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WEST VANCOUVER District
Council voied unanimously Mon-
day night to rezone a 35U-acre
parcel of municipal land to clear
the way for the development of a
golf course adjacent to the
Cypress Bowl recreation area on
Hollyburn Mountain.

Ald. Mark Sager followed the
rezoning vote with a motion to
preserve as park the 22-acre sec-
tion of old-growth forest in one
corner of the proposed Cypress
Ridge Golf Course.

The motion aiso cailed for
preservation of a band of land
around the course to prevent any
future housing from being built in
the area.

The golf course site is located
just off Cypress Bow! Road,
above the 1,200-foot elevation
cut-off level for residential devel-

By MAUREEN CURTIS
Contributing Writer

LWEST VANCOUVER:

DISTRICT COUNCIL.

opment.
“We have to preserve, in
perpetuity, that area as a-

backdrop for West Vancouver and
the entire Lower Mainland,”
Sager said.

The council decision was receiv-
ed by a smaller and quieter au-
dience than those at recent
meetings in which West Van-
couver’s large and enthusiastic
golfing community and residents
concerned about the environment
passionately debated the impact of

Chief Baker
bestowed with
honorary degree

SQUAMISH BAND Chief Simon Baker, 79, was recently
awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the
University of British Columbia.

Baker, also known as Khat-
La-Cha (man with a kind heart),
was recognized for a lifetime of
effort spent fanning the spiritual
fire of First Nation peoples.

Baker served his own band as
councillor and chairman for 40

years.

In the 1940s he founded the
Coqualeetza Fellowship Club, a
support and social group for ur-
ban natives. The club was the
precursor to the Northwest Indian
Cultural Society.

In addition to an unflagging
volunteer work schedule on the
North Shore, Baker piays an ac-
tive advisory role for UBC’s
native educational initiatives.

UBC professor Verna Kirkness
is the director of the First Nations
House of Learning, a program
with a mandate to make UBC
resources more accessible to
natives and their communities.

Kirkness is also writing Baker’s
biography.

“He is recognized for his life-
time of contribution,” Kirkness
said. “He kept his culture alive
when most weren’t worrying
about it much. He pushes himself
to continue to help. He gets peo-

By MICHAEL BECKER
News Reporter

ple involved. He’s a real teacher.
He is an ambassador of the
human spirit.”

In his role as an elder
spokesman Baker provides
spiritual context for native stu-
dents at UBC. He is also one of
three elders providing input on the
construction of a long house at
U

The $4-million long house,
‘which will be located on the UBC
campus across from the geography
building, is scheduled for comple-
tion in 1992.

Said Kirkness, ‘“‘His input is to
assist on the structure of the
building. We look at identity,
design, use. We're trying to ac-
commodate a variety of First Na-
tions people who come here. We
have to be creative in our thinking
without creating a Disneyland.’’

Said Baker of his honorary
degree, ‘‘It means a lot. All the
work that I did in the past, well
somebody says we'll recognize it.
When I received this I shared it
with my wife and my family and

the development on the Cypress
Bow! area.

Although some people were
against the golf course proposal
altogether, most were adamant
only that the municipality save the
siand of ancient red and yellow
cedar trees located on the site.

“This proposal will provide op-
portunities for both groups; it
opens up a golf course and a
grove of cedars to the public,”’
said Ald. Pat Boname.

Ald. Andy Danyliu was also
confident that council’s decision
would allow the municipality to
enjoy a ‘‘win-win’’ situation.

He commended those who had
brought the old-growth stand of
trees to council’s attention.

“It’s been a learning pro-

cess...for us to learn about resi-
dents’ concern for the planet and

3 - Wednesday, June 20, 1990 - North Shore News

WV golf course rezoning approval
will create a ‘win-win situation’

this stand of trees,’’ Danyliu said.

But while the appropriate golf
course zoning has been approved,
council has yet to finalize an ac-
tual agreement for the develop-
ment.

“There are many stages yet,
and opportunity for further input
— our processes will allow for
that,”" said Danyliv.

Ald. Boname stated that she feit
council had been working
“carefully and publicly’’ on the
golf course concept for three
years.

The municipality has put a pri-
ority on developing a course of at
least 27 holes, which would pro-
vide for both public and private
access at no cost to the taxpayer.

Cypress Ridge Golf Ltd., which
won the tender to develop the golf
course, is run by the same prin-

ALD. -ehave to

Mark Sager
preserve the area as a backdrop
for West Vancouver.

cipals who manage the Cypress
Bowl ski area.

