THE WEDNESDAY
CANADIAN COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER AWARD 2012
MARCH 26, 2014
TRI-CITY NEWS
Seniors’ society’s funding chopped in half
www.tricitynews.com
CANADIAN COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER AWARD 2012
PoMo’s Kaboom! kicks off
Soccer and swimming
SEE ARTS, PAGE A16
SEE SPORTS, PAGE A19
INSIDE
Tom Fletcher/A10 Letters/A11 A Good Read/A14 Chamber newsletter/B1
Coquitlam in the Express lane to next round of the playoffs
By Diane Strandberg THE TRI-CITY NEWS
A program that provides information and support to isolated seniors in the Tri-Cities will lose more than half of its funding at the end of June and is scrambling to find ways to continue to operate. Th e U n i t e d Way will not be renewing its three-year grant to Port Coquitlam-based Community Volunteer Services for Seniors, putting in jeopardy CVSS’ home visitation, telephone reassurance, grocery shopping and information and referral services for 174 seniors, says the president of the Wilson Centre Advisory Association. And while Bruce Hansen doesn’t want to raise panic, he is concerned about the program’s future if other sources of funding can’t be obtained. “I don’t know what I’m going to tell all those 170 clients when the money runs out,” he said. “They are all isolated seniors.” This is not the first time the program has struggled. In 2009, Fraser Health withdrew its funding, citing a shortage of cash; corporate and community grants eve n t u a l l y e n a b l e d CVSS to continue to offer services. In 2011, the United Way provided a threeyear grant of about $49,500 per annum but, Deb Bryant, the director of community impact and investment, says the United Way can no longer afford to offer these grants in its seniors’ portfolio because its funding has also dropped. see NO UTD. WAY, page A5
GARY AHUJA/BLACK PRESS
The Coquitlam Express clinched their post-season division Friday night when they knocked off the BC Hockey League regular-season league leaders the Langley Rivermen 5-3 in Game 6 of the second round. The win set the stage for a three-team round-robin series with the Vernon Vipers and the Victoria Grizzlies, which won their BCHL divisions. The last two teams left standing following the series will play in the BCHL finals. Above, Langley forward Jakob Reichert provides a screen on Coquitlam Express goaltender Gordie Defiel. More on page A19.
370 acres on Burke go to Wesbild Land for schools will be sold back to SD43 in future at 2014 prices By Diane Strandberg THE TRI-CITY NEWS TRI-CITY NEWS FILE PHOTO
Some of the 370 acres recently sold to Wesbild by the province will be sold back to SD43 for new schools.
A developer with a long history of major projects in Coquitlam
has bought a significant chunk of provincial land on Burke Mountain, setting the stage for the next phase of building in the city’s rapidly developing northeast corner. We s b i l d h a s a n nounced the acquisition of 370 of the 584 acres, north of Coast Meridian Road, put up for sale by the government in January as part
of Victoria’s ongoing efforts to dispose of Crown assets and balance its books. The company has also committed to setting aside two potential sites for future elementary schools, with prices frozen at 2014 levels for the next 10 years. School District 43 cannot confirm the locations or more details about the
deal, however, until it receives more details from the provincial government. “We need to hear back from the province in terms of the agreement that has been made with Wesbild,” said Ivano Ceccini, principal of facility initiatives for SD43. see SCHOOL, page A3