tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15427048282261667002024-03-13T12:49:45.534-07:00Tenth to the FraserWill Tomkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01147732615891883216noreply@blogger.comBlogger71125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1542704828226166700.post-5617064922370942722008-12-27T12:03:00.000-08:002008-12-27T12:06:25.670-08:00New and improved, tenthtothefraser.ca!We've moved! Find us now at <a href="http://tenthtothefraser.ca/">http://tenthtothefraser.ca</a>!Briana Tomkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17660286535552160456noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1542704828226166700.post-25452309820288051242008-12-22T09:51:00.000-08:002008-12-22T10:02:55.604-08:00Shiloh's 'Blue Christmas' service reaches out to the grief-stricken<a href="http://www.shiloh6thave.net/">Shiloh Sixth Avenue</a> church offered a special "Blue Christmas" service yesterday for people coping with loss and grief. Aside from a minor flood in our basement this season due to a burst pipe (eek!) and the occasional family tiff we have not yet been faced with adversity at Christmastime. We have been lucky. I imagine for those who do experience tragedy at this time of year, it must be especially hard because everyone around you seems so happy. Songs of joy and peace, and all that.<br />
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Writes <a href="http://www.canada.com/burnabynow/news/story.html?id=d3dcb952-c39b-4a95-810a-4f22fb2892b0&p=2">the Burnaby Now</a> :<br />
<blockquote><blockquote>For those struck by tragedy, the most wonderful time of the year can be a season of pain.</blockquote><blockquote>"Everything tells you that you're supposed to be happy and excited and getting ready for Christmas, and there's just this place inside of you that says, 'I'm not there,'" says Shannon Tennant, minister at Shiloh-Sixth Avenue United Church in New Westminster.</blockquote><blockquote>Last Sunday, Tennant led the church's annual Blue Christmas service, a time of peaceful reflection - and a refuge from the bright lights and shopping mall Santas.</blockquote></blockquote>I was particularly intrigued by the description of the service later in the article:<br />
<blockquote><blockquote>The Blue Christmas service at Shiloh-Sixth Avenue has much in common with ancient Winter Solstice celebrations, held on the shortest day of the year, Tennant says.</blockquote><blockquote>"In ancient times, people would actually gather in the morning to invoke the sun, because they weren't absolutely sure it would come up without them."</blockquote><blockquote>The service is also a reminder that the first Christmas came at a time of hardship and uncertainty for the Jews.</blockquote><blockquote>"At that time, the Jewish people were heavily taxed. They had Roman soldiers stomping around being annoying," Tennant says.</blockquote><blockquote>"So (Jesus) was born partly to give people hope, to so show them that God is with them."</blockquote></blockquote>This is exactly one of the reasons why I love Christmas. As the days grow darker and the nights get colder I find it weighs on me. When the lights go up on the houses and the Christmas tree comes inside, it's a reminder that no matter how dark it gets, the light will return. It is a reminder to keep up hope when life is difficult, that good things are just around the corner. We are not a religious family, but I find this symbolism very meaningful.Briana Tomkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17660286535552160456noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1542704828226166700.post-79782086503657468522008-12-22T09:39:00.000-08:002008-12-22T09:49:39.953-08:00A Christmas storyHere's a lovely hint of a story to think about as we approach Christmas: when soldiers were posted to B.C. in 1943 to guard against a feared attack by the Japanese, <a href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5gWc_jb8Zq7Vuw987koJsuIMkSOyQ">New Westminster opened its doors and made sure every last one had a home to go to for Christmas</a>:<br />
<blockquote><blockquote>Despite omnipresent danger, tasteless bully beef and hardtack rations in the field, and nearly dying of pneumonia one year, Christmas in the army was the only place Charles Goodman wanted to be in his youth.</blockquote><blockquote>Having left home in Saint John any lying about his age so he could enlist in 1943, the 15-year-old found joy and escape from unhappy family life in military camaraderie.</blockquote><blockquote>Sent to B.C. to defend against a feared Japanese attack during his first military Christmas, Goodman recalls the town of New Westminster opening its doors to feed and fete every soldier on the festive day.</blockquote></blockquote>That gives me some warm and fuzzies. It's so typically New West.Briana Tomkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17660286535552160456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1542704828226166700.post-21741903448415068002008-12-21T18:57:00.000-08:002008-12-21T19:25:36.652-08:00On anonymityI was just re-reading an post on the Burnaby Politics blog about a rumour that former Conservative MP <a href="http://burnabypolitics.blogspot.com/2008/12/blast-from-past.html">Paul Forseth could return to politics</a> in the Burnaby-New Westminster riding currently held by Peter Julian. As a resident of this riding, I am mildly interested, though at the moment it is nothing but a rumour. This blog post is not about the rumour, however. It's about the reader response: thirteen comments on the post, all anonymous.<br />
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I struggle with this on Tenth to the Fraser. We have our own semi-regular commenters who choose to remain anonymous. I like to hear from them, but I wish they would leave a name or a handle with their comments. I'm sure there are valid reasons why people would choose to be anonymous, but I confess my knee-jerk reaction is to assume either cowardice or axe-grinding.<br />
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Now, before you flame me (anonymously) in the comments section, this is nothing personal against any of our anonymous commenters (or any on Burnaby Politics). I just feel the level of dialogue on a public forum is better when people are willing to stand behind their comments. Using your real name is best, in my view, because it forces a person to consider the effects on reputation when they post a comment. A nickname is acceptable if it's how you are known online. Given the option to use a nickname, I just don't understand choosing to be "Anonymous."<br />
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I'm not planning to prevent anonymous comments at this point, unless such comments turn hateful. While they are sometimes stinging, so far I haven't felt they have crossed the line. Or at least, not too far past. But I would like to express my preference that commenters here include their name or nickname.<br />
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We aspire on this blog to represent a variety of voices and opinions in New Westminster, so we especially value the contributions of those readers who respectfully disagree. Thank you, all of you who have shared your opinions with us. Perhaps some of you will consider sharing your opinions in a guest post in the new year - assuming, of course, that you are willing to sign your name to it.Briana Tomkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17660286535552160456noreply@blogger.com5New Westminster, BC, Canada49.203705 -122.91458849.1476255 -123.0313175 49.2597845 -122.79785849999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1542704828226166700.post-75706387161070312792008-12-20T13:44:00.000-08:002008-12-20T13:51:50.670-08:00School trustee Lori Watt gives a kidney for ChristmasNew Westminster school trustee Lori Watt calls giving a kidney to friend and acting coach Nathaniel Deveaux the "most unique" Christmas gift she has given in <a href="http://www.bclocalnews.com/greater_vancouver/newwestminsternewsleader/news/36466859.html">a recent Newsleader profile</a>. No kidding!<br />
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<blockquote>It started with a phone call when Watt asked, “What blood type are you?”</blockquote><blockquote>“B positive,” he replied.</blockquote><blockquote>“I’m B positive too.”</blockquote><blockquote>That’s when she started thinking about it. After doing research on transplant surgery she told Deveaux she would donate her kidney.</blockquote><blockquote>A battery of medical tests showed they were a match and the surgery was scheduled.</blockquote><blockquote>“When we both got out of surgery we were each asking how each other was. The other day he walked over to my room in the hospital and thanked me profusely,” said Watt.</blockquote><blockquote>“I feel like we were brought together to work on [the play] The Museum Project. Then this happened. I just feel really blessed to be able to give back this way.”</blockquote>Briana Tomkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17660286535552160456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1542704828226166700.post-73915717327352112842008-12-19T16:04:00.001-08:002008-12-19T16:15:03.642-08:00Bee in my Bonnet<span style="color: #595441; font-size: 10px;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #595441; font-size: 10px;"><div style="line-height: 1.3em;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hi! I'm Jen. Briana has invited me to be an occasional contributor for Tenth to the Fraser, and leave it to me to introduce myself by posting a slightly rant-errific type of post. This is re-posted from my personal blog at www.arbolog.com.</span></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.3em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic;"><br />
