Quadra Island RCMP say they are looking to the public to help solve a series of thefts that occurred during January. 

Police say the spree started on Jan. 21 when they received a report of a stolen bike at April Point Marina between 7:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. 

The bike’s brand is a specialized mountain bike with front suspension and rear, red and white with a pink tire on the back and a white one on the front.  

Another report of theft occurred on Jan. 23 when RCMP was called to the Hoskyn Channel Landing when the owner stated they were missing between 60 to 70 litres of fuel. A report also says eight days later a second call was put in for gas siphoning from a parked vehicle in the same area. 

An undisclosed amount of cash, sunglasses, breath mints, and other items were stolen after a truck window was smashed near Hoskyn Channel Landing between January 3 and 4. Along with the stolen items the individual stole jumper cables and rope. 

Quadra RCMP says if anyone has any information on the string of thefts to contact their office at 250-285-3631 or Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-8477.   

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After its former superintendent left for the Comox Valley, School District 72 is welcoming a new superintendent and CEO to start this year formerly from the Comox Valley.

The district says Geoff Manning will take the position at the start of September. Manning comes to it from the Comox Valley School District where he had many leadership jobs over 20 years, according to SD 72.

Manning was most recently the acting superintendent but has also been a vice-principle or principle at six different schools. He was also to director of instruction for kindergarten to grade 12, assistant superintendent and deputy superintendent.

They add he believes in building positive relationships is the key to connecting everyone in creating an effective learning community.

Some of his professional highlights include working closely with the K’ómoks First Nation to create a new Local Education Agreement focussing on improving Indigenous student outcomes, supporting environmental initiatives across the district and working collaboratively with the District Parent Advisory Council.

“Geoff has a reputation as a visionary leader known for bringing people together,” said SD 72 Board chair Kat Eddy.

“He exemplifies the values of positive relationship building and collaboration that is so important in our school district. Under Geoff’s guidance and direction, we look forward to continuing the collaborative work that our district has undertaken, specifically over the last four years.”

Manning adds that he is excited to be joining the district and to work with its Board of Education, Indigenous rights holders, partner groups, and the entire staff.

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BC Hydro is moving towards starting seismic upgrade projects at two Campbell River facilities, that will create nearly 200 jobs if approved.

The upgrades would be made to the Strathcona and Ladore facilities in the Campbell River hydroelectric system. They say the projects will replace or upgrade seismically deficient structures and components, and make them more resilient in the case of an earthquake.

A major part of the project will include making a deep channel at the Strathcona Dam that forms a low-level outlet in the rock on the right side of the dam. It will be around 330 metres long, 29 metres wide and 17 metres deep, according to hydro.

Upgrades to the Ladore site will see the spillway gates become more reliable.

Talks about the projects have been made since 2015 to create the plans, and BC Hydro says they have now been submitted to the BC Utilities Commission for approval. Should they get the go ahead, construction is set to start in 2025 and be completed in 2028 with a forecasted 180 jobs needed.

“These safety-driven large capital projects are so important for the Campbell River area,” said North Island MLA, Michele Babchuk.

“I appreciate BC Hydro’s ongoing commitment to comprehensive community engagement, and I encourage people to take every opportunity to learn more about the project’s design and constructability considerations, fish and water quality protections, and the hundreds of jobs as well as subcontractor opportunities, particularly for First Nations.”

Seismic upgrade projects were approved in early may for the John Hart Dam. They are set to start in July and generate around 100 to 150 jobs per year.

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The Campbell River Wings and Wheels event is cancelled because of improvements coming to the airport.

The event was supposed to return this year after not running for two years because of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the city.

They say many improvements to airport lighting, visual aids and taxiways will be made this year.

The construction will make it difficult for the airport to have this space to host the event this year.

“While the city was looking forward to hosting the first Wings and Wheels event since 2019, needed improvements to airport infrastructure limit our ability to provide on-site parking and other accommodations,” said airport manager Dennis Brodie. “With construction at a peak in July, it is not possible to provide an accessible environment to host this event in 2022.”

Despite the changes, Campbell River mayor Andy Adams says the event will return in the future.

“The city proudly supports the tremendous celebration of community spirit that is the annual Wings and Wheels Event,” said Adams. “Although we cannot facilitate the event in 2022, the community can look forward to its return in 2023, when necessary airport improvements are complete.”

Wings and Wheels has been hosted by Sealand Avian along with the city since 2013.

The upgrades are being done with $4.5 million in funding from the Infrastructure Renewal program investment.

The city says they partnered with Transport Canada and the Airport Capital Assistance Program, who contribute over 80 per cent of the project costs.

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Upgrades will be completed this summer to downtown’s Beech Street for accessibility and active transportation.

