Fire hall funding could go to referendum
Sale of city land eyed to pay project bills
by Chris Bryan, staff reporter
The $41 million price tag for an ambitious plan to replace the city’s community safety buildings could be paid in part through sales of city property.
On Monday, Richmond council agreed to explore this option as an alternative to increasing property tax, and could put it to a referendum.
“I think people have a right to choose,” Coun. Evelina Halsey-Brandt said. “Do you want to be pre-taxed or do you want to sell a currently owned asset? Just doing what we’re currently doing today, we’re going to have to raise the taxes four or five per cent.”
The plan to put funding options to a referendum will now be reviewed by a committee.
Council decided last year not to borrow the money, but pay for the seven-year project internally. The plan is to begin within the year, and replace seven firehalls and build a headquarters for fire and police in a new Public Safety Building.
Initially, the city planned to fund the project through property tax increases in the first three years of one, one-and-a-half, and two per cent respectively.
But council has asked staff to bring back a report outlining the city’s inventory of property, as well as an outline of development and partnership opportunities that could help the project pay for itself.
“We did it for city hall,” Coun. Bill McNulty said. “I think we can do it for fire-rescue. I think we need to be creative.”
Councillors Harold Steves and Rob Howard raised concerns about selling off the city’s reserve property.
“When we built city hall, we sold our legacy,” said Steves, in reference to the 36 acres of land the city developed in the Odlinwood subdivision in 1998.
Said Howard: “I’m all for being creative (but) I don’t want to see us liquidate all our assets to build fire halls.”
Students urge end to dispute
Monday’s protest a prelude to next week’s province-wide walkout
by Chris Bryan, staff reporter
Hundreds of Richmond high school students staged a walkout Monday to express their frustration with the logjam between teachers and their employers.
Many left classes shortly after the first bell, and converged at roadways outside their schools to spread the word to passersby.
At McMath Secondary, about 200 students gathered, before heading to city hall to join about 500 students from across the district. The tenor of the protest seemed to favour the teachers.
“The government has left the teachers with no choice,” Grade 11 student Amanda Ovenden said in reference to leglislation that makes teaching an essential service.
“They’ve defeated the purpose of their union. We’re here to support (the teachers) and send the message to the government that they’re not helping at all.”
Ovenden said the walkout was intended to show the urgency of the situation, as the teachers entered meetings at the Labour Relations Board to discuss the next phase of their job action.
Teachers have already ceased all administrative chores such as parent-teacher meetings and the issuing of report cards. Last week, they withdrew from all after- and before-school activities.
At Hugh McRoberts Secondary, about 150 students were out with signs calling for support for the teachers’ demands.
“Although this is disorganized, it’s positive in the way it attracts attention from people driving by,” student president Joanna Mukai said.
Although student council did not organize the event, they supported anyone coming out and doing something constructive “rather than just skipping,” she said.
Students were also writing letters to local MLAs, she said.
Phase two of teachers’ job action, banning extra-curricular activities, has frustrated many students who participated in sports and music, or who need extra academic help.
“It’s not fair at all,” Grade 9 McRoberts student Emily Van Roggen said.
The walkout could go province-wide, as a Coquitlam student has organized an event for Jan. 23.
The bigger they come...
Quake could take heavier toll on mega homes
by Martin van den Hemel, staff reporter
Bigger doesn’t always mean better when it comes to homes and earthquakes.
University of B.C. scientists who have studied the impact of a devastating earthquake on wood-frame buildings say megahomes may be more susceptible to damage.
With larger open spaces and fewer walls, some megahomes aren’t as well suited as their smaller counterparts to deal with the shaking generated by a quake.
UBC assistant professor Helmut Prion said the soft soil in Richmond would serve to amplify an earthquakes’ motion, much like shaking jello, and poorly built structures would be potentially in danger.
Houses are typically not checked or designed by engineers for earthquake performance, he said.
But recently, the City of Vancouver brought in changes to its building requirements and now new houses must be designed with earthquakes in mind.
City of Richmond’s Rick Bortolussi, manager of the building approvals department, said discussions are currently underway to bring in similar requirements for homes in Richmond and other parts of the Lower Mainland and the rest of B.C.
The changes being discussed would address both seismic and windload concerns—dealing with a house’s ability to withstand high winds—but aren’t likely to be implemented until 2004, Bortolussi said. Since the majority of houses are already designed by a structural engineer, the engineer would simply be asked to consider quakes and high winds in the design.
Scientists at UBC have made some interesting discoveries using the university’s “shake table”, North America’s largest quake simulator, which allowed them to test how well a six-by-eight metre two-storey wood frame house would fare in a major earthquake.
Prion said they found that stucco with its wire under mesh can be of huge benefit, acting as an extra skin or shell that serves to keep the building intact.
Knowing that very few wood frame houses collapse, scientists are looking at ways to prevent damage through good design. Anchoring floors together and bolting a house to its foundation would serve to reduce quake damage.
Prion emphasized that if large houses are properly designed and engineered, they are perfectly safe.
Smaller houses are typically lighter, have more walls and smaller windows and as a result are better able to dissipate the energy of an earthquake.
Parents await word on refund
by Martin van den Hemel, staff reporter
There’s no clear indication which way trustees are leaning on the request by Steveston Secondary parents for a refund on a cancelled school trip.
School board chair Sandra Bourque said the school district’s finance committee opted not to make a recommendation to the board, which meets again Monday.
