WEDNESDAY October 23, 1996 PICK UP A FREE REFLECTIVE Serr TRICK OR TREAT BAG THIS WEEK. 1790 Marine Dr. North Van 987-8006 i See eGNE x rs spel DCO cer Ree Debris basin yet to be completed By lan Noble News Reporter JANETTE and Tom O’Flaherty get a little nervous when it rains heavily these days. Their Ranger Avenue property sustained extensive Hood damage last year. The O’Flahertys fear they'll suffer fresh losses because flood remediation measures are yet to be completed. Their home remains at Tisk of erosion and water damage. The couple have asked North Vancouver District to put in tempo- rary mitigation measures, which are now being mulled by the district. Their home is perched on prap- erty above the west bank of MacKay Creek. In. November 1995, culverts under Ranger became clogged. Rock, mud and debris from the creek crested over the road and streamed into homes and properties in the area, causing widespread damage. To prevent similar floods in the future, the district is installing a $1.2-million debris basin above Ranger to trap debris and fet the water flow on. Lousy weather has put the pro- jecr behind schedule. In the mean- time, the district has constructed a five-foot (1.5 m) high barrier on the upper side of Ranger, The O'Flahertys worry the barrier will fiinnel flood water and debris their index @ Business. & Crossword W Fashion. & Sports....... North Shore News, founded! in fae as an indeperalert suburtan newspaper am! quiditicd unebet Schedule 1H, Paragraph TL of the bern Tan Act, ts potnbal each Walnesday, Friday ara’ Sundey ty Neath Shore free Press Lid and ditnbyed tt overs doer un the Noth Shoe Canada Pet Craatan Publcatony Mail Sale Praduct Agteement Su 087235 Mailing rites wailable on request way if the culverts become blocked. And if the culverts work and water and debris flow through, the O7Flahertys are concerned that their property below the culverts will suf ter further erosion. “So we're kind of damned sf the culverts work and damned if they don’t,” said Janette. The couple have spent $20,000 on consultants to review the mitiga- tion measures, Their engineers have asked the district to close off Ranger and put in concrete barriers on the road until the debris basin is fin- ished. The barriers would funnel water and debris over the road and back into the creek in the event of a flood. District manager of public works Rob West-Sells said district consut- tants are Jooking at the proposal. “Waat they end up recommend: ing is what we will follow,” he said. If the district decides to creet a barrier, residents first have to. be notified and buses rerouted. But that, he said, can be done ina day. Erosion control measures on the east. portion of the O'Flahertvs* property will have to wait until next year. District, engineering director John Bremner said erosion control requires work in the creck. The ted- eral fisheries department has rejected the move for this year, West-Sells said he’s confident the district will complete cne debris basin in the next few weeks. The barrier above the culvert will then likely be removed, Press Council io By Anna Marie D'Angelo News Reporter THE B.C. Press Council is wad- ing into a protracted Human Rights Council complaint involv- ing Doug Collins and the North Shore News. The complaint was launched by the Canadian Jewish Congress (CJC) and Harry Abrams about two vears ago. The complainants allege that a 1994 Collins column headlined “Hollywood Propa- ganda” exposed Jews to hatred or contempt, IN addition to concerns about losin O'Flaherty worry with every raindr The News has argued all along that aspects of BCs human rights legislation seriously infringe upon the newspaper's basic Charter rights of tree expression, News lawver David) Sutherland. of Killam, Whitelaw and “Twining, says the Collins case “rais ¢s issues for the court of utmost importance. The principle of freedom of the press is pitted against the power of the legislature.” On Monday, the B.C. Press Council requested intervenor starus at the Collins hearing. A date for the hearing fats yet to be set. “We are secking the intervenor status for the industry asa whole Tes not just Doug, it could have been for ody.” said press council execu- Terslay Periods af rain Heh if Cl low OC, NEWS photo Mike Wakefield g more of their creekside property to erosion, Janette and Tom op that culverts will be blocked and their home flooded again. Ins Human Rights fray tive seeretary Gerry Porter, Porter said the CHC and Harry Abrams chose not to file their complaint with the B.C. Press Council, which is a self regulating B.C. newspaper industry Organization setup to handle such com- plaints. Its membership includes 16 daily newspa- pers and 110 community newspapers in B.C. Porter said the press council had a long-stand- ing policy to support any newspaper “hauled in” by the provincial Humur Rights Council. “This will seta bad precedent for every member in the press council. Our membership knows it’s yoing to be expensive, but itis. a fight that bas to See NDP page 13