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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 10, 2016
LOCAL NEWS – LOCAL MATTERS
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Zoning complaint launched
Thieves nab cell phones
By Jeremy Deutsch
By Jeremy Deutsch
The political party that challenged but eventually lost the last civic election in Burnaby has filed a complaint with the province’s ombudsperson over city hall’s rezoning practices. On Tuesday, members of the Burnaby First Coalition (BCF) announced the Office of the Ombudsperson will investigate Burnaby’s rezoning practices in response to a complaint from Helen Ward, the chair of the party. In a press conference outside city hall, Ward suggested the basic issue behind the complaint is that the city made changes to density and amended community plans without broad public consultation. Specifically, she said in 2010 the city passed text amendments to “create supersize density” in Burnaby’s four town centres. She also claimed consultation was to begin on the Metrotown community plan, but in 2011, the consultation was put on hold because city staff were too busy. Ward said Burnaby did not do the required amendments and consultations prior to allowing rezoning for density far in excess of what existing community plans describe. She argued the city was in violation of the Local Government Act and made the complaint to the ombudsperson. A spokesperson for the Office of the BC Ombudsperson told the NOW it couldn’t say whether or not the complaint is being investigated, citing privacy concerns. The BFC said the complaint is a direct response to the demoviction issues in Metrotown. Ward criticized the city, suggesting apartments in the Maywood area of Metrotown are protected under the community plan but are still being demolished. “I’d like to see a stop to the demolition of these apartments,” she said. “Burnaby has lots of land that could be developed without kicking people out.” Burnaby Mayor Derek Corrigan said he is aware of the party’s complaint, but noted the city hasn’t received a copy from the ombudsperson. In response, he said there is no basis for the complaint, suggesting the group is Continued on page 5
Burnaby Mounties are warning the public to keep their cell phones out of sight when walking alone after a rash of robberies and attempted robberies of the devices on the weekend. In all, there were five alleged incidents in a three-hour span where a group of young men allegedly tried to steal smartphones from separate victims Sunday evening, according to RCMP. The first robbery happened around 9 p.m. that night in the 9800 block of Austin Avenue near the Lougheed SkyTrain station. Police said a man and his friend made an arrangement to meet up with someone to sell his smartphone. After a discussion, the prospective buyer pulled out a can of pepper spray, spraying the victim and running away with his phone. Two suspects were arrested shortly after by police. An hour later, a group of suspects tried to grab the phone of a woman walking in the area of the Patterson SkyTrain station but was unsuccessful. Fewer than 20 minutes later, three to four youth robbed a man of his iPhone. In this case, police arrested three people, but the arrests didn’t stop the robbery spree. Just a half-hour after the third incident, another person was the victim of an attempted cell phone robbery in the area. The suspects didn’t get the phone in that case and ran off. And just before midnight, a man in the 6700 block of Sussex Avenue was the fifth victim of the evening. Police said four men jumped the victim, knocking him to the ground and allegedly stealing a number of items including a wallet.The man suffered minor injuries to his shoulder. Burnaby RCMP Staff-Sgt. Major John Buis said there were no arrests made in the final two incidents, but investigators believe all the cases may be linked to a group of young men. There also may be other victims, as the police recovered a cell phone but haven’t identified the owner.
jdeutsch@burnabynow.com
jdeutsch@burnabynow.com
BLUES FEST: The annual Burnaby Blues + Roots Festival drew an additional 1,000 people to
Deer Lake Park this past weekend. Organizers credit headliner Colin James, pictured above, for boosting attendance. Of course, the sunny weather helped, too. For more coverage on the festival see page 3 and 4, and for more photos, go to www.burnabynow.com. PHOTO CHUNG CHOW
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