</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.3em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have a bee in my bonnet about an item that only really comes to light about 2 weeks a year. Kale and I walk every day, sometimes twice a day. I usually use the carrier, because I like having my hands free. Once in a while I will use the stroller. Here is us two days ago: </span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.3em;"></div><table border="0" style="width: auto;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.ca/lh/photo/atu16G3Ts6HXZ7jjVaxX-Q" style="color: #4a8797; text-decoration: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_UKqpMo0-xoM/SUqt8t14tMI/AAAAAAAAC6Y/Vtq32W5SUPU/s400/DSC02709.JPG" style="-webkit-background-clip: initial; -webkit-background-origin: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(105, 191, 222); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-color: rgb(105, 191, 222); border-left-style: dotted; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(105, 191, 222); border-right-style: dotted; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(105, 191, 222); border-top-style: dotted; border-top-width: 1px; border-width: initial; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 5px; margin-right: 5px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px; padding-top: 5px;" /></span></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="text-align: right;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">From </span></span><a href="http://picasaweb.google.ca/bevanandjen/Kale3To6Months" style="color: #4a8797; text-decoration: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Kale 3 to 6 months</span></span></a></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="line-height: 1.3em;"></div><div style="line-height: 1.3em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Because it snows so infrequently here on the West Coast, I have a feeling that people feel like they have no obligations to remove the snow on the sidewalks in front of their property. In fact, I have a feeling that not all of them even own a snowshovel. </span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.3em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.3em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">New Westminster is rather hilly, one might say, and the neighbourhood I live in is right at the crest of the big hill and as a result, when we go out walking every day, we walk up or down a hill no matter which direction we walk in. The city is pretty good about plowing and salting the roads - as one of the oldest settlements in BC and one that is so proudly independant, I would suspect that they actually harbour a rather large fleet of winter snow removing trucks. </span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.3em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.3em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But these days, being so… </span></span><em style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">pedestrian</span></span></em><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, I hardly care about the roads other than Ross getting home safely. </span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.3em;"><strong style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">People:</span></span></strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> aside from moralling being obligated to foster a sense of a caring community and actually being concerned with whether or not your neighbour takes a tumble on the walk in front of your house, you are also</span></span><em style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> legally obligated to do so</span></span></em><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">.</span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.3em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.3em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Not to get all harrumph-y here but… </span></span><em style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">ahem</span></span></em><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">: </span></span></div><blockquote style="border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 5px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 30px; margin-top: 15px; padding-left: 20px;"><div style="line-height: 1.3em; padding-left: 30px;"><strong style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.newwestcity.ca/cityhall/engineer/sidewalk_cafes.html#snow_removal" style="color: #4a8797; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank" title="Bylaws"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Excerpt from the</span></span></a></strong><a href="http://www.newwestcity.ca/cityhall/engineer/sidewalk_cafes.html#snow_removal" style="color: #4a8797; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank" title="Bylaws"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span> </a></div><div align="left" class="mainbody" style="line-height: 1.3em; padding-left: 30px;"><strong style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.newwestcity.ca/cityhall/engineer/sidewalk_cafes.html#snow_removal" style="color: #4a8797; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank" title="Bylaws"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Street Traffic Bylaw No. 6027, 1991<br />
</span></span> </a></strong><strong style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.newwestcity.ca/cityhall/engineer/sidewalk_cafes.html#snow_removal" style="color: #4a8797; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank" title="Bylaws"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Passed January 6, 1992</span></span></a></strong></div><div align="left" class="mainbody" style="line-height: 1.3em; padding-left: 30px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">506. A person being the owner or occupier of real property shall remove snow, ice and rubbish from any sidewalk and foot path bordering that person’s real property and from the roof and other part of a structure adjacent to or abutting on any portion of the street, not later than 10:00 a.m. of the day<br />
after the snow, ice or rubbish is deposited thereon.</span></span></div></blockquote><div align="left" style="line-height: 1.3em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></div><div align="left" style="line-height: 1.3em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Certain neighbours of mine spend a great deal of time decorating their house for Christmas. But you think they bother to get out there and shovel the walk in front of their house? NO. So what happens? Well, the snow gets tramped down by those of us who have to or choose to walk on by. Then it melts a little, because it’s so sunny and gorgeous out. And then at night it freezes into a sheet of glass. Never mind the fact that I’m carrying a baby and if I slip and fall I’ll likely hurt Kale, what about the seniors? I tried using the stroller but I had to give up - pushing it through the slush was even more dangerous than carrying Kale. </span></span></div><div align="left" style="line-height: 1.3em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></div><div align="left" style="line-height: 1.3em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I hate to get all “I’m calling the bylaw people!” but seriously, what options do I have? I considered knocking on their door and asking, but what happens if they freak out about the confrontation? People tend to get a little nutty when they realize that a) they are totally in the wrong, and b) someone is calling them on it, so do I really want to go and knock on my neighbour’s door and get sworn, yelled, or worse, swung at? Not really. </span></span></div><div align="left" style="line-height: 1.3em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></div><div align="left" style="line-height: 1.3em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So seriously. Be a good neighbour. Avoid getting sued. Shovel and salt your sidewalk. Those of us out walking say “Thank you”.