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Visit Our Website www.nanaimobulletin.com
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2016
VOL. 27, NO. 82
Retirement deal toast for Nanaimo baker
Making promises
BY TAMARA CUNNINGHAM
Veronica Yang, left, Manpreet Nijjar and Nola Dunn, marketing director at Woodgrove Centre, write positive messages on pink Post-it notes at the shopping centre. The mall is participating in #PinkShirtPromise, a campaign that raises money for the United Way Central Vancouver Island Chapter. For more on the campaign and other anti-bullying activities, please see page 5.
THE NEWS BULLETIN
NICHOLAS PESCOD THE NEWS BULLETIN
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same language, so that stage 1, 2, 3 and 4 mean the same thing across the region.” The regional district board is expected to vote on the guidelines tonight (Feb. 23). Bill Sims, city manager of water resources, said staff expect to go before council in March. Lantzville Mayor Colin Haime said the framework would be on the agenda at Lantzville’s council meeting Monday. The regional district will maintain a website with information related to the new framework. It is anticipated to have a $3,000 startup cost.
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After different water restriction levels between the Regional District of Nanaimo and City of Nanaimo caused confusion last summer, water suppliers have developed common guidelines. Water service areas in the region, including the city, regional district and Lantzville, worked on standard watering restriction definitions and it is hoped protocols will be uniform
washing of sidewalks and driveways and filling of fountains, pools and hot tubs would be permissible any time. Stage 3 would entail voluntary heightened water use reductions. Stage 4 would see a ban on lawn watering, washing of cars and sidewalks, or filling of pools and hot tubs. “Each water purveyor has to operate their system as they see fit and there’ll be operational reasons why they may or may not choose to move up and down on the different stages,” said Mike Donnelly, regional district water and utility services manager. “The important piece is we’re all speaking in the
R IC
BY KARL YU THE NEWS BULLETIN
in the region, according to a regional district report. Under the framework, Stage 1 restrictions would be in effect between April and October. Sprinkling and watering of lawns and plants would be permissible between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. Stage 2 restrictions, in effect between May and September, would see sprinkling a maximum of two hours between 7 to 10 a.m. or 7 to 10 p.m. Evennumbered addresses would water on even days and odd addresses would follow suit on odd days. Under stages 1 and 2, hand watering, drip irrigation, watering of vegetable gardens and fruit trees,
HO
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LAST YEAR’S restrictions caused confusion.
Buns Master Bakery owner Alvin Ginther has waited two years to hang up his apron. Turns out, he might have to wait a little longer. Ginther has been waiting since 2013 for the B.C. government to review an application that would see his bakery business sold to two Chinese investors through the B.C. Provincial Nominee Program. The application was denied 10 days before Christmas because government felt the prospective entrepreneurs didn’t have the money behind them for support, or that they had the expertise and training, according to Ginther. “I was really disappointed,” he said. “I was maybe foolishly hoping everything would go because a lot of them did. A lot of places sold ... I thought why can’t I be one of those?” The provincial nominee program is a government initiative to encourage investment and economic growth while entrepreneurs are put on the fast track to permanent residency. An increase in demand has meant long wait times for both sellers and buyers. The B.C. PNP website shows wait times to review applications can be more than three years. Local success stories of business changing hands include Dog’s Ear T-Shirt and Embroidery and Jumping Jiminy’s Playground and Café, but other deals fell apart after years of waiting for applications to rise to the top of the pile. Kim Smythe, chief executive officer of the Greater Nanaimo Chamber of Commerce, said the process might be reaching a maturity point where deals are starting to fall apart and sympathizes with business owners. He also pointed out that caution is still required – people have seen success, failure and likely situations in between. According to Angela Fang, owner of immigration and investment consulting firm Integrity Impact Management Group, the system has gone out of whack in the last two years with long wait times. The program has close to a 90-per cent turn-down rate, she said, adding there can be very limited explanations for refusal. Some are told they are not qualified.
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