Neighbors co By Anna Marie D’Angeto News Reporter CHARLIE Cowie knew immediately what was going on when he encountered two strangers coming out of his East Keith Road garage on March 18. The men decided it was time to run. One of them dropped Cowie’s stereo and VCR in 2 water-filled ditch before taking off down the lane. “T just freaked out. My shock rurned to rage,” said the 42- year-old millwright, who pursued the pair down the lane. “I was screaming and hollering. They were running like hell. It was really raining hard,” said Cowie. A couple of Cowie’s neighbors came out and they took up the chase. One of the neighbors told Cowie to go back and phone the police. When he got back to his house in the 700-block of East Keith Road, Cowie saw “all his stuff iying in a river in the rain.” “I picked up my stereo and thought, no way. I don’t even know what | was thinking, I went haywire,” said Cowie. He decided to hop in his truck and race around the block to catch the burglars. By this time, the pair had split up. One of the burglars was spotted by a neighbor a short time ar One burglary suspect nabbed, another escapes after foot chase through NV city streets later near the old Cloverly school. Cowie said a lady came out of her home and shouted, “What's going on?” “T yelled, “We've got a thief here. Phone 9-1-1." And she went, ‘Woon! and she runs into the house,” said Cowie. One neighbor went one way and Cowie went the other to corner the burglar. They momentarily lost him, but then discov- ered the burglar hiding in some brambles. *I confronted him and told him, ‘You robbed me vou $.0.B. and if you think this is going to be easy, you are going to have to go through me ... F was ready to scrap nght there,” said Cowie. Cowie said the burglar, who was bigger, looked like he might have wanted to fight, but then two of the neighbors arrived to back Cowie up. “And then he just sat up and said, “I didn’t do nothing. ’m just sitting here in the rain. 1 don’t know what you guys are talk- ing about’,” said Cowie. The burglar, Randy Alan Wanck, 26, of Burnaby, formerly of Friday March 28, 1997 — North Shore News — 3 suspect North Vancouver, had teen out of jail for one week. Wanck was prohibited from being on the North Shore at the time. ‘The next day Wanek pleaded guilty to break, enter and theft and was sentenced to 18 months in jail by North Vancouver provincial court Judge Doug Moss. Muss also placed Wanek on 24 months’ probation. The other burglar escaped. Cowie said his wite’s engagement ring and his wedding band, along with other jewelry were not recovered. Cowie said that without his neighbors’ help, he doubts Wanek would have been apprehended. “It’s a hell of a way to get to know your neighbors,” said Cowie. The burglars entered the home by prying open a window. The house was ransacked. The Cowies are insured. Cowie, meanwhile, is critical of the North Vancouver RCMP for not bringing in a dog to track the suspect who got away. He said the police did not check for fingerprints in his home. The burgiars were not wearing gloves, he said. North Vancouver RCMP Const. Tom Seaman said that a police dog was not on duty that day. He said he did not know why police officers in the forensic identification section had naz promptly investigated the burglary. ‘Phoney’ NDP budget blasted by local MLAs Jolanda Waskite Contributing Writer NORTH Shore MLAs are calling the NDP’s budget “phoney, misleading and hollow.” The 1997-98 budget delivered by Finance Minster Andrew Petter in the legislature on Tuesday was rhetoric system,” he said. “If you look at the total funding, instead " of an increase, there will be a decrease of $40 per pupil. “It’s misleading. Schools will have to go te the private sector to get funding.” , And as far as protecting health care, setting aside $28 million for new hospital equipment is not enough to get - rid of waiting lists. ; Nebbeling said. “I’m willing to put money on it (that) “Some of the equipment costs $8 million each,” : best remembered in the false promises made during last May’s election, say local Liberal MLAs. Petter claimed that the projected 1997-98 deficit would be $185 million, almost half of last year’s $395 million deficit — a deficit which the NDP originally claimed to be a $85 million surplus. * “The (decrease) in deficit is a phony one because what they have done is downloaded a-lot of additional costs that the province traditionally absorbs,”said West Vancouver-Garibaldi MLA Ted Nebbeling. The NDP is passing the buck to municipalities by cutting funding and legislating that they be more responsible for infrastructure costs, Nebbeling said. The government is also hiking fees, raising