Burnaby Now June 8 2023

Project sparks flood fears

Council OKs alcohol in four Burnaby parks

New rules in effect June 23 but one city councillor thinks change is‘rushed’

LaurenVanderdeen

lvanderdeen@burnabynow com

Burnaby council has approved allowing alcohol in select public parks this summer

People can legally drink outside in four of Burnaby’s parks from June 23 till Oct 30

The four parks are:

wConfederation Park (250Willingdon Ave )

wCentral Park (3883 Imperial St.)

wKeswick Park (9452 Cardston Crt )

wEdmonds Park (7433 Edmonds St.)

One councillor opposed the project, citing concerns laid out by the city’s medical health officer, Dr. Lindsay Bowthorpe of Fraser Health, who recommended council reject the program due to health concerns related to alcohol

Coun. Sav Dhaliwal said the pilot program only came to council last month, and there hasn’t been much time for staff to engage with the public.

“I believe we have rushed into it,” Dhaliwal said

“You know, we had spoken about it, but, really, I think there hasn’t been enough discussion on this matter

FESTIVE RHYTHM: Dancers perform at the Hats Off Day festival on Hastings Street in Burnaby on

June 3 To see a photo gallery of the event, go to burnabynow.com. PHOTO JENNIFER GAUTHIER

Newsnow

Woman sues insurer over Texas-sized hospital bill

Burnaby-based Pacific Blue Cross taken to court after denying US$51,012 claim for Houston treatment fee

CorneliaNaylor cnaylor@burnabynow com

A woman who fractured her femur during a vacation inTexas is suing a Burnaby-based insurance company that denied her claim for a US$51,012 hospital bill

Chuan Chao, a Surrey resident, bought an insurance policy from Pacific Blue Cross for a trip to Houston from June 4 to July 2, 2022, according to a notice of civil claim filed in B C Supreme Court last week.

Twenty days into her vacation, however, she tripped on a sidewalk and fractured her femur

She was taken to a Houston hospital for surgery

After her release on June 26, she was unable to walk, and her surgeon advised her not to travel, according to the lawsuit

Chao says she contacted Pacific Blue Cross and notified them of the incident, saying she would need to stay inTexas until August because of her injury.

But she did not incur

any more medical expenses after her policy ended on July 2, according to the notice.

“At no point did (Pacific Blue Cross) ever advise (Chao) that she would be required to extend her insurance coverage under the policy for the duration of her mandatory stay,” states the notice.

Chao returned to B.C. in mid-August and was told at the end of November that the insurance company was denying her US$51,012 claim.

She is now suing for damages, a declaration that she is entitled to the full amount, and a judgment against Pacific Blue Cross for the money.

She says the insurance company breached its contract by acting in bad faith, failing to tell her she had to extend her policy or face denial of her claim.

She claims Pacific Blue Cross didn’t fairly evaluate the evidence and circumstances involved in her claim and used a provision in the contract to “take ad-

vantage” of her health restrictions “to avoid payment for the surgery”

“(Chao) was in a vulnerable position, and she relied on the knowledge and information of (Pacific Blue Cross) when she reported her claim,” states the notice “The actions of (Pacific Blue Cross) are significantly improp-

er and egregious, and there is not rational justification for failing to advise (Chao) that she would be required to extend the policy.”

Chao said the prospect of having to pay the fees out of pocket despite believing they’d be taken care of by insurance has caused her “mental distress.”

The claims in the lawsuit have not been proven in court Pacific Blue Cross has not yet filed a response to Chao’s notice.

Program prohibits drinking near playgrounds and in park buildings

Continued from page 1

“I think there is no urgency to this; I think we should go slow”

But Coun. Pietro Calendino disagreed

“We hear ofVancouver being a boring city, and Burnaby is associated to Vancouver, next door to

it,” Calendino said.

He added, “There are several communities that have implemented the responsible drinking in parks,… and I haven’t heard any negative things about those other communities.”

Calendino noted he originally raised the idea

for the program in 2021.

Deputy parks director Carmen Gonzalez told council other municipalities with similar programs found busier parks already have safety considerations like more lighting, noting the more people in an area, they more responsible people are likely to be.

