For those who do not know (of course you may not even care) I was elected by the FVRD board to serve a third term as Chairman. It will be a busy year as the Province moves to shift services to local governments, everything from diking to policing costs.
    The Boston Bar water study is moving along we will soon be holding a public meeting to inform the proposed users of the costs for the system, to answer questions and listen to suggestions. Once this has been done and a service area identified the users will vote as to proceed or not.
    There is a new (used) loader at the landfill. It is on a lease to purchase with final ownership being the Landfill Society. The loader provides for a more efficient and faster handling of the garbage. FVRD and the Landfill Society have been exploring ways of reducing the costs of operating the site. One of the options is to allow material from outside the service area to be deposited at the site. There would be a fee charged and by monitoring how much is being introduced the affect on the lifespan of the landfill would not be significantly reduced.
I thought I would let you know some of the committees and organization I am part of.
Of course the Fraser Valley Regional District Board - Chairman,  ........ FVRD executive committee - Chairman
Hope and District Recreation Commission - Chairman................... Hope Airpark Commission- Commissioner
Lower Mainland Municipal Association- Director ............................. Municipal Finance Authority - Director
Fraser Basin Council - Director alternate.............2004 B.C. Summer Games nominating Committee - Director              
Fraser Valley Treaty advisory - Director ......Yale Treaty Negotiations - negotiator with the B.C. South Team
Sea-to-Sky Resource Management Planning - Director....Vancouver Coast Mountain Tourism Region - Director
Fraser Valley regional Hospitable District - Director...........Fraser Canyon Strategy Committee - Chairman
    With the help of the Fraser Health Authority I am the interim chair of a committee that will be dealing with the issue of transportation for the elderly in the Hope to Boston Bar area. We will be meeting with organizations through-out the area to design a strategy and then to implement the same, stay tuned.  
I have also sent a letter to the Minister of Transportation, Judith Reed, with copies to MLA Chutter, Thompson Nicola  and Okanagan Similkameen Regional Districts stating that when  highways one or three are closed for a period longer then 24 hours then the toll should be removed from the Coquihalla Highway until the other routes (s) are opened. I am not against toll highways provided there is an alternate route that is toll free. While I know the highway crews are doing their best, I breathe a sigh of relief when I am back in  their   area;    some things  are  beyond  their control. I wonder  how  quickly  the  ministry   would  react   to  the closure  when  they are  losing  the  toll  monies  from  the Coquihalla.  
      We    are      moving    ahead   with  the  removal  of  Provincial     Highways    from   our  Fire    Service area,   this     will     enable  us    to  bill  Provincial Emergency Program  for    the    costs    of   the   Fire    Department  responding    to  car accidents, at present ICBC and other insurers will not cover the costs and the cost of equipment use is being covered by the local tax payers, this  would have to be approved by the Minister of Municipal affairs so again stay tuned. This has not been tried before so we are hoping for the best.


    A delicious spaghetti feast was prepared and served on Monday January 27th by Boston Bar First Nations Youth Group.  The entire community was invited to the fund-raiser and we observed that many of them attended.  
    The young chefs were decked out in waiter's black and white to lend an air of formality to the evening. Real table cloths and cutlery was much appreciated as was the wonderful table service!  The spaghetti was very good, but by far the best thing offered was the piping hot bannock...although the home made apple pie, made by the youth group themselves, was also outstanding!  A whopping profit of over $250 was reported, these funds will go directly into the program for craft supplies etc.
Boston Bar First Nations Youth Group meets at Canyon Lanes on the 1st Saturday of every month.  Organizer, Julie Grafinger stresses that ALL KIDS are welcome to come out and join the fun!


Two CP Railway Police Service trucks pulled up in front of Fraser Canyon Family Place last Wednesday.   BC District Inspector Ian Libbey, Constable Frank Blandford and another officer, (sorry, I missed your name!) unloaded several computer monitors that they have donated to our kids!  The rest of  the computer systems are also coming after the hard drives are wiped clean.  The computers are older models, but will be internet capable, so our little preschoolers will be able to surf with a parent!  Thanks CPR Police!!  