The City of Campbell River announced that work will be done between Alder Street and 10th Avenue.

The upgrades will include infrastructure changes, like new water, sewer and storm mains, new roadways to meet commercial standards, pedestrian-friendly improvements like lighting and crosswalks, and aesthetic changes to match adjacent downtown revitalization projects.

Traffic calming measures will also be added to make the area safer for pedestrians. Mayor Andy Adams says the projects will make the downtown better.

“By expanding our revitalization work throughout downtown, we further our goals of a more vibrant and accessible city centre that encourages use by our residents as well as visitors,” said Adams. “This renewal project provides for increased residential living downtown and improves the area for a range of users.”

The work is expected to begin in early summer.

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The Discovery Passage Aquarium in Campbell River is set to reopen in May with upgrades and different sea life expected.

The aquarium will be opening on May 21, earlier than the last two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a release. They say the earlier opening allows the team to gather more sea creatures, like hermit crabs and other species of fish, that are not around later in the season.

This year will welcome a new creature to the party, bringing with it a new theme, according to aquarium manager and curator Ricky Belanger.

“We can expect a healthy, happy octopus,” he said. “Usually every year there is a theme to the upgrades to the infrastructure we have at the aquarium. But this year we’ve put a lot of work into the behind-the-scenes infrastructure.”

Belanger said they have added a reciprocating cooler to keep the water, specifically for the octopus, comfortable. The change comes after last summer’s heat dome had an unfortunate effect on the aquarium's displays.

“The heatwave on June 28 forced our hand and we had to release a great deal of our collection because the water that we were pumping into the aquarium from the sea was too warm for a lot of our animals,” he said.

Belanger says he feels fortunate to continue with the aquarium after the pandemic was hard for island facilities, with the Port Alberni Aquarium closing.

However, the pandemic gave the aquarium a lot of time to reflect on what they were doing well and perhaps not so well, according to Belanger.

“I can’t say I’m very grateful for the pandemic, but we aren’t letting any crises go to waste here,” he said.

With the aquarium emerging from the pandemic, Belanger says he’s looking forward to having a more normal season, adding visitors will be able to come to the aquarium with a little less anxiety.

The early opening will allow for more volunteers to work at the aquarium in July and August with extended hours.

Discovery Passage Aquarium will be open from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Thursday through Monday in May and June. They will be open seven days a week with hours extended to 7:30 p.m. Thursday to Monday until the end of Labour Day weekend.

More information about the aquarium can be found on their website.

READ MORE: Vancouver Island aquarium shuts doors for final time

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If you’ve ever come off Highway 19 and into Campbell River, the initial impressions of Campbellton may not be what was expected of a mid-Island city.

The industrialized area of Campbellton has been left behind when it comes to ‘sprucing up’, according to past Campbellton Neighbourhood Association chair Brian Shaw.

“It’s not exactly a lovely end of town,” said Shaw.

“Because Campbellton is the industrialized end of Campbell River, when people enter Campbell River by the freeway they don’t get to see the best of part of Campbell River to start off,” he added.

But now, a recent project has come together to make the entrance a bit more attractive, while tying it into the area’s history.

“All we wanted to do in order to improve the looks of Campbellton is take the eyes of the visitor off of the industrial sector and give them something to look at, like an airplane.”

The now finished Beaver aircraft has been placed on a pedestal at the start, or finish, of Highway 19 for when visitors come and go from Campbellton.

The planning for the project began as far back as 2013, as an idea sparked by a nearby pond. Shaw said the floatplane seemed to fit the area well.

The plane also shows a very important piece of Campbell River history, according to Shaw. Planes were a very important mode of transportation in the 1960s.

“In the 60s, the floatplane port at the spit was the most active in Canada,” said Shaw. “The airplane itself has been the tool that the forestry, mining and fishing sectors have all done extremely well over the last hundred years.”

He says the association is wanting to show pieces of Campbell River’s history through the additions to the site.

Sealand Aviation donated the aircraft in pieces to be put together for the project. While the plane doesn’t have a certificate of air, it is still an accurate creation of what a plan in the 1950s would look like.

The red and grey paint job also features the original BC Airlines logo from the first planes.

The plane will be placed on a pedestal, high off the ground. They’re planning to have it illuminated with light from below and have all the correct lighting for night flights.

Shaw said being able to see the plane finally put together is a triumph after setbacks in getting the project approved by the Ministry of Transportation.

“It took forever, seemingly,” he said. “I’m ecstatic! I couldn’t be happier for Campbell River.”

As a resident of Campbellton, Shaw said it’s a big step forward in improving the city and making it a better place to live.

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Students at Carihi High School in Campbell River removed some litter behind their school, making it a bit more green.