NEWS photo Terry Petors

SQUAMISH BAND Chief Simon Baker, 79, recently received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from
UBC. As an elder, Baker supports the First Nations House of Lexening program at the university. He is also
providing input on the construction of a $4-million fong house at UBC.

all those that were involved like
those in UBC. A lot of people
were involved for me to get this.’’

Baker sees access to education
as a central issue for his people.
The push for land, fishing and
hunting rights has been a constant
during his life. Education provides
the tools necessary for self deter-
mination.

“Chief Joe Capilano made his
trip to England in 1906 to fight
for what we're fighting for today:
land and fishing and hunting
rights,” Baker said. ‘‘But one
thing he stressed was education

and that’s what I keep telling
people.

“When the tide was out, our
table was set. We went there and
got our clams, crabs, everything.
We didn’t have to have a permit
to go and get our salmon. We just
went and got it when we needed
it. Then they’d give us the fish
when they finished spawning. Well
they’re no good after that. We
had to get them when they were
still good to smoke. But
everything came so fast. The white
people came here and you just
can’t stop srogress. There’s no

Dual-entry program reconsidered

WV PARENTS
MEET WITH
BRUMMET

EDUCATION MINISTER Tony
Brummet has «greed to take a se-
cond look at his controversial
dual-entry program, according to
a group of West Vancouver
parents who met in Victoria with
the minister late last week.

By SURJS RATTAN
News Reporter

The Pare: yction Committee
on Dual E: (PACODE) has
been lobbyin: «2: West Vancouver
District 45 S| ol Board (WVSB)
to allow thei ildren to enrol in

kindergarten :« September, but
the board has “used.

Under the —_.ul-entry program,
which is co: ined in the B.C.

School Act, a child turning five
between Nov. | and April 30 must
wait until either the following
January or September before
entering kindergarten.

And if a child’s fifth birthday
fails between May | and Oct. 31
he or she can be enrolled in
kindergarten in either the follow-
ing September or January.

But PACODE, a group of
about 23 parents with 16 children
whose birthdays fall in either
November or December, has ask-
ed the WVSB to allow their
children to enrol in kindergarten
in the September immediately
prior to their birthdays so they
can progress through the educa-
tion system with their friends
rather than be left behind.

The WVSB has refused the re-
quest, arguing that such a move
would contravene the B.C. School
Act.

The board also said that if it
allowed the ‘*November-
December’? children to enrol in
kindergarten in September, fund-
ing for those children would not
be forthcoming from Victoria un-
til January and that the board is
not willing to absorb that cost,

PACODE spokesman Gerry
Humphries said he was pleased
with the meeting his group had
with Brummet and said the educa-
tion minister has agreed to take
another look at the early enrol-
ment aspect of his dual-entry pro-
gram as well as the issue of fund-
ing.

“It (meeting) was an open and
frank discussion. He said he will
reassess the November-December
issue and review the cost figures,”’
said Humphries.

But Humphries said Brummet
will not order the WVSB to allow
the ‘‘November-December’’

children in its area to enrol in
kindergarten in September.

Humphries added that Brummet
also said he will get back to the
parents’ group with an answer on
the issue as soon as possible.

**It was a positive
meeting...positive in the sense that
he listened to our concerns,’’ said
Humphries. ‘‘That’s what I had
hoped for. We’ve reached middle
ground and there’s now an
awareness on this issue.”’

School boards in North Van-
couver, Burnaby, Richmond,
Whistler-Howe Sound and Salmon
Arm have agreed to allow
“‘November-December’’ children
into kindergarten in September.

The Vancouver School Board
voted on Monday night to defy
dual-entry regulations and allow
approximately 700 ‘*November-
December’’ children into
kindergarten this September.

way. And they gave us our reserve
here and social welfare,’’ Baker
said.

“Now we educate our people so
that we can develop our fand and
find what we can do on the
reserve here. We’ve got a lot of
good things here. We’ve leased
our lands. Now we want to devel-
op it ourselves and have our own
company. We want to work.
We've got to train our people and
then when you have self-govern-
ment you need lawyers, developers
and managers. But it’s going to
take a while,”’ he added.

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WEATHER

Wednesday, sunny with
cloudy periods, highs 22.
Thursday and Friday, sunny
with cloudy pericds, highs
22,

Second Class Registration Number 3885