Fritz Takes Final

$ 25 Salt Spring meditates PAGE 27 1(incl. GST) Wednesday, February 28, 2007 47TH YEAR ISSUE 9 YOUR COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER SINCE 1960 DriftwoodGULF ISLANDS Chamber of Commerce | 30 What’s On | 26 [email protected] www.gulfislands.net Index Fritz Arts ............................ 17 Classifieds ................. 34 Crossword .................. 37 takes Editorials .......................8 Ferry Schedules ........ 31 Health ......................... 24 Horoscope .................. 37 fi nal Letters ......................... 9 Sports ......................... 31 TV Listings ................. 15 .................. 26 bow What’s On “I bet he had more friends than anybody -/24'!'%15%34)/.3 on the island.” ASK!RLENE — Cathie Newman By SEAN MCINTYRE Driftwood Staff ",/ –––––––––––– Michael Levy still fi nds it *"/ hard to believe Fritz the Cin- ema Cat isn’t there when he shows up for work at Central Hall each afternoon. Weather “Normally I would open Chance of rain today the door and he’d be wait- (Wednesday), cloudy ing,” said The Fritz owner- tomorrow, periods of operator last weekend. “Now rain all weekend. Highs you open the door and he’s to 11 C (Saturday); nowhere to be found. It feels overnight lows to 4 C very strange.” on Friday. Not only has the news of Fritz’s passing left a sense OSCAR WINNER: Denise Beck wins a “Timmy” for best actress at Island Star Video’s annual Salt Spring of emptiness among those Oscar party held Sunday at the Harbour House Hotel. See photo of more winners on Page 21. who cared for him, but many Inserts Photo by Derrick Lundy island residents are wonder- • Thrifty Foods ing if life will ever be the • Pharmasave same at Central Hall. • Ganges Village Market “He was so much to so • Home Hardware many people,” Levy said. Housing project gets fi nal puzzle piece • Mark’s Work Wearhouse “The response has been By SEAN MCINTYRE “Every sector has contrib- Planning for the Muraka- Island Community Services incredible. Some people just Driftwood Staff uted to this project and this mi Gardens project began Society. Gauthier said more North End Fitness enjoyed seeing him on their Work on a groundbreaking is the fi nal piece.” in 2005 after Salt Spring than 50 people have already way to and from work.” 537-5217 affordable housing project is For more than a year, residents Richard and Rose signed on to a waiting list for Just before 6 p.m. on ready to begin following last Gauthier has worked with Murakami dedicated the for- the units. Wednesday, February 21, week’s provincial govern- regional, provincial and mer fish plant property at Monthly rents will range Fritz, aged 11, wandered ment announcement to pro- federal non-profi t and gov- 167 Rainbow Road for use from $500 to $900. A pre- into the path of an oncoming vide more than $1 million ernment agencies to secure as low-income housing. liminary report defi nes the vehicle in front of the the- for the project. funding for the $4.9-million Rental of 27 units — six project’s target as “the sin- atre. Reasons for the incident “The fence is up and we’re project. studios, 14 one-bedroom, gle person or family who remain unclear, although ready to go,” said Janis With construction slated five two-bedroom and two requires safe and secure some accounts report Fritz Gauthier, project coordinator to start in March, the project three-bedroom apartments housing, and whose income was “spooked” off the Cen- for the Murakami Gardens is expected to wrap up in — will be administered HOUSING 2 tral Hall steps. affordable housing complex. early 2008, Gauthier added. through the Salt Spring Fritz was dead by the time he arrived at veterinarian Malcolm Bond’s offi ce. “He bled out internally Marina operators defy stop work order and was dead on arrival,” Construction along the Ganges Har- stop work order issued on February 12. 2:30 p.m. “We can’t fl y off the handle said Bond. bour shoreline offi cially began Tues- The CRD enacted the order as work- and strap on the jackboots.” Well-wishers began plac- day afternoon as workers began pour- ers prepared to pour concrete founda- Temmel said the CRD will likely ing fl owers and notes in front ing concrete despite a stop work order tions for a series of accessory buildings issue tickets until the work stops. of Fritz’s modest yet cozy issued by the Capital Regional District covering roughly 55 square metres (600 “They will continue to rack up the home within hours of his (CRD). square feet) below the intersection of fi nes over and over again,” he said. death. Over the weekend, a “We’ve been hired