Wishing for a superhero

Young boy hopes to meet Spider-Man one day

Martin van den Hemel, Staff Reporter

Sporting a perpetual smile that could light up a room and curly golden locks of hair, four-year-old Tasman Mackinnon carefully manoeuvered around Richmond Fire Hall No. 1 with restrained excitement Tuesday morning.

Although what he saw lit up his eyes, his body simply will no longer allow him to run excitedly around the room as boys his age are apt to do and as he once did.

His wish is to meet the web-slinging comicbook superhero Spider-Man, but in a sad twist, it is the web-like myelin sheath coating of his brain that is fast deteriorating as a result of the genetic disorder he has called metachromatic leukodystrophy. The disorder is caused by an enzyme deficiency and affects the growth of the myelin sheath, a fatty covering on nerve fibers that control electrical impulses in the brain.

Tasman's mom Loraine said the disorder is affecting the operation of her beautiful little boy's brain and one day, in some four to six years, will mean his heart will stop beating. In the meantime, the disorder, for which there is no cure, will slowly impair his ability to speak, think, walk and perhaps even see.

But that's all lost on Tasman this day, as he received a tour of the local firehall as part of a fundraising effort to make his wish come true.

Tasman loves anything with wheels and hopes to ride in a monster truck one day, Loraine said.

And visiting the firehall was also a wish of sorts, she said.

As she watched her son slide down a fire pole and ride shotgun in a shiny red fire truck, Tasman's mom smiled with a mother's joy as she quietly wished for another miracle.

She's pregnant and is hoping the genetic disorder, which both she and her husband carry as a recessive trait, won't be passed on this time.

Richmond Fire-Rescue's fifth annual Make-A-Wish fundraiser is collecting money through the sale of 12-inch Mother's Day hanging baskets, which sell for $25 each and can be ordered by calling 604-278-5131 until May 31. Both fuchsia and mixed baskets are available.

For more information, call the firehall or Make-A-Wish program co-ordinator Kim Heron at 604-688-7944.

Police looking for key witness

Martin van den Hemel, Staff Reporter

A critical Crown witness to a fatal street racing accident on Cambie Road last year is nowhere to be found, and now police have taken the unusual step of turning to the public to help locate him.

Richmond's Danny Chew and Vancouver's Jackie Cheung were killed when their BMW smashed into a light stand on Feb. 14, 2002 on Cambie Road by Shell near the Highway 99 overpass. Police say the crash followed a street race involving at least three cars.

With a little more than two weeks before the scheduled May 6, 2003 preliminary hearing of Michael La-Doug Chiu and Herbert Chung Ho Chau, who are both charged with two counts of criminal negligence causing death, prosecutors are searching for a 23-year-old Surrey man who apparently witnessed the accident.

Surrey's Gulbhar (Gunny) Singh Bhullar, 23, had been working as a security guard and saw the entire crash as it occurred, Richmond RCMP said.

"We feel he has some key information and is a key witness," Richmond RCMP Cpl. Peter Thiessen said Tuesday.

This isn't a case of a witness being intimidated, or unwilling to co-operate, Thiessen said. Rather, Bhullar apparently moved from his previous home, at 10067-132A St. in Surrey, but police suspect he is still living or working there.

"We have exhausted just about every means of determining where he may have moved to," Thiessen said. "All of the information we have has led us nowhere."

Chiu and Chau will appear in Richmond Provincial Court on May 6, and if convicted, face a maximum of life in prison.

In two other high-profile street racing accidents, the accused are believed to have fled the country:

Yuan Chang (Ray) Cheng, 23, is charged with criminal negligence causing death, three counts of criminal negligence causing bodily harm, impaired driving causing death, three counts of impaired driving causing bodily harm and failing to provide a blood and/or breath sample in the May 2001 accident that claimed the life of a Surrey mother and injured her two young children and husband.

Eric Kin Hang Ho, from Vancouver, is charged with criminal negligence causing death and failing to stop at the scene of an accident in the death of Hugh Boyd student Joseph Lui, 18, in June of 2001.

Working group charged with rec services renewal

Chris Bryan, Staff Reporter

Rather than impose change from the top down, the city has struck a working committee made up of local residents to propose changes to the delivery of recreation services.

The 15-member committee will include three persons nominated by the Council of Community Associations, as well as representatives from the Richmond Sports Council, Richmond Chinese Community Society, Community Arts Council and Seniors Advisory Council.

Earlier this year, city staff suggested the city assume direct control of recreation programming, effectively circumventing the volunteer-based community associations that currently do the work.

This sparked outrage from groups that claimed that, although the system needed changing, the city was going too far too fast.

"What we may change, I can't predict," Coun. Bill McNulty said at Monday's council meeting. "But developing the system in a collaborative way is the Richmond way."

The group will meet over the coming weeks and report back to council in September. Their purpose is to identify weaknesses in how recreation and cultural services are delivered now, and to make recommendations about improvements and what a new delivery model might look like.

"We know that a system formulated with the participation of all partners...is most likely to be well-received," Julie Halfnights, former president of the Thompson Community Association, said Monday.

She added that community associations may have failed to successfully promote the work they do.

"We've done a poor job over the years of telling people who we are."

Coun. Harold Steves insists any changes would involve volunteers in a starring role.

