INSIDE: Local debt pooler has accounts frozen after complaints Pg. 3 T U E S D A Y
December 10, 2013
16 NEWS,
SPORTS,
WEATHER
&
ENTERTAINMENT
Falcons soar at Classic tourney
chilliwacktimes.com
Cheam’s ‘toxic landfill’ a greater threat BY PAUL J. HENDERSON phenderson@chilliwacktimes.com
I
n response to a wave of social media frustration about council’s approval of a hazardous waste recycling facility, Mayor Sharon Gaetz has deflected concern to the “toxic landfill” of a local First Nation band. Ontario-based Aevitas asked council to rezone a property on the Cattermole Lands from heavy industrial to special industrial to allow for the plant that, each month, will recycle 5,000 litres of transformer oil containing PCBs and 500,000 lamps con-
Mayor Gaetz deflects concern over hazardous waste recycling facility by questioning First Nations landill taining mercury. After a public hearing, council voted unanimously to rezone the property for the recycling plant. A number of people spoke against the facility, mostly because of its proximity to the Fraser River. Sto:lo Tribal Council fisheries advisor Ernie Crey, who has recently been elected to the Cheam First Nation band council, asked city council at the Dec. 3 public hearing
to defer the decision to allow First Nations, who were unaware of the application, to respond. Gaetz told Crey she was glad he mentioned Cheam and suggested he could sit down with the city to talk about his band’s landfill. O n Dec . 5, on Fac eb ook, in response to comments and questions from The WaterWealth Project campaign director Sheila Muxlow, Gaetz said Muxlow was making
“incorrect” statements. “I would encourage her to work with Cheam band to clean up their toxic landfill which is on the edge of the Fraser River,” Gaetz wrote. “This is far more dangerous to our waters than a recycling operation.” Crey later told the Times that he has plans to meet with Cheam professional staff to be briefed on the site of the landfill. He said he has been told a “highly reputable” environ-
mental consulting firm has found no issues with the site. For many years the Cheam landfill has periodically been the subject of speculation and allegations regarding toxic materials being dumped. Crey suggested that if there were problems, they are in the past. “The mayor’s appreciation of the landfill may be dated,” Crey said. “I do trust that everyone knows that the landfill site is no longer operating.” In response to other criticism and comments about the proposed recycling facility, Gaetz was quick on
See TOXIC, Page 21
Going to jail for one year
FROZEN PARADE FANS Paul J. Henderson/TIMES
Five Corners was jammed with Christmas Parade attendees Saturday night, not all of who lasted in the bitter cold to see all 76 floats go by. See www.chilliwacktimes.com for more photos, and see page 17 for parade winners.
BY CORNELIA NAYLOR cnaylor@chilliwacktimes.com
A
Chilliwack man arrested during a drug raid at the Trader’s Inn downtown in October was sentence to one year in jail last month for drug trafficking. Jeremy Ray Commodore pleaded guilty in Chilliwack Provincial Court Nov. 15 to two counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking. The 32-year-old has been in custody since Oct. 5, when the RCMP raided a unit at the Trader’s Inn and found heroin, crystal methamphetamine, cash and various tools used in trafficking drugs. “Ou r C r i m e R e d u c t i o n Unit worked tirelessly on this
See PRISON, Page 10
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