Richmond Review Richmond ReviewAllan Warnke is running as an independent.
The former B.C. Liberal Party MLA for the Richmond-Steveston riding quit the party last week and has decided to run in the election as an independent.
He will make an official announcement Wednesday evening.
"We took a look at the numbers and saw that there was enough support for an independent candidate," Warnke told the Review on Monday.
"The number one issue will be credibility," he said.
Warnke said he did consider joining another political party, including former Liberal leader Gordon Wilson's new party, the Progressive Democratic Alliance. Wilson was leader of the Liberals when Warnke was first elected in the 1991 election.
Warnke quit the party after much recent public fighting over a nomination meeting that he believed was geared to have him ousted in favor of newcomer Geoff Plant. Warnke said Plant was transplanted by party brass because of his alleged personal ties to party leader Gordon Campbell. Both Campbell and Plant say they are not close friends as alleged.
Warnke also complained that the party had shifted its focus too far to the right under Campbell.
The writing is on the wall, and it spells doom for smokers at the turn of the century.
A resolution was passed last Wednesday by a Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD) task force urging "all councils to adopt a generic bylaw for the cessation of smoking in all public places by January 1, 2000."
A general purposes committee comprised of Mayor Greg Halsey-Brandt and several councillors including Richmond's Ken Johnston met Thursday and referred the item back to staff over legal concerns.
To this point, council has adopted the position taken March 27 by the Restaurant and Food Service Association. Among the association's provisions is that restaurants will become 70-per-cent non-smoking and minors will be prohibited from being seated in smoking sections.
But there are some concerns raised by the city's legal department about the ability to enforce this latter condition, said Kelvin Higo, Richmond's chief public health inspector.
Since it's not illegal for a minor to smoke, prohibiting access to a certain part of a restaurant may be a breach of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, he said.
Johnston, who doesn't support a smoking ban in bars and pubs, expects the task force suggestion to be brought up in council in three or four weeks.
A local crafts company will find a way to hold an open air crafts fair in Steveston despite its first setback.
On Friday, a majority on the Steveston Harbor Authority's board of directors rejected Crafts and Co. Promotions' proposal to set up a crafts fair at the southwest corner of Third Avenue and Moncton Street.
Despite the decision, president Deborah VanderHeide's company will expand "our search for a suitable location and have found several we are presently considering," she said.
"We are committed to pursuing what we believe is a great idea which will enhance the flavor of Steveston," she said in a press release Monday.
In the meantime, the president of the Steveston Business Association, which has openly opposed the plan, is "relieved."
"We were very pleased," said Jan Propp, owner of Once Upon a Grape. "We want fair trade and fair growth to happen in a fair manner."
Arguing against the fair, she said it would have been an "eyesore" that would unfairly undercut local businesses.
Now that the proposal has been killed, the authority will pursue other possible uses for its land, including a parkade or a park, said controller Blake Ellingham.
The authority's survey results showed 33 businesses favored the crafts fair, 33 were opposed and three had other opinions. Out of the 69 responses, only 12 were harbor authority members. A total of 80 survey forms were distributed.
Allan Warnke is a "sore loser" who never asked for help, says his former boss, B.C. Liberal Party leader Gordon Campbell.
In an interview Monday, Campbell denied the former Liberal MLA for Richmond-Steveston's claim that he wanted him ousted in favor of Geoff Plant, who Warnke called a close friend of Campbell.
"When you have active nominating meetings, I'm not surprised to find a sore loser," he said. "But I can tell you this: I sat in caucus meetings with Allan Warnke for almost three years and at no time did he raise any of these complaints."
"I would have done anything he asked me to do; he never asked me to do anything."
Campbell denied Plant - the new candidate - is a close friend. He said he knew Plant when he was young, but lost touch over the years.
"I've seen much more of Allan Warnke and I consider him much more of a friend than Geoff Plant."
With the Social Credit, Progressive Democratic Alliance and B.C. Reform all fielding candidates, Campbell admitted he's "worried" about splitting the centre-right vote.
"With every splinter group that comes along - the re-tread Socreds, the PDA, - if you take a per cent here and a per cent there, that makes it tougher for us to beat the NDP."
Meanwhile, Campbell pledged to spend more money on school construction, by raising revenues from a favorable investment climate, reducing government, and cutting costs from allowing open tendering.
