RD that Universal Studios is currently negotiating with the Vancouver Port Authority to install a new film studio on the North Shore is encouraging news for the local economy. The 39-acre site just north of the Dollarton Highway in North Vancouver District's Maplewood area being considered by Universal is one of the last significant pieces of port prop- erty on the North Shore. Putting it to sound low-impact, high return economic use should be a high priority for both the district and the port. And a film. studio ably fits . that economic category. Over the past two decades B.C. has established itself as cne of the leading film’ production centres in North America. It currently hosts the highest volume of externally financed produc- tions in Canada. In 1999, the film industry supported 20,000 jobs and pumped an estimated $3 billion into the province’s economy. And the North Shore is the over- whelming choice for filmmakers who come to B.C. — of the 198 produc- tions shot in the province last year, 54% were shot here. Close to 3,000 people are now employed directly by the film industry _in North Vancouver, Direct earnings from that employment are over $60 million. An estimated $578 million Was spent Jocally on films last year, resulting in close to $1.6 billion in indirect spinoffs for the local economy. Impressive numbers that, along with the North Shore’s reputation as a film production centre, would be doistered with the addition of a new film studio and all its attendant economic spinoffs. Want DetecPel nen «Come : rriailiaax One bridge too few Dear Editor: : - ‘Now that it has been irrefutably demonstrated that there is no justification for increased capacity to access the main- land from the North Shore, 1 trust my fellow North Shore commuters will cease their selfish and unwarranted whining 2 and carping over a third crossing. “or.” Surely they now realize chat the highly skilled planners on the Vancouver, Parks Board and the environmental activists have correctly evaluated this situation... -s, - Having arrived at work at 11:30 a.m., I have now decid- ed to refer to Sept. 11 as “Productivity Day.” i, Let them eat gateau, eh?. Lioyd Jones West Vanvcouver me Hoyd_Jones@ismbc.com Coho Fest best ever : Dear Editor Lam writing in regards to this year’s Coho Festival thar was held on Sunday, Sept. 1 .0. 1 attend this event every year and by far, this was the best year. The whole event was per- fectly organized.’ T.was most impressed with the improve- ments to the. beer garden. The service was excellent and I especially: ‘enjoyed having a hot dog stand close by. The band playing did a ‘super job. 1 think that your newspaper shoul Bive special recognition to whomever has been a part of putting this event on. ly Pennefather.°. peanefither@teius.net Bo YoU RAUZ A STORY DEA? Business Hours: -Shavon Cocomite . Editorial Assistant °~ 985-2734, tacal 120 985-2104: ; - scocomite@nsnews. com _Contrtutons must inlude yout fame, full address & phone number forth Shore News, founded in $969asan indapendent suborban sewspaper ang’ quaiifies under Schedule 111, Paragraph 111 of the Brose Tax Acct i is published * each dnesday, Friday and Sunday by HCN ” Publications Company ang distributer fo every door “onthe: North Shore.° Ganada Post “Canavian . f& Publications Mail Sales Product Agreement No. “0067238, Mailing rates avaitaoie on request. Entire : contents © 2000 HCN Publications Company, All rights reserved, Average cirevlation < for Wednesday, Friday and Sunday is 84,471: Newstoom Editor . 985-2131 (116) imbecaergnsnews.com Vidor? Titi es Coating -pnr. BT hore PUCSS nas - THE North Shore was dealt another in a series of lamentable bridge hands Monday when the Lions Gate failed to reopen on time after the first in a series of closures to replace bridge deck- ing. Anyone surprised? Not many hands up, 1 see. Cynics are we? No, just jaded consumers of bridge baloney. The Lions Gate Bridge upgrade saga has been incubsatest ina culture of missed deadlines, rising «oss and elastic guess- timations since the Jatest round of planning -' for First Narrows crossing solutions was initiated by Victozia back in 1993. You might recall, fur example, that it took close to five years and $7 million, along with countless studies and public hearings, to arrive at highways minister Harry Lali’s plan to save our three-lane heritage bridge ftom improvement. Opiions to provide a real solution to i ~ the First Narrows traffic bottleneck, such as the self-financing Hans Bentzen tunnel, the tunnel and bridge combination, the double deck bridge, were all shunted into the.“ political switching yard of good ideas we. have known. Initiation of Lali’s $78 million Heriege Bridge Refurbishment Plan, meanwhile, . . travelled a similarly tortuous route on its way to delay and cost increase. Ir was initially scheduled to begin i inthe. fall of 1999, From there it detoured who : knows where and picked up several millions more in cost estimates. ” dictability m ey STOCKWELL, JOE CLARK IS. ON “THE PHONE. NO, HE WANTS TO TALK 10 THE TORY CAUCUS. North Shore bridge baloney consumers were then advised that the $86.5 million job to replace the 54 main bridge deck sec- tions would begin in January. The number of all-night | closures to complete the. - job was initially estimated to be 150, with six full weekend closures. Diligent negotiation _ work spearheaded by the West Vancouver: Chamber of Commerce, which foresaw a devastat- ing impact on local busi- ness from the bridge clo- sures, subsequently reduced that number to 40, with tour full weekend closures. The number af night closures has since been ratcheted back up to over 60. What that number will be when this whole project is over is anyone’s guess. Try running a North Shore business based on those projections, ‘Monday morning's traffic chaos was therefore sadly predictable. But that pre- es it no more acceptable, Official word that the bridge would not “open at the 6 a.m. deadline previously set by the contractor was released just before .- midnight Sunday when most commuters with normal work hours would have been long tucked in bed and long past making any alternative plans for getting to work. Extra transit assistance was allocated to . the North Shore on Monday morning to help alleviate the traffic chaos bur the value of adding extra buses to North Shore reads. was minimal: Do the math. “more vehicles stalied in North Shore grid- Jock: And extra buses feeding the SeaBus .; LETTERS 10 THE EDITOR must include your name, full address and: telephone . number. _ system won’r help move more Morc road-bound buses just add up to aple across the inlet unless there are m ts SeaBuses, which there aren't, and ing to TransLink, won't be any tire soon Meanwhile across town, the $74. milli project to increase Port Mann Bridge vehi cle capacity by adding another lane to th existing span continues apace. No one is underestimating the ei engi: neering feat being performed on the Lions Gate Bridge by the American Bridge: Su it Consortium: It’s a marvel to behold. Removing and replacing 95 . sections of a 61-year-old bridge th: a heavily travelled entrance to a majoi international sea port is not for the faint c heart or the challenged of m _ Keeping that bridge openi to waffic ing the project is more impressive still But nobody should lose sight of that once the deck replacement project completed the North Shore.and the rest the Lower Mainland will still be left witti an inadequate three-lane bridge at an evteo +1 vital point in the dling the 23,000 car ‘that the bridge currently “ be no reduction of Stanley Park causeway, there improvernent to the efficien ‘the growing Squamish-Whistle must currently pass through Vancouver and West Vancouver ori its.w: “north, there will-bé no imps handling g of traffic bo id Horseshoe Bay. :: ee There will be only ; lane brid, ‘And that’s the most distre “this entire North Shore bridge puis —trenshaw@nsnews.com _ Submit ta “e-mail to: snbecker@nsnows.com 1139 Lonsdale: hee North Vai 5 Tinathy feast Executive Editor S85-2131 (756) -- trenshawansnews.com Mark Fancher Creative Services Oirectot 985-2131 (127) Distribution Marager 986-1337 (124) .