Merchant batties
development’s
opponents in WV

By lan Noble
News Reporter
ian@nsnews.com
AS the big-box backiash
builds in West Vancouver, a
Park Royal merchant says

_ there's ancther story that
needs to be told,

Residents? condemnation af the
shopping centre’s proposal to wel-

aN ‘ G t eh ny A hen Se vere tien :
? f a : i ‘i : a . i

F come Home Depot, PETsMART, and

~Toys:“R" Us has been swith,
Mepastore, opponents have

bandied the word boycott about and

have already: formed an opposition

* " goalition,

But Peter Black, who runs a butch-
er. shop in, Park Royal, says the three
S new, stor a step forward,

are_all these groups out
there.who said they don't want it to
change, want it to change,” he said,

“This lot is a‘mess.”
He points to history to tell the tale
of previous, boycotts and blister that

West Vancouver residents said they

didn’t need Sunday’ shopping when } it

was proposed y years ago. Now, it’s Park
Royal's third biggest day, said Black.

- People’ protested Caulftild Village
hen it was: proposed, said Black.
Now, you can’t find a parking spot on

Saturday, | he added.’

; ‘When London Drugs. Opened it in
“the north mall, of Park Royal, people

said’a new drug store. was not needed.

ccess story, Said Black,
{those peuple who said the
same; things years ago about Sunday
and about  Cauleild and

Sunday, uly 2 27, 1997 ~ North Shore News -3 -

: ha .
NEWS phote Brad Lecwiige

JIM Barnum's attempts to prevent the destruction of a bowling alley, theatre and driving range at

Park Royal have inc

juded a petition ard a meeting. At the same time, a merchant says that three

planned big-box retail outlets. will revitalize the shopping centre's south mall.

about the changes —~ they are all going,
to. be there,” he said.

He also said it would be unfair for
shoppers to boycott Park Royal mer-
chants ifthe megastores move in, “We
really have no say,” he said.

Black, a
Royal. Merchants Association, added
Park Royal has more independent,
one-store ‘merchants than any other
mall in Canada.

Not surprisingly, those against the

. development have turned up the vol-
_. ume on the debate,

Jim Barnum formed the Citizens’
Community. Health ‘Coalition with

vast president of the Park.

three others in’ response to Park
Royal’s megastore plans,

‘The group abjects to the demoli-
tion of” the bowling alley, ‘driving

., Tange and theatres to make way for the
megastores.

They are not alone,

Within one day of the News print-
ing word of the new coalition, Barnum
received 200 phone calls from people
wanting more information about the

‘group.

He said people who want to sign a
tition can do so at Bean Around the

orld, Kerrisdale Cameras and Home .

Hardware. |

- By Layne Christensen :
‘News Reporter

or oWN ce com

ost.

ouver
Russ

: said -
Friday. he was «.
surprised by the ,

decision.

“T think it),
the police department for portable weigh
_ Scales to assist with roadside inspections.

“sends a very
.Wwreng signal to
“the — trucking
“ community —

that. they (truck
’ drivers and own-

ers) can get away
‘with it,” said the former Attorney General.

* Bjorn Bjornson, 58, was. struck and
‘killed on Sept... 27 whenan overloaded
truck with malfunctioning brakes ran away
down the 22nd Street hill. The truck was
driven by Rajdecp Singh Khosa.

Earlier this month, West. Vancouver
Police recommended to Crown charges of
driving without due care and attention ‘and
.@ bylaw. infraction relating to a vehicle
“being overweight.

Crown counsel’ concluded Wednesday
that there is no fikelihood of conviction,
“ane of two general factors the Crown con-

USS Fraser... sur-
prised at.dcecision. .

trucks.

- Siders when deciding whether to Proceed
with charges. The other is that it’s in the
public’s interest to prosecute.

Said Fraser: “I would think the criteria
would be: met.
It. appears..they
(the, Crown)
weren't. sure
who to blame.”

Fraser said
he would like to
see “flying
squads” of «
inspectors con-
duct random
spot checks of
West .
Vancouver
council has
approved
expenditures by

ALLAN. Williams...
“wants tougher
penalties.

Under the Motor Vehicle Act, drivers
are required to regularly monitor and
adjust-truck brakes. Failure to adjust and
maintain truck brakes is subject to a fine of
$100 per brake improperly adjusted plus
$500 where 50% or more of a vehicle’s
brakes are not in effective working order. ”

West Vancouver Coun. Allan Williams,

also a forrner Attorney General, said’

tougher fines are not enough. .
“The authorities have to make the
penalty so severe that no one would take

ithe risk,” said Williams, who is disappoint-

ed at the Crown's decision not to lay

“charges. Penalties should include confiscat-
“ing Vehicles and forfeiting licences, he said.

