Funding call unanswered WHILE EVERYONE uegrees the safety of — North Vancouver's children is a lop priority, neither the school board nor the municipalities involved are able to agree on who will fund the area’s 18- member adult crossing guard program. By Robert Galster and Martin Millerchip To date the program has been funded by the North Vancouver School District. Following budget cutbacks by the province, it’s scheduled to be axed on Jan. 31. - On Monday, a delegation from the school district appeared before North Vancouver City council requesting $35,000 to maintain the program until the conclusion of the 1996 school year in June. A similar delegation appeared before North Vancouver District council three weeks earlier asking for a $70,000 contribution to cover the 12 cross- ing guards employed there. “The Ministry of Education does not provide funds in its oper- ating grant to the school district for this program and the school district has no mechanismis available to it. other than referendum, to increase its revenue,” said Assistant to the Superintendent of Schools Keith Denley in his presentation to the city. He added that referendums are limited to new programs. Most city councillors stated that it is up to the province to fund school programs including crossing, guards. Several also chastised the school board for not seeking a solu- tion until a mere three weeks’ fund- ing remained. Coun. Bill Bell accused the school district of “trying to get the parents mad at the municipality. “This is ridiculous, leaving it till the last hours — it’s almost black- mail,” said Bell. The reaction to the request was not much different in the district. Coun. Don Bell, a former school trustee, described the recent cuts in the school board’s budget as “‘dra- matic, drastic and catastrophic.” But he added that, “just because the schoo! board budget has been cut, they cannot expect another juris- diction to pick up the shortfall.” Both councils ended up express- ing their displeasure with the schoo! board’s request adding that there is simply no moncy in either ‘of their budgets for the program. They now await the results of a stakeholder committee studying the situation. Caught in the crossfire of the administrative volleys lobbed between the two jurisdictions are parents and their children. Said Alan Lofthoust, an East 5th Street resident who has two chil- dren who attend Ridgeway Elementary, “The bottom line is you can’t sacrifice one life... iUs priceless,” said Lofthoust. “There is no way you can puta value ona _child’s life.” BARNEY THE horse took in the view as he got a ride up Grouse Mountain last week. Barney, shown with Alison Gavine of AAA Horse and Carriage Rides, pulls sleighs on the mountain. News scoops four awards for excellence in journalism SUBURBAN NEWSPAPERS of America (SNA) recently rec- ognized the North Shore News for excellence in photography and writing in its 1995 newspa- per awards competition. The News placed first and second in the competition’s Best Sports Photojournalism category. Photogra- phy department manager Terry Peters took first place with Smashing Finish, a shot of a man breaking a stack of bricks in) a demonstration of Taekwondo. News = photographer — Brad Ledwidge won second place in the category with Bootin’ IBM, a dynam- ic shot of rugby action in North Vancouver. In addition, News photographer Cindy Goodman placed second in the Best Feature Photo Story or Series The Grouse grind a . baer rey NEWS PHOTOGRAPHY man- ager Terry Peters (left) and pho- tographers Cindy Goodman and Brad Ledwidge recently picked up first- and second- place honors in various SNA competitive categories. Peters’ photo is shown (right). category with Face Wash, a photo of kids at play in snow, Said Peters, “It's always nice to win an award in the contest, but it's the day- to-day pictures in the paper that really count.” , The News also received a second-place honor in the Best Environmental Coverage category. Written by contributing writer Greg Felton, the July 1994 News series delved into issues surrounding Vancouver's sometimes murky drinking water, The Chicago-based SNA competition attracted entrants from throughout Canada and the United States, lost hikers found FOUR HIKERS ure warm and dry after search and rescue teams found them about 10 kilo- metres (6.2 miles) north of Lions Bay early Monday moming. By Richard Ostler Contributing Writer Rob McDonnell, 23. Wendy Christensen, 21. Brandee Ridout, 2. and Winnipeg Blue Bombers football player Shaun Graham. 23, were res- cued by Lions Bay Search and Rescue after spending the day hiking up trails at Deeks Creek. All four ure Richmond residents. “We were prepared.” said Rob McDonnell from the comfort of his home in Richmond. “I actually teach wilderness survival at Camp Artaban.” McDonnell placed the blame for he and the other three hikers getting jost on a hiking book. which he said gave outdated information about the trails. He said the trail has changed and the book is peorly marked. A search team was sent out at && One of the first questions they wanted to know was how much was this going to cost them. BF — Owen James, Lions Bay Search and Rescue ‘ about 9 p.m. after McDonnell's father. concerned that the. hikers had not returned home. called RCMP. Squamish RCMP Const. Rob Pearson said the four were all experi- enced hikers. “They had given out a detailed map of where they were going and where the cur had been parked." he said. Although the weather was poor and the hikers did not have proper clothes for the mild evening, they returned relatively unscathed, “They were wet-and cold but they were otherwise unharmed,” said Owen James. spokesman for Lions Bay Search and Rescue. The hikers were found by res- cuers about an hour's walking dis- tance from the Sea-to-Sky. Highway. but because of the creek nearby, the hikers had difficulty hearing the res- cuers. Fortunately, one of the hikers had a whistle. “The key was the whistle and that they were smart enough not to trv and travel in the dark or one of them for sure would hav. gone over the Clif Hames said. Although their flashlight did not work, the hikers were carrying a space blanket which helped keep them warn, James said about 70% of hikers get lost in the dark. “H's the same: situation we fre- quently run into this time of year. People head up for a four-hour hike and they see no point in taking a flashlight because they intend to go up and down in the daylight” Squamish RCMP and 16 velun- teers from Lions Bay Search and Rescue were involved in the four- hour rescue but the hikers won't be billed for the rescue. “One of the first questions they wanted fo know was how much was this going to cost then,” James said. a