richmond review, january 25, 2013

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Proponents of farm road project say theyve done nothing wrong; protesters back off

by Matthew HoekstraStaff Reporter

Protesters ceased their blockade of a Finn Road farm Thursday morning after Richmond RCMP told them to clear out but still continued their demonstration nearby.

The farm, at 9360 Finn Rd., has been subject of controversy since trucks began depositing recycled concrete and asphalt on the land. The materialwhich prompted the protestis be-ing used to build a farm road to serve a future tree nursery.

Leaseholder Bill Jones of Bill Jones Horticulture Inc. said he sought a court injunction Wednesday to remove the protesters from his farms driveway, but a judge indicated police should act first. Rich-mond RCMP did Thursday morning, and a hand-ful of protesters removed their blockade but nonetheless continued their roadside presence.

Jones, a member of city councils agricultural advisory committee and the previous longtime operator of a nursery on Westminster Highway, said people have a right to express their opinion, but the protest has gone on long enough.

My position is if its arable farmland dammit, lets put it to some good use, he said. We simply want to go in and improve the land so its profit-able. We have a longterm lease on it, but were being held up.

Farmers Ray Galawan and Bob Featherstone helped organize the blockade, resulting in the Agricultural Land Commission ordering a tem-porary stop to the road project, at the request of the city. The commission requested a number of conditions be met before work continues. Heavy machinery was completing that work yesterday, sorting broken piles of concretemost pieces no larger than softballs.

Dave Sandhu, a Richmond farmer assisting Jones in the nursery venture, said some protest-ers assertions of hulking concrete and rebar be-ing dumped on the site are ridiculous.

We dont have Flintstone vehicles. Theyre about the only thing that would drive over rebar and concrete the size of bathtubs, he said. Were

building a road for vehicles to drive on.Jones said he needs an all-weather road on the

13.5-hectare (33.4-acre) property to accommo-date heavy vehicles on land he said is essentially a swamp. The road, he said, will occupy just three per cent of the total area and serve a nursery ca-pable of meeting needs of future developments in Richmond.

Jones also said any materials discovered that dont belong on the sitesuch as rebarare be-ing removed, but noted recycled concrete and asphalt are allowed.

We have done nothing wrong. We are operat-ing in accordance to the wishes and direction of the Agricultural Land Commission. We have been

prohibited because certain other parties decided that they didnt like what were doing here. Even though what were doing is perfectly legal.

Protesters have also decried the loss of a farm that previously grew food. But Jones said a pump-kin-growing operation occupied just a small por-tion of the site.

Its about 35 acres and there was one corner, maybe one or two acres, that was in fact grown for pumpkins. The rest of the land grows weed and grass, he said. Our intent is to turn the whole arable portion of the land into profitable produc-tion and permitted agricultural products.

The protest prompted city council to act this week. Under a plan set for preliminary approval

this week, farm owners would have to seek ap-proval from the city before depositing fill on their landeven if the project is a designated farm use. The citys requirements would be in addition to those of the Agricultural Land Commissionthe Crown agency that regulates farmland in B.C. Council does, however, require approval from the province before it can make the change.

Jones said more regulation isnt necessary.The Agricultural Land Commission, the ALC,

is there for that purpose. Theyve got their own guidelines for how this should be done. All it would be doing is muddying the waters on whos in charge of what, and the net result would be more red tape and more fees and delays.

New farm operators seeking to improve the land

Matthew Hoekstra photoBill Jones (foreground) and Dave Sandhu say a road being built on a Finn Road farm will open access to land previously home to weeds and grass.

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Municipal reps protest federal move without consultation

by Jeff NagelBlack Press

RCMP-policed cities may be stung again by the federal government for another surprise increase in policing costs, this time as part of a change in officer retirement severance pro-visions.

And municipal leaders are demanding Ot-tawa pay the higher bill instead of download-ing it to them.

The new federal budget passed in Decem-ber includes an offer to current RCMP officers of early buyouts to replace their eventual severance payouts when they retire, a move Ottawa expects will save money over the long term but which cities say could trigger a sudden jump in costs for them.

Its not yet clear what the cost increase would be to cities with RCMP forces and it would depend in part on how many officers opt to take lump sum payouts, said Langley City Mayor Peter Fassbender.

It was a unilateral decision made by the feds, said Fassbender, who co-chairs a local government RCMP contract management committee.

To me, the issue is You made this decision. You didnt consult with us. You didnt give us the opportunity to have some ability to plan for it. So the liability should rest with the fed-eral government.

B.C. cities signed on last spring to a new 20-year RCMP contract that promised them more consultation, openness and transpar-ency, particularly on any federal or RCMP decisions that might drive up their costs.

But its not clear those guarantees apply in the severance decision because federal budget deliberations were underway on that issue prior to the contract signing a situ-ation of timing Fassbender calls a comedy of errors.

In addition, he said, federal negotiators who signed off on the contract apparently had no idea the change was coming either due to budget secrecy.

All it showed to me was the right hand didnt know what the left hand was doing.

Fassbender and Union of B.C. Municipalities president Mary Sjostrom have jointly written to federal Justice Minister Vic Toews raising their objections.

It calls on Toews to uphold the new part-nership commitments in the 2012 contract.

B.C. Justice Minister Shirley Bond said she has raised the cities concerns with Toews and

the RCMP commissioner.We are being very clear that we are going

to take this issue back to the federal govern-ment to have a discussion, she said. There needs to be clarity about the impacts. There needs to be a clear mechanism for determin-ing costs.

Its not the only beef cities have with Ot-tawa over policing costs.

Fassbender noted cities are still awaiting details of their share of costs for the new RCMP E Division headquarters that Mount-ies are moving into in Surrey.

Its got a price tag of nearly $1-billion when

financing and other costs are included, such as the profit margin of the builder under the P3 contract.

We are not prepared to take any responsi-bility for any of the capital costs over the life of the P3 partnership, Fassbender said.

Several cities, including Burnaby, Richmond and others on the North Shore, are still con-sidering leaving the RCMP over objections to the new contract.

Their concerns include the new headquar-ters building, as well as an unexpected jump in RCMP pay that cities were only informed of after the signing last March.

RCMP severance may be big new bill for cities

file photoRCMP investigate a meth lab. RCMP-policed cities may be stung again by the federal government for another surprise increase in policing costs,

The nomination deadline has been extended for the 20th annual Ethel Tibbits Women of Distinction Awards.

