Haunted Castle
Halloween returned to Youbou Hall in a little different format. Rather than the usual indoor haunted house, the exterior was transformed into a haunted castle. Little princesses and brave knights encountered a magic dragon, ghostly steeds, a treasure-laden fishing moat and a perilous candy chute that catapulted sweet treats from the castle buttresses. Thankfully, all emerged from the castle gates in one piece, in time for the fireworks in the school field. Thanks to all who volunteered to decorate and distribute candy, the firefighters (and CVRD) for the fireworks, and the new owners of the Yount school, who kindly allowed the use of the field.
Fire Department Salute
Thanks to our volunteer fire department, Halloween once again ended with a dazzling display of fireworks, reigniting a long-standing Youbou tradition. Procuring and lighting the annual Halloween fireworks is just one of the many things our Youbou Volunteer Fire Department does for our community. Firefighters have stepped up for Canada Day firetruck parades during Covid, the annual Santa Christmas pre-inspection tour, and the hearty regatta breakfast (which we hope returns next year), just to name a few.
While the community activities are brilliant, our fire department serves us best by responding to fires, motor vehicle accidents, and medical emergencies. The volunteers train every Thursday night for several hours and have had to be creative about training during Covid. We’re grateful for their service. If you see any of these dedicated firefighters around town, be sure to give them a fist-bump and say thanks.
Chief Orest Smycniuk, Deputy Chief Cam Hamilton, Captain Grant Daly, Captain Faron Harvy, Captain Todd Vaughan, Lieutenant Bill Cheal, Lieutenant Stu McKee, Lieutenant Dave Sutfin, Lieutenant Ed Vanherwaarden, Jillian Bradley, Jarret Hambley, Lori LaFave, Richard Madill, Stan Nelson, Kim Smycniuk, Junior Firefighter Elijah Vaughan, Emily Vaughan, Justin Vaughan, and Madison Vaughan.
Christmas Craft Fair
Get a jump on your holiday shopping and support local artisans at the Christmas Craft Fair on Saturday, November 27, at the Youbou Community Hall from 10 am to 2 pm. You’re likely to find handicrafts, jewelry, baked goods, and art pieces—perfect for gifts or just for you. One difference this year: due to Covid protocols, there will not be a concession for lunch.
If you’re an artist wanting to book a $15 table to sell your wares, call 250-749-6742. Doors open at 8:30 am for vendor set-up and at 10 am for the shopping public.
Hall Fun and Fitness
Recreational opportunities are returning to the Youbou Community Hall—bowling, pickleball, Qi Gong, and open gym. Pre-registration is usually needed for hall events and changes do occur, so before heading to the hall, check this link: https://issuu.com/cvrd/docs/cvrd_rec_guide_fall_2021_w_cover?fr=sYmVlODE0NzA0ODM.
Save Our Holmes Update
By Karen Deck, President,
Save Our Holmes Society
TimberWest/Mosaic is moving ahead with logging plans, first announced in 2017 at an open house at Youbou Community Hall. Four cut blocks, each 10 football fields in size, will be logged over the next few years, with more to follow. There is a lot of action near Blocks A and B to the east, which is very troubling. Meade Creek residents on the high side are already dealing with flash floods and gravel deposits that have been occurring for years. I worry it will just become worse with new logging. Block B, which you can see on our Save Our Holmes YouTube channel, is full of springs. Those surfacing in the lake bring cooler water to Kokanee salmon in the north arm. Most worrisome, though, is the potential harm to Aquifer 190, our drinking water source, which runs the length of our community and is unconfined and highly vulnerable. I wish we could share some good news with you, but we hold out hope that future discussions with TimberWest/Mosaic will yield some positive results. If you wish to see more about the Save Our Holmes Society’s concerns, please email: save.our.holmes@shaw.ca
Weir and Lakefront Properties
By Leroy Van Wieren, Project Manager
Lake Cowichan Weir Project
If you’ve been worried how raising the level of the Cowichan Lake weir might affect your lakeshore, now you can find real answers based on science. A Shoreline Assessment project has been studying potential impacts on lakefront properties. You can learn how to use a newly developed Property View Tool to see potential impacts on your property on Wednesday, November 17 at 7 pm via an online meeting. Through this tool, you can zoom to see the various lines or markers on your property, much like Google Maps but with lines that represent the project’s work. You’ll be able to see the low-water mark, property title boundaries, existing weir elevation, new weir elevation, average high water mark, 1 in 200-year flood line, the present natural boundary and a modelled future natural boundary. More details on how to join the meeting will be coming in the mail and on cowichanlakewier.ca in the homepage TAB.
Water affects the shoreline in different ways and is highly dependent on wind/wave energy, the type of material the shoreline is made of, the slope of the beach and how long the water stays at different elevations. While you can learn about the projected effect on your property through the Property View Tool on November 17, understand that the study is still measuring and modelling the research data to gauge the impact of raising the weir. This work won’t be completed until February 2022, so watch for a final update in March 2022.
Background: The purpose of raising the weir is to store more water in early spring so it can be released throughout the dry summer and fall months. Therefore, more water would exist along the shoreline in the spring. Once the water reaches the height of the weir, the lake level would continually decline as water flows out over the weir. Storing more water means fewer extreme low-water events and therefore less likelihood of needing to pump water from the lake to the river. Low-water conditions are linked to grounded docks, additional water hazards (rocks), riparian vegetation drying up, reduced fish habitat, and limited or no fish access to tributaries. With the weir design complete, some next steps would be to agree on a Water License holder for the new Conservation License, then undergoing an approval process with that license holder. If approved, then construction funding would be finalized and contracts would be awarded. This will take a few years.
It’s a Date
November 2: Mens’ bowling league starts
November 17: Wier property impact meetingNovember 27: Christmas Craft Fair
Thursdays: Ladies bowling league
Fridays: Family bowling and Qi Gong
Saturdays: Adult bowling
MTTF rainy mornings: Pickleball
Are You a YCA Member?
The Youbou Community Association is involved in helping community activities happen, such as the monthly newsletter, holiday decorating, and other events throughout the year. While we love our facebook friends, an official family lifetime membership in the organization is just $10 and involves filling out a form. It is a key to knowing what’s going on around Youbou as well as giving you a vote at our annual meetings. We’ll email you our colourful community newsletter every month. To join, reach out to cherylmtutor@gmail.com
Got News?
If you’d like to contribute news for the newsletter about a public event happening (or not happening) in or around Youbou and Area I, please send particulars about date, time and place to julia@raedwulf.org. You can also check our web site at youbouyca.com and our Youbou Community Association facebook page for the latest information.
Your YCA Board
Chair: Julia Martinusen
Co-Chair: Lori LaFave
Secretary: Randall Wilson
Treasurer: Steve Watt
Social: Eva Fearon, Garry Fearon
Publicity: Allan Gott
Membership: Cheryl Morgan
At large: Spencer Day
At large: Debbie Smith