WEDNESBAY
January 8, 1997

DOING IT-RIGHT.
BEFORE’ YOUR EYES.

CONVENIENT, DRIVE iN, DRIVE
THROUGH OIL CHANGES
1790 Marine Dr. North Van

- 987-8006 :

NEWS photo Mike Wakefield

Tutus to Toronto

NORTH Shore students from Vanleena Dance Academy, Bianca Pizzanato (front),
Merin Litchfield, Lindsay Bilson, Simone Kingman and Erin Robinson (missing is
Laura Richardson) have secured places with Toronto’s National Ballet School.

Hackies ri

ver

By Martin Millerchip
Contributing Writer

A 50% pay hike for
North Vancouver
District councillors
will be placed on
hold while the
opinion of local
community associ-
ations is sought.

Thac was the upshot
Monday of a long and occa-
sionally rancorous debate on
Coun. Ernie Crist’s proposal
to raise the councillor
indemnity to 50% of the
mayor’s salary.

District. councillors cur-
rently receive $19,810. They
would have seen that rise to
$29,715 had council fro-
ceeded with the indemnity
bylaw in front of them
Monday.

Council voted six to one
in favor of the concept fast
month.

Only Coun. Janice Harris
opposed the move.

But the level of public
outrage at the amount and
timing of the proposal
caused the majority of coun-
cil to rethink its process on
the contentious —_ issue
Monday.

A crowded public gallery
iined up during the open
microphone portion of the
Meeting to castiyate council
for its handling of the pro-

WEATHER

Thursday: Clouds and showers

High 9°C, low 3°C.

NEWS photo Cindy Goodman

A TV camera catches some of the action In North
Vancouver District municipal hali on Monday.

posed salary increase. A 700-
signature petition opposing
a raise “so soon after the
election” was also presented.

“Council, you've _ lost
your way,” charged Lynn
Valley resident Dan Ellis.

Ellis described the timing
of the increase as unbeliev-
ably inappropriate and the
public process “or the lack of
it” as shameful and an
affront to the voters.

“Those in power are gen-
erally the last to see when
they've gone astray and
you’re no exception,” said
Eliis as he urged council to
scrap or shelve the initiative
while developing an arms-
length study on indemnity
levels.

Debbie Tardiff, a mem-
ber of the citizen’s task force
that mined — council
indemnities in 1994 and

1996, was another speaker
to nip into council for
“insulting” district taxpay-

ers.

Tardiff told the News
that the task force was asked
to recommend an increase in
1996, but instead recom-
mended no change.

“If you look at where the
district. sits compared with
the other municipalities in
the Greater Vancouver
Regional District there is no
justification for an increase.
The district sits exactly
where it should sit,” said
Tardiff.

But Crist has rejected the
task force opinion, labeling
the members “political
appointees.”

Monday, Tardiff answer-
ed back.

See NVD Raise page 2

council pay

them of that right.” — Coun. Ernie Crist

AN emotionally charged public gallery
responded with applause, cheers and jeers
to some of the comments expressed during
Monday’s debate on a 50% pay hike for

North Vancouver District councillors.

“My work week varies berween 15 and 40 hours and aver-
ages about 25 hours a week — what would anywhere else be
considered a part-time job. | feel that amount of work and time
sufficient to dispatch my duties as councillor.

“Coun. Crist, on the other hand, has stated he works 60, 70,
80 hours a week. So what does he do with his extra 40 hours
and can it properly be called council work, or is it, more correct-

ly, campaigning?

“If Coun, Crist wants to be a paid full-time politician why
hasn't he found the courage to run for mayor?”

—- Coun. Janice Harris

“I am not aware of her (Harris) submitting motions to the
Union of British Columbia Municipalities or the Federation of
Canadian Municipalities. | am aware, however, that when she was
-harged with representing us at the Greater Vancouver Regional
District Water Committee because they gave her a hard time she
ran. She cried and ran.

“My concern is not the $10,000 (raise). My concern is that
this is really a blow against civic democracy. It is an attempt to
deprive the average citizen who cannot fight for himself and who
depends on the elected officials to fight for them, to deprive

“We've been misled by our prime minister. We've been misled
by our premier. Are you taking lessons?” — Bert Cowan
“IF you don’: want a council to lay eggs then stop feeding
them chicken feed.” — Corrie Kost
“The absence of a concrete proposal which demonstrates
anticipated and verifiable benefits is troubling. Certainly coun-
cil would expect one of staff, non-profit agencies or any com-
munity group proposing something new.”
— Pam Goldsmith-Jones
“First of all nobody forced you to run. When you got elected
you crossed the Rubicon and became politicians. You're the only
people who make lawyers and bankers look good.” — John Lakes
— Martin Millerchip

Cap Coltege.
mews basketball