THE FRIDAY
MAY 20, 2011
2010 WINNER
www.tricitynews.com
TRI-CITY NEWS Metro waiting on waste plan OK
Parents vs. the courts
East meets West
SEE FACE TO FACE, PAGE 11
SEE THINGS-TO-DO GUIDE, PAGE 20
INSIDE
Letters/12 Tri-City Spotlight/33 Green Scene/35 Sports/41
Food for thought: Two groups aim to help the hungry
Minister under lobbying pressure By Jeff Nagel BLACK PRESS
B . C . E nv i r o n m e n t Minister Terry Lake is being urged to decide quickly whether Metro Vancouver can build more garbage incinerators in the region or if Lower Mainland trash must instead be sent further afield. Metro directors approved the proposed Integrated Solid Waste and Resource Management Plan last summer and sent it to Victoria, where it has bounced between three different environment ministers as a result of a series of cabinet shuffles. A spokesperson for Lake said ministry staff are still analysing the plan and expect to report to him by early June. Metro waste committee chair Greg Moore said he has been assured Lake hopes to decide soon after that. “Obviously, we want to get the plan done as soon as possible so we can move forward with it,” said the Port Coquitlam mayor, who met with Lake earlier this month. Metro needs time to call for bids and then build new waste-to-energy facilities — if allowed — by a 2015 target date. “When you start to work the clock backwards, we really need a decision in the very short term so we can move forward with the procurement and the construction process,” Moore said. The plan commits the region to recycle 70% of the waste stream by 2015, up from 55% now, by diverting organics and other recyclable materials. see METRO METRO,, page 17
LEFT: CRAIG HODGE; RIGHT: GARY MCKENNA/THE TRI-CITY NEWS
Left: Ron Baker, a Rotarian, at the Share food bank in Port Moody. Tri-City Rotary Clubs are hosting their Generous Hearts food drive next week to help food bank clients. Right: Ross Jacobsen, vice-principal of Port Coquitlam’s Terry Fox secondary school, which has a breakfast club where students can start their day with a nutritious meal — and community. For more, see the articles on page 3.
Games + math = learning A 3D adventure is helping kids at a Coquitlam middle school learn about math and so much more. See page 19
Fix funding: Hyndes Uncertainty, insurance costs latest culprits By Diane Strandberg THE TRI-CITY NEWS
The chair of the Tri-Cities’ board of education wants a new funding mechanism for B.C. schools after the district was hit both with new costs and more cash after passing its $260-million 2011/’12 budget Tuesday evening. “It’s broken and its inequitable,” Melissa Hyndes said of the way schools are funded in the province. Previous School District 43 complaints have been about the district’s low per-pupil funding compared to other districts. Now, downloading has been added to the list of concerns after the district was told its premiums would rise for a School Protection Fund and its deductible would jump to $10,000 for each incident (typically theft), up from $3,000.
The change would add another $200,000 in insurance costs, including the increased deductibles. Hyndes, a Port Moody trustee, said the lack of consultation and late addition to the budget is another indication the funding process needs to be re-worked. “It’s downloading, that’s what it is,” said Hyndes, noting that the announcement came after boards had already set their budgets for the year. MELISSA HYNDES The BC School Trustees Association is also asking Education Minister George Abbott to reconsider the ministry’s sudden decision to shift school building insurance premiums previously paid by the government to local boards of education. see LAST-MINUTE LAST MINUTE FUNDING, FUNDING, page 4