The Tri-Cities Now March 4 2015

WEDNESDAY MARCH 4, 2015

TRI-CITIES

over loss of trees near Shoreline Trail

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THE NOW

CUTTING CONCERN Port Moody city councillor upset

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Gym mishap costs district $1.5 million LAWSUIT CLAIMS BOY WAS INJURED WHILE TAKING DOWN VOLLEYBALL NET

Jeremy DEUTSCH jdeutsch@thenownews.com The family of a PoCo student injured in a P.E. class has been awarded a seven-figure settlement by a Supreme Court judge.

According to court documents filed on Friday, Jose Marco Reyes was awarded $1.5 million related to an incident at Minnekhada Middle on Nov. 3, 2011.

In the original statement of claim filed in March 2012, Reyes was a Grade 6 student at the PoCo school and was about to attend a physical education class in the school gym.

Documents suggest two teachers assigned particular students, including Reyes, to remove the end posts for the volleyball nets from the gym floor because the lesson didn’t require the nets.

As Reyes was standing by the net, two other Grade 7 students who were also helping with the nets dropped the metal end post and it came crashing down, hitting him on the head.

The statement of claim said Reyes lost consciousness and a significant amount of blood from the head wound.

He was taken to Eagle Ridge Hospital suffering from a head wound and left frontal bone fracture in his skull.

As a result of the injuries, the suit claimed the sixth grader suffered from a number of emotional and physical conditions, including chronic pain, headaches, photophobia (sensitivity to light), memory problems, impaired concentration, anger CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

LISA KING/NOW

Coquitlam city council approved a new budget Monday night that pays for six new police officers to target crime hot spots and to patrol future SkyTrain stations.

$70 tax hike approved BUT COQUITLAM STRESSES INCREASE IS LOWEST IN YEARS

John KURUCZ jkurucz@thenownews.com The City of Coquitlam is poised to pass its smallest property tax increase in a decade, with rates expected to increase by about $70 over last year’s levels.

Council passed the first three readings of the city’s 2015 budget unanimously

on Monday, and the average property tax hike checks in at 2.34 per cent. When taking into account the city’s tax burden shift, those rates will be 2.71 per cent for residential properties and 1.71 per cent for commercial properties.

The property tax increase is $48 for the average home, valued at $567,000 in 2014. The total increase including

utility levies is $73, resulting in a total of $2,982 in taxes and levies.

The major areas of new spending include the hiring of six new RCMP officers ($891,000), capital funding for the parks, recreation and culture department ($500,000), capital maintenance for city facilities ($500,000), CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

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Tree cutting concerns residents PORT MOODY COUN. RICK GLUMAC SAYS HE’S BEEN FIELDING CALLS ABOUT CP WORK

Jeremy DEUTSCH jdeutsch@thenownews.com For those who walk or jog along the Shoreline Trail in Port Moody, it’s looking a little different these days.

CP Rail has cut down a portion of trees at the entrance to the popular trail at Murray Street, but the work has at least one city councillor lamenting the change to the landscape.

Coun. Rick Glumac said he’s fielding a number of calls and concerns from residents about the recent work in the area, and suggested the entrance to the trail will never be the same.

“Instead of having a buffer and a little bit of forest between the Shoreline Trail and the rail, now we just have this area of stumps which certainly doesn’t look very good,” he said.

And Glumac is imploring the rail company to communicate its plans with residents and the community in the future.

“It would be nice if they [CP Rail] let the public know what the plans were there, so people weren’t surprised about it,” he told the Tri-Cities NOW. “I think a lot of people were surprised. It is quite shocking the number of trees that have come down.”

Glumac, who sits on a rail safety committee with the Union of B.C. Municipalities, said rail safety has been a focus for Transport Canada, but he’s not sure why the trees at the Murray Street crossing had to come down.

In statement to the Tri-Cities NOW, a CP

LISA KING/NOW

CP Rail cut trees along a section of track near where the Shoreline Trail meets Murray Street recently, with a spokesperson saying the work was “track maintenance.”

Rail spokesperson said the company is clearing brush and overgrowth from crossings in the area to meet Transport Canada grade crossing sight line standards.

“Vegetation management is a critical aspect of track maintenance,” said CP spokesman

Salem Woodrow.

“Excessive vegetation can restrict visibility at grade crossings, compromise the safety of railroad employees, deteriorate the track structure, hinder track safety and create potential fire hazards. It can also damage rail

equipment moving on a rail line. Safety is the priority and we are committed to completing the process in a safe, responsible manner.

He said the work in the area should be completed in a couple of weeks.

It’s not clear how many trees were cut down or how many more will meet the axe.

But the recent tree cutting has Glumac suggesting the return of the city’s rail committee to help with communications between the municipality and CP Rail.

Besides the trees, the councillor said there are other issues with the railway that need to be dealt with, including the use of whistles being sounded in the early morning.

The city has a meeting planned with CP officials for April.

The removal of trees isn’t the first time work along the CP line has caught the attention of the city.

Last month, CP, which is responsible for the tracks the West Coast Express runs on, sent out a press release warning users of possible delays for up to two months while the company carries out track maintenance.

The work forced a number of delays for the WCE and an apology from TransLink to riders regarding the service disruptions.

In an explanation, CP said it must schedule, outside of each dedicated commuter train window in the morning and evening, a halting of train traffic to create “track blocks” that allow for crews to work on small sections of the project under tight timelines.

Naming rights available in Coquitlam CITY LOOKS TO CORPORATE SPONSORSHIP FOR REVENUE

John KURUCZ jkurucz@thenownews.com The City of Coquitlam is turning to the corporate world to help subsidize its infrastructure, programs and services.

The framework of the Coquitlam Corporate Partners strategy was rolled out Monday, and is broken down into four categories: program sponsorships, naming rights, special event sponsorships and advertising.

“In general, the city should view corporate sponsorships as marketing partnerships

between the municipality and the corporate sponsors, ensuring that each party, and our residents, receives some perceptible benefit from the agreement,” a city staff report notes.

Partnership opportunities are already being offered up this year alone: naming rights for both the recently opened Poirier Forum and the Town Centre Outdoor Performance and Event Plaza, along with event sponsorships for the city’s Canada Day and Light the Hall events.

Revenue from the strategy will be held in a sponsorship

reserve fund and directed tive and implement this in a back into city services and measured way and get our programs. Under the agree- community’s feedback as we ment, the financial backers move forward,” said Michelle Hunt, director will receive of planning promotional and busiand marketing ness services benefits from for the city’s the city.

