Private surgeries eyed for hospital
Leaked document proposes health cuts, creating new revenue sources

Chris Bryan, Staff Reporter

The B.C. Nurses Union released Wednesday a leaked Richmond Health Services planning document that they say amounts to evidence of the provincial Liberal government's "secret plan to dismantle Medicare."

Titled "Richmond Health Service Redesign Plan Summary," the document proposes making more money at Richmond Hospital by turning over two or three operating rooms for private surgery by 2003/2004, for such things as plastic and orthoscopic surgeries.

It also proposes a 14-bed reduction at Richmond Hospital, with four of those in surgery.

Vancouver Coastal Health Authority, which oversees Richmond Health Services, acknowledges the document as legitimate, but stresses it is a "working document," aimed at reducing Richmond's $7- to $8-million deficit.

Some of the proposals in the document amount to privatization and, if implemented, are a contravention of the Canada Health Act, B.C. Nurses Union president Debra McPherson said Wednesday.

"This document is an attack on the rights of the people of Richmond to have access to the same health care services and the same public Medicare system as any other Canadian," McPherson said, "without having to reach into their pockets for cash...to pay for them."

Health authority spokesman Clay Adams said "obviously generating revenue is part of the plan." But, he added, "we can only do what the Canada Health Act allows us to do. We can't charge user fees for services covered under the Act."

Plastic and Workers' Compensation Board surgeries are non-insured and are done in hospitals across the country, he added.

A portion of emergency would be closed in 2002/2003, with a reduction in the number of stretchers, and by the following year, a new, "Urgecentre" would be created (no explanation for what this entails is included in the document, and Adams had no idea).

Outside the hospital, the local health authority's continuing care facilities are also targeted for significant changes, according to the report.

In the first year, residential care contracts would be frozen at 2001/02 levels. Staff would be shuffled in the same year between Richmond Lions Manor and Minoru Residence for a new "staff mix and redesign." There would also be a reduction in home support hours in the community and some amalgamation.

Under "Risks," the report acknowledges that the changes could result in "decreased access and lower service quality." Specifically, some user fees will be set at full cost recovery and may be too expensive for those with a low income.

This is all part of the Liberals' plan to dismantle health care, McPherson charged.

"First, they imposed a freeze on health care spending," she said. "Now, to generate necessary funds, they're prepared to force patients who have been discharged from the hospital to pay for their own rehabilitation even at hospital outpatient clinics."

Staff will also be impacted by the changes.

Overall, the report estimates a reduction of 118 full-time equivalent staff as a result of the changes, in all areas that Richmond Health Services covers. The document also notes that "many efficiencies result in higher workloads for staff."

The total savings achieved is estimated at $9 million.

The document acknowledges some challenges before the changes can be made, such as changes to the Hospital Act to "allow billing in the Urgecentre, private pay use of (operating rooms), and modifications to the collective agreements."

McPherson has called upon the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority to hold a public meeting so the public can scrutinize the proposed changes.

Adams said the planning documents have been submitted to the province for a response. The public may have a chance to respond at some point.

"We'll certainly have a consultation process," Adams said. "What that is right now, I don't know."

Health staff brace for cuts

Staff at Richmond Hospital, Minoru Residence and Richmond Lions Manor have been bracing for pending cuts from Richmond Health Services for several weeks, and anxiety is the recurring theme.

"There's a lot of confusion among staff as to what will happen," said one hospital employee. "People have been told to look at your seniority."

Some staff were predicting specialized wards would be closed and patients moved to the regular medical floors. For instance, back in December the eight-bed psychiatric unit for seniors was closed, effectively leaving mentally ill patients to be treated by nurses with no specialized training.

There is speculation that a similar dispersal of patients and staff will occur at the hospital's palliative unit, located at Three North.

"I have a nasty feeling about this," said a palliative nurse. The mood in her ward is "horrible," she says. The nurse was at a loss to understand how providing fewer beds overall is going to improve the health care situation.

"There are already wait lists," she said, acknowledging that there could be cost-savings within the system. "I don't get it. There's got to be a better way."

