100
PORT COQUITLAM PORT MOODY
CELEBRATING A CENTURY OF COMMUNITY 1913-2013
THE FRIDAY
CANADIAN COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER AWARD 2012
TRI-CITY NEWS
JAN. 11, 2013 www.tricitynews.com
CANADIAN COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER AWARD 2012
Do we need libraries?
Art and resolutions
SEE FACE TO FACE, PAGE A11
SEE THINGS-TO-DO GUIDE, PAGE A17
INSIDE
Letters/A12 Elaine Golds/A18 Tri-City Spotlight/A23 Sports/A34
Water woes as development progresses on Coquitlam’s Burke Mountain
DIANE STRANDBERG/THE TRI-CITY NEWS
The city of Coquitlam plans to beef up signage around creeks on Burke Mountain to make more people, including new residents and construction workers, aware of their importance to the watershed. Straw bales and wattles are effective for sediment control and stormwater runoff. For more on city measures being taken to deal with storm water and sediment as Burke Mountain is developed, see articles on page A9.
6.75% raise hikes over 4 years for PM workers By Sarah Payne THE TRI-CITY NEWS
Port Moody city staff will see their wages rise by 6.75% over four years thanks to a new contract their union approved this week. Members of CUPE Local 825 voted 92% in favour of the contract, which gives them a 1.75% increase in the first year, followed by wage hikes of 1.25%, 1.75% and 2%. The
IN QUOTES
“It’s quite reflective of the economic times we’re living in.” Mayor Mike Clay agreement is retroactive to Jan. 1, 2012. Local 825 represents about 275 inside and outside workers in Port Moody as well as library staff. “I’m pretty happy with the results,” said Local
825 president Raman Braich. “We have a good relationship with the employer and I think the relationship helped us get a fair and equitable settlement for all parties.” The contract mirrors what New
Westminster staff signed in September. Theirs was the first contract in Metro Vancouver to be ratified and was expected to set the standard for other bargaining committees. PoMo Mayor Mike Clay said council is happy with the contract because the wage increases are kept at or below the rate of inflation. see FOLLOWS NW, page A6
Count Assessors accused of inflating sizes on it Bear nos. of some houses weren’t huge ■
in ’12 but there’s still a concern: some aren’t sleeping. See page A3 ■ There are shelters but some people sleep outside. See page A6
Aerial photos now being used by BC Assessment to detect illegal additions By Jeff Nagel BLACK PRESS
Shirley Paulenko just about panicked when she opened her property assessment to find the value of her house had soared 43% in a single year. The $450,000 jump in her assessment to more than $1.5 million would mean a big jump in the recently widowed senior’s property tax bill. “I was so flabbergasted,” Paulenko said. “I lost a night’s sleep. I thought, ‘Holy man, how could this possibly be going up by this much money?’” see NO ‘MUSHROOM HOUSE’, page A4