MILA Angus Ree appointed to Queen’s counsel THE PROVINCIAL New Democrats say the appointment of North Vancouver/Capilano MLA Angus Ree as Queen’s sounsel was purely for political purposes. Vancouver East MLA Glen clark said it was ‘‘disconcerting to ‘ee a QC given to a sitting MLA vho had a brief and inglorious few nonths in cabinet.’* The NDP finance critic said his rersonal preference would be to ee the practice abolished. Naming Queen’s counsel ‘is a throwback o the British process of giving ‘rewards for service to the gov- ming party,’’ he said. NORTH Vancouver/ Capilano ML”, Angus Ree ...pleased by the appointment. Kee served as Solicitor-General ‘or 16 mu::ths to November of last rear, when he was dropped from cabinet. He was one of 29 B.C. iawyers tppointed as Queen’s counsel by Attorney-General Bud Smith in the sear-end honors list. Ree rejected claims that his ap- yointment was a payoff or com- sensation for being dropped from sabinet. “J am honored by the at- omey-general’s inclusion of me in he list, and I feel it is recognition of 10 years of public service as MLA,” Ree told the News. He said he was thrilled with the nove, but was uncertain whether 1e would return to practising law. By JOHN PIFER Contributing Writer An MLA since 1979, Ree, 60, has not served as a solicitor for more than 10 years. He currently is parliamentary secretary to Interna- tional Business Minister Elwood Veitch. Asked whether he would seek re-election with Social Credit in a general election, Ree said he preferred ‘‘to wait until closer to the time of an election before | an- swer that. At the moment, it’s a flip of a coin.”’ Attorney-General Smith granted QC status to 16 Vancouver law- yers, led by William Rogers MclIn- tyre, a former Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada. The regional breakdown shows three new QCs from Victoria, and one each from Kamloops, Penticton, Williams Lake, 100 Mile House, Prince George, Nanaimo, Courtenay, White Rock and Co- quitlam, besides Ree. Smith said the list brings to 280 the number of Queen’s counsel in the province from among the 6,609 lawyers practising in B.C. The attorney-general said he took into consideration the ap- pointees’ service to the public at large, rather than just to the com- munity alone. Most QCs have practised for at least 10 years be- fore receiving the honor. The criteria in granting Queen’s counsel, says Smith, include ‘‘pro- fessional integrity and good char- acter, along with outstanding ex- cellence in the practice of the legal profession.’* The attorney-general also takes into consideration any lawyer recognized by his or her peers as ‘an exceptionally gifted practi- tioner.” Service to the public at large, as well as service to the legal com- munity is also included, and is considered the basis of granting Ree the prestigious title. 3 - Friday, January 5, 1990 - North Shore News NEWS photo Cindy Goodman HE’S NUMBER I! Steven Cameron Shott was the North Shore’s New Year’s baby. Weighing in at 7Ib. 8 oz., Steven was born January 1 at 3:15 a.m. at Lions Gate Hospital to proud parents Cheryl and Graeme Shott. Pictured above is Dr. Jim Bovard giving mother and child an infant car seat provided by the British Columbia Medical Association and the doctors of B.C. The North Shore’s Christmas baby was Janey Michelle Fieldgate-Smith born to Richard Smith and Janine Fieldgate of West Vancouver on December 25 at 3:45 a.m. Janey weighed 61b. 9 oz. Smoking restricted in NVD NORTH VANCOUVER District’s new bylaw restricting vide non-smoking areas include: smoking in work places, restaurants, neighborhood pubs and other public areas will come into effect Jan. 13. The new smoking bylaw was passed last September by North Vancouver District Council and provides for fines of $50 per day up to a maximum of $2,000 for violators. Under the bylaw, smoking is banned completely in areas of buildings that are generally open to, and accessible by, the public: © elevators, escalators, stairways, washrooms; * taxicabs (unless the driver and all passengers agree otherwise); ¢ school and public buses; ® near a service line; © at service counters in financial institutions; ® retail shops; ¢ and reception areas if they are less than 280 square feet. Smoking will also be banned in parts of buildings used as: e classrooms, concert halls, auditoriums, gyms, libraries, lec- ture halls; © seating areas in theatres or cinemas; © display areas in museums or art galleries; ® schools frequented by pupils up to Grade 12; * and areas where food is prepared, cooked or displayed in ® reception areas over 280 square feet; © hospitals, health clinics, medical or dental offices, public health units, residential care facilities; ® such personal service businesses as hairdressers and beauty salons. * places of public assembly for entertainment, recreational, religious, business purposes, in- cluding shopping malls, classrooms, concert hails and MORE RESTRICTIONS NEEDED: SEE EDITORIAL, PAGE 6& restaurants. But smoking wiil be permitted in some public facilities if non-smok- ing areas are designated. Restaurants and neighborhood pubs with seating for over 35 per- sons must, for example, provide a non-smoking space of at least 25 per cent of their total seating area. And patrons of such establish- ments must be given the option of seating in smoking or non-smoking areas. Other facilities that must pro- libraries. Places excluded from the bylaw include pool