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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2016
Delta police step in to deal with mall traffic SANDOR GYARMATI
s g y a r m a t i @ d e l t a - o p t i m i s t .c o m
PHOTO BY GORD GOBLE
Christina Shellard and daughter Sienna must move from their 16A Avenue secondary suite that didn’t pass civic inspection.
New home not so suite Single mom must vacate as Delta takes aim at non-compliant units
SANDOR GYARMATI
s g y a r m a t @ d e l t a - o p t i m i s t .c o m
A Tsawwassen single mom feels under the gun by Delta’s stringent secondary suite regulations. Renting a suite on 16A Avenue for the past several months, Christina Shellard has
been told by her landlord she has to vacate following a bylaw inspection where deficiencies were found with the unit. Having moved there with her 10-year-old daughter Sienna, Shellard says she’s frustrated because they’ve already settled into the neighbourhood and her daughter is going to a nearby
Francophone school. “I lived in Richmond for five years and wanted to move back here. I found this place on Craigslist but now they’re saying the ceiling is too low in the bedroom and they have to increase the size of the windows. I would like to stay here but need the time to at least find somewhere
else. It’s impossible for this price range.” Shellard’s unit is just one of many Delta staff have found, either through online advertisements, complaints or other means, in an ongoing, proactive approach to dealing with non-compliant suites. CIVIC: see Page 3
Traffic will be monitored to ensure things don’t get out of hand. Delta police had that to say following traffic chaos during opening weekend at Tsawwassen Mills. The mall was busy during last Wednesday’s grand opening but didn’t have lineups along Highway 17. That certainly wasn’t the case on the long weekend, however, especially on Saturday when an estimated 50,000 people arrived during the day. A long lineup in the right lane of Highway 17 just to get to the mall stretched well past the intersection at 56th Street, but even bigger problems were experienced in the mall’s parking lot for people trying to exit, many venting their frustration on social media. It prompted Delta police to take direct control of managing the flow. Police spokesperson Sharlene Brooks told the Optimist that an operational plan was in place ahead of the mall’s opening, done in collaboration with Tsawwassen Mills, traffic control personnel and the RCMP, to address the safe movement of vehicles. She noted an increase in volume was anticipated on the long weekend, but Saturday and Sunday proved to be a challenge. POLICE: see Page 3
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