midweek edition WEDNESDAY, JULY 21, 2010 Vol. 101 No. 58• Established 1908 • East
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Transformative journey Inside Illuminares
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Science World gets $35-million makeover Option to relocate quickly dismissed Megan Stewart Staff writer
Science World is under wraps until March while it undergoes a multimillion-dollar retrofit.
photo Dan Toulgoet
Science World has begun a $35million renovation to showcase B.C. technology and innovation, making the space-age geodesic dome the third False Creek landmark to undergo a facelift in either name or design this summer. Bryan Tisdall, President and CEO of Science World at Telus World of Science, as the nonprofit organization is formally known, said the option of relocating out of downtown to a more affordable, suburban location in custom-built quarters was quickly dismissed. With its skyline image emblazoned on the city’s identity, the iconic dome on Vancouver’s waterfront was too special a property to walk away from. Instead, the aging building will get a multimillion-dollar facelift,
retrofit and expansion. Tisdall said the $35-million bill presented a slight shock. But the cost is worth it, he said. “We aren’t in it to build a building, we are in it to pursue a mission.” That mission is to light a spark in the minds of children, youth and even adults, he said. “As much as we love to put the glint in the eye and smile on the face of our visitors, science and technology are essential to the long-term prosperity of the province,” Tisdall said. “Part of that is to inspire inventiveness, curiosity and creativity in young adults and children, some of it is to impact adults in their professions and future job opportunities so they will support policies, programs and [political] parties that are supportive of science and technology.” See RETROFIT on page 4
Metro Vancouver odour bylaw in the works Regulation aimed at dealing with hundreds of complaints about seasonal stink Naoibh O’Connor Staff writer
Vision Vancouver Coun. Heather Deal is “cautiously optimistic” Metro Vancouver can draft an odour bylaw that will finally quiet complaints about a stink dozens of GrandviewWoodlands residents blame on West Coast Reduction’s rendering plant at
the foot of Commercial Drive. The stench worsens during hot weather and for years it’s generated hundreds of calls to Metro Vancouver, which is responsible for the region’s air quality. Metro Vancouver tried amending the plant’s air emission permit through limiting “odour units”—a method accepted in the European
Union—but the provincial Environmental Appeal Board ruled in March that odour units are unreasonable and unenforceable. Last week, Ray Robb, Metro Vancouver’s division manager in the policy and planning department, told members of the regional district’s environment and energy committee, of which Deal
is a member, that he’s drawing up an odour bylaw for the district board’s consideration. Such a bylaw, which cannot be appealed through the EAB, could also apply to other operations that emit odour. Early candidates for the regulation include fish feed manufacturing and “composting and aerobic/ anaerobic digestion of putrescible
[food scrap] wastes,” according to the report. Metro Vancouver expects odour problems to grow as more organic solid waste is diverted from landfills and incineration. The regulation may include fees to reflect polluter-pay and user-pay principles, so taxpayers don’t have to subsidize the regulation of such industries. See COUNCILLOR on page 4
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