THURSDAYSEPTEMBER 19, 2013
Official newspaper of the Save-On-Foods Oceanside Generals
www.pqbnews.com
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MAJOR DEVELOPMENT
TIME TO DISCOVER A LOCAL OASIS
Pheasant Glen unveils plans for 160 homes plus amenities
Fall edition of magazine inside select copies of today’s paper
A5
INSIDE
PARKSVILLE QUALICUM BEACH LIFE
QUALICUM BEACH
Clarion complaint Group calls for outside help; petition started too JOHN HARDING editor@pqbnews.com
A new citizens group in Qualicum Beach has filed a complaint with the B.C. ombudsman alleging town council has ignored the wishes of the public in regards to a downtown development. More than 150 people packed a public meeting at the civic centre Monday night, an open house hosted by the fledgling Concerned Citizens of Qualicum Beach. They heard the group has filed the complaint with the ombudsman and they were also asked to sign a petition asking for council to re-open for public input the design of The Clarion, and rescind the development cost charges exemption the project received. “From the day of the new council, December 2011, The Clarion was a fait accompli,” said one of the group’s organizers, Graham Riches. When contacted by The NEWS, the provincial ombudsman’s office said it is their policy not to confirm they have received a complaint. A few panelists and a long list of residents took to the microphone Monday night at the civic centre to voice complaints about the current town council, comments voiced many times in many venues the past few months. A couple of speakers spoke in favour of The Clarion and when one asked for a show of hands of people who were of a like mind, less than 10 people responded. Many of the speakers voiced concerns about the process involving The Clarion and contended it was pushed through council much too quickly for such a major development in the village neighbourhood. See NO ENFORCEMENT POWERS, page A7
NEIL HORNER PHOTO
OUT WITH THE OLD: The downtown core of Parksville changed forever this week with the demolition of the former Save-On-Gas station and adjoining Chinese food restaurant at the corner of Corfield and Highway 19A. The site will be the new home of a Co-op gas bar, store and upper-floor condos.
K-12 EDUCATION
School board wants your input The local school district, still facing a $1.3 million budget deficit this year, wants to hear from the taxpayers of Parksville Qualicum Beach. Community members interested in the future of local schools can attend the Toward a Future for Schools Conversations once a month at Oceanside Middle School.
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The local school board says it sees the meetings as a regular opportunity to engage with interested parties in focused conversation on topics relating to the future of education in the community. The conversations will be held on the second Thursday of each month in the Library at OMS from 7 to 8:30 p.m.
The focus at the October 10 meeting will be Teaching and Learning and on November 14, Finance and Facilities. The focus will alternate between those two topics each month until June, when there will be a review of the year’s conversations. —NEWS Staff
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