B.C. Views B.C. gas boom is real, all right. p6
Bringing warmth to Coldest Night. p3
THE NEws
Arts&life Manstruation: A modern period piece. p27
www.mapleridgenews.com wednesday, February 20, 2013 · serving Maple Ridge & Pitt Meadows · est. 1978 · 604-467-1122 · 50¢
Ridge creates plan to end homelessness Ideas include incentives for developers, more support by M on i sh a M ar ti n s staff reporter
Colleen Flanagan/THe News
In concert
Enticing developers with incentives to build affordable housing and creating a network of supportive landlords are being pitched as solutions to end homelessness in Maple Ridge. But putting the ideas into action remains months away. “I think we are doing a lot on our part,” Maple Ridge Coun. Mike Morden said after council was updated on strategy to stem the increase in homelessness locally. Since the district first began to address homelessness in 2003, there have been several successes: the creation of the Salvation Army’s shelter, with 15 beds; the Iron Horse Youth Safe House, with five beds; the new Alouette Heights supportive housing building, which has 45 units; and Route 29; which provides longterm support to youth. see Homelessness, p3
Canadian alternative rock band 54-40 played the ACT on Friday, performing favourites such as Ocean Pearl and Baby Ran. see more photos, p16.
Film industry on brink of leaving Hosting town hall meeting Feb. 27 at the ACT by P h i l M e l nychuk staff reporter
Phil Melnychuk/THe News
Garry Brook, Michele Dutka, Sheree Fondeur and Don Emond have been affected by the tax changes in B.C. and Ontario.
For Garry Brook, the crisis in B.C.’s film industry has reached the point he could pack up and leave his Maple Ridge home, a place where he raised three kids, who went through minor hockey and ballet, so he can find work in his occupation of running the lighting and rigging on
westcoastautogroup.com
19950 Lougheed Hwy., Pitt Meadows TOLL FREE
20000 Lougheed, Pitt Meadows TOLL FREE
20370 Lougheed Hwy., Maple Ridge TOLL FREE
19625 Lougheed Hwy., Maple Ridge TOLL FREE
1-866-910-1579 1-866-334-2119 1-866-772-1929 1-866-208-8820 located at the north end of the golden ears bridge E
He hasn’t worked since November, driving trucks and helping ensure movie sets get to where they’re supposed to so movie crews can start shooting. All three say the disappearance of the Harmonized Sales Tax this April and the lack of response to Ontario’s new scheme that works out to a 25-per-cent, across-the-board tax credit for movie shooting expenses are killing the business in the place once named Hollywood North. They’re trying to get the message out to anyone who will listen at a town hall meeting Feb. 27 at the
Opinion Letters Pet Pages Looking Back Arts&life sports Classifieds
6 7 14 19 27 31 35
Arts Centre Theatre at 7 p.m. In Maple Ridge, the movie industry creates 700 direct jobs, says Bill Morrill, who builds movie sets. For every day that a movie is shot locally, about $10,000 flows into the local economy, according to Maple Ridge’s economic development office. The industry pumped $2.4 million into Maple Ridge last year, says the office, about the same as the year previous and up from the $1.9 million spent during the Winter Olympics year of 2010. see Film, p13
Fraipont & Manyk
Index
See our ad on page 20 & 21
WEST COAST WEST COAST WEST COAST WEST COAST FORD TOYOTA LINCOLN
movie sets. For Michele Dutka, an assistant director who worked on Percy Jackson and the Olympians (shot two years ago in Golden Ears Provincial Park), the slowdown has already taken its toll. After selling her “baby sports car,” a 2007 Pontiac Solstice, she might have to leave her Maple Ridge home and move to Halifax to find work there. Don Emond used to take his wife to Frogstone’s Grill restaurant once a week, or buy her flowers. “I can’t do it anymore,” says the Maple Ridge resident.
2013 Referral Contest Win a trip to the Mayan Riveria
Visit www.rltylink.com for details or call Each office independently owned & operated.
604.466.2838