transgender to rally in new west
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gas enviro-villain of 2013?
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port seeking page industrial reserve
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JANUARY 4 2013 www.newwestnewsleader.com
The Christmas break is also hockey tournament time. New west Minor hosted its annual Herb House Midget tourney which wrapped up on Sunday. Page A10.
Queen’s Park up 10% in value BC Assessment Authority puts New West at 5% overall
MARIO BARTEL/NEWSLEADER
Catherine Ouellet-Martin takes in the view from the second floor exhibition area of the Fraser River Discovery Centre, which has been empty since the centre reopened. But she has big plans for the space next year, as she sets out to fulfil its potential.
Watershed year ahead for centre Fraser River Discovery Centre has ‘unrealized potential’ 12 years after its opening
birds and weather. The centre doesn’t even warrant a mention in the announcement for the New Westminster SkyTrain station, like Science World gets at Main Street. “It’s unrealized potential,” admits the centre’s director for the past three years, Catherine OuelletMartin. But that’s about to change. By next September, the second floor will be occupied by My River, My Home, an ambitious project spearheaded by the prestigious Woods Hole Oceanic Institute in Massachusetts that will cast the
Mario Bartel
photo@newwestnewsleader.com
Almost 12 years after first opening as a preview centre the Fraser River Discovery Centre is still struggling to find its legs. The centre’s expansive exhibit space on the second floor is largely empty. The distinctive white sails along its roof are anything but, soiled by pollution,
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economic, environmental and cultural issues of the Fraser into context of some of the world’s other great rivers like the Amazon, Congo, Ganges and Yangtze. The ground floor will also get a new look, to better direct visitors to the upstairs. For New Westminster residents anxious for a showpiece facility to dazzle and educate visitors, it may seem like a long time coming. In the world of museum development, it’s not unusual, says Ouellet-Martin. In the long history of the Fraser, it’s but a blip. The Fraser’s story needs telling,
says Fin Donnelly, who became intimately familiar with the river when he swam its 1,375 kilometres twice. “I drew attention to the river by being in it,” says Donnelly, who now advocates for its health and viability as the Member of Parliament for New Westminster-Coquitlam and Port Moody and NDP fisheries critic. “We have to be aware of its problems and how to address them with solutions.” The discovery centre will be a key component of that conversation says Donnelly. please see fORgINg, A4
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Assessments in New Westminster rose by five per cent in a year according to figures released by the BC Assessment Authority on Wednesday. The total value of assessments in the city, as of July 1, 2012, was $13.761 billion, that’s a rise of nearly $700 million from the $13.07 billion on July 1, 2011. The Queen’s Park neighbourhood continues to lead the way in New West. A typical assessment for a century-old singlefamily dwelling was $1,118,000 in 2012 compared to $1,010,000 in 2011, a 10 per cent rise in value. A 1950s house in Glenbrooke went from $664,000 to $707,000, a six per cent rise, while a 1930s home in Sapperton increased from $523,000 to $550,000, and a 1960s Queensborough bungalow rose from $644,000 to $672,000.
OWNER/ MANAGER please see MODEST, A9