The challenge of balancing
conservation and development

Michael Becker

News Editor
micheel@nsnews.com

HAS West Vancouver got issues this election? You
bet your Truffulas.

To set the stage one need Jook no further than te Dr, Seuss.
In this case, The Lorax will do just tine.

It’s the fictional story about a businessman, the Once-ler,
whose handiwork hurt the environment, the Loray’s bucolic land
of the Truffula Trees.

The story touches upon many of the themes associated with
sustainabie development.

Sustainable development is an attempt by planners, leaders
and scientists to shape human activities in such a way that the
environment is preserved. Four basic elements are at play: human
needs (income, shelter, food, water, safety, and health), techno-
fogical needs (tools, methods, and systems used by people); eco-
nomic needs (monetary systems used by people); and environ-
mental needs (the protection, preservation and conservation of
resources in the natural world).

Our history is one of development without the necessary con-

». sideration of environmental effects.

“West Vancouver’s own patch of Truffula Eden is a stunning
setting framed by water, forest and mountain. The community
likes to call itself “a place of excellence” and in many ways it

” remains such.

Many educated, wealthy and well-heeled people call this place

_ home.

But does the Lorax?

It’s trees are slowly bur surely

falling to make way for hous-

ing. Look at the upper reaches
of West Vancouver from a van-
tage point in Stanley Park and
you'll see raw nature replaced
ina wholesale fashion with
countless pastel monoliths the

Cloud People call home,

Where the Once-ler moved

across the fand in his wagon,

our continued use of the auto-
mobile as a single-occupant
commuter vehicle —' exacer-

bated in West Vancouver by a

particularly toxic fove athir

with large and extra-polluting
sport-utility trucks — has
helped to accelerate the pre-
sent commuting nightmare
across the Lions Gate Bridge
and along Marine Drive.

” “Meanwhike, the municipally supplied recreational resources, so

necessary to sustain the mental aid physical health of those who

live in urban environments, aren’t up to snuff.

According to West Vancouver hiayor Par Bonamce, poiiticians
have ‘been shuffling paper on. recreation planning issues since
1982. The population has grown and the facilities needed have

“¢ither been worn out, or not built ar alf. While politicians have

é dithered, attendance at rec facilities has increased Be a from 1990
to 1997.5 | ;

..° Last Tuesday representatives of the standing committee of
council appeared before a breakfast gathering of members and
guests of the West Vancouver Chamber of Commerce to discuss

“the comimunity’s Recreation Facilities Master Plan, a three-quar-
ter inch thick blockbuster exercise in vision sharing.
|, Standing committee member Victor Durman Fielped to out-
‘line -a_ $25-million wish list of community centres, ice rink

upgrades, playing field construction, upgrades and more. He
assured the audience that nothing would be built without the

‘money first being in place.

_ Depending upen priorities assigned to the desired projects and

‘the need to address other capital projects on council’s plate, the
‘various big-ticket components could see construction over the

-next.three, five or even seven years. Major undertakings include a

. $6-million, 22,500-sq.-ft. community centre at Giencagles and a
new $13-million' 44,000-sq.-4. community centre to replace the

pain stiii to

T
commutin
come on the Lions Gate.

sexisting, 24,000-sq.-ft. centre near 22nd Street and Marine Drive. -

A proposed arts centre could be integrated into the 22nd

- Street site, alorig with an expanded seniors centre and an expand--

ed aquatic centre (the arts centre has also been suggested for the
Inglewood site at West Vancouver secondary school).
> “In-his remarks on Tuesday Durman offered some blunt com-
“ments. “Over the years, West Vancouver hasn't looked after its
recreation facilities. They are deteriorating.”

He also said that West Vancouver has “significant” capital
reserves. It seems the problem has been one of planning — specif:
ically, the lack of a measured program of priorities and expendi-
tures, both to adequately maintain cxisting infrastructure and

‘bring in new equipment and facilities before crisis points arc
“peached. Durman pointed to the expenditure of about $2.5 mil-
lion on fire trucks over the past two years as an example of poor

‘ See WV page 13

Election 1999

NEWS phato Julie Iverson

~~" WEST Vancouver resident Ralph Sultan and other West Vancouverites put together an election questionnaire 7

and polied feltow residents in September. The poll identifies some key issues to consider.

_ THE following are some of the
results gathered in a West
Vancouver Poll, conducted in
September, 1999.

