calls for green Sunday, July 11, 1999 ~ North Shore News - 3 elts, tr: ils Residents question WV development process; claim land-use plan ignored ABOUT 30 CAULFEILD residents hiked through private land Thursday to draw attention to what they say are threatened green belts and potential trails in undeveloped areas of Caulfeild Plateau in West Vancouver. Members of the recently formed Caulfeild Ratepayers Association (CRA) and West Vancouver District (WVD) staff, including head planner Steve Nichols, engineer Barry Lambert. parks manager Eric Lees and arborist Shirley Nicolson, trekked through areas south of Sprucefeild Road and west of Headland Drive for 1% hours on a hot afternoon. Most of the hike was on prop- erty owned by Martin Corpora- tion. “We want to get going with a trail system and green belts or we won't have it,’? said CRA presi- dent Victor Durman. Durman, a building developer who has lived in the area for three years, said a 14-year-old Caulfeild land-use plan sets out BALLARD INKS DEAL By Anna Marie D'Angelo News Reporter development clusters and = green belts. He estimates there are 20 to 30 acres (8 to 12 hectares) of undeveloped green belt remaining. “The battle was fought by resi- dents 14 years ago. The problem is no one has complied with it,’’ said Durman. But Lambert said there are problems with the land-use plan. Municipal staff believe narrow green belt stretches can’t safely contain tall trees. Yet Durman said there hasn't been a satisfactory municipal tesponse to CRA concerns, He described municipal staff responses as similar to ones in the NV co. joining dow Chemical in evelopr ent of fuel cell system NORTH VANCOUVER’S ‘Ballard Power Systems Inc. and. American corporate ‘giant Dow Chemical Co. have. announced a_ col- laboration agreement on , developing fuel cell systems _for use in power plants. By Chris Wong Contributing Writer Ballard and Dow believe the global market for the technology they’re developing could be worth billions of dollars by the year 2010. : Ballard treasurer Paul Lancaster said the market is enormous because there are intrinsic advan- tages of fuel ceil-based’ power over other more conventional forms of power generation. The advantages include the ' production of less pollution, higher efficiency, and greater flex- ibility in installation, he said. “Any country with very high energy costs would be an obvious entry point.’ The collaboration agreement ‘between Ballard and Dow, based in Midland, Michigan, will focus on the production. of Prozon Ex- change Membrane (PEM) fuel cell systems for power-plant applica- tions. The companies expect the PEM fuel cell systems, which convert hydrogen into electricity, to be available for commercial use be- fore the year 2000. “It’s exciting for Ballard that a company with the status of Dow Chemical has chosen to partner with us,’’ Lancaster added. ‘dvs also exciting for us and people in Vancouver that this type of technology is being develope here with such large potential and . such a good environmental bent to it.’? 46 The - collaboration agreement has been in the works for about two years. 99 Dow Chemical communications manager Beth Middleton said her company is equally excited about working with Ballard. The North Vancouver company is a world leader in the develop- ment of PEM fuel cells, she said. For Dow, the agreement will be an opportunity to apply its exper- tise in areas including membrane technology and electrochemistry, Middleton said. She said Dov: has named a pro- ject director to work with Ballard on the fuel cell systems. The collaboration agreement has been in the works for about two years, Middleton added. Ballard is involved in other fuel cell collaboration agreements with Daimler-Benz and General Motors. The company is also well- known for the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) bus it is hoping to have ready for the commercial market by 1998, Development of Ballard’s ZEV bus has been partially funded by a $4 million grant from the provin- cial government, and an addi- ional ${ million from the federal government. Yes, Minister British comedy show. But Lambert said the municipality is not ignoring resi- dents’ concerns. He said mectings are now regularly scheduled be- tween the CRA executive and municipal staff. “Out of the meetings, we will possibly look at options,’’ said Lambert. The afternoon hike ended at a 30-foot high (9 m) wall near Sprucefield Road that municipal staff agreed was built on green belt space. The wall, approximately 100 feet long (30 m), acts as a retaining wall for Lot 30 at the West Vista Estates development. CRA members claim the retain- ing wall extends the lot’s area. CRA members are also concerned about the stability of the lot because of the drop off at the wall, Durham said the CRA wants the wall removed. He said trees Makeshift mom that have been wrongly cut down should be replanted. But Lambert said the lot size is not increased by the wall. The land was made level to allow for more construction, He said the municipality was not aware that the wall was going to be built, but he has received an engineering report stating the lot is stable. Lambert said staff will recom- mend to council on Monday that the wall remain in place in ex- change for another green belt area, West Vista Estates developer Garth Braun was unavailable for comment to press time. ‘We are nol trying to stop de. velopment in any way. This is not a NIMBY syndrome,”’ said Dur- man. He said the municipality should not permit any more trees ‘to be cut without a permit. He said the municipality should take the lead in identifying green belts and trails Seinen es ke near developments. Durman said the usual trade- offs made between a municipatity and a developer to allow for in- creased densities in exchange for green space do not take into ac- count overall green belt planning. The CRA was formed when 150 residents met in varly June, Dur- man said a major priority of the association is to ensure that there are acceptable green belt and trail systems near new developments. He noted CRA's executive committee includes a developer, three lawyers and a town planner. “We are well financed and we are growing,” said Durman, Meanwhile Mayor Mark Sager said he had a productive meeting with Durman on Friday, “We all understand the residents’ frustrations and the frustrations of staff in interpreting the land-use plan,’’ said Sager. He said the municipality will consult residents regarding the future planning of the area. NEWS photo Mike Wakefield JIM, A Vietnamese pot-bellied pig, doesn't seem to mind a litter of motherless kittens that have adopted him as their maternal object. The kittens were brought home by Jim’s owner who works at the Capilano Pet Hospital. Lawyer’s $500,000 fee reviewed Judge ponders costs in $1.5M malpractice settlement IS $500,000 a fair and reasonable contingency fee for a West Vancouver medical malpractice lawyer to collect in a $1.5 million pre-trial out-of-court settlement awarded a Kamloops child who suffered brain damage at birth? B.C. Supreme Court Judge Allan D. Thackray recently posed the question in a_ settlement review, which is standard in cases involving infants. Lawyer Raymond MacLeod spent up to 800 hours on the case. “Should there be some con- sideration as to how $630 an hour relates to the hourly rates being charged by the legal profession?” asked the judge, calculating the 33% contingency fee charged by MacLeod. Medical malpractice cases are By Brent Mudry Contributing Writer often complex, and they are hoily contested by doctors’ insurance companies. The News spoke with several malpractice lawyers on condition of anonymity. “Medical suits are the most ex- pensive and difficult of all lawsuits,’’ one lawyer said. “in- surers would rather spend $100,000 fighting a case than set- tle for $10,000.”’ Another lawyer said that out- of-pocket expenses for lawyers can exceed $100,000 in malprac- tice suits, Asked Mr. Justice. Thackray, “Should the fee take into account the public perception of what would be reasonable?”’ Prior to being named to the Supreme Court, Thackray was a leading lawyer for doctors’ in- surance companies in B.C. MacLeod declined to comment on the settlement or the fee issue, citing the unresolved nature of the case. The review continues on July