(Y City of New Westminster leads on affordable housing

(¥ Salmon go mainstream in Coquitlam

(¥ New Westminster attempts to connect Quay to

Queensborough

And more!

Tax hike of 3.4 per cent on the
horizon in Port Coquitlam.

> New improvements, expansions, and infrastructure come at a price

Aaron Guillen
Staff Reporter

 

tudents in Port Coquitlam,

whether living at home or on
their own, can expect a tightened
grip on their expenditures thanks
to the new proposed tax hike of
3.4 per cent.

According to the City of Port
Coquitlam’s 2016-20 Financial
Plan, safety, recreation, and
infrastructure projects were
the top three priorities for
investment this year. On average,
the potentially raised property
tax would turn out to be “$68.23

for single-family homes, $52.72
for town houses, and $31.52 for
apartments.”

For many residents,
questions might arise as to what
the additional expenses are
needed for. First and foremost,
the city plans to hire four new
police officers into the force.

Secondly, a new Cultural
Development and Community
Services Manager position will
open up, due to public feedback
in 2015 that showed demand for
more community festivals, arts,
and cultural leadership.

Among new items, council
highlighted expenses on planning

of the new community recreation
complex in Downtown Port
Coquitlam, the planned hosting
of the PoCo Grand Prix, the
building of the Nicola Avenue
Road Extension, and developing
Shop PoCo, an easily accessible
online directory of local goods
and services.

Further improvements
are planned to be made to the
Coquitlam River Bridge. Taxes
will also go towards updated
access to the city’s website on
mobile devices, and renovations
to the Sun Valley Park Spray Park
and Coast Meridian Community
Police Station.

Additionally, the city budget
made way for collaborative
projects, such as planning the
future Lincoln Avenue and
Victoria Drive connections with
Coquitlam, and a guarantee of
sufficient local bus connections
to the Evergreen Line with
TransLink.

Lastly, a reforestation
plan is in the works for the
northern part of Lions Park.
With ongoing improvements
on tree regulations, residents
should be on the lookout for
new and replanted trees in their
neighbourhoods.

Likewise, many

   
 
   

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neighbouring municipalities are
raising their tax prices, whether
it be for government functions,
police services, or utilities such
as sewage and solid waste.
Coquitlam recently raised its 2.64
per cent, with Port Moody in the
midst of considering a 5.13 per
cent increase.

Residents of Port Coquitlam
are encouraged to provide
feedback up until March 7
through an online survey. Those
who have concerns can make
them known for potential change
in the municipal budget.

New Engineering program coming to Douglas College

> New Westminster renovations will make space for new program

Mercedes Deutscher
News Editor

D ouglas will be joining
the ranks of other
post-secondary institutions
in the Lower Mainland as

it gets set to host its own
engineering program.

The new program will
manifest itself as a two-year
diploma, and is expected to
start taking students in once the
recently started renovations on
the New Westminster Campus

 

are completed. The renovations
are accounting for the special
spaces and labs required to
run an engineering program.
Douglas may be offering
the program as early as Fall
2016, should the renovations be
completed by their scheduled
date of mid-August. There has
been no word on whether or
not the program will be offered
at the David Lam campus.
“Douglas College continues
to grow and this renovation will
enable us to keep pace with the

demand for our programs,” said
Dr. Kathy Denton, President of
Douglas College, on the Douglas
College website. “Our new
engineering diploma is just one
example of how we're responding
to the needs of employers and
students, with in-demand
credentials that have both an
applied and an academic focus.”
The engineering program
comes as part of the Douglas
five-year strategic plan, which
also includes providing more
relevant content to its students.

 

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