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JULY 19, 2013 www.tricitynews.com
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Letters/12 Tri-City Spotlight/22 Your History/26 Sports/42
‘Not the smartest’ to snap bears’ pix Coquitlam road closed for safety By Gary McKenna THE TRI-CITY NEWS
Oliver Road to Minnekhada Park has been closed until further notice over safety concerns after several people were seen harassing bears in the area. Many bruins venture into the northeast Coquitlam neighbourhood this time of year, where numerous berry crops are set to be harvested. Cody Ambrose, a conservation officer with the Ministry of Environment, said this has led to an increase in visitors, some of who have been seen chasing the animals. “We don’t want people harassing the wildlife and that is ultimately what is happening down there,” he said. “They try and approach the bears to get that better picture. “It is a safety issue... People aren’t the smartest when they are approaching the bears.” He added that as a bear becomes more accustomed to seeing humans, they are less likely to return to the wild and forage for natural food sources. GARY MCKENNA/THE TRI-CITY NEWS
see ELECTRIC, page 16
A sign warns visitors of bears in the area of Minnekhada Park in northeast Coquitlam, where people attempting to photograph the animals resulted in the closure of Oliver Road.
TransLink referendum in spring? Province, mayors to decide question By Jeff Nagel BLACK PRESS
A referendum on new taxes or tolls for TransLink that will decide the pace of transit expansion may come sooner than a promised date of November 2014 to separate the contentious debate from the next municipal elections. The province now says
TRI-CITY NEWS FILE PHOTO
Metro mayors don’t want a referendum on transit funding. that’s the latest the vote can be held — not necessarily the date — but there are serious doubts over whether a referendum as early as next
spring is feasible. Richard Walton, chair of the Mayors’ Council on Regional Transportation, said it would take a speedy resolution of nu-
merous issues in the next few months, including a promised overhaul of TransLink governance to give mayors more control over spending. And he said it would be impossible to work out the permutations of a highly advanced new funding source like road pricing, which could charge motorists distance-based fees that might vary by time of day. “This is a pretty brief window,” he said Wednesday. “To try to do
what other jurisdictions took seven years to do in 10 months and have a chance at public support is really difficult.” Walton has asked the new transportation minister but still has no answers on what the referendum question might be, who will pay the costs of holding the vote and educating the public on the options, or where money raised from a new source would go. see REGION RISKS, page 9
Cops look for man in assault of realtor By Gary McKenna THE TRI-CITY NEWS
Coquitlam RCMP investigators are asking the public to be on the lookout for a man who allegedly sexually assaulted a female realtor during an open house more than two months ago. see WOMAN, page 3
A police sketch of suspect in May 4 assault.