NEWS photo Mite Wakstield

THREE CARS were damaged by fire early Friday morning at a Clyde Avenue auto towing storage compound. Fire struck at approximately 6:45
a.m. West Vancouver District Fire Department firefighters were called in to put out the fire. Two of the late-model cars are write-offs. The side of
a nearby building also suffered damage. West Vancouver Police investigators. are looking into the suspicious incident. West Vancouver fire
prevention officer Jee Haggerty examines the charred remains of one of the vehicles destroyed.

NVD alderman siams council’s

NORTH Vancouver District Ald.
Craig Clark ... moratorium ‘‘wrong
and inappropziate."’

NORTH Vancouver District Ald.
Ernie Crist ...‘“We have to provide
affordable housing.”

ALD. CRAIG Clark continued his attack on North Van-
couver District Council’s proposed bylaw to impose a one-
year moratorium on the demolition of multi-family rental
accommodation at Monday night’s council meeting.

“Council has acted in an ir-
responsible and knee-jerk way and
is not following through with good
intent,’’ Clark charged during
debate on second and third reading
of the bylaw.

“There has not been any rental
created within our municipality,
and most municipalities, for prob-
ably the last 15 years, and ali of a
sudden we stand up and declare
that a state of emergency exists
and we are going to use Section
290 to act. I think that is totally
wrong and inappropriate for us to
be taking that position,’’ said
Clark.

Section 290 of the Municipal Act
allows a municipal council to
adopt powers to deal with an
emergency where its existing
powers ase inadequate.

The City of Victoria withstood a
court challenge for invoking Sec-
tion 290 in order to preserve
heritage housing frurn demolition.

Clark charged that the district’s
legal advice did not clearly state
that council has the power to im-
plement the proposed bylaw under
Section 290.

He also questioned whether an
emergency truly existed. ‘‘There
has not been, to the best of my
knowledge, a displacement of
more than eight rental units. So }
don’t see that as an emergency.”

The bylaw will revoke any
multi-family demolition or build-

By MARTIN MILLERCHIP
Contributing Writer

ing removal permits in force at the
time of adoption of the bylaw.
Clark pointed out that bylaws are
nct usually retroactive and charac-
terized this as another example of
“‘wrong thinking’’ by council.

Ald. Bill Rodgers, in moving the
bylaw, said, ‘‘We recognize the ex-
tent of the housing shortage for
some classes of people. This bylaw
deals with that situation and will
give council the time to examine
the zoning which is in place on our
multi-family residential housing
and to deal with the shrinkage of
that housing stock, and also to
come up with some policies and
plans to make sure that there is a
mix of multi-family residential
housing available in North Van-
couver.”’

Ald. Ernie Crist acknowledged
that the moratorium was not a
solution. ‘‘We have to provide af-
fordable housing,’’ he said.

Clark asked how that position
balanced with earlier council deci-
sions to reduce the number of less
expensive multi-family housing
units in new developments.

“It’s time that this council stop-
ped talking about the need for
family housing, when they
themselves have reduced the Nor-
thlands Community Plan from
1,180 units down to less than

ition moratorium decision

1,000. How does that create hous-
ing for individuals?”

Continued Clark: ‘‘We have
eliminated a multi-housing devel-
opment in Roche Point that will
also eliminate $2 million from the
municipal coffers that could very
well have been spent on such
things as a recreation centre out in
the Seymour area. If we take
short-sighted steps in an irrational
fashion to stop the construction of
new units, we are not doing any-
thing to increase the housing that
is required by the vast majority of
the population of our communi-
ty.
hark reminded council of a mo-
tion tabled by himself and Ald.
Joan Gadsby Jan. 23 that asked
the director of developnient to
report on the possible implementa-
tion of incentives that would en-
courage multi-family housing for
rental, and asked why nobody had
done anything about it.