"You will see more schools."
As for whether a Liberal government would approve a rapid transit line, he said he would create a regional agency, whereby local, not provincial politicians, would decide transit projects. But Campbell agreed Richmond may not get top billing for a transit line with a regional agency, considering both Victoria and the GVRD agree that transit projects to the northeast sector are a top priority.
"(A Richmond-to-Vancouver line) is below the northeast sector and I must admit that I put it below the northeast sector because that is the fastest growing part of the region," he added.
Four Richmond residents hit lottery jackpots last month, three by winning a total of $110,000 in the B.C. lottery. Kit Yang Lo, a food court service employee at Vancouver International Airport, matched five numbers plus the bonus number in the April 10, Lotto 6/49 to win $56,433.30. The 50-year-old plans to use the money to pay for her children's education and travel around Canada. Elizabeth Huggins, a long-time employee at Lansdowne Lottery Ticket Centre, mustered up a little luck for herself and won $50,050 on a BC/49 ticket. She bought the ticket from a fellow employee early last month and plans to put the money in the bank. Peach Arch Hospital nurse Jaana Stevenson, of Richmond, scratched her way to $10,000 with a $1 Gold Rush instant ticket. In another lottery, this one the Seniors' Super 8, long-time Minoru Seniors Centre volunteer Paul Cote took home $8,000 - the fourth prize.
The province is sinking $29 million into upgrading highways and constructing new interchanges in Richmond.
Two interchanges on the East-West connector (Highway 91) are expected to improve traffic flow through the Alex Fraser Bridge.
The Oak Street Bridge will receive further seismic upgrading, and a seismic evaluation will be done on the Knight Street Bridge.
A section of Highway 99 from Steveston to Westminster Highways will be repaved to help improve drainage in the area.
The funds will also be used to investigate concrete deterioration on the Rice Mill Road Bridge and extend a guard rail around a hydro pole at Highway 99 and Shell Road.
"These projects will protect and improve our highways infrastructure and help move people and goods safely and more efficiently," Transportation and Highways minister Corky Evans said in a press release.
A Westminster teenager, 17, faces charges of possession of stolen property and dangerous driving after he led Richmond RCMP on a high-speed chase early Wednesday morning.
The newer model Dodge Caravan - later found to be stolen - was speeding westbound on Steveston Highway with three other passengers at about 2:30 a.m. when a cruiser took up the chase. Instead of stopping, the driver hit up to 150-kilometre-per-hour speeds until he lost control of the vehicle and hit a concrete median as he attempted to turn east of Granville Avenue at No. 3 Road. Before he could be arrested, the young driver backed the van into the front of the police car, causing an estimated $1,000 to the grill and hood, RCMP say. There were no injuries.
Two underage females - one from Richmond - and an adult male in the van were not expected to be charged.
Raymond Chan is off to China today (Saturday) on a six-city tour he says will broaden Canada's contacts with that country's regional centres.
The Richmond MP and Canada's secretary of state for the Pacific Rim, told The Review Wednesday the trip will include a stop-over in Hong Kong before he returns home May 21.
The Asian community places a great deal of importance on face-to-face meetings, Chan said, and sending a high-level government official is sometimes necessary to demonstrate a commitment to the projects.
"Canada's profile was low because we hadn't had enough high-level visits to the region," he said. "In Asia they look at it as matter of faith. We're playing catch up."
The Asian market is extensive, with one province in China equivalent to most countries population-wise, he said, adding the results from last fall's extensive Team Canada trade mission are tangible.
"Thirty-three per cent of our total GNP is export-related and $1 billion means 10,000 jobs in Canada. We signed up about $9 billion in trade deals, with about $3 billion of those solid contracts.
Up to last month, 90 per cent of the deals were still active, Chan said.
There's little doubt that Richmond's Asian population will have a significant say in the upcoming provincial election.
Richmond-East Liberal MLA Linda Reid was recently seen encouraging Asian residents at Aberdeen Centre to register and vote, even though she says the Chinese vote would not be a huge factor in her constituency.
The Review asked a handful of eligible voters at Aberdeen Centre Thursday what issues would play the most significant role in who they select May 28. Without exception, the Asian shoppers said taxes and the provincial economy topped their list of concerns.
