year old airplane, and part of the show is about the noise anyway. They are the exception though. We will never be a destination of the big international flights, but we can certainly be an excellent quick connect to Vancouver, Calgary, Spokane etc, and then off to the rest of the world.

Stranger than Fiction
editors note: A month or two before I started publishing the OpenMinder I was searching the internet with my kids for information on the movie Anaconda, and the following information came up in our search. We all could hardly believe it and decided to print it in the first issue. Back by popular demand, here is a reprint.
The following is from the U.S. Government Peace Corps Manual for its volunteers who work in the Amazon Jungle. It tells what to do in case you are attacked by an anaconda. An anaconda is the largest snake in the world. A relative of the boa constrictor, it grows to 35 feet in length and weighs between three and four hundred pounds at the maximum. This is what the manual said:
1. If you are attacked by an anaconda, do not run. The snake is faster than you are. 2. Lie flat on the ground. Put your arms tight against your sides, your legs tight against one another. 3. Tuck your chin in. 4. The snake will come and begin to nudge and climb over your body. 5. Do not panic. 6. After the snake has examined you, it will begin to swallow you from the feet and always from the end. Permit the snake to swallow your feet and ankles. Do not panic. 7. The snake will now begin to suck your legs into its body. You must lie perfectly still. This will take a long time. 8. When the snake has reached your knees slowly and with as little movement as possible, reach down, take your knife and very gently slide it into the side of the snake’s mouth between the edge of its mouth and your leg, then suddenly rip upwards, severing the snake’s head.
9. Be sure you have your knife. 10. Be sure your knife is sharp.

ONLY IN CANADA
+ Only in Canada……can a pizza get to your house faster than an ambulance.
+ Only in Canada……are there handicap parking places in front of a skating rink.
+ Only in Canada……do drugstores make the sick walk all the way to the back of the store to get their prescriptions while healthy people can buy cigarettes at the front.
+ Only in Canada…..do people order double cheese burgers, large fries, and a diet coke.
+ Only in Canada……do banks leave both doors open and then chain the pens to the counters.
+ Only in Canada……do we leave cars worth thousands of dollars in the driveway and put our useless junk in the garage.
+ Only in Canada……do we use answering machines to screen calls and and then have call waiting so we won’t miss a call from someone we didn’t want to talk to in the first place.
+ Only in Canada……do we buy hot dogs in packages of twelve and buns in packages of eight.
+ Only in Canada…..do we use the word ‘politics’ to describe the process so well: ‘Poli’ in Latin meaning ‘many’ and ‘tics’ meaning ‘bloodsucking creatures’.
+ Only in Canada……do they have drive-up ATM machines with Braille lettering.
“Quotes”
Thus Zadig, by his wise and successful advice, and by the greatest of services, had drawn upon himself the irreconcilable enmity of the most powerfuly men in the state…and was made suspect to the good Nabussan. “Services rendered often remain in the antechamber, suspicions enter the cabinet,” in the words of the Zoraster. Every day it was new accustations; the first is repulsed, the second brushes you, the third wounds, the fourth kills.
Francois Marie Arouet De Voltaire – Zadig
Your only obligation in any lifetime is to be true to yourself. To be true to anyone or anything else is not only impossible, but the mark of a fake messiah.
Richard Bach – Illussions, the adventures of a reluctant Messiah

