NEWS photo Neil Lucente

THE HIGHWAY sign near the Caulfeild exit on the Upper Levels Highway was biown down during a
storm Thursday. High winds caused power outages throughout the North Shore, especially in
‘western areas of West Vancouver and Lions Bay.

Vv hit hard by wind storm

WEST VANCOUVER was
the hardest. hit North Shore
municipality by ©Thursday
night's wind storm. a

“By. Anna-Marie D’ Angelo
News Reporter os

Power was still out in some
areas. of the western part of the
: municipality on Friday morning.

'.., Gleneagles, Caulfeild and Eagle
:. Harbor were the hardest hit areas
. by power outages. : .
The West: Vancouver | Fire

_ Department YVR) received. 20

calls relating to fallen wires, trees
blown down and nonfunctioning
transformers.

‘Two areas on Marine Drive
were blocked with trees at
Gleneagles and Cranley drives,
said a WVFD spokesman.

WVYED ‘crews were out on Fri-
day clearing debris, said a WVFD
spokesman.

Some Rowen Island and Lions
Bay residents also had power
outages as a result of the storm.

. Lions Bay Elementary was

. closed on Friday, although power
“was restored during the morning.

Meanwhile in North Vancouver
District, fire crews responded to

TV City taxes set to

‘NORTH. VANCOUVER
* » City. taxes’ are projected to
increase’ by an. average -of
3%: next: year, based on fig-
ures in . the $57.1 million

“ provisional budget. adopted -

iby city: council on Monday.

NORTH VANCOUVER
~ CITY COUNCIL

cot by. Stephen Wisenthat

“Tt: is important that: taxpayers
know. that the ° city’s 1994 provi-
“sional budget is an ‘estimate only.
This’ year, like last “year, it is a
’ base .budget’ which does: not in-

‘elude any funding’ for new staff or
programs,
departments, boards and commis-

_ sions to function at the same
‘funding level as 1993,’" Mayor
Jack Loucks said in his inaugural
‘address,

“City council, sitting as the fi-
nance committee, will meet with

rs) Horoscopes
& Bob Hunter
£9 Inquiring Reporter

but. which’ will allow. .

~ staff and other groups to refine
- the budget i in time’ for final adop-

tion late in January.
The provisional budget projects

“tax revenues will rise to $19.3 mil-
lion in. 1994 from $18.7. million

this year.
Fines, fees, levies and grants

from other governments will bring

four calls of branches crossing
power lines on Thursday night and
Friday morning.

BC Hydro spokesman Verne
Prior said there were. circuit
outages in Deep Cove and in the

area of Riverside Drive, Seymour -

Boulevard and Grantham Piace.

Prior.said there were also ap-
proximately 12 local or isolated
outages on the North Shore.

He estimated North Shore resi-
dents were without
average of two hours.

In North Vancouver City, the
fire. department responded to one
call relating to an electrical prob-

: lem associated with the storm.

rise by 3%

in the rest of the revenue.

Administrative expenditure will...

be cut to $3.9 million from $4.8
million, while the cost of policing

. in the city is expected to edge up ©
‘from $5.9 million to $6 million.’

Just over $19 million of the
$57.1 million budget goes straight
to the school authority. :

wv youth charged j m theft

A. 14-YEAR- OLD. West Van-

couver youth has been charged:

- with = possession © of - stolen
property after a West, . Van-
couver bylaw officer .came
across three youths trying to fix
the flat tire of a pickup truck
at 17th Street and Fulton
Avenue on Tuesday.

The ‘officer ran a computer
check: ‘on the truck’s’ licence

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Lifestyles
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plate mumber and discovered
that the truck had been stolen
in Vancouver.

He subsequently told the trio -
that he had sent for a car to
come and help them change the ©

tire,

Instead, the West Vancouver
Police showed up with Rocky
the police dog and the youths
were taken into custody.-

Weather

Monday and Tuesday, rain. High,
9C, low 3°C.

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CALL US:

_in April.

power an

Sunday, December 12, 1993 - North Shore News ~ 3

ay at

Dying mother’s
wisia comes true
as son awarded

to NV family

Court decides in custody battle

THE 4%-YEAR-OLD son of a dying single mother
will live with a North Vancouver family following a
landmark child custody case in which a B.C. Supreme
Court judge rejected a bid by the boy’s birth father for

custody.

