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Cycling in dad’s memory
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Protesters chain themselves to Chevron fence Jacob Zinn staff reporter
Several protesters chained themselves to a gate leading into the Chevron refinery in North Burnaby on Friday morning in a stand against exploitative resource extraction in Canada. Activists Dan Wallace, Mia Nissen and Adam Gold spurred a lockdown at the facility by securing themselves to the gate using bicycle D-locks and chains, preventing truck traffic from entering and exiting the refinery. Among their concerns, the protesters noted they are opposed to the Pacific Trail Pipeline, a natural gas pipeline that Chevron is planning to build in Northern B.C. The trio banged drums and held picket signs reading “Climate Crime Scene,” “Stop the Fracking Pipelines” and “Frack Off!” According to a statement from the activists’ spokeswoman Shirley Samples, the protest was also meant “to draw attention the federal and provincial governments’ complete disregard for the earth, Indigenous sovereignty and the reality of climate change.” “We want to demonstrate the extreme measures that ordinary
Jacob Zinn/burnaby now
Protests: Three environmental activists used chains and bike locks to secure themselves to a gate leading into the Chevron refinery in North Burnaby early Friday morning. citizens are willing to take,” reads the statement. “We want to show that each person has the ability to act, and that we must act for the sake of ourselves and future generations. Like many
others taking a stand, we feel a moral obligation.” The statement said the federal and provincial governments are seemingly unwilling to make changes, claiming
the B.C. government’s budget is based on predicted revenue from fracking and that the federal Conservatives have done “extensive spying” on environmental groups.
Samples said the group intended to stay until Chevron and its partners withdraw all permit applications and stop construction on the Pacific Trail Protest Page 3
New civic party questions city reserves Jacob Zinn staff reporter
The Burnaby First Coalition is accusing the Burnaby Citizens Association of unnecessarily raising taxes when the city has more than $1 billion in fiscal reserves. The only thing is, the city doesn’t have more than $1 billion in fiscal reserves.
In a statement, the opposition claims a tax levy of 1.97 per cent is unneeded when the City of Burnaby’s combined investment portfolio and development cost charges total just over 10 figures. The coalition refers specifically to comments made by Coun. Dan Johnston to the NOW earlier this month regarding the levy. “Coun. Dan Johnson (sic) recently stated
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that the tax increase is lower than originally projected,” reads the statement. “He omitted mentioning that Burnaby has relatively liquid financial assets worth at least $1.033 billion – with a ‘B.’ “Burnaby First believes this ‘BCA Billion’ indicates excessive taxation.” But while the city’s 2013 investment portfolio contains long- and short-term
investments valued at $891.9 million, the city’s reserve funds are actually worth $620 million – and much of that money is spoken for. “That’s money that’s held for capital replacements,” said Coun. Dan Johnston, who chairs the city’s finance and civic
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