Richmond News April 6 2011

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Life of a legend

Thrilling finish

Julio Iglesias has been packing houses for four decades, but the Spanish crooner says he appreciates his audiences now more than ever before.

Richmond Blues repeated as provincial juvenile hockey champions after producing an overtime win over Seafair in the gold medal game.

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Two-week break under review BY EVE EDMONDS

eedmonds@richmond-news.com

CHUNG CHOW/RICHMOND NEWS

Brighouse elementary principal, Adam Heeney, stands beneath the pine beetle wood roof of his new, state-ofthe-art school, which officially opened Monday. The environmentally-progressive facility boasts a rainwater cistern to help reduce water usage, a smooth and wavy roof that secures insulation, a geo-exchange energy source and a solar hot water heating system. Most notable is the abundance of natural light. See story Page 6.

“So how was that for you?” is the question school trustees are asking students, staff and parents about the district’s first-ever two-week spring break. On Monday night, the board of education approved an extensive consultation process that will involve surveys, focus groups and visits to PAC meetings in order to find out what people thought of the longer break. “We’re really encouraging people to fill out the survey on our website and tell us what they think,” said board chair Donna Sargent. The data will be compiled over the next month and presented to the trustees who will vote on next year’s school calendar at their May 16 board meeting. “We’ve presented this as a pilot, and we really have to make sure it works for everyone,” said Sargent. If parents struggled to find daycare, if kids were getting bored, we want to know that, she added. However, what she’s heard so far has generally been positive. The decision to extend the break was implemented see Trustees page 4

AVIATION FUEL

Councillors challenge MLAs to take stand on pipeline ‘I’m not sure whether our MLAs are going to stand up and fight for Richmond at all:’ Coun. Bill McNulty acampbell@richmond-news.com

Richmond city council is preparing to light a fire under the city’s three MLAs in a bid to spark them into supporting their fight against the fuel pipe plans. A week after the City of Richmond formally lodged its opposition to the 15kilometre aviation fuel pipe proposal, Coun. Sue Halsey-Brandt successfully brought forward a recommendation to demand a meeting with the MLAs to ask for their backing. Now, nearing the end of the public $

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consultation stage of the environmental review process, the plan, for which the city has no say, will be given a yes or a no by the B.C. Minister of Environment in October. Many councillors were critical Monday of an apparent silence and inaction on the issue from MLAs John Yap, Linda Reid and Rob Howard. “We agreed to write a letter to our MLAs, but we need to have a face-to-face discussion with them,” Sue Halsey-Brandt said. “We need to fight this and I’m not sure whether our MLAs are going to stand

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up and fight for Richmond at all,” added Coun. Bill McNulty. “Our MLAs have been quiet on this,” said Coun. Ken Johnston. A meeting with the city’s MLAs is paramount, as they can influence the environment minister and open up dialogue, said Coun. Evelina Halsey-Brandt. According to Coun. Greg HalseyBrandt, the MLAs are willing to sit down with city council and discuss the issue. “I met with the three MLAs and they seem happy to meet with us. They said that the environment minister and two other ministers have to sign off on this,”

he said, explaining how the final decision will be made on the pipeline plan. A consortium of airlines — known as the Vancouver Airport Fuel Facilities Corporation (VAFFC) — wants to barge millions of litres of fuel up the south arm of the Fraser River to a new off-loading facility and then pump it along a 15kilometre pipeline through Richmond to YVR. VAFFC cites increased future fuel demands and an ageing and unreliable current fuel delivery system — a 40 kilometre pipe from a Burnaby refinery and see Steves page 3

8171 Westminster Hwy. (at Buswell, one block east of No. 3 Rd.) Walkway access also from Save-On Foods parking lot

Mon-Sat 8:45-6:30 Sun 10-5 (604) 780-4959

07283111

BY ALAN CAMPBELL


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