FARMERS MISSING: MLA has concerns over NDP’s farm review, 7 OVERTIME WORK: Great finishes to DHA’s Midget Winter Classic, 23 CRA SCAM
Officer issues warning, 3
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www.delta-optimist.com
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2018
The voice of Delta since 1922
Pot concerns shared with senior gov’t SANDOR GYARMATI
s g y a r m a t i @ d e l t a - o p t i m i s t .c o m
PHOTO COURTESY OF DELTA ARCHIVES
The Mitchell Bay, which has been a fixture in Ladner Harbour for more than two decades, was towed to the scrapyard last Friday.
Last voyage for iconic vessel Mitchell Bay was part of Canada’s ‘Gumboot Navy’ during Second World War IAN JACQUES
i j a c q u e s @ d e l t a - o p t i m i s t .co m
An iconic piece of Ladner history made its final voyage last week. The Mitchell Bay, built in 1932, was part of Canada’s Second World War “Gumboot Navy,” formed in 1939 to patrol the B.C. coast as the threat of war grew. Recruits used their own fishing boats and modified them by adding guns and other equipment to help keep the shores safe. The vessel has been a fixture at the Speed’s dock for more than 20 years and is part of the
pub’s logo. Last Friday, the historic vessel was towed to its final resting place in Shelter Island to be scrapped. The vessel was beloved by many, appearing in paintings and on the covers of phone books and magazines as it represented Ladner’s picturesque waterfront. Tony Frustaci with Sharkey’s Seafood Bar and Grille was on hand to watch the vessel get towed away. He said his chef took a video of the event, which was posted to the restaurant’s Facebook
page and shared on Speed’s Pub’s Facebook page. As of Monday afternoon, the threeminute video had more than 18,000 views. “This boat has been around for a long time and has been up and down the coast so many times,” said Frustaci. “Speed and another guy owned it and it has been on their dock for so many years. People just really love the boat. It’s a historical send off, for sure. You don’t get 20,000 views on a video like this in Ladner, so it really resonated
with a lot of people.” Several comments posted below the video also spoke of the special meaning and historical connection the vessel had for so many people. “I see the ghosts of Spence Turner and Alf Leary hovering around there. Good bye old girl. Sad end but at least she’s not left to sink or rot on the beach,” wrote Ian Estabrooks. Rosemarie Hurst said Ladner Harbour won’t be the same. “I have many photos of this boat. Too bad they had to scrap it.” Others called the vessel an icon in the harbour.
Delta’s farming community could become a dangerous landscape of walled compounds. That’s something the city hopes to avoid as it makes its submission to the province about potential regulations on the legalization of recreational marijuana. Also having provided input on a series of issues and concerns to the federal government regarding the legalization of pot, Delta doesn’t want to see the production of cannabis on lands within the Agricultural Land Reserve as a measure to guarantee food security and public safety. “Growing cannabis on prime agricultural land is a significant concern for Delta council, as it has the potential to create a proliferation of cannabis production on lands located within the Agricultural Land Reserve, thereby displacing traditional food crop production,” a report to council states. Allowing cannabis production within the land reserve could also adversely affect the value and land prices for agricultural properties, subsequently impacting the long-term viability of farmland for food production, the report notes. It also warns, “Delta police also share concerns regarding the cultivation of cannabis on Delta’s agricultural lands and identified the potential for increased risk around the presence of organized crime, robbery and commercial break-ins.” DELTA: see Page 3
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