"l.- ) NEWS phate Cindy Goodmen “NORTH VANCOUVER City Fire and Rescue Chief Frank Legros oversees the cleanup of a boat fire at Mosquitc Creek Marina on Monday afternoon. One person was taken to hospital with burns due to the blaze, which was extinguished by a fire boat. ; joney wasted rouse searc : From Page Ae MA. tot of people deferred activins ties with their families to go out and ‘Jook for Mr. Hauser,” said Peterson. * Peierson said: around:20. North * Shore Rescue Team (NSRT) mem- “Bers: and'Lions Bay Rescue Team -members’ searched for-Hauser on.” Wednesday and again on Saturday. Saturday's ‘search ‘also’ included . ‘30. ‘members’ of the Richmond Knights 0 of Columbus. : d Rictimond detachments worked: : for, five days on the missing person . North: Vancouver RCMP used, a'police’ dog in hopes of picking up’ a track near Hauser’s‘car. . : “AY helicopter, .costing . $2,000, « as’also’ used .in: the search. ‘said. Peterson.He added that Grouse Mountain contributed gondola service and other assistance..." -- wf you'add all those things up | it’s a aa considerable +. said Peterson.” ‘Peterson said. volunteer searchers risk being injured while attempting. to find or help someone. ‘ “There is always a’ chance of :a.rock fall or some- g.. There have been injuries in the Past, ‘but mostly of a minor nature,”.said Peterson. ‘:; Hauser will not be asked to pay for z any costs related :: ‘the Search, ‘said Peterson Hatiser apologized to everyone invoived when con- “tacted at his Fenders Restaurant business i in Richmond Hauser. - “AIT did was d do something to clear my mind, » said § body ... h effort He said he wandered around and near Grouse Mountain for a couple of days, The rest. of the time was spent in Stanley Park. ; “f owas never hiding from ‘any- . He said he was familiar with the Grouse. Mountain . area, having worked on the mguntain and lived on the North Shore. - Hauser didn’t. explain why he left his car in North Vancouver. But he said that he didn’t realize‘people © - were looking for him until Saturday when. he contacted someone. from J his church. » ROAMING RICHMOND resi- : “dent Jakob Hauser turned up _ after being missing five days. Nickel “said on “Monday, the. police were. still looking at the pos- sibility of . recommending charges ' against Hauser.“ “ Hauser’ 's reasons for his uncharacteristic disappeée- ance, the police officer said, ‘related to financial difficul-'~ ties'and his desire to have some time away by hiniself. “His. even. arriving home’ described us uncharacteristic.” said Nickel... Meanwhile Peterson said the search on Saturday for “Bert Batt. Mountain. Hauser’ was emotionally difficult for searchers who - ‘were dealing with the death of a fellow NSRT member, Batt, who worked for-North Vancouver District Fire : Services, died suddenly on Friday of a heart attack. | +Peterson said some of the tired ‘searchers looking for - Hauser on’Saturday were called out the next day to help an injured hiker at Lynn Headwaters Regional Park. - Peterson speculated that a e have had to be made if NSRT members were needed to’ help elsewhere : while looking for. Hauser on Grouse “tough decision” would Sometimes | was in full ~ view of everybody.” said Hauser. late from work was - . Wednesday, July 19, 1995 ~ North Shore News - 3. SOMETIMES SAYING you're sorry isn't enough, but it would have saved taxpayers at least $5,000. By lan Noble News Reporter / Mr. Justice A.G. Henderson ‘called the lack of an apology an “aggravating factor” when awarding former teacher and school coordina- tor Nadine Watson $5,000 and costs in her defamation suit against North Vancouver Schoo! District 44, prin- — cipal Peter Smith and district secre- tary-treasurer Leonard Berg in B.C, | Supreme Court fune 15. ._ Fortunately for the cash- urapped North Vancouver. school board, won't have to pay. The Schools Protection Branch, funded: by provincial. taxpayers, will, Court documents show that this sorry story goes back to 1992. when Watson lost her job at L’ecole Andre Piolat's Community. School, -a French elementary school in North Vancouver, due to budget cuts, As school coordinator, Watson ~ had joint signing authority over a < school” bank account: “which con- tained about $2,500 in June 1992. She reported to principal and defendant: Peter Smith... | Smith asked Watson to transfer the funds to. the school's parent advisory committer by, June 30 that ; year. Watson said she wrote a cheque and - left it on a desk office June 25.5 0 Smith said he did not receive the cheque. Watson forgot about the matter, | in October 1992. Smith was told - the money had not been transferred. : He called Leonard Berg, the school: district's secretary-treasurer. _., : Berg said Smith believed Watson was not willing to, comply. with “requests to turn over the funds.’ ‘Smith asked for Berg's help, said Berg, who added that neither he nor Smith believed Watson had stolen or misappropriated the: funds. Berg fired off’ te Watson what she called .an intimidating ‘letter, which threatened to consult with the® board's legal counsel on the matter.’ “fT believe the Gourd's legal coun- sel could advise me to turn the issue over to the RCMP and the attorney ‘general for resolution, which is a- said Berg's plan to appeal the.’ “fairly rare’ “case. very . serious - matter.” Oct..19 letter.” in Smith's _ DISTRICT 44 superintendent, Dr. Robin Brayne.... met with - complainant. Speaking about the bien Berg. said he. did: not-.want-to accuse Watson. of any ‘criminal wrongdo- |’ ing, but intended to show her the potential seriousness of the situation: if the funds were not transferred. * Watson wrote back to Berg, stat-_ ing the ;letter. was offensive’ and demanding an apology. Watson told the News that with- ° “out the apology’ she would have a * “black-spot" on her record, Berg refused, : ‘but fi red ‘buck a response. “ “Your interpretation of my letter’ and your dismay:about this interpre-' tation are noted and | assure you that. your letter will become a ‘part ¢ of the - permanent file on ‘this matter,” Berg said to Watson on Nov..5, 1992. Watson -metwith District 44” superintendeit Robin Brayné and ., requested the'situation be rectified, ' Brayne said he would get back to. ; her, but didn On Sept.:7, 1994, Ber issued an apology, but it was too little: too late.: Henderson. said the initial, letter seonveyed a defamatory meaning. oy ee That~letter-tended to discredit’ ~ Watson’ by suggesting she, sommit- ted theft: . Henderson riled that 'hoth ‘Smit and Berg acted? recklessly and’ wit ‘ malice. Although. Henderson did: ‘hot .. believe the defamation’ had as great : an ‘effect, on Watson as’ she said ‘it did, he added that lack of an apolo-. s gy at any timely point: is. ‘an agera- “ vating factor. ; .- School board chairman: Barbara MacLellan said District'44 does not _ Costs will be settled i in August. A CRYPTOSPORIDIUM study criti- cizéd ,as an unnecessary expense by a member °. ‘of’ ‘the ‘Greater. Vancouver “Regional District’s (GVRD) water com- : mittee has been ‘given the ¢ green light. y lan Noble’ News Reporter “The $165, 500 study of the mainly nauscous ‘but potentially fatal parasite is a step in deter- “mining if there is a link between cryptosporidi.. s water supply. “officer - ; um cases and the region's -GVRD: communications Mairi Welman said GVRD water.committee niembers ., approved # $30.45] expenditure to get the study off the ground ata mecting on Friday morning. “The rest of the cash will be sought from “other levels of government. : J A:1994 quality-control report noted the exis- “tence of. cryptosporidium, which causes: gas- : ind even death in: people $165, 500 expense opposed by. NV. coun. with weakened immune systems, in a small number of regional water samples.” ‘At the Friday meeting, . North’ Vancouver S City councillor and water committee member Barbara Perrault and Burnaby committee mem- -. ber Doug Evans -opposed the study. Said Evans:in' a Burnaby Now’ “article: ‘ “People are sick and tired of increased taxes and it seems to me this study is a duplication.” The duplication refers to a study on filtration systems for the Seymour and Capilano ‘reser- voirs, the sources of North Shore drinking water. That study will examine filtration’ systems ~ that: will -effectively “kill: parasites. including cryptosporidium, and be completed at about the saine time as the new study, Evans . ; “You don’t start paying tax pay for Something that's not necessary.’ Evans said. think “we're miaybe spending money - onieconearly heres os ‘ Cryptosporidium hit the newspapers in April s’ money’ when the water-quasity report was released. Nerves were rattled by news that in 1993, 400,000 people in Milwaukee became. ill and 50 died due to the parasite." o To stem concem locally, Vancouver medical health officer: Dr. John Blatherwick assured the. public that waier was safe to drink because local water sources are protected from sewage conta- mination, and the number of cysts detected was very low. Still; in a June 14 letter te GVRD regional ported the study proposal. “The medical ‘prof ship between the 150-250 cases known per year, in British Columbia and low levels of cysts found in British Columbit water.” he stated, An opinion based on “very litle” informa: lion says cryptosporidium found in water is not” : the cause of the cases, sand transmission through ion cannot currently ; ‘give you a definitive answer as to, the relation- anal sex or animal- to-human contact is the like-, , ly cause, stated Blatherwick. } Dr. Brian O’Connor, the North Shore med- : ical Health Officer, also supports the study, call- ing it a start to gathering - information .on linked to our water supply..° 00° ' “The study will provide! g general information that will indicate the need or lack ‘of need -for |.” further studies, . said the Greater Vancouver : Water District. i ; If the study determines the level of risk sul: ficient, treatment processes to reduce the risk: manager Ben Marr, Blatherwick strongly sup- — may be required, the GVWD added. Before Dr“ Judy. Isaac-Renton begins: the study, the GVRD board must give | finat approval ata July 28 meeting. O'Connor: said. Isaac-Réenton will analyze ihlowd samples for antibodies 10 cryptosporidi- um and giardia, to determine the prevalence of: both parasites in the GVRD area, 20: "Perrault could not be reached for comment 40 press lime, “whether the prevalence of the parasite can be :