Coquitlam
Port Coquitlam
Port Moody
Coquitlam has funding for affordable housing projects.
Opening for revamped PoCo rec centre in works.
Moody council sets policies for cannabis retail stores.
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tricitynews.com
2019
asking for fed. transit funding + Mounties respond to provincial money laundering report + Province moves on ticket scalping
SPRInG bLOSSOMS RIGht befORe OUR eYeS
eMeRGenCY ReSPOnSe
Continued fight over fire/ambo dispatching PoCo fire chief’s memo revealed, two sides plan to talk Stefan Labbé slabbe@tricitynews.com
While the annual Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival (www.vcbf.ca) is underway, running through April 28, the big city isn’t the only place in the Lower Mainland to view the colourful blossoms, as shown by a visitor to Coquitlam’s Town Centre Park last Thursday who took in the colourful display. MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS
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Port Coquitlam Fire Chief Nick Delmonico says he stands by his controversial memo to city staff instructing them to ask for “fire” instead of an ambulance when calling 911 in case of a medical emergency. The direction came through the recently revealed memo, dated March 19, 2019, and marks the latest salvo in a protracted spat between the PoCo Fire and Emergency Services and the BC Ambulance Service. In an interview this week with The Tri-City News, Delmonico said city staff should ask to speak with fire dispatch when seeking help in a medical emergency. “We’re more in tune with
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As authentic as fajitas from a southern cantina. Served in a sizzling skillet with seasoned grilled chicken or Certified Angus Beef, sautéed onions, peppers and a side of warm tortillas.
the area, so we’re always quicker than the ambulance service,” he said. In May 2018, BC Emergency Health Services (BCEHS) changed how it triages emergency calls — known as its clinical response model — dispatching ambulances and paramedics in a way that it says prioritizes the most lifethreatening calls. But while advising people to take a cab and relying on a nurse line has freed up a lot of paramedics once overwhelmed with less serious calls, both Port Coquitlam’s fire chief and mayor say significant wait times plague the system. “We have been raising our concerns about the consequences of those response times for several years now,” said Port Coquitlam Mayor Brad West. “I am not satisfied that they have made any adjustments to address that issue. It’s extremely frustrating.” see
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COQUITLAM
300-100 Schoolhouse St
604.526.2272