FRIDAY MAY 12, 2017 VOL. 43, NO. 18
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Election reflection
On big money, and a call to government to take action on the overdose crisis
Smarty pants
A Bowen Mystery
Bowen students off to compete with intellect and imagination
The origins of a giant airplane propeller found on Bowen, now at YVR
Municipality enters new fiscal year with surplus
MERIBETH DEEN EDITOR
Ben Shaplan (far left) started taking down the “I Voted” signs as the polling station at BICS closed on Tuesday evening. Moira Greaven and Chris Erikson said traffic delays in the city nearly thwarted their attempt to vote, but they made it to BICS just in time. Daryll Deegan and Iona Buchan also squeezed in their votes at the last minute. Meribeth Deen, photo
Sturdy wins in West Vancouver Sea-to-Sky MERIBETH DEEN EDITOR
With 9,649 votes cast in his favour, Liberal MLA Jordan Sturdy will continue to represent the West Vancouver Sea to Sky riding in the BC Legislature. The outcome of the election is uncertain as of yet, with votes yet to be counted and no clear majority for either the Liberals or NDP in terms of seats. “I’m looking forward to getting the final numbers on the riding so we can better understand what happened,” said Sturdy in a phone interview on Wednesday. “It is incumbent on me to respond to the concerns of the people who did not support me. It is my job to represent all the perspectives and I am committed to engage with people and facilitate a robust conversation.” Support for Sturdy dropped from the previous election, while Dana Taylor
won significantly more support for the Green Party. In 2013, the Green Party won 2,359 votes while this time around, 6,447 people voted in their favour. “People did catalyze around LNG,” he said in reference to the Green surge. “But I think there was something more than that, and I want to understand the dissatisfaction better.” Support for the NDP in West Vancouver Sea-to-Sky remained relatively steady with 6,068 votes going to Bowen Islander Michelle Livaja. Liberal Party leader Christy Clark has said that the results of this election point to the start of something different, but MLA Sturdy and the rest of the province will have to wait to find out what that something will look like. The 51,000 absentee ballots cast won’t be counted until between May 22 -24. These, alongside judicial recounts could shift the currently uncertain balance of power.
West Vancouver-Sea to Sky MLA Jordan Sturdy in the parking lot of Caulfield Mall in West Van after winning re-election in the riding. Sturdy spent vote night in a private home. David Buzzard, Squamish Chief
In a report to council on the final audited financial statements of 2016, Municipal Manager of Finance Kristin Watson announced a surplus of more than $100,000 in the operating budget for the coming year. Watson explained that this surplus results from an unspent contingency budget of $75,000, higher than expected building permit revenues, and approximately $47,000 in other “miscellaneous savings. Expenditures from the 2016 operating budget include $400,000 worth of work on roads and culverts, a new pick up truck ($40,000), new rescue equipment for the fire department ($14,000), and work on the sewer connection to Snug Cove House ($15,000). Unexpected subcontractor bills in April did bring the operating budget’s surplus down by roughly $30,000, said Watson, but due to the timing of those costs, they are not included in the audited financial statements. Towards the end of Monday’s council meeting, Councilor Maureen Nicholson pointed to statistics from the Building Inspections Office noting that this year, the value of permits issued has more than doubled the value from those issued a year ago. In an interview following the meeting, Watson said that to see an increase in permits this time of year is not surprising, and it does not affect projections in the coming year. The 2017 budget alongside the annual tax rate bylaw have been officially approved by council. Councillor Michael Kaile noted that the municipal finance department’s quality of preparation of municipal accounts will make a difference for council, moving forward. “The auditors noted the quality of documentation in their report,” says Kaile. “This allows for reports to be produced with greater efficiency and less cots to the taxpayer. It also lays the groundwork for better financial preparation in the years ahead as well as the implementation of innovative ideas that can better serve Bowen Island.”