the cost of such things as licences and ferry tickets — not exactly the cost-saving, measures the NDP promised to “average working, families.” “All municipalities can do is turn to the property owners and raise taxes,” Nebbeling said. “This is serious because we have a lot of senior citizens on fixed incomes who can’t afford more taxes.” Petter’s promise to protect health care and education are just more smoke and mirrors, according to the MLA. Increasing education funding to $63 million is not enough for the growing B.C. population. next year we'll stil! be looking ar waiting lists.” ; What's really alarming is that the total provincial debt... is $31 billion, says - . North - Vancouver- “In six years Lonsdale. MLA Oye 3 - Katherine Whittred. they’ve. increased “In six. years > they've increased’ the | the debt by $11 ty sit billion” billion. This Whittred sid: “This. government as nO government has credibility with the no credibility with — public.” the public.” — Liberal BLA The NDP govern- ment is “financially - Katherine Whitired incompetent,” said North © Vancouver- Seymour MLA Daniel Jarvis. ° _ “Now every man, .- woman and child owes $8,007,” he said: “Last year it was $7,300, so it’s getting worse”. ; a Jarvis said the Liberals will push to open up more’ mining and forestry resources to “get people out there -- m North Shore This Week & Talking Personafs. North Sxore News, founded in £969 as an inde- pendent suburban newspaper and qualified uader Schedule $11, Paragraph U1 of the Encise Tan Act, is published each Wednesday, Friday and Sunday by North Shore Free Press Ltd. and distributed to every door of the North Shore. Canada Post Canadian Publications Mail Sales Product Agreement No. 0087238. Mailing rates available on request. “We have 9,000 new pupils coming, into the (schoo!) By Joey Goodings Contributing Writer IT’S a public health issue. It’s an eco- nomics issue. It’s about rights: both the right to smoke and the right not to breathe someone else’s smoke. Maybe it’s all of the above. Forty-one people argued their cases for and against the proposed bylaw to ban smoking in all pubs and restaurants in North Vancouver City by Jan. 1, 1998, at a public hearing on Monday night. Almost two-thirds of the audience spoke against the bylaw, many of them employees or owners of local pubs. The meeting lasted more than two hours and council decided to put off any decision to bring the bylaw to first reading until April 7. “I plead with all of you to stand up for chil- dren’s rights and do the right thing,” said Irene Gatto, whose one-year-old son was born three months premature with a chronic. lung disease. One person dies in B.C. each week because of causes related to second hand smoke, said Linda Hearing held on bylaw to ban smoking in ali NVC pubs, restaurants Worsley. “That to me is not acceptable.” But Allison Coswell, an assistant manager at Montana’s sports bar, says the issue is entirely about economics. “If you pass this bylaw it is clear that I'm going to lose my job.” Many of those against the proposed bylaw argued that about 70% of the clientele in’ pubs smoke, that the 100% ban on smoking would drive those customers to other municipalities, and that non-smokers will not replace the lost busi- ness. Besides, they say people can choose whether or not to go to a pub where people smoke. “The whole idea of going to a bar anyway is to have a beer, a few laughs and a cigarette — they go hand in hand,” said Jim Dumas, who described the proposed bylaw as socialistic. Mike Faulkner, manager of the Royal earning enough to buy houses and have mortgages and ° get the economy moving again.” . . iders Canadian Legion Branch No. 118, said the bylaw will destroy his establishment. . “You can’t socially change these people by passing a bylaw,” he said, adding that 80% of the members smoke at the legion. “This is a death sentence to us plain and simple.” . Terry Crown, a Queens Cross Pub employee, said pubs which have tried to go non-smoking reversed their decision because they were losing money. Speakers in favor of the smoking ban said the bylaw would be good for local pubs and restau- rants in the long run. Besides, they say the health concems are too great to ignore, “We generally stay away fram such vestaurants and bars bu: would come back if they were smoke-free,” said Victoria Hogan, a non-smoker whose husband is allergic to smoke. Owen King said the market is the best mecha- nism for change, not legislation. As soon as there is a demand for non-smoking pubs the market will respond co that need, he said. At the meeting, council was presented wit: a petition with 760 signatures against the proposed bylaw.