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Guilty plea expected Horrific collision in New Westminster claimed the life of a young father in 2011 By Cayley Dobie
cdobie@newwestrecord.ca
TRAGEDY: On April 19, 2011, 26-year-old Mark Holmes was killed when his car was hit by a cement truck running a red light at East Columbia and Holmes streets. The impact forced both vehicles over the embankment and into Lower Hume Park below. FILE PHOTO THE RECORD
The sentencing hearing for a 46-year-old man involved in a fatal accident is set for May. Burnaby resident Mohammad Abdolmalekpoor is accused of causing the death of 26-year-old Mark Holmes on April 19, 2011. As previously reported by the Record, the cement truck Abdolmalekpoor was driving ran a red light at East Columbia and Holmes streets and crashed into Holmes’s car, sending it through the barrier and down a steep drop-off into Lower Hume Park. Holmes died at the scene. He was on his way to pick up his wife and infant son for a doctor’s appointment, when he was hit shortly after 11:30 a.m. Following an extensive investigation by New Westminster Police Department’s major crime unit and collision analysis and reconstruction team, Abdolmalekpoor was charged with one count of dangerous Continued on page 8
Forum kicks off wired ‘new era’ in city Keynote speaker will provide insight on how NewWest’s new $5.5 million fibre optic network will impact the city By Tereza Verenca
editorial@newwestrecord.ca
An in-depth look at how the city’s $5.5million fibre optic broadband network will transform New Westminster is scheduled for March 31 at the Anvil Centre. The public is encouraged to attend the free forum, which will feature keynote speaker Dr. Norman Jacknis from the New York-based Intelligent Community Forum.
“He’s somebody who has seen and experienced these developments all over the world,” said Coun. Bill Harper. “I think it’s going to be a great opportunity for New West to understand what we’ve been up to in real detail. It’s a bit like the Ted Talks of New Westminster, in the sense that it’s a new era that’s emerging in the city and we want as many people to know about it as possible.” The city’s fibre optic business plan, re-
viewed by council in February, focuses on laying down cable in the downtown and uptown cores first, specifically the ColumbiaBrunette corridor, said Harper. “This is a testing ground of sorts.We hope to have it up and running in 18 months,” he said. “The idea is to create one column, put it into service. Off of that, you will gain revenue, so as you’re expanding, it helps you finance the process in which you’re moving forward.” By providing the open access infrastructure, telecommunications companies (Telcos) and Internet service providers (ISPs) will be able to offer a fibre optic network to
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businesses and residents. “Ultimately, what we’re going to see is the transformation of the economy of the city. We’ve lost all of our heavy industries, and what we’re going to see is the new knowledge-based innovative industries start to migrate into the city to use the fibre,” Harper added. He anticipates Royal Columbian Hospital, Douglas College, the Justice Institute of B.C. and the New Westminster School District to be among the first users of the service, considering all are involved with the Intelligent City task force. Continued on page 8