MINI ‘GIFTED’ SCHOOL FOR ALPHA
page
5
MEET CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATES
page
9
24
Wednesday, November 12, 2014 NewsLeader A1
STORM LEADS TO CHEVRON SLIDE
page
WEDNESDAY
NOVEMBER 12 2014 www.burnabynewsleader.com
The Better at Home program celebrated a year helping seniors. As We Age Page A23
Burnaby First suggests plan for hospital First suggested by Corrigan years ago Wanda Chow
wchow@burnabynewsleader.com
MARIO BARTEL/NEWSLEADER
Antonio Ramos, a Grade 5 student at Armstrong elementary school, plants a Canadian flag in front of the George Derby Centre in Burnaby on Monday. Students from Armstrong and Cariboo secondary school placed more than 1,000 of the little flags on the lawn of the residence for Canadian veterans in commemoration of Remembrance Day.
Showdown for mayor’s seat Saturday Election 2014: BFC’s Hancott says there’s a “democratic deficit” at city hall Wanda Chow
wchow@burnabynewsleader.com
Incumbent Mayor Derek Corrigan of the Burnaby Citizens Association would be forgiven for packing it in after 27 years on council. So why, after four terms and 12 years as mayor, is he running for a fifth term?
“There’s just a lot of things left to do,” Corrigan said in an interview. Like his longtime BCA council colleagues, he’s made the decision to continue because “we’ve got tasks unfulfilled.” Those include seeing through the redevelopment of the town centres, and fighting Kinder Morgan’s proposal to expand its Trans Mountain pipeline from Edmonton to Burnaby. Corrigan and council have long
Play today! golfburnaby.net Riverway Golf Course & Driving Range Phone 604-280-4653 9001 Bill Fox Way Burnaby Mountain Golf Course & Driving Range Phone 604-280-7355 7600 Halifax Street
voiced opposition to the plan. He said it’s an important issue that he believes he can contribute to with his background as a lawyer. As for suggestions he has turned it into an election issue, Corrigan said that’s “absurd. We didn’t go looking for this problem, it was delivered on our doorstep.” He noted the city didn’t pick a fight over Kinder Morgan’s existing operations in the city, but rather had the proposal imposed on Burnaby. On Nov 15
Re-elect
Corrigan said the number one issue for residents is traffic congestion and the impact it has on neighbourhoods. “It’s an almost impossible problem to solve,” he said, noting, “traffic is like water, it looks for the lowest point.” The second biggest issue is housing affordability, also something the city has little control over. Corrigan said that’s a result of senior governments’ lack of investment into social housing. Please see BFC’S HANCOTT, A3
Derek CORRIGAN
and your BCA Council and School Trustee candidates
TRUSTED LEADERSHIP Authorized by Timo Sokkanen, financial agent, 604 764 8701.
When is it a good time to trot out an old idea as a new one? During an election campaign, apparently. The Burnaby First Coalition is proposing to build a new Burnaby Hospital on the Willingdon lands at the corner of Willingdon Avenue and Canada Way. It plans to convince the Ministry of Health to do so while also providing transition housing and services on the site for homeless people. The party says it would contribute $100 million in city funding through the redevelopment of the current hospital site and savings from Burnaby RCMP resources it says are currently used in dealing with homeless people. Incumbent Mayor Derek Corrigan of the Burnaby Citizens Association (BCA) has been advocating for the construction of a new hospital on the Willingdon site for years. Please see NEGOTIATE WITH PROVINCE, A4