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www.comoxvalleyecho.com Tuesday September 2, 2014
Price: 57 cents plus GST
Volume 20, No. 70
Non-binding poll on helping homeless set for Nov. 15 By Drew A. Penner Echo Staff
DIFFICULT RESCUE: Cumberland Fire Rescue and ambulance personnel had a difficult time extricating a seriously injured woman after a single-vehicle crash on the Inland Island Highway early Saturday morning, Story page 2. (Photo courtesy of Cumberland Fire Department)
Cumberland ladies engage in a hair-razing battle for Tour de Rock Thursday night musical event part of effort By Michael Briones Echo Staff Two well-known community leaders in the Village of Cumberland are locked in a hairy situation. Cresslynn Fay, who is the Vancouver Island Music Festival’s manager, and Jean Cameron, the main organizer of the Cumberland Bike Round Up, are feuding as to who is better when it comes to raising funds. Both have challenged each other to raise $5,000 for Tour de Rock, Cops for Cancer. The prize for the winner is the opportunity to shave the hair of the vanquished. It’s a fun and friendly competition said Fay. “We’re doing this to raise awareness within our community to try and get people excited again that the Tour de Rock people are coming,” said Fay. “And also to raise aware-
ness about children with pediatric cancer.” Fay, who owns the Cumberland Hotel and Cameron, who is the proprietor of Cameron Salon and Barber are hoping the community will come out en masse to support not only them, but also the Cops for Cancer effort. “Last year there was hardly anybody there. There seems to be no excitement about this anymore when it used to be one of the biggest places that supported Tour de Rock,” said Fay. “So this is our little scheme to try and get people to come out when the actual Tour de Rock comes. Last year there were lots and lots of items that were auctioned and it was only us, the organizers, who do the fundraising, and a few kids. The community wasn’t there behind us.” (Continued on page 2)
The Comox Valley Regional District is moving forward with a public opinion vote Nov. 15 to determine whether the community wants tax dollars spent on homelessness reduction initiatives. But a director who chaired the Comox Valley Housing Task Force warned the referendum, which is structured as a non-binding question, won’t carry the teeth necessary to deal with the structural inequality in the community. “Moving to a plebiscite might provide comfort to some that the risk is less for failure,” said Ronna-Rae Leonard, representing Courtenay as Jon Ambler’s alternate, during the regularly scheduled meeting Aug. 26. “But I want to caution that potentially the risk may be greater.” The referendum will ask “How much annual property tax would you be willing to pay to reduce homelessness?” with “$0,” “Up to $5 per year (for a home that is assessed at $300,000)”, and “Up to $10 per year (for a home that is assessed at $300,000)” the available options. Fellow directors balked at the task force’s plan to spend upwards of six figures every year on a professional social planner whose job it would be to coordinate anti-poverty initiatives in the communities within the Comox Valley, as well as other administrative expenses that accounted for more than half of the proposed budget, when Leonard initially pitched the idea of a forceful referendum May 13. The $150,000 budget presented to the regional district board included provisions for a $93,900 social planner, $20,000 for legal costs, $12,700 for regional district staff time and $12,000 for office space. “The Housing Task Force did make a recommendation on a referendum question regarding setting up a regional service to address homelessness and the affordable housing gap,” Leonard said. “The details and potential costs were required. “Those details resulted in initiatives being rejected by this board.” When the binding referendum was kicked to the curb an opportunity was lost Leonard said. “I think it should be noted that a broad-based conduit to community support was stopped dead in its tracks when the task force was stood down,” she said. “A wealth of information and community goodwill was basically set aside. “I’m crying over spilt milk here a little bit, because, yeah, the opportunity to actually move forward at the first opportunity with a public commitment at a referendum is over.”
Cresslynn Fay is eager to cut and shave the wavy locks of Jean Cameron when the Tour De Rock pedals to the Village of Cumberland on Sept. 24.
(Continued on page 2)
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