Adventures of Bog Boy!

Rumour has it they found me floating down the slough in a wicker basket but that's a different story!

The South Fraser Perimeter Highway wasn’t the first controversial highway over Crescent Slough, in Ladner and Delta, BC. Nor was the ongoing Southlands (formerly known as Spetifore lands) property development proposal/debate/protests in Tsawwassen, BC along Boundary Bay the first urban sprawl gone mad. I recall fighting and working to protect farmlands, wetlands, estuaries and wildlife ever since I was a kid. Little did I know that growing up as a Ladner Bog Boy would impact the way I see the world for the rest of my life.

Back in the 1959 not long after the construction of George Massey Tunnel, Highway 17 cut Crescent Island farmland in half to service the Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal which began service in 1960 and widened from two to four lanes in 1973.

My mom Jackie Burnett would later spearhead a group of parents to have a pedestrian walkway built over Highway 17 for kids to get across the dangerous intersection. They first built a wooden staircase over-pass which was next to impossible to take your bike over, and as the traffic volume magnified, and parents protested more, they eventually built the cement pedestrian overpass you still see connecting Ladner and East Ladner.

While I was oblivious to the controversy around so called "progress" of build more and build some more, my memory as a child that I remember was the Highway 17 construction created this huge pond near the intersection with Trunk Road that froze over in the winter offering a spectacular and huge outdoor skating rink.

When my family moved from Gibsons Landing, BC to Ladner I was only a couple years old. We first rented a home near the Sacred Heart Church on Arthur Drive abutting the slough while waiting for our new house to be built. Five months later we moved to Crescent Drive in East Ladner which ran parallel to Crescent Slough. Back then there were only six houses in East Ladner and plenty of open fields and farmlands for kids and wildlife.

We lived about three houses in from Highway 17, and while the constant drone of vehicles and progress encroached on our lives I was more fascinated with the muddy waters and wildlife of Crescent Slough. Yes some would call it a big ditch but growing up as a young boy it was anything but!

My parents moved into a bungalow at 6021 Crescent Drive in East Ladner on May 1st, 1968. Back then there were 6 houses between Highway 17 and 64th Street. Highway 17 was really just a two lane road to the new Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal which opened in 1964. When the highway was enlarged to four lanes it cut off direct access between the subdivision on each side of the highway. The only means to get from Crescent Drive on one side of the highway to the other was to double back and detour to Trunk Road or take the boat through the tunnel under the highway on Crescent Slough.

It often turned out to be a nightmare for emergency vehicles who often showed up on the wrong side of the highway.

As I think back to sleepy Ladner and Tsawwassen in the 1960’s and 1970’s I remember the old Paterson Park Race Horse Track which slowly fell into disrepair. but didn’t stop us from exploring its decrepit grand stands where I remember finding a 20 dollar bill and spending it all on candy with my visiting cousins at the convenience store across from Delta Manor Elementary school.

For me the slough was a source of creativity which inspired me to build a “Jaws” ride to scare the neighbourhood kids at only five cents a ride. I also held lots of puppet shows, magic shows, variety shows, haunted houses and even started producing my own special effects films including Earthquake and my own version of the Hindenburg that nearly burnt the house down. Please don’t tell my Mom!

My love for movies and film and special effects would later lead to me producing around 15 shows about the environment and AIDS with Delta Cable Community Television which were broadcast throughout the Lower Mainland, and today I continue to host shows, auctions and telethons on the Sunshine Coast, BC with Coast TV.

Mom tells me that the crop dusters flew so low across the Burr family’s farmland that it singed her laundry out on the close lines one day. Later we would notice a steady decline in wildlife contaminated by the pesticides including the complete loss of the giant bull frogs as big as a side plate. One time a crop duster got too close to the underbelly of a giant jet heading to the Vancouver International Airport, and got sucked up in the vortex, smashing the tiny crop duster into the huge plane and causing the duster to plunge straight down into the slough! I heard the tip of the plane's tail wings were 12 feet in the mud. Urban legend?

