Editor: As an urban aboriginal organization that serves the whole community, we take exception to the statement made in regards to our organization by the Chamber of Commerce president Walt Cobb in his column on Nov. 18, 2010, published in the Tribune.
Mr. Cobb should probably research his facts before going public with the negative statements that he has.
Mr. Cobb has stated that the Cariboo Friendship Society is asking city council for property-tax exemptions. The tax exemptions that we apply for are for our properties that house our Pregnancy Outreach program, the Chiwid Transition House, the After School Daycare program, and Little Moccasins Learning Centre. As one of the larger property owners in the City of Williams Lake, we own $14.6 million worth of assets, on which we pay $96,190 annually in property taxes.
Our annual maintenance and repairs budget of $154,000 is spent in the City of Williams Lake, as well as the remainder of our operating budgets.
Our annual payroll is $2.8 million and all 84 employees pay taxes.
The point is we all pay taxes in some form and support local businesses and economic growth.
Cariboo Friendship Society has been working for the people of the Cariboo since 1969 and there have been many significant changes in the organization since that time.
We take pride in our success and the fact that we offer 26 different social programs and continue our efforts to be self-sustaining with our economic development departments. Regardless of the sentiment of the column, we are still proud contributors to the community that we all live and work in, and we do not condone any form of implied racial attacks or stereotyping.
After all, don’t we share the same value, “Working together towards economic and social well being to make our community a better place to live and work”?
Board of directors, Cariboo Friendship Society