TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 22, 2015
Black Press C O M M U N I T Y
N E W S
M E D I A
www.pqbnews.com
CCNA BCYCNA
General Excellence
SMOOTH SUCCESSION
GENERALS STILL SEEKING FIRST WIN
A23
A29
Coach says his young junior B team has to learn how to win
Our Business Profile looks at Parks West and its new owner
PARKSVILLE NEEDS IT . . .
QB could sell water Qualicum Beach councillor floats idea to fight drought AUREN RUVINSKY writer@pqbnews.com
While Qualicum Beach Mayor Teunis Westbroek said he is wary of regional water management discussion, Coun. Bill Luchtmeijer suggested a different perspective. “Maybe we should be thinking a little bit out of the box, that may be a massive opportunity for us,” Luchtmeijer said, referencing Coun. Barry Avis’ remarks about Parksville having both “massive” water problems and “massive” development plans. “We have water, we have lots of water. It might be an opportunity to sell bulk water to Parksville,” he said, throwing it out for general consideration. “Someone else is having a problem, we might be able to help them along, at the same time generate some revenue to cover our costs.” “It’s not necessarily our water but it is our extraction system and delivery system, so let’s think opportunity here,” Luchtmeijer said. “We haven’t had that discussion yet,” Chief Administrative Officer Daniel Sailland later told The NEWS, suggesting if council wanted to pursue it, it would be the start of a longterm discussion and process. He said “water is obviously a hot topic,” that will continue to come up in various contexts. The town does have the ability to pump and measure large amounts of water into trucks for things like fire fighting, Sailland said, but he wasn’t sure if there are currently sufficient connections to pipe water to Parksville. Luchtmeijer’s suggestion was in reference to Westbroek expanding on comments he made at a Regional District of Nanaimo meeting (Seeking Solutions, The NEWS, Sept. 10). See A LOT OF CITIES, page A7
J.R. RARDON PHOTO
TOY RUN: With the firing of a cannon, nearly 1,000 motorcycles roared to life at Little Qualicum Falls Provincial Park on Saturday, kicking off the 31st annual Port Alberni Toy Run. In the largest ride of its kind on Vancouver Island, riders made their way west on Highway 4 past Cameron Lake and through Cathedral Grove before crossing the hump to Port Alberni, where a community party was held at the Glenwood Centre. The annual ride provides thousands of toys for needy children at Christmas, as well as thousands of dollars for children’s programs and family events throughout the year. See more photos from the event at www.facebook.com/PQBNews.
THIS WEEK IN VANCOUVER AT UBCM CONFERENCE
Ferry rates, doctors top of mind CANDACE WU news@pqbnews.com
It’s that time of the year again. Mayors, councillors and regional district directors from all over the province are flocking to Vancouver this week for what RDN chair Joe Stanhope called “the most important conference of the year” for local government.
The annual Union of B.C. Municipalities (UBCM) convention gives locally elected politicians an opportunity to liaise with one another, provincial representatives and policy makers at a five-day conference in the Lower Mainland. Going into what is arguably the
25
most effective conference of the year, The NEWS asked local leaders what issues are top of mind. “Ferry rates,” said Stanhope. “That’s still a big issue, it’s impacting growth on Vancouver Island and certainly in this area.” See MAYOR SAYS, page A7
%
OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK Locally Owned for over 30 Years, Proudly Canadian! WE DELIVER MON-FRI 8-6, SAT 9-5:30, SUN 10-5 720 MEMORIAL AVE., QUALICUM BEACH • 250-752-3011
OFF IN STOCK
Cushions & Pillows
&
Massagers
Some exclusions apply.
*Offer expires: Sept. 30th