Along the Fraser Plan hatched to restore Katzie Slough. p6
Medical pot grow readying to go. p3
THE NEWS
Gardening The most common bulbs of Yule. p31
www.mapleridgenews.com Friday, December 6, 2013 · Serving Maple Ridge & Pitt Meadows · est. 1978 · 604-467-1122 · Delivery: 604-466-6397
Council ponders police finances by Phil M elnyc h u k staff reporter
Police in Maple Ridge, and elsewhere in the Lower Mainland, are turning into first responders for treating the mentally ill, according to numbers given recently by the top officer at the local RCMP detachment. In the past five years, the number of mental health files that police have dealt with has jumped 37-per-cent, while the number of mental health apprehensions – where police take people to hospital for other care – climbed by 50 per cent. Fuel and equipment costs are also rising, show figures given to council Monday, and there are more computerbased crimes, and investigations are more complicated. Because of tougher standards in court, investigating a domestic assault case now takes 10 times longer than it did 30 years ago. See RCMP, p4
Colleen Flanagan/THE NEWS
Season of giving It took Paula and Perry Balascak a month to set up their Christmas light display, which they have been adding to since 1999, when their first such effort was vandalized. In addition to the lights, the current setup features 23 fictional characters hand-cut from wood. The family is collecting food and clothing items for the Friends In Need Food Bank and the Salvation Army’s Caring Place until Dec. 31. You can view the display – located at 23025 – 125A Avenue in Maple Ridge – from 6:30 p.m. until 9 p.m. every day until the end of December.
Bad year for bears in Ridge 12 were killed, mostly for eating garbage left, put out by Moni s ha M ar tin s staff reporter
A dozen bears were killed this year in Maple Ridge as repeated calls for residents to keep their garbage secure continue to fall on deaf ears. B.C.’s Conservation Officer Service reports the municipality, along with the Tri-Cities, leads the
province in nuisance calls, despite a Bear Aware program that’s been in operation since 2012. There were almost 100 more calls from Maple Ridge to the conservation service this year over last (683 from 588). The number of bears euthanized this year is four times the number killed in 2012 and slightly lower than 2011, when 15 bears were put down. It’s a simple equation. More people are moving into areas frequented by bears, which use wildlife corridors next to develop-
RON ANTALEK Personal Real Estate Corporation 604-351-3261 ronantalek.com Look for this week’s listings on page A35 Each office independently owned and operated
ments to get around in search of food. And “as we develop on those hillsides, absolutely we’re going to see an increase in conflict,” said Sgt. Steve Jacobi of the B.C. Conservation Officer Service. It means the COS’s Maple Ridgebased officers are stretched to the limit. The District of Maple Ridge has a Bear Aware program that targets neighbourhoods which generate the most conflict calls, to educate residents. It’s been a year since a bylaw was put in place restricting when
garbage can be put out, but the district hasn’t handed out a single fine. Bylaws director Liz Holitzki said her department issued 74 warning notices to people who put their trash out before the morning of pickup, but no tickets were necessary as there were no second offences at the same properties. Bear Aware will continue its education campaign through the winter because not all bears hibernate. Male bears will stick around if there’s enough food. See Bears, p8
Index Opinion Commentary Driveway Home&gardening Sports Scoreboard Classifieds
Community: Yennadon helping feed Hungry Spirits. See story, p14
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