Opponents to

NORTH VANCOUVER
District Council voted 4-3
Monday night to continue
using a .council meeting
«system that some coun-
“cillors say is confusing and
duplicates council work.

_ By Martin Millerchip
. Contributing Writer

The system involves the use of
three council standing committees
(Corporate Services, Operational

Services. and Planning and Devel- .

; opment) in place of a single policy .
"and planning committee. |

| The ‘system was adopted after’
-an extensive corporate review of ,

the district’s operations last year.
The committees were primarily

designed to- be forums in which

the public-would have greater ac-

- C&Ss to council i in a more informal

‘setting.”

© Th-was also hoped that by split-

“sting: the agenda of ;the defunct -

: pelicy and planning committee {all

of council sitting in “committee)
‘that some mecting time could be
' saved.

Each standing ‘committee is,
made up of three councillors with
membership and the chair being
rotated: The mayor, is’ free to par-.
ticipate in’ any of the committees
but cannot vote in’ those .commit-

tees_unless ‘he is’ substituting for.

,an absent councillor.
Standing committee decisions are

; “only. recommendations ‘and ‘must
‘be ratified - at a formal “council
omeeting... °°

Councillors. Ernie Crist, “Janice

‘Harris: and. Joan Gadsby argued °
that. the: process: leads ‘to’ council. -

‘duplication, moos

, 'We end, up discussing” all the
“items: anyway," said”: Crist, who
“described the system | as time-
consuming for staff and very con-
fusing."

“Crist proposed « abolishing the: ;
standing committees and: returning :
to a format-of council : as-a whole .
in- committee’ with the |

meeting.
bower to créate subcommittees on
specific agenda items. ©

- But council had ‘already. agreed

n jJan..11.that it would meet:as a/

as > Standing committee of the’ whole,
when ‘ “needed, ‘on then first and

Froin page 24 :
“Me. 1 turned, around; he had his:
fists up.

AIL ® his friends were: “yelling,
toand they started surrounding us.
: They’ were kids,” like” 16,
were. probably..as: young ‘as 13 or
14, ”* he said. . :

“He ‘said’ at least ‘half of the’

© group were female teenagers.

- “F squared off with about four -

‘different.-people. .I'-squared off
ith one. person. I'd throw him

down, ‘and. someone else would -: .

take his:place,-and there would be
ots ‘of people behind me, hitting
‘me and kicking me in the back,”’
Trotter. said. oa ;

He! and’ his fiend were pushed ©

‘to the ground, ,;
had | don? t know: who stabbed me.
i see.a’ knife or anything,”
he said.: /
«Meanwhile, the . police believe
some. *-members of ‘the group ‘Who

29
.. 32.

Dos ine solution to a dilemma’

some >

standing

“NORTH VANCOUVER.
DISTRICT COUNCIL

third Mondays of the month.

“What we have instituted is an
extremely confusing four-layer
system,”’ said Harris.

She described the current pro-
posals as ‘‘a morass of bits and
pieces.’” _

Harris said she disliked the
concept of council working in two
halves, separated by a wall.

She cited the recent example of
former: West Vancouver mayor
Derrick. Humphreys appearing as
a delegation. in front of three
“council members but being denied
the opportunity to speak to.a full
council.

But. Coun. . Rick Buchols said
council carried many unfinished
agenda items forward to subse-
quent meetings before the stand. :
. ing committees were created. .

He suggested giving’ the latest .

refinements .to the system a. try
and’ criticized Crist’s
and their timing.

“This is'not a system. 'This:.is
Stray incoming.: This is shrapnel,”"
said: Buchols. of the. proposal. to
create subcommittees as required.

. Coun. Paul Turner supported
some of Crist’s proposals: regard-
ing. delegations and length of
meetitigs but supported the reten-
tion of standing committees.

“Democracy: is inefficient by its
nature,:and the committee system
allows-“us some time for sober se-
‘cond thought,’’ said Turner.

Gadsby said she found Crist’s
proposals: supportable and
: reminded council af the cost of
hiring extra staff to support the
standing-committee system. .

Mayor Murray Dykeman
described the recent return. to a:
weekly meeting format and the
reintroduction of council Sitting as.

. a whole in committee as ‘‘a work-

“an opportunity to get to work on
a more frequent basis."*
>, Dykeman, Buchols, Turner’and
“Coun, Jim Cuthbert supported the
resolution. that confirmed‘ a
meeting schedile.in which formal
council will sit.on the second and
fourth Mondays of the month-and

the standing committees will meet.
on he first and third. Mondays .

attacked the two’ men earlier this
month may also be responsible for
the assault of a’man on Sunday,
‘Dec. 27, at. the foot of Forbes

’ Avenue. © "
In: that incident,

and °

a male was"

no seconder.

proposals af

walking home from Sailor Hagar’s ..

pub. Two males ‘confronted him
“and then several’ more joined to
attack him. ;

“. The victim, was ‘chased down a
street and beaten. with fists and a
rock wrapped in a sock.

He ‘suffered injuries . ‘and was
sent to the hospital.

The, police: say they are seeing
an increasing number of ‘similar
attacks. Assailants are encouraged
‘by the group. and hide: behind the:

groupe BS

Information regarding the ‘stab-
bing may be forwarded to North °
Vancouver RCMP. Const.’ Jim
Burton at. 985- 1311. ;

H§ Horoscopes .....:....
Brave

Vintage Years......../
‘fi What's Going On.....

