Pitt preparing for football season. p36B.C. Views

Mine deals a

breakthrough. p6

There’s little doubt in Den-nis Teboekhurst’s mind what would have hap-

pened if his five-year-old daugh-ter Grace had been unable to find a suitable kidney donor.

Grace suffers from nephrotic syndrome, a disease that dam-

ages the kidneys and weakens her body’s immune system.

She barely survived last year’s cold and flu season, spending much of it clinging to life at B.C. Children’s Hospital, hooked up to machines that fed her, breathed for her, and filtered her blood.

When Dennis, a member of the Maple Ridge Fire Depart-ment, found out in January he would be an appropriate donor for Grace, he couldn’t get his kidney out fast enough.

On Aug. 9, after months of

testing, surgeons working at Vancouver General Hospital and B.C. Children’s Hospital successfully transplanted Den-nis’s left kidney into Grace.

The kidney is so large that a fist-sized bump now protrudes from her abdomen.

“She’ll grow into it,” says Den-nis. “She calls it her super kid-ney.”

Had Dennis not been a perfect match, Grace would have been put on the wait list for a de-ceased donor kidney.

“We’re very fortunate,” Den-

nis says. “But there’s a lot of other people out there who aren’t as lucky.”

More than 200 Canadians die every year waiting for an organ transplant.

Maple Ridge mother Lorraine Swift also nearly became a sta-tistic.

A bout of pneumonia 25 years ago ravaged her lungs, nearly killing her.

Grace Teboekhurst gets a new kidney from her dad

THE NEWS

National transplant registry needed

Colleen Flanagan/THE NEWS

Cross countryA horse, with its female rider, gallops across a field during a cross country equestrian clinic at the Maple Ridge Equestrian Centre.

Two men charged in bar assault

Charges have been laid against two employees of a Maple Ridge bar in connection with an assault that left a father permanently brain dam-aged.

Joseph Robert Calla and David Garnet Andrew Hecker face one count each of aggravated assault.

They were arrested by police Aug. 6 and questioned, but made a fi rst ap-pearance on the charges last week.

The incident took place outside the Wolf Bar, at 22336 Lougheed High-way in Maple Ridge, around 2 a.m. on June 13.

Police said Delane Parent, 44, was examined at the scene by paramed-ics with the B.C. Ambulance Service, and was able to drive himself home as the injuries did not appear to be serious.

See Charges, p14

See Transplant, p3

Opinion 6

Tom Fletcher 6

Community Calendar 24

Sign me up 25

Arts&life 31

Seniority 34

Sports 36

Index

Wednesday, September 1, 2010 · Serving Maple Ridge & Pitt Meadows · est. 1978 · 604-467-1122 · 50¢www.mapleridgenews.com

Arts&life

Three Visions in one art show.p32

Beating left Del Parent brain-damaged

Dennis Teboekhurst gave his left kidney to his daughter Grace, 5.

b y R o b e r t M a n g e l s d o r fstaff repor ter

b y M o n i s h a M a r t i n sstaff repor ter

After six months in the hospital and an-other three years tethered to a canister of oxygen, she was able to lead a somewhat normal life.

But over time, that damage caught up with her. As she entered her 50s, her breathing diffi culties worsened. By the end of last year, she couldn’t perform most physical ac-tivities.

In 2009, she was told she would need a dou-ble lung transplant if wanted to live. Even with the transplant, her chances of surviv-ing more than fi ve years would be 70 per cent.

This past January, Swift was taking down her family’s Christmas tree when the pain became too much.

“This will be the last time I ever take down the tree,” she told her son with tears in her eyes. “I don’t think I’ll see next Christmas.”

That night, her phone began ringing around 11:30 p.m. Emotionally exhausted, and not wanting to speak to anyone, Swift initially ignored the call. Finally, at her son’s behest, she answered the phone around midnight.

It was the B.C. Transplant agency. “How would you like a new pair of lungs?”Within a couple hours, Swift was at Van-

couver General Hospital, ready for a new lease on life.

Swift returned home close to two months later. She had to re-learn how to breathe, as years on a ventilator left her diaphragm muscles atrophied. But she is alive, and al-most nine months after the transplant, Swift is walking, cycling, and has even started jog-ging.

“They won’t let me go bungy-jumping yet,” she laments. “But I played tennis for the fi rst time in 25 years last week.”

Doctors told Swift she was months away from death had they not found a donor when they did. At one point during her ordeal, Swift even considered moving to Ontario, because she felt she had a better shot of fi nd-ing a donor there.

Canada is the only country in western world without a national organ donor regis-try. Instead, each province has its own pro-vincial agency to deal with organ donation, and often there is no way of telling if a suit-able donor is available out-of-province.

That needs to change, says Swift. “I know I’m one of the lucky ones,” she

says. “When I’d go to the transplant clinic for my tests, I’d always see the same people there waiting, and after a while, some of them weren’t there anymore.

“The wait was too long for them.”Currently, Canada’s deceased organ dona-

tion rate is 14.7 per million, and despite the best efforts of agencies like B.C. Transplant to educate people about the benefi ts of organ donation, the rate seems to have plateaued in recent years.

Last year, 211 organ transplants were performed in B.C., 145 of those for kidneys. That’s down from 2008, when 266 organ transplants were performed.

Overall, the trend is that organ donation is growing, says B.C. Transplant spokesperson Alison Colina.

Currently, there are more than 350 people across the province waiting for an organ transplant. Across the country, there are more than 4,000.

The wait for a deceased donor organ can range from a few months to years.

In 2008, Canada’s provincial health minis-ters tasked Canadian Blood Services with reviewing how organ donation and trans-plantation is conducted in Canada.

Canadian Blood Services set up three com-mittees with close to 50 of the country’s lead-ing health experts to conduct the review, the preliminary recommendations of which are due out this year.

One of the major focusses of the review is the possibility of a national organ donor reg-istry. A national registry could make out-of-province organs available for donation, and provide nationally consistent wait times.

In Alberta, the average wait time for a new kidney is eight years. However, in New Brunswick, the wait is just two years.

“That’s a huge discrepancy,” says Chris Brennan, Canadian Blood Services’ spokes-person for organ donation and transplanta-tion.

One of the biggest obstacles to a national registry, says Brennan, is geography. Or-

gans require oxygen, and have up to a 12 hour shelf life as a result.

“If you have a liver in B.C., it’s not going to get to Newfoundland in time,” he says.

B.C. Transplant supports the move to a na-tional registry, says Colina.

In addition to increasing the availability of out-of-province donations, a national organ transplant agency would provide the public with a consistent message about organ do-nation, coast to coast.

Since organ donation doesn’t happen often, increasing the number of organ specialists would mean the health care system would be better able to take advantage of organ donation opportunities, regardless of where the donor or recipient is located.

Of the 25,000 deaths in B.C. each year, less than one per cent of those will die in a way that leads to organ donation, as there are a number of criteria that must be satisfi ed to determine whether or not a donor is suit-able, says Colina.

Of that one per cent, the majority will be deemed unsuitable for transplant.

Still, a single deceased organ donor can save up to seven lives, by passing on the heart, lungs, kidneys, liver, and pancreas. Meanwhile, tissue, ligament and bone dona-tions can greatly improve the quality of a recipient’s life.

“The body is still suitable for an open cas-ket funeral,” says Colina. “Visually, it doesn’t look any different.”

A recent survey conducted by B.C. Trans-plant found that 85 per cent of British Co-lumbians support organ donation. However, just 17 per cent – close to 700,000 – are actu-ally registered to be organ donors.

In Europe, countries like Spain, Austria and Belgium have switched to an opt-out system of organ donation, and have seen their donation rates rise, in some cases to levels more than double that of neighbour-ing countries without opt-in systems.

Under an opt-out system, consent for organ donation is assumed, unless an individual goes to the effort of removing themselves from the organ donor registry.

While Canada has struggled to raise its deceased donor rates, it remains one of the world leaders in live organ donation, says Brennan.

In addition to kidney transplants, living donors can also donate parts of their liver or lungs. In many cases, the donor is a family member of the recipient, as similar genetics increase the likelihood of a successful opera-tion. Live donors must go through months of testing before they can be cleared to donate an organ to make sure they will suffer no signifi cant health complications.

However, that process can take months, something Dennis Teboekhurst feels could be sped along with increased directed fund-ing.

“It’s frustrating to have the transplant held up because I have to wait two weeks to see a psychologist to make sure I’m not be-ing forced to donated my kidney,” he says. “I understand the tests take time, but these people have such a backlog that it takes lon-ger than it should.”

Brennan agreed that increased funding could speed up test results.

“Funding is always a tricky issue,” he says. “Certainly in places like Spain, where they put high priority on organ transplantation, there are positive results.”

Dennis was released from hospital two days after doctors took his left kidney and gave it to his daughter Grace.

Currently, his kidney function is down to 50 per cent of normal, but over time his sin-gle remaining kidney will grow and will give him close to 80 per cent of normal function.

As a result, his immune system is weak-ened. He’s prone to bouts of nausea, but day by day, his strength is returning.

Some things take a little more getting used to, however.

“I can feel my intestines moving around,” he says. “It’s kind of a strange feeling.”

Dennis plans to head back to work in October, while Grace should be getting discharged from B.C. Children’s Hospital any week now, once her immune system is strong enough.

Swift, meanwhile, plans to run a 10-km race in Vancouver next April, and after that she’s like to participate in the World Transplant Games, which are being held in Sweden next year.

“Every day is like Christmas morning,” says Swift. “I have my life back, and for a while I didn’t think that was possible.

• To register to become an organ donor, visit www.transplant.bc.ca, or call B.C. Transplant toll-free at 1-800-663-6189.

Review underway for transplants

THE NEWS/files

Lorraine Swift had a double lung transplant and now is back cycling, jogging and playing tennis.

Transplant from front

Politicians are vow-ing to keep their hands away, for a while at least, from the public

debate that’s about to start over Albion fl ats.

As a report updating the process was pre-senting Monday, most Maple Ridge council-lors pledged to stay away from the fi rst few months of discussion, during the public con-sultation part of the process.

“This is a community process. We’re going to get our kick at the can,” when the plan gets to council in Decem-ber, said Mayor Ernie Daykin.

“I haven’t made up my mind. I have no precon-ceived ideas on what it’s going to be.”

The Albion fl ats has been an issue since 2004, when Smart!Centres, a mall development com-pany, sought to exclude 49 hectares from the Ag-ricultural Land Reserve. That application was re-jected by council in 2005 because it wanted to fi rst write a plan for the area on the north side of Lougheed Highway at 105th Avenue.

A local group, Resi-dents for Smart Shop-ping, supported by Smart!Centres, is also

calling for a village-type shopping mall with ma-jor retailers.

Smart!Centres owns several hectares in the area.

