The Chilliwack
Progress Thursday
19
3
Scene
News
28
Sports
Roar
Compost
Chiefs
Lions Music and Dance Festival is back.
City looks at ‘organic diversion.’
Chiefs take on Tambellini’s Eagles.
Y O U R C O M M U N I T Y N E W S PA P E R • F O U N D E D I N 1 8 9 1 • W W W. T H E P R O G R E S S . C O M • T H U R S D AY, J A N U A R Y 2 4 , 2 0 1 3
Deadlocked vote denies dancing at Chances
■ M EDAL C EREMONY
Application faces stiff opposition from local bar owners Jennifer Feinberg The Progress
Customers looking for entertainment at the new Chances community gaming centre still can’t get up and dance. An application from Chilliwack Gaming Ltd./The Well for a permanent change to its food primary licence failed to get approval by council at the last meeting. Chances officials were applying for an “entertainment endorsement” that would allow dancing, talent shows, singalongs and other types of patron interaction at the Chances restaurant, called The Well, as well as on the patio. Council voted twice on the matter Tuesday night, once to deny the motion and the next time to approve it. Both times the deadlocked vote was a 3-3 tie, so the application ultimately failed. (Councillor Sue Attrill was not at the meeting.) Mayor Sharon Gaetz, who voted in favour after arguing the applicant had satisfied the requirements, said another hearing will be required if the applicant wants to bring it back for another attempt. “In accordance with the City of Chilliwack procedural bylaw, should the vote be equal for or against a motion, the motion is defeated,” reads a press release sent out the morning after the meeting. “The item can be brought back by the applicant again in the future, or brought back for reconsideration within 30 days by the Mayor or a majority of the members of council, at which time a subsequent public information meeting will again be required.” Corky’s Pub owner Bob Harms sent a letter of opposition to council about the
MP Mark Strahl presents Ernie Crey with a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal at the Chilliwack Cultural Centre on Wednesday afternoon. Crey was one of 30 local recipients. See story, page 11. JENNA HAUCK/ PROGRESS
Two suspected brothels busted: RCMP Six arrested in latest downtown sweep Robert Freeman The Progress
Two Chilliwack massage parlors suspected of offering sexual services to customers face the possible suspension of business licences after six arrests were made during the RCMP’s latest push to end prostitution here. “Prostitution, whether it occurs out in the open or under the pretense of a legitimate business, is not only a significant social issue because of the high risk nature of the trade, it is also a priority at a national level for police because of potential links
Continued: GAMING/ p7
% off
$1.25
50Alarm
s
Batterie ex
/31/12 pires 12
to organized crime,” Sgt. Steve McLeod, head of the RCMP’s crime reduction unit, said in a news release Wednesday. Police said a search warrant executed Jan. 12 at a business in the 8300-block Young Road resulted in the arrest of three females and one male customer, a 48-year-old woman from Langley, a 44-year-old woman from Coquitlam, a 70-yearold woman from the Lower Mainland area, and a 41-year-old man from Chilliwack. All were released from custody on promises to return to court in April. A second search Jan. 19 of
a business in the 9200-block Young Road resulted in the arrest of a 38-year-old “female worker,” police said, a Hong Kong woman in Canada on a visitors visa, and a 38-year-old “male customer” from Saskatchewan. They were also released from custody on promises to return to court. McLeod said there is no indication at this point that the two business are linked to each other, or connected to organized crime or human trafficking. “But investigators continue the process to rule that out conclusively,” he added. The names of the two busi-
nesses and the six people detained were not released. Last spring in Chilliwack, street-level prostitutes and their customers were targeted by police resulting in a “significant decline” in the number of hookers seen in the downtown area. Police said the second phase of that enforcement effort saw the two businesses searched after “a thorough investigation revealed that local businesses were operating under the umbrella of providing massage services, but were suspected of offering sexual services to their customers.” Continued: POLICE/ p4
LOCAL OWNER. LOCAL EMPLOYEES. Because when it comes to your safety... LOCAL MATTERS. call CALLus USfor FORaAfree FREEquote QUOTE
604.792.8055 604.792.8055
12-12H CS13