| NVD fall meeting change riles

District’s decision to meet every other week is

NORTH VANCOUVER District Council’s decision to
continue into the fall its summertime format of meeting
once every two weeks instead of once per week has been
called ‘‘disastrous’’ by one district council member.

The decision will result in coun-
‘cil combining in-camera, commit-
tee and formal council meetings

on the second and fourth Mon--

days of each month, starting Sept.
14.

The suggestion to continue the
summertime scheduling came from
legislative’ services manager Col-
leen Rohde.

In an Aug. 24 report to council,
Rohde said, “The July and
August meetings have demon-
strated that council can complete
all standing-committee agendas
and hold special council in-
camera meetings as well as com-
plete the regular council agenda at
the twice-monthly meetings.””

But Coun. Ernie Crist questions
whether completing ‘an agenda
after midnight in front of an emp-
ty gallery is really a public
meeting.

Crist told the News that the
decision was ‘‘disastrous’’ and
questioned whether any member

By Martin Millerchip
Coniributing Writer

of the public ‘‘would want to wait
for up to seven hours to hear an
agenda item.’”

He also pointed out that the
decision tc change ccuncil’s
meeting schedule had been reach-
ed after 11 p.m. with councillors
Joan Gadsby and Janice Harris
having already gone home.

“Our main purpose is co deal
with the agenda in an efficient
manner, but we cannot make ra-
tional, sane decisions after seven
hours of meetings,’’ Crist said.

“The meetings meander along
at their usual speed until three-
quarters of the agenda gets
crammed into half an hour just
before midnight,** said Crist

But Rohde told the News that
the issue of public appearances
can be dealt with by giving dele-

NORTH VANCOUVER
DISTRICT COUNCIL

gations and appearances a specific
time and by encouraging council
to stick to those times.

Said Rohde, ‘‘It’s tough to have
the public come out and sit from
8:30 (p.m.) to midnight for one
minute of debate on the council
agenda, but standi::3 committees
should provide an opportunity for
substantive debaie nearer the
beginning of the evening.”’

Rohde told council in her report
that the biggest advantage of the
bi-weekly schedule would be the
two Mondays in a month that
would be ‘‘available for other
meetings involving council
members."’

Rohde says shirtsleeve sessions
on strategic planning and budget
discusssions and single-issue pres-
entations or delegations could take
place on the ‘‘off’? Mondays.

Other poiential advantages of
the new system, according to
Rohde, include:

@ less overtime for secretarial

alae ~
NEWS photo Nell Lucente

THE SQUAMISH Netion's new gymnasium, designed by architect Gordon Hylinski as an all-
purpose facility, is scheduled to ba completed on Sept. 15.

Squamish fulfilling dream
Longhouse-style facility will be place of gathering

A BUILDING project that has been an elusive dream
for the Squamish Nation since 1972 is finally nearing
7 completion on its Capilano reserve

‘The unique longhouse-style
gymnasium, nestled in the trees

on the southeast corner of
‘Welch Street and Lower
‘Capilano Road, was designed
“by. architect Gordon Hylinski,
and is the first of its kind to be
built in B.C.
. Former Squamish band
manager Glen. Newman said,
- “It will be our place of gather-
‘ing. We will be able to’ use it
not only for sports, but general
meetings, cultural events, pro-
.vincial native meetings, na-
tional? crganizational meetings
_ seven wedding receptions.’’
- The building has a total area
of 18,000 square feet; its
open-area, hardwood gym-
nasium floor covers 10,200
square feet.
“Other features of the facility
“include four carved wooden

By Paul Hughes
Contributing Writer

entrance doors, murals and
traditional designs. All of the
artwork is being done by native
Squamish craftsmen, including
Stan Joseph and Rick Harry.

The gymnasium will seat up
to 850 pe.sle, and will be out-
fitted with a commercial kitch-
en, complete with walk-in
cooler.

At one end of the gym floor
will be a stage equipped with
a professional lighting system
and dressing rcoms off to ei-
ther side.

Surrounding the gymnasium
will be several smaller rooms
with wall-to-wall carpeting.
Some will be used for

‘NATIVE AFFAIRS

meetings, another will be set
aside for the use of the elders,
still another is destined to
become a dance studio.

Yet one more room — with
a vinyl floor — is slated to be
a teaching area for children.

The special flooring ensures
less damage from tiny finger-
painting enthusiasts.

Builder Pat Miller of
Newhaven Construction Ltd. is
in charge of the project. His
company has been involved in
several native projects
throughout B.C.

Forty per cent of the
employees working with Miller
on the gymnasium are from the
Squamish band.

