north shore news

____MAILB

OX

| W. Van park being
= damaged by public

Dear Editor:
I am writing in response to
a letter printed in your newspa-
"” per recently regarding filming
in Lighthouse Park.
The letter included a series
of concerns regarding film
‘ grew etiquette and damage to
the park. I would like to clarify
a few points.
I will first state that I am a
‘ biologist and J hike with my
*" dog in Lighthouse Park every
morning of the week.
Contrary to the previous letter
‘printed, film crews using
Lighthouse. Park are not given
unlimited access to the park.
‘Their heavy equipment and
‘trucks are restricted to the
_fnain’ gravel parking lot, the
sasphalt. road leading to the
lighthouse, ‘and paved and
unpaved open spaces amidst
: the buildings around the light-
house itscl
When in the park, they are
under the supervision of a
-municipal. park cmployce who
-acts asa liaison between the
film company and the munici-
ality and also, when required,
tween the crew and the fam-
~! ilies. renting the two homes
_ficar the now-automated light-
house.

At no time, as the letter ”

- suggested, do film crews have
“ aeeess to all the trails and roads
- in the park. Out of necessity,
“given the equipment required

.to,mount film. productions,

"crews do not seck out any trails
“other: than the well-used and

casily accessible ones near the
: lighthouse and main parking
“ot

"For. productions. requiring -
- general” forest: scenes, - more:
“, easily. accessible locations such °.
; ’ Seymour :
Demonstration.: Forest. . are.

vas. 0s: Mount

‘more often used. "~~

t\The writer. was: also -erro-
neous:in her description about -

‘the’ damage to the native
“plants. fo
» Foe the’ record, the plants

growing ‘along. the: roadsides ~

-. and main paths of the park are
composed : primarily of intro-
“duced, ; - non-native
species, not native species.
Native species.were long ago
replaced here by che orginal
disturbances of road building,

- automobile traffic, daily walk-

..ers, and seasonal recreation
rograms.

. P I do, however, share the
writer’s respect for this park. It
is a very special place. Anyone
interested in local natural his-

-tory is well aware of its merits
as an example of an old growth
coastal forest with good repre-

-- sentations of native plant and

. animal species.

= I do think, though, that it

“would be more useful if people
would redirect their concerns
to the activities occurring daily

in the park ycar round, which
are the main causes of damage

- to the park. ,

Uneducated visitors fre-
quently hike off the marked
trails, which have been devel-
oped to provide hikers with a

* goad tour of the park while
protecting the native plant
associations and homes for
wildlife.

Careless visitors frequently
hike in areas fenced off for
restoration. Dog owners seck-

a

plant ©

ing out the freedom of the
park, frequently allow their
animals to explore unattended
and off these same marked
trails.

Parents delighted with the
wilderness atmosphere of the
park frequently allow their
children to bushwhack. These
events, as harmless as they may
sound, are extremely commoa,
and on a busy weekend the
entire park is rarely left
untouched. Adding to these
problems, is the recent explo-
sion in the resident rat popula-
tion, which characteristically
inhabited the old huts near the
lighthouse but now enjoys
more deluxe quarters in the
now unattended automated
lighthouse. ;

Rats are major predators on
bird nests and the poisons used
each year to control the popu-
lation are known to be respon-
sible for the secondary poison-
ings and deaths of crow and
raven populations.

The constant long-term
misuse of the park by the pub-
lic is the real concern. Film
production, in contrast, occurs
as a short-term activity in the
park.
Also, film production com-

anies employ on 2 full-time

asis, specialized crews called
“greens men,” who arc trained
to refurbish used areas and if
needed, to repair any damage.
Film companies are extremely
sensitive to the quality of the
public areas and ‘wish to con-
tinue to use them, and the
majority of companics go out
of their way to ensure the

roper management of the
locations being used.

For the benefit of
Lighthouse Park and all its

users, I think the public should

encourage the West Vancouver

Park’s Board to implement the

following, points:

L.Discreet — multi-language
signs are required to ensure
that visitors keep to the
developed trails.

2. Dog owners should be made
aware of the park’s vulnera-
bility and ensure that dogs
are kept to trails and not
allowed unrestricted access.

3. The park, as a sign states at
its entrance, should be
locked by 10 p.m. to dis-
courage after-hours use by
campers and party goers. (It
never is!)

4. Adjoining, residential lands,
many of which are park-like,
should be incorporated over
time into the park as they
become available just as the
municipality has done in its
extension of the seawall in
West Vancouver.

5.A park warden should be
employed year-round in the
park to ensure the proper
usage of the park and to
enforce protective restric-
tions.

6.Monies received by film
companies should continue
to be put into the park’s
budget and perhaps be
directed to programs to
restore native vegetation;
programs to remove intro-
duced plant species; the
funding of a small nature
hut and trained biologist;
and programs that would
enhance the park for
wildlife, such as the raising
of nest boxes for birds and
bats.

Marja de Jong Westman,
M.Sc.

West Vancouver

RBC DOMINION SECURITIES SALUTES

Brian Bassett, Vice President and Director is proud to
announce that two North Shore investment advisors have been
named Vice Presidents of RBC Dominion Securities.

Janet Ketchen

Vice President & Manager
Janet began her career as an
investment advisor in 1985,
and since then has gained the
trust and respect of her clients
and colleagues. As Manager of
the North Vancouver Branch
of RBC Dominion Securities,
Janet continucs to serve her
clientele and welcomes
inquiries at 981-2301.

