2003

It is with a very heavy heart that I have to pass on the news that Michel Chabot (CIW718) passed away on 27 March. Michel has been a huge part of CFARS over the past decade and beyond. This has been a very sad 2 weeks for CFARS.

The following was passed to me from Claude CIW720;

Michel (VE2NO) was 71 years old and married to his lovely wife, Marguerite. They had two married girls, Manon and Linda, and many grandchildren. They lived in Pointe-aux-Trembles (Montreal)

On the 1st of April, I went to the funeral home and I noticed that Michel had been cremated. His widow Marguerite is not feeling very well. She is the sister of the late hockey player : Maurice Richard.

Michel was fluent both in french and english and used to be a very nice guy to meet. We will miss him very much.

It is with regret that we announce the passing of Pete Hill (CIW849). Pete was licensed as a CFARS member in Sept 2001 but spent many years with us before that operating CIW82. He was very active on our nets and during our exercises. Pete will be missed.

HILL, Captain Peter Byran (Ret'd)
HILL, Captain Peter Byran (Ret'd) - 61, Torbrook, Annapolis Co., died March 25, 2003, in Soldiers Memorial Hospital, Middleton. Born in Kitchener, Ont., he was a son of Elaine (Hagen) Hill, Baden, Ont., and the late Louis Hill. He retired as a navigator in the Canadian Armed Forces and also from the Canadian Corps of Commissionaires. He was an avid Ham Radio Operator, VE1NAV. He loved music having played the organ and piano for many years. He was noted to travel with his dog, Zack, while listening to his favorite composer, Mozart. Besides his mother, he is survived by his wife, the former Heather Masterson; daughters, Sherrin, Vancouver; Bonnie (Steve Rutt), Greenwood; son, Peter Scott (Ronda Kelly), Red Deer, Alta.; sisters, Wendy (Kip) Riley, Elmira, Ont.; Linda (Marty) MacDonald, Ajax, Ont. Memorial service will be held 11 a.m. Tuesday in St. Mark's Chapel, 14 Wing, Greenwood, Padre Derek Marshall officiating. Interment will be at a later date in Kitchener, Ont. Donations to Heart and Stroke Foundation of Nova Scotia. On-line condolences to: roopfh@ns.sympatico.ca

Prepared by Ken Halcrow, CFARS Assistant Manager

First I'd like to compliment all CFARS members who submitted comments concerning an association between CFARS and OCIPEP. All comments were positive and were consistent with CFARS Management's as to where we should pursue a future for the CFARS organization.

1. OCIPEP MEETING RESULTS

The meeting with OCIPEP went quite well.

A recent OCIPEP Regional Directors survey concerning CFARS and Amateur Radio support was conducted by OCIPEP Ottawa. The results were positive. As a result of that survey a video conference is schedule on January 30^th between the OCIPEP Government Emergency Operations Co-ordination Centre (GEOCC) and the OCIPEP Regional Directors to discuss the feasibility and requirements of HF communications backup support.

The OCIPEP intent for utilizing the CFARS organization and capabilities would be to provide a national or regional HF support function to the Regional Director(s) if and when current regional or national communications capabilities

(e-mail/phone/cell/satellite) have been overloaded or are non-existent.

The results of the OCIPEP videoconference will dictate to what extent CFARS support is required and when.

In view of above National (Springex/Fallex) and Regional Exercises are fully supported by OCIPEP and are requested to continue with the scope of the exercises designed to address regional or national requirements.

Administrative Support in the form of postage stamps, certificate mailings, photo copying, paper supplies and computer(s) are now available to management.

A critical review and possible revitalization of the OCIPEP equipment and network established during Y2K will be considered by OCIPEP.

OCIPEP was briefed on the CFARS/MARS cross-border HF network initiative. The status being that CFARS, with DND's approval, has approached MARS to consider some of our frequencies for network purposes. The MARS Chiefs are now considering the proposal. Informal CFARS/MARS Amateur Radio contact should continue.

Training for CFARS members at the Arnprior, Ontario Emergency Preparedness College is unlikely in the near future due to very limited classroom size and prioritization of attendees.

In summary, the meeting went very well. OCIPEP Ottawa does want to use our network and expertise as the HF backup communications resource for Regional Directors. The extent to which it will be utilized will be determined in the near future after all views and requirements have been reviewed. The CFARS membership will be kept fully informed.

Ken (CIW652) will be representing CFARS at an upcoming meeting with OCIPEP.

OCIPEP is the old Emergency Preparedness Canada. (for more info about OCIPEP see http://www.ocipep-bpiepc.gc.ca) Ken has been keeping in touch with this organization and in fact having them involved with some of our latest exercises.

Ken asked me what I thought about CFARS getting on board with OCIPEP and seeing if there is anything we can do as an organization to assist.

My personal feelings on this matter is that if we want to see CFARS survive and to keep our frequencies we must move ahead.

As we all know our primary service in years past was to provide welfare calls to our Canadian Troops serving abroad and in isolation in Canada. I have no idea when the last time a phone patch was made in support of this.

A bit of history on how I became the Manager. Back in 1996 just after I received my Amateur ticket I was asked if I would take on this task. The word around Ottawa at that time was Industry Canada would soon shut down the CFARS frequencies if they were not being used.

With this I willingly said yes. But with little CFARS experience I was not sure what I could do other than try to keep some type of net(s) operating and using the frequencies if only for net contacts.

With Scott, Ken, Les and Len working with me we did on several occasions try to bring the Phone Patch services back and have them being used. With no luck. The Troops were quite happy with the services they were getting and did not want to go on the air to make contacts with loved ones and families.

So where do we go from there. I thought back then that we should see what we could do about making CFARS available to set up and establish emergency communications services either Nationally, Regionally or Locally at the various levels of government should the need be there.

Although the need was not required. Scott was available for any such type of emergency with several volunteers from across Canada during Y2K.

Ken's meeting with OCIPEP is coming up shortly. He has some ideas and I've asked him to run with this. Mainly the meeting is small in numbers, he is in Ottawa, I am not and I am in the process of taking a six month holiday in Bosnia starting in April.

Ken is in the right spot and is willing to make the time to meet with these folks and express the ideas of CFARS and to make known what CFARS has to offer in the way of assistance.

Therefore, if you have any ideas please contact Ken (ve3srs@rac.ca) directly with your comments before he heads off to this meeting.

It would be nice to see CFARS be more active and we could do that if we have a mission and a vision. Just meeting weekly to keep the frequencies active in hopes that some day we will make a phone patch will not keep CFARS alive.

We need a reason to be and a goal to exercise for. Becoming a vital part of OCIPEP would or should provide this means and keep CFARS alive for the foreseeable future.

I look forward to your thoughts as I know Ken does as well.

Bob

Manager,

CIW678

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