Tuesday, December 21, 2010 Ridge Meadows Flames appear distracted during Friday night’s game.
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Provincial politics
Marc Dalton backs Falcon Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows MLA likes premier hopeful Falcon’s law and order agenda. by Maria Rantanen
mrantanen@mrtimes.com
Jerald Walliser/TIMES
Billy Miner Pub manager Sue Dunn was joined by friends and colleagues Deanne Hayter and Debbie Foote of Mission Springs in gathering up donations of non-perishable food, and even some toys, when the CP Rail Holiday Train stopped in town Friday night.
Food bank
Train donations break record Friends In Need Food Bank gets 5,500 pounds of help.
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“It was a great night,” said Joanne Olson, executive director of the Friends In Need Food Bank. “Everyone was in good spirits.” by Maria Rantanen The Port Haney West mrantanen@mrtimes.com Coast Express station was crowded with community The communities of Maple members – some estimates Ridge and Pitt Meadows surwere about 3,000 people out passed their donations from MORE donating food and money at last year at the CPR Holiday PHOTOS the annual event. Train event on Friday night, ONLINE The alternative rock band bringing in more than The Odds headlined the $21,000. evening and sold their CD, generatWith the Billy Miner Pub raising ing $440 for Friends In Need. about $1,200 and a business cheque Several agencies brought money for $1,000 popped into a donation they’ve been raising for the past few can, donations were more than weeks to the event. This included $2,000 over last year’s donations. $8,500 from the Maple Ridge Fire Totals tallied after the event were Department, $3,500 from the Pitt $21,113.42 in monetary donations, Meadows Fire Department, and and 5,500 pounds of food, all which $3,000 from CP Rail employees. will go to help feed clients of the Rotary and firefighters raised $2,000 Friends In Need Food Bank.
Jerald Walliser/TIMES
Maple Ridge Fire Youth Academy collected food.
for the cause. The Friends In Need Food Bank got their third annual grant of a threeyear funding program from community gaming last week totalling $66,000. While some agencies have seen their grants cut back, Olson said theirs hasn’t been touched and the food bank got what they expected.
Maple Ridge-Mission MLA Marc Dalton would like to see Kevin Falcon as the new premier of B.C. He came out in support of Falcon as leader of the BC Liberals on Friday, as the party looks to replace Gordon Campbell within the next two months. Falcon is a good listener and has been responsive to concerns Dalton has brought forward, the MLA said. “I’ve found him to be very responsive to me as an MLA when I’ve brought constituents’ issues to him,” Dalton added. In addition to Falcon, Christy Clark, Mike de Jong, George Abbott and Moira Stilwell are running for the leadership position. As a minister, Dalton said Falcon listens and is interested in teamwork, adding that he Marc Dalton looks for solutions. Maple Ridge-Mission MLA Dalton found in conversations with Falcon that they had similar views on topics like law and order. Dalton said he tends to “lean more conservative,” which aligns with Falcon’s politics. While Clark has suggested the provincial legislature should have a free vote on the controversial harmonized sales tax, Dalton takes the same stand as Falcon, that the issue should go to a referendum. “We’ve had a vote – we debated,” Dalton said about the legislature. “Now it’s time for the people to vote on it.” The people of B.C. “are in the mood for this debate,” he added. “They want good information – they don’t want spin,” Dalton said. The HST is a simpler tax, which costs the government $30 million less to administer, while businesses in B.C. will save $200 million in red tape reduction with the new tax, Dalton said. He called the provincial sales tax, that was absorbed into the HST, an antiquated “horse-and-buggy” tax, which was complicated for retailers. He added that B.C. would also lose its competitive edge if the HST is abolished, including in the film industry. On climate change, Dalton said B.C. is going much faster than other jurisdictions and the province should wait to see what others are doing first. Falcon is prepared to take a look at the carbon tax and its scheduled increase for July, he added. Dalton brings the number of MLAs endorsing Falcon to 12. The leadership vote is set for Feb. 26.
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