Tuesday, February 4, 2013 Ridge Meadows Flames were doused on home ice this weekend, but fans remains optimistic.
Page A13 • LOCAL NEWS, SPORTS, AND ENTERTAINMENT • mrtimes.com • 604-463-2281 • 16 PAGES Education
Law students investigate mock murder
Pupils at Westview Secondary took part in a CSI-style simulated forensics case at school on Friday.
View photos with or online at
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by Maria Rantanen mrantanen@mrtimes.com
A Westview Secondary teacher was murdered and the five suspects were staff from the school. This was the scenario that played out on Friday afternoon at the west Maple Ridge high school – albeit a fictionalized one for educational purposes – as the school’s law and criminology teacher Gary Hallate and support teacher Jennifer Kuszak set up an exercise to teach students about forensics. Students in Hallate’s law class were divided into five groups and each group had a crime scene to investigate. In each group, there was a lead investigator, a photographer, a notetaker, a crime scene sketch artist, and an evidence collector. They were busy dusting for fingerprints, taking pictures of anything that was out of place, and checking the blood spattered at the crime scene. On Monday, the lead investigator was set to interrogate the suspects based on the evidence gathered at Friday’s crime scene. Teachers in the school district are encouraged to allow students to do inquiry-based learning, and this fits into that mandate, said Hallate. Hands-on learning allows stu-
Students at Westview Secondary were learning about forensic investigation as part of their law class last week. Kyla Richardson (left) was taking photographs of “blood splatter,” while Naomi Pavel (below) dusted glasses for fingerprints. Maria Rantanen/TIMES
dents to go out and “discover for themselves rather than us [teachers] spelling it out for them,” he elaborated. “If they make a mistake, they make a mistake – they’ll learn from it,” Hallate added. Being involved in a simu-
lated crime investigation goes beyond the “Hollywood factor,” said Kuszak, who is currently at Pitt Meadows Elementary as a support worker but came to Westview Friday to help with the project she and Hallate have been organizing.
“We find [students are] so influenced by television and CSI... we’re trying to expose them to the complexity of a crime scene,” Kuszak said. Hallate wants to make learning fun and he finds hands-on projects and having students work
together engages them in their education. He also noted that students learn from each other as they do an exercise like the one set up on Friday.
RCMP
Ridge council, police ponder new pot law As of April 1, people will no longer be allowed to grow medical marijuana at home.
Insp. David Fleugel Ridge Meadows RCMP
by Maria Rantanen mrantanen@mrtimes.com
RCMP Inspector Dave Fleugel wants to start a discussion with council about which direction the municipality should take as the federal government makes changes to its medical marijuana growing regulations. Until now, individuals have received licences to grow medical marijuana for
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personal use, but the federal government will only be allowing cannabis to be grown in purpose-built facilities, not in individual homes. When in force on April 1, this will once again make all small personal grow-ops illegal. The police want to have a discus-
sion with the municipality on what approach to take with the new situation, Fleugel explained. “It’s an evolving landscape,” he said. “Lots of things are still unknown.” The main theme that Fleugel heard was that this is a time of transition. • More at www.mrtimes.com, search “Fleugel”
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Tuesday, February 4, 2014
UpFront
Courts
Click
Lottery ticket case takes turn
for community
Pitt Meadows engineering service coordinator Ike de Boer showed off the City’s new bike rack recently installed outside City hall.
mrtimes.com
Deadline extended The Chamber of Commerce serving Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows has pushed its business excellence awards deadline to Feb. 7. According to chamber president Terry Becker, the chamber has received considerable community interest and is therefore extending the deadline. • More at www.mrtimes.com
Peter Krysa performs at The ACT on Wednesday morning at 10:30 a.m. Coffee and treats are served at 10 a.m.
Classical continues A new series of classical music at The ACT this season is proving to be popular. This Wednesday, the third of four classical coffee concerts will be held, this time featuring Russian-born violinist Peter Krysa. Coffee and treats are served at 10 a.m. and the concert begins at 10:30 a.m. For more information, go to www.mapleridgeact.org. • More at www.mrtimes.com Sandy Blue is Manager for Strategic Economic Development for Maple Ridge. Contact her at sblue@mapleridge.ca
Developing Ideas by Sandy Blue
Biz program kicks off Invest North Fraser’s economic partners held the kickoff for businessSTART information session last Thursday, welcoming existing and would-be business owners to learn more about an innovative program designed to encourage innovation, entrepreneurship, and growth of business in this region. TIMES columnist and economic development officer Sandy Blue talks about that event, and other initiatives for local business. • More at www.mrtimes.com
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Franz Prokop was back in B.C. Supreme Court, asking to modify his statement in a case disputing ownership of a winning lottery ticket. by Jennifer Saltman
Special to The TIMES
Eric Zimmer/TIMES
Pitt Meadows
Art with functional twist unveiled
A unique bike rack, with an artistic bent, is ready for use outside City hall. by Eric Zimmer ezimmer@mrtimes.com
Cyclists making their way down Harris Road in Pitt Meadows have a new spot to leave their bike – and enjoy some public art at the same time. A newly installed bike rack, near Spirit Square and the entrance to City hall, is ready for use. Unlike typical racks, the new one is itself a piece of art and depicts the City’s iconic heron among tall blades of grass. “The piece was purchased through Creative
Metal Works out of Portland,” explained Ike de Boer, the City’s engineering services coordinator. “The public art steering committee that was in place here came up with the idea of doing something like that, we went over a bunch of mockups and they settled on this design.” de Boer added that the piece, which cost about $3,500, is a “one-off” and at this point there are no plans for more since the public art steering committee has disbanded. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean no art at all on the transport front. “There is an active transportation committee and this is all going to be in their hands to come up with bike racks in different parts of the City.”
