FRIDAY
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March 30, 2012
A division of
Vol. 27 No. 26
COMOX VALLEY RECORD Your community. Your newspaper. www.comoxvalleyrecord.com
VALLEY VISIT IT
CVEDS gets $1m budget
A Japanese girls volleyball team from Bandai high school was in town this week. ■ A7
Scott Stanfield Record Staff
The Comox Valley Regional District board has approved the Comox Valley Economic Development Society’s million-dollar budget for 2012, with $356,597 going towards wages, not including benefits and training. Some members of the public have demanded that CVEDS executive director John Watson’s salary — along with travel expenses and outcomes of destination marketing trips — be released as public information. “I think it’s an accountable income,” said Marty Douglas, a former board member of the nowdefunct Comox Valley Tourism. “I think his salary should be transparent because it’s public funds. But it’s also justifiable.” The CVEDS board of directors, however, has decided to stick with its policy of not releasing individual wages, board president Murray Presley said. Along with a $740,000 operating grant, the CVRD is contributing $113,250 towards visitor information centre services for April 1—Dec. 31 and $37,750 for the Comox Valley and Cumberland Chambers of Commerce for the Jan. 1—March 31 quarter. There is also $20,000 carried forward from 2011 for startup assistance for the opening of the new visitor centre at the highway interchange, and a $90,000 provision for unanticipated property taxes and building utilities. While it outweighs CVEDS’ 2011 requisition, Presley notes the increase is not for the operating budget. “It wasn’t any extra money for John or other employees,” he said. Aside from Watson, CVEDS staff consists of Marketing and Communications Manager Lara ... see CVEDS ■ A5
BEACH BOYS
Comox Valley’s Maverick Hatch and Martin Reader got the 2012 NORCECA Circuit off to a strong start with podium finishes at the Cayman Islands Beach Volleyball Tournament, held March 23-25 at Seven Miles Beach. The Canada-1 team of Hatch and Samuel Schachter lost 2-0 (21-19, 21-15) to Puerto Rico’s Roberto Rodriguez and Eric Haddok in the championship final. The Canada-2 team of Reader and Joshua Binstock defeated Dominican Republic’s German Recio and Luis Adames in a come-frombehind 2-1 (18-21, 21-15, 15-11) win to take the bronze medal.
... Complete story on ■ B9
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STIRRING THE POT Grade 12 Vanier student Tina Tang stirs her pot of minestrone soup during the culinary arts event of the Skills Canada competition, held Wednesday at Vanier. For more on the historic event, see page A10. PHOTO BY RENÉE ANDOR
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