ALDERGROVE STA AR Your Hometown Community Newspaper for over 55 Years
| Thursday, December 12, 2013
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Good Ol’ Pond Hockey in Aldergrove
Serious collision closes 16 Avenue By KURT LANGMANN Aldergrove Star
HARRY HUNT PHOTO
The recent cold snap inspired the Williams family to bring back old-fashioned pond hockey to their farm on 240 Street. Readers are reminded to be very cautious if trying this themselves on other bodies of water, however, as shallow ice surfaces could lead to a disaster, especially as temperatures are predicted to rise this weekend.
A serious collision in the 26700-block of 16 Avenue caused a Camaro to burst into flames and has left the driver of a pickup truck fighting for his life.. Police were called just after noon on Monday to investigate a collision between a Camaro and a pickup truck. Witnesses told police that the Camaro was eastbound on 16 Avenue and appeared to be traveling at the speed limit. The westbound pickup truck spun sideways and entered the oncoming lane. The Camaro’s driver unsuccessfully attempted to avoid the collision and T-boned the pickup truck. The car caught on fire but fortunately the three occupants were all able to exit the vehicle on their own. The adult male driver, female passenger and toddler were all transported to hospital by ground ambulance for treatment of their non life-threatening injuries. Of the three adult male occupants of the pickup truck, one passenger was uninjured, one was taken to hospital by BC Ambulance and the driver was taken to hospital by Air Ambulance with what are believed to be life-threatening injuries. It is not known if road conditions contributed to this event or what caused the pickup truck to swerve into the oncoming lane. Police will continue their investigation to determine the cause. In order to conduct this investigation safely, 16 Avenue was closed from 264 to 272 Street for several hours Monday. Anyone who may have witnessed the collision or those with information that would assist with this investigation is asked to call Langley RCMP at 604-532-3200.
Farmer opposes medicinal marijuana ban By DAN FERGUSON Aldergrove Star
A Langley Township bylaw that would ban medicinal marijuana cultivation on farmland is opposed by a local greenhouse operator who began growing the product in May. Koch Greenhouses owner Bruce Bakker came to Township council Monday (Dec. 9) to complain the ban was drafted without consulting farmers. He said the BC Agriculture council, which represents farmers, has told him they were not consulted. Bakker called the attempt to restrict medicinal marijuana cultivation to industrial areas “troubling.” “What’s next?” Bakker said.
“Are you going go after the wine industry which produces alcohol?” He said the Agricultural Land Commission (ALC), the provincial agency that regulates farmland, has issued an information bulletin on marijuana production that says the crop is “consistent with the definition of farm use … and as such is an allowed use.” Bakker was speaking at an evening public hearing on the bylaw, which aims to restrict medicinal marijuana cultivation to industrial areas. He called on council to delay approval until there has been “meaningful consultation” with the BC Agriculture Council which represents farmers, provincial ministry of
agriculture staff and other medicinal marijuana producers. He said he has been operating his greenhouse in the 3300-block of 240 Street for 30 years, mostly producing “indoor ornamental plants” until this May, when he began growing four varieties of medicinal marijuana. He plans to provide product under new federal laws taking effect in 2014 that will see large-scale medicinal growing facilities replacing the many smaller licensed pot operations across Canada. His company has invested about $250,000 on marijuana cultivation so far, Bakker said. Township council is hoping to pass the bylaw limiting legal mari-
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juana production to industrial areas the Township of Langley’s authority. before the new federal laws take The ALC was responding to a effect. question from the Vancouver law Any Township ban firm of Bull, Housser would still have to be and Tupper, which was approved by the provinhired by the Township to cial government, which review proposed new fedhas the final say over eral restrictions on medithe Agricultural Land cal pot growing. Reserve (ALR) which The legal firm also covers 75 per cent of the warned the Township’s Township’s 316 square ability to regulate medikilometres. cal marijuana growing in Council was advised the remaining 25 per cent in March that the ALC of the community not in Bruce Bakker of Koch has declared that medithe ALR is also limited Greenhouses cal marijuana growing on because federal law takes agricultural land was protected under precedence over municipal regulafarming regulations that override the tions.
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