She said staff met with representatives from Fraser Health and addressed some of the health authority’s concerns

The pilot program lays out some restrictions, including where people can’t drink, including within 10 metres of a playground, pool, skate bowl,

parking lot or sport court; any artificial turf surface or any trail, pathway, natural parkland or forested areas; or within 10 metres of a playing field while in use.

Drinking won’t be allowed in indoor buildings within the parks

If violations arise, staff

recommend a penalty of $200 and a discounted amount of $160 if paid within 15 days.

Gonzalez said staff will report to the parks, recreation and culture commission in July to discuss how to evaluate the program and what its measures of success will be

INJURED: A Surrey woman who broke her leg during a visit to Houston, Texas, has sued Pacific Blue Cross over its rejection of her hospital bill claim PHOTO 123LIGHT/E+/GETTY IMAGES

“(Chao) was in a vulnerable position, and she relied on the knowledge and information of (Pacific Blue Cross) when she reported her claim.”

NATIONAL INDIGENOUS PEOPLES DAY

Wednesday, June 21 Noon-5 pm

Edmonds Park and Plaza

LIVE PERFORMANCES | DANCE | STORYTELLING

TRADITIONAL & CONTEMPORARY MUSIC ARTISANS & VENDORS | ACTIVITIES AND MORE

Citynow Condo project could cause flooding, residents fear

LaurenVanderdeen lvanderdeen@burnabynow com

Neighbours of a proposed Brentwood development in Burnaby are worried the massive project could cause flooding and settling.

The four-tower Emerald Place development at 2300 Madison Ave., developed by Polygon Homes, includes plans for about 1,460 new homes and five to six levels of underground parking with 1,466 parking spots.

But the strata council of the condo next door wants a guarantee the construction would not lead to ground settling or flooding

At a public hearing on May 30, Fulton House strata council member Sophia Quiring spoke on behalf of residents at 2388 Madison Ave

Quiring said her neighbours have concerns about flooding in the neighbourhood, especially near the 64-storey development Gilmore Place

“We have Gilmore Place with significant settling and so many problems happening,” Quiring told council. “We already have problems with water in the area; we have to watch it very carefully.”

The City of Burnaby is currently suing Gilmore Place developer Onni Group, as well as its architect, structural engineers and geotechnical consultant, for “cracking and deformation” of city side-

walks and streets allegedly caused by the Gilmore Place excavation and pile driving

Ed Kozak, the city’s general manager of planning and development, said the city’s role is to ensure the developer follows through on the consulting engineers’ recommendations.

Polygon’s vice-president of development, Brian Ellis, said the company has experience developing in the neighbourhood, as it developed Fulton House next door to the Emerald Place site Coun. Alison Gu asked if the city could discuss digging less deeply than five or six levels for underground parking to “proactively mitigate” affecting the water table.

Kozak said the city requires the developer not to draw down the water table during or after construction and the developer must demonstrate that before they can get a building permit

WORRIED: A Burnaby strata council at 4388 Madison Ave in Burnaby is concerned about future construction at a proposed neighbouring development.

PHOTO GOOGLE STREET VIEW

Have you witnessed illegal dumping in your neighbourhood?

Will you be drinking alcohol at one of the selected Burnaby parks this summer?

Rural-urban political divide deepens in B.C., Alberta

There is usually not much to learn from another province’s general election, but the recent result in Alberta serves as a reminder that some of this country finds itself moving in two different directions.

One side is moving along rural lines, while the other is becoming entrenched in urban and suburban areas It is the great rural-urban divide, and it presents a challenge for any government

The Alberta election result largely mirrored the B.C. election outcome in 2020, albeit with philosophically opposite parties winning each contest

The winning United Conservative Party proved victorious by dominating the rural regions of the province (snatching about 90 per cent of the ridings located there), while the NDP made impressive gains by

winning almost three-quarters of the urban and suburban ridings

In the last B.C. election, the BC NDP won about 80 per cent of the urban and suburban ridings (in MetroVancouver and the Capital region).The BC Liberals (now the BC United Party) won more than half the rural and regional seats

A key takeaway from these results is that conservative-oriented voters seem to be in decline in the urban and suburban areas of the country, a shift that favours political parties that lean in different philosophical directions

