Thursday April 5, 2012 (Vol. 37 No. 28)
V O I C E
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W H I T E
R O C K
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S O U T H
S U R R E Y
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Shooting for the stars: A dream of space travel just may rocket into reality for Semiahmoo Secondary alumna, Michelle Chen. see page 11
White Rock keeps $5,500
Fine ends tree fight Dan Ferguson Staff Reporter
Shark attack
Gord Goble photo
Despite getting a hand to the throat, Bayside Sharks’ Henry O’Brien attempts to tackle a Richmond ball-carrier during a rain-soaked men’s division one rugby game Saturday at South Surrey Athletic Park. The Sharks won the contest 47-7 and after a week off for Easter, return to the field April 14 in Seattle.
Former MLA billed university for provincial party fundraisers
Liberals to return Hurd’s donations Dan Ferguson Staff Reporter
There was no rule against using Simon Fraser University funds for political donations when Wilf Hurd, SFU’s director of government relations, gave SFU money to the BC Liberals. But now, there will be a policy against it, following a report in the Vancouver Sun newspaper this week that the former SurreyWhite Rock Liberal MLA used university money to make $2,045 in donations to seven BC Liberal party fundraisers. According to the report, the payments were made over a period of just over a month this year. They included, among other things, $1,000 for six tickets to an event staged by Liberal MLA and former cabinet minister Harry Bloy (Burnaby-Lougheed) and a $350 contribution to deputy Speaker Linda Reid (Richmond East).
Atlantic Lobster Tails $10 each
The 61-year-old Hurd – who could by Petter, MacLachlan said. not be reached for comment by MacLachlan said it appears the press time Wednesday – attended practice of expensing political the fundraisers and wrote out perdonations had been carried on for sonal cheques to the BC Liberals, a number of years at SFU, and may then filed an expense claim for the have involved contributions to the money with the university, which NDP as well as the Liberals. paid him back. MacLachlan was unable to say Don MacLachlan, SFU’s director whether it was going on before of public affairs and media relaHurd was named SFU’s new direcWilf Hurd tions, said there was no written tor of government relations in in 1996 rule covering donations to politiMarch 2002, replacing the retiring cal fundraisers, but the president Ken Mennell. of the university, Andrew Petter – a former Chad Pederson, executive director of the New Democrat MLA (Saanich South) – has BC Liberal party, announced the Hurd donaordered a halt until a policy officially forbid- tions would be refunded to SFU. ding it is in place. Because the contributions were made using “It’s absolutely, definitively, put to a stop,” personal cheques, Pederson said the party MacLachlan told Peace Arch News. “Expen- had no way of knowing the university was ditures such as this are not to happen.” actually paying. An internal investigation has been ordered see page 4
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Stop-work orders have been lifted from a half-built White Rock house that ran afoul of city tree-protection rules. A city building inspector slapped the orders on the three-storey, three-garage house in the 14100-block of Wheatley Avenue on Feb. 24, after owners Ruby and Daljeet Deol cut down a protected Pacific Dogwood tree in their front yard. After the city shut down construction of their dream home, the couple picketed White Rock city hall, saying the tree was cut down by mistake and the city was being unreasonable. Work on the house resumed in midMarch after a lawyer hired by the Deols wrote the city to say the municipality cannot use construction-safety regulations to enforce a tree-protection bylaw. However, White Rock director of planning and development services Paul Stanton told Peace Arch News this week the city “absolutely” disagrees with the legal opinion, but decided to settle to avoid a drawn-out court battle. “If you cut a tree and cut the root, it can make a dangerous tree and it becomes a safety issue,” Stanton said Monday. The city has fined the Deols $1,500 and is refusing to refund a $4,000 deposit they paid as a tree-protection bond. The money will be used to replace the cut-down Dogwood, Stanton said. “The city takes the money and puts it into planting trees elsewhere.” When the stop-work orders were issued, Stanton noted Metro Vancouver cities are fighting a trend where homeowners ignore bylaws to cut down protected trees in order to clear space or open up a view, considering the fines as a form of fees. Stanton told PAN the Deols won permission to demolish the existing older house on the view slope facing the ocean see page 4
AFTER MORE THAN 25 YEARS IN OUR CURRENT LOCATION...