COAL DUST UP HEATS UP
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IMPRESSIONS OF ANVIL IN PROGRESS
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FORMER CITY MANAGER PASSES
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FRIDAY
DECEMBER 13 2013 www.newwestnewsleader.com
The 2014 Jeep Cherokee is a lot of jeep for the money, says Zack Spencer. See Page A11
City has lanes on the brain Expropriation by ‘blackmail’ builder says Grant Granger
ggranger@newestnewsleader.com
MARIO BARTEL/NEWSLEADER
Lisa Regan, Rie Serrano and Vanessa Pederachny spend a few moments relaxing with Malbec, one of a number of assistance dogs brought in to the Douglas College Students Union on Thursday to help students overcome the stress of exam season.
Letter carrier assaulted in New West Safety issue heightened if door-to-door delivery dumped: Union Grant Granger
ggranger@newwestnewsleader.com
A New Westminster neighbourhood was without mail service this week, and it had nothing to do with Wednesday’s announcement that door-to-door service is being eliminated. The Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) say a letter carrier
delivering mail to a neighbourhood relay box for distribution in the 12th Street area Dec. 4 was surrounded by three dogs, including two pit bulls. He escaped by using pepper spray and then hopped in his van, but he was followed. When he made his next stop someone smashed his window and mirror with a baseball bat, said CUPW Local 470 vicepresident Angel Hoare. The union said as a result of the attack, postal workers refused to deliver mail in the neighbourhood
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so Canada Post had a supervisor accompany the carrier the next day but refused to continue this, so the area hasn’t had mail delivered since Friday. “It’s really very concerning on a health and safety aspect,” said Hoare, who said there was another incident in Maple Ridge last week when someone tried to get the master key and wallet from a letter carrier. As for Wednesday’s national announcement, Hoare said the
move will have “a huge impact” on urbanized areas like New Westminster, where the local’s office is located. “The long-term, established communities will be impacted more. I don’t think it’s a good thing for the corporation and the community,” said Hoare. “We have seniors, stayat-home moms, handicapped not capable of getting out on a regular basis. All of these people will be impacted on a regular basis. That’s just my opinion.”
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Some New Westminster property owners are being asked to set aside some of their land for potential laneways before the city will issue a building or development permit. It’s a policy that local builder Brian Lowka believes is comparable to expropriation by bureaucratic blackmail, and is one he says has been applied inconsistently by the city. Engineering director Jim Lowrie said in an email the city wants to build lanes for blocks on busy routes that don’t have them so residents can have safer access to their homes. To accomplish this they’re asking any property owner on affected streets making a permit application to provide a statutory right-of-way at the rear of their properties before their permit is approved. While they retain ownership of the strip of property set aside, they build any permanent structure on it, and they won’t be compensated when a lane is built. Please see CITY, A3