I remember all the muskrat, ducks, geese, carp and swans that lived in the slough year round that often got caught in the leg hold traps and snares set out along the slough by trappers. In later years when I moved on past University life the Delta Optimist covered a story about my mom Jackie’s cat being nearly choked to death by two snares around its neck. I even remember swimming in the slough and getting covered in the thick black smelly muck. It was the time of our lives!

One of my childhood friends David Van Rheenan and I loved to test the limits of the ice that use to turn the slough into a skating rink each year but I understand that it doesn’t freeze much anymore.

We would often walk across the farm fields and laugh at the giant mud slippers that sucked us into the earth on our way back and forth from exploring the bog and garbage dump. Later my parents would get an aluminum boat which we would row out to Burns Bog when the water level was low and we could get through all the tunnels installed under the farm roads and highways.

I remember this one time finding a robins nest amongst the hundreds of spider webs lining the inside of the tunnel and taking an egg home to incubate against the squawking protests of the mother. Unfortunately I cooked the egg with a heat lamp and have felt terrible about it every since. Lesson learned!

The garbage dump and bog was always a great adventure. We would see deer and all kinds of strange plants and birds. The dump itself, was like finding a hidden treasure chest full of wonderful junk and giant pumpkins. One time at the dump there was a seagull with its leg hopelessly caught in some fishing line. We finally managed to set it free but not after a few nasty bites from its beak.

We had a beaver move into the neighbourhood and it chopped down the birch tree I had so proudly planted as young boy.

My stepfather Ed use to buy feed from the old Co-op store in Ladner for the ducks and squirrels who became so friendly and welcome in our back yard that they often came into the house for treats. The hunters would shoot the ducks along the slough and right from the side of the Highway which really upset me.

Mom worked at the Gillnetter Café in the Ladner Hotel (way back when.. who remembers that coffee shop? It had a long coffee counter and this clock with advertising that flipped over and over again) and the police station was in what is now the Delta Museum and Archives. I was always fascinated with this clock at the 50’s style café.


The crop dusting and continued growth of housing in East Ladner eventually led to the demise of many muskrats, carp and and most tragically for me the giant bull frogs which have since become of mythic proportion in my inner child’s minds eye.

My mom later worked at the Cassiar Cannery in Richmond on Rice Mill Road. She would come home wreaking to high heaven of dead fish smell.

I remember this colouring book some friends and I created year's later, after going to the University of British Columbia to get a B.A. in Political Science, called The Adventures of Fraser about Fraser the duck who returns to find his home is now a golf course. Saddened he finds solace in Crystal the fish who’s underwater home is polluted. The pair are befriended by a couple of kids who clean up their back yard and declare it a protected habitat for wildlife.

When I think back on it, I realized that cartoon colouring book mirrored my own life. Funny my studies in politics, environmental science and the Fraser delta estuaries would be succinctly summed up by a childrens colouring book. I would love to see it re-published. It really is a gem.

I was very active in high school volunteering and doing theatre and stuff where I honed my skills on trying to ban leg hold traps showing films and having discussions about humane trapping methods. I would also get involved in the Don’t Dump on Delta committee, and started my career in the media writing a story about the campaign for a local publication, it was the "South Delta Now" or "Sunshiner" I think.

I also took my environmental message to the Ladner Pioneer May Day parades where I would build floats about banning the leg hold traps and protecting wildlife. I won many awards for best Novelty float and volunteered year after year to help put the event together. One year a reporter from the Delta Optimist took my photo with a local business person while judging the best decorated store window contest and another year a photo of me pulling a float of a pioneer wagon scene loaded with real dirt! Man was that heavy to pull through the entire parade route! I held on to the float in front of me quite a lot!

One of the strangest things, is the chronic dreams and nightmares I still have to this day about the slough and Ladner, and BC Ferries where I was hired as an Expo 86 kid at Tsawwassen Terminal. The severe sleep apnea probably doesn't help much and no doubt the real fear of loosing such a critically vital area for global populations of waterfowl. Estuaries are the most unique and productive eco-zones on earth and it saddens me greatly to see them chipped at and destroyed by pollution and urban sprawl.