"I once heard someone say staff was trying to get rid of the volunteers. In fact, it's the opposite. We want to get more volunteers."

The working group would also include representation from people with disabilities and Richmond youth and would be supported by a non-city staff facilitator, which could cost up to $50,000.

Visiting cop talks customer service

Superintendent from Bahamas talks to local police

Martin van den Hemel, Staff Reporter

Like his booming voice, Royal Bahamas Police Force Supt. Shannondor Harold Evans' message about community policing is direct and rings true.

Evans was invited to Richmond by local counterpart, Supt. Ward Clapham. Clapham, Richmond RCMP's commanding officer, continued to espouse his relationship-based community policing philosophy Monday by arranging for Evans to give a local lecture about his policing experiences in the Bahamas.

Evans told a group of plain-clothes and uniformed police officers that a police force provides a service to the community, and residents are in fact the customers.

Drawing parallels to the traditional retailer-customer relationship, he said residents want to be treated with respect and professionalism, and know that their particular problem is being addressed, whether it involves crime or not.

And the bottom line is that the customer is always right, he said.

"The whole community needs to be focussed on customer needs," he said.

Evans recounted his personal experience in dealing with complaints about a foul smell in one neighbourhood.

Bringing along another officer and a few garbage bags, Evans traced the source of the smell to a back yard and a pile of rotting crabs in someone's backyard.

Slipping on some gloves, Evans and his colleague picked up the crab remains, placed them in the garbage bags, removed them and then washed the area using soap and water.

This foul smell was a problem to some people in the neighbourhood, and although it wasn't a criminal activity, Evans knew that addressing it might stop other problems.

Police shouldn't be working alone in solving crime-related problems, he said; the community needs to be empowered to be the police's eyes and ears.

In an effort to show residents of the Bahamas that the police were their friends, Evans said his police officers visited each of the roughly 8,500 homes in one region, handed out pins and information brochures.

If you want to build a safer community, forging strong relationships with local residents is a major step, Evans said. What's needed is effort, understanding and elbow grease, and if need be, soap and water.

Don't let the bugs bite

Daniel Pi, Contributor

Richmond's west dyke is being targeted for mosquito extermination by Richmond Health Services, said the city's chief public health inspector.

Kelvin Higo said the salt water Sturgeon Banks stretching from Garry Point to Terra Nova has always been a breeding ground for the tiny blood suckers, but this year with the possible spread of West Nile virus into B.C. by migrating birds, the health department wants to go city wide with their mosquito control measures.

"We've put forth a proposal (to the city) to do a city-wide control," he said.

In B.C., there has yet to be a confirmed case of the virus spread to humans through mosquito bites, but it's only a matter of time so precautions should start now, said the health inspector.

The mosquito extermination is just one of the steps being taken to combat the virus.

The health department will also be scanning the bird population, particularly crows and ravens.

"We'll submit five birds a week for testing as an indicator," Higo said. "We're going to be trapping mosquitoes to determine the different species that are known to carry the virus."

Higo will also be on telephone conferences with other health inspectors around the province and with the B.C. Centre for Disease Control to discuss prevention methods.

The health department currently uses a biological pesticide called Bacillus thuringiensis, or Bti, that dissolves into water and interferes with the growth of mosquito larva. But the best method to prevent infection is to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes.

The centre for disease control has issued a statement with these suggestions on how to protect yourself from mosquito bites:

• wear baggy, long-sleeved clothes that are light coloured when outdoors;
• use insect repellents that contain DEET;
• install screens on doors and windows to keep mosquitoes out of the house.

The centre also advises that all bodies of water such as children's wading pools or bird baths be changed regularly to prevent them from becoming breeding sites for mosquitoes.

Suzanne Bycraft, the manager for environmental programs for the city, presented a plan to the community safety committee Tuesday to discuss how the city will prevent the possible spread of West Nile virus.

Councillors on the committee agreed to provide an additional $100,000 to "undertake a comprehensive mosquito control program"a measure that will receive expedited final approval at a special council meeting Tuesday.

"(West Nile virus is) something we are concerned about," she said. "We want to keep the transmission rate down in Richmond."

Only one per cent of those infected with West Nile virus develop any serious illnesses such as meningitis, and about 20 per cent will experience mild symptoms like fever and headache for a short period, said Murray Fyfe, spokesperson for the B.C. Centre for Disease Control. The rest will get no symptoms at all.

"They will probably never know they were infected at all," Fyfe said.

Long-term side effects have only been detected in those who have become seriously ill, he added.

Abstraction, one dot at a time

Brittani Faulkes looks at the sacred in the ordinary

Chris Bryan, Staff Reporter

Art and science have reverberated through Brittani Faulkes' life, like competing colours in a pointillist piece.

But with a fine, careful touch, and with the benefit of distance, elements that once seemed opposite often blend together beautifully to create something entirely new.

When Faulkes creates a pen-and-ink pointillist piece such as the one she's working on now, "Dancing Loon," she works one dot at a time. It means she can spend an entire hour completing one square inch, building as many as 20 layers of colour to get the desired effect.

It also means sometimes she has to shift, and give herself a break.

"That's why I (also) use pastels, because (pen and inks) are so exhausting," Faulkes says. "You want quick, dirty, immediate gratification."

Faulkes has developed some expertise in the area of making herself happy. But it was a long time coming.