</span></span></div><div align="left" style="line-height: 1.3em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></div><table border="0" style="width: auto;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/uJ25N89NlSJKafLTuwSYKw?feat=embedwebsite" style="color: #4a8797; text-decoration: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_UKqpMo0-xoM/SUrB0_GjHcI/AAAAAAAAC68/ELpt3r5JrP8/s400/DSC02707.JPG" style="-webkit-background-clip: initial; -webkit-background-origin: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(105, 191, 222); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-color: rgb(105, 191, 222); border-left-style: dotted; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(105, 191, 222); border-right-style: dotted; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(105, 191, 222); border-top-style: dotted; border-top-width: 1px; border-width: initial; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 5px; margin-right: 5px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px; padding-top: 5px;" /></span></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="text-align: right;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">From </span></span><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/bevanandjen/Kale3To6Months?feat=embedwebsite" style="color: #4a8797; text-decoration: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Kale 3 to 6 months</span></span></a></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div align="left" style="line-height: 1.3em;"></div><div align="left" style="line-height: 1.3em;"></div></span>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com2New Westminster, BC, Canada49.203705 -122.91458849.1476255 -123.0313175 49.2597845 -122.79785849999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1542704828226166700.post-57331825346982511742008-12-18T23:43:00.001-08:002008-12-18T23:59:27.483-08:00What New West's teenage sledders really do<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamehealy/2296463258/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3267/2296463258_6034afd686_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: 2px solid rgb(0, 0, 0);" /></a><br /><span style="margin-top: 0px;font-size:0;" ><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamehealy/2296463258/">Ice Blocking (February 2008) 087</a><br />Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/jamehealy/">*Jame*</a></span></div>My fair brother posted previously on the many snowy and wonderful ways (and places) that people can sled in our fair city... however timely this may be, what with the freakish sub-zero weather and inches of snow and all, he has made one critical omission.<br /><br />Ice blocking.<br /><br />What is this, you ask? Well, in our (usually) temperate climate, what's a young non-drinking teen to do for fun in a city of hills but no snow?<br /><br />Answer: Buy a few blocks of ice from your local gas station, and head on up to the steepest sledding hill you know - New Westminsterites (and churchy teens from miles around) flock to Burnaby Mountain Park, mainly, as well as the Eastern Meadow slope of Queen's Park (ending in McBride Boulevard) and Robert Burnaby Park. If it's one of the 360 days of our year when we have no snow at all in Vancouver, then you will have an open hill of green, green grass on which to sit your bum-on-iceblock, give a little push and voila! You are off, ice blocking with the best of them.<br /><span style="display: block;" id="formatbar_Buttons"><span class="on down" style="display: block;" id="formatbar_CreateLink" title="Link" onmouseover="ButtonHoverOn(this);" onmouseout="ButtonHoverOff(this);" onmouseup="" onmousedown="CheckFormatting(event);FormatbarButton('richeditorframe', this, 8);ButtonMouseDown(this);"><img src="img/blank.gif" alt="Link" class="gl_link" border="0" /></span></span><br />While this sport has variously been demonstrated on Saved By the Bell and MTV's Jackass, curiously, this phenomenon seems most common among church teens. Perhaps this population are the only ones crazy enough want to do this while still sober enough to accomplish it. Of the various youth & young adult church groups I went to over my time, they all had this one crazy, seasonless sport in common. While the <a href="http://www.goiceblocking.com/history.htm">history of the activity</a> may be debatable, it's not hard to see why it remains so popular - apparently humankind simply has a mad urge to slide down a hill with a cold hiney once in awhile, regardless of the snow availability. It's universal.<br /><br />Evidence #1: <a href="http://www.goiceblocking.com">GoIceBlocking.com</a> (the Las Vegas Association of pro-Ice Blockers)<br /><br />Evidence #2: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_blocking">Wikipedia: Iceblocking</a> (written seemingly from an Australian point of view)<br /><br />Evidence #3: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamaican_bobsled_team">Jamaican Bobsled Team</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1542704828226166700.post-12042652591472329552008-12-18T18:30:00.000-08:002008-12-18T19:26:13.285-08:00Sledding Set Slide to Southern SlopeI really can not believe <a href="http://www.miss604.com/2008/12/tobogganing-and-sledding-in-vancouver.html">Miss 604 </a>beat me to it!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6ILipwid3kw/SUsNQJv8NzI/AAAAAAAAAJQ/ktRJXAViXNQ/s1600-h/P1240699.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 264px; height: 198px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6ILipwid3kw/SUsNQJv8NzI/AAAAAAAAAJQ/ktRJXAViXNQ/s320/P1240699.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281329559168104242" border="0" /></a><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />New Westminster is a haven for snow sledding for the youthful and the young at heart. As any one who has walked uptown from the New Westminster <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Skytrain</span> station can attest, we have got some hills in this fair city! While there are a good number of sledding sites around the Royal City and a notable one at the North East corner of Queen's Park, perhaps the snowy hill most slid upon is the one on the South side of<a href="http://www.nwpr.bc.ca/Grimston.html"> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Grimston</span> Park</a>, in New Westminster's West End.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6ILipwid3kw/SUsNlQDcaGI/AAAAAAAAAJY/XboOpghpkw4/s1600-h/P1240724.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6ILipwid3kw/SUsNlQDcaGI/AAAAAAAAAJY/XboOpghpkw4/s200/P1240724.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281329921637771362" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Miss 604 agrees noting briefly that it is "rather tube-friendly", an important <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">technical</span> detail for the sledding enthusiast. With the long, excitingly steep decline, gradual leveling bottom and stunning Fraser River / Delta Shore views, this park really offers the best slope available for safe sledding. While the diminutive denizens of New Westminster used to freely slide down 6<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">th</span> street <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_6ILipwid3kw/SUsQMEy_FQI/AAAAAAAAAJo/nNKrbMrBYVE/s1600-h/IMG_2644_2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 95px; height: 127px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_6ILipwid3kw/SUsQMEy_FQI/AAAAAAAAAJo/nNKrbMrBYVE/s200/IMG_2644_2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281332787654104322" border="0" /></a>and 8<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">th</span> street (a practice <a href="http://tenthtothefraser.blogspot.com/2008/12/bus-smashes-into-new-west-salvation.html">now reserved for BC Transit vehicles)</a> the slopes of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Grimston</span> Park offer a safer thrill and an alternate "bunny hill" in the park by 7<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">th</span> ave for the young sledding fan that, let's admit, is still mastering walking.<div style="text-align: justify;"><br />I would love to post a sledding photo of the Queen's Park hill or another (perhaps by Richard McBride or Hume Park?) Send us one and we will post it up.<br /></div><br /></div>Will Tomkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01147732615891883216noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1542704828226166700.post-73573903957268841172008-12-17T20:47:00.001-08:002008-12-17T20:56:58.440-08:00Speaking of school budget shortfallsThe Vancouver Sun reports that New Westminster will <a href="http://www.vancouversun.com/School+district+asks+managers+teach+save+money/1088132/story.html">ask school district managers to come back to the classroom</a> as teachers to help offset costs for substitutes due to the $2 million shortfall.<div><div></div><blockquote><div>School district managers could be teaching in New Westminster classrooms next month as part of an urgent plan by the district to eliminate a $2-million shortfall without laying off staff.</div><div><br /></div><div>Senior managers from the board’s head office will work as teachers on call from January until June in a move estimated to save $19,000. A manager is also expected to fill in as vice-principal at John Robson elementary to save $15,000.</div><div><br /></div><div>More substantial savings are expected through cuts to school budgets ($818,000) and operations and maintenance ($325,000), according to a plan approved by trustees this week. District staff will talk to partner groups early in the new year to determine how such savings can be achieved with only six months left in the school year.</div></blockquote><div></div></div><div><blockquote></blockquote>School Trustee Michael Ewen is quoted as saying he likes the idea of senior managers spending time in the classroom, because the experience would benefit them when making decisions that would affect students. </div><div><br /></div><div>A comment on the story by a Sun reader, on the other hand, points out: "One might be cynical enough to suggest that many of the folks who 'manage' are those who hated the classroom in the first place and thought they were moving up some ladder to escape the long hours and miserable conditions of the classroom drudge."