Art move could be shelved

by Chris Bryan, staff reporter

A staff report to be debated by council last night (Tuesday) was recommending that council choose an option to keep Elizabeth Roy’s SPAN where it is.

“I’m not breathing a sigh of relief yet,” the Vancouver artist said Tuesday. “I was surprised that staff recommended it stay, ’cause I thought that wasn’t what would happen.”

SPAN consists of a large steel sculpture on the plaza, accompanied by three smaller pieces called “apertures” located on the hill at the west end of the site. The art has sparked considerable reaction since it was first installed in June, resulting in numerous letters to the city and local newspapers from proponents and opponents.

In September, councillors requested staff explore the possibility of moving the steel sculpture to another city-owned property.

Coun. Malcolm Brodie, who voted against the project when it was first proposed in 1998, told The Richmond Review at the time the art is dwarfed by the buildings surrounding it, and the main piece is an obstruction when public events are held in the plaza.

Although the report supports the status quo, two other locations are also put forward, both on city hall grounds. One would move SPAN to the north end of the plaza; the other would move it to the hill, with the apertures.

Roy said moving the art would render it worthless, because context is a crucial element of the work.

“I created the configuration with a lot of thought,” she said.

“As soon as they change the configuration, it loses the whole meaning—the work is destroyed, from my point of view.”

Roy says the city’s handling of her work is an example of “growing pains,” something that could be solved with the creation of a clarified public art policy.

“The city doesn’t have a policy regarding the relocation of artwork, and that’s a real problem because it lets them move work around whenever they want to,” she said.

Teen stabbed several times

by Martin van den Hemel, staff reporter

Around 11 p.m. Friday, the pair became involved in a fight, during which one of them allegedly pulled out a knife and stabbed the other up to six times in the abdomen and chest, police said.

The victim was taken to Vancouver General Hospital suffering from life-threatening injuries, Richmond RCMP Const. Peter Thiessen said Tuesday, but at press time, he didn’t know what the boy’s condition was.

According to neighbours in the area, there was a large party at a house at 7731 Lucas Rd. Friday night.

A resident of that home said it’s likely the two people involved in the altercation were at the party, which drew an estimated 200 youth.

“They most likely were. (But) I didn’t know half of them.”

The resident said his friend visited the victim in hospital and the victim is expected to recover. The victim apparently suffered a punctured lung, the resident said.

According to Thiessen, police responded to a report of a street fight outside a home at the corner of No. 3 and Lucas Roads.

About 50 youth had gathered on the street and told police that someone had been stabbed and taken to hospital.

Neighbours said a large group of youth had made their way down the street shortly before police and emergency crews arrived.

Thiessen said that with the help of some of the witnesses, they were able to determine the identity of the suspect, who was arrested Saturday night and charged with attempted murder. The suspect cannot be named due to provisions of the Young Offenders Act.

Thiessen said that the victim and suspect knew one another and they had a history of disagreements.

The fight was apparently a result of this past history, he said.

Thiessen wouldn’t say whether the weapon, a knife, had been recovered at the scene.

No other charges are expected, he said.

Three years later, smuggling suspect in court

Martin van den Hemel, staff reporter

The Kitchener, Ontario resident was nabbed by Vancouver International Airport customs officers on Nov. 6, 1997 carrying leather portfolios and mats lined with cloth patches that had been soaked in opium resin.

Vang was charged with importing a controlled substance and was granted bail by the courts. But when his court date arrived, he was nowhere to be found.

Vang recently resurfaced and was taken into custody, where he’s been ever since. His failure to show up for his earlier court date cost him $17,000, the amount he’d deposited in cash to assure the court he’d be back. That money was forfeited to Crown.

Back in 1997, Vang had arrived in Vancouver on a flight from Thailand through Japan and was carrying items that proved familiar to customs officers. Apparently, just a month earlier, another person tried to smuggle drugs in a similar manner through U.S. Customs.

Federal Crown counsel Gerry Sair said Vang was carrying 30 portfolios along with dozens of mats of various sizes, some with colourful stitching on them. When the exterior of the products were pulled back, inside were cloth patches that had been soaked in the opium.

