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Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Survey gives a face to local homelessness
Affordability the issue: Social Planning Cowichan survey finds 58 people living on the street, about 200 more close to that status
Ashley Degraaf
News Leader Pictorial
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Ashley Degraaf
Although these balloons are now deflated, Patrick Barry’s daughters are elated. From left to right, Cynthia, Jayden, Audrey and Lily Barry pose Tuesday with the balloons, the letter and American dollar bill their dad found. Ashley Degraaf
News Leader Pictorial
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oming across a shiny item in a farm field isn’t something too strange. But when that shiny item — in this case metallic balloons — have an American dollar bill and note attached, that’s a whole different story. This is the story of Duncan’s Barry family, and the discovery father and husband Patrick Barry made Friday. Barry, who works at a dairy farm just past Arbutus Ridge in Mill Bay, took the balloons and note to his home in Duncan to share with his wife and four daughters. “He’s always out spreading the manure and some balloons caught his eye and he decided to pick them up before the field was tilled out,”
Somewhere over the rainbow
Airmail connection: Birthday party experiment connects Cowichan family with new friends in Seattle his wife Amanda said. The balloons came with the dollar bill tied to it in a Ziploc bag and a note that said, “Hello! This is an experiment to see where these balloons land.” A phone number and email address were also given, as well as
details of when they were launched: Feb. 15, 2014, 7:30 a.m. from Seattle. “It was a really cool learning experience for the girls,” Amanda said of her two eldest, Cynthia (eight years old) and Jayden (six). “We brought out maps and the calendar and looked at where the
balloons had travelled from. It’s pretty amazing they made it there with how much water they came across.” The Barry’s other two daughters, Lily (three years old) and Audrey (almost two) were more interested in simply playing with the shiny toys. The family discovered the balloon’s owners turned out to be two great friends celebrating a 77th birthday in Seattle, Washington. Birthday girl Jean Feliciean was visiting her friend Eric when that evening they devised a plan to launch the balloons left over from the party. “She comes down just before Christmas to visit, and she’s just part of my family really,” said Eric of Jean, a Trinidad native currently living in Toronto. more on page 5
owichan has at least 250 people who are either homeless, or flirting with homelessness. The good news is less than 60 of them are actually living on the street. The bad news is it is unclear how many were missed in a February Social Planning Cowichan homelessness survey, or how they can be helped. The need for higher and more regular incomes, and more affordable housing available in Cowichan were the top priorities outlined by the people who were surveyed. More than 70% stated the high cost of housing was behind their not having a place to call home. “It is clear that affordability is the critical factor that is causing homelessness in our region,” said SPC affordable housing co-ordinator Joy Emmanuel. The count was conducted during a three-day period by more than 40 volunteers with the Regional Affordable Housing Directorate of Social Planning Cowichan. Of the 259 individuals surveyed, 22% (58) said they were absolutely homeless and living on the street, 29% (76) were relatively homeless and staying in temporary accommodation and 48% (125) were precariously housed in insecure or unstable living conditions. Of the absolutely and relatively homeless, more than 60% had been without housing for more than a year and 75 to 85% reported having at least one health condition. more on page 26 bchonda.com
2013 Odyssey
bchonda.com
MODEL SHOWN: RL5H9DK
They can’t leap tall buildings in a single bound, but there are plenty of reasons the FIT DX is one of the best-sellers in BC.
THE ODYSSEY COMES IN 1ST AS VAN OF THE YEAR . ††
4,000
$
cash purchase incentive on any Odyssey model.£
£$4,000 Honda cash purchase incentive is available on select 2013 Odyssey models. Honda cash purchase incentive will be deducted from the negotiated price before taxes and cannot be combined with special lease or finance offers. PPSA, license, insurance, taxes, and other dealer charges are extra and may be required at the time of purchase. †† For more information about the Auto123.com Van of the Year award visit http://www.auto123.com/en/awards/finalist-categories ††/£ Offers valid from July 3rd through 31st, 2013 at participating Honda retailers. Dealer may sell for less. Dealer trade may be necessary on certain vehicles. Offers valid only for British Columbia residents at BC Honda Dealers locations. Offers subject to change or cancellation without notice. Terms and conditions apply. Visit www.bchonda.com or see your Honda retailer for full details.
www.discovery
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2013 Auto123.com Van of the Year
†The CR-V, Civic and Fit are the #1 selling retail compact SUV, compact car, and subcompact car respectively in BC based on Polk 2013 Dec YTD report. Ω Limited time lease offer based on a new 2014 CR-V LX 2WD model RM3H3EES. ¥1.99% lease APR for 60 months O.A.C. Bi-weekly payment, including freight and PDI, is $133.83 based on applying $1,000 lease dollars. Downpayment of $0.00, frst bi-weekly payment, environmental fees and $0 security deposit due at lease inception. Total lease obligation is $17,397.90. Taxes, license, insurance and registration are extra. 120,000 kilometre allowance; charge of $0.12/km for excess kilometer. #Limited time lease offer based on a new 2014 Civic DX model FB2E2EEX. *1.99% lease APR for 60 months O.A.C. Bi-weekly payment, including freight and PDI, is $84.63 based on applying $600 lease dollars. Down payment of $0.00, frst bi-weekly payment, environmental fees and $0 security deposit due at lease inception. Total lease obligation is $11,001.90.Taxes, license, insurance and registration are extra. 120,000 kilometre allowance; charge of $0.12/km for excess kilometer. £Limited time lease offer based on a new 2014 Fit DX model GE8G2EEX.€1.99% lease APR for 60 months O.A.C. Bi-weekly payment, including freight and PDI, is $74.56 based on applying $500 consumer incentive dollars and $1,100 lease dollars. Downpayment of $0.00, frst bi-weekly payment, environmental fees and $0 security deposit due at lease inception. Total lease obligation is $9,692.80. Taxes, license, insurance and registration are extra. 120,000 kilometre allowance; charge of $0.12/km for excess kilometer.**MSRP is $17,185 / $27,685 / $16,130 including freight and PDI of $1,495 / $1,695 / $1,495 based on a new 2014 Civic DX model FB2E2EEX / 2014 CR-V LX 2WD model RM3H3EES / 2014 Fit DX model GE8G2EEX. PPSA, license, insurance, taxes, and other dealer charges are extra and may be required at the time of purchase. ¥/£/€/Ω/#/* Prices and/or payments shown do not include a PPSA lien registration fee of $30.31 and lien registering agent’s fee of $5.25, which are both due at time of delivery. #/*/Ω/€/¥/£/** Offers valid from March 1st through 31st, 2014 at participating Honda retailers. Dealer may sell for less. Dealer trade may be necessary on certain vehicles. Offers valid only for British Columbia residents at BC Honda Dealers locations. Offers subject to change or cancellation without notice. Terms and conditions apply. Visit www.bchonda.com or see your Honda retailer for full details.
DL#5963
BCHD-July-Odyssey-10.306x1.786 6466 Bell McKinnon Road, Duncan 250-748-5814
www.discoveryhonda.com