Big box
stores
stall
Fullerton

& By Jolanda Waskito

A Contributing Writer

B® WILL it be a megastore,
‘an auto mall of a manu-
facturing plant for com-
puter technology?

The answer, to that ques-
tion is still up in the air,

Developers Chuck Brook of

“Brook Development and Peter
“Martin of Greystone listened
“Monday: ‘night to. North
couver City councillors’ can:
“cerns on: proposals for the 64-
“acre Fullerton, waterfront prop-
aa| crty,:a former landfill located at
Ay the foot of Pell Avenue,
‘Plans for the site have been in
-the works since September 1996,
.) “ET have it on reasonably
‘authority that it may be a fge
Canadian . Tire  megastare,”
,Coun. Bob Fearnley said, adding
“thats “Uni. not ond. of - big
boxes.”
€ said jobs at such: megas-
‘ores don’t ‘pay very.’well and
employces who work full-
time won't be able to afford: a
‘house... He‘ also said ‘that “big

boxes are predatory,” and would "|

“affect .“ smaller: businesses on
sdale Avenue.

Fearnley’ added that billion

i 1’ Pattison wants to buy-a

n of the -land. for. an

ut the councillor said

*d rather. see “something like

high-tech’ industry on, ithe Prop:

Merchants
just say no’

Fram page 4

Meanwhile, Jolin Clark, president of the
West Vancouver Chamber of Comme ree, sald
the chamber has a tandate to fosterand pyro-
mote quality business in the district, At the
same tine, the chamber has agreed to Mayor
Pat Boname’s request for the chamber to bean
intermediary between the citizen's group and
Park Royal,

He added he’s met with Park Royal repres_
sentatives who told him the mall if looking at.

ways to integrate the cinema and bowling alley?
in the revainped mall,

He said the chamber is not ina position to
make a judgment on the three stores moving
in, But he said: “You won't see me there. f get
my hardware at the 1700-block Marine
Drive,” where the loeal Home Hardware j is
located,

Although the chamber won't take a stand
on the issue, some stores are, North and Wes!
Vancouver merchants have borrowed a line
from the Reagan era with their “Just Say No ta
Warehouse, Rig Box Stores in Park Royal,
Mall” campaign.

Jim Barnum,, who. helped form the
Citizens’ Community Health: Coalition and
organized the meeting, said the business com-.
munity has already provided monetiry, support:
to his efforts. aT

Barnum. added: that’: 1,560 people have
signed an anti-big-box, petition’ ‘and he ‘asked.
people.to write letters and ‘circulate petitions...

- At the meeting, attendees mulled what can o
be done.

Soprovich said, the’ Sqitamish Band: whi ich |
owns the expansion site, should allow vehicles: |
to drive down Capilano Road south'of Marine’
Drive, make acright hand .turn ‘and come: in
over the. bridge “behind ‘the; Kapilano 100°
building to help alleviate traffic concerns: 3,”

His response to the longer ‘hours’ mega: : i
stores often demand: “No way, ‘Are you kid-) .
ding?”

Soprovich told the mecting the district sup-
plies she south mall with services such as water, -

sewer, police and fire protection. But, when *
asked if the district has any clout atall, he added.
that to cut off services would create a : dilemma, :

councillors were.

‘opposed. to: the: megastore con-
,including, Darrell Mussatto. ¢-
cy’re- not, great” for the

‘local’ mom. and’ pop. stores,”

‘Loony Bird lunge

JUNIOR e6ers soccer clinic participants tested skiits recently at Ambleside in West
Vancouver. The clinic drew approximately 70 children aged six to 12. The clinic was co-
eponsored by the North Shore News, the 86ers and McD nald’s,

because the’ Squamish band. controls “West
Vancouver access to' the Lions Gate Bridge...
Mo Dadbeh, a retired lawyer, said someone
should analyse whether the expansion benefits
the community. He said’ each community

Mussatto ‘said. “But. how. far do
you go? What role ‘does the. city
Play: in business? |
Personally, I'd rather pay a
more, cents and know some-
one at the store, like I kauw the
local butcher I go to.”

Coun. John Braithwaite said
that'if people wanted:to go to a
“megastore,:“they can’ go to West.

“Vancouver or Burnaby,” °
. Braithwaite said a public hear-
il be. called .to, consider
plans for. the Fullerton site and
“if the community w nts it, then
a big box might go in.”