Visiting her Steveston home last week, The Richmond Review found her packing up her canvases for a show at The Old Schoolhouse Gallery in Qualicum Beach (Coastal Interpretations runs until May 10). It's one of dozens of juried shows she's participated in since she took up art full-time six years ago.

Faulkes is friendly and mellow, with an almost constant grin on her face, and moves with the elegance of a cat. Her thick, wire-rimmed glasses add an observant air.

Her studio is a tight space. It has a low chair and easel next to the window, for doing pastels, and a desk against the wall with a magnifying glass for her pen-and-ink work.

On the stereo nearby, John Lee Hooker, Lou Reed or Moby often plays while she does the pointillist works.

"I need the rhythm for the dotting. Your hand gets going with the music."

On the wall, she's created a chart with a dashed line for each of the dozens of pastel colours she owns, each numbered and named.

There's a similar sense of purpose to the rest of the houseclean lines, contemporary furniture and a distinct absence of clutter or knick-knacks. In seeming contrast is a set of moose antlers leaning against the sofa, a large, glistening (and stuffed) salmon against the wall, and an antique, pedal-driven dentist's drill near the entranceway.

These may be signatures of her rebellious side, which she reminds me about now and again during our conversation.

"When I was at Emily Carr I had a mohawk and red hair in the middle," says Faulkes, who turned 45 last week. "I'm no angel, that's for sure. I think there's a rebel or renegade in all artists."

Like a pointillist piece, the layers in Faulkes' own life run deep and cross the spectrum. A significant influence was her father, Don Alderdice, a hard-driven fisheries research biologist who found teachable moments everywhere he looked. A styrofoam cup tossed off a ferry could spark a discussion about pollution; rocks on the beach could reveal a hidden opportunity to compare the difference between crustaceans and molluscs.

"He taught me to look at things and really note the detail, so I owe him a lot."

Family tradition almost predetermined she would be swallowed into the vortex of academia. Her road to an artist's life is paved with nursing schoolwhere she was kicked out when an instructor overheard her tell a nauseous patient to "suck it up"to a job as a pharmacist and later, almost completing a doctorate in Japanese religions.

An important pit stop however was 1982, when she took a leap of faith and enrolled in art schoolan experience that would stick with her for many years. The time at Emily Carr was, she says, "the best four years of my life. It was the first time in my life I felt I belonged. They were wacky, too."

Following graduation, she gave herself a year to carve a living as an artist, and soon enrolled at the University of B.C., eventually taking Japanese studies.

Like her sister, a forensic chemist, she was in many ways following in her father's footsteps. But in 1996, while wrapping up her doctorate at the University of B.C. she realized she wasn't happy.

"I'd stopped eating," she says, referring to a long-standing struggle with anorexic behaviour. "It's kind of strange saying this to a reporter. It's a deep dark secret I've kept hushed up."

At the recommendation of her doctor, she took a leave-of-absence.

There was no magical recovery, but Faulkes' was surprised by her response the day she picked up a piece of paper and started drawing.

"I started eating and started feeling good again."

She now calls what happened at UBC a "meltdown," built up from years of doing what she thought other people wanted.

"You can't force a person against being who they are," she says.

Today, her studio is her "command centre."

With her pen-and-inks, she starts with a photograph that she re-works on the computer to develop an abstraction.

"I just paint what I want to see, not what I actually see," she says.

She'll take a photo of a skunk cabbage at Finn Slough, for instance, then "combine, cut, morph until I get something I really like."

Sundays are spent on long drives with her husband hunting for photos, with the guiding credo: if you see a dead end road, take it.

Recently, this philosophy led her to an 110-year-old mission church near Yale, down a restricted Indian reserve road.

"I like to see the landscape as a host for human-made things. Sometimes it's a welcome host and sometimes it isn't."

For Faulkes, the sacred can be found in all thingssomething she learned from a couple from Texas who became so intrigued by one of her paintings they asked to meet her.

"They really taught me I'm looking at the sacred in the ordinary," Faulkes says, "and that's a great place to be in life. Life's too short to not look at things.

"That's how abstraction works. You take a piece of the whole and you really look at it."

Her own conversion--accepting the role of art in her life--may have been followed by a change for her father as well.

"In the beginning it was eye-rolling, feeling I should be doing something concrete. Now he is one of my biggest cheerleaders. He's got my work on his wall. He's come around."

For information on Faulkes' show in Qualicum Beach, call 1-800-661-3211. Her work can also be seen at Marshall Clark Gallery in Tsawwassen (1625-56 St.) and Kopio Coffee House in Steveston (3866 Bayview).

Pump Boys exudes easy charm

Chris Bryan, Staff Reporter

If you're like me, you'll bring your tired heart, tired legs and tired soul into Gateway Theatre and plunk yourself down.

You'll spend the first few songs of the musical revue Pump Boys and Dinettes griping to yourself about one thing or another, still chewing on something from earlier in the day.

In my case, I wondered "where's the story?" as the cast kicked in immediately with the first few down-home style country songs and only a few lines of dialogue between. I needed a plot, a storyline, something to keep track ofsomething to keep me working, so to speak.

When the cast shouted "Hey there!" to the crowd as they took the stage, I thought "Okay, okay, get to work, show us what you've got."