Customs Inspector Joseph Chayeski testified Vang claimed he didn’t know there were drugs in the items.

RCMP Const. James Jancsek, who arrived at the airport shortly after Vang was detained, testified he asked Vang whether he was expecting to meet someone at the airport to give them the items. Vang was asked whether he would co-operate in a controlled delivery, but Vang again claimed ignorance.

Vang claimed he purchased the items with the intent to sell them here and send the money back to Thailand.

Sair said the drugs had a minimum value of $197,000.

Vang is next scheduled to appear in Richmond Provincial Court on Dec. 5.

Blaze destroys house, van and boat

Martin van den Hemel, staff reporter

Richmond Fire-Rescue’s Doug Hystad said the tenants in a house at 4920 Westminster Hwy. waited some time before calling out emergency crews following an early Saturday morning fire. Before calling, the tenants were scrambling to remove their personal belongings, he said.

By the time fire crews arrived, flames were shooting from the front living room window of the house.

The heat from the spectacular fire was so intense that it shattered many of the home’s windows and the windshield of a minivan parked in the driveway, less than a metre away from the front of the house. Flames gutted a small boat parked alongside the house.

“(The fire) was intense,” said a neighbour, who didn’t wish to be identified. “It was scary.”

Hystad said the fire appears to have been accidental, starting on a mattress in a bedroom.

Hystad said there was some difficulty in investigating the fire because there was a language barrier. The home’s tenants were apparently Vietnamese.

Damage to the house was estimated at $150,000. There were no injuries.

Late start meant head start

Philip Raphael, staff reporter

And that is expected to vault the company and its customers into the next generation of high-speed data transfer where voice, video, text, and internet content merge into one easy-to-use and access stream of information.

“We started in 1G (first generation cellular communications) about 10 years later (1994) than everyone else, and probably five years behind 2G,” explained Jack Mar, Telos’ president and CEO.

“But that allowed us to start with newer technology which made us able to adapt to the next generation of wireless communications quicker than our competitors.”

Telos develops sophisticated telephone switching devices that form the backbone of cellular communications systems, “the parts that no one ever sees when they use their cell phone,” Mar said.

That equipment began with first generation, or 1G, which refers to analog cellular communications that provided voice-only communication, and opened the door to widespread mobile telephone use.

Second generation, 2G, ushered in digital cellular voice communications that gave users a few added features such as call display, limited data transfer from fax or voice mail, and call waiting.

And now, the latest generation, 3G, will present customers with a whole new range of services on top of their voice and data communications. It will include full video capabilities, and vastly increased data access including the ability to surf the internet, all from a wireless piece of equipment such as portable telephones, pocket PCs, or PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants such as Palm Pilot-like devices).

Using Telos’ equipment customers will be able to receive data at a speed of two megabytes per second, a rate usually reserved for high-speed internet access now provided by land line-based (wired) systems such as ADSL or cable.

“Voice communication will literally be something that will be thrown in with the package of new services,” Mar explained.

But what will be some of 3G’s practical applications?

“You’ll be able to use your telephone to find out where you are by triangulating your position within the cellular network. And then you can ask the system to do things like show you a list of local restaurants,” Mar said.

On your phone or PDA’s display would then appear a map and directory of the establishments you are trying to find.

“Also, you’ll even be able to hook up a video camera on your portable terminal, laptop or whatever and send back your travel pictures to the folks back at home and say, ‘Hey look at the beaches, wish you were here.’”

It is that immediate connectivity that will fuel the demand for 3G-enabled devices, Mar explained, despite the fact that next generation hardware will be needed to take advantage of all the new services.

“But there is always someone who is wanting the next best new thing and is willing to pay the price for a new gadget that runs the latest and fastest technology,” Mar said, adding that, “Likely, one communications device will do it all for you.”

He predicted the hardware is probably going to come in the form of a more elaborate cellular telephone rather than a pocket PC or PDA, unless wireless equipment using “Bluetooth” technology—a system that allows devices to communicate with each other wirelessly—is incorporated. In that form, a wireless head set will allow users to receive and transmit voice calls.

Trials using 3G technology are scheduled to be conducted in selected North American cities next year with consumer access possibly available the following year.

