in ; a Wednesday, August 19, 1998 — North Shore News - 3 mo S Morigage brokers registrar a target Robert Galster News Reporter robert@nsnews.com FALLOUT from last year’s collapse of Eron Mortgage Corporation is continuing. Mary Francis Cooper, a North Vancouver businesswoman, filed a suit in B.C. Supreme Court last week se :king damages. But the 54-year-old Cooper is not suing Eron or its form +r principals. Instead she is focusing her attention on the province of B.C. and Robert Hobart, the provincial registrar of mortgage brokers «who over- sees their activities. Hobart and his office started an investigation into Eron and its two principals, West Vancouver's Brian Slobogian and Frank Biller, last ycar andi finally suspended their mortgage broker licences on Oct. 3. “We started an investigation ear- . lier than that (Oct. 3) and when we “Eron had raised had enough evidence that’s when we pulled the licence,” said Hoban. as much as: $250 million from more than 5,000 different Cooper is alleging Hobart and his office waited too long to pull the lenders and held 83 mortgages.” _ licences and are consequently liable for some of the losses incurred by investors in Eron. In her claim, Cooper states she had invested more than $96,000 in the venture. The cash constituted virtually her entire life savings. ~ Although Cooper was unavail- able for comment to press time Tuesday, her lawyer Andrew Pearson said che will try to have the suit certified in a class action category. The move “. would allow other victims of the Eron debacle to sign on. A judge will rule on that application in about three months, said Pearson. _.. Hobart said he is limited in how much he is able to comment on the ‘current claim because it is before the courts, but he disagreed with its _ Merits. “We'll defend it vigorously,” said Hobart. :; Hobart said there are more than 400 mortgage broker licences in British Columbia and many more sub-broker licence holders. His office regularly scrutinizes their activities and acts when the necd arises. - “e's (pulling a licence) not an everyday occurrence, but it certainly happens trom tme to time,” said Hobart. “More frequently than we'd like.” “Meanwhile, a Price Waterhouse team acting as receivers for the insol- “. vent Eron has been winding down the firm’s operations, Eran had raised as much as $250 milfion from more than 5,000 different lenders and held 83 mortgages. Slobogian’s home in the 2200 block of Palmerston ‘Avenuc was put on the market last November at $1.695 million. Both the Bank of Montreal and Price Waterhouse bad made claims on the proper- y even though its outstanding mortgage of more than $800,000 was in ¢ name of Slobogian’s wife Onalec. _ The property didn’t sell at the asking price which was subsequent! reduced to $1.495 million in late January. It was finally sold for $1.41 LOGGER Jay Carter of Streamside Tree Services Inc. cuts down one of four, 40-year-old pine trees on Fulton Avenue, behind the heme of Forest Alliance of B.C. chairman Jack Munro. ‘Dangerous’ WV trees fall Liam Lahey Contributing Writer RESIDENTS on Gordon and Fulton avenues in West Vancouver awoke to the souncs of chainsaws and splintering wood on Monday morning. Four 40-year-old pine urees were being removed from 1155 Fulton Ave. in the Ambleside area. Jay Carter, supervising logger for Streamside Tree Service Inc., said Frank Bowman ordered the trees removed from his property, despite the fact he doesn’t live there. Ironically, Forest Alliance of British Columbia chair- man Jack Munro lives directly behind Bowman's prop- erty. Munro said he has nothing to do with the trees’ removal, “Frank Bowman wanted the trees removed because they were big and dirty and they wave around a bit,”: Munro said. “He asked me about a tree removal com- pany. A lot of people in the neighborhood were con- cerned about them ... they were 3 bit dangerous. Don’r tie this to me.” : : a John Van Soest, 38, was visiting his grandmother Thelma Wilkinson, 91, who lives on Gordon Avenue. behind Bowman’s property. Van Soest said Wilkinson’. was “pleased” with the unannounced tree removal as it blocks the view residents have of the water. © “We were a bit surprised by it (the tree removal): that’s for sure,” Van Soest said. “I spoke to Mr.. Munro — this morning about it and asked him if he was happy... he said ‘he’s been waiting for five years’ to have the trecs; removed.” ; oc se Carter, a veteran logger of 26 years, said the \\dest- tree was 44 years old. a “They look a fot older though don’t they,” he mused. ‘ Bowman could not be reached for comment. . ‘million in late March. ‘Verdict guessing game over tomor . From page| in) Burnaby,” said Guess. Guess was a juror in the 1995 trial of Preet Sarjit (Peter} Gill and five other men who were accused of murdering Ron and Jim Dosanjh. All six were acquitted, but Guess was later convict- ed. of obstructing justice because she became intimately involved with Gill during his cial. _ During Guess* trial, defence counsel Peter - Rivchic argued that Guess was the victim with Gill playing the part of'a demonic seducer who ized the opportunity to manipulate the our- come of-his own trial. But prosecutor Joc Bellows ‘maintained throughout the tial that Guess was in a position to hear evidence no one clse was privy to and was guilty of obstruction of justice because she didn’t end the relation- ship and did not disclose it to anyone at the The jury at her own trial took more than 15 hours to reach its decision. A conviction for obstruction of justice car- ries a maximum sentence of 10 ycars in jail. There is no minimum sentence. Bellows called for Mr. Justice Raymond Paris, the presiding judge to impose a jail sentence of two to four ‘: Since a jury found her guilty on June 19, Guess has been constantly courted by a media throng pursuing an endless number of angles of her well-publicized trial. From the day-in-the- life montages put together by the rabloid-style press and broadcast outlets to the more scrious attempts to interpret the implications of her case, Guess has been forthcoming and, to the discomfort of her lawyers, downright talkative. The most recent involved a visit from American broadcast news icon Sam Donaldson who was in town taping a piece for 20/20, an ABC current affairs program. “He looks a lot better in person than on TV,” said Guess of her visitor who she accom- panied on the Stanley Park scawall as part of the shoot. “Tourists were saying, ‘Look, it’s Gillian Guess and who’s that with her? Oh, it’s Tony Parsons ... can we get a picture of Gillian with- out Tony?’” Other visitors included , Maury Povitch, Canada AM, W5, Extra, countless British mag- azines and a hast of local radio stations and newspapers. Ever the optimist, Guess remains defiant, but it docs sound like she may be forfeiting this go around. “I’m taking a toothbrush,” said Guess adding she also cancelled her subscription to TV Guide betore tomorrow’s court appearance. “I don’t know what one docs. J don't know what to expect.” Her lawyers expect Guess to be incarcerated, but the length of sentence the judge will impose is a matter open to argument. While prosecutor Bellows has asked for a two-to-four year jail term, tse decision rests solely with the judge. “The judge can override that (the Crown's recommendation) and put me away for 10 years,” said Guess, An appeal of the verdict, said Guess, is immi- nent regardless of the outcome of tomorrow’s sentencing hearing. : “I fully expect a complete rumaround on this some time,” said Guess. “The verdict, I will have ‘overturned. I will never accept a guilty ver- ict. While speculation surrounding the impact of her open manner with the press during the trial has led some to believe it will have a detrimen- tal effect and translate to a longer sentence, Guess said she will not alter her behavior in the appeal process. “I feel really bad for the unknown aboriginal women who have never been heard,” said Guess. “You’re damned if you do and you're damned if you don’t. I would urge everyone fighting the justice system to speak up.” GILLIAN Guess wii! hear her sentenc- ing verdict tomorrow in court.