I do still have many memories of growing up in Delta to share! Like the award winning international wetlands education society the Friends of Boundary Bay and Fraser for Life society I co-founded with Martin Keeley, where I went after major corporation sponsorship, knowing that business must lead the way to saving the planet, but they will have to wait for another day. (teaser)

I must say I probably wouldn't recognize Ladner anymore, or Tsawwassen. Where childhood fields and wetlands once supported child hood fun but now are drowning in concrete, asphalt, urbanization and kids bored out of their skull with X-Boxes and Guitar Hero.

Many thanks to the Delta Museum and Archives for kindly helping me with some back ground details and jogging my memory banks!

I am now living on the Sunshine Coast, BC Canada and I continue to help be of service to the community and do whatever I can to help the Earth.

Photos (C) Duane Burnett
All rights reserved

Duane Burnett is a "community spirit" award winning Master photographer, photo journalist, television host, actor, social networker and more. His images have been seen extensively on the Sunshine Coast and around the world in numerous newspapers, websites, brochures, map guides, magazines and on the big 50ft screen before the local movie theatre starts.

http://www.duaneburnett.blogspot.com

Delta Council Ignores Will of the People

At Monday’s Delta Council Meeting, staff revealed the results of the recent Ipsos Reid survey, gathering Tsawwassen’s opinion on issues including the designation of the Southlands. Of the 5,483 residents who completed the survey, 62% wanted no development and voted to maintain the agricultural designation of the Southlands.

In a report submitted by Delta CAO George Harvie, it was noted that a “strong majority of respondents want to see no change to the existing land use policies for the Southlands”. Further, Mr. Harvie’s report recommended the new Tsawwassen Area Plan (TAP) maintain the current agricultural designation. However, Council rejected these recommendations and voted to amend Mr. Harvie’s report to only “consider the recommendations”; thereby giving the Tsawwassen Area Plan Committee the final say on any policy revisions.

“By voting down Mr. Harvie’s recommendations Delta Council has chosen to ignore the will of the people,” stated Dana Maslovat, one of the organizers of Southlands the Facts.

“While I’m pleased by the results of the survey, I’m very disappointed with the reluctance of Council to accept Mr. Harvie’s original recommendations”, said Maslovat, noting that more Tsawwassen residents completed the survey than voted in the last civic election. “Council has been continuously asking for public opinion, yet when they receive a clear majority decision they still want to ensure they have the final say. It’s clear that Council no longer feels compelled to act in the best interests of the community and believes it can ignore the majority of citizens they represent.”

The potential re-designation of the Southlands agricultural land to accommodate a housing development is by far the most contentious component of the process undertaken to revise the existing Tsawwassen Area Plan. Any redesignation will change the Official Community Plan and open up the Southlands for a 1900 unit housing development by Century Holdings.

This piece of farmland was the cause of the longest public hearing in Commonwealth history and a resident run plebiscite in 1989, which prevented a 2000 unit development that was proposed for the same property

Tsawwassen Says No To Development on the Southlands

Last night at the regular Delta city council meeting representatives from Ipsos Reid were in to present the results from the recent mail out survey sent to all residents and businesses of Tsawwassen. The survey covered Tsawwassen land use topics from building heights and infill housing to the controversial Southlands Development. The survey was mailed in early June to all 8,000 residential properties and 360
businesses in Tsawwassen. Ipsos Reid was pleased that participation was beyond expectation with 5,483 valid residential surveys returned as their goal was 5000. It was noted that more people filled out their surveys than turned out to vote in the last municipal election, showing just how important the people of South Delta took this survey. In contrast, businesses were less concerned with the survey as only 106 of the 360 surveys sent out to businesses were returned.