The fact that the Alberta NDP took a majority of seats in the Calgary metro area usually an electoral desert for that party is telling

That outcome is like what happened in B.C. in the 2020 vote, when the NDP

scored historical breakthroughs by winning seats in Langley, Abbotsford and Chilliwack, areas where it had never tasted success in a general election. Plus, it won seats in Richmond for the first time in almost 50 years

This rural-urban divide can also be seen at the federal level In the most recent federal election, the ruling Liberals won 15 of the 23 ridings in MetroVancouver while the NDP took five of them and the Conservatives just three

I suspect this shift in voting patterns is indicative of changing demographics.The suburbs are dominated by younger people and young families, who naturally gravitate to parties that are not right-wing.

In B C , this divide may get even wider in the years ahead The provincial legislature will grow by six seats before the next

election, and five of the new ridings are in Burnaby, Langley, Surrey andVancouver in MetroVancouver, as well as Langford in the Capital region (the sixth riding will encompass downtown Kelowna)

As I have mentioned, this kind of split can pose problems for any sitting government When one side doesn’t have much representation at the caucus or cabinet table (in Alberta, the urban/suburban voters are almost shut out, while the opposite is true in B C ), getting public policy right on key issues can prove to be a challenge.

The ruling NDP government has been dealing with that challenge for almost six years now Alberta Premier Danielle Smith will now be the latest leader trying to navigate what appears to be a growing divide Keith Baldrey is chief political reporter for Global BC.

Opinionnow

Readers disagree on new Burnaby city hall

Editor: I do not think city hall in Burnaby should be moved to Metrotown. It is shocking and disturbing to me that this appears to be a done deal with no public input

Mayor Hurley states that it makes no sense to upgrade city hall, when for a minor spending increase a new one can be built. This minor spending increase is $4 million-plus

The public should be having a say on whether a new city hall should be built, not where.

Bonnie Hughes

Editor: I can accept that it is more cost-effective to build a new city hall than fix the current structure.

However, my first question is, “Why move to Metrotown? What other locations in Burnaby were considered before landing on Metrotown?”

The current location is more centrally

located. There is much space along Canada Way to build a new building, and it is close to the Burnaby Lake sports complex, Deer Lake cultural and leisure activities, the RCMP headquarters, Burnaby maintenance yards and freeway access, which makes city hall more accessible The current city hall has good transit service and is centrally located.

The second question is, “What are the plans for the Canada Way location?” I have not heard anything from the mayor or council on this point

Bonda Bitzer

Editor: Burnaby needs a new city hall. The current location does not have the best accessibility unless you have a car

Locating near Metrotown makes a lot more sense, especially if you want to encourage us (the public) to use transit. Not all of Burnaby residents have cars

The only drawback would be for car users since parking in this area can be a nightmare.

Loreta Venir

THE BURNABY NOW WELCOMES LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. We do, however, edit for taste, legality and length Please include a phone number where you can be reached Send letters to: The Editor, #201A–3430 Brighton Ave., Burnaby, B.C., V5A 3H4, email to: editorial@burnabynow.com (no attachments please) or fax to: 604-444-3460

Letters to the editor and opinion columns may be reproduced on the Burnaby NOW website, www burnabynow com

Burnaby CRN WEAAD Seminar 2023

Burnaby celebrates World Elder Abuse Awareness Day

June 15, 2023

When? Thursday, June 15th • 12 noon to 3:30 pm

Where? Bonsor Recreation Complex

6550 Bonsor Avenue, Burnaby

A FREE event for all seniors but you must register Lunch will be provided for registrants. Register on Eventbrite by clicking on this link https://bit.ly/3B46yFR or Call 604-689-8609 Register SOON as there is limited capacity attendance. Deadline to register: June 9

Speakers – Mehru Mohsin and Patrick Tracy, Burnaby RCMP, Crime Prevention Unit for Seniors, Speaking on Seniors’ Safety

Ken Kuhn, Regional Mentor for BCCRN, Speaking on Elder Abuse Scenarios

Terry Wright, Seniors First BC, Speaking on Fraud Prevention

Response Networks

This event is made possible by funding from the BC Association of Community

CityConnect

Share your vision of Burnaby’s future and help shape the way our community lives, learns, works and plays.

