NEWS photo Mike Wakefield

They’re here...

RCMP OFFICERS demonstrated the Multanova radar and camera unit in North Vancouver Tuesday. The
Swiss-made device snaps photographs of speeding cars. Police then mail speeding tickets to drivers caught by
the automatic speed trap. The device will be shared by several police jurisdictions and will be deployed from
time to time on the North Shore and along the Squamish Highway.

Missing teen skiers get
break on rescue cost bill

GROUSE MOUNTAIN
management has decided not
to bill six young skiers for
the estimated $7,500 cost in-
curred as a result of an all-
night search launched after
they skied out of bounds
Sunday night.

News Reporter

Management had considered the
move, but Grouse operations
manager Rick Temple said Tues-
day, “I think in this particular sit-
uation we'll forgo billing anybody.
It looks like the parents are
prepared to discipline their kids di-
rectly. One of them anyway has
certainly lost his skiing privileges
for the year.’’

Added Temple, ‘‘As far as di-
rectly billing anybody, the position
is such that if there were a total,
blatant disregard for our signage,
that’s when we’d take a real hard
stance on this. If we’ve actually
had to warn the people previously
and they got themselves in trouble

and it resulted in costs, we'd
definitely bil! them.’”

The six local youths, Tyson
Schroeter, 12, Paul Smith, 12, Jeff
Monk, 14, Todd Campbell, 13,
Michael Baker, 13, and Reza
Shahrestani, 13, were discovered
by the North Shore Rescue Team
in good shape early Monday morn-
ing.

The youths had travelled miles
away from the designated ski area,
ending up near Lynn Headwaters
Regional Park.

They claimed that they lost their
way in fog. But skies were clear
Sunday night and Monday morn-
ing.

Said Michael Baker’s father
Bruce MacFarlane, ‘‘The story
coming out from the boys is little
different than the claim that they

for the duration of the search.

“They naively weren't frighten-
ed,"’ he said. ‘*We tried to explain
the gravity of the situation because
it really hadn’t sunk in. They really
weren’t aware of what they had
caused.’’

Meanwhile North Shore Re«cue
Team (NSRT) spokesman |.oss
Peterson said his group has been
meeting with local mountain cper-
ators in a bid to develop a cxm-
mon policy covering the search for
out-of-bound skiers.

NSRT has been called to Grouse
several times this year and once to
Seymour. Searchers have yet to be
called to Cypress Bow! this year.

Said Peterson, who had 24
NSRT members on Grouse, ‘‘!t’s
tempting to speculate that last

RESCUE RULES NEEDED: SEE NEWS VIEWPOINT, PAGE 6

ran into some fog. Bottom line is
they did go out of buunds on pur-
pose. The fact that it’s out of
bounds to a 13-year-old is an in-
vitation to do it. However, he’H
face repercussions.’’

MacFarlane remained on Grouse

year’s well-publicized billing (at
Cypress) has had some deterrent
effect. We've been discussing
deterrent actions and education
programs with the managers of the
North Shore resorts. Hopefully it
will go somewhere.””

3 - Wednesday, March 14, 1996 - North Shore News

SkyTrain link
plan pleases
local mayors

WHILE THE idea of extending the SkyTrain rapid transit
system across Burrard Inlet to the North Shore has been
welcomed by all three North Shore mayors, they caution
that the move will not happen over night.

B.C. Transit is currently study-
ing plans to extend SkyTrain to
Coquitiam, and North Vancouver
District Mayor Marilyn Baker said
a link between the North Shore
should be considered for com-
muters who are going to areas
other than downtown Vancouver.

‘*} raised the question of
whether or not we could have a
link-up for people (from the North
Shore) who are not going
downtown,"’ said Baker, who add-
ed that she would like to see a
rapid transit link to the North
Shore rather than a third crossing
for vehicles.

But critics of a proposed North

Shore rapid transit link have
argued that the move would be too
expensive.

‘Everything is expensive when
you're talking about rapid tran-
sit,’’ said Baker. ‘‘But [ think the
question is can we afford not to do
in?’

West Vancouver District Mayor
Don Lanskail, who is also the
chairman of the Vancouver
Regional Transit Commission, said
he, too, liked the idea of a rapid
transit link to the North Shore.

“It’s certainly not going to hap-
pen over night,’’ said Lanskail.
“It’s a long-term idea. It’s a good
idea, absolutely.’’

