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Your source for local news, sports, weather and entertainment. www.thenownews.com
Break-ins anger PoCo pool patrons
Officers charged with assault
John Kurucz
Simone Blais
jkurucz@thenownews.com
sblais@thenownews.com A traffic stop that turned into a struggle has resulted in assault charges against two Coquitlam RCMP officers. Const. Marko Duran and Const. Trevor Doylend, both members of the Coquitlam RCMP traffic services section, were conducting radar enforcement on Prairie Avenue on June 17, according to a press release. Duran, 38, flagged a vehicle over and issued a violation ticket to the driver. During this process, an altercation allegedly ensued and the driver was removed from the vehicle and arrested by Duran with help from Doylend, 33. After the report was filed, the traffic services supervisor had some concerns about the arrest and subsequent charge recommendation. He reviewed audio and video of the incident taken by an in-car camera in the police vehicle. As a result, both officers were charged with one count of assault. Duran has been given administrative duties since the incident. Doylend remains on duty in Coquitlam traffic services. A separate internal code of conduct investigation is ongoing. No charges were levied against the driver, who never made a complaint about the incident. “Public confidence starts with us doing our jobs. In this case, a supervisor did exactly what they’re supposed to do in thoroughly reviewing the work of their members, and that’s what led to these charges,” Sgt. Rob Vermeulen of RCMP E Division said in the release. Both officers are set to appear in Port Coquitlam provincial court on Jan. 20.
Dave Wielki/NOW
PENGUIN MADNESS: The water was so cold on New Year’s Day, Penguin Plunge swimmers ringing in the new year off Rocky Point Park resurfaced clutching chunks of ice. To view a photo gallery of the swim, visit www.thenownews.com.
A recent surge in break-ins at Port Coquitlam’s Hyde Creek Recreation Centre has at least two long-time patrons calling for action. Louis LeMire and Dave Wood both noted a spike in thefts from the pool’s lockers in December, at which time Wood’s locker was broken into and his clothes were stolen. It was the second time in two years Wood had his personal belongings stolen from the pool, and while the theft bothered him, the response from pool staff made him irate — he said he was given a blanket to get out to his car with, while a pool staff member apologized for the incident. “Sorry does not cut it. I have been invaded in my privacy, I have been traumatized over what has happened, and all you can say is sorry?” Wood said. “Where is the public relations? It’s not a case of kissing your backside, but it is about asking the person, ‘How can I help you?’ or ‘What can I do to help you?’ These are simple questions, but they didn’t exist and that’s what bothers me.” His first run-in with crime at the pool came two years ago, when both his credit cards, on top of about $30 in cash, were stolen from his wallet. “When I spoke to the people at the front desk at Hyde Creek about this, they greeted me with almost a nonchalant shrug, telling me that they can’t control that kind of stuff,” he said. LeMire, on the other hand, has never had his locker broken into but is frustrated by what he feels is a lack of action on the city’s part. “We really appreciate the facility. However, this really takes away from the enjoyment of it. The problem is fix CONTINUED ON PAGE 4, see NEW SECURITY SYSTEM.
Property values rise in Tri-Cities Simone Blais sblais@thenownews.com Tri-Cities properties are ringing in big, officially assessed as having $45.78 billion in value for 2011. BC Assessment released its 2011 assessment roll yesterday (Tuesday) showing the North Fraser region, including the Tri-Cities, the villages, Burnaby and New Westminster, topped $115.92 billion. More than 165,000 property owners
in the region will see an average increase in assessments of 10.97 per cent from 2010, when notices arrive via mail in the next few days. “Most homes are worth more on this year’s assessment roll than they were on the 2010 assessment roll,” Zina Weston, deputy assessor, said in a press release. “Most home owners in the North Fraser region will see increases in the five-per-cent to 20per-cent range.” The most expensive Tri-Cities properties, according to the roll, remain
on Coquitlam’s Westwood Plateau, where a typical single-family home built in 1997 was assessed at $868,000. Not far behind are two areas in Port Moody: Heritage Woods single-family dwellings built in 1995 were typically assessed at $854,000, and the average single-family home on the city’s north shore built in the 1970s was assessed at $772,000. The cheapest properties were strata low-rise, two-bedroom condos, which were typically assessed at $252,000 if built in Coquitlam in 1992, $276,000
if built in 2007 in downtown Port Coquitlam and $341,000 if built in Port Moody in 2005. Coquitlam’s total assessment roll is valued at more than $26.78 billion for 2011, with residential properties up 9.12 per cent and business properties up 4.9 per cent from 2010. The Port Coquitlam roll was valued at $10.39 billion in 2011, up 8.78 per cent for residential properties and 6.51 per cent for business properties. CONTINUED ON PAGE 4, see B.C.