Squamish
‘Nation to
be part
of treaty
process

“THE :SQUAMISH Nation is
‘among .33 First Nations from
across British Columbia to
have filed ‘notices-of intent to
participate in the negotiation -
of treaties through the. B.C.
Treaty Commission. -
. The treaty commission, ap-
pointed under an’ agrecment
Signed’ by the First - Nations
Summit and the governments
of Canada and British Col-
umbia, began to accept of-'
“ficial notices of intent to ne- -
‘gotiate — called: statements of
intent ~- on Wednesday.
.. The Squamish are one.of
. two native bands located on ~
-the :-North . Shore. - Burrard
/Chief Leonard George said
his. band has rot. yet decided
whether to file a land claim.

_ “It has to be-approved by ©
‘our - membership," George
Said, ;
The filing of.a statement of
intent is the+first step of .a
_Six-stage : process designed to
- settle. long-standing «land
claims and related ‘issues in.
-British .Columbia. Few
treaties have been ‘signed with
*-First- Nations in the province.
The ‘treaty commission’s role -.
‘is to: facilitate the Hegotiation
“of honorable treaties between
-First -Nations ‘and the gov-
ernments of Canada and B.C.

- Chief Commissioner Chuck .
Connaghan said .the commis-"

ill'.do ‘its <utmost to
smove | the Process » forward °

treaty “commission '
j designed to bring.
srelationships between
aboriginal . and. non-aboriginal -
people in: British Columbia up.
to date with those in’ the rest”
“of Canada. where treaties were, :
“signed long’ ago. .
‘When™ British: ‘Columbia ;
entered ‘Confederation ‘in
A871) the: only. treaties ‘in ef-."
~ fect were * 14 agreements
“covering portions of Southern
{Vancouver Island, signed on’:
behalf. of the British “Crown
‘by: :the. colonial . governor, .
James. Douglas, in ‘the; 1850s.
The ‘only.-other area covered
“by treaty in B.C. is a portion
of the:northeastern: section of
-the “province where Treaty
Eight was extended in the
1890s. :

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NEWS phote Terry Peters

STUDENTS FROM Laura ‘Jefferson’ s Grade 5 and Grade 6
class hold up some of the over 1,800 items they are-deliver-
ing to the food bank. The. Sherwood Park elementary school
class organized a food drive to collect the donations.

JAMES DUNCAN will
never forget the day his
pregnant wife Cheryl called

chim at the office after hav-
.ing her
* scan.

first ultrasound

By Kate Zimmerman

‘Contributing writer’ |

“Are you sitting?” Cheryl

. asked.

The ‘Duncans had’ been using
fertility drugs, so they knew there
was a chance she would be carry-
ing more than one fetus.

“Guess!"’

“Two?” James said.

“Three??’ f

“No...”

At that point, James claims he
said; ‘‘I’m not guessing any more
and don’t call me here ever
again.”

Cheryl eventually got through to
him with the information that they
were having quadruplets.

_:The Duncans are in fine spirits
now, .with all: four of their
daughters finally at home.

The babies, whose birth weights
ranged from 1,175 grams (2.6 Ibs.)
up to 1,350 grams (2.97 Ibs.), were
delivered by caesarean section on
Oct. 3, but their release from
Grace hospital in Vancouver was
Staggered over several weeks.

Lindsay arrived at her parents’
new Lynn Valley house on Dec.
15; joining Stephanie, Rylie and
Alexandra,

The girls are not identical.

They developed in separate sacs,

report given in court:at

Sunday, December 19, 1993 - North Shore News -

Former VP pleads
guilty to two counts
of indecent assault

Suspended sentence handed down

MICHAEL DOWNING, 70,

a former teacher and vice-

principal once described by a judge as “‘a pillar of strength

in the education community of the North Shore,”

was

given a suspended sentence on two charges of indécent
assault in North Vancouver provincial court on Thursday.

The charges stem from incidents ©

that took place in 1960 and 1961,
when Downing was teaching and
tutoring the male complainant,
whose. name is protected from
publication. by a court-imposed
publication ban.

Downing pleaded guilty to both
counts, which were based on ac-

cusations stemming from a period -

when Downing was a math teacher
at what was then the Inglewood
campus of West Vancouver sec-
ondary school.

The former vice-principal of

. West Vancouver senior secondary

school was convicted in 1990 on a

- charge of indecent assault against

a 13-year-old boy in 1960 and
given a suspended sentence.