Do you know of a Richmond woman who deserves recognition for the great things she does to make this city such an amazing place in which to live, work and play?

If so, please take the time to nominate her so the community can congratulate her and sing her praises.

All entries must be submitted by Friday, Jan. 25 and must include a minimum of two and a maximum of three reference letters.

Along with the sports, arts, business and youth categories, the community category has been split into two separate new categories, one for volunteers, the other for professionals. The Richmond Review also selects a pioneer category winner.

The nomination form is available at www.tinyurl.com/2013Ethels.

If you have any questions, call 604-247-3733.

Ethel Tibbits nomination deadline is today

Pacific Family Life Counselling offers PowerQuest

by Martin van den HemelStaff Reporter

A new program for teens facing an-ger control and resentment issues, is now available in Richmond, provided by Pacific Family Life Counselling.

PowerQuest is a six-week program developed by Dr. Steven Stosney, and comprises animated PowerPoint slides that help train teens to control their anger and reduce their feelings of resentment.

Aimed at teens between the ages of 12 and 15, the program goes beyond just anger management, and helps teens get in touch with their core values.

Alan Hay, who delivers the pro-gram, said the program was brought

to Richmond because there are very few support services for youth in the Lower Mainland.

I have worked with youth in Rich-mond since 1986 in many capacities and definitely see that there are fewer services today to support youth, Hay said.

Today, parents are stretched to work longer hours, sometimes multiple jobs, which means less quality time to spend with their kids and this is often where some of the challenges for kids begin.

Hay believes all kids should be handed the tools to help them make

positive choices, communicate better, bolster their self esteem and help them understand why they become angry sometimes.

Our program provides a way for youth to deal with that anger in a healthy constructive way, Hay said. We also feel we need to be serious about bullying and our program pro-vides support and resources for both youth who have been bullied but also for those kids who channel their anger in a negative way and bully others.

While the program costs $549, Hay said his counselling service has designed a sliding fee scale based on family income, and efforts are under-way to securre both private and public funding for scholarships.

We understand that the program may seem expensive at first glance, but can we put a price on such valu-able assets for the future, our youth, he said

For more information about the program, visit www.powerquest.me or call Pacific Family Life Counselling at 604-716-7976.

New program aimed at teens with anger, bullying issues now available

Our program provides a way for youth to deal with that anger in a healthy constructive way.

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Committee chair would have been wise to step aside

by Tom FletcherBlack Press

uditor General John Doyle says an offer by a legislative committee to extend his term by two years is premature, and the chair of the commit-tee has a potential con-flict of interest.

Doyle said Thursday he will wait for the legislature to vote in February on whether he should be re-appointed, and he doesnt believe the five MLAs on the selection committee are in a position to make him such an offer.

He said the committee has incorrectly decided that his current six-year term ends in May. He didnt start until Octo-ber 2007, and the period where an acting auditor general served should not be considered part of his term. That means the decision can be made after the May 14 provincial election.

I think that this en-tire process has been premature, and prob-ably should be left to the next parliament to resolve, Doyle said. No

one would be disenfran-chised, because it still requires a unanimous decision by both par-ties to appoint. But at that stage, I think calmer minds will be looking at the situation.

The five-MLA com-mittee announced their unanimous deci-sion to offer the exten-sion Wednesday, after a closed-door meeting to consider Clarks sug-gestion. Clark said the government will pres-ent amendments in the legislature in February to create a non-renewable eight-year term for all fu-

ture provincial auditors.The committees B.C.

Liberal majority initially rejected the idea of re-appointing Doyle and advertised for a replace-ment. Committee mem-bers are forbidden from speaking publicly about how they voted or rea-sons why, because it is a personnel matter.

Ve r n o n - M o n a s h e e MLA Eric Foster, the com-mittee chair, said the de-cision to reappoint Doyle for two more years was made Wednesday and was unanimous.

Asked if Foster should have continued as chair after a 2010 auditors report that raised ques-tions about his constitu-ency office renovations,

Doyle said Foster would have been wise to step aside. Doyle also object-ed to a question he was asked during his inter-view with the commit-tee, where Doyle asked to be appointed to a second term.

I was underwhelmed by a question I got in the conduct of the interview that made it quite clear to me that I had good reason to doubt his ob-jectivity in respect to his role as chair, Doyle said. Im thinking about how to deal with that.

Doyle said the non-sense about the end of his term is a problem the committee caused and must solve.

This isnt an offer and acceptance situation, Doyle said. The report is issued by the commit-tee. They make a deci-sion. They havent seen fit to meet with me again recently to talk through what my thoughts or wishes or concerns might be.

Ive been a bystander and found out about things probably at the same time that the me-dia did.

The other two B.C. Liberals who form the majority are Chilliwack MLA John Les and Peace River South MLA Blair Lekstrom, both of whom are not seeking re-elec-tion in May.

Burnaby-Deer Lake MLA Kathy Corrigan and Surrey-Whalley MLA Bruce Ralston rep-resent the NDP on the committee.

Page 4 Richmond Review Friday, January 25, 2013

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With June, the gradu-ation month justaround the corner,our thoughts turn tonew drivers, especial-ly new teenage driv-ers. Last week wedescribed BritishColumbias original

Graduated LicensingProgram [GLP]. Thegoal of the originalprogram, introducedin August 1998, was to tackle the awfulstatistics: 35% of all deaths in the 13 to21 year s age group caused by car acci-dents; and 20% of all new drivers involved in crashes within their first two years ofdriving.

Initially the results were positive. Duringthe first two years, the new driver crashrate went down 26%. But most of theimprovement was by Learners rather thanNovices who remained 45% more likelythan experienced drivers to be involved incrashes.

The carnage continued. On March 21st,2002, four Delta teens were killed whenthe teen driver failed to stop at a stop signat the intersection of 57B Street andDeltaport Way and was broadsided by asemi-trailer. The teen driver, licensed foronly two weeks, was the only survivor.On May 31st, 2003, a 19-year-old driverand his three friends, after watching ahockey game and drinking, attempted todrive home together. The driver wove inand out of traffic at high speed and col-lided with a truck on the other side of ablind hill on Cedar Hill Road in Victoria.In this case, the three friends and thetruck driver survived while the teen driv-er was killed. On July 18th, 2003, fourfriends were involved in a single-carhigh-speed crash on the Old IslandHighway. Their car crashed into a con-

crete utility pole justbefore 4 a.m. All fourwere thrown from thecar. Two of the fourdied from their injuries.

