3 - Wednesdas. September 24, 1986 - North Shore News B.C. TEL PROMISES IMMEDIATE CONNECTION North Van telephones go digital B.C. TEL officially plugged North Vancouver into full digital telephone operation carly Sunday morning. Activation of the new com- puterized electronic system follows installation of a $22 million, $0,000-line digital switch in) the North Vancouver switching centre. Tae largest of its kind in the world, the GTD-5 switch, manufactured by Microtel, took an 80-member B.C. Tel crew to install. Approximately 46,000) North Vancouver customer lines in’ the 980, 984, 985, ORG, Y87 and 988 exchanges are affected by the switch over, The only North Shore communi- ty still without digital telephone switching service is Deep Cove. West Vancouver telephone cus- tomers have been plugged into digital telephone technology since May, 1985. By DIMOLNY RENSHAW News Reporter “Tt (he switch over) went ox. tremely well," HOC. Tel spokesman Larraine Code said Monday. With the new computer switch, Cade said North Vancouver cus- tomers will be able te reap the fall technological benefits of digital touch-tone telephones. Connection for customers calle ing from the new digital system to another area digital system, Code said, will now be instantaneous. With old electro-mechanical iclephone technology, digital phone connection was delayed sev- eral seconds because old techne- logy bad to translate computer COLLINS LIFTS 80,432 LBS. News coiumnists huff and for Rick puff Hansen NORTH SHORE News columnists proved they can lift with the best of them at the second annual Lift for Life fund-raising event Saturday at the Pan Pacific Hotel. Doug Collins came in top tor the News team, fifting 80,432 Ibs. in one hour. He was followed by Bob Hunter at 33,230 Ibs. and Barbara Me- Creadie at 15,436 Ibs. It is not yet known where the News placed, with its combined total lift of 129,098 Ibs., among the 107 celebrity teams, or how much money the group raised towards the Rick Hansen Man in Moticn Tour, but what is definite is Bob Hunter’s appointment with his chiropractor this week. “That's what | get for trying to eegee es OF beat Doug Collins,’ said Hunter, As for Collins, he explained his winning form by saying ‘T’ve got more steam Coo work off thin most people,” McCreadie, a novice when it comes to weight-lifting, said she's just happy she quit when she did. “Pm surprised | wasn't crippled the nent day." Organizers of Lift for Life estimate $50,000 was raised through pledges, as teams took turns huffing and puffing at a variety of weight-lifting equip- ment. 'NEWS photo Mike Wakelield WORKING HIS way along ¢ metal wall of girders, Lorne Chorney, a painter wilh Johssoa & Ne Keith Road Bridge located at the en Ltd. Corrosion Control, repaints the foot of Reith Road, dialling tones. Connection speed for both dial and teuch-fone phones will be im, proved with the switchover. she said. Code added that the GID-S system is self-diagnosing and will momtor its own efficiency, thereby idunpfying maintenance problems before they become major system breakdowns, As a result, she said, service in- terruptions will be reduced while quality of transmission wil) be im. proved and number of service features will be increased. “Tt doesnt mean that we ate Hever voing tO need any repairs.” Cody said. ‘bur die new system will certainly help reduce those tepairs.”* Optional services thar will now be available to North Vancouver customers include call forwarding, call alert, three-was conterence payers calls and speed callin: Cadi forwarding will allow subscribers to hase ampertant calls automatically transterred to numbers outside of their home. With call alert, customers sill hear a beep on their phone line to tell them a second caller is: trying to reach them, Three way calls will allow resi- dential conference conversations from three different numbers, while speed calling wall give North Vancouver residents the option of comerting up fo 300 cammoniy called seven-digit) telephone humbers to two-digit nunibers, bach of these custom: calling features will cost an additional $3 per month, Old mechanical dial telephones, Code said, would have the same aceess to the new features available widh the new switch. Code added that installation of the new switch will not inerease North Shore telephone rates. Classified as a Group fio rate zone, North Vancouser is at the mid-point of BoC. Tel’s 19-group rate schedule. Group Ub subscribers pay an $11.55 monthly access fee com- pared with $5.65 for Group one and $17.35 for Group 19 subscribers. Code said Deep Cove'’s 7,000 telephone lines will be plugged into the digital system sometime in 1987. By the end of this year, about. 85 per cent of B.C. telephone Tines will be served by electronic swit- ches, The neat scheduled switch over from electro-mechanical to elec- tronic-digital will affect 40.000 lines on Vancouver's Trinity or 87 exchange. aot woo! : NEWS photo Nel! Lucente NORTH SHORE NEWS columnists Barb McCreadie, Doug Collins and Bob Hunter, not seen in photo, together lifted 129,098 Ibs. at the Lift for Life fund-raising event Saturday. Doug was the top member of the team, lifting more than 80,000 Ibs. in one hour, $925,656 FROM VICTORIA N. Vancouver schools receive budget boost NORTH VANCOUVER School District received a boost to its budget, allowing it to improve its computer program and create an elementary mathematics and science centre this year. The district was notified Friday that it wih receive $925,656 from B.C.’s) Fund for Excellence in Education. The fund was announced last February as a way of improving the quality of education in BC. North Vancouver School super- imendent Dr, Leo Marshall said the distiict had apphed lor $1,371,500 lo support these two Programs. “PE suspeet most districts got fuss than what they applied for? said Miuarstrall. OWelll stl be able to do what it was we wanted to, but probably what we'll do is shift some com- puter money to the math and science program to omer the need.” The Ministry of Education allocated $787,656 to North Van- couver’s computer program, and $138,000 to its science and) math program. Ministry of Education By KIM PEMBERTON Sows Reporter spokesman Rob Watsen said the chegue won't be in the mail until April — when the government's next budget year begins. He said of the 75 school districts, 41, including North Vaa- couver, were late in applying to the fund. He said the provincial cabi- net made approval on the final 4] districts Sept. 4. “Applications came over a long space of time, and they were pro- cessed as they were received,’* said Watson, He said the ‘twell has run dry’ for the government this year, but in its nest budget year districts will be reimbursed for the money they spend this vear under their Fund for Excellence in) Education pro- grams, School district budgets run from September to Tune, West Vancouver School District received $400,000 from the Fund for Exgellence in Education last June. It had applied for $2,400,000. is year S110 million was made available. Allocations totalling §600 milion will be made from the three-year Fund for Fxcellence in Education, BusineSs........... Classified Ads.......60 Doug Collins...... 2d Comics ....... toe 40 Editorial Page....... & Bob Hunter.......... 4 Lifestyles ........ .. 37 Mailbox............-- TV Listings....... What's Going On....4