. : : t £ \ é F 7 h b. 4 i RN Stare APRS TS aA ESCA SENET Ey TR 2 3 - Sunday, November 9, 1986 - North Shore News er alderman returns to challenge fong-time mayor for West Vancouver’s top municipal spot WITH 31 years experience as a leading labor negotiator for the British Columbia forest industry, Don Lanskail says he has the skills and experi- ence necessary to be West Vancouver's next mayor. “Enotonly accept the worth and merit of Open government, team work, delegation of responsibility and government by consensus, but 1 have a 30-year track record of recognizing those principles, of acquiring the skills and experience and of putting them into practice,’’ Lanskail said in an in- terview with the News. Throughout his carver, the 68-yeaz-old West Vancouver lawyer served as chief ex- ecutive of B.C.'s three largest forest associations: Forest Industrial Relations, the Pulp and Paper Industrial Relations Bureau and the Council of Forest Industries. NEGOTIATOR He says as a negotiator, he built strong relationships with both provincial and fed- era! governments, and was responsible for leading Canada's successful defence against the U.S. attempt to impose countervailing duties on softwood lumber in 1982. Lanskail served as a West Vancouver alderman for 20 years from 1962 to 1982, at which time he retired from politics. Gaining a wealth of local politica) experi- ence 28 an alderman, Lanskail explained he was responsible for originating West Van- couver’s Centennial seawalk in 1967, for negotiating the establishment of Capilano Regional Park, for producing the Hollyburn Ridge report to preserve the ridge as a wilderness-type recreation area, and for establishing West Vancouver’s recycling program. As a hiking enthusiast, Lanskail said he awoke one morning in 1966 with the idea that a waterfront walkway in West Van- couver would be a perfect Centennial trib- ute. With notepad in hand, Lanskail said he walked from Dundarave pier to Ambleside, making notes on what was to become a brief promoting the creation of West Vancouver's seawalk. LOCAL TENSIONS Lanskail has acted as chairraan of the Lower Mainland Regional Planning Board, where he took part in developing the basis for the Official Regional Plan for the Lower Mainland. He says a great interest of his if he becomes mayor would be to keep West Vancouver active in regional affairs ~ as a leader of the Lower Mainland, rather than as an isolationist community. Lanskail says he would like to see the tensions that have built up between com- munity groups — such as those between West Van School Board and West Van Council and the Squamish Indian Band and the District of West Van —- alleviated. “I'm offering a choice between two dif- ferent leadership styles,’’ Lanskail said. “My style would be an emphasis on open government, more open council where debate takes place in public versus in- camera, full and open communication to the public with regard to issues, background and their rationale. TEAM WORK “My style is delegation and team work instead of focusing all decision making in the one person. I’m interested in finding solutions, not in getting personal public at- tention,’’ he said. Developing positive relations between the Squamish Indian Band and West Vancouver municipality is one of Lanskail’s priorities. “I would like to restore a responsible By BARRETT FISHER Manuging Editor DON LANSKAIL relationship with the Squamish Band,’’ he said, ‘‘to try to preserve lands as open rec- reational space for the band and the people of the North Shore. I can’t promise miracles, but I can promise an amicable relationship. I treat the Indians as equals, a relationship based on mutual respect and equality.”’ Lanskail would not speculate at what kind of deals he might be willing to negoti- ate, but said: ‘I’ve been a good negotiator — one of the senior ones in the province, | think West Van needs that kind of lead- ership.” CAULFEILD PLATEAU Speaking on the Caulfeild Plateau shopp- ing centre proposal, over which local resi- dents are suing the municipality for approv- ing it, Lanskail, who was an alderman when the land use contract was drafted in the fate 70s, said ‘‘the original concept was for a neighborhood convenience centre, nothing of the size and scale of what’s presently be- ing contemplated. Instead of treating it as a minor change, it should have been treated as a major change." Lanskail said if the litigation succeeds and the proposal comes back before council, as mayor, he would be more in favor of a convenience shopping centre. Referring to an attempt to down-zone high-rise apartment zoning in West Van- couver six years ago, Lanskail said he disapproved the motion because ‘I’m op- posed to theft.” Explaining his comment, Lanskail said: “Down-zoning would strip hundreds of thousands of dollars of property values. The expropriation of property value without compensation is unethical and unfair. That property was bought in good faith. 1 fought it on principle.’’ Lanskail, who has received the support of the West Vancouver Citizens for Good Government (WVCGG), said: ‘I don’t fully subscribe to the endorsement procedure, but { am prepared to accept support from any responsible group. | made it clear at the WVCGG meeting that ] was running as an independent.”” Lanskail is marricd, has three children and has lived in West Vancouver for 30 years. AFTER EIGHT years of serving as West Vancouver’s mayor, and several years of serving as both a North Van City and West Vancouver alderman, Derrick Humphreys says he has the experience necessary to be returned for one more term as mayor. “I've been in municipal government for a long time, so | know how it should and does work,’ Humphreys said in an_ interview with the News.‘‘I have long-time experience, l enjoy it and I am very competent.” A mining engineer, Humphreys establish- ed a management consulting practice in 1960, which he worked at until 1978, when he became mayor. As a consultant, Hum- phreys supervised studies for government and industry in mining exploration, hous- ing, mobile home parks and food services. ‘ENTREPRENEURIAL BUSINESS’ Humphreys says the same principles that apply to running a business apply to runn- ing municipal hall and to overseeing the workings in the municipality. ‘‘lt’s like running an entrepreneurial business,’’ he says. Humphreys said during his term the municipality. has enjoyed an upgrading in equipment, such as a new radio system for the police, fire and public works depart- ments; a rebuilt police station and firehall station number three; and a municipal computer system for accounting and budgeting. Such improvements build morale, Hum- phreys explained, which in turn increases productivity, and as a result lowers costs and taxes. FIRM FISCAL MANAGEMENT Humphreys says he is proud of the firm fiscal management he has had over the municipality, saying that the people of West Vancouver pay one of the lowest property taxes in Canada. “There is no industrial base for taxes,’’ Humphreys said. ‘There is no land to sell. There is more park land than in most municipalities, and it is kept up well. And we have one of the lowest property taxes in Canada. We must be doing some things tight.” Some projects Humphreys says he has achieved as mayor include retaining thie West Vancouver courthouse in the municipality when the provincial gov- ernment wanted to centralize the courts in North Vancouver; obtaining $400,000 each from the provincial and federal gov- ernments to build the $1.2 million West Vancouver Seniors’ Centre, which opened in 1980; increasing the height of the dam located at Eagle Lake to keep water supplies up for the western half of the municipality; negotiating with B.C. Transit to relocate the new Blue Bus depot in North Vancouver; obtaining four police dogs to aid in crime prevention; and being a part of the revitalization of Horseshoe Bay and Dun- darave. ROAD REPAIRS Humphreys said the municipality spent $1 million in road repairs this year, and he would increase that amount to $1% million for 1987. Giving his position on the issues presently before West Vancouver residents, Hum- phreys spoke about his negotiations with the Squamish Indian Band over the Indian- owned Ambleside Park. Said Humphreys: ‘‘Relations are okay. We communicate, we talk. It’s not confron- tation. We want to come to fair negotia- tions. What we do today could last 100 years. “We're waiting for the federal governm- DERRICK HUMPHREYS ent to make a decision, then we’re going to the negotiating table,”’ he said. Regarding the present Caulfeild Plateau controversy where residents are suing the municipality over whether a shopping centre complex should have been approved with only a minor amendment, Humphreys said: “Tc was owned and zoned, we had no alter- native. They (the residents) had seven years to apply for a rezoning. But once a development permit is applied for under the existing zoning, you cannot change the zon- ing.”” Speaking of high-rise development in West Vancouver, Humphreys said he tried to ‘stop the concrete wall along the water- front’’ in 1979-80, but failed. The high-rise zoning was Set 2dout 25 years ago. Asked whether he believed in compen- sating landowners whose property would lose value if down-zoned, Humphreys said, “It's a philosophical discussion. They hadn’1 been paying taxes on the high-rise zoning because they lived in single-family housing at the time.” FLOOD CONTROL In 1983, Humphreys obtained funding for flood control at Lawson Creck to protect Ambleside merchants and residents, and he says he has recently secured both federal and provincial funding for the $2.1 million flood relief precautions necessary for Cypress Creek, Future projects for Humphreys if re- elected will be to confirm the site and work on plans for a community arts centre, to continue planning the Ambleside-by-the-Sea development, and to celebrate West Van- couver’s 75th birthday. Humphreys says his strength as a mayor is his open-door policy: “I answer every phone call and answer every letter. We openly communicate with the public better than any other municipality. Communica- tion and open government have been my forte, despite the comments to the con- trary.” Adds Humphreys: ‘‘You can’t please all the people all the time in everything, but I’m a due process man. I know the open process.”” Humphreys, who says he is ‘over 65’ is married, has five children and has lived in West Vancouver for 21 years.