On the main issue regarding the designation of the Southlands, 62% of Tsawwassen residents voted to retain the current agricultural designation and not allow any residential or commercial development. The following is a break down of the entire survey:

1. Which option do you support in relation to possible updates to the Tsawwassen
Area Plan?

Option A: No change	3,395	61.9%
Option B: Some change	2,039	37.2%
No opinion	7	0.1%
Blank/Invalid responses	42	0.8%
Total	5,483	100.0%

2. What height limit should the Corporation of Delta specify for buildings in the Town
Centre area of Tsawwassen?

4 storeys (current limit)	3,324	60.6%
5 to 6 storeys	1,149	21.0%
7 to 8 storeys (concrete construction)	589	10.7%
More than 8 storeys (concrete construction)	275	5.0%
No opinion	81	1.5%
Blank/Invalid responses	65	1.2%
Total	5,483	100.0%

3. Should the Corporation of Delta allow more single family subdivisions in
Tsawwassen?

Yes	2,207	40.3%
No	2,973	54.2%
No opinion	252	4.6%
Blank/Invalid responses	51	0.9%
Total	5,483	100.0%

4. Should the Corporation of Delta allow more townhouses, condominiums and
apartments close to the Town Centre?

Yes	3,373	61.5%
No	1,889	34.5%
No opinion	177	3.2%
Blank/Invalid responses	44	0.8%
Total	5,483	100.0%

5. Should the Corporation of Delta lower the maximum height of new houses in
Tsawwassen?

Yes	2,705	49.3%
No	2,391	43.6%
No opinion	342	6.2%
Blank/Invalid responses	45	0.8%
Total	5,483	100.0%

DVD Releases Tuesday June 29, 2010

This Weeks Pick: The White Ribbon On the eve of World War I, strange accidents in a small Protestant village in Northern Germany involve the children and teenagers of a choir run by the schoolteacher and their families. The abused and suppressed children of the villagers seem to be at the heart of this mystery as the events gradually take on the character of a punishment ritual. Winner of the 2010 Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film and an Academy Award-nominee for both Best Foreign Language Film and Best Achievement in Cinematography. In German with English subtitles. Vitals: Director: Michael Haneke. Stars: Ulrich Tukur, Burghart Klaussner, Rainer Bock. 2009, CC, MPAA rating: R, 144 min., Drama, Box office gross: $2.156 million, Sony

THIS WEEK'S DVD RELEASES:

Bass Ackwards (2010) A man coming off a disastrous affair with a married woman has a lyrical, strange and comedic cross-country journey in a modified VW bus. Extras: Commentary, "The Making of Bass Ackwards; deleted scenes; bloopers. (New Video/Flatiron Film Company).

Beautiful (2009) Peta Wilson, Aaron Jeffery. After a third teenage girl disappears from their idyllic suburb, Suzy -- the girl-next-door of every boy's dreams -- persuades Daniel, a 14-year-old with an obsessive crush, to help her uncover the terrible truth. Also available on Blu-ray Disc. (E1 Entertainment).

Blood on the Highway (2008) Deva George, Nate Rubin, Robin Gierhart. Three maladjusted twentysomethings -- on their way to a rock concert -- accidentally wander into a town populated by bloodthirsty, dim-witted vampires. With no way to escape, they join the last remaining humans and prepare for an all-out, no-holds-barred battle with an army of the undead. (E1 Entertainment).

The Brotherhood VI: Initiation (2009) Latest installment in the franchise has a group of pledges arriving at a secluded lake cabin for a fraternity initiation, where they're met by a blood-thirsty lumberjack who won't stop until he's killed them all. (E! Entertainment).

The Closer: The Complete Fifth Season (2009) Four-disc set with 15 episodes, $39.98. Extras: Gag reel, unaired scenes, "Seen at the Crime Location Map" featurette. (Warner)

The Crazies (2010) Timothy Olyphant, Radha Mitchell, Joe Anderson, Danielle Panabaker. Extras: Commentary by director Breck Eisner; featurettes: "Behind the Scenes With Director Breck Eisner," "Paranormal Pandemics," "The George A. Romero Template," "Visual Effects in Motion" and "Make-up Mastermind: Rob Hall in Action"; "The Crazies Motion Comic Episodes 1 and 2"; "Storyboards: Building a Scene;behind the scenes photo gallery. Also available on Blu-ray Disc, which includes a digital copy. (Anchor Bay).

