J.P. SQUIRE 2010-09-22 Kelowna Daily Courier:
The pleas were virtually unanimous Tuesday: they all want money/more money from the province next year. A legislative committee on finance and government services heard a wide range of requests during its three-hour Lake Country public hearing, the third of 14 planned across B.C. for input on the 2011-12 provincial budget. Potentially the most expensive was a City of Kelowna request for direct grants for water-quality improvements. Coun. Graeme James noted the city and five other water suppliers need $60 million to eliminate boil-water orders, and more than $200 million to bring domestic water up to Canadian drinking water standards as ordered by Interior Health. The valleywide bill could top $600 million. "As you can imagine, that‘s a very big hardship on our taxpayers," said James, the city‘s representative on the Kelowna joint water committee and regional representative on the Okanagan Basin Water Board.
The city also requested provincial subsidies for climate-change initiatives, continued support for public transit, continuation of funding (which runs out next year) for 16 RCMP members in Kelowna on the organized crime unit, restoration of arts/culture grants and funding for a new tourism centre. Representatives of the UBC Students Union Okanagan want college-university tuition reduced to 2001 levels, restoration of per-student grants to 2002 levels, elimination of interest on student loans, an increase in needs-based grants and a job-creation strategy for students utilizing loans. Tourism Kelowna wants the two-per-cent hotel room tax continued past June 30, 2011, since it represents $1.5 million or 60 per cent of the not-for-profit society‘s marketing revenue. Project Literacy Kelowna officials expressed concern about declining revenue, specifically gaming grants dropping from $40,000 to $20,000, jeopardizing the future of the society‘s programs.
After hearings in Vancouver and Surrey, committee chairman John Les said requests vary from eliminating the provincial deficit as soon as possible to more tax relief to spending more money in specific areas. "It‘s not always the case that we can accommodate everyone in one year," he said in an interview. And demands have changed over the years, depending on the state of the province‘s finances and the economy. British Columbians are invited to attend the hearings or participate by sending a written or electronic submission, responding to an online survey, or submitting an audio or video file. Hearings continue 9 a.m.-noon today (Sept. 22) in Penticton and by video conference for Vernon (plus Merritt and Port McNeill) 9 a.m.-noon on Oct. 8. For more information on the budget consultation process, go to the committee‘s website: www.leg.bc.ca/budgetconsultations. The period for public input ends on Oct. 15 with the committee to complete its report by Nov. 15.
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Minutes From Various Cities: Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services
- BLUES Wednesday, September 22, 2010 — Kamloops HTML AUDIO
- BLUES Wednesday, September 22, 2010 (Updated 09/22/2010 at 3:40 p.m.) — Penticton HTML AUDIO
- BLUES Tuesday, September 21, 2010 (Updated 09/21/2010 at 8 p.m.) — Winfield (Lake Country) HTML AUDIO
- BLUES Thursday, September 16, 2010 (Updated 09/20/2010 at 12 p.m.) — Surrey HTML AUDIO
- BLUES Wednesday, September 15, 2010 p.m. — Vancouver HTML AUDIO INDEX
- Thursday, June 3, 2010 a.m. (Issue No. 19) — Victoria HTML PDF AUDIO INDEX
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