The Mountain Biking Issue keeps coming back

An article in the North Shore News titled 'A Different Track' back on Aug. 14th covered a story on how volunteers are trying to 'improve' the local mountain biking trails but, that there's also the underlying issue that some residents feel the sport is destructive to the mountain forest ecology. A letter to the editor ensued in response to the story on August 24th (North Van forests on trail to ruin) which explains some of the fundamental destruction the author believes is occurring. Environmentalists and the mountain bikers have been arguing back and forth for years with the mountain bikers espousing 'the trails should be for all' while the environmentalists exclaim the trails being made and maintained are 'anything but for all'.

Janice Harris to run in November election?

It's strictly rumour at this point but it's out there that Janice Harris is considering running again in the November municipal election in the District of North Vancouver. Janice did not run in the last election in 2008 after having served approximately 18 years in the District as a councillor and a short stint as Mayor after Don Bell decided to vacate the seat and run successfully as a Federal MP for the constituency of North Vancouver.

Half of 3 million HST ballots returned

VICTORIA – More than 1.6 million voters sent in their ballots for B.C.'s referendum on the harmonized sales tax, a participation rate that matches the 51 per cent turnout for the 2009 B.C. election.

Elections BC sent out just over three million ballot packages starting in June, then extended the deadline for returning them by two weeks after a labour dispute at Canada Post delayed distribution.

Temporary staff at Elections BC are working seven days a week in two shifts, intending to have the ballots verified and counted by the end of August. A simple majority of votes cast will decide whether B.C. keeps the HST and lowers the rate by two points to 10 per cent in the next three years, or reinstates the former seven per cent provincial sales tax on top of the five per cent federal GST.

Acting chief electoral officer Craig James said the time extension increased the cost of the referendum by $500,000 but the total cost is estimated to be $8.9 million, well under the initial estimate of $12 million.

The only other mail-in referendum in B.C. was the 2002 vote on aboriginal treaty principles, which saw a return of 790,182 votes, about one third of the total sent out.

MLA Ralph Sultan's AGM

Mr. Sultan just held his AGM and was said to be 'in full control' of it. There have been some rumours that West Vancouver's Mayor Pamela Goldsmith-Jones might be interested in his position as MLA for Capilano - West Vancouver.