NVC to decide fate of seniors’

Sunday, May 9, 1993 - North Shore News - 3

evelopment

Area residents petition opposes 48-unit Wagg Creek Park housing project

THE FATE of the 48-unit seniors’ housing development proposed for a corner of Wagg Creek Park should be decided by North Vancouver City Council at its meeting

tomorrow night.

Council will also be passing judgment on two other develop- ments that were the subject of public hearings Monday, May 3, assuming all council members present at the hearings attend tomorrow night's meeting.

Council held an extra meeting on Wednesday night to catch up on its agenda, after two regular Monday night council meetings in a row were taken up with public hearings.

But decisions on the develop- ments were again deferred because Coun. Barbara Sharp, who at- tended the hearings, could not make it t9 Wednesday's meeting.

The developers’ plans for the Wage Creck Park housing, pro-

‘GAG’ LAW

By Stephen Wisenthal Contributing Writer

posed for the southwest corner of 21st Street and Chesterfield Avenue, have been changed to reflect some of the concerns raised earlier in the hearings on the de- velopment,

Howard Addison, Buron Development, planned four-storey s development, fronting onto

President of suid that a ction of the the

park, would be reduced to three

storeys, with some of the units moved to another part of the building.

The change would reduce the

Election spending cap

faces court

challenge

from citizens’ group

NEW FEDERAL

legislation

limiting individuals to a

$1,000 maximum contribution to support a political party or candidate during a federal election campaign is being ‘challenged by the National Citizens’ Coalition (NCC). —

The spending limit is included in reform amendments to the Canada Elections Act. A law limiting third-party spending is expected to be in place before this year's federal election.

But said Capilano-Howe Sound Tory MP Mary Collins, ‘‘We (politicians) have spending limita- tions on election expenditures. And if you don’t have cotm- parative (personal) limitations, they don’t mean anything because I can just get my friend to spend the money and put the ad in about Mary Collins."

She said unlimited spending to promote election issues such as free trade or unemployment is still allowed.

But the NCC, a non-profit ad- vocacy group in favor cf less gov- ernment, has already launched a court challenge against the change.

The NCC claims the gag law would infringe upon freedom of speech as guaranteed in the Charter of Rights.

“The real reason why people like Mary Collins want this is because they want to give political parties a monopoly on debate dur- ing election time,’’ said NCC spokesman Gerry Nicolls.

“They (politicians) want in- dependent citizens to basically sit on the sidelines and shut up at election time. They don't want cit- izens to bring up issues they don’t want to discuss,’ he said.

But Collins disagrees.

“T think it really has. been

By Anna Marie D’Angelo News Reporter

misinterpreted by the National Citizens’ Coalition,”’ said Collins.

“They are trying to make it sound like it would impede peo- ple’s ability to participate and that’s not true,’’ she said.

But Nicolls argues that people will be restricted by the legisla- tion.

“Here is a law that states we can’t express a political opinion during a federal election unless it costs less than $1,000,’’ he said.

A. five-year jail term is propos- ed as penalty for breaking the spending limit.

The spending limit would pre- vent the buying of elections by wealthy people, according to the government.

But said Nicolls, ‘‘We don't buy the argument that elections can be bought.

“If you want proof of that, all you have ‘to do is look at the Charlottetown Accord. The Yes side outspent the No side by a massive amount of money,’’ he said. .

During the previous federal campaign, business groups spent several millions of dollars. pro- moting the free trade issue.

Substantial spending on issues not directly linked to specific po- litical parties is still possible under the election reform legislation.

Good News changes ahead

Gary Bannerman’s Open Lines column, which has appeared on page 9 in the Sun-

AS PART of its commitment to remaining at the head of the community newspaper pack, the North Shore News is currently reassessing all aspects of its edi- torial content.

As a result of that ongoing process, changes to the location and content of regular columns and other features will be made over the coming months.

Starting in. today’s News, for

example,

day News for the past three years, will make way for more local news stories and features.