Councillors will bring their political perspec-tives when the fi nished plan gets to council, said Coun. Craig Speirs, who added that he’d be dropping into the early sessions to observe, but not participate. The public deserves to have an “unfi ltered view” of the issue, he said.

Council has to ensure that the process is as open as possible, “that we leave it as clean as possible,” said Coun. Cheryl Ashlie. She didn’t want the consultation process to be tainted by claims of council having contrived the fi ndings by manipulating the process.

“I’m not interested in any way making that look any thing other than above board.”

However, when the district did a similar process for the Smart Growth plan for down-town in 2004, two coun-cillors were involved in the consultation,

pointed out Coun. Al Hogarth.

“It is a community pro-cess, but we’re part of the community. I think it is worthwhile to have somebody present.”

The four-month Al-bion process, leading to a report to council in December, has already started, said planning director Jane Pickering. Staff met with the land-owners in August. In or-der to meet the Decem-ber deadline, Monday’s report to council was a few weeks early.

“We’re very excited about getting going on the project. We had a good meeting with the landowners,” she said.

The process is de-signed to get public early in the process, she said.

A stakeholders’ or in-terest group meeting will take place Sept. 7 and 8.

That will be followed on Sept. 29 by a commu-nity forum starting at 5 p.m. in the Arts Centre Theatre. The consultant hired for the process, H.B. Lanarc, will write a preliminary back-grounder for the forum.

The charette pro-cess, in which about 25

people from key inter-est groups hash out the issue, takes place Oct. 20 to 21, also in the ACT. That is an all-day, two-day affair in which people representing the various interest groups will come up with a gen-eral plan.

That concludes with an open house Oct. 21 between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m., also at the ACT.

The timeline will give the consultant some ex-tra weeks to fi ne tune the fi nal plan before it’s presented to council in early December. If the politicians like what they see, that could then be forwarded di-rectly to Agricultural Land Commission. That could shave months off a fi nal decision by that agency, which will de-cide whether the land can be removed from the reserve for develop-ment.

However, still to follow is the formal area plan which will use the con-cept plan as a basis and which will take until next September, notes Residents for Smart Shopping.

Most of the Albion fl ats land is within the land reserve.

Discussion finally starts on Albion flatsBut politicians keeping opinions to themselves, for now

b y P h i l M e l n y c h u kstaff repor ter

Since Maple Ridge’s bylaw banning the use of cosmetic pesticides without a permit came into effect in 2007, local residents and retailers have taken different ap-proaches to their contin-ued sale.

Maria Raynolds, a former president of the Campaign for Pesticide Reduction Maple Ridge and who led its efforts to lobby for the bylaw, said attitudes towards cosmetic pesticides are beginning to change, but it’s a long process.

“I think people’s at-titudes are changing to-wards organic food and farmers’ markets and away from pesticides,” she said. “It’s such a slow, slow slog to get there.”

Raynolds said one of the problems with the by-law is that it only works on a local level and still allows cosmetic pesti-cides to be sold locally. She’d like to see a more universal approach.

“To create a level play-ing fi eld it should be pro-hibited federally,” she said.

After the bylaw came into effect, Raynolds said campaign members approached several lo-cal stores about selling cosmetic pesticides with varied results.

“Most things happen on a grass roots level,” she said. “Haney Build-ers on their own phased them out. RONA said it would take about a year. It did take a little bit more than that and in the end it was a corpo-rate decision that they would phase them out.”

Jonathan Ripley, an assistant manager at Maple Ridge’s RONA, said the decision to get rid of harmful pesticides was made on a national scale last year.

“Prior to July 1, 2009, a lot of the stores did car-ry products like Killex and Roundup, which did cause a lot of harm to the environment,” he said. “They knew those weren’t the best prod-ucts to be using.”

Since then, RONA has focused on selling en-

vironmentally friendly alternatives that are not prohibited by the bylaw. Ripley said their consum-ers’ habits didn’t change overnight, though.

“When people are used to using a product for quite some time, it can be diffi cult to change patterns,” he said.

He said the move has paid off over time, how-ever.

“We actually get more return business.”

Maple Ridge’s Cana-dian Tire outlet still sells cosmetic pesticides in one aisle with two warning sheets about the bylaw posted at one end. Products that can be used under the bylaw without a permit carry a small “bylaw-friendly” sticker next to their price. Earlier this week, four of the nine prod-ucts stocked in the liquid lawn fertilizer section carried a sticker and one of the 12 displayed prod-ucts in the weed control section had a sticker.

Owner/operator Bryan

Hutton said decisions on what products to stock and which ones receive bylaw-friendly stickers are made corporately.

“It is a chain-wide decision, or a national decision respecting all the current municipal, provincial and federal laws,” he said. “It’s na-tional, but tied to the provincial and munici-pal guidelines.”

Hutton said his store and his employees work on encouraging alterna-tives to cosmetic pesti-cides, however.

“We are promoting our healthy lawns cam-paign,” he said. “We do our best to try and edu-cate our consumers.”

Hutton said those ef-forts have borne fruit.

“There’s certainly been a reduction in cosmetic pesticides over the past few years,” he said.

He said demand for cosmetic pesticides hasn’t dried up, though.

“There’s certainly a group that does still want them.”

Different approaches to pesticide banb y A n d r e w B u c h o l t zstaff repor ter

THE NEWS/opinion

VICTORIA – Chief Derek Orr spoke with a new con-fidence when he visited the B.C. legislature last week to sign a ground-breaking deal to share provincial taxes from a mine development.

Two summers ago, when I met him at the McLeod Lake re-serve north of Prince George, he was newly elected, looking younger than his 35 years and unused to speeches and media interviews. The prosperous logging and construction businesses the McLeod Lake Indian Band had built were struggling, and things would soon get worse.

For years the nearby mill town of Mackenzie was the poster child for a declining B.C. forest industry, but now the region is back on a roll. Sawmills and the pulp mill have started up again, construction for coal mines, gas development and wind farms is boom-ing, and for the first time, the Crown would share its mining revenues in recognition of clearly demonstrated aboriginal title.

The pine beetle and the U.S.-led mar-ket collapse took its toll, Orr noted at the signing ceremony.

“We had to cut budgets by over 44 per cent, $3 million within our organiza-tion,” he said. “But I’m happy to say we’re on the upswing again, and our future is bright.”

McLeod Lake gets an estimated $34-38

million share of B.C. resource royal-ties during the life of the Mt. Milligan copper-gold project. The B.C. govern-ment signed a second deal last week with two aboriginal communities near Kamloops to expand the dormant Afton Mine, giving them a one-third share, good for another $30 million.

The standard government approach has been to grapple with resource sharing in treaty negotiations, or leave the problem to the private sector. In-vestors had to design projects, under-take huge environmental assessments and negotiate training, employment and infrastructure deals with aborigi-nal communities.

Mt. Milligan’s developers have been at it for a decade, and they still have a competing claim from the Nak’azdli Band near Fort St. James to deal with.

Minister of State for Mines Randy Hawes says the door is open to similar tax-sharing talks with the Nak’azdli, but warns that the size of a group and strength of its territorial claim can vary widely.

The Afton and Mt. Milligan mine deals were apparently what Energy and Mines Minister Bill Bennett was referring to when I spoke to him in late July about the prospects for the Pros-perity gold-copper mine near Williams Lake. Bennett promised a public offer to area aboriginal communities for rev-enue sharing in the Prosperity mine.

This provoked a swift and negative response from the Tsilhqot’in National Government, the regional group that has battled in court for years to declare that the Crown has no title to the region their ancestors fought and died for in the Chilcotin War of the 1860s.

The federal cabinet is considering a final decision on a Crown permit for the Prosperity mine, in another log-ging region that will feel the effects of beetle kill for decades. At worst, the situation looks as if it could slip into another Oka or Gustafson Lake confrontation.

After many years of following agoniz-ingly slow treaty negotiations, and listening to the constant drumbeat of grievances from groups such as the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs, I’m pleased to add McLeod Lake to B.C. aboriginal success stories at Westbank, Osoyoos, Klahoose, Tsawwassen, Maa-Nulth and others who have put the past behind them.

Orr plans to put mining revenues in a trust fund for health, education, culture and Sekani language teaching. Sometimes putting the past behind you is the only way to preserve it.

Tom Fletcher is legislative reporter and columnist for Black Press

and BCLocalnews.com(tfl etcher@blackpress.ca).

Mine deals a breakthrough for B.C.

Be an organ donorIngrid RiceNews Views

Published and printed by Black Press at 22328 – 119th Avenue, Maple Ridge, B.C., V2X 2Z3

@ Online poll: cast your vote at www.mapleridgenews.com, or e-mail your vote and comments to editor@mapleridgenews.com

This week’s question: Are you now feeling more optimistic about the future of Fraser River sockeye?

B.C. Views Tom Fletcher

Why aren’t you registered to be an organ donor in B.C.?

Dennis Teboekhurst, a Maple Ridge fi refi ghter, just gave his left kidney to save his fi ve-year-old daughter, Grace, who suffers from nephrotic syn-drome, a disease that damages the kidneys and weakens her body’s immune system.

Without her dad’s kidney, she could die from a cold, or the fl u, as she almost did last year.

Earlier this year, Lorraine Swift of Maple Ridge had a double lung transplant. Before, taking down the Christmas tree hurt her too much. She was months away from death, her lungs ravaged by a bout of pneumonia 25 years ago.

Now, after the transplant and in her 50s, she is cy-cling, jogging and playing tennis.

She’s one of the lucky ones.More than 200 Canadians die every year waiting

for an organ transplant.But that could change.Canadian Blood Services is reviewing how organ

donation and transplantation is conducted in Can-ada – the only country in western world without a national organ donor registry.

Rather, each province has its own provincial agen-cy to deal with organ donation, and often there is no way of telling if a suitable donor is available out-of-province.

A national registry could make out-of-province or-gans available for donation, and provide nationally consistent wait times.

Geography is an issue, as is funding. But the latter could reduce wait times and save lives.

So could switching to an opt-out system for organ donation, in which donation is assumed unless an individual goes to the effort of removing themselves from the organ donor registry. Such a system is used in Spain, which currently leads the world with a de-ceased donation rate of more than 35 per million.

In B.C., close to 700,000 residents are registered to be organ donors, or 17 per cent of the population.

More than 300 people across the province are cur-rently waiting for an organ transplant.

Across the country, there are more than 4,000.What are you waiting for?To register to become an organ donor, visit www.

transplant.bc.ca, or call B.C. Transplant toll-free at 1-800-663-6189.

