WEDNESDAY , APR IL 13 , 2011N E W W E S T M I N S T E R

INSIDE FEATURE: Church joins art scene P13

Acivil lawsuit brought againstthe City of NewWestminster cit-ing gross negligence and misrep-resentation has been dismissedby the Supreme Court of BritishColumbia.

Nirmal Walia, the presi-dent of P.S.D. Enterprises Ltd.and the former owner of theWindsor Hotel on ColumbiaStreet, launched the lawsuitagainst the city. He claimed thatTim Whitehead, the citys for-mer director of developmentservices, assured him that if hesold the Windsor Hotel propertyto a developer, the city wouldundertake any necessary rezon-ing to enable him to relocatehis private liquor store to a newlocation on 12th Street.

Walia sold the property toBallenas Project Management,who then demolished the build-ing to build the new DowntownInterurban condominium tower,for $2 million but never receivedapproval from the city to relo-cate his liquor store. He laterlost both his provincial pub andliquor store licences and wasseeking up to $2 million in dam-ages.

In a ruling released on April8, Judge Miriam Gropper said:P.S.D. has not satisfied me that

N EW S , S P O R T S , O P I N I O N & E N T E R T A I NM E N T www.royalcityrecord.com

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER twitter .com/TheRecord JOIN US ON FACEBOOK facebook.com/RoyalCityRecord

Walialoseslawsuit

COURTS

Judge says city wasnot negligent in itsdealings over a puband liquor store

Nursing complaints: Janice Buchanan, vice-president of the B.C. Nurses Union, speaks at a rally at Sherbrooke and Columbia streets,outside Royal Columbian Hospital, to raise the unions concerns about hallway health care.

Nurses raise ruckus at rallySeizing on the federal election campaign,

the B.C. Nurses Union held a rally outsideRoyal Columbian Hospital Monday after-noon to demand an end to hallway healthcare.

Theres 54 patients admitted that haveno beds to go to, and that is outrageous,said Janice Buchanan, union vice-president,gesturing to the hospital. Were going tobe out there to hold our politicians account-able.

Helen Roberts, a New Westminster res-ident and pediatric care nurse at RoyalColumbian, said she sees that kind of over-crowding daily.

If you go on any of the wards, theresanywhere between three to five beds in thehallways. The hospital has gone off andbought privacy screens by the dozen to cre-ate these beds, she said.

Roberts said treating patients in hallwaysis unsafe for both the patients and hospi-tal staff trying to treat them. She said herdaughter-in-law was recently a patient atRoyal Columbian and was forced to use ahallway bed for hours without access to abathroom.

Roberts said Royal Columbians bedsare often taken up by seniors who couldbe treated at home, but home-care servicesdont have the funding or staffing to beeffective. She said an expansion of RoyalColumbian would also go a long way to

eliminating crowded hallways.Roberts said concerns over overcrowding

shouldnt be limited to the hospital staff andpatients who have been forced to deal withit, as everyone has a stake in health care.

With the election coming up, it shouldbe on the forefront for everybody becauseit concerns everybody. Our health care isreally going downhill, she said.

New Westminster-Coquitlam NewDemocrat Fin Donnelly was the only localcandidate to appear at the rally. Green Partycandidate Rebecca Helps was working atthe time, according to the union. Liberalcandidate Ken Lee didnt respond to theunions invitation, and Conservative can-didate Diana Dilworths campaign told the

Larry Wright/THE RECORD

Lawsuit Page 8 Rally Page 8

BY ANDREW FLEMING REPORTERafleming@royalcityrecord.com

BY BRENT RICHTER REPORTERbrichter@royalcityrecord.com

Tracey Davies,Tracey Davies, REALTOR

604.421.7275 (office)www.traceydavies.com 435 North Road Coquitlam

Thinking of Selling?Thinking of Selling?Please call me for aPlease call me for a

complimentary marketcomplimentary marketevaluation of your home.evaluation of your home.

