A CLOSER LOOK 3
NEWS 5
A look at local real estate
ARTS 11
Pot plant pops up in park
VSO returns to park FOR THE BEST LOCAL
COVERAGE WEDNESDAY JUNE 29, 2016
LOCAL NEWS – LOCAL MATTERS
There’s more at Burnabynow.com
AFTER RECENT ATTACKS
$1.1 MILLION
Burnaby sits tight on pit bull regulations
City senior groups get fed bucks By Tereza Verenca
editorial@burnabynow.com
By Jeremy Deutsch
jdeutsch@burnabynow.com
While negative attention turns to the pit bull breed of dog in light of recent attacks around the Lower Mainland and the country, it appears Burnaby is content with the laws already on the books. Mayor Derek Corrigan said he’s not interested in making any change to the current bylaws regarding the dog breed, either introducing a complete ban or relaxing the current rules. He said the question is whether the issue should be left up to the provinces or municipalities, adding he’s not sure if Burnaby has the power to bring in a complete ban on pit bulls anyway. There have been We were right several highto be very, very profile pit bull atcautious tacks in recent months around the country, including last week in Surrey where a woman was seriously injured after an altercation. Under Burnaby’s current bylaws, pit bulls are considered a “vicious dog” and must be muzzled and kept on a leash.The bylaw has been in place for years, and after a request by pit bull advocates in 2013 to rescind the law, it was upheld.The only change was the cost of licensing and a further increase of the impound fees. “I think these incidents continue to prove we were right to be very, very cautious in regard to pit bulls in our community,” Corrigan told the NOW. The mayor argued that while everyone recognizes bad owners are the source of problems with pit bulls, the devastating nature of an attack from the dog and potential injuries are much worse than with other breeds. Continued on page 4
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A COOL KID:
Aaron Ruzicic enjoys the spray park in Burnaby Central Park recently. Temperatures this week hit the mid20s, and the trend is expected to continue to the weekend – though a possible chance of showers is in the forecast for Saturday. PHOTO JENNIFER GAUTHIER
Two Burnaby organizations are getting help from the federal government to better understand the transportation needs of seniors and to help them feel less isolated. Burnaby Neighbourhood House and Burnaby Community Services have secured $1.1 million in funding through the Government of Canada’s New Horizons for Seniors Program for PanCanadian projects, which since 2004, has funded more than 17,000 projects across the country. Some $610,000 will be directed to Burnaby Community Services’ Seniors on the Move project. Over three years, the initiative will look at the transit barriers socially isolated and low-income seniors face throughout Metro Vancouver. “Seniors are a very diverse population with a very diverse set of needs,” said Stephen D’Souza, the organization’s executive director “There can be barriers from someone who’s recently lost their licence, or who previously had a family member drive them around, who’s not able to do that anymore, and because of that, they’re becoming isolated and having a hard time getting out.” Seniors on the Move, according to D’Souza, will test innovative modes of sustainable transportation services. Key findings will then be shared with transportation providers and other decisionmakers to promote systemic change. Some ideas include transit tours, like riding the SkyTrain or venturing out on the SeaBus. “(We) take them on transit that can be really intimidating if you’re just a first-time user at 75 years old. It’s just an easy buddy system to get people on it,” D’Souza added. Another idea is possibly replicating North Vancouver’s Seniors Go Bus, a community shuttle operated by nonprofit groups that takes seniors to Continued on page 10
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