Homeowners face 4.48% hike in property taxes
City dips into gaming money to help prop budget

Chris Bryan, Staff Reporter

Council split the difference on the 2002 casino money Monday night and have a budget proposal that squeaks in at a 4.48 per cent property tax increase, or $40.15 for the average household.

This comes just below the property tax increase target of 4.52 per cent in the city's five-year financial plan.

Despite continued calls from some council members to steer clear of spending 2002 gaming revenues, council voted in the end to use $518,000 of the $1.7 million the city expects to receive this year, to reduce the tax draw.

"I understand there's some controversy about using casino funds in the operating budget," said Coun. Kiichi Kumagai, who supported a staff recommendation of using $1.18 million of 2002 casino money. "(But) we have to be realistic."

The city has put $1.7 million in 2001 gaming revenues in the current budget. Using current year revenues (2002) is a new step for the city, something supporters argue is necessary in the face of difficult economic times.

Chief administrative officer George Duncan said staff views the casino money as similar to other grants the city has received from the province over the years-money that is used in the operating budget.

But Mayor Malcolm Brodie said he is "very much at odds with that approach." In the past, the city has earmarked some gaming money for grants to community groups, but has shied away from depending too much on it for day-to-day expenses, believing the province could cut it off at any time.

"To rely on this is a major change in our policy," he said. "We have to start living within our means. I don't believe that we are."

Council narrowly approved setting aside $200,000 of the gaming money for "special projects" such as the Disability Resource Centre. But a motion to use $500,000 more of 2002 gaming revenue was defeated.

Coun. Lyn Greenhill said it's unwise to make a habit of deferring dealing with rising costs by dipping into the gaming money, because it puts the city at a disadvantage.

"This puts an incremental pressure on next year," she said.

The only impact on staffing is the decision not to replace the now-vacant youth services supervisor position and to delay the hiring of the newly-created emergency social services co-ordinator.

The budget will go to a public meeting in early April. The budget must be approved by May 15.

'There was no feeling like it'
Games bid president and ex-Olympian pumped about chances

Don Fennell, Staff Reporter

If one man's enthusiasm was enough to land the Olympic Winter Games, Canada would be a slam dunk winner.

Speaking to about 300 people at Tourism Richmond's annual general meeting Tuesday, John Furlong spoke passionately about what the Olympic Games mean to him personally - and the positive impact they can have on a nation.

"If you get to feel the spirit just once you'll never forget it," the president and chief operating officer of the Vancouver 2010 Bid Corporation said.

Furlong reflected on his own Olympic experience as captain of the Irish national men's basketball team.

"The only dream I had was to participate in the Olympic Games," he said. "I remember pulling on that green shirt and there was no feeling like it."

He said he's participated in numerous sporting events since, but nothing has ever compared to the feeling - until now.

"The opportunity to help lead Canada's next Olympics is the most wonderful job you can possibly imagine," he said. "It's the most compelling feeling and consumes every waking moment. Seven other countries want (the Games) as bad as we do."

Furlong, a Richmond resident, said Richmond's support of Canada's Olympic bid-which includes a pledge of $500,000-is exemplary. And the community stands to enjoy an "extraordinary windfall" from the Games, he said, pointing as examples to the proposed trade and exhibition centre, which would be used as the international broadcast centre for the Olympics; the possible expansion of the Richmond Curling Club as an additional site for curling; and the long-awaited arrival of a rapid transit line.

"I'm thrilled with the partnership," he said.

"This has given everyone an idea of what can be done when people meet each other half way. Pitching in every which way we can is the only way we're going to win."

In recognition of Richmond's show of support for the Olympic bid, Furlong announced the Olympic committee is going to work with this summer's Tall Ships festival. He said the project is another example of what Canada can do.

Furlong stressed the importance of the Games' bid being all of Canada's and that there is room for everyone on the team.

"This must be one team in every respect," he said. "But if we work hard we can win this prize...

"The story we're going tell is Canada's story and ours is profound," he said. "It's a great opportunity to show what pioneers can do in 200 years to build a nation."

