AS THE risk-taking season
comes to an end, Lynn
Canyon Park has the
distinction, so far, of mak-
ing it through one summer
without any serious injuries
or deaths.

By Anna Marie D’ Angelo

’. News Reporter

“Even if something did happen
now, it’s been a very successful
season. It’s surprising because we
weren’t sure how effective we
would be aithough we knew we’d
cut down on _ problems,”’ said
Richard Boulton, North Van-
couver District parks operations
superintendent.

Boulton was referring to the
efforts of three park rangers and
becfed-up police patrols at the
park.

The park rangers started keep-
ing tabs on park activities and
informing users about hazards in
_mid-May. Prominent hazard war-
nings have also been put up in the
park. ;

About the the worst thing that
has happened at the ‘‘killer can-
yon” since. mid-May is a park
user breaking his foot on the last
weekend in August.

“That was the second near-
accident we’ve had,” said chief
ranger Alberto Burrero, 23.

A 22-year-old man from Mon-
treal broke his foot on his first
jump into 30-Foot Pool.

Burrero said the. other accident

“involved a one-year-old who fell

out of his mother’s backpack and
cut his forehead.

He said rangers have logged ap-
proximately 30 minor first aid
calls.

Lynn Canyon Park was was off

to its usual troubles earlier in the
spring before the rangers started
work.
oA 17-year-old woman fell
from a cliff and was trapped in an
area near 30-Foot Pool:
@®a man who was swept
downstream by the creek’s current
managed to grab onto the last
rock before going over First Falls.

Park officials agree that the
cool summer weather this year
may also be a factor contributing
to the relative calm at the park.

But Boulton said the rangers
and police who patrol the park on
foot or bikes are discouraging the
party crowd that visit the park
even on cloudy days.

‘YT think because Lynn Canyon
is so big and such a wilderness
area people thought they could go
in there and have parties and
police would have a hard time
getting to them,’’ said Boulton.

“They could just scatter into
the bush. But we are getting closer
control on that with the rangers

being there all the time,’’ said

Boulton.

Meanwhile, Burrero said rangers
were having success with reluctant
rock divers under peer pressure
usually at 30-Foot Pool, 90-Foot
Pool or Twin Falls.

“There is always a leader in the
group and there is always one or
two that are afraid,’ said Bur-
rero.

He said the groups of friends
usually come from Vancouver or
other Lower Mainland suburbs
such as Surrey or Burnaby.

“Basically, they get up there
and the friends start yelling at
them, ‘Come on, jump.’ - Then
there is name calling and things
like that,’’ said Burrero.

Burrero said the leader usually

Mountain bike thefts
plague N. Van family

A NORTH Vancouver woman says she is angry at the
‘North Vancouver RCMP over the force’s response to
the theft of three mountain bikes belonging to her fam-

ily.

Beity Blezard said her hus-
band’s bike was stolen on Fri-
day, Aug. 27, and on Tuesday,
Aug. 31, thieves made off with
her bike along with a mountain
bike belonging to her 12-
year-old son.

Blezard said the police cef-
used to'try to match the

‘descriptions of the bikes with
recovered sto’en bikes in police
storage. me
., She said the police also ref-
used to let her see if any of her
family’s bikes were among re-
covered stolen bikes.

“They said just go to the
‘RCMP auction and if I had a
case number, they could release
my bicycle,’’ said Blezard.

She was ‘told to call the sta-
tion in mid-September to find
out when the next police auc-
tion of stolen items was going
to be held.

“After you file a report, they
won’t even try to match a
description and ask you to
come down and look at a bike.

Thay say it’s not our policy,’

said Blezard.

Blezard said she knows of at

least 10 children and several
adults who have had their bikes
stolen near her home during
the past two weeks.
_ But North Vancouver RCMP
Sgt. Wayne Hankey. said the
police try to match recovered
stolen bikes with their owners
when requested.

He said the police don’t like

By Anna Marie D’Angelo
News Reporter

residents looking at the tem-
porary exhibit locker, which
contains the bikes, because
other seized property could be
disturbed.

He said he was not aware of
the series of bike thefts near
Blezard’s home.

Another police spokesman
said recovered bikes are always
checked for serial numbers and
attempts are made to match
them with owners.

He said bikes are often strip-
ped and painted, so serial
numbers are the only way to
identify property owners.

Meanwhile, Blezard said the
police have not even dropped
by to check out the area.

She estimated’ her family’s
bikes cost $1,500. Her home-
owner’s insurance will cover
the thefts with a $500 deducti-
ble.

The bikes were unlocked and
located near the front door of
her co-op townhouse on
Hamber Place in the Mount
Seymour Road area when they
were stolen.

Blezard estimates the time of

. the thefts some time after mid-

night and before 5 a.m.

