It is said that time flies when you’re having fun but I can confirm that it does the same when you’re miserable. And I was certainly that with a nasty flu bug that threw me down for days. This caused me to miss a couple of council and committee meetings including one regarding noise disturbances late at night downtown. I understand residents who call downtown home and experience this problem but I also know that bar owners are doing what they can to alleviate the situation and the City has implemented a nuisance bylaw, increased lighting, placed extra refuse containers and is working on a surveillance camera policy. Ideally this situation could be improved if we had more of a police presence during those hours however conversations with the Police Chief and Superintendent last year confirmed that an increase in RCMP members isn’t feasible here. Staff and Council will be discussing this topic further to see what solutions could come forward.

I attended the Mayor’s Caucus hosted by Cranbrook/Kimberly and the round table discussions with mayors from throughout the province were interesting and educational. It seems regardless of size all communities face similar challenges. Topics included the gas tax, ferry schedules, use of social media, healthcare, downloading responsibilities onto municipalities and policing.

I had an informal meeting with Director Government Affairs Canadian Pacific Mike LoVecchio in regards to trains passing through Fernie. Mike offered to come to council and present information and also offered to provide an educational session regarding tanker cars to our Fire Department.

I had the honour of opening the doors of the theatre to view the new banners that will be gracing Main Street this year. Thanks go to the many artists who submitted their work and Congratulations to those that were chosen. Of course this program depends on many volunteers and organizations that make it successful year after year including the Arts Station and City of Fernie.

I attended a meeting in regards to trails mapping and need to mention Pat Gilmar of the Fernie Trails Alliance, I understand he has been building and maintaining trails in and around Fernie for over twenty years. There are many members including Terry Nelson that are deeply involved. These trails are very valuable in so many ways to our community not just for the personal enjoyment of users but also for the economic benefit it brings. The Fernie Trails Alliance truly deserves a great deal of praise and thanks for the continuous work they do.

MP David Wilks, MLA Bill Bennett and I and nearly 900 others were in attendance at the Rod and Gun Club Fundraiser and I must commend this group as well for the good work they do with adults and kids. This is the oldest club of this type in the province; it is vibrant with membership due to the dedication of its members who care deeply about the environment and all life that shares it.

After months of pouring over the budget the finalized plan was presented to the public a week ago. The province mandates when this is adopted and presented to government. Thanks to Director of Finance Terry Holt for making the process relatively easy for council to study and discuss and achieve a balanced budget that didn’t require a huge tax increase.

The flooding of last June wrecked the ball fields at James White Park; getting the proper material to bring the fields up to playing standard is more difficult than it should be however the small field will be ready for the middle of the month for use.

City staff, employees and council observed the World Day of Mourning at the Workers Memorial in front of City Hall on April 28 with a short ceremony and a moment of silence. This is to commemorate workers hurt or deceased on the job.

I was invited to a grade three class at The Fernie Academy and must comment that for such a young age those kids asked some very pertinent questions. Why did I want to become mayor, how do I deal with stress, what is the most difficult part of the job, what building in town did I like the most. I spent nearly 90 minutes with them that passed quickly because they were so engaged. At the end I got a charming drawing of thanks and a most enjoyable group hug.

Jodie Parker organized a Early Learning Fair at IDES consisting of many tables of information for parents regarding what services and programs are available for children and parents. I was impressed with the number of services offered in the Elk Valley.

On May 3 the residents of Parkland Terrace held a Community Cleanup. More than 40 people showed up to work despite the snowy weather. This is a great thing for these residents to do and shows the pride they hold of the area they live in. Thank you everyone, you are a perfect example of the tremendous people that care so much for our town.

I attended several social functions including the annual Cancer Society fashion show put on by the local chapter and Yvonne Molle of Odyssey. The models were local gals that looked absolutely beautiful showing off the latest styles.

I also went to the Sorority Founders Day Event held in Cranbrook with members from Cranbrook, Kimberly, Fernie and Sparwood.

For those that didn’t attend the KAVU wing suit flyers demonstration organized by Lance Edwards you can view a video of it. Although the day was dark and dreary the flyers put on an amazing display but the video shows the guys hanging onto the helicopter and jumping and a view of Fernie that is spectacular.

2014 KAVU Canada Launch Event – Fernie B.C. from KAVU on Vimeo.

I had a remark said to me that my mayor’s updates make Fernie sound like Disneyland. I am amused at this comment. I assume the person making the statement believes I am wearing blinders or living in a dreamland. In reality, I love Fernie and I do tend to see the best in it and the people that live here. When looking for the negative it can be found in every place and in every person because nothing and no one is perfect. I happen to like emphasizing the positive and in this town we are pretty darn close to living in a perfect place. Of course I am also understanding that not everyone is pleased with decisions made, i.e. patios, and there will always be comments regarding timely removal of snow, icy roads, pot holes, pooled water on streets, cemetery, weeds or noise. These topics and others elicit heated discussions when they impact personally but it bears repeating that staff and workers do the best they can with what they have at the time to produce results as quickly as possible.

Several decades of life in this small but mighty town hasn’t dampened my spirits in believing that this is one of the best places on earth to live.