Wednesday November 11, 2015 (Vol. 40 No. 90)
Tour of duty: As a winner of the Beaverbrook Vimy Prize, 17-year-old Carson Jones spent two weeks this summer touring historic war sites throughout Europe – where her great-grandfather once served. i see page 11
w w w. p e a c e a r c h n e w s . c o m
Residents urged to open their homes, as Metro Vancouver expects up to 3,000 Syrians
Surrey braces for share of refugees Jeff Nagel Black Press
Up to 3,000 Syrian refugees are predicted to come to Metro Vancouver as a result of the new federal government’s push to bring 25,000 to Canada by the end of the year. And residents across the region are being urged to volunteer, donate and even open their homes to assist the incoming refugees once they arrive.
At least 10 per cent of Syrian refugees coming to Canada so far have come to B.C., and of those, the vast majority settle in Surrey, followed by surrounding cities such as Burnaby, New Westminster, Delta, Coquitlam and Richmond. All of the 43 government-assisted Syrian refugees fleeing their war-torn country who have arrived in B.C. this year have settled in those communities, and 26 are in Surrey.
“Surrey is expected to continue being the number one destination,” said Chris Friesen, executive director of the Immigrant Services Society of B.C. He estimates Surrey alone could welcome 800 Syrian refugees and roughly 300 of them could be school age – 40 per cent are expected to be under 19 years old – triggering a scramble for classroom space. Friesen said a website is being launched
at issbc.org/refugee-crisis where Metro residents can find forms to volunteer and suggest accommodation options and other assistance. “For those who are interested in private sponsorship we have a fund in place so people can make a donation towards a sponsorship if they don’t want to take the whole thing on.” i see page 4
Decades of work
Retreat centre to close Tracy Holmes Staff Reporter
Crafting for Christmas
Boaz Joseph photo
White Rock’s Lois Howald sits behind a table full of toys for sale at the annual Northwood United Church Christmas craft fair last Saturday. The one-day event was a chance for visitors to get into the holiday spirit early, and featured more than 60 vendors, a bake sale and a huge variety of one-of-a-kind items.
Utility-takeover costs still not made public
White Rock water budget to rise by $1m Tracy Holmes Staff Reporter
With still no word to residents on how much the City of White Rock agreed to spend to buy its water utility last month, council has given preliminary approval to a $1-million boost to its 2015 water utility capital budget. The move, which received first, second and third reading Monday, increases the budget to $15,284,000, and is “to ensure that the city has adequate expenditure authority to pay for
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capital projects related to the water utility to the end of this year,” Sandra Kurylo, the city’s director of financial services, told council. Expenses cited in Kurylo’s report include an acquisition advance payment, upgrades to the Tempest system for billing purposes and the purchase of vehicles for the utility’s operation. The change will not increase water rates, Mayor Wayne Baldwin told Peace Arch News. “We’re actually going to be lowering the rates,” Baldwin said Tuesday.
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The amendment also enables expenditures related to replacement of the Merklin Street water reservoir. Council also approved the award of that $3.8-million contract Monday. The work – awarded to Graham Infrastructure LP – is Phase 2 of the Total Water Quality Management project that was initiated by Epcor in 2012 to address operating-permit conditions imposed by Fraser Health in the i see page 4
A Roman Catholic retreat centre that has been quietly operating in South Surrey for nearly 40 years is closing its doors. Officials with the Archdiocese of Vancouver confirmed Thursday that the Rosemary Heights Retreat Centre, at 3690 152 St., will cease operations at the end of December. “It’s been brutal,” communications director Paul Schratz said, of coming to the conclusion, which was shared with the centre’s 26 staff members early last week. “It was a very difficult decision to make.” What this means for the site moving forward – it is located on a prime piece of real estate overlooking the Nicomekl River – remains to be seen. While one employee who contacted Peace Arch News expressed concern it could be sold and developed, Schratz said no decisions on its future have been made. A statement issued last week says only that the Archdiocese “hopes to realize the best value possible for the Rosemary Heights property.” i see page 2
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