THE FINAL FOUR (OR FIVE) The votes have been cast and counted (well, mostly), a provincial upset has been rung up by the BC Liberals, and Tri-City has its four MLAs – but one local race may still be too close to call. See page 3
VOTESMART PROVINCIAL ELECTION MAY 14, 2013
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THE FRIDAY
CANADIAN COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER AWARD 2012
TRI-CITY NEWS CANADIAN COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER AWARD 2012
What just happened?
Aaah, a long weekend
SEE FACE TO FACE, PAGE 11
SEE THINGS-TO-DO GUIDE, PAGE 21
MAY 17, 2013 www.tricitynews.com
INSIDE
Letters/12 Elaine Golds/23 Tri-City Spotlight/37 Sports/46
Average turnout in Tri-Cities Declines in voter turnout from ’09 general election By Gary McKenna THE TRI-CITY NEWS
ote in the field, he became suspicious, chasing the animal though the Glen elementary school soccer field. “I realized, that’s what happened to my dog,” Pinilla said.
A long list of departing MLAs — both BC Liberal and NDP — are now in line for lucrative pensions, whether they retired voluntarily or were defeated at the polls.
see NO SIGNS, page 6
see DROPS IN, page 16
see $26M IN, page 16
DIANE STRANDBERG/THE TRI-CITY NEWS
Beware of coyotes, warns dog owner THE TRI-CITY NEWS
A Coquitlam dog owner lost one of his pets to a coyote last weekend and is warning others to keep their pooches on leash to avoid the same fate.
Danny Pinilla would also like to see a sign posted at Glen Park, where his chihuahuapomeranian cross was killed and eaten to warn others about an animal he believes is living in the adjacent forest. “I just want people to
know so they take more care,” Pinilla said as he walked through the park this week with his other dog, Paco, in tow. The Coquitlam granite countertop fabricator said he was out for an early-morning dog walk last Sunday with his two
pets, Lina and Paco. The dogs jumped out of the car and were running toward the nearby offleash dog park when the female, Lina, simply disappeared “in a matter of seconds.” He searched the area and when he saw a coy-
TOTAL VOTES CAST: 76,293 TOTAL REG. VOTERS: 148,269 VOTER TURNOUT: 51.5% BC VOTER TURNOUT: 52%
Voter turnout in the Tri-Cities was slightly lower than in the rest of the province but the numbers varied depending on the riding, according to statistics from Elections BC. Overall, 51.5% (76,293) of registered voters in the four local ridings cast ballots in the 2013 general election, compared to 52% across the province. The riding of Port Moody-Coquitlam, where BC Liberal Linda Reimer won over incumbent NDP MLA Joe Trasolini, had the highest voter turnout of the four, with 53.9%, while Coquitlam-Burke Mountain had the lowest, with 47.9%. CoquitlamMaillardville saw 51.7% of registered voters cast ballots while 52.3% voted in Port Coquitlam. While the 2013 numbers are not official (the results will be finalized on May 29), they allow for some comparison with the 2009 figures.
Danny Pinilla with his dog, Paco, outside the Glen Park dog park. He holds a poster of his missing dog, Lina, which he believes was killed by a coyote in the area on Monday. He wants other dog walkers to be aware the coyote could be a threat to small dogs and would like the city to put up a warning sign.
By Diane Strandberg
TRI-CITIES
ADVANCE VOTING • Coquitlam-Burke Mountain: 4,669 (26.7%) • CoquitlamMaillardville: 4,250 (21.6%) • Port MoodyCoquitlam: 4,078 (21.4%) • Port Coquitlam: 3,384 (16.8%) TOTAL: 16,381 (21.5%)
Pensions a balm for leaving gov. By Jeff Nagel BLACK PRESS