Bylaws: Fear rises as trrees cut on Shady Lane. 3
Gar Gardening: In the organic garden gar of Karl. 21
Sports: Slugger at Pan Ams. 33
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Elementary summer school popular 456 students sign up for new program By Neil Corbett ncorbett@mapleridgenews.com
The little boy was weeping openly as his mom signed him up for the inaugural season of summer elementary school in Maple Ridge. Kim Bondi, the school district administrator who is responsible for getting the program off the ground, and indirectly for the little guy’s perceived misfortune, consoled him. But it won’t be all about worksheets and tests, Bondi told him. He described the “learning camp” style that local educators intend. “It’ll be outdoors, hands-on, fun, experiential learning.” Summer school will run for just mornings, from 9 a.m. to noon with a snack break, and will run for three weeks from July 7-24. See School, 9
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Having a blast Shay Fredin (middle), E.J. Weber (left) and Brevin Wood practise their footwork and ball handling Tuesday in front of Planet Ice in advance of the Burrards Blast Mini-Tyke and Tyke lacrosse tournament this weekend at Pitt Meadows Arenas.
MLAs, MP asked to help homeless Cliff Avenue camp continues to grow B y P h i l M e l nychuk pmelnychuk@mapleridgenews.com
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worsen as a camp formed on Cliff Avenue in March. While the homeowners along Cliff Avenue support the street people, “There is a massive amount of pressure on the city and Cliff Avenue,” Read said. “But we have to move people off Cliff Avenue, because the camp is continuing to grow,” she added. Maple Ridge wants the province to provide no- and low-barrier shelter immediately. “They need places to stay, not the street.”
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There are now about 32 tents lining the avenue behind the Salvation Army’s Caring Place on Lougheed Highway. In March, when the camp formed, there were about half a dozen. “This is a provincial issue so we shouldn’t be having to ask,” she told the three. Maple Ridge has asked the provincial government to take over the costs of hiring four outreach workers after six months.
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MLAs Marc Dalton and Doug Bing, along with Mike Murray attended the meeting.
The trio of senior government politicians felt the mayor of Maple Ridge’s frustration with homelessness first-hand Wednesday. “Homelessness is not a municipal responsibility,” Mayor Nicole Read told MLAs Doug Bing and Marc Dalton, as well as MP Randy
Kamp’s executive-assistant, Mike Murray. But it is something Maple Ridge is paying for on an ongoing basis, Read said. “This city has put a lot of money into bylaws and policing into dealing with the situation.” Council had called a special meeting on the issue, to ask for help from the provincial and federal governments. Read campaigned in last November’s election on ending homeless and formed a task force in January, only to have the issue
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