FRIDAY DEC 23, 2016 VOL. 42, NO. XX
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Happy holidays to all, from the team at The Undercurrent. We’ll be back with more news in 2017.
Early assessment letters hint at overall climb in property values MERIBETH DEEN EDITOR
After a more than a week of cold temperatures and snow, Killarney Lake turned into a hockey rink last Sunday. Robert Clayton handles the puck (front) and Paul Whitecotton stops behind him. Rob Wynen, photo
The Orchard makes donation of kits to prevent overdose deaths
MERIBETH DEEN EDITOR
One day after the news that 13 people in British Columbia died from Fentanyl overdoses in one night, the Orchard’s Lorinda Strang called up fire chief Ian Thompson and gave him six Narcan kits and had a discussion with him on the need for all Island first responders to have these on hand. Each kit has a nasal spray with the drug Naloxone, which temporarily reverses the effects of opiods and can save the life of someone who has overdosed. “This crisis just keeps ramping up,” says Strang. “And I
feel a real sense of urgency with Christmas and New Years coming. The message I want people on this island to have, is regardless of your drug use history or if you consider yourself a recreational user of cocaine or other club drugs, you are at risk. It is a myth that drug fatalities are happening only on the Downtown East-side, people are dying in their bedrooms, and it is happening across the province. Almost all drugs are cut with something - the issue now is what are they cut with? More often than you may like to think it is fentanyl or carfentanyl. So it is not a stretch to say an overdose could happen here.” continued P3
In North and West Vancouver, many owners of single family homes have received letters warning them that they will likely see increases of between 30 - 50% on the value of their properties when their assessment is delivered in January. Home owners in Squamish are being delivered similar letters, and here on Bowen, notices have been delivered to 197 properties. The Municipal Manager of Finance, Kristen Watson says that a letter from BC Assessment mentioned that property values across the island will see average increases of between 20 - 25% in value. “In all likelihood, Council will approve a nominal property tax increase, all things being equal, everyone will prob pay a bit more than last year,” says Watson. “But for those who are seeing the larger increases in assessed value, the tax increase will be larger.” Beyond the strain of higher taxes, Councillor Melanie Mason says that she is concerned about this year’s assessments making Bowen Island even more unaffordable for young families and people on fixed incomes. “I’m worried that property prices will rise and make it harder to live here than it is already,” says Mason. Realtor Frazer Elliott says that he has been shocked to see how much a few of his client’s assessments have gone up, but that in general, the tax-assessed property values don’t reflect the market. “In the past year, the property on Bowen has sold for 136% of its tax-assessed value, and that has been true for a while now,” says Elliott. “While it is something we follow closely, it is not an accurate reflection.” He says that if someone is seeing a really dramatic jump in their assessed value, there is always the option of appeal it. “If you do appeal, it is important to do your homework and have a strong case as to why the assessment may be inaccurate,” he says. “Your realtor can help, or help you decide if this is a good route to go.” Realtor Frances Frost says that while she understands that the increases in assessed values are tied to this 2016’s increased sale prices, she is not confident in BC Assessment’s process. “Fifteen years ago, the assessor would come over here and actually peek into windows, but now they just call up realtors,” she says. “They’ve called me wondering why I sold a property for significantly less than the assessed value, and I’ve had to explain that the property was steep, it didn’t have a septic system, and was generally very complicated. In order to understand what a property is worth, you really need to do the leg-work.”
Wishing you a safe and happy holiday season from
Please stay safe... Internationally CARF Accredited, addiction recovery center located on Bowen Island since 2002
...Don’t drink and drive.
1-866-233-2299 orchardrecovery.com