We want to be parks and A video sensitive and recreation presentaimplement this department. tion to coun“We also cil touted the in a measured want to make Poirier Forum way and get our sure that we naming rights community’s secure the as an “outdoor right corporadvertising feedback ... ate partners opportunity –Staffer Michelle Hunt for our facililike no other” ties, events that would see a business’s name displayed and our programs so that we to more than two million meet our win-win-win objective.” passersby each year.

In most instances, staff will “We want to be sensi-

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THE TRI-CITIES NOW

| WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4, 2015

NEWSN0W

Coquitlam budget includes 6 new cops

CONT. FROM PAGE 1

funding for parks and recreation programs at community centres ($243,000) and topup funding to help replace outdated equipment for the Coquitlam Public Library ($218,000).

Monday’s budget represents the sixth straight year of declining tax rate increases. Without the budget’s two

largest areas of spending — new RCMP members and parks and facilities spending — this year’s increase would be about 0.6 per cent.

“We have heard from you that you want us to be accountable,” Mayor Richard Stewart said at Monday’s council meeting. “But we have also heard that you depend on us for services, infrastructure and amenities.

Tonight’s budget strikes that delicate balance.”

Utility levies will also rise this year, albeit marginally: $4 for water rates, $13 for sewer and drainage and $8 in solid waste charges. Staff analysis suggests yearly tax increases until 2019 will hover around the three-percent range.

By far the highest single expense in the budget, the

six new RCMP officers will be part of a Coquitlamspecific team designed to boost patrol and response resources in crime hot spots or during periods of high call volume. Currently, the force boasts about 200 members, meaning the six new officers account for a three-per-cent increase in staffing.

Coun. Craig Hodge said the new cops will help with local

traffic enforcement, while ensuring future SkyTrain stops won’t become hives for criminal activity.

“I want to make sure that the benefit that we have from these new stations in the city aren’t outweighed by any increase in crime,” he said.

The second largest area of spending is in parks, recreation and culture. That department is in the midst of com-

Why should the Tri-Cities vote YES? MORE WEST COAST EXPRESS SERVICE An additional 10 new train cars and 1 new locomotive will offer more service during peak morning and evening hours, and 3,000 more seats per day.

NEW B-LINE RAPID BUS SERVICE Save time and wait less with more frequent service, including buses every 10 mins in Como Lake and Austin Heights. Plus, new B-Line service every 6 mins from Coquitlam to Maple Ridge.

ROAD UPGRADES Road upgrades will ensure people, goods and services move more freely, efficiently and safely, while also addressing critical bottlenecks.

Together, these projects and many more meet the demands of an expected population growth of 1 million in the next 30 years, which would otherwise put unimaginable strain on an already overcrowded transportation network.

Voting YES in the upcoming Transit and Transportation Referendum will reduce the costs of congestion by 33% and improve the quality of life for everyone. All for less than 35 cents a day per household. Vote YES for a faster commute, a stronger economy and a better environment.

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pleting the city’s parks and recreation master plan, a massive exercise that covers future needs, programming, park spaces and policy decisions over the next 10 to 15 years.

Coun. Mae Reid characterized the plan as a top priority for the city this year.

“The kids are our future and we need to get them outside and we need to get them playing,” she said. “With a lot of the townhomes and the apartments that we’re building these days, we need the green space. They need places to ride their bikes and kick the ball around just like we used to do.”

Final reading of the budget bylaw is expected to take place on March 23.

SD43 refuted claims CONT. FROM PAGE 1

management issues, impulsive behaviour, unprovoked crying and personality changes.

The suit also claimed the injuries and damage were caused by School District 43’s breach of duty for failing to use properly instructed and physically capable adults to remove the end posts, by failing to properly supervise the Grade 7 students in the removal of the posts and by failing to properly supervise all of the students.

The school district filed a response to the claim denying many of the allegations.

The district denied that Reyes was tasked with removing the volleyball poles and that he suffered a loss of consciousness and a significant amount of blood.

Instead, the school suggested the student was negligent for his injuries for failing to follow the instructions of his teachers, failing to keep a proper lookout and removing the pole when he should have known he would not be able to control it.

In the settlement, the district is also required to pay for Reyes’s ongoing rehabilitation treatments and another $6,000 to cover the mediator and public guardian and trustee fees of $3,000 each.

Meanwhile, the settlement means the Reyes family will drop the suit against the district.

A trial date was set for November of last year, but was cancelled after the settlement was reached.

A call to the family’s lawyer, Robert Gibbens, was not returned by Tri-Cities NOW deadline.

THE TRI-CITIES NOW | WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4, 2015

NEWSN0W

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Work has been completed on a $20-million upgrade to the Como Lake substation in Coquitlam, which BC Hydro said will help meet growing demand for electricity in the community.

The Crown corporation noted electricity demand in the Tri-Cities area is expected to grow by two per cent each year over the next two decades.

BC Hydro explained the substations are an important part of the electrical system as they receive high voltage power from transmission lines and transform that

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Community Information Open House

Evergreen Line Rapid Transit Project

The Evergreen Line project team will hold a drop-in community meeting to provide an update on the tunnel boring operations at Clarke Road and Seaview Drive. The meeting will be an open house format.

This community meeting will take place: Thursday, March 5 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Seaview Community School 1215 Cecile Drive Port Moody, B.C.

For more information please visit the project web site at evergreenline.gov.bc.ca.

Project information is also available through the 24-hour traffic information line at 604 927-2080.

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THE TRI-CITIES NOW

| WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4, 2015

NEWSN0W

Coquitlam backs the Yes side in transit vote Coquitlam has joined Port Moody and a handful of

John KURUCZ

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other major Metro Vancouver municipalities to endorse the

Yes vote in the upcoming transit funding plebiscite.

Council unanimously voted to back the Yes side

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Monday on the heels of a staff report that laid out a lengthy list of potential benefits to both Coquitlam and the Tri-Cities: the addition of 10 new fleet vehicles and one new locomotive to the West Coast Express by 2024; improved bus and B-Line service to increase connectivity between centres and the Evergreen Line; more money for cycling and walking routes; additional bus service for the Burke Mountain area and a boost in resources to help fund major road network improvements and other maintenance projects.

“If the referendum fails, it will cost us all — in congestion and time spent commuting, in wear and tear on our vehicles, and on our wallet as municipalities, including Coquitlam, will be forced to look to property tax increases to fund improvements and maintenance for wider roads and space to store more cars,” Mayor Richard Stewart said. “I encourage everyone to make sure they are registered, as there is a lot at stake for Coquitlam.”

