SUNDAY
March 19. 1995

nen oer

Spring P:
Now, Arriving

Over 84 Fashion Stores i

iImsidce
the news

a Artist Joe Fafard
visits schools: 28

@ Pure pop for now
people: 29

Business... sscssersasesee VQ)
BE Crossword. 4D
. @ Inside Stories. 15
 N. Shore Allerton 12

ne BO .

Classic silhouettes
make a comeback: 15

@ Cruise into spring in
nautical looks: . 16

Weather

Monday: periods of rain,
windy: High 10°C, low °C.

NEWS photo Brad Lattwidgs

. A SIGN of the times rolls along the track on the North Shore waterfront. A section of Squamish Band land makes news on
‘Page 1. For local native land claims coverage, please turn to page 3.

Annual! rent for vacant land hits $4.4m

OTTAWA MAY be close to off-loading io
the private sector a $4.4-million annual
lease payment to the North Shore’s
Squamish Indian Band.

By lan Noble
News Reporter

The federal government wants 4 private consor-
tium to develop an 18-hectare (45-acre) waterfront
property at the south foot of Capilano Road and take
over paying the rent on the Jand.

The land leased by Environment Canada has been
a dumping ground for garbage and $20.6 million of
taxpayers’ money since the 71-year lease deal was
struck in 1974.

Initially, the federal department planned to build a
Pacific environmental centre on the property. But the
feds chopped that plan !8 years ago in a cost-cutting
move, said Public Works Canada regional manager
Howie Charters,

Since then, Ottawa has flown many proposals to
have the private sector pay the lease. But Charters
said the Squamish Band has shot down each propos-
al because development on the property is restricted
to projects with an environmental theme.

However, the band has now agreed to have the
property developed to house local Environment
Canada offices and environmentally acceptable ven-
tures, he said.

In June 1994, the government canvassed the busi-
ness community for interest in developing the sitc
and taking over its lease payments. Eight proposals
came back, Charters said.

Public Works now awaits approval to seek pro-
posals from three of the best of those consortiums.
Building on the site could start as soon as the late
summer, Charters said.

But the land first needs an environmental cleanup,
which the feds are on the hook for. Charters had no
estimate for the cleanup's cost, but said that it is “not
a significant issue from what we have seen so far.”

Vancouver Wharves, which is adjacent to the
property, has stored products on the site.

‘The company, now owned by BC Rail, still leases
four hectares (10 acres) of the 22-hectare (55-acre)
parcel. :

The winning consortium will likely not take over
the total payment to the band immediately. But he
added that one of the criteria for choosing the con-
sortium will be “which one of the developers will get
us out of this thing quickest.”

Charters said the site’s annual lease payments
Started at $241,402 but increased dramatically
because of rising real estate costs. The rent, he added,
is based on a value of the “highest and best use” of
the land,

Contractors dumping excavation material and cit-

izens unloading garbage such as refrigerators have
been littering the land, although Charters said the
puns is not * significant

n the beginning there was

the Transformer who cre-

ated the world, and all the
things in it. He transformed a §
wolf into the first man, the #
first Tsteil-wautt (being of the
Tsteil-waututh). My begin-
ning is no more hard. to
believe than yours...
— Burrard Band research offi-
cer Leah George.