Provincial court: Decades later, a case solved, a life healed. 3
Homes: What to do about squirrels. 15
Sports: Burrards need space. 21
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Chamber starts housing survey Morden opposes Quality Inn purchase By Phil M elnyc h u k pmelnychuk@mapleridgenews.com
If Maple Ridge city council and B.C. Housing weren’t sure about how local residents felt when it comes to changing a motel into long-term housing for the homeless, they know now. Three petitions or surveys are in the works to sound out how residents and business people feel about the idea. B.C. Housing announced last week it will buy the Quality Inn on Lougheed Highway and 217th Street for conversion into a 61-unit longterm supportive housing facility. The intent is to renovate the hotel, selling for about $5.5 million.
Colleen Flanagan/THE NEWS
When trees fall Brenda Laface inspects the damage to her backyard fence after a tree on city property fell over during a wind storm last week. See story, page 9.
See Survey, 10
Housing now up to MLAs Council votes for support on Quality Inn By Phil M elnyc h u k pmelnychuk@mapleridgenews.com
Maple Ridge council has tossed the political hot potato of housing the homeless over to the Liberal MLAs for the city. A majority of council OK’d two resolutions at a hastily called special meeting Wednesday. One of the resolutions called for the delay
$1,398,800
of the entire proposal to convert the Quality Inn motel into a 61-unit supportive housing complex until MLAs Doug Bing and Marc Dalton confirm their support for the location. Another stipulation was that B.C. Housing promise to answer questions Read about the design and operation of the complex at a soon-tobe held open house. “As to the current status of our
MLA not yet signing off on that, we do look forward to that. I think it is confusing to the public,” Mayor Nicole Read said of Liberal MLA Doug Bing (Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows). Usually you see the provincial government in alignment, she said. “So we certainly need them strongly at the table.” Read said she expected to hear Thursday from Bing.
WORKSHOP, 2 HOMES, 1 ACRE!
B.C. Housing made the proposal to buy the motel, which had been up for sale, and convert it to a supportive housing complex in order to house the 40 people remaining at the temporary shelter at 22239 Lougheed Highway. That closes in three months after getting a threemonth extension on its closing date. Bing said on Tuesday that he personally doesn’t oppose the location, but knows that many people do so and expressed that to the housing ministry.
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See Support, 13
Michael Hall/THE NEWS
Former Maple Ridge councillor Mike Morden had several questions Wednesday.
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