January 27, 2015 - News Leader
"...RACING IN PRINCETON IS DONE."
The final attempt at forming a new executive for Princeton Racing Days Association on January 23rd ended with the decision to dissolve the group. A total of fourteen people attended the Friday night meeting at the Library Conference Room with four of those the existing Executive members. Retiring President Karrie Crucil outlined a list of tasks requiring completion this race season prior to even starting to look at the horse situation. The total cost of operations for 2015 would be in the $80,000 range and that's just to cover licensing and potential payouts. With $27,000 in the bank, no guaranteed grant monies from the provincial lotteries corporation (which has been reduced severely over recent years) and not a single race horse to access in the interior of British Columbia, it was not a big surprise that no one in the room jumped at the chance to save the event. Even horse numbers at the big tracks on the Lower Mainland have been hit dropping from 900 a few years ago to 400 last year. "The logistics doesn¹t work anymore," Crucil said. Without horses or trainers active in the interior, the future of horse racing in the region was summed up in one statement. "I think horse racing in Princeton is done,² Crucil said as President of Princeton Racing Days. She added, "As President of the BC Interior Horse Racing Association I think horse racing in the interior is done." With no volunteers stepping forward to run the horse race event Crucil declared the meeting "a failed AGM." Discussion shifted to beginning the process of dissolving the association, which would include closing the bank account once the balance, is gifted away. Typically a 'like-minded' group would be considered a suitable choice and would satisfy requirements set out by the Society's Act. A suggestion from the floor to turn the remaining monies into a bursary or scholarship fund was met favourably by the retiring board and will be explored as a possible option.
LEGION INSTALLS 2015 OFFICERS
Members of the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 56 and Ladies Auxiliary welcomed their new officers following a potluck supper on January 23. There was a good turnout for the event, and following an excellent supper, there were a number of honours and awards presented to members who had made significant contributions to the Legion as volunteers. Wayne Terepocki and Jean Bowles received Branch Service Medals. Recruitment awards went to Karen Wittich and Cliff Glover. (see more below). Legion Zone Commander Lundeen and Auxiliary Zone Commander Wicker took over after awards presentations to swear into office the 2015 officers. Several of the Ladies Auxiliary members were unable to attend, but President Karen Wittich, Vice-President Crystal Alstead and Executive Committee member Dawn Johnson were installed. Legion Branch President Cliff Glover was installed, along with First and Second Vice-Presidents Ron McKay and Jean Bowles. Les Kinsey is the new Sgt at Arms and Doreen Poulsen is the Service Officer. The Executive Committee for 2015 consists of Bernadette Kelleher, Jim Martindale, Doreen Poulsen, Mandy Daily and Les Kinsey. Sandra Lawler is the Chaplain. Honours and Awards: Jim Turner - Past President medal and bar, Sharon Paterson - Past President bar, Cliff Glover and Bob Paterson - Finance bar, Sandra Lawler - Chaplain bar, Karen Wittich -Secretary bar, Long service medals: Bob Paterson - 30 years, Bernice Cromarty - 35 years, Maria Sadegur - 40 years. Ordinary members: Robert Huckell - 50 years. Associate members: 20 years: Laurie Marshall, Bill Weller, Ena Weller, 30 years: Les Jenner, Patricia Krastel, Ed Saprunoff, 40 years: Graham Gould, Bill Lott Numerous service pins were awarded for shorter terms of 5, 10 and 15 years.
