North Shore might plug
into emergency system

A NEW. study has been launched to investigate the feasi- to the feasibility of a direct
bility of including the North Shore in a region-wide 911

mergency telephone system.

Initiated by ‘the Greater Van-
couver Regional District
; (GYRD), the study will focus on
“extending the emergency phone
‘service, now in Vancouver and
Richmond, to all - GVRD
_ municipalities. . ‘

GVRD.. spokesman “Bud Elsie.
said Wednesday . funds : for the
study were approved because re-
cent advances in technology have

made required telephone swit-
: ching equipment more
‘economically feasible.

Under . the 911 ‘system, the

three- -digit “number «connects
emergency callers to a single cen-
. tral; dispatch, thereby removing
,, the “need. for people to look up
police Or fire numbers.:

Elsie said the GVRD abandon- .

‘ed the idea of coordinating all
‘Lower. Mainland . communities

under the 911 system 18 months
ago in the face of unwieldy costs
and the mish-mash of systems in
the various municipalities.”

. ° It. was just-not practical, but
the. flexibiity and cost of the new
enchanced 911 systems have’ put

“the whole thing back in line with ©

hat! we were re looking at before,”

installation were. ‘difficult *
‘estimate because each system, was’
“unique. But: he ‘said.in. Toront
“ where-a comparable 91L.system

y z
the. recently closed Whytectiff Mering, Vancouver. Fish-On Services Ltd. has, launched a

ially’' sunk,

Marina has risen ;

couver marina:

“Colin Evans said

By TIMOTHY RENSHAW
News Reporter

was installed to service 2.4 mil-
lion residents and six com-
munities, initiation costs were
$1.5 million with annual costs of
$600,000 for the first 10 years.

In Seattle’s King County, a
system servicing 1.4 million resi-
dents cost $4 million to initiate’
and $2 million ‘per year for the
first five years.

With an estimated population
of 1,3 million in the GVRD, Elsie -
‘said the costs, based on those in
Toronto, ‘‘would be in line with
what we.have. But all com-

“munities! in the CVRD would

have to participate.”

Elsie said costs to the various
municipalities would be assessed |
on population. The North Shore,

he said, accounted for approx- .-

imately 12 per cent of the
GVRD's population.:

‘According to -B. Cc. Tel
spokesman Larraine Code, only

four B.C.:communities currently

“have 911 service.

Though installation of the ser-
vice is fairly complex, Code said ~
the major problem facing
“municipalities.was the coordina-

to. tion of fi ire, police and emergen

partments...“
“West :. Vancouve: re~ Chief -

79 study in-

Company ‘spokesman’ ‘Warren’? :
McIntyre said ‘the service, , which °
‘Began in late: April; is‘ more than

boat rentals and dockside ad-

oe “iy sa a fully ‘guided fishing. tour;
Ww :

It’s something that is Jong overdue
he.Van Suver area.’

Mclntyre, a ‘former Stuart Island.
fis! ing guide, said ‘demand for his -
company’s... service: _ has’ thus:, far?

been very positive:-

transfer emergency number
system was conducted by North
Shore police, fire and emergency
departments in conjunction with
B.C. Tel.

The.study found the system to

' be workable for the North Shore,

but was considered too expensive
by the various municipalities.
Cost was originally estimated at
$112,200, according to Evans.
‘Direct transfer, which:
“cheaper than a 911 ‘system," in
volves direct switching ‘of calls’ to.

“the appropriate emergency

department rather than funnell-
ing them through a central
dispatch.

Evans said a 911 system would

simplify emergency calling for.
the public, but.would not in-
crease response efficiency.
. “Really, it. would siow
response a bit, because right now'
when people call the fire number
they get us right away.”

Evans said West Vancouver
Fire Department would not’ be
oppased to the 911 system, “but
the total answer is to have the
system throughout B.C.- and,
ultimately, throughout the coun
try. We would, be all. for. ‘the 911:
. System, but it
“ based.”* .