MEDALLION CLUB MEMBER

121 Third Avenue, New Westminster 604-521-0930By Appointment call Peter Berger

www.theframeshop.ca

Simply the nest service, selection & quality

ESTIMATES ALWAYS FREE!Master craftsman 35+years experience

2004-2010

est. 1946

CUSTOM PICTURE FRAMINGCUSTOM PICTURE FRAMING

A02 Wednesday, April 13, 2011 The Record

424 Columbia Street, NewWestminster 604-522-34006TH ST.6TH ST.

FRON

TFR

ONT

4TH ST.4TH ST.COLU

MBIA

COLU

MBIA

FREEPARKINGIn rear on

Hours:Mon - Fri 9:00 am - 7:00 pmSaturday 9:30 am - 6:00 pmSunday 10:00 am - 5:00 pm

Our family doctors areACCEPTING NEW PATIENTS

WALK-IN PATIENTSWELCOME

420 Columbia St., New WestminsterAcross from Columbia Skytrain Station

604-522-2206 www.foremed.com

Downtown on Columbia St. (across from Columbia St. Skytrain Station)Our Live WellPharmacists arealways hereto answeryour healthquestions

FREEprescriptiondeliveryeveryday!

SENIORSDAY 1stTuesdayof EveryMonth

FULL SERVICE POSTAL OUTLET

20%OFFAll regular priced items

EXCLUDING:

Prescriptions, tobacco, sale items,stamps, lottery tickets, calling cards

Expires April 16, 2011

POSTAL BOXESAVAILABLE FORRENT

PHONE CARDS SPECIAL COINS SPECIAL STAMPS MONEYGRAMS PRE-PAID VISALoad. Spend.Reload.Downtown on Columbia St.

(across from Columbia St. Skytrain Station)

PAP andBREAST CLINIC MAY 3RD

Please call for an appointment

NOW OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEKINCLUDING SATURDAY & SUNDAY

ForeMed Walk-in andFAMILY MEDICAL CLINICDowntown on Columbia St. (across from Columbia St. Skytrain Station)

An expansion to the QueensboroughCommunity Centre will try to make the buildingmore welcoming.

The $6.2-million expansion to the communitycentre will include child-care and early childhooddevelopment spaces, expanded weight room facil-ities, library services, police office space, dedicatedyouth and senior spaces and additional multipur-pose rooms.

Jennifer Marshall, an architect with Urban ArtsArchitecture, said the plan is to retain the existingcommunity centre and build additions on twosides of the existing building. The expansion willalso include an atrium space and will see the exist-ing fitness space moved to a new area upstairs andused as the new home of a library/reading roomarea.

The theme has been about making connec-tions, making community, she said.

Marshall said the expansion is really buildingon the strengths of the existing community cen-tre and trying to create a pavilion in the parkrather than a street front building. She noted thatthe community centre currently has few windowsproviding views to the extraordinary site thatsoutside its doors.

Although the architects have tried to respectand improve the 1970s building, they have addedmore windows to newer areas to help create a sense ofwelcome thats not achieved with the current physicalspace.

Its an incredibly welcoming place because of thepeople, Marshall noted.

The upstairs fitness area will have lots of windows,

serving as a lantern in the evening to encourage othersto come to the community centre.

Coun. Jonathan Cote said the community centre isreally the hub of Queensborough, so the changes will helpimprove that inviting aspect that the building needs.

Coun. Bob Osterman said hed like to see some consid-eration given to naming the library/reading room space

in honour of longtime Queensborough resident EdnaAnderson, who recently passed away.

The City of New Westminster expects constructionto start in July 2011 and the grand opening to be held inthe fall of 2012. People can visit the citys website, wheretheyll find a report and a visual fly through around andthrough the building.

IN THE NEWSRiver Market ready for summer P5Class action suit on summer school fees goes ahead P10

Last weeks questionDo you plan to vote in the May 2 election?

