10 years ago (2003): Tembec Industries announced it would suspend operations at three mills in less than two weeks time, including the one at Canal Flats. A Tembec official blamed the closing on the Canada-U.S. softwood lumber dispute — and the resulting tarriffs and duties — coupled with a strong Canadian dollar. “We have no choice now,” said Tembec vice-president Charles Gagnon. The Canal Flats mill employed 200 people.

15 years ago (1998): More than 250 concerned citizens came to a public meeting to discuss the valley’s rising rates of teenage crime. Vandalism was up 31 per cent from the year before, said the RCMP’s Ed Kalin. Invermere resident Marg Rasmussen suggested putting the skateboard park somewhere more accessible than the crossroads might help.

20 years ago (1993): Invermere councillors at a committee of the whole meeting struggled to come up with a viable solution to late-night beach parties on Kinsmen Beach, which had resulted in vandalism and complaints. Ideas to barricade the beach by locking gates were floated, but the district’s lawyer advised against it, saying  it could be a legal liability should an emergency arise and could also be a breach of the covenant of the property.

30 years ago (1983): Two David Thompson Secondary School student attended a Canada-wide science fair in Saskatoon. One of them, Evan Bueckert, managed to appear in the Saskatoon newspaper.

40 years ago (1973):  The Invermere Lions’ Pancake Breakfast kicked off David Thompson Days celebrations. A brisk breeze helped Jim Peyte win the festival’s sailboat race.

50 years ago (1963): The Regional District of  East Kootenay said it would look for a new airport location in the Invermere area after an impasse in negotiations with the Shuswap First Nation. The existing airport was built on land leased from the Shuswap eight years previously with the agreement that lease fees be renegotiated every five years. The first renegotiation had dragged on for three years, however, and both sides hired lawyers.