4- North Shore News - Friday, March 10, 2000 Betier service pushed Vehicle rammed in police chase From page 1 marijuana?*” said the Crown lawyer. The handcuffed people all felt “cold metal objects” against their heads although they did not see guns. Paradis drove the home invaders away in the van about five minutes later. Const. Dupuis caught up with him on Lynn’ Valley Road. Paradis did not pull over. On the on-ramp to the vpper Levels Highway a package of white powder was thrown out the van door that * went “puff and could not be analyzed. Also thrown out was a sledgehammer, a loaded sawed-off shotgun and an automatic assault rifle. The police constabie rammed the van with his cruiser shortly after the van tured right off the highway and onto Lonsdale Avenue. The van occupants ran. Dupuis followed the driver, Paradis, who, with another home invader, headed west. Paradis was arrested a short time later. The van belonging to Paradis was registered in his sister’s name for insurance purposes. It contained another loaded shotgun, a buliet- proof vest, a police scanner, two police-issue tactical vests used for body armour, two police-issue “nolice” ballcaps, four ski masks and a police- issue raid jacket. The Crown lawyer called for 3% years more in jail for the crimes. Sutherland noted there was sophistication and the crime was “obviously well thought out.” : “They were loaded guns... Why were they loaded if the intention. was to scare peo- ple?” said Sutherland. - He referred: to Paradis” criminal record. From 1995 to 1997 Paradis racked up - more than 10 convictions for _ theft, burglary and possessing stolen property. ~ ‘Paradis’ lawyer Donna Turko said her client had a drug habit at the time of the crime, She said Paradis was with a group of people, who knew some of the home’s occu- pants, The defence’ lawyzr said her client had taken several programs while in jail and had not taken drugs there. She. asked for the two years less a day in jail plus pro- bation, which the judge ‘granted. : . Both defence and Crown lawyers did not call the inci- dent a home invasion. But, said the judge, “You can’t invade people’s house. You can’t do it disguised as . police officers. You can’t do it “with guns.” - Paradis told the judge he “regretted what happened, but felt he was being “slammed” for the actions of others. He felt there were misrepresenta- tions in the case. : - Paradis asked for leniency and mercy. Seven of his eight children, aged 17 to 29, and his girlfriénd were in the courtrcom.. The judge placed Paradis on two years’ probation after his jail sentence. PEK Sat atta ree n REST From page 3 @ improving peak morning and after- noon traffic benveen West Vancouver and UBC. Ba pledge to install bike racks oi all buses and establish racks and lockers at TransLink stations such as Lonsdale Quay and = Phibbs Exchange. The lion's share of financing for the plan will come in the form of wo $9.25 per-zone transit hikes — the first to take effect this June, with another planned for 2003 — and a $75 per vehicle surtax slated for October 2001. The transit fare increase is expect- ed to cost the individual user an addi- tional $100 to $250 per vear. A park- ing rate increase of 14% in the down- town Vancouver area is also being touted as a means of mitigating the cost of the plan. North Vancouver City Mayor Barbara Sharp urged TransLink to take the necessary steps to alleviate the congestion at North Vancouver's Third Street bus depot. The facility was orginally designed to accommo- date 60 vehicles but is currently swelling with over 90. “We're supposed to get more buses but we don’t know where we're going to put them,” she said. “We've got to get that depot fixed once and for all. That is an absolute priority.” North Vancouver City Coun. Barbara Perrault concurred and said that the extra buses were having a negative impact on the surrounding neighbourhood. “These are not rich and powerful people. They have very modest L. : A ~ ‘ Patera wW BAAR EAN ECHO RETA homes and many of them are seniors ... the pollution there is at times quite unbearable.” Dobell acknowledged that there were problems with overcrowding at the faciliryy but could not say when they would be addressed. “The depot on the North Shore is a real problem but the question is how many (depots) can we do, and how fase.” A new transit depot has been pledged for the Burnaby/New Westminster arca by 2003 as part of the strategic plan and the finishing touches have recently been put on a new centre in Richmond. Of the seven transit operating cen- tres in the Lower Mainland, nvo are located on the North Shore. The other depot — in West Vancouver —- is underused, according to Leicester. Sharp also expressed concern that the plan did not provide for a new SeaBus or upgrades to be made to the twin ferries that currently shuttle commuters across the Burrard Inlet. She fears that the vessels — both two decades old — may be in danger of breaking down and further limiting transit options for North Shore com- muters. It was also suggested that the hours of operation for the SeaBus be extended to better accommodate traffic coming from the downtown area later in the evenings. The proposed transit hikes were also roundly criticized by the delega- tion. West Vancouver District Coun. Victor Durman said that the per-zone increase penalizes public transit users that travel to and from the North Shore. He also wondered why a trip on the SeaBus constituted a owo- zone fare when wavel between other areas of the city of equal or greater distance were classed as one-zone fares. “Strangely enough, it takes two zones to go from Park Royal to Denman or from the foot of Lonsdale to Vancouver,” he said, “but you can go all the way from Boundary to University on one zone.” North Vancouver Coun. Ernie Cnist District was also opposed to the proposed increases. “We're not talking about a very progressive solution,” he said. “It’s absolutely counter-productive. How do you encourage people to take public transit if you increase fares?” Coun. Perrault worried about the impact such a fare increase would have on !ew-income wage earners such as seniors and single parents in her municipality. “A fare increase will cause great hardship for many of these people because they’re totally dependent on the transit system,” she said. Other councillors also suggested scrapping the current zone fare sys- tem in favour of a more equitable, mileage-based fee that would level the field for commuters throughout the Lower Mainland. Dobell promised a major review of the fare structure system within the next year. The representatives also advised Bell not to press TransLink for a study of a third crossing option of the Burrard Inlet, at least until the indi- vidual councils had a further chance to study their options and make their own recommendations. Rubber ducks race for charity Erin Stringer Contributing Writer MAY the best duck win. The Rotary Clubs of the North Shore are gearing up for the 12th annual Duck Race, to be held Sunday at North Vancouver’s Capilano River. Twenty thousand rubber ducks will be racing for a good cause: North Shore Rescue, a search and rescue service run by volunteers. At just five dollars a duck, it’s a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon with the family, without breaking the bank. Or, pick up a “flock” of five ducks for 20 bucks, and be at the finish line to cheer them on. There are 10 prize packages to be won, including the grand prize of a ten day Caribbean Cruise for two. Trips to Disneyland and Whistler, a shopping spree worth $2,500 at Save-On Foods, and a diamond anniversary ting will also be given away to the lucky owners of the ducks crossing the finish line first. To get a duck for the March 12 race, visit Park Royal mall, Lynn Valley mall,: Capilano mall, or Save-On Foods, To charge a duck on your credit card, or to get more information about the race, call Joy Jones at 984-8333 and leave a mes- sage. Entertainment and food will kick-off the event at noon, and the ducks will race at 1 p.m. They will cross the finish line at the Capilano River at Park Royal, and the winning rubber ducks will be announced at 2 p.m. : ee ee ee ee Le ee “yj © includes caller. 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