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TC THINGS-TO-DO GUIDE: 21
Music, pancakes and... Golden Spike! WATER
Make sure you check out Port Moody’s biggest annual party tonight and the rest of this weekend: Golden Spike Days. For details, go to goldenspike.ca
TC
For info on the Tri-Cities’ Canada Day festivities, see section starting on page 18
Boat fire – but it wasn’t on the water / Students blast Kwantlen pipeline deal
FRIDAY, JUNE 26, 2015 Your community. Your stories.
TRI-CITY
NEWS
A RARE SIGHT: THE NORTHERN LIGHTS [FOR A BEAR SIGHT, SEE PAGE 3]
Metro Van considers declining reservoir numbers JEFF NAGEL BLACK PRESS
Drinking water reservoir levels have fallen rapidly in Metro Vancouver and tougher water restrictions are a conservation option. A move to stage 2 restrictions could, if necessary, be directed by the regional district’s water commissioner, according to Metro utilities committee chair Darrell Mussatto. He said he wouldn’t be surprised if that happened by July 3 but Metro water services general manager Tim Jervis said Thursday his department does not yet anticipate a need to go that far. “We had a record dry May, June is very dry and we’ve got hot weather coming up,” said Mussatto, mayor of North Vancouver City. “We need either some rain to fall in significant amounts to get the reservoirs back up or we’re going to have to look at curtailing use.” Under Metro’s Water Shortage Response Plan, stage 2 restrictions would force residential lawn sprinkling to be cut to one day a week, ban aesthetic washing of driveways and sidewalks, as well as most use of pressure washers. Fountains and water features would be shut down and water play parks could only run with kid-activated buttons under stage 2 restrictions. see DOUBLE WHAMMY, page 14
PAUL ROMEIN PHOTO
Tri-City residents were treated to a colourful sight this week if they looked skyward in time to catch a glimpse of the aurora borealis — the northern lights. The display was caused by a solar storm that pushed the northern lights farther south. Local resident and Tri-City News reader Paul Romein snapped this brightly coloured photograph.
SCHOOL DISTRICT 43
Money held back for teachers Up to 19 hires possible in Sept. DIANE STRANDBERG Tri-CiTy News
School District 43 may need to hire as many as 19 teachers
and educational assistants in September to handle changes in enrolment because of students moving in and out of the district this spring and summer. But without a pool in reserve, trustees were told at their meeting Tuesday, school organization could come to a standstill.
“If we don’t have funds in process, it would delay the opening of school to an unusual degree,” said superintendent Patricia Gartland, justifying the need for the district to place its $500,000 contingency — money put aside for emergencies — into a reserve for
staff hires in September. According to Gartland, the district needs about $1.3 million in teachers and education assistants in its pocket to deal with class size and composition needs when students return to school Sept. 7. Earlier, she was granted $800,000 from
an anticipated end-of-year surplus, with the remaining $500,000 approved Tuesday along with a requirement she produce a report Sept. 15 to explain how the money was spent. see HOUSING MARKET, page 3
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