The eight countries (Andorra, Austria, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Canada, China, Korea, Spain and Switzerland) bidding for the Games are to submit a mini-bid book to the International Olympic Committee on May 31.

Based on the answers to 22 questions the OIympic committee will decide the finalists. The final selection to be made July 2, 2003 in Prague, Czech Republic.

Canada last hosted the Winter Games in 1988 in Calgary.

Coalition prefers Cambie corridor for rapid transit

Chris Bryan, Staff Reporter

Several prominent organizations have rallied behind the Cambie corridor as the preferred route for a rapid transit line between Richmond, the airport and Vancouver.

The Vancouver International Airport Authority met with representatives from the groups last month, and received their official support for the route, according to Norman Stowe, a consultant hired by YVR.

"It's a unique coalition because it's both business and hospitals, and colleges," Stowe said. "I think it demonstrates the broad appeal this corridor has."

The coalition includes the airport, Greater Vancouver Gateway Council, the Business Council of B.C., Tourism Vancouver, the Vancouver Port Authority, Langara College and Oakridge Centre.

Vancouver city council has put the corridor to the public for comment April 9, and will consider including it in its policy soon thereafter. For years, the Cambie and Arbutus corridors have been pitted against one another as the preferred route.

A Vancouver staff report presented last month recommends the city endorse Cambie as the route of choice. It chooses Arbutus for the expansion of the False Creek streetcar service.

According to Stowe, the coalition was gathered to send the message to Vancouver council about the support for the Cambie route for rapid transit.

This corridor is one of the busiest corridors in the region, he said, with key centres of employment: more than 30,000 people visit Oakridge daily, 7,000 students attend Langara, 40,000 jobs are located on central Broadway and 26,000 people work at the airport.

Stowe said they may assemble a similar, Richmond coalition in the near future.

Other members of the coalition are the Vancouver Board of Trade, Vancouver Coastal Health Authority, the Vancouver Economic Development Commission, Providence Health Care, Emily Carr Institute of Art, Children's and Women's Health Centre of B.C. and the B.C. Cancer Agency.

A rapid transit line linking Richmond to Vancouver is currently being studied, though no decisions have been made.

Delta crash tragedy has Richmond impact
Schools rally behind parents of crash victim

Chris Bryan, Staff Reporter

The horrific crash that claimed the lives of four Delta teenagers last Thursday has made a profound impact at two Richmond elementary schools.

General Currie principal Gary McBride and his wife, Judi, a learning assistance teacher at Achibald Blair Elementary, lost their 16-year-old son Spencer in the accident, which involved a car and truck at the intersection of 57 B Street and Deltaport Way.

Spencer was a gregarious, friendly teen, and his parents' loss has also been felt by their colleagues and students.

"The staff is quite devastated," Blair principal Robert McLean said. "We deal with children. The degree of empathy is very high for (Judi)."

"Some are very upset for Gary and Judi's loss," General Currie vice principal Donna Matheson said.

Students at both schools were told the news Monday, and were encouraged to show their support by making cards and writing poems for the family. McLean and Matheson said they held staff meetings twice during the day to talk and simply absorb the situation.

"It's going to be hard to return to some kind of normalcy, if it's at all possible," Matheson said.

Both schools let out early today, so staff and students can attend the memorial service at 4 p.m. at All Saints Anglican Church (4755 Arthur Dr.) in Ladner.

"We're planning to all go out there to be supportive to Judi, and Gary as well," McLean said.

A sports scholarship has been set up in Spencer's name. Donations can be dropped off at Envision Credit Union in Ladner.

McLean urges people who know the family to rally around them, and support them in any way possible.

"It's just been a horrific, life-altering event for them."

The teens involved in last week's crash all attended Delta Secondary.

Also killed in the accident were Michael Parker, Kevin Sanghera and Reese Marshall, all 16. The driver of the car, Tony Nason, 17, survived the crash and was expected to return home sometime this week.

The truck driver was treated for shock.

The southbound car, carrying the five teens, smashed into the eastbound truck. Police continue to investigate the accident.

