The Record • Wednesday, March 12, 2014 • A03
◗IN THE NEWS Floriography: The language of flowers at gallery ◗P11 Lively City: New West poet laureate in the spotlight ◗P11
NLINE EXTRAS
Recycling rules could be costly BY DON HAUKA REPORTER
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NEWS
The end of an era: Raising the alarm on co-op subsidies
NEWS
editorial@royalcityrecord.com
A coalition of B.C. businesses says consumers will pay big bucks if the provincial government goes ahead with new recycling regulations on May 19. Andthey’reaskingEnvironment Minister Mary Polak and Premier Christy Clark to hit the pause button and rethink the contentious recycling rules they say will kill
jobs and increase red tape. “It’s better to hit the pause button and rethink this rather than being stuck with a bad law on May 19,” said Mike Klassen, B.C. director of provincial affairs for the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB). Nine major business associations representing tens of thousands of B.C. small businesses and their employees have formed a coalition and launched a campaign
to protest regulatory changes involving the recycling of printedpaper and packaging. The Rethink It, B.C.! campaign is launching a media and social media blitz with ads running in 130 newspapers across the province. The new regulations shift the responsibility for paying for recycling packaging and other paper products from consumers to the products’ producers. Multi-Materials B.C. (MMBC), an
Ontario-based industry group that includes grocery giant Loblaws, mega-retailer Wal-Mart and the Tim Hortons fast food empire, runs the new program, scheduled to launch May 19. Klassen said the rule changes will hurt thousands of businesses who will have to pass the recycling costs on to their customers. The Rethink It, BC! Coalition includes businesses in the agriculture, ◗Recycling Page 9
Burnaby reluctant to support New West’s bridge proposal
NEWS
Greening up the city: Sharon Johal plants native vegetation at Lower Hume Park as part of an invasive plant removal project spearheaded by Evergreen and the Lower Mainland Green Team. Twentyfour volunteers removed invasive plants like laurel and ivy, planted native plants and tested water quality in the creek.
City considers next step for Bailey Bridge
COMMUNITY
Family Ties: What to do with the littles in the city
COMMUNITY
Gardening: Spring tips from Anne Marrison
OPINION
Blogs: Julie MacLellan searches for familyfriendly businesses
PHOTO GALLERIES
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More information about Hume Park planting event Page 3 More photos from art exhibition opening Page 11
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Sale could get district $2.35M BY NIKI HOPE REPORTER
nhope@royalcityrecord.com
Finally there is some good news for the cash-strapped New Westminster school district. More than $2.35 million is slated to come into the district’s coffers after the board of education passed a bylaw this week enabling it to sell an empty property it owns in Queensborough to Platform Development Limited. Funds from the sale, which is expected to close on March 31, must go toward building a new administration office for the district.
Last week’s question Do you think the sale of the Merchant Square office tower is good for the city? YES 85% NO 15%
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This week’s question Do you support the changes to recycling in B.C.? Vote at: www.royalcityrecord.com
15 Sports
According to Education Ministry rules, capital proceeds must be used for building projects, not operating costs, board of education chair Jonina Campbell explained. But the sale will still help the district’s bottom line. “It’s good news for our district, because what it means (is) we will be able to get ourselves out of a situation where we are paying for a lease at Columbia Square for an administrative space. It will free up that money to then be used for students in the district,” Campbell noted. The move would save the dis-
Opinion
17 Classifieds
trict the approximately $700,000 it pays annually to rent Columbia Square downtown. The district has been dealing with serious financial shortfalls in recent years and still owes the provincial government almost $5 million. The board has turned up every couch cushion, looking for ways to save money, including taking steps to reduce leasing costs. So far, it has moved both the Homelearners’ and an alternate program out of rental buildings for a saving of approximately $300,000 a year. The district is in the midst of building two new schools, includ-
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Bouclair Inc.*
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London Drugs*
6,7 Letters
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The Bay*
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Rona Inc.*
11 Arts & Culture
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Shoppers*
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XS Cargo*
11 Lively City
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Target*
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Cdn. Tire*
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Pharmasave*
* not in all areas
ing a middle school for grade 6 to 8 students. Campbell said the board will discuss the $17.6-million middle school project at its meeting on March 11. “We are proceeding on the new school project as planned,” she said, urging parents whose children will be attending the middle school to attend Tuesday night’s meeting. Campbell said the board will likely discuss where the new board office would be built at that meeting. In the meantime, she didn’t want to comment on the planned location.
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