Stolen autos torched in N N. Shore hit with rash of car fires THE NORTH Vancouver RCMP are investigating a recent rash of car fires. By Michael Becker News Reporter Since Feb. 24, fovr vehicles, in- cluding a 1986 Ford Mzstang, a 1973 Mercedes and a 1981 Datsun pickup, have turned up burned up in North Vancouver. The police say the vehicles were reported stolen in other municipalities. Joy-riders are believed to be stealing the vehicles and then torching them. One vehicle was found aban- doned and burned in Lynn Can- yon Park and two were Iccated in the Emerson Way area. Most recently a 1989 Porsche 944, worth about $50,000, was recov- ered on Mt. Seymour Parkway near Riverside Drive. “As far as we can tell they’re not being stripped or vandalized before they are being burned. It looks as though they are just be- ing driven in the North Van- couver area and being burned,’’ said North Vancouver RCMP Cpl. Cari Busson. “We're looking into the possi- bility that they are connected. The possibility’ exists, but we haven't established anything to say that yet,” he added. The investigation is ongoing. Meanwhile, a Volvo 244 valued at $18,000 was found ablaze at about 3:30 a.m. April 21 in the Gleneagles golf course parking fot. West Vancouver Police are treating the incident as a case of mischief. And on May 2, the driver of a 1986 Chevy Scottsdale pickup truck awoke in his home just after 3 a.m. to find the vehicle on fire. Police are investigating the inci- dent, which occurred in the 4600-block of Woodridge Place, as an arson. A West Vancouver Police spokesman said the driver heard a ‘‘bang”’ before the truck ignited. The fire is believed to have origi- nated inside a canopy on the truck. A container of camping stove fuel was subsequently found in the back of the truck. Just afier midnight on May 8, a neighbor living near a home located in the 4000-block of Burkehill Road heard a ‘‘bang’’ and the sound of a vehicle speeding away. Smoke poured nom the garage cf a house near- ry. As they arrived at the scene, a crew of firefighters saw a vehicle leaving the area without its headlights on. The fire resulted in damages estimated at $65,000, destroying a 1981 Mercedes 380 SL and a Ford Mustang. The West Vancouver Police are investigating the incident as an ar- son. Motion to purchase idle Versatile land defeated NORTH VANCOUVER City aldermen have voted against a motion to in- vestigate buying the idle Versatile Pacific Shipyards Inc. property at the foot of Lonsdale Avenue. By Pamela Lang Contributing Writer Acquisition of the 18-acre waterfront site would be premature and would conflict with previously-stated city council poli- cy, council 1aembers said after Ald. Rod Clark introduced the motion to have the city’s land agent ‘‘develop options with respect to purchase of the Ver- satile lands at the foot of Lons- dale.” Clark then asked council to defer the motion so that the issue could be discussed at the strategic planning session schedvied for this month. But Aldermen Stella Jo Dean, Billi Bell and Barbara Perrault were against bringing the discus- sion to the table at the planning meeting. The three defeated the motion by splitting the vote 3-3. Ald. Barbara Sharp was absent fromthe May 6 meeting. “li is a very inopportune time to be talking about Versatile lands,” said Dean, adding that it would be premature to consider buying the lands without assessing their value. Dean said it was also premature to spend taxpayers’ money to evaluate tand that the owners might not want to sell. Bell echoed Dean's comments. And he also pointed out that the city recently passed a motion in support of maintaining the in- dustrial zoning for the Versatile a NORTH VANCOUVER CITY COUNCIL lands. Bell said the city would look ‘shameless,'* because it would be looking at buying the land at in- dustrial prices and then rezoning, and increasing the land’s value. “It’s time to get this away from the public’s eyes and Versatile’s ears,’’ Bell added. But Clark pointed out that Ver- satile had just lost another large contract. A story in the May 5 News reported that Versatile’s North Vancouver yard will not take part in the project to build a $120-million superferry for the B.C. Ferry Corp. Versatile had been awarded the contract for the project last September. “The rats have taken over,” Clark said. Clark added that acquisition of the land would present a unique opportunity for waterfront access through commercial, retail and light industrial development. Buying land, then rezoning it is common practice among devel- opers, Clark said. Why, he asked, can’t taxpayers take advantage by acquiring land they already own because of un- paid taxes? Ald. John Braithwaite, who was willing to take the issue to the strategic planning session, said the land may not stay industrial for- ever. But city Mayor Jack Loucks raised concerns over the erosion of the city’s industrial base. Pointing out that the land now occupied by the Lonsdale Quay was once all industrial, and that the city was involved in that de- velopment, Clark said, “I don’t see it as a conflict. We're missing a major oppoartunity.”’ Wednesday, May 15, 1991 - North Shore News - 3 wy or. Gh NEWS phote Cindy Goodman AN ARSON fire last week in the 4000-block of Burkehill Road, West Vancouver, destroyed a 1981 Mercedes 380 SL and a Ford Mustang. Bowen fast ferry service slowed Vancouver to Bowen Island ferry plans temporarily put on hold BOWEN Island’s elected officials have expressed a collec- tive sigh of relief after plans to begin a high-speed ferry service from Bowen Island Vancouver’s SeaBus terminal week. The ‘‘fast ferry’’ service was put on hold until at least mid- summer after the company pro- posing the service failed to get approval to use Snug Cove on Bowen Island to dock the ferry. Island Development Group president Stewart Vinnels said the company had everything in place to start the service by the gov- ernment-imposed deadline of May 21 but had to change its plans when the Bowen Island members of the Island’s Trust asked that several conditions be met before the company be allowed to use Snug Cove to unload or pick up passengers. But Vinnels said many of those conditions are simply not the company’s responsibility. “The trustees want us to solve all of Snug Cove’s problems, such as the parking situation, before they approve this proposal,’’ Vin- nels said. ‘‘What the public doesn’t realize is that our com- pany is a transportation company and not a land developer.”’ He said Island Development responded to a proposal call from the provincial government to pro- vide the high-speed service from the Sunshine Coast and Bowen Island to the Vancouver SeaBus terminal and said that’s exactly what it’s done. But Bowen Island GVRD direc- tor Ross Carter said the delay will give the community a_ better chance to prepare for the impact the high-speed passenger service will have on the island and give it time to determine if a fast ferry service will help solve its transpor- tation problems. “At the moment we are dealing with nothing more than anecdotal information on the new ferry’s and the Sunshine Coast to were temporarily shelved last By Barry Forward Contributing Writer impact on the island and we need more concrete information before we can accurately assess any &4 Once we get the go-ahead it will take the Jerry 75 days to get to BC # — IDG president Stewart Vinnels benefits of the high-speed ser- vice.”’ Bowen Island Trustee Dave Morgan said the real problem is a lack of public information about the project. He said numerous letters were sent to the Island Development Group asking for information about the proposal but they were never answered. “We received our first phone call from Stewart Vinnels May 7 after repeated attempts to contact him, and even then most of our questions were left unanswered,” Morgan said. “Bowen Island residents have BOWEN ISLAND had no chance to have any input into this proposal and most people are extremely annoyed with the way it has been handled.” But Vinnels said his company is concerned about the negative publicity the project has reccived since it was awarded to Island Development in March. “Once the trustees clear the way for the use of Snug Cove we would like to hold public infor- mation sessions on Bowen Island, similar to the ones we have ai- ready held in Gibsons and in Sechelt,”’ said Vinnels. In an interview last Wednesday, Vinnels outlined some of the details of the proposal. He said the ferry will cost $7.65 one-way from Gibsons and $5.65 one-way from Bowen Island, in- cluding GST when tickets are bought in books of 10. The trip into Vancouver, Vin- nels said, will take approximately 44 minutes from Gibsons and 26 minutes from Bowen Island and leave from Gibsons before stcp- ping on Bowen every two hours beginning at 6 a.m. He added that the service wiil also accommodate residents who want to return to the island late at night, with the last trip back to Bowen and the Sunshine Coast tentatively set to leave the SeaBus terminal at 11 p.m. The 352-passenger waterjet- powered catamaran that Island Development plans to use for the service is currently in Norway and will sail to the West Coast as soon as the dispute over the use of Snug Cove is resolved. “Once we get the go-ahead it will take the ferry 75 days to get to B.C.,’’ Vinnels said. This means that even if the use oi Snug Cove is agreed to within the next few weeks it could be late-summer before the ferry ser- vice is in operation. The ferry will also have to undergo lengthy sea trials and cer- tification once it arrives, W§ Budge: Beaters......... 46 @ Business .............. 41 @ Classified Ads.......... 48 fa Comics ............0.. 48 § North Shore Now ...... 17 M@ Dr. Ruth.............. 44 MSports 00.0... 13 MATV Listings ........... 36 @ What's Going On ...... 45 WZap.............000.. 341 Second Class Registration Number 3885 Weather Thursday periods of rain, Friday, sunny with cloudy periods, highs 18°C, lows 7°C.