The questionnaire design and analy-
sis was carried out by Ralph Sultan, a
resident of Whyteeliff.

Sultan received his PhD in the fields
of mathematical statistics and econom-
ics at Harvard University, Graduate
Schoo! of Arts and Science.

He taught a course in marketing
research and information systems at
Harvard University, Graduate School of
Business Administration, for several
years, and was also senior vice president,
global marketing, of The Royal Bank of
Canada, with responsibilities including
polling and market analysis.

Sultan does not hide the fact that the
poll was initiated as a project for a
friend — incumbent councillor Russ
Fraser.

Sultan also worked with Fraser on 2
Web site for the politician.

According to Sultan, the poll was a
volunteer and non-partisan polling
exercise conducted by residents of West
Vancouver with the objective of helping
define the issues and voter preferences
in. the period lcading up to the
November 1999 civic efection in West
Vancouver.

Regardless of the motivation for the
exercise, the information remains of
interest.

Qg0
If council received an unexpected
windfall of 4 lot of money tomorrow,
what should it do with it?

Cut taxes: 16 9%

Spend it on community develop-
ment: curbing overdevelopment, zon-
ing, the Park Royal problem: 4.1%

Spend it on parks and recreation,
implementing the recreation. plan:
26.4%

Spend it on fixing the bridge prob-

Local government .

rated ineffective by

market research

lem at Lions Gate; a second crossing, a
tunnel: 13.5%
Spend it on traffic improvement:

traffic diversion, traffic lights, fefe turn.

lanes, eliminate through traffic: 4.7%

Spend it on schools and youth pro-

grams/facilities: 2.0%

Spend it on services: police, fire,
library, hospitals, homes for seniors,
public transit: 8.1%

Spend it on infrastructure: roads,
sewers, water systems: 12.8%

Bank it/Save it: 9.5%

Ask the people/Give it to the poor:
2.0%

In your opinion what are the three
most important issues facing West
Vancouver at this time?

Recreation: need for new rec centres,
preservation of open space, more play-
ing fields: 17.4%

Development: clear cutting, overde-
velopment, ugly monster homes,
change in character of the municipality,
Park Royal: 17.0%

Bridge: need to resolve the Lions
Gate Bridge “mess” inciuding
approaches. Stop present plan: 14.2%

Horseshoe Bay: get rid of ferries,
eliminate traffic tie-ups on Upper
Levels Highway, stop planned mainte-
nance factlity adjacent to a school:
13.6%

Taxes: need to restrain them, cut
taxes: 8.8%

Traffic: too much through-traffic,
growing volumes everywhere, need to

replace Capilano bridge, left turn fanes:,

8.8%

. Administration: not: cost effective,
featherbedding, unresponsive staff, con-
fusion, poor leadership at the top: 6.9%

ks at municipal issues.

Other: police and. fire services,
crime, seniors housing, youth’ distur: /
bances, hospital services, pollution”
Howe Sound: 3.8% _ coe

Schools and Youth: poor teaching,
hard to use school facilities after hours,
insufficient youth facilities: 2.5%. |

All is OK: things are just fine in West
Vancouver the way they are now: 6.9%

On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you 7
rate the effectiveness of our munici
pal government: in dealing with each”

of the issues you just mentioned?

zero (worse than terrible) —- 4%.
1 (“terrible”) ~—19% ee
2 to 3 — 36%
4t0 5 — 25%
, 6107 — 11%
8t0o9—5%
10 = “excellent” —- 1%
In dealing with the issues you out-
lined, do you think responsibility for
dealing with them rests mostly with -
cur mayor, or with council, or ‘with ©
our municipal staff and employees? ;._
. Mayor — 28%. eS
Council — 56% : ae
Municipal staff and employees’ —
10% ; Pop
Don’t know — 6% 0°

900 7 “
Sample size: 112 people (number of . °-
completed interviews) ©. 4
Sample basis: friends and neighbours.
of 10 non-partisan voluateers in West -
Vancouver, interviewers drawn from
Whrytecliff, Sandy Cove, Dundarave, -
Ambleside, and British Properties.”
Sample skew: After. completion ‘of
initial interviews, a rough assessment of.
the sample’s geographic’ distribution
and demographics was made, and ‘quo-'
tas assigned to bring. samplé balance:

smore in line with: the’ over-all West
Vancouver. voter profile: - :

Considerable

: geographic, “skew:
vemains. ts