BUT SOME MOTORISTS STILL STEAMED Causeway closure cuts rush hour ALTHOUGH restricted evening access to the Stanley Park causeway from the park has thus far cut almost 40 minutes from evening rush hours, according to the com- pany that patrols Lions Gate Bridge, a number of North Shore residents continue to argue that the restrictions are ill-conceived and unfair. Capilano Highway Services spokesman Pete Peters said Wednesday that while the 7 a.m. fo 9 a.m. closure of southbound access to the park from Prospect Point has done Htile to speed waorning ¢:-h-"- or traific flows from the North Shore, the 3 p.m. <® 6 p.m. closure of aorthbound access to the causeway from the park has dramatically credaced eveging rash hours. “Oa Morday, ruch hour was afi but over by 6:20 p.m." Peters said. ‘‘On Tuesday it was over by 6:12 p.m. Nonmafiy at this time The parks board plan, ' Verchere said, was extreme overkill: ‘‘What they have done shoot. the. Witkost it, park users wanting to returs to the North Shore dur- ing afternoca rushbour must now drive back througk the park to Denman Street ned then back oa to Georgia Street to get to the By TIMOTHY RENSHAW News Reporter causeway. The perks board pian, Ver- chere said, was extreme overkill: ““What they have done is shoot the dog, not fix the Meas.*° The rash-hour closures came into effect March 13 as past of ; the board’s attempt to reduce ac- cidents om the causeway daring rash hours «snd prevent com- muters from using Stanley Park asa shortcut. {nitially tbe experiment was scheduled to run six months, but at Monday osight’s meeting, beard members voted to instruct staff to report back April 3 on Verckere’s plan. In addition, a per day, Peters said the five North Shore residents who com- plained at Monday night's parks bosrd meeting represented an ex- tremely small percentage of the commuters who used the bridge. He sald peopl: should be allowed (o get used to the idea of a shorter afternoon mish hour before any changes are made to the current causeway closare plas. 3 - Sunday, March 19, 1989 - North Shore News NEWS photo Mike Wakefield SOME LATE winter rays make napping a pleasant diversion for this man at Waterfront Park in North Vancouver. WV. Van School Board draft budget 18% higher than ’88 A TOTAL 1989/90 draft budget that is 18 per cent higher than last year’s draft budget was presented at Tuesday night’s North Vancouver School District 44 Board meeting. But board chairman Don Bell said the resultant tax increases for district, residents cannot yet be determined because the provincial government funding share has yet to be announced. When it is announced, the $75,880,832 budget will then be adjusted (by the end of April), but as it now stands, it is about £8 per cent higher than last year’s draft budget and 15 per cent higher than last year’s adjusted budget total of $64,948,751. Bell said the draft budget had to be set to allow some headroom, pending the necessary information coming from the provincial gov- ernment. The budget can be adjusted downward, if need be, but it can- not be raised. “The funds in the draft budget need not all be spent, but we can- not run a deficit,’” added acting school superintendent Patrick Bell. Approximately $54,654,675 of this year’s draft budget will go towards instruction: $28,042,879 for kindergarten to Grade 7, By MAUREEN CURTIS Contributing Writer $19,684,371 for Grades 8 to 12 and $6,927,425 for special programs (for the handicapped, disabled, gifted, homebound, etc.) Last year, $46,417,025 was budgeted (draft figures) for in- struction and special programs. District administration and in- structional support this year will cost about $3,093,500, with some $9,608,700 going towards opera- tions and maintenance. The other major budget items include: auxiliary services, $3,969,700; transportation and housing, $351,000; non-shareable capital, $1,466,811; and debt ser- vice, $2,736,446. Bell said there were many new challenges tied in with preparing the budget, including negetiating the first collective agreement with the district’s teachers’ union, a process that took place over about 70 meetings. The announcements made con- cerning the Sullivan Commission NEW BUDGET APPROVED WVSB WEST VANCOUVER School District 45 taxpayers will pay 12.5 per cent more in school taxes this year primarily as a result of recent salary settlement for the district’s teachers, school board members were told Monday night in passing District 45’s 1989-90 budget. District 45 secretary-treusurer John Cassey estimated the average property owner will pay §75 more in school tax. School trustee Jean Ferguson said the 1989-90 budget increase was partly due to increased de- mands by the ministry of educa- tion and significant increases in Business Classified Ads Editoris! Page Fashion By ANNA MARIE D’ANGELO Contributing Writer salaries. She noted that teachers’ salaries, which will be raised 13.7 per cent by Jan. 1, 1990, had svuf- fered from government restraint for several years. “1 think that our taxpayers put Haroscopes Bek Hunter and education and the new School Act have also figured heavily in the budget process, along with the construction of a new school, the planning of another new school and a renewed emphasis on upgrading existing facilities. “It is a pivotal year in that we have a number of factors coming into play that make the budgeting process difficult,’’ Bell said. The recently ratified two-year agreement with the teachers pro- viding them with a 13.7 per cent wage increase, improved class size, free lunch hours and guaranteed time for preparation, he said, have contributed to some increases in the budget. Trustee Margaret Jessup made and passed a motion calling for the district to write to the provincial government requesting additional funding in light of the higher costs resulting from the collective bargaining process. North and West Vancouver are already suffering from inequities in provincial funding compared with school districts in the rest of B.C, ‘““We can't seem to get them to acknowledge that there is an ineq- uity here,’’ Bel! said. ‘They've got to recognize that they have to take a greater role in assisting us."’ budget up by 12.5% great value on education and do not want a cut in the quality,’’ said Ferguson in an interview after the meeting. More ‘than half of the budget in- crease was attributed to the teach- ers’ recent settlement, which in- cluded increased benefits, guaran- teed preparation time and removal of noon-hour supervision respon- sibilities. The $27-million budget is $3 million higher than last year’s and averages $5,200 per pupil. In the previous 1988-89 budget, the pupil expense was $500 less at $4,700. Sunday, cloudy with showers. Monday and Tuesday pericds of rain. Highs near 10°C, lows near 2°C. Second Class Registration Number 3885