Have your say in the Burnaby 2050 Official Community Plan! Share your ideas through open dialogues, pop-up events or an online survey.

Burnaby 2050: Visioning Dialogue

Join us for a fun evening with food, entertainment, activities and discussion about the future of Burnaby. Tickets are free. Registration required. Please register at Burnaby.ca/Burnaby2050

» Wednesday, June 14, 6-8:30 pm Nikkei National Museum and Cultural Centre

» Thursday, June 15, 6-8:30 pm The Amazing Brentwood

» Tuesday, June 20, 6-8:30 pm Bonsor Recreation Complex

» Wednesday, June 21, 6-8:30 pm Confederation Seniors’ Centre

Online Survey

Share your thoughts by taking an online survey, open until July 17, 2023

Pop-up Engagements

Watch for our pop-up events around your neighbourhood.

» Saturday, June 3, 9:30 am-4 pm Hats Off Day (Hastings Street)

» Sunday, June 4, 11 am-4 pm

Environment Week (The Amazing Brentwood)

» Wednesday, June 21, Noon-5 pm

National Indigenous Peoples Day (Edmonds Park)

» Wednesday, June 28, 2:30-7 pm Cameron Recreation Complex

» Friday, June 30, Noon-4 pm Metrotown Mall Kiosk

» Saturday, July 1, 11 am-2:30 pm Canada Day (Edmonds Plaza and Park)

» Saturday, July 1, 6:30-10 pm Canada Day (Civic Square)

» Saturday, July 8, time TBC Bob Prittie Metrotown Public Library

» Saturday, July 15, 3-7:30 pm Symphony in the Park (Deer Lake)

» Sunday, July 16, 3-7:30 pm

Opera in the Park (Deer Lake)

More information: Burnaby.ca/Burnaby2050

burnaby2050@burnaby ca | 604-294-7775

Please have this translated Paki salin naman.

NEW BURNABY CITY HALL

SHARE YOUR

The City of Burnaby is seeking your input on the best location and potential programming space options for a new City Hall.

Built in 1955, the existing City Hall has reached the end of its service life If it remains, significant upgrades are required to meet current building code standards

To provide the best level of customer service to Burnaby residents and businesses, a new City Hall is being planned–a modern, environmentally sustainable, accessible, welcoming and resilient building.

The new City Hall is envisioned to be in the Metrotown neighbourhood, reinforcing the area as Burnaby’s downtown and the urban focal point of the city

Share your thoughts by taking an online survey, open until July 7, 2023.

Have

Share your ideas at an open house or complete the online survey

Open houses (no registration required)

Bonsor Recreation Centre (6550 Bonsor Avenue):

» Tuesday, June 13, 5-8:30 pm

» Tuesday, June 27, 5-8:30 pm

Civic Square (6100 Willingdon Avenue): Corner of Willingdon Avenue and Central Boulevard. If it rains, location will be moved to inside the Bob Prittie Library

» Sunday, June 25, 10 am-3 pm

CityConnect

Call for Applications: Burnaby Chinese Canadian Reconciliation Advisory Committee

The City of Burnaby is seeking up to four community members to serve on a new Chinese Canadian Reconciliation Advisory Group. The Advisory Group will provide input to City staff on a community consultation process to identify potential actions for reconciliation for historical discrimination against people of Chinese descent, including acknowledgement, a formal apology, and actions for reconciliation.

Members will represent a range of Chinese Canadian perspectives, including recent and established immigrants and people from different occupational backgrounds, and who reflect the many languages, source countries, and generations that form the Chinese community in Burnaby The Advisory Group will be convened by City of Burnaby staff and will meet up to four times a year between June 2023 to July 2025. If you are interested in joining the Advisory Group, please complete the application form at Burnaby.ca/AdvisoryGroup

PUBLIC INPUT OPPORTUNITY

Liquor Licence Application #23-01

Applicant: DAHLAK RESTAURANT

Subject: Proposed extension of liquor service hours at the subject establishment

Location: 7868 EDMONDS STREET

Public Input Deadline: June 14, 2023

Dahlak Restaurant has applied to amend its food primary liquor licence to extend the hours of liquor service past midnight The requested extended hours of liquor service are from 9 am-2 am, daily

For further information on this Liquor Licence Application, contact the Planning Department at 604-294-7400

Public input on this application is invited prior to Burnaby City Council submitting a resolution regarding the application to the Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch

Written comments may be sent to the Planning and Development Department by:

Letter: 4949 Canada Way, Burnaby, BC, V5G 1M2; or email: planning@burnaby.ca

Please note, all submissions must contain the name and address of the writer which will become part of the public record.

