THE FRIDAY
2010 WINNER
SEPT. 16, 2011 www.tricitynews.com
TRI-CITY NEWS Anti-terror laws needed?
PoMo Arts Fest is here
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Letters/A12 Tri-City Spotlight/A24 Books Plus/A26 Sports/A48 Tri-City News Friday, September
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Colony Farm plan raises alarm bells Commercialization concerns locally By Gary McKenna THE TRI-CITY NEWS
Members of the Burke Mountain Naturalists and several Coquitlam city coun-
cillors are worried Metro Vancouver’s plans for a farming academy at Colony Farm Regional Park could lead to the commercialization of the park. Metro is moving ahead with plans that would introduce sustainable food production to the site and work
as a research and training ground for urban agriculture. But Elaine Golds, president of the Burke Mountain Naturalists, said she is disappointed with the plan and believes the region has not considered the impacts of the proposal. More ag-
riculture in the park could increase human-wildlife conflicts, she said, noting she is also concerned with the types of agreements that could be signed with organizations that would operate the academy. “All of those things need to be thought out very carefully
when you start introducing commercial agriculture into the park,” said The Tri-City News’ Green Scene columnist. “I have no comfort level with what I have seen so far. “It is a park and a park is for the people.” Several Coquitlam councillors also had reservations
about the Metro plan. Coun. Selina Robinson said Metro Vancouver would have a tough time convincing Coquitlam residents the academy and increased agriculture at the park is a good idea. see FARM ACADEMY ACADEMY,, page A18
Battling for int’l ed. bucks & bodies International ed. is worth $16M to SD43 By Diane Strandberg THE TRI-CITY NEWS
JENNIFER GAUTHIER/THE TRI-CITY NEWS
There’s no keeping a good man down Bruce Moore (above), a retired teacher who taught Terry Fox and for years has emceed the Terry Fox Hometown Run, battled cancer a number of years ago and recently feared the disease had returned. But that won’t keep him from handling the mic Sunday in PoCo: see story & Run details, page A17
The world’s children are coming to the Tri-Cities to learn but keeping them here or attracting new students is a constant battle. School District 43 has to work ever harder to maintain enrolment at a steady 1,000 students a year because competition is getting fiercer and global economic conditions are in flux, Patricia Gartland, the district’s director of global engagement and strategic initiatives told trustees at a board of education meeting Tuesday. “You can’t ever take any of it for granted,” Gartland said as she gave an accounting of the year’s activities to Tri-City trustees. S D 4 3 ’s i n t e r n at i o n a l education prog ram has won world renown — and, recently, recognition in two national publications, The Globe and Mail and Maclean’s — for being one of the largest in the country. Fees the students pay contribute $16 million to the district’s bottom line, or 6.5% of the operating budget, and schools get extra grants and more teachers with money from the $12,000-per-student annual fees. see 400 KIDS KIDS,, page A14