Bab Mackin News Reporter A 40-year-old business that employs 30 people is under attack by North Vancouver City, says the lawyer for Seven Seas Seafood owner Diamond Almas. The city tiled a Jawsuit in Federal Court on March 18 ask- ing a judge for the right to remove Almas’ historic floating restaurant trom the foot of Lonsdale. The city owns the water lot where the Seven Seas is berthed. “They're taking a very techni- cal approach, saying the vessel has to be removed because the lease is at end,” said Joe Spears, lawyer for Almas. “It’s more complicated than thar.” Almas didn’t return phone calls to press time. Spears would- mtcomment further, but he said more detai!s will come when the statement of defence is iiled before the end of April. The city’s lawsuic wasn't for- mally served until March 31, he said. The city’s statement of claim states that Almas began paying monthly rent for the water lot in January 1996. But in June 1998, the city gave Almas notice to inove the Seven Svas before Sept. 30, 1998. On Sept. 29, 1998, the city gave Almas an extension to Oct. 3), 1998. Another extension was granted in November, but that expired on Jan. 31, 1999. The Seven Seas, built in 1941 and originally called No. 5, was.a preeursor to the ScaBus. The ferry carried both vehi- cles and passengers between Vancouver and North Vancouver until Aug. 30, 1958. Almas bought the vessel the following year, spent $140,000 for an over- hau! and berthed ic at the foot of Lonsdale. The 823-ten ferry has since operated as a Hoating restaurant and is a historic watertront land- mark. A propasal to convert it to a floating casino was sunk last year by North Vancouver City council. Spears said a Korean-manu- factured lining to reinforce the huil will soon be applied to the vessel. He said he is waiting for a report from divers before the procedure begins. Wednesday, April 21, 1 NEWS proto Bred Ledwidge AFTER being denied refugee status by Canadian immigration, Rodolfo Bazan, Angelica Perez and their two children, including Johanna, 13, have reapplied on humanitarian grounds. MP says immigration system fair critic. He said the family’s civic-minded qualities aren’t From page 1 job while Bazan found work in a focal restaurant — first as a dishwasher, then working his way up to cook. They enrolled their children in school. The family continued to volunteer their me at the Harvest Project. They want to stay in the country, but on March 26 of this year the family was refused refugee status. They were given a month to leave the country. “This is a great family, with a great work ethic,” said Foster. “You look at some of the people whe are in this country and allowed to stay ... and then you want to deport a family like this, Canada would be a much better place if we had more people like this.” ohn Reynolds, Reform MP tor West Vancouver and the Sunshine Coast, formerly served as the federal immigration cnough. “[f we started letting everyone stay who is a good person, who has a place in the community and volunteers their time, we'd have 69,000 people coming in instead of 30,000.” It didn’t surprise him that the family’s refugee claim was world to live.” denied. “Mexico is a free country, they still have elections there,” he pointed out. “People will make up any story to stay here, Why wouldn't they? This is one of the best places in the He added that people apply to immigrate to Canada from Mexico every year, and some of them are accepted. “We do have a process, and the system is more than fair.” On April 15, the family reapplied to stay in Canada on humanitarian grounds. To back their application they received abour 90 letters of support. Searchers rescue five 8ob Mackin News Reporter A group of five Afghani men from Richmond burned clothes and wallets to stay warm after getting lost on a Saturday hike to Norvan Falls. The men, age 23 to 39, set out on a hike at 3:40 p.m. Saturday afternoon. North Vancouver RCMP found an empry van parked in the Lyna Headwaters Regional Park parking lot after it closed at 9 p.m. North Shore Rescue was called at 3 a.m. Sunday and found the first member of the group ovo hours larer. The man was dressed in blue jeans, a T-shirt and sandals. He had separated trom his bud- dies to seck help. The remaining four, alt dressed in light summer clothing, were eventually located near a river bank near Norvan Falls at 7 a.m. Norvan Falls trip turns to cold night in woods for men “One had been to Norvan Falls a year ago and remembered it as a good picnic site,” said North Shore Rescue manager Allen Billy. “It’s a two-hour, one-way hike. They didn’t get all the way there, they got six-and-a-half kilometres in and one kilometre short, They left the tail and got disoriented.” Billy said the men were mildly to moderately hypothermic, but they also appeared to be intoxicated. They said they were stranded around 8 p.m. Saturday and built a fire to stay warm. Sacks, shoes and wallets, including money, were burned, None of the men had hiking gear or flashlights. “They were a litde bit stunned, but quite pleased to be found.” Billy said the search was complicated because the men spoke English poorly with heavy accents. The men were tlown out of the area by helicopter and examined by ambu- lance personnel. They were judged to be unfit to drive, so relatives were called to assist them, The North Shore Rescue mission involved 12 searchers, one RCMP dog and a dog handler. Billy said this was the 23rd rescue mission of 1999, Ir was the first one involving hikers since January when an avalanche killed one man on the Grouse Grind trail. Through all of 1998, there were 68 missions. NSR team leader Tim Jones is lobby- ing the provincial government to help fund the search and rescue teams’ capital equipment budgets. Hikers traditionally account for the number one grou requiring the services of volunteer searc! and rescue teams. 