SQUAMISH HIGHWAY CONNECTOR NILA Davi NORTH VANCOUDVER-Seymour MLA Jack Davis has blasted renewed recommendations to put a Squamish high- way connector through the Capilano watershed, and is in- stead advocating construction of a Squamish-Vancouver road link along the east side of Indian Arm. The provincial energy minister said Tuesday the Czpilano route, the environmenta! complications of constructing a four-lane highway through a major watershed area, would require ma- apart from jor highway right-of-way through North Vancouver and place ever- greater traffic pressure on North Shore transportation systems. On the other hand, Davis said, the Indian Arm route would be shorter, it would avoid construc- tion through any watersheds and heavily built-up urban areas, and it would reduce pressure on the two already-congested Burrard Inlet bridges by drawing traffic directly from the rapidly growing eastern Lower Mainland. : Davis said the Port Moody-to- Brackendale route, which has al- ready been substantially studied as one of the alternatives for the Vancouver Island natural gas pipeline, would also provide the first leg of a central B.C. highway that could eventually be pushed through to Prince George. The Indian Arm route was in- cluded in a provincial government study of alternative Squamish highways done in the early ’89s. It would run almost directly north By TIMOTHY RENSHAW and JOHN IFER from the em of Indian Arm to Brackendale, j..st past Squamish. While he .onceded that the NORTH VAN-SEYMOUR MLA Jack Davis ... Indisn Arm route less environmentally damaging than proposed Capilano watershed route. highway would be extremely ex- pensive toe construct, Davis said it would be more pract.cal than widening Highway 99 -o four North Shore Studios opens with style “IT’S LIKE Universal Stu- dios without Jaws,’’ said one passerby. ; By EVELYN JACOZD News Reporter And while that may be some- what of an exaggeration, the hay bales, horses, country music, Tex- as-size barbecue, bronzed movie stars, limousines and a replica “Main street’? made the opening of Canada’s lergest film studio this weekend an event of Hollywood proportions. And co-owner Stephen J. Can- nell, 48, toid the North Shore News that the $25 million North Shore Studios outdoes its Ameri- can counterparts. “This thing is prettier than any Holiywood studio,’’ he said. On Saturday, Sept. 9, a select gathering of VIPs got the first glimpse of the completed studios, which includes seven hangar-size sound siages; a city street complete with courthouse, movie theatre, Business .............. 43 Classified Ads..........48 Comics...............-42 Dr. Ruth...............40 pharmacy and a residential and commercial brownstone district; 100,000 square feet of office space; and a comprehensive range of ser- vices including pre-production (script writing, wardrobe design, set construction, casting services), preduction and post-production (editing and sound dubbing); equipment rentals; restaurants; and catering. The studio took 2% years to build, and this weekend marked the realization of Cannell’s long- heid dream. ‘It’s really exciting for me,’’ said an elated Cannell. ‘‘My origi- nal goal when I started in show business was to do seme writing. Now to have this studio is beyond my wildest Greams.’’ Cannell’s four television series :— 21 Jump Street, Wiseguy, and the two new series Top of the Hill and Booker — are now filming in the shiny new studios, located at 555 Brooksbank Avenue in North Vancouver. Cannell Films takes up only 30 per cent of the place; the Editorial Page.......... 6 Food. ... 02.20.0000 4B Bob Hunter............ 4 Lifestyles..............39 Mailbox............... 7 Second Class Registration Number 3885 North Shore Now.......21 Sports ..........-.26.. 13 TV Listings............32 What's Going On........41 s favors In Arm highway a lanes, which would cost an estimated $400 million; and less environmentally damaging than the proposed Capilano watershed route, which would only run from North Vancouver to Furry Creek, just south of Britannia Beach. Davis’s comments follow the relzase of a report from a govern- ment-appointed committee that recommends upgrading the entire Squamish highway to four lanes, or building a new route through the Capilano watershed. The committee called for an immediate million-dollar study to decide which option should be pursued. Its 80-page report calls Highway 99 south of Whistler ‘‘a bottleneck for the whole devslopment...of the area.”” The review pushes for immediate work ‘‘to improve the capacity and safety of the route from Van- couver through to Whistier, Pemberton and Lillooet.’’ In a Sept. 10 News story a group of North Shore doctors called for 2 100 per cent increase in the number of police patrolling the highway to help cut the escalating fatalities and injuries resulting from vehicle-related accidents on the road. The transportation committee from Squamiish-Lillooet Regional District also recommended: *helicopter landing pads Whistler and Squamish; at *completion of Pemberton Airport, including passenger and cargo técminals; *a multi-use marine terminal at Squamish; © peblic access for people and ...the Indian Arm route would be Shorter, it would avoid construction through any watersheds and heavily built-up areas, -and...reduce pressure on the iwo already- congesied Burrard Inlet bridges.... vehicles to Britannia Beach water- side; *widening of Highway 99 througn Whistler as one of 22 road projects; An $81 million project to pave the Duffey Lake Road between Mount Currie and Lillooet was given the highest priority after the Capilano route study. It would complete a circle route ‘terhé 3 - Wednesday, September 13, 198% - North Shore News an tive from Howe Sound through Whistler to Lilloovt, back through Lytton, the Fraser Canyon and Hope to Vancouver. Few cost estimates were included in the report, but the cost for only half of the 22 highway projects is estimated at more than $145 mil- lion. Continued steady population growth is expected at all major centres along the route, the review states, as is a continuation of Whistler’s economic boom. The ski resort, which attracted over 1.2 million visitors last year, has received more than $290 mil- lion in investment in the past two years. The regional planning committee is one of six in the Lower Mainland — based on the existing regional districts —- set up to outline to the government short- term (five years) and long-term (10 years) plans for transportation. The west coast committee in- cluded the mayors of Pemberton, Squamish district, Whistler and Lillooet. In its conclusion, the committee said Whistler, Pemberton and Lillooet ‘‘are prime tourist attrac- tions, yet their ability to attract is limited by the constraints of the existing Highway 99.’’ If that can be improved to allow adequate capacity to serve the area, ‘“‘the potential of (these) areas is unlimited.”’ rest is up for rent to other movie and television production com- panies. William F. White Ltd., Clair- mont Cameras and .i&Z Caterers currently use the studio as their home base. Cannell’s partner is 32-year-old Canadian Pau! Bronfman, presi- dent of the Toronto-based Com- web Corp, which specializes in production, distribution and mar- keting of film, television and video products. Comweb holds just under 50 per cent of the studio’s shares. **The studio was a shared vision between myself and Bronfman,”’ said Cannell. ‘‘He’s been a huge help to us.” Cannell’s head of operations, Stephen Brain, 35, is the man responsible for building North Shore Studios. Brain has worked on the project, flying back and forth from Hollywood, since December 1986. Canneli also credited the pro- vincial government, which provid- ed the studio with a $4.3 million loan to help with construction costs. ‘‘We’ve had lots of help a Wednesday, sunny. High 22°C. Thursday and Friday, mainly sunny. Highs hetween 20 to 22°C. NEWS photo Torry Peters STEPHEN J. CANNELL, the Hollywood whiz who brought us 21 Jump Street and Wiseguy, throws up his arms in glee at the biggest bash of his life this weekend. Cannel!’s $25 million North Shore Studios opened its doors for the first time with tours, dinner and dancing and a western barbecue. The studio is the largest of its kind in Canada. from the political forces of B.C. and we’re very thankful for that,’’ he said. So far, Cannell is the only American to invest such a major commitment in B.C.’s film com- munity. North Shore Studios ex- ecutives say the studio will bolster Vancouver’s movie industry, and Cannell affirmed this sentiment. “Vm not clairvoyant, but i think the studio will make a big impact on the local film communi- ty and will lure busixess from Toronto and the U.S.”