The Dive From Clausen's Pier (2004) Michelle Trachtenberg, Sean Maher, Will Estes. When an accident renders her fiance a quadriplegic, a young woman faces mounting pressures that ultimately cause her to start a new life in New York. A Lifetime Original Movie. (A&E Home Entertainment).

Don McKay (2009) Thomas Haden Church, Rachel Harker, Elisabeth Shue, Stephen Benson. Don McKay, a high school janitor who leaves his hometown after a tragedy, returns 25 years later to rekindle a romance with his old flame, who is dying, but the homecoming brings McKay more than he bargained for. Extras:Commentary by director Jake Goldberger and producer Jim Young, deleted scenes. Also available on Blu-ray Disc. (Image Entertainment).

The Eclipse (2009) Ciaran Hinds, Iben Hjele, Aidan Quinn. A teacher who believes his house is haunted meets up with a horror writer and a novelist in a quaint seaside Irish town. Extras: Behind the scenes featurette, deleted scenes. Also available on Blu-ray Disc. (Magnolia Home Entertainment).

Eureka: Season 3.5 (2009) Two-disc set with nine episodes, $29.98. (Universal).

Everlasting Moments (2008) Swedish master Jan Troell ("The Emigrants," "The New Land") returns triumphantly with "Everlasting Moments," a vivid, heartrending story of a woman liberated through art at the beginning of the 20th century. Though poor and abused by her alcoholic husband, Maria Larsson (Maria Heiskanen) finds an outlet in photography, which opens up her world for the first time. With a burnished bronze tint that evokes faded photographs, and a broad empathetic palette, "Everlasting Moments" -- based on a true story -- is a miraculous tribute to the power of image making. Two-disc set with new high-definition digital transfer, approved by director Jan Troell. Extras: "Jan Troell's Magic Mirror," an hour-long documentary about Troell's life and career; short documentary on the making of "Everlasting Moments"; documentary featuring photographs by the real Maria Larsson, accompanied by narration telling her story"; a booklet featuring an essay by critic Armond White. Also available on Blu-ray Disc. (The Criterion Collection).

Homeland (2009) Fran Kranz, Elize du Toit, Whip Hubley, Sue Cremin, John G. Conolly. Five peoples' fates become entwined when a Marine returns on furlough from Iraq. When no one greets him at the airport, he sets out to look for his father on the wild Northwest coast and his journey becomes harder and harder as it intersects with his un-met step-mother, a bitter First Gulf War veteran, and the British stewardess from his flight home. And then a body washes up on the beach. (Vanguard Cinema).

Hot Tub Time Machine (2010) John Cusack, Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson, Clark Duke, Crispin Glover. Extras: Deleted scenes. Also available as a two-disc Blu-ray edition, which adds four featurettes: "Production: Acting Like Idiots," "Chevy Chase: The Nicest Guy in Hollywood," "Totally Radical Outfits: Dayna Pink," "Crispin Glover: One Armed Bellhop"; digital copy. (MGM).

How the Earth Was Made: The Complete Season Two (2009-10) Four-disc set with 12 episodes, $39.95. (A&E Home Entertainment).

It Came From Kuchar (2009) Documentary. Long before YouTube, there were the brilliantly insane, no-budget movies of underground, filmmaking twins George and Mike Kuchar. Creating stars out of their friends and family with just consumer-grade cameras, the teenage Kuchar brothers went from the 1960s New York City underground film scene of Andy Warhol and Kenneth Anger to become the twin maestros of B-movie glamour and sleaze. In a mesmerizing stream-of-consciousness style, "It Came From Kuchar" effortlessly weaves nostalgic footage of 1950s New York, a "greatest hits" collection of Kuchar clips and present day interviews of an all-star lineup of fans including John Waters, Buck Henry, Atom Egoyan, Wayne Wang, Bill Griffith, Gerard Malanga, B. Ruby Rich and Guy Maddin. Both outrageous and lovable, George and Mike will inspire you to pick up a camera and start making movies. $24.95. Extras: Behind-the-scenes footage, additional interviews, footage, secrets from the Kuchar Brothers' fascinating and bizarre world. (IndiePix Films).

