FRIDAY
S I N C E
MARCH 14, 2014
1 8 9 5
Vol. 119, Issue 42
1
$
05
INCLUDING G.S.T.
Paralympic medal for Joines Page 15
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SD20 renews deal with BC Transit
SPRING BREAK WITHIN SIGHT
BY VALERIE ROSSI Times Staff
BC Transit will have to reach deeper into its pockets to store busses at a School District 20 lot in Waneta now that a rental renewal has been negotiated. Rather than paying $1 a year, a “political move” made by the board of the day 10 years ago, the public transit agency will fork over about $46,000 annually for the next five years, SD20 secretary-treasurer Natalie Verigin shared at this week's regular school board meeting. The original lease was signed as a 10-year lease with two fiveyear renewals. The agreement was written essentially as a 20-year lease, with 10 years at $1 and (at the discretion of BC Transit) an opportunity to renew the income clause for two five-year terms to follow. Longtime trustee Lorraine Manning just about fell off her chair when she was told the lease was 20 years long. She recalled some nasty meetings around decision-making following the amalgamation of Trail and Castlegar school districts in 1996 but didn't have a clear memory of details around the maintenance office. After Trail secured the school board office location, the main maintenance shop was set up in Castlegar and the fairly new Waneta location was rented out.
VALERIE ROSSI PHOTO
Students across the district, including a couple of eager pupils at Webster Elementary School (pictured), are anxiously waiting to kick off the two-week spring break, which begins Monday.
B.C. opts to keep Columbia River Treaty intact BY ART HARRISON Times Staff
Bill Bennett, Minister of Energy and Mines, announced Thursday that the province will continue the Columbia River Treaty (CRT) and try to negotiate improvements to the treaty from within its existing framework. The decision comes with the deadline of September when either side in the agreement can give the required 10-year notice to terminate substantial portions of the treaty or end it entirely in 2024, the 60-year lifespan of the original treaty’s time frame. The decision to continue with the treaty includes 14 principles intended to guide B.C. in any discussions on the future of the CRT between Canada and the United States.
“You won’t hear this much in my political career but the minister and I agree on this.” MLA KATRINE CONROY
The announcement comes after a two-year review of the 50-year-old treaty between Canada and the U.S., with the Province of B.C. acting as Canada’s representative and the US Entity made up of the US Corps of Engineers and the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) representing the U.S. “We believe continuing the Columbia River Treaty while exploring how improvements could benefit both countries is the best strategy moving
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forward for B.C., Canada, and the United States,” said Bennett in a media release. “The consultations that have included various levels of government, stakeholder groups, First Nations, and the public have helped ensure the future of the treaty will be shaped by the people it impacts.” Kootenay West MLA, Katrine Conroy, is the NDP’s opposition critic for the Columbia River Treaty but, in this case, she is not being so critical. “This is a good thing,” said Conroy. “You won’t hear this much in my political career but the minister and I agree on this. “I think it’s better to work within the treaty and improve upon it. We gave up far more than we gained in the treaty, they gained a
huge socioeconomic boost, to their tourism, agriculture, flood control, all this on top of the hydro. It’s pretty amazing what you can do when you have control of the flow. “This is a good start and we have to be tough in negotiations but I think we’re in a strong position. I’m glad the ministry has let the federal government know the direction they want to go with this and I think the citizens will support it.” The review process included numerous community consultation sessions held throughout the Columbia Basin to discuss the impacts of the original treaty and what the people of the region wanted to see addressed in any new discussions on the cross-border agreement. See NO, Page 3
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