But Lanskail said if there is go-
ing to be a third crossing built to
the North Shore, then the priority
should be placed on some kind of
a rapid transit link and not on a
third crossing for private vehicles.

North Vancouver City Mayor
Jack Loucks said it is important
for B.C. Transit to start planning
more rapid transit routes for the
future and added that a link to the
North Shore should be considered
now.

“I’m not going to hold my
veath waiting for it (North Shore
link) to take place,’’ said Loucks.
“B.C. Transit is looking to the
future, and I think that’s good.
The population on the North
Shore right now might not justify
it (SkyTrain link) but the popula-
tion is growing.’”’

But at least one North Shore
alderman is pushing for the con-
struction of a capid transit link to

DAVIS PUTS THE SQUEEZE ON ENVIRONMENTAL AGENCIES

MLA pushes for Cove Cliff School

NORTH Vancouver-Seymour
iz

MLA Jack Davis ...‘‘provi
environment is being a bit coy.”*

NORTH VANCOUVER-
Seymour MLA and Energy
Mines And Petroleum
Resources Minister Jack
Davis is attempting to
“‘stick-handle’’ his way
around federal and provin-
cial environmental agency
objections holding up con-
struction of a new Deep
Cove school to replace aging
facilities at Burrard View

Community School.

By MICHAEL BECKER

News Reporter

The $3.5-million Cov. Cliff
Elementary School construction
project could go to tender in April
if granted Ministry of Education
approval.

But environmental officials are
concerned that culverting a section
of Myrtle Creek to accommodate a
school playing field would com-
promise the fish-bearing integrity

of the creek.

But said Davis, ‘‘I’'m hoping to
convince all the authorities that
they approve the school and leave
the playground issue for resolution
over the next 12 months.’”

Davis has his eyes on a March 31
deadline, which is when capital
available prevince-wide for the
next year is allocated.

“The schools that don’t make
that short list have to wait another
year. So I’m trying to stick-handle
my way past that problem,’’ he
said.

Davis said Education Minister
Tony Brummet supports the con-
cept of going ahead with the
school and settling the question of

The province doesn’t like to ap-
prove something that the feds turn
down, so provincial environment is
being a bit coy. But I don’t really
expect a problem there. However,
in order to avoid the problem
totally, I’m trying to get the big 90
per cent, namely the school con-
struction, all cleared.”’

Davis argues that ‘‘a good part”
of Myrtle Creek is already
culverted.

And_-he said the immediate need
for a school playing field could be
met by using Myrtle Park, which is
upstream from the school site, and
by using a soccer field that is
located downstream from the
school site.

RESPONSES TO SCHOOL ISSUE: SEE LETTERS PAGES 6, 7

a playing field later.

But said Davis, a former en-
vironment minister, ‘*The parents’
battle is essentially with the en-
vironmentalists. The province is
fairly easy. Federal fisheries is sit-
ting there with an absolute veto.

The Cove Cliff Parent Commit-
tec and supporters of the new
school will take to the streets 8
a.m. tomorrow in an attempt to
draw attention to their cause.

The group will mect near Bur-
rard View School.

SURS RATE.
Report

the North Shore now.

North Vancouver District. Ald.
Ernie Crist said the North Shore
cannot wait 20 years for a rapid
transit connection.

Crist also said he was surprised
to hear Baker call for a North
Shore rapid transit link, saying she

NORTH Vancouver District
Mayor Marliyn Baker ...‘‘can we
afford not to do it?”

had opposed the idea at a Greater
Vancouver Regional District liv-
able region strategy meeting on
Saturday.

“ think now that we have a
commitment from Mayor Baker,
we should hold her to it,’’ said
Crist. ‘We should take them (B.C.
Transit) at their word. The
quickest possible SkyTrain exten-
sion to the North Shore should be
built. It’s a good idea, but we
don’t have 20-years’ time. We
should push for that now.’’

On Sunday, a Vancouver news-
paper reported that B.C. Transit is
studying a variety of SkyTrain ex-
tensions, including building a tun-
nel under Burrard Inlet. :

But on Monday, B.C. Transit
spokesman Diane Gendron told
the News that no SkyTrain exten-
sions will be considered until after
a SkyTrain connection to Rich-
mond is built in 1995.

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rain. Highs near 13°C.

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