That doesn't surprise T.N. Foo, director of the United Chinese Community Enrichment Services Society (SUCCESS).
For Chinese immigrants from Hong Kong, where personal income tax is capped at 15 per cent, B.C.'s steep taxes are hard to swallow.
"To a certain extent, it upsets people," Foo said Thursday.
New immigrants would like to hold on to more of their money, he said, and could lean towards a candidate that would reduce taxes if elected despite that candidate's stance on other issues.
But do Chinese immigrants really care about politics?
In general, immigrants from Hong Kong are not too keen on politics, Foo said. As a British colony, Hong Kong did not have direct elections until around 1982 when elections began for some legislative seats.
But ever since the elections, many young Hong Kong residents have taken a liking to politics and have brought that enthusiasm with them to B.C.
The older generation of immigrants unfamiliar with politics commonly don't share the same fervor for the politics.
Do Richmond's newest citizens fear revealing their political stripes?
Political choices are considered quite personal to most Chinese, with choices in some cases not even being shared among immediate family.
The Chinese also generally don't want to air their opinions in the mass media, choosing instead to avoid direct answers when questioned and remaining anonymous when responding.
The feeling is even more extreme for Chinese from communist China, where residents are fearful of criticizing leaders, Foo said.
SUCCESS is organizing an all-candidates meeting at Aberdeen Centre later this month to give Asians an opportunity to see - in some cases for the first and only time - the candidates in their riding, Foo said.
The date of the meeting will be revealed next week, when all party candidates have been chosen.
"We don't tell people which party to vote for (but) we will urge them to come out and vote."
Bennie Yung of the Chinese Community Campaign Committee said there have already been several functions at which the Lower Mainland Chinese community has been encouraged to vote.
Organized by the non-affiliated Civic Education Society, the forums help raise awareness in the Chinese community, familiarizing new Canadians about the political and voting process, Yung said.
Police held a press conference Wednesday in hopes of generating tips from the public that could help solve last Wednesday's murder of 33-year-old Brent Baltzer.
Richmond RCMP Sgt. Willy Laurie said police haven't received many helpful calls about the Steveston-area killing.
Anyone who noticed a friend, son or daughter who has shown a marked change in his or her behavior recently is asked to contact police at 278-1212, Laurie said.
"Because of the nature of the crime and the lack of helpful stuff from inside the house, we need the public's help."
Even seemingly insignificant information about the night of the murder could help speed up the investigation, he said.
Police have contacted media outside Richmond to access other communities where the killer might live.
"I don't think we were ever assuming the guy was from here," Laurie said.
Baltzer was shot and killed when he returned to his Hunt Street home as a burglary was in progress.
The commercial fisher and father of two was rushed to hospital but died en route.
A memorial service was held in Tsawwassen last Tuesday and a trust fund established for his two sons, Fraser and Braden.
The B.C. Ombudsman's office is looking into claims that a cardiologist was treated unfairly when he applied for full privileges at Richmond Hospital.
Dr. Raymond Dong claims the hospital didn't give his application a fair chance two years ago.
Richmond Hospital needs a cardiologist on staff who can speak Cantonese, he said. And he wants to be able to treat his own patients at the hospital, which is across the street from his office.
"Right now, my patients go to the hospital and get the doctor of the day."
Noting that about 40 per cent of Richmondites are Asian, Dong added that Asians often have genetic markers making them vulnerable to heart disease.
Dong claimed the hospital's interpretation system is "not optimum for delivery of patient care."
Patients should have the right to choose the doctor of their choice, he added, questioning the standard of care for those who don't speak English or prefer to speak in their native tongue.
He's upset that "four people get their privileges rubber-stamped without any process at all and I had to wait for 10 months before being turned down."
He claimed the medical appeals board last year didn't deal with the issue of fairness but focused on the fact that the hospital didn't need any more cardiologists.
But the hospital's spokesperson says the medical appeals board backed the hospital in its decision and the issue has been dealt with.
"We're not worried," said Peter Roaf, the hospital's director of communication. "We've already been through one process."
At the time Dr. Dong expressed interest, the hospital had plans to acquire then-Shaughnessy Hospital's team of cardiologists and equipment, Roaf said. The hospital was also talking to a Toronto cardiologist about coming on board.
