Ad nauseam Letter writer tired of B.C. gov’t. ads. p7
Not golden, bronze almost as good. p11
THE NEWS
Year in review: Bullies get a break New dog law. p10
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Year in review THE NEWS Health Care A sensible and humane decision. p6
Families seek to stop impaired drivers. p4 Gardening No, I didn’t forget the basil. p33
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Otter be free soon Pair of river dwellers in care. p3
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Knotweed invades Pitt Meadows, Maple Ridge
Tim Fitzgerald/THE NEWS
Got Talent Davie Jones elementary Grade 4 student Amy Penney performs Beethoven’s Ode To Joy while blindfolded during the school’s Got Talent competition Wednesday.
by R ober t M a n gelsdor f staff reporter A destructive invasive plant called Japanese knotweed has taken root in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows, and is threatening to damage roadways, crack building foundations and destroy fish habitat. The bamboo-like plant is strong enough to bore through concrete and so virulent, it can regrow from as little as 0.2 grams of root remains. “It’s impossible to dig them up,” says Jennifer Grenz of the Invasive Species Council of Metro Vancouver, which has been working to eradicate the infestation in the Lower Mainland. See Knotweed, p11
Colleen Flanagan/THE NEWS
Ridge soccer goalie Karina LeBlanc has lived her dream of winning an Olympic medal by Ti m Fi t z geral d contributor Maple Ridge’s Karina LeBlanc still has to pinch herself to remember that the bronze medal around her neck is real. After 15 years on Canada’s National Women’s Soccer Team, the 32-year-old goal keeper is living
Colleen Flanagan/THE NEWS
Karina’s mom Winsome checks bronze.
out her childhood dream of winning an Olympic medal after a thrilling 1-0 win over France last
Thursday. LeBlanc arrived at the Vancouver International Airport Monday to a hero’s welcome and on Tuesday stopped by Maple Ridge’s Bella Vita restaurant as the guest of honour at a Meadow Ridge Rotary club lunch. Winning the medal exceeded even her greatest expectations, she said. “You dream about it as a young child but it’s far greater and better than I ever could have imagined. “I think a lot of it surrounds how we won and what we had to go through to get there,” said LeB-
lanc, whose voice is still hoarse from celebrating at the closing ceremonies. To get there, the team had to rebound from a crushing loss to the U.S. in the semi finals. The Americans had two calls from the Norwegian referee that allowed them to tie the match at 3-3. The U.S. then scored in the final 30 seconds to break a nation’s heart. However, LeBlanc, who was on the sidelines with an ankle injury, and her Canadian teammates, rallied to defeat France 1-0 to take the bronze medal. See LeBlanc, p26
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Last week, he graduated Maple Ridge secondary with five scholarships for a total of $3,000 to study culinary arts and help him fulfill his dream of one day opening a restaurant. Considering Campbell hasn’t lived with his parents since the age of 12, and has been on his own for the past year in a rented apartment
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Ghalib Rawji’s hasn’t applied for a development permit
Former ghetto property to stay empty More than a year since owner talked to district
Colleen Flanagan/the news
Reno project
by Phi l Me lnychu k staff reporter
Judy Dobrowolski, community engagement and capital projects communications for B.C. Hydro, looks down at the pounding water from the spill of the Ruskin Dam on Tuesday as renovations continued. see story, p3.
The empty lot that used to house notorious Northumberland Court will stay empty for while, after the owner apparently lost interest in the lot. A report to Maple Ridge council Monday says owner Ghalib Rawji hasn’t responded to e-mails or phone calls and it’s been more than a year since he talked with staff. So staff are suggesting that the rezoning application for 29 townhomes and 24 condos, be shelved. Rawji’s rezoning application for the property on Fraser Street, a block south of Lougheed Highway, got first reading more than two years ago on condition that he apply for development permit. But that hasn’t happened, so staff say the application should be closed. Another application for rezoning or development could be filed later, but the process would have to start from scratch. Port Haney resident Tyler Ducharme isn’t surprised.