Forecasts suggest Coquitlam’s population will grow by more than 100,000 residents in the next 30 years, doubling the current employment numbers. With that growth will come added demand on the city’s infrastructure, along with more congestion on the road network.

Port Moody joined the Yes side last week, while councils in Vancouver, New Westminster and Surrey have also come out in support of the 0.5-per-cent congestion improvement tax.

The Mayors’ Council on Regional Transportation Strategy calls for a $7.5-billion investment over 10 years, and proposes using that 0.5-per-cent tax to help pay for the plan.

Mail-in ballots for the plebiscite will be sent to Metro Vancouver voters beginning March 16 and they’ll have until May 29 to return their ballot.

Credit card factory

Coquitlam Mounties are expected to reveal the results of a fraud ring investigation on Wednesday, after a search warrant executed at a PoCo home resulted in a significant seizure of equipment for what investigators called a sophisticated “credit card factory.”

For updates and details about this story, check back with the Tri-Cities NOW at www.thenownews.com.

THE TRI-CITIES NOW | WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4, 2015

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NEWSN0W

Coquitlam man guilty in sex assault on teen GIRL WAS APPROACHED AT LOUGHEED TOWN CENTRE BUS LOOP IN NOVEMBER

Jeremy DEUTSCH

to the crime in court.

According to Transit Police, John Walter Sebela, 49, pled guilty to sexual assault.

The high-risk prolific offender was arrested by

deutsch@thenownews.com A Coquitlam man accused of sexually assaulting a teenager on a bus has pled guilty

Transit Police at his home in Coquitlam on Nov. 27.

Police said Sebela approached the young woman at the Lougheed Town Centre bus loop three days earlier, touched her and made inappropriate comments before following her onto a bus.

He then sat down beside her and sexually assaulted

her before getting off the bus.

He is well-known to police as a prolific offender and is currently listed on the HighRisk Offenders Identification Program.

He has been in custody since his arrest, while his sentencing is scheduled for March 25.

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OPINION THE TRI-CITIES NOW

| WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4, 2015

Tri-Cities NOW is a division of LMP Publication Limited Partnership.

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Move over, left-lane hogs

W

e’ve all seen them or, more accurately, been stuck behind them as they blissfully cruise down Lougheed Highway or Highway 1 in the fast lane, with cars and trucks piling up behind.

Keep right except to pass? They haven’t heard that rule, or don’t care to follow it.

As drivers behind them fume, a dangerous situation develops as someone waits for a small gap between the driver in the left lane and the one in the right, then bursts through to get ahead of the pack.

According to the province, which is planning to crack down on so-called “left-lane hogs,” their behaviour leads to a lot of crashes.

“We know from a variety of data sources, whether it be ICBC, collision information, or RCMP traffic reports, that failure to keep right except to pass is actually a cause of a lot of collisions across British Columbia,” Transportation Minister Todd Stone told The Province. “It can lead to driver frustration and so forth, so we’re committed to strengthening the language in the act to give law enforcement better tools so they can crack down on left-lane hogs.”

Admitting that B.C.’s laws are “somewhat watered down” compared to those in other jurisdictions, Stone says feedback, especially from law enforcement, is behind the proposed change.

It’s about time. Whether you’re a faster driver or a slower one, left-lane hogs endanger you by blocking the natural flow of traffic and creating a situation where vehicles bunch together like a school of fish.

Creating tougher laws is one thing. Enforcing them is another. But presumably, if the push to tighten up these regulations is coming from law enforcement, police forces are willing to spend some time issuing tickets and changing driver behaviour, which could lead to a smoother highway-driving experience — and to the left-lane hog becoming an endangered species.

GLEN DRIVE FIRE SHOWS NEED FOR MANDATORY SPRINKLER BYLAW Re: “Fire takes a heavy toll,” Wednesday, Feb. 18.

With hundreds of people now out of their homes for many months and irreplaceable property destroyed, perhaps the ever-media-hungry Mayor Richard Stewart in Coquitlam may wish to revisit his stance on the mandatory fire sprinkler installation in many occupancies, including to-be-retrofitted and to-be-repaired buildings facing costs over a certain dollar figure.

This, after he led the charge against sprinklers in the front and back rooms on behalf of and with a number of developers and organizations such as the home builders association.

No, the sky didn’t fall, construction and development didn’t grind to a halt, nor did prices skyrocket when legislation was brought into many cities.

These systems assist in assuring citizens their quality of life, their property is much better preserved, and sprinkler legislation would have saved the Coquitlam taxpayer a very large sum of money over the past 20-plus years.

For local proof, ask the cities of Vancouver and Port Coquitlam about their comprehensive, and now many years enacted, mandatory sprinkler system installation bylaws.

Get on it, mayor.

K.D. Johnson Coquitlam Copyright in letters and other materials submitted voluntarily to the Publisher and accepted for publication remains with the author, but the Publisher and its licensees may freely reproduce them in print, electronic or other forms.

The publisher shall not be liable for minor changes or typographical errors that do not lessen the value of an advertisement. The publisher’s liability for other errors or omissions with respect to any advertisement is limited to publication of the advertisement in a subsequent issue or the refund of monies paid for the advertisement.

Stinginess is here to stay

T

wo issues have sprung to the fore in the opening weeks of the legislature that put the stingy (some would say miserly) ways of the BC Liberal government on full public display.

One of them is the never-ending story about the funding of public education in this province, while the other is another seemingly endless tale: how much funding the BC Ferries system should receive from taxpayers.

Let’s tackle the complex education system first.

In a classic case of giving with one hand while taking with the other, the government has topped up a special learning fund by $23 million while at the same time cutting school board budgets by $29 million (followed by a further $25-million chop the following year). But while the public education system is being squeezed (yet again), the government has topped up the budget for independent schools by $30 million (an increase largely driven by a significant hike in student enrolment at independent schools). The optics, as they say, don’t look good here.

There have been howls of outrage from B.C. school trustees about these pending cuts, but Premier Christy Clark has characterized the cost-cutting (or, cost “savings” in government parlance) exercise as merely going after “lowhanging fruit.”

That dismissive comment was like throwing oil on a long-simmering fire.

School districts have been grappling with rising, unfunded costs in the system for years. Things like inflation, pension improvements, rising MSP premiums and BC Hydro rates haven’t been covered by additional funding for quite a while, thus making the mandatory achievement of an annual balanced

VIEW FROM THE LEDGE Keith Baldrey

school board budget that much more difficult to accomplish every year.