Instead, trustees on the committee asked district staff to prepare a report on the issue, which will be discussed during a closed-door session prior to the public board meeting at 7 p.m. Monday.
When asked why the debate was being held behind closed doors, Bourque said trustees will be discussing potentially sensitive statements made by school staff and their version of events that led to the trip’s cancellation.
“We don’t think that those people should be put in the public forum,” Bourque told The Richmond Review.
In September, just a couple of weeks after the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, D.C., a trip to Hawaii by the Steveston’s volleyball team was cancelled.
At question is whether the parents made the decision to cancel the trip on their own. Parents of the eight girls on the team contend the decision was made in concert with the principal of the school, Dieter Momeyer, and the school’s athletic director.
And since the school board already reimbursed London Secondary students $87,725 after a trip to Europe was cancelled by that school’s principal, Steveston’s parents feel the board should do the same with their request.
Steveston parent Carleen Armstrong said that if the board opts not to reimburse them, that decision will be appealed.
Fewer dollars being spent at airport
But some businesses continue to thrive
by Martin van den Hemel, staff reporter
Fewer planes, fewer passengers and fewer airport workers mean fewer dollars are being spent at Vancouver International Airport these days.
But some airport businesses have fared better than others since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the United States forever changed the airline industry.
Sue Goldhawk manages one of the top A&W franchises in Canada, inside the domestic airport terminal, and says her business continues to thrive.
Unlike some other retailers, those in the food and beverage industry haven’t been nearly as hard hit by the sluggish economy and the drop in passenger traffic since September.
“People still have to eat so we don’t suffer as much as a retailer,” Goldhawk said, referring to those in the book/magazines or high-end gift business. “(Passengers) can do without that paper and magazine.”
Overall compared to last year, Goldhawk said her business is down about 18 per cent, but she attributes just eight per cent of that to the events of Sept. 11. But she’s not in a position to complain.
“I still do double what a free-standing store does,” she said, adding that she’ll be opening a new A&W franchise at Seafair mall later this year.
Much of the drop in sales experienced at the airport since the summer is the result of fewer construction workers, she said.
Between January and June, there were some 1,200 construction workers upgrading the domestic terminal building, which underwent a complete redesign. But that workforce dropped to just 150 during the months of July and August.
In addition, hundreds of jobs at the airport have been lost with the merger of Canadian Airlines and Air Canada, and the bankruptcy of Canada 3000.
“That’s a lot of people in a week not eating,” Goldhawk said. “(But) I still make awesome money.”
Some businesses have seen a 30-per-cent drop in business, Goldhawk’s been told. One airport business reported sales were down as much as 50 per cent.
But Vancouver International Airport Authority spokeswoman Ali Hounsell says she’s heard anecdotally that some businesses have been helped by the fact that passengers are arriving earlier at the airport.
With travellers expecting long line-ups and more extensive security checks, some are arriving many hours before their departure time, and are eating or shopping at the airport whereas previously they may have done that elsewhere.
Businesses located past security are actually doing quite well, Hounsell said, thanks largely to passengers who are deciding to check in and go through security early.
October saw airport passenger traffic drop more than 15 per cent compared to the same month in 2000.
So what does the future hold for the Vancouver International Airport? That’s the million dollar question but the airport’s director of aviation marketing believes the future is bright.
John Korenic said that although the airline industry is still stabilizing, the airport has seen a steady improvement since October.
It’s still to early to forecast what 2002 holds, but Korenic said there are early indicators that leave room for optimism.
Two cruise ships, each catering to 2,000 tourists, are expected to be redeployed in Vancouver instead of the Mediterranean during the upcoming Alaskan cruise season. With weekly trips up and down the B.C. Coast for about four months, that’s going to have a significant impact on local tourism and on the local airport. Some 80 to 85 per cent of the Alaskan cruise market fly in from the United States, Korenic said.
Alaska Airlines announced this week that starting in late April, it will commence daily service to Orange County, California. And for the first time, a daily seasonal service to Anchorage, Alaska is set to begin.
With Vancouver’s economy so strongly connected to the United States, American confidence in Canada is crucial.
And a recent study by D.K. Shisflet and Associates USA reports that Canada is viewed by Americans as a safe or extremely safe travel destination.
“We are starting to see the impact of redirected demand in terms of bookings for travel to Canada, particularly for short-haul leisure trips,” said Scott Meis, director of research at the Canadian Tourism Commission.
STATISTICS
Airport passengers
•Oct. 2000 - 1.266 million
•Oct. 2001 - 1.065 million
•Drop of 15.9 per cent
Aircraft runway movements
•Oct. 2000 - 24,445
•Oct. 2001 - 21,972
•Drop of 10.1 per cent
Air cargo (in tonnes)
•Oct. 2000 - 20,785
•Oct. 2001 - 19,357
•Drop of 6.9 per cent
Richmond remains smoke free
by Martin van den Hemel, staff reporter
Don’t plan on lighting up at local bars and restaurants anytime soon.
Despite Wednesday’s announcement by the provincial government that it will bring in legislation to allow restaurants and bars to set aside 45 per cent of their space for smokers, that won’t hold true in Richmond.
Art Hamade, Richmond’s deputy chief public health inspector, said Richmond’s bylaw will remain the final word and the city is still 100 per cent smoke free.
When it comes to health standards, the more stringent requirements apply, Hamade said Wednesday.
Cities with bylaws regarding smoking will not have their bylaws superseded by the provincial legislation.
