Joy NEWS photo Mike Wakellold of giving THE MAGIC of Christmas lights up the faces of these three. and four-year-old children from Highlands Preschool. The youngsters recently held a Christmas sing-a-'g for their parents at Highlands Church where they donated goods to the food bank. 3 ~ Friday, December 18, 1987 ~ North Shore News ALLiINSON MOTORCYCLE DEATH INQUEST THE PRESIDING coroner over act! the inquest into the motorcycle death of 30-year-old Brian Allinson has come down hard on the way North Vancouver RCMP handled their investigation of the accident. Allinson died Aug. 4 after the Harley Davidson motorcycle he was driving collided with a Honda ear driven by 19-year-old Jon Millar at the intersection of Fourth Street and St. Andrews Ave. Allinson died of massive internal injuries hours later at Lions Gate Hospital. Said coroner Diane Messier: **The police investigation of this incideat leaves much to be desired. If not for the persistence of Brian’s father to attempt to locate persons who may have witnessed this inci- dent, the whole truth may not have been told.”’ Said Al Allinson, Brian’s father: “The problem is they didn’t check for any witnesses. What happened is a number of witnesses offered evidence to the officer at the scene, but the officer said it wasn’t neces- sary. ‘Basically, I dug up the witnesses by hammering on doors and wearing out shoe leather.’’ Information presented at the re- cent inquest by a consulting engineer with the firm MacInnis, Bigg Associates Ltd., investigating © the accident on behalf of ICBC to ICHAEL B News Reporter determine the speeds of the vehi- cles involved, determined the car failed to stop at the posted stop sign on St. Andrews Avenue. The engineer also substantiated that the motorcycle was travelling within the posted speed limit. Millar was originally issued a ticket for failing to yield the right of way after stopping for a stop sign. The five-member inquest jury recommended district Crown counsel Kerr Clark consider laying charges upon review of the inquest transcript. “If Crown counsel .comes up with another slap on the wrist like failing to yield, this is going to hit the fan again,’’ Allinson said. In an earlier News account, an independent engineer’s reconstruc- tion of the accident on behalf of the North Vancouver RCMP had put the the speed of the motorcycle at 25 to 30 m.p.h. and the speed of the car at 12 to 15 m.p.h. at point of impact. But Allinson said investigation on behaif of his iawyer, Jim McNeney, indicated Millar’s car was moving at approximately 50 m.p.h, and the bike at 20 to 25 m.p.h, “TY knew the car hadn't stopped at the sign. You could see by the skid marks how far the car travell- ed up St. Andrews before it came to a stop. How the officer didn’t determine that the car hadn’t stopped is beyond my comprehen- sion,”’ Allinson said. The jury also recommended that an RCMP officer in charge of operations should review traffic fatality investigation files for “quality and thoroughness.” In addition, the jury recom- mended the North Vancouver District engineering department remove foliage from trees near the southeast corner of the intersection of St. Andrews and 4th Street and ensure that all stop signs in the municipality are inspected for sim- ilar obstructions. Both Allinson and his dead son’s ex-wife are considering civil lawsuit action for damages under the Families Compensation Act. Said Kim St. Onge, mother of Brian Allinson’s six-year-old son Justin: ‘it’s been tough for Justin and even harder for my older son who was really close to Brian."" B. Cc. ROYAL COMMISSION GETS EARFUL ON STATE OF EDUCA TION /. Van resi PARENTS, TEACHERS and students of assorted politi- ‘cal, religious and educational viewpoirs came to West Vancouver Secondary School Monday night’ to tell the provincial Royal Commission ‘on Education touring the . province that they want change. . West Vancouver school board chairman Barbara Howard told the commission and the 45 people present that, ‘‘Schools, in addition to. their ~ -academic teaching: load, are increasingly expected to deal with the social and moral value needs of ’stu- dents.’*, Howard; speaking for herself, - said this resulted in. numerous problems, including teachers be- ing given tasks they are untrained for, and unreal demands being made with inadequate funding. ‘High school counsellor Craig Bassett, after listing two pages of duties’ associated with his work, ‘said more and more is being ex- pected from counsellors at a time when resources are decreasing and ‘students face increasing stresses and difficulties. “The last straw was the family life education program that was - dumped on us this year,’’ Bassett said. . “Bassett said teachers and counsellors were already too busy and the program cannot be en- tirely taught to students this year, particularly as it did not arrive at schools until November. ‘Sally Warner, West Vancouver Parents ‘Association repre- sentative,. said the government should not be funding private schools with public