Burnaby Now - May 5, 2010

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Burnaby’s first and favourite information source

Delivery 604-942-3081 • Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Canadians wind up their first season PAGE 25

Never too young to write music PAGE 21

Your source for local sports, news, weather and entertainment! >> www.burnabynow.com CITY FINANCES

Taxes jump 3.95 per cent

IT’S NOT A RHODO, BUT IT’S GOT HER ATTENTION

Janaya Fuller-Evans

staff reporter

Burnaby’s city council has approved a 3.95 per cent residential tax increase for this year. Final approval for this year’s budget and five-year financial plan passed at Monday night’s council meeting. The budget was introduced back in January, and passed this week after debate and public consultation over the past three months. The majority of expenditures are labour contracts, according to Rick Earle, director of the city’s finance department. Both Burnaby’s Firefighters’ Union and Burnaby RCMP contracts are being reviewed in 2010, he explained. “That’s the main drive this year,” Earle said. ‘We tried to keep other (less immediate) things out.” The finance department had to bring the amount of money needed to cover expenditures in the budget — which would have required a 7.5 per cent tax increase — down, resulting in a 3.95 per cent, increase, Earle said. The budget was a challenge this year because development revenue was lower, Earle said, and tipping fees at regional

Larry Wright/burnaby now

The youngest gardener: Six-month-old Charlotte Daniells is transfixed by one of the potted marigolds at the annual Rhododendron Festival held last Sunday. The marigolds were handed out to kids by the Burnaby parks department.

City Budget Page 10

Burnaby holds last place in HST battle Jennifer Moreau staff reporter

Burnaby is behind the rest of the province in collecting signatures for the antiHST petition, according to the campaign’s lead organizer Chris Delaney. Canvassers hoping to strike down the new harmonized sales tax have until July 5 to collect 10 per cent of signatures in all of B.C.’s 85 electoral ridings. Former premier Bill Vander Zalm brought in the initiative

in Burnaby-Lougheed and petition under the Recall MORE ON THIS STORY 228 in Burnaby-Deer Lake. and Initiative Act, which PRO VS. CON: Jennifer Burnaby-Edmonds has yet allows voters to challenge Moreau chats with the leader of to report. laws. the anti-HST movement and an “They are actually the As of May 3, the petiexpert in tax policy. See page 3. furthest behind of any of tion has garnered 300,000 the ridings,” Delaney said signatures, representing 10 per cent of total registered voters in the of Burnaby’s signatures. “They finally got province, but they don’t have that 10 per their act together last week.” The campaign is volunteer-run, and cent minimum in each of the ridings. Burnaby is in last place with 1,252 sig- canvassers have to be registered with natures in the Burnaby North riding, 483 Elections B.C.

Janet Routledge is the Burnaby organizer for the initiative petition. “I think we’re actually doing quite well, (given) the time frame we had to work in,” Routledge said, adding that she was recruited late and there was no system in Burnaby until a couple days before the campaign started. She said the Burnaby campaign was slow to start but predicted it would pick up soon and they would meet their 10 per HST Page 8


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