Burnaby Now December 22 2022

Chaos oncity roadsas storm batters Burnaby

Burnaby plunged into a wintry chaos onTuesday, along with the rest of the Lower Mainland, as 25 centimetres of snow fell upon the region over Monday night

As of Dec 21, the City of Burnaby said municipal winter crews were continuing snowplowing efforts on priority routes and beginning to clear local streets

The city prioritizes main arterial streets such as Lougheed, Kingsway and CanadaWay, emergency response routes, bus routes and collector streets, streets bordering seniors’ and long-term care facilities, local roads with limited access and local roads bordering elementary schools.

SNOW DAY: Sisters Chloe, 8, standing, and Kylie, 6, discover the snow at Ron McLean Park off Rumble Street in South Burnaby is too deep for tobogganing Tuesday morning after a heavy snowfall overnight PHOTO CORNELIANAYLOR

LaurenVanderdeen lvanderdeen@burnabynow com

Citynow

DoBurnabyschoolsneedalessoninsnowclearance?

CorneliaNaylor cnaylor@burnabynow com

After another big dump of snow this week, many Burnaby residents were out first thingTuesday morning shovelling sidewalks in front of their houses, but the snow remained thick on the sidewalks outside many local schools

The City of Burnaby’s street and traffic bylaw requires owners or occupiers of single-family, multi-family, industrial, commercial or institutional properties to remove any snow or ice accumulation from all sidewalks surrounding their property not later than 10 a.m. every day, including holidays

Fines for infractions range from $100 for single-family homes to $400 for “industrial, commercial or institutional” properties.

“Keeping sidewalks clear ensures everyone can get around safely in winter weather,” states the city’s website

After the city’s first big snowfall at the end of November, however, the NOW got a call from a reader concerned about uncleared snow in front of a local school, so we reached out to the Burnaby school district to find out more about its pro-

cedure for clearing sidewalks.

“Sidewalks that are adjacent to our schools and district buildings are our responsibility,” said secretary treasurer Russell Horswill in an emailed statement.

“We salt the sidewalks before the snowstorm and then they get shovelled the day it snows We prioritize the school walkways and sidewalks first, before the city sidewalks. Sometimes due to unan-

ticipated staff illnesses the morning of a snowstorm, it can take a little longer than we would like to get to the city sidewalks ’”

With schools now closed down for the holidays, however, it’s unclear what will happen with the

snow that walloped the city this week

Sidewalks by three of the four schools checked by the NOW after 10 a m Tuesday hadn’t yet been cleared

The school board office is closed this week,

but the district’s maintenance services centre remains open, so the NOW reached out, but calls and emails were not returned

All property owners, including the district, are responsible for clearing their sidewalks; and city

staff have reached out to the district directly to “ensure they are able to clear their properties,” according to City of Burnaby public affairs officer Cole Wagner

“Our approach to enforcement is the same for everyone – we work directly with the property owners to educate them on our bylaws and only issue citations as a last resort,”Wagner said in an email.

Transit routes delayed, detoured or cancelled as storm hits city

Continued from page 1

Highway 1 is a provincial route maintained by Mainroad Contracting Garbage collection for Zone 3 homes went ahead as usual onWednesday, while garbage and recycling collection for Zone 2 homes in Burnaby was cancelled and re-scheduled for Dec 28

Garbage and recy-

cling collection for Zone 2 homes in Burnaby was cancelled and re-scheduled to Dec 28

Canada Post announced onTuesday it would suspend mail delivery to MetroVancouver, including Burnaby, due to the snow For updates, see Canada Post’s service alerts online

Community centres

across the city, including libraries, pools and fitness centres, remained open despite the wintry conditions

Meanwhile, certain civic arts facilities shut for the day due to the weather, including Burnaby Art Gallery, BurnabyVillage Museum and Shadbolt Centre for the Arts BurnabyVillage Mu-

seum cancelled its Heritage Christmas event in the evening

Bus service in Burnaby was significantly affected, with a number of routes delayed, detoured or cancelled, including the 119 from Edmonds to Metrotown station, the 144 from SFU to Metrotown station and the 110 between Lougheed and

Metrotown, according to updates fromTransLink’s Twitter

SkyTrain’s Expo and Millennium lines saw significant delays onTuesday andWednesday, due to snow and freezing temperatures

Simon Fraser University cancelled all on-campus exams and university services on Dec 20

The British Columbia Institute ofTechnology closed all its campuses on Dec. 21.

