TrusTees seek more opTions for deficiT
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did The ciTy pass on a sweeT deal?
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paTTullo crunch on The horizon?
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friday
December 14 2012 www.newwestnewsleader.com
It may be the middle of December, but Royal City soccer is still kicking. see page a11
UPG had offered to build it all Recently released RFP document chris bryan
editor@newwestnewsleader.com
mArIO bArTeL/NeWSLeADer
Dylan Young-L’Hirondelle, 19, describes where he first saw flames licking along the eaves of his next door neighbour’s house while he and his mother were in their kitchen Tuesday evening. Despite his best efforts getting into the house, his neighbour, an elderly man who ‘kept to himself,’ died in the fire.
Fatal fire on Alberta Street Elderly man found collapsed as home burns Grant Granger and mario bartel newsroom@newwestnewsleader.com
A Tuesday evening fire in New Westminster claimed the life of an elderly man despite the efforts of a teenager who lived next door. Dylan Young-L’Hirondelle, 19, and his mother were in the kitchen of their Alberta Street home making dinner when they noticed smoke and flames coming out of a vent on the roof at the back of the man’s bungalow next door. While his mom called 911, Young-
L’Hirondelle ran out to try and alert the quiet man they’d occasionally seen puttering around his yard since they moved in about a year ago. Young-L’Hirondelle attempted to get in the back way, but it was locked, and so was the front gate. But he eventually made his way to the front door, which was locked. He struggled to force it open but it was difficult because of the pressure from the fire. Finally it gave. “As soon as the door opened, thick black smoke came out,” said Young-L’Hirondelle. “It was pretty crazy. There was a ton of smoke.”
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New Westminster fire chief Tim He pointed out many of the Armstrong said crews found a windows had bars on them. The man believed to be in his seventies backyard is surrounded by a high collapsed near the front door of industrial chain-link fence and his house at 343 Alberta St., which is littered with debris like an old is set back from the street and camper van covered with a white surrounded by shrubs and tall trees. tarp weighed down by tires. The man had no vital signs and “It was challenging even for appeared to be in cardiac arrest, our crews to gain access,” said so crews immediately started CPR. Armstrong. He was taken to Royal Columbian The fire chief said investigators Hospital but was pronounced dead. know where the blaze started but “The house is pretty much gutted not how it started. out. The crews arrived and there “It’s just a really unfortunate turn was visible heavy smoke from of events. It’s never good to have a the rear of the building,” said fire death, those are not 4x1.25_small_appliances_ad_final.pdf 1 12-03-05 1:20stats PM I want Armstrong. to gather,” said Armstrong.
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In 2010, the City of New Westminster rejected a pitch from a developer to build the entire Downtown civic centre for $35 million. And despite the fact it appears accepting the offer from Uptown Property Group (UPG) would have kept costs down, Coun. Bill Harper says it wasn’t what the city was seeking when it issued a Request for Proposals (RFP), and there were good reasons for city council to decline. “We hadn’t even completed design,” said Harper. “We were still doing public process in terms of the museum and the arts centre, and all those things that were in it. The size of it grew throughout the process.” In issuing the RFP, the city aimed to leverage $35 million in casino money earmarked for the civic centre, by finding a private partner to incorporate an office tower in the project. The goal in partnering was to reduce costs and thereby enhance the civic centre, and adding an office tower was intended to bring jobs and vitality to Columbia Street. please see cITy, A3