International Newspaper carrier appreciation — page 13
GAZETTE NORTH ISLAND
CANADIAN COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER AWARD 2012
Publications Mail Agreement No. 391275
47th Year No. 15 THURS., OCTOBER 4, 2012
EDITORIAL Page 6
LETTERS Page 7
www.northislandgazette.com NORTH ISLAND LIFE Page 11
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A Rivers Day tail Erin Wright of the Quatse Salmon Stewardship Centre hauls a pink salmon from a tank with the help of youngsters attending the annual B.C. Rivers Day celebration at the centre Sunday. See more on page 11. A O’Toole
RD unveils telecom policy at UBCM J.R. Rardon Gazette editor Still hot off the press, the Regional District of Mount Waddington’s new, comprehensive telecommunications policy was rolled out last week at the annual Union of British Columbia Municipalities Conference in Victoria. The document, created by the District’s economic development office and approved by the Board
of Directors, calls for the Province, the federal government and telecom companies to ensure rural communities like those on North Vancouver Island are not left behind as internet and cellular technology is increased and expanded in other parts of the country. “We’ve been developing it since July, to have a little more sophisticated line on the subject,” said Neil Smith, the RDMW’s eco-
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nomic development manager. “It was basically to have a policy so our directors and municipal leaders would have something to take to UBCM.” And that’s just what they did, presenting the policy to Citizens’ Services and Open Government Minister Ben Stewart last week while asking for the government’s assistance in ensuring Telus Communications upholds its obligations to
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work stage.” The RD believes the provincial government has leverage over Telus due to its long-term, exclusive contract with Telus to provide infrastructure and service across the province. Telus did provide language in the contract indicating it was committed to providing access to rural areas, but a close reading reveals a decided lack of specifics. “There was absolutely
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rural communities under its infrastructure and service contract with B.C. “(Stewart) was receptive, because we already have an agreement with Telus,” said Greg Fletcher, RDMW administrator. “The policy is an example of a situation where we could provide the minister a completed work, rather than asking him to help draft policy. “We’re at the implementation stage, not the paper-
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nothing in there to benefit rural service,” said Smith. “When we got looking at it, we realized we’d been had.” Early this summer, the RDMW board of directors did extract a commitment from Telus to extend its fibre-optic line from Sayward to Woss by next year, and complete the
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