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Inside this issue... FERNIIE GU DE FRE
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laces ents • P v E • s Map IES W in te
IT R ACTIV EY WINTE K S HOC
RIDER GHOST
TS RESOR
Thursd a y , N o vem b er 2 8 , 2013
Serving the South Country, Fernie, Sparwood, Elkford since 1898
FREE
Opening day at Fernie Alpine Resort
GHOSTRIDERS
Where to Shop , Dine, Play & Stay
Ghostrider Profiles Page A15 ELKFORD
Moonlight Madness Page A13 SPARWOOD
Christmas Hamper Campaign - Page A3
(Left–right) Joy, Paul and Amy Attalla, and Greg Barrow were first in line for first tracks this morning with a healthy line growing behind them waiting for the big wheels of the Elk Chair lift to turn. Happy Birthday Amy! Photo by T. Hynd
SPORT
Treehouse daycare receives interest free loan from District By Tamara Hynd Free Press Staff
T
Serving up some volleyball - Page A14
FERNIE MAP 33
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All content is copyright 2012/13 by The Free Press and may not be reproduced or published without prior approval of the publisher.
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he District of Sparwood has agreed to loan $48,842 to the Society for Kids’ CareElk Valley (SKC). The interest free loan is to cover Treehouse Daycare operational costs remaining from 2012 for a term of no more than five years. Councillor Joanne Wilton removed herself from the council chambers citing a conflict of interest as she previously sat on the Board as president of the society before she was elected onto Council. Duane Lawrence, director of community and faculty services and newly elected president of SKC was not present at the Council meeting as recommended by Chief
Administrative Officer (CAO) Terry Mercer to reduce conflict of interest. Council decided to support the request after receiving a report and recommendation made by Director of Leisure Services Duane Lawrence and CAO Terry Mercer. Terry Mercer explained that Duane Lawrence was directed to sit on the Society for Kids’ Care Board of Directors as a District representative. Recently at the last AGM Lawrence was elected president of the Society. The daycare is overseen by Society for Kids’ Care-Elk Valley, which is a seven member board. Lawrence is the new president and Sharon Strom is the vice president. The Treehouse Daycare has the capacity to house up to 12 children in the infant toddler room; 24 three to five year olds and 24 children in
the after school care room. Sharon Strom made a request for the loan in a letter to CAO Terry Mercer, explaining where the shortfall in funds came from. “At the end of 2012 the Daycare centre discovered that its current bookkeeper had stopped making payments to the Canadian Revenue Agency (CRA),” wrote Strom. “Since that discovery the centre has been working with the CRA to determine the exact amount owing from 2012 and to determine the most effective manner in which to repay the outstanding funds. The CRA generally does not provide long-term repayment plans and charges a high rate of interest that is compounded daily. Although the CRA would likely grant a three to six month repayment schedule the
daycare is not in a position to be able to pay the outstanding funds in that time frame.” Upon the conclusion of their annual audit the Board determined that the quarterly payments to the CRA had ceased in May of 2012. “Upon completing two additional audits, one internal and a second by the CRA, it was determined that no funds were missing and that no fraudulent activities had occurred,” said Lawrence. “The error was in all likelihood the result of an error in judgment and the lack of experience of the bookkeeper at the time.” With respect to the CRA, the current interest rate is around seven per cent-compounded daily with a repayment term of no longer than 12 months. $7,218 of the $48,842
Continued on page A18