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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2014
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◗ CRIME IN THE CITY
Parkade will fall in 2015
Plan is to demolish western portion first BY THERESA MCMANUS REPORTER tmcmanus@royalcityrecord.com
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Investigating: New West police officers stand outside a recovery home on Nanaimo Street where a man was killed Tuesday afternoon. B.C.’s homicide police are now leading the investigation and suspect the man was a victim of foul play.
Homicide team dealing with city death BY CAYLEY DOBIE REPORTER cdobie@royalcityrecord.com
Police suspect a man found dead at a recovery home on Nanaimo Street Tuesday was the victim of foul play. Wednesday morning, B.C.’s Integrated Homicide Investigation Team announced it had taken over the investigation, which is now a confirmed homicide. At 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, New Westminster police were called to a home in the 1100 block of Nanaimo Street where officers found the dead body of a man inside, according to a press release from the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team. The area surrounding the residence was closed to traffic for several hours following
the discovery of the body on Tuesday as police interviewed neighbours and witnesses. Investigators with the New Westminster Police Department determined that the cause of death was likely the result of foul play and handed the case over to B.C.’s homicide team, the release added. At this time, a motive for the murder is unknown, according to homicide investigators. “IHIT is working closely with the New Westminster Police Department to determine what led up to the victim’s death. We are currently canvassing the area, speaking with witnesses and processing the scene,” Staff Sgt. Jennifer Pound, spokesperson for the homicide team, said in the release. Homicide police were quick to jump on
media outlets reporting the victim’s identity after the Last Door Recovery Society, the organization that runs the recovery home where the man was killed, released his name on social media Wednesday morning. “IHIT is aware that the victim’s family have been notified of his death through various channels, however, IHIT has yet to speak with the family and until we do confirmation on his identity will not be released,” Pound said in the release. Initial reports on social media suggested the victim was an employee at the recovery home, but that has yet to be confirmed by police. Anyone with information is asked to call the homicide team at 1-877-551-4448.
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◗Parkade Page 8
EXPERIENCED DENTIST ACCEPTING NEW PATIENTS
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A portion of the Front Street Parkade will get a visit from a wrecking ball early in 2015. New Westminster supports an option that would see Front Street closed to traffic for eight weeks while deconstruction of the western portion of the parkade takes place. That’s the section of the parkade stretching from Begbie to Sixth Street, “The plan is to start it in February of 2015. That’s the plan now,” said Catalin Dobrescu, the city’s utilities and special projects engineer. “We are looking at different options. We are looking at potentially doing renovation of some of the remainder prior to demolishing it. The schedule is not firm yet.” The section of the parkade east of Sixth Street will remain standing. “It s a big, long ugly piece of concrete, really,” said Coun. Lorrie Williams. “I am sort of glad that half of it is coming down. I saw a rendering of what it would look like, how those shops could be revitalized.” While the deconstruction option supported by council requires Front Street to be fully closed to traffic, Coun. Jonathan Cote said it’s the way to go, as it’s the least expensive option and would have the least amount of disruption in the community. “Delaying the process over a 30week period would cause havoc in a neighbourhood – and we’d be paying an extra $2 million to do that,” he said of another option considered by the city. “To me, I think if council wants to move ahead with deconstructing the parkade,
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