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INSIDE: BUS COMPLAINTS ABOUND [pg. 3]
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STUDENTS TO LEAD LEARNING AT GLENEAGLE EVENT
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PORT MOODY
5% tax hike in PoMo SARAH PAYNE
The Tri-CiTy News
JANIS CLEUGH/THE TRI-CITY NEWS
Tickets went on sale yesterday (Thursday) for the second annual TEDx at Gleneagle secondary, an event being organized at the Coquitlam school by Con-X Leadership Team students including Emma Juergensen, Eric Jang, Nima Tehrani and Sam Yi. Among the students speaking on the theme of reconstruction — on topics ranging from artificial intelligence and environmentalism to self-love and mental illness — are Lyle Hendriks, Sara Lynn Bruhns, Yury Voronkov, Sylvia Zhang, Olivia Hu, Kelvin Zhang, Jay Matsushiba and Remy Zhang. The lectures take place on Jan. 30 from 4 to 7 p.m. Email tedxgleneagle@gmail.com for more information.
Port Moody residents can have their say on a proposed 5.09% increase to their property tax rate at a public budget consultation on Jan. 31. One of the biggest changes to this year’s budget comes with the loss of the Burrard Thermal generating capacity grant, which had provided PoMo coffers with a $1.3-million boost. Now that the plant is fully shut down, the loss of the grant means a nearly 3.8% increase to the tax rate. Additional budget increase drivers include: • Port Moody Police Department operating budget, with a $338,000 increase (a nearly 1% increase to the tax rate); • contractual salary increases of $690,000 (1.95% tax increase);
see STAFFING COSTS, page 8
SNOW & ICE AFTERMATH
ER visits rise 11% due to flu, falls on ice SARAH PAYNE The Tri-CiTy News
The mix of icy sidewalks and peak flu season is creating a
perfect storm for emergency rooms, says an ER doctor at Eagle Ridge Hospital. Dr. Mike Mostrenko said ERs at both the Port Moody
hospital and Royal Columbian Hospital in New Westminster are seeing a spike in fall-related injuries. And with the additional time
it takes to put on a cast, the backlog is growing. “I think this weather is getting the better of us. We’re not really prepared for it,”
Mostrenko said. “We’re seeing lots of falls, all sorts of wrist and elbow injuries, the elderly fall and break hips.” The number of injuries has
been fluctuating, he added, coinciding with the first snowfall and then the freeze/thaw cycle. see DOC: IF YOU HAVE, page 4
CONTACT THE TRI-CITY NEWS: newsroom@tricitynews.com / sales@tricitynews.com / circulation@tricitynews.com / 604-472-3040
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