BC Business
Lax Kw’alaams
Going twice An offer they can’t refuse? Maybe not. Members of the Lax Kw’alaams First Nation have voted No—twice—on an offer of $1 billion cash over 40 years from Pacific NorthWest LNG plus 2,200 hectares of Crown land near Prince Rupert. They are worried about the effect on the salmon habitat next to the proposed LNG export terminal. After the third and final vote on May 12, Lax Kw’alaams Mayor Garry Reece and 12 elected councillors will make the final decision. Petronas owns a 62 per cent stake in Pacific NorthWest LNG. (via the Globe and Mail)
Building permits up Once again tooting our own horn, B.C. is a big reason the value of building permits increased in Canada for the first time in three months, according to Statistics Canada. Every type of building construction permit increased in B.C., with multi-family dwellings, commercial and institutional buildings accounting for most of the gain. From February to March, the total value of permits in Canada increased 11.6 per cent to $6.9 billion. According to the Vancouver Sun, B.C.’s building boom will be the biggest since 2008.
Equal access There will be no segregated entrance for social housing residents of Semiahmoo House in South Surrey. All 71 units will be owned and operated by the nonprofit Semiahmoo House Society. Twenty homes will be for community members with developmental disabilities; 51 will be affordable rental units. “We’ve been told by city staff that this is the first purpose-built, affordable rental apartment in Surrey in the last 30 years,” said Doug Tennant, executive director of Semiahmoo House Society, in a release. Collaborating with project developer Marcon, the society will own the entire building without selling off any units as condos. Apart from 8 per cent of funding from government, Semiahmoo raised its own funds to purchase the 30,000-sq.-ft. property beside its existing facility on 24th Avenue west of King George Boulevard. Construction starts the week of May 11.
Good—and not so good—newsSkier visits to Whistler Blackcomb were down this year, but revenue is up. A combination of “destination skier visits” and price improvements contributed to an 11.1 per cent increase in revenue per visit for the first half of 2015, according to the company’s 2015 second quarter results released May 8. Due to challenging conditions, chiefly a warm winter, skier visits declined 9.3% compared to last year. Revenue for the first six months of 2015 was $191.4 million, 1.5 per cent higher than last year.