News Reporter ian@nsnews.com TONY Bosco likes to fish in North Shore rivers, but he was disgusted by the lunkers he pulled out of Mosquito Creek on Monday. ony and cousin Matt Bosco tound and lifted out approximately 14 shopping carts and 16 Christmas from the creek near the garbage and car and truck tires from the creck’s ravine. The work, which took six hours, was a way tor the pair to kill time Monday and give back to a stream that has provided the odd trout for them. “We like to go fishing down th now and again and it was just kind of sad to see all the garhage down there,” said Tony, a 29-year-old employee at Jake and Elwood’s sports bar at Park Royal. Although they didn’t exactly enjoy the experience — “It was hor- rible, there was just rons of garbage down there” — the pair will contin- uc to clean creeks on Mondays before they go fishing, said v. They expect to tackle Mackay Creek ata point near Capilano Mall soon. On Monday, the cousins dragged all the garbage out of the Mosquito Creek ravine, put it in a pile and called the municipal garbage service, which hauled the garbage away. Tony said the pair do not fish Mosquito Creek often, but in the fall they find a few trout ‘around. Tony ssid he catches the k’s fish, which can weigh up to two pounds, with a hook and worm. NEWS photo Mike Wakefield MATT Bosco (left) and cousin Tany Bosco remove 14 shopping carts and other garbage from Mosquito Creek on Monday. They pian similar clean-ups for other creeks. Kiwanis needs upgrade funds From page 1 ities included, and at Lynn Manor, seniors pay $300 per month, utilities also included, ’ For seniors on welfare, a government subsidy allows them to pay only one-third of their monthly cheque, or about ‘$270, on rent. Basaraba appeared before council on Monday night asking councillors to stop Kiwanis from shutting down the apartments. “Ir’s home to 45 tenants over 65 who don’t want to leave the area,” Basaraba said. “Some have lived (in the area) all their liv Senior Ray Biainev has lived at the Kiwanis Apartments for 10 years and doesn't want to sither. He says he’s checked out the swanis Towers, but doesn’t like them because ou couldn't swing a cat by rhe tail without hit- ting a wall.” “Nobody i is building low-income housing,” Blainey told council. “Some are building them, but they're chicken coops. | don’ "r want to move, IT want to stay right where [| am.” The four-month-old Affordable Housing Task Force talked to many low-income renters and determined that it needed to pass on an urgent message to council: the city is losing its aftordable housing *Our concern ts that affordable housing will disappear before we have the opportunity to pre- sent our report te you mm) October,” said Maureen Gabriel She is one of nine volunteer members on the task force, which inchides chairman Coun. John Brairhwaite and the municipality's social and city planners. Closing down the 68 units at First: Street would mean a loss of 12.5% of affordable rental units in the city, Gabriel said. A third Kiwanis building on East First Street containing 29 units was burned down in a fire a year ago. Kiwanis director Bob Handel told council that Kiwanis guarantees that every senior will be relocated to one of its other buildings, with moving costs paid for by the group He added that the buildings are costing Kiwanis a lot of money to maintain because there has been a 40% vacancy rate since January. “We can’t rent them out because they're run- down and getting old,” Handel said. “Peop! don’t want to go in there partly because it’s not permanent.” Handel cold council that although Kiwanis will shut down its First. Street apartments by November, it is currently renovating its 125- hed intermediate care facility at Lynn Manor into 60 one-bedroom units, There a » 36 one- bedroom and 108) bachelof sui at Lynn Manor. Intermediate-care seniors from Lynn Manor will be moved into the newly-completed 192- bed multi-level care facility on Mount Sevmour Parkway. But to pay 8 million renova: tions at Lynn Manor, Kiwanis needs to sell its east First Street properties, Kiwanis wants to sell the land to “developers Ledingham McAllister, who intend to build 94 one-bedroom and 50 two-bedroom apartments on the First Street site. The units would not be buile to suit low: income renters, so Kiwanis mist get permission fram couneil to remove the covenant thar allows only low-income senior housing to be built at 371 East First St. “ttvou delay the sale of the First Street prop erty then we won't have the moacy to pay for the SE.S million renovation for f. anor,” Handel said. “You're putting us oat risk and seniors at risk by delaving the sale.” Handel said seniors are at risk because the buildings are old and not “fire-proof.” The Affordable Housing Task Force asked council to pass two resolution @ That the city place a moratorium on the elim- ination of any current non-market affordable housing units until the task force has presented its report to council; B® That the existing covenant on the property at 371 East First St. not be removed until the task force has presented its report to council. But council voted 5-2 against both prope Dispute hits NV seniors Robert Gaister News Reporter robert@usnews.com A labor dispute ata North Vancouver care home result- ed in its 70-member work- force staging a sit-in o ay. The job action was staged by Hospral Employees’ Union (HEU) members emploved at the 125-bed i a Manor long-term: care in. claim) management breached their contract when posting new staf schedules. wding to HEU spokesman Stephen Howard, the collective bar- gaining agreement benveen the nwo Sides cally tor consultation before schedule changes are announced. “We argue that any changes would have to be worked out by mutual agreement,” said Howard. “In our mind, it is another example of the real- lv shoddy management that exists in health care.” The sit-in lasted 26 hours. While all emplovees were back at work on “Tuesday, the nwo sides are no closer to agreement. Kiwanis Care Homes Led. ve director Mac Chappell was surprised by the union’s reaction, Sav ing a meeting to discuss the new sched- ules was planned for Thursday. “Their positon is very hard to understand. We've been meeting with them for more than nwo years,” said Chappell. “Pm at a loss to understand why due process wasn’t followed. At the heart of the disagreement is the union's assertion thatthe new agreement signed by both partic 1994 called for a 36-hour work week with an additional day off ¢ weeks for employees, who wor to nine-hour shifts That was a concession to the union in licu of a pay hike. Bur, said Howard, management is now reneging on the deal by introduc- ing shorter shifts which will eliminate the extra day off. “Iris going to have a real impact on the quality of care the residents will receive,” said Howard. The new schedules were to take effect when nwo Kiwanis care homes are amalgamated into a newly con- structed site in Blueridge The new 192-bed facility is s uled to open in April and will take resi- dents from the Kiwanis Lynn Manor home in North Vancouver and its West counterpart. Both will be closing this vear. “We'll actual! & employing about 40 new employees,” said Chappel The current collect ¢ bargaining agreement expires on March 31. Th two sides are negotiating a new con- act. The new Kiwanis facility will be operated by the North Shore Health NEWS photo Paul McGrath CHRIS Dorais and his fellow employees of North Vancouver's Kiwanis Lynn Manor staged a 26-hour sit-in at the facility Monday afternoon.