BCIT eyes Richmond Campus
$50 million facility in the plans

Martin van den Hemel, Staff Reporter

BCIT hopes to open a new state-of-the-art $50 million campus in Richmond by September 2004 that would become the premier aviation/aerospace facility of its kind in North America.

Airport CEO Larry Berg made that announcement along with another major airport authority initiative Tuesday during a Richmond Chamber of Commerce luncheon.

The British Columbia Institute of Technology is planning to build the campus on a vacant parcel of land on Sea Island just north of the Dinsmore bridge.

Lane Trotter, dean of BCIT's school of transportation, told The Richmond Review that plans are for a three-storey 285,000-square-foot campus that would accommodate 1,050 students and include 75 support staff, instructors and administrators.

"Yes it will be the best facility in Canada, bar none," Trotter said. "It will be the best facility in North America."

The campus will eventually boast four flight simulators, worth $20 million each, under a recent agreement between BCIT and Canadian Aviation Simulator Services (CASS) of Calgary. CASS will operate the flight simulators in a 40,000-square-foot hangar, and there will be another 40,000-square-foot hangar for aircraft, Trotter said.

Victoria has already approved $15.6 million dollars in funding for the new facility-pending development of an approved business plan.

The new campus would provide the first training program in Canada on airport operations and management in addition to air traffic services, such as training air traffic controllers.

The facility could also give the region an economic boost. Trotter predicts that pilots from across North America and Asia would also be drawn to Vancouver-often with their families-for their training and re-training because the city is a highly popular tourist destination.

The construction of the proposed facility couldn't come at a better time, Trotter said. In the next four to seven years, some 30 to 70 per cent of the current aviation workforce will be retiring.

Richmond is the ideal location for the campus, Trotter said, because of the proximity to the airport along with the fact that the City of Richmond has encouraged the growth of high technology parks and secondary-based industries.

At Tuesday's luncheon meeting, Berg also announced the airport's sponsorship of the Tall Ships Challenge this summer.

Expected to be the biggest single event ever held on Lulu Island, the event will feature more than a dozen classically-styled sailing ships from across the world and is expected to draw as many as 500,000 people to Steveston from Aug. 8 to 12.

The airport authority will offer both cash and in-kind sponsorship that will likely include promotional and advertising material in the airport terminal in the weeks and months before the event this summer.

"We're really excited about being involved with the Tall Ships," said Anne Murray, vice president of

community affairs.

Berg also shared his vision for Richmond and the Lower Mainland in 2010.

By then a rapid transit line could be set up connecting downtown Vancouver to the airport, and perhaps downtown Richmond. Those supporting this line, which would run down Cambie Street and have a ridership of 100,000 people daily, include Vancouver City staff, Vancouver Port, Business Council of B.C., Vancouver Board of Trade and Vancouver General Hospital, he said.

"In 2010, travellers will avail themselves of downtown check-in and then grab rapid transit for a 22-minute journey to the airport ... or perhaps on to a function at the Richmond Trade & Convention Centre," Berg said, drawing applause from dignitaries including Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie and Richmond Centre MLA Greg Halsey-Brandt.

Berg would also like to see the airport become a major hub for the distribution of goods throughout North America, taking advantage of Vancouver's proximity to Asia.

"The Vancouver Gateway needs only to look at the logistics hubs in Singapore and the Netherlands to see the tremendous economic growth they generate. For example, the Netherlands has attracted 650 distribution centres.

"The logistics hub would include not just distribution but value-added assembly, warranty repair and product customization."

"It would promote associated development in industries that support the logistics hub-information technology, telecommunications and financial services.

I think Richmond with its diverse work force and strong existing technology sector will be very attractive to firms looking to distribute products throughout North America."

Peschisolido a no-show at Liberal AGM

Martin van den Hemel, Staff Reporter

It didn't go unnoticed when Richmond MP Joe Peschisolido failed to show Thursday for the Richmond Federal Liberal Riding Association annual general meeting.

A new executive was elected and the entire group has something in common; they are all fervent supporters of Raymond Chan, the man Peschisolido ousted in the November 2000 federal election.

Peschisolido contacted The Richmond Review Friday to say he was "doing my job as a member of parliament" when he attended a racism-related event at the Beth Tikvah Synagogue that night.

