Deo ar EET Mother searches LD of remains not certain A WINNIPEG mother is not convinced the skeletal temuains . discovered) on Grouse Mountain in October are those of her son, William George Brown. By Anna Marie D'Angelo News Reporter If Brown is alive, he would be 52, Jean Smith said the coroner’ office has given her until today to : claim the remains for burial. The head and a leg are missing from “the skeleton. {f Smith does not claim the remains, # coroner’s office spokesman said the remains will be turned over to a public trustee for a funeral service and inter- “ment. The spokesman denied Smith's allegations that she was given an ullimatum to claim the remains. Said Smith, “Without a head, how can they do a positive identi- fication? I’m not accepting this.” - She said investigators told her the Head was likely taken by a bear. She questions why a tarpau- lin. over the body was not dis- turbed if an animal had made off with the head. According to the North Vancouver RCMP, Brown, a , Vancouver resident, was last seen alive in September 1980, when he was 38 years old. The bones on Grouse were “found 13 years later by hikers in a * cliff area on the south side of the mountain. ‘Police estimate the bones had been en the mountain * for about 12 years... » Police identified the remains through letters, clothing and-a ‘radio found nearby that belonged toBrown. But Smith said she was told the remains were of a “big man, tall; untike her son who was 5’5” (1.65 m) and weighed 148 Ibs (67 kg). A coroner spokesman ‘said that while the ‘remains cannot be posi- . tively identified, the identification . isthe best that can be made: ‘by investigators. ‘Sn an earlier News. report, North ‘Vancouver RCMP said the vac ' BR AUtOMOlive.... ees eS | WR Classified enn 6 Crosswotd wesscscccsserecene ee D fH Home & Garden. ES @@ Trevor Lautens... PTs for son, NEWS photo Mike Wakefield JEAN SMITH believes her missing son may still be alive, but human.remains recovered on Grouse Mountain earlier this year were identified by the police as being those of her son. . cause of death could not be deter- mined, but foul play was not sus- pected. A police spokesman said Brown was suffering from psy- chological problems at the time of his disappearance. Smith claims to have seen her son approximately six years ago at a downtown Vancouver bus depot, while she was travelling Index MailbOX ....cssscsecsetssseeseoensnernee News of the Weird ....:.....40 Gf Paul St. Pierre oD B What's Going One DS Zap see past on a bus. Said Smith, “I’ve got a gut feeling that he is still alive, but they just “vant to sweep every- thing undes the carpet.” Meanwhile Smith said she wants to offer a reward for any- one who can produce the missing ‘human head or a running: shoe belonging to the missing leg. Weather Saturday: mainly cloudy with a chance of showers high 15°C, low 9°C Canadian Publications Mail Sales Product Agreement Number 0087238 READERS VOICE _ CALL US: 983-2208 ————— Nona Wee aver West Vancouver Filtration plus ozone. It's time we expended the finances to do the job properly and bring up the standard of our drinking water, Tell us what your choice would be for a drinking water disinfectant and why Gary Small North Vancouver District 1 would appreciate the lack of more carcinogens in our drinking water. ICtO West Vancouver-Garibaldi seeks potential municipal money West Vancouver-Garibaldi MLA David Mitchell says he is surprised by the positive response he has received egarding his recent bid to have BC Ruil’s municipal property tax exemption elimi- nated. By Maureen Curtis Contributing Writer “The provincial government has indicated that it is willing to look :at the issue in the context of all Crown corporations paying their fair share of municipal property taxes,” said Mitchell. He introduced a March 28 pri- vale member’s bill to have BC Rail’s exemption removed. The exemption amounts io at least $6 million in lost revenues from communities along the rail lines throughout B.C., said Mitchell. ot He estimates that. West Vancouver lost out on $268,860.69 in potential municipal taxes last year, North Vancouver District lost $279, $20,286.24... BC Rail’s head office is in North Vancouver City. It pays a grant to the city in lieu of taxes. Mitchell based his estimate of lost taxes on assessed property val- ues, but warns that the assessments are old and conservative. “The actual taxation owing . these communities could be consid- erably higher,” said Mitchell. Although BC Rail’s exemption on property taxes has been an ongoing concern, and currently the subject of a campaign through the United British Columbia Munici- palities, the issue recently came to the forefront Properties began the process of developing unused easement in West Vancouver for sale as resi- dential property. Mitchell reported that the Minister of Finance, Elizabeth Cull, has expressed an interest in looking at his idea of abolishing the exemp- tion during this legislative Session, or the next. Even BC Rail Properties execu- tives agree that the issue should be addressed, Mitchell said. 216.43 and Lions Bay lost. when BC Rail , -DAVID MITCHELL Is confi- dent that the provincial gov- | ernment will look at Crown | corporation taxes, He seems certain that this i is.the.! time to cut BC Rail free from its. : privileged tax exemption,: which | was introduced:early in the century « when “the pioneer railway was.;- Struggling to open up the: province.” | « ‘ ‘ “This is no longer justified, ae said Mitchell. : He paints out that BC Rail is a i healthy Crown corporation that net- : ted a profit of $50 million last year. | BC Rail has expanded from the | rail service into shipping and, telecommunications,” Mitchell a noted. “There is no reason, as a Crown corporation, that they should have a competitive advantage (the tax exemption) that no other private company enjoys,” said Mitchell. Although private member’s bills are rarely adopted by governments, Mitchell has. had one adopted recently, and is optimistic about success with his tax exemption bill. In that event, he predicts that the government will want to negotiate with each individual community as to whether property taxes or grants- in-lieu of taxes would be paid by BC Rail. “T urge all municipalities to pre- ./ pare for this negotiation,” Mitchell THE GVRD is currently seeking public input on a choice for more disin- fectant in the drinking water. Should we add more chlorine stations along the water line; implement the less costly, but more environmentally dan- gerous chloramine option or go with the least cancer-related choice of using expensive, and perhaps impractical, ozone filtration? Elizabeth Virtue North Vancouver District } want the same as now with chlo- * . fine use. Chloramine kills fish; what’s it going to do to us? THIS WEEK’S QUESTION: Is the public being adequately informed about native land claims? June Vos West Vancouver . I prefer ozone treatment. Chloramine is totally unhealthy. I'm very concerned about (the hea ulth of} young children.