The final attempt at forming a new executive for Princeton Racing Days Association on January 23rd ended with the decision to dissolve the group. A total of fourteen people attended the Friday night meeting at the Library Conference Room with four of those the existing Executive members. Retiring President Karrie Crucil outlined a list of tasks requiring completion this race season prior to even starting to look at the horse situation. The total cost of operations for 2015 would be in the $80,000 range and that's just to cover licensing and potential payouts. With $27,000 in the bank, no guaranteed grant monies from the provincial lotteries corporation (which has been reduced severely over recent years) and not a single race horse to access in the interior of British Columbia, it was not a big surprise that no one in the room jumped at the chance to save the event. Even horse numbers at the big tracks on the Lower Mainland have been hit dropping from 900 a few years ago to 400 last year. "The logistics doesn¹t work anymore," Crucil said. Without horses or trainers active in the interior, the future of horse racing in the region was summed up in one statement. "I think horse racing in Princeton is done,² Crucil said as President of Princeton Racing Days. She added, "As President of the BC Interior Horse Racing Association I think horse racing in the interior is done." With no volunteers stepping forward to run the horse race event Crucil declared the meeting "a failed AGM." Discussion shifted to beginning the process of dissolving the association, which would include closing the bank account once the balance, is gifted away. Typically a 'like-minded' group would be considered a suitable choice and would satisfy requirements set out by the Society's Act. A suggestion from the floor to turn the remaining monies into a bursary or scholarship fund was met favourably by the retiring board and will be explored as a possible option.
LEGION INSTALLS 2015 OFFICERS
Members of the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 56 and Ladies Auxiliary welcomed their new officers following a potluck supper on January 23. There was a good turnout for the event, and following an excellent supper, there were a number of honours and awards presented to members who had made significant contributions to the Legion as volunteers. Wayne Terepocki and Jean Bowles received Branch Service Medals. Recruitment awards went to Karen Wittich and Cliff Glover. (see more below). Legion Zone Commander Lundeen and Auxiliary Zone Commander Wicker took over after awards presentations to swear into office the 2015 officers. Several of the Ladies Auxiliary members were unable to attend, but President Karen Wittich, Vice-President Crystal Alstead and Executive Committee member Dawn Johnson were installed. Legion Branch President Cliff Glover was installed, along with First and Second Vice-Presidents Ron McKay and Jean Bowles. Les Kinsey is the new Sgt at Arms and Doreen Poulsen is the Service Officer. The Executive Committee for 2015 consists of Bernadette Kelleher, Jim Martindale, Doreen Poulsen, Mandy Daily and Les Kinsey. Sandra Lawler is the Chaplain. Honours and Awards: Jim Turner - Past President medal and bar, Sharon Paterson - Past President bar, Cliff Glover and Bob Paterson - Finance bar, Sandra Lawler - Chaplain bar, Karen Wittich -Secretary bar, Long service medals: Bob Paterson - 30 years, Bernice Cromarty - 35 years, Maria Sadegur - 40 years. Ordinary members: Robert Huckell - 50 years. Associate members: 20 years: Laurie Marshall, Bill Weller, Ena Weller, 30 years: Les Jenner, Patricia Krastel, Ed Saprunoff, 40 years: Graham Gould, Bill Lott Numerous service pins were awarded for shorter terms of 5, 10 and 15 years.
January 20, 2015 - News Leader
NEW COMMITTEE FORMS FOR SIMILKAMEEN
In partnership with Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) South Okanagan Immigrant and Community Services (SOICS) has been selected as the backbone organization to support a new Local Immigration Partnership Council (LIP) for the South Okanagan and Similkameen. The Council is made up of 50 representatives from community organizations that provide services to or have an interest in the integration of newcomers. Members have been drawn from all levels of government, immigrant serving agencies, public institutions, regional employment networks, employers, local associations and key community stakeholders. The Council is currently developing a coordinated, comprehensive and strategic approach to immigration and integration for the South Okanagan and Similkameen. Their objectives will support community-level research and strategic planning; and the coordination of effective services that facilitate immigrant settlement and integration. "At our meeting on January 7th we worked together on the first draft of our strategic plan. There was great energy and enthusiasm from all the members. It is great to come together regionally to acknowledge the value of newcomers and how we all play a role in their integration," commented Nora Hunt-Haft, Co-Chair for the LIP Council. The Local Immigration Partnership Council meets again in March to finalize the regional plan and to establish a collective approach for delivery. About South Okanagan Immigrant and Community Services SOICS is a one stop shop that works together with immigrants to help them settle, find careers and learn all they need to know about starting their new lives in Canada. Our multi-lingual staff appreciates the valuable contributions immigrants make to Canada while also understanding the difficult challenges of settling in a new country. We work together with immigrants to help them realize the full potential of their lives in Canada.
