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Representatives from the District of Squamish, Vancouver Coastal Health, the BC Centre for Palliative Care and the Squamish Hospice Society were on hand for the announcement. Squamish Hospice Society will receive $400,000 of the province’s $1 million to put toward four new hospice beds at Hilltop House. The province has also committed to cover operational costs associated with the beds, Sturdy added. “The province has committed to doubling hospice beds in B.C. over the next couple of years and the corridor is one of the areas… that has been a priority,” Sturdy said. The additional beds will be beneficial for the entire corridor, Whistler Mayor Nancy Wilhelm-Morden said. “This is something that has been on our radar for some time,” she said. “One of the things that these hospice beds will assist with is aging in place. That has been a priority here for some time.”
It s a relief, said Wilhelm-Morden when asked how she felt now that issue was finally settled. I said when they originally filed the appeal that I was disappointed it had not been concluded and that it was continuing this prolonged saga. So I m very relieved that it s finally over.
Originally owned by the Saxton family, the lands were expropriated by the RMOW in 1987 in order to make way for what is now known as Rainbow Park. At that time the muni paid the family $367,000 for the lands based on its assessment of fair market value at that time. Feeling underpaid, the family took the RMOW to court in 2009 and was awarded a further $1.3 million in 2010. In April of this year, the RMOW and the Saxtons returned to court to determine the interest and costs from the case, which was set at a further $1.4 million - $3 million short of the $4.4 million the Saxtons were seeking. With 30 days to appeal the May 4 ruling, an appeal was filed on May 31 on behalf of the family.