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District hires architect
A week after Richmond trustees voted to cut 100 jobs, it has reluctantly agreed to hire an architect to oversee the installation of portable classrooms.
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Toast of the Coast
Aerial spraying delayed
A pair of Richmond teams were victorious on home turf as 44 of the top youth soccer squad in the region did battle in the Coastal Cup championships.
The chemical spraying over central Richmond to combat gypsy moths was delayed until today (Wednesday). Check www.for.gov.bc.ca/ gypsymoth for latest details.
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Lawyer disbarred for ‘lying, stealing’ Blinkhorn misappropriated funds BY ALAN CAMPBELL
acampbell@richmond-news.com
A Richmond lawyer has been disbarred after being exposed for years of peddling lies to clients and stealing tens of thousands of dollars from them. David Blinkhorn — who used to practise from an office on Westminster Highway and Minoru Boulevard — was disbarred by the Law Society of BC last week. The society’s disciplinary panel dealt out its penalty after it became apparent almost three years ago that general practice lawyer Blinkhorn had left a trail of financial misery in his wake. He was found guilty of professional misconduct between 1999 and 2006, mostly for taking money from client bank accounts without keeping records of the transactions, the panel said in its report. The panel said he misappropriated trust funds from a number of clients and that “stealing and lying is exactly what he did, repetitively, for an — Law Society of BC extended period of time.” After the allegations surfaced in 2007, the society ordered a forensic audit. Their investigations uncovered repeated raids by Blinkhorn of their client’s accounts. Most of the time, when the clients later requested the funds that were supposed to be held in trust, Blinkhorn would cover his tracks by paying the clients from other customer’s accounts. In one such instance, Richmond resident Phyllis Taylor had Blinkhorn draw up a will to distribute her $260,000 estate in 2004, shortly before her death. A niece was due $5,000, with a second beneficiary getting a $25,000 education trust fund. The remainder was to be divided between the Richmond Hospital Foundation, the SPCA, the Salvation Army and a scholarship fund for students British or Irish descent who live in Richmond. The Phyllis Taylor Scholarship Fund was to be funded with $100,000 from the estate. see Lawyer page 6
CHUNG CHOW/RICHMOND NEWS
Mayor Malcolm Brodie and Aspac development director Raymond Li unveil plans to bring a Coal Harbour-like project to Richmond. The 2,600 luxury residential units will be spread out over 28 acres on either side of the Olympic oval.
DEVELOPMENT
Coal Harbour comes to town Coal Harbour is coming to Richmond. Aspac Developments Tuesday announced the first phase of its River Green project — a massive, multi-billion luxury waterfront development that will stretch over 28 acres of waterfront property on either side of the Richmond Speed Skating Oval. “We are pleased to present Aspac’s plans to carry the torch for the oval legacy,” said John Ryan, senior management executive for Aspac, the company that transformed Coal Harbour from an industrial area into an upscale waterfront community. Construction is set to begin this year on six residential buildings just west of the Olympic Oval. The luxury condos — up to 16 storeys in height — will have mountain and water views, and the buildings will feature “green” features like storm
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water recycling and rooftops gardens. Raymond Li, director and senior vice-president for Aspac, said sales on the first phase alone is expected to be $400 million. The long-term plan calls for 25 to 30 buildings, built over 10 or 15 years, on either side of the oval. There would be a total of up to 2,600 residential units. The development area lies along the Middle Arm River bordered by the No. 2 Road and Dinsmore bridges. “It’s easily over a $1 or $2 billion investment,” Li said of the total longterm project. The first phase will see 458 residential units built in six buildings. They will range in size from 700 square feet to a dozen 4,000-square foot penthouse apartments, said George Wong, principal of Magnum Projects, which will be marketing the new condos. The buildings will be “stepped” back from the water in order to allow the buildings to have mountain and water views. The pathway along the river will
remain in city hands and open to the public. Prices for the condos have not been set yet, although Aspac’s liberal use of words like “exclusive” and “luxury” suggests the condos won’t be cheap. The first phase is slated for completion in two-and-a-half years. But presales will begin in May. The project’s sales showroom is located on the river side of the Olympic Oval in what will eventually become a restaurant. The 28 acres of land to be developed includes 18.6 acres that Aspac purchased from the city for $141 million, which helped pay for the construction of the $178-million Olympic Oval. “When we made the decision to build the Olympic Oval, we had far more than just the one building in mind,” said Mayor Malcolm Brodie. “We knew the oval could be a catalyst for achieving our vision for our city and the city centre and the Middle Arm waterfront.” see Parking page 6
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BY NELSON BENNETT
nbennett@richmond-news.com
“Stealing and lying is exactly what he did, repetitively. ”