Vice President
Since beginning his career as
an investment advisor in 1987,
David has specialized in wealth
management for high net
worth individuals. Based in
the Royal Bank at 1789
Lonsdale Avenue in North
Vancouver, David can be
reached at 981-6617,

RBC Dominion Securities is dedicated to providing the highest
quality advice, service and investments to our clients and we are
proud to have set the highest standards for our industry.

RBC
DOMINION
~ SECURITIES

Professional Wealth Management
RBC Dominion Securities and Royal Bank of Canada are

scparate corporate entities which are affiliated.

Member CIPR.

Wednesday, March 11, 1998 — North Shore News - 9

ted white, mp.

advertorial, March 11/1998

SNIPPETS

Every year, as Christmas draws near,
MPs get to choose one of several
Christmas card designs to send out to
constituents. The cost of printing and
mailing up to 2,000 cards per MP is cov-
ered by taxpayers, and although ! have
never utilized the service, many MPs do
take advantage of the arrangement. In
an interesting example from 1997,
Bloc MP Suzanne Tremblay used
her taxpayer funded cards to wish
her constituents health, happiness,
and “a country in the year 2000.”
The Bloc Quebecois Leader, on the
other hand, sent out a total of 53,000
complimentary calendars emphasizing
specia! dates, but missing out Canada
Day completely. His staff blamed a com-
puter problem for the omission but
acknowledged that it was Bioc practice
to ignore Canada Day.

Heritage Minister Sheila Copps also
seems to have trouble remembering
important dates. Her recently released
Heritage Department Calendar Poster lists
lots of important multicultural dates but left
out any mention of Easter or Christmas. |
was under the impression that recognizing
Easter and Christmas was an important
part of our Canadian heritage — | was obvi-
ously wrong.

THE HEDY FRY SURVEY

Multticult Minister Hedy Fry has appar-
ently commissioned a survey by EGALE
(Equality for Gays And _ Lesbians
Everywhere) in an effort to establish a def-
inition for hate crimes against homosexu-
als. The Lioerals passed a Bill during the
last Parliament providing for special sen-
tences for hate crimes based on sexual ori-
entation, but, just as Refcrm pointed out
during the debates, there was no definition
in the Bill as to what constituted a hate
crime. Now it appears we have to spend a
bunch of your tax dollars in an attempt to
create the missing definition.

As noted ir my report of February 4,
1998, Hedy's department has grown by
142% in one year, despite the results of
public opinion polis showing the vast
majority of Canadians are opposed to tax-
payer funded multiculturalism, and despite
the Government's own study indicating
that multiculturalism has been a failure.
The Liberal response has been typical —
it's not working so let's throw more money
at it.

VOTING IN PARLIAMENT.
About a month ago I was speaking at a
local high school and played a short video
clip from a speech | had made in
Parliament. The students expressed
amazement at the empty chairs all around
me, and the fact that some MPs in the
background walked out while | was speak-
ing. When the students asked for an expla-
that it is quite nor-

mat to find fewer than a dozen people in
the House, including the clerks, during
debates.

Sadly. Parliament is not the place of
democracy they had imagined, where
meaningful debates take place, followed
by MPs voting the will of their constituents
on important national issues. It is instead a
place of pre-planned outcomes, where
speaking times are assigned, and speech-
es are given, sometimes with great pas-
sion, only to be followed by votes for which
the outcome is known long before the
debate begins. The Government side will
always win, no matter how defective the
Bill, or whether there is any measured pub-
tic support for the legislation. Parliament
has, over a period of time, become dys-
functional, and almost irrelevant, instead of
being a place to enact the will of the peo-
ple. My hope is that by speaking with
young people about the problems, | can
contribute over time to truly democratic
reform of the institution.

PATRONAGE

In case you gidn't notice, amongst
record numbers of recent Liberal patron-
age appointments, Anna Terrana, the sin-
gle term defeated Libera! MP from East
Vancouver, has been appointed to the
Immigration and Refugee Board at an
annual salary between $73,400 and
$86,400. Not bad. Anna took lots of inter-
national trips at taxpayer expense during
her time as an MP, and now she has:a
cushy job, well paid, without even having
to travel back and forth to Ottawa. She's
probably pleased that she wasn't re-elect-
ed, but dare we hope that she shows some
initiative and orders the deportation of at
least a few bogus refugee claimants over
the next few years?

THE GOOFY AWARD.

in a stroke of brilliance, the Liberal
Government has decided to spend.
$75,000 to develop a “Gender Strategy".
for Central and Southern Africa. .We all
know that people in ‘that area of the J.
world need housing, jobs, clean water,
food, medical assistance, and schools,
but a “Gender Strategy” appears to be
much higher on the Liberal priority list.
J guess we should be thankful they are:
not sending the Chair of the.Labour:
Relations Board to develop the strate-
gy. in eight short years he managed to.
run up a $500,000 expense account on
tcp of his salary of abcut $139,000 per.
year. Unfortunately, there are still plenty
of people living high on the hog at the |
taxpayer trough, and there is still plenty.
of government waste to be eliminated:
The present Government though,
seems to lack the will to’ seriousi

THE KIDS ARE THERE. »
DRIVE WITH CARE!

sense?

YOUR LOCAL
POLICE