MAY 20, 1998 seas Bright Lights Business + Classitieds Crossword i North Shore Alert { Sports Talking Personals Wright North Shore Free Press itd Pu 11 Lonsowe Averse Noor 56 Pages Lions Gate lands DiCapri thriller Judy Smith Contributing Writer It’s official. Leonardo DiCaprio will star in a North Vancouver- based production company’ ‘Ss new movie. North Vancouver's Lions Gate Studio was one of the locations Lions Gate Films was considering for this summer's shoot of American Pevcho. But Michael Paseornek, prest- dent of Lions Gate Productions in New York, sid even though he personally loves Vancouver, the — boak upon which the film is based is set in New York. “Canada is our home base. But it a New York story and we don’t want it to look ‘like e died to make it pretend to be York.” Lions Gate Films, different divisions of | North Vancouver-based Lions — Gate Entertainment, signed DiCaprio to star in American Pycho last week. The young actor, now arguably the world’s biggest bankable star, reportedly raised his per-film asking pnce from $2.5 million tor Titante to $20 million. Pasearnek doesn’t know how much DiCaprio will demand for the film. “Leonardo chose this project because of the material. He can get as much money as he wants from body. The money is rot an t when you're dealing with him because he means so much in terms of revenue.” he film as based on Bret Easton ss American Psycho. Vhe book was banned in Canada when it v released in 1991 forits controversial and misogynist subject matter. DiCaprio’s role, that of a fF. shopathic broker who makes Haanibal Lecter of of the Lambs fame look like Gandhi, isa yparture from che romantic lead- ing-man image of the sque Lions Gate Films signs Leonardo DiCaprio. the six See Budget pageS i rr B.C. book 723 7 suthor Daniel Franc encvclopec compiling new Taetsataart ; rat Summer camp p51 Complete listing of options i fied special feature Table Hopping dines at West Van's Ariston restaurant Going Greek p30 NEWS photo Terry Peters MOUNT Seymour park ranger Scott Back (left) talks with a group of mountain bike riders on the Baden Powell Trail. Park staff have raised concerns among North Shore mountain bikers by issuing $75 tickets for riding on itlegal trails within the park boundaries. Andrew McCredie Editor andrew@nsnews.com A bike ride in Mount Seymour Park could cost you $75. So far this spring a number of North Shore ride : ssued fines for riding on “egal trails within park boundaries, and, according to Larry Syroishko, more tickets will be written if people continue to stray from de signat ed mountain bike trails. “Since the golf course (Norrhicnds) went ina lot of the tradtienal iand thar mountain bikers were riding got squeezed ou” Svraisiike said. “So what is happening is that a few, dota dor of mountain bikers are moking their own trails.” And the majority of those trails, he added, are bad for everyone. “They are cutuny trats in places that should never have a tral” said Svropshke crs short: term thinking. They wiil be able ta enjoy the trail, but their kids will never have a chanee to see it.” ‘These riders are looking for some truly chal- fenging terrain, he said, so they construct trails straight down the fall fine. When that illegal trail is all ridden out, the trail builders move few metres and make a new onc. Syroishko said that over time the practice will destroy the whole hill side: “We get a lot of rain here — the water comes down and just washes out all that soft rop material. Yoninger stalfis going out any time of the day to try and track down people riding on these illegal trails. We are si aning these trails ay closed, and as time aHoaws we're using our trail crews to uccommission them,” Svroishko added thar following an initial tic ing barrage cartier this year there are fewer nders using the illegal trails. But some are: still tring, the message. “They're seeing it as ‘BC Parks closes all mountain bike trails in provincial parks’,” he said. A group of av arth Shore mountain bikers tablished the North Shore Mountain Biking Association (NSMBA) earher this year to address such concerns. “Whar we're trying to do is work with them on the ues,” said Ken Maude, a director of the ciation. “One of the main rea- sons we formed the association was because there was no unified voice for mountain bikers on the rth Shore.” Syroishko has had preliminary discussions, with the association an hopeful the | communication between the two sides will stav open. “Whar they are supposed to be doing is going our and researching some trail standards that we would look at,” he ‘explained. “It there's a section we agres on, We may put in trails more to 4 mountain: biking standard.” Maude said the poorly-baile illegal trails in Mount Seymour Park are of concern to the asso: ciation, though wheo asked what he would tell someone who w anted t to build their own trail said the sarily say no. Mountain Biking Association's mandate is simple: “Keep the t open, keep the trails sate and keep the trails main- tained.” The association, which Maude said has over 300 members, recently held a trail maintenance day with Grouse Mountain. Similar construction nned for other well-traveled tr the North Shore. See Parks page 5