WEDNESDAY February 6, 2013 Vol. 28•No. 11 ••• $1.25 inc. H.S.T.
COMOX VALLEY
It’s whe
ARTS
SPORTS
Singer and keyboard player Ralph Barrat leads a quartet Thursday in another weekly jazz concert at the Elks. page 13
The Glacier Kings were on both sides of shutout games on the weekend. page 15
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Principal Phaseout begins for lowly, devalued copper honoured
Scott Stanfield Record Staff
Some people pinch their pennies; others spend them. Bill Ransom prefers to donate the single-cent coins, which the federal government started to phase out from Canada’s coinage system on Monday. “All we’ve been doing is rounding up and down today, and then we’ll probably just donate down the road,” said Ransom, owner of the Wandering Moose Cafe in Cumberland, also vice-president at the Cumberland Chamber of Commerce. “We donated a bunch already last year to the museum.” Government is phasing out the penny due to rising costs of production relative to the coin’s face value. The Department of Finance website also notes the increased accumulation of pennies in households, environmental considerations, and handling costs on retailers, banks and the economy. “It doesn’t bother me that they’ve taken the penny away,” Ransom said. “It costs the country more money to make than it is to have it.” Eliminating pennies is expected to save taxpayers $11 million per year. Nevertheless, one unnamed Valley retailer feels the coin still has a place in the world, suggesting charities that rely on donations of pennies might suffer. “This has been a long time coming,” Comox Valley Chamber of Commerce president/CEO Dianne Hawkins said. “There will be some adjustments...Anything using debit/credit will not be rounded, because they can be settled electronically to the exact amount.”
Kevin Reimer of École Puntledge Park Elementary in Courtenay is one of four people in B.C. among this year’s Canada’s Outstanding Principals announced Monday by The Learning Partnership. The four B.C. principals will join the prestigious group of 51 educators at an awards presentation and gala in Toronto later this month. Known for coaching and encouraging students to give their best, Reimer is also committed to building staff expertise, The Learning Partnership said in press release. He obtained a grant to provide hardware, software and, most importantly, meaningful professional development for teachers. When he arrived at his previous school, Arden Public School, he found it ranked 896 out of 952 in the province. Reimer implemented an improvement plan focused on improving literacy, numeracy and social development skills, teachers and students negotiated ... see REIMER ■ 2
EDIBLE ISLAND HOME Foods Market cashiers Liena Braconnier (left) and Sunshine Bradley PHOTO BY SCOTT STANFIELD hold pennies, which government started to phase out Monday. The change will affect only cash, not electronic or cheque transactions. Businesses are encouraged to round cash transactions up or down to the nearest five-cent increment. For instance, sales of $1.01 or $1.02 will be rounded down to $1 while $1.03 or $1.04 will be rounded up to $1.05. It remains up to businesses whether or not to continue using pennies, which will be legal tender indefinitely. “Yesterday was business as
usual,” Jenny Deters, owner of Rattan Plus Home & Patio in Courtenay, said Tuesday. “Most people knew it was happening. I didn’t see any real reactions from the customers yesterday... It’s not going to affect us very much.” While most prefer plastic, Deters figures about five per cent of her customers use cash. Ransom, on the other hand, sees about a 50/50 split among café patrons who choose cash over debit or credit.
“If somebody comes in and wants to use pennies, they’re going to have to give me five because I’m rounding up, or I’m rounding down,” he said. “It will be interesting down the road if they (government) decide they want to take away the nickel or the dime — a whole different ball game.” For more information visit www.fin.gc.ca/1cent/faq2-eng. asp, or call 1-800-622-6232. TTY: 1-800-926-9105. reporter@comoxvalleyrecord.com
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