Eyes of the World
on Victoria as it prepares the Pacific Launch
of Canada’s largest Millennium Celebration
March 31, 2000,Victoria, BC ­ On April 7 all eyes will be set on Victoria as it launches the second leg of the Trans Canada Trail Relay 2000 from the city’s Inner Harbour with a spectacular water drawing ceremony and two full days of city-wide celebrations.
The Trans Canada Trail Relay 2000 is the largest national millennium celebration planned for the Year 2000. Ocean water is being drawn from the three oceans that border Canada and relayed hand over hand by 5,000 Canadians along the route of the Trans Canada Trail. Ultimately all three water vessels will be joined together in the National Capital Region where they will be ceremoniously poured into a newly constructed fountain, marking the inaugural opening of the Trans Canada Trail and the culmination of the national millennium celebrations that have occurred as the Relay has moved through over 800 Canadian communities.
Tourism Victoria has lead a committee of Victoria based organizations who have pulled together a series of community activities and events that will help celebrate Victoria’s significant role in this exciting project. The actual ‘drawing of the water’ (WaterFEST) is scheduled for the Inner Harbour on Friday April 7th (11:30 – 1:30). A spectacular ‘arrival of the ocean water’ by helicopter and both Sooke and Songhees First Nation canoes will precede the very colourful dignitary procession and stage ceremony.
It will be an ‘upbeat’ lunch hour event with entertainment by both the Naden Band and Esquimalt Jazz Sextet. Ceremony dignitaries include Her Excellency, the Honourable Adrienne Clarkson, Premier Ujjal Dosanjh, Mayor Allan Lowe, Chief Robert Sam, and Dr. Sherman Olson, President of the Board of Directors, Trans Canada Trail Foundation.
Following the water drawing ceremonies, the Relay will tour the community with scheduled stops at Somerset House, Oak Bay Monterey Centre, and Government House where the Lieutenant Governor, Garde Gardom will extend best wishes and an opportunity to sign the BC2000 book.
Festivities continue into the evening when the Relay will be hosted at an ‘Unveil the Trail’ art exhibit opening at the Fran Willis Gallery. The exhibit and art sale present the prints and selected original works of artists published as part of Art Images “Vision of a Nation” art project in support of the Trans Canada Trail.
Saturday morning (9:00 a.m.) will see the official start of Relay 2000 at Dallas Road Mile 0 by Deputy Prime Minister Herb Gray. This launch will be lead by a colourful flag procession which will weave its way down Douglas Street, around the Inner Harbour, out Wharf Street and over the Johnson Street bridge to Westsong Way Park. Here it will stop for the Westcoast Community Breakfast where there will be westcoast hospitality, food, entertainment and festivities. A PEOPLE Parade – open to the public – will depart from this site at 10:30 and continue through the 1.7 km to the location of the Trans Canada Trail Pavilion at the Selkirk Trestle.
The PEOPLE Parade is about participation! Everyone is encouraged to bring their bikes, roller blades, hiking boots and join the excitement. Free art workshops are being held in the Greater Victoria area the first week of April where everyone will have the opportunity to make flags, banners and signs to carry in the parade.
The Selkirk Trestle will see the unveiling of two more panels of trail donor names to be mounted in the pavilion and the official sendoff of Relay 2000 as it departs on its cross Canada trek! “This is indeed an opportunity not to be missed,” says Tourism Victoria’s CEO, Lorne Whyte, “Canadians have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to take part in this historical event. People from our community are very excited and proud that Victoria will be responsible for launching the
western leg of this major national endeavor. The eyes of the country will be upon us.”
The first leg of this exciting national relay began under the great white northern spotlight in Tuktoyaktuk, NWT on February 19th with the drawing of Arctic Ocean water. Since being launched in the North West Territories, Trans Canada Trail Relay 2000 has been received with enthusiasm and great fanfare in more than 30 communities across the North West Territories, northern British Columbia and northern Alberta.
“Based on the excitement in the North, Canadians are truly embracing this project,” said Suzanne Dane, the Relay’s BC Region Coordinator. “The individual impact the Relay has had on people so far is incredible. It has captured the hearts and spirits of everyone it passed at a very personal level – with a renewed spirit of togetherness. It was amazing to see it in action!”
The Relay will weave through the province of British Columbia visiting over 66 communities with over 100 celebrations between April 7th and May 5th before moving into Alberta, continuing east to its final destination in the National Capital Region.
On April 25 Relay 2000 will be arriving in Beaverdell. Residents of the area are invited to join the Relay from the railgrade along Railway Ave. to the highway. From there, welcoming ceremonies will be at the Beaverdell Hotel and then it’s off to the community hall for a community supper, entertainment by the classes of Beaverdell school and the Eek sisters.
On April 26, Relay 2000’s first morning stop will be at Paul Lautard’s place in Rhone. Cake and coffee will be served as we honour Paul for his work building the Trans Canada Trail rest stop. Then, closer to lunch time, 10 students from West Boundary Elementary School carry the Pacific Ocean water along the old railgrade near the school. The Parent Advisory Council will be sponsoring a hot dog sale with proceeds going to the school.
The last event for April 26 will be at Midway at the Mile 0 museum where a bicycle parade will lead the Relay 2000 water carrier into the museum. Dinner and entertainment at the high school will cap off a full day.
April 27 will see Relay 2000 participating in five events in Greenwood. First an announcement about the smokestack light up will be made at the old WKP building. Then it’s off to city hall where the Mayor will sign the Book of Communities. Then on to the Museum where a ribbon will be cut and the museum will be opened. Near the bandshell, the Greenwood Board of Trade will assist with the officially opening of the Boundary Creek Nature Walk. Then at 10 o’clock the ceremonies for the Unveiling of the Tunnel of Flags will commence.
By 2 o’clock in the afternoon Relay 2000 will reach Grand Forks where Tesha Bryant will be riding her horse into City Park. After a feast of borscht it’s on to Christina Lake for the night.
The third leg of the Relay will begin on May 5th when Atlantic Ocean water will be drawn from Cape Spear in Newfoundland. On September 9th in the year 2000, the waters from the three oceans that border Canada will come together in our nation’s capital. Five thousand carriers will have traveled over 16,000 km through every province and territory and towns and communities to this symbolic finale. What gives this relay its power and its everlasting legacy is not the end of the event, but the beginning it represents: to reach the goal, thousands of Canadians will have bound together their lives through an everlasting national dream.
Canadians can follow the Relay on the Web at www.tctrail.ca and join the hundreds of celebrations in towns and cities all along the Trans Canada Trail as the Relay 2000 adventure fosters a renewed sense of community pride, national spirit and millennial excitement.For details call: Marilyn Strong, Community Animator
Trans Canada Trail Relay 2000 and ParticipACTION
Ph: (250) 365-2662/Fax: (250) 365-6045, Email: marilyn@participaction.com, or Marj Stoller, Beaverdell 484-5360, Paul Lautard, Rhone 446-2489, Dick Dunsden, Rock Creek 446-2724, Tannis Killough, Midway 449-2381, Ernie Hennig, Greenwood 445-6355, Bev Wisniki, Grand Forks & Christina Lake 442-2202