Benjamin Hess’ dying
mother Susan Hess was over-
joyed in hearing a_ ruling
Thursday ‘by Justice Peter
Lowry. The judge awarded full
custody to Louis and Beatrice
Szpak of North Vancouver and
dismissed the struggle of Ben-
jamin’s birth father, Nick
Newvine.

Veteran North Vancouver

' journalist Nicole Parton played

a role in bringing the two fam-
ilies together. ‘‘Nicole’s work is
a miracle, and this whole story
is a miracle,’’ Susan Hess said
Thursday.

Hess, 47, was diagnosed with
terminal bone’ marrow | cancer

year to live.’ At the time. Hess
was so weak she had trouble
standing. ‘‘My energy, hemo-
globin and blood oxygen was
so low, I could only make it to
the doctor by staggering from

. parking meter to parking meter:
and holding on to regain my:

strength.’’

Benjamin lived in "foster
homes, but his mother desper-
aiely. wanted to find him’ a
happy’ home, to give him the
life should could no longer

’ provide.

Enter Parton.

Parton responded to a

pleading letter Hess sent to_

various media outlets and gov-
ernment . officials. The’ letter
was titled ‘‘The Death of Singic
Working Mother’’ |
described Hess’ deteriorating
condition: over the 144 years
prior to the terminal diagnosis.

Hess wanted a home for her:
- youngest .child, and . Parton
‘took.up the challenge. Parton

no longer had a regular column
with the Vancouver Sun, but
she lobbied her editors... The

Hess story was published and .
the article resulted in over 200 -

responses in one day, including

calls from well-wishers, Hess’
‘ acquaintances and 60 families

who offered their homes.

. It was pure luck that Beatrice
Szpak sent a letter in. ‘‘We
never read the Sun, and I just
picked up a courtesy copy at
‘McDonald’s when | took my
(5%-year-old) son Alex-
ander for lunch,”
year-old ICBC marketing
coordinator recalls.

“1 talked it over with my
husband Louis that night, and
we decided to respond. Susan
phoned us herself one month
later.”

Hess screened the offers with
help from Ministry of Social
Services staff, and she inter-
viewed a dozen families she
short-listed.

Hess fell in love with the
Szpaks and their own. young
son. ‘‘Benjamin and Alexander

She was. given one.

and.

‘quickly.

the Szpaks,

the 32-

Brent Mudry
Contributing Writer

have great chemistry — they
really balance each other, and
love each other,”’ she said.

But the story took a: twist
just days before the Szpaks
took Benjamin into their home
on September 3. The boy’s fa-
ther Nick Newvine filed a couri
action to assert his ‘paternal ‘
rights and sought to gain
custody,

. “They hada romantic -rela-
tionship that ended before .
Benjamin was.born, and they™ $
never lived together. Susan had. °
custody, and she worked full-
time to support: him,’’ : Justice
Lowry stated. But the judge
noted that Newvine had always .
spent a‘ Ict. of time with. the

boy, and shared: in. the daily ;
‘care when’ his son was an in-

fant. --

The father later saw Ben-
jamin every weekend and one
night mid-week. ‘‘Benjamin
has a close and loving. rela-’
tionship with both of - his
parents, but sadly he now. faces
a tragedy in his’ young life,”
the judge noted. . .

‘In the last eight months che
has come to understand'that he ‘|
will soon lose his mother.”?

The four-day court hearing
ended Dec.3-.. Newvine, : a
successful systems designer: of:
computer software; : had his
personal life examinedin

‘minute detail, as the judge's”

duty isto decide only in the ©

best interests of the child.
Newvine has - two teenage |

sons from an earlier marriage... ;
Justice. Lowry ‘noted’ that

‘Newvine loved his son, but .ad-. |

ded that he had never had ‘sole
custody of any of his children.

-.A decision had to be: made.
After reviewing the
full evidence for one week, the -.}
judge awarded full custody: to
with reasonable
access to both Hess © and
Newvine, . ;

Benjamin Hess is returning
to his mother’s North Van-
couver roots.

She lived in North Van-
couver for 15 years when she
first immigrated from Califor-
nia in 1971,. She and her
former husband Peter Harris,
divorced
older sons.

“Pm so happy — ‘this i is such
a miracle, and full credit is also
due to lawyer John Noble, who
took on our case with great
heart on legal aid,’’ Hess said.

“We really feel for the fa-
ther, but we only want to offer
a suitable home and not take
anyone’s child away,’’ Beatrice
Szpak said.

983-2208 Do you want chloramine added to your drinking water?

in 1986, have two: |.-