Tuesday, June 29, 2010 The TIMES celebrates 25 years in the community.
Pages B1-B28
ersary Anniv 010 1985-2
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Bang the drum slowly (Left) Mary Ward, board member of a new aboriginal community group, leads her fellow board members in song during the National Aboriginal Day celebration in Memorial Peace Park on Saturday. Ward and other city officials were on hand to recognize the start of this new committee. (Above) Leaders from the Kauhane School of Polynesian Dance perform a traditional Hawaiian dance as part of the National Aboriginal Day celebration. Mitch Thompson/Times
Expropriation
Road project driving through bunny barn by Amy Steele asteele@mrtimes.com
J
im Bentley, 73, has been raising rabbits on his property on 127 Avenue in Maple Ridge for 31 years and he currently has 125 New Zealand whites and satin rabbits in a barn on his farm. On a recent summer day Bentley took The TIMES on a tour of the barn, which is full of white and black rabbits of all sizes. Bentley points out some tiny pink babies that were born that day. It’s evident that Bentley adores his rabbits. However, he is wondering what will happen to them because part of his property is being expropriated by the District of Maple Ridge to make way for the realignment of the Abernethy Connector. “I have the best in the west,” said Bentley of his rabbits. “I got hooked on this. It’s something I like and I enjoy. It’s just like how some people like dogs, horses, cats. I like rabbits.”
Bentley is unimpressed by his dealings with the district. “It’s how they’ve gone about it. It’s how they’ve treated me,” said Bentley. “I don’t know what’s going to happen here. It’s my livelihood.” Bentley shows rabbits and sells them for breeding and pet stock. He has shipped rabbits all the way up to Alaska. “I never expected I would have to go through something like this at my age.... I’ve gone through hell and high water,” he said of the expropriation process. Bentley is also upset that his pony Sally and horse TJ will lose part of their pasture in the expropriation. “They are not going to have as much pasture as they do now because the roadway is going to take quite a bit of my pasture,” he said, adding he wants compensation for the loss of some of his pasture and the rabbit barn on top of what he will be paid for the expropriated land.
See BUNNY, Page 4
Maple Ridge’s Jim Bentley in his large rabbit barn, the site of a future district road. Glenn Baglo/Canwest News
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