Community: Christmas tree lot shows spirit of giving. 11
City: Leave pruning street trees to the experts. 10
Sports: Wadhwani accepts Washington State scholarship. 35 Fr i d ay, D e ce m b e r 5, 2 014 · mapleridgenews.com · est. 1978 · (office) 604-467-1122 · (del ive r y) 6 0 4 - 4 6 6 - 6 3 9 7
Scammers using hospital as guise Canvassing door to door with computer tablet By Neil Corbett ncorbett@mapleridgenews.com
Ridge Meadows RCMP are warning the public about a door-to-door scam concerning the Ridge Meadows Hospital Foundation. “Police have received a number of complaints about a male and a female who have gone door-to-door seeking donations for the Ridge Meadows Hospital cancer ward,” said RCMP Cpl. Alanna Dunlop. “The canvassers are not accepting cash donations, but produce either a computer tablet or a hand held information gathering device. They encourage people to sign up for a personal donation on these devices. See Scam, 16
Colleen Flanagan/THE NEWS
Light bright Paula and Perry Balascak are collecting donations for the food bank at their home, 23025 – 125A Avenue in Maple Ridge. Perry and their 14-year-old son worked for a month, checking every light bulb, to get the Christmas display ready. All of the characters are cut from wood and hand-painted. The family is accepting non-perishable food items for the Friends In Need Food Bank. They can be placed in a marked container at the end of their driveway. Their house will be lit every night, 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. until Dec. 31.
Transportation mayor’s first task Becker facing ‘tsunami’ of paperwork already By Neil Corbett ncorbett@mapleridgenews.com
With critical meetings about the looming TransLink referendum set for today, there was no easing into the job for Pitt Meadows Mayor John Becker. He was already in what he called “full mayor mode” when the inauguration for Pitt Mead-
ows mayor and council was held on Tuesday. Becker has been hit by a “tsunami of confidential briefings” from TransLink. The simple issue is that transit infrastructure has not kept pace with population growth, Becker explained. “We need to invest in transit, to play catch-up to our growing communities.” The region’s mayors put the TransLink referendum on hold until after the Nov. 15 municipal
elections. Today, they will begin planning the vote on a $7.5 billion plan. It includes light rail in Surrey, a new four-lane Pattullo Bridge, a subway in the Broadway corridor of Vancouver, and hundreds of new buses. Becker said he believes there should be more in the 10-year plan for Pitt Meadows, and he will advocate for such, but added “every jurisdiction probably feels it could have done better.” He said Pitt Meadows needs improved shuttle service and up-
grades to existing bus routes. Becker has spoken with Maple Ridge’s new mayor, Nicole Read, about their need to present a united voice at TransLink, to advocate for the neighbouring cities. “We’re small frogs in a big pond,” said Becker. “We need to be credible together.” TransLink must decide on a referendum question, have it approved by the provincial cabinet, and take it to a public vote this spring. See Mayor, 5
Steve & Gloria
HAMILTON
Neil Corbett/THE NEWS
John Becker is sworn in as Pitt mayor. $
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