Halloween may be a time for fun and excited children but New Westminster police say safety will be important part of Monday night so the department has issued some tips for parents to make it a safe Halloween.
Children should be accompanied by an adult.
Wear clothing that can be easily seen at night with reflective material being the best.
Trick or treat in one well-known area, don't wander into unknown neighbourhoods.
All candy should be inspected by an adult to make sure it hasn't been tampered with. If it looks suspicious, contact police.
Masks that don't interfere with vision should be worn, or avoid them by wearing makeup.
Costumes should be short enough to prevent a child from tripping.
Children should watch for moving vehicles when crossing streets, which should only be done at crosswalks or marked intersections. Do one side of the street at a time, don't criss-cross.
Carry a flashlight
Police suggest to be extra safe, organize a Halloween party for neighbourhood children. Motorists are also advised to be extra careful driving down streets with parked cars.
Winter Preparation
The days are shorter and cooler, the nights longer colder. Fall is settling in.
For gardeners, a little forethought and dirt under their fingernails now will mean a greener, healthier garden come spring, says Ariella Taylor, the horticulturist at KJM Urban Gardens' new shop in the River Market at Westminster Quay.
With most of her customers tending to small container gardens on their balconies or patios, that means making sure their plants and shrubs are in large enough pots so their roots don't start growing upwards or against the containers' walls; dirt is nature's best insulation against the cold. Those pots should also be made of thick, heavy clay or plastic, so they won't crack when temperatures drop.
Taylor says plants should be allowed to go dormant, so they shouldn't be fertilized again until spring. But their soil should be kept moist, not saturated. Adding bark or leaf mulch also helps.
"Plants sweat and the wind dries them out," warns Taylor.
If some plants, like tomatoes, had a particular problem with pests this past growing season, it might also be an idea to clean and disinfect the empty pots before storing them away so any eggs or larvae won't survive to infect next year's crop.
Gardens don't have to be drab and brown in the winter, says Taylor. There's plenty of evergreen conifers, perennials, grasses and hellebores that thrive through gardening's off-season, bringing splashes of colour and life.
Getting a garden ready for winter "doesn't take much time or effort, but you still have to have the base facts," says Taylor. "You need to have basic information and an understanding of how the plants grow and what they need." Ariella Taylor's top fall garden tasks:
• Mulch. For containers, use bark mulch or compost as it's heavier than leaves and less likely to blow away. Mulch insulates the roots, improves soil structure, smothers weeds and encourages beneficial micro-organisms to live in the soil. Spread a 1-2" thick layer over the soil, but leave a gap around stems and trunks for air circulation.
• Re-pot root-bound plants. Once roots have completely filled up the pot, there is very little soil left to insulate the plant from the cold. Choose a pot 2-4" bigger in diameter depending on the plant's speed of growth.
• Protect non cold-hardy plants. Bring tropical plants back inside, check for signs of pests and spray with insecticidal soap if required. Certain plants like windmill palms can stay outside but should be wrapped with burlap to insulate them. Place other plants in a location that's out of the wind.
• Don't forget to water, especially if it's been windy.
• Bring non frost-proof pots inside. Terra cotta and thin-walled plants won't reliably make it through winter without cracking.
• Spruce things up. Add colour and interest to fall and winter pots by planting small conifers, broadleaf evergreens or evergreen perennials and grasses. Plan for spring by popping some bulbs in the bottom of the pot.
Story: NEWSLEADER - Mario Bartel, October 17, 2011
City breaks ground for new civic centre
A groundbreaking ceremony was held Friday to signal the start of construction on New Westminster's future civic centre.
The City of New Westminster is building a $35-million multi-use civic facility with casino funds known as development assistance compensation. The fourway agreement was signed by the City of New Westminster, the B.C. Lotteries Corporation, the provincial government and Starlight Casino.
"The new facility will spur economic development in New Westminster's downtown while providing a range of amenities to local citizens and visitors alike," said Ida Chong, the province's minister of community, sport and cultural development, in a press release. "Our government is pleased to play a part in the developing of this great project for the Royal City."
The city's portion of the building at Eighth and Columbia will include a 350seat theatre with flexible seating to accommodate a variety of productions, conference and meeting facilities, multipurpose rooms, art studios, an art gallery, tourist information centre, the city's museum and archives, a restaurant and the Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame.
"We're very proud of this project and the role it will play in the revitalization of our historic downtown business district," said Mayor Wayne Wright. "It's projects and partnerships like this that provide the new amenities our citizens deserve while generating the economic development we need for the future."
