Latest news with #CoquitlamSchoolDistrict
Global News
6 days ago
- Global News
Maple Ridge couple, dog, killed in neighbour dispute, leaving loved ones bewildered
A beautiful landscape, a fern in a latte's foam, the view at the end of a hike — Bruce Richards loved sending his friend Darryl Lucas photos of his recent adventures. Especially if he knew it would get under Lucas' skin a little. 'He kept sending it because he knew it would, you know, get me going and that's our friendship,' Lucas told Global News. Bruce, alongside his wife Roxanne and their dog, was killed inside their Maple Ridge home on Wednesday night. View image in full screen Bruce and Roxanne's dog was also killed. Provided to Global News View image in full screen Bruce and Roxanne Richards were retired and loved to travel. Provided to Global News Lucas first met Bruce in the '80s when they played rugby together at Simon Fraser University. They remained friends ever since. Story continues below advertisement He said they would all meet up and have coffee and the couple always supported the rugby fundraisers. 'Bruce was a teacher in the Coquitlam School District for 35 years or something like that… Roxanne was, I believe, a financial adviser for TD in I think the last posting she had before her retirement was in Maple Ridge too,' Lucas said. He said they were a lovely couple. 3:44 3 dead in Maple Ridge neighbourhood dispute 'I've heard this sort of stuff before, where a tragedy happens and somebody says, you know, they were the nicest couple, they were so quiet and everyone loved them,' Lucas said. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'Bruce and Roxanne were the definition of that. They truly were. And it's just so senseless and so tragic and I feel so bad for their boys and their extended families on that.' Story continues below advertisement Lucas said they were a fun and loving couple and didn't have a mean bone in their body. The suspect in their deaths, who has not been named, is believed to have died from a self-inflicted injury. Neighbours told Global News that there was ongoing tension between the victims and the suspect, possibly over parking, however police have not yet confirmed a motive. 'I just remember one time I asked, 'How you doing?' Lucas said. 'And Bruce just rolled his eyes one time and said, 'Oh, my neighbour'. And that's as far as I got into that.' 0:40 Three dead in Maple Ridge police incident RCMP said that officers were called to reports of a neighbourhood dispute on 239th Street and 118A Avenue earlier on Wednesday, at approximately 6:40 p.m. Story continues below advertisement Police officers from the Ridge Meadows RCMP spoke with several people but no arrests were made, police confirmed. Then, at approximately 10:51 p.m., the Maple Ridge Fire Department reported to police that a vehicle was on fire and a break-and-enter was in progress at a home in the same location. Callers to 911 also reported that shots had been fired at that home. When Ridge Meadows RCMP arrived back on the scene, police said they found two vehicles and the attached garage on fire, along with two people and a dog dead inside that home. The suspect was believed to be armed with a weapon inside a neighbouring home and police set up a containment zone, RCMP said. The Lower Mainland Integrated Emergency Response Team was called in and eventually gained entry to the second home where another person was reportedly found dead, police said. View image in full screen Bruce and Roxanne Richards. Provided to Global News The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team has now taken over the case. Story continues below advertisement 'Probably so many people out there have had disputes with their neighbours and it doesn't get to this,' Lucas said. 'So it's just, and then in this case it did, it got right to this level.' Rick, whose last name is not revealed due to security concerns, lives next door to the Richards. He said they had lived there since the neighbourhood was built — about 25 years. 'They've been just great neighbours, great people,' he said. He added that his neighbours had called a bylaw officer previously over what sounded like a parking dispute but he said he didn't know the extent of any conflict between the suspect and victims. Lucas said that right now, everyone is just looking for answers about what happened and why. 'It's just a sense of bewilderment and then when it hits you, you're like, why them, this is senseless, absolutely senseless,' he said.
Hamilton Spectator
17-05-2025
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
Port Moody reverses course on SD43's school site proposal after memo warns of potential provincial intervention
Port Moody council has walked back its previous rejection of Coquitlam School District's school site proposal. Last month, council unanimously voted to not accept SD43's annual capital proposal , over concerns they had with a school site and the provincial process for planning schools. However, council promptly reversed course on May 13 after receiving a memo from the school board, which stated the rejection would cause the provider to come in with a facilitator to help 'resolve our differences.' 'This is a process that, personally, I do not believe is needed or wanted to occupy our council time,' said Coun. Callan Morrison. The Coquitlam School District's 2026–2027 Eligible School Sites Proposal (ESSP) is a routine capital planning submission which outlines the number, location, size, and cost of new school sites based on projected enrollment. Local school districts are required to pass the proposal annually under the Local Government Act and School Act. At the previous meeting, council had raised concerns over a proposed school site at the 34-acre Flavelle Mill property, which is currently earmarked for a 3,300-unit development. But council argued no application has yet been submitted for the property, and raised other concerns about the province waiting for schools to hit capacity before dishing out funds for new schools. Mayor Meghan Lahti said she brought back the item for reconsideration after receiving new information from the school district in a memo. 'I've communicated that it would be helpful for us when we're approaching these kinds of decisions, to have that information in advance of these meetings,' she said. 'It might be helpful also in the future, to ask that somebody from the school district attend (these meetings) and provide us with answers.' While the memo was not publicly shared at the meeting, Morrison said it made clear the ESSP is only for planning for new schools, and the Flavelle Waterfront site has been in their plans as a potential site since 2018. The province already had to appoint a facilitator when the site was first added to the list of potential new schools, he added. The memo also made clear the school district plans to retain the old Moody Centre Elementary site for another school, according to Morrison. Council passed a motion for the memo be placed on a future agenda item for public record. Coun. Kyla Knowes said there was confusion over the ESSP before the memo added some clarity. She added it was 'unfortunate' as they have a decent working relationship with the school board. 'I think a lot of us are frustrated with the process that goes into planning schools, and I think that probably spilled over when we're considering this item,' Knowles said. 'I think this council is rightfully alarmed at the exceptional growth that we're experiencing in Metro Vancouver, and (the impacts) on our hospitals and schools and roads.' Knowles noted council has had several meetings with the province over their issues with its methodology for school planning. Morrison agreed, reiterating his previous argument that it is premature for the city to be planning for school expansions on private land before development applications are received. On a positive note, he said council's initial rejection of the ESSP has fostered better communication between the city and the school district. Knowles said she hopes there will be more information sharing and transparency going forward. Council and the school board have arranged to meet in the near future to discuss some of the concerns raised at the previous meeting. 'As we conduct this ESSP review annually, there may be more clarity in what is happening with that property,' Morrison said. 'I look forward to a better understanding of what challenges the board is facing around school planning and around the restrictions that they have.'
