3 - Wednesday, January 17, 1990 - North Shore News aN. Sa Jealousy scheme backfires PAGE 33 NEW NORTH SHORE SERVICE Mediation is an alternative to legal action CONFLICT NEEDN'T necessarily be aggressively adversarial. By MICHAEL BECKER News Reporter Westcoast Mediation Services, a non-profit community-based organization mandated to provide affordable dispute resolution ser- vices to the public, opened a North Shore office in April. This month the service heightened its local profile, as an alternative to small claims legal action, thanks to « two-year, $66,000 Law Foundation grant to pilot a small claims mediation project. Mediation becomes an option when disputing parties agree to participate in the process willingly. An impartial third party is there to maintain discussion and clarify the issues at hand. Within a given social context, the function of mediator has often been fulfilled by spiritual or com- munity leaders. In B.C., the gen- eral public is most familiar with the mediation process through ex- posure (o mediation as practised in the arena of labor-management relations. Mediation is also offered by private practitioners, such as counsellors and psychologists. Mediation service through Westcoast is available to individu- als earning less than $30,000 gross yearly. Fees are charged on a sliding scale accordingly. The group mediates disputes in areas including small claims, hous- ing, neighborhood, workplace and family. Said Westcoast public relations coordinatoc Gail Trainer, “We're doing a lot of family mediations — separations, custody, access, co- parenting agreements. We're get- ling involved in) more and more parent-teen mediations."” Since opening last year, the local office has handled 120 enquiries. Of that number, approximately $0 per cent proceeded to mediation. While mediation itself is not legally binding, disputing parties can, for example, take a menio- randum of agreement to a lawyer and have it form part of the legal documentation in custody and ac- cess cases. Said Westcoast North Shore of- fice manager Mykie Brown, ‘If someone wants a situation resolved fairly quickly, they can come to us and we can set up mediation in two to three weeks. The other major factor that is really beneficial to both parties involved, is if they have an ongoing relationship they want to preserve. In mediation, they're both working together to resolve their problem and in effect they both win." For more information call Westcoast Mediation Services at 985-7138. 36” X 36” pleated shade, reg. from $102 Now from $ Sale ends Feb. 23/90 Om: ina Marine Dr ve, North Vancouver. _ 984-4104 fakatiold MEWS photo Mike NORTH SHORE small claims clerk Leah Remsberry explains the mediation alternative to a complainant con- sidering initiating small claims action in court. The Law Foundation has provided Westcoast Mediation Services with a two-year grant to assist the organization in providing mediation and conciliation services to disputants at the North Vancouver Small Claims Court.