A NORTH Vancouver truck manufacturer is hoping the season’s celestial spirits show themselves to him soon; especially ones with a solid bank statement. “The only way I foresee us be- ing able to continue this business in B.C. is if a financial angel shows up and helps us get to the next level,’’ said Grizzly Trucks Ltd. president Geoff Buck. Grizzly produces a custom- built, small heavy-duty truck for the forest and mining industries. Buck, who has worked in the truck logging business for the past 20 years, conceived, designed and built the first Grizzly with partner By A.P. McCredie News Reporter Rob Dickie three years ago. But the .320 Seymour Blvd. operation needs a major cash in- fusion to produce more vehicles to meet an increasing world wide demand for the rugged, low- maintenance trucks. The company has built and solid District staff against — legislating protection of homeowners’ views NORTH VANCOUVER District staff are advising council not to try to legislate view protection. By Martin Millerchip Contributing Writer In a report to council tabled the same night as a delegation of Delbrook residents protested monster house construction in their neighborhood, Richard Plunkett, the district’s director of planning and. development ser- vices, stated that view definition is subjective. ‘Plunkett said housing size regu- lations in the district ‘are among the mast stringent in the Lower Mainland" and that with propos- ed changes ‘‘any additional significant restrictive changes could affect the reasonable devel- opability of single-family lots.’* Plunkett described the issues of view protection and privacy as a “quagmire of subjectiveness."” “1 can only advise council ‘that though it might be possible to place one foot in the quicksand to examine the problems in trying to control these issues that once you place both feet in the quicksand you wil! be lost in a never-ending dialogue of subjectiveness.”’ Plunkett argued that while NORTH VANCOUVER DISTRICT COUNCIL views can obviously be affected by the construction of larger new homes, they can also be affected by a small house built on a previously vacant Jot or on an upslope affecting mountain views, or by the maturation of trees and shrubbery. Said Plunkett, ‘The list of ‘what ifs’ is never ending, and | offer that legislative controls are insurmountable. : “I would even go further to say that you do not own a view, nor was it contemplated in any legisia- tion that views be controlled. “You cannot in zoning in an outright manner prohibit view loss or privacy reduction. “You may pass regulations which could minimize view floss in some instances, but in zoning you cannot achieve indirectly by way of legislation that which you are unable to achieve directly.’” Plunkett concluded: “I believe that the strict regula- tions of council now in place and the modifications now under con- sideration will result in a more neighborly form of development. “Itis not perfect, but in dealing with issues of this nature the scenario of the perfect solution is nol achievable."’ Council to consider requests From page 1 with a monster in front of my home? A monster that according to the present bylaws is allowed to be four feet higher than it is,” asked Mayor. David Leaney, a resident of Saville Cres. since 1957, took a more moder%ic. approach but sug- gested that council members would be “similarly emotionally distressed” if facing the same issue. Leaney recommended council consider that: ® until new regulations are de- veloped to answer Delbrook con- cerns, no permits for new con- struction or renovation be issued where the top of the new roof line exceeds the height of the roof line of the demolished house, and that a moratorium be placed upon permits that have been issued but not acted upon: @ a land-use consultant be hired to develop new regulations for new construction and renovations in established communities, like Delbrook; @ council consider and establish an approval board similar to the board of variance to mediate disputes between new owners, ex- isting owners and (district) staff. (AN ea EE OT EE index #1 Budget Beaters @ Business Bi Classified B Lifestyles . @ North Shore Now @WTV Listings What's Going On . Weather Thursday, cloudy. High 7°C. Friday, clearing, High 4°C, Low -1°C. Cenadian Publications Mail Sates Product Agreement Number 0087238 12 trucks in five heavy-duty models to date. And more orders are waiting to be filled. Buck said that if no individuals or institution in Canada steps forward in the near future, he will have to move his company 50 miles south and set up operations in Washington state. “It’s frustrating,’’ Buck said. ‘““How many more times are we going to see Canadian-conceived and developed products forced to leave the country in search of in- vestment before we realize we are cutting the heart out of our economy?”’ Buck said that all the financial institutions he has approached have shown no interest in lending him any money because of the company’s small investment base. The Grizzly truck was recently hailed by a U.S. trade magazine and garnered over 200 inquiries Wednesday, December 16, 1992 - North Shore News - 3 NV co. needs financial infusion to fill orders Grizzly Trucks Ltd. threatens to move south if local backers can’t be found from industry buyers. Equity magazine recently listed the $60,000 truck as one of B.C.’s most-desired vehicles. Buck also questioned the com- mon belief that B.C. ard Vancouver in particular — is home to one of the strongest in- vestment climates in the country. “There may be lots of money around here, but most of it is hoarded and hidden away in property and land speculation,”’ he said. ‘‘And from what I’ve seen that’s not putting. anyone back to work.” At one time Buck’s company employed 20 people. Now Buck and Dickie work alongside a few unpaid friends who continue to believe in the dream Buck conceived while working as a mechanic for Hayes Trucks back in the mid-’70s. Buck added that the recent changes in B.C.’s labor laws have scared off possible investors in his company. “The feeling of non-confidence in the current provincial govern- ment by the business community is real,’’ he said, adding that he wonders how long Canadian in- vestors will be able to sit on their hands as proven money-making, job-employing industries go south, “What's really frustrating - is that we have built up a supplier network of Canadian companies that want our business, and together we could really get a good thing going, employing some of these qualified people that just can’t find jobs,’’ he said. Buck wouldn’t put a deadline on his desision to move 10 Washington, but said that the new year could bring changes to his burgeoning business. HEWS photo Mike Wakethetd TWO CARSON Graham students sign up for the Friday Night Live program that offers teens fun alternatives as part of a drug prevention program. Program pitches message of drug-free fun to students Friday Night Live idea modelled on US. teen clubs SENIOR STUDENTS at Carson Graham secondary school were introduced - Monday to a new way of having fun on weekends. By Michael Becker News Reporter Organizers of the Friday Night Live youth program pres- ented a brief audio-visual display that chronicled the legal repercussions of drinking and driving. They then made a pitch for a drug prevention program that has proved itself a success in California. ““We're just the catalyst to get things started — it’s kid-run,”’ said Stuart Spani, a North Van- couver businessman and pro- moter of the program, Students in California form Friday Night Clubs and develop alcohol- and drug-free activities for themselves. Said Spani, ‘‘In California they meet in all sorts of places. San Diego Zoo, for example. Three times a year they open up to Friday Night Live for four hours, and they have what they call a party with the animals. In San Francisco there’s a yacht that holds about 600, and it regularly has Friday Night Live parties, so it’s just anything the kids can imagine.”’ The program also includes links with local businesses. Teens who sign up as members of Friday Night Live are issued . membership cards. The cards are good for discounts on purchases at stores that support the pro- gram. . Dony Sawchuk and Rob Ar- thurs, owners of the True North Clothing Co. in North Van- couver, were at the school meeting on Monday. Sawchuk told the students that he graduated from Carson Graham in 1980. Said Sawchuk, ‘*We’ve had a few personal experiences .... Rob just lost a very good friend to drugs and alcohol. ‘You show up at a grad re- union and you're missing people — you know where they’ve gone:‘ drugs and alcohol. We’re here for you; we’re supporting you guys,”’ he added. Meanwhile, Spani and his partners are attempting to set up Friday Night Clubs across the province. In California about 850 schools are participating. Spani credits the program as being a factor in reducing the rates of teen-caused drinking- and-driving deaths and injuries in the state. Deaths caused by teens driving under the influence of alcohol have been more than halved in California since 1987. In 1990 there were 60 deaths recorded in the category for California, a state with a popu- lation of about 30 million. According to Spani, for the same period in B.C., a province with a population of about three million, there were 32 deaths at- tributed to teens driving while under the influence of alcohol. On Monday, close to 100 Car- son Graham students signed up to form a Friday Night Live club.. Said Spani, ‘‘One after another said this is needed, ‘We need a place to have fun without drugs.’ ”’