Richmond hopes to lure tall ships for 2017 event 3
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Richmond considers merits of inland port
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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4, 2015
Engineering with popsicle sticks
by Matthew Hoekstra
24 PAGES
Minoru Park now eyed for ‘signature event’
Staff Reporter Shipping more containers to an inland port in B.C. could ease development pressure on Richmond farmland, city council heard Monday. Civic politicians invited representatives from Ashcroft Terminal to Richmond City Hall to pitch the merits of the inland port nearly 350 kilometres away. Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie said it’s in Richmond’s interest to encourage Ashcroft’s development to stem Port Metro Vancouver expansion. “We see what’s happening with the port as ultimately encroaching on agricultural land, their insatiable appetite for more industrial land,” said Brodie, adding a new $2-billion bridge is also planned in part to handle truck traffic growth. The privately-owned Ashcroft Terminal started operations in 2001 and boasts connections to major railways and highways. Every train originating from a Port Metro facility passes through Ashcroft, which will begin container handling operations in May. “We don’t see any shortage of demand. It’s about the infrastructure and the operations, all of it coming together,” said Kleo Landucci, See Page 3
Richmond World Block Party would provide a low-cost alternative to the PNE, says city by Matthew Hoekstra Staff Reporter
Katie Lawrence photo Harveer Garcha adds to a tower that she and her friends built at the Science World building station at Lansdowne Centre on Saturday. See story, p. 19.
Minoru Park is set to host the city’s newest “signature event” this summer, after city council gave its early endorsement of the Richmond World Block Party Monday. New details emerged at city hall Monday of a $245,000 multicultural festival that promises to “celebrate Richmond’s significant diversity through music, food and culture.” Staff have eliminated Lansdowne Centre mall’s parking lot as a location option, leaving the city’s central park as host. Plans call for the party to begin in the morning of Saturday, Sept. 5—during the Labour Day long weekend—and continue into the evening. “The date was chosen based on potential for good weather, as an end of summer celebration for students going back to school, and as a more accessible and low cost option to the (Pacific National Exhibition),” said Bryan Tasaka, manager of major events, in his report. With its multicultural focus, the event mirrors a community-organized one staged annually in the park up until a decade ago called
Kaleidoscope, City Centre Celebration. Planned are various entertainment acts, a few dozen food trucks representing cuisines of the world, a chef showcase and a sports zone with demonstrations of the world’s lesser-known sports including shinty (Scottish field hockey), sumo (Japanese wrestling) and kabaddi (Indian contact sport). Staff are pushing Minoru for a location because of its size, location and park setting. Admission would be free, and planners estimate the festival could draw over 40,000 people. “This festival would celebrate the city’s cultural diversity and showcase the area to thousands,” noted Tasaka. Two thirds of its $245,000 budget would come from city coffers. Sponsors are being targeted to ante in the remaining $75,000. Staff believe the festival has potential to expand in days if more funds can be secured through sponsorship and grants. Block party plans are part of $945,000 in upcoming city events, most of which are scheduled for this summer, including returning events Ships to Shore and Richmond Maritime Festival. Sponsors are also expected to offset those event costs, leaving city taxpayers on the hook for $660,000. The spending, which still requires council’s formal approval, also includes a $50,000 fund for city hall to plan for a tall ships event in 2017 to coincide with Canada’s 150th anniversary.
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