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MOSQUITOES HAVE BEEN WORSE BEFORE More standing water has caused more pesky insects M
THURSDAY, JULY 14, 2011
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Mission man sent to hospital BY JESSICA PETERS Black Press
Electrical fire Mission firefighters extinguished a fire at Chances Boardwalk Mission Friday afternoon. Visit www. missioncityrecord. com for video. SEE STORY PAGE 2. JASON ROESSLE PHOTO
District served with lawsuit Taxpayers would be on the hook for damages BY ADRIAN MACNAIR Mission Record
The District of Mission has been served with a class action lawsuit from a group of residents who claim their rights were violated when their properties were searched as suspected marijuana grow-ops. The suit was filed in Chilliwack provincial
court last Thursday, and by law the owners of the 499 properties inspected are automatically in the class action unless they opt out. According to the plaintiff’s lawyer, the damages could potentially skyrocket into millions of dollars. The district’s deputy chief administrative officer, Paul Gipps, confirmed Monday they were served late last week and the documents have been forwarded to the district’s lawyers. “We have 21 days [to respond] as of Friday,” he said, adding he couldn’t comment until it has been reviewed by lawyers. The lawsuit is based on the highly controversial Public Safety Inspection Team (PSIT), a
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program that started in April 2008 and inspected 499 properties based on electricity usage and RCMP surveillance before being put on indefinite review this January. One of the plaintiffs, Stacy Gowanlock, said he’s spoken to in excess of 300 people interested in joining the lawsuit, adding he doesn’t expect the district to back down. Gowanlock said the district is “between a rock and a hard place” because it has said the program had flaws and apologized to the public, so it will be difficult to argue in court that the See BCCLA Page 3
Two people were in hospital at press time Wednesday, following a collision between a police cruiser and a Ford Mustang. The incident happened just after 11 p.m. on Tuesday night, on Hwy. 7 near Bodnar Road in Agassiz. Abbotsford Police Department was called in Wednesday to investigate the incident, and said it was a Chilliwack RCMP member involved. The Mustang was driven by a 20-year-old male from Mission, with a 19-year-old male passenger. The vehicle was travelling in a convoy of cars which were heading from Mission to Harrison Hot Springs. The pair was taken to hospital via air ambulance and the driver was in critical condition on Wednesday afternoon. The passenger was in serious condition. The RCMP member was treated in hospital and has since been released. The accident resulted in a closure of the highway, so the RCMP’s collision reconstructionists could assess the scene. The highway remained closed until about 10 a.m. Wednesday morning. “Our objective is to complete a thorough and comprehensive investigation which includes all available facts and evidence,” said APD Const. Ian MacDonald.
This RCMP cruiser was involved in a crash with a Ford Mustang. SUBMITTED PHOTO
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