A8 - Wednesday, December 22, 1982 - North Shore News

NV CITY ACCEPTS PRIVATE BID ge crews get

slips for Xmas

EIGHT employees of:

North Vancouver City will get unwelcome Christmas presents from City council — layoff notices — after council voted Monday to contract out its garbage service.

Council voted 5-2 to award Smithrite Disposal Ltd. a $314,000 contract to pick up garbage, to sell Smithrite the City's garbage trucks for $114,000, and to lay off eight municipal employees.

The action has come after almost a year of soul- searching and attempts by City Engineer Alan Phillips to cut the costs of the City garbage service.

The new service is scheduled to start April 1.

But Phillips told council Monday he can _ only guarantee a cost of $351,000, $37,000 higher than Smithrite will charge the

Haul-Away Disposal also submitted a bid. Haul-Away has been collecting garbage in West Vancouver for about a year.

But Haul-Away’s bid came in much higher than that of Smithrite, and Phillips said Smithrite will provide the service at a lower per-

By TERRY LAVENDER

household cost than Haul- Away charges West Van- couver.

Aldermen Prank Marcino and Gary Payne were sceptical about how much of a saving the City will really get by contracting out garbage pickup.

Marcino wondered what

‘will happen five years from now when the contract runs out. Will Smithrite suddenly jack up their prices, leaving the City stuck with an uneconomical service? Because the City will have sold the garbage trucks, “We're at the mercy of whoever's contracting,” he said.

For such a small saving as is being offered, he said he did not want to see control of the garbage service pass out of City hands.

And he and Payne wondered how the City will justify providing free gar- bage pickup to single family residences when strata apartment owners have to pay Smithrite to provide “container service, and also pay municipal taxes which go to paying for other peoples’ garbage pickup.

Payne called council's action, “An _ insignificant saving and an impudent

decision for this council to

One million phone calls on |

Christmas Day

BRITISH COLUMBIANS who plan to spread-goodwill to relatives and friends by telephone this festive season are urged to spread their calls out so as to have a better chance of getting through.

Since Christmas Day is traditionally the heaviest calling day of the year, B.C. Tel will have more than 1,300 operators on duty throughout the province December 25 when more than one million long distance calls — both direct dialed and operator handled —— are expected.

Although = additional circuits have alsq. been added to handle the in-

creased demand, delays are inevitable with such oa large volume of calls, many of which must compete for long distance circus from province to province

Therefore. callers are urged to spread thew calls out over the holiday penod so as toh ave a better chance of getting through To commodate these callers, additional BC Tcl operators will be on duty Christmas Eve and Boxing Day

Customers are also urged tO use direct distance dialing, which is both faster and cheaper, and to obtain numbers ahead of ame to

aec-

avoid last-minute Directory Assistance “shopping” Direct distance dialing information is listed in the front pages of the telephone directory.

Customers in areas with direct dialing overseas facilities should also refer to their directories for in- structions, and discount rate periods.

Network and = customer service personnel, including installation and repair crews, will also be on duty during the holiday period to fulfill customers’ needs.

PET CORNER

make.”

Payne, Marcino and Alderman Ralph Hall tried to delay the vote on private garbage service until council could talk to the municipal union, the Canadian Union of Public Employees. Their motion failed, however.

Other council members said CUPE had been given plenty of time to come to an agreement with Engineer Phillips on ways to save money and jobs. But CUPE didn't seem enthusiastic, Phillips said in a report.

Alderman Elko Kroon argued that council had to vote for the contracting out of the service or lose credibility with the public and the union.

“We have to show that we mean business and let the union know that we will stick to our guns,” he said.

He said that CUPE didn’t try to carry out the intent of the council, made clear at an earlier meeting, which has to cut the costs of the City service as much as possible by switching from three-man to two-man collection crews.

“If we back off now it lessens our credibility,” he warned.

Alderman Stella Jo Dean expressed confidence that the eight laid-off City em- ployees will get jobs with Smithrite.

Cabin caught fire in storm

GUSTING winds Wed- nesday caused a backfire in an oil fire stove in one of the eight small rented cabins on Nelson Avenue in Horseshoe Bay and started a fire there. |

Fire damage to the cabin and contents is estimated at $5,000.

Fire at Neptune

A CEDAR roof and pony wall of a storage shed at Neptune Terminals on the North Vancouver waterfront caught fire early Saturday morning.

North Vancouver City firefighters responded to the fire at 2:20 a.m., and spent about an hour and a half there, since although there was little damage, the fire was difficult to reacn.

COLLIE cross Samoyed puppy, eight weeks old, needs a home. Please phone Dorts Orr, 987-9015.

AC

. NEWS photo Stuart Davis

HIGH WINDS were responsible for the shock J. Gordon Cooper received Sunday morning when one of the trees in his front yard crashed onto his home, causing only

minor damage.

ET Dollis Smurf Watches

oe

Walt Disney Plush Toyy * et é a

Master Mind 44 Ga After Efght Mints

10 Roll Christmas Wrap (This won’t be lower after Christmas)

30’’x480’’

Christmas Cards Boxed Now

p rice 10.50 & 10.60

er Carton

WY price