| North Shore almost eit off bridge f Jolanda Waskito Contributing Writer A forum on the fate of the Lions Gate Bridge would have been discussed from a purely Vancouver perspective, had MLA Jeremy Dalton not told organizers the obvious: there wasn’t a North Shore representative on the panel. “Tliere's been some people very upset, Jeremy Dalton for ane,” West Vancouver Chamber of Commerce president Jolin Clark, said, “Maybe they haven't noticed the bridge touches down at this end too,” Clark sail 4,000 businesses and home-based businesses in West Vancouver will be affected by the construction of a new crossing, , More than 140 people many of then fram the North Shore business community -= paid up to $40 each to attend a breaktis session at the Motel Vancouver on Wednesday morn: ny. The Vancouver Board of “Trade hosted forum == att ned by the four North Shore MLAs -— featured ‘Transporttion Minisier Lois Boone, who anniovased in April that the gov ernment would be spending $70 million on replacing or revamping the aging bridge, West VancouverCapthino MLA Jeremy: Dalton sald he Krew about the forum three weeks ago, but feud aut only a few clays eatelier that there was to be no volee from the North Shore in the discussions, © “No North Shore represeotative way an the panel aid now there iy one,” alton sald, referrliyy to West Vancouver Mayor Hat Bonaine’s added presence on the panel, John Hansen, Vancouver Board of Trade assistant manag: Hig director and organizer of the forum, sald “there was oe rac” a North Shore representative wasn't part ofthe initial nnel, “We realized we made an oversight,” Hansen said, “1 don't know how we forgot, to tell you the truth. Tes my fault." Boname sald that despite some people's perception that the North Shore is “somewhere up there between the margin and Ssantey Park,” being invalved with other: stakeholders to decide the fate ofthe First Narrows bridge is “a first step.” The province announced that West) Vancouver, North Vancouver: City and District, the city of Vancouver, the Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD), the Vancouver Parks Board, Squamish First Nations and Burrard Pirst Nations will be decision-makers on changes to bridge, The group will meet for the first tne on Wednesday, Third crossing to be considered ” From page’ for the crossing, “It will cost more than $70 million if not double that — $150 million and a car,” “We think we're going to build our way out of it,” he said. “Pn speaking as someone who manages to get by without at a meeting a week ago, The option makes the $78. million from the province “inadequate,” Boname said. up,” he said, -Vancouver Coun, Gordon Price didn’t agree. He supported the province’s contribution of $70 million for the proposed changes. Price said people are bound to use a . bigger bridge, but the proposal wouldn’t Price said the three main concerns of no tolls, no tunnel and no cozgestion, could be alleviated if the Lions Gate Bridge is rehabilitated and not expanded, and a third mid-harbor crossing built. Boname said that the three munici- palities and two First Nations on the North Shore would also like to consider _ “The prevince has the responsibility of filly: finding an adequate transporta- “tion link across Burrard Inlet,” she said, But the province also has a responsi- bility towards taxpayers, argues Boone, “That visionary plan could increase the debt,” the ininister said, “Clearly there is not enough money in the public solve the traffic congestion. a third crossing, ‘The issue was discussed _ Injured woman was - found without pulse From page| trial of Manoucher Jiany-Yaghooby, The accused faces arson and attempted murder charges. Jiany-Yaghooby, 65, was charged fol- lowing a fire in his family’s West Vancouver townhouse on March 20, 1996. He has pleaded nor guilty to the charges. Jiany-Yaghooby’s wife, Taherch Majoobi, 52, escaped the fire, She testified that-her hus- band doused her with gasoline and hit her on the head with a hammer, Majoobi ‘testified through a Farsi inter- preter that her husbaiad of 36 years was trying to light matches before the gasoline soaked ~ woman fled the townhouse. . Jiany-Yaghooby «himself was severely burned in the blaze. He was rescued by a neighbor who fouad Jiany-Yaghooby engulfed | in flames from the waist up inside the burning townhouse. The neighbor threw a rug over Jiany-Yaghooby and dragged him outside to a balcony. ; ; Jiany-Yaghooby was in the back of the ambulance when his wife was brought over to the paramedic, The woman was assessed by the \ paramedic as needing less medical care than the man. She was asked to sit in the ambulance’s front passenger seat. Jiany-Yaghoob} was alert and awake, said the paramedic, despite the severe burns on his face, upper body and legs. Cochlin said Jiany- Yaghooby’s face was covered with soot, both ears were burned and his back was burned so deeply that the paramedic could “actually see fat tissue burned.” At the time the couple were in the ambu- lance together, their daughter, Manijeh Jiany, then 24, was being attended to by other para- medics in another ambulance. Manijeh Jiany was found ina bathroom of the burning town- house by West Vancouver firefighter Randy Heath. . The young woman suffered permanent brain damage as a result of inhaling smoke. She has been in a vegetative state ever since, Firefighter Heath testified that when fire ee crews first arrived shortly before 8 aun, there was “extreme black smoke” coming out of a townhouse balcony, Firetighters were told someone was still inside upstairs, : “When I opened that glass door visibility was zero down to the floor. It was black and hot,” said Heath, who was a professional NHL hockey player before becoming a firefighter. Heath found Manijeh Jiany lying face down beside the bathtud in a bathroom adjoining the master bedroom. The light was on in the bath- room and no water was running, The uncon- scious woman was dressed in a pink bathrobe, Manijeh Jiany had no pulse and was not ° breathing when first checked for vital signs on the townhouse balcony. Paramedics performed CPR on the woman and a pulse was detected before she was taken to hospital. Meanwhile paramedic Cochlin testified that as Majoobi screamed and yelled in the ambu- lance in “snippets” of words he could under- stand, he asked Jiany-Yaghooby “why?” “His response was to shrug and said, ‘T don’t know’,” testified Cochlin. Other testimony at the jury trial indicated that the couple’s clothing had a strong smell of gasoline unlike Manijeh Jiany’s bathrobe which did not smell of a fire accelerant. The couple's deli, Bijan Speciality Foods, located beiow the townhouse in the 1400- block of Clyde Avenue also burned in a sepa- rate'fire that started at approximately the same time. ; The couple’s son, Bijan, was not at the townhouse during the fire. Crown lawyer Mark Rowan said the fire in the store was fit in a pile of barbecue charcoal bags. The Crown suggests that the accused man’s financial problems associated with his gam- bling put severe strains on the family. In cross-examining paramedic Cochlin, defense lawyer Sandy Ross referred to a police statement where Cochlin noted — Majoobi repeatedly said her husband was crazy, The trial continues before Mr. Justice R. Bruce Harvey and a 12-member jury. purse to finance all of these projects.” SAVING. YOU! » MONEY SINCE 1969 COLONY BEDDING AUTHORIZED DEALER FOR ops) SIMMONS GD ener © Mattresses, Box Springs & Bed Frames © Sofa Beds & Rol! 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