SUMMERLAND REVIEW THE VOICE OF OUR COMMUNITY SINCE 1908
VOLUME
65
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ISSUE
NO.
16
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S U M M E R L A N D,
B.C.
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T H U R S D AY,
WWW.SUMMERLANDREVIEW.COM
APRIL
19,
2012
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24
$1.15
INCLUDING
HST
by John Arendt
Finding work A new employment centre has opened to help Summerland jobseekers.
Page 6 Saving water The municipality is offering free kits to help residents in their efforts to conserve water and power.
Page 7 Riding safely The Learn to Ride motorcycle training program is being offered in the South Okanagan beginning late this month.
Page 9 Nature tours Several Summerland locations will be featured during the 15th Meadowlark Festival next month.
Page 23 Coach’s corner A former Summerlander is coach of the year for college hockey.
Page 18
On the swing
I intend to live forever. So far, so good.
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Taxes to rise 1.5%
WHAT’S INSIDE:
YOUR SMILE
PA G E S
John Arendt Summerland Review
Katelyn Beattie, four years old, enjoys a morning at the playground in Memorial Park. The warmer spring temperatures this week are bringing families and children to area parks.
Research moving here by Barbara Manning Grimm Summerland will gain science and technology jobs when research on agricultural plant diseases is moved from Sidney on Vancouver Island to the local federal research station. The Sidney lab is being closed, and some of the 40
jobs will be relocated to Summerland. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is moving activities from the Centre for Plant Health Sidney Laboratory to the Agriculture and AgriFood Canada research station at Summerland. The Sidney lab has been providing testing, virus index-
ing, therapy and technology development for viruses and pests of grapevines, tree fruits and other crops, according to Guy Gravelle, senior media relations officer for the CFIA. Some of the plant disease research conducted at the Sidney facility has been: See LAB Page 3
Property taxes in Summerland will rise this year, but the increase is lower than the rate of inflation. On April 10, council gave first three readings to a series of four budget and finance bylaws, including a bylaw to approve the budget for this year. The budget reflects a 1.5 per cent tax increase. By comparison, Statistics Canada showed a 2.6 per cent increase in prices over the past year, according to information released in February. Mayor Janice Perrino said the tax increase has already been earmarked, with money going to municipal reserves and economic development. The amount equivalent to a one per cent increase, or around $65,000, will go to reserve funds. Perrino said big projects over the past few years have brought down the reserve budgets. The remainder of the increase will go to economic promotion and economic projects for the community. “The extra half a percent will help us to be able to do some work,” she said. She added that signage and marketing of the community through the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association may be included in this amount. Despite the increases, Perrino said the municipality is running a tight budget. “We do try to run as lean and mean a budget as possible,” she said. “In this economic time, there’s not a lot of money to spare.” Although the tax increase is lower than the rate of inflation, Perrino said the municipality will not have to trim its services or cut staff. “We’ll still be able to afford to do everything we’ve been doing.” she said. “This is called being fiscally responsible, in council’s opinion.” She explained that in the past, while big projects were being undertaken, some of the money needed would come from the general budget. Throughout her time as mayor, Perrino has worked to keep tax increases as low as possible. She said it is important to keep increases low, particularly when the economy is slow. “We are not going to tax heavily at this time because of the economic situation which looms around us,” she said. The municipal property taxes are due in early July.