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In March of this year , the provincial legislature will be voting on the implementation of the Harmonized Sales Tax.

According to Mr. Walt Cobb, this tax is a done deal. But, it is not a done deal  if seven Liberal M.L.A’s  represent their constituents feelings, and vote against the HST legislation. The HST would be defeated.

I am asking Donna Barnett to vote against this legislation. Afterall, during the campaign, her Liberal Party stated that there would not be an HST if they were elected.  

Eric Freeston
Williams Lake

Editor,

This letter will be short and to the point. For most people working in the service sector the HST will mean a decrease in pay. Let me explain my argument.

If you are a waitress in a restaurant and rely on tips, expect your tips to go down. The reason being, if the bill increases from $10 to $10.50 you've just lost 50 cents of what would have otherwise been included as a tip. Multiply that by your average number of customers per day and then multiply by the number of days you work in a year. The amount adds up. This applies to almost everyone working in the service sector; cab drivers, hair dressers etc etc. I find it hard to believe that a goverment supposedly working in our interest would first cut corporate taxes by billions and then ask those with a small income already, to take a pay cut in order to make up for a shortfall that they (the Liberal government) created in the first place.

Donna Barnett should be ashamed of being a part of this shell game.

Dave Ligertwood
Williams Lake, BC

I spent last week on the road; travelling through the Okanagan and Kamloops on Opposition Critic business. That same week the Olympic Torch made its way through the same region of the province and up through the Cariboo. I always seemed to be one day behind the festivities!

By all accounts, every community greeted the torch with great fanfare and even greater emotion. Despite all the questions and criticism surrounding Vancouver’s hosting of the Olympics and their impact on rural BC, events like the Torch Relay touch a deep nerve of national pride that allows us to put aside our differences and our gripes and simply celebrate who we are and where we live.

Dear Editor; 

After working, saving and planning for 30 years, our dream of retiring in Canada finally materialized. We chose to live in Flett Subdivision in Williams Lake. We enjoy our acreage, horses and recreation on our own 6 acres, and also have access to Crown land. 

When my husband and I arrived at the Stampede Grounds, shortly before 6:00pm last night, the parking lot was 70% full.  The first thing I noticed was what a great job the parking volunteers were doing at the entrance.  Vehicles were not stopped on Mackenzie for very long at all, and pedestrians were very obviously a top priority.  The parking volunteers patiently answered questions from passersby, without letting their guard down for a moment. The flow of traffic was carefully guided up the road and into the parking area---again, protecting pedestrians.  Everyone and everything was clearly marked, and it was a stress-free experience.  Heartfelt kudos to the parking volunteers!  The only one I was able to pick out of the sea of parking volunteers was Bob Sumner of Laketown Furnishings.  

The police presence at the entrance to the grandstands and the hallways was, as always, reassuring.  Their presence always seems to inspire a certain easy feeling of confidence at big events. 

The Sea Cadets were handing out paper Canadian Flags at a furious pace, and Coca Cola volunteers seemed to make sure that everyone was offered bottle-shaped cans of Coke Zero. 

(Photo:  Shelly Burich, Manager of Communications for the Cariboo Regional District.)

In a precedent-setting unanimous decision vote in a meeting in June 2009, the Cariboo Regional District Board of Directors voted in favour of a variance for an illegally constructed building in Flett subdivision.

A resident of Flett subdivision built an open seven-bay structure and attached it to the back of an existing two-car garage. This new structure is an illegal building, has two different ‘roofings’ and is oversized for the lot.

This building was completed with no permits, no inspections and with neighbors within 60 metres of his property saying ‘no’ in writing to the CRD.

This neighbor told the CRD in writing that he did not get a permit because he knew that the CRD would not approve of the building. He did not get a building permit, did not comply with a ‘stop order’ from the CRD, but continued to complete the structure.

The 2009 Child Poverty Report Card was issued this week and, once again, BC has the highest rate of child poverty in Canada; a situation that has persisted since 1999.

In 1989, the House of Commons established a goal to eliminate child poverty by the year 2000 but according to this week’s report the national child poverty rate still stands at 15% or one child in seven. Even more troubling is the sad fact that almost half of all off-reserve aboriginal children live in poverty in Canada.