News Reporter

IT hasn’t been an easy ride for many North Shore businesses since bridge. repairs started on the

Second Narrows Bridge.

Two lanes were shut down on the bridge ‘about a month ago. :

Since that time, the Coach House Inn has lost an estimated $80,000 worth of business.

“Iv’s pretty bad. Everyone is shaking their heads at this,” said general manager Jack Zydel.

Zydei said layoffs in the ranks of his 64 employees were in the offing, bus an AIDS, ‘conference this week in Vancouver will pro- vide enough business for everyone to keep

_ their jobs for now,

~~ The Cuach House has lost the most business during the.after-work hours, between 4 p.m. to _8 p.m. Patrons usually pack the pub and lounge

at that time.” : “There is no way they (the customers) are “going to put up with the highway.” said Zydel. He ‘said North Vancouver commuters are discouraged from doing. business. HOV lanes

arid heavy bridge traffic make traversing North ..

“Vancouver difficult for some local commuters. “| personally have troubles getting to the "he said. - as At the Lynnwood inn, within rock-throwing stance of the bridge, business is down 25%. ’.» Lyrinwocd manager Chris Cotton said lay-

would been considered had business con-,

nued to'suffer as it.did during the first two weeks of bridge repair, “The Lynnwood employs 60 people. : Cotton; said there was.no reasonable warn- ing about, what was going to be happening this

ion of North — K’d by CRTC”

The change come Telecommunications: ‘Rogers and-Shaw. th

wv

ate of the art... we've got a lot”

, ” said Wong, adding that once the, work is rth Shore subscribers can expect noticeable changes — with-

the next 24 months.

Th jay include adding two “superstation” channels for local sub-

sest made

: Company, specialists in tabor and administrative

sclosure req

“39 Days to Go” We're 32 days into the Second Narrows bridge upgrade, scheduled to be completed by Aug. 15.

“What about the people that have to live through this? It is just ridiculous,” said Cotton. Cotton said that one of the bridge workers who is staying at the inn was nearly “lynched”

by patrons when he walked in wearing his con- .

struction vest during the early days of bridge repairs.

The worker quickly went up to his room and changed before returning to the dining room.

Meanwhile at North Shore Taxi, business is down 10% to 15%. .

"North Shore Taxi general manager. Subag Singh said customers wanting a cab near Mountain Highway and Main have had to wait 14 hours before one shows up.

“After that you have to wait for the traffic... It’s frustrating for all of us, customers and dri- vers,” said Singh.

Singh said’ the reduction of three-person HOV lanes to two people per car has helped

‘eab travel.

. Over at Sunshine Cabs the picture is not as bleak, General manager Gunter Schliper says business is about at usual levels.

But taxi patterns have changed. Schliper says there are a lot more people getting picked up at the SeaBus terminal. There are fewer calls for cabs for grocery trips. (The grocery trips are affected by the food strike.)

“We are usually adding a half hour or an

. ‘hour to travelling times,” said Schliper.

ENV NEWS photo Brad Leawidge |

Act of kindness.

WEST Van's Samantha Kiassen, 13 (left), and Chanelle Stevens, 1 a $25 reward recently for returning a purse

‘they found in McDonald’

2, each got: The

' purse contained $282, a West Van senior’s entire monthiy ‘pension. - ;

te : . : i . : : alte,

ih

scribers to choose from in addition to the much-anticipated two-way inter- active service or simple-Internet access. | ao nr _ “As we, improve the electronics and fibre-optics on the North Shore, - ‘we'll: introduce thest services,” said Wong. Me ae | Although the Internet access application is likely to receive'a first trial . run in Vancouver, its impact will be significant to all Rogers.subscribers as it becomes more widely available. . ‘ oo ".. :,, Dubbed Rogers Wave, its greatest selling feature is speed. Current tech-

nology features the 28,800 bits per second modem operating through tele- _ phone wires. Most online homes aren’t even that advanced as the 14,400 modem is‘much more common and inexpensive. . ‘

A cable modém offers an initial speed of 500,000 bits per second with, ;

the next wave featuring mind-boggling speeds of 3 million bits per second.

