WV parent fights school donati Kavin Gillies News Reporter ONE North Shore parent’s concerns over education funding has caused the provincial government to examine its taxation policy. West Vancouver's Richard Kinar is upset uhat Parent groups’ fundraising to make up tor gov- ernment budget shortialls, have io pay provincial sales tax whenever they buy anything for their children’s schools. Provincial sates tax should not be charged for school property — whether it’s paid for by parents or the school board, he says. “As far as I'm concemed it’s acruafly the gov- ernment clawing back school budgets by 7%," Kinar said. “We all understand there’s budgetary short- falls, and we don’t want the children to go with- out, but I would think that within the spirit of us Polluti Anna Marie D'Angelo News Reporter dangelo@nsnews.com Parents penalized for fundraising, dad charges going out and fundraising and giving the money back to the government, that they should recog. nize it for wi vhat it is as a wit and should Incr be charging us 7% provincial sales tay.” Kinat, as part of his participation with Caulteild elementary school’s parent: advisary council, helped buy and install playground equipment at his children’s school, He said: the equipment cost $28,000 and the parents had te raise an additional $2,000 to pay the tax. “This is a provineially wide thing.” he said. “It affects every single parent chat has a child in the public school systert.” Kinar has been on radio talk shows and call- ing local MLAs, starting with West Vancouver- Garibaldi’s Ted Nebbeling. “The fine time he tatked to me J was really taken aback ... that J never caught onto that (tax n probe faced hurd on school donations),” Nebbeliny said, echoing the thoughts of many. The B.C. Libera party says $30) million is raised annually by parent groups who then have to pay an additional $2.7 million 10 pay the PST. The party has singe taken up Kinar’s fight in the legislature, grillinu Education Miniscer Paul Ramsev and Finance Minister Jos MacPhail “Yhursday afternoon. MacPhail said taxation policy and exemptions are reviewed anaually. “In this parcular case, the exemption for the application of PST applies te matenals that con- tribute to education and educational outcomes,” she said in the levislacure. Ramsey accused the Liberals of being bad for public education because they oppoved NDP education initiatives. Sunday, July 11, 1999 — North Shore News — & ~Thev tried every angle to get out of this in question penod,” Nekbeling said. ~! have every contidence that the government will change the rules.” On Friday N vebbeling praised Kinar for bring- ing the issue into the public eve. “Here is one guy who stood up and said ‘This makes no sense.” One guy will make a huge difference.” Nebheling also pointed to the government's unbalanced taxation of education supplies, He noted that whiteboard pens and markers are exempt from PST while the erasers and cleaners are nots chalk and crayons are exempt but chalk- boards are not; and reeds for musical instruments are exempt, but guitar picks and strings are not. Kinar also says parents are paying for too much school supplies and the government is exploiting their goodwill. “It's absalutely huge whac thev’re download- ing onto the parents. ‘Then they charge us a provincial seles ta on cop of it.” es New charge laid in movie murder case A third man has been gun used to kill Mirhadi remains CROWN lawyers trying to use search war- rants to prosecute CanadianOxy Chemicals tor pollution won their case in the Supreme Court of Canada. The Crown had fost ewo appeals in B.C.’s highest courts. Lawyers for CanadianOxy Chemicals (CXY Chemicais) challenged the validity of search warrants issued to Fisheries and Oceans investigator Robert Tompkins in 1995. The B.C. Supreme Court and the B.C. Court of Appeal ruled in favour of the company. The federal Crown appealed the case to the Supreme Court of Canada which reversed the lower court deci- sion in April. Tompkins was investigating an Oct. 13, 1994 chlo- rine discharge into Burrard Inlet w! shich killed fish. ‘Tompkins was allowed to interview the plant chemist. He was denied a request to interview additional employees, according tc the Supreme Court decisien. Toinpkins wrote to “CanadianOxy’s lawyer for more technical information needed to determine if the dis- charge was preventable, “Onily a few of these questions were answered,” according to judges i in the highest court in the country. Tompkins was granted a search warrant to obtain records containing plant maintenaitce information, employee training and gencral plant operations. He asked for personnel records to see if any employees were disciplined for the spill. Tompkins seized 139 items relating to the search warrant. CanadianOxy Chemicals lawyers challenged the search war- rant’s validity. They argued that the information gathered through the warrant went beyond what a prosecutor needed to prove the pollution case. 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Kamran Mojtahedpour of Coquitlam, 21, has been charged with obstructing justice. — Bob Mackin Ears are meant Rto be decorated a 14K yoliow gold § “is, Mabé pearl earings with omega backs NEWS photo Pau! McGrath CXY Chemicais employee Steve Wingrove (right) and plant manager John Billham shown here with a valve instalied to divert chicrine water to a holding tank in an emergency. defence. Due diligence refers to steps the plant took to prevent or decrease the seventy of an accidental chlorine spill. The prosecuting Crown working for che Attorney General of Canada argued that the information was needed to decide if charges were warranted, according to Environment Canada spokesman Gordon Thompson. The Supreme Court of Canada ruled that a search warrant gave authority to obtain anything relevant or rationally connected to the incident under investigation. And “denying the Crown the ability to gather evidence in anticipation of a defence would have serious consequences on the functioning of our justice system.” if you have been injured in an auto accident Call Stephen Anderson 922-8881 SAGER ANDERSON LAWRENCE Barristers & Solicitors 235-15th Street, West Vancouver CHANGE The SE ian 4iL CHANGE Since 1975 L¥o. Kece) ANY OIL CHANGE PACKAGE Formerly Shell Rapid Lube Lonsdale & 13th N. Vancouver 985-1056 Expires July ye0 judge and jury in February, J.M., an alleged accomplice, will be vied for murder this fall. He can only be identified by his ini- dals because of a court order. During Caster's trial, Crown counsel Mark Levitz said Caster was aided by two people. The J 42-2435 Marine Dr. West Van B (secs cre) 922-3018 ERE RE TOP : modo” ah. \sctutes: slid pice safe Wed fram, trighe foam cove fatua, scotch -gavcted (otea coves, ileus 2nd pitees covers. Miche quastites last (CL ag 2 Informatien is power. 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