Prompted by thesetragic events andresults in other GLPjurisdictions, the BCgovernment madechanges to the programthat came into effect onOctober 7, 2003. These

changes are more than fine-tuning. Theyextend the basic two-year term of theGLP to three years: a 12-month Learnerterm (reducible by 3 months for certifieddriving training) plus a 24 consecutive,prohibition-free month Novice term. ALearner must be accompanied by asupervisor 25 years of age or older with avalid Class I-5 drivers license and mayhave only one passenger in addition tothe supervisor. A Novice is limited toone passenger only, excluding immediatefamily members, unless he or she isaccompanied by a supervising driver 25years or older. Immediate family mem-bers are defined as father, mother, broth-er, sister, spouse, children, and grandpar-ent including the same step or foster rela-tions. Novices who receive a driving pro-hibition must go back to the beginning ofthe novice stage, that is, they lose allaccumulated driving experience time andmust start again at Month 1. For a com-plete outline of all the Learner andNovice rules, visit the ICBC websitewww.icbc.com.

The immediate reaction to these changeswas predictably mixed. With fingers-crossed, we look forward to positiveresults from these changes to the pro-gram.

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Its a marvel to behold for sure the second longest cable-stayed bridge in North America and the widest bridge in the worldbut figuring out the new Port Mann Bridge is proving to be a tricky exercise. Tolling, then falling ice, and now de-icing the road surface have all been problematic. At 4 am on Wednesday January 3rd, Mainroad Lower Mainland Contracting, the company responsible for winter maintenance, reportedly applied a saltwater solution to the bridge deck that was expected to effectively de-ice it for the next 48 hours.

However, 26 hours later by Thursday January 4th at around 6 amthe beginning of rush hour traffic over the bridge was halted by a series of crashes involving 40 vehicles. De-spite no signs of ice at 5 am that same morning, a spokesperson for the company that runs the bridge, Transportation Investment Corpora-tion, said the situation was likely a combina-tion of the weather and the fog [leading] to rapid ice accumulation.

Traffic speed was also a factor. In the past, he said, drivers would have being going much slower because the old bridge was routinely congested. It could have been worse. Reports also indicated, Paramedics gave first aid to several people and one person was taken to hospital with minor injuries.

Apart from the brine solution aspect, how-ever, lower mainland drivers might consider this as more than another Port Mann bridge story and be thankful for the wake-up call it has given everyone. Bridge decks, winter tempera-tures, precipitation, and motor vehicles are a

potentially lethal combination. Indeed, as the website IcyRoadSafety.com puts it, [road] ic-ing is more likely to threaten your life than any other weather condition youll ever face and ... [the] most insidious type of road icing threat comes from bridges and overpasses.

IcyRoadSafety.com, created by Dan Robin-son, a storm chaser and photojournalist who as a freelance cameraman spent many years documenting all types of dangerous weather across the country, emphasizes two important points: first, our collective underestimation of the danger posed by the lowly snowflake or frozen raindrop compared to the extreme weather stars of TV documentaries, such as tornadoes, hailstorms, floods, lightning storms or hurricanes. Second, he emphasizes the realities of the road icing risk:

1. Some of the worst icy road accident out-breaks occur with freezing precipitation, which creates road ice that is not visually distinguish-able from wet roads.

2. Many accidents result from drivers who were not operating their vehicles in a careless manner, but had no advance warning of an icing hazard.

3. The true road ice hazard is subtle and intermittent icing due to light winter precipita-tion, events that suffer from a lack of highly visual cues and public awareness.

4. A factor in many of the serious and fatal crashes is overconfidence in ones abilities and/or equipment (traction control, antilock brakes, stability control, good tires).

5. For black ice, no speeds are completely safe.

6. While good tires can sometimes help you move on icy roads, they dont help you stop and they wont keep you from losing control at high speeds.

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NoticeNotice of Intent to Dispose of Land

The City of Richmond intends to sell a portion of 5540 Hollybridge Way totalling 297.7 square metres, legally described as:

Parcel Identifier: 007-250-983 Lot 73, Sections 5 and 6, Block 4 North Range 6 West, New Westminster District, Plan 36115 Except Plans 48002 and BCP43305.

to Hollybridge Limited Partnership or their designate for a disposition price of $528,733.

For information please contact:Michael Allen, Manager, Property Services City of Richmond6911 No. 3 RoadRichmond, BC V6Y 2C1Telephone: 604-276-4005

City of Richmond | 6911 No. 3 Rd. Richmond BC V6Y 2C1 | Tel: 604-276-4000

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Extension offer is premature, Auditor General says

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Vancouver has been named Canada's most walkable city by Seattle-based Walk Score.

The website compares restau-rants, shops and other amenities near a neighbourhood and gives it a walkability score from 0 to 100 to indicate how much can reason-ably be accomplished on foot.

Vancouver got a score of 78 in the first-ever rankings, ahead of Toronto at 71 and Montreal at 70. Richmond scored 55 and is rated somewhat walkable.

Some other Metro Vancouver cities weren't far behind.

North Vancouver scored 73.3, White Rock got 72 and New Westminster got 70. Elsewhere, Burnaby scored 63 and Surrey got 51.2.

And the site shows Victoria nearly rivals Vancouver with a score of 77.7.

Coldstream ranked last in B.C. at 14.1 followed by North Saan-ich at 14.6.

For the full list or to search a particular address or neighbour-hood, see www.walkscore.com.

The Canadian Real Estate As-sociation's realtor.ca website now incorporates Walk Score rankings into its listings be-cause home buyers and renters increasingly want to use it to gauge what's near a prospec-tive home.

Vancouver tops walkability rankings, while Richmond is somewhat walkable

Region 'severely unaffordable': study

An annual survey has again ranked Metro Vancover as the second least af-fordable place to buy a home out of more than 300 cities.

The Demographia study calculates a "median multiple" to measure hous-ing affordability for each metro area by dividing the median home price by the median household income.

Metro Vancouver's multiple is 9.5 meaning the typical home costs near-ly 10 times the typical household's in-come. Demographia considers anything over 5.0 to be "severely unaffordable."