Hamade predicts that Wednesday’s announcement will only serve to confuse the public.
“It usually does. It did last time.”
By and large, local restaurateurs have complied with the city’s bylaws, with the last ticket issued in March 2001 to the Knight and Day Restaurant.
But the health department still gets the occasional complaints and will send out inspectors trying to catch people in the act.
Alderman remembered as a champion of social issues
Friends, family mourn death of David Williams
by Chris Bryan, staff reporter
A former Richmond alderman and teacher described by one colleague as a “champion of social and environmental issues” died Jan. 9 in Victoria.
Friends and family were shocked by the abrupt death of David Williams at the age of 56, shortly after complaining of feeling unwell after returning from a trip back east.
“It was literally hours,” said Williams’ friend, Peter Oliver, on the phone from Nanoose Bay, near Nanaimo. “It was a terrible, terrible shock.”
Williams had been taken to hospital when his body temperature dropped abruptly. Shortly after his arrival, he was dead, from a condition that resembled flesh-eating disease, Oliver said.
Williams spent 40 years of his life in Richmond before taking a job with the Education Ministry as director of curriculum in the mid-’80s.
Born in Winnipeg Oct. 2, 1945, Williams came to Richmond soon after. A graduate of Steveston High, he went on to get a Masters in Science from the University of B.C. and to teach at McRoberts secondary. Another masters followed and he then returned to teach at Richmond High.
He was elected to city council from 1974 to 1977 and distinguished himself by his passion for social issues. He was a leader in the acquisition of Garry Point Park, said Oliver, who grew up with Williams in Richmond.
School board chair Sandra Bourque described Williams as a “champion of social and environmental issues.”
“People trusted him and had the confidence he would get to the bottom of issues,” Bourque said.
A memorial was held in Victoria Monday. Williams leaves a wife, Carol Sykes, mother, Olga Williams, and a daughter, Michelle Williams.
Bringing art to life
Michelle Mathias’ sculptures have a life force of their own
by Chris Bryan, Staff Reporter
Michelle Mathias says she’s always felt there was a spirit, or life, within inanimate objects—particularly works of antiquity, such as historic buildings.
And, of course, sculptures.
The Vancouver artist brings her sculpture series Replicants to the Richmond Art Gallery starting today.
In Mathias’ work, tile covers her three sculptures in a mosaic of colour and texture. Beneath the tiles are a mould made from fibreglass and mortar, and the forms take on an eery, life-like quality.
For Mathias, childhood dreams of becoming an artist took many years to become reality.
Mathias grew up in a rural, farming environmental, where artistic pursuits took a back seat to artistic concerns. Ten years ago, art remained an interest, not something she practiced. She was a French teacher at a school in Kingston, Ont., and was spending summers in Paris to keep her language sharp. A special pass gave her entry to the back door of the Louvre, and she would often walk through on her way home, gazing at 2,000-year-old Greek sculptures.
“The impact was so strong and the first thing you want to do with great sculpture is touch it, but you can’t,” Mathias said. “It’s almost like something of that artist has been trapped in that sculpture.”
After three summers of absorbing the sculpture and architecture of Paris, she was hooked.
“I just knew I had to sculpt,” she said.
In 1994, she and her husband moved to Vancouver. Mathias arrived with everything she owned and a firm commitment to become an artist. Somewhat wary of taking formal lessons, she decided to teach herself.
“You just do it,” she said. “My first works were really lousy. It takes a lot of patience. Anyone can do it. It’s whether you can re-do it 30 times to get it right.”
For instance, the lips of one sculpture, “Maya on Fire,” a woman with Medusa-like hair, were re-done 40 times in order to get the right shape and curvature. Her first works were done entirely in clay, but Mathias found something wanting. Raw clay lacked colour, for one thing.
In time, she came to her current fascination with tile mosaic sculpture.
Each piece in Replicants took Mathias three months to make. A separate model was hired for each, and plaster bandages were wrapped around their upper torso and head. Only a small hole was left for the mouth. It can be claustrophobic for some.
“The last guy I did fainted.”
After 45 minutes, the dried bandages are cut off in sections using surgical scissors. They are then re-assembled and mortar is layered on the inside. Some of the mosaic tiles are clay, the rest are glass.
The clay tiles are individually made and cast, while the glass tiles are individually cut.
The process of placing the tiles, bringing the personality from the form, is a lengthy one, Mathias said. But it’s also peaceful.
“I love doing it. It’s so reflective. You’re thinking about the piece, but it’s almost as if you go into another state of meditation. You think about everything...and time passes.”
Sometimes until 4 a.m., in fact. Mathias said she’s a night-owl and does her best work after 11 p.m.
Over the years, her growing enjoyment of her artistic pursuit has conflicted with her work as a substitute French teacher. Mathias said the school district would often call at 5:30 a.m. to ask her in for the same day.
So these days, she tutors and spends more of her time on her art.
The extra time has benefitted her artistic life, she said, but also her inner life.
The title Replicants was inspired by author Philip K. Dick (Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, We Can Build You), who frequently wrote about androids and explored issues of what makes us human.
In her artist statement, Mathias states, “these forms are not human, nor do they look human; however, the have a mortality and force of their own.”
Exploration of what it is to be human is a consistent theme in her work, and something that she feels blessed to be able to do through her new-found passion.