– The News

Tell us what you think @ www.mapleridgenews.com

Jim Coulter, publisherpublisher@mapleridgenews.com

Michael Hall, editoreditor@mapleridgenews.com

Carly Ferguson, advertising, creative services manageradmanager@mapleridgenews.com

Kathy Blore, circulation managercirculation@mapleridgenews.com

22328 – 119th Avenue, Maple Ridge, B.C.,

V2X 2Z3Offi ce: 604-467-1122

Fax: 604-463-4741Delivery: 604-466-6397

Website: www.mapleridgenews.comEmail: newsroom@mapleridgenews.com

The News is a member of the British Columbia Press Council, a self-regulatory body governing the province's newspaper industry. The coun-cil considers complaints from the public about the conduct of member newspapers. Directors oversee the mediation of complaints, with input from both the newspaper and the complaint holder. 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. Your written concern, with documentation, should be sent to B.C. Press Council, 201 Selby St., Nanaimo, B.C. V9R 2R2. For information, phone 888-687-2213 or go to www.bcpresscouncil.org.

CCAB audited circulation: (as of September 2009): Wednesday - 30,221; Friday – 30,197.

Ser ving Maple Ridge & Pitt Meadows since 1978

THE NEWS

“The federal cabinet is considering a final decision on a Crown permit for the Prosperity mine, in another logging region that will feel the effects of beetle kill for decades. At worst, the situation looks as if it could slip into another Oka or Gustafson Lake confrontation.”

THE NEWS/opinion

VICTORIA – Chief Derek Orr spoke with a new con-fidence when he visited the B.C. legislature last week to sign a ground-breaking deal to share provincial taxes from a mine development.

Two summers ago, when I met him at the McLeod Lake re-serve north of Prince George, he was newly elected, looking younger than his 35 years and unused to speeches and media interviews. The prosperous logging and construction businesses the McLeod Lake Indian Band had built were struggling, and things would soon get worse.

For years the nearby mill town of Mackenzie was the poster child for a declining B.C. forest industry, but now the region is back on a roll. Sawmills and the pulp mill have started up again, construction for coal mines, gas development and wind farms is boom-ing, and for the first time, the Crown would share its mining revenues in recognition of clearly demonstrated aboriginal title.

The pine beetle and the U.S.-led mar-ket collapse took its toll, Orr noted at the signing ceremony.

“We had to cut budgets by over 44 per cent, $3 million within our organiza-tion,” he said. “But I’m happy to say we’re on the upswing again, and our future is bright.”

McLeod Lake gets an estimated $34-38

million share of B.C. resource royal-ties during the life of the Mt. Milligan copper-gold project. The B.C. govern-ment signed a second deal last week with two aboriginal communities near Kamloops to expand the dormant Afton Mine, giving them a one-third share, good for another $30 million.

The standard government approach has been to grapple with resource sharing in treaty negotiations, or leave the problem to the private sector. In-vestors had to design projects, under-take huge environmental assessments and negotiate training, employment and infrastructure deals with aborigi-nal communities.

Mt. Milligan’s developers have been at it for a decade, and they still have a competing claim from the Nak’azdli Band near Fort St. James to deal with.

Minister of State for Mines Randy Hawes says the door is open to similar tax-sharing talks with the Nak’azdli, but warns that the size of a group and strength of its territorial claim can vary widely.

The Afton and Mt. Milligan mine deals were apparently what Energy and Mines Minister Bill Bennett was referring to when I spoke to him in late July about the prospects for the Pros-perity gold-copper mine near Williams Lake. Bennett promised a public offer to area aboriginal communities for rev-enue sharing in the Prosperity mine.

This provoked a swift and negative response from the Tsilhqot’in National Government, the regional group that has battled in court for years to declare that the Crown has no title to the region their ancestors fought and died for in the Chilcotin War of the 1860s.

The federal cabinet is considering a final decision on a Crown permit for the Prosperity mine, in another log-ging region that will feel the effects of beetle kill for decades. At worst, the situation looks as if it could slip into another Oka or Gustafson Lake confrontation.

After many years of following agoniz-ingly slow treaty negotiations, and listening to the constant drumbeat of grievances from groups such as the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs, I’m pleased to add McLeod Lake to B.C. aboriginal success stories at Westbank, Osoyoos, Klahoose, Tsawwassen, Maa-Nulth and others who have put the past behind them.

Orr plans to put mining revenues in a trust fund for health, education, culture and Sekani language teaching. Sometimes putting the past behind you is the only way to preserve it.

Tom Fletcher is legislative reporter and columnist for Black Press

and BCLocalnews.com(tfl etcher@blackpress.ca).

Mine deals a breakthrough for B.C.

Be an organ donorIngrid RiceNews Views

Published and printed by Black Press at 22328 – 119th Avenue, Maple Ridge, B.C., V2X 2Z3

@ Online poll: cast your vote at www.mapleridgenews.com, or e-mail your vote and comments to editor@mapleridgenews.com

This week’s question: Are you now feeling more optimistic about the future of Fraser River sockeye?

B.C. Views Tom Fletcher

Why aren’t you registered to be an organ donor in B.C.?

Dennis Teboekhurst, a Maple Ridge fi refi ghter, just gave his left kidney to save his fi ve-year-old daughter, Grace, who suffers from nephrotic syn-drome, a disease that damages the kidneys and weakens her body’s immune system.

Without her dad’s kidney, she could die from a cold, or the fl u, as she almost did last year.

Earlier this year, Lorraine Swift of Maple Ridge had a double lung transplant. Before, taking down the Christmas tree hurt her too much. She was months away from death, her lungs ravaged by a bout of pneumonia 25 years ago.

Now, after the transplant and in her 50s, she is cy-cling, jogging and playing tennis.

She’s one of the lucky ones.More than 200 Canadians die every year waiting

for an organ transplant.But that could change.Canadian Blood Services is reviewing how organ

donation and transplantation is conducted in Can-ada – the only country in western world without a national organ donor registry.

Rather, each province has its own provincial agen-cy to deal with organ donation, and often there is no way of telling if a suitable donor is available out-of-province.

A national registry could make out-of-province or-gans available for donation, and provide nationally consistent wait times.

Geography is an issue, as is funding. But the latter could reduce wait times and save lives.

So could switching to an opt-out system for organ donation, in which donation is assumed unless an individual goes to the effort of removing themselves from the organ donor registry. Such a system is used in Spain, which currently leads the world with a de-ceased donation rate of more than 35 per million.

In B.C., close to 700,000 residents are registered to be organ donors, or 17 per cent of the population.

More than 300 people across the province are cur-rently waiting for an organ transplant.

Across the country, there are more than 4,000.What are you waiting for?To register to become an organ donor, visit www.

transplant.bc.ca, or call B.C. Transplant toll-free at 1-800-663-6189.

– The News

Tell us what you think @ www.mapleridgenews.com

Jim Coulter, publisherpublisher@mapleridgenews.com

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CCAB audited circulation: (as of September 2009): Wednesday - 30,221; Friday – 30,197.

Ser ving Maple Ridge & Pitt Meadows since 1978

THE NEWS

“The federal cabinet is considering a final decision on a Crown permit for the Prosperity mine, in another logging region that will feel the effects of beetle kill for decades. At worst, the situation looks as if it could slip into another Oka or Gustafson Lake confrontation.”

EDITOR, THE NEWS:I live in the east end of

Maple Ridge. On August 18, after 11 a.m., I was stain-ing the top of the fence and standing on a three-step stepladder. As I stepped down, I fell.

As I was injured, the am-bulance was called.

There were no ambulances available in Maple Ridge so one came from Port Moody.

The paramedics did an ex-cellent job of bandaging my injuries and immobilizing my left arm and shoulder.

Members of the fi re de-partment lifted me from where I had fallen and car-ried me to the waiting am-bulance.

However, the ambulance would not start.

The paramedics called for another ambulance; it came from Mission and I was transported to the hospital.

The paramedics from Port Moody had to call a taxi for themselves; a tow truck took the ambulance away.

Considering the lapse of time from the event of the 911 call to my arrival at the hospital, had this event been life-threatening, the

outcome would have been much more serious than what it was: a broken collar-bone and wrist.

The paramedics, fi remen, and the staff at Ridge Mead-

ows Hospital gave me ex-cellent care for which I am thankful.

However, this experience of mine is just one exam-ple of the negative effects

caused by government cut-backs to ambulance services including the lack of proper maintenance of vehicles.

BRYAN WHITTALL

MAPLE RIDGE

Letters to the editor should be exclusive to The News and address topics of interest to residents of Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows. Include full name and address, as well as daytime phone number for verification. Keep letters to 500 words or less. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.

@ E-mail letters to editor@mapleridgenews.com.

Letters welcome

EDITOR, THE NEWS:Re: Refugees to stay in jail until Sep-

tember (The News, Aug. 27).It is amazing that in a country that has

grown and progressed on the sweat and labour of immigrants and refugees fl ee-ing confl ict and hopelessness that there is so much animosity and mistrust of these latest arrivals. It begs the ques-tion as to why the general opinion is so negative. Why do we mistrust and resent these new arrivals?

These refugees have left a country that until 14 months ago was embroiled in a horrifi c civil war which lasted over 36 years, and culminated in a brutal defeat of the Tamil Tiger forces. The end of the confl ict resulted in the death of thou-sands of civilians who were caught in the middle, so much so that in June the UN established a panel to advise on whether war crimes were committed in the fi nal months of the confl ict.

Media reports have indicated that the situation in Sri Lanka has improved and the UN is in the process of resettling ref-ugees from India back to Sri Lanka. Yet just last Thursday, an UN offi cial stated there are thousands of Tamils in transit awaiting resettlement and 35,000 are still in emergency camps.

They queue for hours to access food and health care.

Also, Amnesty International maintains that the Sri Lankan government contin-ues to restrict basic human rights and freedom of speech.

These people are fl eeing a desperate situation, and with respect to the letter writer who emigrated from Jamaica due to the crime and violence there and who now urges Canada “to take a fi rm hand and intercept these refugee ships, re-fuel them, and then send them on their way,”

the situation for many Tamils is even worse. These are individuals fl eeing gov-ernment persecution and human rights violations and Canada as a signatory to the Convention on Refugees is obligated to verify each claim, and not just return any person to “territories where his life or freedom would be threatened on ac-count of his race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social or po-litical opinion” (Article 33(1)).

Another letter writer on Aug. 12 stated: “Most of these people will become depen-dent on our society for the next several years, not to mention the unknown num-bers of them with a background in ter-rorism.” He lamented the “lack of equal support for needy people who are already citizens of this country,” laying blame for the current plight of the most vulnerable Canadians on these asylum seekers and not on the policies of a government that lowers taxes for large corporations and the wealthy, spends billions on the mili-tary and over a billion dollars on a three-day photo op.

The government’s own website for Citi-zenship and Immigration Canada notes that government assisted refugees re-ceive “a one-time amount of up to $1,330 from the federal government to cover es-sentials,” basic, start-up needs like food, furniture and clothing.?

It is the government’s decision to treat these recent arrivals as criminals, ter-rorists, and queue-jumpers, imprisoning them for weeks or months and incurring additional costs. Thousands of refugees arrive on planes and are not imprisoned. Instead they are processed, claims are verifi ed and they are either deported or given immigrant status.