Although’Coun, Barbara-

Sharp doesn" i like big-box stores

either, she ssid, the reality is that
‘ pedple‘shop in ‘them ‘already. °

: ‘People want.to go shopping

ea choice,” she said, =:

Big box stores did not bother

“L couldn’t see why. anyone
wi uld . object toa Canadian
”. Mayer Jack Loucks said.
cks ‘said. the developers
are also ooking i into the possibil-
ity of building a marina.
pe Couns’Stella Jo Dean's con--
cern was with che establishment.
‘Of some green. space on the
vatérfront. :
Dean said she was “quite per-
turbed” that the developers
ked council te allow them to
clude-a two-acre arca of slough
as part of.the property that must.
be turned into a park. - }
V..° Under legislation, 5% of a
“development must be park land.
‘That means 3.2 acres of the 64
acre Fullerton site must be park.
- “The slough is about two
> acres of land, so when 3.2 acres is
inandatory, they’ re not giving us
3.2 but only 1.2 acres,” she said.
“They should give us two more
“acres s for park. ”

From page t

Information and Protection of Privacy Act, Fiesta
Mexicana’s rodent problem was not new. '
An’ carly 1996 health inspection report said the

Lonsdale Avenue restaurant had a “high hazard” prob-
lem not only for rodents, but also for improper sanitary
facilities and inadequate cooling . and refrigeration of

‘ food,
“-. The problems were rectified to an inspector's satis-”
“faction two months later, The restaurant’s manager and

owner said on-Friday that the problem was addressed
and corrected quickly after spending a lot of money.
The baby miouse complaint more than a year later

‘prompted ; ‘another inspection of the restaurant. The
inspector noted. mouse feces in a rear stock room, .
-according to his report.

The inspector included in his report “advice to help -

clirninate the infestation.” The advice stated that the
restaurant should “keep all food sources up off the floor”

_ and in scaled containers, and “not leave dirty. dishes

overnight.” .
Like. most local restaurants with potentially serious

~ rodent or ‘sanitation. problems, Fiesta Mexicana was

allowed to continue serving food to customers.

“People perceive us having a lot of power, but in fact,
we are constrained,” said Rick Kwan, ‘senior public
health inspector at North Shore Health.

Kwan: said that a’ restauraat can only be closed if'a
condition exists in the premises that i is a menace to pub-

lic health.

“Tr can’t bea potential, it must be a menace to pub-
lic health at the time of inspection,” said Kwan,

Kwan said that ifa food operator demoustrates a will-
ingness and effort to address the problem and if there is
to immediate menace to public health, the food opera-
tion is allowed to continue business,

Eight public health inspectors check out the 570
restaurants and food places such as grocery stores, cor-
ner stores and delis on the North Shore each year.

Kaan, a senior inspector for 10 years, estimates $% of
the tood establishments have ongoing problems with

needs Howling and theatres,

public health inspections.
Inspections are required under provincial fe; ulations,
No restaurant has been’ closed by a public health
inspector this year, Since 1995, only four food opera-
tions have been ordered closed by North Shore Health.
They include:
M@ Chateau ‘Bakery & Conditorei, also known as. La
Vaguette et L’Echalote, 123 Carrie Cates Court, North
Vancouver. It was ordered closed on Oct. 24, 1996
because of a severe mouse infestation. The bakery was
permitted to reopen on Oct. 30, 1996. Owner Mario
Armitano said he was not aware of the extent of problem

until a close examination. He said the problem had been’

cleared up while the restaurant was closed;

@ Golden Valley Kitchen, 1232 Ross Rd, North
Vancouver. It was ordered closed on Oct. 23, 1996, for
unsafe food handling practices and for water problems. A

sample of chow mein from Golden Valley Kitchen was,

found to be contaminated “heavily” with Bacillus cereis.
The outlet was permitted to reopen on Oct. 24, 1996.
The fast-food takeout changed ownership on March 1.

The News was not able to contact the owner to dead-

line;

B Laurie's Catering Mobile Vehicle, a coffee truck, oper-
ating out of North Vancouver, It was ordered closed on

“ Aug. 13, 1996, because the refrigerator was not working

properly and there was no running hot and cold water in

the vehicle. The coffee truck was permitted:to reopen.

five days later on Aug. 19, 1996. The News was unable
to contact the coffee truck’s owner to deadline;
@ Horseshoe Bay Chinese Restaurant, 6612 Royal Ave.
in West Vancouver. It was ordered closed on Sept. 5
1995, because of a sewage backup into the premises. The
restaurant was permitted to open a couple of days later.
The restaurant’s operator Kevin Yang said on Friday that
it was water from the freezer that was on the establish-
ment’s floor and not sewage.

Meanwhile Kwan said North Shore Health inspectors
received 136 food complaints by customers in 1995,

The figure jumped to 160 in 1996.

Consumers primarily complained about suspected
food poisoning, saisl Kwan,

wos

WHAT TO LOOK FOR.

THE following i isa shiort-tist of .

things customers may want to
observe during their “unofficial
inspections” of food places as
suggested by North Shore .
Health’s Senior Public Health
Inspector Rick Kwan: :

wea,
@ is there:a sneeze guard present

over a buffet table?;

Bis the cold food cold and hot 7

food hot?
(Hot or
cold food
should

not be

served
warm or
at room

", tempera-

ure);
@ do the °

SOrvers

“and other

food han-

dlers hold

glasses.

properly”

or do they

pat their: ,

fingers in the liquid or near the top
of glasses?;

Mis the meal undercooked? {1 so,
return it.

Kwan said that a clean front area
of an eatery can be deceiving as to
the level of cleantiness in the.
kitchen, out of sight to customers.
Kwan said customers should make
restaurant managers aware if dirt”

forks and knives are found on tables.

Dirty kitchens tough to terminate )