ESTRANGED HUSBAND DISAPPEARS Woman searches for abducted 3)-year-ald son A FORMER West) Van- couver woman is 02 4 lone- Iy search for her 3!2- year-old son. By UMOFITY RE Neos Heporter Dental assistant Metanie Dun- can, 32, last saw Andrew on May 30 when he was picked up by his father, Stephen Duncan, in a Maple Ridge fast food outlet. The Duncans, who were mar- ried in 1983, have been separated since 1985. Stephen Duncan's dast— resi- dence was at 1047) Millstream Road in West Vancouver, where he had lived with his wife and son priors to the break-up of the Duncan marriage. The 32-year-old) father had weekly visiting rights with An- drew, who had lived with his mother in Maple Ridge since his parents separated. On the evening of May 24, Melanie Duncan's mother, Helen Ladd, said she got a call from a stranger saying Stephen’s car had broken down in) Whistler. An- drew’s return to Maple Ridge would be delayed, the caller said. suspected to have left the country. Duncan has avither heard from her son Melanie seen nor since. The last word from hk. hus- band was a letter she received June 2, the Tuesday following the disappearance of her son. In the leer, Stephen Duncan said he had taken Andrew because he felt she was insane. Stepl-a Duncan was charged with child abduction on June 10. Maple Ridge RCMP Insp. John Matthewson said his department applied for a Canada-wide warrant for Dun- can's arrest as soon as the child's disappearance was confirmed. But he suspects the child and the father have left the country and ere in England, where Dun- can’s family lives. Melanie Duncan said she has run into a dead end at every avenue she has ventured down in her search for her son. She has now run out of avenues. “T felt sick when I realized he was gone,’’ Duncan said. **We have tried everything, but we know no more now than we did at the beginning.” Matthewson said RCMP followed every available lead immediately in the case. ANDREW DUNCAN. abducted May 30. “But if a father planned to abdact his child dering the time he had visiting cights there would be very lithe any police depart- ment could do to stop him’ Miuatthewson said. Dunean said her husband had threatened to take Andrew for the past (wo years. Stephen Duncan originally came to Canada from England in 1977, and moved to Vancouver in 1979, He joined a band, worked as a short-order cook, a wrought iron worker and un autobody mechanic. Ele also ran his own wrought iron business. Melanie Duncan described her husband as ‘a very private per- son", a trait that has made trac- ing his whereabouts all the more difficult, she said. But Rick Matinowski, who has known Stephen Duncan for the past four years, said) Duncan took Andrew because he felt: his son was not getting a proper up- bringing. “He was an exceptional guy," Malinowski said of Duncan, ‘He was never out of work all the time that I knew him. He had his own business. And he always helped me oul. He was an excep- tional buman being.”” Malinowski said he does not know where Duncan is and has not heard from him since he left his West Vancouver residence, Melanie Duncan said her hus- band is 5°, 10° 1a}, 180 pounds, with dark, brown hair and blue eyes. He has a shark tattoo on his left forearm. She describes Andrew as 3° tall, 35 pounds, with ash-blond hair and green eyes. Matthewson said the father is currently being sought through Interpol, an international police organization, Apart from the emotional anguish wrought by the separa- tion from her son, Melanie Dun- can said she fears the effect on Andrew of his current life on the fam. “He is just a little boy,’' she said. ‘‘I’ve tried everything to find out where he is, but no one can (ell me anything. | don't want him to end up as just another kid on the wall, just another statistic."' Anyone with information as to the possible whereabouts of Stephen and Andrew Duncan is requested to call their local RCMP department. Fite number 87-8409. WIGHT BLASTING CONSIDERED Ysa, quamish concerns to be aired LIONS residents s BAY yimted by imeconsistent hivhwav construchion delass along the Squamush Highway will have the cal Vancouver-Howe Sound him Monday. Revnolds said nieht blastine work atthe three bridee .omstruc- tion sites at Strip Creek Bindee and Pometres Creek Bridee south of feons Bas and logver’s Creek Brides te the north will be an op. aon under considerauon, “Hes