Judge Carol Baird-Ellan quoted
extensively froma psychiatrist’s
the time,
in which Dr. Roy O’Shaughnessy
said Downing’ had effectively re-
habilitated himself since 1962,
despite an attraction to young
boys.

oO’ Shaughnessy assessed in 1991
that Downing was not a pedophile
or an .active threat to young
children. He reiterated that posi-
tion-for the latest court action...”

46] st phoned in to wt today and
asked if I could come back. #9

—James Duncan, new father of four

and their parents. were able to

watch as Dr. Wally Unger slit
the sacs open at the Vancouver
hospital. ;

James, a wise-cracking: stock
trader, says ‘‘They were like those
little packets you get at dim sum.”’

Wednesday was the first time.

the ‘parents had all four girls
under their own care.

“It was shocking,’’ Cheryl. ad-
mits. ‘You wonder how you’re
going to be able to cope.”’

in fact, she says, it was. nice
that the babies were eased into the
household one at a time.

The situation was particularly
hectic when there were two babies
at home and two others at sepa-
rate hospitals, to which the Dun-
cans drove for visits.

Cheryl says one day she was
forced to stay home with two
babies and forgo the hospital
trips.

“! thought,
relaxing!"""”

The Duncans say the household
has been most harried when each
new baby arrived home.

James has had some panicky

‘Wow! This is so

moments when Chetyl and the
live-in nanny they’ve employed
have both gone out and left him”
with several infants.

**1 phoned in to work today and
asked if ! could come back,’’ says
James,- who is on three weeks’
holidays.

The: nanny handles the night
feedings.

“It makes it far easier to cope,
that way,’’ says Cheryl,

They may get a second nanny to
help during the day.

James says he can’t. imagine
how.a family with a low incorne
would handle a multiple birth.

The Cuncan girls go through
280 diapers per week and 32 ster-
ilized bottles of formula per day,
he says. :

Fortunately, ‘‘The formula
company came to our rescue and
said, ‘As much-as you need, as
long as you need it,’”’? James
says.

The Multiple, Births Association
has also put Cheryl in touch with
other manufacturers who donate
products to families: with more
than one baby in the house.

~ THIS WEEK’S QUESTION:
_ What do you leave for Santa Claus on Christmas Eve?

By Kate Zimmerman
Contributing Writer

In handing down her judgment,
Baird-Elfan quoted liberally from
the findings of Judge J.L. Me-
Carthy: at: Downing’s ‘previous —
trial, who noted the - teacher’ S.
‘outstanding, enviable reputa-.,
tion’? and the fact that he was: ‘‘a

- pillar of strength in the education

community on the North Shore.’”
Crown counsel Ralph Keefer
had. argued that. the complainant:
had dealt with feelings of shame
since the «incidents, had quit
school in Grade 10 as‘a direct.
result. of them, had developed -a
drug problem and was confused
about his sexuality. :
Baird-Ellan said in sentencing |
she considered Downing’s age,:his
reputation, his apparent remorse,
the, fact that the incidents hap-

pened over 30 years ago, and the -~

trauma that appearing in court .
must have caused him... * yi

She placed him on probation’ *-
for two years and ordered him to,
write a letter of apology of no less"

* than 100 words to the complainant.

if

ed

‘Gerber, - for instance, sent the

Duncans four casés of food, along |...

with. spoons and the number. for
its 1-800 help-line.’.| “- - ac
“I never: turn down ‘anything *
free. at. this’ point,”’. says ’ James.
‘*Radial tires? Sure! Lube job... ”” .
Both parents have family. in .
town to help out, and next week |
will have relatives babysit:so they

‘can have: a_ few’ hours .; ‘together

without their brood.
“We've promised them ‘we- will.

- come back,‘. James says, with a

sly look. “But we “haven't given
thematime.” ~

.The Duncans have/ ‘already had-.
a chance’ to spot the differences.

between their daughters, except - . .

for Lindsay, whom Cheryl says
they don’t know very well yet.

“They. all have their different
cries,"’ James says, imitating each
one. ©

Cheryl entered the hospital nine
weeks before the quadruplets were
born, and ‘she came home to a
new house, a new car and an un-
familiar role as mother of four.

“It was like walking into a new
life,’? she says.

As for James, he says he can’t
imagine a nicer Christmas than the
one the Duncans will have this
year.

They will hold their traditional,
Christmas Eve party, and there
will be plenty of fresh. arms.
outstretched for babies.

At present, there are no plans
for..what Chery! describes . as
another “‘litter’’? of Duncans, ~

“T think we're: going to have
everyone fixed,’’ says James.

“The dog fixed. Everyone 1.
know fixed.” Las a