• More at www.mrtimes.com, search “rack”
Council
Ridge housing more affordable
Demographics and community input will help form a plan for housing. by Maria Rantanen mrantanen@mrtimes.com
Singles, single-parent families, and seniors have the most difficulty finding housing in Maple Ridge. But housing still remains more affordable in Maple Ridge than in most of the region. These are some of the findings of a report presented to Maple Ridge council on Monday, and will be part of the information that will help to form a Housing Action Plan for the District. The data doesn’t tell the whole story, said Sue Wheeler, community services director with parks and leisure services, so she’s hoping community feedback will fill the gaps on housing needs. Two pieces, the situation report presented to
council on Monday and a community consultation process, will “inform the creation of the Housing Action Plan,” said Siobhan Murphy, a planner with the District of Maple Ridge. “We have existing policies in the [Official Community Plan] and outcomes from the Housing Action Plan may result in additional policies and regulations,” Murphy said. The impetus for the Housing Action Plan came from Metro Vancouver. In the next 10 years, the population of Maple Ridge is expected to grow 17 per cent, but the number of children and youth is expected to go down, and the number of seniors will rise. The report showed that average rents are lower in Maple Ridge than in other parts of the Lower Mainland. It also showed that rental rates for seniors supportive housing units are about $650 less than across the region.
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Lawyers for a former Maple Ridge District councillor who is suing his ex-wife’s son over lottery winnings have applied to change his statement of claim, just as the trial comes to an end. “The basic claim is the same,” lawyer Bob Shantz, who is representing Franz Prokop, told a B.C. Supreme Court judge in New Westminster Friday morning. However, lawyers for the defendant, Peter Dushop, said Prokop is trying to make more than a dozen new allegations at too late a stage in the process. The application was made just before closing arguments began. “What my friend is trying to do here is hold one trial based on one set of facts and another on another set of facts Franz Prokop in the same case,” in the courts lawyer Wayne Murdoch argued. In December 2008, Prokop filed a lawsuit claiming that Dushop had stolen a 6/49 lottery ticket that Prokop had purchased the previous August and then claimed a jackpot worth more than $3.6 million. In his initial court filing, Prokop claimed that Dushop, who had access to his home and knew where the lottery tickets were kept, stole the ticket from him and hid it for nearly a year. In court, Prokop said since receiving new information in 2012, he now believes his former partner, Dushop’s mother Angelika Dushop, checked the ticket after the draw, realized it was a winner and told her son.
– Reporter Jennifer Saltman is with the Province.
• More at www.mrtimes.com
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Maple Ridge & Pitt Meadows Times
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Pitt Meadows
North corridor appeal overturned
Two requests, penned last fall, asking for a review of the ALC exclusion decision were rejected. by Eric Zimmer ezimmer@mrtimes.com
Distant family connections are not enough to prompt an appeal of a land exclusion grant in Pitt Meadows. Last fall, the Agricultural Land Commission (ALC) was asked to review the previously approved exclusion of land along the North Lougheed Corridor, when claims were made that Pitt Meadows’ CAO Kim Grout had ties to the development and thus stood to gain financially from the project. Late last week, the ALC returned its decision, refusing to review the
exclusion, and finding the allegations shopping mall would “pose hardship to be unfounded. to residents in the Dorado subdivPitt Meadows Mayor Deb Walters ision.” supported the ALC’s decision to The Commission responded by sayreject such a review. ing that a proposed eventual exten“We knew that she [Grout] sion of Meadow Gardens wasn’t in a conflict of interWay was given the go-ahead est,” the mayor said. as far back as Feb.13, 1985 “We know what we have with the intent to “service done is correct, and we’ve future commercial developfollowed procedure.” ment north of Lougheed Walters did add that Highway.” “nobody on staff will receive It was noted Dorado any personal financial was not approved until benefit” as a result of this September 1997. Mayor Deb Walters development. In total, the commission City of Pitt Meadows She added, though, that addressed 15 concerns in despite knowing all this, the the request for a review, but request for reconsideration was still said that “upon careful review of the reviewed. matters... raised, the commission has The request also raised a concern determined that there are no substanthat opening up Meadow Gardens tive grounds to warrant reconsideraWay as an entrance to the proposed tion.” The decision stands.