Ohighaels alreads looking inte night work. Hopefully well have some reports back AMtondas onthe oprion.” Resnolds said. But in the wake oot Phursdas’s death atthe Strip freek Comstruc- Uion site. higtasays project inspee- tor Heing schmidt said) both the Highways surveys erew and the job comractor, Fdeo Construction, are against night work. “Night work is just too iisky. You can’t see ever’ crack and boulder shaken loose by a bhast.’” Schmidt sar. “Every boulder looks different from esery direcuen at nivht with Noodlights. We're tying to get the of Highways Minister (litt MILA Michael when West Joho Resnolds ticets with By MICHIARL BECAER wroagches uy and start dirffine tram the top. fn the meantime we Have fo clear the feck foley and take the} Yost hop trat- fie he sad. But satd Revnaidis. hp ssculdin't Be haa to comupent on thas saabilits obnwhr work andl ater Monday's meehny In the name of satets. Schmidt would dike to see the scheduled closures remain vis thes are OF BO to longer four-hour closures. According to Schmidt an ex- tended unexpected closure caused bs a: }O0-cubic metre rock tal at Strip Creek in mid-fuly was a near disaster. “We fad an order to open it ap) from the regional (highways) office after residents complained about detays. Tf we THIS CYCLIST crosses the tracks into West Vancouver’s John Lawson Park with no fears for his safety as a young boy dutifully looks both ways to check for oncoming (rains. HOUSING COSTS HIGH NVatvus, 9) 19M? North stare News hway world hase det trattig ao as demanded. there would have been people killed" he said. fions Bay residents called for the highwass department to con sider renegotiating contracts with basco Construction, Grachold Construcnon and faemar Con struction, othe firms handling highway improvement projects near Liens Bay, af a raucous public meeting July 27, While acknowledging the receipt of numerous complaints about unscheduled delays, Revnolds said his office has also fielded niiny calls happs that the scheduled closures had been pared down te an hour and a halt. Said Reynolds: ‘’Phere ace just as many telling us to go ahead with this as fast as possible and they are happy with the progress.” “Hes the unannounced delays which are the problem. If we can teduce the irritability factor, then that’s great,” Reynolds said. AN 225-name petiticn pleading for “honest notification’ of highway closure times was sent by Lions Bay residents fo Michael Tuesday. Weather: Suadey through Tuesday, mostly sunny. Highs near 24°C. INDEX Business ....... Classified Ads. . Doug Collins... Comics ....... Editorial Page. . Fashion....... Bob Hunter... . Lifestyles ........ Mailbox......... Sports.......... TV Listings...... Travel........... What's Going On.. WV seniors leaving municipality From page 2 moving out of the community because of the absence of affor- dable housing for their retirement years. Surely a most regrettable sit- uation to find one's self in at a time in life when security and hap- py memories are so important,” wrote 50-year resident Allan Johns, According to Loretto G. Barry, 31 per cent of single senior renters have an income of less than $7,000 a year. Some 54 per cent have in- comes of less than $12,500. It’s not enough to pay the $2,500 and up per month for the seniors accom- modation being built by private developers in West Vancouver. With the help of the B.C. Hous- ing Authority, West Vancouver United Church plans to rent its units to seniors living on $17,500/year or less and couples living on $19,500/year or les. The waiting list to get into ex- isting seniors housing is about 400 names and the waiting period is about two years, according to Barry. “If suitable accommodation cannot be found for them, they will be forced to move away and be faced with added difficulties in finding new friends and acquain- tances,’ wrote John Pearson. “Our heritage will also be forced out if this happens,’’ added Shirley Pearson. John Pearson said the proposed location of the United Church housing would be a ‘‘preferred en- vironment for co-existence of the young and not so young, with potential benefits for ali concern- ed.” “Ht’s one of those issues that presents great difficulty for coun- cil,”’ concluded Mayor Lanskail. Municipal Clerk Doug Allen said that he would be recommen- ding Sept. 21 as the date for the public hearing on the matter.