After that, what is next on the wireless horizon? How much disconnectivity and freedom can people expect?

“Nobody can accurately predict what the future will hold as result of all of this convergence among the internet, computers and telephones,” Mar said. “One thing is for sure though, content for the new services will be in high demand.”

Also in high demand are skilled workers at Telos. Currently the company employs about 120 workers. That figure is expected to double by next year as it makes a push to bring the technology to market.

As for competition, Telos is in the big leagues with giants such as Nortel Networks and Lucente Technologies.

“The market is really global so we’re pretty well everywhere,” Mar said referring to Telos’ entry into South America and Asia.

While those markets are massive, Telos is also playing the opposite end of the industry by developing communications systems on a smaller scale with wireless telephones for campus-sized, or small to medium-sized businesses.

“Each worker would have their own mobile telephone and would be able to stay in touch wherever they were in the building.”

High tech deal worth US$3.3 million for local firm

Martin van den Hemel, staff reporter

Last Wednesday, a catered reception was held at Meridex’s offices on 138-13777 Commerce Parkway.

It was held to celebrate the deal between Menlo Park, California’s Informix Software and Meridex, a leading application services provider that can enable a company to automate its entire goods and services supply chain on the Internet.

Informix, meanwhile, specializes in producing database software for advanced information management.

The deal is valued at US $3.3 million.

Meridex president Peter Daniel and Informix president Peter Gyenes were both on hand during the reception to greet local dignitaries including Richmond MP Raymond Chan and Richmond Mayor Greg Halsey-Brandt.

The deal means Meridex will exclusively use Informix’s electronic commerce infrastructure. In addition, the two firms have agreed to split the cost of a joint marketing campaign that will include direct mail, advertising and seminars.

Meridex spokesperson Christine De Melo explained that Meridex enables companies to obtain their goods and services through the Internet, allowing them to make orders electronically instead of phoning or faxing them in.

This saves money and is much more efficient, she said.

In a nutshell, Meridex provides an on-line store front for multiple vendors, enabling them to order and purchase products and services in a secure and convenient manner, she said.

Among the companies to recently sign up with Meridex Network Corporation, which is currently traded on the Canadian Venture Exchange under the listing MEX and employs about 60 people, is Panasonic and the Ontario Hotel and Motel Restaurant Association.

De Meto predicts that in the next few years, about 85 per cent of businesses will be hooked up to the Internet.

For more information about the two companies check out their Web sites at www.meridex.com or www.informix.com.

Packer pride still alive for alumni

Don Fennell, staff reporter

And like the U.S. visionary, they imagined a better world: one where tolerance and understanding would prevail. They never lost sight of their desire, and in 1987 with the help of future Steveston grads formed the Steveston High School Alumni Association—the first in a public school in North America.

It evolved, members say, thanks mainly to the foresight and spirit of the class of 㥆 and in particular its first chair, Ken Miki.

Miki felt that the objective of the alumni should be to “encourage Steveston grads to take their education to the limit.”

Fellow 㥆 grad and charter alumni member Patsy Kikegawa continues to take up the cause.

“We try to support the school in practically all activities,” says Kikegawa, one of 4,159 members who have paid $10 each for a lifetime membership.

Since its inception, the alumni has also raised close to $200,000 for the school and currently awards six $500 scholarships annually as well honouring a teacher with its Masters Teacher Award. It has also sponsored many global education projects including the first video conference with students in Sendai, Japan; the Cyclo Express, which ensures the distribution of old glass and hearing aids to youth in need; and the Casa Guatemala orphanage at which many Steveston students have visited.

“We have to educate people in order for society to go ahead,” continues Kikegawa. “It obviously starts in our schools but education isn’t just academic, it’s all aspects of life. We need to promote an all-around philosophy and I think Steveston has that.”

While most scholarship programs reward academically-gifted students, alumni scholarships recognize excellence in all areas accurately reflecting the association’s intent: serving as an education partner while striving to enrich the education environment, and providing a focus for social interaction among the Steveston family.

Current Burnett Secondary vice-principal Glenn Kishi is also an alumni member. He says not only is it a great idea, but an opportunity for Steveston grads to “give something back.”

