Wednesday July 1, 2015 (Vol. 40 No. 52)
V O I C E
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Camp centennial: Decades of memories at Camp Alex – including more than 40 years of fun at Alexandra Festival – are being feted as the Crescent Beach landmark approaches its 100th anniversary. i see page 11
Senate debate cut short on local MP’s private member’s bill targeting unions
Speaker blindsided by Tory colleagues Alex Browne Arts Reporter
Senate Speaker Leo Housakos admitted he was “surprised” Friday as the Conservative majority in the chamber carried a vote to shut down debate on local MP Russ Hiebert’s controversial labour bill, C-377. Housakos – himself a Conservative senator – told Peace Arch News MP Russ Hiebert he wasn’t expecting what he termed a
“drastic action” to overrule his ruling and invoke closure on debate, effectively forcing a vote on the bill this week. At PAN press time Tuesday, the private member’s bill seemed likely to be passed in the Senate by the end of the day. Hiebert did not return requests for an interview. The South Surrey-White Rock-Cloverdale MP has said in the past that C-377 is intended to provide transparency in
unions’ financial affairs by requiring them to report in detail to the Canada Revenue Agency. But many critics have attacked the bill, accusing it of being a transparent attempt at ‘union-busting’ that is both unconstitutional and so loosely drafted that it will be liable to legal challenge. As Speaker, Housakos had ruled that C-377, as a private member’s bill, was private business – not government busi-
ness – and not subject to a call for closure. Senate Opposition Leader James Cowan said he was “disappointed” by the Senate vote. He and other Liberal senators had signalled their intention earlier last week to continue the debate through the summer, expecting it would die on the vine if not passed by the Senate before this fall’s federal election. i see page 4
$23 million estimated
Water takeover in three months Tracy Holmes Staff Reporter
The City of White Rock will own its water utility by the end of September, following a vote Monday to expropriate the system from Edmonton-based Epcor. Council voted unanimously to direct the chief administrative officer to work with the city’s lawyer with a view to acquire title to the water utility by Sept. 30. The vote marks the end of two years of negotiations with Epcor to buy the utility – talks that Mayor Wayne Baldwin said last month were “not going well.” In a report on proposed amendments to the city’s financial plan that factored in the need for longterm borrowing to acquire the utility, director of financial services Sandra Kurylo estimated the cost at $23 million. The sum, she explained, includes the cost of completing Epcor’s total water quality management project, which includes chlorination of the system by June 2016. i see page 2
Uplifting effort
Boaz Joseph photo
Holly Morgan, a member of Semi Weightlifting Club, competes at last Saturday’s 43rd annual Sea Festival Open. The competition drew dozens of lifters from around the region to the gymnasium at Semiahmoo Secondary. For more photographs, see page 15.
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