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Get ready to drop, cover and hold The phrase “drop, cover and hold” will take on a new level of significance next week, as the province’s largest earthquake preparedness drill touches down in the TriCities. Slated for 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 26, the firstever Great British Columbia ShakeOut will see governments in Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam and Port Moody, along with 22 schools in School District 43, take part in the event. “The purpose of the drill really is two-fold: it’s to educate the public that there is, in fact, an earthquake risk here in British Columbia, and to also educate them on correct protective actions during an earthquake,” said Karen Basi, Coquitlam’s emergency programs manager, at Monday’s council meeting. Organized by the BC Earthquake Alliance Society, the day’s events are meant to reinforce the practice of “drop, cover and hold,” while also highlighting the need for preparation at home or at the workplace. At 10 a.m. next Wednesday, participants will be asked to drop to the ground and take cover under a desk or table while protecting their heads and necks. In the event that a table or desk isn’t available, participants will be instructed to crouch near the corner of a building. The procedure will last for one minute, during which time those taking part will assess the risks around them — falling debris or large items that aren’t anchored down. As of Tuesday, more than 330,000 participants had registered to take part in the event, which was scheduled to coincide with the magnitude CONT. ON PAGE 4, see SHAKEOUT.
Paul vanPeenen/NOW
CHOICES, CHOICES: Brynn, left, and Skyler, both 8, look at dresses available through the New to You Fancy Dress Swap held Tuesday at Leigh Elementary. Girls bought used dresses for $5 and shoes for $2, with proceeds going to the Gaby Davis Foundation. The event was a lead-up to the school’s Father-Daughter Snowflake Ball, set for Feb. 4. Visit www.thenownews.com for a photo gallery of the dress swap.
Coquitlam looks at online voting Stories by John Kurucz jkurucz@thenownews.com The City of Coquitlam may soon join Vancouver and Surrey in trying to establish an online voting system, though it’s unlikely any changes will be made before municipal elections later this year. Coquitlam’s entry into the debate came Monday, when Coun. Linda Reimer tabled a notice of motion asking the province to pass legislation — preferably in the next sitting of the legislature — to allow for the move. “It seems that it could be somewhat difficult for 2011, but I think if we all make it clear that we want to move in this direction, then we could certainly have it in place for 2014, if not in 2011,” Reimer said in an interview Tuesday. Reimer’s motion also calls for the province and
Elections BC to source out potential service providers to enable the online shift. Set to be voted upon at the Feb. 7 council meeting, Reimer’s motion has also been sent to all other B.C. municipalities. “I think some provincial government action would be a good idea, rather than each municipality inventing the wheel for itself, or taking all its guidance from one supplier,” said Coun. Neal Nicholson, who seconded Reimer’s motion. Reimer said her motivation in bringing the motion forward is two-fold: to bolster overall voter turnout and engage younger generations in the political process. The 2010 byelection saw a 7.6-percent voter turnout, while the 2008 general election attracted 21.5 per cent of eligible voters. The 2007 byelection saw just 5.1 per cent of eligible voters cast a ballot. “When you think about it, everybody is living online now and we have to change with the times,”
Reimer said. “We have to make sure that our young people are engaged in the political process, and this is one way of ensuring that.” Local governments in both Surrey and Vancouver have also suggested that they want to move to an online voting model. Vancouver Coun. Andrea Reimer recently tabled a similar notice of motion that will be heard at an upcoming Vancouver city council meeting. Her motion suggests that more than 30 municipalities in Ontario and parts of Eastern Canada have adopted the online model, and that recent Elections Canada research indicates that 57 per cent of non-voters cited “time pressures” as their primary reason for not voting. “[Online voting] kind of makes a lot sense,” Mayor Richard Stewart said Tuesday. “It perhaps allows CONTINUED ON PAGE 10, see ONLINE VOTING.
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