Charge follows police chase ‘From paged police.” . ~The North Vancouver sRCMP vehicle was eventually ‘stopped at 3 a.m. in the 4000- block’of Semlin by Vancouver ‘City. Police ~ Const. Hal Hamilton (with a police dog) . ‘and Const Neil Gillispie. “" The Vancouver officers thought the unmarked vehicle was possibly stolen. “ MacGregor was pepper sprayed before -his arrest “to gain compliance.” Hamilton ‘noted ‘an “odour of liquor on Const. MacGregor’s breath.” ." “He issued MacGregor a standard roadside driving sus- pension. The matter wus turned over to North ‘Vancouver RCMP for investi- -gation. A charge was recom- ‘mended in mid-January. .”.’ MacGregor continues io be ‘under investigation for possible RCMP Act violations. ¢. °To> press time, no court ‘date had been set. concerning _ prostitution- related SREB E A Staff meeting _ STAFF from the Capilano Care Centre gathered for a meeting on Feb. 24 with a union representative. The meeting focused on concerns about employee cuts at the private long-term care facility in West Vancouver. Festive fires will burn at Ambleside Kathatine Hamer News Reporter. NOROOZ — the Persian New Year cele- bration — will take place on Ambleside Beach March 14 with the full cooperation of West Vancouver District. The. Iranian-Canadian Association of Western Canada (ICAWC) _ has offered to organize the event and clean up afterwards. The group has asked the munici- pality for cents, tables, chairs, and access to power and | water. : Exemptions from munici- pal bylaws concerning noise and the prohibition of fires on Ambleside beach were approved by council Monday. (on the North Shore): Attract one of nature's most fascinating birds with our new Wild Birds Untimited* Brand Hummingbird Feeder. Hummingbirds are colorful, playful and they can be yours by adding this feeder to : your backyard. 807. $21.95 16 oz. $28.95 - Wild Bide Undimitodt 4190 Marine Drive (at Pemberton) on: 988-2421 .. LORS BRST g? Oe pie sy? Wat Hae Greist | * TFRESENS.§ BY ¢ TAG 8 40) Ne The event, which in the Persian calendar is a celebra- tion to welcome spring, draws about 4,000 people from throughout the Lower Mainland cach year. Jumping over small fires (to encour- age warmer weather) is a part of the festivity. Norooz has been staged at Ambleside for a number of years, but has operated with- out a municipal permit for the last three years, causing local residents “considerable distress,” according to Coun. Allan Williams. The ICAWC has offered to pay a total of $760 for muxicipal services, but declined to cover the cost of possible extra policing. “I find it difficult to hear the argument, ‘if we turn up, NEWS photo Paul McGrath the police will turn up any- way and we don’t want to pay for it," said Coun. Victor Durman. Said Coun. Ken Haycock: “I don’t know how anyone can suggest that a gathering of 4,000 wouldn't need to be policed.” The anticipated policing - cost is $1,300, covering four officers at $82 an hour. The issue was resolved when local businessman Joachim Waibel, whose wife is Persian, leapt to the micro- phone and said the question of money was an embarrass- ment to the [ranian commu- nity. “I'm volunteering $2,000 to put a stop to atl “this,” Waibel said. “If coun- cil agrees, I will write a cheque.” bt The Great Canadian 4iL CHANGE : \ ' Since 1975 LTD. 1 ' FACTORY FUTON Entrance in fear fane Wath Hen.- Sat. TI this coupon « For most wetertes OFF Epics 10w30 $24 99 mi Sdd™ th Includes: solid pine sofa bed flame, Irie Foaia cove foten, stotet-garéed futon cover, Pillows and pious covers. White quastnies gst 267 €. Ist., Van 6pm Sanday 12-5 pm 904-4504 CAR AND TRUCK RENTALS Friday, March 3, 2000 — North Shore News - 5 Choice defended From page 1 with four others, including two from outside B.C. and senior city fire deparument officers Barry Penman and Dave Burgess. Burgess was Cumming’s interim repiacement. Sotham said Douglas’ hiring caught him by surprise. He said it takes vears of working with firchghters to garner trust and respect. “When people are being sent in harm's way, they need to know the people that are sending them there know what's going on and have to have confidence in them,” he said. “The ones who Fve spoken to are not thrilled, they wanted someone from inside. It’s never easy when you work with people for 15 to 20 years-to all of a sudden have a total stranger come in and take it over.” Douglas is one of four assistant deputy chiefs who manage more than 800 firefighters ar 26 Winnipeg stations. Manitoba’s capital has been deemed “Arson Capital of Canada” and “Fire Fatality Capital of Canada.” In North Vancouver he'll manage 61 firefighters at the city’s lone station beginning April 10. “Working with such a small force can pose its own chal- lenges,” he admitted in the Free Press story. Coun. Bob Fearnley said Douglas” hiring was the unanimous decision of the selection committee. “He was a very good choice, much better than any of the other choices,” Fearnley said. The committee included Fearnley, feltow councillors Barbara Perrault and Bill Bell and city administrator Ken Tollstam. A clinical psychologist evaluated each of the candidates, Fearnley said. “We selected the guy that was well ahead of the rest of the pack,” he said. “If there wasn’t a candidate which was far superi- or to anything that was local, we were going to go with a local ” Fearnley said the committee is confident Douglas can silence skeptics. “He is good enough that he’s going to overcome the difficulties he’s going to have with people resenting the fact an vutsider’s coming in.” Fearnley accused ex-Coun. Barbara Sharp of conflict of inter- est during her successful run for the mayoralty last fall. Sharp, whose husband is firefighters’ union president Barry Pollitt, was an original member of the hiring committee. ‘ Crist's drug motion debated From page 3 so doing, considerably reduce the crime element connected with this whole issue.” Council, after a brief debate, voted to defer the item until next week, when Coun. Janice Harris would be present. Coun, Doug MacKay-Dunn, who noted his own experience as an undercover narcotics officer, argued that decriminalization was not the solution to the problem. . “I don’t want to send the message to our young people that it’s OK to put themselves in harm’s way,” he said. Instead, he said governments should focus their efforts on pro- viding detoxification and rehabilitation programs for drug addicts. Coun. Lisa Muri, who suggested holding off the debate until Harris was present, pointed out that the “drugs” term of Crist’s motion was very bread. . Although the issue of decriminalization has received growing. attention, Coun. Bill Denault argued that it does not fall under the mandate of a municipal council. “I don’t think we should be expending our resources on some- thing which is beyond our jurisdiction,” he said. ; But Crist countered that it is a municipal issue because polic- ing is paid for by local taxpayers and drug activity takes place in neighbourhoods. . 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