HOSPICE SOCIETY GALA Fundraising event raises thousands
ILLEGAL DUMPING
District spends thousands on clean-up crews
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Don’t forget about your Mom on May 10 PAGES 10-13
2012
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SERVING MISSION SINCE 1908
Firefighters help search for survivors Specially trained dogs taken to Nepal Carol Aun MISSION RECORD
Two Mission firefighters are in Nepal this week to help searchers locate missing people after a 7.8-magnitude earthquake devastated the region Saturday, killing more than 5,500 and injuring thousands more. Mission Fire Chief Larry Watkinson and Captain Norm MacLeod along with more than a dozen Metro Vancouver firefighters are part of Canada’s response to the government of Nepal’s request for international assistance. Watkinson and MacLeod will be travelling with their highly trained dogs to search for survivors. “These are very, very special dogs,” said Mission Mayor Randy Hawes. “There are only eight of these dogs in B.C., and two of them are in Mission.” According to Hawes, when the dogs put on their working vests, they “zero in on finding live people.” When someone is located the dog will scratch and bark. If a corpse is found, the dog will lie down and whine. He added the K9s are excited every time they are asked to work, but the job is psycholog-
ically hard on them as well as their human handlers. “They work for an hour, then have to rest.” Hawes, along with the rest of Mission council, gave their approval for the trip this past weekend after Watkinson presented them with a proposal to take the dogs to the disaster area. “It took about two seconds for us to say ‘go, but be safe’,” said Hawes. “Aftershocks are still happening there.” Despite the danger, Hawes felt it was a mission that couldn’t be turned down. “If we ever have an earthquake like that, we would like help too. Because we can help, we should.” Mission’s safety will not be compromised with the absence of its fire chief and a captain, said Hawes. “We have several people working in the assistant chief position, and we have very experienced firemen. It will not be a problem.” On April 25, a large earthquake hit Nepal, close to its capital Kathmandu. Canada is committing $5 million in humanitarian assistance.
Brian Antonson, president of the Mission Heritage Association, wants to continue to fundraise for the new observatory, despite being told to stop by the District of Mission, which is ending its contract with the society to maintain Fraser River Heritage Park. KEVIN MILLS PHOTO
‘We’re being fired’ District will allow park contract to lapse, review governance Kevin Mills MISSION RECORD
Brian Antonson doesn’t understand why fundraising efforts for the new observatory at Fraser River Heritage Park have to be stopped. The president of the Mission Heritage Association (MHA) isn’t sure if the district has the authority to halt volunteer efforts to finish construction of the facility. The decree came as part of a letter informing the association that the District of Mission would
not be renewing its maintenance agreement for Fraser River Heritage Park. The association has been maintaining the park for the past 35 years. While the letter says the agreement will be allowed to lapse, Antonson said members of the MHA feel like “we’re being fired.” He explained that the district informed the MHA at the end of 2014 that it planned to end its agreement, but he saw it as the new council merely doing its due
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diligence. Antonson said he knew there had been some public complaints regarding the unfinished buildings – including the observatory – located in the park. However, he thought the agreement would likely be reworked. Under the present contract, the AHA receives $155,000 from the district to maintain the park. The group also has a budget of $150,000 that it raised through various events, for an approximate annual budget of $305,000.
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