She said there also appears
to be discarded bikes showing
up in the townhouse complex.

Sunday, September 5, 1993 - North Shore News - 3

ents, Injuries cut in 1

Park rangers, beefed-up police patrols help keep Lynn Canyon summer season safe

NEWS photo Cindy Goodman

LYNN CANYON Park rangers Jennifer Heal (left) and Alberto Burrero (far right) patrol the park and
talk to park visitors about potential hazards in the North Vancouver wilderness area. Since the
ranger program was started in May, there have been no serious injuries to park users at the car-

yen.

does the name calling so the
ranger will pull him aside and talk
privately.

“7 tell him, ‘Look, your buddy
doesn’t want to jump. He’s scared
to death. You don’t want to see
him carried out of here in a
stretcher,’ '’ said Burrero.

Meanwhile, Boulton said next
year’s plans include having one or
two of this year’s rangers working
at the park to provide ‘‘carry-

over’’ experience.

Two of the three original park
rangers stopped working in
August. They were replaced by
auxiliary rangers, Jennifer Heal
and Jan Jarvis.

Boulton said the rangers will
patrol during the Labor Day
weekend. They may work later
into September depending on the
weather. ;

The ranger program cost ap-

Terminals hurt by

NORTH VANCOUVER terminal operators warn that a
native blockade of the CN Rail line near. Chilliwack over
the past week, coupled with the recent five-week BC Rail

strike, will hurt the Port of Vancouver’s reputation with:

foreign shippers.

The blockade, erected last Sunday
afternoon on the Cheam indian
reserve over a fishing dispute, was
removed at noon on Friday.

Chief Sam Douglas and
members of the Cheam band of
the Sto:lo Nation had set up the
blockade after the federal fisheries
department abruptly cancelled a
two-day salmon fishery for
natives while. extending the com-
mercial opening.

North Vancouver waterfront in-
dustry representatives reported

BC Rail layoffs OK’d by

THE LABOR Relations
Board (LRB) ruled Thurs-
day that BC Rail can lay off
unionized employees despite
back-to-work legislation
that recently ended a five-
week strike.

By Anna Marie D’Angelo
News Reporter

BC Rail spokesman Hilary
Thomson said 125 workers have
been laid off since being legislated

8 Business Briefs.........24
@ Classified Ads
HI Crossword.............43

By Brent Mudry
Contributing Writer

that the blockade had affected
their operations to varying
degrees, but they were unanimous

‘in predicting the iong-term impact

of rai) disruptions.

“Anything affecting our ability
to have reliability built in jeopar-
dizes the long-term reputation of
the port,’’ said Vancouver

back to work on Aug. 23. But the
Council of Trade Unions (CTU),
which represents 1,600 \nionized
workers, claims a conservative
number of layoffs is 200 thus far.

The CTU asked for a LRB
hearing concerning the layoffs.
The hearing took place on Tues-
day. The CTU claimed the layoffs
contravened conditions under the
Railway and Ferries Bargaining
Assistance Act.

Thomson said the layoffs were a
result of lost business due to the
strike,

“BC Rail does have the right to

@ Horoscopes............32
@ Kids’ Stuff .....
Bi What's Going On ......23

proximately $30,000 this year. The
program was part of 1992 recom-
mendations by the Lynn Canyon
Safety Task Force.

In the last 18 years, 11 people
have died in Lynn Canyon Park.
Municipal and. rescue officials
claim mist, of these people put
themselves in a degree cf danger.

More than 500,000 people visit
Lynn Canyon Park yearly.

blockade

Wharves’ president Dave Alsop.
During the blockade, CN at-
tempted to divert. and redirect’
westbound traffic, including
routing trains on to CPR tracks.
Subsequent, delays ranged from
eight to 24 hours.
Dow Chemical: Canada Inc.’s
North’ Vancouver plant may be
forced to call in workers for
loading . throughout ‘the long
weekend to catch up. .

‘We've had no empty cars in
yet, and we have to load a ship |
with caustic soda bound for
Australia for Monday,’ terminal’
manager Mike Martel told the
News on Thursday. Dow normally

‘off-loads 36 rail cars every day.

labor board

lay off workers for just and rea-
sonable cause,’’ said Thomson. -

But CTU vice-chairman Clyde
Muthall said the layoffs will not
improve the relationship. between
the unions and BC Rail, who must
still work towards a contract set-
tlement.

Mulhall said the purpose of the
back-to-work legislation’s 90-day
cooling-off period was to allow
for cooler heads to prevail.

“All the 90-day cooling off
does is come off as a Barid-Aid
solution. After 90 days, ‘you’re
looking at another strike.”

Weather

Monday and Tuesday: . mainly
sunny. High, 20°C, Low 11°C.

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