‘Over-regulation’ draws ire; council rethinks legislation Catherine Barr Contributing Writer FRUSTRATED West Vancouver bed and brzakfast owners are angry with local politicians over the possible rezoning and “over-regulation” of their heme businesses. “Fhis is a classic example of micro management.” bed and breaktast proprietor Barne Wall said this week during. a recon: vened public hearing at West Vancouver's municipal hall “We're being regulated te death and: frankly, weve had enough.” Bed and breakrast owners turned out in force to the hearing to voice their opposition to council's latest draft of a bed and break- fast bylaw. Many bed and breakfast owners call the proposed bed and breakfast rezoning unnecessary and discriminatory. Why, they asked, are their home businesses being singled out? ifthe bylaw is adopted, bed and breakfast owners would have to comply with a new and costly rezoning and licensing process that would subject them to: @ annual inspections; Broom limits; B land-use restrictions; and application fees possibly totaling $2,500. Most bed and breakfast businesses would then be subject to public input from area neighbours. Existing bed and breakfasts would be given special considera- tion. The whole process could take anywhere from four to six months to complete. The additional new rules and regulations, according to bed NEWS phota Cindy Goodman WEST Vancouver bed and breakfast operator Barrie Wall makes a point during a council hearing into the contentious issue of regulating the home- based businesses. and breakfast owners, would violate their constitutional rights and privacy and subject their businesses to unfair serutiny. Bed and breakfast spokesman Wall said that, for hin and his bed and breakfast business, the hassle would be too much. “Te astonishes me that during these difficult recessionary times that some members of this council seem hell-bent on stifling, or regulating into obscuring, a tiny harmless and virtually invisible enterprise on which some operators depend on to hang on to their homes,” said Wail. “West Vancouver (is using) a very large civic sledgehammer to crack a very small wainurt.” West Vancouver council has grappled with the bed and break- fast issue since June 1997. But there is still no solution in sight. Bed and breakfast estallishments in West Vancouver are a lega- Friday. November 20. 1998 — North Shore News - 3 V byla ev drome the Pap Se ca when aecerding to Coun. fis Berd, Lower Mainland residents were encouraged: tr open. ay aca homes to visitors, Sut ater vears of what could be calcd peacettl co evstenee. West Vancouver bed and breakfists have increasingis Come ander SCrUt. Back in the spring of 1997, West Vancouver resident Vai York comphined to council about the existence of a neighbourmg bed and breebtast operation, Asarresult, The Palms bed and breakrast was singled out and ordered ta “cease and desist.” The cease and desést order was eventually withdrawn, but it led to a debate about the legitimacy of all bed and breaktast ercra- Gons in West Van. ouver, ‘he contusion comes from an ambiguous bylaw that ils to acknowledge bed and breakfasts but permits borders and lodgers as 4 type of home-based business. According to West Vancouver bylaws, all bed and: breaktast operations are Hegal. But the status of the more than 20 bed and breakfasts currently operating in West Van remains in limbo. Just this past spring, council rejected staffs advice on licensing bed and breakfast operations. It vored against assistant: planner Joel Lawson's permit proposal and instead opted for the rezoning option, After listening to local bed and breakfast operators this week, council appears to have had a change of heart. Phe bylaw has again been sent back to staff for a “complete revision.” “(This bylaw) is ambiguous, uncertain and probably discrimi- natory,” said Coun. Allan Williams. “Any one of those (reasons) is sutticient to strike this bylaw down.” Coun. Liz, Byrd said West Vancouver should examine how other municipalities handle the issue. “We have made a mountain out of a molehill,” she don’t understand why we have to make (this process) so di Meanwhile, bed and breakfast owners wait for a final verdict. Said Wall: “As bed and breakfast operators, we're simply ask- ing for a level playing field.” Full-service pump required at stati City orders gas retailers to provide more than self-service Liam Lahey Contributing Writer GASOLINE stations best be prepared to fully serve their customers on the North Shore. “A rezoning increase for a retail sales area, and pumps and islands, as well as decreasing the parking spaces from cight to six... why not voluntarily put in a full-service pump?” “T don’t believe we're asking for