WVM2007-31
AGENDA Oct 15
Calendar to Oct 25
by Carolanne Reynolds, Editor
www.WestVan.org

Marching into shrinking days.......
=  MAIN ITEMS ccl mtg October 15th: PUBLIC HEARING on Shell Gas Stn site 1301 Marine; then ccl mtg: BC Ferries/Noise; Fire Services (info to be provided!); Bylaw Enforcement/Penalties; Correspondence (including letters on dogs; trees; oodles on Hugo Ray Park fields including sports groups/residents' lawyer's letter; user fees; 2301 Marine facts; Nelson Crk footings and Streamkeepers)
=  Vive le Canada; ANIMALWATCH; INFObits (Open Mtgs Cont'd); UPDATES; BOOKWATCH (Platypus and Plato); WEBWATCH (Reclaiming Wetlands); Calendar to Oct 25th (Nbrhd Fair, dogs, Sway'wey, and much more!)
=  AGENDA Oct 15th; Cmnty Survey (soon!); Byzantine Culture; Obituary (Dr  Haidar Aabdel Shafi); Language (Latin -- amusing; new word; Wabi-Sabi); Cat Haiku; Kids' Questions; Quotations
*** VIVE LE CANADA
Thanks and best wishes to Senator Pat Carney whose retirement was announced Oct 11th.  Prime Minister Harper: "On behalf of the Government of Canada, I would like to thank Pat Carney for her 25 years of service to our country. She has been a passionate voice for British Columbia, first as a Member of Parliament, [then as] a Cabinet Minister and as a Senator. Pat has been a strong voice for women's rights in Canada and aboriginal and non-aboriginal communities in her native British Columbia.  She was elected as the Member of Parliament for Vancouver Centre in 1980, the first woman to serve as a Conservative MP from British Columbia, and was re-elected in 1984. Pat, summoned to the Senate of Canada in 1990, is the second longest serving member of the Conservative Caucus."
MY COMMENTS: It is three years early so wd guess it's health -- maybe Trevor Lautens who also spends time on Saturna will let us know.  Senator Carney indeed has been a great asset for BC.  I seem to recall she is an economist and has contributed a great deal in that area (involved in negotiation of Free Trade Agreement).  She has done a lot of good work for BC, not least of wch is support for our heritage, in particular the Pt Atkinson lighthouse.  We are indebted.
SENATE: Our body of sober second thought is valuable in our governance and its effectiveness (as with the House of Commons) is dependent on those chosen -- their ability, integrity, and dedication.  Senator Carney was among the best.  Former Senator Forsey was another towering figure with expertise on Canada's constitution.
No, I don't agree with an all-elected Senate -- that about the same as just enlarging the House of Commons, and how much good wd that do?  I do suggest a mixture of appointed and elected (more on this in a later issue).  A more serious issue to be addressed is the unequal representation of the provinces (and territories).
VOTING:  Ontario soundly defeated MMP.  Well, I don't agree with what was proposed for BC either, but do agree with 1-2-3 (more on this later too) to get majority as opposed to run-offs as in France and other countries.
=== ANIMALWATCH
Just discovered a charming endearing animal soap opera, Meerkat Manor (on Knowledge Network, Ch 5, on Wednesdays at 7pm).  You may have seen the famous cover of National Geographic with them, followed by another with humans in the same positions.  They're a small mongoose-like animal and Cambridge University has been studying them in the Kalahari for ten years.  They're all named and have different personalities and roles -- what eager and attentive eyes they have.  Major cute factor.
===  INFObits  >>>  OPEN MEETINGS (Continued)
"An informal conference or caucus permits crystallization of secret decisions to a point just short of ceremonial acceptance. There is rarely any purpose to a nonpublic pre-meeting conference except to conduct some part of the decisional process behind closed doors. Only by embracing the collective inquiry and discussion stages, as well as the ultimate step of official action, can an open meeting regulation frustrate these evasive devices. As operative criteria, formality and informality are alien to the law's design, exposing it to the very evasions it was designed to prevent."  See http://www.waterplan.water.ca.gov/docs/cwpu2005/vol4/vol4-legislation-brownact.pdf
=== UPDATES
>>>  See Calendar Oct 23 wrt Olympic Games Client Program.
