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JR. VIKES WIN TITLE P. 3 CHEQUE PRESENTATION P. 5
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EDITORIAL P. 6 THE ICEMAN P. 12
E xpress OMINECA
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$1.34 Inc. HST Vol. 35 No. 51
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Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Council offers $310,000 for sturgeon As major players negotiate for recovery centre funding, Vanderhoof offers incentives Cameron Ginn Omineca Express
Voters stand in queue outside the Nechako Senior Friendship Centre, waiting to cast ballots in the pool referendum and Vanderhoof by-election on Saturday, Feb. 16. Cameron Ginn/Omineca Express
Pool referendum passes, John Murphy elected to council Cameron Ginn Omineca Express
The pool referendum passed and John Murphy was elected to council on Saturday, Feb. 16. In an extraordinary showing of electors at the Nechako Senior Friendship Centre, where the polling station was set up, Van-
derhoof voted overwhelmingly in favor of allowing the municipality to borrow $4 million to put towards building a $12-million aquatic facility. According to official results from the municipal office, 1,207 electors from the District of Vanderhoof voted yes at the pool referendum, while 353 voted no. In Area F of the Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako, 575 electors voted yes
and 472 people voted against the referendum through various means, including mail-in ballots, advanced polling and by voting in person on Feb. 16. In the Vanderhoof by-election, which was held in conjunction with the pool referendum to reduce costs, John Murphy was elected to council with 782 votes. Candidates Peet Vahi and Marje Makow received 336 and 319 votes, respectively.
Council approved a resolution Tuesday, Feb. 12, further galvanizing the construction of a Nechako White Sturgeon Recovery Centre in Vanderhoof. As the Freshwater Fisheries Society of B.C. (FFSBC) moves forward with negotiations to build the $3.5-million recovery centre here, the resolution lays out various financial offerings from the District of Vanderhoof. Included in the resolution is a one-time donation of $310,000, plus two acres of municipal-owned land, a waiver of all building permit fees, and a permissive tax exemption for the building and property for as long as the facility is operated by FFSBC. "Basically, we're all in. We have put our cards out there," said Councillor Ken Young. The value of the land, waived permit fees and tax exemptions have not been officially determined by the municipality. "The donation of the land is an important dimension," said Deputy Administrator Tom Clement. "The key is the $310,00 as a donation towards the construction and operation of the facility." Urgency is rising to build the facility before the Nechako white sturgeon, currently listed as "critically imperiled" by the B.C. Conservation Data Centre, declines any further in number. According to the Nechako White Sturgeon Recovery Initiative, dam construction, loss of food supply and pollution from industrial and municipal sources have endangered the Nechako white sturgeon by reducing their reproductive success and possibly degrading their habitat.
t SPRING r a t S Kick “
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1/2 PRICE PROGRESSIVE SALE
Kick Start is a community driven initiative focused on creating an awareness of what Vanderhoof has to offer!
For more information call the Omineca Express: 250-567-9258
Publication Date: March 13 & 20, 2013