Looking back on all the news we have collected here at the Arrow Lakes News over the 2011 year, there were a few very clear events that defined this year.
For the small communities in the area, this year has been significant in the loss of so many lives to highway accidents. The number of people we lost have since August alone has been staggering, and no one has been untouched by the passing of someone who was a face on the street, a neighbour, a friend, or family.
But the year hasn’t been all death and endings. We have seen the construction of the Emergency Services building, and the start of a new addition to the library that will house the archives and make the building accessible to people who have been kept out by the daunting staircase to the main doors.
New people and new businesses have come to town, and some have gone on to better things, like Nancy Bertoia and Evolution Boutique.
We have seen a dramatic turnaround from feeble nomination numbers to a very different council by the closing of the polls. The new councillors will bring new perspectives to local politics, something we will all be interested in watching over the next few years.
Zoning along the waterfront suddenly became contentious – who knew? – and the small storm that blew up was handily dispatched thanks to the help of our new CAO.
But not everything was lacking in controversy, as the discussion about Hydro’s smart meters and marijuana and law enforcement showed.
Fishing remained a hot topic too, and the effects of the cuts to the Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program are still to be seen.
The wildlife, our neighbours in the mountains, made it into the news as the subject of stories and lectures, explanations and letters to the editor. Bears made their presence known this past year, unfortunately in some instances. A corner of the fascinating world of cooperative insects was explored by enthusiastic entomologists. Geese and men formed lasting friendships. It was a wild year.
Becoming the third editor of the year in August, I’ve been kept running, trying to get to everything that was going on. There was just too much to do, too much to see, too many good people to talk with.
Each time I get to chat with them, the people here again and again reveal themselves to be multiply talented, with lives full of art, athletics, volunteering, and a deep appreciation for where they live. It’s good to be here.
May the holidays and the new year be good to you and your friends and family. See you around town.