Protest against proposed taxes in West Van tomorrow

A West Vancouver community group is inviting the public to be part of a protest against proposed taxes outside the municipal hall on Tuesday, February 18.

West Vancouver Community Stakeholders (WVCS) said it is inviting West Vancouver residents to the protest on the steps of Municipal hall on 17th between Fulton and Esquimalt.

The protest starts at 9:30 am tomorrow.

As part of its mandate to hold council accountable, WVCS conducted a survey of 300 people in the district over a period of ten days in February.

The results revealed that most residents were overwhelmingly opposed to the proposed budget, said Nigel Malkin, the spokesperson of the group.

“Our survey results shows that there is a major disconnect between the WV Council and its constituents, when it comes to the 2020 budget,” Malkin noted.

While the District of West Vancouver is proposing a 6.11 per cent tax increase, the majority of residents surveyed said they would expect the council to keep the tax increase between 1.2 per cent and 1.5 per cent.

“West Van budget increases have consistently been exceeding inflation rates, making the district one of the most expensive administrations in BC, with the highest number of senior employees per capita, with 159 employees making more than $100,000 salaries for administrative roles,” Malkin said.

Malkin said WVCS asked the councilors how they could reconcile their budget proposal with what the voters want, but all council members refused to respond to the question.

“Our taxes and utilities in West Vancouver go far past the rate of inflation and West Vancouver is becoming an increasingly difficult place to live,” Malkin noted.