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Maple Ridge & Pitt Meadows Times
Tuesday, February 4 , 2014
A5
Liquor laws
Event organizers mixed on beer garden changes by Eric Zimmer ezimmer@mrtimes.com
Festival beer gardens could be a thing of the past this summer, if the B.C. government gets its way. And that could be seen at local events, festivals, and fairs. A set of recommendations, highlighted from the now released final report on the B.C. liquor policy review, received full support from the province on Friday. Now, local event organizers are weighing in. In total, 73 liquor law recommendations from the report have all now been approved. Some of the recommendations supported by government include eliminating beer garden fencing at festivals, simplifying the “special occasion licence (SOL)” process, and moving applications online – thus making the whole process easier for the approximately 25,000 SOLs that are issued each year. Once legislative changes are made, festival-goers would be able to roam festival grounds with a pint, rather than be restricted to a cordoned-off area. The government said this will also help decrease the cost for festival organizers and allow parents with kids to enjoy a beer and still be together. In addition, the sale of mixed drinks would also be allowed. As it currently stands, only the sale of beer, wine, cider and cooler products is permitted. “Opening up music festivals to ‘whole-site licen“I never could cing’ over the ‘beer garden’ model is a very positive understand that move,” said Maple Ridge’s festivals and events Bob D’Eith, executive dirin B.C. and much of ector of Music BC. “We’re optimistic that Canada have to come this and other changes up with plans to create announced will help keep B.C. venues and festivals cages for fun-loving going strong for years to festival patrons.” come.” Deddy Geese Maple Ridge Caribbean Festival’s Deddy Geese supports the idea too. “I never could understand that festivals and events in B.C. and much of Canada have to come up with plans to create cages for fun loving festival patrons,” Geese said. He added that there are events in Europe, where close to a million people will gather in ”Fan Miles” where open liquor is as much a part [of the event] as the entertainment. “I wonder why it cannot be done in our towns and cities,” Geese said. However, this doesn’t mean that all local festivals would necessarily jump on board with the new policy though, just because it’s allowed. Lorraine Bates, general manager of Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows Country Fest, said people shouldn’t expect to see a change in the beer garden set-up, regardless of what the government decides. “The beer garden is just a small part of what we do,” she explained. “It’s actually a fundraiser for us, as the festival itself is free for people to attend.” Bates added that even though they may be allowed to, Country Fest wouldn’t pursue expanding or eliminating the beer garden, as the venue is provided as a “courtesy” and is not a focal point of the festival. Geese noted that every festival organization should – and will – have security measures in place to oversee an event. “That is just part of responsible planning for a fun and safe festival – like the Caribbean Festival in Maple Ridge,” he explained. “We promised British Columbians that we would overhaul B.C.’s outdated liquor laws,” said Attorney General and Justice Minister Suzanne Anton. “We are keeping that promise.”
TIMES files
Local festival organizers are weighing in on proposed changes that could see the elimination of fencing around beer gardens at their events. While Country Fest (left) organizers are not necessarily going to take down the fences at this year’s fair, organizers of the Caribbean Festival (above) seem excited about the changes to the liquor laws.
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Courts
Sentencing of nurse delayed A nurse convicted of sexually assaulting two of his patients at Ridge Meadows Hospital in 2012 will be sentenced later this month. Abihudi Imbai was found guilty back in August 2013 of the sex
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Tuesday, February 4, 2014
Opinion Who we are The Maple Ridge & Pitt Meadows TIMES newspaper is a division of LMP Publication Limited Partnership. We’re located at 22345 North Avenue, Maple Ridge, B.C. The TIMES has a CCAB audited circulation of 29,950.
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rhooper@mrtimes.com Assistant Editor Editorial Maria Rantanen Sylver McLaren Troy Landreville Eric Zimmer Advertising Ralph De Adder Nick Hiam Anne Gordon Sheryl Jones Distribution Supervisor Wendy Bradley Administration Rebecca Nickerson
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Our View
Plastic can be a wise choice So many of our convenience products from packaging to mugs to machines are made from plastic, a by-product of the oil industry. Plastic has been much maligned in recent years and branded anti-environmental, leading to global warming and an unsustainable existence on this green planet. But the plastics industry makes the point that plastic packaging is the most efficient form of delivering food with least amount of food waste and less packaging waste. The Canadian Plastics Industry Association argues that, because plastic is lightweight yet strong, it is ideal for many types of packaging. A recent study showed if certain plastic packaging didn’t exist – caps and closures, beverage containers, rigid containers, carrier bags, stretch and shrink wrap, and other forms – 450 per cent more packaging by weight would be needed, demanding 80 per cent more energy. Every year, that would be equivalent to the energy from 3,800 oil supertankers. That would be like adding 15.7 million more cars on the road. The other argument for plastic packaging is that it protects food from oxygen, light, temperature, moisture, microbes, critters, and dirt thereby extending the shelf life of food and slowing down spoilage, which leads to less food waste, according the industry association. There aren’t many of us who don’t use plastic everyday. In B.C., the onus for recycling is increasingly being put on the consumer, and rightly so – if you buy it, you pay to get rid of it. In the end, whether we use wood, glass, plastic, or fibre for day-to-day use, the fact is we all have to start using less of everything, keep up the recycling efforts, and continue to divert our garbage from landfills. – M.R.
This Week’s Question Is plastic ever a wise choice for you? ■ Your View Last week’s question, results… Is a provincial apology for historic wrongs to the Chinese community enough?
Yes. Apology is heartfelt, sincere. No. Financial compensation in order.
10 % 6%
Yes. Now let it go, it’s in the past.
37 %
Refund Chinese head tax to families.
11 %
Why not apologize to everyone for everything.
