Thursday January 31, 2013 (Vol. 38 No. 10)
V O I C E
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W H I T E
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House of rock: Semiahmoo House’s Rec Rockers are hitting all the right notes at their Monday night jam sessions featuring old-school rock rhythms and modern favourites. › see page A11
S U R R E Y
w w w. p e a c e a r c h n e w s . c o m
White Rock man arrested after chemicals seized from suite
Nuclear Response Unit joins search Tracy Holmes Staff Reporter
An anonymous tip about chemicals that may pose “a significant risk to public safety” led police to descend on a White Rock apartment building last week. Const. Janelle Shoihet confirmed Wednesday that local officers, along with members of the Explosive Disposal and Chemical/ Biological/Radiological/Nuclear Response
Unit, the Lower Mainland Integrated Forensic Identification Services, Emergency Response Team and White Rock firefighters executed a search warrant in the 15100block of Prospect Avenue on Jan. 24, following a tip the day before. Chemicals seized have been sent to a lab for analysis. One man arrested at the scene remains in custody. Neighbours who contacted Peace Arch
News this week to enquire about the incident said they saw numerous police cars, a hazardous-materials truck and a bus. Prospect Avenue was blocked off by police, and restoration trucks were seen the following day. Shoihet told PAN that police “were anticipating the worst” when they entered the third-floor suite, and had the bus ready in case it was deemed necessary to evacuate. “We’re always going to deem it the highest
priority and take all precautions,” she said. “We’re going to call in all the forces that we need in order to make it as quick and efficient as possible.” While it was not necessary to evacuate, firefighters have deemed the suite uninhabitable, and it remains locked down, Shoihet said. Police returned to the building Tuesday evening after reports of someone inside the suite. › see page A4
MLA enters fray
Smart meter opt-out ‘possible’ Alex Browne Staff Reporter
Learning blocks
Mario Bartel photo
White Rock Elementary student Jeffrey Wang inspects his team’s flexible walker at the First Lego League regional championships Saturday at BCIT. More than 100 students – aged 5-14 – on 14 teams participated in the event. Winners get to go on to participate in invitational events.
IHIT exploring possible gang connection
Second attempt kills shooting victim Kevin Diakiw Black Press
The man killed in a Surrey homide this week was the target of an attempted murder in Coquitlam just over a year ago. Jaskaran Singh Sandhu’s body was found at 9:30 a.m. on Monday by pedestrians near a ditch in the 12300-block of Colebrook Road. “Mr. Sandhu was known to police and the victim of a targeted attack,” said Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) Cpl. Adam
MacIntosh. “Investigators continue to search for the motive behind his killing, including the possibility of it being gang-related.” Sandhu was the target of a brazen daylight shooting in Coquitlam 15 months ago. In September 2011, Sandhu was standing near his black Nissan Altima in one of the oil change bays at a Mr. Lube location, when a man approached and began firing. The shooter fired approximately five times before jumping into a nearby vehicle and speeding off.
What’s your New Year’s resolution?
There was speculation at the time on whether that shooting was related to a high-profile gang shooting outside the Delta Grand hotel in Kelowna in August 2011. Monday’s killing was Surrey’s fifth murder this month. On Jan. 13 at 7 p.m., Manjot Dhillon was shot and killed near 168 Street and 76 Avenue. Later that night, John McGiveron and Geordie Carlow, both 33, were found shot to death in a › see page A4
Information sent to a constituent by the office of Surrey-White Rock MLA Gordon Hogg this week gave a flicker of renewed hope to opponents of BC Hydro’s smart meters that individuals will be able to optout of the program. The constituent was told that those who didn’t consent to having a smart meter installed on their home “would not be forced.” Hogg, a BC Liberal MLA, told Peace Arch News he doesn’t feel the possibility of opting out of the smart-meter program has been “conveyed appropriately” to the public. Hogg’s office was flooded with calls Tuesday – including media requests for interviews – after the information was published online by anti-smart meter group Citizens for Safe Technology. Efforts by PAN to get confirmation from Energy Minister Rich Coleman have been unsuccessful. Hogg said Wednesday that he stands by the information sent out by his office, which he said was verified with Coleman’s office. › see page A5
Independent & Assisted Living for Seniors Seal of Approval
How about eating more fruits and veggies?
See page 15 For more information, please visit www.kinsfarmmarket.com/greenfighters
Largest Suites in Town 15366 - 17th Ave. White Rock 604-531-1160
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15340 - 17th Ave. White Rock 604-531-7470