YES 95% NO 5%

This weeks questionShould Hume Park Elementary stay open?Vote at: www.royalcityrecord.com

6 Opinion

6/7 Letters

12 Around Town

13 Community

15 Class Act

17 Top 5

18 Lively City

20 Postcards

21 Sports

28 Classifieds

The Bay* Safeway* Visions* Shoppers* The Bay*

Revy* Fusion* Marks Work

Wearhouse

* not in all areas

Only inNewWestOnly inNewWestOnly inNewWestOnly inNewWest

Connecting with our community online Visit www.royalcityrecord.com

Theresa McManuss Blog

A blog about newsthat doesnt always

t in print

New design:An artists vision of the new Queensborough Community Centre. The design plans now include additions onthe sides of the existing building to make room for more amenities.

Community centre design unveiledBY THERESA MCMANUS REPORTERtmcmanus@royalcityrecord.com

Contributed image/THE RECORD

Hume Park elementary back in spotlightIts an argument that should

have happened on Feb. 8, but thefuture of Hume Park Elementarymay be back on the table.

On Monday morning, whenthe New Westminster school dis-trict posted the agenda for itsApril 12 meeting (which was heldafter Record deadlines), one itemstood out.

Trustee Brent Atkinsonmoved forward a motion withthe subject: Hume Park/RichardMcBride consolidation. HumePark has been earmarked for clo-sure or consolidation in the pastbecause of dwindling enrolmentnumbers.

In that one-paragraph motion,Atkinson is requesting staffundertake a review related thepossible consolidation of HumePark and Richard McBride ina manner that is consistent withboard policy.

When reached by The Recordon Monday afternoon, the long-time school trustee was adamantin his argument.

If we have a program in thedistrict, and it doesnt matterwhat program it is, that isnt edu-cationally advantageous or fis-cally responsible, we have to lookat it, said Atkinson, who saidhis latest numbers are that of the26 students at Hume Park, eightare currently in Grade 5 and thusgraduating to middle school inSeptember.

Add in the fact the district isanticipating less than eight newkindergarten students enteringthe school in September, andAtkinson wants to at least revisitthe issue of operating a schoolwith less than 25 students.

Currently, we have one gradewithonestudentandanotherwiththree students, said Atkinson.Educationally, it doesnt makea lot of sense to me, and I dontthink its fiscally responsible.

Atkinson said the motion maynot even be debated if he cantget another trustee to second hismotion, but when The Record con-tacted trustee Casey Cook, hewas sympathetic to at least hear-ing what Atkinson hadto say.

Cook said that atthe Jan. 25 meeting,when trustees voted 4-1 against reopening the45-day school closureprocess for Hume Park,both Atkinson and JimGoring had advised theboard they would not bepresent. It was the twomissing trustees beliefthat a vote on HumeParks future wouldnttake place until Feb. 8,when both could either be pres-ent or participate via telephoneconference call.

The issue came up at a meet-ing that Brent was away, and headvised (the board) he would be

away, said Cook. Brent didnthave an opportunity to speak onthis issue.

Cook, who said he has votedin the past not to keepHume Parkopen, said he doesnt know how

hell vote if the issueof reopening the 45-dayschool closure processis on the table, but hethinks that if Atkinsonwants to present hiscase, he would have noproblem seconding themotion, if only to letAtkinson present hisargument.

Hume Park parentNikki Binns also got thenews Monday that herschool is the subject ofdiscussion once again.

I think this is absolutely crazyand nuts, she said. We just sentout pamphlets in the area tell-ing parents the school is openfor business, and we even havea letter from (superintendent)

John Woudzia saying the schoolis open for business.

Now we have to justify ourschool once again. ... Its frustrat-ing. It seems like were constantlytrying to defend ourselves, saidBinns.

The Hume Park saga hasplayed out for several years, astrustees grapple with budgetaryissues across the entire district.

Trustees narrowly voted in thespring of 2009 to keep the schoolopen. It was being considered forclosure in a bid to save money.Voice New Westminster trusteesCasey Cook, Lisa Graham andJim Goring voted at the time toaccept a staff recommendationto close the school, while union-endorsed trustees Lori Watt,Michael Ewen and James Janzen,along with independent BrentAtkinson, voted to keep it open.