Caring Place is staying put Businesses, district looking for downtown fix
chamber of commerce and the Downtown Maple Ridge Business Improvement Association showed up and agreed that every business, social service agency or property owner has to do his or her part. “It was really clear that it takes all sectors to make it a vibrant place,” said Kelly Swift, parks and recreation services general manager. She organized the meeting after council requested a report on the state of the downtown after complaints about crime and drugs growing in the area. But when it comes to the social agencies, such as the Salvation Army’s The Caring Place on
by Phi l Me lnychu k staff reporter
If you want to fix the downtown, everybody’s got to do their bit, but the Caring Place isn’t moving elsewhere. While complaints and letters keep piling in about the state of the downtown, people who pull the strings are trying to do something about it. About 35 business people, the
see Northumberland, p14
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222nd Street, they’re not going anywhere. “The reality is some of our key social service agencies are in fairly high-profile locations in the downtown. And that’s a reality that we’re dealing with,” Swift said. “There’s recognition that there’s an impact as result of that, on the image of downtown.” The group acknowledged that such agencies are an important part of the downtown and that they aren’t like to relocate. That’s not realistic, said Swift. “There was recognition that they were doing good work, that the service is needed.”
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with his older brother, it’s a wonder he graduated at all. “It would have been so easy to quit, to give up, to use everything that’s happened to him as an excuse, but he refuses to,” says teacher Trevor Randle, head of Maple Ridge secondary’s culinary arts program. “But he’s not a quitter.” Campbell admits the last few years of his life have been tumultuous. After years of constant moves and instability, he and his brother left their single mother and moved in with a family friend six years ago. “They thought we would have a better chance with them, and mom agreed,” said Campbell. “I’m so grateful for everything they’ve done for
by P hil Mel nychuk staff reporter
Trying to find some more breathing space in your garage? Does your basement need some serious cleaning to get rid of that “stuff?” Starting Canada Day, the Ridge Meadows Recycling Depot will accept more items for disassembly and reuse and end-of-life processing. “There’s a lot of new stuff coming on,” recycling society executive-director Kim Day said Wednesday. Starting July 1, electric toys, television game devices, remote controlled cars, tread mills and any other electric-powered exercise machines, old vinyl records, eight-track tapes and DVDs can all be taken to the depot. The same goes for electric lawn mowers, hedge trimmers, lamps, sewing machines and any kind of light bulb, from compact fluorescent, to incandescent, LEDs and halogens. See Recycling, p12
us.” At the age of 14, Campbell got his first taste of life in the kitchen when his adoptive mother helped land him a job at Golden Eagle Golf Club in Pitt Meadows. He started out as the kitchen gofer, washing dishes and taking orders from the cooks, and quickly fell in love with cooking. “I love working with my hands, and I love to eat,” says Campbell. He also recognized cooking could be the path to a better life for him. After leaving the family, he and his brother eventually ended up on their own last year, and now rent a small apartment in downtown Maple Ridge. See Chef, p3
It was also agreed that some parts of central Maple Ridge can be improved, with better lighting and pedestrian access. Some buildings can be improved in order to reduce crime, while every landlord should participate in a multi-family, anti-crime program. Some artists may be able to temporarily use vacant buildings as studios, to fill what are gaping holes in the streetscape. Ineke Boekhorst, executive-director with the BIA, said it was a positive meeting with pragmatic ideas. see Downtown, p10
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A Coast Guard dive team returns a body to the dock at Grant Narrows park. See video @mapleridgenews.com.
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Pitt tax petition talk gets testy
Man dies in Pitt Lake plane crash
Petition delivered with 1,300 signatures by Mo ni s ha M a r ti ns staff reporter
A petition calling for no residential tax increase in Pitt Meadows next year sparked a testy exchange Tuesday as the petitioners made their final plea for city council to heed their request. Tom and Norma Murray presented the petition with 1,300 signatures to council, accompanied by speeches imploring the city to rein in spending and give property owners tax relief in 2013. “We hope council and city staff are willing to listen to solutions from us, the residents, who have spent several months analyzing the city’s budget and believe no tax increase is possible without drastic cuts to services,” said Tom Murray. A former school board trustee, Murray started the petition in July after a staff report to council suggested general taxes will increase about four per cent annually for the next five years.
