6 - Wednesday, October 22, 1986 - North Shore News THE VOICE OF NORTH AND WEST VANCOUVER ES is ” Display Advertising 980-0511 Publisher: Peter Speck - Classitied Advartising 986-6222 Editor-In-Chief Noel Wright Newsroom 885-2131 Managing Editor Barrett Fisher Olstribution 986-1337 Subscriptions 986-1337 Advertising Director Linda Stewart vee Hocth Shote Mews, taanded on 1654 4, an ondependent sububan neeipaper and qualibed under Senedule ti Paragraph UH ot thee 1 pn SUNDAY « WEONESDAY . FP HIDAY t ach dninectiag Endy and Sunday ty Month Shore Fine Press Lid and distebuted Ip every dort on 1139 Lonsdale Ave. ve ae ee North Vancouver, B.C. V7M 2H4 ‘News Viewpoint The ‘fresh start’ hoever wins today’s provincial election, one thing at least is certain. Willy-nilly, B.C. is going fo get the ‘fresh start’ promised by Bill Vander Zalm — even if he and his Socred team wind up on the opposition benches. Should Bob Skelly and the NDP emerge the victors If years after Dave Barreti’s ignominious defeat, it would very obviously be a fresh stazt, and we'd know exactly what io hope for. Mr. Skelly has kept us fully informed of his plans for B.C., some of them straight ‘‘motherhood’’ and others, in theory at least, undeniably attractive. If the NDP dream world could be realized, it might prove to be a very pleasant place for everyone except a few filthy rich. But unfortunately Mr. Skelly has been a good deal less articulate about how all his goodies are to be paid for. His bet is that some programs would pay for themselves by ‘‘stimulating’’ the economy. However, we-know from sad experience that ‘that can be a bet with pretty long odds. Election promises wind up as the graveyard of most politicians and Mr. Vander Zalm clearly prefers to be buried elsewhere. As a result, he has run the oddest (and just possibly the most honest) campaign in politi- cal history — making no firm pledges and concen- trating solely upon cheering up British Columbians in the afterglow of Expo. A Vander Zalm government, therefore, would very definitely be a voyage of discovery, whether on smooth or stormy seas. But maybe the challenge of the unknown, rather than familiar but too costly promises, is the stimulus B.C. now needs to pull itself up by its eetratOn tutes AHA Suaeenptons MOlth and Vanst Vancouver $25 ger pat Maing ales, Sub OR ale welCUMe but ee CanbUL AL CEE Esspmosbibty lor UNgGtCttEd Material «he Jaen MANES, ang weetutien att send be sc Companed by a stampert adueessed enieetopar Entire contents © 1986 North Shore Free Press Ltd All reese Cghts reserved. $7,656 (average, Wednesday Py Friday & Sunday) SOA TWIN? 4 HO “bootstraps into renewed prosperity. The horse-traders in t AT. WHAT STAGE are the negotiations between West Van and the Squamish Indian Band on the future of Ambleside Park? Thanks to Ottawa, still at the smoke- and-mirrors stage, that’s where. . The question could well become an. issue in the Nov..15 municipal election, so.a little extra light on ‘the scene may not come amiss. | ~With the eastern 26.acres of the park reverting.to Band ownership, how much longer will the public have access to the duck pond, the pitch-and-putt, the jogging track, the dog run and the seawalk? At what cost? And are the- municipal negotiators doing everything possible to get a square deal for West Van? . According to the official municipal record, here’s the score to date. The Band’s version may differ in certain details but there’s no disagreement about the actual dollar figures proposed by each side. The 26 acres in question are part of the ‘‘cut-off land’? removed from the Indian reserve without consent by the McKenna-McBride Commission in 19!6 and later leased to West Van for $3,206 a year by the provincial government. Acknowledging the lack of con- sent in the 1916 seizure, the federal government decided in 1984 to return the land to the reserve. Whereupon, in October of that proposal in October 1985: $50,000 a year for two years only -- and re- . troactive to Nov. 1, 1984. At the same time it presented a draft Noel Wright year, the Squamish Band under- took to negotiate a new lease with West Van for the continued use of the park -- at any rate in the short term. The sporadic negotiations have now dragged on for 24 months, apparently with little discernible Progress. The Band at first made a lease conditional upon the provision of municipal services (i.c., water, roads, police and fire protection) for a new development it plans at Park Royal. West Van agreed in principle and then, in March 1985, proposed a rent of $20,000 a year for the parkland. Nine months elapsed before the Band came back with