Thursday February 7, 2013 (Vol. 38 No. 12)
V O I C E
O F
W H I T E
R O C K
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S O U T H
Face-off staged: White Rock Players Club’s The Good Game finds laughs as a group of hockey old-timers reunite to battle a younger team. › see page 25
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
Civic leaders support request from South Surrey woman accused in multiple dog thefts
Olson continues anti-tether campaign Dan Ferguson Staff Reporter
Dan Ferguson photo
Marlene Keefe and Janet Olson.
A South Surrey woman who faces trial on 37 criminal charges for allegedly stealing dogs from Lower Mainland backyards is continuing her campaign for a law that would ban chaining and tethering of dogs. Janet Olson, identifying herself as a member of Ban Resident Dogs, appeared before Langley Township council this week to lobby for an antitethering law. She did not mention her pending trial during her presentation, a sometimes-emotional speech that included a slide show with disturbing images of confined dogs. “As long as this is legal, how can we consider
ourselves a humane people?” Olson said. Olson made a similar presentation to Surrey council last April and was invited to provide input on a bylaw banning the practice. Co-presenter Marlene Keefe of Chilliwack told Langley council Monday that such a bylaw would reduce the number of dog attacks on people: “Chained dogs are three times as likely to bite.” Olson and Keefe said at least two other Lower Mainland municipalities, Burnaby and Delta, have such a bylaw. They said a tethering ban could require fewer animal-control officer hours and create a safer, more humane community. Following the presentation, Langley council unanimously voted to have Township staff investigate an anti-tethering bylaw. Olson received a
similar response after addressing Langley City council last month, After Monday’s meeting, Mayor Jack Froese said council was not made aware of the charges against Olson, but that “anyone can make a submission.” Olson, a founder of A Better Life Dog Rescue, is scheduled to appear in Surrey Provincial Court for a trial-confirmation hearing on April 10. Court records show the 59-year-old airline pilot faces multiple charges of theft, break and enter, possession of a break-in instrument and fraud in connection with a series of alleged incidents from 2006-’11 in White Rock, Surrey, Langley, Vancouver, New Westminster, Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Coquitlam, Delta and Richmond. › see page 4
Residence searched
Ex- teacher faces more child-porn charges Tracy Holmes Staff Reporter
Sarah Massah photo
The Joseph Richard Group has acquired the Ocean Beach Hotel and plans to restyle the establishment as the Hemingway Waterfront Public House.
80-year history includes operations as dance pavilion, hotel and exotic lounge
End of an era for Ocean Beach Hotel Alex Browne Staff Reporter
It’s goodbye Ocean Beach, hello Hemingway. Nightclub and public-house chain the Joseph Richard Group has acquired the Ocean Beach Hotel and plans to renovate and restyle the establishment as “The Hemingway Waterfront Public House (Est. 1930).” Redevelopment has been announced for March 2013, but principals Andre Bourque and Ryan Moreno were not available for comment at press time.
It’s yet another incarnation for the historic building, which has been a hub of White Rock social activity at various stages of its more than 80-year history. Originally known as the Feedham block, the building was once part of Burnie Feedham’s Blue Moon empire, which included a dance pavilion famous in the ’30s and early ’40s. In 1943, it was bought by Tom Cloninger, who added a third floor and new roof and operated the 38-room building as the Cloninger Hotel until his death in 1948, when it was
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rechristened the Laura-Mel by its new owners. It became the Ocean Beach Hotel in 1950, when it was purchased by United Distillers Ltd. The hotel changed hands several times since, acquiring infamy in the ’70s and ’80s during a period when the street-level lounge was a venue for exotic dancers. It was last renovated in 1997 by its most recent owners, the Veltri family, who restyled the lounge as the Ocean Beach Club. The new owners operate the Town Hall pubs in South Surrey and Langley, and other venues.
A former Semiahmoo Peninsula teacher who pleaded guilty in 2005 to collecting images of exploited children is back before the courts on charges of possessing and accessing child pornography. Staff Sgt. Bev Csikos confirmed Tuesday that officers with the Integrated Child Exploitation team executed a search warrant at a White Rock residence last June, following a tip “suggesting (the accused) was in possession of child pornography material.” During the June 27 search, “child pornography material was found,” Csikos said, noting that the tip, received in April 2012, came from another agency, and that a police investigation in another jurisdiction is ongoing. She would not disclose further details, citing the court process. George Heinz Kraus, 67, is due back in Surrey Provincial Court on Feb. 22. › see page 4
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