HEWS photo Stuart Davis A WEST Vancouver Blue Bus made an unexpected stop Friday afternoon when the vehicle ap- parently suffered brake trouble. The bus was travelling down a 12% grade hill on 27th Street. The bus veered into a hedge and struck a tree in a yard located at the corner of 27th Street and Mathers Avenue. Five passengers walked away from the crash unhurt. An elderly woman and the bus driver were transported to Lions Gate Hospital. The front driver’s side of the bus took the brunt of the damage upon impact with the tree. West Vancouver Fire Department firefighter Stuart Sanders examines the wreckage. To press time Fridzy, an investigation by a provincial Motor Vehicle Branch inspector and West Vancouver Police continued. : Dual-entry decision gets mixed reaction Cancellation of program will cost W. Van board thousands THE DECISION by B.C. Education Minister Stan Hagen to scrap the controversial dual-entry program will cost the West Vancouver District 45 School Board (WVSB) at least $6,060. On Thursday, Hagen announc- ed the cancellation of dual-entry because of ‘‘logistical problems.”’ Under the dual-entry system, which was not a recommendation contained in the Sullivan Royal Commission on Education, a child whose fifth birthday fell between Nov. 1 and April 30 would have had to wait until either the follow- ing January or September before entering kindergarter. But if a child’s fifth birthday fell between May | and Oct. 31 he or she could have enrolled in kindergarten in either the follow- ing September or January. Dual-entry controversy was ex- tremely hearted in West Vancouver where a parents’ group with ‘“‘November-December”’ childven threatened to take the WVSB to court if their children were not allowed to enter kindergarten in the September prior to their children’s fifth birthday. Several school districts, in- cluding North Vancouver, had made exceptions for “November-December’’ children and allowed them to enrol in kindergarten in the September prior to their fifth birthdays. But the WVSB refused, arguing that it would be breaking the law if it made similar exceptions. But on Thursday, Hagen an- nounced that dual-entry would be removed from the B.C. School Act as of the 1991-92 school year. Children can now enter kindergarten in the September of the calendar year in which they turn five. By Surj Rattan News Reporter WVSB superintendent of schools Doug Player said the deci- sion to scrap dual-entry will cost the school district thousands of dollars, money it spent on im- plementing dual-enitry. “T would think it has cost us F & a piel B.C. EDUCATION MINISTER Stan Hagen... program scrap- ped due to logistical problems. between $6,000 and $10,000, but that’s just an estimate. It’s really hard to react to the announce- ment. I don't have details on the funding,”’ said Player. “We need to know what the minister’s plans are for the kids who came in in January. We can't keep fooling around here, we put a great deal of staff time in on trying to make this thing work. The time and those funds looks like it was not well spent.”’ Diana Manson, a West Van- couver parent whose daughter was forced to wait until January be- fore entering kindergarten, called Hagen’s move ‘ta tremendous return to common sense.” She said the dual-entry system forced several parents of **November-December’’ children to pay hundreds of dollars more in pre-school fees because their children were not allowed to enter kindergarten in the September prior to their fifth birthday.” The North Vancouver District 44 School Board (NVSB) decided against implementing dual-entry in the 1990-’91 school year. Board superintendent Robin Brayne said because of that decision the board has not spent a great amount of money or time on dual-entry. North Vancouver Teachers’ Association president Linda Wat- son said she is glad Victoria is scrapping dual-entry. She said the education ministry should first have consulted with teachers and school boards before implemen- ting the system. “The dual-entry plan came out of the blue. We were surprised to see it. It did cause staffing prob- lems,”’ said Watson. “‘If it had gone on year after year, it would have affected the January children year after year. There were lots of problems with it that were unfore- seen.’” NVSB chairman Marg Jessup said she,too,was glad Hagen had revoked dual-entry. BR High Profiles .......... 24 @) Cocktails & Caviar ..... 23 WB Comics .............-- 52 BW Fashion............... 17 GR Lifestyles.............. 