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A man in uniform
see Petition, p5
Bill Mitchell stands in uniform behind a portrait taken when he was in his 20s. He will be taking part in Remembrance Day ceremonies Sunday. see story, p3.
‘Stop Kinder pipeline project’ Watch group meeting attracts 75 people
Wednesday. And people may have reached the point where they’re not going to put up with such projects anymore. This could be a turning point when people say “No” to big oil and gas, added Bob D’Eith, a Maple Ridge lawyer seeking the NDP nomination for Maple Ridge-Mission. About 75 people showed up at Golden Ears United Church as the Fraser Valley Pipeline Watch Group took issue with Kinder Morgan’s plans to twin its oil pipeline from Edmonton to Burnaby.
by Ph il Me lnych uk staff reporter
Phil Melnychuk/the neWs
NDP candidate Elizabeth Rosenau, at the meeting, raised the issue of earthquakes.
People power in the Fraser Valley stopped the Sumas 2 power plant in its tracks a decade ago. People can do the same thing to the twinning of Kinder Morgan Canada’s pipeline in B.C., Pitt Meadows resident Rob Dramer said at a town hall meeting
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The pipeline will carry heavier oils than the existing pipeline and increase capacity to 750,000 barrels a day from 300,000. “This pipeline is 100 metres from where I live, so it’s pretty personal to me,” said Abbotsford resident Lynn Perrin. A minor oil spill occurred in the Kinder Morgan facility in Abbotsford in January. Perrin said the new pipeline would carry diluted bitumen and that the present pipeline is already exporting part of its capacity to China. Chief Rueben George, with the
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Tsleil-Waututh band in North Vancouver, said his band and the Squamish band both signed the Save The Fraser Declaration opposing the Enbridge’s Northern Gateway pipeline across northern B.C. “Our lands are sacred and our connection to these lands are sacred,” he said. “Look what happened in New York. Things are changing.” The issue isn’t a First Nations or an environmental problem, he added. “It’s all of our problem.”
by Phil Melnyc huk staff reporter
see Pipeline, p8
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Young people light candles in memory of Amanda Todd during a gathering at Memorial Peace Park on Monday. See video of the vigil @mapleridgenews.com. Along the Fraser Equal and inalienable rights for all. p6
Spread warmth with blanket drive. p27
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Civic politics Practising conflict of interest avoidance. p3
www.mapleridgenews.com Friday, november 30, 2012 · serving Maple Ridge & Pitt Meadows · est. 1978 · 604-467-1122 · 50¢
Pitt taxes going up
Thousands lost during recent B&es
no effort to show budget with no tax increase, despite petition
by Mon i sh a M a r ti ns staff reporter
Maple Ridge couple at Ultrasound when home hit
by Mon ish a M ar tin s staff reporter
A proposed tax increase of three per cent in Pitt Meadows isn’t being welcomed by a pair of seniors who’ve petitioned the city for no spike on their municipal bills next year. Preliminary estimates predict a general tax rate increase Walters of 2.13 per cent and a strategic capital adjustment of one per cent for the average homeowner, with a property valued at $383,716. That means a total tax increase of 3.13 per cent, or less than $50, next year. The estimates come as the city begins its business planning process to figure out spending and expenses for 2013. Though low, the proposed increase is being panned by Tom and Norma Murray. The couple presented a petition with 1,300 signatures to council earlier this month, accompanied by speeches imploring the city to rein in spending and give property owners tax relief in 2013. A former school board trustee, Murray started the petition in July after a staff report to council suggested general taxes will increase about four per cent annually for the next five years. Fed up with annual tax increases, Murray wants the city to follow West Vancouver and Mission, cities which saw no increase in taxes in 2012. Abbotsford is also attempting a “near zero” tax increase for 2013. At the very least, Murray wanted the city to complete a zero-increase exercise, just to see where fat in the budget could be trimmed. see Taxes, p12
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Leopard-like Maple Ridge may still allow serval cats. see story, p10.
