Tuesday, July 13, 2010 Twins and Jerks face off on the baseball diamond.
Page 20
ary Annivers 1985-2010
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Garbage incinerator
MR council sets fire to to region’s proposal
MUSIC ❚ Caribbean Colours
by Amy Steele asteele@mrtimes.com
Maple Ridge council is taking a stand against any “mass burn” incinerators being built to deal with Metro Vancouver’s burgeoning garbage problem. Metro Vancouver is seeking feedback on its draft solid waste management plan, which includes a target of 70 per cent waste diversion by 2015. Part of the plan includes waste-to-energy facilities, which could also include anaerobic digestion and gasification technologies as well as incinerators, to deal with 500,000 tonnes of garbage per year. “There’s no magic to it. They do pollute. They pollute a lot,” said Councillor Craig Speirs. “If we did one in this region it would be the largest single point source of pollution in the region.” Speirs said Europe, which relies heavily on incinerators, has higher cancer rates and more pollution. “We don’t have to go down that road, we really don’t. We have options that aren’t available to Europe,” he said. Speirs said the landfill in Cache Creek is a “very effective way of encapsulating garbage which can be dealt with later if we find a way of doing that or just to keep a lot of those very toxic chemicals that results from burning out of the air.” Speirs expressed concern that building incinerators would lead to burning material that could be diverting from the waste stream. “It doesn’t matter if it’s private or a government-produced facility. You have to feed the beast. That’s just the way it works,” he said. Speirs said he’d like to see more of a focus on reducing garbage generation and he said he’d like to see a more ambitious target of 80 per cent diversion by 2015. Coun. Linda King said she wants to see more of a focus on reduction. “I think the main task that’s in front of all of us as individuals and a community is to become less wasteful,” she said. See INCINERATOR, Page 4
The Maple Ridge Caribbean Festival filled downtown with people on Saturday and Sunday for two days of music, food and displays. One of the highlights is pictured. It’s the annual costume parade that starts in the Memorial Peace Park bandstand and works its way down 224 Street. For more photos, see Page 16 and visit the Multimedia section at www.mrtimes.com. There you can listen and watch the festival. Mitch Thompson/TIMES
Courts
Man guilty of shooting at cops Shawn Gillam tried to claim that sound and flash were due to the getaway van, but the judge wasn’t buying it.
S
hawn Gillam, 28, has been found guilty of shooting at a police car during a police chase on June 30, 2008. Court heard that Gillam was in a white van driven by Kenneth Lavallee when a police officer put on his lights and a chase ensued. A police officer testified he saw what he believed to be a muzzle flash from the passenger side window, heard a loud bang and could smell sulfur within seconds. Police put down a spike belt, which stopped the van and both occupants ran. Lavallee got away but Gillam was caught. The police officer noticed Gillam had thrown away a bag. It was later found and had a magazine clip for a nine-millimetre handgun in it. Gillam’s hands were found to have gunshot residue on them. Police also found stolen watches. Lavallee testified that he’d been given the magazine in exchange for drugs and he told Gillam to put it in the bag.
Lavallee testified that the van they were driving was in poor condition and backfired regularly and he said it backfired after the police officer gave chase. An automotive mechanic testified that a backfiring vehicle can produce a flash accompanied by a loud bang and there can be a sulfurous smell. However, Port Coquitlam Provincial Court Judge Anthony Spence found that the flash, which the police officer testified he saw coming from the passenger side window, wouldn’t be consistent with a backfiring vehicle due the location it was seen. Spence found Gillam guilty of six different criminal offences on Friday, including discharging a firearm with the intent of preventing an arrest, possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose, knowingly possessing a firearm without a licence, possession of a firearm while prohibited from doing so, possession of stolen property over $5,000 and break and enter with intent to commit an offence. Gillam hasn’t been sentenced yet on the offences.
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