• The B.C. Supreme Court ruled the Province of British Columbia and the District of Sicamous are liable for damages caused to Waterway Houseboats’ Mara Lake property when Sicamous Creek burst its banks in 2012. Waterway was to receive more than $2 million as a result of the April 16 judgment. According to the suit filed by Waterway, Vinco Holdings, which owned the 2 Mile property the houseboat company property operated on, and a group of individual houseboat owners, remediation work after flooding in 1997 contributed to serious damage to their property and loss of income in 2012. Waterway and Vinco were awarded damages for economic loss in the amount of $887,299 and special damages in the amount of $1,166,850. Court documents state each of the defendants, including Alberta residents Bryan and Constance McLaughlin, would have to pay $684,716 to Vinco and Waterway.
• Ten projects in the Shuswap, Armstrong and Vernon were to receive their share of a nearly $1.3 million allotment of provincial government funds through the BC Rural Dividend Program. The CSRD was to receive a total of $600,000 for two projects: the Secwepmc Landmarks and Trail Sign project, and the management and design of the Sicamous to Armstrong rail trail.
• An apology began the sentencing of Shyan Davis Callingbull Coon, the 24-year-old man charged in connection to a July 2015 robbery in Sicamous which was followed by a police chase that ended in gunshots outside a Canoe residence. Coon had already spent more than two-and-a-half years in jail, giving him credit for four years. The sentence for his crimes was six years. The end result, in keeping with a joint submission from Crown and defence lawyers, is that he will serve a further two years and nine days, followed by three years’ probation.
• Linda Rollier, the woman killed in a motorcycle accident east of Sicamous on April 30, was being remembered as a good friend and a conscientious co-worker. According to Bill Hubbard, who oversees the Salmon Arm, Sicamous and Enderby Century 21 real estate offices where Rollier worked as a photographer, office administrator and other capacities for more than 10 years, she was a woman known for her positive outlook and resilience in the face of life’s challenges.
• One of the men who constructed a cabin on the foundation of the former Eagle Pass summit fire lookout was fighting $20,000 in fines the province has levied against him. Guy Maris was appealing a March 5 decision made by the B.C. Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development (FLNRORD) which finds him and Rene St. Onge in contravention of two sections of the Forest and Range Practices Act (FRPA). St. Onge died in December 2018. The decision from the ministry does not seek a financial penalty against him.
• Plans for a pair of cannabis retailers in downtown Sicamous passed muster with the district‘s council at their May 8 meeting – High Mountain Cannabis Inc. owned by Loran Radchenko, and The Sicamous Trading Company.
• The Sicamous Eagles welcomed new head coach Tyler Gunn. “Bottom line, we just want to bring a maximum effort every game and make it hard for other teams to beat us,” said Gunn. “As long as we’re playing an in-your-face style of hockey and making teams earn any goals they get against us, if they get any, I think that’s the ultimate goal.”
• A 27-year-old man was killed after falling from a cliff above Sicamous Creek on May 15. The man was hiking with two friends when he fell from a cliff above falls.
• Shuswap boat rental operators said the impact of gas prices was more moderate than expected. Mike Helfrick, owner of Sicamous’ Red’s Rentals, said he was able to start the summer offering boat gas for five cents less than what it cost at the same time last year. He noted the carbon tax, which increased on April 1, did not raise the cost of his initial fuel delivery as much as he expected, adding the price of fuel generally rises for the peak tourist season from June to August.
• Krystal’s Creative Kidz, Sicamous’ first licensed child care facility, was set to open with space for seven children. Krystal’s Creative Kidz received a $30,000 grant from the province which helped turn a garage at Johnson’s home into a bright, spacious indoor play area. The funding also helped to make the building wheelchair accessible.
• The Sicamous Museum was given a model of the former CP Rail hotel. The model was commissioned by Doug and Dorothy Hawkes, Calgary residents who had a summer house in Seymour Arm and donated to the museum.
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