Person of Interest Focus of Szendrei Murder Investigation

Delta Police may be close to identifying a 'person of interest' in the brutal daytime murder of 15-year old Laura Szendrei.

At a media conference held this morning, police spokeswoman Sargent Sharlene Brooks revealed that hundreds of tips from the public may have led to the identification of a suspect in the teen homicide. Police have yet to contact the person.

Although the police are still unable to confirm whether this crime was targeted or random they have concluded that the recent pepper spraying incidents are in no way linked to the attack on Szendrei.

Using Mackie Park as a backdrop for the conference, Brooks hoped the setting would help jog peoples memories and hoped the public would continue to provide the DPD with any information regarding the attack, asking "anyone in Mackie Park who may have seen or heard anything suspicious please call police."

Police are investigating over 350 tips received from the public and have looked for patterns linking recent attacks on women jogging and walking alone to establish if there are any links with Laura's assault. The DPD advises people to walk in groups, don't wear headphones, and be completely aware of your surroundings.

Mackie Park is being completely reopened to the public, but Brooks stated that this investigation is not being scaled back. Currently there are close to 55 officers active on this case and more may be called in to assist.

Police are encouraging anyone who may have witnessed this attack to come forward. If you have any information regarding this crime please call Delta Police at (604) 946-4411

Delta Police to Brief Media on Szendrei Homicide

Close to two weeks have passed since the daytime murder of 15-year-old Laura Szendrei in Delta's Mackie Park. Delta Police Department's Sgt. Sharlene Brooks has call a news conference to update the media on the status of the investigation.

It is unknown at this time if the police will be providing any new information into the investigation.

Laura was supposed to be meeting up with some friends at Mackie Park to watch a high school football game. She was alone when the attack took place, but she was discovered by friends who saw her lying on the ground.

According to unconfirmed reports, she was hit multiple times with a baseball bat. Delta Police responded to calls reporting the attack at around 1:30 p.m. on September 25th, 2010.

Delta Police have released very little information to the public during this ongoing investigation and have been unable to confirm whether the attack was random or targeted.

(Stay tuned for post a post conference follow-up)

Gateway Closes Door on Neighbourhood

By Elvis Glazier - While many people fled the Lower Mainland for the Victoria Day long weekend a group of concerned citizens took to the streets of Delta to raise awareness about the Gateway Project and the devastation the South Fraser Perimeter Road is having on the riverfront community of Sunbury. The Sunbury Neighbourhood Association (SNA)organized a Victoria Day tea party to let the government know that they were, "not amused."

The demonstration, which took place on the 10300 block of River Road, had a shaky start. Organizers arrived at the rally location, a couple of waterfront residential lots which had been bulldozed, to find that the site had been made completely inaccessible by industrial fencing and green fabric sheathing. "It's ridiculous", said Richelle Giberson, one of the tea party's organizers. "This lot has been vacant for a long time and now suddenly there's a fence? It seems a little suspicious to me."

(The Delta Free Press tried to track down someone at Ledcor CMI Ltd., the company in charge of the design and build of the 40km container truck route, to comment on the sudden closure but no one was available for comment at the time this story went to print.)

In the interest of public safety two sections of the fence were dismantled so attendees wouldn't be forced on to the busy River Road. The Delta Police were called to the site shortly after but immediately left when they discovered the Sunbury Neighbourhood Group had organized the event.

The rest of the Victorian style garden party went off without a hitch and was well attended by the public who seemed to show up in shifts. The fenceline was used as a backdrop for the information placards and banners that were set out for people to paint they're pleas to the Provincial Government to stop the impending development.

Ernie Baatz, a local resident and SNA member, is passionate when it comes to preserving the neighbourhood. "This highway is not wanted or needed. There is no demand for the container port expansion and the only people who will benefit from this project are the developers. The global economic crisis has reduced Asian shipments to an all time low and it is unlikely it will ever recover. Plus the increased capacities at other expanded ports, the widening of the Panama Canal, and the thawing of the East-West passage will make this port obsolete before the last piece of asphalt is rolled out."