Many Canadians are of the view that this country that Canada is very gener-

ous in accepting refugees, but the facts show differently. Most refugees in the world are housed in poor nations of Af-rica, Asia and the Middle East. In 2009 there were 377,200 refugees worldwide. Canada took in 37,000, while Scandinavia took in 51,100. So much for Canada being a “patsy” with regard to refugees.

Historically, Canada has been accept-ing of immigrants fl eeing political, eco-nomic, social and religious persecution since the time of Champlain, when Prot-estant Huguenots were invited to settle New France. Many among us are either recent immigrants or their offspring.

One other letter writer suggested that Canada is obligated to send these asy-lum seekers back because “we will have shown that the discrimination against the Chinese people continues in Canada, as with the head tax of yore.” As the saying goes, two wrongs cannot make a right.

Weeks before the MV Sun Sea arrived in Canada, the Conservative govern-ment’s offi cial line was that these people paid $50,000 a head to Tamil Tiger terror-ists, wealthy Tamils jumping the queue to take advantage of Canada’s social and medical services.

These people have arrived on our shores seeking consideration as refugees, men, women and children who endured months at sea placing their lives at risk in hope of a better life in Canada. There are laws governing the treatment and processing of refugees, laws that are ef-fective in weeding out criminals and ter-rorists. Let the process take its course, in the end, Canada will benefi t as it always has growing from strength to strength with each new group of immigrants.

O. RAMSOONDAR

MAPLE RIDGE

EDITOR, THE NEWS:Re: Physicians could help surgery times (Health Care,

Aug. 27).I’d like to thank Dr. Marco Terwiel for highlighting his

concerns about the ongoing and worsening anesthesiolo-gist shortage in B.C.

A recent survey by the Canadian Anesthesiologists’ So-ciety found that only in B.C. and Quebec do a majority of communities face a shortage of anesthesiologists so critical that patients’ access to surgery is affected. The B.C. Ministry of Health has declared Maple Ridge, as well as many other communities across the province, under-serviced areas for anesthesiology care.

These severe recruitment challenges should not occur in a province advertised as ‘The Best Place on Earth.’

While action needs to be taken to stem the fl ow away from B.C. of specialist-physician anesthesiologists, I can tell you that the B.C. anesthesiology community also strongly supports the continued and appropriate use of GP anesthetists (GPAs).

Unfortunately, there is also a shortage of GPAs in B.C., with several under-serviced areas facing GPA recruit-ment challenges similar to those of specialist anesthesi-ologists.

In fact, just a few years ago, an entire department of three GPAs in northern B.C. resigned, opting to return to full-time GP offi ce practice.

The reason? Compensation for their ‘anesthesia’ days was too mea-

ger to support being away from the offi ce. (B.C.’s anes-thesiology fees are the lowest in the country.)

GPAs are being trained as quickly as the UBC Depart-ment of Family Practice is approving their applications. Let’s not forget, though, that there’s a shortage of GPs in B.C., as well. The B.C. Medical Association says there are 300,000 people in B.C. without a regular GP; and even the government acknowledges that there’s at least 75,000 British Columbians who want a GP, but can’t fi nd one.

If we pull GPs away from their primary practice to train them in anesthesia and employ them in the operating room, that also means more British Columbians will be without a regular GP.

There are enough anesthesiologists and GPAs in Cana-da to meet the needs of B.C. patients. We just need some action from the B.C. government to attract them to work here, while at the same time ensuring we stop losing our young and talented new grads to other provinces.

DR. JOHN BOKELMAN,HEAD OF ANESTHESIOLOGY

RIDGE MEADOWS HOSPITAL

EDITOR, THE NEWS:Re: Standing up for democracy (Letters, Aug. 27). I apologize for upsetting Wayne Clark’s and John McK-

enzie’s political sensibilities, but very few situations in life are black and white.

When I see polarization and “attacking the messenger” occurring, a devil’s advocate role is in order. Mr. Clarke uses words such as like-minded loons, then accuses Tom. Fletcher of “insults, derogatory slurs and trashing his op-position.” Pot calling the kettle? Perhaps anger manage-ment would be helpful.

Thank you, Mr. McKenzie, for advising me not to believe “what I read or hear in the mainstream media.” This is an excellent admonition for everyone, no matter what their political stripe.

Oh, yes, Mr. Clarke, God bless the paramedics, all emer-gency personnel and their families.

CHERRYL KATNICH MAPLE RIDGE

There are enough anesthesiologists

Ambulances need more upkeep

Sorry, and bless paramedics

Let the refugee process take its course

THE NEWS/files

Bryan Whittall was loaded into the back of an ambulance after falling from a ladder.

THE NEWS/letters

Colleen Flanagan/THE NEWS

Cruisin’ around

(Above) Kaleigh Didlick, 6, and her sister Vanessa, 5, enjoy lol-lipops Thursday as they peruse the classic cars on display at the second annual Cruisin’ for a Cause, a classic car show hosted by the A&W Restaurant in Maple Ridge to raise money for the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada – more than $4,000 was raised; (below) Larry Fedoruk takes pictures of a classic hood ornament on a vehicle parked on 228th Street, which was closed off between Lougheed Highway and Dewdney Trunk Road for the event.

Colleen Flanagan/THE NEWS

Cruisin’ around

(Above) Kaleigh Didlick, 6, and her sister Vanessa, 5, enjoy lollipops Thursday as they peruse the classic cars on display at the second annual Cruisin’ for a Cause, a classic car show fundraiser put on by A&W Restaurant to raise money for the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada; (below) Larry Fedoruk takes pictures of a classic hood ornament on a vehicle parked on 228th Street, which was closed off between Lougheed Highway and Dewdney Trunk Road until 8 p.m. for the event.

Police believe alcohol played a part in a crash Sunday that sent a Ma-ple Ridge motorcyclist to hospital.

The 51-year-old was seen driving erratically across the Pitt River Bridge around 7:30 p.m.

The motorcycle col-lided with the side of a pickup truck traveling east, causing the mo-torcyclist to fall to the pavement. He was taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Insp. Derren Lench said police found indi-cations that the injured man had been drinking alcohol, so a sample of his blood was taken by

offi cers.Lench said the blood

sample will be analyzed. Charges of impaired driving and driving with a blood-alcohol level over .08 per cent are pending.

Beware of bearsThe B.C. Conservation

Service is asking resi-dents to watch for bears in east Maple Ridge.

Two bruins were spot-ted at Harry Hooge el-ementary on Saturday around 1:30 p.m.

Police searched for the bears but were unable to fi nd them.

• To report a confl ict

with wildlife that threat-ens public safety, call 1-877-952-7277

Man struckA pedestrian was

struck by a car Thurs-day while crossing a road in Maple Ridge.

The 89-year-old man was hit by a van leav-ing a parking lot in the 20000 block of Dewdney Trunk Road around 5:50 p.m.

The driver of the van did not see the man and knocked him to the ground.

The man was taken by ambulance to hospital with non-life threaten-ing injuries. A 43-year-old woman driving the van was charged with failing to yield to a pe-destrian.

Stolen carRidge Meadows RCMP

are looking for 1987 Toy-ota Camry stolen from the 12400 block of 233A Street in Maple Ridge over the weekend.

The car had British Co-lumbia licence plates 953 XGC on it.

Crash sends motorcyclist to hospital

Colleen Flanagan/THE NEWS

Hockey dayKameron Barnett (left), 2, takes a faceoff during a street hockey game during the second annual Hockey Day at Osprey Village in the south Bonson area of Pitt Meadows on Sunday. The event featured a toddler rink, two youth rinks, one adult rink, as well as a skills area. Hanna Vorlicek and her son Jakob , 9, organized the event to raise money to help pay for local children to play hockey whose parents wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford the regis-tration costs.

Two days later, on June 15, he was dis-covered lying semi-conscious in his living room by his brother André Parent, who was called by his brother’s

co-workers when Del didn’t show up for work.

Doctors believe Del’s injuries were caused by a blow to the head or neck.

He is unable to walk

or talk and is paralysed on his right side.

Del, who has a 14-year-old son 19-year-old daughter, is expected to require care for the rest of his life.

The owner of the Wolf

Bar, Chris Fairfax, was reluctant to comment on the arrest of his em-ployees, but has previ-ously said Del was the aggressor.

In July, Fairfax said Del and a friend came into the bar just as it was closing and asked to be sold alcohol.

They seemed drunk, were told to leave by bar staff, and complied. But Del began fi ghting

with a customer as he walked out of the bar, said Fairfax.

That’s when a door-man intervened, he added, and both he and Del went to the fl oor.

Fairfax said Del hit his head on a curb.

He added both the employees have been unable to work at the Wolf since their arrests because of a no-contact order that prohibits them from interacting with other witnesses or people associated with the investigation.

A judge has dis-missed criminal charges against a Ma-ple Ridge woman in-jured during the G20 protests in Toronto two months ago.

The Ontario Court of Justice decided last week not to proceed with its case against Natalie Gray during a day-long session held

to hear from protest-ers accused of vio-lence.

Gray’s lawyer, Clay-ton Ruby, said the charge of obstructing a peace officer was withdrawn because there was, in the view of the Crown, no rea-sonable prospect of obtaining a convic-tion.

Both employees unable to work at bar nowCharges from front

Protest charges dropped

The Golden Ears Bridge is having an impact on the Katzie First Nation’s fi sh-ing, but that’s been over-shadowed so far by the record numbers of sockeye returning to the Fraser this year.

Chief Jay Bailey said this sockeye season has been an historic one.

“In general, it’s been a really good year,” he said. “It’s been the best in at least 15 years. We’re catching re-cord numbers, it’s a record run.”

Bailey said the bridge has posed issues for native fi sh-ermen, though, as it sits in the middle of their fi shing grounds and occupies an area where they tradition-ally put nets.

“We basically go from near the Derby Reach area, that’s kind of the beginning of our territory, fi shing down to the Port Mann,” Bailey said.

“It’s been a little challeng-ing for some of the fi sher-men. They don’t like drifting through it. Personally, I still do drift through it, but it’s

defi nitely screwed up one of our main drifts, for sure.”

Bailey said many Katzie fi shermen go out of their way to avoid having to pass under the bridge, which lim-its the catch they’re able to haul in.

“A lot of fi shermen will ei-ther set their nets below it or really high above it,” he said. “Some will still pull their nets through it.”

He said that hasn’t been too much of an issue so far given this year’s massive run, but it may pose more problems in leaner years down the road.

“Our fi shermen are doing really well this year,” Bailey said.

“Next year, who knows? The run’s probably going to be smaller next year, I would assume. At this point, no it hasn’t, but there are a lot of fi sh out there.”

Bailey isn’t confi dent those numbers will continue in fu-ture years, however.

