Sem YA eat) LN OT ' b Cyatey ctn peer. on ye pete BP TASS Men ery eee Se amis ot Quant Pee Ae ITINERANT, Serhetmareme ee goa er PER Mae Oy Tt ag Pop fre RRO AT Sets corey ge em ae eee af be iene disasters, such as a Weather: Sunny on Sunday with cloudy pericds Aonday and Tuesday. Occasional snow. an Lifestyles... Mailbox .. Lifestyles: 35 help. Up With People are coming to town and they need the community's What's Going On.....41 Burned-out homeowner appeals tax assessment IT took Colin Brad- bury seven years to build his own dream home in West Van- couver. But two weeks before he was to receive the occupancy permit, his labor of love was destroyed by fire. : The mishap was tragic enough for Bradbury, who invested most of his capital into the uninsured project, but to add insult to injury, he -had to pay full 1985 property taxes on the building. -Bradbury had his property assessed Sept. 31, 1984 for. his 1985 taxes, but his house burned down Oct. 26, 1984. ‘He said he’s tired of the “rigamarole’’ Both local and provincial governments are -giving him, and he thinks it’s . only: fair that the $449.38 he’ paid for taxes this year be refunded. Coos ; “Anparently the law in B.C. is that once taxes are paid’ they can't be refund- ed,’”’ Bradbury said. And he is amazed that this includes house ‘fire. “If ‘Vancouver had a ma- jor earthquake we'd be totally up the gum tree if the governments didn’t have‘any contigency plans,’’ Bradbury said. ‘‘Would the gov- ernment expect us to pay full property taxes then?”’ Bradbury took his case to the B.C. Assessment Authority in New Westminister, which needed a-confirmation of the fire from, West Vancouver Fire Department. But because of a bureaucratic bungle, West Vaan fire department had no record of the fire. The department finally took a look at the sight in September and made a re- cord for its files. In the meantime, Brad- bury was advised to contact Victoria, He contacted the Assessment Authority there. They told him to call the Appeals Board which in turn told him to go to the Ministry of Finance who told him to see Municipal Affairs who told him to go back to the Assessment Authority, Last week he contacted West Vancouver District and Bradbury’s request of the $449.38 refund was discuss- ed at Monday’s regular council meeting. Unfortunately for Brad- bury, the B.C. Assessment Authority has a cut-off date, so any changes made after that date (Sept. 30) will be assessed for the following year’s taxes. . “The sword has two edges,’? says George Hor- wood, West Van director of finance, ‘“‘the one 2ffecting Bradoury and the viher side which says that improve- ments to a property after Sept. 30 are neither assessed nor taxed for the following year despite (the property's) physical presence and liveability. “*Accordingly, to be con- sistent, not capricious and not arbitrary,’ Horwood continued, ‘‘the property which exists as cf Sept. 30 must be assessed and taxed for the following year despite its lack of physical presences.”’ The system has been in place for many years,- but used to have a cut-off date of Dec. 30 of the preceding year. However, it was. changed in 1984/85, moving the assessment date back to Sept. 30 to ensure the com- pletion of the assessment roll for council by December. Council is reviewing Bradbury’s request and will discuss it at the next council meeting. In the meantime, Brad- bury will have to live with the inevitability of paying his property taxés — even though his home doesn’t ex- ist. NEWS photo Stuan Davis SKIENG means lineups but the wait is hardly noticed. when the weather is as good as it has been this week. Skiers at Mt. Seymour had only a few minutes to wait before they were transported up the hill. Man takes rap on drug charge A 19-YEAR-OLD On- tario man took the rap Thursday on a charge of possession of LSD for the purpose of trafficking. Scott Edward Book pleaded guilty to the charge in North Van- couver provincial court after he and North Van- couver resident Kenneth Edward Dunn, 25, ‘were charged jointly with three drug-related charges stemming from a police drug raid earlier this month. North Vancouver RCMP raided Dunn’s apartment on Nov. 10 and seized approximately $2,000 worth of LSD, marijuana, and mari- juana resin. Book will appear Jan. 13° for a pre-sentence report. . Charges against Dunn were subsequently stayed. Thief disturbed during A NORTH Vancouver resident returned home Wednesday night to sur- prise a thief. When the resident entered his house in the 900 block Strathcona Smoke B&E Drive at 8:20 p.m., the Startled thief fled without stealing anything, reported . North Van- couver RCMP Cpl. Don Jette. no Police are continuing their investigation. alarm. wakes tenant A SMOKE DETECTOR is being credited with helping. a North Van- couver man get out of his burning apartment alive. Al McCartney of 16- 154 E. 17th Street was awakened Nov. 16 just after 3:30 a.m. by the sound of his smoke detector going off. The bed in the apartment had caught fire and threat- ened the rest of the suite. McCartney attempted to extinguish the fire himself but City of North Vancouver firefighters put the fire out. * Fire officials have determined the fire was caused by smoking in bed. . Fire officials say the building, Flamingo Apartments, was the scene of a major fire a few years ago. Smoke detectors were installed as part of the upgrading, which has saved McCart- ney from serious injury and the building from serious damage. Man arrested on warrant A CRIMINAL wanted nation-wide was arrested Monday in a local North Vancouver hotel. Lynn Jeffery Parker, wanted on a Canada-wide warrant, was arrested while local RCMP were in the hotel on other business. Parker faces charges of robbery with violence in Brandon, Manitoba. North Vancouver RCMP are holding Parker, pending his escort back to Manitoba. Two injured in car TWO NORTH Shore youths are in fair condi- tion following a one-car accident on Mount Seymour Road. A 19-year-old North Vancouver man was driv- ing down the mountain in a 1980 Chrysler LeBaron when he failed to negoti- ate a left hand curve. The vehicle slid off the crash partially snow-covered road 150 yards above the mountain’s gatehouse and crashed into a power pole. The driver and an 18- year-old West Vancouver passenger were removed from the car by District firefighters and am- bulance attendents, and were transported to Lions Gate Hospital.