“Aristotle said an unexamined life is not worth living, and I really, really believe it,” she said. “Before, when I worked full-time, I was just too tired to do anything and I really didn’t want to thing about my life. I just pushed things away.”
nMichelle Mathias’ Replicants along with Peter Clair’s Epogan and Doreen Dubreuil pinheads are showing until Feb. 14. Richmond Art Gallery is at 7700 Minoru Gate. Gallery hours are 9 a.m.-9:30 p.m. weekdays, and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. weekends. For more information, call 604-231-6454.
City to send four to Japanese sister city
Delegation to visit All Japan Flower Competition
by Chris Bryan, Staff Reporter
City council will spend $10,000 to send the mayor and three others to Japan for the All Japan Flower Competition in May.
Mayor Malcolm Brodie, Coun. Lyn Greenhill and two members of the city’s Sister City Committee will be making the trip to Wakayama, Richmond’s sister city.
Greenhill said trips such as these are important in fostering a long-standing relationship between the sister cities,.
“I believe it’s something the city has to do,” she said.
Despite tight times and the possibility of tax increases again this year, council said the relationship with Wakayama should remain a priority.
“We have a long-standing relationship with Wakayama and, although times are tough, I don’t think we can be fair-weather friends,” Coun. Rob Howard said.
Richmond forged its formal relationship with the Japanese city in 1973. Since then, there have been numerous exchanges of school-aged children, musical groups, sports teams and visit from dignitaries. The new city hall features gardens for each of Richmond’s two sister cities: Wakayama and Pierrefonds, Quebec.
Several councillors gave examples of how the relationships have impacted them personally.
Brodie’s daughter spent two years in Japan and now speaks fluent Japanese; Greenhill’s son went to Japan on an exchange and is now married to a woman from Wakayama; Coun. Kiichi Kumagai has been doing business with Japan over 30 years; Howard had Japanese exchange students stay at his home; Coun. Evelina Halsey-Brandt’s children also went on exchange.
All this prompted Brodie’s response: “I never knew anybody on this council had ties with Japan, and almost everybody does, in some way.”
In response to some skepticism about the value of the investment, Sister City Committee members came out in force Monday night.
Sister City Committee member Bob Carkner read several letters from Japan thanking Richmond for the relationship they’ve developed over the years.
“Who’s going to write them tomorrow and tell them the twinning arrangement’s over?” Carkner said. “That would be tough.”
Rival tall ships bid sinks
Royal City flop is good news for Richmond
by Martin van den Hemel, Staff Reporter
Richmond will have the only tall ships festival in the region after the City of New Westminster decided Monday night to drop its efforts to host a similar summertime event.
The Richmond Review has learned that the Royal City, citing hefty costs to upgrade waterfront facilities and time-line concerns, will instead pursue an event in 2005.
New Westminster Mayor Helen Sparkes at first told The Richmond Review she wasn’t aware of the decision but then later confirmed it was made Monday.
“We’re not saying no forever, it’s just this year.”
Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie said New West’s decision is good news.
“I think it strengthens our situation considerably if that’s true.”
A second tall ships event in New Westminster could have detracted from a Richmond event, he said.
New Westminster impresario Wayne Wright said he was disappointed New Westminster councillors lacked the vision of those on Richmond city council.
“We just didn’t have a strong enough leadership position,” Wright said, noting that although the mayor was on-side, no councillors took on a leadership role.
“Let’s face it, we’ve put a year’s hard work in it...Sure I’m disappointed. Our city’s run by the bureaucrats, not the leadership.”
Richmond’s sponsorship organizers were no doubt delighted with New West’s decision to pull out. In addition to potentially hurting local attendance, a second event in New Westminster would have forced potential sponsors to decide between the two events.
Wright complimented Richmond council, and in particular Coun. Harold Steves for having led the Richmond effort to bring the Tall Ships event to the Lower Mainland.
“I honestly admire them for this.”
Steves said Monday that Richmond’s strong sister-city relationship with Wakayama, Japan could help local organizers land the flagship of the Japanese Navy, the 100-metre Class A tall ship Nippon Maru. It could come a few weeks before the Tall Ships festival, scheduled for Aug. 8 to 12, and would give locals a preview of what to expect.
“Without that relationship, I doubt if they would be considering us.”
Wright noted that no tall ships event has ever failed and the one planned for Steveston will no doubt leave a magnificent legacy for the City of Richmond.
“I’ll absolutely be there. How could you not go to an event like this. It’s just too magnificent to miss.”
Winter fest proceeds to brighten emergency ward $34,000 raised for Richmond Hospital
by Chris Bryan, Staff Reporter
Richmond Hospital’s emergency ward will soon provide more privacy and comfort, thanks in part to a contribution from the Richmond Sunset Rotary Club.
Rotary presented a cheque of $17,000 to the hospital in a ceremony at city hall Monday, attended by local dignitaries and sponsors.
The proceeds were collected during the first annual Winter Wonderland at city hall, a series of concerts by local performing groups and a festive display of Christmas trees sponsored by local organizations.
The money was matched, dollar-for-dollar, by a donation from the Milan and Olga Ilich Foundation.
Richmond Hospital’s Anne Troelsen said the $34,000 will allow them to make the emergency more friendly, by painting and putting up pictures.
They will also enlarge the waiting area and reconfigure the triage area for added privacy, and make the waiting area larger and visible from the admitting desk.
“For people who have to sit there for a long time, at least it’s in comfort,” Troelsen said.
