MAILBOox Crist criticized for Inter-River comments Dear Editor: As a member of the Inter-River Review Committee I would like to personally thank the dozen farepayer and community groups “ho actively and conscientiously Participated in the discussions and deliberations of the committee. The Inter-River Review Com- mittee is an excellent example of Participative democracy at work in our community. The 1985 Seymour Official Community Plan designated Lynn Canyon/Inter-River area as a resi- dential area. The community felt that Lynn Canyon/Inter-River area should be preserved as a park. The Municipal Act required that the North Vancouver District Council review the proposed land use for the Lynn Canyon/Inter- River area before undertaking any amendment of the 1985 Seymour Official Community Plan. COMMITTEE ESTABLISHED To ensure that the community had a full and open opportunity to participate in this important review of the 1985 Seymour Official Community Plan, the North Van- couver District Council established an independent citizen’s commit- tee, the Inter-River Review Com- mittee, and asked interested ratepayer and community groups to send representatives to sit on the committee. After reading the letters and listening to the concerns of the public, | proposed the land-use op- tion — Option B — that was voted on and recommended by a majori- ty of the Inter-River Review Committee members. This option has since been recommended to North Vancouver District Council. Option B would: * protect the environment and quality of life in Lynn Canyon/ Inter-River area; retain the present low-impact parks and recreational use of Lynn Canyon; © protect the river corridors and fisheries habitats; © expand the size of the officially designated park; and, ° reclaim the Premier Street land- fili area for use as a municipally- owned and operated nine-hole golf course. The $300,000 a year income that the municipality would earn from the municipally-owned and operated nine-hole golf course would in turn be used, in a dedicated fashion, to prescrve and maintain the environmental quality and immense beauty of the Lynn Canyon area. ANNOUNCEMENT : Bruce Pepper Larry Ferster, Regional Manager and Vice President, is pleased to announce the ap- pointment of Mr. Bruce Pepper to the posi- tion of Manager of the Royal LePage Branch office at 2407 Marine Drive, West vancouver, BC. As a Sales Professional with Roya! LePage, Bruce distinguished himself as a sales award achiever from his first year with Royal LePage. Not new to the management role, Bruce has had suc- cessful management careers in both a public resource company and the Board of Trade and is currently President of tne West Vancouver Chamber of Commerce. On behalf of the public, i also requested that the B.C. Ministry of Environment review the En- vironmental Inventory and En- vironmental Impact Assessment of Lynn Canyon prepared for the In- ter-River Review Committee. This request was to guarantee that the environmental information was as complete and accurate as possible. The B.C. Ministry of Environ- ment found the information ‘‘un- satisfactory’’ and incomplete, and recommended several important improvements to the Environmen- tal Inventory and Environmental Impact Assessment of Lynn Can- yon. This, in turn, helped the [n- ter-River Review Committee in its deliberations. CRIST DISTORTS A March 7 letter by Ernie Crist to the North Shore News paints a somewhat distorted picture of the Inter-River Review Committee and its five months of deliberations. Several distortions by Mr. Crist need to be corrected: © The Inter-River Review Commit- tee was not, as has been claimed by Mr. Crist, set up so that the North Vancouver District Council would “avoid having to cancel the pro- posed housing development” in the Lynn Canyon/Inter-River area. The independent citizen’s com- mittee was established to ensure the public had a full and equal chance to participate in this impor- tant community decision. During the five months of the review, many hundreds of people had a chance to directly participate in this review. By his conduct it appears Mr. Crist would much rather exclude the public from such important community decisions. In 1985, for instance, Mr. Crist voted for hous- ing in Lynn Canyon/Inter-River. © The