47 Sunday, June 2, 1991 - North Shore News - 3 Park and ilford sold $25M shopping centre bought by Morguard Investments Ltd. THE $25 million Park and Tilford shopping centre was sold on Thursday. By Michael Becker News Reporter Morguard investments Led. purchased the North Vancouver shopping centre from Brookfield Investment on behalf of Pension Fund Realty Ltd. Jack Blair, Morguard western region retail vice-president, declined to disclose the purchase amoum of the shopping centre, but the shopping complex opened in November 1988 at a cost of $25 million. Morguard also owns Caulfeild Village in West Vancouver, Co- quitlam Centre, Burquitlam Plaza in Coquitlam and several other properties in Victoria. The com- pany owns numerous office and warehouse complexes in the Lower Mainland and throughout Canada. Blair said Morguard was at- tracted to Park and Tilford as an investment because the company is “in the business of managing first-class triple A strip centres.” He added that no major changes are being considered ‘or the property. “We consider it a successful property and we don’t really want to change what isn't broken at this point,’’ Blair said. The Park and Tilford Gardens, originally developed by Canadian Park and Tilford Distilleries Ltd. in 1968, were restored at a cost of $350,000 and reopened in December 1988. Said North Vancouver City Ald. Stella Jo Dean, who chairs the Park and Tilford Garden Review Board, ‘It (the shopping centre) has been up for sale for quite some time.... All we're interested in is the gardens — that whoever buys it would certainly be respon- sible for it.”” Controversy preceded develop- ment of the retail complex. A 1986 retail market and impact assessment prepared for North Vancouver City concluded that the development ‘‘could exacerbate the problems of an already ‘soft’ retail market’? by drawing on cus- tomers already served by retail outlets focated on Lonsdale Avenue and Marine Drive. Deep Cove pollution search intensified NORTH VANCOUVER District Council has unani- mously committed another $40,000 to the ongoing search for the cause, or causes, of persistent fecal coliform pollution in Deep Cove harbor. By Martin Millercnip Contributing Writer The GVRD, EVS Consultants and the district will co-operate this summer in an investigation to narrow the number of possible pollution sources influencing the water quaiity of Deep Cove. The GVRD has agreed to take water samples from Panorama Beach, Parkside Creek, the yacht club breakwater and beach, and the beach at the government wharf three to five days per week and conduct tests for fecal col- iform within 24 hours, rather than the previous three-day tests. Elevated fecal coliform readings will be passed immediately to the district, which will then sample sediment bags placed in a grid pattern by EVS throughout the harbor. EVS will then analyse the sedi- ment for levels of coliform con- tamination and conduct gene fingerprint tests to determine whether the species origin is human, dog or fowl. John Bremner, district director of engineering services, said he hoped that variations in the levei of contamination across the grid Index 8 Miss Manners .........- 48 WH Sports ............-06- 26 BH Travel................ 44 WB Vintage Years ......... 50 What’s Going On ...... 29 Second Ciass Registration Number 3865 will indicate a direction for the pollution source. “tf we find that they (the col- iform counts) are heavier around the marina we might conclude that the boats are a major problem. but if Parkside Creek is heavy we will focus our efforts there,’’ Bremner said while explaining the plan to council. The district has incorporated suggestions made by the Deep Cove Community Association (DCCA) into the summer program and plans to: e install signs requesting proper waste disposal procedures at the Government Wharf, Deep Cove Yacht Club, Seycove Marina, en- trance buoy and speed limit buoy; esend letters requesting proper waste disposal procedures to Seycove Marine, Deep Cove Yacht Club, canoe rental and tour bear Operators; @ enforce dog control; © continue testing of sewer mains; e institute a twice daily manual count of bird, dog and boat activ- ity. . As chronicled in a May 17 North Shore News story, DCCA members calied for Bremner’s res- ignation over the Deep Cove pollution issue out of frustration at what they clainied was district inaction in finding a cause of, and solution to, continuing Deep Cove harbor pollutzon. Panorama Beach has suffered from elevated coliform levels since the mid-’70s, Last year it was closed to swimming between June 27 and July 31 because of coliform pollu- tion. Weather Monday, cloudy with a 30% chance cf showers. Tuesday, sunny with cloudy periods. Highs 18°C, Lows 9°C.