Nevertheless, the provincial government is convinced legitimate savings can be found, either through a greater emphasis on shared “services” between some school districts or simply realizing cost efficiencies and eliminating spending waste.

Still, one can’t help but wonder whether there is a hidden agenda at work here: a not-so-subtle push to get some school districts to amalgamate.

While it remains to be seen whether that $29-million reduction can occur without hurting classroom instruction, it’s a different case when it comes to forcing “savings” on the BC Ferries system.

BC Ferries has already gone through a significant round of cost-cutting and consolidation, as sailings on many routes have been eliminated. There’s not much more there to cut and BC Ferries does not have control over certain cost items.

For example, the size of crews on ships — a favourite target of those who like to make apples-and-oranges comparisons to the Washington State ferry system — is mandated by Transport Canada, not by BC Ferries, and labour is a huge cost item.

A petition with 20,000 names on it was delivered to the legislature last week, calling for BC Ferries to return to the full control of the provincial govern-

ment. Such a move (not that it has much chance of happening) is meaningless, since it would do nothing to address the chief problem for BC Ferries users: high fares that keep getting higher.

B.C. taxpayers already generously fund BC Ferries, to the tune of about $190 million a year in subsidies. That’s almost $2 billion over 10 years, which puts that kind of funding on a level with major highway infrastructure projects like bridges.

But without any increase to that subsidy, fares will undoubtedly continue to climb, as BC Ferries has limited power to deal with two big cost items: labour and fuel costs.

And so far, the penny-pinching B.C. Liberals show no sign of even entertaining the idea of boosting that annual subsidy. As I’ve noted here before, there is a disconnect between the ruling party and many regular users of BC Ferries.

I suspect most of the 20,000 names on that petition, for example, are of people who live in ferry-dependent communities — which for the most part are NDP strongholds during provincial elections. And so there isn’t much of an entry point into the BC Liberal caucus for ferry advocates to apply political pressure, thus allowing the government to continue its steadfast insistence that there is no more water in the well to be drawn here.

In contrast, I suspect the escalating tension in the education sector will eventually have more of a chance to force the government to moderate its position, at least some.

That doesn’t mean the BC Liberals will start spending like drunken sailors though. Far from it: stinginess is here for a while.

Keith Baldrey is chief political reporter for Global BC.

LETTERS FINES AND FEES A BIG MESS

Isn’t it nice that Premier Clark has authorized and appointed ICBC to collect outstanding fines for driving and fines for ticket evaders on TransLink. And the newest addition, outstanding default student loans all amounting to millions of dollars and remain outstanding.

The message is clear, pay up or no driver’s license and renewal of auto insurance. This is our money and should be paid. But in the meantime, what have these government agencies been doing?

This is their responsibility and they should have been collecting the taxpayers’ money.

How many heads have been rolled out? Who was responsible?

How much of our money is going to be used to collect the delinquent fines and fees?

ICBC has to be paid for this added responsibility or this will add to increased rate hikes to you and I. Victoria has let us down again.

Note how they have managed and supervised TransLink? As they will say “it’s your money and we wish to use it to benefit all.” And continue to take whopping mandatory dividends from ICBC at our

expense.

What’s next? Possibly B.C. Hydro and delinquency? And it goes on. B.C., the best place in the world.

Elwin Mowry Coquitlam

A YES VOTE KEEPS GRAVY TRAIN GOING The mayors would like us to believe that voting No to the transit tax will stall the economy, increase our carbon footprint and even cost lives, a ridiculous claim Vancouver Coastal Health’s Dr. Patricia Daly is even suggesting.

The question we must ask ourselves is why should TransLink be rewarded for bad behaviour?

They manage money poorly, overpay themselves, and allow people to steal from the system so transit users ultimately pay higher fares to subsidize.

Do people really believe adding one million residents in the next 20 years, purchasing more carbon spewing busses and building more roads for cars are going to reduce carbon?

Voting Yes will only keep the gravy train flowing, not transit.

It is no small wonder government, unions, mayors and especially TransLink are in favour of increased taxes.

Rick Evon Port Moody

KEEP BURRARD FOR BACKUP Re: “MLA responds to letter,” letter to the editor, Friday, Feb. 20.

With the exchanges between MLA Robinson and Reimer over closing of the Burrard Thermal gas powered plant we should all be wondering if our government is about to close a facility that could provide power during an emergency crisis. Such as snow or ice storms that could bring down power lines, or an earthquake?

It is true that our government through BC Hydro and private power producers are spending billions each year to provide more energy, but will they help the Lower Mainland in a major disaster?

I am very not surprised to hear MLA Reimer say that the Burrard power plant would create too many greenhouse gases and nitrogen oxide emissions, but does she admit, in a crises,

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that this gas powered plant, with these emission problems, could be very important and may even save lives.

Is is not Reimer’s government that OKs fracking all over our province and wants to build pipelines and super ports for super tankers so our natural gas can be delivered all around the planet, to be burned and release emissions that will greatly add greenhouse gases into the atmosphere?

This issue is not about $14 million. It’s about could we need this close at hand power production if we are hit by possible natural or man-made disasters?

This issue in not about us burning our own natural gas in peak or emergency situations. Not when we are dispersing gas and oil all around the world to countries with low standards of emissions.

I could see closing Burrard if we built another back up gas power generator (with higher efficiency) away from populated areas.

I could also see doing it with moving the Burrard Voltage Regulator Station. This would free up this ugly site for billions of dollars in real estate development that could add homes and raise millions in taxes every year.

Steve Mancinelli Coquitlam

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THE TRI-CITIES NOW

| WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4, 2015

International Women’s Day ‘Step it up’ for gender Chamber sees more equality, the UN says women in business Editor’s note: In honour of International Women’s Day, which takes place on Sunday, March 8, the Tri-Cities NOW is reprinting this March 3 message from Phumzile MlamboNgcuka, Executive Director of UN Women.

I

n 1995, at the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, world leaders committed to a future where women are equal.

One hundred and eighty nine countries and 4,000 civil society organizations attended the conference.

Women left Beijing with high hopes, with a well-defined path towards equality, and firm commitments at the highest level. Their hope was that we would see this by 2005.

Today, not one single country has achieved equality. It is more urgent than ever that we define — and stick to — a time frame.

There has been some progress in the last 20 years — although it has been slow and uneven.

Countries have narrowed the gender gap in education and some have even reached gender parity in school enrolment.

They have reduced the toll of maternal mortality and morbidity. Many more women survive pregnancy and childbirth than in 1995. Many countries have created institutions that address gender inequality. Many have passed laws against gender-based discrimination. Many have made domestic violence a crime.

