THURSDAYMAY 15, 2014
Black Press C O M M U N I T Y
N E W S
M E D I A
www.pqbnews.com
BCYCNA
Silver 2013 General Excellence
LET YOUR SPIRIT SOAR
LATEST TRENDS AND BEST DEALS
Helix Dance Company’s final performance of season May 24
Check out our popular automotive section, Driveway, inside today’s B section
B1
B13
AFTER SCHOOL CLOSURES . . .
Budget balanced Teachers’ rep not happy she didn’t get a copy AUREN RUVINSKY writer@pqbnews.com
School District 69’s board of trustees got their first look at the proposed budget for next year, two weeks after the announcement of the closure of four schools. “This has been as unusual a year as you can imagine, with as much uncertainty as you could ever imagine,” summed up superintendent Rollie Koop after he and staff had gone through a few dozen overhead slides touching on hundreds of individual items and categories in the 2014/15 preliminary budget. With their operating revenue expected to be down about $1.3 million next year, including $235,000 less from the main provincial grant, staff managed to present the provincially required balanced budget at just over $48 million. Revenue for the largest category, called “function 1,” covering education programs, is projected to be down $878,000, despite the unknown effects of ongoing teacher contract negotiations at the provincial level. And that is accounting for the projected $919,000 deficit at the end of the current school year. Though there will be one time costs to closing the schools and moving students into different schools, the projected budget shows savings of $1.15 million including $540,000 in administrative salaries and benefits. Despite the size of the budget, staff is working through the fine details for savings and finding some in areas like combining phone and fax lines to save $2,300 a year, or cutting their $10,000 snow removal budget in half.
CANDACE WU PHOTO
ALL HAIL THE MARKET OPENING: Qualicum Beach town crier Len Mustard and his partner Marie added some flair to the official opening of the Qualicum Beach Farmers’ Market last weekend. It’s now market season in Parksville Qualicum Beach, and for a story about all the area’s markets, please see page A5.
PACKED PUBLIC HEARING IN NANOOSE BAY ON MONDAY NIGHT
Fairwinds plan gets thumbs up JOHN HARDING
editor@pqbnews.com
There was a recurring theme in the words of speakers at a standing-roomonly public hearing in Nanoose Bay Monday night regarding Fairwinds developments that could almost double the population of the community in the next 20 years: get on with it.
Of the 30 members of the public who took to the microphone at the hearing, 29 spoke in favour of the bylaws that could pave the way for more than 2,000 homes, trails, parks, retail shops and other amenities around Schooner Cove and what’s called the Lakes District. The Regional District of Nanaimo’s board of directors is expected to con-
See CLOSURES, page A19
AGS
We Stock Quality Name Brand Computer Parts And Accessories! #1-501 Stanford Ave E., Parksville (behind Tim Hortons)
250-248-4251 www.agscanada.com Monday - Friday 8:30 to 5:30
sider third reading of the four pertinent bylaws at its regular meeting on May 27. The bylaws then must go to the provincial government for approval before the RDN can give final approval. There were about 300 people in Nanoose Place on Monday night, the majority wearing stickers that said “YES to the Fairwinds development.” See SACRED LAND, page A20
COMPUTER SERVICE SPECIAL only $75!
• Optimized computer start up for peak performance • Thorough Hardware check up …... Hard drive, memory & CPU • Checked for malware/spyware • Interior cleaning to prevent over heating & malfunction
LABOU R SPE ON NETCIAL W O RK & HARD UPGRAWARE DES
ON NOW
!!
COPIERS / PRINTERS / AGS COMPUTERS / SALES / LEASING / SERVICING