THE WEDNESDAY
CANADIAN COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER AWARD 2012
TRI-CITY NEWS CANADIAN COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER AWARD 2012
Extra transit sales tax?
Visit Arnie’s house
SEE PAGE A4
SEE ARTS, PAGE A18
Back to school has gone to the dogs: stories, page A3
AUG. 28, 2013 www.tricitynews.com
INSIDE
Tom Fletcher/A10 Letters/A11 Sign Me Up/A15 Sports/A22
Reopen R’view? Coq. councillor welcomes Maple Ridge resolution
By Diane Strandberg
TAX BUCKS A 6.75% raise for city workers: page A5
THE TRI-CITY NEWS
Support from B.C.’s m ayo r s t o r e o p e n Riverview Hospital in Coquitlam for mental health purposes could influence provincial government plans for the 244-acre property, bringing care for people with severe mental illness and economic benefits to the city. At least that’s the hope of Coquitlam Coun. Craig Hodge, chair of the Riverview Lands Advisory Committee, who this week welcomed a resolution by Maple Ridge council to reopen the 100-year-old hospital that was closed just last summer.
Hodge said the timing of the resolution — prepared for the Union of B.C. Municipalities convention from Sept. 16 to 20 — couldn’t be better as the province is currently planning for the future of the Riverview lands. “The UBCM is a great place to start a dialogue and draw attention at the municipal level,” said Hodge, who noted that many provincial initiatives start with discussions at the annual September convention that draws mayors and councillors from all over the province. see COMPLEX, page A13
Seniors, beware these scammers Necklace used in two robberies By Janis Warren THE TRI-CITY NEWS
DIANE STRANDBERG/THE TRI-CITY NEWS
Lindsay Hill is a Grade 6/7 teacher at Como Lake middle school in Coquitlam who works with a service dog, Orion, in her classroom to teach social and emotional learning to students. Research has shown that specially trained dogs can teach students to regulate their behaviour. See article, page A3.
Tri-City seniors are being warned by police after con artists targeted — and stole — from three elderly people. The first scam happened Aug. 13 when a man asked for directions from a 76-year-old woman at the corner of Durant Drive and Johnson Street; the man said he wanted to get to the hospital. When he got his answer, a woman in a nearby grey vehicle got
out and thanked the senior for her assistance, placing on her a necklace despite repeated protests. When the pair left, the senior realized her 24-karat gold necklace with a pendant had vanished. The next day, a senior in Port Coquitlam had the same trick played on her. T h e 6 1 - y e a r- o l d woman was near Hastings Street and Battistoni Place when she was approached by a woman who tried to sell her a gold necklace; the suspect claimed it was to raise money. see NECKLACE, page A14