FRIDAY
DECEMBER 12, 2014
TRI-CITIES
favourite holiday recipes
25
thenownews.com
THE NOW
KITCHEN SECRETS Tri-Cities residents share their
A NEW GM IN TOWN Coquitlam Adanacs hire
Scott Wortley to run junior, intermediate lacrosse squads
36
Serving COQUITLAM, PORT COQUITLAM, PORT MOODY, ANMORE and BELCARRA since 1984
A new way to help the food bank
DONATE ONLINE TO HELP SHARE STOCK THE SHELVES
Jeremy DEUTSCH jdeutsch@thenownews.com With just a few weeks of food left on the shelves, the SHARE food bank has put out an urgent appeal for donations. In an effort to help, the Tri-Cities NOW is making a slight change to its Caring for Tri-Cities Kids campaign. All donations both in person and online from the campaign will now go toward whatever the organization deems most needed, in this case the food bank. Previously, donations went strictly toward helping SHARE buy Christmas presents for children whose parents cannot afford to do so. SHARE CEO Martin Wyant welcomed the change, suggesting it will help where the need is most urgent. “This year, where we’re feeling the sharpest need is on food and money to buy food,” he said. The Caring for Tri-Cities Kids campaign (formerly known as Pennies for Presents), has typically raised donations for CONTINUED ON PAGE 5
LISA KING/NOW
Grade 10 student Veronica Oh pours a coffee for Veronica Weinkam at Heritage Woods Secondary’s Seniors’ Christmas Tea, which featured performances by the school’s choir and dance team, as well as opera singers. For more photos, visit us online or scan this page with Layar.
Question: will you pay 0.5% more? Jeremy DEUTSCH jdeutsch@thenownews.com If the easy part was coming up with the question, the tough part begins with the sale. On Thursday, Metro Vancouver mayors approved a transit referendum question asking residents
whether they support a 0.5-per-cent hike in the provincial sales tax to fund a major transportation plan. The tax increase is expected to cost the average Metro Vancouver homeowner $128 a year. The question still needs to be approved by the province before a referendum, which is expected to be
held in the spring, can be set. Coquitlam Mayor Richard Stewart argued the region needs the significant investment in transportation, adding doing nothing is not an option. He also said the mayors’ plan for a PST increase is the cheapest alternative for residents.
Though the mayor suggested residents are always concerned about increased costs, he said he intends to make the case that municipalities will be left to make transit improvements individually, which will be even more costly. “We have some work to do to make sure everyone understands
the choices before us, and I really believe once people understand those choices they will support these investments,” Stewart told the Tri-Cities NOW on Thursday, following the mayors’ vote. The Mayors’ Council on Regional Transportation Strategy calls for a CONTINUED ON PAGE 5
2 Pairs are Better Than One FREE SIGHT TESTING
w w w. n e w t re n d o p t i c a l . c a
Merry Christmas to All. Come in and see what’s really available for YOUR specific visual needs!
2 PAIR SINGLE VISION GLASSES Frame and Plastic Lenses 2nd Pair can be a different Prescription. With Anti Reflective Coating.
$
*Some restrictions apply. Sight testing is not an eye health exam.
169
95
TWO PAIR
95 1 Pa ir starting at $99
2550B Shaughnessy Street Port Coquitlam
$
289
95
TWO PAIR
2 PAIR PROGRESSIVE BIFOCAL COMPLETE
95 1P air start g at $199 in
NO-LINE Frames & Plastic Lenses
Jim Van Rassel www.jimvanrassel.ca
For an appointment call
604-942-9300