Business: Walmart planning to open downtown soon. 5
Education: Simulating Mars exploration. 3
Sports: Flames new coach feeling at home. 29
Friday, November 27, 2015 ¡ mapleridgenews.com ¡ est. 1978 ¡ (office) 604-467-1122 ¡ (del ive r y) 6 0 4 - 4 6 6 - 6 3 9 7
Renters feeling squeezed for space Councillor says city needs to create rental housing By Phil M elnyc h u k pmelnychuk@mapleridgenews.com
If you’re living the hard-scrabble life in Maple Ridge, another study is telling you what you already know. Rents are pricey, good jobs hard to come by. According to the Canadian Rental Housing Index, it’s all making it tough to find a place to live in Maple Ridge and the rest of Metro Vancouver. In Maple Ridge, renters are not only being squeezed financially, but physically. The study, based on the 2011 census, says that 10 per cent, or 555 renter households, are living in conditions that are too small for their household size and composition. See Renters, 11
Tim Fitzgerald/THE NEWS
Heavy police presence There was a strong police presence, including an armoured car, officers with assault rifles and K-9 units, for a bust on Fir Street in Maple Ridge on Wednesday morning. Criminal investigations agents with Canada Border Services Agency, supported by the police emergency response team for the Lower Mainland District, say they executed a search warrant at a residence, but have offered no other details.
Pitt council nixes amalgamation Murray said the issue deserves to be studied By Neil Corbett neilcorbett@mapleridgenews.com
Pitt Meadows council unanimously dispensed with the issue of amalgamation after a brief discussion on Tuesday, with councillors saying citizens of their city have no interest in merging with Maple Ridge.
They reacted to correspondence from Mike Murray, who sent a three-page letter asking that both city councils consider a referendum on amalgamation. Murray is the Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows School Board chair and a former general manager of community development, parks and recreation, but clarified he was writing as a private citizen. Coun. Bill Dingwall spoke against amalgamation. He is in favour of building a strong relationship be-
tween the two cities, and collaborating where it makes sense to Pitt Meadows, he said. “I also believe in Pitt Meadows, our identity, and why we choose to live here in Pitt Meadows,� he said. Coun. Bruce Bell said he has talked to many Pitt Murray Meadows residents about amalgamation over the years and found they are generally not sup-
portive of joining with Maple Ridge. “Pitt Meadows is so unique, and we can look after our own affairs,� said Bell. “It certainly is good to have some partners out there when we need them.� Coun. Janis Elkerton said residents of Pitt Meadows are not happy this issue has even been raised again.
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“And, as usual, it’s Maple Ridge wanting to join with Pitt Meadows, because we have great assets that they want,� she said. Elkerton proposed a motion that council reply to Murray, saying Pitt Meadows is not interested in amalgamation. That motion passed unanimously. She also remarked that Murray was not able to make his comments as a private citizen, given the public position he holds.
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