Secure your home SPECIAL FEATURE: 17 bee NEWS photo Cindy Goodman FIVE-YEAR-OLD Victoria Staseson from West Vancouver gives Liberal lead- ership candidate Jean Chretien a bouquet of fiowers as he arrives at Lonsdale Quay Thursday to deliver a speech. local business would benefit from Liberals, Chretien claims NORTH VANCOUVER shipbuilders and related businesses who have benefited from federal defence con- tracts in the last five years can expect to continue reaping similar benefits from future federal government con- tracts if the Liberals win the next fed- eral clection, leadership candidate Jean Chretien told the North Shore News Thursday night. Chretien was interviewed after speaking toa boisterous crowd of North Shore party members who pecked the Waterfront Bistro at the Lonsdale Quay Hote? on Thursday evening. Chretien said he dida’t) blame Cupilano- Howe Sound MP Mary Collins, who is also the Associaiy, Minister of National Defence. for taking the credit: for bringing logal defence cantiacts to North Vancouser shipyards in the past. But he said contracts are awarded because of prices given by various companies, not because of ministerial influence. “We (Liberals) will keep spreading the work around the nation, as we have always done in the past,”’ Chretien told the News. The former Quebec MP, who held several cabinet posts under former prime minister Pierre Trudeau, and came second to John Turner in the party leadership race in 1984, has practised law since retiring from public life. “After four years of the good life in the private sector | felt it was my national duty to come back and give something positive to this nation, some hope.’ Chretien, 56, told) the North Shore gathering. “There is a sense everywhere in Canada that we gren't what we used to be: a proud and in- dependent country," he said. Referring to Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, Chretien said, “We elected a persan who was supposed to be the great reconciliator of this land, yet we have never been its divided as we are today.” See Chretien Page 3 W. VAN FLOODS FEARED FROM SUBDIVISION CONSTRUCTION Creek damage ri es residents TWO WEST Vancouver women have taken concerns to the municipality's council that development in the Westhills subdivision is resulting in an encroachmeat on public parks and pathways and damage to Lawson Creek that could have serious environmental repercussions for the rest of West Vancouver. ‘We're going to have another major flood; we've already had three that | know of." said Ambleside and Dundarave Ratepayer member Elaine Fonseca, who noticed the dumaze to the creek area while hiking recently with fellow meinber Jeanette Helmer. Fonseca and Helmer alerted West) Vancouver District Council earlier this week to earthmoving work in the new development that has resulted in dirt and gravel be- ing pushed down the steep creek bank and stumps and other debris being piled in the creek. “Now it’s difficulr to know where the original creekbanks were,’ said Ald. Mark Sager, who toured the area with the women. Helmer aad Fonseca are also upset that the movemeat of earth may seriously disturb tiie new linear park that is planned for the creek-side. The park will provide access to the Baden Powell Trail. The work, the residents contend, is a contravention of the Creeks Bylaw, which was established to protect land within 25 feet of the top of any creek bank. But, according to Barry Lambert, West Vancouver's Diree- tor of Operations, it is the Sub- division Bylaw. not the Creeks Bylaw that is applicable in’ the Lawson Creek case. But Ald. Sager said ‘This situa- tion is not acceptable, whatever the bylaw it’s under. That ereck has been turned into an ugly ditch.” The Subdivision Bylaw does not define setback requirements, but allows the approving officer (Lambert) to determine how much land to protect from the clearing. In his report to West Vancouver Municipal Manager Terry Lester, Lambert stated that the developer appears to have lived up to the covenants applied to the Chippen- dale and Bramwell Subdivisions. The covenants only require preservation of the natural ground cover and tees on the foreshore immediately adjacent to the creck banks. But an exceplion to those cove- nants was made when the devel- eper had to temporarily divert the creek in order to install a culvert. The covenants were drawn up a couple oof years ago under oa Contributing Writve previous approving officer, before the municipality initiated stricter clearing controls. But Lambert intends to inspect the Lawson Creek area more close- ly to see if there has been any wrongdoing. Investigation of creek damage would come under the authority of the provincial environment ministry and the federal Depart- ment of Fisheries and Ocean. Mark er... * This situation is not ac- ceptable."* WEST Vancouver Ald. Sz As for the new linear park along Lawson Creek, Lambert contended that it will run along land that has not yet been subdivided and has therefore not yet been dedicated by the developer to the municipality. Where there are private lots along the creek, there is no right- of-way for access and therefore no public paths at this time, Lambert said. But Sager said he was still ‘‘can- cerned about the preservation of the creeks and people converting land to their own.”" Helmer and Fonseca claim that further south from the develop- ment site an area resident has built a fence and completed landscaping on what will be public land. But, said Bob Kusch of the municipality’s parks department, “These people have been notified that atany point in time they could be asked to remove the rocks and fenee."””