. Weather:
Monday, 1 rain. Highs 8°C. Lows’ 4°C.

s systen

afier any required
council's committee of the whole.
Three amendments from Crist’s
proposals were also adopted:
@ 10-minute delegation periods
will be reduced to five minutes,
with a maximum of three at any
one meeting;
@ the current practice of hearing
two-minute presentations on any
subject prior to the start of coun-
cil meetings will be extended from
15 minutes to 30 minutes;
© all public meetings will be ad-
journed at 10:30 p.m., an exten-

‘sion to 11 p.m. requiring a simple
_majority . vote. and any extension

past 11 p.m. requiring a unani-
maus vote.

‘An amendment proposed by

Buchols, to expand the. question

period ‘from 30 mimutes to four
hours and conduct council
mectings on. Monday and Tuesday
. Nights received some laughs but

7

meetings of,

committees say plan confusing, duplicates work

NEW COMMITTEE STRUCTURE:

.A SUMMARY of North
couver District Council’s recent
wrangle over mecting format:
@ Prior to March 2, 1992, council
met every Monday, alternating
forma! council meetings, in which
final decisions are made, with pol-
icy and planning meetings, in
which bylaws could not be
enacted, but more detailed debate
took place.
@ A new. committee structure was
suggested in February during a
‘six-month | in-camera corporate
review of municipal operations.
Acting on the advice of the
so-called Cuff Report, . council

‘ separated the policy and planning

meeting into

three
meeting groups. '

committee

Van- |

Formal council. mectings’ were
still held every second Monday.
o On ‘Aug. 24, 1992, council _
decided to continue its summer
holiday format of mecting: every
second: Monday, with a formal
council. meeting following .com-
mittee meetings on the same night.
@ Council reversed that decision
in - December, agreeing to. meet
- weekly starting in the new year,
valternating, formal council
meetings with committee meetings
every second Monday,

Council also decided Jan. 11
that members would. meet. as: a
“committee of* the . whole: (all
together) when an issue of univer- | -
sal importance needed attention.

ail delivery dropped i in

dispute over icy driveway

NV couple. find post doesn’t always make it. through

“Neither snow, nor rain,
nor heat, nor gloom of

night. stays these carriers
from the swift completion
appointed

of their
rounds,’’

By A.P. McCredie
News Reporter

“A. North’ Vencouver’ couple
are seriously “doubting. this
" time-honored boast of the postal
sysiem.; .. ‘

inv the case of Ingrid Laue and -
‘her husband, the inclement con-
ditions of the past few. weeks:
-have “meant more ‘than - cold’
weather and damp feet. eo
. Since Monday, Jan.” 11; the
St. .George’s. Avenue residents ::
have had no mail delivery. Their’

neighbors, ‘meanwhile, have ‘nit.
missed a‘ single day of, Canada :

Post delivery.

_Itall started when Laue notic- -
ed a: message scribbled: Jan. 11°
on

“ delivered. mail. Their” letter car:

tier -had written ‘clear’ the
driveway”. on the back of an
envelope,

“The last snowfall we had was :

a few-days after © Christmas,”
‘recalled Laue, ‘‘and our. drive-
way had been driven’ on and.
walked“ on: since that
without any problems.’’. ,
.*. The Laues had an. open housé
‘during that time, with the ma-
jority of the guests being elderly. -
The Laues had.also been put-
ting salt on both their. driveway
and their walkway’ since: the
snow had begun falling. ;
The, day. after the scrawled
message appeared in the mail,
‘the letter carrier skipped their”
house.’ :
“called the. supervisor at the
Donaghy’ (Street) depot and was -

told the carrier had’ refused to -

deliver to our house. because ac-
“cess to our mailbox was danger-
ous,’’ said Laue,

' On Friday, Jan. 15, with. ‘the’.

letter carrier’ still skipping their.

~ house, Laue followed him down’

‘the street in hercar. “° ..-'
“Seven or:.eight of the resi:

dences ‘he delivered to had icy,”,

uncleared driveways. and stairs
_ which’. he: navigated . with. the
“greatest ‘of ease," said Laue. .
, Later ; that. day, two men. ap
‘peared at ‘the foot! of the Laues*
driveway and began taking

,the . back’ of .a’ piece . of °

time -

“CANADA. PosT. has refused to ‘deliver. mail: to. this ‘North:
Vancouver. residence: because ‘of. the ‘‘treacherous: condi-.
tions" of the sidewalk and driveway. This picture. was taken
before the fetter carrier had started his route. that day. For .

the seventh day ina row, he skipped the house.

photographs. = woe
**-On..Monday,: Jan... 18, Laue. -
called’ Canada. Post’s customer
services department for. the fifth .
time in six days ‘and was told-the
matter . had « been’ sent: on to
‘another supervisor. 900 oho

‘Laue’s husband, 71, ‘isa
semi-invalid who. is: recuperating a
from a post- -Christmas bout’ of |
pneumonia.:*She is 61 .and a.
', diabetic. ot

‘Neither of-us is in a condi-
tion’ to. totally clear: our. drive--
v way,” the. frustrated .Laue said.
“tm .desperately waiting for a
_ cheque that .was mailed on the
13th of. the month.” ’

: Canada : Post’s’ policy’ regard-
ing icy, footpaths, and driveways

- states that if. the carrier: feels the.

‘delivery of mail to a residence is -
dangerous, | that “carrier has the:
Tight to refuse delivery. “a
““We chesked ‘out- the Laties’

Me driveway. jand ‘agreed “with © the’

carrier, decision,”’ said: Depot .
Two supervisor Hank Gilmore.::

He added -that the. condition:
-of the driveway had been check-’
ed by.a supervisor every day. -

‘fn a» fetter sent* to. ‘the
postmaster general,: Laue stated:
that “this. whole! action on .the
part of ‘the postman would seem;
to: be. completely arbitrary,
devoid. of . rationale.
amounts . to. ‘personal

ment.” Bean