</div><div><br /></div><div>Ooooh, snap.</div>Briana Tomkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17660286535552160456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1542704828226166700.post-37816492216683590642008-12-17T20:17:00.000-08:002008-12-17T20:57:19.388-08:00No school in Grimston, school board decidesGrimston Park will be protected space, and will not be considered as a future school site <a href="http://communities.canada.com/vannet/blogs/timeoutcorner/archive/2008/12/18/update-grimston-park.aspx">according to last night's school board vote</a>. This is great for the West End, who would have lost its only large park, but leaves New West in a bit of a pickle. New schools must be built, but where? To further complicate matters, our school district is facing a $2 million budget shortfall. We have neither time, nor money, nor resources. So what to do?<br /><br />Some creative thinking is called for! Some of the ideas I've heard kicked around include:<br /><br /><ul><li><a href="http://www.canada.com/newwestrecord/news/story.html?id=281cf291-6a9b-4ffd-9beb-4ad99314ee21&p=1">Sending some New West kids to Burnaby schools</a> (working with that city's school authorities, of course ... though attending by stealth would be funnier ... I'm picturing balaclava-clad kids scurrying across Tenth every morning, hiding behind bushes and trees like you'd see in some Merrie Melodies cartoon ... maybe that's just funny to me)</li><li>Building a new high school in Queensborough, where there's a little more room to breathe</li><li>Building multi-storey elementary schools instead of single-storey</li><li>Building parking lots underground in order to build on smaller lots (not currently funded by the province, but that should change IMHO)</li></ul><br />Any other ideas? At this point I'm wondering if I should be planning to homeschool!Briana Tomkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17660286535552160456noreply@blogger.com5New Westminster, BC, Canada49.203705 -122.91458849.1476255 -123.0313175 49.2597845 -122.79785849999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1542704828226166700.post-36734860834443113552008-12-16T19:37:00.000-08:002008-12-16T19:56:57.255-08:00New West news roundup<div>Roundup of some recent news items related to our fair city:</div><ul><li><a href="http://communities.canada.com/vannet/blogs/timeoutcorner/archive/2008/12/15/casey-cook-wants-grimston-park-off-the-table.aspx">Casey Cook wants Grimston "off the table"</a> for new school site [The Record's Time Out Corner blog]</li>
<li>New West-based <a href="http://www.nomoredebts.org/">Credit Counselling Society</a> offers <a href="http://www.financialpost.com/story.html?id=1078751">tips to rein in holiday spending</a> . [Financial Post]<br />
</li>
<li>Royal City Ballet's <a href="http://www.straight.com/article-176174/royal-city-youth-ballet-feeling-ballet-bc-ripple-effect">Nutcracker ticket sales</a> for Vancouver performance affected by news of Ballet B.C.'s financial woes [Georgia Straight]</li>
<li>Local kid made good <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2008/12/12/morneau-tiponeill-award.html">Justin Morneau named Canada's top baseball player</a> [CBC]</li>
<li>Fraser Health Authority apologizes after a <a href="http://www.mapleleafsikh.com/2008/12/bc-hospital-sorry-for-shaving-sikhs.html">Royal Columbian Hospital night nurse shaves off a Sikh man's beard</a> [Maple Leaf Sikh]</li>
<li>Local lacrosse star <a href="http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/sports/story.html?id=d9ef7525-ce2e-49a7-ac1e-45657383b3b3">Paul Parnell will be inducted into the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame</a> next year [Province]</li>
</ul>Briana Tomkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17660286535552160456noreply@blogger.com1New Westminster, BC, Canada49.203705 -122.91458849.1476255 -123.0313175 49.2597845 -122.79785849999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1542704828226166700.post-73839418967809933302008-12-15T12:49:00.000-08:002008-12-15T13:07:54.332-08:00Shopping local is good for the soul<i>This is a guest post by <b>Brad Howard</b> of <a href="http://www.cleverminks.com/"><b>Clever Mink's</b></a>, a great little gift shop at 711 Carnarvon St. If you've got an idea for a guest post, go ahead and <a href="mailto:briana.tomkinson@gmail.com">drop us a line</a>. </i> <br />
<br />
Having never blogged before I found the idea daunting so I sought out some friends' opinions. Some said you've got to open big to grab the reader. You've only got 4.3 seconds of their attention (that might be last year's figure, this year's is doubtlessly shorter) or they'll move on to something splashier. Make 'em laugh or make 'em cry. Talk about how to get crazy good sex or how to lose weight in an hour or about how to find inner peace but in a really fun and exciting way.<br />
<br />
Others suggested it would be better for me to start small but be authoritative by sticking to a narrow topic that I know extremely well. Cleaning out a cat box comes to mind as does muttering to myself when stuck in traffic. Hard to imagine though, how either of those will stoke the fires of passion and controversy that fuel this strange critter known as the blogosphere. Even the word "blogosphere" seems a bit foreign to me, rolling awkwardly off my tongue like when I try to work rechereche into a conversation.<br />
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I am non-digerati, growing up in a time when computers were only seen on TV shows where they always occupied an entire room, were covered in rapidly spinning spools for some reason, and were often at work in some nefarious world-threatening plot. Or sometimes they were saving the world from said plot but suffice to say there was generally a plot involved. Cut to the present and the whole computer thing turned out to be more about letting a bunch of regular people express their thoughts and try to be interesting doing it. I'm not sure I'm up to that.<br />
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Clever Mink's is a gift shop with a funny name and, like as not, you've never heard of us. The fault for that is on us, of course, with our marketing plan that relied perhaps too heavily on mental telepathy and optimism. Nevertheless, we do exist and we do most of our existing right here in New West. Proudly so, not only as new business owners and residents in town but as new immigrants to this country.<br />
<br />
We left the States, Bush refugees we have been called and worse, a tad over a year ago to venture into this lush green (sometimes white) land of yours with a plan firmly in mind to try to do something fun. And fun it has been, as only the commitment of a good chunk of one's savings into a strange new business during the most perilous of economic times can be fun. Other words leap to mind as well but fun is really the pick of that litter.<br />
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We decided to open our humble establishment during the dead of summer and on a street, we only subsequently learned, that had a city-wide reputation as being a great place to avoid ever going. Luckily for us our new neighbors at The Hideout Cafe, Shamryn's Hobby Shop, Queen's Park Florist, and the many others hereabout have welcomed us warmly and made us feel at home in this spot. Best of all have been our great customers, those stalwart few who've bucked the area's bad rep and actually managed to find us and have begun to spread the word about us far better than we ever could do ourselves. A big shout-out and thanks to you all.<br />
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Now I can't say as it'll improve your sex life or help you lose weight or give you that exciting version of inner peace you've been looking for, but shopping local stores is good for the soul, no doubt about it. And good for the town.<br />
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It may be an old idea but a town needs to be more than a mere collection of homes where working people rest their heads. Any town worthy of its name, especially one that possesses the rich history and character that ours does, needs its shops and markets, pubs, eateries, theatres and galleries in order to remain vibrant and liveable.<br />
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We like to think that someday soon all of us will look back at 2008 as the beginning of a renaissance in the downtown core, the time when New West decided to reclaim its place as the jewel on the banks of the Fraser river. But then we have to be optimists- we're business owners. Happy Holidays to all.<br />
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Come visit us at 711 Carnarvon St. or online at <a href="http://www.cleverminks.com/">www.cleverminks.com.</a><br />
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Ask for Nancy or her sidekick Brad.<br />
