THE WEDNESDAY
CANADIAN COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER AWARD 2012
TRI-CITY NEWS CANADIAN COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER AWARD 2012
And the winners are...
Soccer, hockey & more
SEE LIFE, PAGE A13
SEE SPORTS, PAGE A22
JAN. 30, 2013 www.tricitynews.com
INSIDE
Tom Fletcher/A10 Letters/A11 A Good Read/A14 Chamber Talk/B1
EVANDER HOLYFIELD
Boxer & mother team to battle bullies By Diane Strandberg THE TRI-CITY NEWS
GARY MCKENNA/THE TRI-CITY NEWS
A piece by Mieko Graham-Carty inspired by the Celtic goddess of war is among dozens of art works that are on display at the Evergreen Cultural Centre in Coquitlam as part of the 16th annual Emerging Talent exhibit. About 40 Grade 12 artists are participating in the exhibition, which features pieces in a variety of media. For more, see Arts, page A19.
Can you spare a warehouse? By Diane Strandberg THE TRI-CITY NEWS
A Tri-City institution could be homeless unless a benefactor can be found to provide warehouse space to the Share Family and Community Services toy drive. Share has until tomorrow (Thursday) to move out of the Andres Wine building and is busy putting boxes of donated toys for next year’s Christmas Toy Shoppe into commercial storage and other spaces. see SHARE NEEDS, page A6
A world champion boxer and a mourning mother are teaming up to promote a world without bullying. Evander Holyfield, a five-time world heavyweight champion, hosted a fundraising event Monday at Fraserview Centre in Vancouver to support the Amanda Todd Legacy Fund, which was set up to raise funds for anti-bullying education and programs to help young people with mental health issues. see HOLYFIELD, page A8
PoCo pans grow ops Residents, mayor agree but the feds make weed rules By Gary McKenna THE TRI-CITY NEWS
A group of Citadel Heights residents want the city of Port Coquitlam to intervene and stop a licensed marijuana grow operation in
a home in their neighbourhood. Doug McRae, who lives in the area, said residents surrounding the house are scared that the neighbourhood could be a target for criminal activity, putting other homeowners in danger. “Think about a house or grow op being raided by gun-carrying criminals,” he told council
during Monday night’s meeting. “That is what the people in Governor Court and Royal Court are living with everyday.” He said councillors need to come up with actions to make it clear that marijuana grow operators are not welcome in PoCo — licensed or not. Keith Harrison, a resident of the area since 1989, said the smells
coming from the house have hurt his quality of life. He also said he has noticed an increase in vehicle traffic to the home since the grow operation began. “What is the difference between a licensed grow operation and an illegal one?” he said. “There should be no growing commercial plants inside residential houses.”
Mayor Greg Moore said he shares residents’ concerns but added there is little the city can do. Many municipalities have struggled with similar issues, he added, noting that Surrey has recently sent letters to the federal government calling for changes to the medical marijuana regulations. see ‘OUTRAGE’, page A7