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1136 Lonsaale Avenue

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Cansdan Pubbeatons Mad Saies
Producs Agreemert No 0087238

LIQNS GATE PROJECT UPDATE :
Two Bridge closures are in vour future: 8 p.9.,

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given

t third cog

Deana Lancaster

News Reporter
diancaster@nsnews.com

HECTOR the black Lab
gets to Live out his final
days in peace — unboth-

_ ered by the notion that his
West Van residency is ille-

gal.

West. Vancouver council showed its
soft side Monday night when mayor and
councillors voted unanimously to allow
a local family a third licence for the 14-
year-old dog.

. From the municipality’s side, the
story began in July, when one of the
Galvani ily’s Eagle Harbour neigh-
bours informed the district that the fam-
ily had three dogs, an offence under the

’ Dog Licence, Kennel and Pound Bylaw.
At that time, only the family’s five-year-
old Lab,’ Seymour, had a_ licence,
because according to Fiona Galvani:

.. “When we first got him, Seymour was a
bugger. He even took off a couple of

_ times.”

Galvani said that when the family
adopted Seymour frum one of their
daughter’s school teachers two years ago

_. Michael Backer
| Newsroom Editor’
mbecher@nsnews.com

NORTH Vancouver District is going after

they didn’t realize there was a two-dog
limit in the single family zane. Besides,
Hector was 12 at the time, and they did-
n't expect him to live much longer.

“We didn't think ne'd make it
through the night last night. My vet
keeps saying he should have died two
years ago.”

Once contacted by the district in the
summer, the family completed an appli-
cation for three or more dogs, naming
Maggie, their cight-vear-old mutt, as
the second dog allowed, and requesting
third deg approval for Hector. When
the muticipality canvassed the neigh-
bourhood though, seven out of 22 resi-
dents requested refusal of the third dog,
saying the barking was a nuisance.

For the Galvanis though, the story
goes back much further.

“We moved to Eagle Harbour
because it seemed so ideal,” said
Galvani. “It just seemed so Leare it to
Beaver, you know? We have a wonderful
support network here and most of my
neighbours have been wonderful.”

Which was an important feature for
the family when it was looking for a
home five years ago because they have
nine children: three biological, and six
foster children with special needs. But

See Council page &

Vancouver Wharves grants-in-
lieu of tax capped at 1996 levet

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This Week p22

a

NEWS photo Julle lvorson

FIONA Galvani relaxes at home with one of her nine chitdren and Hector, the 14-year-old -
black Lab recently granted a dog licence by the District of West Vancouver. . :

the BC Rail Group of Companies for
~ increased grants-in-lieu of property tax pay-
ments.

District Mayor Don Bell has asked Paul Ramsey, finance and cor-
porate relations minister and minister responsible for northern devel-
opment, for a meeting as soon as possible, In a letter sent to Ramsey
earlier this month, Beil outlined the municipality’s concerns regard-
ing a shortfall in funds flowing from BCR’s Vancouver Wharves

ety on the North Vancouver District waterfront. Ramsey

pecently replaced Dan Miller as the minister responsible for BC Rail.

Bog $249.59
SKU #6420875

In 1998 the provincial cabinet capped the BC Rail Group
Vancouver Wharves grant-in-licu at $2 million (the 1996 level),
rather than pay an amount equal to the property tax levy. Bell said
the cap resulted in a revenue shortfall to the district of over $1.8 mil-
lion for the combined years 1997, 1998 and 1999. The shortfall had
to be shouldered by other district taxpayers, according to the mayor.

Bell said the cap “amounts to a subsidization of Vancouver
Wharves/BC Rail Group through an unfair tax increase to district
taxpayers.” He said that as a result of recent capital expansion at
Vancouver Wharves, the 2000 property tax equivalent now stands at
$5.8 million. Given the $2-million t cap, the district faces an
annual Vancouver Wharves shortfall of $3.8 million for 2000 alone.

Accordi:ig to Mike Hoskins, the district directcr of financial services
the 2000 shortiall represents $90 per district homeowner. _

BCR spent $110 million to expand the Vancouver Wharves ter-
minal in North Vancouver. The revamped terminal was officially
opened in February. :

The facility is now one of the largest deep-sea loading terminals
on the North American Pacific coast. The facility is a shipment point
for sulphur, metal concentrates, pulp, canola oil, fertilizers and agri-
cultural products. .

According to the BCR annual report the marine unit handled
12.28 million tons of cargo last year.

In 1999 Miller said the move to lock in Vancouver Wharves
grants at $2 million was “based on an assessment of Vancouver
Wharves Ltd. ability to increase its grants payments.

“As a result of strong competition from U.S. port facilities, the

Sce Mayor page5

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