its counter- LETTER OF THE DAY . fo1son-pen unitnown to Lanskail team Dear Editor: As chairman of the Don Lan- skail for Mayor Committee, my attention has been drawn to the item in your Sunday Brunch col- umn of Oct. 19 in which there is reference to ‘‘poison pen letters’’ being employed in the mayoral race in West Vancouver. First of all, I want to state cate- gorically and unconditionally that at the very beginning of Mr. Lan- skail's campaign, he issued strict instructions to all members of his committee that there must be a clean campaign conducted on his behalf and one based on a demo- cratic choice between two con- trasting styles of community lead- ership. In my direction of the campaign as chairman, this in- @ focus e “servicing agreement’? for the Park Royal project. The latter ssems to have thrown a further spanner into the works. Federal and municipal lawyers questioned the legality of the Band concluding any such agreements -- apparently until Ottawa determines its eventual form of self-govern- ment. In February of this year, the Band dropped the servicing agreement demand and asked for a ‘tyes’? or ‘no’? answer to its $50,000 a year rent proposal! for the park. The following week West Van countered by offering $50,000 for a TWO-year term from Feb. 1, 1986. And that's as far as they’ve got to date. A rent of $25,000 a year for such prime real estate may sound Struction has been scrupulously carried out, and will be continued to be carried out. Neither the candidate, nor any member of campaign management, has knowledge of any such ‘‘poison pen letter’. If you have any such knowledge you are hereby formally requested to bring it to my attention and I will take steps to ensure that no member of pretty low until you consider the fact that, if West Van taxpayers had not invested over $500,000 in developing the land, it would have remained a coastal marsh at a tiny fraction of its present value. Maintaining the lease area of the park alone costs taxpayers another $100,000 or more annually. So the municipality, as well as the Squamish Band, has quite a hefty financial stake in the property. Meanwhile, life in the park goes on as usual, with West Van still paying its annual $3,206 rent to Victoria. There’s a good reason for this apparent lack of hustle which both sides understand. The federal formally transferring the land to the Squamish Band hasn’t yet been promulgated and so far Ottawa seems to be in no hurry. Only when the Band finally has clear ti- tle will the REAL horse-trading begin. At that stage West Van will not be entirely without bargaining clout, Until the Band can provide its own police, fire and engineering services, it must depend on those of the municipality. Conversely, West Van has to recognize the Band's right to eventually develop its restored 26-acre property for profit. But until that happens, the common aim should be to retain the park for the enjoyment of In- dians and whites alike -- without costing the latter, who created it and maintain it, an arm and a leg. Don Lanskail’s campaign commit- tee is involved in any such activity. This is a very serious matter. We expect publication of this letter in your next available edition and your assurance that there will be no further unfounded insinuations of this kind. That publication, and that assurance, will clear the air, close the matter, and permit all concerned to carry on a clean, order-in-counci! he Park FIVE YEARS AGO... WAYS TO relocate Hooker Chem- icals away from the North Shore should be explored by all three levels of government—this was onc of the recommendations in a report presented to North Van District Council by the Community Hazards Task Force, set up to ex- amine all aspects of the storage and transport of hazardous mate- rials in the municipality. Council overwhelmingly endorsed the Teport. . * * * STAFFING CUTS at Lions Gate Hospital were being considered by the Ministry of Health in response to pleas by the hospital for more provincial funding. * & €& A WEST VAN police officer was assaulted on Woodward’s Park Royal parking Iot by two men he was attempting to arrest as suspects in a credit card fraud. He was rescued when a group of buggy boys came to his aid. ew of * THREE EXOTIC birds were stolen overnight from the Park & Tilford Gardens, and a fourth bird left dead in its cage. * * democratic campaign. Denis Tuck Chairman Lanskail Campaign Committee (The News accepts Mr. Tuck’s word unreservedly. However, since there are only two mayoral can- didates, any ‘“‘insinuation"’ is created solely by the unknown distributors of the hate letter against Mayor Humphreys.—Ed.)