KAMLOOPS THIS WEEK THURSDAY
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FEBRUARY 19, 2015 | Volume 28 No. 22
BRIDGE TENDER EXTENDED FOR ONE WEEK
WEATHER Cloudy High 7 C Low 1 C
SUN PEAKS SNOW REPORT Mid-mountain: 126 cm Alpine: 157 cm Snow phone: 250-578-7232
BANDITS BEWARE! A7
$9-million-plus project attracting larger contractors
A5
BCBUDGET2015
Balanced, but critics pounce CAM FORTEMS STAFF REPORTER cam@kamloopsthisweek.com
The B.C. Liberal government can boast of another balanced budget that also offers a few measures for families, along with a longawaited end to clawbacks for struggling single parents. Critics, however, say Tuesday’s (Feb. 17) budget offers no fixes for a sluggish economy, struggling families, lack of family doctors or hospital overcrowding, while the promised benefits of a provincial liquefied natural-gas industry appear distant, if they are ever realized. The three-year plan detailed by the budget includes surpluses of $284 million in 20152016, $376 million in 2016-2017 and $399 million in 2017-2018. Those surpluses contrast with deficit budgets across other Canadian provinces. Finance Minister Mike de Jong said restraint by the B.C. Liberal government has allowed it to avoid sinking into debt while offering “modest” help for families. As of this fall, that will include an end to clawing back income and disability assistance for single parents who also receive child-support payments from a spouse. See CHILD, A12
This house at 356 McGowan Ave. has been the subject of a battle between owner Linda Watt and the city since 2008.
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City of Kamloops countersues TIM PETRUK STAFF REPORTER tim@kamloopsthisweek.com
The City of Kamloops has filed a counter-claim to the owner of a condemned North Shore home, seeking nearly $60,000 plus costs it has incurred for “unsightly property work.” Lynda Watt filed a lawsuit in December seeking $250,000 — accusing city workers of trespassing and theft. City lawyers have responded with a lawsuit of their own, asking a judge to declare Watt’s home “unsightly and a nuisance” under its unsightly property bylaw, as well as orders requiring her to “restore and repair the condition of the property” and not allow it to “return to an unsightly condition.” The city also wants to be allowed to enter the home to inspect its condition.
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Watt’s home at 356 McGowan Ave. has been vacant since a fire in 2008 made it uninhabitable, according to the Interior Health Authority. In the years that followed, it became a sore spot for neighbours, who claimed the house attracted pigeons and vermin, increased their allergy symptoms and spread foul odours down the block whenever a door was opened. After a petition circulated on McGowan Avenue calling for the destruction of the house, city council gave Watt an ultimatum — get the home back into a livable condition or have the city hire a contractor to do the work on her behalf. Though Watt appealed council’s decision, arguing she and her family could do the work themselves, the deadline passed and work began on the home in February
2014 and lasted more than a month. While the work was being done, city officials said the job was complicated by years of moisture and animal feces built up in the house. Watt’s lawsuit is seeking “$250,000 physical damages and unspecified damages at large,” as well as costs. In it, she claimed the city used outdated air samples while testing the home and failed to provide her with “promised and/or requested documents.” “This involves illegal entry of a personal residence and removal of property of value, resulting in extreme financial loss and hardship for me,” the notice of claim reads. The city has denied all of Watt’s allegations. None of the allegations in either notice of claim have been proven in court.