Only Hong Kong is worse, at 13.5, while cities that rated slighly better included Sydney, Australia (8.3), San Francisco and London (both at 7.8). Canadian cities overall averaged 4.5. Most of the cities compared are in the U.S., U.K., Aus-tralia and Canada.

The Demographia study said Vancou-ver's "grossly overvalued market" mod-erated somewhat from last year, result-ing in a drop in the median multiple from 10.6 in 2012.

"In addition to Vancouver, the three most unaffordable (Canadian) metro-politan markets were in British Colum-bia, including Victoria, Kelowna and Ab-botsford," it said.

The study blames urban containment policies such as Metro Vancouver's re-gional growth strategy and B.C.'s Agri-cultural Land Reserve for driving prices too high.

Real estate pundits point out it's dif-ficult to compare Metro Vancouver, with a land base constrained by ocean, mountains and the U.S. border, with many other cities that can sprawl in all directions.

file photoRichmond scored 55 out of 100 for walkability.


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The province should ban smoking in all patios, parks and playgrounds to reduce second-hand smoke ex-posure outdoors, according to the Canadian Cancer Society.

It made the call Jan. 20, arguing the patchwork of differing mu-nicipal regulations is not strong enough.

We know that smoke-free out-door places increase the motivation for smokers to quit or cut back, so-

ciety CEO Barbara Kaminsky said.Its not clear how such a policy

would be enforced.Metro Vancouver in 2011 banned

smoking in most areas of its region-al parks.

That policy still left designated ar-eas open for smoking and empha-sized education rather than fines for violators.

Smoking rates in B.C. are already the lowest in Canada at 14 per cent.

New call for smoke-free outdoor spaces in B.C.

by Tom FletcherBlack Press

The B.C. governments proposed new bargaining framework for teachers has been rejected by the B.C. Teachers Federation.

Premier Christy Clark and Education Minister Don McRae unveiled their proposal Thursday, calling it a new path to a 10-year agreement to labour peace with the provinces 40,000 public school teachers.

The proposed framework calls for pay increases based on an average of nurses, post-secondary fac-ulty and other government employees, and a sepa-rate education policy council to administer funds for classroom support.

Clark and McRae stressed that it would offer teach-ers a formal role in policy decisions, and a voice in allocating a priority education investment fund that would rise to $100 million by the third year.

BCTF president Susan Lambert said the proposal was shared with her Wednesday, and she considers it a non-starter. Removing class size and special needs support issues from union negotiations is unaccept-

able, she said.Its quite ludicrous that government would hold

out a 10-year deal in trade for giving up bargaining rights that we have fought long and hard for in the courts, Lambert told CKNW radio. We fought a 10-year battle to achieve a decision that, yes, teachers have a constitutional right to bargain working con-ditions.

The union has another legal action in process, based on a precedent-setting ruling by the Supreme Court of Canada that overturned parts of legislation passed by the B.C. Liberal government in 2002. That case is to go to B.C. Supreme Court next fall.

Clark said the intent is to elevate discussion, not to achieve a long-term deal before the May election.

Its not about helping the government, and its not about helping the union. Its about helping the kids, Clark said. I know thats a culture shift for many of the parties around the table, including the government, but we have to do it.

Lambert said the timing of the governments an-nouncement is surprising, since the BCTF and B.C. Public School Employers Association have just reached their own tentative agreement on new bar-gaining framework.

To be voted on by executives of the school district bargaining agent and the BCTF, it includes a shared method for calculating costs. Last years teacher strike was marked by huge discrepancies in the costs of raises and other bargaining proposals.

BCTF spurns governments 10-year peace offer

Kate Webb/Metro photoBCTF president Susan Lambert speaks to reporters in Vancouver Wednesday.


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Porus Vimadalal photoSahar Biniaz has been invited to cheer on Canadas team at the prestigious Bocuse dOr cooking competition in Lyon, France

Losing chance at global crown disappoints but doesnt deter Richmonds Sahar Biniaz


Shes owned the Miss Universe Can-ada crown for eight months and now Rich-monds own Sahar Biniaz is ready to make a splash outside Canada.

Biniaz has been invited to cheer on Canadas team at the prestigious Bocuse dOr cooking competition in Lyon, France Jan. 29. Next month shell go back to schoolat the New York Film Academyon a full scholarship, and in April hopes to hike Mount Everest.

Sometimes we set limita-tions for ourselves, said Biniaz in an interview. So this is a great way for me to say dont give upkeep going for it.

A foot injury kept Biniaz out of Decembers global Miss Universe competition. The experience of sitting on the sidelines, instead of being on stage, strengthened her desire to achieve her goals.

In France shell be cheering on local chef Alex Chen of Moxies Classic Grill, who will represent Canada in a culinary competition that pits the best chefs from 24 countries against each other.

This is a really, really big event. For fine dining chefs this is one of the biggest competi-tions in the world. For Canada to be participating in it is very very exciting, said Biniaz.

After that, shell move to New York City to continue her edu-cation in a field where shes al-ready comfortable. Biniaz stars in the independent film Am-brosia, released last summer, and also stars Camyar Chai, the City of Richmonds arts co-ordinator. The film, which was accepted in the Montreal World Film Festival last year, is

the story of an Iranian-Canadi-an couple whose dream of an exciting future in Vancouver is derailed.

Biniaz has signed on as ex-ecutive producer of a new film project exploring the shame South Asian girls are made to feel following abuse.

Biniaz, a graduate of R.C. Palmer, also continues to bring awareness to numerous causes. On Everest, she plans to plant a pink flag in honour of one such causeraising awareness of bullying.

Pageant queen takes her crown to the world

Sometimes we set limitations for our-selves So this is a great way for me to say dont give upkeep going for it.

Sahar Biniaz


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Food security is about bringing greater aware-ness of food issues and ensuring that Richmonds citizens have control over their food and food choices.

A fundamental tenet of this work is strengthening farming. In order to have a strong farm economy we need a healthy and productive land base and farm community. Recently, it has come to a tipping point where our stewards of the land can no longer focus on the difficult and risky task of food production and must now become vigi-lant against the loss and contamination of prime agricultural lands.

