Richmond News September 29 2010

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News Editorial Letters HealthWise Beat Sports Classified

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A pro at playing mom

Making a splash

Creator of the Mom’s the Word trilogy comes to Gateway Theatre as the anxious and controlling mother in Brighton Beach Memoirs.

Richmond Rapids’ Doug Thompson is looking forward to his 13th season of being involved in coaching competitive swimming.

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METRO VANCOUVER

Port urged to pay tax Report backs city claim Port Metro not paying fair share BY NELSON BENNETT

nbennett@richmond-news.com

Imagine getting your annual tax bill, deciding it’s too high and paying only half. That is what Port Metro Vancouver has been doing in recent years, with the help of a provincial tax cap, according to a new report that recommends the port authority start paying its fair share of municipal taxes to cities like Richmond, Delta, Vancouver and North Vancouver. The report, by Dr. Enid Slack, was commissioned by the regional district of Metro Vancouver. It confirms what the City of Richmond has been saying for some time now — that the port authority is not paying it’s fair share of taxes. Coun. Harold Steves, who sits on the Metro Vancouver board of directors, said the city has calculated the tax bill for the two ports in Richmond to be $14.5 million since 2000. “They paid about $5 million in taxes so the shortfall is $9 million,” Steves said. “In other words, they’re paying about a third of what they should be paying if they were a private business.” Slack was commissioned to exam-

ine the disparity that municipalities like Richmond say exists when it comes to Port Metro Vancouver paying its share of municipal taxes. Technically, municipal governments can’t tax senior governments, however, most federal Crown corporations do pay what is known as PILTs (payments in lieu of taxes). Port Metro Vancouver makes such payments, but they are nowhere near what municipalities say they should be, based on assessments by BC Assessment. The port authority hires its own assessor and invariably comes up with assessments that are much lower than BC Assessment’s figures. “They go out and have an independent assessment done, which comes out considerably lower than what municipalities believe they are due and what Port Metro has either paid or stated is their intention to pay,” says Metro Vancouver spokesman Bill Morrell. In 2008, for example, the City of Richmond calculated the port’s municipal tax bill to be $1.6 million, but received only $723,958 from Port Metro, leaving a shortfall of close to $900,000. see Private port page 4

ZONING

Neighbour feud reignites Lawn signs protest bed and breakfast in cul-de-sac CHUNG CHOW/RICHMOND NEWS

Riding the music ... Shore 104 Radio host and former Sony Records promoter, Patrick Zulinov, left, chats with songstress Chantal Kreviazuk outside the River Rock Casino before the pair set off on their motorcycles for the 2010 Music Therapy Ride to Whistler in support of Canadian Music Therapy. See more photos on our website at www.richmond-news.com

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The owner of the Seabreeze bed and breakfast on Springside Place will try again next month to get a rezoning needed to legitimize his business. But John Falcus’ imme-

diate neighbours remain resolute in their opposition to the rezoning, despite the efforts of the City of Richmond and Tourism Richmond to resolve their differences through a mediator. “We do not want the property rezoned,” says

8171 Westminster Hwy. (at Buswell, one block east of No. 3 Rd.) Walkway access also from Save-On Foods parking lot

Mon-Sat 8:45-6:30 Sun 10-5 (604) 780-4959

Sherri Lazaruk, who lives a few doors away from the three-room B&B. Hers is one of several homes on Springside Place sporting lawn signs with “B&B in cul-de-sacs” inside a red circle with a line drawn through it. see B&B owner page 4 07283111

BY NELSON BENNETT

nbennett@richmond-news.com


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