FRIDAY
JANUARY 16, 2015
TRI-CITIES
Company announces plan to pull out of Canadian market
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thenownews.com
THE NOW
TARGET TO CLOSE
WEST SIDE STORY Coffee Concerts series kicks off
this Sunday with 1950s favourites
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Serving COQUITLAM, PORT COQUITLAM, PORT MOODY, ANMORE and BELCARRA since 1984
Naked hiker puzzles police 3 REPORTS OF MAN WALKING ON TRAIL Jeremy DEUTSCH jdeutsch@thenownews.com The mystery of the naked man seen along a Coquitlam trail continues to deepen. Coquitlam Mounties confirmed a third sighting of a naked man Wednesday on the Crystal Falls Trail near Shaughnessy Street and Karley Crescent. Police believe it was the same man reported in two previous sightings in the area. Coquitlam RCMP Cpl. Jamie Chung said the sighting took place around 12:30 p.m., about 40 minutes up the trail near the waterfall, but officers didn’t get the call until after one o’clock. Much like the previous two sightings, the naked man didn’t threaten or initiate a conversation. “He basically climbed up the side of the falls and disappeared into the fog,” Chung told the Tri-Cities NOW. “He smiled at the complainant and didn’t say anything or do anything else.” He also noted the man wasn’t wearing any shoes. The latest sighting comes on the heels of RCMP asking for the public’s help to find the man, following two previous sightings on the trail.
City looks at pesticide use
Jeremy DEUTSCH
jdeutsch@thenownews.com Drive around the Tri-Cities, or anywhere in the Lower Mainland for that matter, and you won’t have to look hard to find the damage done by the European chafer beetle. Port Moody’s mayor only has to look out his window to see the destruction caused by the pest. His own lawn, like many others in the community, has been ripped apart by wildlife searching for chafer beetle larvae. The damage in landscape value in Port Moody is estimated to be several hundred thousand dollars, according to the mayor. On Tuesday, he raised a motion asking city staff to look at options for treatment of lawns to prevent damage caused by the beetles, also called June bugs. The question now is what treatments should be used to get rid of the problem. Clay’s motion included having staff look at both organic and chemical options, including a handful of pesticides currently banned in the city. But the majority of council was opposed to the idea of exploring pesticides as an option, and voted it out of the original motion. The mayor’s motion also mentioned the use of predatory nematodes, a natural soil organism, but suggested the results have been mixed. Coun. Zoe Royer argued the focus should be on non-pesticide options, adding the city prides itself on being the first municipality in B.C. to ban pesticides. She also suggested the report downplays the use of nematodes as an option.
LISA KING/NOW
Port Moody Mayor Mike Clay’s lawn has been dug up by wildlife searching for chafer beetle larvae. Clay proposed a motion that could allow residents to use pesticides, but council voted it down. “I do think the city needs to play a role in educating residents and look at what would be best at treating this epidemic in our community,” Royer said. Coun. Megan Lahti said she would like to see other options brought forward. “I see it as a huge step backwards. I don’t think we’re being very progressive if our first option is to just go to pesticides after we’ve banned them from the city,” she said. “There are other options out there that are done naturally. I’d like to see a little more effort put into a solution.”
In the end, council asked staff to report back with options for minimizing damage caused by the beetles and provide information on natural alternatives, including nematodes. Clay said residents have been asking the city for a solution to the problem. “So they’re saying ‘You’re prohibiting me from using the pesticide, so what can I do?’ We need to figure out what the options are,” he said, adding he hopes staff will come back with some options quickly. The resolution also asked staff to provide an education program to
instruct residents on combating the beetle without the use of pesticides. The chafer beetle is a non-native invasive pest that feeds on grass roots, resulting in dead patches of grass on lawns. The larvae (also known as grubs) are a delicious treat for birds, skunks, raccoons and other animals that will dig up lawns to feed on grubs in the soil. Last spring, the City of Coquitlam offered free water exemption permits so soil can be kept moist if homeowners apply nematode treatments to kill chafer beetles in their lawns. twitter.com/jertricitiesnow
British Columbia Christian Academy A Tri-City Pre K-12 Christian School Since 1992
Special Pancake Events
Join us for our Special Pancake Events. January 17th & 24th, and February 7th, from 9am to12:30pm. Please RSVP.
www.bcchristianacademy.ca 604-941-8426
1019 FERNWOOD AVENUE, PORT COQUITLAM