THURSDAYOCTOBER 31, 2013
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WORLD VIEW OF ART
THIS SUNDAY NOVEMBER 3
Celebrated artist Mark Hobson in Qualicum Bay this weekend
Don’t forget to set your clocks BACK one hour.
A25
TROUBLE AT THE MAC
Directors all resign
‘We are artists, we are not business people’ LISSA ALEXANDER reporter@pqbnews.com
The entire board of directors at the McMillan Arts Centre have decided to resign after lively and emotional meeting Monday night. “The building has been completely revamped, there are professional accounting systems in place, there’s money in the bank and we went to the membership and they didn’t like the direction we wanted to go in, and they voiced their opinion quite strongly and so this board will be stepping aside,” said Chris Raines, now-former president of the Oceanside Community Arts Council (OCAC), which owns the McMillan Arts Centre (the MAC.) Since May of this year, four of the board members have resigned and following the Monday night meeting, the five remaining gave their resignations, effective yesterday. Dave Klinger, a member of the OCAC and former vice president of the board, said a special resolution by the membership was seeking the termination of Raines as president and many spoke to that at the Monday night meeting. Klinger said Raines and the current board were too focused on the financial situation at the MAC and in the process lost a lot of “friends” in terms of volunteers and members. He said the board was considering selling the building and laid off the office administrator, but the membership isn’t interested in focusing on finances. “This is never going to be easy to manage, we are artists we are not business people,” Klinger said. “We can get enough money to get by and that’s about all we’re ever going to do, but that’s not a bad thing, that keeps us going.” See MEETING, page A15
SUBMITTED PHOTO BY LARRY MACDOUGALL
WAITING IN COSTUME: On Sunday, local professional photographers Larry MacDougall and Susan Whitney of Photographic Excellence got dressed up in preparation for the Halloween dance held on Sunday evening at the Qualicum Beach Legion and then headed over to the Qualicum Beach train station for some character shots. Their costumes depict an 1890s photographer and his wife greeting the arriving train that contains their friends. MacDougall took the picture by setting up a camera on a tripod and using a wireless device to trip the shutter. Our thanks to the couple for submitting this photo.
MARK BROWN RETIRES AFTER 33 YEARS WITH QUALICUM BEACH
Town looking for new CAO JOHN HARDING
editor@pqbnews.com
The Town of Qualicum Beach is looking for a new boss. The town issued a news release Wednesday stating Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Mark Brown is retiring “after more than three decades of dedicated service to the town.” Brown, is only the second CAO of the town since 1966, having succeeded Leo Klees in 1990. Since his first day in
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April of 1980, Brown has held a number of positions with the town, including clerk, treasurer, collector and approving officer. Brown was the CAO overseeing a number of high-profile projects in the town, including the construction of the Civic Centre and airport terminal in 1992. See BROWN MANAGED, page A15
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