WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2013 Vol. 104 No. 97 • Established 1908
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MIDWEEK EDITION
THE VOICE OF VANCOUVER NEIGHBOURHOODS
OPINION: Ferry changes 10/ ARTS: Puppetry genius 23
Citytaxesto riseagain BUDGET PROPOSES 1.9% PROPERTY TAX HIKE FOR 2014 MIKE HOWELL
Staff writer
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photo Dan Toulgoet
Say cheese! Bravas, an Arabian gelding, gets ready for his close-up with photographer Ward Perrin during a media tour Monday of the set and stable of the Cavalia production Odysseo, which features 67 horses. It opens Saturday under the white big top on False Creek. Go to vancourier.com and scan page with the Layar app to see more photos and watch a video.
Equine stars oblivious to paparazzi LATEST CAVALIA PRODUCTION FEATURES 67 HORSES SANDRA THOMAS Staff writer
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s a large trailer pulled up to the rear entrance of a temporary structure on West First Avenue near the Olympic Village, journalists jostled each other for the best vantage point. The doors of the trailer opened and the sound of the repeated click of camera shutters and flashes of light filled the cool afternoon air. The celebrities who were the focus of the paparazzi treatment remained oblivious to the commotion as each was led down a short ramp and paraded in front of the media. The first to appear was a Canadianborn, brown Quarter Horse nicknamed “Bud.” Bud is one of the 67 horses used in the Cavalia production of Odysseo, which takes place under the largest touring tent in the world. On Monday afternoon, Vancouver
journalists were invited for a behind-the-scenes tour of the massive set and a look at the horses as they arrived in the city. The highlight of the tour was a visit to the set’s temporary stable, where the horses are stalled separately. The horses come from 11 breeds, including 15 Arabians, 17 Lusitano, one Lipizzan and two Appaloosas. In the stable the different personalities of the horses showed: some stretched their necks towards passersby in search of attention while others played together by reaching through their stall doors. Several had no interest in interacting with human or beast and pointedly turned their backsides to the cameras. Cavalia founder and creative director Normand Latourelle said it’s partly because of those distinct personalities the majority of horses used in the production are stallions. See ODYSSEO on page 7
omeowners and business operators be warned: Your taxes are set to go up again. The City of Vancouver released its 2014 budget Wednesday and proposed a 1.9 per cent property tax hike to balance a $1.2 billion operating budget and $285 million capital budget. The increase is said to be the equivalent of $36 for a residential property worth $1 million and $156 for a business. But when added with an increase in utility fees, the overall cost for homeowners will be $65 and $160 for business operators. The proposed tax hike, on which council will vote Dec. 10, continues a pattern of annual tax hikes set by the political party in power at city hall. Last year, the ruling Vision Vancouver council raised taxes by two per cent and, in 2012, by 2.84 per cent. When Vision won its first majority in November 2008, taxes increased 15.79 per cent from 2009 to 2011. That hike included a percentage of business tax shifted to property owners. The Vision council has argued, however, the 15.79 per cent number would have been closer to 13 per cent had a city strike not occurred in 2007 under an
NPA administration and saved the city money in wages and benefits. Figures supplied to the Courier from the city’s communications department showed taxes increased 17.76 per cent from 2006 to 2008 for residents. That’s when the NPA was in power and the cumulative effect of the business tax shift — 8.79 per cent — was higher than the 5.98 per cent Vision dealt with between 2009 to 2011. Council adopted the shift based on recommendations from the Property Tax Policy Review Commission, which said a target distribution of 52 per cent residential and 48 per cent non-residential should be achieved. At the time, it was a fact that non-residential owners were paying a disproportionate amount of tax compared not only to residential owners but business owners across the country. To avoid the significant impact of one huge increase in taxes for residential property owners, council agreed to a gradual increase over the years. Between 2008 and 2011, a total of $22.2 million was redistributed, with a balance of $1.6 million remaining for the 2012 tax year — the final year of the shift. NPA Coun. Elizabeth Ball was a member of then-Sam Sullivan’s administration between 2005 and 2008. See BUDGET on page 7