Deadline for written submissions is 4:45 pm June 14, 2023

N Best

CORPORATE OFFICER

NOTICE OF DISPOSITION

TAKE NOTICE THAT the City of Burnaby gives notice that it intends to grant a statutory right of way (“SRW”) to Greater Vancouver Sewerage and Drainage District (“GVS&DD”) over the 843 5m2 portion of City-owned property, as shown on Plan EPP127108, located at 3676 Kensington Avenue, Burnaby, B C and legally described as NPA, Lot A DL 77 Gp 1 NWD Plan EPP116882 (the “Lands”), in consideration for $15,800 00 and the release of an existing SRW registered under number A32793 in favour of GVS&DD over a 356 1m2 portion of the Lands, as shown on Plan NWP27811

TAKE NOTICE THAT the City of Burnaby proposes to transfer an 11 0m2 portion of closed lane dedicated by Reference Plan 12756, as shown outlined in bold on Reference Plan EPP125513, to SHRI GURU RAVIDASS SABHA (VANCOUVER) (Inc No S17405), in considerationfor road dedication comprising 312 6m² as shown on Subdivision Plan EPP122703

Citynow Drunk driver who killed senior appeals driving ban

CorneliaNaylor cnaylor@burnabynow com

A NewWestminster man sentenced to four years in prison for driving drunk and killing an Ontario grandmother visiting her son and new grandchild in Burnaby was out of custody in less than a year and is now appealing his fouryear driving ban, according to a recent B C Court of Appeal ruling.

Roberto Gil Francisco, 42, pleaded guilty in January 2022 to criminal negligence causing death and was sentenced the following month to four years in prison and a four-year driving ban

The charge relates to

a June 7, 2019 crash that killed Louise Landreth, a 69-year-old retired Harrington, Ont., accountant who had been visiting family in North Burnaby

Francisco, with a blood-alcohol level more than twice the legal limit, was driving his BMW sedan at about 167 km/h on Lougheed Highway near Brentwood Mall when the vehicle jumped the curb and fatally struck Landreth, who had been out for a walk, according to agreed facts presented at a sentencing hearing

Francisco, who was released from custody on Jan 12, 2023, is now in the process of appealing

his driving ban, according to a B C Court of Appeal ruling by Justice Barbara Fisher lastTuesday.

There was a “substantial” delay in Francisco filing for his appeal, so he had to apply for an extension Fisher said Francisco’s circumstances were not an acceptable excuse for the delay, but she ruled the extension “would be in the interests of justice” because of recent conflicting rulings in other provinces that make it unclear whether Francisco’s sentencing judge had the jurisdiction to impose the discretionary driving ban.

The Crown also didn’t oppose the extension

Citynow Burnaby’s housing prices continue upward swing

JessBalzer

jfedigan@burnabynow

com

All housing types across Burnaby saw price increases last month, according to a new report.

The Real Estate Board of GreaterVancouver (REBGV) says there were 3,411 residential home sales throughout the region in May, which equated to a 15.7 per cent increase from the 2,947 sales recorded in May 2022

There were 5,661 properties listed for sale on MLS last month

“Back in January, few people would have predicted prices to be up as much as they are ourselves in-

cluded,” REBGV director of economics and data analytics Andrew Lis said in a news release.

“Our forecast projected prices to be up modestly in 2023 by about two per cent at year-end Instead, MetroVancouver home

prices are already up about six per cent or more across all home types at the midway point of the year.”

The benchmark price for residential properties hit $1.16 million in Burnaby East (up 2 9 per cent compared with April 2023), $1.02 million in Burnaby North (up 1 5 per cent) and $1 11 million in Burnaby South (up 0.9 per cent).