But the Pump Boys gassed me up and the Dinettes nourished me so that by the time Peter Graham-Gaudreau (L.M.ladies man, I presume) sang "The Night Dolly Parton was Almost Mine" I felt I could have been sitting on a porch somewhere listening to the crickets and feeling the last warm rays of day on my face.

Pump Boys and Dinettes centres on a truck stop somewhere along Highway 57, where the pump boys serve up gas and the dinettes (the Cupp sisters) run the diner next door. Mostly through music, they tell of the passions ("Fisherman's Prayer"), loves ("Be Good or Be Gone") and the unique qualities of the people along the way ("Farmer Tan").

Any trace of cynicism I had at the beginning evaporated by the time bassist Sam Shoichet (Eddie) pulled out a bow and Jennifer Lines (Prudie Cupp) chimed in softly with sweet harmony as Beverley Elliott (Rhetta Cupp) sang the gorgeous sentimental ballad "Sister."

Behind a stage that evokes a 1950s dinercomplete with chrome stools and stainless steel countersa full moon rose high in the sky, and a harmonica buzzed softly in the background.

It's the kind of song that makes you want to sing or wish you could.

And later, when Elliottwhose voice evokes Patsy Clinebreaks into the upbeat "Vacation," you might even shout "Yes!" (at least on the inside) and start clapping, too.

As it should be with a revue, it's all about the music.

But to gripe, just a little: Although the acting played a secondary role, at some points it felt stiff. Also, there could have been more laughs.

But musically, the cast was nothing short of stellar. Tim Williams (Jim) shows why he is among the premier acoustic blues guitarists in North America, even giving us a taste of some slide to put us in the mood. Shoichet does a great bass solo in the song "Pump Boys" and is rock solid throughout, as is Chris King (Jackson) on piano. Though at Friday's performance I felt Lines' voice was a little soft on some of the earlier songs, she grew stronger later and showed an array of talents that included tap dancing and guitar.

In fact, in the last number of the first act the whole cast shows its versatility and brings to life the idea that music is everywhere in a great rhythmic duel. Brooms, drumsticks, pots, pans, pails and spoons all play a role.

Jim says early on: "Work won't kill you, but worrying will."

For all of us who have no choice but to keep on working, Pump Boys and Dinettes is an effective antidote for the side-effects.

City is Power Smart

Chris Bryan, Staff Reporter

The City of Richmond's efforts to improve energy efficiency has earned it distinction from BC Hydro as the first Power Smart certified municipality in British Columbia.

"We want to recognize people who show leadership in the community," said Bev Van Ruyven of BC Hydro, who presented the city a plaque at Monday night's council meeting. "We're hoping other municipalities will follow suit."

Since 1997, the city has accumulated $500,000 in annual electricity savings and has committed to an aggressive target of a further 15 per cent reduction over the next four years (compared to over 2000 levels).

The city's recent conversion to LED (light-emitting diode) traffic lights, for instance, will save $85,000 annually. Also, the city is testing 100 strings of LED tree lights near Richmond City Hall, with plans to add 300 more strings. This initiative alone would save the city $18,000 in energy costs.

Van Ruyven said the city should be commended for not simply approaching energy efficiency on a project-by-project basis, "but as a way to do business."

The Power Smart certification recognizes organizations that demonstrate energy efficiency within their industries or sectors.

Last last year, the Vancouver International Airport Authority became the first business in B.C. to receive the distinction.

Kindergarten daycare could pay off

Martin van den Hemel, Staff Reporter

Providing daycare for Richmond's tiniest students could pay off big for the local school district.

The Richmond school board this week asked district staff to develop a half-day Kindergarten daycare program for the board's consideration on May 5.

Richmond currently provides half-day classes for five-year-olds in Kindergarten, which is paid for by the provincial Education Ministry.

In many cases, however, parents are sending these children to a private school or daycare for the second half of the day.

The proposal is that the school district provide the daycare service for a fee directly to parents.

If it's given the green light, one local elementary school could provide the service as soon as September. Depending on how successful it is, it could be expanded.

Trustee Sandra Bourque said West Vancouver's school district currently has five schools offering the service, and three have waiting lists.

Bourque clarified the daycare won't be an extension of the school's educational curriculum.

"It's play, kindercare," she said.

Although some private firms currently offer the service at local elementary schools, Bourque said the district has no intention of running them out of business. Rather, she sees this as an opportunity for the district to offer the program at a school which doesn't provide it.

"The purpose of such a program is to attract and hold enrollment, generate revenues and to offer an extended opportunity for socialization, structured and independent play and English language development," the motion presented by Bourque reads.

In West Vancouver, the program is already paying off. There, a three-day program costs $280 per month and a five day program is $350 per month.

Parents fighting to save their neighbourhood school from closure as a result of the district's recent funding crunchpresented this option to the Richmond School District as a way of generating revenues.

Bourque said parents currently pay private daycare firms between $400 and $700 per month.

Richmond Teachers' Association has expressed equity concerns, Bourque said. Some of the children who most need the extended socialization are "very often the ones who can't afford it."

"But in the private realm, parents are paying for this. We believe there is a demand out there."

Pro-Joe group fails to take riding

Executive says nomination will be contested

Chris Bryan, Staff Reporter

An attempt by supporters of Richmond MP Joe Peschisolido to take control of the local Liberal riding association at its annual general meeting Tuesday proved unsuccessful.

