NATURE

Sea, land, river

PEOPLES

Community

For earlier materials see Table of Contents

Feb 7^th	Rupert Racist?
	Plus inequity of one size fits all water/ sewer rates e

Chickweed or Stellaria media --- When I saw it flowering earlier, I thought ‘unique’ – but seems this invasive garden weed blooms anytime gets a chance – the good news is that it can be used as herb etc

Note hairs etc – see E-Flora

	Is Rupert (the ruling elite) Racist? —ANT and ‘subsidies’
	On tonight’s city Council agenda Curnes argues that City can not afford to give the All Native basketball tournament a ‘break’ on facility rental --- uses figures left to argue City already subsidizes ‘Civic Center’ to tune of 1.2M$.

We need better information to have a proper discussion--- How much does ice rink facility cost? Other than ‘Guns and Hoses’ games – who uses it and how much do they pay? How many City staff use gym for free? Does privilege extend to their families? Need monthly or quarterly reports giving numbers

Figures used look to be selected for impact rather than relevance

Thus the appropriate category should be (I suggest) the Rec Center Arena – not the Civic Center. Intuitively the major cost items should be the pool and the ice rink --- not the gymnasia ---- Curnes seems to argue that it is personnel that will be the major cost -- then shut down the ice rink etc during All Native and use employees elsewhere ----
I am told the crunch is because Rodin wants the Civic Center to approach 40% revenue to costs – presently about 26% --- but this circular as increase prices and fewer kids can afford to go – thus facility becomes a gated community with price as the barrier

	Hoisted by own Petard?
	I was told some time ago the City kept the metered water rates artificially low so as to get most businesses to install water meters

	But what about Sewerage?
	Should the rest of the Community now subsidise the sewer rates too?

The ‘Good News’ is that this rate bylaw (from this page – or 3249 as PDF) could come up for discussion (as rate increases ‘stop’ as of December 2010 --- and you can bet ‘they’ will want to increase them again. As I have discussed before the ‘bad part’ is that City Finance has taken these moneys and put into General Revenue – thus leaving the Funding for upgrading sewers etc empty – and under no obligation to replace $$ ‘borrowed’ as not a Statutory Fund’

Rates are inherently ‘unfair’

Thus a 12 room mansion will pay the same water and sewer rates as a 2 room apartment (with cooking facilities), Or a single elderly person in own house. And if said elder were gone for an extended vacation would have to get water disconnected to not pay etc

	More Later After Council meeting

Created by LG on 7/2/2010

Last updated on Monday, February 08, 2010

NATURE

PEOPLES

For earlier materials see Table of Contents

Rupert Racist?

More Later After Council meeting