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Culture crazy
When East meets West
For three days in September, Richmond’s arts and culture community will reveal all its secrets to the public during the national hands-on Culture Days event.
Columnist Melanie Ho examines marital traditions in China and Canada and the differences between Eastern and Western ceremonies.
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Coun. Steves backs two-tower Onni plan It’s a choice of tall or sprawl: Steves BY NELSON BENNETT
nbennett@richmond-news.com
Students, politicians break ground Anderson to get four new classrooms to accommodate all-day K BY NELSON BENNETT
nbennett@richmond-news.com
Local school children picked up shovels and pitched in to help break ground for an expansion at Ecole Henry Anderson elementary school Thursday. But some of them may still be stuck in portable classrooms for some time to come, because the expansion is only to accommodate all-day Kindergarten in 20112012. Thursday’s sod-turning took place a stone’s $
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throw from five portable classrooms, which are not being replaced any time soon. The expansion will see four new classrooms added to Anderson to accommodate all-day kindergarten. Education Minister Margaret MacDiarmid was on hand Thursday to help break ground on the $1.7million expansion. The B.C. government is spending $144 million on school expansions and portable classrooms to handle all-day Kindergarten, which is being partially
implemented this year. That’s in addition to $280 million it is spending over three years to pay for allday kindergarten. “Why are we making this investment in early learning? Because we know how profoundly important it is,” MacDiarmid said. “We know that students who have access to full-day play-based kindergarten are more likely to succeed to go on to post-secondary school.” Five-year-olds acquire knowledge rapidly, so
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it is important to take advantage of that learning capacity, said Linda Reid, MLA for Richmond-East. “Any time we can support the curiosity of learning, we absolutely want to do that,” she said. There are concerns, however, that the budget cuts school districts like Richmond’s have had to make only means a shift, with more investment at the front of the system at the expense of the other end — older students. There will be fewer see Portables page 4
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Education Minister Margaret MacDiarmid, centre, and MLA Linda Reid, third from left, look on as students attempt to break ground at a ceremony to mark the beginning of the expansion of Anderson elementary.
“Do we want sprawl, or tall? That’s the choice.” That is the central question in Onni’s two-tower proposal for the Steveston waterfront, says Coun. Harold Steves. Onni plans to seek a rezoning to allow it to change its plans for a sliver of land left over from its Imperial Landing development on the Steveston waterfront at 4300 Bayview Street. The plan calls for one 10- and one 12-storey residential tower and is generating opposition from citizens who say the two towers are out of character for Steveston, and might be the thin edge of the wedge that could see even more mid- and high-rises built in Steveston — something Steves agrees is very likely. “Once you allow it, you can’t stop it,” says Kilyn HogarthDavis, who wants Onni to stick with the zoning it has. “It’s only a matter of time until other developers come up with the same proposal.” Steves agrees, and adds: “I don’t see anything wrong with that.” He said the gentrification of Steveston is already welladvanced. “Now the gentrified people don’t want to see any changes,” he said. “The Steveston I knew no longer exists, so I don’t know what they’re talking about.” Steves hastens to add that there are height restrictions in place for all development west of No. 1 Road in the historic Steveston Village proper, but none east of No. 1 Road. Onni’s proposal includes no affordable housing, but does include a $500,000 donation to the Steveston Community Centre and two acres of waterfront property for public use. The current zoning already permits Onni to build up to 52 residential units up to three storeys high. The problem, Steves said, is that the current zoning — and development permit — would allow the buildings to come right up to within 30 feet of the public walkway along the waterfront. Allowing Onni to “stack” what it is already allowed to build, and increase density from the current 52 units to 200, would allow the developer to move the footprint back from the public walkway, and donate two acres of the 3.5 acre parcel to the city. “The overwhelming response from every open house we’ve had is that Onni should donate this land to the city,” says Onni spokesman Chris Evans. “They want public use of the waterfront.” see Highrises page 3