‘Tis the season for taxes and Village of Canal Flats council has been working very hard on the budget. The announcement by Canfor was always in the back of our minds as we looked at the numbers.
As a result, we were able to come up with a budget that saw no increase from last year!
The Bylaw for the five-year financial plan will be adopted prior to May 15th, 2015.
Along with the budget, council also adopted the Road Frontage Tax Bylaw. This bylaw will allow the Village to calculate transportation expenses (ie. snow removal) based on foot frontage rather than assessment. There will be no impact on the average assessed home. However, some of the vacant lots will see an increase while some of the higher assessed homes will see a decrease in their taxes.
On April 16th, our branding consultants, Tracy Connery and Karen Nikurak, hosted an Open House showcasing the artwork that was created by the students of Martin Morigeau Elementary School.
The students were asked what it means to them to live in Canal Flats. What they came up with was simply breathtaking. There were a lot of comments around the sense of community, the wildlife, backcountry activities and how much they love their school. They produced a music video of a song they wrote all on their own. Very impressive!
And there is more exciting news coming out of Canal Flats. Council is very pleased to announce that we have partnered with the Family Resource Centre and entered into an agreement with them to rent the remaining room downstairs in the Columbia Discovery Centre for $1 for the next five years.
We are very excited to see services come to Canal Flats such as family counselling, family support work, women’s counselling, the seniors Better at Home program, youth outreach and engagement, employment services, an Early Learning Centre for children under six and their families, etc.
This will not only help existing families access these programs where they live, but will also help in attracting new families to the community.
A huge thank you to the Family Resource Centre!
Ute Juras is the mayor of Canal Flats and can be reached at 250-489-9070 or by e-mail at ujuras@gmail.com.