Lid RECENT RECORD rainfall washed out a controversial Squamish Indian Band construction project in the mouth of ths Capilano River. The right side of the river had Feen blocked off, while a smailer channel was opened on the left side. But the heavy rains washed out the blocked-off area of the river. Resident critical of band proj ect From page t Bruce Reid, of the DFO’s Fraser River division, said no work will take place in the river until water levels have dropped. “The work has stopped. We told them (Squamish Band) that if the river came up they had to stop operating. A couple of the berms (roads built in the river for the project) have washed out,”’ said Reid. “The water is now flowing on both sides of the river.’ He added that the construction project and the rise of the water level in the river does not pose a diunger to the adult salmon which ave attempting to swim upstream to the Capilano hatchery. George said the band initiated the work because the river is get- ting closer and closer to the band’s Capilano RV Park. “We're trying to shore up the banks and shore up the middle of the river,’ said Ceorge. ‘'The river has been ovirflowing its banks every year. Last year we lost about 60 fect.”’ But some other North Shore tesidents are not happ: about the work being done in the Capilano River. North Vancouver res.cent Daryl! Chvala said he jogs 6: the river every day and has critisized both the Squamish Band and the DFO over the construction prceysct. “They had the whole rivur closed off except for one narrow channel that was blocked with rocks and four shopping carts. The fizh got stuck in the carts. What they're doing is insane,’’ said Chvala. “The Indians say they want to protect the environment and fish stocks. Then they use the whiteman’s way of killing the fish. It's just a joke,’’ said Chvala. “It’s just a way that the Indians don't have to put any effort into catching fish.’’ He also took exception to Reid’s claim that the DFO has been monitoring the construction work and that the band has to work within DFO guidelines. “I, and a lot of other people, have phoned the DFO and they said there isn’t anything they can do about it. There are no guidelines,’’ said Chvala. ‘‘It’s a complete farce when the DFO says they’re monitoring it." Lower Young Offenders age, parents advise committee A POLICE presence in schools and lowering the age designation for young offenders so that teens can be charged under the adult criminal code are among the recommendations being considered by the North Vancouver joint police liaison committee to curb growing violence among local youth. North Vancouver City Ald. Stella Jo Dean, the committee’s chairman, said the committee decided to take action after hearing from several delega- tions of parents who feared their children would be targets of violence by other youths. “‘Many of the parents are in- timidated and some of the kids are intimidated and afraid io go to school,’’ said Dean. One of those parents is Anne Fletcher who, together with Dean, went to North Van- couver youth court Thursday to see the trial of a 15-year-old girl charged with assaulting Fletcher’s 14-year-old daughter. The accused, who cannot be named under the Young Of- fenders Act, pleaded guilty to the Qct. 31, 1990 assault in Lynn Valley and will be sentenced Oct. 3 after the court hears a report from a youth court worker. Since the assault, Fletcher’s daughter has changed school from Sutherland Secondary and the Fletchers have changed their phone number several _ times. By Etizabeth Collings News Reporter Fletcher has also founded ALIVE (Adolescents Living In Violence Every day), a group of parents and teens dedicated to promoting a safe environment for youth. Fletcher advocates a witness protection program for youths so that they may testify in court without fear of reprisal. Among the recommendations the police liaison committee will consider at its Sept. 10 meeting are: ethat the drug and alcohol counsellors at four North Van- couver school district second- ary schools not be eliminated (as reported in the Aug. 30 News, provincial funding for the two North Vancouver posi- tions has recently been cut); * that cases come to trial more quickly; that fuil-time police officers be assigned to the four second- ary schools; *that the age of a young of- fender be lowered to 13 (youths are currently charged under the You..g Offenders Act up to and including age 17). According to a North Shore News survey of 496 North Shore residents, 5.3% of the respondents said they had been affected by youth violence while 94.2% said they had not. But 77.7% said there should be stricter penalties provided for under the Young Offenders Act, while 5.3% said the penalties should not be more harsh. Youths are subject to a max- imum penalty of three years’ incarceration unless raised to adult court. However, Dean said if the age for young offenders was lowered to 13, stricter penalties under the Young Offenders Act would be unnecessary. She added that adults some- times use youths to carry out. their crimes because of the less severe penalties under the YOA. “*We often have people in their 20s and 30s that have some of the young people do their B and E’s,’”’ she said. Cases should also come to court more quickly, Dean said, because over a long delay the plaintiffs may lose their anger and become more intimidated about facing the accused in court. Sunday, September 1, 1991 — North Shore News - 3 North Van teachers e- tO protest | wage control _| 1,200-member union plans Tuesday rally at Quay WHILE TUESDAY is back to school for B.C. students, the provincia! government’s wage control watchdog wants North Vancouver teachers to go back to the bargainixg taole and negotiate a new coliective agreement. But the North Vancouver teachers’ union said that will not happen. In June, compensation stabilization commissioner Ed Lien gave a failing grade to the two-year collective agreement reached in February between the 1,200-member North Vancouver Teachers’ Association (NVTA) and the North Vancouver District 44 School Board (NVSB). The settlement would have given North Vancouver teachers a 14% wage hike over the term of the contract: 7% in each year. Prior to the agreement, the average North Vancouver teacher salary was $45,000, including benefits, for a 195-day work yer. NVTA president Linda Watson said her membership will protest in front of Lien’s Lonsdale Quay office at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday. She said the demonstration is the first of a series of ‘‘action plans” the union will conduct over the fall to protest Lien’s decision to reject the NVTA’s collective agreement. The provincial government’s Compensation Fairness Act (Bill 82) gives Lien the power to roll back any public-sector collective agreements he finds to be ex- cessive, “Under the guidelines, he (Lien) can redesign the contract if we do not renegotiate. We will not go back to the bargaining table,’’ said Watson. ‘“We have spent a lot of time negotiating the collec- tive agreement we presently bave.”’ She added that the NVSB has said it will not pay the wage in- creases the two, sides negotiated due to Lien’s rejection of the con- tract. In June, the school board said it could pay the first year of the collective agreement, but that it had to wait unil the education ministry approved its budget for the next fiscal year before it could determine if it could afford the By Surj Rattan News Reporter NVTA PRESIDENT Linda Wat- son... the dem»nstration is the firat of a series of ‘action plans’’ the union will conduct over the fail. second year of the contract. In a June 26 News story, NVSB chairman Marg Jessup said Lien told the board that it could only pay the teachers a maximum 4.93% wage increase in the first year of the contract. “In view of the other (contract rejections) he’s (Lien) made, we were not optimistic about the se- cond year. But we thought he might look at our ability to pay the first year,”’ said Jessup. She added that the union’s re- fusal to return to the bargaining table is ‘‘of concern” to the board. The collective agreement be- tween the West Vancouver District 45 School Board and the 300- member West Vancouver Teach- ers’ Association is not affected by Bill 82 because the two sides sign- ed a contract Jan. 29, just hours before Bill 82 became law. index @ High Profiles I Classified Ads W@ Cocktails & Caviar 8 Comics Fashion @ Horoscopes WB Lifestyles Wi Spiritually Speaking @ Vintage Years What’s Going On Weather Monday and Tuesday, sunny with cloudy periods. Highs 22°C. Second Class Registration Number 3885