Single-family detached homes hit a benchmark of $1.82 million in Burnaby East (up 4 7 per cent), $1 98 million in Burnaby North (up 1.7 per cent) and $2,177,100 in Burnaby South (+1 4 per cent)

CLIMBING: Burnaby’s housing prices have increased again

PHOTO JENNIFER GAUTHIER

TRACEY BOOTH

WEEKEND

THURSDAY, JUNE 8

SHADBOLT CELEBRATES

Shadbolt Centre for the Arts is celebrating its adult students with a showcase dance performances, visual and ceramic art exhibitions and demonstrations, as well as live music on Thursday, June 8, from 7:15 to 9:30 p m The dance performances are slated to be on the James Cowan Theatre stage, while guests can view the visual and ceramic art exhibitions in the atrium, galleria cases, centre aisle gallery and Encores Café. Studio 103 will host the demonstrations and life drawing as well as a reception with live music and refreshments

WHEN: Thursday, June 8; 7:15 to 9:30 p.m.

WHERE: Shadbolt Centre for the Arts (6450 Deer Lake Ave.)

COST: For tickets and prices, contact the Box Office at (604) 205-3000 or email boxoffice@burnaby.ca

SATURDAY, JUNE 10

ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION

Happy Environment Week, Burnaby. On Saturday, June 10, the city, along with the Lower Mainland Green Team and the Cariboo Heights Forest Preservation Society, is bringing a special “ecosystem restoration” event from 9:45 a m to 1 p m for you to roll up your sleeves and join them for an invasive species plant removal. With only limited spaces available, organizers advise registering early. If you’re looking to get your hands green, there are other multiple environment-friendly activities hosted this week to celebrate Burnaby environment week.

WHEN: Saturday, June 10; 9:45 a.m. to 1 p.m.

WHERE: Cariboo Heights Forest (9192 Klenner Dr )

COST: Cost: Free; register at tinyurl.com/bd7eueud.

ECO-CENTRE OPEN HOUSE

Yet another fun, free, green event awaits this weekend; an

Don’t miss these weekend events & activities!

COST: Free

PORTUGAL DAY WEEKEND

Celebrate the Portuguese community with live music and culinary fare by attending the Portugal Day Weekend on Saturday, June 10, from 10 a m to 10 p m and Sunday, June 11, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Revel in some cultural dances from Portugal, savour delicacies like sardinhas assadas (grilled sardines), frango no churrasco (flame-grilled chicken), bifanas (pork steak sandwich), jaquinzinhos fritos (deep-fried baby horse mackerel), natas (Portuguese custard tarts), filhós (Portuguese fitters) and batata frita (fries) at the free event held at the Portuguese Cultural Centre (5455 Imperial St., Burnaby). Visit pccbc.ca for more information

WHEN: Saturday, June 10; 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday, June 11; 10 a m to 6 p m

WHERE: Portuguese Cultural Centre (5455 Imperial St, Burnaby)

COST: Free

SUNDAY, JUNE 11

DRAG BRUNCH AT THE REC ROOM

open house will be hosted by Burnaby Eco-Centre, which will help community members learn about reducing waste in a fun, engaging way. The free open house will feature live music. You can delve into 20-plus different recycling categories and learn how to reduce waste and contribute to a greener Burnaby

A free bag of compost will also be available to Burnaby residents on a first-come, first served-basis (maximum two per household) The centre is also offering a chance to meet its staff falcon.

WHEN: Saturday, June 10, 10 a m to 2 p m

WHERE: Eco-Centre (4855 Still Creek Dr )

Happy Pride, Burnaby. It’s time to bring two of Burnaby’s most beloved things together yet again brunch and drag at the weekend Drag Brunch at The Rec Room on Sunday, June 11. Hosted as usual by The Established, Shanda Leer, the drag brunch will feature some of B C’s finest drag talents, including the creative mind of Abb ‘Original this weekend. The organizers note that this is going to be “a brunch for the books”

Tickets are priced at $20 (excludes brunch) Visit www therecroom.com for more details.