>>>  Design before or after rezoning?  The Dir/Planning (SJN) replies:
Rezoning is not a frequent occurrence in West Van but when it does occur on a site, we often tie the design into the approval by considering both the zoning and Development Permit at the same time.  The design is preliminary working drawings, good enough for describing the concept but not for obtaining a building permit.  It could change in the future but typically does not in substance.  A substantial change requires an amendment or new Development Permit.
=== BOOKWATCH
>>>  Congratulations to Doris Lessing who has just been awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature.  Remember reading her book "The Grass is Singing" about growing up in (then-named) Rhodesia.  The Golden Notebook is one of her most famous.
>>>  The third book I've copyedited (publisher didn't make all the corrections I sent) will be released October 30 (have already found some mistakes), "The Dord, the Diglot, and an Avocado or Two, the hidden lives and strange origins of common and not so common words" (by Anu Garg) but can be pre-ordered from Amazon.  More on this next issue.  Meanwhile, I highly recommend the following book:
>>> Plato and a Platypus Walked into a Bar . . . Understanding Philosophy Through Jokes
by Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein
came out this year and the long weekend gave the opportunity to read so this one can be read in a few hours -- yummy read.  You learn about philosophical terms and have a few giggles.  Had heard many of the jokes but the context gives added appreciation.
LOGIC starts with: Without logic, reason is useless.  With it, you can win arguments and alienate multitudes.
In the section on Metaphysics and Rationalism, I got an attack of the sillies when I read:
        The optimist says, "The glass is half full."
        The pessimist says, "The glass is half empty."
        The rationalist says, "This glass is twice as big as it needs to be."
-- the urge to add to the list was irresistible, so (and I'm an inveterate writer-in-the-margin reader):
                The Government says, "That's my share."
                The Detective asks, "Who drank from this glass?"
                Sherlock Holmes deduces, "He left in a hurry b/c he didn't have time to finish it."
                G asks, "Who drank some of my beer?" or if water, "Where's the scotch?"
                Mother asks, "Who didn't finish his milk?"
                A wife asks, "Who didn't put his glass away?"
                        and -- A hostess just fills the glass.
[and only a few mistakes in the book and they're v minor, spelling and punctuation.]
=== WEBWATCH -- RECLAIMING WETLANDS
Farmland yields to major wetland
By Jeremy Cooke, Rural affairs correspondent, BBC News / Black-winged stilt is not a "resident" of Britain
Looking at Wallasea Island, it's hard to imagine that this flat, featureless landscape is about to become one of Britain's most important wildlife sanctuaries.
But 500 years ago - before this corner of coastal Essex was drained to make way for crop production - this was salt marsh. It was a thriving natural environment teeming with life.
Now, in its most ambitious project in this country, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is about to spend =A312m recreating the salt marsh, turning the clock back by hundreds of years. See http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7030298.stm

===  CALENDAR to Oct 25th  === [M Hall unless otherwise noted; confirm b/c sometimes changes]
REMEMBER the Farmers' Markets:
          Saturdays: Dundarave 10am - 4pm; Sundays: Ambleside (14th/Bellevue) 11am - 3pm

== Saturday Oct 13th ~ 9am - 1pm ~ Gleneagles Cmnty Ctr Garage Sale

Neighbourhoods Fair Weekend
Neighbourhood Character and Ideas / Beginning the Dialogue: Issues and Ideas
October 13/14th at Park Royal Shopping Centre (North Mall)
Saturday 10am - 5pm; Sunday noon - 5pm
Info: WV Planning - 925 7055 or www.westvancouver.ca/communitydialogue
This is an opportunity to tell staff and the Working Group what aspects of your neighbourhood you want to keep, and maybe help them define or describe its character.  If there's something special in your area that you think is a heritage resource/asset or you think ought to be preserved, please add it to the list at the adjoining table, Heritage West Van.  This information will be given to the Heritage Working Group doing preliminary research for a register.  It's also a good occasion to talk about creeks and creek protection areas in your area, and other aspects of neighbourhood character and the environment.  Put your neighbourhood on the map!  Let the Housing WG know what you think.

