CASTLEGAR NEWS Your Horoscope For the Week with Michael O’Connor inside the West Kootenay Advertiser
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Public displeasure with New crew at the helm of P.M. Bill C38 Rotary group See page A4 See Page A13 Rauni Naud
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Council balks at urban chicken plan CRAIG LINDSAY Castlegar News Reporter
Council briefs
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There were several heated exchanges at Monday’s Castlegar City Council meeting over the urban chicken debate. In the end, council voted 4-2 against permiting chickens within Castlegar city limits. Before the vote, there was another motion to table the decision on chickens until the city could have a public forum. That motion was tied at 3-3 which meant that it would not go forward. “We’re now going to have no public meeting on this issue after we said that we would,” said a heated councillor Deb McIntosh. “I think we’re really missing the boat on this. We talk about sustainability and all that. We talk the talk, we should walk the walk.” Councillor Kevin Chernoff was the strongest voice against the chickens. He said enough research was done and he didn’t think the residents
of Castlegar wanted chicken farming in the city. Councillor Chernoff received the brunt of Peter Wulowka’s angry diatribe during question period. Wulowka, who brought the urban chicken question to council in the first place, demanded Chernoff explain what he had against chickens. Also voting with McIntosh against the motion were councillors Gord Turner and Sue Heaton-Sherstobitoff. “I believe we stated that we would have a public process for both sides of the coop to have their say,” said Heaton-Sherstobitoff after the meeting. “To me the staff report didn’t give the whole picture because we didn’t have that public process. I’ve had a lot of people come up to me and say, ‘we want to explore the possibility of having chickens.’ We didn’t do what we said. We said we’d have a public meeting and we didn’t.” Budget
Don Simpson of BDO Canada LLP gave a presentation at Monday’s council meeting about the city of Castlegar’s 2011 annual financial report. “Castlegar’s in great shape financially,” said Mayor Lawrence Chernoff after the meeting. “It’s really about management. The auditors clearly state that council is managing the money really well. Our staff is doing a really good job on allocating the funds. If you look at the financial statements it clearly states that we’re doing a good job and we’re keeping the city well apprised on how we’re doing things and how we’re spending our money.” Chernoff is proud of the fact that Castlegar has no long term debt. “We’re heading in the right direction,” he said. “We’re getting things done. We’re doing infrastructure projects which is great because you need to move ahead.” The mayor notes that the city is spending $3.5 million... Continued on P. 3
Former Castlegar resident granted legal right to die CRAIG LINDSAY Castlegar News Reporter
Gloria Taylor, a former Castlegar resident, can now legally ask for a physician-assisted suicide after a B.C. Supreme Court judge struck down parts of Canada’s law banning the practice. Taylor, who now lives in West Kel-
owna, suffers from ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) is a debilitating and fatal neuro-degenerative disease. The 64-year-old Taylor was born and raised in Castlegar and has lived over half her life here. Her mother, Anne Fomenoff, still lives here.
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“She is my biggest supporter,” said Taylor. Taylor was one of several plaintiffs represented by the B.C. Civil Liberties Association (BCLA). “The court found that all their rights were infringed by the law,” said Grace Pestine, a lawyer for the BCLA.
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