Burnaby NewsLeader, August 01, 2012

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MP wants More PiPeline hearings

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BlaMe cycling Passion on Mario

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why Bowen’s a great day triP

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wednesday

august 1 2012 www.burnabynewsleader.com

a local immigrant job search program is achieving an 80 per cent success rate in linking newcomers’ skills with relevant work. see Page a4

RCMP jail to get $1.4M retrofit

To meet current safety standards, code req’ts Wanda Chow

wchow@burnabynewsleader.com

Makayla singh, 7, watches some of the festivities at saturday’s Fiji Festival at Burnaby’s swangard stadium. see Photos on a3

MaRIO BaRtEL/NEWsLEaDER

First 200 condos sell in two days Wanda Chow

wchow@burnabynewsleader.com

The first 200 condo units in Appia Developments’ Solo District sold out in two days despite media reports of a cooling real estate market. When completed in early 2015, the first residential tower, the 45-storey Stratus, will include almost 400 homes at the corner of Lougheed and Rosser Avenue. Additional units will be released for

sale in the fall, with the date and numbers still to be determined. Before sales opened on July 21, previews of the sales centre attracted thousands of people who waited up to two hours to see the show suites. “We quickly realized that community demand was there and that people wanted to start buying,” says Jim Bosa, president of Appia Developments. “We decided to release a few homes as an

EDDIE YAN & Team 604-722-7309 Your Burnaby Specialists

FREE HOME STAGING

centre realty

www.eddieyan.ca

introductory release and we’ve had an excellent response. We’ve sold out our first release and we’re also oversubscribed for the next round.” Prices started at $289,900 for a one-bedroom, $389,900 for a two-bedroom and $679,000 for a three-bedroom. “Our first Solo District buyer on Saturday morning was a first-time homebuyer in her late 20s who had grown up in the area,” Bosa said. “Like many other buyers she knew

the area well, saw the potential in the community and wanted to be a part of it.” The overall Solo project will comprise four towers ranging from 38 to 55 storeys, and totalling about 1,400 homes at the southwest corner of Lougheed Highway and Willingdon Avenue. It will also be home to more than 100,000 square feet of retail, including Burnaby’s first Whole Foods store, and 40,000 square feet of office space.

Featuring Indigo Girls Saturday, August 11 Deer Lake Park for the full line up visit burnabybluesfestival.com

The jail cells at the Burnaby RCMP detachment will be getting a $1.4-million retrofit after Burnaby council approved the funding. While there have been changes to the Burnaby Justice Building at 6355 Deer Lake Avenue, first in the 1980s and then in 2002 when the courthouse was closed, the cell block section remains as it was originally built in 1966, according to a city staff report. Located in the basement under the former courtrooms, they were among the subjects of a national review in 2005 of RCMP cell block facilities to determine who well their design minimized the potential for injury of inmates. “Due to the age of this existing facility and type of construction, it was determined that there are existing conditions that should be addressed to improve safety,” said the report. Please see jaIL, a3


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