WHEN: Sunday, June 11; 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

WHERE: The Rec Room at the Amazing Brentwood COST: $20; Visit tinyurl.combdh7yt7y

-Compiledby Abhinaya Natesh

GREEN UP: On Saturday, an ecosystem restoration will be held at Cariboo Heights Forest

PHOTO JENNIFER GAUTHIER

Citynow

Councillor floats plan for Burnaby brewery district

LaurenVanderdeen lvanderdeen@burnabynow com

Burnaby doesn’t have a brewery row like its neigh-

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parcliving.ca/mulberry

bours Port Moody and NorthVancouver – and that’s a problem, according to one city councillor.

To fix it, Coun Daniel Tetrault wants to make it easier for brewers to set up shop in town

He put the gears in motion on June 5 at a council meeting, directing staff to review ways to encourage craft and artisanal small businesses to come to Burnaby

Tetrault said brewery districts build complete communities by bringing people together to socialize

“While doing that, it attracts restaurants, bakeries and other small businesses not to mention, it creates an art scene, contributes to the vibrancy of our communities,” he said

Tetrault noted Burnaby’s three breweries are often over-capacity, showing demand exists.

He said current city bylaws “may be outdated ”

“I know too many people, particularly young people, when they’re going out to socialize … whether on the patio or another outdoor space, they’re leaving Burnaby,”Tetrault said and added, “We want them to come together in our neighbourhoods and stay in Burnaby”

He noted the motion isn’t just for breweries it includes any craft artisanal manufacturers like cideries, wine bars or distilleries

The City of Burnaby is already considering “creative employment uses” in the upcoming Edmonds

and Royal Oak community plans, which would create space for places like art studios, galleries and small-batch manufacturers

Ed Kozak, the city’s general manager of planning and development, said brewery rows in neighbouring municipalities, particularly Port Moody’s, developed “somewhat organically” but largely because of the removal of “regulatory obstacles ”

“Burnaby has a lot of regulatory obstacles at the moment,” Kozak told council.

“And it makes it very difficult for small businesses of all kinds, whether it be distilleries, breweries, you know, tea houses, anything of that nature, that are impacted by zoning and largely, zoning ” Coun. Joe Keithley (of punk band D O A fame) suggested staff consider how to incorporate a music or performance aspect in a potential brewery row, similar to Austin,Texas.

Tetrault’s motion passed unanimously, and staff will report back to council on the potential for a brewery district at a later date

PLAN BREWING: A Burnaby city councillor wants the city to have its own brewery row

PHOTO PETER CADE/STONE/GETTY IMAGES.

Citynow

All-gender washrooms the future for Burnaby schools

Parkcrest was the first Burnaby school to get all universal washrooms for boys and girls to share,but it won’t be the last

CorneliaNaylor

cnaylor@burnabynow com

Not everyone is happy with all-gender washrooms installed at a Burnaby elementary school last

year, but the school district says the concept is the bathroom of the future for local schools

A $13-million seismic upgrade completed

at Parkcrest Elementary School last school year did more than make the building safe against earthquakes

During the renovations,

the district did away with boys and girls bathrooms and replaced them with shared, universal facilities

The NOW got a tour of the new bathrooms last

week

Instead of a door marked “boys” or “girls,” there is now an open entrance way that leads to a space with banks of individual, locking cubicles on each side for everyone to use

Unlike traditional stalls, the door and sides are longer, extending nearly up to the ceiling and down to the floor

“These inclusive washrooms are very private,” school district secretary-treasurer Russell Horswill told the NOW in an emailed statement

Each cubicle contains a toilet, a wastebasket and not much else

Sinks and mirrors, instead of being inside the washroom, are now located in the hallway BonnieWhitten, a retired Burnaby teacher with a grandchild in the district, contacted the NOW to voice her concern about the change

“Schools are supposed to be safe and healthy, and

I find it hard to believe that it will be safe and healthy for a six-year-old girl going into a washroom with a 12-year-old boy,” she said in an interview

“Not that I’m saying they’re bad, but it’s a toxic situation, and should not be happening ”

Whitten said she hadn’t seen the washroom herself but had spoken to someone who had

According to the district, the design at Parkcrest will be replicated at all new schools and large renovations

The new Burnaby North Secondary School will have universal washrooms, for example, but there will also be some more traditional, gendered washrooms, according to the district.