But with Atkinsons changeof heart, the issue looks like it is

BY ALFIE LAU REPORTERalau@royalcityrecord.com

Hume Page 9

Casey CookSchool trustee

The Record Wednesday, April 13, 2011 A03

A04 Wednesday, April 13, 2011 The Record

DISCOVER : Salmon Life Cycle Obstacle CourseWheres Wildlife Interpretive Forest * Birds of Prey DemonstrationScavenger Hunt * StrawMaze * Star Lab * Origami Plant Pots &

Seed Planting * Mini Barn * Back Yard Tree Sale

*FOR ELMO MEET & GREET AND ZIP LINE TICKET INFORMATION VISIT

WWW . S U R R E Y . C A / P A R T Y F O R T H E P L A N E T

PRESENTED BY:

SAT11AM-9PM

APRIL1516Central City Plaza13450 102 Ave, SurreySurrey Central SkyTrain Station

FRI4-9PM

JOIN NEWS AT FIVEAND SIX LIVE ON FRIDAY!FREE!

ZIPLINE* SPIRIT

OF THEWESTSATURDAY

BikePoweredStage

TM/ 2011 SesameWorkshop

ELMO*MEET&GREET

SAT

HANNAH GEORGAS

AIDAN KNIGHT

GEORGE LEACH

BOBS & LOLO

GREG SCZEBEL

SHANE PHILIP

FRI

DIRTY RADIO

THE FRESHESTDJ COLLECTIVE

EN KARMA

Just as the sun is starting toshow itself more and more, theRiver Market at WestminsterQuay is gearing up for a vibrant2011 summer season.

The market is welcoming ahost of new specialty vendorsthat, once set up, will fill up 85to 90 per cent of the marketsretail space, said Julie Ramirez,community servi-ces manager for themarket.

Theyre cur-rently under construction. Weanticipate they will be open intheir locations by July, Ramirezsaid.

The response that were get-ting is that everybodys reallyexcited about a transformation,and theyre really looking for-ward to seeing these new tenantsfill up the space.

Residents had been noti-cing more for rent signs thanvendors at the market in recentmonths.

New for this year is the CrabShop, which sells fresh sea-food and serves fish and chips.Rumour has it Michael Bubl isa loyal fan.

Pamola Bakery, a husband-

and-wife team specializing inSpanish-inspired breads, sweetsand comfort foods, is also new tothe market.

For cooler treats, the mar-ket is welcoming Tres GalloGelato Boardwalk Caffe, a suc-cessful Yaletown business thatdoes homemade gelato and icecream as well as cappuccino andespresso.

Ramirez says she expects twoother new businesses to havetheir doors open by mid- to lateMay: Crepe Des Amis and FraserRiver Bike Tours and Rentals.

But you wont necessarilyhave to do wait until the store-

fronts are open totest the new prod-ucts.

Starting onMay 21, we will have an eventwe are referring to as Pop UpPatio. Well have each of thosetenants located on our southpatio providing a taste for thecommunity of what they havein store for them, Ramirez said.Were really excited about thesenew tenants that are coming onboard and were really happy tobe able to offer a preview to thecommunity.

Also starting on May 21, themarket is extending its openhours from 7 to 9 p.m. on Fridayand Saturday nights.

Donalds Market, VancouverCircus School, Tiny, the GreatWall Tea Company andPaddlewheeler Pub are all still in

their current locations.Ramirez said the markets

management is in deep discus-sions with prospective new ten-ants for the remainder of the

space, but they would most liketo see a butcher open up shop.

Ramirez said the newly reno-vated River Market is unrecog-nizable from how it looked

before its $5-million renovation.Details for summer programs

and events are still being ironedout.

www.twitter.com/BrentRichter

RoyalCityRecord.comFirst reported @

Market gears up for new summer openings

Almost full: River Market community services manager Julie Ramirez, left, and director Mark Shiehhave added several new tenants who will be opening shop this summer.

