Frogmen map sea | bed from | toad sied THE IGNOMINIOUSLY named, North Vancouver-designed toad sied is : the’star of an'underwater mapping pro- ject under way in Burrard Inlet. ; By Tan Noble” _ News Reporter Ungainly on land, the aluminum toad sled, with: wings that allow the diver to manoeuvre it, looks more like a sleck mants underwater. ° Literally flying inches above ihe sea bed. eight men have been using the sled to map ‘the flora, fauna and substrate of the Burrard Inlet's sea floor to'a depth of 18 metres (60 °% ft. ) below the low tide mark: The crew plans’ to map an area ‘that . includes Indian Arm, Port Moody Arm and *Butrard Inlet to Point ‘Atkinson and. Point “ Grey. The ‘job will take an estimated 100 dives, before the end of January. :The ‘Burrard Inlet Environmental! ‘Action ‘ft Program (BIEAP) —— a. -partnership between Environment Canada ‘and: Fisheries and Oceans, . the |B.C.-. Ministry of) the” . Environment;;Lands and Parks, the. Greater , Vancouver Regional District, and ®.the Vancouver Port. Corp.'— contracted.a team -héaded by North Vancouver-based Foreshore Technologies to map the subtidal inlet. }_:. The information gleaned from the process will by used by BIEAP in its land and water “use planning process. Scott. Christie, Foreshore. Technologies president, is the project ‘coordinator. “++ He’ explains the pivotal role played by the -toad'sled, invented by his company specifi- cally for tiis project and pamed as a play on words for “towed.”. . Skimming along the , ocean: bottom at “depths of up to'21 metres (70 ft.), adiver on the ‘sled relays what he seés to the boats above. through a communication line... He's on the lookout for about 20 kinds of’ # living and inanimate objects, including kelp, ‘mud, “sand, crabs, ‘barnacles,” fish, algae, starfish and anemones. The relayed information, along with ‘the longitude and latitude’ of the objects, is ‘ff 4. stored on a laptop computer on one’of the | ‘ two boats that accompany the sled. a. Stored information canbe downloaded: nto.a Geographical Information System, a rogram that allows users to map many. of: ‘the‘above features on overlays, said Christie. 2 'He.added that the information -could be: used by developers wishing to determine the: environmental impacts of proposed projects. B.The'data may also be used to ascertain the “health. of the inlet ‘over the: years, and pin-, “point ‘unique habitats that may, need protec: ; MOR i “It's “an interesting project because it ‘brings together a wide variety of skills and expertise.” said Christie, noting. the project ‘requires diving, computer, boat handling and underwater. video skills. Project ‘member Neil McDaniel is-an, expert in species identification and underwa-! ‘ter photography. “ Biologist Mark Wittenberg of Coast River Environment Services performs environmen-: y tal impact assessments and John Millar, of, y ‘the same company, is a senior biologist. “[u's a team effort,” Christie said. The toad sled provides advantages over. [ other systems to the team. It allows divers to ‘ unhook equipment that gets caught on under-* NEWS photo Mike Wakefield ‘WEST VANCOUVER District Parks staff Lairy McHail (left) and Hugh Thomas work on Monday to replace chains that hoid 2 iloat to thé pier at Dundarave. High winds sent water and logs crashing over the pier, almost freeing the float. of . 7 MERE MONTHS before he stood trial for murdering his | daughter-in-law in their British Properties home, restaura- " teur Abdur Khan was trying to swing a $1.25- million real estate deal from his jail cell to save his wife’s clothing Store. By Brent Mudry Contributing Writer The ploy failed, Rashida Khan was locked out last month, and she sued her landlord for damaging her reputation in the community. Rashida herself is scheduled to stand trial ona murder charge next ‘ spring. Abdur, her alleged accomplice,. was convicted in August. 