5
SPECIAL SECTION 21
Canada Day in the city NEWS 5
Shredding it for a cause COMMUNITY 11
THINGS TO DO THIS WEEKEND
The dog (park) days of summer WEDNESDAY JUNE 24 2015
There’s more online at
NewWestRecord.ca
LOCAL NEWS – LOCAL MATTERS
Y O U R
SEE PAGE 19
H O M E T O W N
N E W S P A P E R
Why should we believe you now? NewWestminster residents have been told a new secondary school was coming soon for more than 12 years By Cornelia Naylor
cnaylor@newwestrecord.ca
A SPECIAL REPORT When Christina Gill was in Grade 6 at Glenbrook Middle School, the province gave the New Westminster school district the go-ahead to build a new high school. By the time she entered her last year at the middle school, the district had torn down a chunk of the old NWSS, including 12 classrooms, to prepare for the impending construction. Having heard horror stories about the then-55-year-old building from her aunts and mother, Gill was relieved she’d be in one of the first classes to graduate from the new, state-of-the-art high school. Instead, she graduated four years later, from an NWSS even more dilapidated than the one her aunts and mother attended. “It was mortifying knowing I was going into that school, and when I got there, it was even worse,” Gill said. The project had stalled by the time she was in Grade 9, when she wrote a letter to the Record, imploring city leaders, school trustees and New West citizens to “stop haggling over expenses and focus on the mandate of building a new high school only.” “We continue to see articles and editorials about the school district business company, budgets and the need for an arts centre,” she wrote. “Enough already: we know what the issue is, let’s focus our energies on a solution. If the project plan for building a new school includes other secondary projects, we may never see a new high school in the next few years.” Nearly 10 years later – as Gill gets ready to graduate from SFU this fall – construction has yet to begin on a new school, and she is deeply skeptical of the school board’s recent announcement that construction could realistically start by next summer. “Personally, I don’t believe it,” she said.
SKEPTIC 2009 NWSS grad Christina Gill, standing at a corner of the aging school, doubts construction on a new high school will start next summer. She was in Grade 6 when the New Westminster school district first announced it would replace NWSS. PHOTO CORNELIA NAYLOR “They’ve been saying it for so long, it’s so board chair Jonina Campbell. hard to believe what they’re saying now. I “I understand where everybody’s comfeel like it’s more going to be like, ing from,” she told the Record. ‘Oh, we’re going to put a shovel in “All we can do is work hard to deMORE: the ground; we’re going to take a What about the liver.” picture,’ more for publicity.” The board’s latest reason for cemetery? Gill’s not alone in her skepticism. Pg. 3 hope is a June 3 letter from the “We’ve heard it all before,” pareducation ministry, stating the Follow the ent and former district parent addistrict’s completed project develtimeline visory council chair Paul Johansen opment report had been received Pg. 3 said. “It’s just déjà vous.” and the ministry hoped to be in a Commenters on the Record’s position to request funding from Facebook page were also unanithe provincial treasury within six mous in their doubt of the district’s recently to eight weeks. announcement timeline. “For the first time, we’re seeing things in That’s “fair enough,” according to school writing,” Campbell said.
Grace Laser Skin Care $85 for 3 under arms Laser Hair Removal 604-553-0717 www.gracelaserskincare.ca #307-233 Nelson’s Crescent New Westminster, BC
‘Lucy’ Lianer Ren NOW OPEN 706 Sixth Street New Westminster, BC V3L 3C5
Licensed Optician • Contact Lens Fitter Progressive Glasses Specialist Over 30 Years Experience
40
Up to
%
OFF
Regular Price (With coupon)
778-398-2626
www.newwestoptical.com
The district now expects a funding announcement by November, according to superintendent John Gaiptman. The next step would be hiring a project manager and crafting a request for qualifications to find a pool of design-builders qualified to undertake the giant project, which will cost somewhere between $110 million and $130 million, according to the district, and has been described by the ministry as “the most complicated and costly replacement project undertaken in the K-12 system to date.” The district will whittle that pool down continued on page 4
The Only Co-ed and Ladies Only Fitness in New West
10 DAYS for
1000
$
WITH THIS AD
FIRST TIME VISITORS ONLY. Must be 18 years or older.
in Located t New Wes Station Skytrain
COMMITTED TO FITNESS, COMMITTED TO YOU!
#335 - 800 CARNARVON ST NEW WESTMINSTER
604-521-TRIM • www.dynamichealthandfitness.ca
2 H ou rs FREE Parkin g
Ask about our “ONE ON ONE PERSONAL TRAINING SPECIAL”