POLICY CHANGES MAY HURT RESIDENT HUNTERS
Sweeping changes to B.C.'s Wildlife Allocation Policy proposed by the Guide-Outfitters Association of B.C. would dramatically reduce residents' access to wild game and increase the number of licences sold to foreign big game trophy hunters, according to the B.C. Wildlife Federation (BCWF). This proposed change could result in 5,000 fewer hunting licences going to B.C. residents. Most jurisdictions across North America give foreign hunters 5-10 percent of the harvestable surplus of wildlife. The changes proposed by the Guide-Outfitters Association of B.C., which represents 210 outfitters who have exclusive rights to guide trophy hunters, would give foreign hunters up to 40 percent of specific game species such as mountain sheep, goat and bear, and up to 25 percent of moose and elk. In 2007 a new Wildlife Allocation Policy was established in B.C. in an attempt to fairly determine the number of hunting licences allocated, which gave foreign hunters the best share of the available hunting licences. Even then, the Guide Outfitters Association of B.C. started vigorously lobbying the government to amend or scrap the new wildlife policy. "Proposed changes to the Wildlife Allocation Policy are inconsistent with standard practices in other jurisdictions across Canada and in the United States," said George Wilson, President of the B.C. Wildlife Federation, which represents 45,000 conservationists. "There is no justification for these changes and they are not supported by B.C.'s resident hunters." The process is explained by Ken Sward of Keremeos who is the BC Wildlife Federation Okanagan Region President, "In British Columbia, Resident Hunters often rely on a Limited Entry Hunting style, which means a hunter puts in their name to a 'pot' and if their number is drawn, they are then eligible to hunt for a specific animal, be it a moose, sheep, goat or other big game animal." He says, "There are many reasons for this with the primary one being conservation. It is something that Resident Hunters often wait many years for. For many, the biggest, or worst, day of the year is when the letter comes in the mail and one discovers if you have been 'drawn' for a hunt, or not." Sward adds, "The odds of receiving a 'draw' for a hunt will go down for nearly every Resident Hunter who applies for a Limited Entry Hunt in light of the Provincial Government's recent decision." Over the last 10 years, the number of B.C. hunters has grown by 20 percent, increasing from 84,000 to over 102,000. Over the same period, the number of foreign trophy hunters coming to B.C. has dropped from 6,500 to 4,500, a decline of 30 percent.
In partnership with Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) South Okanagan Immigrant and Community Services (SOICS) has been selected as the backbone organization to support a new Local Immigration Partnership Council (LIP) for the South Okanagan and Similkameen. The Council is made up of 50 representatives from community organizations that provide services to or have an interest in the integration of newcomers. Members have been drawn from all levels of government, immigrant serving agencies, public institutions, regional employment networks, employers, local associations and key community stakeholders. The Council is currently developing a coordinated, comprehensive and strategic approach to immigration and integration for the South Okanagan and Similkameen. Their objectives will support community-level research and strategic planning; and the coordination of effective services that facilitate immigrant settlement and integration. "At our meeting on January 7th we worked together on the first draft of our strategic plan. There was great energy and enthusiasm from all the members. It is great to come together regionally to acknowledge the value of newcomers and how we all play a role in their integration," commented Nora Hunt-Haft, Co-Chair for the LIP Council. The Local Immigration Partnership Council meets again in March to finalize the regional plan and to establish a collective approach for delivery. About South Okanagan Immigrant and Community Services SOICS is a one stop shop that works together with immigrants to help them settle, find careers and learn all they need to know about starting their new lives in Canada. Our multi-lingual staff appreciates the valuable contributions immigrants make to Canada while also understanding the difficult challenges of settling in a new country. We work together with immigrants to help them realize the full potential of their lives in Canada.