The second largest celebration in British Columbia for the Trans Canada Trail Relay 2000 is taking place at the “Tunnel of Flags” outside of Greenwood.

interview Dave and Lillian Brummet
The ceremony will be held on April 27th, at approximately 10:00 am. There will be an MC, guest speakers and a performance of the national anthem by local students. At approxamitly 10:20 the water carriers will arrive. Following the short ceremony, the relay team will continue to Eholt and then Grand Forks.
The tunnel is a remnant of railway history and is now a Greenwood icon. 50 meters long and 10 meters high, you can not help but notice it with its multi-colored flags and steel rails sticking out of the jagged concrete. The artist behind the flags is Arno Hennig, who is also the mayor of Greenwood. He took the time to speak with us and show us the project, his enthusiasm being obvious when we visited the site with him.

“The tunnel was constructed in 1913 as a highway underpass with the CPR railway going over it. I think the tunnel was not built until 1913 because they needed access to Jewel Lake and Greenwood. Before, the road probably went over the railway tracks which was cumbersome. So they built a one way tunnel through it. Prior to that, there was a tressel crossing the creek, which they filled in with gravel later. This is what was usually done all through the Boundary Area. This worked fine until the traffic increased and the one way lanes did not go over too well. So in 1964 two tubes were built where the highway is now. Again, they dug right through the railway grade and poured concrete to create the two tubes.
The train was actually running over all three of them. They were all parallel to each other, you know, the two new ones were some distance away, about 150 – 200 feet. They took the railway out a number years ago, I am not sure of the exact date, but it was in the start of the 90’s. The area was a bit of a bottleneck. I actually knew some local people who got stuck in there, and some logging trucks got stuck too.
And then they decided to blow the two tubes up to open it for highway traffic. So, anyway, after they removed the debris, the original tunnel came to light. There were a couple spots where you could see some tops sticking out, just slightly. But most people, including myself, didn’t even know what it was! But anyway, they moved all the debris and the tunnel was still there. They tried to rip it apart. That is why the entrances are sort of jagged now. When they first dug it out, it was still in good shape. The people of Greenwood said ‘no you cannot blow it up; it is a part of Greenwood’s history’ – so we bought it for a dollar. (he laughs) And they gave us some land around it too!”

