Somebody mentioned to me a while back that we need to do more to bring awareness to our valley in order for our economy to improve. This was a month or two ago and I responded that we really had received a fair bit of nationwide press lately. The two topics I thought about at the time were the Whiteway project and the deer cull. Both ends of the spectrum as far as how we would like to be perceived perhaps, but you know the old saying about there being “no such thing as bad publicity,” so here is a little more along that vein…

In the past week, the renowned Dr. David Suzuki visited and spoke to a capacity crowd at the community hall. Several children from the area will be able to tell their children and grandchildren that they saw and heard the famous scientist speaking in their hometown. Those who attended were truly inspired by his address and still amazed that he was in our small community.

The saga of the deer in our community continues… and will keep on as the lawyer for the Invermere Deer Protection Society suggests their suit against the District of Invermere may be precedent-setting for future animal control issues throughout the province.

Our MP David Wilks has also brought the spotlight to this riding with his comments regarding Bill C-38. He has been forthright in speaking with his constituents about procedures in Parliament and the roles various politicians play in government.

The Columbia Valley Chamber of Commerce’s Women in Business group met last week for a canoe/kayak in the Columbia River wetlands. This was not necessarily a newsworthy event but I wanted to bring it up because this is a unique habitat for a wide variety of plants and animals that is known about throughout the world. We are very fortunate to have it in our backyard to enjoy.

So is it true, did Oscar Wilde get it best when he said, “The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about”? Is this notoriety helpful?

I don’t think there’s any doubt in anybody’s mind that we live in a little bit of paradise from a purely esthetic perspective. Are we doing all we can,or should, to invite the world to join us? That does, of course, bring up the question, do we really want to do more?