S E R V I N G
M I S S I O N
S I N C E
1 9 0 8
85¢+GST
THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2010
DEVELOPING MISSION’S WATERFRONT District’s ambitious project a rare opportunity in region PAGE 3
5.88% BY
CAROL AUN
Mission Record
This year’s property taxes will be going up close to six per cent in Mission. Monday night Council approved the first three readings of a bylaw that will raise taxes by 5.88 per cent. For the average home, which is estimated at an assessed value of $381,000, that’s a tax increase of $92.49 per year. For months councillors have been receiving feedback from the public, and while many say
District council approves tax hike
taxes are too high, Mayor James Atebe notes it’s important to maintain services and continue with strategies that are working. The district will proceed with plans to hire four full-time firefighters this year, but will hold off on adding another assistant fire chief in 2010. The budget also allows the addition of one police officer, which will support the district’s crime reduction strategy. Crime and public safety are two priorities for council, said Atebe. Hiring four full-time fire fighters make up 1.87 per cent of the overall increase, which works out
to about $440,472. The extra police officer will cost $121,500 or 0.51 per cent. There were mixed responses to the questionnaires handed out during the budget consultation process, which asked whether or not more police and firefighters were needed. Some people said the district should make do with what’s available, and others said more emergency services staff are needed in a growing community. In the budget, no provisions have been made for inflation.
HOUSE FIRE SUSPICIOUS Abandoned house on Seventh Avenue destroyed by fire that appears deliberately set. PAGE 9
See BUDGET Page 2
Fatal heart attack causes four-car crash
Firefighters with hydraulic equipment work to get accident victims out of a mangled wreck of a car. RANDY HARRIS PHOTO
BUILDING OF MISSION
A woman in her 70s suffered a fatal heart attack while driving on Monday, causing a fourcar crash. According to Mission RCMP, the accident occurred around 6:15 p.m. when coronary failure caused Mission resident Joan Rutz to lose control of her vehicle on the Lougheed Highway, near the Highway 11 intersection. Police were first on scene, and initiated CPR on the heart attack victim, until BC Ambulance Services and Mission Fire/Rescue arrived. A total of four vehicles were involved in the accident, but the other vehicle occupants sustained what police described as minor injuries.
Mission Community Services presents a made-in-Mission film that celebrates the community’s diversity. PAGE 27
STATUS CHANGES People at the Mission Friendship Centre discuss changes that will allow more women to maintain their Indian status. PAGE 14
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