File photo/THE RECORD

BY BRENT RICHTER REPORTERbrichter@royalcityrecord.com

New vendors includebakery, gelato cafand seafood shop

The Record Wednesday, April 13, 2011 A05

Remax Advantage RealtyRemax Advantage Realty102 - 321 6th St., N.W.102 - 321 6th St., N.W.

Thinking of Selling? IT PAYS TO CALLThinking of Selling? IT PAYS TO CALL TAYS.TAYS.

DDonna Tays.comFREE HOMEEVALUATIONS INTERIOR PICS: go to604-526-2888

4 bedroom, 2 full bathcharacter home in QueensPark

Hardwood oors, covedceilings, leaded glass windows & more!

Full unnished basement with separate entry awaitsyour ideas

Single attached garage + R.V. parking with lane access Newer sundeck off kitchen overlooks backyard

"FRIENDLY GLENBROOKE NORTH NEIGHBOURHOOD326 3rd St., NW $849,900

"PRIME QUEENS PARK LOCATION!

49.5 x 132 ft.VIEW lot

3 bdrms. up withdeluxe bathroom

3259 sq. ft. (formal LR/DR, hardwood) Family room/vaulted ceiling Total renovation/huge addition Back lane/garage

1524 Dublin St., NW

$799,900

119 Glover Ave., NW $599,900

317 Regina St., NW

$749,900

WestwoodPlateau

3 storey 4 bdrm.Home

10,000 sq. ft.VIEW lot

1712 Paddock Dr., Coq. $839,800

302 - 436 7th St., NW $222,900

#1303 - 738 Princess St., NW $372,900

#209-910 5th Ave., NW

$108,000

52.8 x 132 VIEW lot 3 bedroom home with 2 full baths 2 replaces + hardwood oors High basement with rec room & separate entry Detached garage + carport Quiet street just blocks to Safeway, Starbucks, shopping, transit etc. Fantastic value!

Amazing 1910 Queens Park jewel! 3 good sized bedrooms upstairs Master bedroom with vaultedceiling + ensuite bath

Formal rooms, hardwood & roors, stained & leaded glassdoors & windows + vintage lightxtures

Updated kitchen + eating area

Full unnished basement +detached heated garage

#306-910 5th Ave., NW

$119,900

JUSTLISTED

JUST LISTEDOPEN SAT 2-4

JUST LISTEDOPEN SUN 2-4

2 bdrm. + 2 bathsuite

DIRECT accessto Royal CityMall

1225 sq. ft

Totallyrenovated studiosuite

New kitchen &laminate oors

Quiet 40+ co-opbuilding

Very bright &clean studiosuite

Centrally located

Quiet 40+ co-opbuilding

OPEN SAT12-1:30

OPEN SUN2-4

Uptown location ~walk everywhere!

Totally renovated topoor 1 bdrm. suite

Gorgeous engineered ooring Crown mouldings, tile backsplash & pendantlighting

Newer kitchen & bath plus appliances Big 8 x 9 covered balcony ~ BBQ year round! 1 cat or 1 small dog allowed

A06 Wednesday, April 13, 2011 The Record

Clarks families first plan includes pets

Copyright in letters and other materials submitted voluntarilyto the Publisher and accepted for publication remains with theauthor, but the Publisher and its licensees may freely reproducethem in print, electronic or other forms.

2007 WINNER

UNION LABELCEP SCEP

200026

PUBLISHER Brad Alden EDITOR Pat Tracy ASSISTANT EDITOR Julie MacLellan SPORTS EDITOR Tom Berridge REPORTERS

Niki Hope, Theresa McManus, Lori Pappajohn PHOTOGRAPHER Larry Wright DIRECTOR OF SALES AND MARKETING

Lara Graham DISPLAY ADVERTISING SUPERVISOR Terri Rodger ADVERTISING REP Ruth Lumsden AD CONTROL

Ken Wall PRODUCTION MANAGER Gary E. Slavin PRODUCTION STAFF Ron Beamish, Kevin Behnsen, Lynne Boucher,