4 : Abdur’s - million-dollar real estate bid is a stark con- trast “to the three | rent cheques the couple's compa- ny bounced for the Main Street leather goads store two years azo, according to - documents recently filed in the B.C. Supreme Court. The landlord dispute. is. the latest twist in the ongo- ing saga of the Khan family. Abdur Khan, 54, and his j wile Rashida were Jointly charged with killing their daughter-in- claw Naazish, 23, their son’s recent bride. » The former model from Bombay was found dead i in the trunk of _Abdur’s Toyata Camry on Dec. 11. 1993. A day earlier, she was reported missing from the Khan's British Properties home. At trial, Abdur and the two key Crowir witnesses, a pair of his fong-time friends, traded tales of their business, dealings. Val ley fi } Vancouver ; ABDUR KHAN, his wite Rashida, their deceased daughter-in- elaw Naazish and. son Faisat during better days. Rashida Khan has a new two-year lease on Nain Street clothing store. One Je friend testified that’ Khan torched his “rant in Gastown, a claim Khan hotly contested: “Arson is not my game,” he told the jury. . In the latest court battle, Rashida Khan has salvaged the couple's s: last original standing business, her Main Street clothing store. This store also played a role in her husband’s murder trial. As part of his “alibi for the day of the murder, Abdur claimed he was in a back room area of the store, although no reliable witnesses | noticed his presence. | : Rashida Khan's own business troubles heated up in the spring.” "It became clear that her landlord! Moti Mahal Restaurant and’, Catering Services ‘Ltd., was not anxious to extend her three “year ; lease, when it expired in June. i i Through ‘his | | Abdur Khan put in a $1.25- cjmillion..° purchase ~ offer. - lunfazed by. his’ 15-month’ rdetention ‘in the Vancouver i Pre-Trial Deténtion Centre. © “The bid was unsuccessful. -dand after.a_ short-extension. j Mati Mahal sent tivo bailiffs’ | to change, the locks in “early ¢ s November, 2. ’ yo Rashida’ Khan, marché off to court, claiming the ch ‘sure put her.and two pa ‘time employees out of work: seh Sham suffering signifi- cant damage to my reputation with my cusiomers and in the-c munity asa result of this precipitous action.” she claimed ina sworn : affidavit. oe / This’ story, however, has a happy ending for the Khan family... Rashida Khan won re-entry to her sinre‘and she has a new two- | f Maharajah restau-. ‘awyers, : _ year lease, according to ber/lawyer; Ed Wilson of Lawson Lundell. Pili is nota harmonious selon with, the,, Aandlord, “came to the purty in the 800-block of Lynn Valley Road allegedly brandishing knives. Some “returned to the party after an earlier fight outside. - “Except for (one male), the rest of them are the who's who of problem youth in’ North Vancouver,” said Crown lawyer Mike Brundrett, ‘A [5-year-old on the losing end of the earlier fight took a long metal bar and struck a 19-year- . old North Vancouver man two to three times over the head, said Brundrett. ‘ Brent Swatridge, Carson Graham secondary’s ° reigning co-athlete of the year at the time. was close to death as a result of the attack. He suffered fractured face bones and head injuries including cerebral bleeding. Youth faces several. charges 'in.attack;- A FOURTH teenager: charged in connec- tion with a crowbar attack ata Lynn Valley | _ party in September appeared in. North Vancouver provincial court.on Monday for the first time, — “water objects and provides a more accurate ad of what’s on the ocean bottom. « Other systems, such as a side scan, which ; sonar to take pictures of the bottom, don’t provide the biological information nec- ‘essary. for the project. Riding the sled is fun, even exhilarating, said Christie. However, because the sledders can only see a few feet in front of them, there are surprises, such as rocks that emerge too ‘soon to avoid and large fish that pop into focus, startlingly close, said Christic. in Indian Arm, one rider ran into a clam- hell bucket. a : Depending: on the underwater visibility, the ‘sled may travel up to six kilometres an ‘hour. a g «By Anna Marie D'Angelo 1 News Reporter The 16-year-old Lynn Valley resident cannot be named under the Young Offenders Act (YOA). He is one of six unwanted teen guests who. BRENT SWATRIDGE ‘recuper- See Accused page 13; _ ating after crowbar attack.