that much,” Ing replied. “This is a very small site, We'd make traffic congestion worse for that 20% of tke public that want Key contributors ALANA *"rochuk (left) and Jessica Chiu add another coin to the Handsworth School Key Club kitty. The secondary school’s club has thus far coilected over $250 in pop cans and coins for the victims of the Oct. 3 fire that destroyed Lower lonsdale’s Barraclough Block. Former NV resident On Monday night, North Vancouver City council voted 4-3 in favour of forcing gasoline retailers to pro- vide at least one all service pump in the wake of upgrading their facilities. When Imperial Oi} Led. applied for council’s approval to upgrade the Esso station at 2501 Westview Dr. (overlooking the Upper Levels Highway), the oil company sent spokesman Lawrence Ing to explain the nature of the upgrade. “We've anticipated major changes at this inte tion and for obvious reasons (due to Upper Levels Highway construction), we haven't invested money in this locale for many years,” Ing told council. “We now find ourselves with a 16-year-old faciliry in bad need of repair ... there are dirty washrooms beyond cleaning, faded _ canopy signs, basically this facility is due for a facelift.” Among the proposed changes to the station is the installation of four new gas pumps. Council agreed to grant Esso the required development variance permit provided the company designate one pump as a full- serve purnp in an effort to aid those citizens that can- not serve themselves. “You are really asking for quite a bit,” Coun. Stella Jo Dean said to Ing. full service.” Bat council grilled Ing with a barrage of questions. “If vou do the mathematics, wouldn’: it make more sense to have a full-service pump,” asked Coun, Marrell Mussatto. But Ing’told council that [Imperial Oil was net pre- pared to have the small station accommodate full-ser- vice customers when another Esso station that provides those services is located only a short drive away. “We already have a station in the district that offers these services,” Ing said. “With all due respeet, we're not looking at municipal boundaries when we upgrade our facilities.” Ing was also pressured about the landscaping sur- rounding the gasoline outlet. Imperial Oil intends to improve the area surround- ing he station but it is awaiting word from the Ministry of Transportation and Highways (MoTH), whose land is adjacent to Esse.’s. “We can’t do anything on their (MoTH’s) proper- ty,” Ing said. “We've already approached them but there's been no response yet .. we'd like to see it uni- form (the landscape).” See Gas page 13 Anna Marie D’Angelo News Reporter dangelo@nsnews.com A former North Vancouver resident has been charged in connection with a suspected contract killing of a cocaine dealer in Burnaby. Haddi Binahmad, also known as Jimmy, aid as Haddy Bin Ahmad, 24, was charged in the first degree murder of Vikash Chand. _ Chand, 26, was gunned down in a brazen out- door shooting on Oct. 7 at the Rags To Riches Motorcars on Boundary Road. Arrest warrants have been issued for Binahmad and a co-accused Shane Kelly Shoemaker, also known as Shayne Kelly Nixon. Vancouver Island resident. Police say he has lived in the Vancouver area since June. Burnaby RCMP say both men are considered armed and dangerous. They are believed to be in eastern Canada or “points south.” Binahmad lived with his parents in North Vancouver at one time, according tc Burnaby RCMP Sgt. Frank Mogridge. Police also say Binahmad lived in Coquitlam. News sources indicate that a getaway van used in the Chand shooting was registered to a North Vancouver resident. The van was described as a newer model white full-sized van with tinted windows in a police statement. Mogridge declined to comment on the regis- tered owner of the van. Chand was a Richmond resident and a high- faces murder charge profile cocaine trafficker who was serving a jail sentence by house arrest (electronic monitoring) when he was gun down at the car dealership. Police say Chand was serving a sentence for a drug-related crime when he was killed. Besides cocaine trafficking, Chand owned a car wash business called Final Touch. Chand, through Final Touch, had business dealings with the Rags to Riches car dealership, said police. Police recovered a semi-automatic handgun in connection with the early afternoon shooting. Police say Binahmad and Shoemaker were unemployed. Burnaby RCMP say more charges are possible in the case. Anyone with information about the shooting or the suspects is asked to call the Burnaby RCMP at 294-7922 or Crime Stoppers at 669-TIPS. HADDI Binahmad ... wanted for first degree murder in con- nection with Burnaby killing. Shoemaker, 23, is a former Calgary and eS te PE