Because the site at the corner of Eighth and Columbia streets is an active construction site, the ceremony took place across the street at Hyack Square. Armed with shovels, officials conducted a ceremonial groundbreaking in a portable dirt pile placed at Hyack Square.
"We have tendered the first stage of construction. That will include some underground site servicing and excavation of the underground parkade," said Jim Lowrie, the city's director of engineering. "That involves shoring of the excavation walls."
Lowrie said the excavation work will probably be finished in a few months and construction of the civic centre building will begin in the new year.
The City of New Westminster has partnered with the Uptown Property Group to build an office tower on top of the civic centre at the corner of Columbia and Eighth streets.
Breaking ground: Ida Chong, minister of community, sport and cultural development, joined members of city council and other dignitaries at the ceremonial groundbreaking for the civic centre.
Photo: Photograph by: Photo contributed, THE RECORD - Story by Theresa McManus, The Record, September 28, 2011
Quantum Cafe and Bistro is back
Jordan Awali had been working in a coffee shop in downtown Vancouver, but he wanted to run his own place, be his own boss.
The former owner of the Quantum on Sixth Street, just off Columbia, was looking to sell his business.
When Awali arrived in New West to scope out this possible opportunity, he saw the new condos towering over the historic Downtown. He saw the cranes for the new movie theater and shopping complex at the Eighth Street SkyTrain station. He saw the signs for the new civic centre. He saw the old Raymond Burr Theatre about to reopen as a swank comedy club. He saw students from Douglas College and the West Coast College of Massage Therapy, all of them potential hungry customers.
“This makes sense to me,” he told himself.
It was the culmination of a journey that has taken 12 years. That’s when the former pharmacist’s assistant decided to take his family from Iran where people of his Bahai faith were routinely persecuted. They stopped in Turkey for eight months, then immigrated to Canada.
Awali’s own struggles to get established in a new country and learn a new culture have forged in him the resolve and resilience to work hard. He opens his café at 7 a.m. and doesn’t close the doors until 8 p.m.
“You’ve got to work hard,” says Awali.
“If you believe in yourself, then anything is possible.”
Awali bakes his own pastries, like croissants, muffins, lemon tarts, banana and walnut loaf.
And because his shiny little café doesn’t have a large freezer, he makes his sandwiches fresh every day. He also offers homemade seasonal soups like vegetable and cream of tomato.
But Awali’s most proud of his coffee, Intelligentsia, which he sources from Columbia by way of Chicago.
Awali says most of his customers come from surrounding offices and businesses, as well as the Quantum condo tower in which his café is situated. And of course the students, who appreciate the economical sandwich and soup combos while they surf their iPhones or laptops on the free WiFi.
Awali’s no longer just passing through New West.I feel like I’m in a good area,” he says. “There’s lots of character here. It’s growing.”
Jordan Awali and his assistant Sarah McConnell with some of the fresh sandwiches they offer at the Quantum Café and Bistro.
Photo: NEWSLEADER - Mario Bartel, October 20, 2011
Douglas College joins in on performing arts degree
Douglas College is part of a group of post-secondary institutions that has joined forces to offer a bachelor of performing arts (BPA) degree, the first of its kind in Canada.
It is designed for students and working professionals that have a significant background in many areas of performing arts. The nine-month program focuses on collaboration entrepreneurship and creative development and will also involve Capilano University, Langara College and Vancouver Community College.
Students will be drawn from the certificate and diploma programs offered by all the schools, as well as applicants from across the country.
"One of the program's most important aspects is its ability to offer a degree to the many performing arts students who receive their professional training in diploma and certificate programs," said Meg Stainsby, Douglas College dean of language, literature and performing arts, in a news release. "It will open up a whole new world for many of them in terms of their future prospects."
It will start in May 2012 at Capilano University with students working and studying with artists and faculty from a variety of disciplines. They will be required to form a company to create and produce an original performance event.
"It's kind of real-world training that is too often neglected in performing arts programs," said Marcus Youssef, project manager for the BPA program and artistic director of Neworld Theatre in Vancouver. "Nowhere else in the country have four academic arts institutions partnered to offer a cross-disciplinary performing arts degree that has, at its heart, a commitment to collaboration and self-generation. These are elements which we believe are crucial to young artists' future success."