The forestry program students cleaned up the area that has creeks and wetlands nearby, according to Small Planet Energy co-founder Tara Jordan.

The land is normally used by the forestry class for practices like tree identification, mock timber cruises, traversing, map making, soil sampling and dangerous tree identification.

The items filled the entire dumpster at the school.

“They found several shopping carts, a bunch of construction debris but the large majority of what they found was bear garbage,” said Jordan.

“This forest is near a residential area, we all know that we’re supposed to keep our garbage away from bears but a lot of it has been dragged into the forest, torn apart by bears, and then left because you don’t know where garbage has been dragged to in the middle of the night.”

Jordan reminds you to be mindful of your trash during bear season to prevent these scenarios.

The students also entered the Small Planet Cleanup contest that runs until April 30. Jordan adds this year $4,000 in cash prizes is available for cleaning up trash in Campbell River and the Comox Valley Regional District.

Jordan adds more than 100 people have come to take part and some heartwarming experiences have been highlighted over the last few weeks.

“A girl and her family were out in the forest cleaning up garbage and they came across what looked like debris and she noticed a tiny little tree frog in the garbage,” said Jordan. “So she used a bunch of natural materials like bark and moss to build the frog a home.”

Jordan says this highlights the importance of taking care of the earth and ourselves.

Contest details can be found on the Small Planet Energy website. Jordan says she thanks the sponsors for supporting the contest once again this year.

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A display of decorated T-shirts will be on display to mark Prevention of Violence Against Women Week in Campbell River.

The display, called the Clothesline Project, will open to the community on April 14 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Spirit Square. The T-shirts have been created by people who have been affected by abuse, according to the Campbell River and North Island Transition Society.

They add all community members are invited to view the project and have an opportunity to decorate a T-shirt and hang it on the clothesline.

The project began in the U.S. in 1990 as a way for women affected by violence to express their emotions by decorating a T-shirt, according to the press release.

“It’s a display of society’s ‘dirty laundry’ that aims to take the issue of violence against women out of the shadows,” read the release.

“Blue and red T-shirts represent sexual abuse, yellow or beige T-shirts represent abuse by a partner, white T-shirts represent murder, purple T-shirts represent assault because of sexual orientation and green T-shirts represent children who have been affected by violence.”

Prevention of Violence Against Women Week goes from April 10 to 16. The Campbell River and North Island Transition Society says studies show that 760,000, or four per cent, of Canadians over the age of 15 have experienced abuse from an intimate partner.

Campbell River also hosts a display called “These Hands Don’t Hurt”, where non-abusive males trace their hands on a white sheet, according to the transition society.

The society adds confidential help can be found at the following places:

• Ann Elmore Transition House: 250-286-3666
• Community-Based Victim Services: 250-287-2421
• Campbell River Women’s Centre: 250-287-3044
• North Island Survivors’ Healing Society: 250-287-3325

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The Campbell River Minor Hockey president hopes to see the community come together with Hometown Hockey after two difficult years in the sport.

Stewart Dumont says hockey teams in Campbell River were poised to do well in provincials before the pandemic began. However, the door was shut and difficult changes were soon to follow.

“We really didn’t have hockey,” he says. “We started a season, got three or four games in, and basically just went back to just practice only because of the cohort regulations and such.”

He says it was a struggle to keep kids interested and people weren’t sure about being on the teams during the pandemic. He also says the strike at the local rink caused a difficult situation for hockey in the town.

“That lasted 10 weeks, so that was just to add fuel to the flame as far as what we had to deal with,” he added.

However, Dumont is encouraged by Hometown Hockey coming to the area. While he says April is a difficult time as baseball season starts, the events planned will hopefully draw out the crowds.

He says the community’s passion for hockey survived the two-year ordeal and came back strong after the strike at the rink.

“The thing that really was heartwarming for Campbell River was that once the strike ended and the regulations got dropped we were able to hold a provincial tournament,” he says.

“We had a couple teams that had very successful playoff runs. It was really almost a resurgence back to the Tyee hockey that we’ve come to know.”

He says Hometown Hockey now shows that “hockey’s back” and will be a great night for the Monday night broadcast with the Vancouver Canucks game.

Games that will be featured include road hockey and hardest shot and other prizes will be given out. He hopes the community and its history will be shown at the event.

“I just think it’s a nice showcase for hockey in this community and it shows off our volunteerism and I think it’s a nice thing,” said Dumont. “We have a rich hockey history.”

He adds that local hockey commentator Kyle Bukaukas will be there for a homecoming.

Hometown Hockey runs in Campbell River from April 16 to 18.

READ MORE: Hometown Hockey tour coming to Campbell River

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