“It’s a huge fear for people in a waiting room that they won’t be seen, they’ll be forgotten.”
Troelsen said work would begin almost immediately.
How clean is that restaurant?
A new web site will soon provide the answers
by Chris Bryan, Staff Reporter
In a matter of weeks, health-conscious residents will be able to determine the health safety record of a restaurant before they dine out.
Richmond Health Services’ web site (www.richmondhealth.ca) will soon include the last three inspection reports for all restaurants in the city.
“We don’t think this should be kept from the public,” Richmond’s chief public health officer, Kelvin Higo, said. “This is another level of checks and balances.”
Higo said he has been working with his counterpart in Vancouver, and they hope to have the new site up by the end of February.
The initiative was prompted in part by high-profile newspaper accounts last year of serious health offenders among restaurants locally, and also in Toronto. Higo said the articles presented a distorted view of the actual situation by focussing on a small number of repeat offenders.
“There’s a lot of people doing a good job,” he said. “The majority of them are good restaurants and they operate well.”
The web site will include inspection reports covering a timeframe of two or three years, depending on the frequency of visits.
(Restaurants deemed “high risk,” offering the full range of foods, are visited twice a year on average, Higo said, whereas limited service establishments are inspected once a year.)
Unlike a similar web site in the Fraser Valley (www.healthspace.ca/fvhr) that rates restaurants as either low, moderate or high risk, the new site will post complete inspection reports, so people can judge for themselves.
“We’re patterning it after an actual (freedom of information) request,” Higo said. “In all fairness, we think that’s the best thing for the restaurateur.”
Carol Gadsby, co-owner of Papi’s Ristorante Italiano, said the web site is a good idea, but prefers the rating system.
“People should be able to know,” she said.
But inspection reports can be difficult to interpret, she said. “For instance, if (the report says) it’s five degrees off on your fridge...what does that mean? Your food is off?”
Fraser Valley’s site includes all reports, dating back to 1996. Higo said the Richmond’s site would reflect only a restaurant’s recent history—a fairer approach.
“You shouldn’t still crucify someone for something that happened 10 years ago.”
The web site will also include the opportunity for public input, he added.
Cat deaths raise warning—and fears
Toxic antifreeze is a danger
by Chris Bryan, Staff Reporter
Antifreeze appears to have killed two cats earlier this week, and a Richmond woman wonders if foul play was involved.
Sarah Harvey and her roommate each noticed their cats, Moo Moo and Jackson, acting a little strange on Sunday.
Thirteen-month-old Jackson was walking off-balance, and throwing up everywhere. Moo Moo, 2, seemed lethargic, but otherwise okay.
When Moo Moo started vomiting late that night, Harvey called the 24-hour clinic, and was told it should be okay to wait until the morning.
“If I had suspected it was antifreeze, I would have taken her in right away,” said Harvey, who lives in the 4700 block of Groat Avenue.
On Monday morning, Harvey and her roommate each took their cats to separate vets, who determined that the cats had likely ingested antifreeze.
“Unfortunately it’s extremely sweet tasting, tastes pretty good and animals will gladly lick it or drink it,” said Dr. Ben Greenberg of The Dear Animal Clinic at Blundell Centre.
Most antifreeze contains ethylene glycol, which is extremely toxic. A half teaspoonful can kill a cat, a quarter cup can kill an average-sized dog. Greenberg said the only chance of saving an animal that drinks antifreeze is to give it an IV of alcohol within an hour or two, at most, of ingestion to filter out the toxin.
“Once symptoms are showing, it’s touch and go,” Greenberg said. “In most cases it’s go. If I had anything to say about it, I would outlaw ethylene glycol antifreeze.”
Both cats experienced acute kidney failure and were euthanized the next day. According to a 1989 survey of veterinarians conducted by the B.C. Veterinary Medical Association, 1,589 cats and dogs died that year in B.C. alone due to antifreeze poisoning.
The problem is, non-toxic antifreeze, which uses propylene glycol, is hard to find.
Canadian Tire carries Prestone non-toxic antifreeze and another brand, called Sierra, is also non-toxic.
The veterinary association recommends that any antifreeze spilled should be cleaned up immediately.
Harvey said she did a thorough search of her neighbourhood and could not discover the source. She fears it may have been a malicious act—perhaps the act of an aggravated neighbour.
“I basically believe that somebody did this (on purpose),” Harvey said.
She also has an indoor cat that has shown no sign of illness.
Harvey said someone had dropped cat droppings on her doorstep on several occasions over the last few months.
Rats force Steveston cop shop to close
by Martin van den Hemel, Staff Reporter
Among criminals, it is said nobody likes a rat. But the same apparently holds true for the police.
For about a year, workers at the Steveston Community Police Station complained now and again about a foul smell inside the Moncton Street building. Despite the on-hand investigative expertise, initial efforts to pinpoint the source were fruitless.
Then in December, puzzled investigators got the break they needed: small, dark, pill-shaped clues were dropped all over, especially in the furnace room.
“The last thing I thought I’d have to deal with is rats,” said RCMP Cpl. Steve Goss, who was brought in from Langley in October to head up the station.
“You almost want to throw up, it was that bad,” he added.
At one point, the office was filled with the “overwhelming stench of something dead,” he said.
As it turned out, the foul smell was indeed the decomposing body of a rat inside the floor boards and pest control workers discovered the building was infested with rats.
