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MERRITT HERALD FREE
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2012 • MERRITT NEWSPAPERS
Homelessness up 25 per cent: study By Phillip Woolgar THE HERALD
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The number of homeless people in Merritt has increased by about 25 per cent over last year, an ASK Wellness Centre survey says. Volunteers combed through Merritt streets to ask homeless people to identify what has led them to street life. The results were released Friday. “There is an absolute increase in the number of homeless people here,” ASK housing co-ordinator Chelsea Morrey said, adding that a lack of
(L-R) ASK Wellness Centre’s Chelsea Morrey, housing co-ordinator, Stacy Wormell, outreach co-ordinator, and a team of volunteers helped assemble the Merritt homelessness count which was released Monday. They also handed out these backpacks with an assortment of handy items. Phillip Woolgar/Herald
affordable housing and social programs have sparked a fire under the homelessness problem in Merritt. Ten men, four women and one person who didn’t identify their gender were counted. That’s up from 12 last year. ASK Wellness services alone have doubled in the last year, she said. “We do see a lot of mental and physical health illnesses, poor life choices, but then there isn’t the reaching hand to help them come out of that.”
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MLAs post six-month travel expense totals Fraser-Nicola New Democrat MLA Harry Lali tallies $32,829 in bills, mostly on general travel By Phillip Woolgar and Tom Fletcher THE HERALD
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B.C.’s 85 MLAs have started disclosing their travel expenses, posting total amounts charged on their government-issued credit cards but not the details of where they drove, flew or dined. Fraser-Nicola New Democrat MLA Harry Lali tallied $32,829 in expenses in
the six-month period ending in September. “My expenses for the period are actually going to be a little higher, closer to $40,000,” Lali admitted, noting some of the expense claims weren’t turned in on time. “Those will be captured in the next round.” His total amount is roughly the average for rural MLAs. Lali also noted he
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works in the fifthlargest constituency in the province, which increased his local
travel expenses. According to the report, Lali spent $6,000 on accom-
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modations, $5,790 on in-town travel and $18,195 on general travel, among other smaller expenses. The B.C. legislature’s internal finances are being dragged into the 21st century in response to a damning report from Auditor General John Doyle released in July. The audit found that MLA credit card bills were being paid without receipts, and
the legislative assembly hadn’t produced financial statements despite a 2007 recommendation from the previous auditor general. In response, the Legislative Assembly Management Committee, chaired by Speaker and Penticton MLA Bill Barisoff, started holding its meetings in public. Two new financial officers were
hired to address what Doyle described as “pervasive deficiencies” in financial accountability of legislature operations. “This is a good thing because it is great for accountability purposes, of course,” Lali said. The management committee authorized the first release last Wednesday.
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