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City shooting was ‘targeted’ Cayley Dobie staff reporter
One man is dead following a shooting outside of a Brentwood condo late Wednesday night. Burnaby RCMP responded to calls of shots fired in the 2000 block of Rosser Avenue just off Lougheed Highway near Brentwood Town Centre around 10:30 p.m. Upon arrival, officers found a body lying on the ground next to a black car, according to a media release from homicide police. The man, identified as 20-year-old Aladdin Ramadan, was declared dead at the scene, and Burnaby RCMP quickly notified the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team, which is now leading the investigation. Not much is known about the shooting at this time, but investigators believe it was targeted and are trying to determine a motive. Police are now looking for three suspects who fled the scene southbound on Rosser Avenue “in a smaller, silver or blue compact vehicle.” The driver is described as a Persian man with a short haircut, shaved on the side with sideburns. He appeared clean-cut and was wearing dark clothing. Death Page 8
Shane MacKichan/burnaby now
On the case: Homicide investigators were on the scene of a fatal shooting at 2077 Rosser Ave. Wednesday night at around 10:30 p.m.. Burnaby RCMP went to the area following reports of shots fired and discovered the victim dead and lying in the street.
Municipal managers’ pay hikes draw fire Jacob Zinn staff reporter
More than a dozen Lower Mainland municipalities, including Burnaby, have come under fire following the release of a report highlighting a disparity in wage increases between local governments and the B.C. Liberals. The report – compiled by Ernst & Young, commissioned by the provincial government and leaked by the Canadian
Taxpayers Federation – notes that union wages for city workers across B.C. went up 38 per cent between 2001 and 2012, compared to the B.C. government’s 19 per cent raise for public service employees. It also cites municipal data from 2011 highlighting the salaries of local city managers that outpace the pay of provincial deputy ministers. At the time, Burnaby city manager Bob Moncur’s pay was on par with the average deputy minister’s salary of about $230,000.
In the years since, his wage cleared $250,000, making him the highest paid member at Burnaby city hall. Moncur was one of 19 Burnaby employees to make more than $150,000 in 2013. But Coun. Dan Johnston, who chairs the city’s finance and civic development committee, said the high wages for executive employees are justified. “If there’s an increase, it’s usually based on merit,” he said, noting pay raises comes with additional responsibility.
“The other thing is, some of the higher wages are firefighters, and for the most part, they’re arbitrated salaries, so we don’t have a lot of say. They come in with a request, the mediator makes a decision and that’s what we pay them.” However, Burnaby First mayoral candidate Daren Hancott said he thinks it’s time municipal governments take a serious look at the level of increases issued to city workers. Pay Page 8
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Saturday, September 27 9:00 - 10:30 am Caffe Artigiano 4359 Hastings, Burnaby
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604.775.0778
Richard.Lee.MLA@leg.bc.ca www.richardleemla.bc.ca