The Last Big Thing (1996) Mark Ruffalo, Dan Zukovic, Susan Heimbinder. From a bland tract house on the outskirts of Los Angeles, Simon Geist (with occasional help from his platonic girlfriend Darla) wages war against all of modern American popular culture. Geist starts up a magazine called "The Next Big Thing," which he uses to confront and insult upcoming actors, comics, models and rock bands, but as his mysterious Underground Agenda escalates, will he become the "last big thing" or be co-opted by the very forces he is railing against? Extras: Sundance Festival Smash hit short "Conjurer of Monikers" by the film's director, Dan Zukovic. (Vanguard Cinema)

Leave It to Beaver: The Complete Series (1957-63) Thirty-seven disc set with 234 episodes, $199.99. Extras: Special commemorative booklet, special "value-added" exclusive replica of the original "Leave It to Beaver Money Maker Board Game," a full-disc of exclusive bonus features offering a nostalgic look at the television series from the cast and crew: "It's A Small World" rare pilot episode that started it all, "Forever the Beaver: The Cleavers Look Back," "Ken Osmond and Frank Bank Remember," "The Drum Major of the Toy Parade" conversation with theme song composer Dave Kahn, six episodes of Shokus Radio's "Stu's Show" featuring members of the cast, special film for the U.S. Treasury featuring the Cleavers, original network promos. (Shout! Factory).

Madeline's Great Adventures (1993) Six episodes from the animated series based on the popular children's books. Madeline and friends encounter their very own Arabian lamp, a visit from the Prince of Monaco, a band of pirates and even track down 40 charitable thieves. $12.99. (Shout! Factory).

The Mermaid Chair (2006) Kim Basinger, Alex Carter, Bruce Greenwood. A married woman (Basinger) falls in love with a Benedictine monk. A Lifetime Original Movie. (A&E Home Entertainment).

Nuclear Hurricane (2007) Jamie Luner, Jack Scalia, Erin Gray, Gil Gerard, Meredith McGeachie, Eriko Tamura. The world's most advanced nuclear reactor's core is in danger of a meltdown just as a gigantic hurricane bears down on it in this Syfy Channel disaster flick. (E1 Entertainment).

Once More With Feeling (2009) Chazz Palminteri, Maria Tucci, Drea de Matteo. A successful middle-aged psychiatrist who always wanted to be a singer but followed his immigrant parents' wishes instead, finds that old dreams die hard. (IFC Films).

The Other Woman (2008) Josie Bissett, Ted Whittall, MacKenzie Porter, Jason Priestley. A woman who stole her husband from his first wife now faces the same competition in the form of a younger woman who wants to steal him away from her. A Lifetime Original Movie. (A&E Home Entertainment).

Pagan Queen (2009 -- Czech Republic) Winter Ave Zoli, Csaba Luca, Lea Mornar, Vera Filatova, Veronika Bellova. Based on the folklore eternalized in the story of "The Crown of Vysehrad," a love story between Libuse, the Slavic mythological heroine of 8th century Bohemia, and queen of the Slaivc tribes, and Premysl, a simple farmer. (Vanguard Cinema).

Paranormal Cops (2010) Two-disc set with six episodes, $19.95. (A&E Home Entertainment).

Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010) Dir.: Chris Columbus; Stars: Logan Lerman, Brandon T. Jackson, Alexandra Daddario, Jake Abel, Sean Bean, Rosario Dawson, Steve Coogan, Uma Thurman, Pierce Brosnan, Catherine Keener, Joe Pantoliano, Kevin McKidd. Extras: Five extended and deleted scenes, featurettes: "Discover Your Powers Quiz," "The Book Comes to Life." Also available on Blu-ray Disc, which adds five more deleted scenes, four featurettes: "Secrets of the Gods," "Inside Camp Half-Blood," "On Set With Brandon T. Jackson," "Meet the Demigods." (Fox)

Plain Truth (2004) Mariska Hargitay, Alison Pill. An unmarried 18 year-old Amish girl is charged with the murder of her infant child. A Lifetime Original Movie. (A&E Home Entertainment).

