RICHMOND-NEWS.COM
FRIDAY, MARCH 21, 2014
NEWS
A5
SENIORS
ACCIDENT
Game’s up for bingo
Did you see serious crash? Mounties are looking for witnesses of a serious car accident on No. 4 Road Sunday morning that has left a 25 year-old woman in critical condition in hospital. At 11:15 a.m. a white 2010 Dodge Journey SUV, a black 2007 Mazda 3 hatchback and a black 2006 Toyota Tundra pickup were involved in a crash just south of Granville Avenue. The woman, who was driving the Mazda, sustained life-threatening head injuries and had to be extricated from the vehicle by firefighters. Two others were sent to hospital but released the same day. If you have any information, call Const. Justin Lee of the Richmond RCMP Road Safety Unit at 604-278-1212. — Graeme Wood Richmond News
Minoru numbers don’t add up for city; program without a gaming licence Graeme Wood
Staff Reporter gwood@richmond-news.com
It’s a case of B-I-N-G-NO! About 50 seniors who take part in the bingo Minoru bingo players, from left, Evelyn Ingram, Georgina Hamilton and Aline Doyle are left with program at Minoru Place Seniors’ Centre are upset a bunch of spare bingo cards after the program was abruptly pulled. Far right, Doyle’s daughter, over the sudden cancellation of their twice weekly Valerie Taylor, spoke out in support of the group. Photo by Graeme Wood/Richmond News activity. Hamilton also said some of the issues were One of the problems cited by players is the plays bingo, said the centre’s alternative to shuttle abrupt end of the games and a lack of consultation. understandable but questioned why bingo couldn’t players to more expensive bingo halls is shortbe moved to a smaller room or to a different day “The problem I have is that no one consulted sighted. and time. with us on what was happening,” explained “You would think with the amount of money She also questioned the study’s veracity, noting Georgina Hamilton, a past president of the being spent on the new and larger centre, they an 83 per cent drop would have meant there was Minoru Seniors Society, and an avid bingo player. would be thinking about expanding programs, not According to a memorandum from Renata once hundreds of bingo players, which is not the eliminating them,” said Taylor. case now. Turick, a seniors’ centre coordinator, the Bingo Taylor also questioned the timing of the closure, In the memo to bingo players, Turick noted the Committee had conducted a study of the bingo noting it was terminated immediately after some program would be terminated in August after a program and found an 83 per cent drop in of the players had begun a petition. vote from the board of directors. participation over the last five years. “I see that the (centre) seems to be running What happened instead According to the study, much like a dictatorship,” added Taylor. was a sudden the bingo program had I see that the (centre) seems cancellation last gone from generating to running much like a week because, revenue to losing money. according to Management at the dictatorship. Townsend, the centre had also neglected - Valeria Taylor to apply for a gaming gaming commission licence with the BC approached the city Gaming Commission. about the program. No one from management, including the Hamilton said she suspects the city could centre’s head coordinator Eva Busich-Veloso, have notified the commission itself to would speak directly to the News when contacted, expedite the closure. In any case, the centre and inquiries were directed to city spokesperson was negligent for not having a licence to Ted Townsend. begin with, she said. Townsend said the program was being “heavily” Townsend said, when the program subsidized but couldn’t provide numbers. started years ago, no licence was required. “It doesn’t justify the time and space being The commission was contacted by the Reg. $2400 + TAX devoted to the program, given all the other News, but did not respond. BRAKE SPECIAL demands at the centre,” said Townsend. Valerie Taylor, whose 83 year-old mother
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