DOGS SURVIVE FIRE: New pet oxygen kits used for initial time, 5 IMPRESSIVE START: Hockey academy ices its first girls team, 22 KIDS’ TALE
Journey across Canada, 20
NEWSSTAND $1
www.delta-optimist.com
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2016
The voice of Delta since 1922
New centre named after mayor Reach leaves Lois Jackson speechless when it announces facility will bear her name SANDOR GYARMATI
s g y a r m a t i @ d e l t a - o p t i m i s t .c o m
Mayor Lois Jackson was left emotional and speechless at Delta council Monday after receiving a surprise honour from the Reach Child and Youth Development Society. Members of the society, supporters and friends, as well as members of the Kinsmen Club, were on hand to hear a presentation by Reach representatives, who then surprised the mayor by announcing that a child development centre now under construction in Ladner will be named the Lois Jackson Kinsmen Centre for Children. Society president Donna Burke thanked the mayor and the Corporation of Delta for its pivotal support for the centre to help children with developmental disabilities. Located at Memorial Park, the 20,000-square-foot facility, which will also have a playground, will enable the society to double the number of children and youth with special needs it serves. “Delta’s support has been the
PHOTO BY SANDOR GYARMATI
Lois Jackson, who is in her sixth term as mayor, was surprised Monday night when Reach announced the child development centre under construction in Ladner will be named the Lois Jackson Kinsmen Centre for Children.
backbone of our project, allowing Reach to leverage your commitment with other donors and enabling Reach to close the door on our $5 million construction costs,” said Burke. Reach Foundation chair Denis Horgan said they’ve got roughly $600,000 still to go to furnish and equip the centre and hope to have it open by next fall. Jackson thanked those in attendance for the honour, saying they’re almost at the finish line. Reach, which also has satellite space at the North Delta Recreation Centre, is building the centre adjacent to the Ladner Pioneer Library on the former site of the Kinsmen House. It will offer therapy and counselling rooms, prevocational training, specialized lending libraries and an inclusive preschool with an accessible playground. It will also provide a new home for the Kinsmen Club of Ladner and Tsawwassen. Delta is providing a $1 million contribution towards the facility, along with additional provisions of land and services representing a further $1.3 million in value.
TFN could see huge windfall through taxes at new malls SANDOR GYARMATI
s g y a r m a t i @ d e l t a - o p t i m i s t .c o m
The Tsawwassen First Nation could see itself reaping an even larger windfall from the Tsawwassen Mills regional shopping complex. According to National Public Relations, the 1.2-million-
square-foot mall, which opened two weeks ago at the corner of 52nd Street and Highway 17, attracted a whopping 284,000 visitors over its first six days. That’s a lot of shoppers paying GST and PST on purchases, but not all that money will head straight into government coffers because the TFN will hold onto a
portion of that tax revenue. The exact amount the First Nation government will keep and how much might flow to the roughly 400 members isn’t clear just yet, but tax dollars from Tsawwassen Mills, as well as the soon-to-open Tsawwassen Commons next door and other economic development projects,
could be huge. TFN CEO Tom McCarthy explained that under the TFN treaty, the First Nation has the ability to negotiate tax-sharing agreements with both Canada and B.C. with respect to GST and PST. “I can confirm that we are engaged in those negotia-
tions with Canada and British Columbia. This negotiation includes a discussion about what portion flows back to TFN from federal and provincial tax revenues,” he said. McCarthy said it’s too early to say what specific uses the TFN has in mind for that money. TREATY: see Page 4
Tsawwassen Collision made my day, can’t wait to go for a drive.
A u t o b o d y. G e t i t d o n e r i g h t , g e t i t d o n e f o r s a f e t y a t T s a w w a s s e n C o l l i s i o n
604.943.6383
17-1835 56th St. Tsawwassen (Behind Mcdonalds) www.tsawwassencollision.com