requests
rapid
transit

From page\

needs,” said Orr.

Orr added thar under the
mew agreement, the GVTA will
have the power to decide how
much moncy is required to
upgrade an aging bus ficet.

“We assume we have to
expand the number of buses and
SkyTrain within 10 years, but if
we consider the economic con-
ditions, we do have flexibility, we
have control,” he said.

Council voted to ratify the
deal, but Coun. Trevor Carolan
opposed it. Carolan said he
couldn’t vote in favor of the
agreement because of the real
possibility of a tax increase.

“People need to know that
with this agreement comes the
need to rewrite labor contracts,
and that can lead to labor dis-
putes ... people cannot afford
another tax increase, and I will
not bring down on my family’s
- heads or my neighbor's heads a
tax increase,” said Carolan.

Coun. Pat Munroe coun-
tered Carolan’s comments, stat-
ing that he supports the agree-
ment because public transit is a
regional issue and not a provin-
cial one. | :

“My experience dealing with
the transit commission is that we
have no say at all as things stand
today,” Munroe said. “I’m inter-

ested in getting more people .

turned on to using public transit,
. but I won't be one of them by.
. the way. I need my car.”

‘Mayor Don Bell heard the
opinions of all council members
before saying he supports the
agreement. .

“I've heard the arguments
that this agreement could be
better — sure it could,” Bell
said.

“But we've asked the
province in the past for better
service, for improvements to the

‘buses and the routes. They said
‘no.’ There’s been different gov-
ernments and these attitudes
haven’t changed.”

Despite the efforts of Coun.
Ernie Crist to rally council to
attach conditions ensuring the
extension of Skytrain to the
North Shore in the deal, Bell
refused any additions.

“T will not attach conditions
to this approval,” Bell said.

“We can’t approach the
provincial government and the
other municipalities with this,
but we can refer the matter te
the new GVTA and work
“towards these goals.”

Before ratifying the deal, all
council members spoke confi-
dently that an increase in proper-
ty taxes would not occur with-
out major input from the taxpay-
ers themselves.

“Ir’s a huge responsibility vo
rake over the transportation sys-
tem and we’re a litte nervous,”
said Coun. Lisa Muri. “Public
transportation should be consid-
cred an essential service.

“There’s no way we'll allow
property tax to increasc as a
result of this deal. We'd all be
voted out of office.”

However, the district coun-
cillors did ask GVRD negotia-
tors to consider the possibility of
‘a separate North Shore Transit
Authority and told the GVRD
they want rapid transit and do
not support raising moncy
through property taxes.

Transit demands
depend on it,
Says negotiator

jan Noble

News Reporter
Jan@nsnews.com

BOB Lingwood hopped off
the SeaBus on Friday to
provide the province’s per-
spective of the new Greater
Vancouver Transportation
Authority (GVTA) to the
News.

Lingwood was one of two provin-
cial negotiators for the heavily debar-
ed deal, which has been criticized on
the North Shore as a convenient way
to tidy the government’s books. Sul,
it’s drawn support from those who say
it’s better than the current confusion
in transportation planning.

The GVTA would have control
over transportation planning, policy,
service levels, budgets, and finances if
it’s approved by the Greater
Vancouver Regional District (GVRD)
on Feb. 27.

Wednesday, February 11, 1998 — North Shore News — 3

ed’ GVTA: Victe

ria

NEWS photo Mike Wakefield

PROVINCIAL transportation authority negotiator Bob Lingwood points out the benefits of the
deal to the residents of the North Shore.

“If you want to achieve objectives for mobility
and air quality, you need something like this,” said
Lingwood. “Under the existing structure, there is
just no way to get there.”

North Vancouver City and District have
approved the deal; West Vancouver has yet to make
a decision. However, at least one West Van council-
lor agrees it’s a good deal — but just for the
province.

“They are selling the whole problem to us and
we are the only buyers,” Victor Durman said.

Lingwood said a cash squeeze in Victoria means
the province can’t fund ail the wansit initiatives the
GVRD says it needs. The province is trying to man-
age debt, while the region deals with enormous
transit demands to serve a Lower Mainland popula-
tion expected to grow 70% to three million in 30
vears. At the same time, the province and 20 munic-
ipalities are responsible for roadways in the GVRD.

Lingwood said that currently the links between
transportation and the land-use planning done by

the region are “not good.” The GVRD, he says,
wants to have transit and transportation under one
agency to optimize investment “rather than have
agencies fight over their pet projects.”

To pay for the improvements, the authority
would be able to raise money through means cur-
rently available such as transit revenues, a fuel tax,
and parking sales taxes collected in the GVRD.

However, those revenues, combined with
Victoria’s assumption of some debt, won't cover all
the authority’s costs. In the 10th year of the agree-
ment, the authority will need to come up with an
estimated $180 million from new funding sources.
So the authority will be able to levy property taxes,
Project tolls, and vehicle charges.

