The Harrison Agassiz Chamber of Commerce has purchased Christmas lights for the Village of Harrison, to help celebrate the season annually. The Chamber donated $8,000, from last year's paddle wheeler trip, to the project.

The lights will decorate the new plaza, Esplanade and Hot Springs Road and come just in time to be in place for the Festival of Lights, being held November 28 in both Agassiz and Harrison Hot Springs.

Case closed

The provincial ombudsman has closed the file on a complaint stemming from the most recent mayoral election.

A man officially complained to the ombudsman, concerned that a local mayoral candidate acted inappropriately at an advance polling station. He was also concerned that the Village of Harrison Hot Springs failed to investigate the alleged incident.

The report from the ombudsman does not identify the complainant or the candidate in question.

It was alleged that the candidate "improperly remained for an unreasonable period of time at the advance polling station, made remarks about his candidacy and spoke on a cell phone."

The ombudsman investigated whether the Village followed reasonable process following the complaint, and has determined that it did.

Wild no-no

The Village received a request from Elizabeth's Wildlife Centre in Abbotsford for donations, but turned the request down at its November 2 regular council meeting.

The service does not seem to serve the Harrison area, council agreed, although the councillors all noted that the centre is well-respected and does good work for local wildlife.

Street banners

The Village of Harrison Hot Springs has adopted a new policy on street banners, as they have become a popular way for event organizers to advertise.

There are now only three areas in the Village where street banners can be displayed.

The first is at the entrance to the Village, and those there must be no larger than a maximum of 25 feet long and 3 feet in depth. They must be made of re-enforced nylon or vinyl and equipped with wind vents, among other technical requirements.

The other two areas are the new plaza and the Memorial Hall. And in those locations, banners must be sized to fit the street light pole brackets.

Event banners can be displayed 14 days prior to the event, and must be removed 48 hours after the event. General information banners can be in place for a maximum of 30 days.

Applications for banner display are available at the Village office.