> SG ~~ o G Qo 3° a — v 3 Ss w at > w a G g The delays in SkyTrain and the beginnings of light rail » Evergreen not to open until 2017, Surrey begins picking light-rail stops Mercedes Deutscher News Editor © news@theotherpress.ca he BC Transportation Ministry made the announcement on November 27 that the opening of the Evergreen Line will be delayed until early 2017, a few months after its anticipated opening in fall 2016. The main reason behind the delays is the difficult tunnel underneath Clarke Road and Seaward Drive. The tunnel boring machine remained idle for several months due to an inability to stop water and sand from getting : caught up in the machine's head. : After months of delays, the : machine emerged from the other : side of the new tunnel on the : same day of the announcement. “There’s no blame here, : as the soil and groundwater : conditions aren't the fault of the : engineers or the international : team that runs the TBM,” said : Port Moody Mayor Mike Clay : to Tri-City News. “I believe that : they did everything they could : to complete this phase of the : project as quickly as possible. : And I'm certainly glad it’s : done, as the rest of the project : contains much less uncertainty.” However, this has not : been the only problem faced : during the construction of : the new line. Four sinkholes : were previously found above : the tunnel, and the Como : Lake guideway experiencing : some unexpected shifting. John Doyle, the then- : auditor general, criticized : the BC government in : 2013 for not thoroughly : assessing the potential risks : during construction. Despite delays in some : areas, other parts of the line : are approaching completion. : Evergreen stations are : currently between 80-90 per : cent complete, according : to the Vancouver Sun. Outside of the line itself, : areas surrounding the new : stations have been experiencing a : : boom in high-rise construction. However, Burnaby and the : Tri-Cities are not the only areas : of the Lower Mainland receiving : new transit infrastructure. Surrey and Langley have : started on the beginning of a : seven-year planning phase that : will eventually evolve into a light- : rail train line that will connect : the two cities. This phase will : involve plotting where the train : stops will be. The locations of : the stops are expected to be : announced early on in 2016. The expected $2.7-million costs of the light-rail project : will be split evenly three ways between the federal, provincial, : and municipal governments. Surrey’s new Liberal MPs : have been working closely with : the light-rail project, even before : their election. Randeep Sarai, one : of many Surrey Liberal MPs, told : Business Vancouver: “We all sat : down and had a meeting with the : mayor, and I think we all want : the same thing. We have been : waiting long enough, and now : is the time to start moving this : project to the next phase so we : can help this community grow.” A slowed refugee process with a focus on women and families » Ten thousand Syrian refugees to arrive by end of year, 15,000 more by March Mercedes Deutscher News Editor M news@theotherpress.ca n the past week, there have been several updates regarding Canada’s intake of Syrian refugees. The first came on November 22, two days prior to an official address from Ottawa, regarding who would be prioritized amongst the refugees that would be coming to Canada. Priority on the arriving refugees will be placed on children, families, single women, and those who fall under the LGBTQ spectrum. On November 24, the Liberal government released an update on the plan. They confirmed the previous reports on which demographics would be prioritized, but they also announced that they would not be meeting their original goal to accept 25,000 refugees by the end of the year—but : rather, by the end of March. “We need to make sure it’s “The question that we've always So what are the specific : details on the process that : will bring 25,000 new : people to Canada? The first step involves : identifying those who would : benefit the most from resettling : in Canada. The federal : government has been working : closely with the United Nations : to best identify Syria’s most : vulnerable. These refugees are : then asked if they would be : interested in moving to Canada. From there, the eligible : refugees are screened for : health and safety purposes. : Health screenings will check : for communicable diseases, : while security screenings will : include biometrics and fact : checking with several agencies. done right,” Trudeau said to CBC. : ewe : had at the front of our mind as we ! £% : were moving forward is ensuring : that these 25,000 refugees have ; as successful a path as possible.” . If the applicant passes these : screenings, they will be offered : a permanent resident visa. The third step will be transporting the refugees to : Canada, while the fourth will : involve the immediate reception : of the refugees. They will arrive : in either Toronto or Montreal, : where they will go through a : secondary screening to confirm : the information obtained : through the original screening. : If everything checks out, they : will be moved to different : communities across the country. The final step involves : helping the new residents settle : and integrate into Canadian : life. They may qualify for up to : a year of government support : while looking for work and : registering children for school. The total costs of the : plan will cost between : $533-642 million. 4 QO 3 2 1% 4 c & Ss nS a a a € 5 There is a divide to split : the costs of the plan, and 15,000 : refugees will be sponsored by : the government, while 10, o00 : will be privately sponsored. Trudeau expressed : confidence in the plan, seeming : optimistic that the refugees will : contribute to a better Canada. “This is not just about : welcoming 25,000 Syrian : refugees, this is about welcoming : 25,000 new Canadians.”