“It’s important. It cannot be all take, take, take. It’s just a philosophy, but hopefully we can help expand the education opportunities for kids.”

Although he’s now retired, former Steveston principal Bob Carkner also remains an active alumni member.

He says the energy his colleagues continue to display is “unbelievable.”

But Carkner cautions, “We can’t do it alone. We need the private and public sectors to join hands.

“And education has to extend its wings to include the teaching of the new global, social conscious. Our children have to be taught we’re part of one Planet Earth.”

nThe public is invited to attend the Steveston High School Alumni Association’s first annual auction Nov. 17 starting at 7 p.m. at the school, 10440 No. 2 Rd.

The evening will feature silent and live auctions as well as finger food and door prizes. Tickets are $10 each and available during school hours (668-6500) or through the Alumni Hot Line at 268-9779.

All proceeds will go toward enhancing the school’s education programs.Tax receipts will be issued for donations of goods or cash.

Packer graduates from U.S. boot camp

Dooling enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps earlier this year and recently completed a six-week school of infantry training at Camp Pendleton, Cal. earning a promotion to private first class.

He’s currently training in Norfolk, Virginia, and has earned an expert sharpshooter award.

He’s also been selected as a member of the Marine Corps fleet anti-terrorism support team.

Ditches spark controversy in Broadmoor

Chris Bryan, Staff Reporter

Many neighbourhood residents who have covered over or built other structures in their ditches received notices in September, giving them 10 days to the alterations, or receive a bill to pay someone else to do it.

The city has a zero tolerance policy dealing with ditch modifications—anything installed must be removed.

Sixty-one Broadmoor area residents have received notices to remove their structures.

About 100 people attended a meeting at city hall Wednesday to speak with staff about their concerns, and to see if there were other options.

What they received was stonewalling, according to area resident Ihor Pona.

Staff did not budge on the zero tolerance policy, but granted the residents a six month time frame to either remove the structures or build something which the city can approve.

Pona says people are building these structures to deal with health and safety issues. He built the wooden structure in his ditch to prevent people from throwing garbage into it, which was attracting rats. The ditch also needed shoring up, to prevent erosion.

The city currently cleans the ditches once every two years.

“That’s not a reasonable maintenance program to take care of their own property,” Pona said.

Pona concedes, however, that “some structures are of legitimate concern to the city,” because they are not maintained by the property owners.

Coun. Lyn Greenhill, who chairs the city’s public works committee, said she understands the desire to improve the ditches, but it has to be done right.

“I would agree that on the surface it seems unfair (to force the removal of the ditches), but when you look at what it does to the drainage system of the city, possibly it wasn’t a good idea,” she said. Broadmoor isn’t the only area where people are asked to remove their ditches, she added.

Steve Ono, the city’s manager of design and construction said the zero tolerance policy arose in 1994 because of the demands of residents who wanted safe ditches.

“There are two sides to this,” Ono said. “We have to balance the demands of the one side with the demands of the other side.”

The city does allow for flexibility, he said, but they also have to maintain standards.

“It’s not zero tolerance on things being done to ditches, it’s zero tolerance on things not to our standards being done to ditches,” Ono said.

The options of Broadmoor have two options, he said.

They can seek a permit for ditch infill, and do it according to city specifications. Or they can participate in a shared-cost arrangement with the city to put in storm sewers and sidewalks, where they city pays one-third and the residents pay about $700 a year over 15 years.

Resident John Tang said that isn’t going to happen.

“That’s not just too much, that’s crazy,” Tang said. “We’ve been paying taxes, and look at this, the roads are bumpy (and) the streets are dark.”

Levy on ice could freeze the B-Line

Chris Bryan, Staff Reporter

“There won’t be any cuts in service, but there also won’t be any added service, such as the expansion of the B-Line into Richmond,” TransLink’s Bill Knight said. The B-Line is scheduled to be up and running Dec. 12.

TransLink directors Thursday decided to put the levy on the back burner until the next meeting. Richmond councillor and TransLink board member Kiichi Kumagai forwarded a motion at the meeting to refer the levy issue to municipal city managers, to see if they could propose any alternatives of their own in the meantime.