“It’s all because of that coaxial cable going into the houses,” said Wong. ©

“It’s like a water pipe compared to a drinking straw for phone wires.” -

One. area in which the switch from blue to red is unlikely to cause .

change is'Shaw’s existing staff who, says Wong, can expect to keep their

"jobs. :

“We're going to keep the North Shore office open .., we're glad io have’ ’

those folks on,” said Wong. ae Shaw Cable's chief executive officer Jim Shaw confirmed that whole- sale job loss.as a result of the changeover is unlikely.

. “A lot.of the basic infrastructure has to stay in place to serve the cus-

tomers there,” said: Shaw from the company’s lead office in Calgary. ,;

However, Shaw disagreed with Wong’s assessment ‘of the state of. the.

North Shore’s current system. He suggested that putting down previous

dl

image.: .

; '. regimes is common practice among new owners {o improve their own

“Once we decided to sell a year ago we probably put a few things on

hold,” said Shaw, adding that overall Shaw's setup is “as far advanced as

their systems.

1

: law, who concluded:

“I've got a veste

But Wong didn’t refrain from singing his employer's praises. ;

d interest going in this.” said Wong, a Caulfeild resi- dent. “I’m just glad I'll be able to get the same service that my parents (liv- ing in Vancouver) get.” :

$126,000 ... consistent with those received by

CUPE union staff upon retirement at age 60"; & the benefits willl include payment for “out- standing Vacation benefits/banked time due him, 30 working days pay severance and four days ser- vice pay for each year of service"; :

‘taxable inco

F rom page 41:

@ made: false stateme

WA: made. false ‘statements: ona

. 1989 T2 business retuim:bi

ad

‘include ;,’

income. i yg ee The! charges’ against Byron:

‘Briton alleged that he

@ evaded taxes’ by:/ failing report $83,098 on’ his’. TI Individual tax returns from’ 1988 io 1993... : :

» According chi Byron Briton. failed to report an additional * .. beget $11,595 on his’ 1993. repo taxable income; of;$43,056 Bi $2,500 on. his’1992: repo income of $42,817.64

income of $47,326.29,

7

@ $20,359.50 on his 1990 tax- able income of $51,164.95, |.’

@ $19,388 on his 1989 taxable: income of $47,577; °° 0 3: $19,847.50 on his 1988, tax- able income of $47,433." : Josephine ‘Sally Briton ‘was charged with evading taxes’ by” failing to report $60,003/0n her. Ti , Individual‘ -Income..: tax: returns in 1988, 1989, 1990 and 1991. The ‘charges alleged she’ failed to: report an additional $9,408 on her reported..1991 individual: taxable income’ of

$46,749.72, an additional $17,359.50 on her $52,822.71: | taxable income in 1990, an addi: tional $19,388 on her reported’ $48,134 taxable income in 1989 and $13,847. 50 on her reported: taxable income of $47,877 in 1988. . og The Britons’ next court | appearance in“ connection with. the charges is set for-July.17. 077

@ “Mr. Palmer has been on paid leave of absence at the full monthly salary of approximately $11,900, inclusive of benefits, since May 1, 1996, which will continue until his date of retirement on Jan. 34, 1997." . Palmer has been with the district for approxi-.’ mately (9 years, the lust 13 us municipal manager, - almer’s severance.package under the = 1997... Palmer was invited to respond to the pro- 9f< information and Protection ‘of Council subsequently approved a release that posed information release by the district but did cy Act.” “ - confirmed: . not do so. . pee “Legal! advice: #-retirement benefits “valued at approximately Palmer also failed to return calls to the News.

“It is our opinion that the corporation’s disclo- sure obligations would likely extend not only to, the disclosure of the specific amounts which will be'paid to Mr. Palmer as of the effective date of his retirement, but also to the corporation’s agree- ment to.place Mr, Palmer on a paid leave of absence for the period: May 1, 1996, to Jan. 31,

you to start in May. We said we would like you : Palmer) to‘leave earlier. ¢ | . ; ““Those are the facts. Murray Dykeman was’ rying to; intiinidate council by telling us that the release of information would make us personally “able: Por what? Speaking the truth.”

rict received.a request in May for dis-