Classifieds 986-6222 Office, Editorial 985-2131

October 30, 1991 60 pages

Newa photo by Paul McGrath

Happy Halloween

BOBBING FOR apples, brightly-colored costumes, pumpkins and firecrackers are among the
things we associate with Allhallows Eve. Ghouls, goblins and ghosts are invited to try their
trick or treating skills at Capilano Mall on Halloween night. Malt merchants are prepared with
treats for all youngsters decked out in their Halloween finery starting at 3:30 p.m. At 5 p.m.
magician Randy Charach will dazzle the kids with his magical ways prior to the costume con-
test. Registration for the event is scheduled to run from 3:30 to 5 p.m. at the mail.

WV portrait artist
Elizabeth Smily

Now spotlight: 22

Display Advertising 980-0511

Distribution 986-1337

Lower Lonsdale neighborhood
concerned about gangs, violence

SQME LOWER Lonsdale
residents are afraid to leave
their homes for fear of vio-
lence that includes gang ac-
tivity, beatings and a recent
rape, North Vancouver City
Council was told Monday
nig it.

By Pamela Lang
Contributing Writer

Resident Ann Barclay offered
council a 118-signature petition
complaining about area parking,
but added that while distributing
it she found ‘*118 very angry citi-
zens”’ because of noise on the
Street, abuse of Semisch Illahee
Park by ‘‘drunken people lying in
the park,”’ and other problems.

Mike Northcott, who lives di-
rectly across from Sailor Hagar’s
Pub in the 200-block of West Ist
Street, said patrons of the bar and
beer and wine store create many
problems, including the threat of
violence from gangs that ‘‘hang
out"’ in the area.

When asked by Ald. John
Braithwaite about gang activity,
Northcott recounted an incident
of 15 individuals beating up one
person, and said that he had just
learned of a recent rape in the
underground parking lot.

‘“‘Many people are afraid to
come out of their homes.’’ he
said.

Barclay added that ‘‘not having
the police support that we need’’
worsens the problem. A policeman
has told her that they have more
important things to do, she said.

Northcot! listed other problems
area sesidents are tired of dealing
with:

@ damage to, and theft of, vehi-
cles on the street and in the park-
ing garages;

@ vehicles driving past with loud
stereos, with some honking their
horns late at night (Northcott said
he was chased by someone with a
baseball bat after asking the per-
son not to honk his horn);

@ vagrants passed out in the park
where the area children play;

NORTH VANCOUVER
CITY COUNCIL

@ broken glass in the park where
the children play;
@ and juveniles hiding in their
parking garage to buy alcohol
from bootleggers.

Barclay said Semisch park
playground users are endangered
by speeders, and noisy pub
patrons keep area residents awake
at night.

One nearby West Ist Street
building has approximately 60
children, she said, and a child was
hit by a car recently while leaving
the park.

Requests made by the delega-
tion included:

@ changing the parking restric-
tions on West Ist Street to be one
hour maximum from 9 a.m. to 9
p.m.;

@ offering free parking every
evening in the nearby city-owned
lots (which now charge $1 for the
evening, but are underutilized);

@ adding playground parking
signs on West Ist Street adjacent
to Semisch Hlahee Park and better
lighting in the park;

@ and extending the median on
West Ist Street to prevent u-turns
ia front of Sailor Hagar’s Pub.

Parking in the area is an ongo-
ing problem, and Barclay sug-
gested that the revenue lost from
the few people who pay $1 to
park in the city-owned lots could
be made up from the $75,000 that
the theatre developers paid in lieu
of providing parking for their
patrons.

‘*We need parking for residents,
not theatre patrons,’’ said Dennis
Smit, vice-chairman of the
Lonsdale Citizens’ Association.

City council asked for a staff
report on the area’s problems.

Braithwaite said the information
given them indicates ‘‘not only a
noise problem, or a parking prob-
lem, but it indicates a real social
problem.”’

Mayor Jack Loucks agreed that
a composite report is needed, and
that parking is ‘‘not the most im-
portant problem.”

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