DUNGEONS AND DRAGONG.............::::000021100 A shop in South Vancouver draws many on a weekly basis to play the popular tabletop game bade > ¢ \< is Db 8 ~ N ~ NY Y A NEWSPAPER } THE YEAR . 2015 \ y 2ND PLACE \J » 1 2019 7 oad CHERYL WHITING main photo/SANDIE BROWN photo insert Sandie Brown in the neighbourhood of the Fire Hall No. 5 demolition site. Brown said she found a dead rat (insert) in her yard. Neighbours of Fire Hall No. 5 blame demolition for rodent infestation By CHERYL WHITING ome residents in Champlain Heights are wondering why the City of Vancouver is doing noth- ing about a rat problem they say has been caused by the demolition of a nearby building. Sandie Brown, a resident and board member at Killarney Gardens Housing Co-Operative, said that rat sightings went up drastically after Fire Hall No. 5 was demolished in July. “T was looking outside my patio door and there were four young rats frolick- ing on my patio deck,” she said. “I was livid.” After some sightings and the dese- cration of her vegetable garden, Brown said she called city hall, and they sent a technician out. Instead of fixing the problem, Brown said the technician blamed her for having the vegetable garden, and said that it was the cause of the rat problem. “He didn’t put down bait traps or anything. His attitude was like, ‘you have no proof, it’s up to you to deal with them,” she said. Brown said that the Co-op had to have exterminators come after the re- cent sightings to put down additional rat traps. The City of Coquitlam enacted a pol- icy after receiving numerous com- plaints about rats from neighbours ad- jacent to demolition sites. Jim Bontempo, manager of building permits and approvals for Coquitlam, confirmed that rat sightings were due to increased demolition in the city, and that all property owners are now re- quired to submit an inspection report from a pest control company before qualifying for a demolition permit. “The program is fairly successful, in that we have not really been getting a lot of complaints from adjacent neigh- bours since,” he said. While Vancouver does not have the same law as Coquitlam, City of Vancou- ver spokesperson Tobin Postma said that possible solutions are being dis- cussed. “Staff are currently reviewing the permit requirements and looking at how a similar sort of rodent policy could be incorporated,” he said in an email statement. Brown said she feels frustrated with the lack of action from the city. “T know that all large urban areas have problems with rodents but I don’t feel it should be to the extent that it is now,” she said. ‘[The city has] just dragged their heels.” 66 There were four young rats frol- icking on my patio deck. I was livid SANDIE BROWN CHAMPLAIN HEIGHTS RESIDENT LSU surveys students about their needs would still be valuable for students. PoSSIBLE Those at Langara will racy Project.” services 1 Advocacy Office: Will provide guid- ance to students who are in formal conflicts with the college. 2 Campus Cogs — Langara Bike Shop Expansion: Will pro- vide free bike repair and maintenance for students. 3 Games Room: A place to relax and play video games. Source: LSU, Report of the General Manager &, ue have their say on new student services By ALYSE KOTYK dent advocacy group to a campus radio station, may be coming to Langara College, depending on a sur- vey being administered by the Langara Students’ Union. This process is part of the LSU’s De- mocracy Project, which includes the survey that will gauge student interest in 21 potential services. LSU general manager Desmond Rodenbour said the project emerged from students’ hopes of what the LSU could do for the school. “What do you think of your student union? What has it done for you late- ly?” Rodenbour said he had asked stu- dents around campus. “I took a lot of notes, and from that comes the Democ- Ni: services, ranging from a stu- Rodenbour compiled the responses from those he talked to into a survey for students, with the top 10 being brought to a campus-wide referendum in February. The referendum will in- clude a breakdown of how much each service would cost, and if any receive 51 per cent student approval, they will be implemented. Langara College design student Pablo Corry said he would be interested in having more study space, a games room or a radio station on campus, as long as it was easy to ac- cess. “That’d be cool, Pd just want to know where I could listen to it,” Corry said of the radio station. “Maybe a podcast, or something on the computer.” Rodenbour suggested that some ser- vices, like a student advocacy office, might not receive as many votes, but YOUR | NEW LS Other post-secondary institutions, including UBC, find an advocacy office is helpful for supporting students in conflicts with the university. “As a student, sometimes you get in- timidated,” said UBC’s advo- cacy coordinator, Letitia Chu. “Having that support is really helpful [knowing] that some- one is there for you.” Rodenbour said these ser- vices have the potential to be long lasting, and hopes that students will be proud of their contributions. “That was my question to students and to elected officials,” he said. “What if you came back 25 years later? What service would you have been involved in starting? Would you be proud to say ‘hey, I helped start that’?” Langara may look at YMCA space The LSU is hoping the col- lege will try to buy prop- erty when it goes for sale By BONNIE LEE LA MADELEINE nen the YMCA announced last Wives that its Langara facility would be moving to Cambie Street, a member of Langara Students’ Union saw an opportunity for the col- lege. Space at Langara campus is in high demand, and with more than 22,000 students currently enrolled, it is diffi- cult to find free space to study. Unfor- tunately, the college’s expansion op- tions are limited. To grow, the college would need to expand upwards, or buy space as it becomes available. Acquir- ing the YMCA property, if it goes to sale, is a possible solution. Kelly Walker, manager of communi- cations for the YMCA, said the organi- zation has filed a rezoning application with the City of Vancouver to put the building on the market, which is cur- rently under review. “Proceeds of the sale would support programs at the YMCA,” she said. After learning about YMCA’s move, Harsimran Malhi, a student affairs of- ficer at the LSU, worked with the union to explore Langara’s options for ex- pansions. Malhi said one option was housing, and they circulated a petition on campus. The positive findings were presented to provincial government representatives. Communica- tions director for the Ministry of Ad- vanced Education, } Rodney Porter, said that if the con- ditions are right, then approval of purchase would be DESMOND RODEN- given. “If Langara Col- ae lege and their yanager, LSU board of governors , has the desire and funding, and the land or building is for sale, then the decision to purchase would be up to the college to manage,” said Porter in an email. “Only the dis- posal of assets would require provin- cial government approval.” Desmond Rodenbour, general man- ager for the LSU, said the province may support Langara’s expansion goals, but it will not allow the college to add to the provincial debt load. The LSU is now looking for other ways for the college to grow — by ei- ther building up, or expanding out. “We are thinking of having a meet- ing with the Mayor’s Office to discuss how feasible these two options are,” Malhi said. “Or asking the Mayor’s Of- fice to let Langara build higher.” Zoning bylaws currently limit the height of buildings on campus.