Lost tax revenue sends warning to municipalities

Langford appeal may force tougher bylaw enforcement

Bill Cleverley, Times Colonist
Published: Sunday, March 23, 2008

A property assessment appeal won by a Langford resident upset by a commercial business operating in his residential neighbourhood could force municipalities to get tougher with bylaw enforcement, officials say.

“I think it could be a real issue,” Colwood chief administrator Chris Pease said.

“If they’re going to cause this kind of ripple effect to the tax base, that maybe those sort of issues will have to be handled in a much more direct way — in a harder way. Read the rest of this entry »

   After months of news stories and letters to the editor, finally we find out what the Times Colonist thinks of the public policy process behind the interchange from an editorial point of view, thanks to their article posted below.  I have been impressed by the T-C’s coverage of this issue;  I have been imperfectly happy with it and I expect Langford Council has also been imperfectly happy with it, and if everyone with strong opinions is equally unhappy with their coverage that says to me that the T-C is probably doing a fair job all around.

- Steven Hurdle -

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Langford’s risky interchange

Times Colonist editorial
Published: Saturday, March 22, 2008

There’s much to be said for Langford’s can-do attitude toward public projects. While other municipalities would still be commissioning consultants’ studies, Langford has the bulldozers at work.

But there are risks. And the way the Spencer Road interchange project is being rushed should make Langford taxpayers nervous. Read the rest of this entry »