NEWS ancl Terry Peters THE NEWS delivered. This two-car mishap occurred in front of the North Shore News office in the 1100-block of Lonsdale Avenue on Monday afternoon. No one was _.teported injured after the late-model Pontiac Lemans allegedly pulled away from ibe curb to make a U-turn when it collided with ¢ a 1981 BMW. : West Van councillor _ pushes policy for more seniors housing WEST VANCOUVER District Coun.-Diana Hutchinson“is pushing for a municipal hous- ing policy. that. will encourage “accommodation for West ‘Vancouver seniors and young families. WEST VANCOUVER DISTRICT COUNCIL by Maureen Curtis Both groups are being priced out of West Vancouver, where land values are constantly rising. Hutchinson argued tenaciously on Monday night for council to send a recent staff memo about housing policy reports on to coun- eil’s planning committee. Although eight such reports about seniors’ housing and housing in general have been compiled in West Vancouver in recent years, nothing definitive has emerged in council policy. “ET want to get this on the tubic right now ... we don’t want another study,” said Hutchinson. _ . She later. told the North Shore News that council should establish a housing policy that promotes seniors’ housing. Other members of council said the memo listing the reports should first be sent to the advisory plan- ning commission (a volunteer group). But Coun. Hutchinson insisted that the first stop for recommenda- tions should be council's awn plan- CALL US: oh oe me oh OD ons a . 23 eB Khewe Absrs he ae ning committee. “We need to know what we want ta accomplish and how we are going to do it... before we push it on to the APC (advisory planning commission),” she said. Hutchinson added that council might want to hire a consulant to go through.and compile the reports or create a sub-committee lo do the job. Attempts have been made at cre- ating more affordable housing for seniors and young families by try- ing to up-zone “cheaper” single- family properties, but residents consistently protest against such changes to their neighborhoads, Council agreed to send the issue to its planning commitice. But Coun. Andy Danyliu, who is on the committee, opposed -the move He said the matter should go to the APC first. where people with more time available could give it “thoughtful analysis.” “First, we need more specific guidetines.” said Hutchinson. The reports fisted in the memo include: & Housing and Care Facility Needs for West Vancouver Seniors, 1983. & Ambleside and Dundarave Infill Housing Study. 1987 consultants’ reports re: populations forecasts, residential design and standards, and seniors housing, @ Housing for Seniors in Need. 1987, by the West Vancouver Task Force on Housing Policy. ® Group Homes on the North Shore. 988. Do you feel the province gives cnough funding to local school distric ONE DAY after a Vancouver demonstration against racism fizzled in the rain outside the offices of the Royal Canadian Legion's Pacific Command, North Vancouver District Council poured coid water on the majority of recummenda- lions presented by its own Multicultural Task Force. NORTH VANCOUVER DISTRICT COUNCIL by Martin Millerchip Following racially motivated incidents on the North Shore in 1991, including a cross-burning, the district resolved to create a task force of senior staff from municipal agencies (health, library, recreation, police, etc.) and an equal number of community representatives. The mandate of the task force was: Hto investigate whether district services and activities were equally - accessible to all district residents regardless of ethnic origin: to recommend how council, as a community leader, could promote a better understanding between, and appreciation of, different cultures in our community; Bi to recommend to council actions that would promote the equal opportunity and participation of all citizens in district affairs. After meeting for just over a year, the task force presented in October 1993 a package of 38 rec- ommendations of which 13 were identified as high-priority initia- “tives that could be implemented in 1994 ata cost of $17,500. Letters on file from the North Vancouver District public library, North Shore Health and the North Vancouver Recreation Commission all subsequently supported the pro- posals. The recreation commission staff report deseribed the tusk force report as “on the whole ... realistic and