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LOCAL NEWS – LOCAL MATTERS
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Two killed at ’Boro workplace
Records show company had run afoul of forklift safety practices in past By Jeremy Deutsch
jdeutsch@newwestrecord.ca
It could be weeks, if not months, before investigators and the public know exactly what happened at a New Westminster lumber yard where two people were killed in a workplace incident. Two men, reported be to in their 60s, were killed after being crushed by a load of lumber at the United Gateway Logistics Inc. yard, located at 201 Duncan St., but few other details are known. “What we’re trying to find out is what happened, how it happened, why it happened so that such a thing can be prevented from happening again in the future,”WorkSafeBC spokesman Scott McCloy told the Record on Tuesday. “This is obviously a deep concern to us and all workers in British Columbia. Continued on page 3
ON SITE : Police officers and the coroner were at the site of the workplace accident Sunday in Queensborough. Two men were crushed by a load of lumber.
PHOTO CURTIS KERKLAU
City ponders requests for more staff positions By Theresa McManus
tmcmanus@newwestrecord.ca
Royal City residents could be facing a tax hike in the range of 2.14 to 3.2 per cent in 2016. On Monday, council got a look at the draft 2016 to 2020 financial plan, which includes about $113 million to provide police, fire, parks, culture and recreation, engineering, development services, library and administrative services. A staff report states
that the $2.6.-million increase from last year is mostly due to salary increases for city employees, but also includes an increase in the cost of goods in Anvil Centre. During Monday’s budget presentation, staff made a case for additional requests totalling $737,000 for “priority initiatives” or positions to address workload challenges in various departments.While the base budget would result in a 2.14 per cent tax rate increase, that rises to 3.20 per cent if the additional funding requests are approved.
Council members flagged a number of issues for staff to consider, including the creation of communications related positions in a number of departments and the need for more information, at an earlier date, about some of the requests so council has a better understanding of the “big picture” within departments. Staff will refine the budget and bring it back for council’s consideration at a future meeting. Mayor Jonathan Cote said the city has laid out an “aggressive agenda” of initia-
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tives to pursue in the coming years, so that’s going to cost money. Still, he said he’s not comfortable approving an increase of more than three per cent and would ideally like to see it below 2.75 per cent. Coun. Patrick Johnstone said the 2.14 per cent base budget actually represents a reduction in services, as some positions that have been funded temporarily are being revaluated as part of the additional funding requests. He’d like to know where other Continued on page 8
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