TUESDAY
EARTH DAY
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April 23, 2013 Vol. 28 • No. 33 ••• $1.25 inc. G.S.T.
Earth Day was celebrated Saturday in downtown Courtenay with a host of activities. pages 10, 11
Two Comox Valley Aquatic Club Sharks have been selected to the provincial swim team. page 14
Peace Begins At Home April 14-28
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Ferry change possible Renee Andor Record Staff
THEY WANT ACCESS An estimated 100 people gathered at Stotan Falls on Saturday to protest the landowner’s decision to deny public access to the popular summertime swimming hole. PHOTO BY ERIN HALUSCHAK
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An NDP government would consider bringing the ferry system back under government control, according to BC NDP leader Adrian Dix. He stressed a “comprehensive audit” of BC Ferries would be the first step, but during his campaign stop in the Comox Valley last week, Dix said the return to a government-controlled ferry system would be a possibility. “We know that the costs of BC Ferries and the costs for travellers is dramatically affecting, now, BC Ferries’ revenue,” Dix said Thursday. “There is a tipping point, and we’re at that tipping point where the increases in fares means people aren’t taking the ferries — many people aren’t taking the ferries or it’s obviously those who have no option that take the ferries.” The BC NDP announced last week it would freeze ferry fares for two years and conduct an audit of the system. Fares were hiked by four per cent April 1, with plans for two more four-per-cent fare hikes in 2014 and 2015. The NDP has said it would give BC Ferries Corporation $20 million per year for the two years of fare freezes if elected. Meanwhile, when asked about his stance on the proposed Raven Underground Coal Project near Fanny Bay, Dix said an NDP government would ensure a high standard for envi-
get to decisions and higher standards. And, obviously we have to very seriously recognize the concerns of the community, the concerns of the shellfish industry in assessing where this thing is at.” Dix has long been critical of public-private-partnership models in health care, pointing to a lack of flexibility in the decades-long agreements. However, he wouldn’t say what an NDP government would do in regards to the proposed P3 model for the North Island Hospitals Project. While the contract would not yet be signed if an NDP government is elected in May, Dix said his government would have to assess projects work has been started on, like this one, before making any decisions.
ronmental reviews at the provincial level. But, he wouldn’t comment on this project in particular. “In the case of this coal mine, we haven’t seen the proposal,” he said, noting the application is still in the early stages. “There’s great concern here and I think that because we haven’t seen the proposal, it’s important not to pass judgment on it, but there’s great concern, we have great concern about its impact, its impact on other industries and life in the region. “As we enter into this period where the federal government is actually withdrawing from environmental assessment that’s an issue of concern that we have to address, so I say more resources (for provincial assessments) so we
Education important Renee Andor
the future require post-secondary education — and K-12 education is of course the platform for that.” Dix announced Thursday an NDP government would invest $100 million to ... see NDP ■ 2
Record Staff
BC NDP leader Adrian Dix announced education spending promises during his stop in the Comox Valley on Thursday. Education is a big election issue for the NDP, one he said is of “great importance” in the Comox Valley. “Issues of public education are very much topof-mind,” said Dix. “If you think of the Comox Valley and the whole region, over time, we know that young people today, much more than ever before, need a high-quality public education, and that the jobs of
Clark visiting Record Staff
Provincial Liberal leader Christy Clark is visiting the Comox Valley on Tuesday morning. She will speak to the media at the site of the new Comox Valley hospital.
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