BC Transit and the
Vancouver Regional Transit
Comniission invite all those
planning to celebrate this
New Year's Eve to include a
free transit trip in their
travel plans.

All bus, SeaBus and Sky'Train

Sersive mn the Mageauver area will
be tree ater So pmoon Dew St.
Regudar fares cesumte at a aa oon
Jan. f.

SkvTrary and Seabbus service wall
be extended bevond the usual clos
Ing cimtes.

Sky Train will operate trains
every five minutes with the final
trains leaving King George in

issault charges
stayed by judge

By Anna Marie O’Angelo

ommended

additional sex

News Reporter

SEX charges were
dropped this month
against a B.C. Transit
bus driver.

Melvin Maddess, 55, was
charged with sexual assault
and sexual touching of a girl
under age 14.

The charges were laid in
June 1995 and stemmed trom
incidents alleged to have hap-
pened in September 1988 and
October 1988 involving a 13-
year-old girl in) North
Vancouver.

The complainant alleged
that the offences took place
while Maddess was working at
his transit job, according to
police.

A preliminary hearing
relating to the charges was
held in February in North
Vancouver provincial court.

A_ provincial court: judge
ruled there was enough evi-
dence for a trial and the case
was transferred to B.C.
Supreme Court.

On Dec. 6, a stay of pro-
ceedings was entered by the
Crown in Vancouver on both
charges.

Back in 1995, the North
Vancouver Mounties had rec

related charges be laid against
three other bus drivers invests
vated in the case which cov:
ered a time period between
1987 and 1993, according to
a previous News report.

North Vancouver Crown
staff declined to fay charges
against the other drivers.

Maddess was suspended
without pay by B.C. ‘Transit
by the time he had made his
first court appearance on the
charges in June 1995,

He is no Jonger employed
by B.C. Transit, said
spokesman ‘Trace Acres.

Acres said he could not go
into. details about Maddess*
situation with the transit com-
pany because of privacy rea-
sons.

But Acres did say that
Maddess and four other bus
drivers were the subject of an
internal investigation.

One bus driver was cleared
and reinstated to his job after
the internal investigation.

The other three were ter-
minated. Acres said one of the
three terminated bus drivers
was later reinstated after an
“arbitration process.”

Acres said he could not
reveal the names af the tour
bus drivers who were not
charged.

Jax on tax rule riles

A B.C. Supreme Court udge recently coled that GST is part of

property value.

SFU professor Bill Wedley and Ins wite fo Ann bought a
two-storey apartment in West Vancouver in 1994.
The couple paid $616,822 and also paid $43,177 worth of

goods and services tay.

When they received their first tax assessment, the property
was valued at $640,000. A tax ona tax resulted when the GST
was included in the calculation of the market value.

Said Wedley, “Including GST in the determination of the
assessment is unjust. We're willing to pay our share of taxes but
believe we and other buyers should be treated fairly. GST is not
part of land or physical property; is a tax value aad not part of

value.”

The judge rufed in favor of the B.C. Assessment Authority.

SATURDAY,

- Me
@ B:<.’5 LARGEST. SELECTION .@ NON-

Surrey at 288 any and SMatertron
fdownrown Vancouver ait 320
am

The Seakis will operate ona ta
nunate schedule unnk 1300 am...
then every 30 minutes until tinal
sailings at 3:02 a.m. trom Lonsdale
Quay and 3.1600 am. trom
Waterfront: (The West Coast
Eapress will operate one free late

night trie dewsing | Watertrent
Stapon at} 30 a.m

froadditen te regular date might
service on selected bus routes, evtra
late might ips bave been scheduled
on a ented number ot routes
throughout the Vancouver rewon,

In North Vancouver late night
service will be available on routes
210 and 242.

DECEMBER

WEST VANCOUVER

COMMISSIONED

. 1996 - North Shore News - 11

In West Vancouver, hourly ser
vice to) Horeeshoe Bay and 30
minute service ta Dundarave wl
be avaable unt! the tinal departure
trom downtown Vancouver
'Georgia and Granvilles at 2:10
am,

For more details call BC Transit
at R21-0400 of West) Vancouvei

Municipal Transit at 985-7777.

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