Thursday, July 4, 2013 With July and the summer heat upon us, festival season has begun: next up is Adstock, followed by Music on the Wharf.
Pages A3 & A5 • LOCAL NEWS, SPORTS, AND ENTERTAINMENT • mrtimes.com • 604-463-2281 • 28 PAGES Safety
Gas leak forces 300 out of pool
Isobel Forgues, 91, cut and served cake in Pitt Meadows on Canada Day. Nonagenarian Anna Fogg (right) made making perogies to raise money for charity, with the help of ladies auxiliary members Dianna McBean and Sheila Tutton of Branch 469 in Elmira, Ont.
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Hundreds people were evacuated in response to a chlorine leak at a swimming pool in Maple Ridge. by Sylver McLaren smclaren@mrtimes.com
Maria Rantanen/TIMES
Volunteers
Giving continues past ninety Women help out with community events and fundraising well into their retirement years. by Maria Rantanen mrantanen@mrtimes.com
Isobel Forgues is 91 and Anna Fogg is 94, but they are still giving their time in their communities. On Wednesday morning, Fogg was busy making perogies with the ladies auxiliary at the Maple Ridge branch of the Royal Canadian Legion, raising money for a variety of charities that the group supports. Meanwhile, Forgues was recovering from a four-hour shift on Canada Day at Spirit Square in Pitt Meadows where she is often in charge of cutting up and serving the cake. For 35 years, Fogg has volunteered with the legion’s women’s auxiliary, joining shortly after her husband, a Second World War veteran and legion member, passed away.
In March, the group started making perogies for charity, and Rose Schrul, president of the auxiliary, estimated they’ve sold about 250 dozen of them so far. On Wednesday, there were eight ladies assembling them in the basement of the legion, and Fogg was helping fill them with potato and cheddar cheese filling. Fogg comes to the legion regularly and used to help with the meat draws until her hearing started getting worse. But she continues to help out the ladies auxiliary wherever she can. “It gives me something to keep me occupied...” she said. Fogg said it’s important for seniors to stay involved in the community, and she plans to keep volunteering “as long as I can keep moving... otherwise you get so isolated,” she said. “I think it’s important to keep moving as long as you can,” she added. Fogg grew up in Alberta, but moved to Maple Ridge in 1942, where she brought up her four children. The regular cake-cutter at the Pitt
Meadows Canada Day celebrations, Forgues spent hours at Spirit Square on Monday, making sure attendees received their Canada Day birthday cake despite the scorching heat. “I like to get out – I love the people,” Forgues said about why she gives her time to community events. Forgues has lived in Pitt Meadows for about 25 years, and at 91 she likes to help at several community events. Forgues volunteered for 12 years with the tourism office in Pitt Meadows, answering the phones, talking with visitors, giving them directions, and pointing them to local attractions. The Pitt Meadows Library also benefited from her volunteerism, Forgues said. She also helped out at Pitt Meadows Elementary when her grandson attended. The Royal Canadian Legion Branch 88 ladies auxiliary are selling their perogies for $6 per dozen with proceeds going to a variety of charities. To buy perogies from the ladies auxiliary, call Rose Schrul at 604-466-5608.
A chlorine gas leak at Maple Ridge’s leisure centre forced the evacuation of about 300 people on Tuesday, although the actual leak was “contained in the storage room,” reported assistant fire chief Howard Exner. “When we arrived on scene,” said Exner, “they [leisure centre staff] had the evacuation almost complete.” He noted that the staff at the centre had revamped their evacuation routine after an incident last summer. The fire department suggested the leisure centre staff spend their time getting people out, rather than going to inspect where and why the alarm is going off. When the fire department arrived, it found the chlorine level “quite high,” put on Level A chemical protective clothing, and set up a decontamination area, said Exner. Firefighters turned the building back over to staff at the leisure centre two hours after receiving the initial alarm at 5:40 p.m. WorkSafe BC had written compliance orders as a result of previous two leaks in November 2011, requiring work to be done to ensure the safety of people using the facilities. Those orders have been complied with, said Fred Armstrong, District of Maple Ridge communications manager. “It’s an inconvenience for the customer,” he said. “We take every precaution. A couple of classes were cancelled, but bottom line is you can’t compromise on safety.”
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