Due to health and safety concerns, the station was closed about a week before Christmas—a sign posted on the front door said “renovations” needed to be made—and pest control workers had been brought in to catch the rats and ensure they don’t find a way back in.
The office has also been thoroughly cleaned and air quality testing was expected to be done Monday, according to City of Richmond spokesman Ted Townsend.
Kelvin Higo, Richmond’s chief public health inspector, said his department received a complaint about the police station shortly before Christmas.
He suspects that the demolition of the B.C. Packers buildings has forced the area’s rat population to scurry for new homes.
Higo said there were concerns for homes to the east of the former fish processing site and indeed there were some rat-related complaints from that area.
The neighbourhood was baited with traps, but considering the size of the B.C. Packers property, it is unlikely that all of the rats were intercepted, Higo said.
City seeks more power to collect parking fines
29 per cent of those ticketed dodged fines in 2001
by Chris Bryan, Staff Reporter
The City of Richmond hopes the provincial government’s proposed Community Charter will give it the teeth it needs to collect outstanding parking penalties.
For 2001 alone, there is still $77,100 unpaid, or 29 per cent of all fines levied.
“We’re looking to have more means to collect on these outstanding fines,” community bylaws manager Sandra Tokarczyk said.
Last August, the province set out to create a Community Charter that would replace the Local Government Act and restructure the powers of municipalities.
“We’re looking to the charter to solve a number of problems,” Tokarczyk said. “That’s one of them.”
As it stands, when fined drivers receive a $40 parking ticket, they receive 50 per cent off if they pay it within 34 days. After that, it’s full-price. Then the city issues a summons to appear in court. If no court date has been set within a month, the ticket goes to a collection agency.
In Surrey, the rate of collection is similar.
“I’d say 25 to 28 per cent, we have to push harder on,” said John Hoffmann, senior bylaw enforcement officer.
That remaining amount is usually received through the efforts of a collection agency, which keeps about 50 per cent.
Burnaby reports a collection rate of 78.5 per cent, including the money brought in by the collection agency.
Tokarczyk said she’d like to see the new Community Charter allow the city to work with the Insurance Corporation of B.C. to collect the money when people renew their insurance or drivers license, the same model used by the province.
Another, less viable option is giving the city the power to levy the fines on property taxes. But this is not ideal because the driver could be from outside the city or may not own property, Tokarczyk said.
“It doesn’t seem like a clear, easy mechanism, whereas the insurance mechanism seems a more plausible route for us,” she said.
The city is currently reviewing a major expansion of pay parking in Minoru Park, Steveston and in the downtown core.
Airline rebirth questioned
Travel agents up in the air over possible Canada 3000 revival
by Philip Raphael, Staff Reporter
The possibility of raising Canada 3000, phoenix-like, from the bankruptcy ashes is being met with a mixture of optimism and skepticism by travel agents.
Optimism that it would mean greater destination selection and competitive ticket prices, and skepticism over its financial resilience.
“Canada 3000 had virtually half of all the bookings in Vancouver. And when they went bankrupt, that really left a vacuum in the market,” said Grant Farquhar, manager at Broadmoor Travel, adding that there is now significantly less selection for travellers wanting discount air tickets.
“They offered really affordable prices and a lot of destinations that other charter airlines couldn’t get to.”
Among them was a new Vancouver to Delhi service that Farquhar had customers already booked on before the airline went into a financial nose dive in November.
The airline’s former president Angus Kinnear has announced he hopes to get the airline back in the skies with 10 aircraft by the end of May. Hopes are to have as many as 15 planes in service in the next 24 months.
At its height, Canada 3000 had a total of 38 aircraft.
“While the re-emergence of Canada 3000 would be good for the charter, discount air travel market, there would have to be a lot of questions answered before we would recommend them to our clients,” Hagen’s Travel owner Michael Perrin said.
Perrin said the airline and federal government would have to provide assurances customers would be able to get a full refund on their ticket purchases if they again went out of business.
“There’s been talk about another fee that customers would pay into a fund to cover that,” he said adding that several of his customers were stranded when Canada 3000 was grounded.
“We had people in Mexico, Hawaii and as far away as Australia, so it was pretty bad.”
The carrier’s demise also left about 20 or so of Farquhar’s customers stranded in destinations from Mexico to Hawaii.
He also expressed some misgivings at how economically stable a scaled down discount carrier would be.
“I think the travelling public are quite skeptical about all airlines right now, but there is definitely a need out there for another discount carrier,” he said.
Perrin said that after Canada 3000’s demise, Air Canada moved to pick up the slack for charter vacation destinations, but at prices roughly 20 to 30 per cent more than Canada 3000.
“It would certainly help the discount market, because you can see today what happens when there is a monopoly,” Perrin said of a re-emergence.
Local RCMP services to be integrated by April
Community policing will remain intact
by Martin van den Hemel, Staff Reporter
Richmond and other Lower Mainland cities will see their RCMP services “integrated” by April, according to B.C. Solicitor General Rich Coleman.
“An integrated policing model means that the current structure of separate detachments for each RCMP-policed municipality cannot continue,” Coleman wrote in a December letter to Beverley Busson, commanding officer of the RCMP’s B.C. headquarters.
Coleman has asked Busson to come up with a plan to merge certain police services, and for those plans to be implemented by April.
Coleman said the initiative does not mean the municipal detachments would be fully absorbed into a new regional RCMP force. But he said it’s overdue for detachments to share more specialized services, administration and communications.
Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie said he’s aware of potential pitfalls in centralizing services and the fears such a move may generate.
“I think it has to be carefully done and I don’t think it’s the answer in all ways.”
Brodie said cities need to retain local autonomy for policing.
“Altogether too often people feel Richmond hasn’t gotten its fair share.”
RCMP Assistant Commissioner Gary Forbes, Lower Mainland district commander, told The Richmond Review that there are no plans to remove community policing from the equation in Richmond or anywhere else.
“Community policing is going to stay intact. We have to have that. People have to identify with their policing operations.”
But Forbes said there are benefits to centralizing certain key specialized police services that would help in the regional battle against crime. In certain types of criminal cases, there are advantages to having a “central brain” leading the investigation.
“Frankly the criminals don’t respect municipal boundaries. We all agree that somehow we have to work better together so that we can stay in a proactive manner when we deal with criminal activity.”
Chuck Gale, City of Richmond’s general manager of community safety, said the local detachment isn’t going anywhere.
“This is not the creation of a regionalized police force,” said Gale, who is also chair of the Lower Mainland Policing Advisory Committee, which has seen the proposal.
Gale said the proposal to centralize certain police services makes sense because it will allow residents to receive better service at a lower cost to the city. For example, centralizing the RCMP’s Lower Mainland dog squads and deploying them to meet the needs of areas may be a better way of doing things.
Mini madness
New Richmond car dealership expects nostalgia-driven customers
by Philip Raphael, Staff Reporter
The modern version of a little car from England is set to make a big impact in Richmond as officials from Mini of Richmond announced it will be one of only two distributors in the Lower Mainland.
So far, there has been considerable interest in the re-designed, pint-sized auto that became a motoring icon in the 1960s.
And to handle the anticipated rush of customer traffic a completely new dealership is being constructed in the area of Cambie Road and Shell Road.
“Right now we have pre-orders for about 50 cars, and they are not even scheduled to arrive here until March,” said Mini of Richmond manager Judi Arandi.
As for how many the new business expects to sell, Arandi couldn’t say.
“We’d like to be able to sell about 500, but it all depends on what our allocation will be for the area.”
BMW officials are expecting to sell 130,000 Minis worldwide, with a total of 1,800 expected to be delivered to the Canadian market.
BMW acquired the rights to the Mini design and name after buying the flagging Rover brand in the late 1990s. The new dealership will be a subsidiary of the Richmond Automall’s Autowest BMW dealership.
Since BMW’s involvement with the model there were rumours the company would re-launch a completely re-designed model. Those rumours culminated in the production of two versions — the Mini Cooper and high performance Mini Cooper S. Their price will range from $26,000 to $30,000.
“We’re pretty excited about presenting this car because it’s already generated a lot of excitement with the number of pre-orders we’ve had,” said Leonard Fong, manager of Autowest BMW. “It’s going to be like when Volkswagen’s New Beetle was introduced a few years ago. People couldn’t wait to see one. The Mini, I think, has just as strong a following as the New Beetle.”
Fong added that buyers will likely be a mix of those new to the brand, and those who had one previously.
“There’s a lot of nostalgia associated with this car,” he said. “We’re seeing some cross-over from BMW owners, but people are mainly interested in this car because they are familiar with its history.”
To help deter buyers from flipping their purchase for a quick profit, as did some owners of Chrysler’s popular PT Cruiser model when it first went on sale two years ago, the dealership will be instituting a no-sale clause in the purchase contract which will prohibit the vehicle from being sold outside of B.C. for a full year. Despite that provision, buyers have not been scared off, Fong said.
“The vast majority of people putting down deposits on this car are going to be using it for their own use.”
The new dealership, set to open in March, will consist of a 3,000-square-foot showroom and 4,000-square-foot parts and service department.
Arandi could not say just how many new jobs the dealership will create since some staff will be transferred from the Autowest BMW dealership to work in the Mini facility.
The competition to be considered for the dealership was intense, said Fong, adding “We had to make a business case to BMW Canada who then looked at a number of factors including where the dealership would be located in relation to the market.”
“The interest was so great that it was a real challenge to narrow down the field,” said Rob Van Shalk, special projects manager for BMW Canada. “Now the initial centres have been chosen, we look forward to moving ahead and developing a strong, customer-focused retail network.”
B.C.’s other dealerships have been granted to businesses in Vancouver’s Yaletown and Victoria. In total, there will be 15 retail dealerships across Canada.
Mitchell Island firm being sued
Bio-conversion plant facing nearly $8 million claim
by Martin van den Hemel, Staff Reporter
A controversial local business that hasn’t reopened since a devastating multi-million dollar fire in 1999 is being sued for nearly $8 million.
Milverton Capital Corporation has sued Thermo Tech Technologies Inc. in B.C. Supreme Court, requesting the repayment of a loan.
On Nov. 5, 2001, Milverton had requested the “immediate payment of the amount of the direct obligations of those defendants to the plaintiff” totalling $7.995 million, according to documents filed at B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver.
When the money wasn’t received, Milverton appointed David Gray of Campbell Saunders as the receiver to take possession of Thermo Tech’s Mitchell Island building and property, at 11611 Twigg Place.
But Campbell Saunders was denied possession of the facility because there is another multi-million dollar civil lawsuit in the works in which Thermo Tech has sued more than a dozen of its former directors, including former president and chief executive officer Rene Branconnier.
