FRIDAY
October 13, 1995
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&& This size of
Slide we don’t see
every day. It’s a
one-in-10-year

event. 95

— Mairi Welman, GVRD
communications officer on
major Capilano watershed.
landslide, See page 3.

a Crossword 32
_@N. Shore Alert.........10
r Sports. 12
B@ Talking Perconals...32

Tide Charts..........0....34
& TV Listings..............20

Weekly Real Estate
~ listings: 37 —~ 64

Take a seat in
classical style:

‘The three provincial
‘party leaders share

Weather

Saturday: Cloudy with showers
High 18°C, low 6°C.

SOT HE ig,

NEWS photo Paul McGrath

“WE DON’T want it and we’re not having it,” was the message delivered to a standing-rcom-only crowd by journalist Trevor
Carolan at Wednesday’s public hearing on a possible parks designation of North Vancouver’s Cove and Mountain forests.

Cove, Mountain

THEY PACKED the gymnasium of
Windsor secondary school to the rafters
Wednesday night. They waved green
paper trees and took home 800 conifer
seedlings to plant for the future.

They were the supporters of the Group United
Around Responsible Development (GUARD)
and their speeches ranged from technical minuti-
ac to passionate oratory. °

They came to tell North Vancouver District
Council to leave the forests of Seymour for the
enjoyment of future generations and despite the
informal presence of toddlers and dogs sheltering

from the rain, they were impressively organized.

But for the first time in the debate over the
future of Cove Forest and Mountain Forest there
was some apposition to an immediate Parks,
Reereation and Open Space (PRO) rezoning.

While approximately 65 pro-park speakers
signed up (o address a crowd of close to 1.200
residents, there were 15 presentations fron indi-
viduals and community organizations in favor of
either limited development. or detailed studies
and a-district-wide referendum on the parks pro-
posal.

The biggest land issue to face this generation

~ of Seymour residents, and probably the district a5

a whole, centes on the largest two remaining
tracts of Urban Reserve in the district’s Oficial

Community Plan (OCP),

forest hearing to be reconvened

NORTH VANCOUVER
DISTRICT COUNCIL
By Martin Millerchip

Mountain Forest lies above Northlands and to
the east of Blucridge, while Cove Forest extends
east of Mount Seymour Road above Deep Cove.

According to the district's director of planning
Irwin Torry, the 392 hectares could contain an
estimated 2,150 housing units.

But opponents of development say the forest-
ed areas provide uniquely accessible tails for
hikers, bikers and horse-riders from the entire
Lower Mainland and that Seymour roads, com-
munity facilities and schools cannot cope with
the area’s present population.

Wednesday’s public hearing began with a
computer-generated slide montage of the history
of Seymour development and the question “What
happens when the land runs out?”

The forested backdrop to Deep Cove was con-
trasted with pictures af Port Coquitlum’s heavily
develeped hillsides with nota tree in sight. bring-
ing an audible groan from the huge crowd.

But Dan Ellis, representing the Lyan. Valley
Community Associition, also garnered applause
for his request to defer any decision on land-use

_ toa community-wide referendum.

Ellis argued that population pressure is not

going to go away and that only 12 years of land
sales remain to the district before “we must rely
solely on taxation.” : ;

Continued Ellis: “We feel the traditional
bylaw process we are participating in tonight
does not properly address such a momentous
land-use decision. We believe all district residents
should have their say.”

But Laurie Anne Speed argued that dollars
and cents was not the only value that could be
placed on the land.

“Developing these forests may certainty olfer
some short-lerni gains both financially and polit-
ically, but please try and demonstrate (rue vision-
ary Jeadership and foresight.” said Speed.

“Ina world that is slowly being covered over
in asphait-and where the almighty dollar reigns
supreme, show us that you can rise above the
concerns of the moment... Show us that you can
rise above the petty, average and pedestrian to a
truly noble state and demionstrate diat real value -
fies in the human spicit.”

A Tong presentition by John Lakes on behalf
of the North Vancouver Chamber of Commerce
concluded with a request for detailed land-use
and economic studies and subsequeat public par-
ticipation in an OCP review process.

Lakes suggested that property taxes on devel-
opment in Cove and Mountain Forest could raise

See Revenue page 3