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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2012
School review continues
Proudly serving Williams Lake and the Cariboo-Chilcotin since 1930
VOL. 82. No. 94
PURPLE TRESSES SUPPORT WOMEN
School District 27 trustees will receive a summary of what they have learned in their Initial Options Report public consultation process on Dec. 11, the district announced Wednesday, Nov. 28. The report outlines proposals for closing and reconfiguring schools in the district. The press release reminds the public that the trustees have not yet met regarding any information that has been presented at the consultation meetings or through written and e-mailed feedback to its Initial Options Report. All options and ideas will be considered by the board before any final decisions are made on the Initial Options Report.
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Monica Lamb-Yorski photo
Intrigue Hair Studio’s Jeneen Henderson applies the finishing touches of adding purple hues to Vonna Underhill’s hair during the Purple Hair Campaign held Nov. 26. Underhill was one of 67 females and two males that participated in the event. Intrigue staff along with women enrolled in the Women’s Job Readiness Training program’s entry level hair dressing and aesthetics program put in real human hair extensions, coloured hair with a painton product, and painted nails. The event was part of a week of Purple Ribbon Campaign activities held in Williams Lake to promote the end of violence against women.
Inside the Tribune NEWS A2 Operation Red Nose begins. SPORTS A11 McLellan in line for title fight.
Need for low-cost housing on the rise
COMMUNITY A15 Maranatha Players on stage.
Monica Lamb-Yorski Tribune Staff Writer
Weather outlook: Expect snow and rain on the weekend.
City councillor Ivan Bonnell said he was a “little bit surprised” to see how high the need is for emergency shelter, youth-at-risk, and low-income housing revealed in a new housing study prepared for the city of Williams Lake by City Spaces Consulting. “I was a little bit surprised in terms of the numbers and the need. I didn’t think they were quite as high as the study projected,” Bonnell said, adding the other thing the study showed was “how little” has been done on the housing issues during the last decade. The city released the study on its website last week and Bonnell hopes it will receive broad circulation with groups that are involved with housing. “Maybe we can start to build some partnerships and flesh some
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of the initiatives out and bring them into tangibles and see some new housing projects to fruition,” he said. Since being elected in Nov. 2011, Bonnell has participated on the Cariboo Lodge task force and said there is more work to do to finalize some questions about the current state of the facility. “We have to determine if the best approach is to move with renovations or demolition and talk about building something brand new, and what the site would be used for in the future. Those are policies issues that will have to come to council.” Anne Burrill, manager of social development for the city, described the study as a useful document for the whole community. “I think there is information in there beyond housing with lots of really useful demographics the whole community can use. Cer-
tainly anyone who is involved in housing development, whether it’s affordable housing or market housing, will find it interesting,” Burrill said. She wasn’t surprised by the data in the report because she has done work on the issue in the past. “The main reason for doing the study was to make sure we had a solid piece of research from an objective, third party consultant that could look at what’s going on in our community and give us a real clear snapshot.” A comprehensive housing study was prepared in 1996 for the Williams Lake Housing Committee at the time through the Social Planning Council, that was updated in 2009. “It presented a long term look at housing needs in the community,” Burrill said. “This new study is a bit more comprehensive.” The study is finalized and is now
being shared with the community. “It will facilitate the work of the Cariboo Lodge task force and the city will be looking at the recommendations in the study and using it to form our plans in the future supporting affordable housing.” One of the things Burrill thinks is helpful about the study is often there are varying opinions about what the housing needs are in Williams Lake, and the study gives a good picture. “We have gaps. Housing here isn’t as expensive as it is in larger urban centres, but we still have a number of issues. We have affordable issues. We have quality issues in our rental housing stock,” she said, adding most of the rental housing is “quite” old. The full report is available on the city’s website http://www.williamslake.ca/files/1/doc_FinalReport_HousingNeeds_WL%20 2012.pdf.