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February 8, 2019 (Vol. 44 No. 12)
V O I C E
O F
W H I T E
R O C K
A N D
S O U T H
S U R R E Y
w w w. p e a c e a r c h n e w s . c o m
Courting success: Semiahmoo Secondary’s Tara Wallack has found success in a number of sports through the years, and is now looking to help her Totems capture a senior girls basketball title. › see page 21
Bird Food Sale All 20 Lb Bags of Seed on Sale! Save on Suet and Seed Cylinders!
*Valid in-store at Surrey Wild Birds Unlimited. Offer not valid on previous purchases or sale items. Offer valid until February 28, 2019 2421 King George Blvd, Surrey, BC • (604) • www.wbu.com/surrey BIRD FOOD • FEEDERS • GARDEN ACCENTS • UNIQUE GIFTS
More than 500 tons of debris removed from beach west of white rock
Section of White Rock Promenade reopens Aaron Hinks Staff reporter
Tracy Holmes photo
Fiona McDiarmid awaits the opening of a section of the White Rock Promenade near the iconic pier late Thursday morning. The popular walkway, closed since a devastating windstorm blew through the Lower Mainland on Dec. 20, was scheduled to reopen at noon.
After more than a month of heavy lifting, the City of White Rock has reopened a stretch of the beach and promenade. While East Beach is still closed, a section of West Beach, from near the white rock to the pier, has been opened to the public. According to the city’s website, more than 500 tons of logs and garbage were removed from that section of the waterfront by city staff and BNSF Railway. Hazardous materials such as fuel tanks, batteries, metal fragments and boat components were also removed. Beach access has been restricted since a Dec. 20 storm caused havoc on the city’s waterfront. “I am so pleased to hear that we will be reopening this area of the promenade, two days ahead of schedule,” Mayor Darryl Walker said in the city’s post. “Staff and our partners have been working hard to clean up the debris, garbage, and hazardous material since the December 20, 2018 storm hit our waterfront.” Continued on A4
Cutting of hundreds of trees related to sewer and water project, Chief Harley Chappell confirms
SFN infrastructure project begins with tree removal Aaron Hinks Staff reporter
Semiahmoo First Nation is in the process of removing what appears to be hundreds of trees from reserve property. Several piles of cut trees were laid out at the corner of Beach Road and Highway 99 Wednesday morning. A spokesperson for SFN told Peace Arch News Wednesday morning that the trees were being removed for an “infrastructure project,” but would neither confirm nor deny whether the project is related to a servicing agreement between
Last Summer, Chappell and then-Surrey SFN and the City of Surrey. However, after PAN published an article mayor Linda Hepner signed an agreeonline about the trees being removed, ment which could result in connection SFN Chief Harley to sanitary-sewer infraChappell confirmed via ❝It’s taken almost 40 years structure and water for Facebook that the work for us to get to this point. fire protection for the is pre-work for water/ first time in the nation’s It’s historic for us.❞ sewer infrastructure, history. Harley Chappell which is scheduled to “It’s huge – it’s monuSFN chief break ground within the mental,” Chappell told next few months. PAN in July. “Our late Aaron Hinks photo “Trees are removed prior to March 1st uncle, Grand Chief Bernard Charles, to ensure bird nesting window is protect- started the process of negotiating a con- Piles of trees rest near the Beach Road and Highway 99 intersection ed,” Chappell wrote. Continued on A4 Wednesday morning.
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