The hospital told Dong, who was then on staff at Shaughnessy, to wait until a decision was made regarding the Shaughnessy transfer.
By the time the dust had settled, the hospital had gained four cardiologists and its cardio unit was full.
"If Dr. Dong had been on staff at the Shaughnessy Hospital at the time the transfer was made, he'd be on staff at the Richmond Hospital," Roaf said.
Currently hospital staff, who speak up to 47 different languages, assist patients who speak different languages.
If available staff can't help, the Richmond Multicultural Concerns Society is contacted for interpretation. As a last resort, the hospital relies on a phone service that provides interpretation, he said.
But that rarely happens since patients often come to the hospital with friends and family and rely on them for interpretation, Roaf added.
The hospital has not received any complaints from citizens on this issue, he added.
A minor earthquake centred near Seattle, Washington, rattled Richmond and many other Lower Mainland communities for a few seconds Thursday shortly after 9 p.m.
Seismologists estimated the quake's intensity at between 5.0 and 5.5 on the Richter scale, meaning it was of modest strength.
Phone lines were tied up for more than an hour in many parts of Richmond, as thousands of residents picked up their phones to share their experiences. Access to 911 and other emergency services was restored once the excitement died down at about 11 p.m.
Paul Vaillancourt, supervisor of the provincial emergency coordination centre in Victoria, told The Review Friday that if there were a real disaster in B.C., the centre would have implemented a line-load control of phone lines. That would have prevented outgoing phone calls from affected homes in B.C. except to 911.
The emergency coordination centre received 30 calls as a result of the quake, many from Richmond and mostly from residents wanting to know how to better prepare themselves for a more intense earthquake.
There were no reports of damage or injuries as a result of Thursday's tremor, according to police.
The quake was also felt in the southern part of Washington State and the B.C. Interior. Experts said the quake was felt over such a large area because its origin was only a few kilometres deep into the earth's crust. Some quakes originate from as deep as 50 kilometres.
A 24-year-old Richmond man has been sentenced to 15 months in jail for trafficking in heroin. Phillip Amar Dass was sentenced in Richmond provincial court on April 30th. An undercover police operation conducted by the Richmond RCMP drug section completed on March 12 resulted in the conviction. Dass was convicted on three separate counts which involved relatively small amounts of heroin, from one-quarter gram to a half ounce.
Steveston could be getting a two-storey, 26-room bed-and-breakfast inn next year if a local company's application for rezoning is approved.
Robert Biely, president of Chatsworth Enterprises Ltd., wants to convert light industrial land in the 3900 block of Bayview Street to commercial zoning to build the Riversong Inn.
The proposed 1,350-square-metre inn would not compete with existing businesses in the area, Biely says.
The Riversong Inn is different in concept and price than the Steveston Hotel, and much larger than Sue's Bed and Breakfast, he adds.
The inn will offer a small conference room, a lounge, and maybe even jacuzzis in some rooms. Thirteen rooms will overlook the water, while seven will have mountain views.
"The inn will have a relaxing atmosphere with easy chairs and gas fireplaces in each room," Biely says. "It's going to be a fun place, a pleasant place."
A breakfast eating area with about five tables will be available to those who want to eat outside their rooms. The inn will not offer a full-sized restaurant and breakfast will only be available to those staying at the inn.
Besides local businesses benefiting from the expected draw of people, inn advertising will further promote Steveston village as a tourist site, Biely says.
If all goes well, the inn could be built by the fall of 1997, Biely adds.
Not only will the hotel have parking spaces, but visitors can park across the street at 12280 First Ave.
The partners have successfully negotiated a 49-year land lease from the Steveston Harbour Authority which is contingent on rezoning approval. Included in the lease are lands across the street from the inn site.
The group plans to build a commercial/office building at 12280 First Avenue. Riversong Inn customers will be allowed to park at both sites.
The cost to build both projects is estimated at $2.5 million. Both are now used as parking sites.
Chatsworth is project manager for the project. Biely is one of four local partners behind the project. Biely was also project manager for the Steveston Landing project.
Glen Sharpe, owner of Sebastians espresso bar near the site, says the inn would be good for Steveston businesses.
"I welcome any new development. The more business is attracted to Steveston, the better off it is for everyone," Sharpe said.
The proposed inn is so popular, even the competition is in favor.
