s2pages THE VOECE. 0. WEDNESDAY March 12, 1997 ageutity sy Eddie Bauer Edition NEWS photo Mike Wakefield EVEN though the Westview Interchange opening ceremonies were conducted nearly two weeks ago, traffic lights are still dictating that North Shore drivers stop on the Upper Leveis. fhe interchange is rescheduled to be open Thursday. When will the Westview overpass really open? By fan Noble News Reperter “WESTVIEW overpass opens this weekend,” trumpeted a Feb. 27 press release spun out by the province’s Ministry of Transportation and Highways. “Traffic will soon flow unimpeded at Westview Drive as the last traffic light was removed today from the Trans-Canada Highway between Horseshoe Bay and Hope by Premier Glen Clark and Transportation and Highways Minister Lois Boone,” continued the nearly svo-week-old govern- ment document. . Bur drivers know it's not time to accelerate yer. The lights are still up at Westview and the Upper Levels and the Wesiview Interchange has yet to welcome any cars — other than wo used by Clark and other dignitaries to drive through a banner See Weather page 3 North Shore Opera celebrates p 00th birthday - NORTH & WEST VANCOUVE wy WEATHER Thursday: Showers, windy High 38°C, low PC. A $14.6m in district land profits frozen By Martin Millerchip “T have a really hard time justifving how we Contributing Writer can spend money we don’t have on projects people have said they don’t want,” said Muri AN election platform became as she warned staif that community plannin P yp i a brick wall at North needed to precede, not follow, staff choices on Vancouver District Council on lot developments. Muri was immediately backed up by Monday night. And the way the municipality instigates Carolan. land development could be changed, if not “We've got an interesting situation here. It’s almost like God has brought us to the forever, at least for the balance of this coun- cif’s term. point where we are talking about what it’s really time to talk about as a new council... the issuc that the people of this district have In an almost deserted council chamber the — elected us to talk about,” said Carolan. three newly elected members, councillors Trevor Carolan, Glenys Deering-Robb and “If we had had a real sym- posium on municipal growth, Lisa Muri, voted together to block the passage of what, in or on limited growth, or on previous vears, has become a non-growth we — probably wouldn’t find ourselves at this impasse. routine appropriation of dis- “We can see from what is trict Sand sales money. Because Bylaw 6944 is a fiscal bylaw, it required a rwo- going on in Lynn Valley (wrangles over the develop- thirds (five votes) majority to pass. ment of a new Community Man that opens the door to a As soon as the bylaw hit the table Monday it became higher-density core in Lynn Valley) that this thing is a apparent it was not going to pass as written. thorny issue. “It's difficult to find consen- sus but as a council, the place “We are not going to pass where the buck stops, it’s going the bylaw unless $5.6 million to have to begin with us.” is removed and kept in the Heritage Fund Ironically, Coun. Ernie Crist failed to sup- until such time as we decide it will go forward — port Muri’s motion to delete the $5.6 million and the community decides,” warned Muri. Bylaw 6944 would have appropriated $15,252,338 trom the Heritage Fund (the old from Bylaw 6944. Crist has in years past been the only oppo- Tax Sales Land Reserve) for a variety of capi- tal expenditures that includ sition to land sales reserve appropriation on the grounds that much of the moncy was being spent on operational rather than capital environmental expenditures. ($1,079,000); Crist said council would need the net B equipment ($282,870); income generated by the spending of the $5.6 B buildings ($194,100); million, estimated at $14,640,000, to protect @ parks projects ($976,000) Ei recreation commission (3652,905) @ technology projects ($1,100,000); its infrastructure in future years. “E suggest we continue the program, W streets, roads and drainage projects ($4,819,600); and unpleasane though it may be. [ don’t see any other way out other than raising taxes.” @ a capital contingency ($488,875). But the big-ticket item for the new council Responded an emotional Muri, pointing to overcrowded schools, roads and bridges: members was $5,660,988 earmarked by staff for the Land Development Program. “Coun. Crist has said that in order to make money you have to spend money. I would add that vou also have to have infrastructure.” The money pays for the costs associated ring-Robb said that the district’s with bringing municipally owned Jand on to Heritage Fund is intended to grow to the the real estate market. point where income and interest will fund cap- Typically, once the money has been allo- cated, the return, in terms of lots sold, can take anywhere trom one to three years. COUN. Lisa Muri: “T land is not gone. It's still there.” cling projects ital projects but that “those are not the figures See Debate page 5 Spring home ¢ improvement i special feature Youth views ponders the B ethics of cloning FS ——H youth p34.