THE TOWN CRIER FEBRUARY 2013 1 MAYOR'S NOTES Hello everyone. Well we are through the holidays and are starting a new year. I want to wish all of you a Happy New Year. We begin the New Year with many issues on the table. One of the main priorities of this Council is the solid waste landfill site. The issue has stood still far too long, and we have had a limited acceptance level of waste for far too long as well. We had a meeting with Minister Taylor of YTG Community Services this week and I must say I feel confident we will have a solution sooner rather than later. The issue is complex, but we believe that with a few changes to the way we handle waste, we will be able to address the burning issue of burning. We are also going to take another look at the priorities which Council and Staff have addressed in our Strategic Plan. We will see if these priorities are the same issues that the community needs to address, and if they are in the proper priority. Things such as street resurfacing, water and sewer improvements and expansions, downtown core beatification and the district heat file, are some of the issues. We welcome your input into the process and if you have any other projects you would like to see happen please let us know. The Town of Watson Lake strategic plan is available on the Town Website at www.watsonlake.ca. Council meets on the first and third Tuesday s of every month. You are always welcome to attend those meetings. We do offer coffee and tea, and after the official part of the meeting is over, Council is there to answer any questions you may have. A question was raised about whether members of the gallery can participate in discussion during the meetings. This is not possible as we are a legislative body mandated under the municipal act. We are governed on how we conduct ourselves at those meetings. You can have your concerns addressed through letters to council requesting to become a delegation, or approaching us on issues after the meetings. We will also in the near future be webcasting our Council meetings online on the Town website. We will keep you informed as to when this will happen. We go into 2013 in a very healthy financial position. We are expecting a surplus of nearly $700,000 and our reserve accounts are also flush. Our main focus is to ensure that we do things in a stable and sustainable manner, and that you are getting all the services you deserve and that the communities legacy is secure. There is a lot of work to be done. We know and appreciate that it cannot be done without your help. Please give us your ideas and suggestions. They are the fuel we need to continue. Thanks again and see you in the New year. Richard Durocher, Mayor. OUTSTANDING PROPERTY TAXES Council reviewed the list of outstanding taxpayers who do not already have liens imposed upon their property. There is a requirement under the Property & Assessment Act that a list of delinquent properties be published in a Yukon Newspaper. The next step is for the Town to apply for title should the account remain delinquent. The lien protects the municipality and has precedent over all other parties with the exception of the Crown. Residents will notice that this list is published on the last page of the Town Crier. A similar ad will appear in the Yukon News prior to February 15 th. Utility account arrears have recently been transferred to tax accounts, these balances are now considered and treated as unpaid taxes and could result in a tax lien being registered against the property. 2013 Property Assessment Notices The 2013 YTG property assessment notices were sent out to property owners in December. If you disagree with the assessed value of your property, please contact YG Property Assessment and Taxation directly at 667-5268. An assessor will review all the facts and answer any questions that you may have. The Town of Watson Lake is required to set property tax rates on or before April 15h. Please review your assessment notice for any discrepancies, as your 2013 taxes will be based on the information provided.
2 Business Licence Fees The annual Business Licence Fee shall be one hundred ($100.00) for each business. Where multiple businesses are operated from one location by one individual or company, the fee for the first business licence shall be one hundred dollars ($100.00) and the fee for each additional business licence shall be fifty dollars ($50.00). For a Non-Resident business, the annual Business Licence shall be two hundred ($200.00). Dog tag fees $5.00 neutered/spayed annual animal tag $20.00 unneutered male annual animal tag $25.00 unspayed female annual animal tag $25.00 neutered/spayed lifetime animal tag WINTER SNOW REMOVAL We remind you not to push snow from your property onto the Town s right of ways. There is no parking on streets, as this hinders the snow removal We are committed to providing the best service to our citizens as possible. Please allow us to do our jobs well DONATION POLICY The Town of Watson Lake has established a donation policy with respect to funding groups and organizations for social, leisure and recreation purposes. A copy of the policy and application form are available on the Town of Watson Lake Website at www.watsonlake.ca 2012 GRANTS/DONATIONS The Town of Watson Lake provided the following grants/donations in 2012. $100.00 2012 New Years Baby $3,982.00 WL Riding Association $1,400.00 WL Swim Club $13,525.00 WL Ski Club $1,000.00 WL St. Vincent De Paul Society $500.00 WL Chamber of Commerce $850.00 Gentle Steps $2,000.00 WL Daycare $1,142.00 WL 4-H Multi Club $10,000.00 WL Historical Society The Town of Watson Lake also provided $21,410.53 in tax relief funding to Non-Profit groups for the 2012 property taxes. Greetings from Recreation! Goodbye 2012, hello 2013! I hope you all enjoyed the holidays and found some time to relax in between all the parties and eating! I want to thank all who came out and attended the various Christmas activities held in and around the Rec Centre (a shout out to James Magun, Susan Magun, Johanna Nugent & Cynthia Porter for their amazing Christmas lights as well as Women s Hockey for the fantastic New Year s Eve Bash!) and to all non-profit groups who have done so much to help me deliver fun and successful events. Your support and community spirit is so wonderful to see let s keep it up and continue to be involved. It s always nice to bring in the New Year with a bang, and I am so glad to have been able to bring you the Yukon Comics to do just that! This past Friday we had Jenny Hamilton, George Maratos, Claire Ness and Steve McGovern perform in the community hall and were they ever hilarious! As quoted by several who attended I ve never laughed so hard in my life! If you missed it, don t worry, I am in the works to bring other Whitehorse comedians back sometime in March/April. I ll keep you posted! With the New Year, there are New Year s resolutions. It seems most of them are based on eating better, begin exercising and being a better person. So I have organized healthy living as part of January s line up of events. This Thursday and Friday (Jan. 17 &18 th ) we will be having an Into to Diabetes workshop by RN Shannon Duke. With diabetes on the rise and affecting our family members, what better time to learn preventative, healthy measures to combat the disease as well as learning effective tools to living with diabetes. Shannon has a wealth of information, and I hope to see many members of the community there. It is free and refreshments will be provided. Both nights will run from 7-9pm. I also have Ingrid Wilcox (a Yukon resident for more than 40 years) coming January 30 &31 to do a workshop on growing Berries, Vegetables & Herbs in our climate. Something I would love to see this year or in the very near future is a community garden. I am thrilled to have Ingrid here as she will be able to answer any and all questions regarding indoor/outdoor growing and will be bringing potting so we can take vegetables and herbs home with us. This is a perfect workshop for all ages, and I encourage everyone in the community to attend you don t need a green thumb to participate! For more information please feel free to give me a call at the Rec Centre. I had also organized a workshop on Healthy Active Kids and Label Reading for this month, but have since moved it to Saturday, March 2 nd due to conflicting schedules with RPAY. I will post more information about this workshop in the coming month it will be by registration as lunch will be provided. For more information or to register early, please leave your name and number with the front desk. These workshops are being provided by RPAY (Recreation and Parks Association of the Yukon) at no cost to us, and are great partners in helping bring wonderful trained professionals to the communities. If you would like to
