Candidates to take to the stage
Three all-candidates meetings for municipal byelection candidates will be taking place in the next 10 days.
The Richmond Committee on Disability is hosting an all-candidates meeting 3:30 p.m. today at the Richmond Cultural Centre, 100-7700 Minoru Gate.
Richmond Chamber of Commerce is hosting an all-candidates meeting Wednesday, Sept. 26 at 7 p.m. at the Best Western Richmond Inn.
And Minoru Place Senior Centre will be hosting an all-candidates meeting Sept. 30. The event is sponsored by the Minoru Seniors Society and will be open to the general public. Candidates vying for the mayor’s job as well as the three available council positions have been invited to attend.
The meeting will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. at the seniors centre, located at 7660 Minoru Gate.
All candidates vying for the job of mayor or the three council positions have been invited to attend both meetings. Four mayoral candidates and 25 council hopefuls are in the running.
Richmond voters go to the polls on Oct. 13.
Ogden gets Juliet role
Local ballerina Heather Ogden will be dancing in the lead role of Juliet in the National Ballet’s production of Romeo and Juliet at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre Sept. 28.
The 20-year-old graduated with honours from Steveston Secondary in 1998 and did her dance training at the Richmond Academy of Dance.
She has since been dancing for two years full time as a core member of the Toronto-based National Ballet.
CD release party
Richmond band Ethers Void will be hosting a CD release party on Friday at the Thompson Community Centre.
The all ages event will include three other local bands (two from Richmond), starts at 8 p.m. and winds up at midnight.
Ethers Void will headline the show, coming on at 11 p.m., and will feature music from their recently recorded CD, The Safety Sessions.
The band recently finished a tour in the Pacific Northwest and on Vancouver Island, and hope to be doing some gigs in the Lower Mainland this fall, according to guitarist Grant McKenzie.
Friday night’s show is in the games room and will start with Burnout (8 p.m.) followed by Flexure (9 p.m.) and In Theory (10 p.m.).
The event is part of the city’s Night Shift program and is aimed at having some fun, promoting local music and getting local youths involved in the community.
Thompson Community Centre is at 5151 Granville Ave.
Trio try to break into grow op
Police seized about 300 marijuana plants from inside a house on the 9600 block of Saunders Road this week.
Three men were seen at the home where neighbours reported hearing a bang and seeing the suspects flee to a grey Toyota Corolla.
The suspects, after speaking to the occupants of a white Chevrolet Cavalier - with the words “South Seas” on the side of it - then returned to the home brandishing a crowbar and tried to break-in.
Police were called to the scene and arrested a middle-aged Asian woman who was inside the house, where they also found some 300 marijuana plants.
The well-kept house had bars on the windows that were difficult to see during the daytime, a neighbour said.
Awan denounces terrorist strike
The Muslim Canadian Federation has condemned the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington State.
Federation co-chair Mahmood Awan, who was an MLA candidate in Richmond, said the federation fully endorses and supports statements issued by the B.C. Muslim Association that acts of terrorism are not accepted by all law-abiding citizens.
“Our hearts and prayers go to the victims of these attacks,” Awan said.
The Shia Muslim Community also denounced the attacks. “As with all the great religions of the world, we believe in the sanctity of human life and deplore the actions of any individual who uses religion to justify terror.”
Gun found in car at airport
An Ontario man in his late 20s or early 30s was arrested by police Thursday after a handgun was found in the car he’d apparently rented.
Around 1 p.m., police were notified by a car rental agency at Vancouver International Airport that a handgun had been found in one of their returned vehicles.
The Ontario man, who was returning to Ontario, was located in the terminal and arrested.
Richmond RCMP Const. Peter Thiessen said the gun police seized was operable and ammunition was found in the vehicle.
No other weapons were found.
Police are still investigating whether the handgun was registered.
Thiessen said the incident does not appear related to the recent terrorist events in the United States.
Body discovered near car wash
A coroner was performing an autopsy on the body of a man found outside the Sparkle Car Wash at Sexsmith and Bridgeport roads early Thursday morning.
Police received a report that the man, wearing only underwear, was found around 6:30 a.m. by staff from a nearby hotel.
An employee of the car wash told The Richmond Review that the man appears to have fallen from the window of his residential suite, located above the car rental firm Rent-a-Wreck, at 2971 Sexsmith.
“He’s a very nice person,” the car wash employee said of the man, whom he described as Caucasian and in his 50s. “He drank coffee with us every day.”
The man, who was born and raised in Richmond, was the accountant for Rent-a-Wreck according to an employee of that firm.
Though police initially treated the death as suspicious, foul play was later ruled out.
Employees suspect the man may have suffered a heart attack or a seizure.
“He was an excellent person,” the Rent-a-Wreck employee said.
Locals invited to express grief
The public will get a chance to express their condolences during a community building event at City Hall plaza on Tuesday, Sept. 18 at 6:30 p.m.
City of Richmond spokesman Ted Townsend said the event, called Neighbours supporting neighbours, will give locals an opportunity to talk about last week’s terrorist attacks.
The public will also have an opportunity to make donations to the victims relief fund.
There will also be information available on emergency preparedness.
Poverty task forces looking for input
A number of action-oriented task forces are being formed by the Richmond Poverty Response Committee to address issues confronting those living in poverty in Richmond.
There are individual task forces for Housing, Access to Recreation, Strengthening Neighbourhoods, Families, and Advocacy. Current members include parents, seniors, social service agency staff, city staff and community association representatives. The task forces are inclusive and are open to anyone in the community who would like to join.
The Poverty Response Committee was recently formed to address poverty issues in the community. A 2000 Poverty Report Card indicated a significant number of families living in poverty in Richmond.
For information on the task forces call (604) 221-0309.
Burke to speak to chamber
Vancouver Canucks president and general manager Brian Burke will be the guest speaker at the Richmond Chamber of Commerce luncheon Tuesday at the Best Western Richmond Inn.
The luncheon begins at 11:45 a.m. For ticket information, call 604-278-2822.
Personal management workshops offered in fall
Richmond Public Library and Chimo Crisis Services are offering a series of personal management workshops this fall.
Workshop topics and dates are:
- Bullying,” Oct. 15, 7-9 p.m.
- Conflict Resolution with Your Teen,” Nov. 19, 7-9 p.m.
- Stress Management,” Dec. 10, 7-9 p.m.
Chimo Crisis Services is a local non-profit group which provides counseling, support and education to people in crisis.
“We’re very fortunate to be able to address the needs of our community with the help of Chimo Crisis Services,” librarian Jan Turner said.
The free workshops will be held at the library’s Ironwood branch. Pre-registration is required by calling 604-231-6431 or visit www.yourlibrary.com.
For more information on the workshops, call Jan Turner at 604-231-6468.
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