== Sunday Oct 14th-- 1 - 3pm -- OPEN HOUSE at the Ambleside Fire Station
Take the whole family and watch demonstrations of fire extinguishers, the ladder truck, a rescue from the hose tower, and auto extrication tools. Take a turn spraying water, enjoy refreshments, enter our draw, and visit with the fire fighters.
== Monday Oct 15th    
~ Homelessness in a Growth Economy: Canada's 21st Century Paradox, a lecture with Gordon Laird, October 15, SFU Surrey and SFU Harbour Centre.  Details: http://www.sfu.ca/city/fpl6popup.htm
* October 15 to 22 is Homelessness Week *
~ North Shore Safe House -- thanks to a significant donation provided by one WV family, it will re-open Nov 1st.  Donations for youth who have just 'transitioned' to the Safe House can be dropped off at the M Hall, the Library, the Amb Youth Ctr, the Arena, the FBG, Gleneagles Cmnty Ctr, or the Srs' Ctr.  New items needed: toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorant, trial-sized shampoo/rinse, and lip balm.
== Tuesday Oct 16th -- Not on the WV Cmnty Calendar but was told Finance/Audit Cmte mtg at 4:30pm
== Wednesday Oct 17th
~ 7:30am ~ Chamber of Commerce Breakfast at the Hollyburn Country Club, 950 Crosscreek
Cost: $25 for members; $35 for non-members; RSVP admin@westvanchamber.com or call 926 6614
WHAT THE WEST VANCOUVER LIBRARY CAN DO FOR YOUR BUSINESS
The West Vancouver Library is one of the best libraries of its size in Canada, with a long list of "bests" and "firsts" to its credit.  How can the library help with your business? Do we still need libraries and what about the future?  Discussions will centre around changes in the library business since the advent of the Internet and what the future holds in a world of downloadable business information available 24/7. 
Come and hear how the leading-edge technology and resources coming soon to the library will enhance your bottom line.
Speakers: We are pleased to have three speakers with us at this breakfast:
Ms Ann Goodhart, Directory of Library Services, came to West Vancouver in 1997, after 13 years as an Associate Director in the library system in Washington State. 
Ms Nicole Brown was appointed to the West Vancouver Library Board in 2004, after working as Director of Marketing, Rogers iMedia eEducation Group. 
Ms Deb Hutchinson was the Business Librarian, Vancouver Public Library 2001-2002, and is now Head of the Reference Department at the West Vancouver Memorial Library.
Please see our website at www.westvanchamber.com at the events calendar to register.
~ all at 7pm            ~  Cmnty Ctr Governance WG at Lawn Bowling Club [MOVED to Oct 30]
                ~  Board of Variance
                ~  Library Board at the Library
== Thursday Oct 18th
~ 9 - 11am ~ Community Meeting about DOGS in West Vancouver at the Memorial Library
Residents are invited to meet with the Mayor and Council to talk about dogs in West Vancouver, including the process for reviewing the Animal Control Bylaw.   Coffee will be served, and everyone is welcome.
~ 1:30pm ~ Heritage WG
~ 5pm ~ NSh Substance Abuse WG
~ 6 - 8pm:      ~ Nbrhd Info Mtg re proposed townhouse (445 - 13th) at location, Pat's Restaurant
        ~ N.S. Family Court & Youth Justice Cmte at CNV M Hall
~ 6:30pm ~ Film at the Library: Mondovino
Free event.  This documentary on the impact of globalization on  the world's different wine regions weaves together the family sagas of billionaire Napa Valley power brokers, the rivalry of two Florentine dynasties, and the efforts of three generations of a Burgundian family fighting to preserve their few acres of land.
~ 7 - 9pm ~ COHO SOCIETY ART EXHIBIT AND AUCTION at Ch of Commerce offices 1846 Marine Drive
RON STEVEN AND CYPRESS PARK PRIMARY SCHOOL ART AUCTION
International marine artist Ron Steven attended West Vancouver's Cypress Park Primary School last June and provided an educational session on protecting our environment, and in particular our oceans and the salmon in our streams and rivers.  The outcome was twenty paintings and one collaborative piece which were displayed at this year's Coho Festival.  All of the art work will be on display and auctioned off by Ron Steven and the artists of Cypress Park Primary, with the proceeds being donated to the Coho Society. The aim is to have the community-at-large recognize the efforts made by these children for an environmental cause.
