Serving Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Port Moody, Anmore and Belcarra since 1984
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January 7, 2011
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A new approach is paying off at the Inlet Skating Club.
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Your source for local news, sports, weather and entertainment. www.thenownews.com
School’s emergency container ransacked Simone Blais sblais@thenownews.com This new year, James Park Elementary parents get to start all over again — although they’d much rather not. On the first day of classes after the holiday break, a parent advisory council (PAC) volunteer noticed something awry with the doors to the emergency supply container that sits on the Port Coquitlam school grounds. Upon inspection, the volunteer found the lock securing the doors had been cut, and most of the supplies amassed through fundraising and donations missing. “We estimate everything will cost about $1,000,” PAC chair Tanya Robichaud said. “We haven’t done a complete inventory yet. Our meeting is next week, so hopefully we’ll have a list by then.” The food and water was left behind, Robichaud said, adding that the thief or thieves focused on tools: pliers, wrenches, crow bars, crank lanterns, hammers, axes and sledge hammers. Emergency supplies like hand sanitizer and light sticks were taken, and the theft of some of the most expensive essentials — first aid supplies and tarps and pipes required to build shelters in the event of a disaster — made Robichaud angry. “They stole our kids’ safety,” she said. “If the earthquake would hit, we would have no shelter. Yes, it could be life and death … If it were to happen, it could be my kid’s life, or a teacher’s life.” Robichaud said the PAC has the funds to replace the items, but planned on spending the CONT. ON PAGE 4, see PAC.
Kevin Hill/NOW
Steve Tetu, owner of EBI Cruiser Parts, is unhappy about having to move his shop from Port Moody to make way for the Evergreen Line.
Move upsets business owner
Not enough communication from province over Evergreen Line expropriation, he says John Kurucz jkurucz@thenownews.com Whether he likes it or not, Steve Tetu accepts that he has to move his business to make way for Evergreen Line construction. However, the terms around that move don’t sit well with the Port Moody-based business owner. “No amount of pleading or bleeding hearts is going to make them reroute the train a block away so I can stay. One person is not going to make them add another $2 million on to a line. So I just said, ‘OK, let’s get the compensation going and get it done.’ But that hasn’t happened,” he said. Tetu’s automotive shop, EBI Cruiser Parts, is located on Moray Street, which is within the design envelope of the Evergreen Line. Because of that, he’s been asked to pack up and relocate by the provincial
government, though no timeline has been given for the move. The Coquitlam resident’s primary frustration stems from the lack of communication he’s had with the province, and the government’s offer to compensate him with what he estimates to be less than a quarter of what it will cost to uproot his business from its Port Moody location to a warehouse complex in east Port Coquitlam. He says he first received notice from the province in April of last year that he would have to move, but received nothing in writing until Sept. 30, 2010. At that time, the letter suggested he would be compensated for “mutually agreed relocation costs, business costs, legal and other costs appropriate in the circumstance.” “That is the actual only legal document that I have. Everything is verbal, or a very vague e-mail. I’ve been trying to ask questions and have them
send me information back,” said Tetu, who set up his vehicle customization shop on Moray Street four years ago. “Everything has been verbal up until this point except for that one piece of paper. It’s just hearsay and e-mails with no real 100-per-cent facts.” Despite that lack of communication, Tetu began compiling the costs he felt would be associated with the move and the renovation to his new warehouse — everything from new alarm systems and wiring to costs associated with marketing and the move itself. The number he’s tentatively arrived at comes in at more than $175,000, though he’s still unsure as to what the final tally will be because of a delay in getting his building permits approved in Port Coquitlam, and other costs that he won’t be able to assess until he’s in his new shop. CONTINUED ON PAGE 4, see ‘THE PROVINCE.’
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