Grand Forks
Gazette
Your community voice since 1897
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WEDNESDAY, JULY 4, 2012
VOL 115 NO. 27
â?š Cool cat
page 13
Christina Lake artist’s work up for auction.
Happy 145th birthday
Canada!!
Canada Day was this past Sunday and there were celebrations in Grand Forks and Christina Lake. Top row from left: July 1 saw Canada Day celebrations as well as recognition of Queen Elizabeth II’s diamond jubilee. As part of Grand Forks’ Canada Day parade, Queen Elizabeth II (a.k.a. Christy Luke) waves to the crowd. Grand Forks minor hockey members stood on a truck for Grand Forks’ Canada Day Parade. What are Ian and Lorraine Burge proud to be? Hint: read their T-shirts. Bottom from left: Nearly 30 residents from Grand Forks and Christina Lake hiked up Observation Mountain to celebrate Canada Day. Trenton Thibiault showed his true colours on the special day. Carthew Haslam has his face painted at Gyro Park in Grand Forks. More photos on page 14. Pics and video also available at www.grandforksgazette.ca.
CASSANDRA CHIN AND KARL YU PHOTOS
â?š UTILITIES
City looking to increase water, sewer rates CASSANDRA CHIN Gazette Reporter
The City of Grand Forks is looking to amend its water and sewer regulations and rates bylaw for the 2012 to 2016 adopted five-year plan. The adoption would reflect a 4.6 per cent increase in user fee collection for water rates, and a 4.8 per cent increase in user fee collection for sewer rates. The residential fixed and capital charges would remain the same for both water and sewer rates as previously charged in 2010 and 2011. “They’re just planning ahead and it may even change again next year but you always have to have that five-
year vision and then modify it within the context of each year’s budget,� explained Coun. Gary Smith. “It’s looked at every year to address the costs of operations and maintenance.� Cecile Arnott, the city’s chief financial officer, stated the changes are made because there was a need to increase revenue in 2012. “The bylaw doesn’t necessarily change each year but every time there’s a need to change the rate, it will change,� she said. “It’s looked at each year.� The bylaw to amend the water bylaw noted, “The residential connection charge reflects the city’s practice of averaging these residential connection charges to avoid residents being treated differently simply because they
happen to construct a home on the opposite side of the roadway from where the waterline happens to be located. The connection charges have been averaged to ensure our residents are paying the same no matter what side of the street they live on.� All other provisions and rates in the bylaw remain the same. “You’ll see that two of the rates (fixed and capital) stayed the same and only one (user fee) has increased,� Arnott explained. “It says it will increase by more than 4.6 per cent but that’s to generate the 4.6 per cent revenue increase because council did not want to increase all three components of the rate, just the variable one.� Continued on page 3
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