K I T I M A T
Sentinel
Northern
www.northernsentinel.com
Volume 58 No. 44
Food Bank moving out Cameron Orr The Kitimat Food Bank, which has been in the City Centre Mall for five years, will have to find a new home as early as the end of January. The lease they hold with the mall is not being renewed, so as of January 31 â or later if they can arrange a month-to-month lease â theyâll have to either be in a new home, or Kitimat may see a temporary hiatus of a crucial community program. Food Bank President Marjorie Phelps said they want the word out that theyâre looking for a new home. The Food Bank does have a preference checklist for potential new homes, which includes being on a transit route and in an affordable spot. So the Service Centre, with no bus access, couldnât work for them. âIt should be fairly central because our clients have to use public transit or walk or bum a ride from someone,â said Food Bank Vice-President Bill Willis. But he doesnât intend to leave their current location on a sour note with the mall owner. âThis place, weâre really, really grateful for getting this place at the price,â he said. âIt was a lifesaver for us because we were in Nechako Centre...the only reason it wasnât condemned is because we were still there.â Phelps said that depending on what location they eventually find, they may go to the community â either to the District, from which they donât receive money from now, or other donors â for a boost to help them afford Kitimatâs new rent. âWe know the rentâs going to be high because of the economy right now,â she said. âMaybe there is someone in town who can help us out.â Theyâll be crossing their fingers they can find a place with enough space. Right now they have a number of refrigerators and freezers, in addition to the fully stocked shelves of non-perishable food. They also use their location for initial stockpiling for the Christmas Hamper program. âI supposed we could do with a little bit less, but not much,â said Phelp. But no one really believes the Food Bank will have to close its doors, even though itâs a possibility on a short term basis. âWeâre doing everything we can possibly think of to keep ourselves in business,â said Willis. We reached out to City Centre Mall owner Jerry Minni on this subject, but he said itâs a matter between landlord and tenant and wouldnât comment.
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
1.30 INCLUDES TAX
$
The Aluminum City Telethon provided another full day of entertainment while the community fundraised for local groups. See more photos and the latest total on page 9.
Landfill wonât get Tuesday opening He said it looked to him more like a list of evCameron Orr ery excuse to say no. The Kitimat Landfill wonât be getting its TuesâThis For starters he took issue with point one which day opening after all. isnât 1993 basically stated how the landfill has been closed on Councillors were fairly split, but not enough to provide the majority to give direction for it to open. anymore, this Tuesdays since 1993. âThis isnât 1993 anymore, this is arguably KitA staff report from the District to councillors is arguably imatâs busiest time in history,â he said. recommended not changing their hours of operaKitimatâs He also countered the claim it would cost tion, following a motion from Phil Germuth on October 7 to re-open the landfill Tuesdays, as well as busiest time in $1,000 a day to open Tuesdays, saying any reasonable business owner would hire someone to work reviewing its hours of operation. history.â those days, rather than paying overtime. The report, including a nine-point list of Instead of a 30 per cent increase in cost, he thoughts, was compiled with input from the landsaid in reality itâd be more manageable, at around 5.7 per cent. fill operator. As for the after-hours $25 fee, Germuth said that from the That list included thoughts such as a $1,000 a day increase for being open on Tuesdays, overtime costs, and an impression contractors he had spoken to, few were aware such a service that the demand is not great enough to warrant another day open. was even offered. Joining his argument was Corinne Scott, who said that six Also, a $25 after-hours fee is available to people who need it, but the report says that since the introduction of that fee calls of the nine points on administrationâs report did not make much for after-hours service ceased, âsuggesting it was a matter of sense. And while some believed that the current landfill contract, planning more than necessity to deliver outside the usual hours.â However the list of reasons not to open an extra day of the only now in its fourth month, shouldnât be tampered with, Scott week didnât sway Germuth, who felt they didnât provide a com- didnât want to wait. Continued on page 12 pelling argument.
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Sensible BC canvassers in Kitimat ... page 3