37 %
Vote online at: www.mrtimes.com
Opinion
A modest proposal for Fantino Poor Julian Fantino is the latest the nation and start incurring of Stephen Harper’s cabinet minunnecessary costs as soon as isters to have gone and stuck his they leave the battlefield, but foot in it. Since July 2013, Julian they also tend to vote at a higher has been Canada’s Minister of rate than those of us who have Veterans Affairs. to pay taxes to support them. Julian has been tasked with the Plus they garner a lot of symunhappy job of reducing the cost pathy from people who don’t of dealing with Canada’s veterans. know better. One way he has done that is So they impose political as to not deal with them. Meeting well as financial liability on the with veterans, for instance, costs business of government. by Bob Groeneveld money, so he didn’t. And that is the real dilemma Naturally, that didn’t make faced by Julian (I know I really the veterans happy, especially since they were should be referring to him as “Honourable already unhappy about Julian’s plan to save Fantino,” but I don’t want those veterans upset money by reducing veterans’ access to services, with me, too). by closing down a number of Veterans’ Affairs If only it were as easy as not having any wars! offices across Canada. But in the real world, it’s a soldier’s job to fight But luckily, the angry veterans called a press wars, and it’s the politicians’ job to make them. conference, and Julian did get to that meeting on So this is my modest proposal to Julian: turn time – ahead of time, in fact. back the clock, and reduce the percentage of solAnd still luckier for Julian, one of the veterans diers who become “returning veterans.” there noted that veterans wouldn’t mind if the It’s really quite easy. First, we have been prooffices were closed – if there were no veterans to viding soldiers with far more costly equipment to serve. keep them alive than we did in the great wars of Now, that veteran reasoned that the way to the 20th century. Why? stop making veterans is to stop making wars. In fact, the equipment still isn’t perfect, so it But there is another way. Wars, after all, make tends to result in more soldiers surviving their business sense. And the current government is debilitating injuries, and then coming home as clearly all about giving us the business. veterans who are even more expensive than the Like any business endeavour, wars involve regular, uninjured kind. assets and liabilities. Another problem is the quality of medical care Among the assets of war are pride of ownerthat we squander on the front lines – and while ship of new territory, neighbouring countries’ we have a doctor shortage right here in Canada, respect/fear, citizens admiration/fear, economic no less! benefits of making, destroying, and replacing Thankfully, less-visible injuries such as PTSD valuable equipment, and a highly trained continare often still not recognized, and therefore don’t gent of soldiers. cost taxpayers as much as, say, a lost eye or a The liabilities include devastation, the offcouple of legs. Fight those who want to change chance of losing the war, and of course, having that, Julian. Please! to deal with veterans after they have lost their As Julian and his fellow Conservatives well value as soldiers. know, it’s not war that’s the problem, it’s the And here’s the real problem: not only do cost of those darned veterans. veterans lose their intrinsic business value to We need fewer of them, plain and simple.
Odd Thoughts
editorial@mrtimes.com
Maple Ridge & Pitt Meadows Times
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
Education in court
Legal fees best spent on kids
Dear Editor, The BC Liberals have had two kicks at the B.C. teacher can. to Both times they have been pubthe licly spanked [Ten years to same result, Jan. 28 Our View, TIMES]. This time, the judge chided them openly, saying that their government deliberately tried to secretly provoke a strike by the BCTF in 2012 to create a political advantage, and awarding the teachers $2 million of our taxes.
Letters
And now they say they will likely appeal, and try a third time. Enough is enough. Quit wasting our scarce dollars on a personal vendetta. The BC Liberals’ education minister is on record telling schools to consider closing down if they can’t pay their bills. Imagine how many services the legal fees and awards to date could have provided. Cheryl Baron, Maple Ridge
Editor
Pitt Meadows
Bing’s tax hike should be reversed
Dear Editor, I read with disdain that Councillor/MLA Doug Bing had the temerity to teleconference from Prince George to add his vote to raise taxes in Pitt Meadows, although he will no longer reside here.
I understand he will quit his councillor’s job on Feb. 4 and move on to Victoria. His vote from Prince George has no force, as he is functus officio. Therefore, the results of that Pitt Meadows council meeting should be overturned.
Animal welfare
Decent dog folks take poop
Dear Editor, I take my dog for a walk every day, with poop bags in hand, and inevitably see feces on the sidewalk or on somebody’s lawn. We are not in a Third World country. Don’t tell me people can’t afford a bag: they are free in our parks. Isn’t it nice that some do pick up after their dog, but then discard the bag on the sidewalk or throw it in somebody’s yard. Is the bag too heavy to carry home and put in a garbage can? People who do such things are not responsible dog owners and should not own a dog. Rodger White, Maple Ridge
Mr. Bing was not physically in Pitt Meadows when he cast his vote. He was acting in the capacity of a MLA, conducting provincial business in Prince George,. Presumably, he is claiming travel expenses for that particular trip from the provincial government. How can he then also act in the capacity of a Pitt Meadows councillor? It appears to be double-dipping, notwithstanding that there is no money involved. It certainly seems a conflict of interest. One can wear two hats, as Mr. Bing has often cited, but not at the same time, which is what he has done here. The tax increase passed at that Pitt Meadows council meeting must be reversed and a new vote taken. Bill Gordon, Pitt Meadows
INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE Information Night
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Response
Corporations help to keep rich rich
Dear Editor, Mrs. Katnich is tired of my mantra against corporations [Letter writer’s mantra growing tiresome, Jan. 23 Letters, TIMES]. Maybe we should have tea one day, but a little history is needed to explain my stance on corporations. More than 100 years ago, corporations were created to shelter the owners from personal liability, so that if
their companies, like BP, caused massive damages, the CEOs would not be personally liable. So you cannot go after his personal assets:; mansions, yachts, or expensive cars. He gets to sail off into the sunset with all of his riches, whilst the poor people affected by his company’s decisions get to foot the bill. Or the taxpayers have to pay for it down the road.