When he took us inside the tunnel, the graffiti was abundant and not always pleasing to the eye. The outside, visible to the highway, was once just as polluted with paint. This problem was discussed in a Greenwood city council meeting around August ’98. Arno explains how he became involved.
“I just casually mentioned, leave it to me, I will collect some old paint from people and obliterate it. I was not sure what I was going to do at first. I started out with red, white and black paint. So I began by painting squares, 2-by-2 feet, off-set so that it would look like a checkerboard pattern to cover the graffiti, starting with the worst. After having about 30 some squares done, I looked up and thought a Canadian Flag would look really nice up there. I thought the Canadian Flag deserved better than what could be achieved with recycled paint. Some of what I had was oil, some latex – which does not mix well. So I went to the local hardware store and was going to buy a quart of good red and white paint. And when I explained what I was going to do, Hardy Scott generously gave the paint to me!
So, after I put up the flag, I still had quite a bit of paint left. Then, since I am originally from Denmark, I painted the Danish Flag. And since we have a lot of people of Japanese origin in Greenwood, I wanted to honor them with a Japanese flag. And it just kept on going from there.
Now there are about 210 flags, 198 countries and 12 Canadian provinces – although I still have to put Nunavut on. There is also Greenwood’s logo, which is the largest design on the entire tunnel. Oh yeah, the logo for the Trans Canada Trail is on the tunnel too! And I have put the coat of arms from the Spree-Neisse region in Germany, who are partners with the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary.” The partnership is about student exchanges, athletic encounters and travel opportunities, as well as sharing in arts, culture and economic areas. We were amazed to find out the Tunnel of Flags was painted entirely by Arno himself. Although Arno says he is not an artist, he painted most of the flags free-hand. He began painting on August 10th, 1998 and finished August 9th, 1999, using only ladders to reach the top of the tunnel. Arno also planted some Bishops weed, which is very prolific and will keep on spreading.
“We are hoping to plant some wildflowers and whatever we can find. We found some old pictures and I am thinking of doing some scenes on the entrance, in a ghost like feeling, to give a feeling of time past. I would really like some artists to come and help with that project, maybe some student artists?…
I think it is important to mention that the Greenwood Community Association is the official sponsor of the tunnel – which you can read now on the legend. They donated a couple hundred dollars and Hardy has always given me a discount on the marine paint. But I had to use a lot of brushes and masking tape, too.
One of the many donors was the ex-mayor of Creston, and she donated a total of thirty dollars for the flags she wanted on it – like the Scottish flag. I would have done it anyway, but it was nice getting the help. She said she was from Scotland and if I painted a Scottish flag, she would donate ten bucks. I said you got it! (he laughs). She also wanted the Welsh flag; actually she did not even know if one existed so I looked it up, found it and put it up for her. So in the end she donated thirty dollars. “
Being right on the highway the tunnel attracts a lot of people. According to statistics, between May and October over 450,000 vehicles are passing through Greenwood. Arno has kept a diary of all the stories of interesting people he has met while working on the tunnel.
“On graduation this last year, I was actually expecting some damage. Anyway I was out painting one Saturday, and this car came by with a boom box, you could hear it coming for a mile a way, and they rolled down the window and shouted at me, ‘We approve of what you are doing!’ (he smiles, obviously proud of the youth of Greenwood)
I was painting here one evening and from a car that pulled up, came this young dark skinned girl. She came running out, she was all excited and yelled ‘This is my flag! I am from Mexico!’ And so her fiance had me pose for a picture with her. I gave her a brush and she went running up the ladder with a great big smile to pose for another shot. Another time, a young woman came over here and said ‘This is beautiful!’ She was admiring the American flag. That is the only one I used a stencil for. I asked her where she was going and what she was doing and she told me she had been shot up in Bosnia while in the service over there, and was permanently disabled, taking a holiday using her pension. You could tell she was still suffering
A couple of young girls stopped over here one day for lunch, on their way back from camping at Christina Lake. I had forgotton a few important things and asked them if they would mind looking after my stuff while I went back for them. So when I got back they were chatting up a storm with me! They wanted to know all about the flags. They seemed to be quite knowledgeable about most of the flags.
One day, there was this guy standing behind me who said what flag are you working on sir? (he laughs). That was the first time someone said sir to me!”
The upcoming Trans Canada Trail Relay has brought a lot of attention to the Boundary Area and is expected to draw a sizable crowd. There are over 800 communities across Canada participating in this special relay.
“We hope to have all kinds of dignitaries, the minister of highways, and we hope to see somebody from the CPR. Their preservation branch seems to be very excited about what we have done here with the tunnel. We are hoping that the CPR will give us a grant to build some walkways,put up a picnic table and plant some indigeonous plants to beautify the area and a plaque to say a little bit about the history of the landmark.”
There is a lot of railway history available at both the Greenwood and Grand Forks museums for those who want to really get into the history of it all. The old railway corridors throughout the Boundary are ideal for cross country skiing, snowmobiling, cycling and hiking because the average grade is about 3% making for easy travel.
Awesome Adventures
submitten by Grand Forks Recreation.
On Friday, April 14th the kids have a day off school and the recreation department has an “awesome” day planned.
Boys and girls ages 8 to 14 will be bussed up to Eholt and will bike the rail grade back to Grand Forks. This portion of the Trans Canada Trail is about 20 kilonetres long, consisting of flat and gentle downhill grades. Along the way the group will stop for lunch and they’ll participate in a team scavenger hunt.
The recreation department would appreciate pre-registration for this event as numbers will be limited by bus capacity. Kids will meet at the arena at 10:30 am for a “bike check” and parents are asked to ensure that bikes are in good working order. Some surfaces on the rail grade are quite rough, so good tires, well-inflated are a must.
Each child will be required to carry his or her own backpack with a packed lunch, water and some extra clothing. Adult and teen volunteers are welcome to join the group, however, they may be required to provide their own transportation to Eholt.
Parents can register their children at the recreation office or at the aquatic centre. Telephone registrations cannot be accepted as parents must sign a consent form at the time of registration. For more information call Grand Forks Recreation at 442-2202.
Walk on the
Trans Canada Trail

