DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS..........................5
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A shop in South Vancouver draws many on a weekly basis to play the popular tabletop game
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NOVEMBER 17, 2016 • VOL. 48 NO. 25• VANCOUVER, B.C.
Rats enrage residents
Langara may look at YMCA space The LSU is hoping the college will try to buy property when it goes for sale By BONNIE LEE LA MADELEINE
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CHERYL WHITING main photo/SANDIE BROWN photo insert
Sandie Brown in the neighbourhood of the Fire Hall No. 5 demolition site. Brown said she found a dead rat (insert) in her yard.
Neighbours of Fire Hall No. 5 blame demolition for rodent infestation By CHERYL WHITING
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ome residents in Champlain Heights are wondering why the City of Vancouver is doing nothing about a rat problem they say has been caused by the demolition of a nearby building. Sandie Brown, a resident and board member at Killarney Gardens Housing Co-Operative, said that rat sightings went up drastically after Fire Hall No. 5 was demolished in July. “I was looking outside my patio door and there were four young rats frolicking on my patio deck,” she said. “I was livid.” After some sightings and the desecration of her vegetable garden, Brown said she called city hall, and they sent a technician out. Instead of fixing the problem, Brown said the technician
blamed her for having the vegetable garden, and said that it was the cause of the rat problem. “He didn’t put down bait traps or anything. His attitude was like, ‘you have no proof, it’s up to you to deal with them,’” she said. Brown said that the Co-op had to have exterminators come after the recent sightings to put down additional rat traps. The City of Coquitlam enacted a policy after receiving numerous complaints about rats from neighbours adjacent to demolition sites. Jim Bontempo, manager of building permits and approvals for Coquitlam, confirmed that rat sightings were due to increased demolition in the city, and that all property owners are now required to submit an inspection report from a pest control company before
qualifying for a demolition permit. “The program is fairly successful, in that we have not really been getting a lot of complaints from adjacent neighbours since,” he said. While Vancouver does not have the same law as Coquitlam, City of Vancouver spokesperson Tobin Postma said that possible solutions are being discussed. “Staff are currently reviewing the permit requirements and looking at how a similar sort of rodent policy could be incorporated,” he said in an email statement. Brown said she feels frustrated with the lack of action from the city. “I know that all large urban areas have problems with rodents but I don’t feel it should be to the extent that it is now,” she said. ‘[The city has] just dragged their heels.”
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There were four young rats frolicking on my patio deck. I was livid SANDIE BROWN CHAMPLAIN HEIGHTS RESIDENT
LSU surveys students about their needs POSSIBLE services
Those at Langara will have their say on new student services
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By ALYSE KOTYK
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Advocacy Office: Will provide guidance to students who are in formal conflicts with the college. Campus Cogs — Langara Bike Shop Expansion: Will provide free bike repair and maintenance for students. Games Room: A place to relax and play video games.
Source: LSU, Report of the General Manager
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ew services, ranging from a student advocacy group to a campus radio station, may be coming to Langara College, depending on a survey being administered by the Langara Students’ Union. This process is part of the LSU’s Democracy Project, which includes the survey that will gauge student interest in 21 potential services. LSU general manager Desmond Rodenbour said the project emerged from students’ hopes of what the LSU could do for the school. “What do you think of your student union? What has it done for you lately?” Rodenbour said he had asked students around campus. “I took a lot of notes, and from that comes the Democ-
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racy Project.” Rodenbour compiled the responses from those he talked to into a survey for students, with the top 10 being brought to a campus-wide referendum in February. The referendum will include a breakdown of how much each service would cost, and if any receive 51 per cent student approval, they will be implemented. Langara College design student Pablo Corry said he would be interested in having more study space, a games room or a radio station on campus, as long as it was easy to access. “That’d be cool, I’d just want to know where I could listen to it,” Corry said of the radio station. “Maybe a podcast, or something on the computer.” Rodenbour suggested that some services, like a student advocacy office, might not receive as many votes, but EDITOR CHANDLER WALTER
would still be valuable for students. Other post-secondary institutions, including UBC, find an advocacy office is helpful for supporting students in conflicts with the university. “As a student, sometimes you get intimidated,” said UBC’s advocacy coordinator, Letitia Chu. “Having that support is really helpful [knowing] that someone is there for you.” Rodenbour said these services have the potential to be long lasting, and hopes that students will be proud of their contributions. “That was my question to students and to elected officials,” he said. “What if you came back 25 years later? What service would you have been involved in starting? Would you be proud to say ‘hey, I helped start that’?” LISTEN IN TO AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW ON OUR PODCAST AT langaravoice.ca
hen the YMCA announced last spring that its Langara facility would be moving to Cambie Street, a member of Langara Students’ Union saw an opportunity for the college. Space at Langara campus is in high demand, and with more than 22,000 students currently enrolled, it is difficult to find free space to study. Unfortunately, the college’s expansion options are limited. To grow, the college would need to expand upwards, or buy space as it becomes available. Acquiring the YMCA property, if it goes to sale, is a possible solution. Kelly Walker, manager of communications for the YMCA, said the organization has filed a rezoning application with the City of Vancouver to put the building on the market, which is currently under review. “Proceeds of the sale would support programs at the YMCA,” she said. After learning about YMCA’s move, Harsimran Malhi, a student affairs officer at the LSU, worked with the union to explore Langara’s options for expansions. Malhi said one option was housing, and they circulated a petition on campus. The positive findings were presented to provincial government representatives. Communications director for the Ministry of Advanced Education, Rodney Porter, said that if the conditions are right, then approval of purchase would be DESMOND RODENgiven. BOUR “If Langara Col- General lege and their Manager, LSU board of governors has the desire and funding, and the land or building is for sale, then the decision to purchase would be up to the college to manage,” said Porter in an email. “Only the disposal of assets would require provincial government approval.” Desmond Rodenbour, general manager for the LSU, said the province may support Langara’s expansion goals, but it will not allow the college to add to the provincial debt load. The LSU is now looking for other ways for the college to grow — by either building up, or expanding out. “We are thinking of having a meeting with the Mayor’s Office to discuss how feasible these two options are,” Malhi said. “Or asking the Mayor’s Office to let Langara build higher.” Zoning bylaws currently limit the height of buildings on campus.
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