money, and ‘ ‘public school funding should be increased. She also said the 10 provincial ; governments and the federal ' government. should discuss ra- tionalizing core education pro- grams across Canada to assist education in a period of increas- ing family mobility, and teachers should be given incentives to upgrade their training. Christopher Brayshaw, a Co: representatives. “When we started way back when, [had this night in inind,’’ commissioner Barry Sullivan told the group of about 50 people, with representation from ad- ministrators, students, feminists, counsellors and francophones, in the William E. Lucas Centre. Don Peters, secondary school administrators’ representative, told the commission that although the administrators re- main proud of their system, the education ministry must stop altering course materials and programs at whim, and the bureaucrats choosing curriculum should be experts in their field. Peters said the education ministry’s failure to fiaise with teachers and the provincial poli- ticians’ insulting comments have hurt teacher morale in the pro- vince and adversely affected the quality of education... idents de Grade 12 Hillside Secondary stu- dent, told the commission that his computer course was too simple, his computer textbook contained many Americanisms irrelevant to a Canadian student, and students thought the recently implemented consumer education and new sex education courses were jokes. ‘(The Consumer Education course) assumes we're all eager little consumers eager to get. out there and buy something.’’ plaints heard in . ‘ . rf THE ROYAL Commission on Education commissioner returned to his home school district Tuesday night to hear many complaints and suggestions from North Vancouver By ROBERT BEYNON Contributing Writer “Wouldn't it be something to hear if the premier were heard to praise this school system,’’ Peters said. Marg Jessup, North Vancouver School Board chairman, told the audience that unreal expectations are being placed on the school system, while insufficient resources are allotted to it. “B.C, fares poorly compared to other provinces,’’ Jessup said, referring to per capita’ income expenditure on education, dropp- ing funding for education, and post-secondary enrolment rates in B.C. North Vancouver also pays more than its share for health services, such as innoculations, for students,. Jessup said. She said complaints about the consumer education course and the sexual education course across the pro- vince. relat Commissioner Barry Sullivan the commission received Brayshaw said students should be allowed to make up their own minds regarding issues such as evolution versus creationism, and be allowed to opt out of discus- sions religious reasons, including cre- ationism discussions. they disagree with for said North Vancouver pays 98.5 per Richmond pays Jess than 50 per cent of these costs. cent of these costs while Student counsellor, Ken Neale said considering that reporter cases of child abuse have increas- ed three-fold in the fast two years on the North Shore, the role and funding allotted for counsellors has to be re-examined. student He said if counsellors discuss child abuse with ‘students and’ receive disclosures, have follow-up services available to deal with this. ' they must “We look at an increasingly competitive society (with related stresses),"” Neale’ told the com- mission. Marie Bourgeois, representing students who study French as a first language, said the provincial government has to entrench the right to an education in French in the School Act. She said it is now a provincial policy to allow students to study in French where numbers permit, but it should be within the act cl titude Coates said. ‘‘But by Grade 12, only 17 per cent of girls take physics.’ Coates said once girls graduate, they lack employment opportunities without these skills. One speaker argued for .a prominent place in the classroom for Judeo-Christian beliefs. Two argued for increased emphasis on computers and another argued for more emphasis on: reading. Two parents of disabled students argued for more funding and a continuation of the mainstream- ing process of handicapped stu- dents into core classes. West Vancouver School Board is Presenting its own brief to the commission in a private meeting. liorth Van itself because. the right to an education in French is part of Canada’s Constitution. **Will we have to resort to the courts like they (francophones) have done in other provinces?” Bourgeois asked. Margaret Coates, the Women’s Economic Agenda Group. speaker, ministry had to take steps to en- courage girls to enter non-tradi- tional disciplines like the maths and sciences. said the education “They (girls) don’t lack ap- (according to tests),’’ Three ‘parents also spoke on the importance of providing special services. for handicapped students, and allowing them to interact within the school system. with other children The Royal Commission on’ Education is touring the pro-. vince receiving education input.