Great Friend

YATES

Thursday, 27 December 2012 09:52

Judy (Underwood) 1942-2012 Judy was born February 4, 1942 in Medicine Hat, Alberta to Jack and Grace (Minor) Underwood. She was raised on a farm near the village of Abbey, Saskatchewan where she attended school. In 1956 the family moved to Medicine Hat where Judy graduated from High School in 1960. She moved to Saskatoon and worked as a legal secretary for a law firm for two years. In 1962, Judy moved to Montreal where she trained as a Trans Canada Airline Stewardess. She was based in Toronto for two years before transferring to Calgary. I n 1966, Judy married Ed Yates, a teacher with the Calgary Board of Education. They lived in downtown Sundial Apartment Building that year. In 1967, they bought their first home in Lake Bonavista Estates. Judy retired from the air lines in 1967 and worked for the Calgary Brewery Marketing Department for two years. Between 1970 and 1976 Judy brought four sons into the world - Darren, Murray, Kevin and Colin. In 1982 Ed became Superintendent of Schools for the County of Ponoka. The family moved to Red Deer, Alberta in a new home in Country Club Estates. In 1987 the Yates’ family owned and operated their own property management company. In 1996, with the boys gone, they started traveling again taking trips throughout North America, Caribbean, Mexico, Hawaii, England, Wales, Ireland and the Mediterranean. Judy’s pastimes were crosswords, scrabble, reading, writing, piano playing, painting, scrap booking, family history and walking in the park with her dogs. Judy survived a brain tumor in 1988. In 2002 she was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes and in 2010 with colon and lung cancer. She passed over on December 9, 2012. Judy became a grandmother to two boys; Kaeden in 2001 and Issac in 2008. Besides her family of seven males, Judy is survived by two siblings, Jim and Merle and their families, sister-in-law Irene and her family and numerous Underwood and Minor relatives and many lifelong friends. Judy was predeceased by her parents Jack and Grace Underwood, brother Chuck and parents-in-law Tom and Mary Yates. At Judy’s request, there will be no funeral service. Urn internment will be at Abbey Cemetery, Abbey, Saskatchewan at a later date. Cremation arrangements with Eventide Funeral Home in Red Deer.

2013 Tax Assessment

By Collin Gallant on April 16, 2013.

 

Joanne Birtz, representing the Medicine Hat Coalition of Commercial Taxpayers, speaks out against the 2013 tax assessments at Monday night's city council meeting.--NEWS PHOTO CHARLES LEFEBVRE

A two-year deferral for major tax increases, and even one-year cancellation in the most extreme cases, is on the way for business owners facing stiff property tax increases.

But even the expanded motion to give relief while appeals are launched alongside City Hall’s call for a provincial audit of the local assessment appears not to have appeased about 100 angry non-residential taxpayers who attended Monday’s city council meeting.

Joanne Birtz, a spokesperson for the medicine Hat Coalition of Commercial property Owners, renewed her group’s call for the City to do everything in its power to revert back to the 2012 assessment a move council says is not within its power.

“I suggest respectfully that going to the 2012 assessment is still a possibility,” said Birtz, who told council her group has evaluated about 1,000 of the 1,400 non-residential properties in town and characterized the issue as a “state of emergency.”

“We’re asking you to go to the minister and tell him that this is a complete mess. (Appeals and audit) is a great process but it was never meant for this much of a mess.”

Aldermen and the city solicitor Bob Schmidt confirmed that only Municipal Affairs Minister Doug Griffiths could make such an order and only then with a cabinet order.

“I know the provincial government,” said Ald. Jeremy Thompson. “It’s all about process, process, process… The motion that we just passed sets us down the path of correcting the situation.”

The issue arose last month when a move to a Mass Evaluation system of assessing property apparently set in motion a massive increase in taxation values for some businesses.

The City says the overall increase is in the 10 per cent range, and the overall share of tax paid by the business sector will actually decrease once the millrate is factored in.

But, the group is adamant the assessments do not reflect market value, and they want it thrown out.

The Administrative Committee brought forward the tax deferral motion, and an amendment by Ald. Ted Clugston removed the condition that increases be above a value of $5,000.

Now all non-residential tax increases amounting to 35 per cent higher will be able to defer some of the increase until 2015.

“(The $5,000 cap) didn’t capture very many businesses, which was a concern,” said Clugston, whose motion also directs the city to request that the minister “audit/alter/investigate or uphold our 2013 non- residential tax assessment roll.”

Clugston said: “I feel that it captured what they were asking for… the process will go forward, and if the composite review board starts overturning all these assessments… we’ll contact the minister again and ask for help.”

The cost of such a deferral program could be about $1.5 million, said Corporate Services commissioner Merete Hegglund.

Ald. Robert Dumanowski called the deferrals the “right thing to do,” and called on council to support a motion to support an evaluation of the Mass Appraisal process.

“Asking the province to get involved is essential,” said Ald. Graham Kelly.

The original amended motion passed 7-0, with Ald. Wayne Craven and Mayor Norm Boucher absent.

The City has already requested that a regular five-year audit of the assessment, set for next year, be moved up.

Those whose tax bills are increasing by at least 100 per cent for a total of least $5,000 could have half the increases cancelled for the current year.

According to the city finance department, 12 properties would qualify for cancellation, which would cost the city about $69,583.

They would also be eligible for deferral, and still have the right to appeal their assessments something that council is encouraging.

“I’m asking everyone to appeal,” said Ald. Phil Turnbull. “Once the appeals process starts, the city will monitor. That’s what has to happen. I know it’s not what you want to hear but that’s the process.”

Members of the gallery, however, felt the motion puts them back at square one, and that the appeals process is onerous and costly.

“They may get their $200 (appeal fee) back but what about the thousands they’ll spend (on professional fees) and countless hours fighting this,” said Barry Knodel, a spokesman with the Coalition.

Give an Inch they take a Mile

Royal Bank chief executive makes public apology for outsourcing jobs

 

 

By The Canadian Press April 11, 2013 12:04 PM

 

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Chief executive Gord Nixon says in a letter to be published in newspapers that RBC should have been more sensitive and helpful to them.

TORONTO - The Royal Bank is making a public apology to the workers who are being affected by the bank's outsourcing arrangement with a foreign company.
Chief executive Gord Nixon says in a letter to be published in newspapers that RBC should have been more sensitive and helpful to them.
He repeated assurances that all of them — about 45 people by most reports — will be offered comparable job opportunities within the bank.
Nixon says Royal (TSX:RY) is also reviewing its supplier arrangements and policies to balance RBC's desire to be a successful business and a "leading corporate citizen."
Nixon's public apology follows a backlash against the bank after some of its Canadian information technology workers complained they were being replaced by foreign workers working for a company contracted by RBC.
IGate brought its own employees into Canada on temporary foreign worker visas so they could be trained at RBC branches for the services they'll be providing to the bank.

Read more: http://www.calgaryherald.com/business/Royal+Bank+chief+executive+makes+public+apology+outsourcing/8228598/story.html#ixzz2QBI6ndG8