Zalm furious
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Recall next after petition blocked
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Agriculture Report Delta plays key role
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Optimist
Jays take flight
Ball players move on to collegiate level
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YOUR SOURCE FOR LOCAL SPORTS, NEWS, WEATHER AND ENTERTAINMENT! WWW.DELTA-OPTIMIST.COM The Voice of Delta since 1922 SATURDAY, AUGUST 14, 2010
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Municipal by-election attracts 8 candidates
New kind of welcome!
BY
SANDOR GYARMATI
sgyarmati@delta-optimist.com
Seven candidates had filed their nomination papers to run in next month’s Delta council by-election just prior to yesterday’s deadline.
Meet the candidates Page 3
Crews were installing municipal signage in these parts this week, including this one at the Highway 17 exit.
PHOTO BY
CHUNG CHOW
Sylvia Bishop, Maria DeVries, Peter Harms, Kathleen Higgins, Sandeep Pandher, Ian Paton and Ray Robinson are vying for the council seat left vacant by the sudden death of George Hawksworth this spring. An eighth candidate, Amy Ghuman Sara, had not filed by the Optimist’s deadline, but intended to do so before the 4 p.m. deadline at municipal h all. It will be the first time on council for whoever wins. The by-election will be held Sept. 18. Check out www.delta-optimist. com for the latest on the by-election.
Cigarette blamed for Ladner fire Investigators believe massive Evergreen Lane blaze started on deck of one of the units BY
JESSICA KERR
jkerr@delta-optimist.com
Fire investigators concluded this week that a cigarette caused the Evergreen Lane fire in Ladner two weeks ago. Deputy fire chief Paul Scholfield said Thursday the blaze, which displaced more than 20 seniors, was not suspicious and “probably caused by a cigarette butt being extinguished into a planter on a deck.” He said the fire spread up into the attic and then to other units in the building. The blaze started at about 7 p.m. on July 30 at the two-storey apartment complex in the 4600block of Evergreen Lane. It took
several hours and required 52 firefighters, including some from Richmond, to extinguish the blaze that spread quickly in the woodframed building. More than 20 of the 66 suites in the complex were damaged in the fire. The entire block was evacuated while crews battled the blaze. Firefighters doused the roofs of neighbouring homes in an effort to stop the fire from spreading. No one was injured. Emergency accommodations were found for all the displaced residents and Deltassist is working with emergency social servic-
es and other local organizations to ensure everyone finds a more permanent place to live. Gary Collins, vice-president with the Delta Senior Housing Association, the non-profit, volunteer organization that runs the building, said in an e-mail to the Optimist earlier this week that the building will be re-constructed. An exact timeline for the reconstruction has not yet been worked out. In the aftermath of the fire, the community has rallied to help the victims as Deltassist and the Salvation Army have been inun-
dated with donations. Victims of the fire can receive a Salvation Army voucher at the organization’s Surrey office to help replace clothing and other household items. Locally, the Delta Hospital Auxiliary Thrift Shop on Delta Street is offering items in the store to fire victims free of charge until Sept. 3. The Delta Firefighters Charitable Society set up an account at Envision Financial for monetary donations. However, donations were only accepted into the account until Aug. 13. A fundraising barbecue is scheduled for Sept. 1 at Kirkland House from 5 until 10:30 p.m. The event will feature outdoor
FILE PHOTO
Fifty-two firefighters battled the blaze at Evergreen Lane July 30.
music, a 50/50 draw and hamburgers and pop by donation. Organizer Cassie Brown is looking for volunteers. She can be reached at 604-551-0524.