FRIDAY
June 23, 1995

arts
Silk Purse hosts
group show: 14

Dutch kitchen
designs displayed: 13

a Automotive...
‘i Classifieds.
‘@ Crossword....... en 32
“ a Day I COUPE cecececeneeB
Home & Garden..........13
. insights...

B inside Stories... 3

a Lautena...........
“B Mailbox.
iN. Shore Alert...
B Real Estate. 37
Shore Shots... set 8
Tide Charts.

- BTrivia Contest.

seinen
nu O

|TV Listings....

PPA

Lions Gate Hospital
emergency department
sees. some changes.

_ opposition

“News Reporter

Tie VOICE

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ELE pene S
NBuaehonck tana eae

Weather

Saturday: Mainly sunny,
Hist 26°C, low 75°C.

NEWS photo Mike Waketield

ELEMENTARY STUDENTS (left to right) Jeanie Schaff (plaid shorts), Mike O'Brien, Ida
Rabbani-Nejad, Lisa Mastrangelo, Irene Sattarzadeh (with ball), and Chris Williams (far right)
play a friendly game of rugby during a Carson Graham-run rugby camp at Klahannie Park,

‘ALTHOUGH - VICTORIA has
promised a short-list of crossing options
for the Lions Gate Bridge this fall, an

MLA doubts New
Democrats will make a final decision

‘before an election is held.

” By lan Neble

But NDP North Vancouver-Lonsdale MLA
David Schreck said delays in the process for a

“ new or upgraded span owe more to the issue’s
complexity than the NDP's reluctance to face the -
‘electorate after a decision is made.

A provincial clection must be held by the fall
of 1996. os
North Vancouver-Seymour Liberal MLA Dan
Jarvis said a much-anticipated decision on: the
bridge is a costly commitment the provincial gov-
ernment docs not want to make. ;
“They'll come out with a short-list and that’s
the last we'll hear till an election.” he said. !

‘“They continually keep putting it off. Now.

rey area

AE

Bridge choice crawls

we're waiting for drill stud-
ies to come through,” Jarvis
said. oe

Earlier, Liberal trans-
portation — critic — Doug
Symons noted the provincial
government first anticipated
a decision would be made in
early 199d.

He said studies that have
been done towards ‘a possi-
ble solution have occurred ...
one after another, rather than

. simultaneously...

“It would almost seem to
a cynical observer that these
studies are being ‘done in a

that maybe ft could be post-". °-
poned until after an election, becuuse a decision
on the bridge might not be too favorable to either
one side of the crossing or; the other,” ‘said
Symons. ° ce Bp

But Schreck told the News the process of
assembling information and consultation has

in SING

MLA DAVID Schreck ... bridge
way that will delay the .. decision delays 'due to. com-
progress of this bridge so’. plexity of issue. .

been complicated. os
The .North Shore and
City of Vancouver do not see
“eye-to-eye on what should
be done, Schreck. said.
Developing. community:
consensus, on the issue. is
even more difficult. than
complex environmental and
‘engineering problems, he
_ Said. ;
_.. .He noted the cost of the ,
various. options | runs
between $100 million and
$1.5 billion. Any option cho-
sen must be consistent with
the government's debt-man-
agement plan, he added.
“These are ‘real prob-
lems,” Schreck said. “They
don’t have anything to do
with: when an “election is
held.” ;
He said time exists to make a decision, adding
engineers say the bridge is structurally sound.
When will.we see’a decision on a new or
upgraded Lions Gate Bridge? ;

See Bridge page 5