ROBERT OWENS & & ‘No kids are going to.come to our street on Halloween, no kids came to play with our kids after school. ay ‘— Parent’s letter to News EARLIER THIS year, Cedardale resi- dents said they would prefer a resi- dential subdivision to a proposed care facility for. seniors -—— and won. WEST VANCOUVER DISTRICT COUNCIL By Maureen Curtis At.Monday night’s West : Vancouver A COMMUNITY meeting will be held on Thursday to address the growing concerns of Upper Highlands residents about a con- vicled pedophile who is living in their “neighborhood. By Anna Marie D'Angelo News Reporter “We ure just parents, we need some kind of reassurance that this vai is in some kind of treat- ment program and there is some follow-up,” said Jean Evans, Block Parent) coordinator for Montroyal Elementary. . The meeting, sponsured by Block Parents, will be held at Montroyal Elementary, 5310 Sonora Dr. at 8 p.m. It will address what safeguards and sup- ports need to be in place before a community should have to accept a convicted pedophile living in the neighborhood. The carmmunity became aware that Robert Roy Owens, 45, was living ina house aC 988 Prospect Ave. after he was aested last week in connection with a Sooke RCMP warrant. Owens was released from jail at the end of July after serving a six-ycur sentence for sexually assaulting three girls aged six to 13. Wednesday. October 25, 1995 — North Shore News ~ 3 Highlands residents to vent pedophile concerns at meeting The convicted pedophile caused a furor in Upper Highlands i August when it was reveuled that he was living at 4456 Canterbury Cres. with another convicted sex offender, Daniel Bristow. Owens said he was leaving North Vancouver when he moved out of Bristow’s house a short time Jater, but he apparently had been living about 10 blocks away from Bristow's home before his most fecent arrest. Owens and Doreen Ware, who tives at 988 Prospect, did not return calls to press time. North Vancouver RCMP Insp. Jamie Graham said he met with Owens on Monday for an hour at the RCMP detachment. “He and | together are attempting to initiate some dialogue that will ease some of the cominu- nity fears up in that area.” said Graham, who is sec- ond in charge of the detachment. Graham said Owens was worried about his safe- ly. The inspector said Owens appears cooperative District Council mecting, a smaller group fought against a small park with a trail being « incorporated into the resulting 10-lot subdi- * ’-yision at 419 Keith Rd. -— and lost. “Think of the future residents who will Of a “hermit? enjoy this park,” said Coun. Pat Boname. After council rejected the seniors’ care facility proposal following one of the com- munity’s most heated public debates, Carrington Projects Ltd, bought the wooded five-acre parcel located east of Taylor Way. The company is set to. develop a 10+ jot subdivision on‘the site, and, according to consultant Michael Rosen, would be happy to provide ‘either the park or cash in lieu, as required hy planning . and development the municipality. But adjacent residents are concémed that a trail traversing the park along ‘the worth side of the sa-security by encourag- ing public access to the rear of ‘their properties. Residents with properties that back onte Brothers Creek currently enjoy exceptional security, according to : development will undermine local resident Bill Ferguson. “Why should a development take away our peace and security?" he asked. He ‘criticized the design of the trail, which he stid *“goes nowhere and doesn't satisfy an immediate need.” Dr. Dennis Vince argued that peopfe who are already tantination ina saall are: with no access (rail, » CARRINGTON PROJECTS Lt Lid: is taking steps to create. ae * 10-lot development: that the company maintains will have a "limited impact on the'site: ag the adjacent ‘ environitic “opment’s eee Send lots has been on droped. x A Spanish Horse Chestnut trée will be preserved as a focal ’ point int the middle of the sapped ein as ‘will a grove of ee The owner of the daca ‘according to nelghbers, was a bit discouraged people from wanderin onto . ; S s toeoved “ * fronts’ on: Keith, pein but “access: to, it- will be: vin: ‘Gordon’ Rosen said thatthe Bevelopers have had tw riublic infor- : ‘mation meetings: at, whlch | local residents were able to ask: : questions and learn more about the Proposal.: oe ‘al ly f endangering the env ronment by concentrating fecal con- Some residents spoke i in favor of the park and trail: others said the area should be reserved as green