At the Radisson President Hotel about 1,000 people crowded the halls and tempers were high as a slate of Peschisolido supporters was defeated by a 2-to-1 margin in a vote that saw most of the existing executive returned.

"It was charged, from the candidates and from the public as well," said Dash Chahal, a Joe supporter. "I'd never seen any (meeting) like this."

Marko Dekovic, who once sat on the riding association, had crossed the floor to run for president with the pro-Joe group, but lost to incumbent Bennie Yung.

Dekovic said he didn't agree with Peschisolido's decision to cross the floor, but believes the party needed to eliminate the rift between the MP and his riding association.

"I didn't agree with him crossing but in reality he's a Liberal MP," said Dekovic.

Though Prime Minister Jean ChrŽtien often "protects" sitting MPs from a nomination battle in their riding, indications suggest this policy will change when a new leader, likely former finance minister Paul Martin, is chosen this November in Toronto.

Yung said "nobody will get protected, even a sitting MP."

Each of the three leadership hopefuls (Martin, Deputy Prime Minister John Manley and Heritage Minister Sheila Copps) has indicated the nomination will be open, he added.

"We've been informed there will be an open nomination in Richmond and our executive will do everything possible to get (Peschisolido) out," Yung said.

Despite the widely-held assumption that the riding association is pro-Raymond Chan, Yung said the board is neutral.

"We are the original Liberal slate," he said. "So far we are not influenced by Raymond or anyone at all."

Chan, who was Richmond MP for two terms, narrowly lost to Peschisolido in the 2000 election.

The riding association condemned Peschisolido when he crossed the floor from the Canadian Alliance to the Liberals in January 2002, and still does not accept his legitimacy.

"We are the true Liberal Party, which we don't believe Joe is," Yung said.

Chan declined to comment based on a current desire to be apolitical. He said politics conflicts with his current job lobbying Asian delegates of the International Olympic Committee to support the Vancouver 2010 bidan appointment he received from the federal Liberals.

But many sources close to Chan confirm he is keenly interested in returning as Richmond MP.

Paul Martin is unlikely to betray his supporters within the Richmond Riding Association and protect Peschisolido, one Liberal source said.

Both Peschisolido and Chan were present at Tuesday's meeting.

Peschisolido said he would have preferred Dekovic and his group winning the vote.

"But on any given Sunday a team wins or loses," he added.

The Richmond MP said "if there's a nomination, great," but there's still a possibility a nomination race will not occur. He signed Martin's leadership nomination papers and said he's "known him now for 15 years."

He added that Martin will be visiting Vancouver in May, though he has not planned a stop in Richmond.

Alliance hope for revival

Chris Bryan, Staff Reporter

After a bleak year, local supporters of the Canadian Alliance say confidence and stability is returning to their party, and expect to name a candidate here this fall.

This fall, the Richmond riding association will hold a nomination meeting to name someone to contest the next election, which could come as early as 2004.

"There are a number of people who are seriously considering competing for the candidacy," said Ray Dewar, a member of the candidate search committee. "The more candidates the better because they bring in members and they stir interest."

On Monday, the Richmond constituency association holds its annual general meeting at the Executive Airport Plaza Hotel at 7 p.m. Surrey North MP Chuck Cadman is the guest speaker, his topic "The Liberal Mismanagement of the Justice System."

"The mood has changed tremendously," said riding president Coleman Tokei. "Of course we're optimistic."

Last year, the Alliance was dealing with dissident MPs, a fractious leadership race and the defection of the party's Richmond MP, Joe Peschisolido, to the Liberals.

Since then, the dissidents are back in the fold and party leader Stephen Harper has stronger support than his predecessor, Stockwell Day.

In Richmond, the Alliance would love to face off against Peschisolido, Dewar said.

Tokei said the last year has been spent trying to "embarrass Joe where we can," and remind residents about his "shortcomings."

MacKay gets local Tory support

The Richmond Progressive Conservative Riding Association will be sending a 10 delegates to the party's leadership convention next month, and five of the 10 will support Nova Scotia MP Peter MacKay.

Four will support David Orchard and one will support Scott Brison. A leader will be chosen at the convention May 29 to June 1 in Toronto.

Opponents allege dirty tricks

Chris Bryan, Staff Reporter

Hostility was rife at Tuesday's Richmond Liberal Riding Association annual general meeting.

One side now accuses the other of strong-arm tactics. The other side says its opponent has been using questionable methods to sign up party members.

"Our sitting MP had some people there that were very hostile," Bennie Yung alleged. "They were very hostile. Even pushing people. I was asked to go away and I'm the president."

Marko Dekovic, who was unsuccessful Tuesday in unseating Yung as president, said a group Yung is involved with, the "All Chinese Canadian Political Participation Movement," has been illegally photocopying party membership applications. To boost party numbers they've been signing up people by the hundreds and even paying their membership fee, Dekovic alleged. This would contravene the party's constitution, which states a member can only sign up five people at a time, the original form must be used and no one can pay another's fee.

Yung said he has not been involved with signing up memberships with photocopies of forms, but added he cannot control the actions of other individual members.

"We don't pay for memberships," he said. "The party will verify the correctness and the source of money," he added.

Dekovic said a complaint has been filed with the federal Liberal Party's B.C. office, and should be resolved later this month.

