Katharine Hamer
-News Reporter khamer@nsnews.com

A Vancouver lawyer who pleaded guilty after 30
years to the sexual abuse of dis stepdaughters has
been given a conditional sentence.

Dale Carr-Harris, 63, was sentenced to two years less a day at
Vancouver provincial court last Friday for indecent assault and
sexual intercourse with a female under 14. There was a stay of
proceedings on two counts of gross indecency and one of inde-
cent assault. Carr-Harris will not serve any jail time unless he vio-
lates the conditions of his sentence. Among the conditions: no

S$a

Three charges stayed in case

contact with the complainants or their mother; house arrest at his
home; continued medication and treatment as recommended by
his psychiatrist.

Carr-Harris’s two stepdaughters, Patricia and Charlotte
Kramer, came forward five years azo and reported to Vancouver
police events which took place in the spring and summer of 1970
at family homes including one in the 3000-block of Marine Drive
in West Vancouver. The victims were age nine and 10) at the time
of the abuse. Carr-Harris, then age 32, had married the girls’
mother, Ekanor, after the death of their father in a car accident
in 1966. Carr-Harris pleaded guilty in October to having sexual

Wednesday, December. , 26C0

ls

—- North Shore News - 3

mnt

intercourse with one of the girls and another charge of indecent
assault for the other girl. In a victim impact staternent given: in
court Dec. 1, the indecent assault victim talked about how Carr-
Harris had fondled her and taught her how to perform fellatio
when she was home sick at the West Vancouver home.

During the wiai Carr-Harris’s defence lawyer, Len Doust,
referred to his client's mental state and requested a conditional
senience of 18 months to wo years less a day. Carr- Harris, who
lives in Vancouver with his wife and two-year-old daughter, has
bipolar disorder (manic depression) and has been taking Lithium

_and other drugs since 1985. Crown lawyer Mark Rowan was

opposed to a conditional sentence and had asked for a three to

Bridge behind schedule

Katharine Hamer
News Reporter knamer@nsnews.com

THERE are still 44 deck sections to
replace on the Lions Gate Bridge before
construction work on the project is com-
pleted.

Since work began on the project in May of this
year, there have been 20 bridge closures.

The Lions Gate. Bridge project was slated to
begin in January of this year.

Construction was put on hold for the holiday
season at the beginning of December, and is ex ct
ed to restart in February, with two full weekend clo-
sures, two partial weekend closures, and a number

: at weeknight closures tentatively planned. ©
The project, including the replacement of the
: bridge’ 's 54 deck sections and repaving of the bridge
and Staniey Park causeway, was meant to be com-
pleted this week.
» .. The: project completion date is now ‘pegged’ as
September 2001 — a nine-month delay.

Contractor American Bridge- Surespan.won the -

project contract with a bid of $86.7 million — $9
million more than the $78 million the province had
originally estimated. It has now reached more than
~ $100 million, with $1.5 million of that added to the
“Cost for taxpayers since the project began. :
; ‘Transportation Financing Authority spokes-
woman Pam Ryan said roughly $1 million of that
figure stemmed from the 135 extras the province
agreed to add to the contract, such as the need 10
deal with underground cabling that ‘didn’t match up
- to diagrams. ..
Ryan said these minor additions were “totally

- formal for projects of this size and complexity,” and. :
‘not associated with any delays to the project. “We're.

Actually quite pleased thar it’s nine months late and *

said.
“Ryan said the extra cost would be covered bya
contingency fund already in place.

Project management costs have already risen by:
“several hundred thousand dollars as a result of the

delay: Those costs, which ‘will ‘continue ‘to rise until .
the project is comple cd, are not covered by.a con: °

tingency fund.
Asked about the cost overruns, Ron Crockett of

‘American Bridge. said, “Tm not going to comment.

on that.” >
Crockett did ‘say “that. “The, time’ “and effort
quired for the engincering —<especiaily the time
was three times what we estimated, 7

he additional ) costs) 3 are as small as they are,” she: :

One factor for the delay was the triple-check sys-
tem in place for this particular project: as well as by
the on-site engineering firm, Buckland and Taylor,
plans were checked by two separate erection design
specialists in New York City,

“This is a unique project,” said Crockett.
“There's traftic on the bridge so we have to be care-
ful. We've never done a project just like this. We've
just finished a suspension bridge in New York, but
we were only replacing the deck, not the whole
structural system. We've had a project where we
replaced the whole structure but the bridge was
closed to traffic.”

While most closures have run fairly smoothly,
with the bridge opening ahead of schedule on some
weekends, there have been a few unexpected delays
due to technical problems, balancing weight loacs,
and weather-related issues.

