100 Mile House Free Press, July 23, 2014

Page 1

SCOTTY'S MUD DRAGS B1

JULY 23, 2014

$1.30 includes GST

Two sections, 36 pages

100milefreepress.net

DON’T WORRY, BEE HAPPY

HEAT WAVE HITS THE SOUTH CARIBOO A3

Chris Nickless photo

Roger Meeks, left, and his wife, Denese Hark, joined staff and children at the Cariboo Family Enrichment Centre Early Care and Learning Centre to demonstrate beekeeping on July 18. This is something the Horse Lake couple does voluntarily each year, and they always bring along bee-safe hooded suits and jackets.

No tax break for grow-ops MUSIC FESTIVAL TUNING UP B3

INSIDE

opinion A8 letters A9 entertainment B3 sports A17 community B1 classifieds A22

Ministry pledges policies alleviating CRD concerns

Carole Rooney Free Press

Cariboo Regional District directors are breathing a collective sigh of relief after receiving confirmation from two provincial ministers that medical marijuana grow operations will not be granted farm status for tax assessments. CRD chair Al Richmond says the concern was these commercial operations would pursue a tax break

under the tenuous grounds that the marijuana was an agriculture crop. “The ministry recognizes the concern we all had with regards to taxation levels, that this industrial type activity would flow to areas that pay agricultural taxation rather than commercial taxation. “So, they have addressed that, and we are happy about – it is a good thing.” The letter from Agriculture Minister Norm Letnick and

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“This means they are not going to be able to hide behind a farm tax class to grow this type of drug.” Otherwise, he adds, having farm status would allow “a very lucrative business” to not pay “fair” property taxation. “So, this is where [the ministries] have agreed with us that it is commercial. It’s almost verging on warehousing; it’s not even a greenhouse operation.” Continued on A4

No legislated settlement for teachers

Carole Rooney Free Press

The voice of the South Cariboo since 1960

Community, Sport and Cultural Development Minister Coralee Oakes states any marijuana production facilities on agricultural land will not qualify for lower farm-rate property taxes. “They are going to implement a regulatory change that excludes marijuana and any other federally-regulated narcotic from being eligible for farm classification for property assessment and tax purposes,” says Richmond.

Finance Minister Mike de Jong says the provincial government will not impose a settlement on the British Columbia Teachers' Federation (BCTF) if no contract is signed by this fall. History proves imposed settlements have not worked, and every other sector of the public service has been able to negotiate an agreement, he notes. “What is it about this one area, and is it the expectation the government will step up and simply legislate an agreement? I hope that’s not the expectation because that’s not the plan.”

Cariboo-Chilcotin Teachers’ Association president Murray Helmer says that holds no water. “It was always our intention to have a negotiated settlement at the bargaining table. Government’s pointing to its refusal to legislate an end to the strike seems to be “a deflection” to steer public attention away from the bargaining table and onto teachers, he adds. “It switches the whole context away from the table. This could be negotiated tomorrow if they arrived at the table willing to get away from the original position that they brought back in March. They haven’t moved at all from that.” Education Minister Peter Fassbender said the

B.C. Liberal government wants to see a negotiated agreement, but remains firm in its commitment to balance the budget and deal fairly with all of B.C.’s 300,000 public sector workers. “Unfortunately, the BCTF executive would not commit to mediating a total compensation package that would fall in the same affordability zone as the other public sector agreements reached to date.” The teachers’ union demands include increases to preparation time, pregnancy leave, extended health care and substitute teacher compensation that add up to an additional $225 million a year, Fassbender explains. Continued on A7


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