What you’re telling us on Facebook
•
Among changes to the B.C. liquor laws, they will eliminate fencing around beer gardens at festivals, allowing event goers to wander the entire festival site with a pint or (new) a mixed drink. Readers share: “Fantastic idea and about time!”
– Julie Johnstone “Terrible, awful idea... I know we (my family) won’t be going to the festivals after about 2 now, when they will start to get a little more plastered than I would want my kids to see.” – Katie Clunn
“About time, it’s only taken what, 50 years... What I could never understand is, go to a sporting event or a concert and there’s beer on sale.” – Alvin Cohen “I understand the attraction, but I think I’ll stay away from the festivals, as I don’t fancy tip-toeing around split drinks and dealing with more drunk folks… my loss, as I used to enjoy festivals.” – Marcie Culbert
Share your views. Like us on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/MapleRidgePittMeadowsTimes
Canada has the lowest corporate tax of all the G-8 countries. It used to be that corporations paid more than 50 per cent in taxes, then it was reduced to 37, then to 22 per cent with the Liberals. And now the Conservatives have reduced it to 15 per cent. This is, of course, to reward the corporate CEOs for all of the cash they donate to run those negative TV ads that help right-wing governments, like Stephen Harper’s and Christy Clark’s, gain power. So Mrs. Katnich is “right,” it is my mantra to go after and expose the corporate system which runs our world and its politicians. And I will continue to expose their sweet little world of tax breaks and tax havens to which the poor do not have access. The poor don’t have money to deposit in those foreign bank accounts. They’re too busy trying to survive from day to day. Harper and local MP Randy Kamp must be very proud of Mrs. Katnich, a staunch and faithful Conservative towing the line for them. John E. McKenzie, Maple Ridge
LETTERS POLICY: 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. Letters are also subject to editing for content and length. The Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows TIMES is a division of LMP Publication Limited Partnership.
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
Late French Immersion begins in Grade 6. Students who are currently in Grade 5 are eligible to begin Late French Immersion in September 2014 at Golden Ears Elementary School. For further information, please contact Joanne Rowen at 604.465.5828 or joanne_rowen@sd42.ca Late French Immersion registration begins on February 12, 2014 on a first come, first on list basis
22225 Brown Avenue, Maple Ridge, BC V2X 8N6 Tel. 604.463.4200
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Tuesday, February 4, 2014
editorial@mrtimes.com
Who am I?
Maple Ridge & Pitt Meadows Times
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This Who Am I? Facebook feature is part of a twice-weekly TIMES giveaway, where readers are asked to identify people from this community’s distant and recent past. For instance, who’s the subject of this week’s picture (and we’re looking for the name of the father being hugged)? Like us on Facebook and correctly answer before 9 a.m. Friday to be entered. Last week’s picture was of target shooter Kim Eagles. She won gold in air pistol shooting at the 1999 Pan Am Games and went on to represent this community and her sport at the national and international level. Congratulations to Shara Medley for correctly identifying Eagles. Medley and others who answered correctly are automatically entered for the grand-prize giveaway.
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Maple Ridge & Pitt Meadows Times
&places
Tuesday, February 4 , 2014
Part of your Community for over 40 years
faces Maple Ridge & Pitt Meadows
Call
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Showcasing some of this community’s people and happenings
Maria Rantanen/TIMES
. and MP Randy the Alzheimer Society of B.C Kimberly McKercher with was put on Expo on Jan. 21. The event Kamp were at the 50-Plus the B.C. for t sco MP is holding the ma by Kamp’s office. Here the bear. Alzheimer’s Society, Remem
It’s not ever yday one sees a rice table being pushed down Ford Road in Pitt Mead ows. Kids of Bes t Friends Children’s C entre were so exci ted to move to their new locatio n at 19141 Ford Rd. that these yo ung ones – Step hanie McNamee, Cayden Nichols, Fa ith Petti, Krithik Kesh an, and Jeremy Wilk inson – helped w ith the physical mo ve. The centre had operated p reviously for a decad e in the United Chu rch hall.
Heather Treleaven, coordinator of the seniors network, and Curtis Schoblocher, parliamentary assistant to Randy Kamp, were at the 50-Plus Expo held at the Ridge Meadows Seniors Activity Centre recently.
What’s On
www.mrtimes.com Post events 10 days in advance by email to:
editorial@mrtimes.com
February 4: Poetry
• Holy Wow Poets meet at The ACT, 11944 Haney Pl., from 7 to 9 p.m. Theme: “Love is in the Air.”
February 4: Art club
• Garibaldi Art Club meets at 7 p.m. in the craft room, third floor of the Maple Ridge ACT. Info: www. GaribaldiArtClub.com.
February 4: Health care
• Coquitlam prostate cancer support group meets at 7 p.m. at Coquitlam Pinetree Community Centre, 1260 Pinetree Way. Info: Norm at 604936-8703 or Ken at 604-936-2998.
February 4: Technology
• Bring digital devices to the Maple Ridge Library at 7 p.m. and let the student council explain how they work Register: 604-467-7417.
