Afternoon News Update for April 21, 2020

📷 Nanaimo City Hall / File photo via Jesse Woodward.

NANAIMO—Nanaimo City Council has not decided yet, whether to amend its plan for a 5.2 per cent property tax increase. Yesterday, council met to review several scenarios that would reduce this year's increase. The current increase would allow all of the city's capital projects to proceed, but offers no relief to taxpayers, who may be struggling due to COVID-19. If it reduced taxes to 3.8 per cent, it would mean service cuts. If the tax increase was set at 1 per cent, it would drain the special reserve fund, and mean a tax increase of 6.8 per cent next year. Council has sent staff back to the drawing board to crunch the numbers. It will meet again next Monday. Council has until May the 15th to pass a final budget. It has already decided to defer property tax payment penalties from July until September.

Individuals and organizations that deliver services to close to 10,000 people with disabilities will be able to get help with additional costs due to COVID-19. The pandemic has affected group homes and independent living providers that are struggling with overtime costs, staffing shortages and access to additional supplies like personal protective equipment. Many home-sharing providers are taking on extra caregiving duties because community day programs have shut down. That's why the province has launched a new program, through Community Living BC, which will provide up to $35 and a half million dollars over the next three months. CLBC will open the process to request funding on Monday, but funds are available retroactive to April the first.

The president of the BC Restaurant and Food Services Association says his members are in overdrive, to try to find ways to re-introduce table service during the pandemic. Ian Tostenson told CBC radio that restauranteurs are excited by the Provincial Health Officer's challenge to find innovative ways of re-opening safely. Tostenson says ideas include providing personal protective equipment to servers, taking customers' temperatures before letting them in and spacing tables to safe distances. He says the ideas will be discussed with Dr. Bonnie Henry in the coming days.

A reminder, tonight at 7:15, you can tune in to a virtual town hall meeting with officials from the Island Health Authority. Its CEO and Chief Medical Officer, along with two area MLAs will answer your questions. You can join the town hall on the Provincial Government's website or its YouTube channel.

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Lisa Cordasco

Senior Reporter and News Director — Lisa is responsible for creating the station's first morning news current affairs show on CHLY. She is also deeply involved in training and mentoring student and citizen journalists who volunteer their time at the station. Before joining CHLY, Lisa spent 35 years in various roles at CBC Radio, from host to reporter. Her passion for journalism and radio has led her to Nanaimo, where she intends to provide CHLY listeners with news they can use, in an alternative radio environment. Her other not-so-secret passion is costuming for any occasion.

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