<div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://reblog.zemanta.com/zemified/45cf8dc0-f5ac-40dd-a33e-4ed2c04239a9/" title="Zemified by Zemanta"><img alt="Reblog this post [with Zemanta]" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=45cf8dc0-f5ac-40dd-a33e-4ed2c04239a9" style="border: medium none; float: right;" /></a></div>Briana Tomkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17660286535552160456noreply@blogger.com1711 Carnarvon St, New Westminster, BC, Canada49.2028715 -122.911121549.199366500000004 -122.91841699999999 49.2063765 -122.903826tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1542704828226166700.post-34766754272510590662008-12-13T21:02:00.000-08:002008-12-13T21:02:00.978-08:00Remembering New West's Great Fire in 1898Local blog Regarding Place has an interesting feature called "A Year in Five Minutes" in which they write a quick overview of the highlights of a given year in history here in the GVRD. The latest was <a href="http://regardingplace.com/?p=2554">1898, which was marked by (among other things), New Westminster's Great Fire</a> :<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px;"><blockquote>Another Great Fire<br />
</blockquote><blockquote>The year was bad for New Westminster. The entire downtown section of the city was burned in a great fire September 10/11, including almost all the commercial section. Hundreds were left homeless. Almost 60 city blocks were leveled. Vancouver Fire Department historian Alex Matches writes: “The fire started in a riverfront hay storage warehouse and spread to two sternwheel river boats, the Edgar and the Gladys, which drifted down river setting fire to every wharf they touched. The raging fire then jumped Front Street and was quickly spread uptown by fierce winds.” Damage was estimated at $2.5 million, an enormous amount in 1898 dollars. Only two brick buildings were left standing. The VFD had saved one of them.<br />
</blockquote><blockquote>The VFD had a busy year closer to home: after a few years in which fewer than 100 fire alarms came in annually (58 alarms in 1894, 97 the following year, 64 in 1896 and 62 in 1897) expansion of the city—largely fueled by the Klondike Gold Rush—led to 131 alarms, the highest the city had experienced since incorporation 12 years earlier.<br />
</blockquote><div class="wp-caption alignleft" id="attachment_2559" style="width: 360px;"><blockquote><img alt="Front St., from Lytton Sq., New Westminster, after September 10 fire, 1898. Photographer: C.E. Bloomfield. Photo #Out N584." class="size-full wp-image-2559" height="232" src="http://regardingplace.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/newwestfire_archives.jpg" title="newwestfire_archives" width="350" /><br />
</blockquote><blockquote>Front St., from Lytton Sq., New Westminster, after September 10 fire, 1898. Photographer: C.E. Bloomfield. Photo #Out N584.</blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Read the full article for more - it's interesting stuff for the history buff. </span></span></div></span>Briana Tomkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17660286535552160456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1542704828226166700.post-29582293939372168452008-12-12T20:32:00.000-08:002008-12-12T20:32:00.954-08:00Tyee gives props to New West recovery centreThe Tyee's got a great list of <a href="http://www.thetyee.ca/Views/2008/12/09/HelpHomeless/">50 ways to help the homeless</a>, building on Vancouver mayor Gregor Robertson's pledge to end (!) homelessness in Vancouver by 2015.<br />
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New Westminster is mentioned twice:<br />
<blockquote><blockquote>8.) Lobby for treatment funding in private, and put the spotlight on alternative treatment in public. Check out Vancouver Coastal Health's innovative DayTox program, and take a look at one of the more successful private recovery houses, such as <a href="http://www.lastdoor.org/">The Last Door</a> in New Westminster.</blockquote></blockquote>and:<br />
<blockquote><blockquote></blockquote><blockquote>39.) Invite the neighbours. Include representatives from Burnaby, Richmond, New Westminster, Surrey, the Langleys and the North Shore communities in everything Vancouver does. "And every so often," one local activist noted, "Mayor Robertson needs to lean over and say to Mayor Corrigan, 'So, you're going to do some of these projects too, aren't you?'"</blockquote></blockquote>As everyone here knows, homelessness is also a major issue in New Westminster. One would hope that Robertson's gang would not pronounce homelessness 'ended' if it simply pushed people outside of Vancouver proper and out towards New West, Burnaby, and other areas of the Lower Mainland. This is truly an issue that should be addressed at a regional level.<br />
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Lots of good ideas in this piece (Thanks Tyee!). Here are some of the ones that stood out for me:<br />
<blockquote>2.) Ask property owners to help. Make an offer to the owner of every closed hotel or shuttered apartment building in the city: Lease your building for use by BC Housing and/or a non-profit housing manager for a period of at least three years, and the city will both give you a tax break and allow your development application to proceed without interruption.<br />
</blockquote><blockquote>13.) Dedicate more women-only buildings and programs. Women endure daily intimidation and frequent assault inside shelters and residential hotels. Besides, there are already far more men-only programs.</blockquote><blockquote>14.) Provide meals. At the end of a pilot project in which meals were delivered daily throughout one Downtown Eastside residential hotel, residents reported using fewer drugs -- and most had gained weight. </blockquote><blockquote>23.) Seize grow-ops. Just as some law enforcement agencies seize vehicles, explore the possibility of seizing grow-ops and drug houses, renovating them, and converting them to rooming houses. Let the former owners sue for the value of the (usually trashed) property seized. </blockquote><blockquote>25.) Detox on demand. No matter what shape a new treatment landscape assumes, detox for everyone who wants it will play a part. The city needs to partner with agencies and NGOs to create more spaces immediately. </blockquote><blockquote>32.) Provide housing after treatment. Perhaps the most shameful gap in the housing safety net is the one many addicts fall through after they get clean, as they are returned to the same sort of social housing in which they used.</blockquote><blockquote>33.) Replace Riverview: 275 beds were slated to be replaced by recovery units throughout the city. In the years we've spent waiting, the need has grown to the point more may be required. Ideally, these would be built as small supportive facilities scattered throughout the city </blockquote>New Westminster needs to prioritize homelessness just as Vancouver has. We have a homelessness coalition and strategy, but there are still far too many people living on the streets or in substandard conditions here. I am hopeful that our lone new councillor <a href="http://www.jaimiemcevoy.com/index.phtml">Jaimie McEvoy</a> will bring his passion for <a href="http://www.jaimiemcevoy.com/issues.html#Homelessness">this issue</a> to city hall and continue to advocate on behalf of the marginalized there, just as he has as project coordinator at <a href="http://www.shiloh6thave.net/mod/group/view.php?group_id=2">Shiloh's Hospitality Project</a> .<br />
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While we're on the topic of homelessness and poverty, I wanted to remind everyone to take some time to donate to organizations that help alleviate this suffering while we celebrate during the holidays. New Westminster's Food Bank is administered at Shiloh, and you can donate there or <a href="http://www.foodbank.bc.ca/main/?donate">online</a>. The Food Bank says it can stretch $1 into $3 through bulk buying and supplier relationships, so it's worthwhile donating even small amounts of cash instead of cans. Or, support Union Gospel Mission's annual Christmas dinner: <a href="http://www.ugm.ca/ways_to_give/online/default.aspx">$32.90 will feed and care for 10 people</a> in our community this Christmas.Briana Tomkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17660286535552160456noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1542704828226166700.post-33291230626930150032008-12-11T20:18:00.000-08:002008-12-11T20:18:01.052-08:00Irving House's twist on Christmas tradition: apple garlands<a href="http://www.gardenwiseonline.ca/files/articles/applepots_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="152" src="http://www.gardenwiseonline.ca/files/articles/applepots_1.jpg" width="200" /></a>Those seeking ideas for sustainable decorations this Christmas, should cast their eye to the keepers of the past. New Westminster's Irving House museum is profiled on <a href="http://www.gardenwiseonline.ca/node/1481">Gardenwise</a> for their unusual twist on a traditional garland that uses real apples for a beautiful and memorable look.<br />
