FIRE DISPLACES TENANTS
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STORY OF WRIGHT AND THE WIZARD
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Friday, December 5, 2014 NewsLeader A1
WHO SAYS THE CITY CAN DO IT BETTER?
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FRIDAY
DECEMBER 5 2014 www.newwestnewsleader.com
A former Miss Royal City celebrates her 80th birthday. See Page A8
Woman killed crossing street
GRANT GRANGER/NEWSLEADER
Betty McIntosh, who served 15 years in public office between school board and city council, decided not to run in the Nov. 15 election. Here she shows off a farewell gift from the city’s engineering department.
It’s bye, bye Betty as councillor moves on McIntosh departs council career ready to hit the road with her hubby Grant Granger
ggranger@newwestnewsleader.com
Betty McIntosh’s political career began without her realizing it. It started when she volunteered for a parents group at Sir Richard McBride elementary, where her three kids went. She just wanted to help. Since her husband Ken was a police officer they figured she’d be good to do the Block Parent
program. Sure, she said. Before she election she won and lost. No, that’s knew it she was running for public not a typo. She won, and she lost. office. She recalls that on election night “It was never my plan to go she was declared the winner of the into politics,” says last school trustee McIntosh, who spot by 66 votes. retired from city A day or two Betty McIntosh council this month later she got a call It was never my plan to go after having served from the elections into politics. 15 years over five office to tell her terms in public she’d lost by 44 office. votes. “Pardon me?” The Royal Columbian Hospital she responded. Turns out they had emergency department nurse’s first found 100 votes for Doug Walker taste of civic politics was in 1993 they’d misplaced. A judicial recount when she ran for school board in an confirmed that.
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Three years later she was thinking about running again but she was advised to seek a council seat instead because Mayor Betty Toporowski wasn’t running again and there were four sitting councillors running to replace her. So she went for it. Helen Sparkes became mayor and McIntosh made it onto council along with another first timer, Chuck Puchmayr. McIntosh says incumbent councillor Charmaine Murray was a mentor to her in the early years and a good team builder. Please see MCINTOSH, A3
An elderly Burnaby woman has died after being hit by a vehicle in an Uptown New Westminster crosswalk on Saturday. Police spokesman Chad Johnston said the 84-year-old and another 50-year-old female pedestrian were hit while crossing Sixth Street at Fifth Avenue just after noon Saturday. They were in the south crosswalk when they were struck by a vehicle turning left off of Fifth to head south on Sixth. Bystanders and emergency personnel assisted the elderly woman but she died of her injuries in hospital later that evening. The driver remained on the scene and is cooperating with investigators. Johnston said the incident demonstrates the importance of the little lesson taught to 16-year-olds in driving school, to establish eye contact with pedestrians before proceeding. He said that also applies to pedestrians, vis-a-vis drivers, even if they have the walk signal and right of way. Witnesses that haven’t spoken to investigators are asked to call Const. Ted Ishii or Const. Jamie Crowston at 604-5255411. ggranger@ newwestnewsleader.com