Nola Bowling, Doug McMaster, Rona Eastman-Magee, Laura Powell, Tony Sherman GRAPHIC DESIGNER Helen-Louise

Kinton REGIONAL CLASSIFIED MANAGER Barb Laws CLASSIFIED SUPERVISOR Dawn James CLASSIFIED REPS

Darla Burns, John Taylor, Linda Lam, Michelle Villiers RECEPTIONIST Fran Vouriot ACCOUNTING Judy Sharp, Donna

Sigurdur SALES ADMINISTRATOR Janeen Williams

The New Westminster Record is a Canadian-owned community newspaper published and distributed in the city of New Westminsterevery Wednesday and Saturday by The Record, a division of Postmedia Network Inc.

The Record, a division of Postmedia Network Inc. respects your privacy. We collect, use and disclose your personal information in accordance with our Privacy Statement which is available at www.royalcityrecord.com or by calling 604-589-9182.

THE RECORDwww.royalcityrecord.com#201A 3430 Brighton Avenue, Burnaby, BC V5A 3H4

MAIN SWITCHBOARD 604-444-3451DELIVERY INQUIRIES 604-942-3081CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING 604-444-3000EDITORIAL DIRECT 604-444-3020FAX LINE 604-444-3460EDITORIAL EMAIL editorial@royalcityrecord.comADVERTISING EMAIL production@royalcityrecord.comCLASSIFIED EMAIL DTJames@canwest.com

A politician is sure to score pointswith family-friendly promises, butthere are bonus points for winning overanimal lovers.

Christy Clark earns kudosfor quickly promising that thegovernment will adopt all 10recommendations of a specialtask force that was appointedin February after the mass killing of100 sled dogs a year earlier came tolight.

The humane treatment of animals,

whether they are family pets or wheth-er they are working animals, is some-thing that everyone in B.C. cares verydeeply about, Clark said.

Part of the recommenda-tions include hiking the max-imum penalties from $10,000to $75,000 for fines and jailterms from six months to two

years.When enacted, the penalties will be

the stiffest in Canada.Clark also pledged to add $100,000

for the B.C. SPCA to use in animalcruelty investigations.

Considering the SPCA subsists ondonations, this only seemed reasonable.As well, the sled-dog investigation,which the SPCA led, is estimated tocost at least $200,000.

Clark also said the government willstart providing annual funding to theSPCA.

To be sure, there will certainly beprotests or cries for help from otheranimal rescue organizations that are

hurting from a lack of funds.And there will be continuing pres-

sure from animal rights groups aboutchanging the rules around how farmanimals are treated in B.C. And, finally,veterinarians have mixed feelingsabout a new rule that would force themto report suspected cases of animalabuse.

But Clarks pledges are a big stepforward from what the previous gov-ernment did, and these changes willmake a difference.

Where do theGreens belong?

The kerfuffle over GreenParty leader ElizabethMays exclusion fromthe federal leaders debate is areminder there may be a con-troversy over the makeup of thenext B.C. leaders debate.

May lost a court challengeof the decision by the televisionmedia consortium madeup of national networks suchas Global, CBC, CTV, Radio-Canada and TVA to not inviteher to participate in either ofthe English or French languagedebate. Mays loss in court mayhave negative implicationsfor B.C. Green Party leaderJane Sterks chances for beingincluded in the next B.C. debate(I stress the word may becauseno decision will be made by theB.C. television consortium forsome time yet).

The Greens have had theirleader in the provincial debatesince the 2001 election. FormerGreen leader Adrianne Carr wasgiven a place because, at thetime, the NDP was in freefall inthe polls and the spread betweenthe NDP and the Greens hadnarrowed so much it was hard toargue that excluding the upstart

Greens while including thefading NDP was somehow fair.

Indeed, while Carrs partydidnt elect an MLA in the elec-tion, it did pull in more than12 per cent of the popular vote more than half of what theNDP received that year.

