Burns Lake Lakes District News, March 18, 2015

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Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Volume 95 - No. 11

www.ldnews.net

$1.30 GST inc.

BURNS LAKE

LAKES DISTRICT NEWS

Regional rural services tax rate to increase

Lakes District Festival of Performing Arts ...page 13

FLAVIO NIENOW PHOTO

Fentanyl has been found in marijuana The RCMP and the provincial health authorities are warning recreational drug users that fentanyl has been found in batches of seized marijuana.

Regional district has been relying on surpluses from previous years to lower tax rates

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TransCanada supports training Two TransCanada projects, Coastal GasLink and the Prince Rupert Gas Transmission, have partnered to donate $250,000 to the College of New Caledonia.

FLAVIO NIENOW According to the 2015 budget approved by the board of directors of the Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako (RDBN) on March 12, 2015, taxation on region-wide services will increase by 15.5 per cent, and taxation on regional rural services will increase by 22.4 per cent. “Regional district budgets have not even been a whisper in my community, but it certainly is this year,” said Vanderhoof mayor Gerry Thiessen. Tax rates for $100,000 residential properties went from 1.03 in 2014 to 1.23 in 2015 for rural taxpayers; and from 0.8 in 2014 to 0.92 in 2015 for municipal taxpayers. Hans Berndorff, Financial Administrator for the RDBN, explained that the reason tax rates have been kept relatively low over the past years is because the regional district has been relying on surpluses from previous years to lower taxation. In 2014, the RDBN had a reduction of $452,000 in their surplus, and as a result, taxpayers are paying the price. Smithers mayor Taylor Bachrach said he struggles to accept that the RDBN relies on previous years’ surpluses to fund their current budgets. “It’s difficult to explain that to our constituents,” he said. ...see REGIONAL DISTRICT ▼ P3

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Mine to hire hundreds of employees New Gold’s Blackwater Project expects to hire 1200 to 1500 workers during construction at its peak, and up to 500 full-time workers to operate the mine.

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It’s Aboriginal History Week at the College of New Caledonia!

Join us for fun, food, song, dance and prizes. It’s Free! Tuesday to Friday 12 to 1pm. Sign up for the 2nd Annual Bannock Contest. Great prizes.

For more info Call 250 692 1709

Phone: 250.692.1700 • Fax: 250.692.1750 • Toll Free: 1.866.692.1943 545 Highway 16 West • PO Box 5000, Burns Lake, BC • V0J 1E0 Email: lksdist@cnc.bc.ca • Website: www.cnc.bc.ca/lakesdistrict


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Burns Lake Lakes District News, March 18, 2015 by Black Press Media Group - Issuu