Wednesday January 13, 2016 (Vol. 41 No. 3)
V O I C E
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W H I T E
R O C K
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S O U T H
S U R R E Y
w w w. p e a c e a r c h n e w s . c o m
Panther pride: The Lord Tweedsmuir Panthers are queens of the court, after winning the school’s first-ever title at the Surrey Fire Fighters’ Goodwill Classic Saturday. i see page 29
Police advise caution
Four struck, injured Kevin Diakiw Black Press
A rash of serious injuries on Surrey roads has prompted police to remind pedestrians and motorists alike to pay better attention. “Quite simply, if you are distracted or not paying attention to what’s happening on the road in front of you, you are dramatically increasing your risk of either being a victim or the driver involved in a serious pedestrian motor vehicle incident,” said Cpl. Scotty Schumann. The caution was issued after four pedestrians were hit in a four-day span. Saturday morning, a 77-year-old woman suffered serious injuries when she was struck by a 2014 Nissan Sentra while crossing in the 12100-block of 72 Avenue. The driver, a 27-year-old male from Surrey, remained at the scene. Police do not believe speed or impairment was a factor in the accident. A day earlier, a woman was struck by a KIA minivan in the Guildford area. She was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries, a status which has improved marginally. Last Wednesday, police responded to two other similar incidents involving pedestrians; one in Newton and one in Cloverdale. Surrey RCMP’s Traffic Services Unit will be stepping up enforcement in some of the high-pedestrian locations over the next few days to help spread the message further about pedestrian safety. In 2015, eight out of the 15 fatal traffic collisions in Surrey involved pedestrians. Over the past few years, more than 40 per cent of the fatal collisions in Surrey have involved pedestrians. According to ICBC, 75 per cent of crashes involving pedestrians occur at intersections during the winter months (November-January) and usually on Fridays.
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Melissa Smalley photos
Residents rally outside White Rock city hall Monday to protest chlorimination of the city’s water. Hours later council voted to reverse the plan.
White Rock council votes for chlorine, following citizen rally calling for rethink
Chloramine plan abandoned Melissa Smalley Staff Reporter
White Rock city council voted to halt plans to treat the city’s water supply with chloramine, after a lengthy, lively discussion on disinfection options Monday. The unanimous vote came after presentations from Fraser Health officials who provided background on why the city has been directed to implement a secondary treatment plan by June 30, as well as responses to some of the health concerns raised by residents in recent weeks. The decision also came several hours after 170 residents rallied on the lawn of city hall, calling on officials to rethink plans to treat the water with chloramine – a mixture of chlorine and ammonia. The council motion, tabled by Coun. Bill Lawrence, calls for staff to request a postponement of the June 30 treatment deadline from Fraser Health, and to utilize chlorination, not chloramination, as a
Fraser Health’s Dr. Michelle Murti and Lloyd Struck address council. means of secondary disinfection. Despite assurances from Fraser Health’s medical health officer Dr. Michelle Murti that chloramination presents no negative health effects, nor does it pose infrastructure concerns if it’s properly monitored, council echoed many of the concerns raised by residents. “I just don’t feel that there’s enough data and enough research to be able to feel comfortable with keeping (chloramine) on,” Lawrence said, garnering applause
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from the overflow crowd. Mayor Wayne Baldwin said that while he felt much of the fear surrounding the issue “isn’t grounded,” he did have concerns about the potential environmental impact on the Little Campbell River, to which one of the city’s storm-sewer drains travels. “It is not acceptable for us to allow chloraminated water to go into the Campbell River, which is part of Semiahmoo traditional grounds,” Baldwin said, making note of SFN band councillor
Joanne Charles in the audience. “It is their water, in essence, and it would be disrespectful for us to create an environmental situation on their traditional grounds.” David Riley, a director of the Little Campbell Watershed Society who spoke of the environmental risks of chloramine at the noon-hour rally Monday, told Peace Arch News Tuesday that the council vote was a “positive development” but that “the debate still needs to be broadened.” “Obviously, council listened to some segments in the community, and they’re taking a second look at things, and I think that’s positive,” Riley said. “It’s up to the rest of the community to tell city hall that we want more public dialogue.” Prior to council’s discussion on the topic, Murti and Fraser Health’s environmental health officer Lloyd Struck spoke about the authority’s disinfection requirements, which stemmed i see page 8
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