Op-Ed . October 23, 2002 Quiet and Boaring in PoCo Brandon Yip OP Contributor Port Coquitlam is a small town where a quiet hero named Terry Fox rose to promi- nence, making the city proud. In 1980, Fox captivated the entire country when his Marathon of Hope Run raised money for cancer research. Unfortunately another inci- dent has taken precedence that may taint PoCo’s reputation. The city is under the media spotlight for one of the most notorious murder investigations in Canadian history. Robert William Pickton is charged with killing 15 women from Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. Pickton’s PoCo pig farm, located on Dominion Avenue, is the site of a massive search of the property that began last February. I grew up in Port Coquitlam and am stunned about the ongoing investigations at the Pickton pig farm. Over the years, I’ve heard so many PoCo jokes mainly from people living in Vancouver. They sarcastically say to me, “What's there to do in PoCo? You're out in the boonies!” Granted, there really isn’t much to do in PoCo, we don’t have a movie theatre—we have to go to nearby Coquitlam for that. There used to be a night- club called “Rumours,” but I was never into that scene. And taking the bus in PoCo is horrendous; it’s a bloody hassle. The odds of a bus connecting are about as good as a Richmond street racer driving safely. Nonetheless, PoCo was where I lived for many years and now I'm afraid the pig farm investigations will give the PoCo bashers more incentive to mock my hometown fur- ther. One joke has surfaced pertaining to the pig farm: “Did you hear that Port Coquitlam has been renamed? It’s now called Pork Coquitlam.” PoCo has had its memorable moments, however you've got to look real hard to find them! Terry Fox’s accomplishments in 1980 stand out of course. Another highlight was Rick Hansen's passage through the city in May 1987. Then there were the Terry Fox Ravens, winning the BC senior boys AAA basketball championships in 1993 and 1994. My former classmates from Terry Fox Secondary, Bret Anderson and Chris Szarka are currently playing in the CFL (Anderson plays for the BC Lions and Szarka for the Saskatchewan Roughriders). Hollywood has even passed through PoCo, filming lacklustre flicks such as Chuck Norris’ The Hitman and Don’t Talk to Strangers (with Pierce Brosnan). Norris and Brosnan must have been desperate for work during this time. In addition, Duets with Gwyneth Paltrow (directed by her late father Bruce) shot scenes at the Wild Duck Inn. But my hometown will now be forever linked to that pig farm. The U.S. media has been in PoCo, not to visit the sights, not to pay homage to Terry Fox at the local ceme- tery, or stroll through Lions Park, Reeve Park, or the Traboulay PoCo Trail—but because of the pig farm. The farm has become the Graceland of murder sites as pho- tographers, TV cameras, newspersons and helicopters have swarmed over the area like Celebrity Re-tales fimanda flikman OP Contributor the other pre vultures. a PoCo’s reputation was not helped any further when Mayor Scott Young was charged with assaulting his wife, Wendy, back in March. A Port Coquitlam Provincial Court judge stayed the charge of assault against Young and he was {i released on a $500 peace bond for a one-year * period. I recently watched Hannibal on DVD and ¥ cringed during a scene depicting the murder of Gary Oldman’s character involving carnivorous pigs. I immediately thought of the pig farm and had difficulty sleeping. There was also a disturbing scene in Fargo involving the disposal of a body through a wood chipper. Ironically, Fargo was released in 1996 the same time Robert Pickton is alleged to have been committing his crimes. I used to work for The Home Depot in Coquitlam. I would usually drive home, t ing the Mary Hill Bypass, then turning left, heading west on Lougheed Hwy. I alwz passed Dominion Ave, the street leading to the Pickton property. Now when I reflq back on that time, I can imagine the secret horrors that were occurring on the pig far the endless cries and screams for help that went unnoticed. I have heard speculation Robert Pickton had an account with The Home Depot. Who knows, I may have ev served him. I can't remember. I worked in the electrical department and it would been a “shock” to say the least. Terry Fox Statute I still go back to PoCo to visit my parents. It is incomprehensible and tragic to beli¢ many of those missing women met horrible deaths on that pig farm. How could d happen in PoCo? High-profile killings only happen in the big city, right? It can’t be! B it has happened, and I’m sure people in Milwaukee felt the same sort of shock and d belief when Jeffrey Dahmer’s horrific crimes were unveiled in 1991. This proves underneath all the things we perceive as good, evil exists and can emerge out of plaq where we least expect it. PoCo has lost some of its innocence with the Pickton investigations, but the city not lost its spirit. Terry Fox’s legacy of inspiration will remain strong; I can guaran{ that. I have great memories of PoCo and it is still the same quiet small town to me. B what enrages me is someone took advantage of the city’s peaceful setting to carry o his brutal acts of terror. Working retail on Vancouver's Robson Street was an enlightening experience for me. I was used to the demeaning, thankless aspects of retail (they are pretty much the same everywhere). What I wasn’t used to was suffering this condescension at the hands of celebrities. Somehow it was less offensive to be treated like dirt by a housewife from Coquitlam, than it was to have Hilary Swank double count her change in front of me. You would think that, having attained a fair degree of financial security, most celebrities would be above this type of behaviour. You would be wrong. Apparently, appearing in several failed motion pictures entitles you to a lifetime of special discounts. Just ask Stephen Baldwin. Stephen Baldwin—will I remember him most for his captivating work in Biodome, or his electrifying perform- ance alongside Cindy Crawford in Fair Game? Neither. I will remem- ber him as being pathetic enough to actually declare, “I’m Stephen Baldwin,” in an attempt to secure a deal on his pants. Some occasions were more puzzling than pathetic. David Arquette, who was perfectly nice while he was shopping, came back the next day and returned his shirt. Returning the item was not a problem in itself, but the numerous stains and pocketful of business cards left on and in the item, made for an awkward situation. Likewise, I was pleased that Mia Farrow, who starred in one of my all-time favourite movies The Purple Rose of Cairo, was gracious and pleasant during her visit to our store. I was even willing to overlook her alteration-fee hag- gling and hotel coupon book, after all I didn’t know how many chil- dren she was supporting these days. If there was one thing these celebrities (and countless others like them) taught me, it was that cheapness is not contingent upon income. © page 6 Despite their antics, most of the celebrities that came into our store were drooled over by the staff. But this wasn’t always the case. I am still hesitant to recall the day I commiserated with a customer over the embarrassing display Matthew Good was making in the fitting rooms. I went on to rate Good’s talent in comparison with his hair- style, needless to say with the hair coming out on top. I stand behind this assessment, although I’m not so sure I would have shared my the- ory with the customer had I known he was a member of Good’s band. But if I am going to judge the other employees for lapping up the likes of Antonio Banderas and Goldie Hawn, I should confess to my own indiscretions. I was not immune; my heart skipped a beat when Chris Isaak sauntered in, and I spent the afternoon serenading my co- workers with Ween lyrics the day their drummer stopped by for undershirts. Meeting Benjamin Bratt left me temporarily weak in the knees, and I still have the bruises incurred while tripping over myself | 5 to inform everyone that I had shaken hands with Bill Clinton. I sup- pose I should be grateful Martin Tielli stayed away—I doubt I would have ever recovered. I am no longer a practitioner of the retail arts, having traded in my nametag for a hefty student loan. It is nice having weekends off and I can't say that I miss being talked down to by spoiled teenagers, but a part of me remains with the other soldiers down on Robson Street. I will probably always carry the scars of my lengthy stint in the serv- ice industry, but I will also carry the valuable lessons that I have learned. So when I return to Vancouver to film a movie with aging soap stars and third rate Baldwin brothers, I promise to be on my best behaviour.