A CLOSER LOOK 3
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT 11
BRIGHT LIGHTS 15
Burnaby actors star in musical Hall of Fame lunch in photos
Heritage garden needs some TLC
FOR THE BEST LOCAL
COVERAGE WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2017
BUSINESS
LOCAL NEWS – LOCAL MATTERS
There’s more at Burnabynow.com
A NEW LEAF
PUBLIC SAFETY
Sears to shut down
Burnaby beefs up security in parks
Two stores will close after year-long attempt to reinvent itself and attract more customers
New measures would include bike patrols and more cameras in parks and public spaces
By Cayley Dobie
cdobie@burnabynow.com
Burnaby’s retail landscape will look a lot different next year. Sears Canada has received approval from the Ontario Superior Court of Justice to close all of its remaining brick and mortar locations, including two department stores in Burnaby. For more than a year, the company has been trying to reinvent itself to bring in more customers, but its efforts haven’t succeeded. “Despite the outstanding efforts of dedicated associates across the company, Sears Canada does not have the financial resources to provide it with the time necessary to complete its reinvention,” read a press release from the company. Included in the closures are Burnaby’s Brentwood Town Centre and Metropolis at Metrotown stores. Currently, the Brentwood store employs 99 people, 80 of whom are part-time, while Metrotown has 122 workers (81 are parttime). The company has until Jan. 22, 2018 to sell all of its remaining inventory, including furniture, fixtures and equipment. Sales are expected to start this Thursday, Oct. 19, and last about 10 to 14 weeks, according to the release. Sears Canada first opened as Simpsons-Sears Ltd. in 1953. In June, Sears Canada received creditor protection so it could embark on a restructuring plan that included the closure of 20 fullline locations, 15 Sears home stores, 10 Sears outlets and 14 Sears hometown locations.The closures also resulted in Continued on page 5
GO TO PAGE 17
By Tereza Verenca
tverenca@burnabynow.com
FALLING FOR COLOUR: Four-year-old Anya Thakkar plays in the fall leaves outside of Burnaby
Village Museum on Deer Lake Avenue. Deer Lake is always one of Burnaby’s hot spots for fall colours, and the trees are once again rising to the occasion for those looking for fall photo ops. PHOTO JENNIFER GAUTHIER
604-419-8888 • gffg.com/BrightTerm
Continued on page 4
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Three months after the body of 13-year-old Marrisa Shen was found in Burnaby’s Central Park, the city has adopted a handful of measures to make parks and public places safer. At Monday night’s council meeting, city council approved – in principal – six safety tools, including bike patrols. The unit would be made up of bylaw enforcement officers in uniform. Staff are recommending the city launch the group as a one-year pilot project, with coverage in Central Park, Robert Burnaby Park and Burnaby Lake Park. (A quarter of Burnaby is made up of green space and parks.) Coun. Pietro Calendino, chair of the city’s public safety committee, told the NOW bike patrols will be “most effective.” “You see a person in uniform on a bike who can go faster than you, and you’re careful with what you’re doing,” he said. The City of Burnaby is also