B.C. Views Ontario election lessons for B.C. p6
A call to freeze Pitt council salaries. p3
THE NEWS
Arts&life Business in Emmy spotlight. p21
www.mapleridgenews.com Wednesday, June 18, 2014 · Serving Maple Ridge & Pitt Meadows · est. 1978 · 604-467-1122 · Delivery: 604-466-6397
Schools still on full strike
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Negotiations were to resume Tuesday, no word yet on summer school by Ne i l Cor be tt staff reporter
The teachers strike began Tuesday, with high school students left to prepare on their own, and the parents of elementary students wondering whether the school year is done. Sabrina Mattson has a son in Grade 11 with four provincial exams to write, and no teachers to help him prepare in the final days. “I’m worried how he’s going to do that,” she said. “Our teachers are excellent at SRT, they put in tons of extra time tutoring – I don’t know when they eat.” Mattson is involved with parent advisory councils at both the secondary and elementary levels. She is the PAC chair for Samuel Robertson Technical, and also the DPAC representative for Alexander Robinson elementary. She said elementary students, who were to remain in class until June 26, have also been frustrated by the situation, even if they aren’t taking exams. Her son’s Grade 6 class had planned a trip to Daybreak Point for four days, but that year-end wrap-up event was lost. His teacher tried to make it up to the class by holding a “camp week” in the days before job action shut down schools.
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Maple Ridge road among worst in B.C. Improvements already planned to Maple Crescent by P h i l M e l nychuk staff reporter
Colleen Flanagan/THE NEWS
Dean Hajum (left) and Eric Phillips want safety improvements to the intersection of Lorne Avenue and Maple Crescent.
Relax, Maple Ridge public works is on it, and Maple Crescent will be fixed soon. The section of road near Lorne Avenue is on BCAA’s fourth annual Worst Roads survey, released last week. Maple Crescent ranks eighth as
one of the 10 worst roads in the May to show people the plans for province. a sidewalk along Lorne Avenue, Silver Star Road in Vernon drew from Maple Crescent to Princess the most votes because of its crum- Street. Unlimited bling pavement and potholes, A four-way stop sign is also while Westside Road in Kelowna planned at the corner of Maple Chequing was judged the second worst in the Cres. and Lorne Ave. province because of its lack of pe“The engineering team has indidestrian or cyclist safety. cated that the four-way stop will On Maple Crescent, potholes be implemented during the sumand crumbling pavement are the mer, and that the design and tenmain concern. der for the new sidewalks will be The road is already due for some completed shortly so the work can repairs, though, says the District of be done in late summer and early Maple Ridge. fall,” Mayor Ernie Daykin said in a An open house took place in release.
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Hammond residents have been asking for help for a few years, said Eric Phillips. He, along with the Hammond elementary parent advisory council and RCMP have been asking for a sidewalk on Lorne Ave. The fourway stop sign will allow Hammond kids to get to Hammond elementary. Originally, the district offered an asphalt sidewalk with a concrete curb. But residents wanted a concrete sidewalk, which they now have.
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See Roads, p8