implementable.” while North Shore Medical Health Officer De. Brinn O'Conner wrote, “We are very interested in cooperating and participating with municipal ven- tures that will advance the 13 major recommendations.” But on Monday night council adopted just Unree of the recom- mendations at a cost of $8,000 in the 1994 budget. Commented Mayor Murray Dykeman, as he pinned a Let's Stop Racism bution on a News reporter. “The [3 (recommenda- lions) were a complete way of going ahead. Surely the cost factor was not a reason for not going ahead.” & Budget Beaters... $8 Business oo Classified. BE Doug Comins oes CrossWOrt occ eneeees & Bob Hunter... deaveceesaenesenaens 4 Wednesday, March 23, 1994 THE FOLLOWING are the 13 high-priority initiatives recom-.: mended by the district's Muiticulturaf Task Force for adoption © in 1994, The numbering does not reflect any ortder of priority, aceord- : ing ta the task force, _ Council adupted numbers 6, 11. and 131 in a 5-1: vote. ‘Coun na Jim Cuthbert was absent: Mayor Murray Dykeman cast the © lone vote against, arguing that the entire package should be. passed. But his continued opposition to what he later termed “piecemcaling” meant that numbers 1, 2 and 3 failed to pass in a 3-3 deadlock... . Council also directed ‘staff to provide. an updated report’ on” the multicultural initiative in one year. ~~. : : 1; ) The district should adopt.a multicultural policy. wt oo 2:) Council should establish ‘an ‘advisory committee on multicul turalism. (Council actually voted on a staff amendment that sug- gested using the: resourcés‘of the existing community- Di North Shore Multicultural Society to gu ide. the implem of the recommendations.) 3.) That the: district: develop a‘policy iniplementation. plan’ to: ~ensure that municipal services are Provided i in a culturally sénsi-, “ tive manner to all residents. 4.) ‘The district-and- participating: mu, icipa ‘agencie should. “ undertake and (make a commitment to’ ongoing: multicultural ‘training and sensitization of staff at all levels. 5. ) Council should: actively séek members to sit on boards, ‘om- missions, committees and. task forces: that reflect the’ ethnic’ ‘and- gender balance, -of the district: and: membership on these bodie: be advertised in the'local mainstream and ethnic’ media j in sever: :-allanguages, “ 6.) Important municipal notices should include the line “This is an important: document;. North Shore pean “public’ ne initiatives for involveime ‘nt’ ‘of distr 1 ~ dents from all ethnic and racial backgrounds "with the district'and local agencies’ 12.) All. commuaity’ peat eae aft district should-be encouraged to ensure that thelr. ‘organization. ” Fepresentative and accessible to ‘all members ofthe community. ' translate selected brochures on municipal services, ; Dykeman described the whole -packige as “doable” and dismissed council’s adoption of three recom. mendations as “piecemealing.” But many councillors appeared to agree with) Coun, Pam Goldsmith-Jones that the package was “tog much tuo seo.” Coun, Pat Munroe questioned whether the need for such a pro- gram hac been demonstrated, “The recommendations seem to precede any experience that we have had or know of,” said Munroe, He asked district social planner Erica Bell-Lowther what evidence existed to support the need to adopt the recommendations, Bell-Lowther referred to the task force report that found the percent age of the district population with English as its native tongue had B lnsights ...... BY Lifestyles. eset @ News of the Weird... @ North Shore Now... BESPOrtS eee eeeeteeees BTV Listings 2.0... feteetenseeeses 35 declined from 87% in 1986 ta 8296 in 1991. ; Continued Lowther, “Racial intolerance is all around us. We just have to read a certain individual’s column in the newspaper.” Bell-Lowther later confirmed that she was referring to Detg Collins’ column in the North Shore News. . Coun, Don Bell spoke of the high’ costs to the school system of teaching ESL (English as a Second Language). i “We need to do what we can, reasonably, to assist our immigrants to understand our Canadian laws and customs, how emergency ser- vices work and how municipal business works. We need to take steps slowly, We don't have to rush into it,” said Bell. Weather Thursday: mainty cloudy skies with sunny periods, high [2°C, law 2°C Canadian Publications Mail Sates Product Agreement Number 0087238 THIS WEEK’S QUESTION: ts?