HANDING OVER the keys. Geoff Buck, left, president of Grizzly Trucks Ltd., hands Brian Surerus the first set of keys for a fleet of 30 trucks Surerus recently purchased from the North Van- NEWS phate Cindy Goodman couver-based truck manufacturer for his Fort St. John pipeline company. NV truck firm thriving Demand for Grizzly truck grows; $1.3M deal closed BUSINESS IS booming ‘for a North Vancouver truck manufacturer. By Surj Rattan News Reporter Grizzly Trucks Ltd., which opened its doors in July, recently sold its first Meet of 30 custom-built, small heavy-duty trucks to a Fort St. John pipeline company. The deal is $1,388,250. Company president Buck said production at Griz- zly’s 320 Seymour Blvd. plant will soon be up to one truck per day. Buck started his business last year with one other person; today, he employs 20 people and the workforce will expand to about 50 by the middle of this year. The Grizzly, which sells for between $40,000 and $45,000, is billed as the first custom- built heavy-duty truck for the forest and mining industries. Buck, who has worked in the truck logging business for the past 20 years, conceived, designed and built the Grizzly. He said he had teen thinking worth Geoff — about the concept of the truck, which is vastly different from and smaller than conventional logging trucks, for about 20 years. Grizzly trucks, according to Buck, are more durable, prac- tical and easier to repair than conventional trucks. The demand for the Grizzly truck is growing, with inquiries about the vehicle coming from all across Canada. Buck said that he has always been confident of his business’ success because of the need in the marketplace for a Grizzly- style truck. **We always knew someone out there would help us out with the finances, but at the same time we were looking over our shoulders at com- petitors,’? said Buck. ‘‘We knew it (truck design) was a good idea and we just hung in there.”’ Meanwhile, North Van- couver-based Pacific Truck and Trailer Ltd. (PTTL), which had built trucks locally for the past 26 years, closed its truck assembly division in North Vancouver last October due to slumping market condi- tions. About 30 people fost their that. jobs with the closure. But Jerry Dicastri, PTTL gencral parts manager, said the company hopes to reopen the truck assembly division. PTTL, he said, is currently negotiating with two subcon- tractors in the hopes of build- ing trucks at the plant again. Dicastri added that PTTL’s parts division is thriving. “We have two parts facili- ties, one a 25,000 square-foot facility here in North Van- couver and a similiar one in Edmonton,’’ said Dicastri. ‘*We have annual sales of be- tween $18 million and $25 mil- lion from both facilities, so we're still a competitor in the marketplace.’” He added that PTTL cur- rently employs 25 people at its North Vancouver plant and an additional 30 people at its Ed- monton facility. In 1987, PTTL landed one of North America's largest logging truck sales deals to Southeast Asia. The contract called for the delivery of 100 legging trucks and their trailers to Borneo-based Rimbunan Hijau Sdn. Bhd. At the time, the deal was said to be worth approximately $23 million. PTTL has been based in North Vancouver for the past 25 years. When the company signed the 1987 contract it employed about 100 people. Wednesday. January 15. 1992 - North Shore News - 3 Concern raised over Westview Dr. interchange Liberals say budget cuts may affect $20M project THE OPPOSITION Liberal party has raised concerns that the provincial government will cancel the $20-million Up- per Levels Highway interchange project at Westview Drive in light cf rumored cuts ministry budget. But the lone New Democratic Party MLA on the North Shore said he is confident the project will proceed. In News interviews this week, both Liberal leader Gordon Wilson and West Vancouver- Capilano Liberal MLA Jeremy Dalton said they are concerned over reports that the provincial government is considering cutting about $200 million from the transportation and highways ministry budget. Finance Minister Glen Clark has said the projected provincial budget deficit for the next fiscal year will be about $3 billion and that the government will have to find at least $f billion in extra tax revenues or cut spending. The spending cuts would likely come from the highways ministry. budget. “f{ am worried about that (cancellation of Westview inter- change),’’ Wilson said Tuesday. “} think the government needs to...make sure the projects that NVD residents face to the provincial highways By Surj Rattan News Reporter were approved continue to go ahead so that we don’t have what is essentially a well-planned pro- ject only half complete.’’ Dalton said it only makes sense to proceed with the Westview pro- ject now that the $115-million Cassiar Connector and the $22- million Lonsdale Avenue highway overpass projects have been com- pleted. North Vancouver-Lonsdale NDP MLA David Schreck said he has already written to Transporta- tion and Highways Minister Art Charbonneau on the matter. Schreck said he was confident that the project would go ahead, but declined to estimate when. Leagh Martell, highways ministry project manager, said the Westview Drive project has been given a high priority and that it has not been put on hold. 7.5% tax increase NORTH VANCOUVER District municipal taxes are projected to increase 7.5% this year based on the 1992 provisional budget adopted by council on Monday night. By Martin Millerchip Contributing Writer Operating expenses are budgeted at $50,772,733, a 4.2% increase of $2 million over 1991. Michael Hoskins, director of financial services for the district, says the increase compares favorably with the current infla- tion rate of 3.7% for Vancouver and 4.2% for Canada. Some areas of cost increase in the provisional budget are: @ provision for wage increases currently being negotiated; ® two additional RCMP officers now on staff; ® additional youth work cost shared with North Vancouver Ci- ty: @ full-year costs for the district’s communication officer; @ provision for an environmental control officer; @ operation of the expanded Karen Magnussen recreation cen- tre; @ expansion of Sunday openings at Lynn Valley Library. Ald. Ernie Crist, who proposed the budget, pointed out that the level of services approved by council in its budget deliberations over the next few months could alter the operational costs of the district, and therefore the tax levy. The projected 7.5% tax increase is greater than the district’s overall expenditure increase because there are projected reductions in other district revenues. NORTH VANCOUVER CIsTRICT COUNCIL One major change is the reduc- tion in the transfer from district reserves. In 1991 the transfer was $1,080,000, but Hoskins projects only $600,000 for 1992, although the amount may change once ac- tual revenues and expenditures for 1991 are finalized. As chronicled in earlier News stories, the municipal tax increase in North Vancouver City’s pro- posed 1992 budget has been estimated at 7%; West Vancouver residents could face tax increases of anywhere from 5.8% up to 8.7%, according to that municipality’s 1992 provisional budget. TT index i Budget Beaters B® Business i Frugal Gourmet | Lifestyles @ North Shore Now.... BE TV Listings What’s Going On.... Weather Thursday and Friday mostly cloudy, chance of showers. Highs 7C, lows O°C. Second Class Registration Number 3885