istrict bac
VIP pay review

Martin Miflerchip

News Reporter
miller@nsnews.coun

HAPPY cops! That’s
what North Vancouver
District council would
like to see policing the
municipality.

On Monday, it endorsed a
motion by Coun. Glenys
Decring-Robb calling for the
federal Treasury Board to base
the RCMP salary structure on
an average of the top three
municipal police forces in the
country.

“Safety or security is one of
the key issues in our communi-
ty,” said Decring-Robb.

“I think it is important that
once we get an RCMP officer
assigned to the district we want
to keep them: get them used to
who we are, where we are and
what we do.”

Deering-Robb then asked
North Vancouver RCMP Supt.
Jamie Graham whether he had
lost any personnel because of
wage factors.

Graham said he had lost
“avo. experienced constables”
to the Vancouver Police
Department “at $10,000 more
per annum.”

‘An RCMP constable’s cur-
rent annual salary ranges
between $31,172 and $50,508
compared with 2 salary of
berveen $42,132 and $55,440
for a Vancouver City police
constable.

Meanwhile, a sergeant’s pay
scale ranges from $58,284 to
$60,283 in the RCMP and
from $66,528 to $72,072 in
the Vancouver Police
Department.

District director of corpo-
rate affairs Dave Stuart present-
ed a report to council that

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Ab ‘services fully
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north vancouver
District Council

notes over 70% of the rates paid
to inside Maff and 93% of the
rates paid to outside staf are
below the RCMP. cons: ible

ate.
Added Siuare: “Over 90% of

the district's inside rates aid all
of the outside rates All seiow
the RCMP corporal rate.”

Bur councillors had prob-
lems with the comparison.

“1 reject the notion that an
RCMP officer is comparable to
another municipal emplovee.
Thev’re carrying guns. They
are there to protect us. I don’t
appreciate the comparison,”
said Deering: Robb.

Municipalities have no juris-
diction over RCMP salaries and
benefits, which have not risen
since a federal wage freeze was
implemented in 1992.

The RCMP became cligible
for a wage increase in January
1998 but the Treasury Board
has yet to make any decisions.

RCMP wages were consis-
tendy higher than municipal
police rates for the decade prior
to 1993.

Graham assesses the morale
at the North Vancouver
detachment as “average to
good,” bur notes in a February
25 |etter to Stuart: “Police
forces other than the RCMP
seem to have negotiated them-
selves wages and benefits that
have found the average mem-
ber considerably underpaid.”

On Monday he told coun-
cil, “The ongoing issue of the
wage freeze is a constant irri-
tant. ’'m proud to announce

thar I chink the District of

North Vancouver is receiving
quality police protection in its

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“But this wage freeze and
the nobility issue and) deer
mental economic effects on the
day-to-day constable is a con-
stant over nding irritant.”

Coun. Ernie Crist: said the
district was not “getting 3 good
deal trom the RCMP.”

But Crist’s point was only
made to support the concept
thar RCMP officers should be
able to attord to live where they
serve, rather than commuting
trom communities where hous-
ing is cheaper.

“We would ke them to
have coots in the community.
We would like them to volun-
teer in the community,” said
Crist.

Mayor Don Bell was the
only member of council to
oppose Deering: Robb's
motion, but only on the
grounds that the RCMP wage
scale for the Lower Mainland
should be based on an average
of local police force salaries — a
position that Graham says the
Treasury Board — routinely
ignores.

Bell then won council sup-
Port for a report from staff on
options to address the wage
disparity berween RCMP and
municipal police forces.

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Wednesday, March 11, 1998 — North Shore News - 5

NEWS photo Paul McGrath

Police action

WEST Vancouver police officers and a member of the department's dog squad pre-
pare to exercise a search warrant in the 400 biock of North { Oxley Street in West Van
last Friday. No charges were laid but a collection of nine handguns, two shotguns and
two rifles in addition to a large quantity of ammunition were removed from the house.

City council favors water route

From page 4

useful,” said Gordon Briggs, 3 North Vancouver
Ciry resident and member of the Low Level Trail
Steering Committee. “The council is extra inter-
ested in having a water-side trail.”

North Vancouver City Coun. Darrell
Mussatto, who also serves with the rec cominis-
sion, agreed with Briggs’ assessment.

“A recreational cyclist is going to have an

opportunity to use the south side (of the property)
anyway,” said Mussatto adding tha. commuter
cyclists will probably prefer to stay on a more
direct route along 1st Street.

But another steering committee member sees
the trail heading in as direct a route as pussible as a
vital aspect of its viability. “The Greystone proper-
ty is 2 necessary link, but if no one sets aside that
10-foot right-of-way for the rail now, then the wail
is toast,” said Karen Milne.

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