THE VGICK OF NORTH AND zat January 26, 1992 52 pages T VAR ae Safety task force calls for action on drinking divers THE LYNN Canyon safety task force wants a_ police crackdown on drinking divers in the Lynn Canyon area. Task force members met with a group of Grade II Argyle Sec- ondary students Tuesday to gather input on possible measures to reduce the nurnber of deaths and injuries in Lynn Canyor. Last year the canyon claimed the lives of three young people: @on Aug. 22, -year-old Thomas Lee of Coquitlam and 17-year-old Sung Un Yon of Burnaby died at Third Falls pool; @ on June 27, a 20-year-old Sur- rey man, Michael Donald Sokolowski, drowned near 30- foot pool after attempting to cross the creek. A popular summer spot for cliff-divers and ‘risk-takers,’’ the canyon has been the focus of discussion for a nine-member task force headed by North Vancouver District Ald. Jim Cuthbert since the fall cf last year. Among !0 recommendations made is a suggestion that North Vancouver RCMP conduct regular patrols, May through September, in the high-use areas of Lynn Canyon Park. To further reduce the intake of alcchol and drugs in the area, the task force recommends that police conduct ‘well-publicized, high- profile saturation checks for alcohol and drugs as required.’” Said North Vancouver RCMP insp. Peter Wlodarczak, “In real- ity we probably don’t nave the manpower. As it works Gut we are tapped to the limit of our resources. But we have the re- sponsibility to ensure that public places are safe to the general public. “‘So what we are going to try to do, as best we can, is have patrols go down there on a regular basis during the summer and try and curb some of the things that are going on.” Police also plan to ‘‘concentrate on the traffic going in and out of the area on weekends.”’ By Michael Becker News Reporter Other task force recommenda- tions include; @the placement of graphic traithead signs to highlight canyon hazards and encourage safe and informed use of the park; @ the placement of ‘‘no alcohol permitted" signs; @ extension of chain link cing and modification of some trails. Task force member and North Vancouver District. Fire Depart- ment assistant chief. Gary Calder would like to see safety recom- mendations implemented prior to the ‘trisk season’’ -~ typically June through August in the local canyon, But on Tuesday, Argyle stu- dents grappled with the problem. Although the majority of those ed or killed in the canyon come from communities outside of the North Shore, Calder said the task force wanted to hear from the Lyna Valley students because of their age and proximity to the canyon. Said Calder of some of the ideas that resulted from the discussion, ‘*For example the kids mentioned something about radio commercials. And the suggestion was made that a person who was a park ranger, who also had some lifeguard background, could be stationed in the risk areas.’’ North Vancouver District Fire Department statistics show that 50 of 64 canyon rescues involving in- jury or death in last five years were performed in June, July or August between the hours of noon and 6 p.m. Thirty-five of the incidents in- volved people who were not North Shore residents — the majority were from the Luwer Mainland. Eleven incidents involved North Shore residents. The majority of injuries and deaths involved people swimming or diving in the canyon or people who wandered beyond protective See Use page 5 SR a TE EO a Index @ Comics ....... .33 8 Family Affairs . @ Fashion @ High Tech @ Horoscopes @@ Lifestyles @ Miss Manners . @ Travel . sees Hi Vintage Years . Weather Monday and Tuesday, rain. Highs 9"C, lows 3'C. Second Class Registration Number 3885 OUYER Wardrobes that lead double lives Fashion: 14 Distribution 986-1337 1 NEWS photo Nel! Lucente DENBY PROKOSH, a student with the Sentinel Work Activity Program (SWAP) in West Van- couver, pregares to put a handful of chum salmon eggs into an incubator box at a small hatchery SWAP students are operating in West Vancouver. A total of 75,000 eggs were brought in from a hatchery in Squamish. Once the eggs hatch, they will remain in the in- cubator boxes until they mature before they are released into nearby creeks. The program is supported by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, West Vancouver District, the West Vancouver District 45 School Board and the Coho Festivai Society.