Inter-River Review Commit- tee was not established to ‘‘do council’s dirty work,”’ as has been suggested by Mr. Crist. The com- mittee was established to ensure that the legal requirements of the Municipal Act were properly followed so that any amendment to the 1985 Seymour Community Plan was undertaken in a correct and judicious fashion. The 1985 Seymour Official Community Plan designated Lynn Canyon/Inter-River area as a resi- dential area. The community felt that Lynn Canyon/Inter-River The new Passat has loads of room and tons of features: * air conditioning * up to 2,000 litres of luggage space * he:ght adjustable and power- assisted steering * power adjustable and heatable lt comes loaded with a lot of stuff and room to stuff alot! "Based on manutactuters suqgested mele ince tar wedur wilh © spears Upbuns destiaten chrge snd dealer pietaraton & area be preserved as a park. Now that the review is completed the 1985 Seymour Official Community Plan can be properly amended to designate the entire Lynn Can- yon/Inter-River area as a park. ® Mr. Crist has, on at least a dozen occasions over the past five months, publicly questioned the independence and besmirched the integrity of the district residents who sat on the Inter-River Review Committee. Right from the very beginning Mr. Crist criticized the council for establishing the Inter-River Review Committee as a waste of money. He criticized every initiative the committee undertook to gather additional information and involve the public in its deliberations. Now he is trying to bury his tracks. STANCE HYPOCRITICAL We feel it is hypocritical for Mr. Crist to now praise the very com- mittee he has spent so much time unfairly criticizing. Mr. Crist owes the Inter-River Review Committee and the community a sincere apol- ogy for his unacceptable state- ments and ludicrous behavior. © Finally, Mr. Crist is hardly in a position to comment about the In- ter-River Review Committee and its deliberations. He did not attend a single one of the dozen commit- tee meetings, all of which were open to the public. Nor does it appear he read the several hundred pages of informa- tion gathered to assist the commit- tee in its deliberations. Nor does it appear he discussed the issue with the ratepayer and community groups who participated in the review. Where, then, does Mr. Crist get the moral authority to speak on behalf of the Inter-River Review Committee or the community on this issue? A council member, like any public office holder, is there to listen to the concerns of the com- munity, and to ensure that the public good is being well served. He is there to respect the law and to set a standard of public ethics that can be trusted and respected by the community. The public good has not been well served and respected by Mr. Crist’s self-serving politics. Patrick Bruskiewich North Vancouver outside murors ¢ AM/FM stereo cassette sound ° system * reclining rear seats Passat Wagon $21,150° JEST VANCOUVER VOLKSWAGEN =: - Wetmore @ personal injury &#! A. John Lakes @ wage loss @ James L. Straith M medical costs W@W William J. Rodgers @ future care LAWYERS 202-1217 Lonsdale North Vancouver Kenneth J. Baxter Lawyer 310 - 145 Chadwick Court, North Vancouver (just south of the market — next to the Seabus) Lonsdale Quay Flaza . ve A . GOVERNMENT OF CANADA TREASURY 0 BILLS 12.40 p% CALL ROD CLARK WALWYN STODGELL COCHRAN MURRAY LTD. 669-6262 * Min. $50,000 — 6 month rate — subject BY S. LAURSEN CUSTOM DRAPERIES AND VALANCES Labour $6.50 per panel unlined, $7.50 lined. CUSTOM BEDSPREADS AND COVERS Low, low prices on blinds and tracks For FREE Estimates Call 987-2966 Serving the North Shore for 18 years. At Sylvan Learning Centres” we help kids in everything from reading to algebra. We begin with a test to identify strengths and weaknesses, then develop a customized learning pro- gramme with lots of individual attention, encouragement and praise from a caring, certified teacher. Just a couple of hours a weck at Sylvan’ and your child’s self-confidence, learning skills and study habits Syivan Learning Centre. will improve. oc CSET FOE a a 1g a eH) Sgtoan Leaman Caepoeaten Helping kids do better’ RICHMOND 273-3266 COQUITLAM 941-9166 NORTH SHORE 985-6811 READING © MATH * WRITING © STUDY SKILLS * ALGEBRA ¢ BEGINNING READING