FRIDAY JAN. 11, 2012 VOL. 38, NO. 34
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To the rescue
Fireside Woodwind Quintet steps in to continue Classical Concert Series
Get ready to write
Arts Council announces call for submission for Bowen anthology
Yoga Loft
A space up in the trees with two dedicated teachers
Bowen property values down
Value for service ratio unfair
SUSANNE MARTIN
SUSANNE MARTIN
EDITOR
EDITOR
owen Island’s property values have experienced some of the largest declines in the Vancouver Sea to Sky Region, according to the B.C. Assessment Authority that released its 2013 numbers last week. Also in the bottom category are the neighbouring communities of the Sunshine Coast, Pemberton and Whistler. Examples of recently-issued 2013 notices show an assessment for a Bowen Island non-waterfront, single family dwelling at $454,000, compared to $530,000 in 2012. That is a decrease of about 15 per cent. For an example waterfront property, the drop is even steeper: about 25 per cent - the single-family dwelling on the waterfront was assessed at $1,307,000 for 2013 and $1,708,000 for 2012. Bowen Islander Hans Merkelbach has been involved in financial services all his life and worked with Dundee Wealth Management, a securities company with $50 billion under management. He was not surprised by those numbers. “In 2011, the assessment of our property came to $1,290,000. And someone was prepared to pay $1,700,000 in 2012,” Merkelbach says, adding that it is a beautiful property with sweeping views. “In 2012, our assessment moved up to $1,332,000. My contention was that the market had already dropped at that point.” Merkelbach appealed the assessment and got a reduction of about $100,000. In 2013, his assessment came in at $916,000 - 30 per cent lower than the 2011 number.
portion of Bowen Island taxpayers’ money is collected by the Bowen Island Municipality and sent on to the Islands Trust, a regional governing body that covers the islands and waters between the British Columbia mainland and southern Vancouver Island. It includes 13 major and more than 450 smaller islands covering 5200 square kilometres. Councillors Wolfgang Duntz and Andrew Stone are Bowen’s Islands Trust trustees and they felt it important to communicate their positions to island residents. Duntz said, “Do we receive value for what we send to the Islands Trust? I would say no, we don’t. There is a great disparity between what we pay and what we receive.” Duntz explained that Bowen Island paid $67,000 a year in 2000 and now pays close to $230,000. “There is no justification for an increase of more than 300 per cent,” he said. Stone said, “The issue of receiving value for our money from the Islands Trust is a long standing one with Bowen Islanders. Part of the reason it is coming to the forefront is that we are now getting our house in order and are paying attention to things that haven’t been attended to.” Stone said that when Bowen was a fledgling incorporated entity, the focus shifted away from the Islands Trust. “We were busy crafting bylaws and building our own infrastructure - we were spending little time on the Islands Trust.” He added that even though Bowen removed itself psychologically, the connection was never severed.
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Bowen Island’s David Cameron is getting ready to take on the role (and persona) of a Dutch librarian on the hunt for the culprit responsible for a long overdue library book. The Kingbaby Production of Underneath The Lintel is directed by Jackie Minns and will be performed at the Tir-na-Nog Theatre from January 31 to February 9. Submitted photo
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Dee Elliott
PERSONAL REAL ESTATE CORPORATION
ACCREDITED BUYERS REPRESENTATIVE
Bowen Island 4 Years
Living it. Loving it.
604-612-7798 dee_elliott@yahoo.com • www.bowenhomes.ca
AS BOWEN ISLAND’S TOP PRODUCI IN A ROW NG RE R A E Y H ALTO 4T E H T R R O F S R E ND HAPPY NEW YEAR! THANK YOU ISLA
Dee’s 2012 Sales
432 Senator 1288 Oceanview 1277 Miller 507 Rockmoyne
1026 Miller 1637 Whitesails 981 Grafton 477 BI Trunk Rd
479 BI Trunk Rd 731 Grafton 963 Seaview 1522 Whitesails
1222 Miller 718 Windjammer 824 Valhalla 1675 Whitesails 1778 Frances Walk 1038 Miller 1798 Olivia Terrace 1279 Scarborough 585 Berry 1782 Frances Walk 848 Valhalla
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