CONSERVATIVES NAME CANDIDATE
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TREATY TROUBLE GOES WAY BACK
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LANCER DANCE TRADITION SPIKED
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WEDNESDAY
APRIL 1 2015 www.burnabynewsleader.com
The Move yoga studio in Sapperton is living up to its name. Page A9
REFERENDUM QUESTIONS
Will a new Pattullo come if No vote wins? Jeff Nagel
MARIO BARTEL/NEWSLEADER
Mike Hoyer enjoys the tranquil surroundings of the Venetian lagoons and canals at the west end of Westminster Quay. He’ll be leading a two-hour guided walk along the city’s waterfront that ends with a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the lagoons’ eco-system on Easter Monday.
Faux Venice it’s own little eco-system Mario Bartel
photo@newwestnewsleader.com
On Easter Monday Mike Hoyer is leading a free guided walk along New Westminster’s waterfront all the way to Venice. No, participants won’t be trudging 8,637 kilometres over mountains and across oceans to the romantic Italian port city that’s more in the Adriatic Sea than alongside it. Hoyer’s two-hour stroll ends at
the faux Venice at the west end of Westminster Quay. While the glimpses of wildlife, movement of machines and passing of industry along the Fraser River intrigues visitors to the waterfront, it’s the canals and lagoons that weave around and amidst a cluster of condos and townhomes that enchants them, said Hoyer, a longtime volunteer at the Fraser River Discovery Centre. But those lagoons are more
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than decorative tubs of water and fountains. They’re an eco-system unto themselves, said Hoyer. They’re also a bit of an engineering marvel, said Virginia Cohen, who manages the lagoon system for the six stratas that own it. The entire system is selfcontained, said Cohen. Half a million gallons of water flows through a series of weirs from the system’s highest point just off Renaissance Square to its lowest,
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the reflection pond between the Lido and Rialto condos. From there the water is pumped back up to the top to start its journey anew. “It’s totally gravity-fed,” said Cohen. “It’s basically a natural body of water.” The water is actually collected rainwater that flows from the condo rooftops into the lagoons through gutters. Please see LAGOON, A5
Just Play!
Replacing the Pattullo Bridge is an urgent TransLink priority because the 77-year-old span could be knocked out at any time by an earthquake, river erosion or a ship collision. Pulling it offline before a new bridge opens – eight years away at the earliest – would trigger traffic chaos in the region and force toll-averse drivers to go even further out of their way if they won’t pay to cross the river. The $980-million replacement of the Pattullo with a new four-lane toll bridge, expandable to six lanes, is by far the biggest road-related project in the mayors’ plan. But No forces say it shouldn’t be on the ballot at all – that it’s merely bait to lure drivers to vote Yes in the referendum for an otherwise transitheavy plan. So will a new Patttullo come even if voters defeat the proposed 0.5 per cent sales tax increase to fund transportation upgrades? TransLink officials said they’d aim to rebuild the Pattullo Bridge even if the referendum fails. Please see STORY, A3