¡Viva Surrey! a sizzling Christmas fundraiser
Eagles assured of postseason play
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Thursday February 7, 2013
Serving Surrey and North Delta www.surreyleader.com
Regional sales tax proposed to fund TransLink
Keep West Nile Virus program, city urges Mosquito-borne illness not a great risk, officials decide by Kevin Diakiw THE CITY of Surrey is upset that Metro
Levy of 0.5 per cent would raise $250 million, mayors suggest by Jeff Nagel A NEW regional sales tax adding up to 0.5 per cent to the cost of
local goods is being proposed by Metro Vancouver mayors as one of the new tools they want to help fund TransLink. At 0.5 per cent the tax – tacked on top of the seven per cent PST on transactions within Metro Vancouver – would raise an estimated $250 million per year from transactions within Metro Vancouver, according to a technical analysis that examined potential new sources. But mayors’ council chair Richard Walton said 0.5 per cent is the “absolute limit” of what he thinks might be proposed, adding just 0.1 or 0.2 per cent would generate “very sizable contributions” of $50 to $100 million. “We expect opposition to come from everywhere,” Walton said. “We’re not expecting the government to say yes right away. We’re not naive.” Richard The proposals are spelled out in a Jan. 31 Walton letter from the Mayors’ Council on Regional Transportation to Transportation Minister Mary Polak and sales tax isn’t the only idea being advanced. The mayors still want the province to enable an annual vehicle levy – an average of $38 per vehicle would generate $50 million – as a short-term option. See REGIONAL TAX / Page 3
EVAN SEAL / THE LEADER
The goal? To end homelessness Shayne Williams, executive director of Keys: Housing and Health Solutions, was among community members taking part in the Toque Tuesday Hockey Day in North Surrey on Feb. 5. The annual event, which raises money for homeless support initiatives, saw RCMP, firefighters, video-online] students, MLAs and the homeless face off in 20-minute games. For more information and additional photos, www.surreyleader.com visit surreyleader.com
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Vancouver is scrapping a plan to watch out for the potentially fatal West Nile Virus (WNV). Late last year, Metro Vancouver and Fraser Health determined WNV – which can be fatal in humans – was no longer a threat here, and decided to stop spending $76,000 annually coordinating a response to it. Surrey staff argue the virus is found all over North America including the B.C. Interior and Washington. In 2009, a horse in Aldergrove fell ill with it. However, Fraser Health doesn’t believe there’s a great risk to the public. The health authority no longer recommends pre-emptive use of larvicide to control mosquitoes. As a result, provincial funding for West Nile response has been cut off. Metro is now asking its member municipalities for support in dismantling its WNV response program established in 2003. Surrey says the move is an abrupt reaction to the loss of provincial funding and will continue its own program to control nuisance mosquitoes. But that won’t target the species most likely to transmit WNV to humans. Metro requires support from twothirds of its member municipalities to dismantle the system.
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