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FRIDAY, AUG. 28, 2015 Your community. Your stories.
TRI-CITY
NEWS
COQUITLAM’S INSPIRATION GARDEN
Great pumpkin in Inspiration Garden grows 15 lb. a day Sarah Payne
ing in at 319 and 156 lb. respectively, and put on about 15 lb. a day — the squash gained 80 lb. in one week alone. “The squash has had its picture taken more times than a Kardashian,” said parks program leader Roberta Ward. The mighty gourds were Ward’s idea, thanks to a friend who grows eye-poppers that can reach well over a thousand pounds.
The Tri-CiTy News
The Inspiration Garden in Coquitlam’s Town Centre Park is a veritable Eden these days, bursting with fulsome blooms, lush greenery and a wide variety of fruits and vegetables ripening in the seemingly neverending summer sun. Among those veggies are a squash and pumpkin that have been, well, busy to say the least. The behemoths are weigh-
see ‘LUCKILY’, page 4
TRI-CITY BEARS
PoCo’s bear locks do the trick, says homeowner shawn Lam’s can has the bite marks to prove it JaniS Warren
The Tri-CiTy News
The city of Port Coquitlam handed out more than 12,000 Critter Guards this spring to residents whose garbage and green waste it picks up. And at least one homeowner says the wildlife-resistant locks are doing their job. Last week, Shawn Lam gave kudos to the municipality on social media for designing and delivering the straps that secure his green bin — the cart that holds yard clippings and kitchen waste.
He posted a photo of his organics container that had teeth puncture marks from a bear the night before. But the bin remained sealed shut. It was the third time in recent weeks a bruin had tried to get inside the cart for a snack, Lam said. “I have found it upside down or on its side but the bear never gets in,” he wrote on Facebook. Kristen Meersman, PoCo’s director of engineering and operations, said city staff continue to monitor behaviour of bears and other wildlife as well as the effectiveness of the Critter Guards to see if more are needed. At this point, no more are scheduled to be delivered. see CITY, page 12
SARAH PAYNE/tHE tRi-citY NEwS
If you think this pumpkin — about 156 lb. as of Wednesday — is big, you should see the squash that’s also growing in the Inspiration Garden in Coquitlam’s Town Centre Park: It weighed approximately 319 lb. and has proven popular with park goers. Parks program leader Roberta Ward (above) says, “The squash has had its picture taken more times than a Kardashian.”
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