Sue Richard, owner of Sue's Bed and Breakfast says "it's a great idea."
Her business is catering to a completely different market than the inn would be targeting. Her place is "very family-oriented with very reasonable prices."
"It'll work very, very well in Steveston."
One food bank isn't enough to meet the needs of locals, so another is set to open this week. Registration at a new food bank for single parents and their families will begin at noon Tuesday. Located at Richmond Baptist Church at 6640 Blundell Rd., the food bank will be operated by the Single Parent Food Banks of B.C. Society, their eighth location in the Lower Mainland. Chris Kwasny, director of the society, said he has fielded numerous phone calls from local single mothers requesting assistance ever since a food bank for single moms and dads was closed down more than a year ago. "It's time to re-establish it again," Kwasny told The Review Wednesday. The new food bank will provide a safe environment for single parents and their children to visit, Kwasny said. In some cases, single mothers come from abusive relationships and the food bank allows for them to avoid any contact with their abuser. The Richmond Food Bank is currently overburdened, Kwasny said. The new location will alleviate some of that demand. When the old facility was still operating, Kwasny said more than 100 families were registered, about 50 of which sought assistance on a weekly basis. Unlike other food banks, fund-raising will be done primarily through door-to-door solicitations. Volunteers will have identification to prove their affiliation to the society as they canvas the city. For the first few weeks, the food bank will rely on the monetary donations to fill their shelves until donations from local citizens and businesses can be drummed up on a regular basis. The society is hoping someone will donate a freezer to allow perishables to be stored. Until that happens, the food bank will only accept non-perishable food donations. The food bank will be open every Tuesday from noon to 1 p.m. except for during welfare week. Parents will be required to present identification (a B.C. Care Card) and proof that they live in Richmond on their first visit to the food bank. Monetary donations to the food bank can be mailed to the Single Parent Food Banks of B.C. Society, 11305 Harrison St., Maple Ridge, B.C. V2X 9P6. Tax receipts for the donations will be mailed out immediately.
What began three-and-a-half months ago as a vision by some local skateboarders blossomed last weekend when more than 200 youth gathered for a two-day shindig at Minoru Park. The event helped kick off youth week in Richmond, and also spurred some of the skateboarders to begin raising money in hopes of encouraging city officials to consider building a permanent facility here. So far, they've gathered 150 signatures on a petition they began distributing at the competition. Wayne Yee, Richmond's coordinator of youth services, said Monday the event helped raise awareness for future programs. "It was real exciting for us because we were able to tap into 200 kids who don't access our traditional leisure services. Along with 30-plus parents, these kids spent the last couple of months organizing this weekend and it was totally empowering for them." Yee said it is important to develop a good rapport with the youth, regardless of their interests. And he said he is confident with the right mix of funding and public support, and a suitable location, a skateboard park may be possible. But not everyone is thrilled by the proposal. Some like the concept, but don't want to see it in their backyard. "Agism is what youth like to call it," Yee said. "They receive those kind of vibes which suggest, `we support what you're doing but don't do it around here'. It's unfortunate because sometimes people fail to see the real positive things that kids are doing." Ultimately, Yee is optimistic the youths' efforts will be appreciated and attitudes toward them will improve. "I think they'll rise to the challenge."
The regional Crown counsel will for the second time prosecute a former Richmond school vice-principal charged with rape. Michael Earl Kliman will be back in Supreme court on Nov. 18 facing two counts of gross indecency, two counts of indecent assault, one count of rape and one count of having sex with a girl under the age of 14. The trial is expected to take three weeks. Kliman had been convicted and sentenced to two years less one day in jail on Jan. 19, 1994. But on March 18 of this year, Kliman's conviction was quashed by the B.C. Court of Appeal. Kliman has been free on bail since the charges were first brought against him and has maintained his innocence. Justices Hugh Legg, David Hinds and Lance Finch rules that Kliman's defence lawyers had not been given fair disclosure of evidence from a therapist who testified in court. Kliman is accused of having sexually assaulted two female students at James McKinney elementary school in the mid 1970s. He was a teacher at the school at the time of the alleged offences and was arrested in October 1992 while he was a principal at Diefenbaker elementary school.®MDNM¯ Michael P. Carroll told The Review in March that if Kliman were put back on trial, he will "have a full and complete defence afforded to him and he will be acquitted."
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