POLICY CHANGES MAY HURT RESIDENT HUNTERS
Sweeping changes to B.C.'s Wildlife Allocation Policy proposed by the Guide-Outfitters Association of B.C. would dramatically reduce residents' access to wild game and increase the number of licences sold to foreign big game trophy hunters, according to the B.C. Wildlife Federation (BCWF). This proposed change could result in 5,000 fewer hunting licences going to B.C. residents. Most jurisdictions across North America give foreign hunters 5-10 percent of the harvestable surplus of wildlife. The changes proposed by the Guide-Outfitters Association of B.C., which represents 210 outfitters who have exclusive rights to guide trophy hunters, would give foreign hunters up to 40 percent of specific game species such as mountain sheep, goat and bear, and up to 25 percent of moose and elk. In 2007 a new Wildlife Allocation Policy was established in B.C. in an attempt to fairly determine the number of hunting licences allocated, which gave foreign hunters the best share of the available hunting licences. Even then, the Guide Outfitters Association of B.C. started vigorously lobbying the government to amend or scrap the new wildlife policy. "Proposed changes to the Wildlife Allocation Policy are inconsistent with standard practices in other jurisdictions across Canada and in the United States," said George Wilson, President of the B.C. Wildlife Federation, which represents 45,000 conservationists. "There is no justification for these changes and they are not supported by B.C.'s resident hunters." The process is explained by Ken Sward of Keremeos who is the BC Wildlife Federation Okanagan Region President, "In British Columbia, Resident Hunters often rely on a Limited Entry Hunting style, which means a hunter puts in their name to a 'pot' and if their number is drawn, they are then eligible to hunt for a specific animal, be it a moose, sheep, goat or other big game animal." He says, "There are many reasons for this with the primary one being conservation. It is something that Resident Hunters often wait many years for. For many, the biggest, or worst, day of the year is when the letter comes in the mail and one discovers if you have been 'drawn' for a hunt, or not." Sward adds, "The odds of receiving a 'draw' for a hunt will go down for nearly every Resident Hunter who applies for a Limited Entry Hunt in light of the Provincial Government's recent decision." Over the last 10 years, the number of B.C. hunters has grown by 20 percent, increasing from 84,000 to over 102,000. Over the same period, the number of foreign trophy hunters coming to B.C. has dropped from 6,500 to 4,500, a decline of 30 percent.
January 13, 2015 - News Leader
RACING DAYS TRIES AGAIN
The Princeton Racing Days Association will attempt once more to host an annual general meeting and elect a new executive. This is not the first time the group has tried to hold elections in the past few months and if the meeting next week is not successful the group will likely fold. Karrie Crucil, who has recently filled the seat of President, told the News Leader last week that the illness of a family member has caused her to shift her attention away from the event. The group will be celebrating fifty years of horse racing in 2015 although there have been more than one race season when live racing did not take place at Sunflower Downs. Should Racing Days fold, as has happened once before, there will be a huge void to fill on the Canada Day weekend. There are currently a number of established activities held in conjunction with Racing Days/Canada Day but the live horse racing event was the major draw bringing tourists to Princeton from near and far. There has been talk in and around town about a possible Motorsports event and as of last week there had been discussions online of hosting an international goldpanning event on the dates traditionally used for Princeton Racing Days. The Racing Days Association AGM is set for 7:00 PM on January 20th in the Princeton Library Conference Room on Vermilion Avenue. Everyone, including new members, are welcome to attend.