This is all good news.

And yet we are still a long way from achieving equality between men and women, boys and girls.

Implementation of good policies has been patchy. Allocation of the resources needed for effective implementation has been insufficient to fund women’s ministries, gender commissions, gender focal points, and gender-responsive budgeting.

For too many women, especially in the least-developed countries, not enough has changed.

In Africa, 70 per cent of crop production depends on women, yet women still own only two per cent of the land.

Violence against women continues to blight lives in all countries of the world. And no country has achieved gender equality.

Women need change and humanity needs change. This we can do together; women and girls, men and boys, young and old, rich and poor.

The evidence is overwhelming of the benefits that equality can bring. Economies grow, poverty is alleviated, health status climbs, and communities are more stable and resilient to environmental or humanitarian crises.

Women want their leaders to renew the promises made to them. They want leaders to recommit to the Beijing Declaration, to the Platform for Action, and to accelerated and bolder implementation.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 11

S SELINA ROBINSON R M MLA

Coquitlam - Maillardville C

M March 8th, International Women’s Day, is an W excellent time to celebrate the accomplishments off women in business. Over the past 60 years women have made meaningful advances both as entrepreneurs and corporate leaders. I would like to take this opportunity to recognize all women in business here in the Tri-Cities, and in the Province of British Columbia who are transforming the landscape of our business community.

102 - 1108 Austin Avenue, Coquitlam, BC, V3K 3P5 Phone: 604-933-2001 Email: selina.robinson.mla@leg.bc.ca @selinarobinson Web: www.selinarobinson.ca

Jeremy DEUTSCH jdeutsch@thenownews.com Things have certainly changed since Irene Barr ventured into the business world three decades ago, when she was one of few women at the helm of a business in the Tri-Cities.

The owner of Business Centre Solutions in Coquitlam was also the president of the Tri-Cities Chamber of Commerce and was the only female presence on a male-dominated board.

But as International Women’s Day draws near and the local chamber gets set to celebrate the accomplishments of women in business, Barr can attest to how far women have come in recent years.

“I just think that women are leaps and bounds ahead of where we were 30 years ago,” she told the Tri-Cities NOW. She suggested the reason for the improvement, especially when it comes to

Irene Barr business ownership, is that women have a competitive advantage over their male counterparts when it comes to balancing financial responsibilities with human resources. More specifically, she believes women are more sensitive to the nuances of building relationships.

But the Tri-Cities business woman also knows more could be done to help younger entrepreneurial women get ahead. One improvement Barr feels is needed is in the area of financing.

She said women have a harder time getting money from banks to start up their businesses.

Barr was in the right place at the right time when she was starting out. She was approached by the owners of the Lincoln Centre building, where she’s been located for 30 years, to partner up and open Business Centre Solutions. Three years later she took over the business completely, but noted the initial start-up from her partners gave her the help she needed to go out on her own.

Barr suggested an organization like the Tri-Cities Chamber of Commerce can play a role by offering programs that help women entrepreneurs get financial backing and support from traditional banks.

She also sees mentoring as an important part of the picture.

“If a women can surround herself with mentors and with help when she needs it, CONTINUED ON PAGE 11

S SALINA CHENG C

O Owner, Salina Cheng Music Academy Inc. M

Salina K.Y. Cheng has been serving the Coquitlam area since 1996 as a music teacher and is presently running the Salina Cheng Music Academy. Salina holds a Doctorate degree in music, major in Piano Performance and Musicology. She became an Examiner of the Royal Conservatory of Music (Toronto) in 2006 and is the only Exam Theory Examiner in British Columbia.

Salina started piano when she was four, in Hong Kong with Dr. Harry Ore and theory with Dr. Phoebe Wei. She won numerous awards in Piano Competition that enables her to study in London, France and Russia. She performs extensively and runs workshops in Asian countries.

Being a landed immigrant in 1996, she started her home base piano studio and soon turned a “basement business” into her present Academy. The Academy has numerous experienced teachers, including but not limited to, Dr.Timothy van Cleave, a percussionist with a Doctorate degree; Miss Sunny Byun, Miss Vivian Sham, and Mr. Kenneth Nishi, who initially started as her students, they are now well qualifi ed with respective degrees and diplomas and are now on her panel of teachers with the Academy.

Salina is indeed an educator, she admits students at beginners level, coaches them through, from a beginner to a diploma recipient, including the A.R.C.T., L.R.C.M., and F.R.S.M. When her students show a keen interest in taking up music as a lifetime career, she hires them in the Academy, and shares with them her valuable 40 years of teaching experience. Her beloved slogan is “Attitude determines Altitude.”

2039 Henderson Place, 1163 Pinetree Way, Coquitlam BC, V3B 8A9 Phone: 604-944-3081 Korean Hotline: 604-338-8191

THE TRI-CITIES NOW | WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4, 2015

Port Moody Flowers

International Women’s Day

Celia Chiang is the sole proprietor of Port Moody Flowers.

With over 15 years of floral, event planning and consulting experience she believes that building lasting, honest and authentic relationships is the cornerstone of building good will in a small business.

Chamber hosts talk CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10

then those of us who are more established can really provide that support,” Barr said.

And that’s exactly what the local chamber is considering.

Executive director Michael Hind said the first initiative starts this week with an International Women’s Day celebration tomorrow (Thursday, March 5) at the Hard Rock Casino Vancouver featuring entrepreneur Barb Stegemann. The chamber is hoping to offer events each year.

While Hind doesn’t have hard numbers, he said more women are involved with the chamber than ever before.

“Our membership is far more diverse than it was a few years ago,” he said.

“Women are a big part of our business landscape and becoming even bigger.”

Though he’s not sure what mentorship pro-

grams will look like going forward, the chamber is looking at a formal women’s group.

Dana Strong, the chamber’s director of membership and member engagement, took a key role in organizing this week’s event and suggested there is still a glass ceiling for women, but added it’s important for women to help each other break through.

Strong also said small businesses are the largest growth sector, with two-thirds headed by women. She sees this week’s events as a celebration of how far women have come in the world of business, one that both men and women can share.

Barr echoes those sentiments.

“I get really excited when I see how well women are now doing, and I think that’s something we should celebrate because it certainly wasn’t an easy path,” she said.

For more information about Thursday’s event, go to tricitieschamber.com.

UN sets equality goal CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10

They want more of their leaders to be women. And they want those women, together with men, to dare to change the economic and political paradigms. Gender parity must be reached before 2030, so that we avert the sluggish trajectory of progress that condemns a child born today to wait 80 years before they see an equal world.