With that impressive show-ing, Carr was invited back to the2005 vote. But the Green voteshrunk to just 9.2 per cent in thatcontest.

Nevertheless, Carrs succes-sor as Green leader Sterk wasinvited to the 2009 debate. Butthe Green vote declined for thesecond straight election downto just 8.2 per cent.

So, a question naturally arises:should the Green leader be partof the next televised debate ofB.C. political leaders?

As someone who has somedegree of input into the deci-sion by B.C. television stationsabout the debate structure (Ivehelped negotiate the last threeelection debates with the partiesinvolved in each one), I think itsa fair question.

The NDP has long com-plained about including theGreens in the debate. The partyfeels the Greens steal morevotes from the NDP than fromthe B.C. Liberals and so has themost to lose from the publicity adebate appearance brings a pol-itical party.

As well, a number of environ-mentalists have become increas-ingly frustrated with the Greenpartys inability to connect

OUR VIEWTHE RECORD

School boards criticism ironicDear Editor

Re: Good report card doesnt impress trustees,The Record, April 2.

In reference to the latest publication of the FraserInstitutes Report Card, The Record quotes NewWestminster school board chair Michael Ewen assaying I think their methodology is flawed andtheyre politically motivated.

The irony of this statement, delivered mere daysafter the school board itself sent out a very method-ologically flawed survey that was quite obviouslypolitically motivated, astounds me. Dont get mewrong, I am no fan of the Fraser Institute. But I ama fan of sound science, integrity, and transparency.And, quite frankly, the school board, with its surveythat includes asking elementary school children ifthey would like two weeks for spring break insteadof one, doesnt exactly get a gold star in any of

those categories. What possible reason, other thanpolitical motivation to artificially inflate the num-bers showing support, could one give for includingthe opinions of children on this topic? Can theyfully understand the ramifications of such a changeincluding the financial and academic costs?

I think not. My advice to the school board:Criticize the Fraser Institute all you want, but makesure your own backyard is in order first.

Kim Deighton, by e-mail

Quit sensationalizing the issuesDear Editor

Re: Toxic mess must be cleaned up, The Record,Letters to the editor, April 2.

After I read the accusatory public letter byChristopher Bell, I wondered about his characterand Googled his name page after page of nothing

Criticism Page 7Debate Page 7

IN THE HOUSEKEITH BALDREY

The New Westminster Record welcomes letters to the editor. We do, however, edit for taste,

legality and length. Priority is given to letters written by residents of NewWestminster and/or

issues concerning New Westminster. Please include a phone number where you can be

reached during the day. Send letters to:

The Editor, #201A3430 Brighton Ave., Burnaby, B.C., V5A 3H4, fax them to:

604-444-3460 or e-mail to: editorial@royalcityrecord.com. No Attachments Please. Letters to the editor

and opinion columns may be reproduced on The New Westminster Record website, www.royalcityrecord.com

good to say how sad.With the unrelenting, sensationalized

efforts to spit on our city that he livesin, it seems he is in a state of precariousassumptions, with continual efforts pub-licly demoralizing the charm and characterour beautiful city is proud of, also causingadverse effects on the already strugglingFront Street businesses.

Fact: The train accident that happenedyears ago is in fact not directly on the newpark property but on a neighbouring plot.Anyone with the energy Mr. Bell has in thedrive to defame by ruthless public attacksshould at least have correct facts and havethe decency and respect to diplomaticallyput their efforts towards who or what actu-ally caused this the train.

Stop the defamation and demoralizingthe character of our city by malicious, pub-lic, alarmist, sensationalized letters. Get thefacts. Youwould get further by targeting thecorrect place. We all know what happened,Mr. Bell, and somehow you exaggerate andtwist the facts, and publicly direct blame tothe wrong place.

I am proud of our city and its valuablehistory, as are most residents who investedtheir livelihoods here. You do know his-tory, Mr. Bell. Be thankful we are not in thepast. Back then, they would have run youout of town.