Even with an ever grow-ing urban land base, Rich-mond has managed to re-tain agricultural land and activities over the past hundred years. While the original settlers of Lulu Island were agrarians, fisher folk and pioneers; the City has transformed into a municipality that has been proud of its agricultural legacy. As of the 2011 Census, a total of 5,563 ha of land was zoned agricultural (570 hectares) or was within

the Agricultural Land Re-serve (4,993 hectares). Of this total land base, 3,072 hectares of Richmond land were farmed by 211 farms which grossed $48.6 million.

A growing issue, made visible by local farmers and residents down at Finn Rd, is around putting improper fill materials (concrete, asphalt, rebar, red bricks, plastic, and gas filters) of unknown source onto agricultural lands that have a high potential for contamina-tion. Without knowing the actual components, there is a definite need to have certification for fill that is going to end up on agricultural lands. Its not often discussed, but soil is effectively a non-renewable resource as it takes generations for healthy productive soils to develop. As well, due to our regions flood plain

nature, we no longer have the accumulation of silts and clays that would naturally occur from oc-casional flooding.

Last Monday evening, a number of farmers and community members at-tended the citys general purposes committee and it was clear that mayor and council were equally perturbed by the lack of enforceable rules and powers to deal with siting fill on agricultural lands. While a stop-work-order was issued, the provincial capacity to address farm and non-farm issues is stretched. The need for local and flexible over-sight is abundantly clear and we should continue to support our Richmond staff, elected officials and farmers for their efforts in achieving local control and long-term vision of sustainable agriculture.

It is certain that the

placement of fill and use as a road will ensure that this land base will no longer have the ability to grow food.

If the proposed tree nursery fails, the cost of remediation of land, in-cluding proper disposal, building soil fertility, and continued monitoring and testing for contami-nants, would be beyond the ability of any farmer to take on. Nor does it appear that the account-ability for this loss of productive land falls to the landowner or to the province.

Other municipalities, such as Langley, have implemented bylaws that require a permit for removal and deposit of soil which have helped address these issues.

This upcoming Monday evening, January 28th 2013, Mayor and Council will be voting on a stron-

ger soil bylaw. Protecting farmland is in everyones interest. Speak in favour of local control over farm-land by attending this important meeting. Food security in our region continues to be an issue. By eroding our farmlands with contaminated ma-terials we harm ourselves and future citizens ability to achieve a sustainable food system.

Richmond Food Security Society works to ensure that all people in the community have access to safe, nutritious, cultur-ally appropriate foods that strengthen our environ-ment and society.

If you want to contribute and learn more about our activities, visit our website at www.richmondfoodsecurity.org

Colin Dring is executive director at Richmond Food Security Society.

Resolving to eat better in 2013

opinion

Now that the millionaires and the billionaires have resolved how they will split up their pie, the NHL once again expects sports fans to forget the past seven hockey-less months and come crawling back.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said in August he was confident the NHL would recover from the lockout because, we have the worlds great-est fans.

Apparently, having the worlds greatest fans means having the abil-

ity to walk all over them.Sports fans in Richmond and across

the Lower Mainland have long sup-ported NHL hockey with an inten-sity normally reserved for religious fundamentalism.

But with talks of fan boycotts, certainly some sports fans are tired of being disrespected by a league that takes their support for granted.

Of course, the NHL isnt only game in town. Many other profes-sional sports organizations, such as the Vancouver Giants, Vancou-ver Whitecaps, and B.C. Lions, offer as good or better bang for your

sports entertainment buck.And every time the NHL cant get

their act together, an increasing number of local sports fans discover there is more out there than just the Vancouver Canucks.

While Canadian hockey fans have a masochistic relationship with the NHL, and seem more than willing to endure any and all abuse from the league, American fans arent quite so forgiving.

But as NHL hockey returns to the arenas and television screens, spare a thought for those who have been hurt most by the lock out.

Local restaurants, pubs, sports bars, memorabilia shops, and cab drivers.

The people who own and work at these local businesses are your neighbours, family, and friends.

Because the NHL and NHLPA couldnt play nice, ordinary folks suf-fered the economic fallout.

So if you do choose to return to fol-lowing NHL hockey, why not go and watch the games at your local pub or sports bar, and take a cab home.

These businesses live off the crumbs of NHLs pie, and if anyone is deserving of your entertainment dollar, surely its them.

Support those hurt most by NHL lockout

Green SceneColin Dring

Last Monday, a number of farmers and community members attended the citys general purposes committee and it was clear that mayor and council were equally perturbed by the lack of enforceable rules.


Lets trim our waste!

* If the standard size works no action is required, a standard size cart will be delivered to residents in April/May 2013. If you prefer a different cart size, please send in your order by February 28, 2013.

Online:

Visit www.richmond.ca/greencart or scan this QR code

By mail or drop box at City facilities:

Use the Cart Selection postage-paid postcard, which is available at City facilities and will be mailed in January to homes in the Green Cart program.

By phone:

Environmental Programs Information Line: 604-276-4010Sierra Waste Services Ltd. Customer Service: 604-270-4722

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Big difference between being appointed and winning a nomination

Editor:Re: Teresa Wat eyes Richmond Centre, Wednes-

day, Jan. 23.Well, a president of a Chinese

radio station who doesnt even live in Richmond appointed to Richmond Centre.

As impressive as her CV sounds, there is a huge di erence between being appointed to a position and being voted in.

A little bit of an insiders club here in the Liberal Party dictat-ing to all others what to do? An example of Liberal Party being presumptuous and pompous? It reminds me that we are not that far away from the Gordon Campbell days.

Elise EmnacenRichmond

letters

Editor:Re: the farm use issue on Finn Road.I attended the SRO general

purposes meeting last Monday at Richmond City Hall, which had the Finn Road Agricultural Land Reserve controversy on the agenda.

Being myself fairly well-versed regarding the ALR, the Agricultural Land Commission Act and regula-tions, I nd it very unfortunate to state that it has been my experience that most ALR ideologues appear to be very ill-informed on the aforemen-

tioned. Such self-imposed ignorance leads to decisions and actions often based primarily on emotion and ultimately coalesced into the dreaded mob mentality. Mondays meeting could best be described as kangaroo court meets deer in headlights. Council and sta were clearly capitu-lating to a vocal minority, and, in my honest opinion, were desperately trying to appease the mob.

