Merritt Morning Market

The Connector, heading up Hamilton Hill, as seen from the Coldwater River path near Claybanks (Dec 31st). Next week is 'Family Literacy Week'. The 2021 Interior Savings Unplug and Play Family Literacy Week runs next week, Jan. 24-30 and encourages families to spend time together while participating in a wide variety of fun literacy activities... Read full issue merritt-morning-market-3517-january-22Download Or read on Scribd http://merrittmorningmarket.com/20//22/weekend-edition-88/

POISON IVY This photo was taken on the railbed next to the Nicola River, along Hwy 8. All parts of the poison ivy plant leaves, berries, roots & broken stems contain a poisonous resin, urushiol, poisonous in all seasons. Contact may cause a reaction, inflamed areas develop blisters & intense itchiness, 24-48 hrs after contact. https://merrittmorningmarket.com/

MOBILE LIBRARY The TNRL Mobile Library will be in Lower Nicola beside Shah’s Courtesy Corner Store tomorrow, Thursday January 14, 2 pm until 3pm. Covid-19 social distancing measures in effect. LIBRARY TAKE-OUT ONLY. Books on hold are bagged and ready for pickup. Requests at the door filled on the spot if available, time permitting FMI tnrl.ca. Next visit in 3 weeks on February 4, 2021. https://merrittmorningmarket.com/

STATE OF EMERGENCY EXTENDED The state of emergency has been extended through the end of the day on Feb. 2, 2021, to allow government staff to take the necessary actions to keep British Columbians safe and manage immediate concerns and COVID-19 outbreaks. I know this has felt like the longest winter ever, but we’re starting to see light at the end of this pandemic tunnel, so don’t give up now, said Premier John Horgan. The hard work of British Columbians in flattening the curve continues to pay off, vaccines are on the way, and we’re working on a strong recovery. There is too much at stake to let our guard down now. https://merrittmorningmarket.com/

‘COLDEST NIGHT OF THE YEAR’ EVENT The Nicola Valley Food Bank will host a covid-safe, family-friendly walk to raise money for charities serving people experiencing homelessness, hurt, and hunger. Merritt is 1 of 2 of the smallest communities in BC that are participating in this national walk. Let’s walk 2 or 5 kilometres in someone else’s shoes to show the nation that we are a small community with a heart full of pride and compassion. Walk virtually or in-person on February... 20, 2021. You can walk on your own or with your family in your bubble on a date that is convenient for you. Get involved by joining a team or get a team of your own together. Organizers are looking for captains, participants, donors and volunteers. To be a part of this national walk, please log into CNOY.org/nicolavalley and check out the site. FMI contact Derlanda, Josie, Sherry or Danielle at [email protected] https://merrittmorningmarket.com/ See more

COVID-19 NUMBERS IN INTERIOR HEALTH - JANUARY 12 Yesterday, the BC Centre for Disease Control reported 67 new COVID cases for Interior Health. 37 currently hospitalized, 254 hospitalized to date, 9 currently admitted to ICU, 40 confirmed deaths to date, no new deaths overnight. 3830 Recovered. In Merritt, Mongos has closed due to an employee testing positive last week. Meanwhile, Starbucks has reopened. https://merrittmorningmarket.com/