know more about how to get involved in sharing your talents and receiving pay please give myself a call and I would be happy to look into what we can do together! So far we have had two UFC events held in the curling lounge (Nov. 17 & Dec. 29) with non-profit groups running the bar and serving food. I also hold a teen night during the same time, where the teens get to watch the fights and just have fun. These fights are expensive, and with the shortage of people attending them, it is disappointing to say that next time February 2 will be the last UFC event if there isn t a great turn-out (meaning 30 people or more). I want to thank the Watson Lake Historical Society and the Watson Lake Animal Society for their time and efforts in running these events. The Curling Club will be running February 2 nd s (Aldo vs. Edgar in the world featherweight championship) event. Admission is $10, so bring a friend bring all your friends! There are door prizes to be won! In hockey news, we have the Pee Wee Championship tournament January 25-27. Come on out to support and cheer on the young rising hockey stars in our community! If you would like more information please contact Tiffany at 536-2112. We also have Kiki Karnival right around the corner, February 8-10 th. There will be so much going on! Rec hockey tournament all weekend, concession, food fair, family dance on Friday from 7-10pm, adult dance on Saturday from 9pm-2am, curling bonspiel, snow sculpting contest, stick gambling, pancake breakfast, bingo and more! I will have the booklet of events with times distributed by the end of the week - so be sure to pick one up at Super A, the Rec Centre, CIBC and other businesses around town. In addition to all these action packed line-up of events, the Rec Centre will be revamping the bowling alley to glow bowling! Lights and paint will be here in the next couple weeks, and as soon as the dark side of the bowling alley is ready we will have a grand opening so to speak. What better way to celebrate birthday parties and get more youth back into the great game of bowling? Stay tuned for the unveiling! I encourage the community to come forward with any ideas on different events they would like to see, as well as share any constructive criticism on what I should do differently, or what I should work on. My door is always open, feel free to come for a coffee! Until next time, Marie Recreation s purpose is not to kill time, but to make life; not to keep a person occupied, but to keep them refreshed; not to offer an escape from life, but to provide a discovery of life. For More information please contact Recreation Programmer, Marie Wilson 536-8022 Watson Lake Recycling Centre 536-2000 Email: recycling@watsonlake.ca HOURS OF OPERATION: Tuesday Friday 11:00 5:3 Saturday 10:00 5:30 First month of the new year, first newsletter of the new year. There is balance in the world if we look for it. At the Recycling Depot we deal with 2 types of Recycling refundable items and non-refundable items. REFUNDABLE ITEMS: In Yukon all ready to drink beverage containers are charged a deposit and are eligible for a refund. The main exceptions are milk, milk products (ie: Yop), milk substitutes (ie: soya milk, almond milk), and meal replacement beverages (ie: Boost and Ensure). Most people are quite familiar with this type of recycling. Overall there is a fairly high rate of returns of beverage containers in Yukon. For those who have large amounts of refundable containers and want to pre-sort at home, detailed sorting guidelines are available at the Depot. Stop by for our info sheet or e- mail me at recycling@watsonlake.ca and I will get a copy to you. If you have containers you don t wish to collect the refund on, there is a box in the outside sorting area for donations. We are always grateful for donations and thank-you. NON-REFUNDABLE RECYCLING: WE accept: ALL plastics (except for motor oil containers) ALL paper Corrugated cardboard Boxboard Wax cartons and non-beverage Tetra packs Glass Jars Tin Cans Brown paper bags Aluminium foil and aluminium pie plates These items can be placed in the outside drop-off area which is accessible 24 hrs a day. Please read the signs as there have been recent changes, and place in the correct area. If you have large amounts of cardboards or pieces too big to fit in the bag, please come when the Depot is open so we can deal with it properly. 3
WE CANNOT RECYCLE THE FOLLOWING ITEMS...DO NOT BRING THEM TO THE DEPOT Styrofoam Vehicle batteries (There is a place for them at the landfill) Alkaline batteries Incandescent light bulbs Paint (proper disposal for paint is (A) Water based paints leave to container open until the paint is completely hardened. The can then goes into the metals pile at the landfill. (B) Oil based paint this paint should be held at home and dropped off during our annual Household Hazardous Waste Disposal Day) We also offer the following: E-WASTE DISPOSAL: Electronic Waste is to be brought directly into the Depot. Please do not bring it unless we are open. Important Animals Control Bylaws to Remember: - No owner of an animal shall permit such animal to run at large, and where such animal is found at large, it shall be deemed to be so with the consent of the owner. - No owner of an animal shall permit such animal upon any public property in the Town unless such animal is on a leash which is no longer than two (2) meters in length and which is held at all times by a person able to control the