WORLDWIDE STORMS SET DECEMBER RECORDS
November was really bad worldwide, and December kept up the trend. For the second year in a row, people froze to death in northern India as cold swept as far south as Delhi. For the second year in a row, snow hit the Mediterranean area, including the Middle East. Malta had snow for the first time in more than 50 years, due to a 'weather bomb' that began with hurricane force winds in Ireland and Scotland, huge waves battering shorelines, then swept south across Europe, bringing snow and high winds. In some areas, this storm crippled utilities with ice storms. Snowstorms brought record snowfalls to eastern Russia, northern China and Japan, and these storms were cold enough to partially freeze the huge Yellow River Falls. The equatorial regions of the Orient were hit with huge rain storms, bringing record floods to the Phillipines, Malaysia and Indonesia. In Australia, a solid week of thunderstorms brought hail, rain and unusually severe electrical activity to Sydney. Hail and lightning caused flooding and widespread damage to the area. Sao Paulo, Brazil, had been suffering from drought, but rainstorms pounded the area in December, resulting in flooding. The United States, for the second consecutive winter, experienced cold weather throughout the eastern seaboard, the Midwest and southwest. On North America's west coast, a major Pacific storm brought heavy rain and strong winds. There was flooding in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and many other coastal communities. Some areas were hit with mudslides, and several families lost their homes. In a real freaky part of the storm, the cold air in the southwest met the warm incoming air and San Diego had snow! During December, there was a sudden increase in volcanic activity around the world. By the end of the month, Popocatapetl in Mexico erupted after a few years of quiet. A surprising number of freak weather phenomena hit in the form of water spouts, which are hurricanes over open water. Two hurricanes hit Midwestern USA's more southern states in December, a rare occurrence, as hurricane season is officially over in November. In the Arctic, most of the sea was frozen, except in the Berrants Sea area. Hudson Bay, Baffin Island and the western shores of Greenland were covered with ice. More freezing is expected this month, making the Arctic ice situation just slightly below average, but nowhere near the record low ice of 2007. Antarctic ice had expanded in 2014, but is expected to begin melting this month. Scientists are watching carefully to see how much ice melts in the austral summer.
The Princeton Racing Days Association will attempt once more to host an annual general meeting and elect a new executive. This is not the first time the group has tried to hold elections in the past few months and if the meeting next week is not successful the group will likely fold. Karrie Crucil, who has recently filled the seat of President, told the News Leader last week that the illness of a family member has caused her to shift her attention away from the event. The group will be celebrating fifty years of horse racing in 2015 although there have been more than one race season when live racing did not take place at Sunflower Downs. Should Racing Days fold, as has happened once before, there will be a huge void to fill on the Canada Day weekend. There are currently a number of established activities held in conjunction with Racing Days/Canada Day but the live horse racing event was the major draw bringing tourists to Princeton from near and far. There has been talk in and around town about a possible Motorsports event and as of last week there had been discussions online of hosting an international goldpanning event on the dates traditionally used for Princeton Racing Days. The Racing Days Association AGM is set for 7:00 PM on January 20th in the Princeton Library Conference Room on Vermilion Avenue. Everyone, including new members, are welcome to attend.
