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NORTH ISLAND
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49th Year No. 13
March 27, 2014
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Clinic, arena funding OK’d J.R. Rardon Gazette editor PORT McNEILL—Major capital projects involving an integrated health care facility in Port Hardy and a heat-recovery system at the local arena were approved by the Regional District of Mount
Waddington Board of Directors as it approved its 2014 budget during its regular meeting Mar. 18. The board acceded to a request by Island Health to contribute 40 per cent — or $790,000 — of the cost of a proposed $1.9 million integrated health care clinic in Port
Hardy, which is scheduled to be built this year on land near Port Hardy Hospital. It also approved a $368,150 heat-recovery system for Chilton Regional Arena in Port McNeill, which will eventually provide heat to nearby North Island Secondary
School through a cooperative agreement with School District 85. “We want to have the new system in place by July,” RDMW
See page 4 ‘RDMW budget up’
• Head of class
NIC educator to be presented Award of Excellence. Page 5
• Classical gas
Small audience wowed by Wolak-Donnelly duo in NICS event. Page 8
Snow business • On the mend
Molly the dog settling in to new home after rescue, treatment. Page 10 OPINION Page 6 Letters Page 7 Sports Page 11 Classifieds Page 12-14
Alli Milne looks toward the obstacle course finish line as she emerges from the pole crawl during the annual Kidsfest at J.R. Rardon Mount Cain Ski Area Saturday. See more on page 11 and online at www.northislandgazette.com.
‘Status quo’ budget for Port McNeill J.R. Rardon Gazette editor PORT McNEILL— Council gave first and second readings Monday to a 2014 draft budget bylaw that will largely hold the
line on taxes and expenditures while devoting more than $300,000 toward paying down existing debt. “The budget I designed is basically a status quo budget,” new Chief Financial
Officer Dan Rodin told council in his report during the Mar. 24 special meeting. “If council is happy with that budget, there’s enough money to pay for all expenditures … if
we just have a quiet year without a lot of aggressive spending, then no tax increases will be needed.” The proposed budget in Five-Year Financial Plan Bylaw No. 649, 2014
shows total revenue of $3,135,000 and expenditures of $2,756,000. The
See page 4 ‘Surplus will pay’
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