6 ~ Wednesdas, August 6. 1986 - North Shore News News Viewpoint Blooming dollars here's new hope that flowers may bloom again . n at the jor North visitors alike, ark & Tilford Gardens, Van attraction undid 1984 a ma- for residents and The revamped commercial development proposal for the property by BCE Developmeat Corp. (formerly Daon), which includes restoration and maintenance of the gardens at no charge to the public, has been received more sympathetically by City council than the original application. At least one alderman predicts it will now be approved, after the formalities of the municipal staff report and a public hearing. Quite aside from the gardens, there are strong fac- tors in favor of the revised plan. The $29 million, 20- acre development — with a giant Save-On-Foods store, a cinema complex, and 25-30 specialty stores — will generate a much greater tax revenue for the City than industrial use of the site would. Indeed, the arguments of opponents about the “erosion”’ of the City’s industrial land inventory have always rung hollow, since no industrial takers for the site have emerged over the past three years. Moreover, the new BCED bid leaves one-third of the 30-acre site still available for industrial use. Opposition to the centre has also come from those fearing competition with other recent retail develop- ments on Marine Drive, at Lonsdale Quay and in Lynn Valley. Yet geographically, the Park & Tilford site could hardly be better located in relation to those competitors. In any case, isn’t that what free enterprise for the benefit of the consumer is all about? Especially if the dollars bring back tie blooms! Van's park insurance THE PRIME WATERFRONT PLAYGROUND for West and North Van got an insurance policy against amputation in some good news last week from Mayor Derrick Hum- phreys. Ambleside Park is the largest fully developed waterfront park on the North Shore. Through the changing seasons its swimming beach, seawalk, playing fields, pit- ch-and-putt, jogging track, water- fowl] sanctuary and dog run delight many tens of thousands of locals as well as visitors from across the Inlet. But recently a shadow fell over the future of the park when about half of it was handed back to the Squamish Band. The area now under Indian ownership includes the mini-goif course, jogging track, dog run and half thé seawalk. To date, the Band's terms for a lease to con- tinue these facilities have been too high for West Van council to ac- cept. So currently, an Indian sword of Damocles dangles over the east end of the park. On the surface, last week's news didn’t seem to have much to do with that problem, but stay tuned for a moment. From Mayor Humphreys came the glad tidings that, by late September, the Blue Buses would finally be gone from their unsight- ly open-air ‘‘barn’’ at the foot of 4th Street to their new North Van depot —~ built with four million dollars he wrung out of Victoria. And that, in turn, means the first stage of developing “Ambleside-by-the-Sea”’ will final- ly begin. This ambitious concept has been in the planning and land assembly process for the better part of a de- cade. Its eventual goal is a water- front park and recreation area ex- tending along Argyle Avenue all the way from 13th to 18th Street and including, of course, the ex- isting small John Lawson Park. The whole thing naturally won't happen overnight. Since the late 1970s the municipality has bought up about 70 per cent of the resi- dential property between 14th and 18th, But private vendors, among them senior citizens, have the choice of renting back their homes on reasonable terms for as long as they wish to remain there. When they eventually leave, the properties become available under council’s stage-by-stage plan for vor JIA D WEDNESDAY of tIDAY 1139 Lonsdale Ave. North Vancouver, 8.C. V7M 2H4 57,656 cree WEVE GOT TO AND YOU A SAFE RIDING THAT YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE IN... revitalize the whole business district. The first phase, due to start within a couple of months, is the civic square on the old bus depot site at the foot of 14th, which they hope to have finished in time for many of West Van's 75th birthday celebrations next year. The plan calls for a dignified, tree-bordered open plaza with a Noel Wright @ focus © park and recreation development. The project also aims to give a big boost to nearby Ambleside mer- chants, now involved in block- by-block face-lifting schemes to WORK ON CIVIC PLAZA at foot of 14th Street in West Van, visualized above in architect’s sketch, is sched- | fu we Pad] fountain and pool, a ‘people place’? where crowds can gather for important community events. The old ferry building will be preserved as a museum operated Display Advertising 980-0511 Classified Advartising 986.6222 Newsroom 965-2141 Distribution 986.1337 Subscriptions 986-1337 Seceett Shite terns, Laenan momen of OM SOE RICHMOND AECTRAL DSTRICT aa | GARDENS | UELGCHaA. DETR by the West Van Heritage Society. with displays of historic pictures and memorabilia. On the east side of the square will be a cafe with indoor and outdoor seating. Longer range plans contemplate a pier and Jand reclamation west of the plaza. Municipal funds already budgeted for the plaza job are be- ing supplemented with money from civic-minded donors — more of which the mayor is hoping for. What, in effect, the overall pro- ject does is create a_ six-block westward extension of Ambleside Park, which is heartening news for park lovers now glumly awaiting the day when the Indians barricade the road to the dog run, Once completed, the total park-recrea- tion area will be at least as big as the present park, but with its cen- tre of gravity at the civic plaza in- stead of the duck pond. Mayor Humphreys thinks Ambleside-by-the-Sea will be one of the best things ever to happen to West Van. If our Indian neighbors hang tough, Ambleside Park lovers will echo bis judgement. graphic submitted uled to begin in late Scotember — the first phase of the six-block Ambleside-by-the-Sea developmen. Publisher: Editor-in-Chiet tite Managing Editor Advertising Director Peter Lopes Perron Poeth be tee Lee dit Stewart contents tHE Neath Ghare Free Pres: Lid Alt — OTS feserved tretine 7 A BURNABY’ WELUNSDON ‘a ELECTORAL LASTICE g DELTA BUECTORAL DISTRICT +c am ta em ee ty som eo ue poe” LETTER OF THE DAY Chiropractors short-changed Dear Editor: An economic crisis in the B.C. Chiropractic professsion has already brought one of its members into bankruptcy, and others may follow because they are experiencing serious financial pro- blems — medicare rates are responsible. Over the last four years the gov- ernment has increased fees for medical doctors ‘while it has frozen fees for chiropractors. Under the current ‘government fee schedule, chiropractors receive $11 per pa- tient visit, while a medical doctor receives $17.50 for a comparable patient visit. Four years ago these rates were almost equal, and they still should be! The problem is that the Chiropractic profession has been unable to complete negotiations for these four years, and that is an unprecedented period of time for anyone to have to wait. In the meantime the government has eroded incomes while expenses have grown unchecked! This 90-year-old profession has made a very valuable contribution to have it be so easily overlooked. Chiropractors support the univer- sality of health care but the inequi- ty of fee schedules threatens this concept. In order for the chiropractor to make a living for himself after ex- penses are paid, he has to treat so many patients in a day that he cannot give the kind of care and time that each patient is deserving of. In my opinion, the medicare coverage in B.C. is archaic com- pared to the other nine provinces. We are paving second highest premiums next to Ontario, and our coverage for service is second lowest! - We had better start asking Vic- toria some questions as to our dollar value versus the medical premiums that we are paying. H.K. McCandless, Mission, B.C.