Hamilton Spectator
05-05-2025
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
‘Wrong way to plan': SD43's school site proposal rejected by Port Moody council
In a surprising move, Port Moody councillors rejected a usually routine capital planning proposal submitted by the Coquitlam School Board. On April 22, council unanimously voted to not accept the district's annual resolution, which identifies eligible school sites in order to secure future capital funding from the province. The official reason given was a proposed waterfront school at the historic Flavelle Mill site relies on development of private property which has not yet received a rezoning application. However, several councillors criticized the general methodology the province uses to plan for new schools, which they said is outdated and leaves school capacity lagging behind. 'This is the wrong way to plan,' said Coun. Callan Morrison. 'It just feels very much like a pipe dream, and I fear an exercise in unrealistic planning, as there are too many factors that can prevent the school district from delivering on this.' The Coquitlam School District's 2026–2027 Eligible School Sites Proposal (ESSP) proposes a need for six new elementary schools in Coquitlam and Port Moody between 2026 and 2035, with an estimated land acquisition cost of $192.7 million. ESSPs outline the number, location, size, and cost of new school sites based on projected enrollment, and local school districts are required to pass them annually under the Local Government Act and School Act. Port Moody is expected to see an additional 6,205 residential units built over the next ten years, adding roughly 804 new school-aged kids. Across the district, 26,490 new dwelling units are expected – slightly fewer than previous estimates – generating roughly 4,595 additional students. Coquitlam is expected to account for 67.9 percent of the projected residential development 67.9 percent, followed by Port Moody at 23.4 percent, Port Coquitlam at 7.7 percent, and Anmore and Belcarra at a combined 0.9 percent. Five of the proposed school sites are located in Coquitlam, while Port Moody is slated to receive a single new site. Most of Port Moody's anticipated housing will come in the form of high-rise apartments and multi-family dwellings, particularly through major projects like Woodland Park, Coronation Park, and early-stage applications in the Moody Centre transit-oriented development (TOD) area. The proposed new school site in Port Moody would be located along the waterfront to serve the anticipated surge of families, according to the ESSP. It states the location is intended to to minimize the need for students to cross busy streets and railway lines. The Flavelle Oceanfront Development plans to build over 3,300 new homes across the 34-acres of industrial land adjacent to Rocky Point Park. While the site has been designated as a redevelopment area since 2008, and Port Moody's most recent official community plan (OCP) permits towers up to 38 storeys, no official applications have been submitted to the city. Manager of Policy Planning Mary De Paoli said the school site has been on the books for a long time, and pointed out that Coquitlam's new school in the Fraser Mills Development was planned under a similar approach. However, Morrison said he couldn't endorse the ESSP as it's not a 'deliverable plan.' 'How can our province be planning school provision based on a private landowner's property possibly being built out over the next 25 to 40 years in their five-year capital plan?' he said. Morrison went on to raise concerns about whether the ESSP accounted for the increased density being mandated around transit stations and through small scale multi-unit housing under new provincial housing legislation. He also voiced broad frustrations regarding how the province plans new schools, stating school districts have to reach capacity before capital funding is provided for expansions. 'There's a perfect example of this type of planning happening with the new Moody Elementary School,' Morrison said. 'It will likely be at capacity by the time it's built.' De Paoli said that SD43 staff have recognized the significant impact that provincial housing legislation will have on student enrolment in the city, and noted they have indicated they want to retain the old Moody Elementary site for another potential school. Couns. Samantha Agtarap and Kyla Knowles both pointed out these issues have been frequently raised through the Union of BC Municipalities. 'The current status quo of planning for schools is disconnected from the reality of what our school children are experiencing,' Agtarap said. 'We need to be more forward thinking and understand ways that we can address school capacity in a more timely manner.' Knowles, on the other hand, said she was inclined to reject the proposal 'to send a message.' 'The planning isn't good enough,' she said. 'I feel like we're not being heard.' Mayor Meghan Lahti said that while she recognized that planners were likely looking at projected growth in Port Moody's OCP, she agreed with her colleagues' frustrations. She said the council will be able to voice their concerns to the school district in a future meeting.