Pretty Bird (2009) Dir.: Paul Schneider; stars Billy Crudup, Paul Giamatti, Kristen Wiig, David Hornsby, Anna Camp. Based on the outrageous true story of three would-be entrepreneurs who set out to invent and market a personal rocket belt. As personalities clash and individual agendas emerge, the partnership begins to unravel in shockingly unexpected ways. A humorous look at the folly of human ambition and a parable about the dark side of the American Dream. Adapted from the book "The Rocketball Caper: A True Tale of Invention, Obsession and Murder" by Paul Brown. (Paramount).

The Real McCoys: Complete Season 4 (1960-61) Four-disc set with 39 episodes, $29.98. (Infinity Entertainment).

Red vs. Blue: The Blood Gulch Chronicles (2010) Six-disc set of the first five seasons of the Internet series that takes place in the distant future where 10 soldiers battle for control of the least desirable piece of real estate in the known universe -- a box canyon in the middle of nowhere. $59.95. Extras: Commentary, special videos, deleted scenes, outtakes, hidden tracks, character profiles, alternate endings, PSAs, Documentary footage, rare clips from the RvB Archives. (New Video/Flatiron Film Company).

Return of the One-Armed Swordsman (1969 -- Hong Kong) Jimmy Wang Yu. When a marauding gang of swordsmen rampages a peaceful town, capturing every last sword master and demanding an unthinkable ransom, only one man will dare to fight back. (Vivendi/Weinstein/Dragon Dynasty).

St. Urbain's Horseman (2007) David Julian Hirsch, Elliott Gould, Andrea Martin. Canadian miniseries based on Mordecai Richler's post-WWII novel about Jake, a film director of modest success, a faithful husband, and a man in disgrace. His alter ego is his cousin Joey, a legend in their childhood neighborhood in Montreal. Nazi-hunter, adventurer, and hero of the Spanish Civil War, Joey is the avenging horseman of Jake's impotent dreams. When Jake becomes embroiled in a scandalous trial in London, he puts his own unadventurous life on trial as well, finding it desperately wanting as he steadfastly longs for the Horseman's glorious return. (E1 Entertainment).

Soul of a People: Writing America's Story (2009) The powerful story behind the controversial public assistance program the Federal Writers Project -- one of four arts programs in President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Works Progress Administration, established during the height of the Great depression -- that hired unemployed men and women to document America in books, guides and interviews. $19.98. (Infinity Entertainment Group).

Stolen (aka Stolen Lives) (2009) Josh Lucas, Jon Hamm, Jimmy Bennett, Rhona Mitra. A devoted cop haunted by the unsolved disappearance of his young son eight years earlier discovers the buried remains of a boy who was brutally murdered more than half a century ago in the same region, and he becomes obsessed with investigating the long-forgotten crime. (IFC Films).

String Theory (2009) Rico Anderson, Carmen Mormino, Janine Venable, Darion Basco, John Colton, Charles Cooper. This indie outing starts as a seemingly simple morality tale centered on the fate of a beat-up church in Santa Monica, but ends as a psychedelic meditation on the modern experience of God. The Altman-esque cast of characters who interact in the course of one day include a surfer strung-out on theoretical physics, a dissatisfied lawyer, a morally compromised TV minister, a homeless man, a twisted city councilman, a prostitute, two bookies and a mysterious mute boy. (Vanguard Cinema).

The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo The Complete Series (1985) Two-disc set with 13 episodes, $19.98. (Warner).

Warehouse 13: Season One (2009) Three-disc set with 12 episodes, $49.98. (Universal).