Council has already addressed this ll on ALR lands issue via the soil bylaw 8094 passed in 2007. Given

that fact, there was no evidence that the Finn Road site proponents was doing anything illegal. However, late into Mondays GP meeting, lo and behold, as if on cue, copies of a ve - page document from the ALC dated Jan. 18 were submitted to those in attendance. It appeared that some agreement with the ALC had been cobbled together over the weekend to break the gridlock and allow the Finn Road project to continue. This 11th hour enforcement seemed to warrant the applause of the majority

of the audience. However, council and sta still wanted to micromanage the situation and layer on more red tape , but clearly this item was still a legalese mine eld. This is typical of what happens when the ALC Act and local government bylaws interact; they often mix like oil and water.

What some of these more radical ALR ideologues seem to forget, if not outright ignore, is that they are parking on public property to block legal access to private property. They are also under the delusion they have

widespread community support. No, in fact, what these ALR ideologues are doing is fomenting an inevitable backlash by fed-up ALR property owners whose rights are increasingly being trampled on and are being fur-ther expropriated without compensa-tion. Enough is enough.

This Finn Road issue could ulti-mately become a major turning point regarding the ALRs future, both in Richmond and rest of B.C.

R.A. HoeglerRichmond

Council has already addressed the ll on ALR lands issue

TERESA WAT


January 25 - February 11, 2013

The best way to beat the winter blahs is with a great sale!

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Inaugural Walk for Memories at BCIT Aerospace Centreby Martin van den HemelStaff Reporter

Patrick Tham cant imagine where his family would be if it wasnt for the help from the people at Alzheimer Society of B.C. and the programs they offer.

Where would the Tham family be...? In a word, LOST, he wrote in an e-mail.

Thams father Michael is the hon-ouree of the first annual Richmond Walk for Memories, which will be hosted this Sunday, Jan. 27, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at the BCIT Aero-space Technology Centre, 3800 Cessna Dr., in Richmond. Registra-tion is at 9 a.m.

It was three years ago that Thams

family received the news that Mi-chaeloriginally from Singapore before moving to Richmond three decades agohad early-stage Alzheimers.

The Thams suspect he has had it for much longer, but following his diagnosis, Michae has undergone three memory tests, and his scores have remained stable.

We understand there is no cure so a stable score is good news, Patrick said.

Patrick s father was once active, energetic and social. Today, hes much more quiet and he tires easily.

He doesnt seem to want to do much. Except for one thing. When hes at Alzheimer Society of B.C.s Mind in Motion program, he smiles and laughs (along with Mum) a lot more than at home.

Seeking support following Michaels diagnosis, the Thams reached out to the Alzheimer

Society, and were among the first to participate in the First Link and Minds in Motion programs.

While the programs have been great, so are the people who pro-vide them and the families theyve gotten to know who are facing something similar.

Whether its tossing and passing balls during fitness hour, or playing Jenga during social hour, my Dad and Mum are transformed by this simple yet effective god-send of a program, he said.

First Link is an early intervention program offered by the Alzheimer Society of B.C. which is designed to link individuals and families af-fected by the disease with services and support as soon as possible after their diagnosis.

But Minds in Motion is just one of the many ways First Link has helped our family, Patrick said. It has connected us to amazing (society) staff members like Kate,

Anthony, Michele to name just a few and also to education pro-grams and support groups. Along the way, Mum (who doesnt drive) has learnt to use the Handydart service and developed a sup-portive and social network with

a couple of ladies who are going through the same experiences as she is right now. Through First Link, we also met our wonderful Nurse/Case Manager who explained what services are available to support both my Dad and Mum.

Patrick believes all families in B.C. affected by Alzheimers should have access to First Link.

I appreciate resources are lim-ited during these trying economic times. But (the society) has been able to show we actually save money by helping families support their loved ones at home for as long as possible, he said.

Patrick is hoping locals will help out the 70,000 people battling Alzheimers during Januarys Alzheimer Awareness month by taking part in the walk.

For more information or to reg-ister, visit www.walkformemories.com, or call 604-270-7700 (ext. 241).

community

Alzheimers Walk honours local resident

Patrick (back), Susan and Michael Tham.


Make some noise against bullying on Pink Shirt DayFebruary 27th

Buy your o cial shirts at pinkshirtday.ca

at the early bird price of $6.00, but only until January 30th

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community

Fifth annual Richmond event will draw school groups before opening to the public Feb. 11

The fifth annual Childrens Arts Festival, offering a variety of interactive art activities led by professionals, will be held at Richmond Cultural Centre Feb. 11B.C.s first Family Day holiday.

A highlight this year includes a presenta-tion and book signing by bestselling author of Pete the Cat by Eric Litwin, who will read from his book Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes, along with other musical stories.

Fans are encouraged to bring their books or stuffed animals for signing. Tickets to his presentation are $10.

The festival will offer a variety of 90-minute Creativity Classes, led by accomplished artists in dance, circus, musical theatre, cartooning, animation, clay, paint-ing and puppet-making.

Admission is $10 per class (excludes anima-tion, which is $30).

For those wishing to enjoy the Childrens Arts Festival without registering for a Creativ-ity Class, a $5 wristband will provide drop-in access to all of the per-formances and Imagina-tion Stations including balloon twisting, face painting, origami and more. The wristband also includes admission to Minoru Aquatic Cen-tre and Minoru Arenas on Feb. 11.

Food vendors will be at the cultural centres plaza for the event.

Four other festival days leading up to Feb. 11 are reserved for school groups.On Feb. 11, the public portion of the festival, activities run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

For more information visit childrensartsfes-tival.ca. To register for Creativity Classes or to purchase tickets to see Eric Litwin, visit richmond.ca/register or call 604-276-4300.

Families are also en-couraged to bring non-perishable food items to fill the Arts Truck parked in the plaza, with pro-ceeds to the Richmond Food Bank.

Pete the Cat by Eric Litwin will present musical stories at the Childrens Arts Festival at Richmond Cultural Centre.Kimberly-Little Chute Public Library photo via Flickr

Childrens Arts Fest nears

Workshop to help parents become better career coaches

The Richmond District Parents Association is once again sponsoring the Parents as Career Coaches Workshop.

The workshop will be held at R.C. Palmer Sec-ondary School on Jan. 28 and Feb. 4 at 6:30 p.m.

Parents as Career Coaches is a program that helps parents become more effective career development allies for their children.