Maria Rantanen/TIMES
Maria Rantanen/
Maria Rantanen/TIMES
Tom Cameron and Lorraine Bates, who put on Country Fest every year, were at the 50-Plus Expo at the Ridge Meadows Seniors Activity Centre on Jan. 21, to promote the community’s annual agricultural fair.
TIMES
Pitt Meadows Councillor Gwen O’Connell (above) and Brian Antonson (inset) were at the 50-Plus Expo at the Ridge Meadows Seniors Activ ity Centre. O’Connell was there in her capa city as marketing manager of The Wesbrooke Seniors Living Community, while Antonson was there promoting the B.C. Winter Games that will be held in Mission in late February. Three events are scheduled to be held in Maple Ridge .
Maria Rantanen/TIMES
February 5: Library
• Maple Ridge Library and WildSafe BC host a Bear Aware program at 7 p.m. at the library Learn to minimize risks in backyards, on hiking trails, at campsites, and in the wild.
February 5: Classical music
• Classical Coffee Concerts continue this week at The ACT with a concert by Peter Krysa at 10 a.m. Info: www.theactmapleridge.org.
February 6: Chamber
• Chamber of Commerce is holding a member orientation session at Lava Dining & Lounge, 22590 Dewdney Trunk Rd., from 5 to 7 p.m. RSVP: 604-457-4599.
February 6: Seniors
Musicians Ivan Zenovitch and Patsy Thompson participated in one of the Jammin’ for The Philippines fundraisers at the Billy Miner Pub to help support the typhoon aftermath.
• A Seniors Helping Seniors meeting takes place at 9:30 a.m. at the Ridge Meadows Seniors Activity Centre, 12150 224th St., Maple Ridge.
February 6: Support group
Rick Moyer/TIMES
• Parkinson’s Society B.C. caregivers support group for caregivers, family, and friends of people with Parkinson’s disease meets from 10 a.m. to noon. Info: Julie Lloyd 604459-9071 or djlloyd1@shaw.ca or Joanne Long at 604-462-9735 or joanne.long@shaw.ca.
How can you share? Do you have a local photo of someone or some place you’d like to share with the rest of Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows? Email it to us as a high-resolution .JPEG to editorial@mrtimes.com. Please include a brief description – including everyone’s first and last name. Put “faces & places” in the subject line of your email.
• Full list: www.mrtimes.com
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Tuesday, February 4 , 2014
by Anne Marrison
Anne Marrison is happy to answer garden questions. Send them to amarrison@shaw.ca
Q&A
Animals dig and eat bulbs Dear Anne,
“I bought and forgot a large bag of beautiful tulip bulbs. I planned on planting them in a three-foot-deep raised bed on my south-facing boulevard. I don’t mind if they flower later than usual. Should I plant the bulbs now and hope for success? If so, should I plant less deeply than normal and is bone meal necessary?”
Christina B., Vancouver Dear Christina,
D
o go ahead and plant them before the ground freezes again. Tulips are prairie-hardy – and cope with much colder temperatures than we get here. Besides being late-blooming, planting now may result in them being smaller than usual. But they will bloom if they survive local animals. Planting depth isn’t a cold issue in tulips (it can be with less hardy plants). But squirrels deliberately sniff out tulip bulbs and eat them. So if your only defence is depth, deep planting is better than shallow – even though this means they’ll flower even later. Wire laid above the planting is good protection. Or you might try planting the bulbs within mesh bags – it’s very important the mesh is large enough for shoots to thrust through. Pea netting mesh is about the right size. Though it’s nice to get net bags for free, most fruit mesh bags have mesh that’s too small for tulip shoots (it’s often okay for crocuses – squirrels eat crocuses, too). Bone meal would be good nourishment for tulips – but you could have big trouble on a boulevard because of dogs or coyotes. To canines, bone meal smells like bones. • More at www.mrtimes.com, search “Marrison”
Emma Walsh, nine, is raising money for the Coldest Night of the Year, which takes place on Feb. 22. Last year was the first year the Coldest Night of the Year fundraiser (inset) was held in Maple Ridge.
TIMES files
GREAT ENTERTAINMENT MEAT DRAWS EVERY TUES., THURS., FRI., SAT., SUN. FULL DINING DAILY EXCEPT MONDAYS KARAOKE WITH PHIL EVERY THURSDAY
Caring Place
Walkers feel the chill
Registration is open for a charity walk to take place Feb. 22.
Nine-year-old Emma Walsh is raising money to make sure people are fed and sheltered in Maple Ridge. She has been making Rainbow Loom bracelets and selling them to family and neighbours and plans to donate the money at the Caring Place’s Coldest Night of the Year fundraiser on Feb. 22. “She’s a very giving little person and she likes to do things that help people,” said her mother, Monica Butler. Emma and her mother are part of a sixperson team raising money for the second annual walk, and Emma will be doing the five-kilometre trek – the other option is a 10 kilometre walk.
The Caring Place in Maple Ridge is inviting the community to walk through a cold night to know what it’s like to be homeless. The event is also a fundraiser. The event is taking place in 40 communities across Canada on the same night. The Maple Ridge walk begins and ends at the Caring Place, at 22188 Lougheed Hwy., where walkers can register, turn in the results of their fundraising, and then return for a warm chili meal. The Caring Place has a goal of raising $25,000 from this year’s walk. Organizers are hoping for 20 teams and 100 or more walkers to participate. Registration for the Coldest Night of the Year is now open.at http://coldestnightoftheyear.org/location/mapleridge.
