FAVOURITE QUAY HOLIDAY MEMORIES

Many on the Quay will remember being wrapped in house coats in front of glowing fireplaces  waiting out one of the coldest 'snaps' in recent history.  It was so cold,  the mighty Fraser River nearly froze over as shown in the picture above.  This happened in 2013.

Others may remember the holiday snow storm that dumped so much snow in the area that many holiday plans were cancelled.

So what do you remember at the Quay?  We would love you to share you holiday moments.

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Is The QCB BOARDWALK festival & sale the ultimate way to - REUSE, REPURPOSE, REDUCE & RECYCLE?

 

More than a hundred tables filled to overflowing with stuff, junk, finds, dust collectors, treasure, antiques, collectibles, bric-a-brac and other indescribable items line the Quayside Boardwalk  from River Market to the rail bridge.  You walk up and down eyeing everything used; as rock music enhances the frenzy of the treasure hunt.  You have selected your purchases, are happy with your finds and head to the many food outlets to grab a bite and re-nourish yourself before you take just one more walk along the promenade...just in case you missed something!

Well, for some the BOARDWALK festival & sale goes something like that.  But for the sellers in the event - they are just interested in passing their well loved, but used goods to someone else who will use and love them like they did over the years.  Instead of throwing it into landfills, we gladly throw it into the arms of a stranger who for some reason - loves it!  And lets be honest, at the Quay there is a LOT OF NICE STUFF TO BE HAD.

Is this the ultimate way to recycle?  Let us know your thoughts, or perhaps you have a story about that favourite piece that now lives in some strangers home .... share with us your comments.

9 NEW TOWERS PROPOSED FOR QUAYSIDE & DOWNTOWN AREA...TOO MUCH?

Will the Quayside area be impacted - good or bad - by the current and planned high rise developments scheduled for the Quay and Downtown areas? 

Proposed highrises on the books to be built (that we know of):

1: 1 TOWER 26 Stories: Gyro Building at Carnarvon & 6th Street
2: 1 TOWER New Westminster Masonic Hall at 6th Atreet & Agnes Street 
3: 2 TOWERS Plaza 88 west of McInnes overpass ( Images shows one but two are considered likely)

4: 3 TOWERS Larco Development east of Fraser River Discovery Centre

5: 2 TOWERS Bosa behind Inn at the Quay and west of River Market

 A total of NEW 9 TOWERS to join those already builted or in the process of being built.  These towers will house thousand of more people and likely thousands of more cars.  Cars that will possibly further congest our road system, making movement to and from the Quayside area difficult at best.

What are your thoughts?  Like the development?  Worried about the livability of the area?  Will these new residents take the skytrain and not drive cars?   Is this too much development when there are no plans to build new roads or fix the condition of old ones?  Is this too much within only a few square miles of space?  Is there such a things as a 'view corridor' anymore?  Hass Plaza 88 revied the downtown as the City Council had hoped? 


Share your postivies or concerns.

QUAY HOLIDAYS:

Do you love the lights at the Quay? Do you enjoy giving food to the QCB Holiday Food Drive? Tell us your favourite Quay Holiday memory.

FSD COAL TRANSFER PROPOSAL: WHAT ABOUT THE CONCERNS OF THE EMPLOYEES WHO ARE BEING ASKED TO HANDLE COAL - ARE THEIR CONCERNS LEGITIMATE?

PHOTO: James MacKinnon-PeachArch news

We received this email from a person who happened to be in a place and overheard a conversation.  As no names are involved and it provides a new perspective on the COAL TRANSFER STATION AT FRASER SURREY DOCKS, we thought we would share it with our Quay-bloggers.  Our question then goes out to those who work or are directly affected by coal at Fraser Surrey Docks, the Car Yard opposite the docks or anyone else who has something to say on the matter.  Are you concerned about handling coal at work?  Note, you can sign your post as 'anonymous' so not to jeoparize your employment.  Of course, we would welcome comment from anyone who reads this email and cares to share. 

"I was sitting at a STARBUCKS with a friend last night when "an insider" revealed that the cause of the fire at Roberts bank (see article hyper-linked below) was spontaneous combustion in a pile of coal similar in composition to the coal proposed to be trans-shipped via Surrey Fraser Docks.

He also indicated that the coal barge operation would only last for the two-month start-up at Surrey Fraser Docks, then boats would likely be brought in to be loaded directly, in which case, coal dust clouds would be even more likely given the differing nature of the loading operation than outlined for the barges. Dust suppression techniques and infrastructure proposed are less sophisticated and effective than the spray mechanism at Roberts Bank Coal Port.  I wonder if this alternative may be linked to the potential for TEXADA ISLAND expansion to handle the barges being met with approval problems given the Island's Trust opposition to the recent application to the Provincial Government for TEXADA ISLAND portion of the Wyoming to China Supply Train operations.

One quarter not heard from yet are the operators of the "Car Import" facility on Anacis Island. Their fear, evidently,  is that the coal dust will settle on the new cars stored there prior to shipping and fuse to the car finish in the hot sun at worst or cause extra cleaning costs for dust removal at best.

Not sure what his angle was, but he was full of "insider" views that many of the Fraser Surrey Dock's individual  employees aren't happy about the prospect of handling coal either.  He also had some interesting information he had gleaned from Roberts Bank Coal terminal employees about working conditions and the effects of Coal dust.

   

http://www.theprovince.com/news/Fire+Roberts+Bank+coal+port+puts+berth+commission+until+middle+next+week/8680083/story.html"

PLEASE NOTE:  This is a forum for serious thoughts on real issues.  If your post is intended to insult or demean the QCB or anyone associated with it, it will be removed immediately.

The BOARDWALK festival & sale on August 17th, is only one of the events taking place at the Quay this summer.  What is your favourite summer past time on the Quay?  Fishing? Dog Walking? Strolling with friends or family?  We would love to hear from you what makes your summer at the Quay.

RATE YOUR BEST & WORST OF THE QUAY

What do you like and not like about the Quay? Now that a Councillor wants to know how you feel about the trains, we want to hear what you think about the Quay as a whole.