space Ata recent homeowners’ association meeting, resi- park. _ walking their dogs in the area, in a fish-sensitive zone, are From page 4 park referendum p moments.” said Coun. Ernie Crist. Coun, Andy Danyliv, as a former resident of the area, suggested another area fora park site and supported the dents were deadlocked in a vote over approval of the waterfront. See Park page 4 i verted parkland.” said Dykeman, and concerned about the community’s opinion of him. “L can't do anything about him moving. but at feast we are talking.” said Grahata. He added that Owens has no iminediate plans to'move. Prospect Avenue parent Johu Armstrong said the neighborhood has been “turned upside down" since the word got out about Owens. “No kids are going to come lo our street on Halloween, no kids come to play with our kids after sehoul.” said Armstrong in a letter to the News. Concerned parents living near Owens’ residence printed flyers that were posted near the school and community play arcas late last week. Some of the flyers were torn down the next day. Evans said 15 children live on Owens’ block. Two blocks away at Montroyal elementary, 370 children are enrolled in school. Evans said residents were unaware of Owens! presence in the neighborhood until his amest Fast week. Owens was not charged with a crime, He is scheduled to appear for a hearing in Victoria in December. A judge will determine then, based on Sooke RCMP information, whether Owens should have his freedom restricted by being prohibited for maximum of 12 months from being ia parks, playgrounds or other areas frequented by children. 1 Roadside protest NEWS photo Paul McGrath ANIA ‘MARI, 12, of Deep Cove protested on Sunday the Cates: Landing residential development planned on the Dollarton ursued [auors From page 1 ; area that I think the whole dis- a district- trict as well as the area need to Mountain Forest lies north and east of Blueridge above the new Northlands Golf Course, while Cove Forest extends east of ~ Mount Seymour Road, providing much of the forest backdrop to Deep Cove. --. The lands are designated as Urban Reserve in the Seymour Official Community Plan (OCP) and previous staff estimates have sug- . gested that the 392 ‘hectares could contain 2,150 housing units. GUARD'S efforts persuaded council to sus- pend surveys of the district land holdings and move directly to a public hearing on parks des- ignations in both zoning and the OCP. The public hearing ran to wo nights and drew an dudience of almost 1.200, ~ "The worst hing ia political life is public apathy but this is certainly not one of those “TL have a lapel button which says people lead. sooner or later politicians will fol- lows“ he continued. All counei! members acknowledged the strength of opinion expressed at the hearing, “There is no more open government in te province of British Columbia in my opinion than this council chamber. “We have listened and do listen.” told the meeting. However, he continued his opposition to the rezoning. Dykemuan said his decision was nat based on the potential revenue involved in Jand sales, but on the usurpation of the planning process for Seymour. “From a planning perspective we do not need ta eush into a planning decision lo save the areas under question this evening into con- Dykeman “When Dykeman said he would pursue wide referendum on the parks designation. But GUARD also wants a referendum on the land designation in order to dedicate Cove and Mountain forests as parkland. “L believe the community and the council of this district just showed us that this is what they want too.” GUARD organizer Lisa Mart told the News. Zoning can always be changed dy a future council, but a formal dedication by referendum would require another referendum io move the park back to a developable designation. Coun... Don Belt subsequently received unanimous council support for a mution asking stalf to prepare a park dedication bylw and report on possible iming for an “early referen- dum date for final “public approval of the dedi- © catton. know about." — GUARD rep- resentative Lisa Muri. “Kor glad we have made the decision now so that when we undertake the Seymour OCP review people will not be worrying and mobilizing around preventing develop- ment in Cove and Mountain forests. ‘They can now look at the reniuinder and be far more effective, positive and pull together a better plan because of it.” — Coun. Janice Harris. “The growth we've seen to date is not beyond the expecta- liens of the *50s and "60s." — Mayor Murray Dykeman.