ELECTION 2017 10
NEWS 3
A special report on the Burnaby-Edmonds riding
City hikes taxes by 2.95 per cent
BEST OF BURNABY WEDNESDAY APRIL 26, 2017
LOCAL NEWS – LOCAL MATTERS
There’s more at Burnabynow.com
SEE PAGE B1
RODENTS AND ROT
Wildlife hospital in trouble Aging structures are forcing rescue group to seek help from the public By Tereza Verenca
tverenca@burnabynow.com
The Wildlife Rescue Association of B.C.’s animal hospital has been gutted due to water damage, wood rot and a rat infestation. The harsh winter took quite a toll on the 30-year-old building by Burnaby Lake, according to programs director Linda Bakker. “It’s pretty bad,” she said. “The hospital building is not functional at the moment.” After the first snowfall in December, staff brought in a pest control company to “encourage the rats out” after a few rodents escaped the freezing temperatures by moving into the hospital. Unfortunately, efforts proved unsuccessful, Bakker told the NOW. Continued on page 3
RAT WOES: Karen Becker, hospital manager at the Wildlife Rescue Association, took the NOW for a tour of the now-gutted facility. Freezing temperatures
this past winter caused rodents to find warmth within the hospital. What was originally thought to be a minor pest problem turned into a scenario that would include ripping out walls and cupboards to find rat entry ways. About a dozen holes were discovered.
PHOTO JENNIFER GAUTHIER
Woman struck by car as she tries to save her dog A 30-year-old woman was rushed to hospital with lifethreatening injuries Monday night after being hit by a car on Hastings Street in the Heights neighbourhood. Witnesses on the scene told firefighters they had seen the woman rush onto the street after her dog. “I believe it’s as simple and innocuous as following her dog, trying to get her dog out of the street, just
that natural instinct to protect another person or pet from injury,” Burnaby deputy fire Chief Chris Bowcock told the NOW. Emergency crews were called to the scene at about 8:50 p.m., he said, and took over from a passerby who had initiated first aid on the woman. Over his 22 years with the department, Bowcock said he’s responded to a lot of
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similar calls on Hastings. “Hastings has such a great community feeling, especially in the Heights,” he said, “and I think sometimes we forget that that community feeling is kind of split by that major thoroughfare.” The fire department had no information about what became of the dog, according to the deputy Chief. – By Cornelia Naylor, staff
Critical: Emergency crews provide first aid to a 30-year-old woman hit by a car on Hastings Street in the Heights after she was reportedly seen rushing onto the street after her dog. PHOTO RYAN STELTING
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