The NicolaValley Institute ofTechnology closed its campus Dec. 20, according to the school’s Instagram, stating campus operations and final exams would be available online

City bylaws say institutional properties are supposed to remove snow from surrounding sidewalks

TRICKYPATH:SidewalksoutsideSeaforthElementarySchoolremainedunclearedMondaymorningafteranintensesnowstorm. PHOTOCORNELIANAYLOR

“Sometimes due to unanticipated staff illnesses the morning of a snowstorm, it can take a little longer than we would like to get to the city sidewalks.”

lvanderdeen@burnabynow com

Metrotown is close to getting another highrise rental tower in its Maywood neighbourhood A 34-storey building development proposal at 6622 and 6688Willindon Ave , just a block away from the south end of Central Park, has passed through one of the last stages at council

Currently on the site are two three-storey rental apartments with 72 units, built in 1967 The two buildings would be demolished to make way for the tower Burnaby requires developers to replace demolished apartments and build new units for the tenants

The development by

IDS Group includes a total of 460 rental units, made up of 362 units to be rented at market rates, 26 units to be rented at 20 per cent below the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp’s median rate for Metrotown (which is $1,385), and 72 units to replace the demolished homes and rented at the rates the tenants currently pay

The project drew criticism at its public hearing in June for depleting currently available rental stock without having supply available

Other concerns included changing the quiet neighbourhood to a high-density area and increasing parking and traffic issues in the area by adding more than 400

units

Unit sizes in the development range from 377 to 553 square feet for market studios and 363 to 413 sq. ft. for non-market studios One-bedrooms range from 555 to 723 sq. ft. for market rentals (adaptable units are 556 sq. ft.) and between 544 and 562 for the non-market units (with

adaptable units in the non -market rentals between 545 and 562 sq ft )

The market rentals include 10 three-bedroom units ranging in size from 915 to 1,503 sq ft ; the non-market rentals to be rented at CMHC median have 10 three-bedrooms at 864 sq. ft.

Two storeys of the development are earmarked for indoor amenities including a fitness centre, yoga area, theatre room, children’s play area, and garden plots for the use of both market and non-market rental tenants

The development includes 278 parking spaces and 920 secure bike lockers, as well as an additional 92 bike rack spots for visitors The tower includes 92 adaptable units

The plan passed its third reading unanimously by Burnaby city council on Dec 12 and will return to council at least once more before final approval

LaurenVanderdeen

B C ’s police watchdog is investigating a police-involved incident that ended with a man’s death at a North Burnaby Starbucks early on Dec. 16.

Police were called to the Starbucks in Kensington Plaza at 6500 Hastings St just before 6 a m for

an “overdosing man” who had reportedly been in a physical altercation with an employee “at a local business,” according to a news release put out by B.C. RCMP

“When the man was being apprehended, he began to show signs of medical

distress,” stated the release Paramedics attempted to revive the man, but he was pronounced dead at the scene

The Independent Investigations Office is now investigating to determine whether police actions are linked to the man’s death

“As the matter is now under investigation by the IIO BC, no further information will be released by police,” the release said

The IIO investigates police-involved incidents that result in death or serious harm

Cornelia Naylor

Opinionnow

Topic:

Strata ordered to fix holes

“It’s ridiculous that he has to pay for the interior damage himself The interior damage was made worse by the strata refusing to fix the exterior damage in a timely manner. ”

“All new highrises will start having some kind of water infiltration problems in the next years, they are built with light speed Enjoy it while it lasts ”

MY VIEW KEITH BALDREY

Climate-LNG clash clouds Eby agenda

He is now more than halfway through his “100-day action plan” but it is still not clear how Premier David Eby views the future of B.C.’s growing liquefied natural gas (LNG) industry

The industry got its start under the former BC Liberal government headed by Christy Clark, but the BC NDP embraced it as well when it assumed power in 2017

While only one project the mammoth LNG Canada project in Kitimat is under construction, there are several other projects at various stages of regulatory approval processes

Eby has previously pledged not to allow the expansion of fossil fuel in-

frastructure because any expansion would make it difficult, if not impossible, for B.C. to meet its targets for cutting greenhouse gas emissions in 2040 and 2050.

