1139 Lonsdale Avenue North Vancouver, B.C. V7M 2H4 PETER SPECK Publisher §85-2131 (101) | Chris Johnson Operations Manager 985-2131 (168) Doug Foat Comptrotler 985-2131 (133) matty Unda Stewart - Managing Editor Salas & Marketing Director : $85-2131 (116) Peter Kvernstrom Display Manager “Classified Manager 880-0511 (163) 986-6222 (202) iS Sees *Teixl Agrios Promotions Manager 985-2131 (218) Photography Manager 985-2131 (160) ' Jonathon Bell Production Manager Barbara Ema Distribution Manager’ 965-2131 (127) 996-1337 {124) Cleseifiod Advartisiey > Rererrcom Distraation Disptay & Ren! Estate Fax Havesroom Fex Cleesified, Accounting & Mala Office Fax North Shoro Hawes, founded in 1969 as an independent suburban newspaper end qualified under Schedule Itt, Paragraph IL| of the Excise Tax Act, is published cach Wednesday, Friday and Sunday by North Shore Free Press Ltd. and distributed to every door on the North Shore. Canads Post Canadian Publications Mail Sales Product Agreement No. 0087238. Mailing rates available on request. ‘ 905-3227 61,582 (averaye citculation, Wednesday, Friday & Sunday) Entire contents © 1995 Narth Shore Free Press Utd. ~All rights reserved. 980-0511 (319) ae fad i ed A ak ‘teat a yet “bben lo” Ty WANNABE A MONSTER. WR OR AN AXE MURDERER... > Viewronunet ORTH VANCOUVER City Council’s most recent off-handed rejection of North Vancouver amalgamation pro- _ vides scant insight into what that decision is based upon beyond the protection of personal political turf. North Vancouver District had sent a letter to the city seeking a meeting to discuss amal- gamation. But city councillors unanimously rejected the overture with a terse message ‘that they were not even interested in consid- “ering the issue. : Rejected even though amalgamation with the district has some obvious fiscal benefits for both municipalities — not the least of which is removal of service duplication. Rejected even though city residents have been provided with much negative, but little positive information about what amalgama- tion could mean for them. And there is much Preservation » vs, paycheque Dear Editor: I am writing in response to com- ments attributed to Pam Goldsmith- Jones in the Vancouver Sun last -week. It was reported that “proponents of preservation” have not wanted to “dwell on dollars and cents.”..I believe that arguments for preserva- tion go hand in hand with fiscal responsibility, It is claimed that tax- payers will have. to make up “the difference” between selling land and paying with a cheque. It should be pointed out that the taxpayer pays the same, either way. There's no free lunch. Land sale moncy represents taxpayer assets, whether the form be a piece of land or piece of paycheque. Each North Vancouver District (NVD) home- ¢ owner, as a taxpaying landowner, has already paid some extra into our home purchase price for the value of our little piece of the land bank. | The value would have been accounted for in the higher market ing to pay for. way, uN wie & pera a afta cmb | Ny co, ef re a eemsqnst ire erap NU RABE LR EPO TEN EEF ARIST. ne price of our homes. If the land bank is sold and proceeds spent, that value is used up from the landown- er’s assets, and the home value becomes reduced upon sale. The taxpayer pays either way, The problem is the spending of the assets made necessary by the dis- trict’s appetite for cash; which it : easily satisfies through land sales. Many suspect that the thirst for more revenue stems from- our overzealous planners who seem to need to build a new monument to themselves every year. Government should be supplying needed ser- vices economically. ‘ We don't really need to build so extravagantly. We just build that way because we have extra money from land sales. NVD would have no trouble supplying those services the people really need and are will- ' In summary, the district definite. ly needs new management, and a planning group that is more in sync with the residents’ thinking. Our planners seem to be at war with the public, and it doesn't have to be that Instead of trying to’ change the .. wh or BD, “Ape } sa tempeh TH positive information available. Way back in 1966, for example, a report by Joseph Ward and Associates stated that amal- gamation could result in savings of over $500,000 annually through such moves as unifying city and district administration and the two municipal councils. That figure would surely be much higher today considering the increase in the costs of running both munici- palities. But city residents have been been told only what is wrong with amalgamation. Their source: city council, which has a vested inter- est in remaining separate from the district. All the ramifications ‘of’ amalgamation, good and bad, need to be presented to city and district residents. The issue should then be taken to municipal referendum. Amalgamation is too important to be left to those whose political lives depend upon its: defeat. : public, NVD should change our planners — and we should change some of our representatives. Kathleen Bryant North Vancouver Land sales taxing logic Dear Editor: . As a survivor of the marathon open hearing held on Oct: 11 regard- ing the. Mountain Forest and Cove Forest developments, I was surprised at. the inter-community squabbling that surfaced at that meeting. 1 would like to address'a couple of the con- cems raised by district residents. One major concer of residents of the westem part of the district is that their taxes will increase if the rev- enue from the sale’ of these lands is ; lost. It $a pity that an objective finan- cial review is not available, The’ fie- ures provided by district staff are so skewed and self-serving as to be almost criminal, : They seem to be the only ones 6 don’t understand that develop- “AL one time a trall would have been considered an amenity, Now they are place for the monsters and creatures that staik us? West Vancouver Distrie, 22 2 Coun, Andy Danyliu, duting ; debate over cutting a trail... through’a park, on modem!3 security and the encroach: ment of crime into commu ties, (Fram an Oct. 25 News story.) y . eee “Tu be frightened by” your own back yard ... bs ani extreme view, This Is 9 reahe(24@ dential area — not a-walled community,” cn West Vancouver District Coun. Pat Boname, on resis 00a dent fears thal « nearby parks would ‘undermine their’securt ty. (From an Oct. 25 New: story.) ens! “4 didn’t want them to run up the score, but I" couldn't stop them.” North Shore Selects coach Jim Dunnett; after the < Selects returned to the North #1 Shore with a silver medal from the national Under-15 boys’ soccer championships: in Prince Edward Island, ¢ his team's 9-1 romp over : Newfoundland entry: (Frome an Oct. 20 News story. “Government Is already too much involved with They are scrutinizing us j closer and closer. There i204 .too much of this Orwell’ North Vancouver resident Ronald Niven, on ‘his opposi: tion to photo radar and toc, much government. (From Oct. 20 News stary. ee 1 “Our concern is that people don’t go into com ” West Vancouver Polic# Sgt, Barry Nickerson, oa pubs: lic concern over rumored’ 38 sightings of a suspected : derer on the North Sh (From an Oct. 27,News sto! Pe Lee B fe zu i ment carries hard short term costs. * There is nothing in past expe; gests that land sales reduce taxes; or conversely, that reducing sales will increase them. The other major con _appears to be one of fairness, that Seymour residents are oblig-3 ed to accept some of the burdeti af new development. “x . The Northlands, ° Parkgate,’ Indian River, Roche. Point many other major development are all new and have dramatic changed the landscape, $0 than any other part of the Indeed, even if the M and Cove Forest areas: are, ‘ served, other substantial developey, ments, e.g. Blair Rifle Range, a4 still moving forward. Halting development: on upper slopes of the’ North Shore mountains is not just.a Seymour, issue.’ It should be supported: all residents, and indeed by one in the Lower Mainlanc Chris Dewhurst : North Vancouver |: