‘ Bus plan gassed By Myko Clark Contliuting Welter NO Blue Buses, North Vancouver Distdet fas shot down a plan to study an dutonomous — North Shore Transportation Conmmission that would allow the distdee to oper ate a system akin to West Vancouver's blue buses, A report submitted to counell, written by Coun, Brule Crist, also invited North Vancouver City to participate in the program, The report, lists consistent neglect by B.C. ‘Transit and the Greater Vancouver Regional District toward North Vancouver's transit problems as one of the main rea- sons for floating the idea, “They'ee taking our money and not giving. very much in return,” " said Crist, “The time has come for us on the North Shore to ‘set up our own transportation commission,” he said, In the report, Crist also claims. that the success of West ‘Vancouver's Blue Bus system “would “make the pursuit of this ‘endeavor highly desirable and practical.” But council, defeated’ the -motion this week, with only councillors Pat Munroe and Crist in favor, News Reporter dangel CONE. A new North Vancouver business is aimed at giving ‘parents peace of mind . _ through the view finder of . "ya secret pinhole camera. The business is called Nanny Monitor. For about $75 a day, Nanny’ Monitor owner Tom Scott will. install a tiny hidden camera in your , home in almosz anything, including’ ~ a facial tissue box, a smoke detector - ora VCR A nanny’s. or babysitter’s every move will be recorded by the hid- den camera from one to four days. The pinhole camera sends infor- mation through a wireless. transmit- ter ta commercial VCR. »-Seott dessn’t look at the videos - tape recordings. He turns them over to his cus- tomers for “interpretation.” “Tvs not to necessarily look for abuse so much, but to sce if the nariny is providing enough stirnula- tion and to sce if the way the nanny is disciplining. the child i is the way the parents’ want,” said Scott, 28. Scott, a financial analyst, had yet ~ to get any customers “when the News contacted him on the inau- gural week of his home-based busi- "ness. He first thought about starting Nanny Monitor after seeing televi- _ Sion reports heck secret video- taping of shoc nies in the U Angie Scnyal runs a nanny placement service in West Vancouver called Absolute Care Services, Senyal said she is not aware of secret videotaping of nannies in the ingly abusive nan- _ Vancouver area. " 41 think people who keep cam- eras wil] never be able to keep a nanny in the house. Senyal. “Even a good person will feel uneasy thinking there is an eye watching all the time,” said Senyal. ‘Dem Cera, who owns Vancouver based Angel “It’s like spying on them and not trusting,” said Nannies and Domestics Ltd., is less kind about the issue of hidden videotaping of nannies. “Well number one, it’s an invasion of privacy .. ‘There is a fine line there of what is right and what i is Street signs PEOPLE fiving at Hope and Garden in North Vancouver are fed up with speeding cars and high traffic volume through their neigh- borhood. They took the heat to the street on Monday. - Hidden‘eamera ; « setvice, offered NEWS phots Mike Weketield NANNY: ‘Monitor owner Tom Scott holds & tiny camera that can be hidden in a smoke detector or clock radio to make secret video recordings of nannies. ' i n . ‘By Anno Marie 0) Anna Maria D'Angelo wrong,” said Cera, who has been in business for about nine years and placed many nannies in jobs on the North Shore, He said that widespread secret videotaping of nannies would be destructive to business. Both Cera and Senyal said it employers properly screen nannies and | lay out detailed job deserip- tions, there shouldn’t be a need to secretly videotape them. Scott said that would-be employers could discuss hidden videotaping before a nanny or babysitter gets a job. Scott said it could be a condition of employ- ment. North Vancouver RCMP Const. ‘Tom Seaman said nannies have reasonable expectations to pri- vacy, And he said that employers should inform the nannies that there are hidden cameras in the - house. ; The West Coast Domestic Workers Association based in Vancouver does not have a specific “position as yei_ on hidden camera tapings of nannies. The association’s co-administra- tor, Tarel Quandt, said it is a new issue for the Vancouver area. Quandt said the association receives 150 calls a month, mostly complaints, about working condi- “tions from nannies and other domestic workers. The nanny comphints include receiving inadequate pay, being forced to work 12 to 14 hours a day, receiving na vacation or days off for statutory holidays, being harassed by employers and having “never-ending duties.” “There is a real problem out there with domestic workers not being treated well,” said Quandt. Quandt did not have available complaint figures from the large population of domestic workers employed on the North Shere. The domestic workers association receives its core funding from the Law Foundation of B.C. and has been operating for 10 years, The association provides free legal assistance for domestic workers. “EWS pot Cindy Goodmen | Eagle Harbour — beach | closed — By lan Noble Z ; News Reporter jan@nsnews.com HIGH fecal coliform counts are expected to - force municipal staff to close Eagle Harbour beach in West Vancouver. To the east, better counts mean Deep Cove’s Panorama teach, which was closed on Friday, should be open to swim- mers today. North Shore Health senior health officer Rick Kwan said Tuesday’s fecal coliform count of 208 in 1G) millilitres of water at Eagle Harour means that beach should be closed. ; “Irs not unusual,” he said. “The high counts are ‘because of heavy rainfall in the last couple of weeks ... particularly July the first up to July 10.” Kwan said lots of runoff and little current movement in Deep Cove and Eagle Harbour hike col- iform counts in those arcas. Both Panorama and Eagle Harbor beaches ave been closed numerous times over the past vo decades because of high coliform counts, Health Canada guidelines , for swimming cite a maximum of 200 fecal coliforms in 100 millil- itres of water. Deep Cove dipped below 200 Monday but Kwan waited for Tuesday’s 181 result to indicate an improving trend before giving the green light for the beach to open. He said fecal coliforms suggest fecal contamination in the water and indicate the presence of pathogens, which are didease-car- rying organisms,