Thursday, January 10, 2013 Maple Ridge businessman Randy Sorley explains why he gives of his time and facilities to help Operation Red Nose every year.
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Kissin’ cousins Two horses in a stable on Abernethy Way recently shared some kisses or more likely attempted nips before prancing about their paddocks and kicking up their heels on a fresh winter’s morn. The snow-capped mountains and foggy valley offered a beautiful backdrop for their equine antics.
Roxanne Hooper/TIMES
Federal politics
Fishery changes spawn community interest
About 80 people listened to an NDP critic discussed waterway issues on Monday. by Sylver McLaren smclaren@mrtimes.com
A Pitt Meadows councillor said a balance between the environment and economics is possible after listening to a presentation from Fin Donnelly, member of Parliament for New Westminster-Coquitlam-Port Moody and deputy West Coast Fisheries critic. “There can be a balance between economic development and the environment. Loosening the controls or rules when dealing with our rivers and lakes is not the way to do it. Economic development should not happen
Sylver McLaren/TIMES
New Westminster-Coquitlam-Port Moody MP Fin Donnelly talked to a group of concerned citizens at Golden Ears United Church on Monday night. to the detriment of the environhosted by Donnelly. ment,” said Councillor Bruce Donnelly told the room full Bell. of interested residents and local Bell was one of about 80 politicians that recent changes people who attended the meetmade to Bill C-45 and Bill C-38 ing on Monday night which was will cause damage to the fishery
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and the environment. “The Conservative government has made changes to long-standing legislation that will seriously weaken environmental protection without having a transparent and respectful discussion with Canadians,” said Donnelly. “What we learned [Monday] night was that the rules and controls over our lakes and rivers in Canada are being eroded in the interest of economics,” Bell said. Bell explained that Canada had restrictions with regards to development on more than 2,000 lakes and rivers in Canada and now that number is down to less than 200. “The only lakes and rivers in our area that are protected are the Fraser, the Pitt including Pitt Lake, Harrison River and Harrison Lake. Surprisingly, not the Alouette River or [Alouette]
Lake,” he added. The federal government recently made changes in their Budget Implementation Acts – Bill C-45 and Bill C-38 – that have “gutted the Fisheries Act, Navigable Waters Protection Act, and the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act,” explained Donnelly. The changes have removed controls and rules for environmental assessments, providing less oversight for big industrial projects, Donnelly added. According to Pitt MeadowsMaple Ridge-Mission MP Randy Kamp, parliamentary secretary of fisheries and oceans, the changes were made to “better focus protection on the fisheries that Canadians value: fisheries of commercial, recreational and Aboriginal significance.”
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