Sandra D. Jaser, New Westminster

Harpers arsenal of evasionDear Editor:

Political polling continues to show theConservatives in the lead, which is under-standably applauded by the CEOs whove

been promised more tax cuts, and by indus-trialists who know Stephen Harper will notlet environmental concerns interfere withexploiting natural resources and pollutingour air and water.

But why in the world are so many ordi-nary Canadians supporting the Torieswhen the major Harper commandments goagainst what other polls show are the needsand wishes of the people?

Surely we know by now that the oldclaim that fattening big business meansmore jobs and prosperity for all is a ridicu-lous myth.

Feeding a horse all the oats it can eat, ithas been said, may indeed result in someundigested grain on the ground to feed thesparrows, but is that all we want?

The Harperites are set to spend $30 bil-lion or more on new warplanes, assuringus that shiny new machines will guaranteeprotection against all the baddies out therethat also have shiny new machines. But Iwonder why all the nations that alreadyhave great fleets of these things are clearlyparanoid? And wouldnt we rather spendour money in healing the sick and prevent-ing disease?

I think the only notable talent of Mr.Harper is his command of political tricksand schemes that apparently influence thethinking of many Canadians. He has a finearsenal of evasion, coverup and economicthreat to counter his moves that make usan international laughingstock in climatechange, apes U.S. foreign policy and rub-bishes the natural world we need for sur-vival. Do we need this election? Of coursewe do. And we need it far more than weneed any more of the hollow, Sam Slickcleverness of the arrogant Stephen Harper.

Tony Eberts, New Westminster

Criticism is unfair to city continued from page 6

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

The New Westminster Record is a member of the British Columbia Press Council, a self-regulatory body governing

the provinces newspaper industry. The council considers complaints from the public about the conduct of member

newspapers. If talking with the editor or publisher does not resolve your complaint about coverage or story treatment, you

may contact the B.C. Press Council. For information, phone 888-687-2213 or go to www.bcpresscouncil.org.

with the voters and won-der whether its moreeffective to shape strongerenvironmental values inthe other parties ratherthan support the Greens.

Despite three debateappearances, the Greenshave yet to elect anyoneand in fact havent evencome close to winning aseat.

However, the Greensargue that electing an MPor MLA should not be thesole criterion for determin-ing which party leadergets on the debate.

There is some validityto this argument.

Our first-past-the-postelectoral system favourslarge established partiesand makes it difficult fornewer, smaller parties towin seats.

At the national level,

the Green party receivedalmost one million votes inthe 2008 election but wonno seats.

Should those near-mil-lion voters have no rep-resentation in the debate?

At the provincial level,the Greens won almost135,000 votes in 2009. Isthat enough to get on thestage at the debate?

May has complainedthat the network consor-tium established the ruleson an arbitrary basis.

That may be true, butany rule that anyone elsecomes up with would beof an arbitrary nature aswell.

Perhaps there shouldbe more than one criterionto establish which partyleader is allowed in suchdebates.

Such things as seatrepresentation, portion of

popular vote, a large num-ber of candidates in thefield, and significant poll-ing results (from a series ofpolls over time) could beused as criteria, with lead-ers qualifying for inclusionif their parties meet a setcombination of those fac-tors.

But there is no surething when it comes toleaders televised debates.Neither Sterk nor, for thatmatter, newly installedB.C. Conservative Partyleader John Cummins, isguaranteed a spot in nextprovincial debate, eventhough they will vocifer-ously argue for one.

Indeed, Elizabeth Maysexclusion has officiallyopened the debate aboutthe next B.C. debate.

Keith Baldrey is chiefpolitical correspondent forGlobal B.C.

Debate: Who should be at the table? continued from page 6

The Record Wednesday, April 13, 2011 A07

LASTCHANCETOBEPARTOFAVANCOUVERTRADITION!Join more than 50,000 other runners and walkers and celebrate

The Vancouver Sun Runs 27th Year! Visit the Sun Run Fair at Concord Place to register.

SEEYOURNAME INPRINT!Pick up The Vancouver Sun on Monday, April 18 for complete race results.

9?