‘no homes for Cardiff Farm’ By Monisha Martins staff reporter
Building homes on a large green tract of undeveloped industrial land in south Pitt Meadows is not an idea supported by the city’s economic development corporation.
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tates to seek a zoning change for part of the 40.4-hectare (100 acres) property on Harris Road – known locally as Cardiff Farms. “With a goal of job creation in Pitt Meadows, preserving land for employment is critical in supporting this goal,” chair Terry Becker said on behalf of the board.
In a letter to council, the corporation’s board stressed the importance of protecting Pitt Meadows’ industrial base, saying residential development won’t result in longterm job creation. The letter counters a proposal by the owners Alouette Es-
see Cardiff, p5
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Homeowners in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows have lost thousands of dollars to thieves in the past week during a rash of brazen daytime break-and-enters. A neighbourhood in Pitt Meadows, bordered by Wildwood Crescent and Hammond Road, logged four breakins last week, with two taking place on Tuesday, Nov. 20 and one each the following Sunday and Monday. Maple Ridge residents Robert FitzJames and his wife Shannon were targeted Monday between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. while they were at her pregnancy Ultrasound. The thief, or thieves, pried open the side garage door and slide door to enter their Burnett Street property. “They must have been watching the house,” said Fitz-James. The thieves stole his wife’s engagement ring, a 2003 Honda XR80R dirt bike, a red Xbox 360, his mother-inlaw’s jewelry, three laptops and his son’s Lego. In total, the loot was worth more than $10,000. It’s mostly the sentimental things, like the engagement ring, that hurt the most to lose, he said. Ridge Meadows RCMP confirmed there have been a string of break-ins recently, mostly targeting computer equipment and jewelry. Police said the items being stolen can be pawned or flipped easily. The crimes are, most likely, fuelled by drug addiction, police said. The detachment’s street enforcement team is pursuing leads. One of the break-ins on Nov. 20 was interrupted. The man fled before police arrived and a gold-coloured car was seen in the area. see Break-ins, p12
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Healing dance National dance champion Mikayla Seto of the Kawacatoose First Nation in Raymore, Sask. performs a traditional jingle dance, which symbolizes healing, at the bandstand in Memorial Peace Park during National Aboriginal Day on Saturday.
by Colle e n Flan agan staff reporter
Tolls for the Golden Ears Bridge, reduced last year to encourage more usage, are now set to rise. On July 15, tolls for cars with transponders go up a nickel, while for cars without transponders go up a dime. The increases are scheduled annually to keep up with the cost of living, and raises the one-way charge for a transponder-equipped vehicle to $2.95. Tolls for vehicles without transponders go from $4.10 to $4.20. When it comes to numbers, however, TransLink is probably more focused on whether the number of trips across the bridge is meeting projections. Money raised by the tolls in 2011 jumped by 14 per cent compared to the year before, to $33.7 million, according to TransLink’s Drew Snider. See Tolls, p8
More people got together at the Arts Centre Theatre this year for the annual Christmas Haven. Three hundred and one turkey dinners were handed out on a Christmas Eve filled with live musical entertainment and caroling. And, everyone who attended received a gift from Santa Claus. Organizer Corisa Bell was excited by the turnout, about 50 more than last year, because she says more people are becoming aware of the event. “We are surprised, really, truly, that more people don’t know about the Haven considering how long it has been around,” said Bell, attributing this year’s success to being present in the Santa Claus parade and setting up at the Farmer’s Market. This was the first year transportation was provided to and from the event. Three care homes pooled money to give Christmas Haven up to 25 taxi rides through Alouette Taxi. The event attracted many families, seniors and new immigrants. It’s not just for lower income families, Bell said. “It’s so that people don’t have to be alone on Christmas Eve. It is the concept of community coming together.”