Kumagai said an option to be explored is passing the responsibility for maintaining roads to the city, which would reduce the costs of TransLink’s plan significantly. This would allow Richmond to maintain the bus service improvements included in the plan.

Kumagai said Finance Minister Paul Martin has suggested the GVRD, Liberal MPs and TransLink get together and outline a plan of their priorities, and pass that message on to him.

Martin has indicated that, although Ottawa will not return a portion of the gas tax to alleviate the $100 million shortfall outlined in TransLink’s plan, he would be willing to fund specific regional transportation projects.

The costs would be split evenly among the three levels of government, he said.

Local brings aid to Cambodia

Martin van den Hemel, Staff Reporter

McConaghy, a forensic scientist for the Vancouver RCMP, has been travelling to Cambodia twice per year since 1990 after being moved by the people he met, poverty he witnessed and the plight of a tiny girl named Ratanak who died from a lack of medicines found in any Canadian drugstore.

The documentary entitled Ratanak’s Legacy, by Beverley Reid and Peter Kellington of Mayne Island’s Coming Home Films, follows McConaghy’s most recent two-week trip to Cambodia last spring and introduces the people who work with his Ratanak Foundation to assist the nation’s impoverished people.

The film premieres Friday, Nov. 24 at 7:30 p.m. at the Fletcher Challenge Theatre, SFU Harbour Centre, in Vancouver.

“It’s not something I planned,” McConaghy said of the start of his relationship with the beautiful people of Cambodia, who are still reeling from the civil war that destroyed their country and the ensuing international economic embargo that has hindered their recovery.

Before his first visit a decade ago, McConaghy was involved in a hosting program that assisted international students studying here to cope with the often difficult social adjustments of living in a new country and away from family and friends.

In an effort to better empathize and assist these students, McConaghy decided he would immerse himself in a foreign culture and travelled to Thailand.

“I felt I could do a better job if I knew what it felt like.”

As a favour to a friend, he dropped off a care package to the friend’s daughter who was working at a Cambodian refugee camp.

What he saw there changed his life.

He got to see one of many refugee camps filled with 42,000 people, the survivors of a brutally violent war that resulted in the death of millions, including the country’s brightest minds, from doctors to lawyers and engineers.

Ever since that defining moment, McConaghy has been flying to Cambodia, smuggling the desperately needed medical supplies past a United Nations embargo.

Originally he’d hoped to bring in just a couple of suitcases of medical supplies but his friends gathered together nine tonnes, enough to fill a cargo container.

“Most North Americans have no idea of what actually occurred there. It’s a very tough place, yet there’s tremendous reward.”

McConaghy, no stranger to violence after growing up in Belfast, and his wife have adopted a Cambodian boy who just turned three.

He left for Cambodia again this weekend and said he looks forward to coming back and seeing the documentary for the first time.

For more information about the Ratanak Foundation, check out the website at www.ratanak.ca

Cenotaph back on firm ground

Chris Bryan, Staff Reporter

When Richmond City Hall was moved to Elmbridge Way in 1997 to make way for the new building, the monument was taken to Chandler’s Monuments for storage.

The company was the same one which built the massive stone memorial back in 1922.

In 1998 and 1999, the Cenotaph was trucked out from the company’s location on Fraser Street in Vancouver, and installed at Minoru Park in the parking lot.

“It wasn’t the sturdiest thing in the world,” says Chuck McDonald, president of the Remembrance Day committee. “It was only held with a pipe about (one foot) long.”

The odd situation was enough to capture the attention of CBC television, which sent a crew out one year to capture the ordeal from start to finish—an item that was featured on the national news on Remembrance Day.

On June 6 of this year, the 55th anniversary of the D-Day Invasion, the Cenotaph was returned to its rightful place, literally inches away from where it was in 1922, McDonald says.

There was a candlelight service and a full representation each of the armed forces.

McDonald says he’s glad to see it back in a place where all Richmondites can see it, and reflect.

“It’s a focal point, and it’s something that should be seen by as many people as possible,” he says.

“The thing that’s important to me is that people come out and remember. And that the kids remember.”

To assist that end, McDonald says local veterans have been visiting local schools this week, participating in individual assemblies.

Tomorrow’s ceremony at the Cenotaph gets underway at 10:40 a.m.