The group was initiated by former Richmond MP Raymond Chan and others last year with the goal of improving Chinese participation in party politics.

According to Chan, out of about 2,000 delegates who participate in the national Liberal annual general meeting, only about 20 are Chinesefar below their proportion of the overall population.

With the upcoming leadership convention, it's a perfect opportunity to give people a concrete reason to get involved, Chan said.

Chan is no longer involved in leading the group, but believes it serves an important purpose.

Dekovic said when he heard about the group he was "very much taken aback by it," because it's defined along racial lines.

"I think it caused divisions within the Richmond community."

Yung disagrees, saying the race argument is just "a dirty smear."

Said Chan: "This group is more than just to deal with Chinese-Canadian issues. It's a civic education process to encourage them to participate, and make the Canadian political system more democratic."

At first, the group aimed to support leadership contender Paul Martin, but has since decided to be neutral. Yung said, nonetheless, the majority of the group is pro-Martin.

The group has recruited between 5,000 and 6,000 new members.

Wal-Mart proposal looms

Martin van den Hemel, Staff Reporter

Representatives from U.S. big-box retailer Wal-Mart will soon be pitching their proposal to build a massive $45 million store near downtown Richmond.

The Richmond Review has learned that local residents, merchants and city councillors have been lobbied in recent months for their support of the project, which would be built at the northeast corner of Garden City Road and Alderbridge Way.

Coincidentally, the city is currently studying the impact of airport noise in that area, and depending on the outcome, could deem that commercial development is a more appropriate use for the land rather than the existing residences.

Nora Stevenson from Development Solutions said she's been contracted by developer First Pro Shopping Centres to conduct a community consultation.

"We have started talking to people in the community about a proposed shopping centre," she said. "We haven't submitted anything to the city yet. The proposal is in flux at the moment."

First Pro will likely present the proposal to city staff in the next few weeks, Stevenson said.

City centre planner Suzanne Carter-Huffman said she last spoke to Wal-Mart's representatives in October, but the information they had to share was short on details.

"We have heard that they plan to make an application but they haven't made an application," she said. "They told us they had options on about 24 acres."

As far as she's aware, Carter-Huffman said First Pro hasn't conducted an extensive traffic study and hasn't answered some of the general questions the city had about the project.

She's heard rumblings that First Pro will present their proposal to the city soon.

Coun. Rob Howard said he spoke to principles from First Pro as recently as six months ago and told

them he'd be willing to look at the proposal. Howard said he was asked to share his thoughts, but he said he has questions about the choice of location.

"The area they're considering is debatable."

Coun. Kiichi Kumagai said he last heard from Wal-Mart proponents more than a year ago, and he still has reservations about putting a store of Wal-Mart's magnitude on an already busy Alderbridge Way.

"I don't know why they're picking Alderbridge Way."

Kumagai said council has been consistent regarding big box retailers, maintaining the stance that if the store wants to go into a properly-zoned area, that's fine.

Years ago, council opposed a plan by Home Depot to open a store at Cambie and Garden City, Kumagai said. Home Depot eventually opened at its current location on Bridgeport Road near Knight Street.

Wal-Mart's proposal is for a 185,000-square-foot retail centreincluding perhaps a bank, dry cleaner and a grocery storethat would be anchored by a 129,000-square-foot Wal-Mart store.

The first public open house is scheduled for May.

The project would generate about $800,000 in annual property taxes, about $620,000 in development cost charges and would create about 280 construction jobs and 370 permanent jobs.

In an information packet being handed out to locals, First Pro asks if there are already enough shops in Richmond.

"Based on a recent independent survey, 25 per cent of Richmond residents now shop at a Wal-Mart in another part of the Lower Mainland. This translates into 80,000 vehicle trips per year. The development of the retail centre will not only keep Wal-Mart shoppers in Richmond, but also keep other residents now leaving the community seeking greater retail selection to spend their dollars at existing shops in Richmond."

The proposed site is currently zoned R1-residential, and would require council to rezone the land to commercial.

Regarding traffic, First-Pro commits to conducting more traffic analyses to ensure traffic generated by the retail centre will not negatively impact surrounding neighbourhoods.

WAL-MART FACTS

• U.S.-based company serves more than 100 million customers weekly;
• registered sales of US $217 billion in 2002;
• 196 stores in Canada and 2,295 around the world;
• first Canadian store opened in November 1994;
• big box-style stores are controversial; opponents claim they wipe out smaller retailers.

Bank reaches leaky condo deal

Unusual settlement follows favourable ruling for bank

Martin van den Hemel, Staff Reporter

In an unusual twist, the Royal Bank of Canada reached an out-of-court settlement last month with a leaky condo owner despite an earlier B.C. Supreme Court ruling in the bank's favour.

Maple Ridge's Dan Healey had sued the Royal Bank, the Attorney General of Canada and the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, arguing among other things that the Royal Bank was acting as an agent of the housing corporation and so owed him a duty of care in dealing with his home when he obtained a mortgage and before it became a leaky condominium.

But B.C. Supreme Court Madam Justice C. Ross dismissed the case on March 5, awarding the bank costs.

Healey said he was poised to appeal the ruling when he and the bank came together and reached an agreement.

"I'm very happy with the settlement," Healey said.

Healey couldn't comment further, saying the agreement includes a non-disclosure clause.