No jurisdiction has come close to meeting any GHG emission reduction targets, and there is much skepticism attached to B.C.’s ability to reach future targets (already, it is clear it won’t meet the targets set for 2025 and 2030)

Nevertheless, the targets remain in place. So will Eby stand in the way of the LNG industry expanding with the creation of more infrastructure?

There are numerous complications and apparent contradictions in play here.

For example, two projects currently in the regulatory

approval process have the strong backing of local First Nations in the northwest

The Cedar LNG project is being built by the Haisla First Nation, while the KSI Lisims LNG project is a partnership between the Nisga’a First Nation and two LNG companies

Considering that the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which greatly enhances and protects the rights of First Nations to engage in self-run economic activity, is now entrenched in law, would an Eby-led government really shut down two projects being run by First Nations?

Then there is the economic impact

The LNG Canada project

is an $18-billion project and represents the largest private sector investment in B C’s history. It is expected to be in production by 2025, and the company is already planning an expansion

The importance of natural gas to the government’s current fiscal bottom line cannot be overstated. Natural gas royalties are forecast to approach almost $2 5 billion this fiscal year

I suspect Eby will find a way to allow the LNG industry to expand while still insisting B C can meet its climate change targets even with the expansion But so far, at least, he has not made things clear one way or another.

Keith Baldrey is chief political reporter for Global BC

Lucas Teodoro da Silva via Facebook

Dan Ed via Facebook

A message from the Burnaby Teachers' Association

Nowistheperfecttimeforolderadultstoconsiderrenting

Heading into the New Year, home ownership is top of mind for B C seniors With instability in the real estate market, many feel stuck, wondering if this is the right time to sell – even if they know renting makes the most sense for their lifestyle

Home prices and sales have cooled off from 2020 highs, partly due to rising interest rates The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver (REBGV) reports that residential home sales in November 2022 decreased compared to the same period in 2021 Fortunately, heading into 2023, the REBGV predicts the market is likely to trend toward typical averages and seasonal norms, depending on forthcoming economic factors and housing policies

On the flip side, as interest rates increase, some homeowners may no longer be able to afford their mortgage payments, and will put their houses up for sale This will ultimately increase market inventory, pushing housing prices down. Also, if you live in a condo or townhouse, new government legislation has removed the restriction on rentals within the strata triggering potential increases in strata fees and insurance premiums

What does all of this mean for seniors, especially those who are mortgage-free? Now may be a good time to get ahead of the curve and sell your home

Those who decide not to sell may face a conundrum when it comes to managing the increasing burden of home ownership as the cost of living soars Even if a mortgage is long paid off, ownership comes with a host of costs, responsibilities and challenges: property taxes, repairs, seasonal maintenance, yard upkeep, safety concerns, isolation and a lack of cash resources

For these reasons, more and more seniors are turning to renting – especially in purpose-built seniors’ communities PARC Retirement Living, an active living community for older adults, provides six reasons why renting in a senior’s residence community might be the best move in 2023:

1 Home maintenance is tougher than it used to be. Renting in a seniors’ community means all the repairs, chores and responsibilities are taken care of, with the building owner and operator footing the bill. And, while someone else is busy maintaining and repairing your place, your time is free to pursue an active lifestyle

2. You wish you had more time to spend with family and friends. Living in an independent seniors’ community gives you all that time back, so you’re freed up to travel with family or friends, relax, work out, read, or simply enjoy life with people you love

3. It’s harder to get around than it used to be. As we grow older, our needs shift Renting gives you the flexibility to choose a neighbourhood or a location with easy access to amenities like grocery stores, medical and professional offices, and recreational opportunities – plus proximity to green spaces

4. You’re spending more and more time alone. Older adults are at increased risk of loneliness and

social isolation because they are more likely to face living alone due to the loss of family or friends, chronic illness, and hearing loss However, renting in a purpose-built seniors’ community gives you access to like-minded people day in and day out

