New policeman patrols for Internet crime
There will be a new sheriff working the information highway, patrolling for fraud.
Richmond RCMP Const. Peter Sonnichsen, who is currently working in the economic crime section, has been named the city's new Technological Investigator.
The new position, created in response to the increase in Internet related crime, will see Sonnichsen conduct Internet related investigations. He will be travelling to Ottawa in the near future to enrol in the Canadian Police College's Technological Crime Program.
"I am looking forward to the opportunity to learn from the best, and bring those skills back to our community," he said.
Campagnolo in town
B.C. Lieutenant Governor Iona Campagnolo will officially open Activate 2002, Richmond's first Health and Wellness Fair for Seniors being held at Clement Oval in Minoru Park Saturday.
There will be a march around the oval beginning at 9 a.m., with participants attempting to set a record for the number of seniors walking one lap around the track. Campagnolo will open the event at 10 a.m., followed by the arrival of the BC Sport Parachute Team, whose participants are all 50-plus.
Activities throughout the day include wellness-related displays, lectures, exercise classes, billiards, arts and crafts and more.
The event wraps up with a Giant Bingo at Minoru Activity Centre at 6:30 p.m. featuring prizes and entertainment.
Participants are asked to register for this free event by picking up a "passport" from any Richmond community centre.
Green Clean
Since the creation of Operation Green Clean last year, police have busted some 41 marijuana grow operations in Richmond.
The team was brought together by the City of Richmond and the RCMP for the sole purpose of dismantling grow ops.
A total of 17,090 plants and 1,528 clones have been seized and destroyed by police and more than 44 people have been arrested and charged with production of a controlled substance and possession for the purpose of trafficking.
For the record
Sunday' story, "The trouble in stratas," p. 3, did not intend to imply that the strata council and Century 21 Prudential Estates mismanaged money.
Community groups to host Volunteer Week display
April 21-27 is National Volunteer Week and local agencies and organizations are participating in a display this Saturday at Richmond Centre.
The theme of this year's volunteer week is "Experience Matters" and the week will highlight how more than 6.5 million Canadians are turning to volunteering as a way to gain-and give-the benefits of experience.
Volunteer Richmond Information Services is organizing the display at Richmond Centre from 10 a.m. till 5 p.m. During this event 34 organizations in the community will have the chance to connect with people and promote their volunteer opportunities and services.
"In our community volunteering is a long time tradition, there are more that 17,000 volunteers in Richmond who last year donated over 2 million hours of their time to organizations involved in sports, heath, religion, seniors, and the arts, to name a few," says Elizabeth Specht, executive director of Volunteer Richmond.
According to Wally Philips, president of Volunteer Richmond, this is just a glimpse of the power and importance of volunteering in our community.
To support this level of involvement Volunteer Richmond is always looking for ways to promote volunteerism in our community, and develop the capacity of the voluntary sector to engage citizens as volunteers.
In Canada seven per cent of all Canadians do 73 per cent of the volunteer work. And older Canadians are putting in most of the volunteer hours. As Canadians age, fewer tend to volunteer, but those that do, contribute considerable amounts of time.
The results of the 2000 National Survey of Giving, Volunteering and Participating indicate that volunteers between the ages of 55 and 64 contribute an average of 181 hours a year, and volunteers 65 and older, give an average of 269 hours.
National Volunteer Week began in 1943 as a volunteer recruitment effort to enlist women for wartime voluntary service. The concept of a week devoted to volunteers was revived during the late 1960s. Every year more than 80,000 registered charities and 100,000 not-for-profit organizations pause to thank and recognize their volunteers.
For more information on National Volunteer Week, visit www.volunteer.ca.
Chamber gets new chair, directors
Ronn Martin is Richmond Chamber of Commerce's new chair.
Martin operates Richmond-based New Image Props and Decor, which builds props for commercial, retail and movie industry clients.
He succeeded outgoing chair Keith Tsukishima at the chamber's annual general meeting held on Tuesday.
Four directors were also elected to the chamber.
They are: Barry Grabowski (a lawyer with Cohen Buchan Edwards), Ali Hounsell (Vancouver International Airport Authority), Bruce Howell (Coast Capital Savings) and Erika Simm (Steveston Fisheries Alliance).
Meanwhile, the chamber has a new web site address at www.mychamber.ca.
Richmond wins landscape award
Another kudo has come Richmond's way courtesy the Canadian Society of Landscape Architects.
The City of Richmond received the society's 2002 regional honour award for the landscape design association with the introduction of the 98 B-line bus service along No. 3 Road.
The new bus way provided dedicated access for the new 98 B-Line bus service.
Extensive new landscaping features and attractive street furnishings were also introduced.
The effect was aimed at creating a more people friendly and environmentally attractive look.
"Council and city staff have made it our goal for Richmond to be the most appealing and livable city in Canada," Richmond mayor Malcolm Brodie said.
"This award and the many others we've received for our beautification efforts, shows that we are making the vision a reality."
Philips Wuori Long Inc. provided the landscape design work for the No. 3 Road project, which was funded by the City of Richmond and TransLink, which is the region's transportation authority.
Crime prevention and home security tips have been translated into Chinese
Crime prevention and home security tips have been translated into Chinese thanks to Richmond Block Watch.
Contained in the Richmond Block Watch participant's manual, the tips are a step-by-step guide to creating a safe home and community. Several Block Watch handouts have also been translated into Chinese.
For more information, or for copies of the manual or handouts, call Block Watch co-ordinator Wendy Milford at 604-207-4790.
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