Casino covers $13,000 tax bill for parrot refuge

Bill Cleverley
Times Colonist

Thursday, July 13, 2006

Great Canadian Casinos has come up with a winning combination for the World Parrot Refuge in Coombs.

The non-profit facility was facing closure next week because of an outstanding $13,000 tax bill from Revenue Canada. Great Canadian Casino Nanaimo offered Wednesday to cover the amount, said Wendy Huntbatch, refuge co-founder.

"They're coming out [Thursday] and they're going to present to us at 11 o'clock in the morning one of those giant cheques for $13,000," Huntbatch said.

The offer came as a huge relief, she said.

"I haven't stopped laughing for the last half an hour. They're going to come out and lock me up soon. It's got to be like this for people when they win the 6/49."

The refuge, opened in June 2005, accepts exotic cockatoos, macaws and other parrots from across Canada. Some need medical attention. The birds are housed in a 23,000-square-foot facility. They end up at the refuge when their owners can no longer look after them -- usually for legitimate reasons such as allergies, house moves, or changes in family status.

There are more orphaned birds than one might expect. Parrots typically have a lifespan of between 20 and 80 years. It costs about $700 a day to look after the more than 500 birds, including parrots, macaws and cockatoos, that live at the refuge.

Privacy regulations prevented Revenue Canada from discussing the specifics of the tax situation. But the July 17 deadline it imposed for payment off the bill for employee deductions prompted Huntbatch to appeal for help.

Help had been coming in, but Huntbatch never expected the single large cheque that is arriving today.

Coincidentally, Great Canadian vice-president of media and entertainment Howard Blank, a bird fancier, had visited the facility about a month ago.

"In no time at all he was covered in birds. He looked like a tree. He was covered in cockatoos. He had a blast," she said.

Blank said Wednesday evening that he was immediately struck by the good work the refuge does and was pleased that the Nanaimo casino could help it out.

"We have an allocation for different charities and this just seemed to be the right thing to do. We were so happy to be able to help them in a true time of need," Blank said.

"I used to have a bird. It was wonderful being there and seeing what they do with these birds. There's birds with cancer. There's birds that came out of crack houses and are sick, and birds that were locked in basements for years. It's unbelievable how they can come back and love literally only days after being with these people," he said.

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