Tuesday, March 15, 2011 As the TIMES’ newest columnist, local veterinarian Dr. Michael Orser share some tips on animal care.
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Global disaster
Students reach out to aid Japan Kids from Meadowridge School were only days from going on another exchange to the Asian continent before the tragedy hit.
quake, which kept it safe from tsunami damage. Now, the students who were going to head to Japan this year are teaming up with students who went on the exchange last year to come up with ways the school can help with the relief efforts for Japan. Currently, the group has only brainstormed possibilities, but their ideas are by Brian Russell certainly motivated by goodwill. editorial@mrtimes.com “We were thinking of a ‘Bs for Japan’ Shock and disbelief were common thing, so we would have buttons... and responses from the students who were we would have a boogie, and a bake looking forward to being at their sister sale, and a benefit concert,” said Geneva school in Japan this week. Weber, who visited Japan last year with Every year, Meadowridge her classmates. “We were thinking School in Maple Ridge Audrey Kang had an sends a group of interested idea that was very close to of a ‘Bs for Japan’ students to Toei Junior home. thing, so we would High, located in the city “I was thinking that of Sapporo, captial of [all of the students] could have buttons… and Hokkaido Prefecture. go around to their parwe would have a But the earthquakes and ents and relatives and do boogie, and a bake tsunami that destroyed chores and... collect some parts of Japan on money to give to the govsale, and a benefit Thursday put this year’s ernment [of Japan] so that concert.” trip, which would have they can help people,” Geneva Weber started in a few days, on Kang said. hold. And even with the tra“I was really devasgedy spread across all tated because I have a really, really good forms of media, one student sees a posifriend, and some of her family lives in tive angle on it all. Japan,” said Keanna Cloete-Senner, one “I felt sad, too, but also, I felt kind of of the students who will be welcoming relieved that we have [the] technology Toei Junior High students to Maple Ridge [that lets] everyone get educated that this in one month. is going on,” said Holly Leonard. Toei Junior High is located higher up The exchange trip for next year is still than the regions that were hit during the scheduled to take place.
Meadowridge School students Layne Liberty and Haley Milne (right) during an exchange trip to Japan last year.
Shopping
Public input now invited into Albion plan
A draft concept for the Albion Flats includes large green spaces and stream setbacks. by Maria Rantanen
mrantanen@mrtimes.com
A session for the public to comment on the plan for the Albion Flats is being planned for March 30. Maple Ridge council decided to forward its latest rendition of the Albion plan to the March 22 council meeting, but in the meantime, they are moving forward with a public information meeting at the end of the month.
Councillor Michael Morden and Some Maple Ridge councilMayor Ernie Daykin both said lors said the amount of land they had received an email indithat would be in an exclusion cating some residents application to the think the plan is already Agricultural Land going to the Agricultural Commission isn’t corLand Commission for rectly represented on exclusion. the concept plans that “This is a long council is considering. way from being finThe reworked plan ished,” Morden said at that council wants Monday’s workshop to bring to a public meeting. “This is a conmeeting is about 67 cept – we’ve got a long per cent green space way to go.” and recreational, Michael Morden Concerns were also Coun. Al Hogarth Maple Ridge councillor raised at Monday’s said. council workshop about the The plan, which staff said perception of the amount of will be called the “draft concept development being proposed. plan,” includes just over 100
acres of green space and stream setbacks, and about eight acres of “agricultural fields,” which could be for small-plot community gardening. It also includes 40 acres of recreational space. Council looked at four options for the Albion Flats a month ago and asked for the second scenario to be reworked with some agricultural buildings, a neighbourhood pub component, and a community centre or meeting space. Christine Carter, manager of community planning with the District of Maple Ridge, confirmed that the land doesn’t contain enough space to include offsets to satisfy the ALC.
Any offsets to agriculture will have to be off-site, Coun. Craig Speirs pointed out, saying the reworked plan is “very dense.” “This is not very smart planning,” Speirs said. He added he would like to see an agriculture benefit with a three-to-four to one ratio – Surrey has a policy with a 2:1 ratio. Speirs said he’d like all the other concept plans to be at the public meeting recognizing that the reworked plan is council’s preferred option. However, Coun. Cheryl Ashlie countered that they “are not redebating the other plans,” and that the reworked plan is the one council wants.
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