Lynda Phinney, a spokesperson for the Royal Bank, said the bank would not be commenting about the settlement.

Patrick Guy, who is appealing a B.C. Supreme Court ruling that failed to certify his leaky condo related class action case, said big businesses like certainty and one individual is insignificant to them.

"One individual making noise, to have them go away is good," Guy said.

But Guy said it is unlikely this settlement will have a serious impact on other leaky condo litigation since thus far, people haven't shown a willingness to expend the time, trouble or expense to proceed against a bank in the fashion that Healey has.

Leaky condo advocate James Balderson, of the Coalition of Leaky Condo Owners, said it is tough to say whether the settlement is a victory for leaky condo owners without knowing exactly what Healey received.

"It's news to me and a surprise," Balderson said of the settlement.

But he said gag orders like this will prevent the general public from ever finding out who is to blame for the multi-billion dollar crisis that has affected tens of thousands of leaky condominiums in Richmond and across the Lower Mainland.

"I'm all in favour of accountability," Balderson said. "(But) we can't tell (who is to blame) and that's unfortunate."

Balderson said he has knowledge of several gag orders relating to lawsuits between leaky condo owners and developers, builders and architects.

Healey said he still plans to proceed with his civil suit against the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation and the Attorney General of Canada and hopes to have the building code changed to better address B.C.'s wet climate.

Designing times

Richmond family leads fashion company on trail of global inspired success

Philip Raphael, Staff Reporter

The world of fashion is definitely not a nine to five business.

Just ask soon-to-be Richmond resident Lani Karls, vice-president of internationally-renowned clothing manufacturer mac and jac.

"It's always changing. The industry is never still because there are so many things that can affect the business from trends, the economy, and attitudes," explained Karls. "But that's what I love about it."

Karls and her husband Eric have steered their privately-owned fashion house from a relatively small enterprise 15 years ago to today where it is recognized as one of the clothing industry's rising stars.

Karls just returned from a trip to Europe scouting out new trends in fabrics, colour and design which will serve as crucial input to help determine the direction of the company's various lines that cater to women and men.

Currently, the company has four distinctive lines: mac and jac menswear, mac and jac energee which is a sportswear inspired line, kenzie which caters to a youth market, and the original mac and jac ladies line that serves the 30- to 55-year-old segment.

While the brand is now internationally recognized, mac and jac, named after the Karls' two daughters, 18-year-old Jackie (jac) and 16-year-old MacKenzie (mac), recently celebrated a significant homecoming of sorts when it signed a contract with Canada's Bay department stores to be a supplier to seven of its stores in Vancouver and Richmond.

And next weekend the Bay at Richmond Centre will be staging fashion shows featuring the mac and jac lines. Plus mac and jac experts will be on hand in the ladies wear department.

Being a Canadian-based supplier to a Canadian chain is a unique position in the fashion industry, said Karls who met and married Eric 20 years ago while both were working in the clothing business. Eric was working in his father's business in sales, and Lani was a designer who studied fashion in Switzerland.

"There are not many Canadian manufacturers that produce everything from A-Z," she said. "A lot of the time there's input from the U.S. and Europe in what the Canadian market will buy."

Establishing design independence means developing a unique lines. And that requires a lot of travel for the Karls who visit suppliers around the globe to keep on top of new trends in colour and style.

But knowing just how far to go in pushing new trends in design is a tricky balancing act for all players in the fashion game, Karls said.

"It's a fine line. You want to give your customer the latest look, but there comes a time when they also repel that because it's simply too much. You see the models on the fashion runways wearing some of the newest trends and you wonder who really is buying that.

"But things are definitely changing. We're seeing a move away from the monotone colours to more vibrant combinations and increased embellishment that means more complicated designs and manufacturing."

To maintain a level of style and complexity in the designs mac and jac turns out, and still be price competitive, the firm has the bulk of its manufacturing done in a number of Asian countries, including China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and South Korea.

But mac and jac's influence in Asia is not just limited to locating production facilities. In China, the company has 30 Mac and Jac stores, with another five slated to be opened this year.

"They are just really hungry for all the western clothes they can get," Karls said. "And business is really big in China. Just look at the population base."

In the U.S., mac and jac is sold through a number of department stores such as Nordstrom's, and Lord and Taylor.

The majority of the company's design work, and all the customer service and other administrative operations are performed at its new, 45,000-square-foot offices in North Delta. An office and showroom is also based in New York so it is near the big fashion merchandising giants that publish influential magazines (Elle and Vogue) in which mac and jac products regularly appear.

Such exposure has drawn the eye of more than the eye of the casual buyer.

Hollywood has also noticed the company's lines.

The 2002 movie Simone that starred Al Pacino as a film producer who creates a digital actress to replace one who walked off the set featured Vancouver native Rachel Roberts as the computer-generated starlet. Roberts, a former mac and jac model spent the majority of the film wearing the company's clothing.

And recently, I Robot to be filmed locally starring former rapper Will Smith had requested some mac and jac product for the movie's lead female character.

"We don't much in the way of placement--they seem to come to us," Karls said.

Olympian to share his life's story

Daniel Igali talk announced for May 27 at Gateway Theatre

Martin van den Hemel, Staff Reporter

He inspired a nation by dancing around the Canadian flag, and then kneeling down to kiss it, upon winning an Olympic gold medal in the 2000 games in Sydney, Australia.

