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u Letter P. 4 u A taste of Fort P. 3
u Little Dancers P. 6 u RCMP report P. 5
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WEDNESDAY, October 23, 2013
Housing co-op in progress
VOL. 36 NO. 34 $1.30 inc. GST
Concert series in question
Ruth Lloyd Caledonia Courier The fastest growing demographic in rural Canada is not about to sit idle and not take any action to ensure the housing they need is there when they need it - not in Fort St. James anyhow. A group is looking at creating a senior’s housing co-op in the community. An information session at the Stuart Lake Seniors Centre on Oct. 16 saw 19 people come out to hear about the idea. The small committee which has been working on the background research to see if seniors’ co-op housing may be a viable option in the community, put on a presentation led by Pete Valk. The group had already conducted a survey in the community and 36 people had responded to their housing survey. A full 69 per cent of respondents said they were interested in co-op housing as an option. A clear majority (86 per cent) were interested in two bedroom units of 850-900 square feet. The group has already looked at possible available properties in the community in order to ensure there would be property available for the higher density housing being proposed and the District of Fort St. James provided a list of properties already zoned for this type of development. The session helped to provide information to people interested in the project, either as possible future residents or as investors. Co-operative ventures are investments which essentially borrow equity from each investor and then members get returns based on the equity they have put in. Because co-operatives are democratic in their structure, the members would help to determine how the structure of the co-op would work and some of the rules around putting money in or taking it out. The committee said equity investments can still be inherited and willed with an estate, though there may be rules about how quickly shares can be liquidated. While there is still a long way to go before housing would happen, the current committee is now working on a membership drive to get people to join the co-op and then elect an actual board of directors and register the co-op in order to get rolling. Continued on Page 2
Woody Holler of Manitoba performed to a tiny crowd as part of the Fort St. James Arts Council concert series. The small turnout raises questions about the viability of the concert series. Story Page 5.
Ruth Lloyd/Caledonia Courier
Cullen says no stunt Ruth Lloyd Caledonia Courier Last week the federal New Democrats as the Official Opposition accused Prime Minister Stephen Harper of misleading Parliament. While this may sound like nothing new, just an opposition party pointing fingers and saying the governing party did something wrong, it is different, said Skeena-Bulkley Valley MP Nathan Cullen. This time, the NDP introduced the comaplaint as a point of “privilege” which requests Speaker Andrew Scheer find Harper misled Parliament during the Senate spending scandal involving Senators Mike Duffy, Patrick Brazeau and Pamela Wallin. The NDP allege Harper was not telling the truth when he maintained
no one but Nigel Wright in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) knew about the bail out for Sen Mike Duffy. Wright, Harper’s chief of staff in the PMO gave Duffy a $90,000 cheque in order to pay back Senate expenses he had improperly claimed for things like a housing allowance he didn’t qualify for. While Wright resigned and Harper said the cheque was Wright’s own independent initiative, an RCMP affidavit filed during the course of their investigation into the incident stated at least three other people in the PMO allegedly also knew about the payment. Wright named three others he had informed of the payment, according the the RCMP affidavit. The Conservatives continue to dismiss the accusation the Prime Minis-
ter lied to the House as a stunt on the part of the NDP to try and keep the Senate spending scandal in the media. They were instead pointing out the European trade deal in the works and what benefits the opening up of trade with the European Union could mean to Canada. Raising a “matter of privilege” in the House of Commons is meant to “maintain the respect and credibility due to and required of each House” according to the Parliament of Canada. Should the Speaker deem the allegation by the NDP to have merit and meet the requirements for further consideration, then the members of Parliament will put all other business aside to deal with the allegation. Cullen defended the move as holding the Prime Minster to account for his actions.
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