“I don’t know what the fi sh are going to do,” he said. “It’s always a concern getting our fi shermen out there. Previ-ous years, there just wasn’t the fi sh out there to catch.”

He said the run this year has been tremendous for Katzie fi shermen, as they haven’t been allowed to catch sockeye over the last few years because of the

small numbers of returning fi sh.

“It’s what we’ve wanted,” Bailey said. “It’s been a few years since we’ve actually even gone out for sockeye.”

Bailey said the last few years have been lean times for Katzie fi shermen.

“They weren’t letting us out at all other than for chinook,” he said. “It’s not quite the same fi shing for chinook. You need different gear types. With me, per-sonally, I don’t have a chi-nook net. You need bigger nets to catch them because they’re bigger fi sh. You can catch them with a sockeye net, but chances are you’re not going to get the num-bers you need to can and freeze them.”

That’s all changed this year, however, and Bailey said the Katzie are already seeing the benefi ts.

“It’s nice to see the freezer stocked up with fi sh, and canning and smoking and everything we do to get us through the winter.”

About 70 Katzie boats go out each weekend, and Bailey is on one of them as often as he gets the chance. He said what draws him is the connection to his peo-ple’s history.

“It’s been the Katzie’s live-lihood,” he said. “It’s how we’ve survived.”

Most nets set above or below Golden Ears

Katzie fishery overcomes bridge

b y A n d r e w B u c h o l t zstaff repor ter

The immense run of sock-eye salmon converging on the Fraser River is getting even bigger.

Fishery offi cials now esti-mate 30 million sockeye are returning, an increase in their count from 25 million earlier last week.

It’s a record return not seen since 1913, when nearly 39 million sockeye came back before a huge rock slide into the river formed Hells Gate and disrupted salmon stocks for decades.

This year’s run is now poised to be nearly three times higher than the rough-ly 11 million projected in ad-vance of the season.

This year’s late run was expected to be big because it includes the peak-cycle Ad-ams River run. But it has ex-ceeded all expectations, with the Pacifi c Salmon Commis-sion raising its in-season estimate of late-run sockeye on Friday to 21.4 million, compared to an 8.5 million pre-season forecast.

So far more salmon (6.4 million) have made it up-river past the gillnetters on

the lower Fraser than the 5.7 million estimated to have been caught to date by all sectors.

And there are still plenty of fi sh in the sea. An estimated 8.9 million late-run sockeye are delaying in the Strait of Georgia.

It’s the fi rst time in four years commercial fi shermen have been granted openings, after disastrous runs for two straight years that sparked a judicial inquiry that begins hearings this fall.

Salmon commission offi -cials say the massive run is due to the high numbers of sockeye that spawned four years ago and much bet-ter rates of marine survival – likely due to favourable temperatures, more plentiful food and fewer predators.

Fish processors have struggled in the past week to keep up with the tide of fi sh coming in.

Gillnetters in the river worked around the clock last week to take advan-tage of a 32-hour opening. They were granted another 24-hour opening Monday and a 12-hour opening on Wednesday.

Trollers and seiners are continuing to fi sh until fur-ther notice.

Large numbers of sockeye are also being spotted on up-stream spawning grounds,

and are mostly arriving in good condition.

“To see such a huge return is good in some senses but it’s a bit shocking as well,” said fi sheries biologist Stan Proboszcz of the Watershed Watch Salmon Society.

He kayaked at the mouth of the river last week and was astonished to see the water “boiling” with salmon all around him.

Proboszcz said no one should forget the threats from climate change, habitat loss and sea lice haven’t van-ished and the trend of de-clining sockeye stocks could resume next year.

Sto:lo fi sheries adviser Er-nie Crey said fi shery manag-ers need to put the brakes on to avoid overfi shing weak late-running stocks, like the endangered Cultus Lake sockeye.

He said industry claims of the need to avoid over-crowding the spawning beds is simply spin to justify a continued “orgy of exploita-tion.”

Crey noted one condition of the Fraser sockeye re-cently getting the Marine Stewardship Council’s eco-certifi cation as a sustainable seafood source was a com-mitment to protect and re-store the Cultus run, adding the planned catch rate may be a violation.

Caution sounded over ‘orgy of exploitation’

Sockeye count climbs to 30 million

b y J e f f N a g e lBlack Press

Motorists who cross the new Port Mann Bridge will pay tolls as soon as it opens in late 2012 even though some lanes won’t yet be fi nished and it will take an-other year to complete the entire Highway 1 widening project.

Transportation ministry spokesperson Pam Ryan said the span will open with eight of 10 lanes opera-tional, but it will take a few more months to fi nish the fi fth lane in each direction.

“There will be four lanes instead of the existing two lanes, so people will start seeing the benefi ts right away and they’ll start paying the tolls right away,” she said.

“We’ve always said that the tolls will begin with the new bridge opens.”

The $2.4-billion project to double the number of lanes on the 37-kilometre Highway 1 corridor from Vancou-ver to Langley is to be done by the end of 2013.

NDP transportation critic Harry Bains said it’s un-reasonable for the government to charge tolls before the full Port Mann/Highway 1 project is fi nished.

“They haven’t been up front with people,” he said.“Here’s another surprise – the bridge won’t be com-

pletely open in 2012, but you’ll be expected to pay the full price.”

The premier announced the early opening of the bridge at an event in Surrey in July.

Bains said the government previously led motorists to believe tolls would be about $3 when many drivers will actually pay $5.15 per crossing if they don’t have a transponder or ensure their bill is paid within 48 hours.

“There’s a lack of accountability and transparency from this government when it comes to this project.”

He noted TransLink plans to toll an eventual rebuild of the Pattullo Bridge, adding the province has yet to clearly explain how motorists will be assured of a rea-sonable, untolled crossing option.

Once all 10 lanes of the new bridge are open, Ryan said, each direction will have one HOV lane, two fl ow-through lanes and two lanes reserved for local traffi c between Surrey and Coquitlam.

All bridge lanes should be open well ahead of the fi nal project completion, she said.

The costs of the project – $3.3 billion, fi nancing charges included – are to be recovered through the electronically collected tolls, using compatible tech-nology to the system of overhead cameras on the Golden Ears Bridge.

NDP criticizes decision to charge before completion

Port Mann Bridge to open with tolls on eight lanes

b y J e f f N a g e lBlack Press

“There’s a lack of accountability and transparency from this government when it comes to this project.” Harry Bains, NDP transportation critic

Community Calendar

Community Calendar lists events in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows. Notices are

free to local non-profi t groups courtesy of The News. Drop off details to 22328 119 Ave., fax to 604-463-4741 or e-mail events@mapleridgenews.com at least a week before the event. Include a contact name and number. (No submissions by phone.) Listings appear as space permits. For guaranteed publication, ask our classifi ed department at 604-467-1122 about non-profi t rates.

Wednesday, Sept. 1• The Emerald Pig Theatri-

cal Society will be holding auditions for their production of Butterfl ies Are Free from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Fraser Room (upstairs) at Maple Ridge Library, 130-22470 Dewdney Trunk Road. Please call Sharon Malone at 604-476-1984 for more information or to book an audition time, or email emeraldpig@theatrebc.org

Thursday, Sept. 2• The Emerald Pig Theatri-

cal Society will be holding auditions for their production of Butterfl ies Are Free from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Fraser Room (upstairs) at Maple Ridge

Library, 130-22470 Dewdney Trunk Road. Please call Sharon Malone at 604-476-1984 for more information or to book an audition time, or email emeraldpig@theatrebc.org

• Meadowridge School is holding it annual Welcome Back Fair, and the entire community is invited. There will be a barbecue, dunk tank, laser tag, carnival games and much more. The event is free to attend and takes place from noon to 5 p.m. at 12224 240th Street in Maple Ridge.

Saturday, Sept. 4• Do you have Maple

Ridge’s Tallest Sunfl ower? Or one with the biggest head? Bring it to the Haney Farmers’ Market at 10:30 a.m. Two categories, two prizes. Children and adult divisions. Garibaldi Art Club has painting demonstrations all morning. Rob Kroeker, Graham and Carly entertain. Memorial Peace Park in downtown Maple Ridge on 224th Street from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. www.haneyfarmersmar-ket.org

Sunday, Sept. 5

• There is a sunfl ower contest at the Osprey Village Farmers Market. Do you have

the tallest sunfl ower plant in Pitt Meadows, or the one with the biggest head? Children and adult categories, prizes in each. Judging on the grassy knoll at 1 p.m. Take in a fl oral demonstration by Verde Flower and Plant Design at 1:30 p.m. Osprey Village is at the south end of Bonson Road in Pitt Meadows. www.haneyfarmer-smarket.org

Tuesday, Sept. 7• Join the retired teachers

of School District No. 42 who will be celebrating the fi rst day of school at the Hell With The Bell buff et breakfast at the Maple Ridge Seniors’ Activity Centre, 12150 224th Street, at 10 a.m. Cost is $10. Newly retired teachers can attend for free. Please RSVP to Don Sears at 604 464-3886 or donsears@telus.net.

• Maple Ridge Choral Society begins a new season of song. Registration is 6 to 7 p.m. at Haney Presbyterian Church, 11858 216th Street, Maple Ridge, with a practice to follow from 7 to 9:30 p.m. All voices welcome. Contact Dennis at 604-465-8038

or Jerry at 604-463-0760 for more information.

• The Maple Ridge Skating Club is hosting a parent info night at 7 p.m. at the Golden Ears Winter Club. Come out and meet the coaches, get important club information, and learn about the benefi ts of our new team coach-ing model. For more info visit www.MapleRidgeSkating.com.

Wednesday, Sept. 8• The Maple Ridge

Parkinson’s Support Group meets from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Ridge Meadows Seniors’ Centre. This meeting is open to all persons with Parkinson’s, their caregivers, families, and friends. For more information please contact Megan Benoit at 604-465-6374, or via email at megan2008@shaw.ca

Thursday, Sept. 9• The Alouette Field

Naturalists hold their monthly meeting at 7:30 p.m. at the Ridge Meadows Seniors’ Centre, 12150 224th Street. All wel-come. Call Duanne at 604-463 -8743 for more information.

Singers start new seasonThe Meadow Ridge Singers will have their fi rst meeting of the season on Monday, Sept. 13 from 7 to 9:30 p.m. at St. Paul’s on Laity Street. For more details please contact Grace Freeman at 604-465-4782.

The Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows Arts Council is pleased to announce the launch of the new 2010-11 season at The ACT, begin-ning this month.

Tickets are now on sale for the more than 25 presen-tations coming to The ACT Main Stage and Studio The-atre throughout the year.

Arts Council executive director Lindy Sisson said, “This year is all about ex-panding your horizons. We have a varied line-up of tour-ing artists, with everything from music, to dance, family presentations and our new GEMS movie series.”