5 You don’t feel as safe on your own: As we age, we may worry about a timely response to an unexpected health event, or how to protect ourselves from petty crime or fraud Most seniors’ residences offer 24/7 emergency response systems that can be activated either in your suite or via a portable device, 24/7 staffing, safety fob entrances and security cameras

6. You wish you had more cash on hand. Selling a home releases all the equity you have had tied up in that investment for years Now, you can allocate resources to what matters most at this time of your life: fulfilling personal goals, travelling or even helping children or grandchildren pay

down their mortgages or purchase their first home Look for senior-living residences that offer secure yearly rental rates, so you can lock in an affordable payment

Learn more about renting at PARC, the Lower Mainland’s best active-living community for aging adults, at parcliving ca

PHOTOS PROVIDED BY PARC RETIREMENT LIVING

BurnabyactorhelpsbringCanadianclassictolife

AbhinayaNatesh anatesh@burnabynow com

Over many generations, Canadians have been in love with Anne Shirley, the 11-year old talkative red-haired orphan who finally finds a home at Green Gables

The 1908 novel Anne of Green Gables has spawned a whole industry, with many books, movies and musical adaptations arising from the poignant story of Anne Shirley, who arrives in Avonlea, Prince Edward Island, full of hope for a new life

For this year’s holiday season, Lucy Maud Montgomery’s classic is set to come to life onstage at the GatewayTheatre, as artists from Metro Vancouver tell the story

through music and dance

“The story itself is just such a lovely, beautiful heartwarming story,” said Burnaby-based actor Anthony Santiago, who who plays Matthew Cuthbert in the musical “It’s no wonder that [the story has] endured for over 100 years It’s just that good, beautiful and positive ” BarbaraTomasic, director of the holiday musical adaptation, said that the story is a timeless classic about love, acceptance and bringing people together, and is a wonderful way to embrace the essence of the holidays with family and friends

“It brings laughter and joy to the stage,”Tomasic said “Anne of Green Gables is a story you can enjoy over and over again,

and it is no surprise that it’s Canada’s favourite musical ” Anne of Green Gables –

The Musical, written by Donald Harron with music by Norman Campbell, is on at the GatewayThe-

atre until Dec 31 Appearing as Anne Shirley in the musical is actress Kyra Leroux, of Riverdale fame, who played Britta Beach in the CW series

NewWest actor Katey Wright, known to the Gateway audiences from her role in A Little Night Music, and Burnaby’s Santiago, known for Stratford Festival’s Death And The King’s Horseman, play the Cuthbert siblings, who welcome Anne into their home

The NOW spoke to Santiago about his career and his involvement in the current production

Santiago began working as an actor more than 25 years ago and has appeared in musicals, movies, andTV shows. After

a 17-year hiatus from the craft, Santiago has been back for about five years.

“I feel like the new kid on the block in many ways,” he said. “Every show is still an exciting adventure, and I still feel like the new kid even though I’m the age of a lot of the kids’ parents in the cast ”

ANNE OF GREEN GABLES THE MUSICAL

The musical runs until Dec 31

The performance on Dec 30 will be accompanied by a live audio description, described in real-time to listeners who are blind, partially sighted, or visually impaired

Tickets start at $35 and can be purchased at https://www gateway theatre.com/anne.

Beloved story: Krya Leroux as Anne Shirley and Anthony Santiago as Matthew Cuthbert PHOTO ROSS DENOTTER

BurnabystudentsspreadholidaycheertoseniorsinOperationElf Communitynow

lvanderdeen@burnabynow com

The City of Burnaby is spreading holiday cheer to seniors through grocery delivery and hand-crafted holiday greetings from

children

The city’s citizen support services department partnered with the Intentional Acts of Kindness Foundation (IAK) and the Burnaby school district for “Operation Elf ”

Operation Elf adds to the citizen support services’ regular grocery delivery to Burnaby seniors, including cards, drawings and poems made by SD41 students from kindergarten to Grade 12

More than 1,700 local students made about 2,000 pieces of crafted holiday art in total, some of which will also be delivered to care centres around the city.

