FRIDAY JULY 29, 2016 VOL. 42, NO. 76
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Compassion, tolerance needed for Deep Bay Letters to the Editor
Mountain Trike ready to be checked out
The Dancehall Years
Union Steamship era comes to life in new novel
Trail-friendly wheelchair now available
Burnaby man nearly drowns after 12-metre fall from bluff MARIA SPITALE-LEISK EDITOR
considerations, that some of the lots in Deep Bay, for example, might not be able to accommodate a secondary suite regardless. Council then debated whether or not the current size restriction of 90 square metres maximum floor area for a secondary suite is sufficient. There was a fulsome discussion about either putting a cap on
A Burnaby man says he is going to buy a lottery ticket after he fell 12 metres from a cliff and nearly drowned early Saturday in waters off of Apodaca Provincial Park. “I just remember trying not to drown and then knowing that if I didn’t find a way out I’d be dead,” Graham Cross told the Undercurrent Tuesday morning from Lions Gate Hospital where he is recovering from serious injuries. Cross was camping on private property adjacent to Apodaca, on the north-west side of the park with some friends Friday night. “We just had a quiet night and set up camp randomly and we were going to carry on to Apodaca the next day,” recalled Cross, groggily by telephone from his hospital bed. The 34-year-old, who is now recovering from a brain injury, is still trying to piece together what happened after he went to sleep in his tent, which was placed 15 to 20 feet from the edge of a bluff in a mossy area. “I’m thinking what I did is I just kind of got up half asleep and went to go pee or something and just fell (off a cliff),” said Cross. The next thing he knew, Cross was fighting to keep his head above water through the excruciating pain of fractured vertebrae and a foot that was “snapped in half.” He figures he hit some rocks at the bottom of the water upon impact. “There were waves crashing. I don’t know if a boat had gone by or if there was a tidal change, but I was fighting waves in the water, fully submerged,” said Cross. “Then I was drawn out (to the ocean) and had to scramble and climb up the cliff. I just knew I was going to die if I didn’t do it. My right lung filled with water and I very nearly drowned.” Cross managed to crawl up onto a ledge above the water line where he laid for six hours in the middle of the night hoping that someone would hear his cries for help. “I couldn’t move,” said Cross. “I was trying to signal boats going by, like wave them over, and I was yelling ‘help’ and stuff.” His friends were asleep at the top of the bluff and oblivious to the fact Cross was missing until around 9:30 a.m. when one of them spotted him down below and called 9-1-1.
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A heron takes flight as beachgoers enjoy a lazy Sunday afternoon in Deep Bay. MARIA SPITALE-LEISK photo
Council closer to secondary suite regulation MARIA SPITALE-LEISK EDITOR
Bowen Island council is allowing for some breathing room when it comes to the size of detached secondary suites residents can build on their property. On Monday council debated bylaws designed to regulate detached secondary suites, thereby adding diversity to Bowen’s housing stock.
Previously, detached secondary suites were only allowed on properties .4 hectares or larger, whereas now council has decided to get rid of the minimum size requirement as long as the new suite fits within the setback and lot coverage requirements. Coun. Sue Ellen Fast, saying she wanted to keep the status quo for lot size restrictions, voted against the motion.
“I think it would really change the neighbourhood in places like Deep Bay,” said Fast. “You’d lose the trees, you’d lose the sense of backyards for children to play in. I think it would change the rural quality and the nature of neighbourhoods.” Many on council were quick to point out that there are other restrictions on properties when it comes to development, including septic and parking
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