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Bing against motel for housing Residents rally at Quality Inn on Saturday B y Michael Ha ll editor@mapleridgenews.com
MLA Doug Bing sent a message to those at a rally Saturday against a proposal for supportive housing at the Quality Inn in Maple Ridge, that he’s against it. Cheryl Ashlie, one of Bing’s constituency assistants and a former Maple Ridge councillor, attended the rally on his behalf. “He stands with you in opposing this site,� Ashlie said to the 500 or so people crowded around a stage in the parking lot on the west side of The Pantry, adjoined to the Quality Inn since it was built in the 1980s. See Rally, 8
Colleen Flanagan/THE NEWS
Dalene Lazarenko holds up a sign during a protest rally in front of The Pantry on Saturday.
‘Motel project is just temporary’ MLAs discuss timelines for supportive housing B y Phil M elnyc h u k pmelnychuk@mapleridgenews.com
B.C. Housing minister Rich Coleman, along with MLA Marc Dalton are stressing that a supportive housing project planned for the Quality Inn, after much protest, is temporary. After talking with Coleman on Monday, Dalton said the support-
ive housing complex at the motel may only be open 18 months, until a new facility is built. “He said we’re looking at about 18 months. We’re not talking about long-term. He did tell me very clearly that wherever the long-term housing would go, it has to go through public consultation. “This is an interim step.� Dalton added that the 18-month timeframe is based on the assumption that the city can provide a location along with zoning
and public consultation. Dalton said the temporary homeless shelter on Lougheed Highway in downtown Maple Ridge is closing in about two months after funding to extend its opening was announced March 10. “At that point, the people will be on the streets Dalton and I guess the question we have to ask as a community, ‘do we want to go back to what we had,’ with people camping on city
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streets,� Dalton said. “That is really challenging for us and there is not an easy solution for us.� At a rally on Saturday, hundreds of people shouted down the idea of B.C. Housing spending $5.5 million to buy 61-unit Quality Inn and renovate it to house the remaining 40 people at the temporary shelter. See Motel, 5
Michael Hall/THE NEWS
Close to 700 people attended a rally against supportive housing at the Quality Inn in Maple Ridge on Saturday.
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