If agra cement is reached among :
GYRD municipalities to par-
icipate in plugging into the 911
- system, Elsie said, it would take
between two and three years’ to
put tt the system into Place... ee

NEWS photo Terry Peters

one ‘of their company’s 17- Boston

“We. started because’ ‘local

business peoplé and residents want-

to take clients and visitors on tours
of local. fishing areas,’? McIntyre
said, ‘And we kept hearing from
people that professionally ‘guided
tours: were. available in. places like
Campbell River, .but not available

closer to Vancouver. There’s a lot

of good fishing around here. and:
“> the: school ‘district's ‘allocation. of

people like: to. show it. off to
visitors.’
Seo Tours
Page 5 >

$10 be broad: ||

3 °-'Friday, May 23, 1986 - North Shore News

Weather: |

Mainly cloudy, Friday.
Saturday, cloudy with
Showers. Highs near 18°C.

‘Eaitorial Page

INDEX

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Boug Collins. .

err

SS : oS

Expo Update ....
Lifestyles ..:..
Mailhox........:...7
Table Hopping ...

TV Listings..:.....

eon

HA NDICA PPED
PROGRAM —
CRIPPLED BY
GOV'T CUTS_

A SUMMER recreational program for severely, hiandicapped

”* Sponsored ‘by: ‘the ‘North ‘Shore .
Association. ‘for. ; the. Physically .
-, Handicapped; the: eight-week pro- |
gram - costs. $60,000 and would
have accommodated: 25 . local
children with severe handicaps.

‘yvocate for the- disabied, said the -
* funding - ‘cutback ‘means the ‘pro-

~~gram will only be able fo accom-

modate 10 children.
“We're desperate,”’ she said.

“These kids need | school 2"

onths a year. Two months off:in

The association» ‘applied fo

30,000 from the federal governm,
ent’s. Challenge .'86: job’. creation:
program, but was ‘told, this’ mont

it wills receive $10, 300. :

_FUNDING DOWN ; — °

The | program ‘also expected

another -$20,000- approximately, .

: from’ the North. Vancouver School
‘Board; which, Jast. year. paid for six
Special, needs

‘na! 'Smelovsky said the aeMinistry «
funds were allocated elsewhere and’

ae the hiring of the program’s teacher
“will come from the schoo! district's.
~ operating budget: ~

“It’s hard because there are so

many programs that need funding’

that
--prioritize,’’ said Smelovsky.

“sometimes we have. to
. “Pm looking into the allocation .

(of funds) now to see if the need

“was: greater somewhere else in: to’ light,:

Special Education.”
USEFUL PROGRAM

Chetty said, ‘the: -association’s
summer. ‘program is certainly «
useful,”” and’ she ‘willbe reviewing

Ministry. funds, ° 0 fo.
Rene de Vos, district manager’
‘forithe federal

government’ s°

:¢hildren.on the-North Shore will: be cut back i in size: e after: a
: decrease i in government’ funding.

Employment Development. Branch;

Said Challenge ’86 recently: chang-
- But Ruby:’ Schulstad,, an ad-:

ed its funding guidelines. oe
“The new thrust this year, in the

, region, is to approve projects. in

the’ private sector to a greater
_ degree,” he said.

‘The North ‘Shore ‘Association for.

: the: Physically Handicapped .is a

on-profit, -social “agency, ° which.
jas commited $7, 000 from its own
budget ‘towards the program. :
“Schulstad said the association is.
upset it'was not advised of the pol. .
icy. changé. until this" ‘month: a
[We're supposed. ‘tO try-and find «
these. monies - ‘ourselves, ° but. we’re-
‘running Zout of’ time. The. recruit-: ©

ment and training of. staff should -

happen i in June,” she said.
“PROVIDES Jous,

“Its an ‘essential. ‘program that :

really does give ‘jobs to 25 people.
These ‘little ‘tykes.-are so handi-
‘ capped that. one. staff member: has

year-old -son’ "John: will beone' of:
he 15: children’ ‘unable, to: -Attend -

id.

o6pPm afraid if he sits around at-
home all summer he cai lose’a lot ©
of: ground in‘ the. skills that he’s
- gained at school.”*’ os

Miachika said she lacks the nec-
essary. expertise that teachers have
in order ‘to’ help her son keep up:
this summer.

Miachika . said since the ‘gov-
“ernment’s funding ‘decrease carne
parents: tinvolved have
. ‘sought alternative funding sources.

She said this week ‘the associa-,.
tion, received assurances from ‘the’
Vancouver Foundation that it will |
contribute .$5,000,: and. from. the.
Lynn © Valley ° Lions Club - ‘which
promised to donate $1,000.. ;

She’ said if. people want to con-
. tribute they. can: contact ‘the North:
Shore Association: for the ee. :
“cally Handicapped at 985-5371. »