Q&A THE WEDNESDAY
In the sixth of a series, The Tri-City Newss asks candidates in the federal election about rapid transit for the Tri-Cities: see page 15 APRIL 27, 2011
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3 hikers cold, wet and lucky
FILE PHOTO BY CRAIG HODGE/THE TRI-CITY NEWS
Volunteer searchers with Coquitlam Search and Rescue have long used helicopters when they help stranded hikers and skiers in the Tri-Cities and throughout the Lower Mainland but now the group is looking at expanding its arsenal to include rescues in which a searcher dangling from a copter plucks a subject from a cliff.
It’s the season for searches so Coquitlam Search and Rescue has some tips for enjoying the great outdoors safely. Also: local searchers plan to take to the skies and need some help: see page 12
Part 2 In the second installment in our monthly series on bears, The Tri-City Newss examines what attracts mama bruins and their broods to the suburban streets of the TriCities. Please see stories on pages 19 and 20
Three hikers were a little wet and cold but otherwise healthy and happy to be home after getting lost on Eagle Mountain on Saturday. The trio left their Vancouver neighbourhood early and did not inform friends or family members of their plans to venture into the wilderness area north of Coquitlam. Dwight Yochim, search manager with Coquitlam Search and Rescue, said they were able to get a cellphone call out to a friend, who then notified rescue crews. “They were lucky,” he said. “Had they not found a cell signal, we still wouldn’t know where they are.” The RCMP helicopter was able to locate the missing hikers, who were airlifted out of the area from a clearing about 300 m from where they were found. Yochim said when the sun is shining, people often forget that there is still snow at lower elevations. The three hikers that were found on the weekend were soaking wet, cold and not prepared to spend a night outside. gmckenna@tricitynews.com
Pesticide talk Thursday Issue that first came to Coquitlam council at the beginning of its first term now goes before city’s environmental committee By Janis Warren THE TRI-CITY NEWS
An issue that has proved pesky for Coquitlam council will get a long look starting this week. Coquitlam’s new sustainability and environmental advisory committee is scheduled to meet Thursday to talk about whether the city should implement a ban on the sale and use of cosmetic pesticides. The nine-person group, chaired by Coun. Linda Reimer, will discuss the topic, which council referred to the committee last month.
Coun. Selina Robinson, who is pushing for the pesticide ban, said she won’t attend Thursday’s advisory meeting but hopes the group will make a recommendation to council before the summer break as the civic election is in November. Speaking Tuesday, Robinson said she was disappointed the committee won’t have direction from staff about how to proceed with making policy; rather, the committee ROBINSON agenda shows previous council minutes about a proposed ban. “I had hoped that we would actually have given them direction to make recommendations on the kind of ban we ought to have, not just recommend a ban or not,” she said. see FIRST SPRAY BAN MOTION MOTION,, page 4