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Want lower taxes? Cut emissions, mayoral hopeful says to Catalyst paper mill |
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By Grant Warkentin
Mirror Staff (Campbell River
Oct 26 2005
Catalyst's pulp and paper mill deserves a tax break, but they have to
bring something to the table too, says mayoral candidate Roger McDonell.
"What do we get in return?" he asked. "Right now we're making the cuts and seeing no benefits."
In a prepared statement, McDonell said the city should be getting
something in return for shifting its tax burden from industry to
residential taxpayers. He suggested if the mill wants to see its taxes
reduced, it should look at reducing its emissions.
"Could future industrial-based tax reductions lead to increased air
quality for our city? Catalyst is asking to have their taxes reduced by
half from what they currently pay. Both Catalyst and the citizens of
Campbell River could benefit from an arrangement where both their tax
rate and emissions from the mill would be reduced. A win-win for both
the company and the residents," he said.
McDonell was responding to a story in the Mirror last week in which
Mayor Lynn Nash expressed concerns about how Catalyst (formerly known
as NorskeCanada) is pressuring the city to reduce its taxes. The mill
is asking for millions of dollars in tax breaks to bring its tax burden
in line with other communities and competing mills. The city has been
working to gradually reduce industrial taxes each year but Nash was
concerned a sudden reduction would be a hardship for residential
taxpayers.
He was also concerned about the company CEO's connections with the
premier and the possibility for the government to step in and force tax
reductions. Vancouver Island communities with Catalyst mills recently
received letters from Premier Gordon Campbell strongly encouraging
municipalities to continue to reduce the amount of taxes paid by
Catalyst mills.
McDonell said the city needs to put the greatest number of taxpayers, not the biggest taxpayers, first.
"The present mayor and council have indicated that granting Catalyst a
significant reduction in their taxes would cause a such a substantial
loss of revenue that serious cutbacks would have to be made in services
to the greater community," McDonell said. "People are upset when their
taxes go up and services are cut or there is no benefit that justifies
the increase. This is the present situation and we need to see some
real change to this approach. This is the type of balance that your new
Council will need to consider," he said.
McDonell said there is room for discussion and negotiation with the mill.
"New technologies are often developed or implemented when there is a
financial incentive. If this concept works here, Catalyst and other
mills in the province could adopt the same principle. It is an idea
that needs to be discussed," he said. "Campbell River needs a mayor who
can lead discussions where new ideas will be considered."
McDonell said a reduction in emissions from the mill is a goal worth striving for.
"The benefits of reduced emissions from the Elk Falls mill would be far
reaching and would include major health, environmental and aesthetic
benefits for the future development of our city," he said.
That would also include the approximately 1,000 employees of the mill, he added.
"They live here too," he said.
McDonell said he wants to help the different sectors of Campbell River's economy work together.
"Finding balance between our existing resource sectors and the growing
economic drivers such as tourism and lifestyle will be a major
challenge for your next mayor and council. We need new ideas and
approaches to address these challenges," he said.
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