A two-minute silence takes place at 11 a.m.

Besides hymns, prayers and poems, among other things, there will be a public wreath laying.

The other PM comes to town

Chris Bryan, Staff Reporter

Martin visited Richmond Wednesday to show his support for local Liberal candidates Raymond Chan (MP for Richmond) and Jim Doswell (Delta/South-Richmond).

The federal election is Monday, Nov. 27.

Despite calls from the region for the feds to cough up a portion of the gas tax, the minister says dedicated taxes are not a smart move.

“The concept that the gas tax come back to the region as a general concept is exactly what happens,” Martin said. “The fact is we do invest heavily in the region in a range of areas.”

But he said dedicating the gas tax constricts the government’s flexibility in spending, and will not happen.

“The money that comes in government revenues are spent based on the priorities of the time,” he said.

Instead, Martin says the feds will work with the other two levels of government to fund transportation infrastructure in the region. The cost for these projects would likely be split evenly into thirds among the feds, the province and the municipalities involved.

Delta/South-Richmond Canadian Alliance MP John Cummins says the federal government should be much larger than one-third.

“For instance, at the airport the government is raking in a huge rent there, and its not making as much commitment to transit access to the airport,” Cummins said.

Ottawa also receives generous rents for port properties in Richmond and Delta, Cummins said, but returns only a “pittance” to the municipalities to provide for infrastructure needs.

Major projects like the new SkyTrain lines have been funded by the province and TransLink, without any federal contribution.

Martin is the second prominent Liberal to visit Richmond on the campaign trail. Prime Minister Jean Chretien was at Chan’s nomination meeting last month.

The visit to Richmond of a senior Liberal cabinet minister comes as no surprise to Cummins.

“I imagine that they’re trying to prop up their campaign. That’s politics.”

Martin also met with a few council members and representatives from Tourism Richmond and the Chamber of Commerce early Wednesday.

In addition to discussing funding for transportation infrastructure, Martin was also asked to provide assistance to build a trade and exhibition centre in Richmond—an idea that has been thrown around for a number of years.

The minister’s response to both was positive, according to Coun. Lyn Greenhill.

Martin indicated the feds would be interested in looking at public-private partnerships to build the exhibition facility.

No more health care cuts, vows Martin

Chris Bryan, Staff Reporter

“Underlying the $21 billion in the current transfers are contingency reserves, margins of balance, and a prudence factor,” he said.

“The purpose of those is if there indeed ever is a slow-down in the economy, that never again will a government find itself in a situation of having to cut back (in health care).”

The cash transfers to the provinces are now at an all-time high, he added.

Martin contends tax cuts and debt reduction outlined in the Alliance’s platform will lead to a $25 billion shortfall in four years—a shortfall he says can’t be made up without cutting into health care.

“I’ve got to tell you, I know those numbers very well,” Martin said. “It’s very difficult to see how he can do that without touching health care spending.”

Canadian Alliance MP John Cummins says Martin is just making excuses and that health care funding should be just as compulsory as paying the mortgage.

“If we as individuals are forced to make those commitments, then the federal government should make those commitments as well,” he said.

Rave hopefuls facing a tough crowd

Chris Bryan, Staff Reporter

But they are likely to get an earful from their neighbours first.

The Gujarati Society of B.C., which owns the hall at 11460 Horseshoe Way, has been asked by city councillors to host a public forum at their building to solicit the concerns of neighbours.

So far, there are only two sites in the city where raves are permitted: The Riverside Banquet Hall, and The Palace, both located at 14500 River Rd. A proposal for a site at No. 3 Road has also been working its way through the city for several months, but hasn’t yet reached council.

Francoise Tsang, who runs the food wholesaler next door to the hall, says she doesn’t want to see late night parties in her neighbourhood.

Her neighbours don’t have a very good track record so far, she says, and she doubts it will get any better.

“We’ve had problems (with them) with nuisance in terms of parking and garbage and everything,” she said.

Her company, Uniking Enterprises, recently installed a gate to keep people from parking in its lot.

Tsang says the area is made up of businesses that are only occupied in the daytime, and holding raves in the area could make them a target for vandals.