Mark you calendars to join us on Canada Culture Day at The ACT, Sept. 25 from noon to 4 p.m. for a sneak peek of some of upcoming artists, fi lms and activities, as well as info booths by other local arts groups.

The ACT Studio Series opens with the fi rst of three Ha Ha’s Comedy Cabaret shows, hosted by Vancouver comic Erica Sigurdson and features comics Jennifer Grant and Julien Donne.

The show begins the Stu-

dio Series, which is pre-sented one Saturday night a month.

You can continue to enjoy performers up close in this primarily cabaret seating style venue: Beyond The Fringe presentation Crude Love in October; comic Ro-man Danylo hosts Ha Ha’s in November; Valdy and Gary Fjellgaard are in De-cember; CSI: Maple Ridge in January; female trio Au-gust in February; classical pianist Jane Coop in March; and Flamenco Rosario in April.

The ACT Main Stage series launches with the exciting 20th anniversary

performance of UHF, the enigmatically named acous-tic vocal trio of Shari Ulrich (Pied Pumpkin), Bill Hen-derson (Chilliwack) and Roy Forbes (BIM).

The season continues with many ACT favourites, including the Dal Richards Orchestra, Winter Harp, Ballet Jorgen Canada’s Cop-pelia and Ted and Marion Outerbridge’s Magical Mo-ments in Time.

Michelle Wright will re-turn with her show The WrightSongs 2010 – an acoustic evening with Mi-chelle Wright on November 12th.

New season at ACTTickets now on sale for 2010-11

Contributed

The Trotsky is the first film in the GEMS Movie Series.

See ACT, p26

Dan Mangan at ACTThe show will feature

Wright in a comfortably in-timate setting along with her lead guitarist and her keyboard player presenting a selection of material from her eight-album catalogue.

Wright will also perform songs from her latest album Do Right By Me.

Another Vancouver tour-ing tradition continues this season with the Arts Club on Tour series, featuring the musical A Closer Walk with Patsy Cline coming in October and continuing with Becky’s New Car in January and The Sea Horse in Febru-ary.

A special treat this year is the introduction of The Celtic Tenors, Memeza Africa and Dan Mangan (featured on the new ACT Brochure cover).

Country fans will love Bar-ney Bentall and The Grand Cariboo Opry and jazz fans won’t want to miss A Jazzy Nutcracker with the Toronto Chamber Jazz Septet featur-ing Bill Mays and PJ Perry.

“For those that have en-joyed tribute rock bands, we have something very special – the introduction of Classic Albums Live,” said Sisson, “a series that, note for note, cut for cut, presents the full al-

bum live on the stage. These shows have been incredibly popular in eastern Canada and we are thrilled to bring you The Beatles – Abbey Road and Pink Floyd – Dark Side of the Moon.”

To close the season the Arts Council is bringing Rick Miller and his international hit MacHomer to the Main Stage.

The second annual Diverse Collaborations project focus-es on First Nations art and theatre.

“We’ve built an excellent reputation in the commu-nity as a presenter, but also for our gallery exhibits. This year, we’ll be linking the two together with Raven Stole the Sun, part of our Family Series and Transformation Tales – Stories Related Through the Art of the Northwest, our fi rst nations gallery exhibi-tion in October,” explains Sisson.

A family package of four tickets is available for $45 for Raven Stole the Sun and the Maple Ridge Art Gallery will host the exhibition from Oct. 12 to Nov. 13 and feature free workshops for artists and families.

The second show in the family series is Darwin the Dinosaur, a glow in the dark

adventure by Corbain Visual Arts and Dance, perfect for ages seven and up.

The Arts Council will be focusing on new ways to cre-ate a better customer service experience this year. The new ACT VIP program was introduced this year and pro-vides signifi cant benefi ts for those patrons who want to see and save even more than the usual

The Arts Council is also making parking easier for those who don’t want to wait in line in the parking lot.

“We have parking passes available when you purchase your tickets, so now you can buy a pass and save time on the night of the show,” ex-plains Bramwell Pemberton, customer services manager.

Parking can be added on-line by choosing the parking button on the top navigation menu or over the phone with your ticket centre represen-tative.

The new 2010-11 ACT season is now available for sale in person at The ACT Ticket Centre, by phone at 604-476-2787 or online at www.theactmapleridge.org.

ACT season brochures have been mailed to patrons who purchased tickets last year.

ACT from p25

Skating is back in season and this is an opportunity to dust off your skates and see where your skill level is at.

Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows Parks and Leisure Services offers a one hour evalua-tion lesson which will take you through skill review in a group setting.

At the end, you will know what level to register for in our Learn to Skate Lessons.

If you have had lessons prior, you can bring your last report

card with you. If you didn’t pick up your report card from last season, the parks depart-ment will have all unclaimed report cards at the sign-in table in the lobby.

Following the evaluations, there will be a free, one -hour family skate. Rental fees do apply, however.

CSA approved Hockey Hel-mets are mandatory to wear.

The evaluations take place at Planet Ice in Maple Ridge and the Red Rink in Pitt Meadows

on Wednesday, Sept. 15, from 4–6:15 p.m., and Saturday, Sept. 18, from 9:30–11:45 a.m.

Fall Learn to Skate Les-sons begin Sept. 19. To reg-ister go to recreg4u.ca or call 604-465-2470.

The fall public skate sched-ules will take effect Sept. 17 at both Planet Ice and Pitt Mead-ows Arena.

You can fi nd all of the details on-line at either recreg4u.ca, mapleridge.ca or pittmead-ows.bc.ca.

Contributed

Skating lessons take place at Planet Ice in Maple Ridge and the Red Rink in Pitt Meadows.

Free skating evaluation for lessons

Recurring programs at the Maple Ridge Public Library this fall:

Chick-Lit: Mother Daughter Book ClubFor girls in grades 4-7 and their moms, or any adult female friend or relative. Come and discuss books, share snacks and meet some new friends. The fi rst book we’ll read is Among the Hidden, by Margaret Haddix. Register for the program and pick up a book.Program starts Sept. 30 (7-8 p.m.), continues Oct. 28 and ends Nov. 25.

Conversational Spanish Level 1 (Beginner)Hola! This basic introduction to Spanish vocabulary and grammar off ers a practical and pleasant approach to Spanish language learning. You will gain a basic knowledge and understanding of the Spanish language in a user-friendly environment. No registra-tion necessary.Program starts Oct. 19 and ends Nov. 14, 11:30 a.m. to 12:3p p.m.

Essential Foreign FilmsBring your friends and spend a relaxing evening at the library with a must-see foreign fi lm. Friends of the Maple Ridge Public Library will sell refreshments at intermission. Please contact the Main Floor Information Desk to ensure a seat or to ask for a schedule. Admission is free.Program starts Oct. 5 and ends Nov. 16, 6-8 p.m.

Friday Fun ClubLooking for something to do after school on a Friday afternoon? Do you like reading, stories, contests, crafts, and prizes? Then Friday Fun Club is the program for you! Children in grades 1 -3 Program runs on Fridays, starting Nov. 5 and ending Nov. 26, 3:30-4:30 p.m.

Peek-a-BookMake reading fun by starting early with baby storytimes. Bring your baby for one-on-one stories, puppets and more. For children 0 to 18 months.Program starts Mondays, Sept. 13 to Nov. 22, 10:15-10:45 a.m.

Reading BuddiesThe Reading Buddies program puts elementary school children (grades 1 -3) together with high school students for a half hour of reading practice each week. Partners meet on Tuesdays or Wednesdays after school. Registration has started.Programs starts Oct. 5 and ends Nov. 24, 3:30-5:00 p.m.

Student Library CouncilHave some input into what happens at the library this year. Members organize programs for teens, volunteer as reading buddies and help with other library events. Earn volunteer work experience hours. The SLC meets on the third Wednesday of each month from September to Mayl First meeting: Wednesday, September 15, 7- 8:30 p.m.

Teen Movie NightLooking for something fun to do? Why not stop by at the library for a free movie and some popcorn. All movies will be rated PG or PG-13. Program starts Sept. 29 and ends Dec. 8, 6-8 p.m.

Volunteer Job FairLooking for the perfect place to volunteer? Drop by the Volunteer Job Fair during library open hours to fi nd out about volunteer opportuni-ties in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows. This fair is operated by the Maple Ridge Public Library’s Student Library Council.Program starts Oct. 18 and ends Oct. 24, open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Upcoming events and programs at the library:Eid Celebration: Sept. 18, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.Join the library to celebrate Eid, which marks the end of Ramadan on the Muslim calendar. Eid is a time for coming together as a community and renewing friendships and family ties. Learn about another culture, see calligraphy demonstrations, taste delicious food and have a good time. No registration necessary.

Reading Buddies Training: Sept. 28, 4-4:30 p.m.This is a training and orientation session for new student mentors wishing to participate in the Reading Buddy Program. Participants must fi rst be members of the Student Library Council.

Chocolate Festival: Sept. 29, 4-5 p.m.Do you or does anyone you know have a sweet tooth? Then this is the perfect program for you. Come join us at the library for the 3rd annual afternoon of chocolate-fi lled activities and games For grades 5 and up.

Homework Help on the Net Workshop: Oct. 6, 7-8 p.m.Come and fi nd out where to look on the Internet for great, age-appropriate information for homework assignments. For children grades 4-7 and their parents or caregivers. Please register at the 2nd Floor Information Desk.

Ridge Meadows Hospital Foundation is pleased to recognize Amy, a dear and loyal friend to the hospital, as its newest Caregiving Angel.

Amy is a founding member of the Code K-9 program at Ridge Meadows Hospital and takes great pleasure in visiting pa-tients in several departments each week.

Always ready for a pat on the head, a belly rub or a quiet snuggle, Amy is well known by staff and visitors alike. After eight and a half years of volunteering, Amy is transitioning into retirement, but she still looks forward to going to work at the hospital.

Fellow volunteer Marie Spetch felt it was important to honour Amy for her quiet dedication and amazing comfort skills that are so therapeutic for our pa-tients. She was pleased to make a do-nation in honour of Amy – the hospital foundation’s first four-footed Caregiving Angel.

The Caregiving Angel program provides an opportunity for patients and their family members to make donations to the foundation to recognize a Caregiving Angel who has touched their lives during their stay at Ridge Meadows Hospital.

The Angels receive a special pin to wear proudly and a copy of the kind words shared by the donor.

• For more information about the Code K-9 program, please contact volunteer services at Ridge Meadows Hospital at 604-466-7961.

For for more information about the Ridge Meadows Hospital Foundation and the Caregiving Angel program, contact 604-466-6958.

About RMHFThe Ridge Meadows Hospital Foundation

is a non-profi t registered charity investing in better health through community part-nerships. It is changing lives and saving lives at Ridge Meadows Hospital, Baillie House, McKenney Creek Hospice, Garden-view Pavilion, Home and Community Care, Health Promotion and Prevention and Men-tal Health and Addiction Services.

