NEWS photo Cindy Goodman

Name .... Sophia
Ag 19
Hobbies.........haskethali, skiing,
baseball, computers
Music.................Hip hop, dance
likes..poodies Dislikes. snakes
Future plans: .... medidne

City examines
process for
liquor licences

By Oeana Lancaster

Conn thuting Writer
THE knock at the door
wert signal an attempt
to sell you vacuum
cleaners, encyclopedi
chocolate-covered nuts
or your ultimate salva-
tion.

Instead. ob North Vancouver
City Counal so decides, that
future canvasser will be asking
for an opinios ona pub appli:
cation a veur neighborhood,

The pr bility of a rerurn to
the = doorsa door survey
approach arose ata policy com
mittee meeting fate last
Monday night in council cham
bers.

The meeting was held to
garner the public's comments
about forcing liquor licence
applicants to hold a) “public
open house,” which would
intorm neighboring resident
businesses about the applica-
tion before it moves to. the
public hearing stage.

“Pm uncomtortabie with
this idea of an open hase,”
Lonsdale Citizens’ Association
chairman Jim) Ramsay told
council.

But his discomfort stems
from the current process.

The city uses a public hear-
ing to gather community input
about an application that

requires a change in land use.
Fora hquor licence to be grant:
ed fother than one fora dining
tounge, the site must be
resoned.

Bet for a pub application,
the process. even Hf combined
with a public open house. ts
considered by many to) be
tlawed.

“Ino a pubhe meeting or
heanng, only the people thar
have the time a7 are comtort
able with public speaking are
heard.” sant 3 Ricdiinger,
president of Savor Hagar’s
Pub. "Most people are not
comfortable with public display
of ther thoughts.”

Other disadvantages men
uoned included:

@othat «hearing

residents cnough natin
or OPPOCLUNTy te ENPESSS
theniselves:

Mthat hearings can be stacked
be either Proponents OF Oppo-
nents ef the ay

The issue landed on the
agenda because of the contro:
versial licensing process for
Nick's: Place, a) restaurant: in
Lower Lonsdale secking 2
change in its hquor licenc

After seven) years which
included a neighborhood sur-

was deemed “tlawed”

sittings of a public

hearing, the Nick's Place sppli-

cation is now being considered

by the Liquer Control and
Licensing Bran

“That Vay situation was
horrible,” un. John
Braittrvaite said, referring to
the owner of Nick's Place, Nick
Vavaris. “And we were pretty
heavily involved in it unfornu-
nately.”

Friaay, February 28. 1997 — North Shore News — 11

considered

Many of the speakers fast
week inchided logal pub own
ers who'd been drawn into the
trav surrounding, Nick’s Place.

Herold counend they'd like
teosee oa more thorough
method tor approval. All were
i favor oat an eqparided
process, including ember a
door-to-door survey of a reter
eran.

Ar this weeks meeting
council agreed unanimously to
refer the Matter back to staff tor
a-report, asking that the com
menis regarding the ret
dum process be en mio
acount,

“Mon. 9306
“Thes-Fri. 330-9
Sat & Sun. 10S: 30

aa 43 3 Bellevue .
' West Vancouver
(Bellevue Landing)

926-4345.

“In a public meet-
ing or hearing,
only the people

that have the time

re comfortable
with public speak-
ing are heard.

— Allan Riedlinger,
president of Sailor
Hagar’s Pub.

we are now. open
“a week’ & evening