B.C. Views Rough seas ahead for B.C. ferries. p6
Farriers forge passion for their trade. p25
THE NEWS
Arts&life Get ready to rock at annual Adstock. p21
www.mapleridgenews.com Wednesday, July 4, 2012 · Serving Maple Ridge & Pitt Meadows · est. 1978 · 604-467-1122 · 50¢
Federal electoral boundaries could change Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows join part of Port Coquitlam by M o n i s h a M a r t i n s staff reporter
Canada Day Steve Bradley, dressed as the queen from Sleeping Beauty, an upcoming SPECC-tacular Productions performance, jokes with RCMP officers as they wait for the opening ceremonies for Canada Day in Maple Ridge, Sunday. See more Canada Day photos, p5. Colleen Flanagan/THE NEWS
Proposed changes to the federal electoral boundaries sever Mission from Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows, but add a sliver of Port Coquitlam to the riding. The non-partisan Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission for B.C. has proposed a new federal electoral map, adding six new districts, for consideration at public hearings this fall. The changes would result in the Lower Mainland holding 26 of British Columbia’s 42 ridings, up from the current 21 of 36. Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows and an area of Port Coquitlam south of Lougheed Highway would get its own riding called “Pitt Meadows-Maple Ridge” (population: 96,956). See Boundaries, p12
Man burned at former meth house Sodium hydroxide found in basement on 224th St. by R o b e r t M a n g e l s d o r f staff reporter A Maple Ridge man was sent to hospital Monday after coming into contact with chemicals possibly intended for the production of crystal methamphetamine. Emergency crews were called to the 11600-block of
224th Street around 4 p.m. on Monday after a tenant in a rental home came across a bag of sodium hydroxide while cleaning up the basement. Sodium hydroxide, commonly known as lye, is one of the key components in the production of methamphetamine. The resident of the home reported burning lips, and a sore throat and was hosed down by fire crews outside the home before being taken to Ridge Meadows Hospital.
A second tenant also experienced exposure symptoms, but refused treatment. The Maple Ridge Fire Department’s hazardous materials crew sealed the building off and evacuated the tenants, who won’t be allowed back in the house until the chemicals are disposed of safely. The house, located next to Taggs medical marijuana dispensary, was the site of a meth lab explosion last August. After the lab was discovered, a hazmat team was called in
to clean up the site. Maple Ridge Fire Chief Peter Grootendorst said he wasn’t sure if the chemicals had been missed by the hazmat team that cleaned out the house, or if the chemicals had been brought in afterwards. “At this point, we’re not sure where they came from,” he said. Grootendorst said meth labs pose a danger not only to those who operate them, but to the community, as well. See Meth, p14
Index
Classic Cars and Hot Rods TM
Cruisin’ Nights are Here! LOCATION 22805 Lougheed Hwy.
Opinion Tom Fletcher Letters Looking Back Arts&life Sports Classifieds
Robert Mangelsdorf/THE NEWS
Firefighters hose down the man outside the house on 224th Street in Maple Ridge on Monday.
westcoastautogroup.com 6 6 7 18 21 25 28
WEST COAST WEST COAST WEST COA COAST
TOYOTA 19950 Lougheed Hwy., Pitt Meadows TOLL FREE
1-866-910-1579
See our ad on page 27
WEST COAST
FORD LINCOLN 20000 Lougheed, Pitt Meadows TOLL FREE
1-866-334-2119
20370 Lougheed Hwy., Maple Ridge TOLL FREE
1-866-772-1929
19625 Lougheed Hwy., Maple Ridge TOLL FREE
1-866-208-8820
located at the north end of the new golden ears bridge E