Discovery Islands By: Discovery Islands Media & Publishing PO Box 280 Quathiaski Cove, Taxes and Tfls B.C
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Issue 408 November 9, 2007 Discovery Islander.ca www.discoveryislander.ca www.discoveryislander.ca 2 Discovery Islander #408 November 9th, 2007 Island Calendar Submit your event: eMail: [email protected] • fax: 285-2236 • drop-off: 701 Cape Mudge Rd. The Regulars Day by day • Quadra Legion - Now open Fridays and Saturdays at 4:00pm Saturday, November 10 • Every Monday - Badminton, 7:30 Cape Mudge Hall - Film Show Presented by Sierra Quadra Q.C.C. - Parent and Tots 9:30 am - noon Q.C.C. End of Suburbia at 7 pm Escape from Suburbia at 8:30 pm • Every Tuesday - Smile Makers Kidz Klub Q.I. Bible Church from 2:4 -4:15 pm Sunday, November 11 - Kalina Folkdancers -QCC, 7:30 to 9:30 pm, Sept.to Apr. - Remembrance Day Service Quadra Legion - Sketching group at Firesign Studio 10 am-12:00 pm Please be seated by 10:45 am sharp, Luncheon after service, Social at 5 pm - Al-anon meeting, 7.30 pm at the Childrens Centre Monday, November 12 • Every Wednesday - Moms and Babes 11 am - noon Q.C.C. - Garden Club - Guest speaker from Linnea Farm Q.C.C. -Community Lunch noon Q.C.C. Support local food producers and learn to ‘grow your own’. 7pm - Badminton, 7:30 pm Cape Mudge Hall Tuesday, November 13 • Every Thursday - Parent and Tots 9:30 am - noon Q.C.C. - Quadra Quilters Q.C.C. - Isle Sing 3-4:30 pm Q.C.C. upstairs, use South entrance 9 am - 2 pm - Prayer Meeting, 7:00pm at Quadra Island Bible Church Saturday, November 17 - 7-9:30 PM: Life drawing sessions at Firesign Studio 285-3390 - An Evening with Shane Philip - playground fundraiser Q.C.C. • Every Friday - Free Pool, Darts and Shuffleboard at the Legion 4 pm to 1am 7 pm • Every Saturday - Legion Meat Draw 5:00pm to 6:30pm Friday, November 16 - Peace Vigil, Noon, Q.Cove Post Office - Flu Clinic Q.C.C. • Every Sunday - Sunday Service QI United Church 10:30 10:30 am -1:00 pm - Family Worship Service 10:30am Quadra Island Bible Church Friday November 23 - Buddhist Meditation 10:00 am Upper Realm - Christmas Craft Fair Q.C.C. - Sunday Celebration, Centre for Positive Living - 900 Alder St. C.R. 10:20 - 11:20 am 4-9 pm • 1st and 3rd Wednesday - Food Bank 1-2 Community Centre - Banff Mountain Film Festival Campbell River Tidemark • 3rd Sunday of Month - Raw Food Pot Luck 5 - 7pm 285-3827 7pm • Last Saturday - Bonus $50 cash draw or gift certificate. Quadra Legion 6:30 pm Saturday November 24 - Christmas Craft Fair Q.C.C. Next Deadline: Monday, November 19th 2007 10 am - 3 pm Santa arrives at noon on the firetruck! Island Calendar is a list of on island events. Please submit separately for the Island Calendar - Banff Mountain Film Festival Q.C.C. and News & Events or indicate in your submission if you would like your event placed in both. 7pm Following the text order exactly as above for email submissions is appreciated (month, date, day, Island Calendar online: title, place and time), use the title as your email subject. Current advertisers welcome to submit www.discoveryislands.ca/news events but not-for-profit items will be given priority. Thank you. They shall grow not old as we that are left grow old; Age shall not weary them nor The years condemn. At the going down of the sun And in the morning, www.legion.ca We will remember them. Discovery Islander November 19th Shane Philip [email protected] Action Images * Michael Desjardins www.discoveryislander.ca Discovery Islander #408 November 9th, 2007 3 IslanderDiscovery Island Forum Issue 408 November 9th, 2007 Say your piece: eMail: [email protected] • fax: 285-2236 • drop-off: 701 Cape Mudge Rd. Published bi-weekly and distributed free throughout the Discovery Islands by: Discovery Islands media & publishing PO Box 280 Quathiaski Cove, Taxes and TFLs B.C. V0P 1N0 Tel.: 250 285-2234 Fax: 250 285-2236 701 Cape Mudge Rd. Dear Sir Filed with the Discovery Islander Office hours: Mon-Thurs 10-4pm Perhaps in this slower time of the year Quadra To: CBC Radio Victoria email: [email protected] residents may have a few minutes to consider the I listened with interest to this morning’s story implications of two events which have transpired Publisher/Editor: Philip Stone about the lack of first nation consultation when over the summer. As many will know B.C. Assessment Westrn Forest Products private land was removed Staff Reporter: Tanya Storr completed a comprehensive re-assessment of all Area from their TFLs. In my view, the latest move by J properties this past summer. My contacts at the Printing: Castle Printing 285-3695 the province to permit removal of WFPs private assessment office assure me that the total assessed value lands without