Trap ban City council wants to end use of ‘barbaric’ traps within Nanaimo. Page 11 Driveway Ram might make loyal truck drivers change their ride. Page B1 Steampunk shrew VIU Theatre revamps classic Shakespeare. Page 3
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Clark speech focuses on job creation I funding for Malahat approved. By Karl yu The News BulleTiN
Jobs were the focus of B.C. Premier Christy Clark’s 2013 election campaign and also of her address at the 2013 State of the Island Economic Summit Wednesday afternoon in Nanaimo. While she spoke at length about jobs in the liquefied natural gas industry, Clark also talked about the one million job openings between now and 2020. The provincial government announced earlier in the day that Vancouver Island University’s Nanaimo campus would be getting $144,000 from the province to pay for a total of 30 student spaces for the baking program and a trades discovery pilot program. “We’re going to have to make sure
we are investing in our skills training programs across the board,” Clark said. “The employment skills access program at [Vancouver Island University] is incredibly important. “We need to make sure we reverse engineer our education system so that we’re supplying the grads that our economy needs. Start in postsecondary, figure out how we’re going to fill those needs in the economy. Make sure our apprenticeship programs are seamless so that young people can get straight into the workforce as quickly as possible.” The economic summit is an annual conference hosted by the Vancouver Island Economic Alliance featuring panel discussions and keynote speakers, including Gary Mason, Globe and Mail national columnist, and Ferio Pugliese, president of WestJet Encore.
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City seeks assurance on tax revenue prior to rezoning for pot By Tamara Cunningham The News BulleTiN
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Christy Clark, B.C. premier, gave the closing speech Wednesday at the 2013 State of the island Economic Summit. Clark focused her talk on economic opportunities awaiting the province from exports of B.C. natural gas.
Clark also announced there would be $15 million in upgrades to the Malahat highway. The government said 2.3 kilometres of median barrier would be added to
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divide a section of the highway from the Shawinigan Lake Road area to the Malahat summit weather station, a 1 km southbound passing lane extension and improve-
ments to intersections at Whittaker Road and Holker Place. Clark also discussed the long-term vision of the Malahat at a press conference afterwards. u See ‘MALAHAT’ /5
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A potential tax loophole has Nanaimo city council thinking twice about rezoning land for a medical marijuana grow operation. U.S.-based Privateer Holdings is hoping to get land rezoned at the Duke Point industrial park to make way for its first Canadian medical marijuana production facility. Time “is of the essence” according to the company’s chief executive officer, who wants to plant a crop 90 days before Health Canada’s regulations for medical marijuana come into effect April 1. A building on the property still needs to be renovated. But Nanaimo city council isn’t prepared to allow rezoning before B.C. Assessment makes a final determination on how medical marijuana operations can be taxed. They passed the first two readings to rezone the property Monday to give city staff members time to resolve tax concerns. According to the City of Nanaimo, the assessment authority has indicated production of medical marijuana will be considered an agriculture use, but has yet to make a final decision. Mayor John Ruttan says if the city allows the company to rezone the land from I2 to I4 for marijuana production and it applies for farm status, Nanaimo could lose out on higher tax revenues. Erosion of the industrial tax base is also considered a ‘serious risk.’ Privateer Holdings has indicated interest in signing a legal document promising never to apply for agriculture status, but Nanaimo city staff have not yet found a legal method to prevent the company from changing its property designation. “We have a finite amount of industrial land available,” said Ruttan.“I can only speak for myself, but if there is a mechanism that you [Privateer Holdings] or any company can come along and apply under agriculture and get it exempt and not pay a dime in taxes, I’d have a real problem with that. This is expensive land and ... if it’s gone, we can’t get it back.” u See ‘EQUITY’ /7
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