~ 7:30pm ~ Western Residents' Assn mtg at the Gleneagles Community Centre
== Friday Oct 19th
        ~ 8:45am ~ Arts & Culture Strategy Implementation WG
~ noon - 5pm ~  CELEBRATION of SWAY'WEY CREEK
                        at the Ambleside Youth Ctr, 1018 Marine Drive
North Shore Wetland Partners present a barbecue lunch, a Pacific Muppet Show for children, historical talks and Squamish story-telling for adults, a descriptive Nature Walk, and a Dedication and Creek-naming ceremony.  For more info pls contact: north.shore.wetland.partners@gmail.com
== Saturday Oct 20th
Deadline for nominations for the tenth annual Unity in Diversity Awards selected by the Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of WV (forms and info: warneren@telus.net). "The diversity in the human family should be the cause of love and harmony, as it is in music where many different notes blend together in the making of a perfect chord." Any individual and/or organization may meet the criteria. Presentation and reception will be held at the Library on Nov 6th.
== Tuesday Oct 23rd
        ~ 4:30pm ~ Finance & Audit Cmte???
        ~ 6:30pm ~ Cmnty Dialogue/Nbrhd Character & Housing WG
* WORKSHOP re Games Client Property Program
The District has begun compiling a database of properties available for commercial rental use up to and during the 2010 Olympic and Paralympics Winter Games.  The database will be used to match Games Client organizations' property needs with available properties.
A range of clients including national and international sporting organizations and sponsors will be looking for local hospitality venues such as offices, headquarters, hosting, storage, food services, etc. throughout the Games period from January 1, 2010 until March 31, 2010.  WV property owners are eligible to register their properties free of charge at www.westvancouver.ca/2010.
This free service helps interested organizations find suitable properties and leaves the specific arrangements and details to the parties to be negotiated after the match is made.  Private facilities and homes may be included in the registry though this database will not be used for accommodation.
To help property owners better understand this opportunity and its potential, the District will be hosting a workshop on October 23, 2007 for all registered property owners and those who are seeking more information.  For more information about the Games Client Property Program in West Vancouver, to register your property or sign up for the workshop visit the DWV website at www.westvancouver.ca/2010 or contact Beth McLin at 604-925-7205 or bmclin@westvancouver.ca.
== Wednesday Oct 24th ~ 6pm ~ Cmnty Ctr Governance (CANCELLED)
== Thursday Oct 25th            ~ 4:30pm ~ Design Review Cmte
                        ~ 5pm ~ NSACDI at DNV M Hall
                        ~ 5:30pm ~ Police Board Mtg (Chamber of Comm 1846 MDr????)
+++ FERRY BUILDING GALLERY
+ "Walk...Don't Walk" --  Oct 16 - Nov 4; Janis Blyth, Acrylic Paintings; Sharon Christian: Mixed Media Paintings and Sculptures.
        Opening Night: 6 - 8pm Oct 16; Artists in Attendance:  2 - 3pm Oct 20
+++  WV MEMORIAL LIBRARY +++
Tuesday 16th -- Reading James Joyce's Ulysses -- 10:30am - 12:30pm. Drop in - no registration required.  Please bring your own copy of the novel.
Wednesday 17th -- Family Storytime -- 1:30pm -- A half hour of stories, songs and puppets for all ages.
Thursday 18th -- Gleneagles Storytime (all ages) -- 10:30am at the Gleneagles Community Centre.

+++  WV MUSEUM +++  The Black Slip -- The Paintings of Jane Billaux (to Oct 27)

+++  WV ARTS COUNCIL +++ visit www.silkpurse.ca for events (most ticketed)

--->  For events at KMC, see www.kaymeekcentre.com

=== WV Council AGENDAS Oct 15 ===
>>> PUBLIC HEARING/PUBLIC MEETING
        (The Council Meeting will commence immediately following the Public Hearing/Public Meeting.)