Today, on International Women’s Day, we call on countries to “step it up” for gender equality, with substantive progress by 2020.

Our aim is to reach “Planet 50:50” before 2030.

The world needs full equality in order for humanity to prosper.

Empower women, empower humanity. I am sure you can picture an equal world!

— Taken from the UN’s website

O OLGA GOROUPITCH G

11

Celia Chiang Newport Village 259 B Newport Drive, Port Moody 604-492-0880 Open 7 days a week! www.portmoodyflowers.ca

Purchasing flowers and plants twice a week at the local Co-Operative Flower Auction ensures freshness from our door to the recipient’s door. Supporting local farmers and growers is an integral part of Celia’s Mission Statement.

She wholeheartedly believes that by buying local and selling local products will exponentially improve the local economy and community. Celia is the treasurer of “Shop Local Port Moody,” which is now a registered non-profit society.

All locally owned brick and mortar small businesses in Port Moody are welcome to join.

There is always a reason to give or treat yourself to flowers.

Christine Catering Company I believe great food comes from the heart and soul: an appreciation for the common, and daring the uncommon, a love of the old and new. Throughout my career as a chef I have worked at some of the major restaurants and catering companies in Vancouver After several years in the industry I decided to start my own company, thus creating Christine Catering Company. Christine Catering Company was opened 9 years ago and has been open at our current locations, 2821 Spring Street, Port Moody, for the last 11 years.

Christine,

chef and owner at any mp Christine Catering Co

Here at Christine Catering Company we strive for excellence.

Our goal is to meet your needs and exceed your expectations in all aspects of our catering services. We provide traditional dishes as well as new innovative food creations. We have an uncompromising eye for detail along with dedicated customer service to ensure all details for functions and orders, big and small, are met with the care and attention needed to have a successful and pleasant experience with Christine Catering Company Inc.

2821 Spring Street, Port Moody 604-461-6333 info@christinecatering.com www.christinecatering.com

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B Beauty with Results. That’s the philosophy behind Avora Skin Spa. Our treatments are at the forefront of the latest non-invasive technologies for skin rejuvenation and body contouring.

Treatments include LED light, “Needlefree” Meso-Esthetic, RF skin sculpturing and tightening and Advanced crystal-free Microdermabrasion. All treatments are customized for the individual’s skin needs offering proven results. A first for The Tri-Cities, Avora is very proud to introduce a Hi-Tech Body Contouring treatment that combines 5 unique non-invasive technologies in a single session.

Avora’s holistic services are the refined collection of rituals and modalities from around the World – Austrian Alps, Mediterranean, Morocco, Africa, and India. Avora’s friendly and highly skilled Team have 45 years of combined experience in the medical (Dermatology, Laser Therapy) and holistic esthetics and make-up and strive to deliver their best.

Olga comes from the family of passionate business owners specializing in Dental Clinics and Laboratories. She successfully launched and has operated her first Spa since 1998 in Eastern Europe.

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THE TRI-CITIES NOW

| WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4, 2015

NEWSN0W

Compressor noise concerns Coquitlam FORTISBC HAS EXPANSION PLANS FOR FACILITY NEAR EAGLE MOUNTAIN PARK

John KURUCZ jkurucz@thenownews.com Coquitlam wants assurances from FortisBC that a revamped compressor station on Eagle Mountain won’t drown out the neighbours with non-stop ambient noise.

The issue of noise was the largest source of concern as the city signed off Monday on its submission to the B.C.

Environmental Assessment Office regarding the project.

FortisBC plans to add a pair of new 20,000-horsepower compressors to be housed in a new building, along with the three existing gas powered compressors, at its site near Eagle Mountain Park.

The site changes are being proposed to help the company expand its Vancouver

Island Gas Transmission Pipeline System in order to deliver natural gas to a liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant near Squamish.

According to a Coquitlam city staff report, the compressor station runs “day and night and can be heard by residents in the surrounding neighbourhood.”

The report suggests staff are unsure whether those noise levels will increase if expansion goes ahead.

Couns. Chris Wilson, Bonita Zarrillo and Mayor Richard Stewart all suggested Monday the city’s submission

to the environmental assessment process must flag noise as Coquitlam’s foremost concern.

“I’ve been up there on Parkway [Boulevard] and you can hear it 24 hours a day,” Wilson said.

Coun. Mae Reid wants measures in place that ensure the building colours match the natural surrounding environment, while other issues were raised about nearby park space.

The proposed substation is located on Crown land that is licensed to the city for park purposes, though the vast

majority of that land will be taken up by the station itself.

According to FortisBC spokesperson Trevor Boudreau, talks are underway to replace that lost park land, most likely via a trail connecting the Coquitlam Crunch and Eagle Mountain Park.

The details around who pays for what and which party completes the work are expected to be finalized by the end of this month, he said.

Boudreau also noted the colour of the building will, in fact, blend into the sur-

roundings via a naturally coloured wrap that will cover the entire facility.

As for the noise levels, Boudreau said the facility is bound by B.C. Oil and Gas Commission regulations that stipulate noise levels not exceed 40 decibels — equivalent to the sound of a quiet conversation or whisper — at any time near the building. That the new compressors are electric will also help mitigate noise and emissions concerns, he noted.

“We’re required to meet or exceed that guideline and we will,” Boudreau said.

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THE TRI-CITIES NOW | WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4, 2015

Like us on Facebook to win a paint party CONTEST ENDS FRIDAY

Got a kids’ party to plan?

The Tri-Cities NOW and 4Cats Arts Studio at Austin Station are giving away a free paint splatter party for a group of up to 10 children aged three to 12 years old.

Let your tyke and/or preteen find their inner Jackson Pollock and get abstract with some splatter art, or celebrate a birthday with friends while creating a colourful palette of memories. find us on

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To be entered into the draw: 1) Like the Tri-Cities NOW’s Facebook page; 2) Like and share this draw post with your Facebook friends; and 3) Tell us in the comment section below who your favourite artist is.

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To enter the draw, visit https://www.facebook.com/ thetricitiesnow.

The paint splatter party is valued at $195. The deadline to enter the draw is 5 p.m. on Friday, March 6, and the winner will be notified on Monday, March 9.

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THE TRI-CITIES NOW

| WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4, 2015

COMMUNITY&LIFE

Coquitlam library plans spring break fun KIDS CAN CATCH A MOVIE SCREENING OR LEARN TO FOLD ORIGAMI FROM AN EXPERT from movie screenings to origami workshops.

