Burnaby NewsLeader, January 23, 2013

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Edmonds group seeks ideas, direction Hosting town hall meeting Feb. 12 Wanda Chow

wchow@burnabynewsleader.com

MarIO BarTEL/nEWSLEaDEr

Stephen galloway and ranjan ramasuriya stand amidst the cars that line the streets around alpha technologies in South Burnaby’s Big Bend area. with almost 500 employees Lougheed Branch there’s not enough parking and the nearest bus stop is more than a kilometre away. The company is co-hosting a transit solutions forum to try to find ways to improve transit service. 9608 Cameron St.

604-421-3456

Company seeks to ease transit woes 21¯ MONTH

TERM DEPOSIT

No bus service to growing Big Bend industrial area east of Byrne Road Wanda Chow

wchow@burnabynewsleader.com

Times are tough and jobs can be scarce, so when a lack of transit options makes it hard for a Burnaby company to hire staff, it must be bad. Alpha Technologies, located in a neighbourhood of industrial parks in South Burnaby, is always hiring, says one of its custodians, Ranjan Ranasuriya.

“When I ask my friends if they’d like to come to my workplace, they ask me about the transit system,” Ranasuriya, 61, said. “When I tell them, they say, ‘no, no, no.’ ” The lack of transit service has made hiring a challenge since Alpha Technologies consolidated several locations into its current headquarters on Riverfront Gate three years ago, said its chief marketing officer Dave Boroevich. After losing some staff because of the move, it has continued to deal with turnover, with about 20

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Boroevich said. terms of taking an interest in doing * Terms & conditions apply. Financial Services 1940 • www.gvccu.com At issue is the complete lack of Sincesomething about this,” Boroevich bus service east of Byrne Road to said. Meantime, more facilities Marine Way. The closest bus stop have been built or are under is on Byrne at North Fraser Way, construction, bringing what he 1.2 km away. The walk to Alpha’s estimates as “thousands” of people facility is along roads with no to work in the area. “That’s a lot of sidewalks, alongside heavy truck people to be ignoring.” traffic, and during the winter, in the While other companies have dark. put in place shuttle bus services While Alpha thought transit for their staff, “we believe strongly service would come eventually, TransLink and the city should be “nothing’s been done, and there’s serving its community better.” been no sign of progress from Please see TranSLInk, a3

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604-298-3344

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604-421-3456

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After 13 years the Edmonds Business and Community Association is in need of new people, ideas and direction to keep it going, says a former president, Joyce Rostron. There was no annual general meeting held after the previous board’s term ended last spring, said Rostron, whose term as president ended in 2010. It’s being held together by a skeleton board of directors. “It’s in a slump right now ... It’s inactive but it’s not dissolved or anything.” When it looked like the organization was going to fold, she helped organize a meeting of members last November where they decided to find out what the community needs and wants. The result is an Edmonds town hall meeting Feb. 12 at Edmonds Community School. Staff from Burnaby’s city hall will speak on the plans for the neighbourhood and the Edmonds Community Centre and Pool that’s opening soon. Please see FOruM, a8


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