Show an Tel N. Shore residents split on phone co’s push for higher rates, wider toll-free zone BC TEL claims that the average long-distance charge to North Shore customers now is about the same amount as the phone company’s proposed $5-per- month phone bill hike under its new long-distance toll-free calling plan. The higher phone rate will allow North Shore phone cus- tomers toll-free calling to 13 Lower Mainland areas cur- rently classified as long distance. “There is certainly a mix of opinions on the North Shore about the proposal,’’ said BC Tel spokesman Dale Reid. “The larger the rate increase, the more controversial it becomes.”’ North . Shore’ BC Tel cus- . tomers are currently receiving ballots on a referendum pro- “posal to increase their monthly - ‘ phone rate by more than 40%. North Shere: residential phone bills are slated to go up 44A_ person with a residential phone and a ~ business phone would get two- votes. 99 45%, from $12, 05 a month to ~ $17.50; 2 1 Local ‘business service . charges : would. go up 47%, “from” $41.85 a month to * $61.25. In exchange for the: increase, North Shore residents would no longer. pay .long-distance charges to Coquitlam, . Port *, Coquitlam, Maple Ridge, Sur- ‘rey, Langley, Delta, Aldergrove; Pitt: Meadows, ‘ White’: Rock, Cloverdale, Haney and Bowen Island. _According to BC Tel J. "statistics, more than 64% of ‘North Vancouver residents and ‘approximately. 59% of West “Vancouver residents make at least. one’ long-distance call each month in the proposed » toll-free areas. Reid. said those residential and business customers pay an ‘average: $5 to $6 a month in long-distance’: charges to ‘the proposed toll-free areas. Currently, the North Shore has the lowest individual-line residential rate in the Lower Mainland. Reid said the referendum vote must be greater than 50% for approval. BC Tel customers whose bills are slated to go up more than $1 a month will take part in the vote as specified by the CRTC, ‘(Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commis- sion), the agency that regulates phone companies. The 300,000 voters eligible to cast ballots in the referendum include residents in New ’ Westminster, Ladner, Port CALL US: 983-2208 By Anna Marie D’Angelo News Reporter Moody, Whalley, Newton, Bowen Island, Pitt Meadows, Fort Langley, Haney and Langley. North Shore voters make up approximately 74,000 of the total, said Reid. Reid said the referendum is similar to others conducted over the same issue in other parts of the province. He said the CRTC asked for the referendum, but BC Tel or- ganized the voting process. Each household with a phone in a proposed telephone zone will have one vote, and each business, regardless of the number of phone lines it has in that zone, will have one vote. West Vancouver resident Maxwell French is among many . residents questioning the voting - process. “It’s ridiculous. Our votes > are useless. The CRTC should know that we are not given a vote as a community, we are just being given a vote which is scattered far and wide,” said French. . He added that the basic one-person one-vote principle . would not apply to the BC Tel referendum because a person with a residential phone and a business phone would get two votes. French said that just because BC Tel has conducted similar referendums in the past, doesn’t mean that they are ac- ceptable now. “This (federal) election on Monday showed that what was accepted in the past is not ac- cepted today,” said French. But North Vancouver resi- dent Ola Robertson said: the new toll-free areas are ‘‘wonderful.”” : Robertson said she pays an estimated $100 a month in long-distance charges calling her daughter in Pitt Meadows. Meanwhile, North Vancouver Chamber of Commerce. man- . ager Judi Ainsworth said the organization supports the pro- posal in principle. But the chamber questions BC Tel’s decision to place the North Shore in the more ex- pensive Zone Two ($17.50 a month) while ~ municipalities equally or further afield from Vancouver, such as Richmond and New Westminster, are in the less expensive Zone One category ($15.05 a month). Ainsworth said the chamber has not recommended how businesses should vote on the issue. A research company must receive ballots by Nov. 30. Phone customers who haven’t received a ballot by Nov. 1 can call 1-800-661-7202. tf approved, the new phone rates would go into effect next May. - when Madatali News photographers sweep awards | THE NORTH Shore News: Sunday, October 31, 1993 ~ North Shore News - 3 Racial complaint tossed out by WV Police Board inquiry THE WEST Vancouver Police Board dismissed a complaint Thursday lodged against a West Vancouver Police Depart- ment corporal accused of making a racial slur against the complainant. At an inquiry, the police board heard evidence of how Noordin Madatali, then owner of the Milieu restaurant on Believue Avenue in West Vancouver, had himself issued a racial slur against the Chinese