WALK-IN CLINIC ay
THE CAT’S MEOW Nanaimo Theatre Group will stage Puss in Boots.
PAGE A11
Monday-Frid m 0p 8:30 am - 3:3
622 t. 250-591-9 S e c a ll a W 100 eclinic.ca www.wallac
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2017
www.nanaimobulletin.com
VOL. 29, NO. 62
RDN directors vote in favour of a pay raise Regional district planning to phase in the increase in January and November KARL YU NEWS BULLETIN
CHRIS BUSH/THE NEWS BULLETIN
LIT UP
James Toponce, his daughter Lillian, 3, and their dog Pink take a late afternoon stroll through Maffeo Sutton Park on Dec. 12. The lights in the park’s Spirit Square are just one of many light displays in the city. For a map of the top residential Christmas light displays in the city, according to the Greater Nanaimo Chamber of Commerce, see page A6.
Campaign begins to keep recycling exchange open KARL YU NEWS BULLETIN
A grassroots campaign has begun to keep Nanaimo Recycling Exchange open. The facility – which accepts recyclables, including Styrofoam and plastic bags, which aren’t collected with curbside recycling – is in danger of closing for good.
A lease with Toyota for its current Kenworth Road location is set to expire in March, and the exchange is seeking assistance from local government to construct a new facility on land it owns adjacent to its current location. A Vote Yes for a new Nanaimo Recycling Exchange website went live Dec. 14 and aims to
mobilize people to write politicians and garner support. With the exchange’s status uncertain, Ilan Goldenblatt, a campaign manager, said concerned people have decided to go straight to the electorate and give them avenues to express their support. While Vote Yes NRE is run by people in the community, the exchange has set aside
funds to cover costs of the campaign, according to Jan Hastings, NRE executive director. People were inquiring daily about the depot’s fate and how to keep it open and while there was nothing organized initially, the board didn’t want people to use their own resources if a campaign started up, she said. Continued on A23
The Regional District of Nanaimo’s board has approved a pay raise in time for the new year. According to a staff report, directors are currently compensated with a base rate of $13,962. Rural area directors receive an additional $11,532 and the board chairman an additional $20,471. The district will implement the first of a two-phase increase in January, when directors will receive base compensation of $15,000, rural directors an additional $14,000 and the chairman an additional $38,000. In November, after municipal elections, both base rate and electoral area compensation will increase to $17,000, while chairperson remuneration will increase to $48,000. Remuneration monies come from legislative services and electoral area
administration tax requisitions and Phase 1 will cost an estimated $95,000 annually, while the second phase is estimated at $69,000 annually. The previous board requested a review prior to the 2018 election and Sainas Consult Inc. was enlisted to compile a report comparing similar-sized districts, including Cowichan Valley Regional District, cities of Nanaimo and Kelowna and the Corporation of Delta. Bill Veenhof, RDN board chairman, said he was surprised by where Nanaimo regional district stood. On average, according to the consultant’s report, board chairs who are rural directors receive $71,608, rural area directors, $44,387 and municipal directors, $20,025. The new remuneration represents an average, he said, and the RDN tried to find a balance. Continued on A26