6 — Friday, April 18, 1997 — North Shore News north shore news NEWS VIEWPOINT Solve Cypress interminable battle over the I upgrade of recreation facilities in the province’s busiest park needs swift resolution. Both sides recognize that Cypress Bowl is a local treasure whose assets need careful guardianship. At issue is user priority. The environmental lobby is dug in on the side of preserving every remain- ing tree in the park area and beyond. But the decision was made long ago to make Cypress Bowl a viable ski area for B.C. citizens. And that it is: of the park’s estimat- ed 1.2 million annual visits, 300,000 are skiers. Cypress Bowl Recreations, which took over the operation of the park’s recreation facilities from the provincial government in 1984, has turned a unionized moncy-losing drain on B.C. taxpayers into a monecy-generating venture that pumps $2 million annual- ly in taxes into the local economy. It also employs about 600 people, most of whom are young and local and enjoying their first job experience. In line with a provincial mandate to increase Cypress Bowl’s skier capacity, the company has developed a $46 snil- lion plan to provide proper restaurant, ski lift and toilet facilities. At issue, beyond installing a Cypress Bowl sewage link, is approxi- mately 22 hectares of forest. But most of those trees will be removed to widen existing ski runs. No hotels or other real estate develop- ments have ever been a part of the Cypress Bow! Recreations plan. Cypress is in desperate need of proper facilities for the public it serves. So let’s get on with the job. B IRN 16 BUSINESS DVISION Ghd GOOD MORNING Ch FILTHY CAPITALIST RUNNING DOG ENEMY OF THE WORKING PEOPLE... CALLING FROM THE Downhill and Dolphin decisions SUHIE North Shore News Free Speech Defence Fund continues to r . is wrong to . : it “hatred”?) of [Doug] Collins and what it thinks he stands for, lead it into supporting anti-democra- fice pelitte prheps anicteon ty bariicn popcle bigs honest, impolitic, perhaps unnecessarily oo who have suffered, undentably brave (asa World War IT. Military Medal for Sallantry testifies) and stubborn. But he has a right to be heard.” — Columnist Peter Worthington, in the April 10 Toronto Sun. 000 Donations to the North Shore News Free Speech Defence Fund can be sent to the News offices, 1139 Lonsdale Ave., North Vancouver, V7M 2H4. Cheques should be made out to the North Shore News Free Speech Defence Fund. — trenshaw@direct.a north shore : xd: Shwe Meee, founded ni 20 (dependent sbusban nenepeper and qeiiied wrder + Scheckie 111, Paragraph 111 of fhe Baise Tax Act, ‘published each Wedhesday, Friday ard Surthy by Noth Store Free Press Lid and dierhued inary door onthe Noth Stave: Corech Post Com Pibicalons Mal Ses Prodri Agearent No. (67228 Maing res ethno eepest > SPOIL LL LOCA OHIO ROD REH DURE UAD IR I want to sce more before offering an opinion on the Cypress Bowl expansion. But a few observations on Monday night’s meeting: First, it’s utterly repre- hensible that the B.C. ministry of the envirun- ment gave a draft of a report that West Vancouver council hadn’t seen to the lobby group Friends of Cypress, on condition of “contiden- tiality.” Councillor Victor Durman said he’d unsuc- cessfislly been trying to t it from the “Friends” ra month. Poop on the ministry! Second, Katherine Steig of the anti- development “Friends” was such a cold scold that I sympathized with Councillors Durman and Russ Fraser when they wrath- fully responded. (Leaving scolding to the pros. See next item.) Third, the lineup of representatives of disabled groups, including former council- lor Andy Danyliu of the Kinsmen Rehabilitation Foundation, testifying to the warmth of Wayne Booth of the Cypress Bowl tion toward the disabled, was impressive. But big, big questions remain. Q00 Encore some more: Step 1: As reported here two weeks ago, West Vancouver municipal manager Doug Allan receives the Dolphin report — believed to make sober recommendations about our town hall’s staff and possible cost-cutting —— in June 1996. Step 2: Council doesn’t officially find , pA a Linda Sti Human Resources Manager Sales & Marketing Director 95-2131 (177) 900-511 (318 «= 985-2131 ( Photograshy Manager Display Manager 905-2131 (169) 900-0511 (163) PEAS B (101) out about its existence for some eight months, in February 1997, In the interval, department heads and other staf¥ apparent- ly huddle to figure out what to do with it —- raising the speculation, in this head at least, that they may have used the “apprehended crisis” technique of making some changes and/or preparing their defence if council asked some tough questions. - Step 3: Meanwhile, two other pertinent develop- ments occur: (a) bad news from Victoria about skinnier munici- pal budgets and (b) election of a harder-nosed council, chaired by Vat Boname, a Kinder, gentler mayor than her predecessor, Sager, a smooth but disciplinarian wagcnmaster who adroitly headed off public clashes among councillors. Step 4: A letter is leaked — a January letter to Allan from West Vancouver Municipal Employees’ Association business representative Brian Schramm, detailing 74 complaints-cum-cost-saving suggestions from VMEU members, with some parts removed because they singled out individ- ual employees of the municipal bureaucra- * Step 5: Council now has the Dolphin report. And it has not released it to the public. To a polite request from this snoop to see it, Mayor Boname politely reflects thar the snoop might be able to see parts . of it, and then phones back a day or two later to say, politely, that the snoop can’t. Current snapshot: Council is now slow- ly grinding as never before on its budger — with tough, item-by-item questions from some councillors, and, at 2 guess, especially newcomer Durman — while holding in its collective hands a report that implicitly if. not explicitly recommends cost-cutting and thus is vitally concerned with that budget, and therefore with this year’s property taxes. The figure being floated is a tax increase of an appalling 9.5%. Question: Where the hell is the wrath of West Vancouverites? ; Conjecture: It is dozing, and it will wake up too late, because the story hasn’t been widely enough circulated. I’m amazed that taxpayers aren't reject- ing any plea that the Dolphin rt involves ees matters, which are erefore always (and, when proper, ~ erly) discussed at behind-closed-doors tne camera meetings. That hint is being allowed to circulate, and [ think it’s a red herring. West Vancouver councillors had solid © grounds for being angry with the bureav- cracy because the Dolphin report was with- held from them. They could plead igno- rance. But then they turn around and do the same thing to the public. That invites the accusation that they’re complicit. Q00 The cast of politics: Boname attracted $23,383 in contributions ftom 77 contrib- tors in ns November's mayoralty. race, pponent Jim Hogan spent a third agai as much in a losing cause: $32,684 fom (I hope I didn’r lose count) 89 contributors. — The North Shore News believes ly in freedom oj speech and the right of all si: ist a debate to be heard. The columnists pub- lished in the News present differing points of view, but those views are not necessarily those of the newspaper itself. LETTERS TO THE EOITOR Letters must include your nama, full address & telephone number VIA Internet: trenshaw @ direct.ca COMPUTER B@S - Use fo tenon Classified Manager $98-6222 (202) Entire contents © 1997 Nosth Shore Free Press Ltd. All rights reserved. 989-8027 if ID:enaitbox 885-2131 (194) 985-2031 (165) Androw McCredie - Sperte/Commonity Editor 985-2131 (147)