halls, dance halls, bowling alleys, cabarets and hotel beer partors and bars. North Vancouver City instituted smoking bylaw restrictions for public places in September 1987 and for work places in November 1987. West Vancouver is still for- mulating the details of its smoking bylaw, but it is expected to be in piace later this year. North Shore mountains open for limited skiing THE THREE local ski mountains are open for limited ski- ing after two nights of heavy snowfail, putting an end to a near month-long snow drought. With 47 cm (18.5 inches) of new snow arriving since Tuesday, Grouse Mountain has received the largest amount of new snow to make a base of 64 cm at the Para- dise weather station. “It’s drizzling right now, but we've blown a lot of snow and the runs are well covered,’’ Rob Wallace, Grouse’s ski director, said Thursday. The Paradise rope tow and Blueberry chairlift from midstation Cause of $300,000 marina blaze From page 1 boat but a policeman, who I didn't even know was there, grabbed me. Just seconds after, my boat ex- ploded from the inside — it blew the windows out. It was a good thing he did grab me.”’ Clemont and others at the scene were able to release two boats from the dock before the flames could reach them. Their action may have saved the marina. But in the meantime the Truant and the Bullfrog were gutted to the waterline and sank. The Marleigh, a 28-foot Tollycraft owned by Steve and Amie Mitchell, was also destroyed by fire. By ELIZABETH COLLINGS News Reporier have been open since Monday, but the additional! snowfall has enabled the Cut to open to midstation. The mountain is operating from 8:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Receiving 35 cm (13.7 inches) of new snow since Tuesday, Mount Seymour has a base of 62 cm (24.4 inches) with tne Mystery Peak chair and Goldie rope tow Clemont had been living aboard the Bullfrog with S. Devi Naidu, an employee at the nearby Anchor Inn restaurant. They Jost all of their possessions when the Bullfrog sank. The boat was not insured. Charlies Pettet and Harold Robinson had been living aboard the Truant. They had left the boat to attend a New Year’s Eve party. just half an hour before fire struck. While the boat was in- sured, their possessions were not. Pettet’s cat, Sarah, died in the fire. Said Pettet of Clemont’s action Sunday night, ‘‘Dave is a dear friend and a very helpful person. operating from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. “Basically we had nothing be- fore the snow storm,”’ said Alex Douglas, Seymour Ski Country director of skiing. With ski conditions ‘‘fair to good,’’ Douglas is predicting the Lodge and Brocton chair lifts will be open this weekend after groom- ing the runs and that Seymour will extend hours for night skiing by Monday. Opening for the first time this ski season on Wednesday, Cypress Bowl has also had 35 cm (13.7 in- ches) of new snow since Tuesday to make a midstation base of 61 He doesn’t disclose it himself, but 1 think a lot of the terrible situa- tion pertaining to his own boat maybe could have been altered if he wasn’t so involved in helping other people. He is a hero.’’ Clemont believes the man he saw running down the dock just after the fiery explosion, set the fire. “*The Christmas lights were still on aboard the Truant so I know the fire was on the outside of the boat. There was a container lying on the dock there that hadn’t been there half an hour before. It was like a small two-gallon plastic gerry can. | could see the flame running down to the end of the dock,”’ he said. em (24 inches). The rope tow and the Panorama run off Eagle Chair are open. The cross country ski area at Hollyburn Ridge is also open with all lower trails groomed and track set. Cypress is still closed for night skiing and offered a 25 per cent discount on lift tickets yesterday. Marketing manager Leslie Kanerva said whether Cypress extends its hours depends on the weather in the next few days. “It's good snow for skiing but it’d be nice to have the rest of the mountain open,’’ Kanerva said, adding Cypress needs another foot unknown Said Pettet, ‘‘We’re trying to surmise just why it could have happened, but we can’t figure it out. It’s such a shocking experi- ence.’” While Clemont’s retirement dream has turned to charred wreckage, he’s thankful the fire didn’t strike last New Year’s Eve. “The thing is this,’’ he said. “My dad died in November. And normally he would be down on the boat on New Year’s Eve. And he was 87. If he had been on the boat, 1 would never have left him in there. | would have gone back on the boat. And being as slo-v as he was, neither one of us would have got out.”’ of snow before all runs and lifts are open. Since opening New Year’s Day, Grouse Mountain has had approx- imately 400 skiers in lessons and 1,500 regular skiers each day. “*We’ve had some pretty good traffic days,’’ Wallace said. But ski bums will have to wait before Grouse’s more difficult runs Peak, Inferno, Hades, Purgatory, Blazes and Centennial — are open. “To open those back runs we're looking at least at one metre, one metre and a half of snow (three to nearly five feet), but with our snow making capacity we'll be looking to open the bottom half of Blue- berry and the Peak,’’ Wallace said. Auto..................99 Classified Ads..........22 Editorial Page.......... 6 Home & Garden......... Mailbox .... seceeee TF What's Going On... Second Class Registration Number 3885