The Coquitlam Public Library is hosting free events for spring break, ranging

Film screenings:

Along with his inflatable robot companion and a group of friends, a boy genius takes

on a villainous mastermind in Big Hero 6. The first screening will be on Wednesday, March

11 at 1:30 p.m. in Rooms 136 and 137 at the City Centre branch. The second showing

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will be on Thursday, March 12 at 1:30 p.m. in the Nancy Bennett Room at the Poirier branch. Big Hero 6 is rated G (for general audiences), has a run-time of 108 minutes, and was produced by Walt Disney Pictures.

In Guardians of the Galaxy, Peter Quill — an adventurer who styles himself Star-Lord — teams with a group of alien rogues to track down an object of unimaginable power. Of course, some bad guys want it, too. The library will host a single screening on Thursday, March 19 at 2 p.m. in Room 136 at the City Centre branch. Guardians of the Galaxy is rated PG (parental guidance), has a runtime of 121 minutes, and was produced by Marvel Studios.

Registration is not required for any of the screenings, but those interested in attending are asked to arrive early to get a seat.

Origami workshops:

Professional origami artist Joseph Wu will teach easy paper-folding designs to kids aged seven and up on Wednesday, March 18 at the City Centre branch, and on Thursday, March 19 at the Poirier branch.

A Vancouver artist, Wu is well-known internationally for his designs, which are used in major advertising campaigns, and displayed in gatherings, symposiums, conferences and exhibitions of origami art.

Parents can register children for one of three time slots at either branch: 10 to 10:30 a.m.; 10:45 to 11:15 a.m.; or 11:30 a.m. to noon.

Folding paper will be provided.

Due to the time constraints for each session, children younger than seven will not be accepted.

To register your child for an origami session in Room 137 at the City Centre branch on Wednesday, March 18, call 604-554-7334.

For a session in the Nancy Bennett Room at the Poirier branch on Thursday, March 19, call 604-937-4142.

If you leave a message, clearly state your name, the name and age of your child, and your phone number.

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THE TRI-CITIES NOW | WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4, 2015

15

COMMUNITY&LIFE

Seniors’ forum set for Friday, March 27 MARCH 17 IS THE DEADLINE TO SIGN UP FOR THIS FREE WINSLOW CENTRE EVENT

jkurucz@thenownews.com Hundreds of participants are expected to flock to Coquitlam this month to discuss the most pressing challenges facing B.C.’s fastestgrowing demographic.

Organized by the Coquitlam Retired Teachers’ Association, the Tri-Cities Community Seniors’ Forum is slated for Friday, March 27.

It represents a chance for stakeholders from a number of sectors to make their voices heard to politicians at every level of government.

“The seniors’ forum was organized to allow the attendees to discuss matters that are important to seniors with our [Tri-Cities] elected officials,” said organizer Ken Kuhn.

“Topics of concern might include community home support, residential care, health care, transportation and other services affecting seniors.”

Panel discussions and a chance to talk with elected officials will be offered, along

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lar for home support services, assisted living and residential care.

The report also notes the cost of treating a senior in hospital ranges from $825 to $1,968 per day, while the cost of residential care is roughly $200 per day.

“I recently heard Isobel Mackenzie give a presentation on some of the problems

facing the health-care system, the lack of information and help available to those below the poverty line, problems with residential care and lack of spaces available, lack of affordable housing, and more,” Kuhn said. “We are very lucky to have a person like Isobel Mackenzie who will deal with the hard issues.”

The Tri-Cities Community Seniors’ Forum runs from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, March 27 at the Winslow Centre, located at 1100 Winslow Ave. The event is free, but those looking to attend must preregister by going to http:// seniorsforum.eventbrite.ca.

Registration will close on Tuesday, March 17.

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The Coquitlam Foundation is looking for a new executive director, following the resignation of Dale Clarke.

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Foundation chair Janet Toddington says the board of directors is disappointed to be losing such a valuable member of its team, “but we congratulate Dale and wish her every success in her new position.”

The foundation is now accepting applications for the part-time position of executive director.

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THE TRI-CITIES NOW

| WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4, 2015

SPORTSNOW

District trio pumped for BC tourney

As losses go, it was painful.

But the saving grace is, that with a B.C. berth already and a lesson served, the Terry Fox Ravens can and will play better when all the marbles are on the table next week.

The Ravens finished the Fraser Valley championships in third place, trouncing Semiahmoo 103-70 after suffering a tough 106-94 defeat at the hands of eventual tournament champion Yale.

It could be a case of a timely loss, which reinforces a team’s focus and will as the toughest battles unfold next week at the AAAA sr. boys provincials (March 11 to 14) at the Langley Events Centre.

Fox co-coach Brad Petersen said as upset as everyone was following the loss in the semifinal, they came in the next day refocused and put it behind them in routing Semiahmoo.

“We had a great talk after [the loss to Yale] and while we fell short of that goal, we were all focused on the next game,” noted Petersen. “No matter if you’re a high seed or a low seed, everyone comes in with the mentality to win.”

Jomari Reyes, who tallied 36 against Yale and 30 points in the win over Semiahmoo, was named to the Valley’s first all-star team, while Mike West earned a second team selection.

Fox, seeded eighth, faces David Thompson in the 5:15 p.m. game on March 11.

The Heritage Woods Kodiaks, meanwhile, clinched a provincial position by finishing sixth at the Valleys. They topped W.J. Mouat 64-52 on Friday, a day after ending Pitt Meadows’ season with a dramatic 70-69 win.

The Kodiaks fell 79-72 to Walnut Grove in the fifth-sixth place game, and will launch the provincials next Wednesday (March 11) at 1:45 p.m. against Sir Winston Churchill.

The Dr. Charles Best basketball team spun its own dream season with a pair of dramatic mustwin efforts to earn a ticket to the B.C. AAA sr. boys championships, which run March 11 to 14 in Langley.

Their Fraser Valley run began with an 87-67 loss to Abbotsford, forcing a do-or-die battle with Sullivan Heights where they prevailed 87-86 on Grade 10 Mike Pais’ game-winning shot.

They edged Brookswood 56-54 to clinch the school’s first senior boys B.C. berth.

Best closed the tourney with an 86-39 loss to Abbotsford Sr. Earning second team all-star honours were Zach Allan and Graham Miller.

The Coquitlam school has a huge test right away, having drawn No. 2-rated McMath in the opener on Wednesday, 10:15 a.m. at the Langley Events Centre.

To read more, visit www.thenownews.com.

GOT SPORTS?

