ISLANDS TRUST TAX RAISE SURPASSES 30% PAGE 10
$1.50
inc. GST
FRIDAY, JANUARY 30, 2026
VOL. 52 NO. 05
CELTIC MUSIC ON BOWEN! PAGE 14
BowUndercurrent www.bowenislandundercurrent.com
Draft budget sees property tax rise in single digits ROADS & CULVERTS A BIG FOCUS ALEX KURIAL Editor
CLUCKING ON CAMERA Bowen filmmaker Jeff Morales (left) is the director behind the new documentary Cluck! Chickens Exposed. He’s spent the past several months travelling around the world in order to tell the story of this well known but often misunderstood animal. Hosted by Sarika Cullis-Suzuki (right) the doc premieres on CBC’s The Nature of Things this Thursday. Head over to Page 7 to find out more about the film and the backyard and barnyard birds which inspired it. / Submitted photo OPEN HOUSE
SAT & SUN • JAN. 31/FEB. 1 • 12-3pm
The 2026 draft budget estimates property tax rates to rise 6.6 per cent for the year ahead. The number is almost three per cent less than the 9.5 per cent previously expected for this year - also the amount property taxes have gone up each of the past two years. The specific rate for individual households is based on property assessments by BC Assessment. This year the average property value of a house on Bowen is $1,367,000, down $7,000 from last year’s average. This means a house assessed at exactly that number would pay $3,539 in property tax for 2026, up $221 from last year. Properties assessed higher or lower than the average will pay more or less than $3,539, accordingly. CONTINUED ON PAGE 3
CUSTOM CRAFTSMAN-STYLE FAMILY HOME with 2-5-10 home warranty
1117 MILLER ROAD $1,575,000
Experience the quintessential Bowen lifestyle where your early morning hike with the dog starts at the trailhead that’s just 100m from the end of your driveway. Kids can even walk to school in about 15 minutes through the forest where they may see or hear one of the many resident Barred Owls. A practical and flexible floor plan works great for those who need home offices (there are 2). Families will appreciate that all the bedrooms are on the same floor.
Mary Lynn Machado
3 BEDS • 3 BATHS • 1863 SF • BUILT IN 2022
PERSONAL REAL ESTATE CORPORATION
TOP of all Realtors 2022-2025* 10% in GVREB *per GVREB MLS reported sales
1Realtor 2025
#
on Bowen Island*
604.220.7085
Bowen Collective
Josh Skuce REALTOR
®
buyonbowen.com