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Students tune into the need for arts education during sixth-annual Music Monday.
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Your source for local news, sports, weather and entertainment. www.thenownews.com
Police review older complaint against teacher
Society wades into smoking debate
Case now includes fall allegations
John Kurucz jkurucz@thenownews.com The question will soon be put before residents at polling stations, but some council hopefuls got to weigh in on the issue a week earlier. The city’s proposed smoking ban on public patios was a topic of discussion at Wednesday’s all-candidates meeting in Maillardville, when a representative from the Canadian Cancer Society asked three council candidates about their position on the proposed ban. Ashley Duyker, the society’s community action co-ordinator, asked Neal Nicholson, Andy Wickey and Terry O’Neill for opinions on both the proposed smoking ban and a potential municipal ban on cosmetic pesticide use. Duyker, however, went further than the city’s proposal and asked for opinions on a smoking ban for all public patios, not just where those under 16 may be present. “That exemption is not necessary,” Duyker said in an interview Thursday. “Councillors need to be educated on that because they think that may be the gold standard when it’s not.” Although Nicholson said the rights of both smokers and non-smokers need to respected, he indicated support for both policies. “I would support a ban on cosmetic pesticides throughout the city and a vastly improved and increased ban on smoking in public areas, areas where second-hand smoke has the possibility of affecting others,” he said. A notice of motion introduced earlier this year to ban smoking on all patios where those under the age of 16 CONT. ON PAGE 8, see SMOKE.
Kevin Hill/NOW
TEA FOR TWO: Port Moody Station Museum program and events co-ordinator Rebecca Clarke warms up the teapot in anticipation of Sunday’s annual Mother’s Day tea. From noon to 3 p.m., moms will be treated to tea and scones served in the museum’s 1921 Venosta rail car. Admission is $5, and spaces are first come, first served.
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He confirmed the alleged October incident also reportedly involved students, but he would not say how many kids were involved. So far, he said, no charges have been laid. “Obviously our investigators are still pursuing those Jennifer McFee avenues of investigation. We don’t have the exact charges jmcfee@thenownews.com or how many counts,” Paquet said. Coquitlam RCMP are The RCMP contacted extending their investigaDistrict 43 on March 10 when tion of a substitute teacher the criminal investigation charged with sex crimes to began, Paquet added. include allegations dating “We spoke to the school back to last fall. district that day to let them Police began investigating know of what we became Aleksandr Plehanov aware of, and then on March 10 after they followed their parents reported own process,” he the School District said. 43 teacher had District 43 allegedly touched spokesperson their Grade 3 Cheryl Quinton daughter inapprosaid due to privacy priately. Two classlaws, she could not mates made similar confirm whether complaints. the district had Plehanov, 35, received any was arrested at complaints about his Burnaby home Aleksandr Plehanov Plehanov prior to eight days later March 10. and has since been “We act on complaints charged with three counts quickly and follow through each of sexual interference, on processes,” Quinton said. sexual exploitation and sexual “But we just cannot talk about assault. specifics of any processes or But the alleged problems outcomes because we do folmay have begun sooner than low the protection of privacy that. legislation.” Cpl. Bert Paquet said However, the B.C. College similar allegations were made of Teachers received an earlier in October 2009 against complaint about Plehanov, Plehanov, who taught at 42 which prompted it to launch Tri-Cities schools in the past its own investigation on three years. He said the RCMP March 5. became aware of the fall alleNatasha Dookie, director of gations sometime after March professional conduct, said she 10, but he did not provide a couldn’t confirm who made specific date. the complaint or when it was Paquet said he didn’t have reported. the details of how the comIn general, she said, complaint surfaced, but he said plaints about teachers can he believed allegations were come from parents, school reported “in the same fashion districts, police, community through kids that told their CONT. ON PG. 4, see EMPLOYERS. parents.”