“You've got to be really tough before
they'll (the owners and drivers) stand up and
take notice and that’s what’s disturbing.”

Rarnum, who .works in shipping
and receiving for a North Vancouver
rice distriburor, said he will contact
MLAs and council members.

Said Barnum: “I didn’t know what
Iwas getting myself into at all here,
but P'm going to sce it through and
work as hard as I can,

“Everybody wants to do sonic:
thing but I’m just in the midst of fig-
uring out what we can do,” he said.

_. An anti-big-box meeting has been
scheduled for” Thursday, © 7:30

.pam.Royal Canadian Legion Branch

#60, 580 18th St., West Van. Barnum
can be reached at 925- P13.

] Residents irked —
| over power play

"From page 4

clectrical bolt warns of a highly-charged environment.
When the ambient sound is low enough you can hear it
buzz. When it rains it buzzes and crackles...
Its neighbors don’t want to see it, but B.C. Hydro plans

to take down diseased trees near it. The utility sae says
the trees are hazardous to adjoining properties, a childr

en's

playground and the substation.

Mountain Estates resident Loren Moyes said there are 57;

fir and hemlock trees and 34 cedars on the south end of the

the substation.

Substation and 59 fir and hemlock on the northwest side of

When a tree snapped and fell across the substation fence,
in April, North Vancouver City. and District arborists
assessed the area and determined that 10 diseased trees had

to be removed, eight had ‘to topped and six had to be

trimmed.

But if B.C. Hydro acts on its forestey engineering report,

it would retain the healthy cedars and take down all mature
hemlocks, firs and cottonwoods from its property south and

northwest of the substation.

Residents who met with B.C.-Hydro representatives on
Saturday want 'a compromise. ‘

Loren Moyes has lived at Mountain Estates for 6% years.
“We were fine with the original plan and then Hydro comes

_in and says bulldoze the whole lot. It’s easier to elear ever ry

thing at once, We want as many trees as possible to stay.”
-Mountain Estates. residents want;a third opinion from
another arborist to determine if any trees are actually dis-

‘eased. They'd like Hydro to hold back on action until they
can get that opinion.

“When we came here there were 39 units to pick from.

We chose this one because it’s on the greenbelt, it’s quiet, |

it’s private and that’s why we bought,” said Moyes.

Anne Pearsall has lived at Mountain Estates for almost.
seven years. She was attracted tv, the townhouse.complex
because it: was affordable. “We ‘back directly on to this
‘greenbelt and that was a big selling feature to us. It’s a visu-
al screen to this (the Hydro substation), It’s a sound barri-
er. It’s just a nice piece of nature. We're in a very dense
neighborhood. There are 111 units here, all with families,”

Sally Gill lives in a house on Rufus. She was attracted to
the neighborhood by “the nice greenery.” She said any tree
loss would be devastating. “It means a drop in our property

values,” she said.

Foiled robber
vows to return.

’ Aman who tried to rob a gas sta-
tion at Main Street and Mountain +
Highway on July 20 left enapty- ;

handed, but threatened . that he me ~

would be back:

According | to the | North | is
Vancotiver: RCMP, the would- “be!
-robber said he had a mask and . :
gun and would be back to rob the!
’ place if the Petro Canada cinploy-:
ce did not turn over some money, 2

The gas station .cmployce ‘did

not hand over any cash duritig the ee

midnight incident, said police...
Police patrolied the area and,”
found a stolen car belonging ‘to’
West Van resident perked nes the”
gas station: ,
A. short. ‘time later ” a’
matchin,

Troy, Newman,
Vancouver,

On ‘Wednesday, jane 30." hi
North Vancouver. .Chambe o!

meeting: to: discuss “its: ‘ons oin;
“efforts to fight the NDP
ment's labor legislation, Bi
has been ‘referred to‘ a.
process, but is expected to ret
to the legislature in. time fo
next sitting. ~

“The ‘chamber. believ
must focus.on the review ‘process
.and_ continue “the ‘campai
fair and. balanced labor.”

* St. in North Va

pmo

Bridge deck
upgrade set.

A $1.1 million contract: “has been
awarded. to KWH > Constructors
‘Ltd. of Burnaby. for deck mainte-
nance on the Lions Gate Bridge.
The job will involve installing,

stringers’ and deck reinforcement." °!

channels, Some. sections of ‘the
sidewalk and sidewalk fencing
will also be replaced.

The repair project is: expected
to be completed by Oct. 31. ;

On: April 18° Highways
Minister Lois Boone announced’
the start of a process to rehabili-
tate or replace the bridge.

Provincial staff are working
with local, regional and First
Nations representatives to devel-
op a request for proposals from
_ the private sector,