LETTER - CITY COUNCIL: PRO-DEVELOPER OR PRO-CONSTITUENT? Much community discussion of late has centred on housing developments, Forksdale Avenue and soon, Spring Bank as arguably the most contentious examples. Mayor Brown and Council have been grappling with addressing the need for rental housing amid accusations of being pro-developer. An unenviable position to be in and I commend them for their efforts. One must remember however, that politicians are elected not to rule,... but to serve. Out of town developers do not elect city councils. The current groundswell of resistance and anger by adversely affected residents, it should be noted, is unequivocally not over the construction of such needed housing, but rather the proposed absurd locations of such large scale developments. Spring Bank Avenue, for example, is a profoundly quiet, semi-isolated neighbourhood populated mainly by seniors who have built their down-sized retirement homes or live in one of the quaint town houses. Needless to say, a forty unit, multi-level social housing complex with plans to double is obviously a poor fit. (Residents have, to my knowledge, unanimously signed a petition against the proposal.) The Official Community Plan was developed with much effort, expense and hype as a blueprint for a thoughtful, measured and collaborative approach to city growth. Two key elements of the plan state that, A) the project must complement and respect the character and scale of existing residential development in the area and B) the project must not negatively affect the existing quality of life within the neighborhood. Without stating the obvious, those two clauses alone should provide the required impetus for council to, on behalf of their constituents, direct city staffers to work diligently with proponents to secure more sensible and practical locations. Should council act in stark contravention of their (our) vaunted OCP and approve the zoning applications in question, then it is probably not worth the paper it is written on. Should council disrespect and defy the near unanimous wishes of entire neighborhoods, then one can only assume motivations outside the scope of their mandate. Sincerely, Steve Rose, Merritt https://merrittmorningmarket.com/ See more

MERRITT RCMP REPORT - SHOOTING & STABBING SHOTS FIRED Merritt RCMP is investigating after a man allegedly discharged a firearm during an apparent neighbour dispute Saturday evening in Kane Valley. On January 9, 2021 just before 8pm, Merritt RCMP responded to a 9-1-1 emergency call after a Kane Valley resident allegedly fired a non-restricted firearm towards a neighbouring residence during a dispute. The Southeast District Emergency Response Team was immediately deployed to Me...rritt to assist, while front line officers responded to the scene to assess the situation. Local officers worked quickly to tactically extract a man and a woman from the home that had been fired upon, according Sgt. Josh Roda of the Merritt RCMP. The pair were unable to safely escape from the potential danger on their own. Police were aided by Central Interior Traffic Services & the Kamloops RCMP Integrated Road Safety Unit. The suspect, a 44-year-old Merritt man, was taken into custody at approximately 2am by the RCMP Southeast Dist. ERT without further incident. A further search of the man’s residence led to the seizure of a shot gun. The BC Prosecution Service has approved criminal charges against Christopher Jonathan Skidmore including uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm, unauthorized possession of a firearm, careless use or storage of a firearm and unlawfully discharge a firearm. If you witnessed this incident, or you have any additional information and have not yet spoken to police please call the Merritt RCMP at 250-378-4262. STABBING On January 10, 2021, Merritt RCMP responded to the Rocky Pines IR in Lower Nicola for a complaint of an assault. Police arrived to find that one of the two combatants had multiple stab wounds. The most serious of which was a puncture wound to their abdomen. The injuries required immediate transport to Royal Inland Hospital and emergency surgery. The victim remains in hospital. The suspect was arrested on scene and also taken to hospital with minor injuries. Charges will be forwarded for Crown’s consideration. https://merrittmorningmarket.com/ See more

2 COVID CASES AT MSS On Sunday Jan. 10th, parents of MSS students were advised that a Merritt Secondary School community member tested positive for COVID-19 on Jan. 4th. They are self-isolating at home, and Interior Health is now contact tracing. Yesterday afternoon, Q101 reported that School District 58 confirmed a 2nd positive case, with exposure having occurred on Jan. 6 & 7. Despite two positive cases now being confirmed by the district, as of Tuesday evening, the Interi...or Health Authority has not added Merritt Secondary to their list of school exposures. q101.ca Meanwhile, SD58 Superintendent Stephen McNiven asks that if you are contacted by Interior Health, to follow their advice. If you are not contacted by IH, it has been determined that your child is not at risk of developing COVID-19. Also, students should continue to go to school while contact tracing is underway, and he reminds parents to continue daily health checks to monitor your child for illness. https://www.sd58.bc.ca/ https://merrittmorningmarket.com/ See more

Looking south from Voght Park towards the hills & the flats, where a development proposes 373 residential units, including 98 townhomes, 95 mobile homes in a seniors (55+) development, up to 180 condominium right there at the foot of the hills.