‘The main goal in our current editorial revitalization is to pro- vide a bigger, brighter, more in- teractive,.more informative and more entertaining community newspaper for . North Shore News readers.

NORTH VANCOUVER - CITY COUNCIL

floor-space ratio to 1.46 times the lot size.

Neighbors of the park took the Opportunity Wednesday to reiter- ate their opposition to the devel- opment. They wanted to know what would replace the access to the park currently provided by a lane that will be blocked by the development.

Mary Weir presented an addi- tional 38-signature petition oppos- ing the development from parents of children who use the park.

Another development due for a vote tomorrow night is a nine-unit townhouse proposed for a site at 1816 to 1828 Chesterfield Ave., near 18th Street.

A decision was postponed in

44 If that is built by my fence, I don’t think

I'll even be able to sell my house. 99

March to give the developers time to reach an agreement with the owners of the three adjacent cor- ner lots, which would allow a more flexible development.

Neighbors told council that a proposal to move the entrance to the development’s underground garage from the lane to Chester- field addressed many of their con- cerns about traffic in the lane,

Also under discussion tomorrow will be a triplex :oposed for the east side of Western Avenue, im-

,

— Resident Muriel Wilson

mediately above the Upper Levels Highway.

Sanjay Mchta, of developers Twiga Investments, said his firm had agreed to fix the lane adjacent to the triplex and replace concrete barriers with a cedar hedge.

But Muriel Wilson, the resident of the adjacent house, said the building would present 4 ‘‘blank wall’? to replace the remains of her view, much of which had al- ready been blocked by other de- velopments around her,

NEWS photo Nell Lucente

AIRCARE WORKERS at the North Shore station and all Lower Mainland AirCare testing stations have been on strike since May 1. The workers earn approximately $7.25 an hour. They. are asking for an increase to approximately $11 an hour in their first union contract.

Care strike dragging on

No new contract talks scheduled in dispute

THE STRIKE at AirCare stations on the North Shore and elsewhere around the Lower Mainland shows no sign of resolution.

AirCare workers have been on strike since Saturday, May 1, but no new bargaining talks have been scheduled.

The striking workers are seeking a first contract after being union- ized last fall.

The BC Government Employees Union (BCGEU), which represents AirCare workers, proposed April 30 that the provincial government take over the program and expand it to include vehicle safety inspec- tions.

Ebco-Hamilton Partners spokesman John Nixon said the BCGEU believes a government takeover of the AirCare program

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Editorial Page ....

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By Anna Marie D’ Angelo News Reporter

would resolve the dispute in the

‘ union’s favor.

“We think this is just wrong,’ said Nixon.

Ebco-Hamilton was awarded the AirCare contract by the previous provincial government.

North Vancouver-Lonsdale NEP MLA David Schreck reacted to the union’s proposal by saying that the parties involved should channel their energies into collec- tive bargaining.

“The issue (of vehicle safety i in- spections) is not part of the dispute, and it is not part of any option,’’ Schreck said on Friday.

He said Ebco-Hamilton’s con- tract was not going to be broken and that the government was not a party in the dispute.

index BS Horoscopes............28 BM Lifestyles..............25 ‘Travel . ..29

@ Vintage Years .........26 88 What's Going On ......23

Meanwhile, the Motor Vehicle ' Branch (MVB) has suspended the requirement that cars must pass | AirCare inspection before they: can be insured.

A MVB spokesman seid the AirCare-inspection requirement will be re-instated after the strike ends.

At that time, the MYB superin- tendent will announce that drivers have 90 days to get their recently-insured vehicles in- spected.

AirCare lane inspectors are seeking a wage increase from ap- proximately $7.25 to approximate- ly $11 an hour.

Ebco-Hamilton has offered in- creases to approximately $7.87 an hour over three years.

Twenty-eight of the 343 Air- Care employees work at the North Shore station. ‘

Weather

Monday and Tuesday, mostly cloudy with showers. Highs to

17°C.

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