The Warlords (2007 -- Hong Kong) Jet Li, Andy Lau, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Wu Jing-Le. Set in the midst of war and political upheaval during the Taiping Rebellion of the 1860s, a general joins two bandits to fight off evil warlords, taking an oath to become "blood brothers," pledging loyalty to one another until death ... but things quickly turn sour and the three men become embroiled in a web of political deceit, and a love triangle involving a beautiful courtesan. Extras: Behind the scenes interviews. Also available on Blu-ray Disc. (Magnolia Home Entertainment).

What if God Were the Sun (2007) Lacey Chabert, Gena Rowlands. A grieving nurse finds comfort and inspiration in her new assignment, where she meets a terminally ill woman with a quick with and strong faith. A Lifetime Original Movie. (A&E Home Entertainment).

The White Ribbon (2009 -- German) Dir.: Michael Haneke; Stars: Ulrich Tukur, Burghart Klaussner, Rainer Bock. Blu-ray Disc extras: "Making of The White Ribbon," "My Life" look at Michael Haneke's career, Cannes Film Festival premiere featurette, "An Interview With Michael Haneke." (Sony).

Southlands Survey Results Released Today

Tonight, at the regular Delta city council meeting, Ipsos Reid will be on hand to present the results of the recent mail out survey regarding land use in Tsawwassen. The survey was mailed recently to every household and business in the area. Although the survey asked a number of questions regarding land use in Tsawwassen, the most polarizing question was the first one on allowing development on the historic farm known as the Southlands. Residents and business owners were given two options on the property. Choosing 'Option A' meant you desired no development whatsoever whereas choosing 'Option B' meant that you had to decide what percentage of the land you would allow residential/commercial development on.

It is expected that tonight's meeting is likely to draw a larger crowd then normal as many people have a lot riding on the outcome of this survey. Century Group president Sean Hodgins has been working tirelessly to change the minds of the people of South Delta to allow him to build 1900 homes on the property. Many of the minds he seeks to change belong to the same people who turned out in droves to stand against a similar development put forth in the late 80's by TDL Developments. The proponents of preserving the land zoning as agricultural will likely be on hand to ensure that the data is presented in a transparent manner with unaltered data.

No matter which side of the fence the people of Tsawwassen sit on, you can be guaranteed this will be the conversation on everybody's lips in the weeks to come.

Shots Fired - Two Taken into Custody

Sgt. Sharlene Brooks - June 24th 2010 at approximately 3:00 p.m. Delta Police responded to the 8000 block 118th St in North Delta after receiving several reports of possible shots fired.

On arrival Delta Police secured and cordoned off the area and identified the apartment unit that the shots had reportedly originated. With the assistance of the Integrated Municipal Emergency Response Team two individuals were into custody without incident. Once the two individuals were removed from the apartment and secured, police cleared the apartment unit to ensure no other persons were inside. It was quickly determined that the shots were from a pellet gun.

Police subsequently obtained a search warrant for the apartment unit in question and seized various
firearms parts.

No one was injured in this incident. The 27 yr old male and 17 yr old female were later released pending further investigation.

Delta Police responded swiftly and appropriately utilizing all available resources to ensure public safety.

Assault on Annieville Home

Before Demolition

This morning, residents of Annieville were woken by heavy machinery being moved in to demolish the 100+ year old house at 10345 River Road. Machinery pulled in early this morning and the house was completely gone by 8:40AM. Many local residents voiced their dissatisfaction with the way the vacant properties are being left by the government. "There are numerous properties that now belong to the Ministry of Transportation that have garbage dumped on them and down the riverbank," said one of the bystanders watching the demolition.

It's an easy to understand point of view. Driving through this part of historic Annieville one would think they were in a ghetto. Vacant homes sit empty with the siding half gone and doors boarded up, garbage litters the lots, and even the once busy Tide Water Pub is behind construction fencing after a recent fire shut it down.

After Demolition

This isn't the first old home in the area that has been destroyed by the provincial government to make way for the South Fraser Perimeter Road, a 40 kilometer highway linking Deltaport to the Trans Canada Highway. There are 64 homes/buildings slated for demolition in Delta to make way for what most people in this neighbourhood see as an unnecessary highway.