“It was hard for anyone to know how difficult it
would be, based on what was known,” said
Crockett.

“The engineers can’t just look at it, they have to
study it — and they studied it after the bid went
in.”

He said the project has in some respects been a
matter of trial and error.

‘“This is just one of those jobs where you turn
this road and it looks goud, and then you tum that
road and it looks good, and then you reach a dead
ead.
“Ic’s very, very cornplicated. It would be easier to
design and build a bridge from scratch.”

The plan-is now to complete all deck replace.
meni work by the ead of June 200), allowing for a_
final partial weekend closure in late” July to repave
the bridge itself.

good job ... T hope - ‘the owner “will be forgiving.
Phen it’s all done.
> “An arbitrary, schedule. is nothing compared to:
public safety.”
It’s likely, however, thet American Bridge will be
asked to pay the province fines for the delay.
,: . The company’s contract states that they may be
‘asked to pay $590,000 for cach extra full weekend
closure, and $100, 000. for each additional partial
“weekend closure...

, “We do intend to pursue those remedies,” said
s.C. Transportation Financing Authority (BCTFA)
spokeswoman Pam Ryan. “We don’t know. what the
nature or extent will be — it’s part of our ongoing
‘discussion (with American Bri dee). ” :

‘Ryan said the money would. be deducted from
‘the contractor’ 8 fec of $86.7 million. :

sis ‘centre,”: some - counsellin;
shelter and helps them. 1 Bet pack
their feet.” Two years ago
! his wife donated
Covenant House.:

Crockett szid the contractor was going to “do j a:

‘The environment prize is is meant to.
stimulate. further | positive . develop-

ments~and to’. draw: attention to <
“accomplished and strategically inter-

esting environmental projects...

‘The prize is awarded jointly by the :
city, of Goteborg and 10 companies in :

the west of Sweden.” :

In 1979, Ballard founded Ballard °

Power. Systems Inc: "-in - North

Vancouver. with: West ‘Vancouver. -
-mechanical engineer Paul Howard and
| = slesrochemist Keith Prater. : 9:

The company began as a manuf

‘purer of lithium batteries. It soon shift-
-ed to fuel cell technology and the elec-

trolytic conversion of fuel to energy.

Ballard Power: Systems: ens:

four year jail seatence for Carr- Harris.

NORTH Vancouver city Coun. Barbara Perreuit (left to right) and.
Mayor Garvara Sharp, along with other members of council, were
at Sapiene Mali recently, working t the Salvation Army kettles.

From page 1

“lepal authority | to ‘determine w hether.

Baldwin be termineted, and whether
“he engaged in misconduct. She aiso
determined that the board had prop-

- cerly ‘followed ® the bylaws ‘of: the’.

North. Shore - Independent School
- Society.
However, -
Tuesday that efforts to overturn the
board’s decision are not over. After

- fuel cell technology into future Zero-,

“emission vehicles. ‘The company has a 7
to put hy:
: eeanetiks first.’ Said-: Ballar

“market capitalization of ‘approximately
- $3billion,

. Geoffrey - Ballard. ‘served as “the :
company’s. chair: until. 1997, .He :
launched : Vancouver-based: General

* Hydrogen ‘in * 1999. Also last’ year,

Teme magazine named him a Hero for 4

the Pianet. . :
vice ; ‘chair’: at

General Hydrogen He ‘served ‘at:

Ballard Power Systems as vice presi-
dent from’ 1979 until 1998... - ;

“Howard ‘and Ballard’s ‘vision of .

ow this century. will unfold on the
‘= energy front foresecs cleaner air and a

world: leading role for Canadian com: ©

. panies as the internal. ‘combustion
engine is replaced. General Hydrogen

intends to invest in’ “companies and. :

DeJaray -: said. on

“eceiving “What

groundswell of support” from’ p:
ents and staff, he and Kerzner. are
hoping to’ hold an. extraordinary

“general: meeting of all. members of

the society. “Yes, there is a great cry
for an EGM; there ‘is a great feeling
of injustice : on. behalf. of. the’ par- .
ents,” he said. Such ‘a’ meeting, he

‘said, would ‘allow members to vote

on whether { to reinstate Baldwin and

“to replace members of the board.

voiced concern about the | present pusti
hydrogen fitel cells into

may have inadvertently moved in
develop ore that could delay the
benefits’ of the’ fuel cell technioi
lemented. By focusing
ed ‘and ‘|

© cause of poflution in our
_ which is the truck fleet.”.

rh
duty. diesel trucks’ oe two
er cént of vehicles on tite road

and cause 72 per.cent of the toral can
cer tisk from toxic air contaminants