Election: Conservatives name candidate Tuesday. 5
Medal haul: Runners clean up 18
Dog attack investigation concludes: 9 Fr i d ay, Au g u s t 1 4, 2 015 ¡ mapleridgenews.com ¡ est. 1978 ¡ (office) 604-467-1122 ¡ (del iver y ) 6 0 4 - 4 6 6 - 6 3 9 7
Camp people scared Threats have become routine at Cliff Avenue By Neil Corbett ncorbett@mapleridgenews.com
Homeless people on Cliff Avenue are fearing for their safety, after regular threats materialized into gasoline being dumped near the first tent in the long row lining the street. A man living at the camp who did not wish to be identified said the homeless people there have been warned to leave, and threatened that they will be burned out, or beaten with baseball bats. “Some people have left in fear. They can’t take it anymore,� he said. See Camp, 4
Tim Fitzgerald/THE NEWS
Doing their best for a good life Petra Fellinger and son Nicolas enjoy a cuddle following a therapeutic swim. The family wants to install a pool so the boy can do therapy at home. See page 3.
Relax downtown parking rules A plan, and more signs needed as area grows By Phil M elnyc h u k pmelnychuk@mapleridgenews.com
Maple Ridge should tweak its parking regulations in the downtown to make it easier to shop and easier to park. Coun. Gordy Robson, who in 1991, helped form the Maple Ridge Downtown Parking Soci-
ety, says enforcement of parking rules is too strict and it’s hurting business. While regulations are needed, so too is some relaxation. Robson said that about seven years ago the parking society enforced parking limits in the downtown, a chore that was often seen as more educational than punitive, so that motorists knew the limits. But with the city’s bylaws department now in charge, too many fines are being issued. “These guys are so good you can
be there for an hour and four minutes and you get a ticket. We didn’t do that when the downtown parking [society] ran it. “They certainly aren’t helping with the way they are enforcing parking, that’s for sure,� Robson said. “I think we are over zealous. It shouldn’t be looked at as revenue, it should be looked at as an education and be part of the customer experience and service.� The downtown parking society was formed in order to pro-
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vide parking lots for employees of downtown business, so they wouldn’t occupy storefront parking stalls. Today, employees who work downtown continue to park where they shouldn’t. The issue will become more topof-mind when Walmart opens in Haney Place Mall this fall, drawing in more traffic downtown, Robson said. “I think it’s going to get far worse when Walmart gets here.� See Parking, 11
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