On Sunday, April 16th you are invited to come for a stroll on the Trans Canada Trail. Explore the section of the Columbia and Western rail grade from the Station Pub to the viewpoint overlooking the North Fork Valley.
Walkers are asked to meet at The Station Pub at 10:00am on Sunday. You can start form there or drive to Eagle Ridge and walk the grade from that point. Come and enjoy the wildlife on Ward’s Lake and the beautiful views from the grade. Each participant will receive a $5 discount coupon from The Station for lunch following the walk. For more information call the Grand Forks recreation office at 442-2202.
Coffee House Gathering
Bring the entire family to celebrate Earth Day at the Granby Wilderness Society’s Coffee House Gathering on Saturday, April 22 at 7 pm at the Seniour citizens’ Hall in Grand Forks City Park. In honor of Earth Day, the Society is seeking submissions of artwork, short stories or essays and poetry from Boundary area students. All submissions will be displayed as an Art Show at the Coffee House Gathering. Interested teachers should contact Eva at 442-5334.
There will also be a raffle draw for some very nice donated prizes. First prize is an original painting by Johannes Pedersen, framed by Christine’s Custom Framing, second prize is a family portrait and one 8-by-10 print by Eva Anthony Photography, and third prize is a gift certificate to Omega Resturant. There will be refreshments and baked goods for sale to enjoy while being entertained by local volunteer performers. Anyone interested in performing should call Dave @ 442-4218. For more information about the gathering, call Nadine at 442-8210.
Tax Tips
Moving expenses

Effective in 1999 moving expenses can be calculated in two methods: “detailed” (where you submit you receipts) or simplified” (where you claim a flat $11 per meal to a max of $33 per day and 37.5 cents /km for automobile expenses.