animal. - No person shall own any cat or dog within the Town unless such cat or dog is licensed pursuant to the provisions of this bylaw. The complete Animal Control bylaw is available upon request at the Town Office. Michael Wilson Town of Watson Lake Bylaw Enforcement FLOURENCENT BULB DISPOSAL: Fluorescent tubes and compact fluorescent bulbs are to be brought directly into the Depot. Please do not bring them unless we are open. SHARE SHED: The Share Shed is designed for items of usable quality that you no longer need. Think of it as stuff you would put in a garage sale if you were having one. It is not intended for items that are broken or seriously outdated. Please do not bring clothes. We are not set up to handle them and they get wrecked. Please do not put E-waste in the share shed (this is where the seriously outdated comment becomes important). Please do not put cardboard and other recyclables in the share shed sort them into the correct bag. HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE DISPOSAL: Once a year, in conjunction with the Department of the Environment, we offer a Household Hazardous Waste Disposal Day. This is generally held in August or September. Some examples of HHW are aerosol cans, single use propane cylinders, used oil, unfinished containers of laundry and stain removers, toilet cleaners, wax strippers, drain cleaners, oven cleaners, acetone, oil-based paint, insect repellent and weed killer. WE CANNOT accept these items in advance. Please do not bring them to the Depot until the announced date. ********************************************* ********************************************* This is an overview...there is much more detailed information available to you at the Depot. I am rewriting our info sheet to reflect recent changes and it will be available shortly. If you would like a copy, stop by the Depot in February, or e-mail recycling@watsonlake.ca and I will send you a copy. Outdoor pets Some pets are better suited than others for living outdoors. There is a common misconception that dogs will be "fine" if left outside. This is not true. All pets need adequate shelter from the elements and insulation against cold weather. Pets should not be left outside for long periods in freezing weather. Like humans, they can suffer from hypothermia and frostbite. The young and the senior pets are especially at risk. Pets with arthritis are prone to more discomfort in cold and damp environments. Certain breeds, such as Huskies and Samoyeds are better suited to very cold weather, but the majority of dogs need your help and intervention. Indoor accommodations are best during extreme temperature drops, but if that is not possible, set up a suitable house in an area protected from wind, rain, and snow. Insulation, such as straw or blankets will help keep in body heat. Fresh water is a must at all times. Pets are not able to get enough water from licking ice or eating snow. A heated dish is an essential tool for cold climates. The water stays cold, but doesn't freeze. Most of the cords on these types of bowls are protected with a wire spiral wrap, but caution needed for animals that may chew. Outdoor pets require additional food for energy and maintaining body heat in harsh climates. Foot care Dogs walking in snowy areas may get large ice balls between their pads, causing the dog to limp. Be sure to keep ice clear from this area. For dogs that have a lot of hair between the pads, keeping it clipped shorter will help with ice ball formation. Dog boots offer protection to those dogs that will tolerate wearing them. 4
Watson Lake Health Center is excited to announce the third film in our Second Annual Film Series Talking about Health NORTHERN LIGHTS CENTRE Friday Night Movie..Jan 18..7:00pm TAKEN 2. Starring Liam Neeson rating 14A Saturday Matinee...Jan 19...2:30pm FINDING NEMO VALENTINES SPECIAL THURSDAY...FEB. 14...7:00PM Bring your special someone and come out and watch "TO ROME WITH LOVE" starring Alex Baldwin & Penelope Cruz Grant (Gordon Pinsent) and Fiona (Julie Christie) are a retired married couple living in rural Ontario. Married for 50 years, Fiona begins to lose her memory, and it becomes apparent she suffers from Alzheimer's disease. When she feels she is becoming a risk to herself, Fiona decides to check into a nursing home, where one of the rules is that a patient can not have any visitors for the first 30 days, in order to "adjust". Wary of this policy, Grant agrees anyway, at the insistence of his wife whom he loves. A tender love story. 2006 Running time 100 minutes - Rated PG - Starring Julia Christie, Gordon Pinsent and Olympia Dukakis 5 January is Alzheimer s Awareness Month Join us Wednesday January 23 rd at 7 pm FREE Northern Lights Center for Away From Her Happy Valentine's Day TOWN COUNCIL MEETINGS Council Meetings are held the first & third Tuesday of every month. The next scheduled Council meeting is Tuesday, February 7 th at 7:00 pm. Please approach members of Council on any agenda item that you wish to bring forward. Mayor Councillors Richard Durocher Tim O'Brien Brenda Leach Cynthia Kearns Thomas Slager