TUESDAY OCTOBER 15, 2013
Official newspaper of the Save-On-Foods Oceanside Generals
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Gold 2012 General Excellence
LOOKING FOR A CHAMPION
VIDEO STORE OPTIONS DWINDLE
Town says it needs help to eradicate an invasive weed
Hancock family will close Video Showcase in Qualicum Beach in December
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A25
FEDERAL POLITICS
MP won’t be running
James Lunney says riding boundary changes were at the base of his decision CHRIS BUSH Nanaimo News-Bulletin
After 13 years as Nanaimo-Alberni Conservative MP, James Lunney has decided to call it a day. Lunney announced his decision to not seek re-election in 2015 during a press conference held at his constituency office in north Nanaimo Friday morning. He said he based his decision on one made by the B.C. Boundary Commission to split the Nanaimo-Alberni riding, based on population growth, prior to the next federal election. “It will take the 50,000 people from Lantzville — right next door to us here — and north Nanaimo and append it to south Nanaimo and Ladysmith and it’ll peel the north side of the riding and the west side and attach it to Courtenay,” Lunney said. He said the shift means it will force him to divert his attention away from a constituency base he has served since he was first elected in 2000, so he is better off to complete his mandate for the remainder of his term by continuing to focus on the constituents currently within the Nanaimo-Alberni riding and leave the door open for others to seek election in the reconfigured ridings. Lunney denied that he is stepping aside because of recent criticisms and controversies surrounding the Harper government and the Senate. “I’d have to say that we’ve waded through a lot,” Lunney said. “It’s a challenging time to govern in any capacity. People are restive. The world is unstable. The economy’s unstable and I think that makes people unsettled in a lot of different ways.” See MORE TIME, page A6
LISSA ALEXANDER PHOTO
WORLD SIGHT DAY CHALLENGE: Vision Arts Eye Care in Qualicum Beach has joined a global campaign to bring eye exams and glasses to countries with little or no access to them. In conjunction with World Sight Day, which was last week, Vision Arts will be fundraising throughout the month of October for the charity Optometry Giving Sight, established to address the needs of more than 600 million men women and children around the world who are blind or vision impaired due to lack of eye care services. Drop by Vision Arts and make a donation this month. People can also visit the parent company’s Facebook and Twitter pages called FYidoctors and for every like or new follower they receive, $1 will be donated to The World Sight Day Challenge. Vision Arts is located at 102 - 183 West Fern Ave.
RDN DIRECTORS PUT AN END TO CURRENT PROPOSAL
Deep Bay development denied BSI has the option to submit another plan JOHN HARDING editor@pqbnews.com
A development plan that could have effectively doubled the population of Deep Bay is dead. For now. The Regional District of Nanaimo’s
board of directors voted unanimously last week to put a stop to the development application process involving Baynes Sound Investments (BSI), whose plan called for 200 single-family homes, a 292-unit RV park, retail/ commercial space and 40 hectares of park space. “They (BSI) own the land, so there’s
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We have
nothing stopping them from coming in with another development (proposal),” said Bill Veenhof, the regional district representative for the Bowser/ Deep Bay electoral area. “I kind of expect them to come back with another proposal. By terminating (the development permit), we left BSI open to submit anything they want.” See PUBLIC SENTIMENT, page A6
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