NESDAY March 29, 1995 inside the news sae id a fi Bumbles daliverz on the buzz: . 22 # Rice an‘essential of ‘: internat’! cuisine: 41 a Classifieds... v4 Business.........0.0....000. 38 an OB Bs COMIN. eeeceneneinen T & Crossword..........00.0..49 \ fi Day in Court 14 & Fashion... i Inside Stories............19 a insighte...... en) @ Mailbox................. G News Briefs... cn5 i N. Shore Alort. ® Sunshine Girl... a Ty Listings... 30 @ What's Going On....... 17 BWI ght ones vecimnnnnn B ports sports @ Cycling star Sydor ‘continues climb: @ Caps throe-peat es ‘tugby champs: 18 - Sizzler _ Stoak + Seafood - Salad 14 “TWO DURE FOR 10.98. © 2DAKOTA RANCH STEAKS en: NEWS photo Mike Wakefield Blazing boards FLAMES FLY.as martial arts expert Richard Farraci tries to break 179 fiery boards in.78 seconds at Capifano College. He accomplished his task ahead of schedule but stations holding the boards fel!. He promises a record-breaking attempt soon. AS EXPECTED, the provincial pov- ernment introduced a balanced budget Tuesday, but that did not keep focal opposition MLAs from sniping at the government's heels. By lan Noble News Reporter NDP Finance Minister Elizabeth Call's 1995-96 budget calls fora St l4-milion surplus and a 20-year debt-reduction plan. But Nonh Shore Liberal MLAs Jeremy Dahon and Dan Jarvis questioned the govern- Inent's “craitive™ accounting methods and what they said is a broken promise for a three-year tax freeze. Dalton, MLA for West Vancouver-Capilano, said the $3 million in sew user fees and licence charges announced by Cull are actually taxes. But Liberals question independent West Vancouver-Garibaldi MLA David Mitchell concurred, calling the fees and license increases “nuisance taxes.” Bin Michell said the big story in the budget was government's “too little, too late” recogni- tion that the public rejects big-spending gov~ ernment. Call's budget calls for speading increases of 2.9% raising it to $20.2 billiom. + Government spending continues to increase “when taxpayers are asking for Jess govern- ment, not more.” Mitchel said. A skeptical Mitchell also slammed the NDP's accounting policy of separating debt piled up by the government and Crown corpo- ration debt. , While Cull clings to figures showing a sur- plus next year, Mitchell points out B.C.'s total debdt load will actually increase nearly $} bil- lion to $27.86 billion. Weather Thursday: Mainly sunny, High 18°C, low 3’C. Judgment awards Can-Dive $1.25m IN A classic David and Goliath saga, North Vancouver-based Can- Dive Services has won a lengthy court battle against a major U.S. multinational engineering firm. By Brent Mudry Contributing Writer The B.C. Supreme Court has ordered Morrison-Knudsen to pay over $1.25 mil- lion in a four-year-old dispute over cost over-runs in the building of the provincial government's natural gas pipeline to Vancouver Isiand. “This is a 100% win for us.” Can-Dive founder and chairman Phil Nuytten said. The final judgment, he said, may exceed $2 million with interest and costs. Can- Dive had claimed $4.4 million, and the North Vancouver company may appeal the decision or seek further legal action to secure the full amount. The underwater dispute hit Can-Dive heavily, forcing it to seek additional money to remain afloat. Ironically, Morrison- Knudsen itself is now in distress. The controversy traces back to 1990, when Westcoast Energy began building. a natural gas pipeline from B.C.’s mainland to Vancouver island. Can-Dive, a world leader in underwater work.and technology, was hired by Morrison-Knudsen, the main contractor. But problems on the project, arose with- in months. As with many underwater pro- jects, no detailed mapping of the seabed existed (0 clearly define rocky terrain. See Pipeline page 5 ‘creative’ accounting “ICs a phoney balanced budget,” he said. He added that the NDP has shifted spending and borrowing to Crown corporations to fool the public. . But Crown corporation debt is guaranteed by the province and should be included, he added. Mitchell also questioned 20-year forecasts to reduce the $18.8 billiun in taxpayer-support- ed debt by half compared with the size of B.C.’s economy, Such targets, he said, are never met by government. But North Vancouver-Lonsdale NDP MLA David Schreck defended the government's bud- gel. “We've dane what we said we would do.” he said. “We've balanced the budget, got debt See Schreck page 3