TUESDAY JULY 9, 2013
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SKIMMING WITH SPEED
COUPLE LOOKS TO SPICE IT UP
Results from skimboarding competition highlighted inside
Read our review of Bard to Broadway’s Sexy Laundry, now playing in Qualicum
A31
A13
HEALTH CENTRE ACCESS
Dodging traffic
Local woman’s scary story; MLA says fix coming soon JOHN HARDING editor@pqbnews.com
LISSA ALEXANDER PHOTO
TEDDY CUDDLE: From left, Scarlett Poole and Lola Graham-McRae share a cuddle Saturday with their Teddies at the Quality Foods Teddy Bear Picnic and Nanoose Days. See story page A14 and for more photos, visit our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/PQBNews.
PARKSVILLE DEVELOPMENT
Council looks to increase DCCs AUREN RUVINSKY
writer@pqbnews.com
City council is looking at a difficult decision on an appropriate increase to development cost charges (DCCs). In response to the 20-year capital expenditure plan being passed in May, Parksville city council received a pro-
See CHANGES, page A7
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plained mayor Chris Burger. Pamela Lovegrove, city manager of budgets and special projects, presented the new bylaw and explained the rates haven’t changed in five years. Director of Finance Lucky Butterworth said the city has fallen behind. See HUGE JUMP, page A4
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posed bylaw which would see the charges increase by an average of more than 50 per cent in five different categories. The charges are meant to have developers pay the costs to the city of increased infrastructure costs (road, storm, water, sewer and parkland) associated with new buildings, ex-
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Suzan Jennings says she felt like she was risking her life to get some blood work done at the new Oceanside Health Centre (OHC). And she’s hoping accessibility issues can be worked out before someone gets hurt. Parksville-Qualicum MLA Michelle Stilwell says changes are in the works now to make the situation safer. Jennings, who uses a powered wheelchair she calls her “Mercedes,” was in downtown Parksville last week and needed to get to the OHC. After calling the regional transit authority, Jennings learned she had to catch the 88 bus to get to the OHC. She wheeled herself to the bus stop in front of city hall, boarded the 88 and got off at the stop closest to the OHC. Things got dicey from there. The closest bus stop to the OHC — the availability and frequency of the specialized HandyDart system will be explored further in this story, but Jennings says it has much to be desired — is almost a kilometre from the front doors of the OHC. The stop is blocks in from the Alberni Highway and on the opposite side of the street from the OHC. What’s worse, Jennings wasn’t quite sure where she was going, and she says the bus driver instructed her to head to the highway and head west (up toward Coombs). She powered to the highway — passing the Trillium Lodge and OHC signage that wasn’t clear to her — and took her chances on the gravel-strewed shoulder of Highway 4A. She got close to the health centre when she noticed some work crews to her right on the OHC grounds.
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