Thursday July 10, 2014 (Vol. 39 No. 55)
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
S U R R E Y
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Sports weekend: Peninsula sports fans have no shortage of options this weekend, as the three-day Tour de White Rock begins Friday, the same day the Canadian Open International Fastpitch Championship throws its first pitch. i see page 39
Teen’s speeding car plows into roadside vehicle, according to witness
Pedestrian critical, dog killed in crash Tracy Holmes Staff Reporter
A South Surrey senior is in hospital with critical, life-altering injuries, after she and her dog were struck by an SUV as they walked in the 3400-block of King George Boulevard Monday night. Impact of the silver Mercedes, which police say was driven by a 17-year-old girl, threw 66-year-old Jocelyn Hallier into nearby bushes. Hallier’s dog, a female German shepherd named DeVelle, did not survive. Passersby told police the northbound SUV – with six teenagers inside – hit the pair after slamming into the back of an illegally parked car during an attempt to pass another vehicle on the shoulder, just after 10 p.m. Witness Jazz Mattu said he was about 300 metres behind the Mercedes when he saw it go off the road. He estimated it was travelling at 100 to 130 km/h when it passed him seconds before. “The car slightly swerved, you see that it lost total control,” he said. “It plowed into that (parked) car, took down the lamp post and there was a big dust ball from the grit that was on the side of the road. “I had a gut feeling that it was extremely bad from the speed at which they were doing.” i see page 4
Shane MacKichan photo
Emergency crews respond to a horrific crash on King George Boulevard Monday night that critically injured a pedestrian and killed the senior’s dog.
Overflow crowd packs forum on waterfront-train safety, regulation
Mayor warns of federal indifference to rail fears Tracy Holmes Staff Reporter
More than 300 people packed the White Rock Community Centre Monday night for a “community dialogue” on rail safety and the transportation of dangerous goods. Touted as an opportunity to “dispel recent misinformation” concerning the waterfront tracks, the event – moderated by Surrey–Panorama MLA Marvin Hunt – featured a panel of city and BNSF officials, as well as transportation consultant Mary-Jane Bennett. Those who turned out to listen, comment and question – and occasionally applaud agreement or scoff disgust – were not just
Tracy Holmes photo
Attendees take part in ‘community dialogue.’ from White Rock, Coun. Grant Meyer noted. “It’s obviously an issue that affects the whole
region,” he told Peace Arch News the next day, citing representation from cities including Surrey, North Delta and Langley. “It’s not just us, and some of the stuff that’s going on could set precedence anywhere in Canada.” The seaside tracks have been a source of growing concern and frustration for the past year – particularly since a jogger was struck and killed by an Amtrak passenger train on East Beach last July. The tragedy occurred within days of the derailment in Lac Mégantic, Que., which killed 47 people and drew local attention to the deteriorating condition of the Little Campbell rail bridge. That, in turn, reignited a call to relocate the tracks
THREE-SOME DAYS AT BORDER GOLD
away from the increasingly busy waterfront. Mayor Wayne Baldwin told forum attendees the Lac Mégantic incident was “a gamechanger” for White Rock. It highlighted concerns with the transport of dangerous goods such as crude oil and chlorine along the line – issues Bennett told the crowd “that everybody in White Rock should be reminded of and take part in (finding) a solution.” A chlorine spill in a major city could kill 100,000 people within 30 minutes, she said. Bennett, a former board member of the Canadian Transportation Agency, said such high-risk cargoes comprise five per cent of i see page 5
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