"Who's brilliant idea was it to build a four lane container truck route beside an active rail line? If you need to move containers use the steel wheels on rails not rubber on asphalt." added Sue Hodges, a long time Tsawwassen resident who traveled from South Delta to support her neighbours in the North. "We're being let down by all levels of government. The provincial government is completely out of touch with reality and our Delta City Council is not being the stewards of the land that they used to be. Something strange is happening at City Hall."

These sentiments were repeated by everyone at the tea party. Of the 223 Delta properties required to complete the SFPR 155 have been acquired. Of these properties 64 homes are slated for destruction and at the time of this report 41 have seen the working end of a bulldozer and 34 of them in North Delta.

It's easy to understand what they are saying about their neighbourhood being destroyed when you're standing at ground zero amidst the ruin of what was once a vibrant part of Delta's history and heritage. Although the development seems relentless, the resolve and strength of character of the people fighting to save their neighbourhood can only be described as uplifting and hopeful and that is what truly makes a community!

Episode 1 - Pilgrimage to Burns Bog

Hundreds of people gathered to show their support for the 'Pilgrimage to Burns Bog' and to voice their distaste for the Gateway project and the South Fraser Perimeter Road. Having already destroyed hundreds of acres of Canada's most fertile farmland it is likely the construction of the South Fraser Perimeter Road is going to damage or destroy a large section of the of the 'Lungs of the Lower Mainland' a name given to Burns Bog because of it's ability to absorb tremendous amounts of carbon.

Dubbed an 'interfaith pilgrimage' people from all walks of life attended the rally which began on the north side of the Alex Fraser bridge. As the protesters reached the summit of the bridge an enormous 'Climate Action Now' banner was unfurled on the south end of the bridge on empty lots where many houses have already been bulldozed to make way for the new container truck route.

Anti HST Petition Picking Up Steam

Delta – Another 105,000 British Columbians signed the Fight HST petition to repeal the HST last week, bringing the total signatures reported as of Sunday, April 25, 2010 to 145,549 province-wide, says Chris Delaney, Lead Organizer for the Bill Vander Zalm Initiative petition.

“This is a significant increase over our Week 2 report, and shows the momentum continuing to build across the province. Twenty Ridings have met or exceeded the Elections BC threshold of 10% of registered voters signatures already, with seven of those reaching 15% or better. This is a phenomenal achievement in only two weeks of steady campaigning for signatures,” Delaney explained.

Delaney says the big ridings so far are Cariboo-Chilcotin, Cariboo North, Parksville-Qualicum, Peace River North, Shuswap, Skeena, Fort Langley-Aldergrove, Langley, Abbotsford South, and Chilliwack-Hope, with Kamloops North, Nanaimo, Columbia River-Revelstoke, Boundary-Similkameen, Delta North, Saanich North and Victoria Beacon Hill all posting 3,000 signatures or more in each riding as well.

“The good news is we are getting strong numbers everywhere in the province. There is no single region or riding we are canvassing that is not getting strong results. We have now achieved over 48% of the total signatures required for a successful petition in just under 3 weeks. With 9 weeks left to go, we are on track to meet our internal threshold of 15% of registered voters’ signatures in all 85 Electoral Districts in BC,” said Delaney.

Bill Vander Zalm, the leader of the grassroots organization conducting the petition, says the only thing slowing his team down is the time it takes to gather the signatures, “Quite frankly, if most of our volunteers didn’t have to work for a living, we would be done by now. These numbers are even more astounding when you consider the bulk of them were collected only on weekends.”

“We will keep going until we reach the 15% threshold we have set for ourselves in every riding, or until Premier Campbell cries ‘uncle’ and agrees to withdraw the HST, whichever comes first,” said the smiling former premier.

“The idea that the HST is a done deal that cannot be reversed is rapidly collapsing under the reality of a citizen revolt that has spread right across the province, and is now threatening to bring down the government with ‘Recalls’ if they don’t listen to the people,” said Vander Zalm.

Page 11, Section 42 of the CITCA Agreement signed between BC and Ottawa says: “The terms and conditions of this Agreement will continue in full force and effect, in accordance with and subject to the provisions of this Part, until the date that is specified by a Party in written notice that is delivered to the other Party setting out the Party’s desire to terminate this Agreement.”

“We thought it was important to reference the ‘Termination Clause’ of the HST Agreement for the premier, since he may want to avail himself of it very soon,” Vander Zalm concluded.