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Feasting on soccer
Richmondite convinces established actors to work for free on his acclaimed short film, Voodoo, which is featuring at two film festivals.
There was plenty of soccer served up over the holiday as the Richmond boys and girls soccer associations hosted the annual Thanksgiving Tournament.
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Director’s black magic
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Berner, 26, convicted of murder Man faces 10-25 years BY NELSON BENNETT
nbennett@richmond-news.com
COMMUNITY
Richmondites feel they belong: Survey Vital Signs report explores what makes residents of Metro Vancouver tick
BY ALAN CAMPBELL
acampbell@richmond-news.com
The people of Richmond feel a stronger sense of belonging to their community than any other group in the whole of Metro Vancouver. That’s the findings of a new report, called Vital Signs, commissioned by the Vancouver Foundation — a non-profit organization that distributes more than $40 million each year across B.C. $
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The organization wanted to better understand the people of Metro Vancouver and “discover the source of its vitality.” After an online survey, using a representative sample of 1,200 Metro Vancouverites, the highest percentage of people (75 per cent) who felt a strong or very strong connection to the community they live in was in Richmond/Delta. The News asked a few prominent members of the Richmond community why they felt so
many residents feel such a bond with their immediate surroundings. “I think that it’s due to a number of factors,” said Balwant Sanghera, president of the Richmond Multicultural Concerns Society. ‘There are so many community organizations out there which really have so much respect for each other and I think that goes a long way to that sense of belonging. For example, there are so many
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different cultural and religious communities, but we all respect each other, understand each other and live in harmony. “I believe the environment we live in — with it being an island of sorts — means we feel unique and perhaps that brings us together also.” Richmond’s vast army of volunteers is the main reason for the strong sense of belonging, says Arzeena Hamir, a coordinator of the Richmond see Hamir page 4
8171 Westminster Hwy. (at Buswell, one block east of No. 3 Rd.) Walkway access also from Save-On Foods parking lot
Mon-Sat 8:45-6:30 Sun 10-5 (604) 780-4959
see Berner page 4 07283111
CHUNG CHOW/RICHMOND NEWS
A large contingency of volunteers made quick work of cleaning up the dyke along River Road as a part of the annual Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup last month. It’s that kind of willingness to help out that give Richmondites a powerful sense of belonging, according to community leaders who were responding to the results of the Vancouver Foundation’s Vital Signs survey.
Joshua Berner, the 26-year-old Richmond man who killed Benjamin Warland in a fight in 2009, was found guilty of second-degree murder on Thanksgiving Day. The verdict means he will spend a minimum of 10 years in jail before he can become eligible for parole. The five-man, seven-woman jury returned late Monday afternoon to hand down a guilty verdict — something that took Berner’s lawyer, David Tarnow, by surprise. “There was a very large amount of eviPHOTO SUBMITTED dence put forward to Joshua Berner the jury about how claimed selfBerner had to defend defence. himself against Mr. Warland,” Tarnow said. “I thought it was a very clear case of self-defence and I’m very disappointed that the jury didn’t see it that way.” Berner is the son of Carol Berner, who was convicted in July of driving drunk when she struck and killed four-year-old Alexa Middelaer in Delta in 2008. She has not been sentenced yet. She did not attend her son’s second-degree murder trial. Joshua Berner was taken away Monday to begin serving his sentence, which could range anywhere from 10 to 25 years before he becomes eligible for parole. A hearing was to be held today to fix a date for his sentencing. Tarnow said it is too early to say whether the conviction will be appealed.