CITY 3
Lower the voting age, say students COMMUNITY 11
FOR THE BEST LOCAL
Robert Bateman on creative aging COMMUNITY 15
Your top events for the weekend THURSDAY OCTOBER 17, 2019
LOCAL NEWS – LOCAL MATTERS
COVERAGE GO TO PAGE 29
There’s more online at
NewWestRecord.ca
YARN BOMB:
Betina Wheeler with the New Westminster Homelessness Coalition Society checks out a yarn-bombed tree in Moody Park as part of a special community walk for Homelessness Action Week Saturday. Members of the local Knit 1, Take 2 group volunteered more than 100 hours to create the yarnbombing project, which was designed in a way so it could be broken down into 10 scarves that would be gifted through a local service organization. Sadly, it went missing on the weekend. Organizers hope the scarves, which were connected like a blanket, are keeping someone warm. They’re also hoping to track down a knitted heart that was on the project. Anyone who sees the scarf/blanket or the heart can contact Courtney Pankratz of the Purpose Society, courtney.pankratz@ purposesociety.org. See more on the Homelessness Action Walk on page 13. PHOTO JENNIFER GAUTHIER
City still waiting on funding for ‘enhanced’ pool Theresa McManus tmcmanus@newwestrecord.ca
New Westminster needs an answer about grant funding by the end of the year if it’s going to build an enhanced replacement for the Canada Games Pool. The City of New Westminster has applied for a grant through the Canada Infrastructure Program to help fund the New Westminster Aquatic and Community Centre project.The city has been pursuing two design options for the facility – a community recreation facility and an enhanced facility that
includes the community features as well as components that allow for swim competitions. The project is set to move from the design phase to the construction phase early in 2020, which means the city needs to know whether its grant application to the federal and provincial governments is successful. Council has stated it would only proceed with construction of an enhanced facility if it receives a grant of at least $22.4 million. According to an Oct. 7 staff report, construction tendering will begin with initial site preparation
The Only Co-ed and Ladies Only Fitness in New West
10 DAYS for
1000
$
WITH THIS AD
FIRST TIME VISITORS ONLY. Must be 18 years or older.
in Located t New Wes Station Skytrain
COMMITTED TO FITNESS, COMMITTED TO YOU!
#335 - 800 CARNARVON ST NEW WESTMINSTER
604-521-TRIM • www.dynamichealthandfitness.ca
2 Hou rs FREE Parkin g
Ask about our “ONE ON ONE PERSONAL TRAINING SPECIAL”
work once the final design documents are available, which is currently scheduled to be in November. Construction is scheduled to start following the first tender results, which are expected in late January or early February 2020. Mayor Jonathan Cote said the city has been told by the provincial government that grant announcements will come out by the end of the year, so that timing isn’t too out of sync with the city’s timeline. If grants are delayed a “matter of weeks,” he said it may be prudent for the city to wait to find out the outcome of the grant
application. Dean Gibson, the city’s director of parks and recreation, said the project team has been positioning the project for having a high degree of flexibility with respect to its schedule. If needed, he said there are ways to advance the project by doing works such as site servicing, relocation of electrical services or installation of water and sewer connections before grants are awarded. “Those are works we are going to have to do regardless of whatever the ultimate facility looks like in
the end,” he said. Coun. Chuck Puchmayr has voiced concerns about the cost of delaying construction while awaiting news about the grant application. “Accelerating costs of construction, the provincial government tells us it’s one per cent a month,” he said. “The fact that we are able to do some of those works whether we get notification or not, we can actually start on that project – that should give us a little bit of comfort.”
$350 OFF
Every $1000 Spent on Window Coverings Offer valid until October 31st, 2019. *Excludes drapery & Lutron.
604.359.9655 www.budgetblinds.com/newwestminster
IPPOLITA CORCIONE 778.838.7069 | www.ippolita.ca Call for a complimentary home evaluation