; T

the news

EG It’s quick.
[t’s predictable...
It’s much
less trouble. 93

-——~ West Vancouver regis-
tered clinical counseilor
Pat Kitchener on why some
women prefer chocolate to
sex, See story page 3.

B Automotive...... seeeenee eS
Crossword.....................33
iN. Shore Alert. 8
& Talking Personals....31
i Vide Charts..............34

@ TV Listings...................22

a Weekly Real Estate
. listings: 37 — 68
‘a Furniture from

St. Martin’s: 13

On the néws front:
Two North Vancouvers
a single reality?

- Weather

Saturday: Clouds and sun
High 18°C, low 10°C.

NEWS photo Mike Watefleld

GLEN WOTTEN hopes to be iz the driver's seat soon after receiving this used scooter donated by a North Vancouver
man. Wotten has a degenerative bone condition. His request for a scooter was denied for a third time this month by the
Sociaj Services Ministry. See story on page 2.

NORT H Vancouver District 44
to seek

THE
school board moved ‘Tuesd:
approval’: from |
Education for a $2.6 miltion operating
deficit. a es

: By Titus Gr

Contributing Writer |

. The figure exceeds the $1.7 million deficit
for 1994-95 already approved by Education
Minister Art Charbonneau in a Sept. 14 letter to
the board, Charbonneau initially rejected ‘the
pourd’s: budget in June. The $1.7 million deficit
was carried over from the previous: year, ‘The
minister of education divected that, Distriet 44
retire the amotimt during the 1994-95.-school
year ro: ‘

The Sept. 14 letter grinted approval for the
$1.7 miltion deficit on the proviso that it is
reured over the next twa, fiscad years, with a

 minintimof $300,000 being retired’ during

1995-96.
“nat letter tothe beard, chartered accountants

“KPMG. Psat Marwick Thome confirmed ,t

the deficit was incurred for the” 1994-95 fs
year “witheut the (education) minister's priot

* Approval, contrary to Section E7008) of the’

the «Ministry. of

Schreck says that
budgeting system
is ‘out of control’

(Education) Act” ;

KPMG added that its recommendation to the
board “will be stating the obvious — the board
must secure the approval of the minister for the
$2,633,754 deficit incurred during fiscal 1994-
95. and agreement on a plan for retiring this
deficit and fully funding -its operitions on an
ongoing basis.” :

admined Treasurer Len Berg during the meet-
ng. Berg emphasized the strain on the school
district's Ginances when he reminded those pre-
sent that “there were no contingency funds
cavailable whatsoever.” ue ;

School basrd chairman Barbara MacLelkin
revealed that trustees Only became awnire of the

_additional $990,000 of the deficit within the Last

three onths, following the end of the fiscal
year, iv June. Mactetlay said she ceuld sot put
ap exiet date on when she! became: persmatly
aware of Ue increase, but said it was “discussed

nol a'vintage year for revenue,”

audit.” 4

During the meeting, MacLellan referred to
“peculiarities” in the way the ministerof educa-
tion dealt with the deficit. She stated that the -
board had requested a meeting with the minister
to discuss cost containment scveral times but
said they. were only granted one meeting with a

tember of the budget advisory conunittee.

“North Vancouver-Lonsdale MLA David

" Schreck has written to both the minister of edu-

cation and the auditor, general in’ Victoria
expressing his concern about District 44's bud-

“geting: performance, :

“Two weeks ago the board was maintaining
that i needed permission to run a $1.7 million
dollyrdeficit, then two weeks later it’s suddenly
$2.Gh million. It shows that the system under
theie cesponsibility is out of control, They have
seriously hitriaed their credibility.”

Figures compited by the North Vancouver
teacher sAsseciadion (NVTA) reveal that since |:
1989-90; Disteict 44's per pupil funding. has
grown) the east compared with five similar-

sized districts The NVTA numbers also Shaw

by the board a couple of weeks ago pring to the year +
: id