$2014 IN 2014 ????? FINAL DRAW TONIGHT 5:30 SEE PAGE 14
THATE
Your trust in me as your Realtor has put me in the top 10%!
Brian Thate 250-442-7370
www.brianthate.com LITTLE OAK REALTY
????? Passport & ID photos
Contact Photo Arts 317 Market Ave.
OPEN
Work in an office? A school? Need coffees for your gang?
CALL AHEAD and we’ll get working on your order
FESTIVAL EXPRESS
250-442-6546 *Ask about delivery
SPECIALTY COFFEES & TEAS Mon - Fri 8 - 4
(closed most holidays)
1980 68TH Ave Watch for the flag
Join us on Facebook Get DEALS!
Gazette Grand Forks
Like us on
Your community voice since 1897
Follow us
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 15, 2014
$1.10 (includes tax)
Lack of criminal record check hampers home schooling parents
Poker club antes up Page 3
VOL 117 NO. 3
WHAT A DIFFERENCE A DAY MAKES
CRAIG LINDSAY
Grand Forks Gazette
A local man has run into problems with Grand Forks Recreation Centre (GFREC) over what he says is a lack of proper criminal record checks. Scot Stewart (not the GFSS principal) is the parent of a home-schooled child who must participate in athletics in the community in order to have proper credits for graduation. He told the Gazette that in order to receive funding for the athletics, which could include swimming lessons or skating lessons or any club events, all instructors must have a proper criminal record check done. “I’m pretty annoyed at this,” he said. “It was a very simple request: ‘Could I verify that my kid’s instructor in swimming lessons has their criminal record check?’” Stewart said he was told that since employees at GFREC were appointed they didn’t need a criminal record check done as they were not applying for a job. “There’s some pretty serious stupidity going on here,” said Stewart. “Someone has decided what they want and its simply going to be their way.” Stewart said he and other parents of home-schooled children are in danger of losing funding from the government for the lessons because of the lack of criminal record checks. “You’re given a certain amount of money a year for lessons to make up for things you would miss like (physical education),” he said. “So you go and use the facilities to take swim lessons or whatever. But if you don’t go through the process you don’t get the money.” Stewart believed every single lesson taught at the GFREC in the last two and a half years that people paid for, the province could ask for the money back from those home schooling parents.
• See RECORDS, Page 9
Herb Noseworthy photos
In less than 24 hours the visage of the region’s largest lake changed from a riot of colur to a monotone scene of winter.
Housing valuations drop in Boundary region TIMOTHY SCHAFER Grand Forks Gazette
Property values for homes in Grand Forks have dropped, according to the latest figures from BC Assessment. In the 2014 assessment role for Grand Forks average home valuations (valuation date of July 1, 2013) dropped by an average of $7,000, meaning the aver-
age value of a home in the city was $199,000, down from $206,000. In nearby Greenwood, home values dropped by $1,000, from $126,000 to $125,000, while in Midway the values fell by $11,000, from $189,000 to $178,000. Owners of properties throughout the Boundary and the surrounding rural areas can expect to receive their 2014 assessment notic-
es in the next few days. “Most homes in the municipalities of Grand Forks and Greenwood, and in the surrounding rural area, have changed only marginally from last year’s assessment roll,” said Tracy Wall, BC Assessment’s deputy assessor in Kelowna. Over the pass, the neighbouring communities mostly experienced a drop, with Rossland ($238,000 down
from $243,000), Trail (down from $174,000 to $171,000) and Fruitvale (down from $186,000 to $185,000) going down, Warfield (the same at $170,000) and Montrose (up from $219,000 to $222,000) staying the same. Valuations rose in Nelson and Castlegar, with a typical single family home in Nelson assessed at $351,000 in 2013 now being valued at $354,000, while a $257,000
in Castlegar in 2013 is now valued at $260,000. Commercial and industrial properties in the area were expected to see changes ranging from a drop of five per cent to a rise of five per cent. Wall said if people feel their assessment does not reflect market value (as of July 1, 2013), they should contact BC Assessment this month.
• See ASSESSMENT, Page 8
ARE YOU AN ONLINE SHOPPER AND BROWSER? Learn more about how to limit your exposure to being the victim of fraud on your computer, cell phone, and other mobile devices. Understand how to check the security certificate of websites, to update your software, and how to use wireless internet safely. Presented by Grand Forks Credit Union Wednesday, January 22 at 7:00pm Call Selkirk at 250-442-2704 to register as space is limited.
GF CREDIT UNION
Grand Forks Credit Union Tues to Fri 9:30am-5pm & Sat 9:30am-1pm • 250-442-5511 • www.gfdscu.com
250-442-2711 Toll free: 1-800-567-3199 www.grandforksrealestate.ca
GF REALTY
Your Hometown RE ALTORS® Please see the classified section of this paper for more information.
Second SecondClass Class Registration Registration# #PM0034 PM0034