Universal washrooms were also installed at Burnaby South Secondary this year.

Horswill said parents who have questions should reach out to their school principal.

THE FUTURE: Mirrors and sinks are located in the hallway, and cubicles in the washroom are used by all genders in Parkcrest Elementary School’s new universal washrooms PHOTO CORNELIA NAYLOR

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Communitynow

Non-profit seeks ‘critically needed’ homeless shelters

LaurenVanderdeen

lvanderdeen@burnabynow.com

People have “given up hope” of getting into homeless shelters in Burnaby, according to a local coalition of non-profits aimed at ending homelessness in the city

Now the Society to End Homelessness in Burnaby is urgently requesting two new shelters to open in the city before this winter

The non-profit’s executive director, Carol-Ann Flanagan, wrote to council on behalf of theTask Force to End Homelessness in Burnaby on May 9 to request two “critically needed” 24-7 shelters

The society wants one of the shelters to be minimal barrier, such as the temporary Douglas Shelter, for people who may have “persistent and multiple episodes of homelessness ”

The other requested shelter would be for people who might be experiencing homelessness one time, such as vulnerable women and seniors.

Flanagan asked for the two shelters to be in different areas of the city, one in the north and one in the south, and to open by Oct 1

She said Burnaby’s homelessness situation has worsened over the past

winter

“The sole shelter in Burnaby (Douglas) is full and turning people away most days; people have given up hope of getting in,”

Flanagan wrote

“Stays are lengthening, and this causes additional stress and frustrations ”

Flanagan said local non-profits have seen an increase in “the complexity and seriousness” of the conditions of people they serve, with more Indigenous people, seniors and people with serious health conditions coming in

Multiple non-profit programs are becoming overwhelmed

Flanagan said the extreme weather response sheltering site, a temporary shelter opened when the temperature drops below zero C, opened for a total of 104 nights and provided 1,320 bednights of service, the most since opening in 2005.

The weekly drop-in outreach resource centres, which serve people who are homeless and at risk of homelessness, are increasingly busy: in March this year, 828 guests were served versus a total of 603 served in November last year

The Burnaby Neighbourhood Food Hub

(which runs everyTuesday from 3 to 5 p m and serves essential grocery items) fed almost 2,000 people in March.

“These high numbers

are now constant and a significant increase from the prior average of 100 to 120 persons per week,” said Flanagan.

Further, the hub drop-in

space on Sixth Street was “very busy,” with 20 to 40 people coming in daily for day shelter services.

This resulted in “their programming being over-

whelmed and neighbourhood concerns,” Flanagan said, and Progressive Housing Society moved away from the drop-in model

REMEMBRANCES

Obituaries

DECK, Jane Struthers Johns 1950 - 2023

Jane Deck of New Westminster, B C , died June 1st, 2023, surrounded by her fami y at Me vil e Hosp ce Home in Surrey Born Jan e Struthers in San Francisco, Cal forn a to E va Yvonne Sams and Charles Mddleton Struthers Cpt Struthers was in the Army Medical Corps serving n Korea and was killed in action November of 1950 On her mother’s remarriage, Jane was adopted by her loving dad Richard Grey Johns Jane s survived by her husband of 51 years, Michae Clemens Deck, three daughters Teresa, Miriam and Rosemary, grandchi dren, Willow, Archer and Zoë and s blings, Charles, Stephen, and Sara

Requiem Mass for her on Saturday, June 24, 2023, at Holy Trinty Anglcan Cathedral, 514 Carnarvon St, New Westminster at 1:30 pm n lieu of flowers, donatons may be made to the Primate’s World Relief and Deveopment Fund, PWRDForg

Say not in grief that she is no more, but say in thankfulness that she was

Walkey & Company Funeral Directors (604) 738 - 0006

THOMPSON, Lorne Robert March 30, 1969 May 10, 2023

"...And who can tell but Heaven, at last, May answer al my thousand prayers, And bid the future pay the past With joy for anguish, smiles for tears?"

FAREWELL by Anne Bronte

Thank you to St. Barnabas Parish and New Leaf Clubhouse communities for their years of kindness, support, and friendship so important to Lorne.

Free est, great prces Satsfacton guar604-518-7508

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