LOCAL NEWS: UPPER CLEARWATER LETTERS ▼ A4 & A5
Times
Thursday, February 19, 2015 ▼ Volume 51 No. 8 ▼ www.clearwatertimes.com ▼ $1.35 Includes GST
THE
NORTH THOMPSON
FIRST BOY:
2014
CCNA BLUE RIBBON
Male child has twin sister. See page A2 inside.
First Place Best All Round Newspaper & Best Editorial Page Second Place Best Front Page All of Canada <1,250 circulation 2014 First Place General Excellence B.C. and Yukon <2,000 circulation 2014
Mudslide creates havoc
Members of Clearwater’s Junior Council learn about District of Clearwater’s budget from Mayor John Harwood during a workshop held recently at Clearwater Secondary School. Pictured are (l-r) Jenna Zietsov, Adrian Romeo, Leevon Levasseur, Mayor Harwood, Megan Sim, town council and school board member Shelley Sim, and Aliya Bieber. Photo by Keith McNeill
Mayor explains town budget to CSS students
Keith McNeill A mudslide early Sunday morning almost buries two bikes (r) and creates problems with a large propane tank. The incident occured at a residence next to Old North Thompson Highway near the S-curves. Photo courtesy of Blackpool Fire Department
Left: A photo from a different angle gives some indication of the volume of mud that came down and the damage it caused to an outbuilding. Photo courtesy of Blackpool Fire Department
Leevon Levasseur simply could not believe that District of Clearwater spends 40 per cent of its budget on roads. “Forty per cent? Are you sure?” the Clearwater Secondary student asked mayor John Harwood during a workshop about the municipality’s budget held with members of the town’s Junior Council on Tuesday, Feb. 10. He and the other students who took part in the workshop seemed to think that the municipality’s first priority should be economic development. However, only about two per cent of Clearwater’s budget is earmarked for that, they were told. Student Reid Rebinsky said the municipal government should work to make Clearwater desirable, so the economy grows. “Is it the town’s job to create jobs, or is it the business commu-
Highway 5 Little Fort, BC 250-677-4441
Highway 5 Clearwater, BC 250-674-3148
Located on Highway 5
nity’s?” the mayor asked. “Both,” the students replied. Town councillors and staff do quite a bit to encourage economic development, such as meeting with visiting business leaders, that does not necessarily come out of the economic development budget, Harwood noted. Maintaining roads is an expensive proposition, the mayor said, particularly for Clearwater, as it is so spread out. For the first five years after incorporation, the District did not have to pay for roads. That period is now over and local residents pay for it all through their property taxes. Advantages of the municipality maintaining the roads include all the jobs remain local, plus there is a higher priority given to roads in town for snowplowing and so on. Clearwater’s fire department is all volunteer and a good bargain for local taxpayers, said the mayor. Continued on page A2