SUMMERLAND REVIEW THE VOICE OF OUR COMMUNITY SINCE 1908
VOLUME
67
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ISSUE
WHAT’S INSIDE:
WWW.SUMMERLANDREVIEW.COM
Enrolment stagnant NO.
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S U M M E R L A N D,
Total student population unchanged, but high school shows decline by John Arendt
While Summerland’s two elementary schools are operating close to cap-
B.C.
• T H U R S D AY,
acity, enrolment is sparse at Summerland Middle School and Summerland Secondary School. The enrolment at the end of January showed the full-time equivalent of 1,322 students, exactly the same as at the end of January, 2013. Linda Van Alphen,
FEBRUARY
13,
2014
one of two Summerland school trustees, said the school enrolment level in Summerland will remain near its present level for around the next 10 years. “We are holding steady. We are flatlining in Summerland,” she said. While the overall num-
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PA G E S
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$1.15
bers are steady, the enrolment at Summerland Secondary School has been declining. The January 2014 enrolment was 446 students, down from 471 in the same month a year earlier. Slight enrolment increases were observed
INCLUDING
GST
at Summerland Middle School and Giant’s Head Elementary School, while Trout Creek Elementary School has a slight decline. The schools at present could accommodate around 350 additional students. See YOUTH Page 7
Science device
A Summerlander has designed and built a special scientific measurement device.
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Text messaging
This month, police are watching for motorists who text while driving.
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Riding the bus
S u m m e r l a n d ’s transit service has a solid ridership base, according to the latest statistics.
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Ready to ski
A talented Summerland cross-country skier is ready to compete at the B.C. Winter Games for the first time.
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Book launch
A Summerland author and illustrator have completed a children’s book.
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YOUR SMILE I don’t have a solution, but I sure admire the problem.
Land rally
John Arendt Summerland Review
Despite cold temperatures, Summerlanders attended a rally on Monday to urge the preservation of agricultural land near the core of the community. Organizers of the rally estimate at least 300 people were present. The rally is in response to Summerland’s proposed Urban Growth Plan. See related story on Page 3.
Out-of-town names on petition Farm land is a provincial issue, organizer says by John Arendt A petition urging the preservation of farm land in Summerland has around 1,800 signatures, but not all are Summerland residents or property owners. Erin Carlson of Stop the Swap, a campaign
to keep the farm land in the provincial Agricultural Land Reserve, said signatures are still being collected and as a result, details have not yet been compiled. However, she added that not all names are those of Summerland residents. Because the petition is online, names can be added by people from outside the community.
Carlson said Summerland’s proposed Urban Growth Plan is an issue of provincial importance, not a Summerland issue exclusively, since it involves the removal of land from the provincial Agricultural Land Reserve. “This is about the farm land. The farm land is precious,” she said. Petition forms are also available at several
downtown businesses and have received considerable local support, she added. Mayor Janice Perrino said the Urban Growth Plan is an issue for the community. “This is not a provincial issue,” she said. She added that the input for the plan came from numerous community meetings, workshops and other public input
sources. “It was a very involved and intense process, done by the community,” she said. The proposed growth plan, which was presented to council on Tuesday evening, calls for the removal of 80.34 hectares within the land reserve near the core of the community. See EXCHANGE Page 7