Maple Ridge News, February 21, 2014

Page 1

Sidewinder Happy not be to labelled anything. p6

‘A friendship made in heaven’. p3

THE NEWS

Homes Window coverings make or break room. p25

www.mapleridgenews.com Friday, February 21, 2014 · Serving Maple Ridge & Pitt Meadows · est. 1978 · 604-467-1122 · Delivery: 604-466-6397

Haney log sorting site vacant But riverside condos are years away by Ph i l M e lnych uk staff reporter

Colleen Flanagan/THE NEWS

Learning to curl

The first step in the dream of a Coal Harbour-type of development in Maple Ridge has been taken, but it’s going to be years before hammers swing and building begins. Canadian Overseas Group, in 2012, pitched a marina, boardwalk, apartment towers, shops and a park beside the Fraser River on the site of its former log-sort operation next to Haney Wharf. With that log sorting site now vacant, or soon to be, the company can decide the property’s ultimate fate. Overseas Group president Ron Andersen said the company has bought a new log-sorting site on the Stave River, close to its Andersen Pacific Forest Products sawmill. That will make moving logs from area woodlots and community forests to the mill more efficient. See Waterfront, p8

Albion elementary Grade 3 student Evan Johnston-Betzler throws a rock while learning to curl in the school gym on Monday.

Man found with 500 kgs of pot RCMP allege he was transporting more than his medical permit by M o n i s h a M a r t i n s staff reporter

Pink Shirt Day: Grade 11 student organizes anti-bullying conference. See story, p11.

A Maple Ridge man is facing a drug trafficking charge after police caught him transporting a large load of marijuana well in excess of his medical permit. Amrit Pal Singh Niger, who also goes by the name “Paul,” was

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stopped by Ridge Meadows RCMP on May 24, 2013 after an officer noticed “an overwhelming odour of marijuana permeating the air” when he drove past a white cube van. Police allege Niger was the driver. According to court records, Niger produced a Health Canada “Authorization to Possess” permit when Const. Mike Moore approached him. Although the permit he showed was expired, documents show RCMP later determined he had a valid medical marijuana license that allowed him to grow 195

Index Opinion Letters Education Homes Sports Scoreboard Classifieds

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plants, store 8,775 grams of dried marijuana, and possess or transport 1,200 grams. Police searched the van and found marijuana in garbage bags that a RCMP spokesperson said was “well-in excess of the allowable limit.” Court documents show 504 kilograms of marijuana, or 504,000 grams, was seized. Niger, who is known to police, was charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking. He has one previous drug trafficking charge, in 2007, but no convictions. The Combined Forces Special

Enforcement Unit would not comment on any alleged gang association due to privacy concerns, but court records show Niger was stopped by the gang task force in 2012 and issued Motor Vehicle Act violations for driving an uninsured vehicle and without a licence. He pleaded guilty to both counts on Jan. 14 and was issued fines for $345 and $140, respectively. Sgt. Lindsay Houghton with the CFSEU said in the course of arrests, officers have found several gang members with Health Canada medical marijuana permits. See Arrest, p4

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