Parvo  in North Bend causes several pet deaths

In the last couple of years, several dogs have died of Parvo virus in North Bend, some simple precautions can prevent more deaths, vaccinating your puppies and proper disinfection of an infected area can make a huge difference in your pets lives.
    Most adult dogs have encountered the parvovirus, either naturally (maternally) or through vaccines. These natural antibodies pass on  to puppies (called maternal antibodies) when they nurse in the first few days of life. Maternal antibodies initially give a pup protection from parvovirus, along with many other viruses and bacteria. They last for a variable period of time, and start diminishing by around 2 months of age, this is when vaccinations should start.  It is at this time that a pup starts becoming vulnerable to the parvovirus.  Domestic cats or people are not known to get this disease. Pigs can get their own version of parvovirus, but it does not affect dogs or act in a similar manner. The disease is caused by a highly contagious virus that is transmitted mostly by dogs orally contacting infected feces. Being a virus, they  are not capable of reproducing unless they invade a cell. Once inside the cell they take over and force the cell to produce so many new virus particles that the cell eventually bursts, releasing these new virus particles into the bloodstream and tissues so they can invade other cells. The only thing that can stop this is the immune system.   The parvovirus can linger in the environment for many months, allowing it to affect other dogs. It can withstand common household disinfectants (except bleach) and can withstand freezing winter temperatures. It can be spread on the hair and feet of dogs, in addition to shoes, clothes, and eating utensils.
The majority of dogs presented with parvovirus show signs of fever, lethargy, vomiting, diarrhea, and lack of appetite. They are very ill, with significant abdominal pain. The virus is so strong that it literally causes the lining of the intestines to slough. It is painful to eat, and with the severe diarrhea and vomiting that is present, they rapidly become dehydrated.
Treatment-Dogs with parvovirus need immediate veterinary care because they are usually very sick. They should not be treated at home if they are significantly ill.  It is common for them to be hospitalized for 5 days
Prevention- As with all infectious diseases, minimizing exposure from infected animals is the most effective means of prevention. Since infected dogs shed large amounts of virus in their stool, contamination is always a possibility. The virus is quite resistant in the environment, especially in public areas that are not disinfected. This is a good reason to keep your pup away from these areas until it is older, worm free, and had its full series of dog vaccines.  Since this disease occurs mostly in puppies, worms   (internal parasites)   and    poor  nutrition  add susceptibility. Puppies should be wormed frequently until they are 3 months old. If you had a dog die of parvo vets recommend   thorough cleaning with diluted bleach (1:30 with water, or 4 ounces of Javex in a gallon of water)  and   waiting   1-2  months before introducing a new dog to the area. Spray the yard as best as possible with a hose and keep  new dogs  away from the area for 1-2 months. Pups  that  have recovered  from parvo do not get the disease later in life.  They can completely recover and lead a normal life.


Police report that our community has been very quiet and law-abiding for the last several weeks.  You are reminded of the meeting on Feb 17th, 7pm at the hall to discuss a vision for highway traffic enforcement.
    Residents are also reminded to watch out for spot checks, which will be specifically targeting defective vehicles.  Broken lights and indicators can be dangerous, but broken and severely cracked (longer than 12”) windshields can result in  severe injury during a rollover by seriously compromising the structure of your vehicle, making it collapse deeper than it would if the shock absorbing windshield was intact.  Police will be ticketing drivers and/or  removing vehicles from the road that are seriously defective.  
 Police would like to remind drivers that a “friendly flash” to oncoming vehicles to warn them of a police spot check is definitely NOT a service to the community!  “Just imagine that a child has been abducted” says Constable Fiddler, “If we are on the lookout for a specific vehicle that is suspected to be carrying an abducted child, would you want other drivers warning the criminals that police were right up ahead?  We often get 10 or more alerts in a day, sometimes it is a stolen vehicle, or a stolen boat, or a vehicle involved in a crime. By flashing your lights at that vehicle, those criminals will take a different route, or pull off the road and wait for police to leave.”  Flashing your lights to warn of police ahead is a criminal offence, you could be charged with obstruction under the criminal code.    
    Police would like to notify residents of a recent Supreme Court ruling, stating that Bell Expressvu and Starchoice communications are the only two satellite companies authorized in Canada.  “Grey market” satellite systems are now illegal and anyone using one should get rid of it. Special task forces are going from community to community spotting the systems in peoples yards.  If anyone is caught using an illegal system they could be charged under the Radio-telecommunications Act.



     Spam, which used to trickle in at one or two messages a day has increased dramatically in the last 18 months. Industry analysts predict that by the end of 2003, two out of four emails will be unsolicited spam mail.
While spam does not contain malicious payloads like viruses or worms, it can be just as destructive. In the case of a small, medium or even enterprise-level company, critical email address such as sales@companyname.com, support@companyname.com etc. can be polluted with spam to the point where they are essentially rendered unusable by a company. No person will have the time or the desire to manually go through thousands of spam messages just to find the one or two legitimate emails that are lost in the crowd. This can directly affect the ability for a business to effectively conduct business online.  Personal e-mail addresses can also be inundated, with spam making reading your mail more a chore than a pleasure
    Now imagine an email hoax that pretends to be a "virus removal toolkit." This hoax sounds very official and asks users (consumers and business users) to immediately find and delete a system file that is supposedly infected by a deadly virus. What happens in reality is that the end user deletes a critical Windows file, essentially disabling their PC. These attacks cannot be detected by conventional anti-virus software because there is no malicious file or code for the AV engine to detect. And talk about offensive! The percentage of pornographic offers that are sent to email addresses every hour is mind-boggling. Without some sort of email content filtering, employees (not to mention children) are being exposed to these crude and offensive emails on a daily basis.   The following practices will help you reduce the thousands of unwanted messages that pollute your email inbox:
  ·    Don't post your email address online. You'd be surprised how often you use your email address for     
  newsletter subscriptions, in chat rooms or to join online groups. Before you post your email address, know
  whether it will be displayed or used. Then use a "public" email address when necessary.
  McAfee Security also recommends the use of a filtering program, such as McAfee SpamKiller. Your favourite computer software supply store will advise you on what's available

Online Adventure-www.virtualmuseum.ca/English/Games/index, a new web based interactive railway safety game for kids called "Safe Trax."
“Computing With Confidence” Sponsored by Wee Bee Tunes and PC's, Hope, BC, Canada