• www.rmhfoundation.com.

Amy now an Angel

Contributed

Code K-9 volunteer Amy proudly wears her Caregiving Angel pin.

Volunteer Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows, the local volunteer centre is quickly gaining momentum in the community as the source for volunteer needs.

The volunteer centre pro-gram based out of Maple Ridge/Pitt Meadows Com-munity Services has now acquired the use of www.myvolunteerpage.com as a central online website for organizations to post their volunteer opportunities and the public to research what volunteer opportunities are available. Now instead of contacting numerous agen-cies individually, people can

fi nd local volunteer postings by accessing this one conve-nient website from the com-fort of home.

Some of the organizations currently posting on the website include Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows Parks and Leisure Services, the Maple Ridge Public Library, the Maple Ridge Adopt-A-Block Society, Alouette River Man-agement Society and North Fraser Therapeutic Riding Association.

The service is completely free to use by the public and the organizations.

Volunteer Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows has close to 70

member organizations that need the assistance of peo-ple willing to donate their time to volunteer.

With the vast number of agencies there is more than likely an opportunity that will be a fi t for someone who is looking and now that the volunteer centre is able to post these opportunities ef-fi ciently on www.myvolun-teerpage.com, the communi-ty is responding positively.

• For more information please contact Volunteer Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows by calling the Community Volunteer Coordinator at 604-467-6911 extension 230.

Volunteer postings in one place

From the funky sounds of a vintage Wurlitzer to fiddles and a marching band, Hilary Grist mixes it up on her latest al-

bum, Imaginings.“I guess I get bored really easily,” she says of

her inclination to dabble in a variety of styles, from jazz and pop to country, folk and cabaret.

“It seemed like a fun exploration.”Far from being a messy all-over-the-place en-

deavour, Imaginings showcases Grist as musi-cian, singer and songwriter.

She began writing the 12-song opus over two years ago on piano, but soon recruited her mu-sically-inclined friends, some of Vancouver’s finest musicians, to give Imaginings its unique edge.

Guests on the album include steel guitarist Tim Tweedale (Headwater), the Too Big To Care Marching Band, guitarist Dave Sikula (a

Juno nominee with The Inhabitants), fiddlers Meredith Bates (Annie Lou) and Linda Bull (Plough); and backing vocalists Dawn Pember-ton (No Shit Shirleys, Universal Gospel Choir) and members of the Parlour Steps. Film com-poser Don McDonald (Kissed) wrote the string arrangements.

I think the album reflects the friends I have, says Grist.

“I’ve managed to wrestle most of my closest friends to do something on it. Even people who didn’t play an instrument were recruited. I got them to sing in a choir on the album. It’s a taste of different projects from Vancouver, in one place.”

Perhaps Imaginings also reflects Grist musi-cal journey – one that’s seen her love jazz and hate it, listening solely to country and get fix-ated by folk.

A graduate of Capilano University’s well-re-garded jazz studies program, Grist, who was born in Quesnel and raised in Maple Ridge, has released two live-off-the-floor solo albums and toured Canada to support them.

Grist’s songs have been in high rotation and charted in the Top 30 on campus radio stations from coast to coast and have also been featured on many CBC radio programs and local CD compilations.

“Maybe I just didn’t want to decide on making one kind of record,” says Grist, who savoured being able to tweak and build the songs in stu-dio.

“I love being in the studio. It’s right where you are making decisions and you can see them come to life so quickly. You can experiment as well. It was nice to be able to try something in one direction and change it.”

• Hilary Grist launches Imaginings on Satur-day, Sept. 1 at 8 p.m. at the Vancouver East Cul-tural Centre. Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 at the door. Advance tickets are available by call-ing the Vancouver East Cultural Centre box of-fice at 604-251-1363, visit tickets.thecultch.com or purchase in person at 1895 Venables Street.

Hilary Grist, who grew up in Maple

Ridge, launches her third album

Imaginings on Saturday in Vancouver.

Contributed

Art to help

with search for

missing hikerAn art gallery in Lions Bay will be donating proceeds from the sale of its paintings, jewelry and carvings to the search for a missing hiker.Tyler Wright, who grew up locally, was last seen on Aug. 10, when he set off on a solo hike through the Bose Creek Trail area near Squamish. He was expected to meet up with family and friends Aug. 16 in Coquitlam. Since then, search and rescue crews have been scouring the area for him.The RCMP suspended their 12-day search for Wright on Monday, but the family chosen to continue the search to locate him.ABoriginArt Galleries owner Simon Griffiths donated an Inukshuk for a fundraiser held in Maple Ridge over the weekend and wants to continue to help the cause, although he does not know Wright.“It is not inconceivable that a healthy, strong individual can survive in the backwoods for this amount of time when the berries are plenty and fresh water is readily available,” says Griffiths.“Each day that passes marks a decreased chance for survival. It is impera-tive that all efforts are increased immediately to ensure Tyler’s chance of returning home to family and friends.”• By using code TW2010 during the checkout process at www.inuit.net, you receive a 10 per cent discount off all purchases. ABoriginArt Galleries will also give 10 per cent of its net sale to the Tyler Wright search effort. To learn more about the search or donate online, visit www.missingtylerwright.blogspot.com.

THE NEWS/arts&lifeSection coordinator:Monisha Martins 604-467-1122 ext. 217newsroom@mapleridgenews.com

Little help from her friends

b y M o n i s h a M a r t i n sstaff repor ter

Hilary Grist’s latest album Imaginings enlists the talent of some of Vancouver’s fi nest musicians

“It’s a taste of different projects from Vancouver, in one place.” Hilary Grist,singer

Although geneticists have not yet been able to isolate it, few would dis-pute the fact that there seems to be an “art gene” that runs in families.

For Dorothy and Lea Sevcov, a genetic pre-disposition to being creative, perhaps holds true.

The mother and daugh-ter are both accom-plished painters, whose divergent styles will be showcased in Three Vi-sions, an exhibit next month at the New Cre-ations Art Gallery.

“I was very infl uenced by my mother my whole life,” says Lea. “She al-ways encouraged me and never suggested that we stay in the lines as children.”

Dorothy Sevcov is a Nanaimo artist who has been very active in the art community on the island for about 40 years. A member of the Federa-tion of Canadian Artists, she also started a co-op gallery called Art 10 Gallery, which has been running for more than 25 years.

Mainly a realistic paint-er who favours fl oral and landscapes, Dorothy also dabbles in complex abstract doodles called Zentangle.

Although she tested different mediums over the years, Lea Sevcov who lives in Pitt Mead-ows didn’t start painting seriously until fi ve years ago.

“I did take awhile to fi nd my own style,” says Lea, who favours collage and mixed media ab-stract. “I got frustrated when trying to paint re-alistic like my mother. I love the texture and free-dom that mixed media gives me. “

Next month’s show will be the fi rst time, the Sev-

covs’ have shown their work together.

“We often paint to-gether,” says Lea. “It is so great to have the same interest that we can talk about and share. She’s my best friend and I admire her so much for what she has achieved and how active in the arts she still is at her age.”

• Three Visions will also feature carvings by Lynn McIntosh. It is at the New Creations gal-lery until Sept. 30. Meet the artists at an open-ing reception on Friday, Sept. 10 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. The gallery is lo-cated at 22409 McIntosh Avenue in Maple Ridge Info: 778-848-5708.

Arts&Life

Three Visions in one art showMother, daughter and a carver team up for New Creations exhibition

Contributed

(From top) Crazy Quilt and Doodlemania, Zentagle paint-ings by Dorothy Sevcov.

Contributed

Orbits, a painting by Lea Sevcov done in encaustic or melted beeswax.

b y M o n i s h a M a r t i n sstaff repor ter

Rising costs have forced the Ridge Meadows Opry to take a hiatus for the fi rst time in seven years.

Society president Andy Cleven said there have been ongoing fi nancial chal-lenges since the Opry began seven years ago, in large part due to the costs of pro-ducing such a technically demanding

show – even with a completely volunteer cast and crew.

Despite those challenges, the opry al-ways managed to meet its fi nancial ob-ligations and made signifi cant fi nancial contributions to the Asante Centre for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder.

Unfortunately, rising costs associated with marketing and promotion of the fundraising production, plus increased competition from similar shows, has

forced the board of directors to cancel this year’s production in order to avoid fi nancial diffi culties.

Cleven said the Ridge Meadows Opry Society will sit down in the coming months to determine the long-term fu-ture of the opry.

“We hope to be able to have better news for the community sometime soon,” he added, thanking the show’s support-ers. “It has been a wonderful experience for us all, and we’ll see what the future brings.”

Arts&Life

Ridge Meadows Opry cancelled this yearSociety to determine long-term future for country extravaganza

Storytime at libraryCuddle up with a book at the Maple Ridge li-

brary this fall. Peek-a-Book, an interactive baby storytime

for children age zero to 18 months, takes place every Monday morning from Sept. 13 to Nov. 22. Sessions are from 10:15 a.m. to 10:45 a.m.

On Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, begin-ning Sept. 14, learn rhymes and songs at You, Me and the Li-bra-ry. Sessions run from 10:15 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. until Dec. 3. All ages are wel-come. There is no storytime on Friday, Sept. 17.

• For more information, call the library at 604-467-7417.

staff repor ter

Rising costs have forced the Ridge Mead-ows Opry to take a hiatus for the fi rst time in seven years.

Society president Andy Cleven said there have been ongoing fi nancial chal-lenges since the Opry began seven years ago, in large part due to the costs of pro-

ducing such a technically demanding show – even with a completely volunteer cast and crew.

Despite those challenges, the opry al-ways managed to meet its fi nancial obliga-tions and made signifi cant fi nancial con-tributions to the Asante Centre for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder.

Unfortunately, rising costs associated with marketing and promotion of the fund-raising production, plus increased compe-

tition from similar shows, has forced the board of directors to cancel this year’s production in order to avoid fi nancial dif-fi culties.

Cleven said the Ridge Meadows Opry So-ciety will sit down in the coming months to determine the long-term future of the opry.

“We hope to be able to have better news for the community sometime soon,” he added, thanking the show’s supporters. “It has been a wonderful experience for us all, and we’ll see what the future brings.”

Arts&Life

Ridge Meadows Opry cancelled this yearSociety to determine long-term future for country extravaganza

Storytime at libraryCuddle up with a book at the Maple Ridge li-

brary this fall. Peek-a-Book, an interactive baby storytime

for children age zero to 18 months, takes place every Monday morning from Sept. 13 to Nov. 22. Sessions are from 10:15 a.m. to 10:45 a.m.

On Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, begin-ning Sept. 14, learn rhymes and songs at You, Me and the Li-bra-ry. Sessions run from 10:15 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. until Dec. 3. All ages are wel-come. There is no storytime on Friday, Sept. 17.

