Index
$1888
*
$109 ROYAL FLUSH *
604-273-1071 ONLY VALID AT
5651 No. 3 Rd, Richmond
www.carfixbc.ca
Ask us
*
W
News Editorial Letters The Pulse Sports Classified
E
Row into record book
3 8 9 16 22 24
D
N
E
S
NE W
Friday was a special day for 180 Richmondites who attempted to get into the Guinness Book of World Records.
#198-8120 No.
A
,
Y
A
U
G
U
S
1 4 ,
T
$7 00OFF
2 0 1 3
Open for Lunch.
Follow us on
SOURCE
FOR
LOCAL
SPORTS
,
NEWS
,
W E AT H E R
AND
E N T E RTA I N M E N T
!
2 Rd
AND RECEIVE
1 per customer.
YOUR
OP
604-310-2 EN! 929 BUY TWO LARG E PIZZAS
3
D
Richmond Store Now
WWW
Valid at #198-8 120 No. 2 Rd. loc ation only. 604-275-1313 Free Delivery. Offer expires Aug . 31, 2013
.RICHMOND-NEWS.COM
MARITIME FUN
GORD GOBLE/SPECIAL TO THE NEWS
The annual Maritime Festival at Britannia Heritage Shipyards pulled in around 40,000 people over three days on the weekend. Far left, “Oceana the BC Mermaid” (played by Brianna Lak), centre (from left), Haruto, Amika, Elina, and Yuno jump off a rowboat and above, the Lady Washington’s masts. For more pictures, go to page 12.
Scan page for more pictures
$1.3 M drug home forfeited BY PHILIP RAPHAEL
praphael@richmond-news.com
A Richmond home valued at $1.33 million will be turned over to the Crown after the B.C. Court of Appeal upheld a forfeiture ruling following a police investigation in 2007 discovered the property was being used as a marijuana grow-op. The three-judge panel voted unanimously Aug. 9 that the sprawling, five-bedroom, 4,000square-foot home owned by Fan Qiang Zeng in the 9300-block of Bakerview Drive be handed over. Zeng had argued the judge failed to consider the impact forfeiture may have on his immediate family members and was not
Judge denies bid to keep grow-op property
supported by the evidence in the case. He also contended the marijuana grow op — spread out over the top floor of the home — was master-minded by his now exwife, Ye Jin Li, who had entered a guilty plea. The grow-op yielded 760 marijuana plants and was on a three-month growing cycle. All five bedrooms and bathrooms contained plants where they were growing under the glow of 31 industrial lights connected to timers, which ran between 12-18 hours a day. The equipment used to grow
the plants was powered by electricity from an electrical bypass, concealed in the wall of the garage. The lights were connected to a series of electrical ballasts in the upper level hallway and powered by stolen electricity. The side door to the property was barricaded from the inside with a metal bar and brackets to prevent people from breaking into the home. There was also a living space on the home’s lower floor. The estimated value of the crop was between $255,000 and $426,000. see Zeng page 4
School strike looming Talks with non-teaching staff break down BY PHILIP RAPHAEL
praphael@richmond-news.com
Schools in Richmond, and around the rest of the province, could be out for summer longer than planned. That’s if unionized non-teaching and support staff and the BC Public School Employers’ Association don’t get back to the bargaining table by the end of August to hash out a contract agreement after talks broke down this week. The failure to continue discussions is a major disappointment for June Kaiser and the rest of CUPE’s bargaining committee. Kaiser, president of CUPE 716 which represents about 1,000 work-
ers in Richmond, told the Richmond News her group was fully prepared to bargain. But at the end of three days of talks, they were told there was nothing the employers’ association could offer them. Kaisier said CUPE is hoping to resume bargaining by the last week of August. But if that doesn’t happen, there is a real likelihood of job action that would close schools just as they are getting ready to begin a new academic year. “We told them if they are not prepared to bargain at the end of August, respectfully and with a deal coming up, we walk,” Kasier said. The employers’ association has yet to agree on talks resuming see Messages page 5
AUTO WEST INFINITI
MAKES AN EQUALLY IMPRESSIVE LAST IMPRESSION. 2013 EX LUXURY CROSSOVER DEMO CASH SALE PRICE
33,100
$
*
INCLUDES SAVINGS OF
11,000*
$
Auto West Infiniti 13720 Smallwood Place, Richmond
604.231.9378
autowestinfiniti.ca
*Price for a 2013 Infiniti EX37 Demo (9,100km; E6SG73 JJ00) is $33,100. Savings included in cash sale price. Freight & PDE ($1,995), license, registration, insurance and all applicable levies, charges, and taxes are extra. Offers are available on approved credit through Infiniti Financial Services and ends September 3, 2013. Errors and omissions excepted. Stock #: FE235. See Auto West Infiniti for complete details. Dealer 30727.