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Kwantlen reviewing Century dealings BY
SANDOR GYARMATI
sgyarmati@delta-optimist.com
Kwantlen Polytechnic University has initiated a review of its dealings with the Century Group. The post-secondary institute announced this week it “regrets any confusion or misunderstanding generated from its involvement with Century Group’s Southlands project.”
Nickelodeon movie turns Ladner into Dimmsdale PHOTOS BY
SANDOR GYARMATI
AND
CHUNG CHOW
Delta Street in Ladner Village was transformed into a cartoon-like town this week for filming of the live action movie The Fairly Odd Parents. The movie is based on the Nickelodeon cartoon series that has the main character, a 10-year-old boy named Timmy Turner, going through misadventures after he receives two fairy godparents who are able to grant him wishes. The cartoon series takes place in the fictional town of Dimmsdale.
Berner verdict on Tuesday
Judge to hand down ruling in case of woman charged in fatal 2008 collision in Ladner BY
JESSICA KERR
jkerr@delta-optimist.com
The judge in the Carol Berner trial is expected to deliver his verdict next week. Berner is charged with impaired driving causing death, impaired driving causing bodily harm, dangerous driving causing
death and dangerous driving causing bodily harm in the 2008 crash that killed four-year-old Alexa Middelaer and seriously injured her aunt Daphne Johanson. After four weeks of testimony and legal arguments, which included a request by Berner’s defence team to have the charges dropped, the trial wrapped up June
24 in Surrey Provincial Court. Judge Peder Gulbransen is expected to deliver his judgment on Tuesday morning. On May 17, 2008, Alexa and Johanson were feeding a horse in the 4300-block of 64th Street in East Ladner when a car plowed into them. The little girl was fatally wounded and died later at B.C.
Children’s Hospital. Johanson was seriously injured and spent four weeks in hospital. Berner, 58, has pleaded not guilty to the charges but did admit through her lawyer she was driving the car at the time of the collision. Visit www.delta-optimist.com for the latest.
In a news release, the university stated that president David Atkinson, in the interests of transparency and openness, “has initiated a review that will examine the circumstances of Kwantlen’s $50,000 fee for service research contract with Century Group as well as the expectations attached to its current memorandum of understanding, also with Century Group.” Kwantlen’s board of governors will receive the findings of the review, which will then also be made public. The issue was raised last week when the Tsawwassen residents’ group Southlands the Facts said information obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request revealed that in the spring of 2009 Century Group and Kwantlen signed a memorandum in which Century agreed to pay the university consulting services fees, and to provide additional endowment funding upon the approval of a development application for Southlands. Century Group has been marketing its development proposal by using research performed by Kwantlen promoting agriculturalurbanism, however, neither party disclosed the relationship and funding agreement, say opponents. See KWANTLEN page 3