property manager of the building Madatali once rented space in. Madatali said he was walking to his restaurant shortly after 10 a.m. on Saturday, March 27, when he saw two men power-washing the sidewalk fronting his restaurant, He said that he asked the two men why they were working on a Saturday. Madatali said the machine the pair were using was very loud. He was concerned it would anger his customers. “I tried to tell them this was a Saturday, a sunny day and my restaurant was packed. ! explained I stood to lose a lot of money with my customers getting angry and walking away. “1 said, ‘Listen, if you continue to work, | will cut ‘the hose,’ ”’ testified Madatali. He said he then went into a nearby bakery he owned and returned with two knives. Madatali told the two men that if they continued to work he would: cut their hose= with the knives. Madatali said he never threat- ened the two men with the knives. One of the men, Andrew Het- manski, had earlier testified that produced the was recently awarded first, second and third place in the Best Feature Photo cate- gory of the 1993 Suburban Newspapers of America (SNA) editorial competition. News photographer Neil! Lucente picked up first and third prize in the feature category, while News photographer Cindy Good- man took second place. Said News photography man- ager Terry Peters, ‘‘For the first. time ever, the North Shore News photo department has swept a category in a photo competition. “The winning of contests is a nice bonus for staff photographers who work hard producing quality photos regularity for our newspa- per. ““What matters most is the ter- tific -work that all the staff photographers do here, week in and week out.”’ SNA organizers said the com- petition, which recognizes out- standing editorial achievements across North America, was tough this year. By Surj Rattan News Reporter knives, which he estimated to be about 23% inches (60 cm) in length, he called the West Van- couver Police Department on his cellular telephone. “He was seriously vicious and angry. 1 was shocked someone who owns the place would behave in this way. I didn’t come to this country to be treated like a slave. “said, ‘Maybe in the old country you can treat people with knives, but you can’t treat people with knives, this is Canada,’ ” testified Hetmanski. Madatali said Const. Paul Skelton was the first police officer to arrive on the scene and that Skelton asked Madatali if he threatened the pair with the knives. Madatali said he told Skelton that he -had not threatened the pair with the knives. He confirmed that he had threatened to cut their water hose if they did not stop working. He added that Cpl. Richard Clancy then arrived on the scene and that he told Clancy he wanted to contact the property manager over the issue. But Madatali said he could not reach the property manager. Clancy testified that he con- tacted the West Vancouver Police bylaw section and was advised that the two men were legally allowed to work at that time. Clancy said he then told Madatali that if he continued to interfere with the work the two men were doing, he would arrest Madatali. Clancy and Skelton Ieft the scene, and Hetmanski and _ his brother continued their job. ‘They had been contracted to do the job by Daniel Mok, the prop- erty manager. Hetmanski said 15 minutes after the police left the scene, Madatali returned to complain again. The pair were about to pack up and leave when they saw Skelton drive by. They flagged him down. Clancy returned shortly after. Madatali testified that he and -Clancy argued in front of the res- taurant. “| explained to Cpl. Clancy that it wasn’t his right to get involved in a maintenance issue. At this point he said, ‘F... you.’ Then we got into a more heated discussion and he said something to the ef- | fect, ‘Why don’t you go back to India,’ '’ testified Madatali. He said that he then asked Clancy if he had’ the “guts and courage’ to step inside ‘his res- taurant and repeat what he had just said in front of one of his employees. He said Clancy refused. ‘ Clancy denied he swore. at Madatali or that he made a racial slur against him. ; He testified he told Madatali he would arrest him and that if he wanted one of his employees to come outside, he would repeat that in front'of the employee. See Madatali page 3 | NEWS PHOTOGRAPHERS Cindy Goodman (second piace) and Neil Lucente (first and third place) sweep Best Feaiure Photo category at SNA awards. SNA judges received a total of 749 entries from 68 suburban newspaper publishing companies. The Best Feature Photo cate- gory awards recognize ‘“‘an indi- vidual whose photojournalistic skills bring insight into a segment of community life.’’ Index @ Kids’ Stuff News of the Weird Travel Vintage Years & What’s Going On Weather Monday mostly sunny. High, 11°C, Low SC, - Canadian Publications Mait Sales Product Agreement Number 0087238 THES WEEK’S QUESTION: Are you happy with your present municipal council?