THURSDAY
S I N C E
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APRIL 19, 2012 Vol. 117, Issue 76
110
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Page 11
INCLUDING H.S.T.
PROUDLY SERVING THE COMMUNITIES OF
ROSSLAND, WARFIELD, TRAIL, MONTROSE, FRUITVALE & SALM SALMO
MONTROSE
Fight rages on for army vet
Grants help keep tax increase at bay from the federal Gas Tax Fund for water quality upgrades that include Add another reason to the a creation of a chlorination facillist of why you should move to ity and a replacement of a failing Montrose. well. For the second time in three “So when time comes for the years village residents will not see projects like this we’re not taking an increase to municipal taxes. a big hit, and the taxpayers taking Although final approval on the the brunt of it,� Danchuk said. village’s $3.57-million budget will The project will also include a come May 7, it looks like the vil- back-up power source for the new lage of 1,100 will see a zero per well and a dedicated supply main cent increase from what was paid in the village reservoirs, which will in 2011. provide chlorine contact time to On Monday night council gave prevent bacteria and viruses from third reading to the reaching water servifinancial plan bylaw, ces throughout the vil“We are doing with a public meeting lage. more capital on the budget set for In Montrose, small projects this year community May 7, 6:45 p.m. as grant a prelude to council’s money goes into genand we couldn’t final vote on the matdo them without eral revenue to offset ter. staff wages (they don’t this (grant).� A zero per cent collect taxes specificincrease wasn’t by ally for wages), counKEVIN CHARTRES accident, said Mayor cil expenses, benefits Joe Danchuk. With programs, legal costs, some extra money coming from running the village office, public the province in the form of small relations, elections and general community grants there was no public works. reason to raise taxes since all other But taxpayers in Montrose are expenditures were accounted for, not getting off scot-free from tax he said. increases from other areas. The “It fulfills one of the promises Regional District of Kootenay I made when I ran in (October),� Boundary could be levying a one Danchuk said about not increasing per cent tax increase this year taxes. to Montrose, although that final Montrose was allotted $210,504 budget has yet to be delivered. in the first leg of the Strategic As well, the cost of utilities will Community Investment Fund be rising by two per cent, cover(SCIF) small community grants, an ing the costs of the collective barunconditional grant payment the gaining agreement the village has province makes from its general with its staff. revenues to municipalities across This year is also the first year the province. the village has formulated a straOverall, the village will get tegic plan, setting out the next five around $500,000 from the prov- years of operation ahead of time. ince in 2012, a sum that will help “And if there are grants to help with the capital projects the village small communities, we’ll be going has planned. after them,� Danchuk said. “We “We are doing more capital pro- don’t have the tax base otherwise.� jects this year and we couldn’t do If the new budget is adopted, them without this,� said village the village will be putting $92,000 Chief Administrative Officer Kevin into the building machinery and Chartres. equipment capital reserve, and In addition, Montrose received $110,000 into the capital sewer nearly $1.3 million earlier this year reserve.
BY TIMOTHY SCHAFER Times Staff
Dolan Magrath continues battle to recognize service injuries
BY TIMOTHY SCHAFER Times Staff
For some the battle continues long after the war is over. For Dolan Magrath, war has been waging for 15 years since he was given a medical discharge from the Canadian Armed Forces in 1997. Now living in Trail, the 47-year-old third generation army man is trying to gain admission of wrongdoing from the military he served without question for 10 years, hoping to secure enough of a pension for his family before his ailing body — injured while serving — gives out. Magrath is taking his 15-year fight to another battlefield this week, meeting with B.C. Southern Interior MP Alex Atamanenko in the hope he can pull strings in Ottawa and secure answers Magrath has been unable to obtain. He’s hoping something good will come of his contact with Atamanenko, something good for the
McCarthy stars in Swiss league final
TIMOTHY SCHAFER PHOTO
The road for an admission of wrongdoing on the part of Veteran’s Affairs has been long for army veteran Dolan Magrath since his medical discharge in 1997. plight of all veterans fighting for compensation they rightfully have coming. “I keep having trouble verifying what had happened to me, that’s why I have a meeting with Alex,� he said. “I’ve been treated as a faking, malingering, hypochondriac since it happened.� Atamanenko will be taking Magrath’s case up with the Ministry
of National Defence and the Ministry of Veteran’s Affairs in the coming weeks. “(Veterans Affairs) has been trying to cover this up for years and that’s why I have had so many health problems, because they haven’t done anything,� said Magrath. “The story has changed over the years. I need to try and drive home the point to them now that this is how
they treat their injured vets.� For years the Department of Veterans Affairs has been reluctant to pay for Magrath’s medical treatment after he was discharged. Not recognizing his injury while in service, Magrath now can’t get treatment for his injuries while the army contends he is in fine physical form.
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Last year, these hometown heroes were two of four remarkable high school and post-secondary students who received $1,000 bursaries just for telling us about themselves and the work they do to make our world a better place. This year, it could be you! Apply now at your school, branch or online.
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