Property assessments
Open letter to the Yukon Party,
I am generally not one to find a solution in good ol’ US of A-style political policy, but there is an issue taking place right here in the Yukon that could use the remedy found in California.
That is the problem many Yukon homeowners are facing right now — their latest property assessments have increased 20 to 30 per cent due to the fact that not only have their house values crept upwards, not downwards (as you would assume due to a house getting older; i.e. deflation) but their land values went up at the same time, in some cases to 50 per cent.
That means homeowners will pay a commensurate amount in property tax for this year.
The solution in California is a property tax law, which limits both property assessed value and yearly increases in assessments.
This needs to happen now, not in next year’s policy!
Roger Rondeau
Whitehorse
Grateful Hospice
Hospice Yukon offers quality end of life care and bereavement support to all.
One of the ways we fulfill this is through Lights of Life, which provides a meaningful way to remember someone who has died by placing a remembrance tag on a tree.
We would like to thank all those who contributed to our 15th Annual Lights of Life in December.
It takes many people to make this event happen year after year, and we are extremely grateful to so many we would like to take this opportunity to say thank you.
More than 100 people attended the opening ceremony at the Elijah Smith Building. The sweet angelic voices of the Persephone Singers, under the direction of Barb Chamberlin, were a wonderful complement to the ceremony.
Many people were moved by our Creative Expressions of Grief display, which showed a variety of ways to honor a loved one and we extend our heartfelt thanks to those who contributed to the display.
Thank you also to our generous business community: Alpine Bakery for delicious food, Java Connection for hot apple cider and coffee, Northern Elegance for beautiful flowers and the Westmark Whitehorse for table cloths.
A total of 635 tags were placed on all of the Whitehorse Lights of Life trees with 60 of those on our new pet tree!
An additional 100 tags were hung on the Lights of Life tree in Mayo.
Special thanks to Connie Buyck and her volunteers for providing this for the communities of Mayo, Keno and Pelly.
Finally, a huge thank you to the 55 Hospice volunteers who so generously gave of their time at such a busy time of the year, we appreciate all of you!
Trish Eccles, project co-ordinator, Hospice Yukon board of directors and staff, Whitehorse