Now wrestling champion Daniel Igali will share his life's story, from growing up in deplorable conditions in his village of Enwari, Nigeria, going to school in a strange land thousands of miles away from family, and then rising through the ranks to become a world champion.

Igali will be speaking at the Gateway Theatre on Tuesday, May 27 at 7 p.m. as part of an effort to make a genuine difference in the lives of the children who are now growing up in his hometown.

He will be raising money to build the Maureen Matheny Elementary School, named after a Richmond woman who played such an inspiring role in Igali's life that he came to call her mom.

Igali formed an extremely close bond with former Cook Elementary principal Maureen Matheny who mentored and supported Igali after he sought to stay in Canada following the 1994 Commonwealth Games in Victoria.

She died of cancer in October of 1999, five days after Igali brought home a world championship in freestyle wrestling.

"She said `I'm so proud of you,' and those were the last words I heard from her."

Julie Halfnights, who is helping to organize the Richmond fundraiser, said locals won't be disappointed by the inspiring message Igali delivers. She heard him speak last year.

"His story, from boyhood in Nigeria through his journey to school in Canada and on to the Olympics is simply heart-stopping. As I listened, I knew that I wanted my 14 year old to hear this, both the experience of growing up in a Third World country and the commitment and dedication required to make it to the top level of athletic competition."

Corporate and private sponsors are still being sought for the event, both to pay for the rental of the facility and to buy seats for children who might not otherwise be able to afford to hear Igali while he's in Richmond.

He is expected to speak for about an hour, after which he may be taking questions from the public.

Donations are also being requested for a silent auction.

Organizers haven't firmed up a ticket price, but expect it to be about $10 each.

For more information, to become a sponsor or to volunteer, e-mail Julie Halfnights at jhalfnights@shaw.ca or leave a message for her at the Thompson Community Association at 718-8422.

Daniel Igali is raising money to build Maureen Matheny Elementary School in Nigeria, named after a Richmond woman who played an inspiring role in his life.

Committee adjusts five year plan

Chris Bryan, Staff Reporter

The city's finance committee is in full support of the proposed five year financial plan, but Coun. Linda Barnes says it sends the wrong message to East Richmond residents.

"The community has a feeling of being isolated and this is just a symbol of that," said Barnes, referring to an amendment to the plan that delays replacement of Hamilton firehall by a year.

"It would appear not to be a substantial delay; however, it would appear indicative of a promise made to the community that has now been broken," said Barnes, who does not sit on the finance committee.

Finance committee members unanimously approved a plan Tuesday that would begin construction on the Hamilton firehall in 2005 instead of 2004. By doing so, tax increases would be flattened out so that instead of a 5.86 per cent increase in 2004, residents would pay 4.45 per cent. In 2005 they would pay 4.69 (compared to 5.12), but in 2006 and 2007 they would pay eight-tenths of a per cent more (3.83 and 3.73 per cent respectively) than originally proposed.

Coun. Kiichi Kumagai said it is important to keep the tax increases within a comfort level residents can accept.

"We said there's no way we can build it all at once," said Kumagai, finance committee chair. "We thought it would be better to even it out a bit."

Barnes said she will vote against the item at Monday's council meeting.

Barnes, whose husband is a Richmond firefighter, said when he started in 1973 he was told the Hamilton hall would be replaced within a year.

"That shows how long that firehall has been promised, not just to the firefighters, but to the community," she said.

Kumagai and other council members have been quick to point out that the higher-than-usual tax predictions are largely driven by the area of community safety. While the cost of city services is expected to rise an average of 1.1 per cent per year over the next five years (below the consumer price index), community safety costs are projected to increase five per cent annually.

"These are legitimate costs because they're dealing with firehall replacements and the community safety building replacement," said finance director Andrew Nazareth.

Despite significant requests from Richmond RCMP, largely in the area of increased staffing, council is only considering adding a crime analyst for 2003. Police have initiated a review of its services and Supt. Ward Clapham is expected to present a report on possible changes to how it delivers services in the coming months.

This year's property tax increase translates to $40 more on the average homeowner's bill.

The five year financial plan requires final approval with the budget bylaw by May 15.

Trustees to consider school camera surveillance policy

Martin van den Hemel, Staff Reporter

Trustees are easing closer to authorizing the use of video surveillance equipment in an effort to reduce the hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages to local school facilities each year.

School district staff are currently tweaking a draft policy that will be presented to the board on April 22 for its approval. At that point, the draft policy will be sent out to all stakeholders, including local parent advisory groups, unions, student councils, principals and local administrators for their feedback over the next few months.

Trustee Sandra Bourque said there's been no opposition to the plan to this point.

"We respect that people have a right to privacy...but we have to protect our students, teachers and property. We just simply can't afford (the vandalism damage). Perhaps the use of cameras will help that."

The Richmond School District has been extremely hard hit by vandalism damage over the past 13 years, and particularly so in recent years. In the last four years alone, damage has been $729,159.

Richmond Teachers Association president Al Klassen said he isn't thrilled about the fact that there's a need to install these cameras, but said there's no question the district needs to take steps to address vandalism.

Based on experience from one local high school, where three video cameras have been in use since the summer of 2000, they do act as a deterrent.

Kent Chappell, former principal of that school, said he received no complaints about the monitoring.