Clark later proposed a notice of
motion that said: ‘‘Whereas the
District of North Vancouver has
taken the position that an
emergency situation exists and to
date no constructive report or
analysis has been addressed by
staff or couricil, be it resolved that
the district appoint a task force
within 90 days to provide council
with a report addressing the op-
tions available to the district to
create rental/family/senior and af-
fordable housing...”’ .

The district bylaw passed third
reading with only Clark voting
against. (Mayor Marilyn Baker
and Ald. Gadsby were absent).

City to continue with suite closure poticy

NORTH VANCOUVER City will continue to enforce its
secondary suite policy afier it voted against a proposed
year-long moratorium on suite closures.

Ald, Rod Clark urged council to
stop “cracking down’ on second-
ary suites to allow the city time to
come up with a new policy based
on a consultant's study scheduled
to be releascd next year.

‘In the meantime, let's not turf
anyone out on the street with a
zero per cent vacancy ritte,”’ said
Clark.

Ald. Bill) Bell) agreed thi a
moratorium would help the city

By CORINNE BJOR

deal with the affordable-housing
crisis on the North Shore.

“In the meantime, the number
of rental units has diminished
without council taking action,’
said Bell.

But the majority of council
members said) the moratorium
might do more harm than good,

Ald. Frank Morris said a year
was too long.

He pointed to comments by city
director of Development Services
Fred Smith that indicated if a con-
sultant was selected in January, it
would probably only take about
three months to complete the
study.

“I don't see the justification of
a one-year moratorium,’’ said
Morris.

Morris also said there was no in-
formation to indicate that illegal
suites add to the afforduble hous-
ing stock.

Instead,

he said, the city might

actually be risking higher rental
prices.

“You are sending a signal to
owners of properties of illegal
suites to hike up the rents,’” he
said.

Mayor Jack Loucks said it was
‘tnaive’’ to support the
moratorium. ‘I don’t think it will
provide any protection for peo-
ple.”

Loucks said the current en-
forcement system would suffice
unui the study is complete. *‘Our

system has worked reasonably well
over the years,” he said.

3 - Wednesday, November 22, 1989 -

Nosth Shore News

Coilege
library
remains
open
despite
strike

From page 1

had been determined, alternatives
canvassed and the changes review-
ed through a grievance procedure.

He said the contract would only
change the job promotion process
by making job probationary
periods a flat three months rather
than the current one month and
two optional one-month exten-
sions.

But Stromberg said the call for
scheduling flexibility for new
employees ‘‘was absurd. It would
split the workforce.”

The college’s proposed three-
year contract provides for wage
increases of 6.2 per cent as of Nov.
1, 1989, 5.0 per cent on Nov. 1,
1990 and an additional four per
cent on Nov. 1}, 1991.

Holter said the college will also
adjust the OTEU wage grid. to
provide for better increases be-
tween wage steps.

According to a union press
release, the college’s wage package
totals 17 per cent over three years.

The compounded wage increase
negotiated in April! by the college’s
faculty totalled 18.6 per cent over
33 months.

The wage scale for the 170
OTEU members at Capilano Col-
lege ranges from $11.03 up to
$25.47 per hour, but the majority
of the union’s members are paid
between $14.33 and $16.38 per
hour.

While the classes of those facul-
ty who refuse to cross OTEU
picket lines will not be held during
the strike, the college’s library will
remain open, though there will be
no librarians on duty, and finan-
cial services for students will also
be available.

Dec. 5 is the last day of classes
for most students in this semester.

The college’s student society has
set up a temporary office at the
nearby Coach House Inn. Call
985-3111 for information.

Nov. 20 to 26 has been desig-
nated College and Institute Week
by the Association of Canadian
Community Colleges.

Business .............. 91
Classified Ads..........56
Doug Collins........... 9
Comics................46

Dr. Ruth...............44
Editorial Page...........6
Food........ ccc cece 22

Bob Hunter............ 4
Lifestyles..............43
North Shore Now.......25
Sports.............--. 13
TV Listings............36

WEATHER

Sunny with cloudy periads,
Wednesday. Thursday,
mostly cloudy with periods
of rain.

Second Class Registration Number 3885