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October 2, 1992 88 pages

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NEWS photo Mike Wakalleld

NORTH Vancouver City fire depariment official Gavin Soanes examines the charred wreckage
Tuesday of a building at North Vancouver's Mosquito Creek Marina. A fire caused major damage to
the marina early tast Saturday morning. !nitial estimates of the damage caused by the blaze were

set at about $300,000.

Or

Annexation of Electoral Area B would make
NVD largest Lower Mainland

A HANDFUL of property owners will hold the balance of

power in a decision that could more than double the size

of the North Vancouver District.

that came to an
open heuse at district hall on
W ednesday night were not
especially enthusiastic at the pros-
pect of becoming district tax-
payers.

Asked to comment on the pros
and cons of annexing a portion of
Electoral Area B, property owner
Bruce Somers responded, -** What
pros?"

At issue is

And the few

the Greater Van-

operant ct
gle ae

By Martin Millerchip
Contributing Writer

couver Regional District's
(GVRD) desire to rid itself of the
responsibility for three unorganiz-
ed areas within the Lower
Mainland by the end af 1993.
(The other two areas are Bowen
Island and the University En-

. re:
oF aT ae

municipality

dowment Lands.)

The portion of Electoral Area B
that lies beyond the district's
northern) boundary is a 96.4
square-inile area that is roughly
11% times the size of Richmond.

ft runs east from the Capilano
River to Indian Arm (including
Croker Island) and north to the
southern boundary of the
Squamish-Lillooet Regional
District.

If the district: were .o  suc-
cessfully complete the proposed
annexation process, it would
become the largest municipality in

ot

te

44 My taxes will go up 20%, but the
services will stay the same. 99

the GYRD,  leapfroggi over
both Delta and Surrey in size.

The staff report that council
considered before voting to pursue
annexation in February concluded,
“Over 95% of the proposed an-
nexation urea is now in a use that
is unitkely to change for
decaces....On balance, the district
would gain substantial revenue
and limited control over the
land.”’

NG SOE SS NON ca adem RR ee

REACHING EVERY DOOR ON THE NORTH SHORE SINCE 1969

—Electoral Area B resident
Bruce Somers

Mest of therevenue referred to in
the report would come from taxa-
tion of the watcr supply land held
by the province and the GVWD
(Greater Vancouver Water
District).

At 1991 rates the estimated an-
nual revenue was about $241,700.

Private Jand holdings make up
only 3.5 square miles of the area

See Opposition page 3
ROPE Re