1.                  CALL TO ORDER
2.                  PUBLIC HEARING
ZONING BYLAW NO. 2200, 1968, AMENDMENT BYLAW NO. 4525, 2007 (re Shell Gas Station, 1305 Marine Drive)
3.         PUBLIC MEETING
DEVELOPMENT PERMIT APPLICATION NO. 05-016 (re  Shell Gas Station, 1305 Marine Drive)
The Manager of Community Planning will describe the subject application:
Applicant:  Pacific Land Group Inc.
Affected Lands:  1305 Marine Drive (Lot E, Block 15, District Lot 237, Plan 12317)
Purpose: To re-develop the existing full service (gas and repair) station site at 1305 Marine Drive with a new "gas only" station and convenience store.
Proposed Zoning Bylaw Amendment:  To re-zone the site from Commercial Restricted Zone 2 (C.R.2, gas station with repair shop) to Commercial Restricted Zone 6 (C.R.6, gas station only) with a site specific allowance for a convenience store.
Proposed Development Permit Application:  To regulate and impose conditions to preserve and enhance the area's main street character.
4.         PUBLIC HEARING/PUBLIC MEETING PROCEDURE
5.         REPORTS/CORRESPONDENCE
            1)  Reports to Council received up to Oct 10: J. Bailey, Community Planner  Sept 7, 2007
            2)  Correspondence rec'd up to Oct 10: Resident, Sept 07;  V. Johnson/J. Robertson, Sept 10
03  On September 17, 2007 Council set the date for the Public Hearing and Public Meeting.  On September 27, 2007, 748 Notices were mailed to owners/occupiers within 100 metres of the subject site.  The statutory notice of Public Hearing and Public Meeting was published in the North Shore News on October 7 and October 10, 2007.  The Municipal Clerk will note written submissions received for the October 15, 2007 Public Hearing/Public Meeting.
6.         APPLICANT'S PRESENTATION
7.         PUBLIC INPUT
8.         CLOSURE OF PUBLIC HEARING/PUBLIC MEETING
RECOMMENDED:
THAT all written and verbal submissions ...   be received and that the Public Hearing and Public Meeting be closed.
OR  If Council wishes a further staff report:
RECOMMENDED:
            THAT Staff report back to Council ... and that the Public Hearing and Public Meeting be adjourned to ________________
 >>> REGULAR COUNCIL AGENDA  (immediately following the Public Hearing/Public Meeting)
CALL TO ORDER
1.  APPROVAL OF AGENDA
2.  ADOPTION OF MINUTES: Sept 24 and October 1, 2007 Regular Council Minutes
REPORTS
3.         BC Ferry Services Inc. - Extension of Order of Non Enforcement of Noise Control Bylaw for Reconstruction Work at Horseshoe Bay Ferry Terminal
RECOMMENDED: THAT
1.                  The report dated October 1, 2007 from the Manager of Bylaw & Licencing [sic] Services regarding BC Ferry Services Inc. request for an extension of their Order of Non Enforcement of the Noise Control Bylaw be received.
2.                  Council approve the request from BC Ferry Services Inc. for an extension of the Order of Non Enforcement of the Noise Control Bylaw No. 4404, 2005 Section 6.1.2 (a) (iii) between October 15, 2007 and December 17, 2007 so that specific construction works involving welding and concrete placement can be carried out throughout the night and early morning depending upon tidal changes on the Horseshoe Bay Ferry terminal berths to facilitate the new Super "C" ferry subject to the same conditions set by Council for the original Order of Non Enforcement on December 18, 2006.
4.         Council Remuneration Review Task Force - Request for Report Deadline Extension to Dec 31
5.         Fire Services Information to be provided.
{but they said they weren't going to do that any more!  implication was that item wd not be on the agenda if the memos/material/documentation/info is not ready to go with it -- unless of course there's some emergency.  What's the emergency?}
6.         Regulatory Bylaw Enforcement and Penalty Amending Bylaw No. 4521, 2007             RECOMMENDED: THAT
1.                  The report from the Director of Administrative Services dated October 9, 2007 titled "Regulatory Bylaw Enforcement and Penalty Amending Bylaw No. 4521, 2007" be received.
2.                  Regulatory Bylaw Enforcement and Penalty Amending Bylaw No. 4521, 2007 be read a first, second and third time.