Minister defends fisheries act MP Keith Ashfield explains changes in Bill C-38
short speech on one of the piers overlooking the fast-flowing Fraser River, not far from the new residences of the South Bonson area. Ashfield and local Conservative MP Randy Kamp, parliamentary secretary to the minister, had lunch with Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows mayors and staff in the South Bonson Community Centre before briefly explaining the changes to the Fisheries Act that were part of the omnibus budget bill C-38 recently passed by the House of Commons. The last substantial change to
by Phil Melnyc huk staff reporter
Contributed
Fisheries Minister Keith Ashfield at the pier in Osprey Village on Monday.
Fisheries Minister Keith Ashfield came to Pitt Meadows Monday to defend his government’s changes to the Fisheries Act that remove general protection of fish habitat. “I believe the times have changed and we have to move on,” Ashfield said following a
the Fisheries Act was in 1970, while clauses dealing with habitat protection were added in 1986. The new bill removes protection from “harmful alteration, disruption destruction” of fish habitat, and instead says no one can cause “serious harm” to native, recreational or commercial fisheries. Ashfield said over the years the act has expanded beyond that of just protecting fisheries. “I think we have to come back to our core mandate and that’s fisheries and fish and that’s what we’re proposing with these
changes.” While the law defines the three types of fisheries, regulations and policies still have to be set following consultation with provinces, cities and environmental groups over the next few months. The new law will allow the ministry to partner with conservation groups, something not possible under the existing legislation, he pointed out. “We’ve heard from a lot of municipalities talking about the fact they can’t clean their drainage ditches. See Minister, p3
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Rest in peace, Amanda Students mourn loss of teenage girl at vigil by Robe r t M ange ls dor f staff reporter
W
ith a grey sky overhead, and a cold rain beating down upon their backs, more than 80 local high school students huddled around the edge of the rotunda in Memorial Peace Park Monday afternoon to remember Amanda Todd.
In the centre of the covered stage lay a bouquet of flowers, surrounded by glowing candles: a makeshift memorial for Todd, the teenage girl from Maple Ridge who took her own life last week after being tormented by bullies. She would have turned 16 next month. Many who came to pay their respects never knew Todd, but they knew how she felt. Dozens of young girls, dressed in pink, held hands, hugging and leaning on each other for support, eyes cast downwards at the bouquet of flowers on the
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so hard to fit in, and sometimes it backfires like it did with me and it did with her.” The bullying was so bad, Standish says she would make up excuses to not go to school, and spend lunch hours eating alone. “It was a hard time for me,” she says softly. Steve Forbes, who works for Westridge Security and looks after Memorial Peace Park, was one of the few adults at the vigil who was not wielding a television camera or a microphone. See Amanda, p5
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A 71-year-old flying instructor from Surrey is dead, while his 55-year-old passenger was treated in hospital following a float plane crash on Pitt Lake, Monday. Police said the two were in a Pacific Rim Aviation Academy Cessna 172 float plane from Pitt Meadows Regional Airport. The plane flipped over on the lake at about 4:30 p.m. during stormy conditions. “They were carrying out touchand-go landings for training. During the sixth touch-and-go the aircraft tipped over,” said Bill Yearwood, with the Transportation Safety Board. “The student was able to get out, but tragically the instructor was not.” Yearwood said when a plane over turns in water it can be challenging even for an uninjured person to get out. Many people have died in such instances, he added. “It is a risk when an aircraft upsets and submerges. “The student made an attempt to help the instructor, but the aircraft was filling up with water fast. He was unable to help him.” See Plane, p12
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Large group surrounded teens at Pitt rave ‘Security guards’ shone flashlight on sexual activity