to do a job and we’re Park Drive and Lower Ganges Road. Speaking to the Driftwood earlier small plant appeared atop told to go ahead,” said contractor Barry Now that work has begun, Uli Tem- this month, Ganges Marina spokesper- the telephone booth Fritz Long at the site just after 2 p.m. “We’ll mel, the CRD’s chief building inspector son Steve Azyan said the company’s used to catch the late-after- work all night if that’s what it takes.” on Salt Spring Island, said he is assess- lawyers maintain it has every right to noon sun. On Tuesday morning a CRD bylaw ing his options. build on the site without a building per- enforcement offi cer issued a $100 ticket “We have to follow due process,” he mit. Azyan did not return phone calls A year of FRITZ 2 to a worker for failing to comply with a said, moments after the pour began at placed on Tuesday afternoon. celebration 10% off Tuesdays GANGES LITTLE fundrfundraiaiserser & 100 (some restrictions apply) VILLAGE MARKET LEAGUE registration Saturday Mar. 3 10am - 2pm registration Closer to the Community Hot Dog or Hamburger & a Drink PLEASE HELP by minimum donation SUPPORT THE KIDS! Locally owned and operated OPEN DAILY 8am - 9pm 2 ▲ WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2007 NEWSBEAT GULF ISLANDS DRIFTWOOD FRITZ lift HEALTH From Page 1 Animal lover Cathie New- Judging by the communi- your spirits... man still fi nds herself in the ty’s response, the island isn’t PAGE habit of stopping by the hall likely to hear the end of Fritz some mornings after years for some time. PAGE 24 of caring for the cinema cat. The driver behind the “He was my little bit of wheel of the vehicle has sunshine,” Newman said. “I offered to lend her creative bet he had more friends than talents in the sculpting of a anybody on the island.” commemorative statue and When you want the When Fritz arrived at Cen- Levy would like to install best! tral Hall from his kittenhood a plaque just above Fritz’s 6 different long arm home on Fort Street near home. Walker Hook, he bore little Central Hall Society chair models from resemblance to the cat so David Holt said Fritz’s legacy many island residents have can hopefully translate into delight come to know and love. some long-needed action to your Life was tough up north improve traffi c safety at the and Fritz eventually decided Central intersection. tastebuds... he’d had enough and began “We are all quite devas- his great southward trek, tated,” he said. only to end up at the centre “If anything, this might be SAWYER SEWING CENTRE of an island’s attention. the impetus for something 3400 Douglas • 1-888-229-2266 positive at that intersection. DEAN SAWYER www.sawyersewing.com Within weeks, community members donated a felt How hard can it be to put up scratching post, a makeshift FLOWERS FOR FRITZ: Cinema owner Michael Levy two more stop signs?” Organizers are planning shelter and wool bedding, poses near a bouquet left in one of Fritz’s favourite and Central Hall’s board of what they hope will rank LAST CHANCE! haunts. Photo by Sean McIntyre directors warmed to the idea among the island’s largest All in-stockwarm chainsaws of having a resident cat. as a gimmick to publicize “This is a little animal and memorial services when the “Part of what made him the theatre. people were willing to go cinema doors are opened for youron soul... sale now! an integral member of the “It was never a type of to bat for him. You can only people to bid Fritz a final cinema was that it took some thing where you ring a bell imagine what would have adieu on March 10. time to develop this relation- and expect him to show up,” happened if a small child Humourist Arthur Black Sale ends ship,” Levy said. “At fi rst, it he said. was taken,” he said. will host the event at 2 p.m. March 9th was just like there was this “This is a defi ning part of “Salt Spring came togeth- and Salt Spring musician cat hanging out and it kept who we are. Fritz showed er to fi ght for an animal that Jamie RT will perform a hanging out and that sort that we can come together had no means of fi ghting for special number in the cat’s of started a whole chain of even though we don’t always itself when somebody came memory. events. He just showed up agree.” along and grabbed him.” “It a time for Salt Spring- and developed this relation- “We do have this spirit and Louise Nye, author of the ers to get together and ship with everybody. After we are not Vancouver, Vic- recently published Fritz the remember one of their own. all was said and done and toria, Nanaimo or Duncan.

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