WORLDWIDE STORMS SET DECEMBER RECORDS
November was really bad worldwide, and December kept up the trend. For the second year in a row, people froze to death in northern India as cold swept as far south as Delhi. For the second year in a row, snow hit the Mediterranean area, including the Middle East. Malta had snow for the first time in more than 50 years, due to a 'weather bomb' that began with hurricane force winds in Ireland and Scotland, huge waves battering shorelines, then swept south across Europe, bringing snow and high winds. In some areas, this storm crippled utilities with ice storms. Snowstorms brought record snowfalls to eastern Russia, northern China and Japan, and these storms were cold enough to partially freeze the huge Yellow River Falls. The equatorial regions of the Orient were hit with huge rain storms, bringing record floods to the Phillipines, Malaysia and Indonesia. In Australia, a solid week of thunderstorms brought hail, rain and unusually severe electrical activity to Sydney. Hail and lightning caused flooding and widespread damage to the area. Sao Paulo, Brazil, had been suffering from drought, but rainstorms pounded the area in December, resulting in flooding. The United States, for the second consecutive winter, experienced cold weather throughout the eastern seaboard, the Midwest and southwest. On North America's west coast, a major Pacific storm brought heavy rain and strong winds. There was flooding in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and many other coastal communities. Some areas were hit with mudslides, and several families lost their homes. In a real freaky part of the storm, the cold air in the southwest met the warm incoming air and San Diego had snow! During December, there was a sudden increase in volcanic activity around the world. By the end of the month, Popocatapetl in Mexico erupted after a few years of quiet. A surprising number of freak weather phenomena hit in the form of water spouts, which are hurricanes over open water. Two hurricanes hit Midwestern USA's more southern states in December, a rare occurrence, as hurricane season is officially over in November. In the Arctic, most of the sea was frozen, except in the Berrants Sea area. Hudson Bay, Baffin Island and the western shores of Greenland were covered with ice. More freezing is expected this month, making the Arctic ice situation just slightly below average, but nowhere near the record low ice of 2007. Antarctic ice had expanded in 2014, but is expected to begin melting this month. Scientists are watching carefully to see how much ice melts in the austral summer.
January 06, 2015 - News Leader
COUNCIL APPROVES SCHEDULE
The Town of Princeton follows a schedule of convening Regular Meetings on the first and third Monday of each month, however, a few changes were recently proposed to address a series of date conflicts. The first meeting of 2015 will not be until January 19th due to the Christmas/New Year's Holiday Break. The first meetings in July and August have been cancelled and to accommodate the 2015 UBCM Convention the September 21st meeting will be moved to September 28th. Committee of the Whole meetings will now be scheduled 'as needed' except where notice of a special meeting is waived by unanimous vote of all Council members (in accordance with the Community Charter). The Regular Meetings of Town Council start at 7:30 PM and are held in the Conference Room of the Princeton Regional Library on Vermilion Avenue. They are scheduled for the following dates: January 19, February 2 and 16, March 2 and 16, April 7 and 20, May 4 and 19, June 1 and 15, July 20, August 17, September 8 and 28, October 5 and 19, November 2 and 16, December 7 and 21. Airport Select Committee Meetings are held at the Princeton Regional Airport Terminal at 4:00 PM on the last Tuesday of every second month. The 2015 meeting schedule is as follows: January 27, March 31, May 26, July 28, September 29 and November 24. Although the regular monthly meetings of Town Council are open to the public, presentations to elected officials must be prearranged in order to be included in the agenda of an upcoming meeting. Details can be found at the Town of Princeton website www.princeton.ca.
RCMP 2014 Year In Review
RCMP Sgt. Barry Kennedy of the Princeton Detachment presented a year in review at the December 15th regular meeting of Princeton Town Council. There was a total of 1,939 calls for service between January 1st to December 1st which is up 61 calls, or 5 calls per month from the 1,878 recorded for the same time frame in 2013. "We've been quite busy," Sgt. Kennedy stated. "Our overall charges have gone from 80 in 2013 to 88 in 2014 and our Criminal Code charges have decreased from 67 to 56 respectively, a decrease of 19%." As for calls within the Town of Princeton there were 897, up from 883 the previous year with "a total of 31 Criminal Code charges within the Town limits for this year." Sgt. Kennedy pointed out that the Victim Services Unit has been in operation since September 2014. "In that time, 18 files were generated for which a service was provided." Sgt. Kennedy went on to praise the program stating, "They have been vital in providing support to victims of crime, providing a presence in court in a measure of support and are a huge asset to the community." The community priorities of Traffic Safety, Community Safety and Substance Abuse have been addressed over the past year with a combination of education and enforcement where Sgt. Kennedy pointed out that, "If we can educate first and enforce later" results will continue to be positive. "We continue to have a presence on our highways and school zones and we continue to utilize South Okanagan District Traffic Services to assist in providing a police presence." Over the past year there has been one vehicle impounded for excessive
speeding with a total of 141 collisions reported with 45 resulting in personal injury and two of which were fatal accidents. This is up from 2013 that saw 117 accidents with 50 injuries and two fatalities. Sgt. Kennedy added, "This year, we were diligent in targeting drug related offences and impaired driving." Stats show a total of three check stop programs conducted over the year, which resulted in 17 impaired drivers being removed from the streets during those campaigns. There were also 13 drug related offences identified with a large marijuana grow-op identified and investigated.
