Burnaby Now October 20 2017

Page 1

CITY 3

Drug smuggler fights for rights

COMMUNITY 11

Dog’s life inspires documentary

SPORTS 32

Burnaby player comes up big

5

THINGS TO DO THIS WEEKEND FRIDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2017

There’s more at Burnabynow.com

LOCAL NEWS – LOCAL MATTERS

NEWS

SEE PAGE 15

RCMP ALERT

ANIMATED

Pipeline could be delayed

Bitcoin scams hook city residents One person loses $28,000 in con

Kinder Morgan cites time required to file for permits and regulatory approvals

By Cornelia Naylor

cnaylor@burnabynow.com

By Tereza Verenca

tverenca@burnabynow.com

The Trans Mountain expansion project could be delayed by several months, Kinder Morgan announced on Wednesday. As part of its third quarter report, the Texas-based company said “construction preparation activity is off to a slower start than planned.” Part of that is due “to the time required to file for, process and obtain all necessary permits and regulatory approvals.” Kinder Morgan said it’s looking at construction mitigation plans so it can maintain the current in-service date of December 2019. “All project planning and schedule mitigation efforts include cost management measures and spend control to maximize project returns, including a reduction in 2017 spending that has already been implemented,” reads the report. Should mitigation efforts fail, the project could be delayed by up to nine months, according to the company. Construction of the $7.4-billion pipeline project was scheduled to start last month. The project, however, has faced fierce opposition from the B.C. NDP, First Nations groups and environmental organizations. It’s also entangled in legal battles with municipalities, including Burnaby and Vancouver. The federal government approved the controversial expansion last November, following the National Energy Board’s recommendation in May 2016 that the project go ahead. The NEB attached 157 conditions to its approval.

EDUCATION INNOVATOR

Vancouver Animation School founder and 10-year Metrotown resident Mario Pochat sits on the steps of his online school’s new headquarters in Burnaby’s Big Bend area. The school celebrated the move from Granville Island with an open house last month. See page 3 for the story. PHOTO CONTRIBUTED

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Burnaby RCMP is sounding the alarm over Bitcoin scams after three separate local cases in the last month. One local resident was swindled out of $28,000 at the end of September and two other cases involved sums between $4,000 and $6,000, according to Sgt. Derek Thibodeau. “It’s relatively new to us,” he said, “and that’s why we’re trying to be proactive and get out in front of it just to alert the public.” In a new twist on an old con, fraudsters are posing as Canada Revenue Agency employees calling about unpaid taxes and threatening potential victims with arrest unless a Bitcoin payment is received immediately. In a variation on the theme, fraudsters pose as police officers and tell potential victims that one of their relatives is in custody and an immediate Bitcoin bail payment is needed for their release. The scams themselves are not new, according to Thibodeau, but this is the first time Burnaby RCMP has dealt with scammers Continued on page 10

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