March 22, 2013

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time for a new live music biz model?

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a mall in search of a real anchor

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explosion hits brow home

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it’s that time again - royal city musical theatre is back, and this time oklahoma! takes the stage. See Page a10

friday

March 22 2013 www.newwestnewsleader.com

Student debt a serious concern: NDP Grant Granger

ggranger@newwestnewsleader.com

MarIO BarTEL/NEWSLEaDEr

margaret snowball is comforted by her husband Graham hudson at a public memorial at the Queen’s park bandshell for their daughter Gemma, who was killed by a car at sixth street and sixth avenue as she walked from her job at the safeway deli counter. they’re supported by, from right to left, Gemma’s sister hannah, her aunt anne milburn, and her ‘canadian mum’ sharlene debruyn. more than 100 people attended the memorial for Gemma, who had settled in new westminster after moving from perth, australia 18 months ago.

Mother wants to know what happened Grant Granger

ggranger@newwestnewsleader.com

Margaret Snowball is returning to Perth, Australia with the ashes of her effervescent 25-year-old daughter Gemma. But she’s going home without any answers on how the young woman, who had settled in New Westminster, was killed. Margaret knows Gemma died after a vehicle struck her while crossing the intersection of Sixth Street and Sixth Avenue last Monday. What she doesn’t know is

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how such a tragedy happened. Gemma’s coworkers at the Safeway at Royal City Centre say they heard that a Jeep driven by an elderly man made an illegal left turn about 10:30 p.m. before hitting Gemma. New Westminster police, however, won’t confirm any details about the collision because the information might have impact on potential witnesses or court proceedings. “I really want to know how she died. They’re not saying anything,” said Margaret as she received

condolences during a reception Tuesday at the Royal City Curling Club following a memorial earlier in the day in Queen’s Park. At last Friday’s candlelight vigil for Gemma at Sixth and Sixth, Margaret couldn’t see any skid marks so she can’t figure out how a vehicle could build up enough speed to knock someone down and cause a fatal injury without skid marks. At least the driver stayed at the scene, she said. “I can’t say how I feel about that person because I don’t know how it

is my daughter died,” said Margaret. “They’re going to have to live with the death of my daughter for the rest of their lives, and I don’t mean that in a bitter way. I would not want to be that person.” New Westminster Staff Sgt. Paul Hyland said the busy intersection, which doesn’t allow left turns except for buses, has not been problematic in the past. “The traffic section advised it was not on their radar,” Hyland said in an email to the NewsLeader. please see YOuNG WOMaN, a3

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Provincial NDP advanced education critic Michelle Mungall went into a session with Douglas College students feeling some of the same angst they do. Mungall visited the New Westminster campus with local New Democrat candidate Judy Darcy on Tuesday. Mungall, 35, is in her first term as MLA for Nelson-Creston and not far removed from academia and the burden of student loans. Mungall said the top issue for students is affordability with the average debt for a post-secondary graduate being $27,000. “B.C. is one of the highest in the country, and the interest rate is higher than anywhere else,” said Mungall in an interview prior to her appearance. B.C., she said, is the only province without a financial needs grant program—which means young people, as they become adults, are having to wait much longer for their lives to evolve. “They’re not having kids, houses, cars, investment because of their massive debt load,” said Mungall. please see DEBT, a4


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