ingniving reporter Horseshoe Bay Dundarave/Ambleside British Properties Norgate/Pemberton Heights ~~ Capilane/Delbre 9k Highlands Lower Lonsdale Central and Upper Lonsdale Lyno Valley Blueridge/Deep Cove TOTAL .....sscsccscssssescsceresersenesrsseare SOY. ON the face of it, the answer should be a resounding yes. The men and women of North Shore Search and Rescue are all volunteers who have committed to two years of training so that they can be cn call year-round and turn Out as many as three times a week during ski season — without pay The commitment often requires time away from regular jobs, not to mention children and family. There are approximaie!y 80 cther teams in the province, many of them restricted in what they can do by their lack of support. But talk to any team member and you will fear that they do not expect pay for what they do and they fear a provincially-run program would come with added bureaucracy and a price to be charged and collected for rescues. That, they argue, will lead to delays in asking for help and, worse, the lost hiding from searchers. Local team leader Tim Jones says the province should have the responsibility of providing capital funding for such things as command vehicles, snowmobiles and communication equipment. He suggests the province could also organize B.C.-wide suspensions of paszes for those who ski out of bounds and need rescuing. Meanwhile, the local team receives a lot of municipal suy- port for searches that are most often on GVRD or provincial land. NORTH SHORE DEMOGRAPHICS YES 39% 60% 49% 69% 52% 55% 19% 65% 61% 39% 21% 29% 23% 32% 299% 38% 21% 20% 28% NO NO DO OPINION ~KNOW 10% 18% 19% 5% 12% 11% T0% 12% 13% 12% 1% 3% 3% Ve 5% 3% 2% 6% Daniele Palitti North Delta I would say so, It’s a lite- risking job. So what if there is a charge for rescue. Make them pay for their own stu- pidity. Elisabeth Arcari North Vancouver Based on my experience here at Grouse Mt., | say no. Most of the rescues are because skiers go out of bounds. It happens almost every week. It’s a responsi- bility they should take on their own shoulders. If they are going to be charged, that’s different. I'm for saving people, but there are so many peoptc who need help the money Vincenzo Lanci North Delta Yes. They are one of the best teams in the world. Their average response time is great. But they are needed more and more as the papu- lation increases and more people ski or board and peo- ple get crazier and crazier. So many people just don’t gare about boundaries any more, and it’s going to get Worse Next year. 4% 12% could be used elsewhere. DO YOU HAVE A QUESTION FOR THE INQUIRING REPORTER? E-mail your comments or question ideas to: martin@nsnews.com French schooling Feds y move de Liam Lahey . Contributing’ Writer PARENTS with chil- dren enrolled in a French immersion pro- gram at Brooksbank Elementary have been given an extra year to prepare to transfer their children to Ross Road Elementary. North Vancouver School District 44 trustees voted unanimously Tuesday to allow parerits the extra time. Brooksbank does not have - sufficient classroom space to accommodate the French immersion enrolment. It is believed that by con- solidating the kindergarten to Grade 6 program between the two schools it will strengthen French immersion in. the North Vancouver school district. “The parents (at Brooksbank) are .distressed about the date of the pro- gram moving to September 1999,” said Trustee Marg Jessup. _ “They feel it’s not ade- quate time to consider the matter and they need time to prepare for it~ they need an extra year,” The — consolidation of rooksbank into Koss Road will commence in September 1999 and will be fully imple- mented by September 2000. French immersion kinder- arten students are net included in the September 1999 registration at Brooksbank, They have the option of settling at Ross Road or another school of their choice. - Further to these decisions, the board also elected to form a task force of concerned par- ents and school officials to consider al} «transportation issues surrounding the move. layed Board chairman Doug MacKay-Dunn © said the trustces wanted to ensure the move would be as fair as pos- sible for all parents and stu- dents involved in the French immersion program. “There is a culture issue to consider, it depends so much’ on the people that you're learning with and not just the teachers,” he said. - “If you like being there (as a student), you’re going to meve much quicker through the curriculum. “By listening to the par- eats and instead of saying everyone has to move over to Ross Road in September 1999, we said, ‘No, let’s think this through and gct the parents invalved in a task force to deal with the trans- portation issucs and hel strengthen the = Frenc immersion program = and make sure Ross Road is pre- pared to receive them.’” MacKay-Dunn_ said the soon-to-be-formed task force might want to consider the ossibility of approaching BC Transit to help resolve the transportation dilemmas fac- ing students. “Ie’s tough times right new = there’s an absolutely lousy transportation system here on the North Shore. “If there was a proper public transportation system on the North Shore we prab- ably wouldn’t have so many schools,” he said. “(Approaching BC Transit for help) might be something the task force shoud iook at. Ie’s about time we go to the Greater ‘ancouver Transportation Authority and say, ‘What are you going to do about providing public transportation on the North Shore for kids, that’s your responsibility.’ “If we can do chat, it’s going to reduce costs all the way across the line,” added MacKay-Dunn. - eevee we Danica Riley Contributing Writer CANADA Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CHMC) is offering low income seniors and people with disabilities loans to improve home security. ¢ federal government’s housing agency will provide some seniors with a forgivable loan of up to $2,500 to make their homes safer. Some of the improvements that can be made in the Home Adaptations . for — Seniors Independence (HASI) pro- gram include: @ replacing locks to improve function or increase security; W installing a peephole or view panel in a door; @ installing security bars on The Multi-Rater GIC A profitable option With this GIC, you benefit from a rate of 5% in the first yeas, and a guaranteed rate of 4.85% for 5 years! le Redeemable ct each anniversary date as of the second year. Call our Account Managers Today! Kim Hogearth 903-2900 1452 Lonsdale Avenue, North Vancouver Patrick Yong 903-7580 1575 Marine Drive, West Vancouver 7 AURENTIAN. BANK “Intevest rate subject to change without notice, windows; M@ increasing lighting along entrance walkways and steps. To qualify for assistance yeu must be 65 years old or over, have some difficulty with daily living activities, have a total houschold income below dic incorne limit for your area (fig- ures available from CHMC) and ensure the adaptations will ay for seniors’ safety be made to a permanent resi- dence. The loans do not have to be repaid provided the homeown- er agrees to occupy the dwelling for the duration of the loan forgiveness period of six months, The deadline for appli- cations is March 31, 1999. For more intorn-ation call CRMC at 737-4077. ; PRIVATE ALTERNATIVES: ~ TO PUBLIC EDUCATION MAKE AN EDUCATED CHOICE ABOUT YOUR CHILD’S FUTURE atch For It February 28 | The Classifieds | y