ADOPTION of BYLAWS
7.         Solid Waste Utility Bylaw No. 4118, 1998, Amendment Bylaw No. 4528, 2007
8.         Tax Exemption Bylaw No. 4524, 2007 (File:  1610?20?4524)
9.         Fees and Charges Bylaw No. 4414, 2005, Amendment Bylaw No. 4527, 2007
CONSENT AGENDA ITEM
10.      Correspondence List
~ Correspondence received up to September 28, 2007
o Requests for Delegation
(1)       E. Marzotto, North Shore Service Club Committee for the Youth Safe House, September 28, 2007, regarding Request for Delegation: North Shore Youth Safe House Reopening
Referred to the Municipal Clerk for response regarding delegation scheduling.
o Action Required
(2)       Unity in Diversity Committee - Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of West Vancouver, September 2007, regarding Nominations for Unity in Diversity Awards
Referred to Mayor and Council for consideration and response.
(3)       September 24, 2007, regarding Request for Public Hearing to Discuss Dog Bylaw
Referred to the Director of Administrative Services for consideration and response.
(4)       Federation of Canadian Municipalities, September 25, 2007, regarding Sustainable Community Awards Applications Now Open
Referred to Mayor and Council for consideration and response.
(5)       R. Matthies, Solar Power Roadshow, Undated, 2007, regarding Request for Endorsement for Fishing Conservation Activity
Referred to Mayor and Council for consideration and response.
(6)       M.A. Lakhani, Lakhani and Company, September 26, 2007, regarding Hugo Ray Park - Concerns of Area Residents' Group
Referred to the Director of Parks & Community Services for consideration and response.
(7)       D. Wang, Coalition to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong in China, Undated, 2007, regarding Request for Proclamation of Human Rights in China Awareness Week
Referred to the Municipal Clerk for response.  Attachments available for viewing in the Legislative Services Department.
(8)       J. Sikes, September 27, 2007, regarding Civic Centre - Removal of Temporary Parking
Referred to the Director of Parks & Community Services for consideration and response.
(9)       September 28, 2007, regarding Dog Licences (File: 1603?09)
Referred to the Director of Administrative Services for consideration and response.
o No Action Required (receipt only)
(10)     Committee and Board Meeting Minutes
        (a)       Board of Variance - July 18, 2007
        (b)       West Vancouver Memorial Library Board - July 18, 2007
(11)     September 01, 2007, regarding Vera's Burgers Closing
(12)     I. Chong, Minister of Community Services and Minister Responsible for Seniors' and Women's Issues, September 17, 2007, regarding Supportive Housing and Treatment Facilities
(13)     B. Masson, BEM Fireworks, September 09, 2007, regarding Update of Family Fireworks Sales
(14)     C. Hansen, Minister of Economic Development and Minister Responsible for the Asia Pacific Initiative and the Olympics, September 13, 2007, regarding Union of British Columbia Municipalities Convention
(15)     September 18, 2007, regarding Dog Bylaw Fines
(16)     M. Van Steinburg, Canadian Labour Congress, Labour Participation Department - United Way of the Lower Mainland, September 21, 2007, regarding Invitation to Attend: 15th Annual Labour Appreciation Night
(17)     Undated, 2007, regarding Parking at the Community Centre
(18)     September 23, 2007, regarding Dog Bylaw Enforcement
(19)     September 24, 2007, regarding Dog Bylaws
(20)     September 26, 2007, regarding Tree Protection Bylaw
(21)     September 26, 2007, regarding Proposed Ambleside Marina
(22)     September 27, 2007, regarding Impending Destruction of Cabins on Hollyburn Ridge
(23)     123 Emails Regarding Hugo Ray Park
o Responses to Correspondence -- No items presented.
o Responses to Questions in Question Period -- No items presented.
~  Correspondence received up to October 05, 2007
o Requests for Delegation -- No items presented.
o Action Required
(24)     October 03, 2007, regarding Neighbourhood Character and Housing
Referred to the Director of Planning, Lands & Permits for consideration and response.
