| West Van to court for po Deana Lancaster News Reporter dlancaster@nsnews.com WEST Vancouver is taking its own police department to court in order to obtain the details of an investigation within its boundaries. Last) Friday, the municipality’s lawyers Lidstone, Young and Anderson Barristers and Solicitors filed legal documents in B.C. Supreme Court to attempt to secure the records from an investigation into an incident at a district park. According to the petition, district arborist Shirley Nicolson visited a tiny park in the 5200- block of Keith Road on Jan. 12 last year after a resident complained that someone was cutting trees in the park. Nicolsen found two men busy Wednesday, November 15. 2000 - North Shore News - 3 Municipality seeks information on tree case cutting down ues. According to the court doc- ument, one of chem told her he was working tor two individuals, who at that time ewned proper: ty neighbouring the park. Since the district had- Wt authorized the work, Nicolson instructed them not to cut more trees. She called West Vancouver Police to report the incident and when Set. Derck Gilmore arrived she walked with him in the park to show him which trees had been cut. The police then conducted an twestigation, which included an interview of one of the men responsible for cut- ung tres in the park. After the incident, Nicolson had a surveyor document the property boundaries of the park, had an environmental consulting company assess the damage to the trees, and asked the police departinent for copies of its records related te the investigation. She intended to try and determine who was responsible for cutting down the trees and whether or not to pursue charges. Bur the police department refused to release its records related to the incident. According to the petition, Gilmore told Nicolson that the police have a policy to not release police records without a court order. And the policy holds, even if the body requesting the information is the municipality itself. “It's something we try to avoid,” said munic- ipal clerk Margaret Warwick. “But they are com- pletely within their right to do that. The police department: is a separate entity from us — lice details aithough we pay their expenses and budget — they operate under a different statute.” Warwick added that the police department's poliev falls under provincial privacy legislation. “In the counc of an investigation they might gather 3 fot of information that might pot be rel- evant to What we're looking for.” She added that in some instances, the munic- ipality has been able to make arrangements with the police department to obtain the information it needs from an investigation without receiving a copy of the entire report. The police board, not the municipality. employs the police department, said Coun. Victor Durman. “We can’t tell them what to do,” he said, but added, “I am very surprised that we have to go to court to get our own police department to give us a report about an incident that happened in one of our parks.” Katharine Hamer News Reporter khamer@nsnews.cont INDIGNANT over comments about his parliamentary atten- dance record, North Vancouver Alliance MP Ted White is seeking an injunction against his Liberal competitor, Bill Bell. Bell says White has only been present in the House of Commons for 15 per cent of votes. White says that isn’t the case and, in a letter to Bell, warns his opponent that state- ment is in contravention of Section 91 of the Elections Act, “intention to affect the results of an election by pub- lishing a false statement of fact.” White is also chagrined by Bell referring to him as the “Reform/Alliance candi- * date,” and by Bell’s alleged assertion to a radio reporter that White had failed to attend committees of which he was a member, such as the Aboriginal and Northern Affairs Committee and the Agriculture Committee. White says he has never been a member of any com- mittee except for the Procedure and House Affairs Committce. Bell says he had only referred to Bell as an associate member of other committees. White says the fact he is listed as an asso- ciate member on some committees does not require him to attend meetings, but simply makes it easier for him to step in as a substitute for a sick or absent colleague. White asked in his letier.chat Bell “immediately cease refer- ring to meas ‘The Reform/Alliance candidate,’ that you imme- diately cease printing or distributing false information about my attendance in Parliament, and that you immediately cease print- ing or distributing documents containing false quotes.” Said White on Tuesday, “I would just really like to get onto ‘the issues.” He said Bell had not defended the Liberal record. “His record is what’s at stake in this election,” said Bell yes- terday morning. “It’s obvicus he’s running scared because he didn’t vote. When I tell people he wasn’t there for 85 per cent of the votes, their faces drop.” White also sent a copy of the letter to the Commissioner of Canada Elections. He has asked for an injunction against Bell under Section 516