999 — North Shore News ~ 3 Robber strikes again Anna Marie D'Angelo News Reporter dangelo@nsnews.com A North Vancouver robber who uses a lighter and gasoline to back up his threats held up two more stores last week. The robber, dubbed the gasoline robber, held up the Red Hot Video store at 965 Marine Dr. on Friday. It was the sixth time in a month that the robber has threatened to light 3 store clerk on fire. “His target is video stores and hitting employees who are working alone in the evening,” said = North Vancouver RCMP Const. Heidi Hoffman. According to the North Vancouver RCMP, the rob- ber sprayed a Red Hor Video store employee and front counter with gaso- line. He held . up a : lighter and demanded Suspect cash. The “over 30”, robber left with several hundred dollars. Last Thursday, the robber held up another video store, Movics Movies, located in the Westview Shopping Centre. He sprayed the counter with gasoline, held a lighter over the damp surface and demanded cash. He escaped with a “small sum” of cash, according to police. The gasoline robber start- ed his crime spree on March 18 when he threw a plastic cup full of gasoline on a store employee at the 972 Marine Dr. Rogers Vidco outlet. The rubber held up a lighter snd threatened to light the woman on fire. On March 29, the robber poured gas on a Travelodge counter on Marine Drive. The motel desk clerk was - forced to hand over $200 and his wallet. - On April 1, the robber departed from his usual heists of video stores and Marine Drive businesses See Fuel pageS Concentration of highrises raises firefighting concerns From page 1 Brownlee told council that the existing aer- “Time is of the essence,” he said. “Because geney equipment. “Twenty years is the usual lifespan (of rhese trucks),” said Olson. “It can be re-certitied on an annual basis indefinitely if vou are willing to take the risk ofa breakdown.” But Olson said he wouldn’t consider using, _ the department's acrial truck even in an emer- gency. “We just can’t withstand any fire equipment with marginal brakes, springs and steering,” he said. Olson said that berween 1994 and 1997, the acrial truck was called out 1,426 times and was instrumental in fighting four scrious fires. Olson was backed by firefighter spokesman Jay Brownlee and iellow firefighters who said they were anxious to gain support for a new acnal unit. ; ial truck was not pulled from service for “rou- tine maintenance,” but for “major mechanical repairs.” He asked council to reconsider a 1997 joint management union committee report recom- mending replacement of the aerial unit. Council will receive a staff report on the funding request. : The 21-year-old aerial ladder truck is the only vehicle of its kind in West Vancouver. Without it, firefighters say they have no way of safely reaching structures higher than three storeys. Pumper trucks, which have an aerial capability of 35 ft. (10.6 m), are currently all that is available to West Vancouver firefighters. This, according to Brownlee, means an increased danger to all West Vancouver citi- zens, “(the aerial truck) is a vitally important piece that needs to be present initially. It needs to be sent to respond (first).” . Brownlee said North Vancouver City will be called in first to assist in an emergency. And, if the unit is available, it will take approximately 20 to 30 minutes minimum to respond to emergency calls in West Vancouver. “The longer you leave a fire unchecked,” said Brownlee, “the worse it gets.” Fire captain Robin Kluczynski agreed: “The first five minutes ofa fire are the most critical.” Both men also pointed our that West Vancouver is in desperate need of not just one, but possibly rwo, aerial vehicles. They said the unit is a standard piece of equipment throughout North America and is just as vital as the “jaws of life” and other emer- The firetighters also argued that backup support from North Vancouver still did not adequately address West Vancouver’s needs. West Vancouver has 88 highrise buildings that are more than five storeys tall. The highest concentration is located in the lower Ambleside area. This, according to the firefighters, is the third highest toral in the Lower Mainland. Burnaby is second with approximately 100 similar highrises but, unlike West Vancouver, its fire department has the use of five aerial lad- der/platform vehicular units. By comparison, North Vancouver City and North Vancouver District have 40 and 1) high- ° rises respectively. Each North Vancouver fire deparrment also has its own aerial unit.