• For more information, call the library at 604-467-7417.

b y M o n i s h a M a r t i n sstaff repor ter

THE NEWS/seniority

The Better Business Bu-reau is warning senior citizens to be aware of an emerging telephone scam that is preying on grand-parents across Canada.

BBB has recently re-ceived reports about B.C. seniors who received calls from scammers pretend-ing to be their grandchil-dren who are in an emer-gency and need help.

The seniors are instruct-ed to wire or send money so their grandchildren

can be bailed out of jail or other financial trouble. While many seniors have reported the scam without falling prey to it, unfortu-nately, many others have been victimized. Several residential and assisted care facilities in Surrey show the scam has taken

a turn for the worse.“It is obvious that these

scammers have no con-science; they are tar-geting one of the most vulnerable seniors’ popu-lations in our society,” says Lynda Pasacreta, BBB president and CEO. “We want people to take

a step back when they are called, and verify who they are speaking to is a relative and not a crimi-nal.”

The Canadian Anti-Fraud Call Centre is re-porting a significant in-crease in complaints for this scam. In 2009, the

Centre received 48 fraud complaints, taking in 21 victims for a province-wide loss of $71,123.

The scammers’ ba-sic tactic is to pose as a grandchild and let the un-suspecting grandparent fill in the blanks.

Telephone scammers target unwitting grandparentsSeniors bilked out of more than $70,000

See Scammers, p35

Seniors’ calendar• Happy Wanderers singles walking

group for people aged 45 and up meets every Saturday at 9:15 a.m. at the Pitt Meadows Heritage Hall, Harris Road and Lougheed Highway. Walks take place in various areas on both sides of the Fraser River. For more information call 604-463-8874.

• Join the retired teachers of School District No. 42 who will be celebrating the first day of school at the Hell With The Bell buffet breakfast at the Maple Ridge Seniors’ Activity Centre, 12150 224th Street, at Saturday, Sept. 7, at 10

a.m. Cost is $10. Newly retired teachers can attend for free. Please RSVP to Don Sears at 604 464-3886 or donsears@telus.net.

• Health and wellness clinics are available every Tuesday from 9 a.m. to noon at the Ridge Meadows Seniors’ Activity Centre, 12150 224th Street. Volunteer nurses check blood pressure, pharmacist and diabetic educators, and massage therapy. The Pitt Meadows health and wellness clinic meets every second Friday from 10 a.m. to noon at the Pitt Meadows Seniors’ Lounge, 12027 Harris Road.

events@mapleridgenews.com

Seniority

For example, the scam caller might say, “It’s me, your favorite grandchild,” to which the grand-parent will guess the name of the grandchild it sounds the most like, and then the call proceeds from there.

The BBB is advising seniors to follow a few simple steps to pro-tect themselves from this scam.

Confi rm identity. BBB advises seniors to confirm the status of the individual by calling them di-rectly or verifying the story with other family members before taking any further action.

Wiring money is a red fl ag. BBB also advises that any re-quest to wire money through Western Union or MoneyGram

should be seen as a “red flag” and an immediate tip-off that the call may be part of a scam. Funds sent via wire transfer are hard to track once received by scammers and are usually not recoverable by law enforcement or banking officials.

If you are a victim, report it. For anyone victimized by this type of distressed loved-one call, BBB recommends reporting the incident immediately to local po-lice departments and contact Ca-nadian Anti-Fraud Call Centre’s PhoneBusters, a hotline and Web site to report such fraud. Reports can be filed easily online through the PhoneBusters site at: www.phonebusters.com, or by phone, toll free at, 1-888-495-8501.

Conventional wisdom tells us that the elderly do best when they can stay in their

own home. However, many fac-tors go into making that decision, and it is important to consider the myriad options available and as-sess the fi nancial, emotional, and physical needs of individuals on a case by case basis.

When assessing if an elderly parent, relative, or friend is able to remain in their home, and age in place, the fi rst step is identifying the support network that will as-sist them in maintaining their in-dependence. It is crucial that there is a willingness among family and friends to accept the obligations that come with acting as a care-giver to an elderly individual.

It is then crucial to identify potential barriers to a successful living arrangement. The home and property should be assessed for hazards, especially those that can increase the risk of falling. When assessing the property for safety, take into consider-ation: whether or not stairs have sturdy handrails; sidewalks and the driveway are even, with no surfaces to trip over; the bathtub and toilet are easily accessible; fl ooring is slip-proof, and fl ooring transitions are smooth; automatic

shutoffs for appliances, such as the stove, are installed; and an alarm system and/or emergency response system is installed.

In addition to safety consider-ations, the home should also be made “elder friendly” by ensuring: doors are easy to open and close; displays and buttons on home appliances and telephones are large and easy to read and use; shelves are easily accessible; if the homeowner is unable to maintain the yard, arrange for landscaping; fl ower beds and planters should be raised; and medication remind-ers should be in place, so that all prescriptions are taken at the right time and in the right amount.

For many families, it is worth-while to bring in an occupational therapist (OT) to evaluate the home for hazards. OTs can also identify areas where design changes can make the home safer and easier to live in.

Local health authorities often cover the cost of this assessment through their home support programs, but there may be a wait list, as these professionals are usu-ally in short supply.

If you don’t qualify for a govern-ment subsidized assessment, private OTs and other elder care consultants are also available to assist in an evaluation of the home.

Once an evaluation has been made and repairs identifi ed,

seniors, or their family, should contact Canada Mortgage and Housing and inquire about the Home Adaptations for Seniors’ Independence program, which provides forgivable loans to se-niors who qualify.

This can help offset some of the expense, but costs can quickly add up.

Seniors can also defer paying their property taxes, which can free up several thousand dollars each year in cash fl ow, or use a reverse mortgage to free up equity frozen in the value of the property.

When deciding if an elderly rela-tive should remain in their home, there are many things to consider, and no two situations are the same.

If the decision is made to keep an individual in their home, their physical ability and health status should be monitored as it can change quickly, and what works today might not work in the future. No matter how safe and elder friendly the home is made, at some point the medical and social needs of the person may outweigh any benefi ts to aging in place.

John Kurvink is a chartered accountant and has his masters

in health administration. He is the chief executive offi cer for

Chantelle Management Limited, which owns and operates seniors’

complexes.

Simple steps for assisting aging parentsb y J o h n K u r v i n kcontributor

Simple steps to stop scammersScammers from p34

It’s a loss that still haunts many on the Pitt Meadows Secondary Marauders senior football team.

It was Nov. 30, 2008, and the Marauders, undefeated through the regular season and B.C. high school junior varsity play-offs, faced the Windsor Dukes of North Vancouver for the provincial championship under the dome at B.C. Place.

Dropped balls, turnovers, ques-tionable calls, and just plain bad luck helped conspire against the Marauders that day as they lost 15-0.

Last season the Marauders again faced the Dukes in the post-season, and were once again elim-inated.

The Marauders, largely made up of Grade 11s, were missing fi ve starters, and lost running back Cody Holleran to injury in the fi rst half. The predominantly Grade 12 squad from Windsor made short work of Pitt, rolling to a 35-7 win under the lights at McLeod Ath-letic Park in Langley.

The Dukes start this season as the No. 1 ranked AA high school football team in the province. The Marauders, while ranked outside the top 5, received an honourable mention.

However, the team has but one goal this season, a provincial championship.

“If we could pick any team to play in the fi nal, it’d be Windsor,” says quarterback Cory Takahara. “They think they got our num-ber, but we’re going to surprise them.”

Windsor and Pitt will be playing in the same division this year for the fi rst time, which promises to further intensify the rivalry.

“The teams are well-matched,” says Marauders head coach Dave Holleran. “They are a well-coached team and there’s a lot of respect on both sides.”

This year’s senior Marauders team is fl ush with Grade 12s,

many of them holdovers from the original Marauders junior Varsity squad that fi rst took to the fi eld in 2007, fi nishing the season with a 3-3 record.

For players like Takahara, this season is their last chance at a provincial title.

“I think we have a lot more ma-turity, and discipline this year,”

he says. “This is it for a lot of us, so were going to make the most of it.”

Much of the senior team has been together prior to Grade 8,

when many played for the Mead-ow Ridge Community Football Association Knights.

“We trust each other, and its reassuring to know we don’t have to build that chemistry from scratch,” says defensive lineman Martin Duckhorn.

Many on the senior team take their role as members of the orig-inal Marauder squad seriously, and hope to set an example for the many teams to come after them.

“We were the fi rst football team at Pitt, and if we could win a pro-vincial championship that would be huge,” says lineman Doug Mc-Nally. Not just for the players, but for the program and the commu-nity, he notes.

“Twenty years from now, we’ll be a part of why this program’s still around,” he says.

The senior team also feature fi ve players who have never played a down of football before.

“My philosophy is that anyone who works their butt off in prac-tice is going to see some playing time,” says Holleran.

This season marks the Maraud-ers’ football program’s fourth year, and its fi rst with a full com-pliment of teams at Grade 8, ju-nior, and senior. In all, more than 90 students are signed up for foot-ball.

“The Grade 8 team is huge, I can’t believe it,” exclaimed Pitt Meadows athletic director Rich Goulet. “I don’t even know if the uniforms are going to fi t.”

THE NEWS/sportsSection coordinator:Robert Mangelsdorf 604-467-1122 ext. 216newsroom@mapleridgenews.com

Simone Ponne/THE NEWS

The Pitt Meadows Marauders high school football program has more than 90 players on three teams this season.

Pitt eyes B.C. title

b y R o b e r t M a n g e l s d o r fstaff repor ter

Marauders football program returns with teams at senior, junior, and Grade 8

Robert Mangelsdorf/THE NEWS

Coach Dave Holleran puts his players through their paces at practice last Friday morning.

See Pitt, p38

Sports

Colleen Flanagan/THE NEWS

Atom-icAsher Braski, front, during the second game of the Ridge Meadows Minor Hockey As-sociation’s atom rep tryouts Sunday afternoon at the Pitt Meadows Arena.

Sports

Colleen Flanagan/THE NEWS

Kickin’ itJohn McMahon of Chilliwack is put through a drill as Andrew Jackson of North Vancouver, left, and Geremia Gar-giuto of Coquitlam, watch during a Community Coaches Seniors annual certification program for ages 14 and up at the Pitt Meadows Fields Sunday afternoon. For information about upcoming clinics go to www.bcsoccer.net.

The teams will be playing on the school’s brand new, all-weather, artifi cial turf fi eld, and renovations to the team’s dress-ing room will give each player their stall, complete with name tag.

“This is a crucial year for this program,” says Holleran. “The numbers look good, and that’s good for the future.”

In total, the program has more than 10 coaches helping out be-tween the three teams.

“We have a tremendous

amount of experience with our coaches, at all levels,” says Hol-leran.

• The Marauders senior squad opens the regular season at home under the lights on Sep-tember 10 against Sands second-ary.

‘A crucial year for this program’Pitt from p36

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