Asked whether he skipped the association meeting to avoid criticism for crossing the House of Commons floor, Peschisolido said that wasn't the case.

"I don't think so. People are going to say what they want."

However he was repeatedly vague when asked whether he committed to the Beth Tikvah event before the riding assocation meeting was announced.

Peschisolido said he has congratulated riding association president Bennie Yung, whom he described as a "good Liberal." They have scheduled lunch Monday.

Regarding his relationship with the association, Peschisolido said: "I assume it's going to be very good."

The riding association includes: Jas Sandhu and Bud Hoffard, vice president; Daniel Prefontaine, secretary; Virginia Chiu, treasurer; Erika Simm, policy chair; John Wong, membership; Wally Philips, communications; and Marko Dekovic, organization.

Two more racers curbed

Martin van den Hemel, Staff Reporter

Two Richmond youth who were street racing this week found out that justice can be pretty swift, too.

Shortly before midnight Wednesday, the Richmond RCMP were called to an accident north of the Vancouver International Airport and found a 1997 Acura that had flipped into a five-foot deep ditch.

The driver, 17, was unhurt and had apparently been racing a 2001 Nissan Altima, which sports 240 horsepower. The Nissan was driven by an 18-year-old who had a 17-year-old passenger. According to police, the cars were travelling at least 120 kilometres per hour in a 50-kilometre zone.

Using the latest street race-fighting tool, police immediately called the Superintendent of the Motor Vehicles, who issued both drivers one-year driving prohibitions.

Both drivers have novice licences and charges under the Motor Vehicle Act. Richmond RCMP Const. Peter Thiessen said police are taking a "zero tolerance" approach when investigating any incident resulting from street racing.

The accident occurred on Templeton Road at Grauer Road, an area known for street racing and where the city has installed traffic calming devices.

What's it mean to be a teacher?
This question will be put the Labour Relations Board next month

Linda Abbott, Contributor

In April, the B.C. Public Schools Employers' Association and the B.C. Teachers' Federation will face-off at the Labour Relations Board to determine what school activities are the responsibility of public school teachers.

In reaction to legislation introduced by the government in January, some teachers have been restricting, on a school-by-school basis, activities they would normally participate in.

Richmond school trustee Chris Evans said the choice to participate in extra-curricular work is up to the individual teacher.

"Extra-curricular activity is voluntary so the Board has no right to expect that the teacher will do it, and the union has no right to expect that the teacher won't," said Evans.

Ken Denike, chair of BCPSEA, said his interpretation of what constitutes a teacher's job differs significantly from the teachers' union.

"Our interpretation is that there are a number of curriculum-related responsibilities that teachers have that go beyond the bells; therefore, we would expect those to proceed. They are not what you would call volunteer in any way," said Denike.

Denike said the BCPSEA doesn't agree that a teacher's work should only take place "between the bells," because, as professionals, much of their work is done outside class time.

"The difficulty here is that we don't have hourly employees, we have people who we like to think are professionals, therefore we would expect that they would use professional judgment. Some (teachers) are going to do more of one thing and some of the other, but in terms of how the school itself functions, everything works out."

BCTF president David Chudnovsky said making teachers' volunteer efforts compulsory is "not going to happen."

He also expressed concern that the recent announcement by the Education Ministry of a more than $25 million deficit in funding will limit the choices teachers make regarding the services they are able to provide to students.

"It is clear that school boards are finally waking up to what we have been saying for months, which is that government policies are going to mean dramatic cuts in services to kids and increased pressures on teachers," Chudnovsky said.

Chudnovsky said if it came down to a teacher's choice between assisting a special needs student and coaching a sports game, he would hope there would be no question-the special needs student would come first.

Al Klassen, president of the Richmond Teachers Association said teachers were doing an incredible amount of extra-curricular work above and beyond their teaching component.

The LRB decision is expected sometime this summer, and apply when classes resume in September.

Alcohol linked to Valentine's tragedy
Suspended drivers drinking moments before fatalities

Martin van den Hemel, Staff Reporter

A group of friends involved in a street race last month that left two dead were drinking alcohol at Aberdeen Centre moments before the accident.

