DOROTHY PENMAN

Court services
manager ‘retires
after 20 years

of dedication

HAD YOU listened carefully Thursday afternoon, you
might have heard the focal wheels of justice igrinding toa

momentary halt.

Not to worry, ‘though. it was
not. an ominous prelude. to
.| judicial coflapse, just enthusiastic
‘| tribute to the North Shore's first
manager of court services for
North and West Vancouver.
Dorothy Penman, . who’ has
-keld the position since it was
created in 1984, officially retired
Thursday after 20. years. serving
as various cogs. in those relentiess
wheels.”

In the course. ‘of, that ‘career,

she «has, | among other things,

helped ease the smooth evolution ©

of: North ° Vancouver's court
“system from a: municipally. to
: provincially-run service and Iiter-

ally” helped shed light on. what |
a * e&t trauma in 1980 when it was
y ‘separated from the North Van-
- couver RCMP ‘station in 1980

he worked for along. the,

uniformly lasting. °

he’s. been; fabulous," . ‘ssid.
é rmain, supervisor. for.

‘the North’ Vancouver: court regis-
try. She! an incredible knack
-for dealing with people.”

‘Judge Jerome: Paradis, one of.

. “three North Vancouver provincial,
court. fudges, credits Penman
with guiding him through his first:
‘awkward steps as a judge when
‘he/ was appointed to the bench In
1975."

‘] was’a young judge. ‘taking.
over for two older Judges very set

in their ways. I needed all the /
belp J could get,” Judge Paradis ..
: said. “She was incredibly helpful

“Veo met?
k. As:a former.’ ‘defence lawyer,

Judge Paradis said -he was unfe- ”
miliar ‘with ‘much. of the court:

paperwork ‘and. court:;

procedures’ in which most Crown:
counsel : ilawyers are well versed.

‘Penman, he said, showed him the:

Bor. in Southport, England,

the 'S8-year-old © Penman began
| her career in’ the’ North. Van
‘eouver-judicial system in-1968 as
: | @ general office worker with th

Ap Crown ‘counsel:
‘where she served as an executiv
‘assistant for five years.

_lumination In

” house’ :
. hotds. dear the’ concept of the
“North Shore courts as communl- .

‘Vancouver; courthouse,
‘because West Vancouver hes no
_ small claims court,. bancles . all
* North Shore civil actions. :

The result is an increasing bot- |.

; justice 0: ;
“1: think 1 have had a ‘suc- |.

|

By TIMOTHY RE
News Reporter
r

provincial tskeover, of municipal
courts.

She became manager of court
administration for court services

“in North Vancouver, West Van-

couver, Squamish and Pember-
ton in 1979.

Five years later her present
position was crested, and in

August 1987, she was asked to |

take over managerial duiles of
the Vancouver small. claime

‘ court.

The North Vancouver court
system suffered perhaps its larg-

and moved north (o the site of its

- current 200 Fast 23rd Street loca-
: tion.

Courthouse staff were se-

“ quesiered: in portable trailers’ for

approximately’ four yerrs while

‘the sew courthouse was planned ‘s

d constructed.”
Penman was instrumental In

pusking for natural light ss af
jprimary source of courtroom il.
the new ‘court.
i house, which was completed in
i” December 1983.

_In addition to 8 n'ponitive court-
environment, "Peoman

ty, facilitics..

‘Sudiciai "efficiency On: ihe
North Shore,’ she sald, is general-
ly good, but a growing backlog

of civil cates, is ‘an _tocreasing -

concern. a

> Courthouses , iw North had

West “Vancouver: currently pro- |:
‘cess about. 2,500 criminsl cases
“ gnnually. Civil actions, however, |°
. jumped by 43 per cent from 1986
to! "1987, when 1,700 civil. sults}
North ||

were processed. in. the’.
which,

tleneck in processing civil, cnses.

* Penman said the curreni wait to

bring a civil suit to trial is six to
seven months compared with two

‘months for a criminal trial.