<blockquote><blockquote>At Irving House in New Westminster the halls really are decked with boughs of holly — and lots of other traditional accents that transform the home into a celebration of a Victorian Christmas.</blockquote><blockquote>There are probably not many better places to evoke the spirit of the season than at this heritage home, where visitors are transported back to the 1860s and the ambiance of Victorian times.</blockquote></blockquote>Full instructions (and more illustrations of these lovely and eco-friendly decorations) are on <a href="http://www.gardenwiseonline.ca/node/1481">Gardenwise</a> .Briana Tomkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17660286535552160456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1542704828226166700.post-10267390421632760392008-12-10T23:22:00.000-08:002008-12-10T23:28:04.371-08:00Bus smashes into New West Salvation Army thrift store<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Sod8bng4_TU/SUDAXh0bA5I/AAAAAAAACwQ/lN1_FwEyjvM/s1600-h/bc-081210-salvation-army-bus-crash-FULL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Sod8bng4_TU/SUDAXh0bA5I/AAAAAAAACwQ/lN1_FwEyjvM/s320/bc-081210-salvation-army-bus-crash-FULL.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">CBC photo</span></div>CBC reports <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2008/12/10/bc-salvation-army-bus-crash-new-westminster.html">$100,000 worth of damage</a> to the Salvation Army thrift store on Columbia St., though thankfully no one was injured.Briana Tomkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17660286535552160456noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1542704828226166700.post-6859320587763009602008-12-10T20:12:00.000-08:002008-12-10T21:19:17.417-08:00New West's Brad Ross stirs the potThe Surrey Leader reports that New Westminster's Brad Ross has provoked <a href="http://www.bclocalnews.com/surrey_area/surreyleader/news/35825189.html">a testy bit of back-and-forth</a> between provincial transportation minister Kevin Falcon and Delta city council. Ross commutes to Delta, facing a regular bottleneck at Highway 91 and 72 Ave.<br />
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<blockquote>New Westminster resident Brad Ross, who makes regular trips across the [Alex Fraser] bridge, wrote Falcon to ask if there were plans to build an overpass.</blockquote><blockquote>According to the minister’s written reply, the traffic lights are still there because Delta “strongly favoured an alternate and more costly configuration, and we were unable to reach agreement.”</blockquote><blockquote>Ross forwarded the response to Delta council last week.</blockquote><blockquote>There was supposed to be money for improvements to the intersection in 2003, courtesy of a federal-provincial Border Infrastructure Program.</blockquote><blockquote>The Falcon letter also said a full intersection was “not viable as part of the project, due to the close proximity of Burns Bog.”</blockquote><blockquote>Coun. Scott Hamilton scoffed at the comment.</blockquote><blockquote>“The minister is talking through his hat,” Hamilton said, noting the land is privately owned and not part of the bog conservancy.</blockquote><blockquote>“They (the program) just ran out of money.”</blockquote>So there you go, if you too share Ross' commute and wondered what the issue was at Hwy 91 and 72nd ... it appears to be a political bottleneck as well as a daily traffic headache.Briana Tomkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17660286535552160456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1542704828226166700.post-30946556805430024342008-12-10T19:54:00.000-08:002008-12-10T21:10:57.629-08:00The pinnacle of guest room perfection - in New West!In a recent Globe & Mail column, Vancouver-based HGTV designer Kelly Deck draws on the example of a New Westminster friend's home to illustrate <a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20081209.reKellyDeck1209/BNStory/RealEstate">dos and don'ts of guest room decor</a> :<br />
<blockquote>For seven years, Gillian has been ceaselessly redecorating the interior of her New Westminster home. Last Sunday, we ascended a narrow fir staircase to a room where Gillian has created a warm and romantic retreat for the guests she and Michael are expecting this holiday season. As is her habit, the room is a clever blend of old and new, with a general air of welcome.<br />
</blockquote><blockquote>As I drove home that afternoon, I thought about why Gillian's guest room felt right and well thought out, while those in many other homes (ones by designers included) often feel wrong. I think she's got a few easy do's and don'ts for us.<br />
</blockquote>Sounds very Queen's Park to me! Seriously though, I do think that many homes here in New West aspire to that "clever blend of old and new, with a general air of welcome." Deck never says that her friend Gillian owns a heritage home, but the "narrow fir staircase" and the aim to blend old with new hints at it.<br />
<br />
For those who are wondering, the tips in the article include:<br />
<br />
<ul><li>Give guests room to store their junk<br />
</li>
<li>Don't be too feminine<br />
</li>
<li>Buy good sheets<br />
</li>
<li>Smash that cheap ceiling light<br />
</li>
<li>Don't skip the window finishes<br />
</li>
<li>Resist putting family photos on the wall<br />
</li>
<li>Remember the thoughtful touches<br />
</li>
</ul><br />
From the photo with the article, this is indeed a stellar example of a guest room. Gillian from New West has even framed a collection of cheeky poems as the wall art! Kudos to Gillian. Wonder what other gems local decorating divas have concocted ...Briana Tomkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17660286535552160456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1542704828226166700.post-23632244775574195712008-12-08T09:45:00.000-08:002008-12-08T09:45:00.082-08:00Photo slideshow: Alex Fraser Bridge<object height="300" width="400"> <param name="flashvars" value="&offsite=true&lang=en-us&page_show_url=%2Fgroups%2F660585%40N24%2Fpool%2Fshow%2F&page_show_back_url=%2Fgroups%2F660585%40N24%2Fpool%2F&group_id=660585@N24&jump_to=&start_index="></param><param name="movie" value="http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=63961"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=63961" allowFullScreen="true" flashvars="&offsite=true&lang=en-us&page_show_url=%2Fgroups%2F660585%40N24%2Fpool%2Fshow%2F&page_show_back_url=%2Fgroups%2F660585%40N24%2Fpool%2F&group_id=660585@N24&jump_to=&start_index=" width="400" height="300"></embed></object>Briana Tomkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17660286535552160456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1542704828226166700.post-30351241691650350352008-12-03T17:57:00.001-08:002008-12-08T18:56:59.602-08:00And Now for Something Completely Different...<span id='1836093952'></span><br />
Followup on our favourite <a href="http://www.arbolog.com/?p=267">Arbologger's post</a> about the <a href="http://tenthtothefraser.blogspot.com/2008/12/huzzah-for-beta-santa-at-burnaby-museum.html">Coca-Cola Santa</a>, here's another 'Beta' Santa, perhaps soooo proto that it's 'Alpha!'<br />
<br />
Prepare for a New Westminster Holiday Tradition, the arrival of Sinter Klaas to open the holiday season. Children will wait in anticipation on the Quay boardwalk for Sinterklaas and the Black Peters to arrive - you can help your 2 year old to chant like the Dutch kids do, 'Zie ginds komt de stoomboot uit Spanje weer aan...' (See there the steamship from Spain is coming again...) to welcome Sinterklaas on his traditional mode of transportation - the steamboat (in New West, our <a href="http://www.vancouverpaddlewheeler.com/">Paddlewheeler</a>.) Apparently, our local celebration is the last one in North America in which Sinterklaas still has a traditional arrival by boat. Check out the <a href="http://www.thehollandring.com/sinterklaas.shtml">tradition of SinterKlaas</a> and I think you'll see that he is the real Santa 1.0. <br />
<br />
The big day is this Saturday, December 6th, the actual feast day of St. Nicholas (though the traditional Netherlands Sinterklaas day is celebrated on the eve of his Feast Day). Sinteklaas will arrive at New Westminster's boardwalk as he has for will greet the children gathered there - and if my childhood is any indication, he will give out small, hard bits of gingerbread and salty licorice and will cuddle you silently in the midst of a December downpour.<br />
<br />
<blockquote>Among the Sinterklaas Welkom onlookers now are parents who in 1985 as children were present for the first arrival. The event remains a top attraction for the public market on the Fraser River bank.<br />
Right from the start 19 years ago, local officials, MPs, MLAs, the Mayor and sometimes all councilors [sic] (and even a Premier), have been on hand to welcome the Spanish bishop. In particular councillor Casey Cook, who fondly remembers Sinterklaas calling on his hometown The Hague when he was a boy, has been there as a dignitary for years. One year he remarked that none in the crowd of onlookers seemed more excited than the grandparents. </blockquote><br />
<br />
More to be seen at <a href="http://www.sinterklaas.ca/">http://www.sinterklaas.ca</a>.<br />
Full schedule at <a href="http://www.sinterklaas.ca/Sinterklaas_Arrival_Details_2008.htm">http://www.sinterklaas.ca/Sinterklaas_Arrival_Details_2008.htm</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1542704828226166700.post-45667009974110799262008-12-02T20:46:00.000-08:002008-12-02T22:43:22.791-08:00Peter Julian on the coalition, and what it means for New WestHubris has led to a great fall for Stephen Harper. Having won a mandate for another minority government, Harper acted as though he had won a majority and gave the three opposition parties the common enemy they needed for an attempt to wrest control from the Conservatives and propose an alternative coalition government.<br />
<br />
And Canadians said ... WTF?!<br />
<br />
