NEWS 5
Teens arrested after spree
COMMUNITY 11
Spreading holiday cheer
PEOPLE 33
Farewell to a city champion FOR THE BEST LOCAL
COVERAGE WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 9 2015
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LOCAL NEWS – LOCAL MATTERS
THE GRINCH BRIGADE: The
Grinch’s heart grew sizes on Saturday as he joined Santa’s elves in spreading Christmas cheer to shoppers and merchants in the Heights. Light Up the Heights, an annual sidewalk festival organized by the Heights Merchants Association, featured carollers, special discounts and goodies. Following the festival, residents joined city dignitaries for hot cocoa and cookies at the annual tree lighting ceremony at fire hall no. 5 on Hastings Street. PHOTO JENNIFER GAUTHIER
Monk’s dream turns into court battle By Jeremy Deutsch
jdeutsch@burnabynow.com
For more than a decade, Le Thuan has made the large property at the very end of Royal Oak Avenue his tangible and spiritual home. The Buddhist monk, originally from Vietnam, has lived at 8708 Royal Oak Ave. for 13 years, and the signs of his beliefs adorn the
7.4 acre piece of land. A large alter sits at the back edge of the driveway. More statues of Buddha can be seen in the window of the house at the front of the property. It was Thuan’s intention after he bought the property to build a meditation centre or temple on the site for the Vietnamese Unified Buddhist Congregation of B.C., for which he leads.
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Over the years, he built several additions to the property including a temple and two dining halls. In all, he spent about $300,000 on additions, raised by the congregation he estimates to be between 300 to 500 people from around the Metro Vancouver. And in the summertime, the land is used as a blueberry farm bringing in a
small amount of income. But his plans have now ended up in court following a lengthy battle with the City of Burnaby. Last week, the city filed a petition against the congregation and the property owner claiming a breach of bylaws. The municipality is seeking a permanent injunction that the owner cease occupancy of the existing home
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and the unpermitted additions and the owner get a demolition permit to tear down the structures. According to court documents, the city claims the owner built numerous additions to the property between 2002 and 2014 without any permits. In January, the city conducted an inspection of the property and identified numerous health, bylaw and
safety infractions related to the unpermitted additions. Following the inspection, documents note the city shut off the power to the property pending the completion and approval of the required repairs. The issue for Thuan, his property is located in the Agricultural Land Reserve and a temple is not permitted use. Continued on page 3
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Making Transitions Smooth 604-619-6263 Cell 604-435-9477 Office vidabjelica@hotmail.com