In May of 1999, Thermo Tech opened its $28 million dollar Richmond Bio Conversion plant only to have it nearly burn to the ground in July of that same year.
The plant was supposedly being built to convert waste into cattle feed and fertilizer.
The accidental fire caused an estimated $10 million in damage.
Thermo Tech, which was fully insured, was then sued by numerous firms who claimed they hadn’t been paid for work related to the plant’s construction.
They were eventually paid with the insurance settlement.
Thermo Tech has been clouded in controversy since at least 1999.
Within a week of the fire, the B.C. Securities Commission issued a cease trade order on Thermo Tech securities pending the disclosure of information regarding the firm’s acquisition of two Ontario transfer stations.
It was also sued by Trooper Technologies which claimed as much as $55 million in damages.
Show us the money, parents ask school board
by Martin van den Hemel, Staff Reporter
Parents of Steveston Secondary students are lobbying the school board to reimburse them for a cancelled trip to Hawaii.
After having heard that the board reimbursed London Secondary students $87,725 for a cancelled trip to Europe, Steveston parents want the same treatment.
The cancellations both stemmed from fears about world events, and in particular the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre in New York and The Pentagon in Washington, D.C.
In December, trustees heard a presentation by Carleen Armstrong, a parent of a Steveston student.
Armstrong told trustees that the decision to cancel the trip was made jointly by parents and the school principal.
That’s an important point for the school board to consider, since if the decision to cancel the trip was made solely by the parents, that could remove liability from the school district.
“We felt it was a joint decision. If you are making policy, it has to be across the board,” Armstrong said of the board’s decision to reimburse London students.
Steveston’s girls volleyball team was scheduled to leave to Hawaii to play a series of exhibition games from Oct. 1 to 8.
Parents and school officials met to discuss what to due in light of the terrorist attacks and the potential repercussions, including the potential bombing of Afghanistan in retaliation.
Armstrong said Steveston principal Dieter Momeyer was reluctant to make a decision about whether to give the trip the go-ahead.
But according to a letter from Steveston’s athletic director Deanna Phillips, Momeyer told her she wouldn’t be allowed to go to Hawaii as a school staff sponsor.
“Had the decision of the group been to allow the trip to go on, Mr. Momeyer informed me that I would not be able to sponsor the trip as a member of Steveston Secondary’s staff.”
The trip was cancelled on Sept. 25.
On Monday, the board will discuss the issue in-camera at a finance committee meeting before announcing a decision.
School board trustee Chris Evans said in the London secondary school case, a decision was made by the principal to cancel the trip to Europe.
Since that decision was made by the school, Evans said it is the moral and legal responsibility of the district to reimburse the students and parents.
“You’ve got students who worked a couple of years to pay for this trip,” Evans said. “I think the board and staff were left with little choice in that respect.”
School district secretary treasurer Ken Morris said the district paid out $87,725 to London students, but then were reimbursed $19,722 through their the school district’s insurer.
Steveston parents are asking for less than $9,000.
City seeks partners in beautification plan
by Chris Bryan, Staff Reporter
As part of Richmond’s goal to be “the most appealing, livable and well-managed community in Canada,” the city is now turning its attention to the beautification of private property.
The initial report for the downtown clean-up project was presented to general purposes committee on Monday, and outlines a plan to develop partnerships with property owners and businesses to beautify the downtown core.
“We want to work with people and work with businesses in a co-operative approach,” said Robert Gonzalez, the city’s manager of engineering, design and construction.
“What can we do to help you out?”
If the plan is approved at council on Monday night, Gonzalez will assemble a team to put the plan into action.
The first focus would be three of the busiest areas of the city: Westminster Highway from Garden City to Gilbert, Alderbridge Way from Garden City to Cedarbridge, and the north end of No. 3 Road near Sea Island Way.
Some of the plans include partnering with Lansdowne Mall to put in a sidewalk along No. 3 Road, and working with BC Hydro to install power lines underground on Westminster.
But Gonzalez said the group would be open to projects of all sizes.
“We would be open to anyone who wanted to come in and talk to us,” he said.
To discuss a partnership, call Gonzalez at 604-276-4150.
McNair grad is heading off to Afghanistan
by Chris Bryan, Staff Reporter
A McNair Secondary graduate will be leading Canadian troops as they join the U.S.-led campaign against terrorism in Afghanistan.
Lieutenant-Colonel Patrick Stogran, 42, will be leading members of the Edmonton-based 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry Battle Group, which will arrive in Kandahar next month.
Defence Minister Art Eggleton announced Monday Canada would be sending some 750 soldiers to Afghanistan as part of Operation APOLLO.
Stogran has been on standby since November, and is happy to finally be on his way, said his mother, Pagie Stogran.
“He said the whole battalion was relieved to at last know exactly what they are doing,” Pagie said from her Richmond home. “We’re worried, but it’s good to know his waiting’s over. We’re worried about him, but that’s to be expected.”
For the past two years, Stogran and his wife, Tricia, and their two children, Molly and Dylan, have lived in Edmonton. Stogran attended Royal Roads Military College straight out of high school and has been with the military ever since. He served in Bosnia as a team leader in the enclave of Gorazde during the Serbian offensive of April 1994. There he received special recognition for courage under fire.
Stogran’s mission in the Middle East will include combat operations and ensuring the safe delivery of humanitarian aid, according to Eggleton.
The battalion is expected to be in Afghanistan six months, and joins about 1,700 Canadian forces members already in the region.
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