As news of these developments percolated through the <a href="http://search.twitter.com/search?q=%23coalition">Twittersphere</a>, <a href="http://blogsearch.google.com/blogsearch/story?hl=en&bcid=1239803153&bc_lang=en">blogosphere</a> and <a href="http://news.google.ca/news?hl=en&ned=&q=canada+coalition&btnG=Search+News">news media</a>, many of us discovered that we understood less than we realized about <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2008/11/28/f-faq-coalition.html">how our political system works</a> (myself included). I am not alone in spending some time catching up on the nuances of parliamentary democracy lately.<br />
<br />
It's not a coup, as <a href="http://www.theweek.com/article/index/91225/3/Canadas_Liberal_coup">some have called it</a>. It's a rarely used but legitimate political option exercised when the Prime Minister <span style="font-style: italic;">really</span> screws up. The <a href="http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20081202/coalition_govts_081202/20081202?hub=CTVNewsAt11">last time</a> something like this happened in Canada was over conscription in the First World War.<br />
<br />
As you know if you've ever voted (or remember the fundamentals of your high school history), we don't vote directly for our country's leader. We vote for a local representative. The leader is the person who can rally the most support in the House of Commons. This is almost always the leader of the party who won the most seats. This time, the leader of the party with the most seats is also (arguably) the <a href="http://www.anyonebutharper.ca/">most reviled political leader in Canada</a>. While he did squeak past with a win in the last election, he did not enjoy the support of a majority of Canadians, and he has now lost the confidence of a majority of our Parliament.<br />
<br />
I spoke with Burnaby-New Westminster MP Peter Julian today to get his take on the situation, and what it means for New Westminster.<br />
<br />
Julian said all this began when Harper failed to deliver on his promise to move quickly after the election to implement a plan to address the economic crisis. While he had pledged to take a moderate approach and work with all parties in the House of Commons, the <a href="http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/posted/archive/2008/11/27/comparing-today-s-update-to-the-first-post-9-11-budget.aspx">budget update</a> instead included a number of controversial plans that impacted social programs, public election financing and other issues.<br />
"He basically lobbed a grenade onto the floor of the House of Commons. He took a hard right shift attacking basic principles like collective bargaining and pay equity for women," said Julian. "He used the economic crisis to put forward a very hard right shift, which is not at all what he committed to in the election campaign. He committed to being moderate."<br />
<br />
The NDP, Liberals and Bloc response was not what the Conservatives expected. The economic crisis and the threat of another election wasn't enough to bully them into passing the budget. Instead, leaders of the three parties began planning to oust Harper. Our local MPs, Julian and New Westminster-Coquitlam's Dawn Black played key roles in clinching the plan. Black was the NDP caucus representative who helped negotiate the coalition agreement, while Julian worked the phones responding to media queries.<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
"There's no doubt in my mind that the government will be defeated in the House," Julian declared. "The debate right now is which day."<br />
<br />
The Conservatives have a limited menu of what Julian called "procedural games" that they can use to try and forestall or delay losing power to this coalition. The Globe & Mail has <a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20081202.WBSteele20081202134134/WBStory/WBSteele">a great analysis of Harper's options</a>. None sound terribly appealing. I feel a little sorry for the guy. Another story in the Globe suggests <a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20081202.wparliament03/BNStory/politics/home?cid=al_gam_mostview">Harper's plan is to prorogue Parliament</a>, which basically means shutting down Parliament and cowering through Christmas with the hope of a fresh start in the New Year.<br />
<br />
I asked Julian about his response to the some of the big questions I'm hearing about the coalition. As far as he's concerned, over 60% of those who voted did not choose the Conservatives, and the coalition has the support of all other parties (Green included) and independents. Said Julian, "Everybody has come together except the Conservatives in Stephen Harper's government."<br />
<br />
Critics of the coalition are pointing out the irony of depending on the support of a separatist party for the survival of the government, but Julian pointed out that the Bloc is not a part of the coalition itself. The Bloc has agreed not to initiate a motion of non-confidence for at least 18 months. The Conservative government has also depended on the support of the Bloc to pass budget updates, so Julian contends this is a non-issue. According to Julian, while the Conservatives have been accusing the NDP and Liberals of selling out to the Bloc in English Canada, in French it's the Bloc who they accuse of selling out.<br />
<br />
"It's fair to say the Conservatives have been masters of manipulation," Julian said.<br />
<br />
The economic stimulus plan that will be released soon by the coalition targets improvements for housing, infrastructure, industry and changes to employment insurance programs (removing the two-week waiting period before receiving benefits to spare people's savings, supporting more retraining programs). The strategy seems to be to allocate funds to projects that will improve our communities while creating jobs for both workers on the projects and those who will benefit from those people's spending. Julian mentioned that three mills recently closed in New Westminster, and he estimates the impact is about 2.5 jobs were indirectly affected for each job lost.<br />
<br />
The infrastructure investment could be of real use to New Westminster. Like many communities in Canada, we sorely need to do some significant upgrades. Julian estimates the 'infrastructure deficit' across Canada to be worth approximately $100 billion. The proposed stimulus package is only about $30 billion, so we can imagine there could be some squabbling over that pie. Assuming the coalition gets the go-ahead from the Governor General, Julian would sit down with New Westminster mayor and council to discuss infrastructure priorities and then take our ask back to Ottawa. The coalition's plan was not yet online when I spoke with Julian, but when I get the link I will share it so you can read - and decide - for yourself.</div>Briana Tomkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17660286535552160456noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1542704828226166700.post-38347784845139460982008-12-02T09:25:00.000-08:002008-12-02T09:25:01.081-08:00Huzzah! for the 'beta-Santa' at the Burnaby Museum<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #595441; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 10px;"></span><br />
<div style="line-height: 1.3em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><a href="http://www.arbolog.com/?p=267">Jen at the Arbolog</a> shares her misgivings about buying into the Coca-Cola Santa in a recent post, and reminds us of a great alternative for those who prefer to hearken back to Yule logs and mistletoe rather than <a href="http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,24726604-663,00.html">deadly Wal-Mart shopper stampedes</a> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Chipmunks-Vol-1/dp/B000002TBE">Christmas With The Chipmunks (Vol. 1).</a> Says Jen: </span></div><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I did some research and found</span><a href="http://www.burnaby.ca/cityhall/departments/departments_parks/prksrc_artsan/prksrc_fclts_brnbyv/bvmevents/Heritage_Christmas.html" target="_blank" title="Father Christmas"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; text-decoration: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> Father Christmas at the Burnaby Village Museum</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">, who is willing to listen to children’s wishes and you can take your own photos. Huzzah.<br />