“It’s a very quiet area, and I’d like to keep it that way,” she said. “A business district should remain a business district. It’s as simple as that. It’s an income for them, but it makes everyone else insecure.”

Gujarati Society trustee Sharat Chande says his group is small, and is looking for ways to remain self-supporting.

“We find we don’t use the hall frequently and the expenses are high,” Chande said. “So renting it out once or twice a month will help pay the mortgage.”

Chande said he isn’t aware of any concerns about parking or garbage. The society always makes sure to clean the vicinity of the building the day after any event, he said.

Coun. Derek Dang said Chande will probably encounter opposition from local businesses concerned about parking and garbage.

“It’s just not going to fly in that area, I don’t think,” Dang said, adding that if the group complies with the bylaws and meets code requirements, council will give the proposal a fair hearing.

Anti-drug team takes youthful focus

Martin van den Hemel, Staff Reporter

That could happen if council and school board agrees with a recommendation by the Richmond Alcohol and Drug Action team.

Local school board chair Sandra Bourque said Wednesday team representatives will be appearing before trustees at the next school board meeting to suggest funding for six drug prevention workers. The source of the funding would be money the city receives from the Great Canadian Casino.

“We need to look at...what we can do to help kids make better choices,” Bourque said. “Just putting a fear of drugs into kids doesn’t work.”

The issue of youth and drugs came up late last month at an education committee meeting where stakeholders, including trustees, students and parents, discussed the safety audit released by the auditor general. It dealt with safety of children in schools and discussed a wide range of topics including bullying. Trustees voted to refer the report to staff to determine what the local school district needs to address local needs.

But committee participants pointed out the audit didn’t touch on the issue of drugs.

A school district curriculum counselor advised the education committee during the Oct. 23 meeting that more students appear to be using harder drugs.

According to minutes taken at an Education Committee Meeting, Rob Inrig “advised the committee that counselors have noted a change in the drugs of choice being used.” While the marijuana and alcohol continue to be popular, “more students appear to be using harder drugs.”

Inrig told the committee he feels the need for “additional community services, such as adolescent detox(ification), and stressed the enormity of this societal problem.”

Some student representatives explained some parents “refuse to believe their children are involved in drug use, possibly because they don’t know how to deal with the issue.”

Bourque said the availability of drugs, the pressure to use them and the wide array are all concerns.

Many unknown soldiers among city’s war dead

Chris Bryan, Staff Reporter

The 65 names that are etched in lead on Richmond’s Cenotaph were once the sons, fathers and brothers that worked, lived and loved in our community.

People like Private Walter Steeves can be traced. As a member of the founding family of Steveston, Steeves (New Brunswick spelling has two Es) has left a story behind.

Enlisting at the age of 20 on May 4, 1916, Steeves was a farmer, much like his second cousin and present-day Richmond councillor Harold Steves.

Walter, fair-haired with grey eyes, joined the 121st Overseas Battalion of the 11th Regiment Irish Fusiliers and left for England aboard the Empress of Britain, arriving Aug.24, 1916.

Seven months later, he was killed in action in France, having arrived there only six weeks earlier.

Many of the other names on Richmond’s Cenotaph were not so easy to trace, according to local historian Mary Keen in her book We Will Remember Them: The lives behind the Richmond Cenotaph.

Although there are sketches of the lives of many of the men who died in the service of our country in each of the major wars of this century, there are several men of whom nothing is known—and that’s no reflection on Keen, who is a painstakingly thorough researcher.

Descriptions in the book of men like A. Muir are common. The description reads: “There are no details regarding A. Muir. There is an entry for John Muir, Eburne, in the 1919 B.C. Directory which could be his father or brother.”

It’s a story that is understandable, says Harold Steves, especially for those who lived in Richmond in the earlier part of the century.

Many people who came to Richmond were pioneers, and had few (if any) local connections.

“Some of them were people who lived here, went to work, and didn’t come back and that was that,” Steves says.

Steves said he received some momentos of Private Walter Steeves when his mother died several years ago. He has the medals, and also the telegram that informed her of her son’s death.

The top of the Cenotaph that sits in front of City Hall reads: “They died for you. Although the details of their lives are not known, their contribution to our country will never be forgotten.”