Burnaby Now July 25 2018

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CITY 8

Barnet swimming closed

COMMUNITY 12

Stopping elder abuse

LIVING 15

Top-10 barbecue tips

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COVERAGE GO TO PAGE 18 WEDNESDAY JULY 25, 2018

LOCAL NEWS – LOCAL MATTERS.

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COURT

Suspect in local killing arrested in South Korea Sought by police since 2006, man has been extradited to Canada

Cornelia Naylor

cnaylor@burnabynow.com

A suspect in a fatal 2006 shooting in Burnaby made his first appearance in court this week after being extradited from South Korea Friday. Jui-Kai Weng (formerly LeeChia “Kenny”Weng) was 28 years old in early 2006 when he was charged with second-degree murder and attempted murder in relation to a double shooting on Jan. 22, 2006. At about 2:20 a.m. that day, Burnaby RCMP responded to a call of shots fired in the parking lot of 3355 North Rd., according to an IHIT press release. Police found two men with gunshot wounds and both were taken to hospital. One of the victims sustained non-life-threatening gunshot wounds, but 19-year-old Shaoxin Zhang died of his injuries. Witnesses told police three men had gone up to a couple of others, and there had been an argument followed by gun shots, according to reports at the time. The suspects were then seen in a Toyota Camry, heading south along North Road. Weng was quickly identified as a suspect in the case, but IHIT learned he had fled to Taiwan soon after the shooting. An Interpol red notice was issued for his arrest and, in March, IHIT was informed Weng had been taken into custody in South Korea. The South Korean courts granted his extradition on June 26, and he arrived in Canada Friday.

LINEAR PARK: Jeff and 22-month-old Sofie play in the water feature in the Charles Street pocket park section of the new Willingdon Linear Park. The City of Burnaby shut down Willingdon Avenue Saturday to celebrate the park’s opening. The park stretches 13 blocks between Brentwood and Hastings, with different features in each block, including two pocket parks, plus paved walking and bike paths. See more photos at burnabynow.com. PHOTO JENNIFER GAUTHIER

City signals Metrotown shift

Kelvin Gawley

kgawley@burnabynow.com

The City of Burnaby is signalling a major change of course in its strategy to redevelop the Metrotown area, as it seeks to become the first municipality in B.C. to implement new rental-only zoning powers. The city also hopes to strike deals that would guarantee new homes at similar rental rates for individuals displaced in so-called “demovictions,” according to Mayor Derek Corrigan. Burnaby city council made the first move in this new plan at a hastily scheduled special council meeting on June 19. Councillors

voted to rescind first reading to two proposals that were scheduled to go to public hearing on July 24. Council gave initial approval in April to the two highrise buildings proposed by Anthem Properties Group.The towers would have replaced 177 rental units in three walk-up buildings at 6444 Willingdon Ave. and 4241 Wilson Ave. in Metrotown.The proposals included 30 units of not-for-profit rental housing. But that wasn’t enough, Corrigan said. Councillors sent the rezoning applications back to staff with the goal of having as many as half of the units guaranteed to be nonmarket rental units in perpetuity. Corrigan said the special coun-

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ing to be much more within the means of people who are living in those previous units.” Corrigan said those affordable rents will only be achieved with help from the NDP government in Victoria. And, he said, city staff will try to strike deals with developers to make sure individuals displaced when their apartment building is demolished get the first opportunity to rent a unit in a new building. “We think there’s been a real increase in the ability of cities to negotiate the requirements that we’re placing on any redevelopment,” Corrigan said. Continued on page 3

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cil meeting was scheduled after Coun. Colleen Jordan learned on Friday the details of new provincial legislation that allows cities to zone land specifically to be only for rentals. Until then, he said, council didn’t know the city could zone a portion of units, and even specific floors of a building, to be rental-only. The ultimate goal, Corrigan said, is to have one-to-one replacement – with every apartment torn down replaced by a new apartment at similar monthly rent. “I’m not going to over-promise,” he said. “I don’t think council wants to over-promise that they’re going to be at the same rents, but they want to get rents that are go-

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