The Town of Princeton follows a schedule of convening Regular Meetings on the first and third Monday of each month, however, a few changes were recently proposed to address a series of date conflicts. The first meeting of 2015 will not be until January 19th due to the Christmas/New Year's Holiday Break. The first meetings in July and August have been cancelled and to accommodate the 2015 UBCM Convention the September 21st meeting will be moved to September 28th. Committee of the Whole meetings will now be scheduled 'as needed' except where notice of a special meeting is waived by unanimous vote of all Council members (in accordance with the Community Charter). The Regular Meetings of Town Council start at 7:30 PM and are held in the Conference Room of the Princeton Regional Library on Vermilion Avenue. They are scheduled for the following dates: January 19, February 2 and 16, March 2 and 16, April 7 and 20, May 4 and 19, June 1 and 15, July 20, August 17, September 8 and 28, October 5 and 19, November 2 and 16, December 7 and 21. Airport Select Committee Meetings are held at the Princeton Regional Airport Terminal at 4:00 PM on the last Tuesday of every second month. The 2015 meeting schedule is as follows: January 27, March 31, May 26, July 28, September 29 and November 24. Although the regular monthly meetings of Town Council are open to the public, presentations to elected officials must be prearranged in order to be included in the agenda of an upcoming meeting. Details can be found at the Town of Princeton website www.princeton.ca.
RCMP 2014 Year In Review
RCMP Sgt. Barry Kennedy of the Princeton Detachment presented a year in review at the December 15th regular meeting of Princeton Town Council. There was a total of 1,939 calls for service between January 1st to December 1st which is up 61 calls, or 5 calls per month from the 1,878 recorded for the same time frame in 2013. "We've been quite busy," Sgt. Kennedy stated. "Our overall charges have gone from 80 in 2013 to 88 in 2014 and our Criminal Code charges have decreased from 67 to 56 respectively, a decrease of 19%." As for calls within the Town of Princeton there were 897, up from 883 the previous year with "a total of 31 Criminal Code charges within the Town limits for this year." Sgt. Kennedy pointed out that the Victim Services Unit has been in operation since September 2014. "In that time, 18 files were generated for which a service was provided." Sgt. Kennedy went on to praise the program stating, "They have been vital in providing support to victims of crime, providing a presence in court in a measure of support and are a huge asset to the community." The community priorities of Traffic Safety, Community Safety and Substance Abuse have been addressed over the past year with a combination of education and enforcement where Sgt. Kennedy pointed out that, "If we can educate first and enforce later" results will continue to be positive. "We continue to have a presence on our highways and school zones and we continue to utilize South Okanagan District Traffic Services to assist in providing a police presence." Over the past year there has been one vehicle impounded for excessive
speeding with a total of 141 collisions reported with 45 resulting in personal injury and two of which were fatal accidents. This is up from 2013 that saw 117 accidents with 50 injuries and two fatalities. Sgt. Kennedy added, "This year, we were diligent in targeting drug related offences and impaired driving." Stats show a total of three check stop programs conducted over the year, which resulted in 17 impaired drivers being removed from the streets during those campaigns. There were also 13 drug related offences identified with a large marijuana grow-op identified and investigated.