Construction on the building
began in January. It is sched-
uled to be completed by Sept.
15.

y. Sept oaber 6, 1992 - North Shore News - 3

staff at meetings and during the
week trying to meet tight report
and agenda deadlines;

@ reduced costs for security staff;
@ less crror and omission in
reports and agendas with a longer
turnaround time;

@ more time for management
issues and operational reviews;

@ more time for bylaw prepara-
tion.

Coun. Harris was astonished to
learn that a new meeting schedule
had been adopted after she and
Gadsby had left the chamber at 11
p.m.

The agenda item and Rohde’s
report had been included in coun-
cil’s agenda package bu: not listed
on the covering agenda.

Harris told the News that she
deplored the decision to become
“less accessible’ to the public.

‘*From a public point of view
we should be there every week,’’
said Harris.

“Staff would not consider the
option of stacking council and
standing committee meetings on
the same night during our opera-
tional review, and now all of a
sudden they are coming back with
this,*’ she continued,

Harris said that after 11 p.m.
council was ill-equipped to make
competent decisions and was
“usually at least one councillor
short.”*

_“‘Are we really an executive at
that point, or are staff shaping
and moulding the decisions?’’
asked Harris.

When asked abuut potential ef-
ficiencies Harris responded,
“Where do we come out ahead
here?

“I'm confronted with a package
containing 60 decisions on Friday

councillor

‘aisastrous, says Crist

for a Monday meeting. That’s not
efficiency, it’s a conveyor belt.”

Coun. Jim Cuthbert voted for
the bi-weekly meetings but told
the News that he had ‘some
significant concerns.’”

Said Cuthbert, ‘‘’m willing to
give it a chance on an interim
basis. What’s hard to measure
here is how important the advan-
tages are for increased efficien-
cy.”

Cuthbert also said the agenda
could be chaired faster and that
he would be introducing a motion
calling for council members to
limit their councii reports to those
occasions when officially repre-

See editorial page 6

senting the district.

“*We also have to trim the in-
camera agenda. Informality breeds
length,’’ concluded Cuthbert.

Coun. Joan Gadsby agreed that
Monday meetings were already
too long and described the sum-
mer schedule as ‘‘a joke.’’

Gadsby also called for better
chairing and better staff support.

“Murray is a nice guy and all
that, but I’m tired of babysitting
him. -He’s a bumbler and a
fumbler, and I’m concerned with
being tarred with the same
brush,” said Gadsby.

Councillors Paul- Turner and
Rick Buchols said they wouid
“give it a whirl and see what.
happens.**

Buchols also pointed out that

“it was the men who stayed’’ to
after midnight in order to finish
council business on Aug. 24.

MLA blasts shipyard
compensation package

WEST VANCO‘VER-Garibaldi
the Opposition critic for advanced education,
has - blasted a joint

Mitchell,
training and technology,

Liberal MLA David

feder-

al-provincial announcement for financial compensation for
laid-off older shipyard workers.

The deal was announced last
week by federal Justice Minister
Kim Campbell and B.C. Advanc-
ed Education, Training and Tech-
nology Minister Tom Perry.

The compensation package has
also come under attack by Marine
Workers and Boilermakers’ Indus-
trial Union president George
MacPherson.

Mitchell.called the deal ‘‘too lit-
tle, too late.’

**Kim Campbell and Tom Perry
should hang their heads in shame
for offering littl more than
welfare to people who have spent

their lives working and providing .

for their families,’ said Mitchell.

“This is nothing more than a
public relations exercise.’”’

Ottawa and Victoria announced
that $11.8 million will be made
available to assist up to 236 laid-
off older workers at seven B.C.
companies, including 149 former
employees of Yarrows shipyards

' (formerly Versatile Pacific Ship-

yards Inc.) in North Vancouver.
**British, Columbians don’t want

By Surj Rattan
News Reporter .

welfare, they want skills:to allow
them to iead productive dignified
lives in the most prosperous pro- .
vince in Canada.

“Our federal and provincial
governments. are too eager to
spend tax dollars on keeping peo-
pie inactive,’’ said Mitchell.

The money is being made avail-
able under the federal-provincial
Program for Older Worker Ad-
justment (POWA) and will be
geared towards laid-off workers.
aged 55 and over.

But in a News interview on |
Monday, Perry said that Mitchell
has ‘‘missed the point’? about
what the POWA program is all
about. —

“We've tried to restructure the
shipbuilding industry. It’s
(POWA) a modest program that is
much better than social assistance.
Mr. Mitchell talks out of both
sides of his mouth,’’ said Perry.

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