They are introduced to the concept of coach-ing, an appropriate role they can assume when guiding and supporting their childrens career journeys. And finally, they are given practical tools and strategies to help them become better career coaches for their youth.

The presenter is Marion Haythorne of Capilano University.

The workshop is especially helpful to parents of high school students but any Richmond par-ent is welcome to attend.

Register by email at [email protected] with the subject Career Coaches.


7700 Minoru Gate in the Cultural Centre 604.247.8300 www.richmondartgallery.org

Media sponsor:Sponsored by:

Join us for the next Family SundaySunday January 27, 14pm

Free drop-in art programVarious art activities for all age groups

4th Sunday of each month, excluding December

Richmond Art Gallery is generously supported by the City of Richmond, BC Arts Council and the Province of British Columbia

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YOUR NEW BACKYARD

arts & entertainment

The world premiere of Simon Johnstons play Sisters debuts on Gateway Theatres MainStage next Thursday, Jan. 31.

Sisters, written by Gateways former artistic director, is in-spired by Anton Chekhovs Three Sisters. Set in 1936, two Russian

sisters live in a massive house in a Chinese garrison town where their deceased father used to train Nationalist Chinese troops. As they struggle to make ends meet and maintain the illusion of their former privileged lives, their Chinese sister in-law takes over

the house, one room at a time. Luisa Jojic, Josette Jorge, John

Ng, Sarah Louise Turner and Donna White star; Sarah Rodg-ers directs. Tickets, $30 to $48, at gatewaytheatre.com or at the theatre at 604-270-1812. Sisters runs to Feb. 16.

David Cooper photoJosette Jorge (centre) gets the upper hand over her sisters-in law Luisa Jojic (left) and Sarah Louise Turner (right).

Sisters makes world premiere next week


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INVITATIONFriday, March 8, 2013, Noon 2 pm

A Tribute to Larry Berg

Wheels UpAfter 20 years, more than 300 million passengers, and five million take-offs and landings, Larry Berg is retiring from YVR.

As President and CEO for the past 15 years, Larrys commitment to our community, province and country is reflected in the pride we take in YVR and its well-earned reputation as one of the worlds truly great airports.

On Friday, March 8, join us for this special luncheon as we recognize and celebrate Larrys contribution, and thank him for his business and community leadership.

Larry Berg President and CEO, Vancouver Airport Authority

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Register online at boardoftrade.com/larryberg

Organizing CommitteeCo-Chairs Hon. David Emerson and Wayne Duzita

BC Chamber of Commerce John WinterBusiness Council of BC Greg DAvignonBCIT Don WrightProvince of BC MLA Rob HowardCity of Richmond Mayor Malcolm BrodieRichmond Chamber of Commerce Craig JonesCounterpoint Communications Bruce RozenhartBC Aviation Council Mark DuncanThe Vancouver Board of Trade Iain BlackVancouver International Airport Authority Tony Gugliotta / Grayden HaywardYVR for Kids Cheryl HendricksonYVR Cargo Community Gary EngPace Group Norman Stowe

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Popular comedian, writer and Sat-urday Night Live cast member Seth Meyers will be in Richmond next week to present a night of comedy.

The Feb. 2 show, at River Rock Show Theatre, comes as Myers is in his 12th season as a SNL cast member and seventh season as head writer and Weekend Update anchor.

Meyers studied and performed at Chicagos ImprovOlympic where many SNL cast members and writers got their start, before moving on to the Boom Chicago Theatre in Amsterdam. He even-tually caught the eye of SNL and joined the show in 2001.

Myers also has several lm credits and last summer lled in

as co-host on Live! opposite Kelly Ripa for several shows.

He started doing stand-up shows ve years ago, and has since then been performing to sold-out audiences throughout Canada and the United States.

A few tickets ($60) remain for the 8 p.m. show. Visit ticketmaster.ca or call 1-855-985-5000.

Comedian Seth Meyers heads to Richmond

Tara Giancaspro photo via FlickrSeth Meyers will perform a night of stand-up comedy in Richmond on Feb. 2.


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PUB: Richmond ReviewDATE: Jan 25

2013 Mercedes-Benz Canada Inc. 2013 C 300 4MATIC / 2013 GLK 350 4MATIC. National MSRP $39,990 / $44,900. Total price of $42,850 / $47,760 and down payment include freight/PDI of $2,195, dealer admin fee of $495, air-conditioning levy of $100, PPSA up to $45.48 and a $25.00 fee covering EHF tires, filters and batteries. **4MATIC Option valued up to a total of $2,200. Free 4MATIC Option is only applicable on new 2013 C-Class Sedan, GLK-Class, E-Class Sedan and E-Class Wagon models. Not applicable to other models. Offer available only until January 31, 2013. *Lease offer based on the 2013 C 300 4MATIC / 2013 GLK350 4MATIC available only through Mercedes-Benz Financial Services on approved credit for a limited time. Lease example based on C300: $378 per month for 48 months and GLK350: $478 per month for 39 months. Down payment or equivalent trade for C300: $7,390 plus first lease payment, plus security deposit of $400, and applicable taxes, due at lease inception. Down payment or equivalent trade for GLK350: $7,450 plus first lease payment, plus security deposit of $500, and applicable taxes, due at lease inception. Lease APR of 3.9% applies for both C300 and GLK350. Total obligation for C300 is $25,894; for GLK350 is 26,545. 18,000 km/year allowance ($0.20/km for excess kilometres applies). Additional Options and taxes are extra. Vehicle licence, insurance, and registration are extra. Dealer may lease or finance for less. Offers may change without notice and cannot be combined with any other offers. See your authorized Mercedes-Benz Vancouver dealer for details or call the Mercedes-Benz Vancouver Customer Care Centre at 604-331-2369. Offer available only until January 31, 2013.

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Matthew Hoekstra photoSibliings Angeni and Arthur Wang will be performing Saturday as special guests of the Richmond Orchestra, in the groups fourth Rising Stars concert. Theyll play Mozarts Concerto No. 10 for two pianos. Also on the pro-gram is Mozarts Symphony 41 The Jupiter. Rising Stars takes place at Gilmore Park United Church, 8060 No. 1 Rd. on Jan. 26 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets, $6 to $18, at the door or in advance by calling 604-276-2747; children under age of six are free.

Rising Starsarts & entertainment

twitter.com/richmondreview


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Thor to stage a Saturday night concert at South Arm Community Hall


A local band popular at school dances and community events in the 1970s is reuniting for the first time in 35 years to play a concert at South Arm Community Hall.