</span></blockquote><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Father Christmas is the pre-Santa, the </span><em><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Beta-Santa</span></span></em><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">, if you will. He’s a kindly old thin dude, with a long beard and robe - sort of </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gandalf" target="_blank" title="Gandalf"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; text-decoration: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Gandalf type of dude</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> - and was around way before Toys R Us and the Sears Wish Book and iPods and Wii’s were, and is more of a </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinterklaas" target="_blank" title="Sinterklaas"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; text-decoration: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Sinterklaas</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> than a product of a good marketing department at Coca-Cola.</span></blockquote>Thanks Jen!Briana Tomkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17660286535552160456noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1542704828226166700.post-2242159000466503132008-12-01T20:33:00.000-08:002008-12-02T15:23:47.148-08:00New West MPs' role in the emerging coalition government<a href="http://twitter.com/LiberalHQ/status/1033424102">Twitter</a> tells me today that '<a href="http://twitter.com/brodiedavid/status/1033051543">we will have a new federal government in Canada within days</a>.' The Liberals, NDP and Bloc have put aside their differences and have <a href="http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/posted/archive/2008/12/01/letter-from-dion-layton-and-duceppe-on-the-coalition-accord.aspx">formally asked</a> the Governor General to allow them to form the Government of Canada, led by Leader of the Opposition Stephane Dion at the next opportunity.<br />
<br />
As an NDP stronghold, this could be New Westminster's best chance to get on the national political radar. The Georgia Straight has speculated that Burnaby-New West MP Peter Julian (<a href="http://tenthtothefraser.blogspot.com/2008/11/meet-our-mp-peter-julian.html">profiled</a> a few days ago on this blog) <a href="http://www.straight.com/article-173103/vancouver-will-get-cabinet-ministers-liberalndp-coalition-government">could have a good shot at a cabinet post</a> in a coalition government, while <a href="http://www.bclocalnews.com/news/35324824.html">a story on BCLocalnews.com</a> suggests New Westminster-Coquitlam MP Dawn Black is the New West MP to watch.<br />
<br />
In the leaked transcript of a supposedly confidential NDP caucus meeting (shamefully recorded and distributed to the press by the Prime Minister's Office), NDP leader Jack Layton mentions that Black is a key member of the team that negotiated the deal with the Liberals. According to the <a href="http://anthonydamonse.blogspot.com/2008/11/he-said-she-said-transcript.html">transcript posted on local blogger Anthony Damonse's site</a> , Layton says he chose Black because she is "someone that I happen to know is also respected and trusted by key Liberals."<br />
<br />
Here is Layton's suggested defense for caucus members who face critics of the coalition:<br />
<blockquote><span style="color: #000066; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 17px; font-style: italic; line-height: 23px;">What about the legitimacy of the democratic process, yeah, what about it? [Harper] was given a minority, and he refused to work with the other parties, he had 38% of the vote and he’s trying to govern like he had 100% of the power, he’s the one who’s got democracy wrong, not us. So do not be defensive, to work among what we are doing is to give effect to the wishes of the majority of Canadians, have no doubt about that. The coalition for Canada, I love the idea, it could be a deal-breaker for the Bloc (laughter) so if we don’t go, we call it “The Coalition for Canada and Quebec,” (lots of laughter).</span></blockquote>And for those concerned about the Bloc's involvement, Layton says:<br />
<blockquote><span style="color: #000066; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 17px; font-style: italic; line-height: 23px;">I’ll just say one other thing about the issue of the Bloc: nothing could be better for our country, than to have the fifty members who’ve been elected to separate Quebec to actually helping to make Canada a better place. I think we just approach it on that basis, and say we’re willing to make Canada happen, here’s other things that we’re going to be investing in and transforming together, they’re willing to work with us, we’ll accept that offer. </span></blockquote>We'd like to hear from Peter Julian and Dawn Black on this. We're trying to reach them and we'll let you know if they have anything to share that may provide some context for New Westminster in all this.<br />
<br />
Meanwhile you can track developments as they happen on Twitter. General commentary is being tracked using the keyword <a href="http://search.twitter.com/search?q=%23coalition">#coalition</a> . Opponents of the coalition are tweeting with the keyword <a href="http://search.twitter.com/search?q=%23canadarally">#canadarally</a>, and further information is online at <a href="http://rallyforcanada.ca/">rallyforcanada.ca</a> .<br />
<br />
<b>Update:</b> The pro-coalition side is gathering at <a href="http://62percentmajority.ca/">62percentmajority.ca</a>.Briana Tomkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17660286535552160456noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1542704828226166700.post-27331806634048697732008-12-01T19:43:00.000-08:002008-12-01T20:26:17.018-08:00Glenbrook Parents to School Grimston<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_6ILipwid3kw/STSz7rjH1cI/AAAAAAAAAJI/vAsh9wem5fc/s1600-h/glenbrook.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_6ILipwid3kw/STSz7rjH1cI/AAAAAAAAAJI/vAsh9wem5fc/s320/glenbrook.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275038901441385922" border="0" /></a><br />Royal City Blogger <a href="http://communities.canada.com/VANNET/blogs/timeoutcorner/default.aspx">Niki Hope</a>, who excels at all things educational in her website, <a href="http://communities.canada.com/VANNET/blogs/timeoutcorner/default.aspx">has recently posted</a> that the <a href="http://www.sd40.bc.ca/glenbrook/">Glenbrook Middle School </a>Parent Advisory Council has passed a resolution that, while focusing on the need for a new High School, also calls for the use of Grimston Park as a school site for a middle school.<br /><br />While the <a href="http://tenthtothefraser.blogspot.com/2008/10/new-middle-school-could-be-built-on.html">idea of a school</a> on Grimston has been almost universally reviled by the West End community (see <a href="http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=42474501801">Facebook Page Here</a>) and the need for a middle school is still hotly debated, I don't personally see why the Glenbrook folks (and fine folks they be, I am sure) would really concern themselves with building a middle school way on the other side of town. Perhaps the Westend folks could suggest the removal of Queens Park in favour of a municipal waste to energy incinerator (you see, I am exaggerating for effect).<br /><br />The content of the letter is below. I invite all concerned to comment here. I will try to have expounders of the Grimston School topic (for and against) send in comments also.<br /><blockquote><br /><i>December 1, 2008<br /><br />Jim Alkins<br />Project Director<br />School District #40<br />1001 Columbia Street<br />New Westminster, BC<br />V3M 1C4<br /><br />Dear Mr. Alkins:<br /><br />As the Parents’ Advisory Council (PAC) for Glenbrook Middle School, we are writing to you regarding the school construction public consultation process in our City. After significant discussion at our meeting on November 24, 2008, the PAC passed the following motion:<br />THAT the ÉCOLE GLENBROOK MIDDLE SCHOOL PARENTS’ ADVISORY COUNCIL:<br />• urges the construction of the high school move forward as soon as possible:<br />• supports the idea of building a new middle school on the west side; and<br />• believes that Grimston Park should be considered as an option for that middle school.<br /> CARRIED.<br /><br />In our view, it is absolutely critical that this initiative – AND PARTICULARLY THE HIGH SCHOOL – move ahead as quickly as possible and NOT be allowed to “go back to the drawing board.” Too much time and money have already been spent and further delays will only continue to compromise the education of all our children.<br /><br />Yours truly;<br /><br />Stephen Bruyneel<br />Chair</i></blockquote>Will Tomkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01147732615891883216noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1542704828226166700.post-79100220748628954902008-12-01T19:18:00.000-08:002008-12-01T19:27:11.267-08:00It's Christmas Time in the City.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6ILipwid3kw/STSq3ItHocI/AAAAAAAAAJA/pHKLPbB0zB8/s1600-h/IMAGE_545.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 256px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6ILipwid3kw/STSq3ItHocI/AAAAAAAAAJA/pHKLPbB0zB8/s320/IMAGE_545.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275028927763947970" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Driving along 7th St in the West End two nights ago, we were drawn towards the festive glow coming from one end of the street. We meandered over and there it was, a Christmas light display that just had to make it on to the Blog!<br /><br />I took some pictures with my trusty cellular phone and as you can see, the effect is less than crystal clear but this is only a beginning. I sense a series coming on, highlighting some of the best and brightest Christmas light displays in the New Westminster scene. Send us your pictures (see the email link above) and we will get them up here! Also, share your favorite light display neighbourhoods in the comments and check back for more of the best of New Westminster's Christmas light displays!<br /></div>Will Tomkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01147732615891883216noreply@blogger.com0