BC Transit’s debt is $1.47 billion. Under the
deal, an authority would assume $485 million of
that debr, while the government holds on to $985
million.

The agreement calls for the province to assume
60% of the debt associated with the proposed

Broadway-New Westminster LRT line. It will also
negowate cost-sharing arrangements for major new
or replacement infrastructure projects proposed by
the authority.

Durman cites the cost of the new LRT linc as
one of the reasons the “loosey gooscy” deal should
be rejected or at least postponed. He said if the esti-
mated price tag of $1.5 billion for the line rises to,
say, $2.5 billion, the authority is still responsible for
40% of the debt.

Durman believes the burden of transportation
financing will fall on property owners through prop-
erty taxes because other sources cannot support ail
transportation spending. That will hit pricey homes
in West Van hard, he added.

West Vancouver has asked negotiators to remove
the GVTA’s right to levy property taxes from the
deal, but the request was rejected, said Durman.

He said that West Vancouver is not against a deal

See Transit page &

Four lanes are too | Controversial
few, Chamber says

From page 1

“The transportation issues of
the North Shore and the rest of
Greater Vancouver necd to be
addressed with the future in mind,
not a band-aid solution as current-
ly proposed by the provincial gov-
ernment,” said chamber chairman
Doug Smith.

“A four-lane crossing with tolls
will do nothing to improve rush
hour traffic on the bridge and will
have a substantial negative impact
on residents and businesses locat-
ed on the North Shore.”

Last April, the provincial gov-
ernment announced it is secking a
private-public partnership to
develop a four-lane crossing.

At the time, the province also
said that if 2 suitable proposal is
not found, it will proceed with a
$70 million upgrade of the exist-
ing structure.

Lions Gate Project spokesman
John Doyle said the next step in
the government’s agenda is to
finalize a request for proposals
(RFP).

The RFP will include specific
criteria for the new structure
which will serve to guide three
consortiums vying for the Lions
Gate Bridge contract.

Doyle said the RFP will be
ready by carly March.

“A final decision has not been
made on tolling (though) it is like-
ly,” added Dagle.

As for the statement released
by the North Vancouver chamber,

Doyle questioned how much of a
consensus it represents and said it
only adds to the myriad of opin-
ions already being discussed.

“One of the things that comes
to my mind ... there’s some names
missing from this statement,” said
Doyle.

Both North and West
Vancouver District declined to
siga the proposal.

“We had a discussion ages
ago,” said West Vancouver Mayor
Pat Boname.

“And they (the North
Vancouver chamber) have been
good enough to refine (their posi-
tion) trying to get West
Vancouver council on side.”

Bur, said Boname, the coun-
cil’s view is that it could not sup-
port the statement in part because
it supports neither an increase in
gas taxes nor tolls of any kind.

North Vancouver District
Mayor Don Bell did not return
North Shore News calls to press
time Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Smith warned that
the province’s position will please
no one.

“If (Minister of Transportation
and Highways) Lois Boone wants
to go down in history as the
minister that dealt with the Lions
Gate Bridge issue ... she'll go
down in history all right if
it’s four lanes with a toll, though
not in the way she wants,” said
Smith.

martial arts
centre opens

Facility welcomes all to open house

Michael Becker

News Editor
michacl@nsnews.com

IT all comes down to a matter
of Qi for Daniel Lo.

Oriental philosophy teaches that
Qi — free-flowing energy in nature —
can be nurtured in people and con-
nected to the universal Qi) through
martial arts training.

In his quest for an environment
tich in natural Qi and convenient in
location, 40-something = West
Vancouver developer Lo found an
ideal site for his new martial arts facil-
ity by the banks of Mosquito Creek
on Fell Avenue.

The development was a sore spot
for environmentalists concerned for
the well-being of the fish that call the
creek home.

Lo jumped through the hoops and
eventually received the necessary envi-
ronmental approvals.

The resulting 7,500 sq. ft. Unison
Way Martial Arts Academy combines
aunierous martial arts disciplines
under one roof.

That fact makes it guite an unusu-
al place.

Said Lo, “In Asia this would never

happen. Number one, the tradition of
martial arts is extremely secretive. And
in Asia you will never find two martial
arts disciplines in one school.

“The most important of all is that
I put Japanese, Korean and Chinese
together. In Asia, people have said,
‘Danny you're crazy, you're going to
start a Third World War,” because in
Asia we have tremendous problems
between the Koreans, Japanese and
Chinese.

“We just don’t like each other
because of a history of jealousy. My
thinking is everybody is equal. Forget
about the race, forget about the coun-
try,” he said.

Initially it was “extremely” diffi-
cult for Lo to find martial arts masters
to share his dream. “I remember |
went to talk to the Kendo instructor.
Theard that he was one of the best.
The first. mecting he completely
ignored me. He would not even speak
one word to me. He used his son as
an interpreter.”

Gradually he warmed up after Lo
sent a Japanese friend as an intermedi-
ary. “He’s a very strong supporter.”

The main dojo (training hall)

See Unique page §