FEB 7-8 .............................. MIDNIGHT EAGLES FEB 9 ............................................. BRIAN ZALO FEB 14-15 .......................... ROGER & SUSANNE FEB 16 ........................................ STEVE HILLIS FEB 21-22 .................. WYLIE & THE OTHER GUY FEB 23........................ MIDNIGHT EAGLES (JAM) FEB 28/MAR O1................................. RECKLESS MAR 2 ............................................ BRIAN ZALO MAR 7-8................................ LONE STRANGERS
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INTERIOR TO LOWER MAINLAND TRANSMISSION PROJECT CONSTRUCTION UPDATE BC Hydro’s contractor for the Interior to Lower Mainland Transmission Project will be burning slash piles on BC Hydro’s
Lytton
Pemberton
right-of-way in the Fraser Valley Regional District and Districts of Mission and Kent this winter. This work is planned for
Nicola Substation
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January, weather dependent, and may continue as needed through to the end of March. The contractor has obtained the necessary provincial and municipal permits and will comply with all regulations. A key requirement is that the contractor does not conduct burning unless the venting index is “good”. This ensures proper air movement exists to minimize smoke impacts to people in the vicinity of the burning. The 247 kilometre, 500 kilovolt transmission line currently under construction will expand the capacity of the system that brings power to businesses and homes in the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island. For more information please visit bchydro.com/ilm or contact BC Hydro at stakeholderengagement@bchydro.com or at 604 623 4472, toll-free 1 866 647 3334.
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Maple Ridge & Pitt Meadows Times
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Maple Ridge & Pitt Meadows Times
Tuesday, February 4 , 2014
A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO THE FOLLOWING TRADES 4 LIFE BELIZE SPONSORS Supplier for all flooring needed for housing projects. Supplier for all applied parts. Supplier for all accommodations for the project team.
THANK YOU TO OUR WONDERFUL VOLUNTEERS The Maple Ridge Baptist Church Team
Building a training facility for young adults to learn skills and thereby providing better jobs and improving lives.
TRADES 4 LIFE BELIZE MISSION 2013
The Maple Ridge Baptist Church Team Rob Wilson, Nathan Robinson, Joe Lowery, Scott Robertson, Adrian Fuller, Trevor Downes, Stan Owen, Matthew Robinson, Gary George, David Hildebrand, and John Lemmond.
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Tuesday, February 4 , 2014
Maple Ridge & Pitt Meadows Times
FEBRUARY
2014
This month at The ACT
Maple Ridge Art Gallery:
COLOUR IMPACT with THE GROUP OF NINE January 11 – February 8 A group of local painters explore how colour is used to tell a story, recall a memory or express an emotion. In Wait February 15 – March 15, 2014 Seven contemporary printmakers who call themselves Full Circle Art Collective share ideas and concerns around the experience of waiting - for the tide to turn, a crisis to pass, or broken connections to become re-established. Opening Reception Saturday, February 15, 2014 - 2:00 - 4:00 p.m. Classical Coffee Concert with Sarah Hagen and Peter Krysa Wednesday, February 5 – 10:00 a.m. A lovely way to spend a mid-week morning. Classical Coffee Concerts is a new series hosted by acclaimed pianist and producer Sarah Hagen. Each morning begins with coffee, tea and treats in the Studio Theatre at The ACT followed by a 75 minute classical concert. Charlotte Diamond and the Hug Bug Band Monday, February 10 – 3:00 p.m.
BE MINE
Join us for a unique theatre event celebrating Canada’s cultural diversity. Created and performed by local youth. GEMS Movie Series: The Sapphires Monday, February 21 – 7:00 p.m. Set in 1968 Australia, four musically talented Aboriginal women - Gail, Julie, Cynthia and Kay - form the soul singing girl group The Sapphires under the tutelage of alcoholic Irish talent scout Dave Lovelace. Rated PG-13. Lobby Nights at the ACT Join us on select Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. for a free evening of entertainment, including Spinning with the Whonnock Weavers, SFU Philosophers Café, and Celtic Jam with Nigel Tucker. Visit www.theactmapleridge.org/lobby-nights for schedule. Friday Night Dance Check out our website for the Friday Night Dance Schedule with Robyn Picard, everything from Ballroom to Swing! Drop in classes. Singles welcome!
One of BC’s best-loved entertainers, Charlotte creates musical fun with new songs along with her many catchy kids’ tunes. Her audiences are not just entertained but they are inspired by her French, Spanish, and English performances of memorable songs for the whole family.
Register now for Winter Arts Programs
The Nylons and British Columbia Girls Choir Friday, February 14 – 8:00 p.m.
Sign up for Creative Fusion and learn four different types of performing and visual arts. All day camps for ages 6-12, March 17-21st.
Share the love this Valentine’s day with The Nylons, as they return to the ACT this time with the British Columbia Girls Choir. You won’t want to miss this special evening of amazing vocal performance.
LOVE YOU
Just us! Youth Theatre Wednesday, February 19 – 6:30 p.m.
We have lots of great programs for all ages starting in January and February. Online registration begins today! Want to try something new over Spring Break?
Visit www.theactmapleridge.org for schedules. Register at recreg4u.ca or 604-465-2470. Find us on Facebook and Twitter for up to date info on events at The ACT!