Burnaby board of ed-

ucation chair Bill Brassington said each envelope contains “heartfelt wishes ”

“This kind of partnership project connects generations, and brightens the holidays for seniors and students, alike,” Brassing-

ton said in a news release

For more information on Burnaby’s supports for services, including light housekeeping service, transportation to medical appointments and more, see the city’s website

LaurenVanderdeen

Find more events online: burnabynow.com/local-events

editorial@burnabynow.com

THURSDAY, DEC. 22 TO SATURDAY, DEC. 24

BURNABY CHRISTMAS BUREAU TOY ROOM

There are three days left to donate new and unwrapped toys for families in our community

LIVE MUSIC AT BRENTWOOD MALL

Head to the mall at Brentwood on Friday, Dec 23 from 5 to 7 p m and Saturday, Dec 24 from noon to 2 p.m.

Friday will see soul singer Krystal Dos Santos in Brentwood’s grand lobby, then Tissa Rahim, the “Persian powerhouse,” will play her soul and R&B sound mixed with traditional Persian music on Saturday at noon

WHEN: Friday, Dec 23 and Saturday, Dec 24

WHERE: Grand lobby of the Amazing Brentwood COST: Free

SATURDAY, DEC. 24

CODING LAB FOR KIDS AT APPLE METROTOWN

For kids 10 and up with an interest in computers and coding, bring them to Apple Metrotown where they can learn to use Swift Playgrounds using an iPad Kids can experiment with code and design an app and customize it with fun fonts, background colours, Memoji and more.

Devices will be provided

WHEN: Saturday, Dec 24 from 1:30 to 2:30 p m

WHERE: Apple Metrotown COST: Free, register online at hhttps://tinyurl com/ MetrotownKidsCodeApple

TUESDAY, DEC. 27

FANDOM TRIVIA AT THE REC ROOM

While staff won’t be at the toy room at Brentwood, there will be a box in front of the old Sears space to drop gifts into – make sure the items are not too bulky, so they fit into the box Dolls, board games, puzzles and the like will fit, as would something basketballsized

There will be a complimentary reserved parking stall for an easy drop-off at the surface lot off of Alpha Way and Brentwood Boulevard.

Last year, the Burnaby Christmas Bureau served

more than 2,600 people in the community You can also donate directly to Burnaby Community Services, which runs the Christmas Bureau, with more information available online at www bbyservices ca/ Christmas

WHEN: Dec 22 and 23 from 10 a m to 9 p m ; Dec 24 from 10 a m to 5 p m

WHERE: The Amazing Brentwood (4567 Lougheed Hwy.)

COST: Gift donation, unwrapped

and Daniel Chai at the Rec Room for quizzes, themed rounds and prizes (including items from Vancouver Mysteries, Gamedeals Video Games and Big Pete’s Comics and Collectibles) No entry fee or pre-registration is needed; tables are first-come, first-served starting at 7 p m

WHEN: Tuesday, Dec 27 from 7:30 p m

WHERE: The Rec Room at Brentwood (21-06 1920 Willingdon Ave.)

COST: Free to play

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 28

WINE, WOMEN AND SONG

At the Admiral Pub, musician Melanie Dekker will present Wine, Women and Song Join in (and get a great deal on wine) and listen to some talented singers and songwriters who will grace the stage

WHEN: Wednesday, Dec 28 from 7 to 9:30 p m

WHERE: Admiral Pub and Grill (4125 Hastings St )

COST: Free admission

Persian powerhouse: Tissa Rahim will perform her R&B sounds with traditional Persian music, at Brentwood Mall’s grand lobby on Saturday, Dec 24 PHOTO TISSA RAHIM

Christmas in Burnaby

BurnabyChristmasevents

lvanderdeen@burnabynow com

With only two days till Christmas, there’s still exciting things to do, whether you’re showing family around our beautiful city or wanting to further immerse yourself in the holiday spirit.

HERITAGE CHRISTMAS

If you haven’t been to Heritage Christmas yet at BurnabyVillage Museum, this is your chance!

