NIC student housing project breaks ground
Members of the North Island College community, K鈥櫭砿oks First Nation and the Comox Valley community gathered at the Comox Valley campus to bless the site of two new student housing buildings at NIC, as part of the groundbreaking process of the project.
The housing project will see 217 beds for students, including 157 beds in a larger building and 60 beds for students with families in a separate building. The buildings will sit adjacent to the Comox Valley Aquatic Centre, close to childcare, restaurants, businesses and other amenities.
The project budget is set at $77.2 million.
Structure fire claims two lives
A structure fire in a single-family home off Ryan Road East claimed the lives of two people on Jan. 6 afternoon.
Comox Fire Rescue Chief Gord Schreiner said they received a call for the fire around 4:15 p.m. and two elderly people in the home did not survive.
He noted nearly every one of their trucks responded to the blaze in addition to 28 firefighters.
Ukrainian newcomers celebrate Christmas
The Comox Valley Ukrainian community hosted a Christmas concert and dinner on Sunday, Jan. 8.
Approximately 200 people attended the event, which was organized by those who have made the Comox Valley their new home in the past year.
For many in attendance, it was the first Christmas away from their homeland, through little choice of their own.
As the Russian invasion of Ukraine rages on, the event at Comox Presbyterian Church was not only a chance to celebrate the most important holiday of the year for Ukrainians, but also an opportunity for the newcomers to thank the Comox Valley for its generosity and welcoming attitude.
Church minister sentenced for child pornography
An itinerant church minister who pleaded guilty on two charges related to child pornography while he worked in the North Island was sentenced to nearly six months of jail time.
Aaron Farough, 36, of Fort St. John, had been charged with possession of child pornography, importing/distributing child pornography and accessing child pornography. Charges dated back to February, 2019 while he was staying at a Courtenay home of one of his parishioners in the North Island.
Life saved at Comox Community Centre
In the early morning of Jan. 3, access to an automated external defibrillator (AED) and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was the vital lifesaving support required to save a life at the Town of Comox Community Centre.
A customer in the fitness centre observed a person in distress. A quick assessment determined the person in medical distress had no pulse and was not breathing.
The quick actions of an off-duty paramedic and Comox Community Centre staff saved the person鈥檚 life. The publicly accessible AED was used, along with CPR.
Comox Fire Rescue and BC Ambulance Service arrived on the scene quickly, and the customer was taken to the hospital.
Councillor in court
Courtenay city councillor David Frisch made his first appearance in court in assault charges stemming from a dispute with his wife.
The City of Courtenay released a statement advising that Frisch was on a mandated leave of absence from Courtenay council, in accordance with the Community Charter. As published in the Community Charter, Frisch continued to receive council pay and benefits, and continued to hold office, but he could not carry out a duty as a council member.
11th hour reprieve
A Courtenay resident who had been facing deportation Monday to her native Zimbabwe has received an 11th-hour reprieve from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.
Grace Mukadzambo, 38, who arrived in Canada four years ago and has been in Courtenay since June 2021, holds down four jobs in the social services sector. She had been awaiting a decision on an application for permanent residency, but was then told she was scheduled to be deported from Edmonton.
Community members and local politicians rallied on her behalf, getting nearly 10,000 signatures on a change.org petition. Courtenay council unanimously approved a resolution from Wendy Morin to urge Immigration Minister Sean Fraser and Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino to stay the deportation and allow time for Mukadzambo鈥檚 permanent residency process to be completed.
She arrived in Edmonton on Jan. 27 and was told to drop off her luggage at the Canada Border Services Agency. While there, she received a phone call from an officer who told her the deportation order had been cancelled.
According to Mukadzambo, a letter she received from the Immigration Ministry said pressure from community members was a factor in the decision.
BUSINESS
KFN welcomes new Chief and council
Four new councillors were elected on Saturday, Jan. 7, to K鈥櫭砿oks First Nation (KFN) to form Chief and Council for the upcoming two-year term.
The new Chief and Council consists of Chief Councillor, Ken Price; Couns. Coral Mackay, Susan Savoie, and Candace Newman.
CVRD gifted 40 acres of oceanfront land
On Jan. 10, the Comox Valley Regional District announced it had received a donation of 40 acres (16 hectares) of oceanfront property in the Merville area for use as a park.
The property, identified as Maris Estates, was donated by Christopher Investments, Ltd.
Singh tours 19 Wing
NDP leader Jagmeet Singh took a tour of CFB Comox in January, as part of a whirlwind tour of Vancouver Island duties. After his visit to the base, he had a private meeting with Comox Mayor Nicole Minions.
SPORTS
Courtenay-raised hockey player wins world gold
Morgan Jackson of Courtenay has returned to Canadian soil with a gold medal she won with the national team at the 2023 U18 Women鈥檚 World Hockey Championship in Sweden.
Canada was undefeated at the eight-team tournament that ran from Jan. 8-15. In preliminary play, the squad followed an 8-0 win over Finland with a 4-2 win over Sweden and a 3-1 victory over the U.S.
Canada beat Finland in the semifinal, before routing the host Swedes 10-0 in the gold medal game.