By Dave Brummet
On March 10th a group of entrepreneurs graduated from a three week Business Plan course offered through Human Resources Development Corporation(HRDC) and administered by the local Community Futures Development Corporation (CFDC). The course is a prelude to persons wishing to start their own business, preparing a business plan, and managing business operations, and upon completion the students will design and present their business plan to the CFDC to qualify for the Self Employment Benefits Program (SEB). The objective of the SEB program is to encourage labor market self sufficiency and enables a starting business to receive income support during the early months of planning and operation. A wide range of businesses, including service based industries, manufacturing, retail stores, eco-tours and E-commerce, graduated this time through.
Some of the skills taught in the course include; marketing (research techniques, government regulations, and advertising/promotional strategies); introduction to computers (word processing, spreadsheets, internet, and webpage design; preparing financial reports (start up expenses, sales forecasting, cash flow , and balance sheets). The course is free of charge and available to applicants currently on an active Employment Insurance claim, or had a claim within the recent past.
Community Futures was established by the federal government in 1986 to assist local communities in responding to the severe economic and labor market changes they are facing. Core funding is provided by Western Economic Diversification. CFDC’s are locally based, non-profit organizations overseen by a volunteer board of directors. Quotes from some of the graduates: “The course far exceeded my expectations” – “The marketing section left a very definitive impression on most of us” – “Very informative… I would certainly recommend it to anyone that is thinking of going into business for themselves…it is a really good course.” – “The financials part of the course, although intimidating at first, was very thorough” – “All the instructors were very knowledgeable, being that they were professionals in the field that they were teaching us”
Our local CFDC has
· created approximately 588 full-time/part-time employment opportunities
· has assisted in the development of over 180 new business starts in the Boundary Area
· lent over $1.6 million to assist new and existing businesses. Since its inception CFDC
· has been involved in 15 special projects, which have created 115 part-time positions
· has injected $2 million into our local economy.
For more information on this and other programs offered by the CFDC contact the Grand Forks office at 442-2722 or the Greenwood office at 445-6618

A Smile
Written by Hubert Bowles
I was given as a present, a copy of this poem, written in beautiful calligraphic style with colour and drawings added. I thought I would pass it on.
Costs nothing but means much
It enriches those who receive
Without making poorer those who give.
None are so rich or mighty
That they can do without it
And none are so poor but that
They could be made rich by it
A Smile
Brings happiness in the home,
Fosters good will in business
And is the countersign of friendship.
A Smile
Brings rest to the weary,
Sunshine to the sad
And is natures best antidote for trouble.
Some people are too tired to give you a smile
But give them one of yours
For no-one needs a smile as much
As those who have nothing more to give.
Proclamation 2000
press release Joyce O’Doherty – Public Participation Coordinator
This is an event designed to encourage the reading of the Holy Scriptures so that people may become more aware of the values and principles proclaimed in the Word of God and to be a unifying and inclusive activity in our area. This is a joint project of the Grand Forks Ministerial Association and the Canadian Bible Society. It has been placed in Proclamation by the Grand Forks City Council. To date it is supported by eleven churches in the Boundary Area.
The goal is the reading of the entire Bible over a ten day period for fourteen hours per day in as many communities as possible across Canada. This will be taking place at the Gospel Chapel, 7048 Donaldson Drive, Grand Forks, from Wednesday, April 5th to Friday, April 14th.
Time is 7:00 am to 9:00 pm daily. People, regardless of denomination, language, or race are most welcome to participate. Come and listen, read, or receive prayer support. This is a wonderful opportunity to become a part of a living, vibrant, uplifting happening. Proclamation began in Quebec. Over 200 readers came together in 1995 to the Bible in thirteen different languages. And it has grown.
In 1999, some fifteen Proclamations were held from Newfoundland to Saskatchewan. During April 2000, Grand Forks and Nanaimo will be two areas sponsoring a Proclamation event in B.C.
There will be a Festival of Praise to celebrate the conclusion of the ten days. It will be held at the Gospel Chapel on Sunday, April 16, at 6:30 pm, proceeded by refreshments at 5:30 pm Come and experience fellowship in song and Word.

MORE PRECIOUS THAN GOLD.
by Rhona Terry
I spotted a book ‘More Precious than Gold’ on a coffee table at a friend’s house and curious about the title asked if I could read it. … and my adventure began.
Amazed, I read about the colourful history of Ray Pendergraft and his lifetime work in the pascalite mine of Wyoming.
Pascalite is a clay that was found quite ‘by accident’ by a trapper named Pascal. He had very bad chapped, bleeding hands and while harvesting a cougar, got some of this ‘white stuff’ on his hands. He noticed when he washed it off that his hands had begun to heal. He took some with him and applied it a couple more times and his hands were fine. Eventually many people had the opportunity to use this clay and report miraculous happenings.
I was moved by the book and ordered some of this clay. In the evenings I put a bit on my gums on the right hand side only. Co-incidentally, five days later I had a dentist appointment. Wondering if he would notice a difference, I didn’t say a word but waited for feedback.
Well, I got it. The dentist said “what did you do to the right hand side of your mouth? Your right lingual is perfect and your throat is perfect on the right hand side, while pink on the left”.
That was the beginning for me