compensation is a sell-out of the © Discovery Islander 2007 All Rights Reserved of properties in Area J will rise significantly as a result public interest. Opinions expressed in this magazine are those of this process. They have found many properties for of the contributors and do not represent the which structures and improvements have not been As a Biologist, I was the District Habitat views of the publisher. previously assessed. Hence in addition to valuations Officer for the Fish and Wildlife Branch of the increasing due to the demands of the real estate Ministry of Environment, Campbell River, for Agreement # 1408585 market, many Quadra residents will find the assessed most of the 1990s. As such, I was responsible value of their properties very much higher than in for the management and protection of fish and previous years. wildlife habitat on TFL private lands. Working in conjunction with the Ministry of Forests, those Printed on recycled paper We have also been advised that Area J will become lands were managed to the same standards, as crown part of a new Regional District. One with a much TFL land, for fish and wildlife habitat, biodiversity, Discovery Islands smaller total assessed value than its predecessor. As this Media and Publishing timber sustainability, and other non-timber values. new Regional District will ultimately grow to provide After removal from the TFL, in terms of fish and a similar range of administrative services, it will require Subscriptions available wildlife habitat, these lands are subject only to the a budget similar to the former one. The mayor of Gold Federal Fisheries Act and 2 arcane sections of the $30.00* for 6 months River, to his credit, has recognized that spreading the .00* BC Wildlife Act that protect eagle and heron nest $50 for 12 months (* includes GST) administration cost over a smaller asset value base will trees. The companies are free to maximize short result in higher, per property, tax charges. Call 250 285-2234 for details term shareholder returns at the expense of non- Hence exists the need to increase taxes, coupled timber values. with an up to date assessment in one area of the new Submission Guidelines The timber companies placed these private Regional District. You will note that other areas Items for publication are welcomed on subjects lands in TFLs because they received inducements of the district have not had recent comprehensive of interest to the Discovery Islands community. or compensation from the province for doing assessments. Area J will then bear more of the tax Please help us by following these guidelines: so. There may be good and justifiable reasons for increase than other areas in the new District. • Please print handwritten material clearly. removing private land from a TFL. But, in a quid • Electronic items sent by email & must be saved In a system focused upon equality, tax rates in area pro quo world, the company should be compensating as Word or rtf formats. Please spell check in J should drop next year to ensure that Area J residents the Province for this removal, either in cash, or Canadian English. Sorry no floppies. are not paying a greater proportional share of the preferably, in land or restrictive covenants. Forest • No MS Publisher, WordPerfect files or graphics in total tax burden. Once all property assessments in the Minister Coleman was recently quoted as saying that Word files please. Send imported graphics separately. District are up to date, regional district wide rates can WFP had paid stumpage on the timber harvested • Please use the title of the item as email subject be adjusted to reflect the level of service in each area. from the WFP lands that are being removed. The & send multiple items in separate emails. Not that tax equality can ever be achieved. Minister is misinformed, stumpage is not paid on • Please don’t send original irreplaceable However, the taxing administration has a golden private TFL land, only the provincial timber tax material, make a trip to a copier first!! opportunity coming to extract a disproportionate which is an entirely different matter. If the Minister • Please remember to caption & credit photos amount of new tax revenue from Area J residents, is this badly informed about stumpage, is he in a and artwork. Don’t write on the back of photos owner’s and renters alike. It may be worth your reader’s position to make decisions about removal of land use labels or Postits™. while to watch their new tax assessment(s) closely and from TFLs? This decision does not pass the “smell” pay attention to the formation of the new District and test and needs to reviewed in public. While every effort is made to include all items to its initial tax policy.