New Westminster is coming off a banner year in film production for the city
By Brent Richter, The Record April 22, 2011
According to a report from Scott Harper, the City of New Westminster's filming coordinator, the city granted 61 film permits in 2010 for everything from big-budget Hollywood movies to TV pilots and commercials, totalling 113 days of filming and bringing in $476,746 in fees.
In 2009, the city granted 50 permits for 86 days of filming and brought in $279,995 in permit revenue.
"It's a combination of things. The economy is better. Vancouver in general is just busier with filming," Harper said. "It's probably because people are getting to know that New Westminster is an easy place to film in and they're coming here as a result."
Harper said other factors that play in to the ebb and flow of film activity in New West include the value of the Canadian dollar, provincial tax exemptions, filming industry collective agreement status, available studio space and script content.
Harper said location managers often pick New West because certain areas can "be" other famous cities like downtown, which bears some resemblance to San Francisco, or Front Street, which can pose as New York City.
Harper said there is no accurate way to rank B.C. municipalities on film activity but in revenues, New West placed third in 2010 behind Richmond and Vancouver.
A big portion of 2010's windfall seems to have come from one high profile flick - This Means War, a romantic comedy staring A-listers Reese Witherspoon, Tom Hardy and Chris Pine.
Permit revenues from the movie exceeded $250,000.
This Means War spent several days shooting downtown last November, including a scene with a car crashing through the Front Street parkade. The movie, set for release later this year, is about two life-long friends engaging in battle when they fall for the same woman.
Other notables from last year included Diary of a Wimpy Kid 2, The Big Year, Supernatural and Hellcats.
The City of New Westminster markets itself for filming through a network of film industry resources, looking to bring in permit revenues and the spinoff business a film shoot brings.
The result of film revenue for the city means property taxes are about 0.5 to one per cent lower than they would be otherwise, Harper said.
"This value does not consider the non-permit economic multiplier effect, for example, goods or services purchased while filming or wages paid to staff who reside in the community and, in turn, further stimulate the local economy," he said. "A past B.C. Film Commission study estimated that the economic spinoff of filming in New Westminster was $8 million and is approximately $1.2 billion in British Columbia, of which, 96 per cent is spent in Metro Vancouver."
While neighbourhood conflicts can pop as a result of film shoots, Harper said: "In my opinion there are few, if any, drawbacks to hosting film companies. There are some inconveniences, to be sure, but overall the inconveniences are far outweighed by the positive spinoffs," he said. "My job is to mitigate impacts as much as possible. One example of this is encouraging film companies to lessen their overall footprint in the various neighbourhoods they choose to film in."
Clean Up in New West
The 3rd annual Clean Up in New West event, hosted by Westminster House, was a great success with over 500 Kg of garbage being collected in one hour. They made it 1/2 way to their goal of purchasing new bedding, dressers and linens. Fun was had by all that participated in the event including the flash mob sequence of Lady GaGa "Born this Way". It was a pleasure to see Mayor Wayne Wright and Councilor Betty McIntosh as well as the New Westminster Fire Department who showed up to see first hand the gratitude of Westminster House.
Special thanks to all donors and sponsors of this event. For a full list of generous donors and sponsors, please visit http://www.westminsterhouse.ca
Photo: (Mayor Wayne Wright, E.D. Sarah Franklen, Councilor Betty McIntosh and Susan Hogarth)
Christmas Open House
Friday December 2, 2011
2:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Westminster House Recovery Centre
228 Seventh Street
New Westminster, BC
604-524-5633
On December 2, 2011 Westminster House will host our 27th annual Christmas Open House and Silent Auction. Please join us in the Christmas festivities. We are excited to announce that we will include the POP the balloons lottery, our growing silent auction and of course our traditional Westminster House Christmas baking. Take home some of our delicious baking by filling your very own tin of goodies by donation. If you would like to help create a Traditional Family Christmas at Westminster House, follow this link and choose Santa‟s Savings Funds designation on the site.
We are currently accepting gifts in kind for our auction. Please contact our Executive Director, Sarah Franklen at sarah@westminsterhouse.ca if you wish to donate.
Penny Drive
Please support Westminster House in our first annual penny drive. At little bit can make a huge difference in the lives of our clients at Christmas. We are now accepting your loose pennies: to donate please visit Westminster House main office located at 228 Seventh Street.
Downtown New Westminster
Event Calendar
February 2012
Please support Westminster House in our first annual penny drive. At little bit can make a huge difference in the lives of our clients at Christmas. We are now accepting your loose pennies: to donate please visit Westminster House main office located at 228 Seventh Street. 