In an. attempt to heip ‘people
find ways to resolve civil disputes

outside the court and to provide

simple ‘civil » court. informati

‘the North Vancouver courthouse,

in’ conjunction ‘with the North
Shore Information and Volunteer.
Centre, launched a monthly small
alms workshop in February.
P :

vides alternative. mediation ser-
‘vices .. and ”.is serene to” ‘help’

‘Though | she; has" “chosen earl

retirement, Penman said‘ she. in- |<
tends | to / continue serving; the |.

community with the legal know!-

edge’she has. amassed during her |"

‘ possibly: as a siti B
the peace.

career,”

cessful’ career,” . Penman said.

Sm still enjoying j it."

“public, hearing when ;
local residents protested | further

"Bay!
“tended a second council inceting |
on the issue. recently to emphasize
a his:
ing.
; “The best use of Horseshoe Bay
waiprtront land is public parkland

byl ot
t

Squamish ix May 21 and 22,

3 - Sunday, April 3. 1988 - North Shore News

NEWS photc Mike Watetiats

oyal refit

THE ROYAL Hudson gets a close, piece-by-piece work-over at Versatile Pacific in preparetton for the 1988 .
touring seasan. The wheels are being refitted at the shipyards for tires, The Inaugural weekend for the trip to

4

RESIDENTS TO GET INPUT. 7

wy Council a

Sewell’ s boat bylaw | ‘a

west VANCOUVER District - Council is “abandoning aaSbears no rélation to the revenues

“The zoning ‘has become. con-
fused! with the other site’ develop.
ments proposed. We {cel it is nec.

“essary to abandon the bylaw until

we have | had a chance to’ get

together with Horseshoe Bay resi-

a4,"" explained district’ planner
Steve Nicholls at- a, West Van-
couver District Council mecting

'. Monday.’

This move followed ; a Feb, 2
numerous

development of the marina site.
John Leith of: the Horseshoe
Community Association: at-

roup’ s resistance to ihe rezon-

cal

; KATHLEEN BELL-YOUNGER holds

: that/ the: fee bein

‘bylaw to legitimize the usage of Sewell's ‘Bay Boats site;/at
“Horseshoe Bay as a marina, even though’ that SABE: has
been in effect for about 40 years. ’

- by MAUREEN CURTIS ©.
Contnbeting Writer
for people, not for parking and»
commercial use,"’ said. Leith. «
One resident, Jack! Forrester, .
said he intends (o- have his solici-
tors take‘action- against council, for:
the way it handled the: leasing of
the Bay Boats site to Dan ‘Sewell of |
Sewell's Landing: Horseshoe Bay
Marina for a 20-year period
“ft should have, been 2a"
in the B.C.

any) ‘tesident | in t

Contrary to the :
the leasing of the foreshore by the |
municipality,', Fo er’ contended .

‘a picture of her daught

fi

aid: ‘by Sewell | \ A inalized

he is realizing from the property.”"
This same law, Fortester. § said,

| prevents - the municipality’ | from

leasing to someone who places any -

improvements on the land for his

own use of deposits earth or fill or”

other material on the land.
“It is not-cven ‘established at this

point if he has:legal entitlement to’ | ¢ /
‘the land, “! Forrester said of Sewell. ,,. a4

‘Ald. Mark: Sager’ ’
thal.there have
provincial”. rates to be ane ;
tegarding the. rates
. keasing marine land.

“They feet we /ar “O char

Sai

pointed - out”

“ample opportimity for dialogue,”’

v during’ ‘the / discussions’ th

| municipality plans'to organize, w

* community members.

Sewell hag’. extensive.
ment plans. for the. Horseshoe Bay’
_ site,/ which’ have, not

NEWS photo ° Tom Burley

he has turned to the streets to work

p
as a prostitute: Bell-Younger and her faraily: fear for the Ife of 18-year-old Francesca Acosta, now, that she'is

: on the run with her pimp. See story page’ .

‘changes to.the f°"

yet, been ;