THURSDAY MARCH 21, 2013
www.pqbnews.com
30,422
Copies per week Verified Circulation
SPOTLIGHT: ACTIVE YOUTH
TOP PIANISTS TO PERFORM AT TOSH
Civic Action Group doing great work in Parksville
Two world-renowned artists will help celebrate special anniversary
A5
B1
FAMILY PLACE FUNDING
Services face cuts Co-ordinator says the news is devastating LISSA ALEXANDER reporter@pqbnews.com
Many services currently being offered at Parksville’s new Family Place will be eliminated in June, as well as other local literacy services, due to funding cuts. Thirty five thousand dollars ($35,000) that was promised to Building Learning Together (BLT) has been pulled and District 69 Community Literacy Co-ordinator and Director of BLT, Deborah Davenport, said the news is devastating. “There’s never easy answers to funding,” she said. “Over all the years we’ve worked very hard to maintain the level and to grow the funding that we’ve had. But this is the first time I’m kind of going hmm‚ now what?” BLT is a local coalition of community partners formed in 1999 to support literacy and build connections between school and family in the pre-school years. For three years, the Ministry of Education has funded a provincial literacy organization called Decoda, created to support Vancouver’s bid for the Olympics. With $2.5 million, the organization was able to send $35,000 each to B.C. communities to fund a literacy outreach co-ordinator. The ministry reduced that funding to $1 million last year, and Decoda added $1.5 million from its reserves to address the shortfall. This year, Decoda can not make up the $1.5 million. This will eliminate funding to 55 B.C. communities, including this region. See SIGNIFICANT, page A9
LISSA ALEXANDER PHOTO
SPRING HAS SPRUNG: Leah Petersen with the City of Parksville weeds a garden bed at Community Park on the first day of spring.
NANOOSE BAY
Forest protected until 2017 LISSA ALEXANDER
reporter@pqbnews.com
Although a portion of land containing a globally imperilled ecosystem in Nanoose Bay has been logged, the remainder of the parcel will be protected, at least until 2017. “The rest of DL33 is saved, plus another 600 hectares, so it’s actually some good news finally in the forest,” said Kathy McMaster, who lives near the land and was involved
AGS
We Stock Quality Name Brand Computer Parts And Accessories! #1-501 Stanford Ave E., Parksville
250-248-4251 www.agscanada.com Monday - Friday 8:30 to 5:30
in a lengthy battle to try and prevent it from being cut. District Lot 33 (DL33) is a 65-hectare piece of Crown land containing endangered Coastal Douglas Fir (CDF) forest of which there is only about 0.3 per cent remaining in B.C. A cutting license was issued to the Nanoose First Nations (Snaw-naw-as) — part of their rights entitlement agreements — in 2009 and they began logging in November, 2011. See MCMASTER, page A7
WE ARE PARKSVILLE’S COMPUTER & PRINTER SPECIALISTS PRINTER SPECIAL OF THE WEEK HP LASERJET PRO
A New Beginning.
NANAIMO PRICE BEATER!
• 26ppm in black • 2 sided printing P1606DN
15797
$
Shop Local and Save! Always Great Service Come In & Check Out our Self Serve Color Copy Centre. COPIERS / PRINTERS / AGS COMPUTERS / SALES / LEASING / SERVICING