NEWS 3
Woman fears being stranded
COMMUNITY 8
City selling big property
SCHOOLS 11
Healthy debates for teens Do Your Partt
ST ND
6FT APART THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2021
LOCAL NEWS – LOCAL MATTERS.
There’s more at Burnabynow.com
burnabynow.com
HIGHWAY CRASH: A pedestrian was rushed to hospital in critical condition after being struck by a vehicle (shown in inset) on Highway 1 in Burnaby last Friday morning. Emergency crews were
called to the westbound lanes of the highway just before the Grandview off-ramp at about 7:25 a.m. for a report of a pedestrian-involved collision on Highway 1, according to Port Mann Traffic Services. “The pedestrian, a man in his 60s of no fixed address, was crossing six lanes of the highway when he was struck by a vehicle,” said spokesperson Cpl. Mike Halskov. PHOTO RYAN STELTING
City approves purchase of Fortius facilities Dustin Godfrey dgodfrey@newwestrecord.ca
Burnaby city council has given the green light to staff to go ahead with buying the now-closed Fortius fitness centre. In all, the city is set to spend around $30 million on the property, which is
just across the street from the Burnaby Lake Sports Complex that’s undergoing an overhaul. Included in the sale is $26.6 million for the 5.16acre property and the 146,000-square-foot Fortius building, as well as a reimbursement for a prepaid lease of a city-owned
sports field. Council approved the purchase in the Monday, Jan. 24 meeting, following a Dec. 15, 2020 announcement. Fortius Sport and Health announced it would be closing on Nov. 13, unable to navigate financial troubles it had struggled with over
the years and exacerbated by the pandemic. Councillors expressed support for the sale during this week’s meeting, including Coun. Colleen Jordan, who said she had “serious reservations” about the deal at first. “At the end of the day, today, I believe I’m trust-
ing our staff and outside advisers that we have examined and done all the due diligence possible in regards to this purchase,” Jordan said. Coun. Pietro Calendino said he was “pleased” to hear of Jordan’s support, saying it was a “good transaction.”The coun-
cillor stepped into a bit of trouble when he began to speak of a report from outside legal counsel on the deal and was stopped from fellow councillors and staff from elaborating. The city says some areas, such as the weight rooms, could open as soon as March.