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Clubbing — 4-H style
Travel the Thompson
A born and bred Richmond gal, Betty, is set to make her PNE debut. Her 4-H Club handler is confident the pretty calf has a shot at a ribbon.
Go wild in Thompson country. Vast hiking trails, frothy green lakes and rustic eco-lodge makes this off-thebeaten-track region an ideal adventures.
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.RICHMOND-NEWS.COM FIRE
SUCCESS creates fire victim fund Many residents were new immigrants, childen, seniors — most had no insurance BY NELSON BENNETT
nbennett@richmond-news.com
TOURISM
Tours from China start touching down ‘We got 50 per cent of the groups staying in Richmond,’ Lakeman BY NELSON BENNETT
nbennett@richmond-news.com
More than 350 tourists from Mainland China landed in Richmond Wednesday, eager to see Mountains, Mounties and Moose. And while they are in the Lower Mainland, half of them will be staying in hotels in Richmond. “We got 50 per cent of the groups staying in Richmond,” said Tracy Lakeman, executive $
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director for Tourism Richmond. Premier Gordon Campbell and Stockwell Day, federal minister of the Asia Pacific Gateway, were among the dignitaries on hand at Vancouver International Airport Wednesday to officially welcome the first flight of Chinese tourists to arrive in Canada under a new agreement designating Canada as a favoured tourism destination for Chinese citizens. The Approved Destination
Status agreement means Chinese tour operators can promote Canada for package tours. With economic growth of more than eight per cent, a growing middle class and roughly 47 million Chinese citizens travelling outside the country each year, Canadian governments and tourism associations see a potential goldmine in China. “The United Nations predicts that by 2020 there will be 100 million people as travellers out-
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side of China as tourists,” Day said. “And Canada is a wonderful and attractive magnet for as many of those travellers as possible.” Campbell said the increase in tourism from China in B.C. represents “literally hundreds of millions of dollars of opportunity.” According to the Canadian Tourism Commission, travellers from China injected $260.6 million into the Canadian economy see Richmond page 3
8171 Westminster Hwy. (at Buswell, one block east of No. 3 Rd.) Walkway access also from Save-On Foods parking lot
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CHUNG CHOW/RICHMOND NEWS
Boats moored at Fisherman’s Wharf create a pretty picture in the contrasting light of the early morning. Local gillnetters enjoyed a bountiful day Wednesday during a second commercial opening for Fraser River sockeye. Strong returns of up to 14 million sockeye are predicted.
A public appeal is being made to help dozens of tenants displaced from the Heather Lee Apartments rebuild their lives. SUCCESS, a Vancouver-based immigrant aid society, has set up a trust account, and is asking the public to donate to help victims of the apartment fire. More than 90 people — many immigrants, some with young children — were left homeless when the three-story walkup caught fire on in the early hours of Aug. 7. While the building’s owner, Cressey/ Nacel Properties, has offered to relocate some tenants to other buildings it owns outside of Richmond, most still have not been able to find alternative living arrangements, according to Sunny Yuen, a spokesman for the tenants. “Some of us work in Richmond, but they said Richmond is not available,” Yuen said at a press conference organized by SUCCESS Wednesday. The closest available apartment building owned by the landlord is on Marine Drive, Yuen said, and only six units are available. “Many residents did not have insurance,” said SUCCESS CEO Tung Chan. “They were making a minimum amount of income. Some were unemployed. So even though the premium for insurance is not very expensive, many of them — in fact most of the people — do not carry insurance.” Tenants with children are having the most difficulty finding a place that takes kids. Many do not want to leave Richmond because their children are enrolled in school here. Chan said his organization has been working with some of the tenants to try to help them find a place to live. “So far, we have not been that successful,” Chan said. see Tenants page 4