The beautiful exhibition, filled with lights and remnants of Christmas from days of yore, includes a seasonal scavenger hunt, Christmas carolers roving around the 10-acre site, Father Christmas at select times until Dec 23 (check the calendar for times), live music including Jorg and Borg’s Homespun Elf Band, and a free photobooth

After the 25th, you can catch stories on wheels at the Carousel Plaza Admission is free but remember to plan your visit as entry could be liited based on site capacity

Heritage Christmas in Burnaby runs until Jan 2 from 1 to 9 p m and will be closed Dec. 24 and 25. Note that last admission to the museum is 30 minutes prior to closing

TIME & PLACE A LA CARTE MENU

For a delicious holiday meal before Christmas, the HiltonVancouver Metrotown’s restaurant Time and Place has created two a la carte experiences for the holidays

You can be treated to a $65 a la carte menu of pan-roasted brome lake duck breast or spice butternut squash soup With a delectable west coast seafood roast or a lamb duo, this Christmas dinner is sure to delight

Times to book are running out quickly, but there are slots for Dec 23, 24 and 25.

When: Dec 23-25, timeslot to be booked

Where:Time & Place, 6083 McKay Ave.

Cost: $65 plus fees, reservations available at https://www.opentable. ca/r/time-and-placeburnaby

CHRISTMAS LIGHTS AROUND TOWN

The City of Burnaby created a map for holiday-light hunters, showing every spot decorated with bright and festive lights You can take photos of the lights and tag them on social media with #burnabylights

From the Hastings StreetTrees, toWillingdon Linear Park, to Kensington Archery Range and Parks Nursery, there’s a plethora of options to bask in the glow of beautiful lights

And don’t forget to check out this incredible delight of a Christmas -lights display, the DuPlessis family home at 8222 Burnlake Dr , in support of B C Children’s Hospital

When: Lights are up around the city until Jan 2; DuPlessis home runs until Jan. 6

Where: All over Burnaby

Cost: Free

LaurenVanderdeen

Brilliant: Spend the last days of December at Burnaby Village Museum’s beautiful Heritage Christmas experience PHOTO JENNIFER GAUTHIER

Gregory James Gi ding passed away at home on December 4, 2022 from the sudden onset of cancer Greg wi l be deeply m ssed by his wife Lor Rene Gild ng, and his cher shed sons Jared and Tr stan G lding, h s mother Mari yn Gregory, h s father James G lding (Carol Broomfie d), h s s sters Diane Spencer and Jennifer Monaghan (Bob) Greg ived ife to the ful est Grow ng up in Burnaby he oved the sport of rugby as a p ayer, coach, captain and ncred ble supporter His ife’s work was n the office of Cafferky Gi d ng Insurance where he prov ded exceptiona serv ce going above and beyond client’s expectations

He was incred bly generous with his t me, and never said no to a request for a help ng hand After retirement he became an ind spensable volunteer for the Burnaby Neighbourhood House Food Bank A Celebrat on of L fe wil be held at a ater date

Beatrice passed away peacefully at the age of 99 She was born in Vancouver and lived most of her life in Burnaby. Bea graduated from the University of Toronto as an Occupational Therapist, participating in the Second World War effort as a lieutenant in the Canadian Army. After her service, she worked locally as an OT. Bea was a committed life member of the Beta Sigma Phi Lamda Master Chapter and a dedicated philanthropist and volunteer. During her pastime, she was a talented crafter, knitter, gardener, and world traveller. She was also well known as everyone’s "Auntie Bea.

Bea was predeceased by her husband, Sheldon Hunter; brother Donald M Carpenter; and niece Corinne Fraser. She is survived by her brother Charles; sisters in law Patti and Cicely; niece Lea Carpenter (Tim Turner); nephews Andrew Carpenter, Kevin Carpenter (Jae Ahn) and Robert (Bob) Carpenter (Michelle); and her many grand nephews and grand nieces, and cousin Beth Coleman.

A graveside memorial, followed by a reception, will be held on Wednesday, December 21, 2022, at 1:00 pm at Ocean View Cemetery & Funeral Home 4000 Imperial St., Burnaby. The family would like to thank the staff of Amica West Vancouver and My Home Rehab for their professional and affectionate care of Bea over the years.

GILDING, Gregory James

HUNTER, Beatrice G. May 15, 1923 November 22, 2022