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TUESDAY September 18, 2012
Suspicious man in van offers girl a ride
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VOL. 82. No. 73
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Jousting jest
The Williams Lake RCMP are investigating what they describe as a suspicious occurrence. Last week, an 11-year-old girl was approached by an adult male who was unknown to her. Police say the male was driving a full sized black van and pulled in alongside the girl and offered her a ride to school. The young girl responded appropriately, saying “no,” and then quickly walked away toward her school. She was unharmed. The van is described as a full-size, black, older-model van, with all windows tinted and a broken tail light. Police are reminding students to be vigilant and walk in pairs if possible. If a related incident occurs, the police encourage that person to immediately tell an adult (parent/teacher) or someone else they trust immediately. Anyone with any information is asked to call the Williams Lake RCMP.
Inside the Tribune
Liz Twan photo
NEWS A2 Panel invites public comment. SPORTS Roberts a strong man.
A8
COMMUNITY A12 Students return from Europe. Weather outlook: Sunny today, high of 23 C. Sunny Wednesday, high of 25 C.
Williams Lake Stampede Princess Terris Billyboy graciously loaned the use of her horse to rodeo clown JJ Harrison during a break in the regular rodeo action at the BCRA Finals Rodeo in Quesnel this past Sunday afternoon. Then she climbed on behind Stampede Queen Alexis Forseille, riding double on Forseille’s horse as the girls participated in a round of full-rodeojousting (using tubular floating devices as lances) in a bout versus the rodeo clown, It was a battle that closed in a draw as no rider was brought down (thank goodness)!
Fringe fire protection options presented Monica Lamb-Yorski Tribune Staff Writer Cariboo Regional District rural residents living in the Williams Lake fringe fire protection area learned of options for new fire agreements at a community meeting held Sept. 13 in the Gibraltar Room at the Cariboo Memorial Complex. The 250 people in attendance heard a bylaw needs to go to the CRD board on Oct.4 and a referendum has to take place some time in November. “The province is currently taxing you for fire protection services and has said that they aren’t going to do that anymore so we have to make a decision,” CRD chief administrative officer Janis Bell said. New agreements will need to be put in place because the present ones will expire on Dec. 31.
The new rate offered by the city for people under the Williams Lake Fire Department is $130 per $100,000 of residential assessment. Under present agreements residents are paying either $199, $102 or $191, depending which agreement they are under. Residents accessing the Wildwood Volunteer Fire Department, under the new agreements, will pay $111 per $100,000 of assessed value, while under the 150 Mile House Volunteer Fire Department the rate would be $68 per $100,000 of assessed value. “The current formula only uses residential assessment to calculate who is going to pay what. It disregards the fact that there is an industrial tax base and a business tax base. The proposed new agreement considers all of that. It considers the entire tax base as one tax base, regardless of the one assessment base,
regardless of where the boundaries of the regional district are,” Bell said. “It isn’t costing any less money for the city’s fire department. It just means the rural taxpayers are going to pay less.” To be prudent, the CRD will probably set the rate at $140, to build in a bit of leeway, Bell added. A map prepared by the CRD indicated areas where residents could opt for protection under Wildwood or 150 Mile House; however, Bell said residents are required to be within 13 kilometres of a fire hall to realize reduced reductions with their fire insurance. “There’s only a certain segment of the population that has the option to go with one of the other fire departments,” Bell said, explaining if a number of people opted out of being covered by Williams Lake, then the rate would increase to about $140
for everyone else. People who can’t be serviced by Wildwood or 150 Mile House, and who choose not to remain with Williams Lake, will have to go without fire protection, or accept to without it temporarily until residents can start up a rural fire department. The CRD estimated a new fire hall would cost property owners $100 per $100,000 of assessed value. That amount is based on land, a building, new pumper truck and equipment, amortized over a period of 20 years, chief financial officer Scott Reid explained. Esler resident Bud Walters recalled helping organize rural fire departments on Haida Gwaii and Vancouver Island, and said the local situation is problematic. See QUESTIONNAIRE Page A2