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West Van artist
Audrey Marsden

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Islands Trust accused of trying
to sway vote of Bowen residents

THE CHAIRMAN of the Bowen Island Restructure
Committee claims the Islands Trust is attempting to intim-
idate residents into voting against municipal status for the

News photo Terry Peters

House fire

FIRE GUTTED a North Vancouver District home Sunday night. North Vancouver District Fire

Department firefighters were catled to 635 West Queens Ad. just before 7 p.m. Two adjacent:
homes also sustained damage in the blaze. Fire Insp. Gordon Park was at the scene Tuesday.

Officials have yet to determine the cause of the fire.

island.

Bob Wiltshire says the Islands
Trust, which administers land-use
decisions on Bowen and 12 other
Trust islands, has had three years
to study the issue and now with
the referenduin only a few days
away is using scare tactics to con-
vince people to vate no in the ref-
erendum.

Wiltshire was responding to an
open letter from the chairman of
the {slands Trust to Bowen Island
residents.

In that fetter, Carol Martin
states that the Islands Trust is a
prehensive about the possibility of

By Barry Forward
Contributing Writer

Bowen municipality would require
higher tax rates is as misleading as
stating that an unincorporated
Bowen Island would not sce tax
increases.

He said the 1991 Restructure
Study identified that, with services
more or fess as they are now, a
Bowen municipality would have
lower tax rates than the present
unincorporated status.

Reid added that if services i

Bowen Island to decide: page 3

Bowen Island becoming a
municipality and that there are

some unresolved concerns re-
gard implementation and
operation of a municipality within
the Islands Trust context."*

Martin adds that ‘it would be
our wish to see these concerns ad-
dressed and resolved before a
municipality is actually incor-

But Thomas Reid, the consul-
tant who siudied the impact of
municipal status on the island for
the restructure comunittee, says the
concerns raised at the Lith hour
by the Islands Trust are unfound-
ed,

The Trust claims that
**municipalities generally are in a
constant state of searching for
funds to maintain and expand ex-
isting services and to provide new
services and facilities to meet local
demands and to encourage new
residents.”

The Trust also claims that the
only way for a municipality to
achieve these goals is by increasing
taxes or increasing density to in-
crease the number of properties
that can be taxed.

But Reid said that suggesting a

prove or new services are added,
taxes will, of course, rise — but
that, he said, would be true under
either form of goveranient.

However, Grve-ne Dinsdale, one
of the two members on the Island
Trust viected te represent Bowen
Island, said the Trust is trying to
get as much information our to
people so they can make an in-
formed decision when they vote
on Saturday.

Dave Morgan, the other Bowen
Island ‘Trustee, said the ltsiands
Trust has generally taken a neutral
view on municipal status, but
wanted to make an expression of
the facts and show its concern for
the future of Bowen Island.

“Becoming a municipality is a
big step to take, and it could
change the way of life on the
island,’’ Morgan said.

“The Islands Trust is alsc tell-
ing residents that even if the
island decides to become a
municipality the Trust would go
to the provincial government and
ask for changes to the existing
Islands Trust legislation that
would limit the powers of the
municipality within the Islands
Trust,’’ said Wiltshire.

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