Contact Dan

Phone: 604-492-4892 Fax: 640-492-4493 Email: sports@thenownews.com

Cornwall crowned MVP Dan OLSON

sports@thenownews.com Coquitlam’s Nikki Cornwall faced her biggest ebb very early in the season, when it looked like an ankle injury would put her on ice for a big chunk of Trinity Western University’s volleyball season.

The athletic five-foot-10 setter was adamant that she would push through it, recover and be back on the floor to help her team contend for the Canadian Interuniversity Sport women’s volleyball title — but for more than a few moments, there was doubt.

Jump ahead four months and the CIS tournament MVP sees that taste of adversity as a part of the whole journey.

“It happened in just the second game of the season and I was out for a whole month,” recalls Cornwall, 19. “I was upset because when I heard the ‘crack’ I thought I’d be out for a long time… That was the toughest time in the season to go through, because our other setter was also injured.”

Without a regular setter available even for practice, the university brought in a local Grade 10 boy to play the role in practice at the Langley campus, while Cornwall and fifthyear setter Lauren Moncks healed.

Building off those and other tests, the team grew stronger. After a lengthy and amazing journey, the Spartans are celebrating the sweetest of wins and the program’s first national title at last week’s championships.

Things like those early challenges both mentally and physically prepared them for the rough road ahead, including a final where the University of Alberta jumped out to a 2-0 lead.

“We’re a pretty resilient team. We had pressure of needing to win that third set, and we knew what they would bring having played them in the Canada West finals,” she said.

It followed a similar script as the Canada West final, where No. 1 Alberta took a 2-0 lead only to get swept by the Spartans. Getting it done twice in the matter of weeks only magnifies the accomplishment on Saturday.

“We came out [to start the CIS final] pretty casual and knew we wanted to start strong,” she recalled. “Honestly, I think we’d be hesitant to admit that the pressure of being down 2-0 would get to us.”

Swinging that momentum and maintaining it involved a complete team effort, as Trinity spun off with twin 25-15 sets and capped it 15-12. If there was a turning point in the third set, Cornwall pointed to one play involving the squad’s other Tri-Cities product, middle blocker Katey Devaney.

“That was a huge moment, when Katey picked up a tip down the line, we kind of stood

SPORTS SHORTS SR GIRLS TIP-OFF FOR BC TITLE The B.C. High School senior girls AAA basketball championships begin today, with the Riverside Rapids and Dr. Charles Best Blue Devils both eager to push the envelope.

Riverside, seeded third overall, meets No. 14-rated Burnaby Mountain at 3:30 p.m. at the Langley Events Centre.

The next game features Best, in their provincial tournament debut, against No. 6-ranked Handsworth. The Coquitlambased Blue Devils are seeded 11th.

A victory by both teams would see a North league quarterfinal on Thursday, 8:45 p.m.

The Rapids enter the tourney after placing third overall at the Fraser Valleys, while Best placed seventh and advanced on the strength of last week’s thorough 78-48 victory over Sir Winston Churchill.

To follow the B.C. senior girls tournament, visit http:// www.bchighschoolbasketballchampionships.com/aaagirls/.

SCOTT STEWART/TWU

Coquitlam’s Nikki Cornwall plays the net during recent Canada West women’s volleyball action. The setter helped pilot Trinity Western University to its first national title. up and said ‘we can do this.’”

Cornwall would rack up 53 assists and a team-best 20 digs over the five sets to draw the MVP award. Her first two years at TWU have been a lesson in achievement, as the Dr. Charles Best grad established herself as a force in her freshman year and took on more on-court responsibilities this season.

Her own game has evolved as she’s adapted to university play, and when she wasn’t feeling 100 per cent sharp at the Toronto-hosted nationals, Cornwall elevated other areas of her game to contribute.

“I think the first two games I felt good, the rhythm and plays were going according

EXPRESS BEGIN PLAYOFF RUN

It’s time to turn the page and prepare for a new chapter.

The Coquitlam Express are hoping they’ve got lightning in a bottle and can replicate some of last year’s magic as they start the 2014-15 B.C. Hockey League playoffs as heavy underdogs.

Coming on the heels of back-to-back spankings at the hands of the Chilliwack Chiefs, where they were outscored 11-5, Coquitlam began the postseason yesterday in Chilliwack.

Game 2 goes tonight (Wednesday) in the Valley town.

The series shifts to the Poirier Sports Centre on Friday and Saturday for Games 3 and 4, both 7 p.m. starts.

While the Chiefs are favoured, after a division-topping 37-17-1-3 record, Coquitlam is going in with one of the league’s top offences, lead by BCHL scoring champion and MVP Corey Mackin and Rookie of the Year Brett Supinski.

“Obviously we know what it takes to compete in the playoffs, but you need to put it together on each night, each shift,” remarked the Express coach Barry Wolff. “I’m sure they’ll have one line dedicated to shut down (the Mackin, Supinski and Brendan Lamont) line, so we have to work through that.”

For updated results, visit www.thenownews.com.

to plans, but it’s such a huge spotlight,” she said of the championships. “I wouldn’t say I was nervous (in the final) but my touch just wasn’t there, so I made sure I was working it on defence. It was something I could control.”

Coming from a family of accomplished athletes, with brothers Jeff and Travis making their way in lacrosse, Cornwall said the decision to focus on volleyball in Grade 10 has always felt right — even if it meant giving up passions in soccer and lacrosse.

“It came down to soccer and volleyball, and I knew I loved volleyball more when I started it in Grade 7,” she recalls. “I just had to follow my heart.”

POCO PAIR OFF TO NATIONALS

Abetted by rock-steady contributions of Riverside alumna Megan Rosenlund and Tylar Turnbull, the Vancouver Island University Mariners successfully defended their PacWest B.C. women’s volleyball title, defeating Island rival Camosun College 3-2 on Saturday.

The M’s dropped the first two sets 15-25 and 21-25 before ramping it up and overpowering host Camosun. They got on the board with a nail-biting 26-24 third-set victory, then peeled off decisions of 25-14, 15-12 to cap the comeback.

“When it looked like we were going to lose in three sets, our bench talked about the fact that our heart was still beating and that there was still a glimmer of hope,” said VIU coach Shayne Hyde. “We knew that if we could just keep it going and put the pressure on Camosun that we’d have a chance to turn it around.”

Turnbull, a fourth-year middle blocker from PoCo, was one of three Mariners named to the tournament all-star team, joining Megan Groenedijk and Kelsey Johnson.

Both VIU and Camosun now advance to the nationals next week in Quebec.

THE TRI-CITIES NOW | WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4, 2015

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THE TRI-CITIES NOW

| WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4, 2015

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