by Monisha M ar tins staff reporter
More than one person snapped photographs of a young man and a teenage girl engaged in sexual activity at a Pitt Meadows rave, while others illuminated the act with a flash light, a trial heard on Thursday. A young man who took the photographs of the pair testified that they were first spotted in tall grass by a girl, who approached them and asked them their names. “They told her they had just met,” said the man, who was called to give evidence at a trial for Dennis John Allen Warrington, accused of posting graphic photographs on Facebook of Colton McMorris and the girl having sex. See Rave, p14
Fire destroys four new homes by Monisha M ar tins & Phil Melnyc huk staff reporters
P
ublic art answers question of Balance See story, p9
Charred lumber and burned, cracked concrete foundations are all that is left of four new houses that burned to the ground Wednesday. Fire ripped through the homes at 227th Street and 136A Avenue in Formosa Plateau, a new neighbourhood in Silver Valley in northeast Maple Ridge. The call came in at 3:49 p.m., when two homes were already on fire, said Maple Ridge fire chief Howard Exner. Flames spread quickly to two other houses under construction and tore off the roof
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and side of a fifth house that was occupied at 22731 – 136A Ave. By the time firefighters arrived 10 minutes later, it was well underway. Exner added the fire was so hot, he had to park his truck a
block away. “It went up fast. It was raging,” one worker on site said Thursday. Firefighters kept the fire from spreading up the mountain and sprayed water on occupied homes. There were no injuries, although one firefighter had to be treated for heat exhaustion. The heat even melted a plastic outhouse and charred a tree on the other side of the road. Exner said the department is still trying to figure out what started the blaze. The homes were just about at the lockup stage, with roofs and windows in, but no siding or drywall. A construction crew framing several houses down first noticed smoke billowing out of a home, where a deck was being tarred. By the time they retrieved a few of their tools, three houses were already ablaze. See Fire, p4
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A Maple Ridge firefighter fights the blaze Wednesday afternoon. See video of fire @ mapleridgenews.com.
Rips through Silver Valley neighbourhood, no one injured
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ground. J e s s i c a Standish, who graduated from Westview secondary in 2008, says she too was bullied throughout high school. “I didn’t Amanda Todd know her, but I went through what she did growing up, so that could have been me, I guess,” she says. “Girls just try
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located at the north end of the new golden ears bridge
Beautifully Handcrafted Single Family Homes
B.C. Views The real smart meter manipulation. p6
Recycling depot ready to take more
Yes, chef, grad’s no quitter
Aggressive plant ruins buildings, ecosystems
‘Happiest tears I ever cried’
Arts&life Fight between fairies and senators. p23
by Phil Melnyc huk staff reporter
Art, for Ridge Meadows Hospital. p23
Karina LeBlanc, goalie for women’s soccer team, just returned from London 2012 Olympic Games. She was at a Meadow Ridge Rotary club luncheon Tuesday.
THE NEWS
SUMME R CA MP
RCMP What is the problem? p7
A haven, not home alone
Break in rain eases Fraser River levels. p3
www.mapleridgenews.com Wednesday, June 27, 2012 · Serving Maple Ridge & Pitt Meadows · est. 1978 · 604-467-1122 · 50¢
www.mapleridgenews.com Friday, June 22, 2012 · Serving Maple Ridge & Pitt Meadows · est. 1978 · 604-467-1122 · 50¢
Top stories of 2012
B.C. Views ‘Poverty’ declines, nobody notices. p6
Opinion health Care As we Age home&gardening Acts of Faith Community Calendar Scoreboard
6 6 26 29 45 46 49
NATHAN ISHERWOOD 604-250-8375
STEVE D’SOUZA 604-837-3185
CLIENTFIRSTMORTGAGES.COM
ORIGIN HOME FINANCIAL PARTNERS
westcoastautogroup.com 3-5 6 7 8-10 11 12
WEST COAST WEST COAST WEST COAST WEST COAST FORD TOYOTA 19950 Lougheed Hwy., Pitt Meadows TOLL FREE
20000 Lougheed, Pitt Meadows TOLL FREE
LINCOLN
20370 Lougheed Hwy., Maple Ridge TOLL FREE
19625 Lougheed Hwy., Maple Ridge TOLL FREE
1-866-910-1579 1-866-334-2119 1-866-772-1929 1-866-208-8820 located at the north end of the new golden ears bridge E