Thor, formed in 1972 by a trio of Grade 7 James Whiteside Elementary school students, will be back on stage with all original

members on Saturday, Jan. 26 at 7 p.m.

Were pretty blown away by the response weve got, said Brad Kilburn, the groups bassist. I thought wed be playing in front of 50 people, now its look-ing like we might sell out.

In the early 70s, Kilburn and his buddies were digging what they heard on the radio. The Rolling Stones, the Beatles, Chuck Berrythe 12-year-olds figured they could be rock stars too.

The fact we had no idea how to play any instrument didnt seem to bother us, said Kilburn.

The kids got their hands on some used instruments, ampli-fiers and recording equipment, and taught themselves how to play. By years end the three friends were playing school dances. They played original

songs and covers of popular radio hits.

Thor picked up a few more members and took their act around town, even landing a gig at the Steveston Salmon Festi-val in 1976, where Kilburn met his future wife Barb, then Miss Richmond.

Thor lasted as long as high school did. Once band members graduated, they went their sepa-rate ways. Most continued to make music, including Kilburn, who played with Barney Bentall before family became a prior-ity and he embarked on a long career with Air Canada.

Kilburn had tucked away his bass guitar for 28 years but recently started playing again, nudged by former bandmate Johnny Fatiaki, a regular per-former at the Pumphouse Pub

on Blundell Road.When word got out of two for-

mer Thor members, now living in London, England, were returning home for a visit, the door to a 40th anniversary reunion show opened. Joining Kilburn and Fatiaki on stage are other Thor alumni: Martin Tanaka, Korianne Tylor (formerly Val White), Jimi Coletsis and Steve Braithwaite.

Kilburn isnt sure why so many people remember Thor. It could be, he said, a longing for simpler times.

Im not sure if its that old ad-age, we look backwards to where we have been to see who we are now, or whether its nostalgia or what it is.

For tickets to the Saturday show, contact band members through a Thor 40th Anniversary Reunion Facebook page: tinyurl.com/thorreunion.

Richmond band reunites after 35 years apartThor performing at the Steveston Salmon Festival in 1976. The band is reuniting for a 40th anniversary concert.

Were pretty blown away by the response weve got. I thought wed be playing in front of 50 people, now its looking like we might sell out.

Brad Kilburn


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Anjelika Varum and Leonid Agutin performing at River Rock

Two popular Russian singers will perform at River Rock Casino Resort next Tuesday.

Married stars Anjelika Varum and Leonid Agutin will be on stage Jan. 29 for an evening concert.

This will be their third trip to Metro Vancouver, according to organizer Lev Popok, who noted two weeks later the singers will perform a concert at the State Kremlin Palace in Moscow to mark Valentines Day.

The pair have a long history in music. Varum is the

daughter of a noted composer and received a first-class musical education. According to her biogra-phy, Varum had her eye on an acting career, but the stage pulled her into a singing career.

Today shes not only a singer, but also an actor noted for roles on TV, film and theatre.

Agutin is a graduate of the Moscow Jazz School. He studied at the State University of Culture, win-ning numerous competitions. Today hes a well-known musician and composer in Russia who also regularly tours the United States.

Tickets to the 8 p.m. show, $65 to $95, at ticket-master.ca or 1-855-985-5000.

by Matthew Hoekstra

Russian singers Anjelika Varum and Leonid Agutin will perform at River Rock Casino Resort Jan. 29.

Russian singing stars in town for Tuesday concert

Singers of all ages will come together from across Richmond on Feb. 4 for an evening that celebrates the power of music in our lives, and supports the work of the Dream Auction organization at Gilmore Park United Church, com-

batting the causes of child poverty. Hosted by Richmond Chorus,

Richmond Sings! will include chil-dren from local elementary schools, youth from high schools, church choirs and community groups.

Richmond Sings will take place on

Monday, Feb. 4 at 7 p.m. at Fraser-view MB Church (11295 Mellis Dr.).

Admission is by donation, with all proceeds going to support the Dream Auction. For more infor-mation, contact [email protected] or 604-276-2747.

Richmond Chorus hosts Richmond Sings! on Feb. 5

facebook.com/richmondreview

Couples can get much more bang for their buck during fall and winter weddings

by Martin van den HemelStaff Reporter

During the summer months, its hard to find a park without a wed-ding party posing for photos under the sun. Hotels, banquet halls and restaurants are re-plete with jubilant couples celebrating their big day.

But for prospective brides and grooms looking to get much more value for their hard-earned dollars, off-season weddings are a great alternative. And the savings extend to well beyond the costs of the venue rentals, food and beverages.

Lucy Chan, a profes-sional wedding planner for Richmonds Key Events and Weddings, said while hotels dont change their rental rates between seasons, they are more willing to negotiate with clients when demand for room space is lower.

Depending on a couples budget, and what they plan to serve their guests, in some cases a hotel will lower their venue rental rate, wave other costs, or ex-pand or upgrade menu options.

Couples shopping between Richmond hotels for the best deals will find hotel managers more willing to provide incentives for their busi-ness.

Whether its waved fees for linen rentals, or upgraded dinner menu items, or a reduction in rental rates, those are all potential savings during slow seasons when ho-tels face the alternative of idle event space.

But its not just the time of year that can save couples; the day of the week can too.

Couples opting to have their weddings on a weekday, rather than on the traditional Satur-day or Sunday, may find

more alternatives, and a greater willingness among hotels to com-pete for their business.

Chan is in the midst of organizing a wed-ding for an upcoming Monday for a couple, though that date

wasnt selected to save money. Rather, it was a feng shui master who pointed them in that direction.

Couples considering a large wedding with many out-of-town guests might also want

to take into consider-ation the costs incurred by their family and friends.

An off-season wed-ding means better airfare and hotel deals too.

Another potential way

to save moneyand reduce stress while increasing wedding day enjoymentis to hire a professional wedding planner.

While the cost for an extensive consultation at Key Events begins

at $500, Chan said this can go a long way to reducing the stress a prospective bride will feel as her big day ap-proaches.

Generally, a wedding planners services for an average-sized wedding

is about $2,000, Chan said, but a lot of that investment can result in equal amount of sav-ings elsewhere.

richmond review, january 25, 2013

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