NEWS photo Mike Wakefield

TWO-year-old Hanna Benmergui plays with Jennifer Dodds, supervisor at the
Westcoast Energy Children’s Centre.

Child centre opens

Danica Riley
Contributing Writer

A North Vancouver
principal says up to 76%
of the children entering
his school are not as
prepared to learn as
they shouid be.

Lonsdale elementary school
principal John Moffatt said thar
many of the parents he meets
are so busy trying to cope with
their family’s economic survival
that they don’t have enough
time co spend with their chil-
dren during the critical develop-
ment years from birth to age
tive. He said the problem is so
acute that many of the children
entering his school lack the abil-
ity to recognize even very basic
learning tools such as numbers,
letters and colours.

Moffat is looking — for
improvement with the opening
of the Westcoast Energy
Children’s Centre at his school.
The centre is the first of its kind

Jilted lover
missing

THE North Vancouver
RCM? are asking the
public’s assistance in
locating Grant
McKillop.

McKillop, 49, was last seen
on Jan. 17. Police say the
North Vancouver resident had
asked his girlfriend to marry
him on chat day, but she
refused. McKillop frequents
the Second Cup, Denny’s,
Red Robin and Subway at
14th Strect and Lonsdale.

Anyone with infermation
about MeKillop’s — where-
abouts is asked to call the
North Vancouver RCMP at
985-1311.

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in B.C. It provides a number of
services for parents and their
children.

“This centre is unique
because it brings corporations,
non-profit organizations and
schools together for a common
purpose,” said Moffatt. “This is
happening within a school and
usually these programs are run
out of church basements and
private homes.”

The pilot project, initiated
by Family Services of the North
Shore, focuses on the develop-
ment of children under the age
of five

“Early intervention has been
a key word in educational and
community circles for vears.
This is trying to provide solu-
tions to possible problems
before a crisis occurs,” said
Moffatt.

Westcoast Energy has donat-
ed $150,000 over three years
for the project. Face the World
Foundation has also donated
$60,000 over three years.

Programs include parent
support groups, baby wellness

me rare
GRANT McKillop ... last
seen on Jan. 17.

Back by

clinics and supervised play activ-
ides for children. The drop-in
centre is free to parents who
want a sate place for their chil-
drew to play and learn.

Said Trina Giesbrecht, a
supervisor at the centre, “It’s an
opportunity for parents to ask
questions and for parents to
connect with each other so they
can connect with cach other
outside of the centre. A lor of
parents are very isolated at
home.”

In the nwo weeks it has been
open the centre has had approx-
imately 40 visitors.

Fake

ooked

Bob Mackin
Contributing Writer

MICHAEL Caster said
yes to the $60,000
question.

According to RCMP
Const. Keith) Pearce, Caster
joined his friend ].M. in whar
they believed was an operation
to unload two tennes of
hashish from a ship — in
Courtenay in carly September
1997, They were each
promised $2,000 up front and
the balance at a later date.

What they didn’t know was
thac RCMP undercover of fi-
cers arranged the scheme in a
bid to elicit Caster’s confession
to the fatal shooting of
Mohammed Mirhadi on Feb.
28, 1997 in a North
Vancouver movie theatre. And
the hashish? It was actually hay.

Caster is on trial at B.C.
Supreme Court in New
Westminster for the — first
degree murder of Mirhadi.
}.M., a 20. year-old North
Vancouver who will be tried on
the same charge in October,
can only be identified in media
reports by his initials.

Caster became involved
when Lian “Mac”
MacDonald — an underworld
figure from Edmonton por-
trayed by Pearcy —- asked JM.
in Jate Angust 1997 to enlist
someone he trusted to help.

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Sunday, January 24, 1999 — North Shore News - 5

ash

“He said he had just the per-
son ino mind,” Pearee told a
judge and jury Phursdav.

EM. was) betriended by
Pearce at Gold's Gym at the
beginning of the undercover
operation on July 18, 1997.
).M. incroduced Caster to
Pearce at the Cactus Club
restaurant in North Vancouver
on Sept. 4, 1997. JM. had
already convinced Caster to
take Sept. 9-11 off from his job
at Kinney Shoes at Capiiane
Mall. Those three days were
also the ones scheduled for the
hashish offload.

After some small talk about
motorcycles, Pearce outlined
the plan co Caster and told him
ofa uip he supposedly made in
late August to Amsterdam to
negotiate for the shipment.

“He looked visibly aston-
ished,” said Pearce, who had
instead been on vacation at a
prairie farm.

Pearce said it was clear to
both J.M. and Caster that the
offload scenario — would
become a regular occurrence
that they would eventually

supervise as other members of

“Mac’s” gang moved on to
other projects. Caster told
Pearce he owas “very
impressed” with the whole
plan. “It sounds like this is very
well organized,” said Caster,
according to Pearce. The three
men raised their drink glasses

FACTORY FUTON

Enlrance in reat lane

Mon,- Sat. 11-Gpm Sunday 12-5 pm

Caster

for a toast to seal their com-
mitment. In the days leading
up ote othe departure for
Vancouver Island, Caster asked
Pearce whether he shoukt be
“hot or clean” — slang for
armed or unarmed. Pearce said
vuns were not allowed.
Anyone caught with weapons,
Pearce said, would be sent
home.

Caster agreed, saving the
no guns edict “would prevent
a massacre” if the deal went
sour.

But he remained con-
cerned, Ina Sept. 5 telephone
conversation with JM, Caster
said he would bring a knife and
some mace “just in case.” “You
never know... if the deal turns
raw,” Caster said on a tape that
was played for the court.

A previous deal for LM. to
purchase two 9 mm Glock
handguns from Pearce did
turn raw.

On Aug. 19, 1997, J.M.
witnessed members of the
Burnaby RCMP mountain
bike squad arvest Pearce in his
truck at gunpoint in Central
Park. Pearce told J.M. on Aug.
20, 1997 thar he had been
charged with possession of
unregistered firearms and was
released on $20,000 bail. The
incident was 2 small part of an
elaborate undercover opera-
tion that ended Sept. 12,
1997,

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