Serving Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Port Moody, Anmore and Belcarra since 1984
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April 1, 2011 Look for the Spring LOOK Edition coming April 13th
Tri-Cities residents collect used golf clubs to raise funds for grandmothers in Africa.
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Bait car program expands in B.C. Jennifer McFee jmcfee@thenownews.com Watch out trailer thieves — you’re being baited. Bait trailers are being added to the provincial bait car program, Solicitor General Shirley Bond announced Thursday during the launch of auto crime enforcement month. The bait trailers will include recreational and camping-type trailers, as well as mobile cargo and utility units. They will be equipped with hidden GPS systems and planted throughout B.C. “This is the latest weapon in the highly successful Integrated Municipal Provincial Auto Crime Team (IMPACT) arsenal, which puts thieves behind bars on a regular basis,” Bond said in a press release. Trailer theft has remained constant at about 500 incidents per year across the province since the bait car program was introduced in 2003. Car theft, however, has dropped annually for the past seven years by a total of 65 per cent. In 2010, there were 9,000 car thefts in B.C., down from 26,000 in 2003. The success rates are even more impressive in the TriCities. In 2010, Coquitlam saw 210 car thefts, down 81 per cent from 1,100 in 2003. In Port Coquitlam, there were 120 car thefts last year, down 75 per cent from 490 in 2003. Meanwhile Port Moody logged 20 car thefts in 2010, down more than 80 per cent from 110 in 2003. In addition to cars and trailers, other bait vehicles include motorcycles, ATVs, boats and snowmobiles.
Paul vanPeenen/NOW
Keith Snyder, managing director of the Tozenji Buddhist Temple in Coquitlam, is planning a Rummage Sale Under the Cherry Trees for April 16.
Buddhist garage sale will help Japan Simone Blais sblais@thenownews.com Practitioners who attend Tozenji Buddhist Temple are cleaning out their closets for a very special cause. The Coquitlam temple is once again taking part in the annual citywide garage sale by offering used items for sale, but this year proceeds will go to help earthquake relief efforts in Japan. “A lot of Japanese people are connected with this temple not just for the religious part, but they come here for martial arts and tea ceremony. So we have a lot of contacts,” said Keith Snyder, the temple’s managing director. “We were very concerned at first. But it’s interesting because most of the people we know or the people who come here are connected to the western side or the southern side, like Osaka.” On March 11, northeastern Japan was rocked by a 9.0-magnitude earthquake, the largest tremor on
record in the quake-prone country’s history. That was followed by a massive tsunami, which killed thousands. Compounding the natural disaster has been trouble with the nuclear power plant in the Fukushima prefecture. The International Atomic Energy Agency said the earthquake cut off power to the plant’s reactor cooling systems, and backup generators were disabled by tsunami flooding — leaving a buildup of pressure to cause explosions in several reactors and containment breaches. Radiation detectors have been set up not only throughout Japan, but in locations like B.C. as well. Snyder said many local practitioners have relatives in Tokyo, and no matter how much they are impacted, Tri-Cities practitioners empathize with the plight of Japan. “Everyone is psychologically affected by it,” he said. Rummage Sale Under the Cherry Trees is what temple members are calling the fundraising event,
which will feature not only the regular garage-sale fare but plants — as well as musicians playing traditional Japanese instruments. “We have a tea room for traditional Japanese tea ceremony,” Snyder said, adding that a special matcha service will be offered. “People can have a Japanese sweet and matcha served in the tea room. There will be Japanese sweets and baked goods, too.” The temple may have more entertainment lined up depending on what practitioners come up with, but Snyder said the view of Tozenji’s blooming cherry trees will also be worth the visit. “It’s a little different than the fundraisers that are just asking for money. It’s a rummage sale,” he said. “If people want to donate, we can issue official receipts also. Basically we’re going to give all the money that comes in from the rummage sale to earthquake relief.” The Tozenji Buddhist Temple is located at 209 Jackson St. in Coquitlam. The sale will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 16.