50 YEARS AGO:
Clearwater Improvement District was sending its first tax notices. Money raised was to pay for administrative expenses, the cost of organizing the improvement district, and a feasibility study for a proposed water system.
Postal service began from new, government-built post offices in Clearwater and Blue River.
45 YEARS AGO:
The Canadian Radio and Television Commission agreed to an early hearing in Ottawa to receive a proposal from NL Broadcasting to establish a 1,000 watt re-broadcasting AM radio station in Clearwater.
40 YEARS AGO:
Central North Thompson Chamber of Commerce was re-activated during a meeting of about 80 people at the Wells Gray Hotel. It was the first meeting held for well over a year, said president Ken Kjenstad. He cited the TV repeater, tourist booth and annual Citizen of the Year banquet as examples of Chamber projects.
Clearwater Ski Club needed $225,000 to upgrade the ski hill, Joe Wadlegger told MLA Rafe Mair. This would include a T-bar and accessories. CTP had donated 65 acres to the club.
A Royal Commission into Uranium mining was to hold hearings across the province, including one in Clearwater on June 8.
Fred McLellan of Clearwater Timber Products was elected as a director of the Interior Lumber Manufacturers’ Association.
35 YEARS AGO:
May Queen candidates were Deena Seybert, Michelle Turcotte, Domini Smith, Debbie Fochler, Cindy Fraser, Laura Shipley and Veronica Hansen.
Don Montrichard, a Grade 8 CSS student, represented School District 26 at the Science Showcase in Vancouver with his science project, “Paleontology.”
30 YEARS AGO:
A 2,000 square foot Clearwater Health Center was to be built next to Dr. Helmcken Memorial Hospital, said hospital board chairman Dale Sargeant. It would house the South Central Health Unit, Home Support, and Drug and Alcohol Foundation.
The area between Little Fort and Vavenby was an obvious location for a pulp mill, felt TNRD Area A (Clearwater-Vavenby) director Paul Caissie.
25 YEARS AGO:
School District 26 (North Thompson) faced a half-a-million dollar shortfall in its budget for the second year in a row. Finance committee chair Hazel Wadlegger commented, “… we have decided to put expenditures at a level that is more realistic.” Cutbacks would include reductions in clerical staff and closure of the district resource center.
20 YEARS AGO:
Clearwater Chamber of Commerce president Colleen Foucault chided businesses for not participating in a round table discussion of winter tourism. Two Upper Clearwater businesses took part, and several bed-and-breakfasts, but no one from any Clearwater hotels, motels or restaurants was at the meeting. “How do we make this community realize how important this is?” asked Foucault.
15 YEAR AGO:
The provincial government declined a request to look into a road connecting Clearwater and Wells Gray Park with 100 Mile House and the Cariboo. The Ministry of Water, Land and Air protection did not support the proposal due to environmental considerations, said Kevin Falcon, the Minister of Transportation.
School District 73 dropped a high school program at Blue River after a one-year trial. However, an apprenticeship program for outdoor guides to be located in the community was still to go ahead. Only four secondary school-age students had signed up for the program, explained CSS principal Rick Kienlein.
10 YEARS AGO:
Well over 100 local residents showed up for a provincial all-candidates forum organized by Clearwater and District Chamber of Commerce and the Times. Kesten Broughton from the Work Less Party attended as well as Terry Lake of the Liberal Party, New Democrat Doug Brown, April Snowe for the Green, and Clearwater’s own Wayne Russell of the Refederation Party. The economy seemed to be the main issue of debate.
The Wilderness Committee and Sierra Club BC questioned a comment made by Environment Minister Barry Penner regarding the number of rangers in B.C. Parks. Minister Penner, responding to media reports that the number of park rangers was to be cut almost in half, said in a media interview that the number of rangers on-duty for the spring and summer will likely drop from 225 full-time equivalent positions last year to about 200 in 2009.
Three Clearwater ranchers took in 10 starving horses rescued from the 100 Mile House area. Pictures of dead and dying horses had appeared on the evening news in early March. Those who watched had been appalled by the starved state of the horses found near Canim Lake.
5 YEARS AGO:
Students from Raft River Elementary School kicked off the Clearwater School Garden Project as part of Earth Day.
Little Fort Herefords captured several of the top honours during the 77th annual Williams Lake Bull Show and Sale, including grand champion, junior champion, reserve junior champion, best pair of bulls and best string of bulls.
1 YEAR AGO:
Residents of Thompson-Nicola Regional District learned they were going to have to sort their recyclables. Following a public education program, the TNRD board of directors approved implementation of a source-separated, multi-stream recycling system. The new system was to have six streams: fibre, containers, plastic bags and overwrap, white foam packaging, coloured foam packaging and glass bottles and jars.
Community officials, Legion members and members of the public gathered for a formal decommissioning of the cenotaph in Clearwater. The cenotaph was being removed to make way for a new well-house. A new registered cenotaph was scheduled to be erected at a later date.
Wells Gray Community Forest distributed a total of $2.2 million to projects in Clearwater and Wells Gray Country since its inception in 2006. The figure includes about $1 million given out as regular grants and $1.2 million in large grants (for example, $300,000 to District of Clearwater for the bio-energy heating unit for the Sportsplex).
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