Tuesday, January 25, 2011 Maple Ridge Museum receives a donation of old cameras and pictures from a local family.
Page A3
ary Annivers 1985-2010
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Traffic accident
Man run down on Dewdney
A Maple Ridge pedestrian was killed Saturday afternoon, after being struck by a pickup truck. by Amy Judd ajudd@mrtimes.com
Teija Beck/TIMES
Anxious to move into the new cat condo
Volunteers and animals alike at the Maple Ridge SPCA are anxiously awaiting the completion of a new shelter under construction on the existing Albion site. All the occupants hope to make the move into the new digs within the month. In the meantime, volunteer Maggie Meyers spent some time Saturday visiting with the 11 cats still being housed in the dilapidated, old shelter. The 12-year-old has been a volunteer since October 2009. “I wanted something to do. Mostly I love the cats and doggies and rabbits,” she told the TIMES.
Ridge Meadows RCMP are still trying to determine if a 63-year-old man, who was killed this weekend, was in the crosswalk of Dewdney Trunk Road and 222 Street when he was struck. Police were called out at about 10:10 a.m. on Saturday morning, along with the Maple Ridge fire department and B.C. Ambulance Services. The older man was immediately transported to hospital, but he succumbed to his injuries, said Supt. Dave Walsh. As of press deadline, police were not releasing his name or details of his death. The pickup truck that struck the man was driven by a 59-year-old Maple Ridge woman, who was turning left off 222nd Street, and proceeding west on Dewdney. No charges have been filed against the woman at this time. While hunting for the cause of the accident, police are saying weather is not believed to be a factor. The investigation is still in the beginning phase. Anyone with any information regarding the incident is asked to call Ridge Meadows RCMP at 604-463-6251.
Education
Douglas College revisits Ridge expansion
Maple Ridge’s economic strategy includes increasing post-secondary educational options locally. by Maria Rantanen
mrantanen@mrtimes.com
Douglas College is exploring the viability of once again offering post-secondary education in Maple Ridge. The president of Douglas College will be at tonight’s Maple Ridge council meeting seeking input into what post-secondary needs exist in the community. While the current plan is not for a “bricks and mortar” campus, Scott McAlpine, who’s been president of the
college for 15 months, would like to consult with the District of Maple Ridge on what programs might be in demand locally, and what would be viable for the long-term in the community. “The question for us, is there a viable program or set of programs for Maple Ridge?” McAlpine said. Douglas College is a community-based college with a strong academic focus, and currently 50 per cent of their courses are university transfer courses. There are currently 8,000 students attending Douglas College, and between 500 and 800 are from Maple Ridge. The college staff want to see how they can better serve the community. “When people have to leave (their) community... they’re much less likely to
attend post-secondary,” McAlpine said. Douglas College has just completed a strategic plan based on recent consultation meetings. The college is on a “growth trajectory,” McAlpine said, and the plan is to increase its enrolment to 9,000 from its current enrolment of 8,000 over the next three years. The college would consider different models of teaching for Maple Ridge and that might be a combination of direct, face-to-face instruction, video conferencing, and online learning. Because post-secondary education is “very, very broad,” the college wouldn’t want to compete with its own campuses. “We need to look at clearly articulated demand,” McAlpine said. As a community college, “Douglas
College is here to serve the communities that are within our region.” However, it has to be economically viable, he said. Douglas College offered courses at Thomas Haney Secondary from 1992 to 2003, but the college had to pull out, which McAlpine said is not good for the college’s reputation or the community. “We have to be very prudent about what we offer in Maple Ridge,” he said. Maple Ridge Mayor Ernie Daykin said he met with the president of Douglas College to discuss opportunties for postsecondary education in Maple Ridge. While he’s not expecting a campus to be built locally, Daykin said that education is one of the focus areas of the District’s economic strategy along with high-tech and tourism.
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