The Richmond Review has learned that Michael Chiu, 24, and Herbert Chau, 23, were the two drivers that police this week prohibited from driving for two years for their role in the crash. The pair have a lengthy history of driving infractions.

The Feb. 14 street race ended when a white BMW 3-series smashed into a light stand, killing the two occupants, Richmond's Danny Chew, 23, and Vancouver's Jackie Cheung, 20. Chew had just celebrated his 23rd birthday on Valentine's Day.

Chiu, whose full name is Michael La-Doug Chiu, is the registered owner of a blue Nissan 240 SX that was racing the white BMW 3-series and a black Honda del Sol. Herbert Chung Ho Chau was driving the Honda, registered to Fung Ming Ellen Chau.

According to a search warrant application filed at Richmond provincial court, Chiu told police investigators at the scene that he had two or three pints of beer prior to the accident. He failed an electronic police sobriety test and was arrested for dangerous driving. After providing a breath sample, Chiu registered above the .08 blood/alcohol limit.

Police have a theory as to what precipitated the accident.

According to one of the investigators at the scene, a black paint mark on the left rear corner of the white BMW "may have been transferred from contact with another vehicle."

Police used the search warrant to obtain further access to the three vehicles, specifically to investigate a mark left on the BMW.

Ivy Min Hua Tang, who was a passenger in the Honda that night, told police that they had all been drinking at the bowling alley at Aberdeen Centre.

Chiu and Chau then "talked about going to play, a friendly reference to drag racing," according to a video and audio taped statement Chau made to police, the search warrant said.

The pair then met at Cambie and No. 4 Road, lining up in the eastbound lanes.

Then Cheung's BMW showed up and lined up facing east in the westbound lane on Cambie.

After signalling 3-2-1, the three cars began to race. After descending from the Highway 99 overpass, the BMW suddenly went out of control and slammed into the light stand, killing Chew and Cheung.

Speeds reached 110 kilometres per hour, according to Chau.

Chiu and Chau have less than stellar driving records.

Since September 1999, Chau has been guilty of four traffic violations, including making an unsafe lane change, speeding and disobeying traffic signs.

Since January 1998, Chiu has been guilty of six traffic violations, including speeding, changing lanes without signalling, a 24-hour prohibition and disobeying a red light at an intersection.

Liberals loosen liquor laws
Mixed reaction to red-tape cuts

David Marsh and Martin van den Hemel, Staff Reporters

You could be able to drink at a pub until 4 a.m., buy hard liquor at beer-and-wine stores, and drink alcohol without ordering a meal at restaurants under liquor-law reforms announced by the B.C. government.

"By having the restrictions we've had, we have actually turned an industry into dinosaurs over a number of years," said Solicitor General Rich Coleman.

Coleman announced plans to cut 25 per cent of B.C.'s 5,800 liquor regulations, which have regularly provoked criticism and even scorn from the hospitality industry.

Under the new rules, which will be fleshed out in coming weeks, the number of liquor licensing categories will be reduced from 19 to just two: food primary for eateries, and liquor primary for pubs. That change will remove restrictions on restaurant customers' ability to order drinks without a meal.

And in addition to being allowed to sell hard liquor as of April 2, existing beer-and-wine stores will be able to apply for a doubling of their floor space. Also, applications for new stores will be accepted for the first time in 10 years.

The changes are getting a mixed reaction from industry groups. Pub and hotel owner representatives have opposed the greater freedom for selling booze in restaurants. But restaurant and tourism groups applauded the new rules, contending that B.C.'s liquor laws had been among the most restrictive in the world and often been an embarrassment in serving tourists.

Meanwhile, perhaps the most contentious change on a local level will be the opportunity for pubs to apply to stay open until 4 a.m.

Municipal councils will make the decisions on individual applications.

Coun. Evelina Halsey-Brandt said she wouldn't support a carte-blanche bylaw that would allow all local pubs to stay open until 4 a.m. And she believes other councillors would want to consider extended hours only on a case-by-case basis.

