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BURNABY REAL ESTATE
Housing costs in the top 3
CITY HALL
Emergency generator part of $2M city upgrade
Company says city homes of a certain size rank just behind Vancouver, Richmond Janaya Fuller-Evans
Janaya Fuller-Evans
staff reporter
In terms of single-family homes of a certain size, Burnaby is the third most expensive place to buy real estate in Canada, according to Coldwell Banker Real Estate. Coldwell Banker released a listing report on Thursday that examined its average active listing prices for four-bedroom, two-bathroom single-family homes in 75 markets across the country between January and June of this year. The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver’s most recent statistics for the month of October differ slightly, though the board bases its findings on a typical property within each market – not a specific size or type of single-family home. Coldwell Banker found that Vancouver’s average list price for that specific type of property was nearly $1.88 million, Richmond’s was $1.18 million, and Burnaby’s was $917,968. Arthur Ng, co-owner of Coldwell Banker Westburn Realty in Burnaby, said the city has been in the top three in the past but this is the first time Richmond has been second. “I would say it’s fairly new in that Richmond was always less expensive than Burnaby,” he said in a phone interview Thursday. “I guess it’s all relative. It depends on Housing Page 11
staff reporter
Larry Wright/burnaby now
Beachcombing: The sand may be covered by fallen leaves, but there’s always
The City of Burnaby is upgrading its electrical system and adding an emergency generator at city hall, at an estimated cost of $2.02 million. The generator is being added to keep city computers running during a blackout, according to John Cusano, project manager and Burnaby’s deputy chief building inspector. “We’ve had problems over the years, where a car hits a power pole or a windstorm knocks power lines down, etcetera, so we end up without power,” he said in an interview Wednesday. “It basically cuts out our ability to provide computer services.” The upgrade is being done as the generator is installed, he added. “The main city hall building … still had the original electrical room equipment, which goes back to the mid-‘50s, so it’s a little bit old,” he said. The main electrical room, which houses the transformer and handles the main electrical distribution for city hall, has older equipment and it can be difficult to replace parts, Cusano explained. “The decision was made, with council’s blessing, to not only do the emergency power generator but also to replace equipment that was over 60 years old,” he added. While the project should allow the city to weather future storms and keep computer systems running, it is unclear how city hall would fare in the event of an earthquake. “The city hall building itself, because it was built in the 1950s, is an older building and
a treasure to be found on the beach at Barnet Marine Park. The Burnaby park is a popular spot for nature lovers and families.
Generator Page 10
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Valid only at Nando’s on Kingsway. Enjoy 5 Legs + Thighs, Add Portuguese Garlic bread for only $1! 2 Regular Sides and Has no cash value and can’t be combined with Portuguese Garlic Bread any other offer. Valid for eat-in orders only. for just 19.99! Expires December 31st, 2012