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Friday, March 27, 2015
TINY TEAM KICKS OFF COWICHAN CANCER MONTH April is cancer month in Canada and the Cowichan Valley ’s efforts get a fun kick off on March 21 when Coach Courtney McGeachy, and Sheelagh Harman and Judy Turner, managers at the Duncan unit of the Canadian Cancer Society, join some of the Valley’s junior soccer players. An open house at the Society’s Duncan office on April 1, a doorto-door campaign throughout the month, the sale of daffodil pins at various stores and businesses, an information booth at the farmers’ market and, finally, sales of live daffodils are all part of the monthlong effort in Cowichan. [KEVIN ROTHBAUER/CITIZEN]
Budget passes after 11th-hour trim ANDREA RONDEAU CITIZEN
In a last-minute cutting exercise the Cowichan Valley Regional District board trimmed about one per cent, or $328,000 from their 2015 budget, before passing the Five Year Financial Plan. The board was supposed to adopt its financial plan earlier this month, but even after a number exhaustive discussions directors
remained unhappy with what are substantial requisition increases for some areas, with municipalities being especially hard hit. Taxpayers in the Town of Ladysmith, Municipality of North Cowichan and the City of Duncan were looking at a 13.24 per cent increase, 9.97 per cent increase and 9.63 per cent increase respectively before the cutting began. Discussions on where to cut
began with a motion to eliminate the inclusion of a new senior staff communications position at just over $100,000 per year. “I’m really nervous about a spin doctor,” said Dir. Lori Iannidinardo, protesting that the position would just add a middleman between government and the public. Dir. Klaus Kuhn agreed. “This will be a barrier between
management, the elected officials and the public,” he argued, saying that it is the role of the elected directors to communicate with the community. People want to hear things “from the horse’s mouth rather than filtered,” he added. CVRD Chief Administrative Officer Brian Carruthers explained what he sees as a need for the district.
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With 170 services and 80,000 residents this is a big local government, he said, dealing with many complex issues. “We do not do a good job, in my view of communicating with residents of the regional district,” he stated. He doesn’t see the position as a “spin doctor.” See $100K CUT, Page 17