A pub in downtown Richmond would be entirely different from one near a residential neighbourhood, she said, and she's sensitive to the issues that may surface.

With the changes only announced recently, Halsey-Brandt said they likely won't be considered by councillors for another couple of weeks.

Imperial Landing an underground success
Legions of potential buyers flock to internet site to register their interest

Philip Raphael, Staff Reporter

The power of the internet and old fashioned word of mouth has made one of Richmond's single-largest housing developments in recent memory one of the hottest properties currently not listed on the market.

Imperial Landing at Steveston is rapidly becoming a sensational underground success story as interested buyers have been flooding cyberspace with requests, and ringing telephones off the hook to get information about homes that have yet to be advertised for sale, or even had prices placed on them.

"The interest has been phenomenal. To date we've had 428 interested buyers register on our web site, and we haven't advertised the site anywhere yet. So, it's pretty much all been word of mouth," gushed long-time Richmond real estate agent Charan Sethi whose Sethi Group has been charged with marketing the 41.4 acre site that sits on the former B.C. Packers land in Steveston. When finished, the development will be home to 650 to 700 new residences a mixture of single family homes, townhomes and condominiums-plus a commercial development component.

So, what has created the appeal?

"This really is some of the last waterfront property left anywhere in the Lower Mainland," Sethi explained. "And because it has been planned so well, people are looking at the future value of the property as remaining high."

Phase one of Imperial Landing lies south of Moncton Street to the waterfront, and is bordered on the east by Railway Avenue, and on the west side by a new, yet unnamed street east of the Steveston Community Police Station.

The close to nine acres in phase one consists of 43 single family homes, 44 townhomes, and 170 condominium units. Construction of the single family homes is scheduled to get underway April 1.

In a bid to satisfy some of the public's appetite for information about Imperial Landing, Sethi's firm hosted an open house at the Steveston Community Centre on Saturday (March 23).

Although he was unsure of what to expect from the event, Sethi told The Richmond Review prior that he did not anticipate the frenzy he experienced when selling other properties during the heated housing market of the early 1990s in Richmond.

"At one development, Alderbridge Estates, we literally had to escort people out of the display homes because they were starting to shove each other around because they wanted to claim the same unit," he recalled. "I don't think we're going to see the same thing happen here."

Still, the interest has been so high that some potential buyers have been submitting their own price offers for the types of properties they want.

"I had one gentleman call me and say he was interested in a top floor condominium that had a waterfront view and about 1,800-square-feet of space," Sethi said. "He was willing to pay $600,000 for it, and when you compare that to waterfront property, say in downtown Vancouver, people are paying at least twice as much for that."

Sethi has also had offers from those wanting single family homes and are willing to pay upwards of $400,000 for a 33-foot-wide lot with a home containing 1,800 to 1,900-square-feet of living space.

Asked if he feared bidding wars will erupt over the property in the same way some real estate listings have caused prices to rise in parts of the Lower Mainland, Sethi said, "We hope it doesn't happen here. And it certainly has not been our intention to cause this degree of interest where people are already making offers. What we are concerned about primarily is getting the people into these homes who really want to live there. But at the same time, we cannot control what the marketplace does."

To help guide that process, interested buyers have been signing up on the Imperial Landing web site, listing the type of homes they want. All of the enquiries, some of which have come from as far away as China and Australia, are registered on a first-come, first-served basis to help establish a priority system.

"Currently, we are getting about 35 to 40 hits, interested buyers who fill out the registration form, on our web site each day," Sethi said. "Of course there will be a fallout factor as some of those people signed up don't end up buying a home. But we expect the interest to remain pretty strong."

The project has been a long-running source of controversy as local interest groups fought to preserve historical buildings on the former fish processing plant site. The Onni Group of Companies, a family owned and operated development and real estate management firm that has been in business for 35 years purchased the land. While Sethi could not estimate what the developer paid, the Steveston Fisheries Alliance, which wanted to establish a fish sales facility on the land, offered $16 million for the property when it was zoned industrial, and the B.C. Assessment authority affixed a value in roughly in the same region. As residential, it is worth significantly more.