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Maple Ridge & Pitt Meadows Times
Sports
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
Recreation
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Reach The TIMES' sports desk: Phone: 604-463-2281 or email: sports@mrtimes.com
Hockey View more photos with
Pickleballers to play in Mission A group of dedicated pickle ball players from the community will head to Mission this weekend for “Mission Madness” a multi-skilled pickleball tournament. The tourney features men’s, women’s, and mixed-doubles matches. • More online: www.mrtimes.com, click on “Sports”
or online
Flames doused on home ice
www.mrtimes.com
On Deck
Despite a loss, head coach Jamie Fiset remains positive about where his team is at in the junior B hockey league. by Eric Zimmer ezimmer@mrtimes.com
Eric Zimmer/TIMES
There was high flying action at Samuel Robertson Technical Secondary this past weekend.
SRT host hoops tournament The SRT Titans boys and girls basketball squads hosted their sixth annual Senior Invitational tournament on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1, with games played all day Friday and Saturday. • More online: www.mrtimes.com, click on “Sports”
Burrards down Adanacs Sunday Burrards, Maple Ridge’s lacrosse team, beat the undefeated Coquitlam Adanacs 9-8 Sunday, Rick Moyer/TIMES at Thomas Burrards beat Haney Adanacs 9-8. Secondary. Stay tuned for more about this game and the team’s standings – complete with pictures from the game – in Thursday’s edition of The TIMES.
Hume battles Gators in SanFran Maple Ridge wrestler and SFU student Dillion Hume accompanied the SFU Clan wrestling team to California on Jan. 31 to battle the SFSU Gators. The competition ended with both sides each receiving four wins apiece. • More online: www.mrtimes.com, click on “Sports”
Send your scores and game reports to sports@mrtimes.com
Rick Moyer/TIMES
Ridge Meadows Flames rallied after a goal on the Port Moody Panthers Friday night. They, however, went on to lose 3-2 on home ice. The next game at Planet Ice in Albion is this Friday, Feb. 7, against the Mission City Outlaws. The puck drops at 7:30 p.m.
Port Moody Panthers clawed out a win over the Ridge Meadows Flames at Planet Ice Friday. “We played against a team that was desperate and hungry to make the playoffs,” said Flames head coach Jamie Fiset. “But we didn’t come out playing the type of game we needed to play, and they [Panthers] stole two points away from us in our home building.” Fiset said the team has been struggling to play a “complete 60minutes for probably about the last four games.” However, Fiset added that this loss means “absolutely noth ing” when it comes to where the Flames stand in the season.
• More at www.mrtimes.com, search “Flames”
Kendo
Clan drawn to art of two-handed fencing
Equipped with protective gear and bamboo blades, a family competes this Saturday. by Troy Landreville
tlandreville@mrtimes.com
There is more to kendo than whacking your opponent with a bamboo sword. The martial art is steeped in centuries of tradition, and is a family affair for a dad from Maple Ridge and his two children. Murray Greissel, 42, and his son 15-year-old son Mason and 13year-old daughter Jusdia practise this art of Japanese two-handed fencing at the Matsukai Kendo and Iaido Dojo in Port Coquitlam. The family patriarch is a seconddegree black belt in kendo while the siblings both hold first-degree black belt status. Murray said that the family joke has always been, “Where else can you go and hit your brother or sister with a stick, and get away with it?!” When Mason was younger, he wanted to study a martial art but did not know which form. “One day I saw a Japanese sword in a store and asked my father about it,” Mason recalled.
Photo illustration by Troy Landreville/TIMES
Murray Greissel, a Maple Ridge resident and full-time firefighter, is a second degree black belt in kendo and practises the art in Port Coquitlam at the Matsukai Kendo and Iaido Dojo. Murray told his son: “We can learn that! It’s called kendo,” adding, “and if your sister joins, you are going to have lots of fun.” Initially, Jusdia was unsure about kendo, but after her first class she was hooked by what she describes as “the spirit, the energy of it all.” “Since then kendo has given me a lot in a way of self focus, deter-
mination, and confidence,” she said. “It’s about commitment in your action and perfection of the move. All these skills have helped me in my school work.” Kendo is similar to fencing. Using a bamboo blade called a shinai, competitors aim for four main target areas, sub-divided into the left and right sides of the body. Each successful strike is worth one
point. Each competitor’s strike must be delivered with the correct footwork, kiai (strong voice), posture, and follow-through to be deemed successful and be awarded a point by the judges. “In kendo, there has to be more than just the strike,” Murray said. “There has to be spirit, you have to demonstrate that you pretty much caught him [the opponent] off guard, and the technique has to be executed correctly.” The Greissels and their MatsuKai clubmates are gearing up for the 52nd Steveston Kendo Tournament, being held this Saturday, Feb. 8 at McMath Secondary. Murray said this is one of the oldest and most prestigious kendo events in North America and “a great chance for Matsu-Kai students to test their skills against 10 local clubs and competitors from as far away as Ontario, Alaska, California, and Hawaii.” This will be Mason’s and Jusdia’s fourth year at the event and they are both in the final year of their divisions, so the pressure is on to perform well. Murray is now competing amongst the senior ranks, but for him it is not about winning.
• More at www.mrtimes.com, search “kendo
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Tuesday, February 4 , 2014
Maple Ridge & Pitt Meadows Times
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