Hotel tax back tomorrow night
I've spent the weekend doing what many young family guys do this time of year: carving pumpkins, putting together baby furniture (five weeks to go!), going to church, going shopping, sneaking in some NFL, and, oh yeah, reading a few hundred pages of material for Council Monday night.
The 2% tourist tax is back for fourth and final reading on Monday. The controversy surrounding it has prompted a number of delegations to ask to speak on Monday. Wally, Sharon and Michael Martin are speaking in the afternoon, and Larry Willoughby of the Fort Langley BIA, Ann Corner of the Fort Historic Site, M.A. Weatherston, and John Campbell of the Chamber of Commerce are speaking in the evening.
I'm very proud of the work of the Langley Tourism Group, which has laid the groundwork for the growth of tourism services in our community for many years to come.
That being said, I regret our inability to convince Wally Martin of the merits of the plan. I truly believe it will help tourism in Langley to have this society operating. Langley needs this group.
I have a lot of respect for the Martins, who have been solid community and corporate citizens in Langley for many, many years. What the Martins did at Traveller's Hotel was nothing short of miraculous; I remember walking through that broken down old building as a reporter and wondering how anyone could ever fix it. I was afraid to even try the old stairs! But Wally went to work, and Traveller's became a model for other heritage projects in the Township. In fact, I was one of the first people to book a room in that hotel in something like 80 years, as an anniversary gift for my parents. The Martins have been a strong voice for my neighbourhood, Murrayville; truly constant advocates. Sharon taught one of my best friend's sons, and he counts her as a key influence in his life. They are quality people, and any community would count itself lucky to have them.
Unfortunately in politics, sometimes people have to agree to disagree--even with folks who we have a great deal of respect for on a personal level. I have read Wally's mountain of material on the strategy but remain convinced that Tourism Langley, funded by the tourists who stay here, is the best way to go. The Chamber of Commerce has endorsed it. Our Economic Development Commission has endorsed it. Our Community Heritage Commission has endorsed it. Tourism BC and Vancouver Coast & Mountains have endorsed it. It's a feature of our economic development strategy. It works in other communities. Our tourism operators, for the most part, have endorsed it. A majority of hotels voted for it. It's the way to go.
I am confident that a few years down the road, Tourism Langley will be an important part of our community and will be exceedingly helpful to tourism operators like Wally.
I look forward to supporting it tomorrow night.
The 2% tourist tax is back for fourth and final reading on Monday. The controversy surrounding it has prompted a number of delegations to ask to speak on Monday. Wally, Sharon and Michael Martin are speaking in the afternoon, and Larry Willoughby of the Fort Langley BIA, Ann Corner of the Fort Historic Site, M.A. Weatherston, and John Campbell of the Chamber of Commerce are speaking in the evening.
I'm very proud of the work of the Langley Tourism Group, which has laid the groundwork for the growth of tourism services in our community for many years to come.
That being said, I regret our inability to convince Wally Martin of the merits of the plan. I truly believe it will help tourism in Langley to have this society operating. Langley needs this group.
I have a lot of respect for the Martins, who have been solid community and corporate citizens in Langley for many, many years. What the Martins did at Traveller's Hotel was nothing short of miraculous; I remember walking through that broken down old building as a reporter and wondering how anyone could ever fix it. I was afraid to even try the old stairs! But Wally went to work, and Traveller's became a model for other heritage projects in the Township. In fact, I was one of the first people to book a room in that hotel in something like 80 years, as an anniversary gift for my parents. The Martins have been a strong voice for my neighbourhood, Murrayville; truly constant advocates. Sharon taught one of my best friend's sons, and he counts her as a key influence in his life. They are quality people, and any community would count itself lucky to have them.
Unfortunately in politics, sometimes people have to agree to disagree--even with folks who we have a great deal of respect for on a personal level. I have read Wally's mountain of material on the strategy but remain convinced that Tourism Langley, funded by the tourists who stay here, is the best way to go. The Chamber of Commerce has endorsed it. Our Economic Development Commission has endorsed it. Our Community Heritage Commission has endorsed it. Tourism BC and Vancouver Coast & Mountains have endorsed it. It's a feature of our economic development strategy. It works in other communities. Our tourism operators, for the most part, have endorsed it. A majority of hotels voted for it. It's the way to go.
I am confident that a few years down the road, Tourism Langley will be an important part of our community and will be exceedingly helpful to tourism operators like Wally.
I look forward to supporting it tomorrow night.