(25)     B. Drake, Cypress Park Little League, October 04, 2007, regarding Sports Field User Fees
Referred to the Director of Parks & Community Services for consideration and response.
o No Action Required (receipt only)
(26)     Committee and Board Meeting Minutes
        (a)       Community Engagement Committee - June 13, 2007
        (b)       Community Engagement Committee - July 18, 2007
        (c)       North Shore Advisory Committee on Disability Issues - August 30, 2007
(27)     I. Chong, Minister of Community Services and Minister Responsible for Seniors' and Women's Issues, September 24, 2007, regarding Asset Management Information Technology Study Grant Approved
(28)     A.S. Hilsen, Municipal Clerk - District of North Vancouver, September 25, 2007, regarding  North Shore Spirit Trail - Proposed Alignment
(29)     C. Reynolds, October 02, 2007, regarding Community Engagement Policy
(30)     T. Carney, Lionsview Seniors' Planning Society, October 02, 2007, regarding Appreciation for the Community Grant and Forwarding of the Society's Annual Report
Attachments available for viewing in the Legislative Services Department.
(31)     October 03, 2007, regarding The Efficacy of European Solar Thermal Obligations and Evelyn Drive
(32)     11 Emails Regarding Hugo Ray Park
o Responses to Correspondence -- No items presented.
o Responses to Questions in Question Period
(33)     J. Bailey, Community Planner, September 27, 2007, regarding Building Size at 2301 Marine Drive
(34)     J. Bailey, Community Planner and S. Jenkins, Environmental Coordinator, September 27, 2007, regarding Consultation with Streamkeepers
11.  REPORTS from MAYOR/COUNCILLORS * 12.  PUBLIC QUESTIONS/COMMENTS * 13.  ADJOURNMENT


>>>  2007 Community Survey Underway
{well, not quite I've been told; questions on F&A cmte mtg agenda Oct 16}
A triennial Community Survey is part of our corporate performance management and reporting strategy direction that has been set in the Corporate Business Plan.  The 2007 Community Survey is now underway. Residents will be randomly recruited by phone, categorized by demographics, and then asked to complete the Survey - either by mailing back a printed copy, or completing the survey online.
Survey topics include: Value for Taxes; Satisfaction with Services; Environmental Sustainability; Housing Options & Neighbourhood Character; Ambleside; 2010 Olympics; Resident Communications & Public Consultation.
If you are asked to participate in the survey, but would like more information before completing the questionnaire, there are a number of resources on this website. Alternatively, you can call Municipal Hall at 925-7000 and staff will assist you.  If you have a general question about the survey administration, please call Patricia Leslie at 925 4736.

>>>&nb= sp; Byzantium/Constantinople/Istanbul -- the Byzantine Empire
ON AN unusually mild Arctic morning in September a simply clad but dignified cleric stepped ashore at a remote bay on the southern tip of Greenland and conducted a short service at the remains of the oldest Christian church in the New World. Local Greenlandic worthies were delighted to see the 270th Patriarch of Constantinople, whose ancient office is one of the Byzantine world's enduring bequests to the modern world. As they pointed out, their little church, built in the early 11th century, goes back to the era of an undivided Christendom, which disintegrated a few decades later with the formal split between Rome and Constantinople.

=== OBITUARY ===
Haidar Abdel Shafi -- Oct 4th 2007 From The Economist print edition
           Haidar Abdel Shafi, a model for the Palestinians, died on September 25th, aged 88
IN THE spring of 1948, around March as he remembered it, Haidar Abdel Shafi found himself at nightfall, waiting, in a small mud hut by the side of the main road in Deir al-Balah. Around him stretched groves of olive and orange trees. Palestine, in those days, was a community of peasants and landowners; a man was judged by how many trees he had. Haidar's father had had none, preferring-as he told the astonished neighbours-to save money for schooling his six children rather than buy plantations. The lanky boy, with his dark brows, had shaken the dust from his feet and gone away to study. But he was back now, defending the land.
Beside him lay a bag of first-aid equipment. He was a doctor, trained in Beirut and Jerusalem, now based in Gaza, and one of only about a dozen practising in the whole southern sector of Palestine. With his few colleagues he had founded, in 1945, a southern branch of the Palestine Medical Society, and together they had attended the first Palestine Medical Congress. Since his student days, when he had first been inspired by Arab pan-nationalism, he had looked on doctoring as a form of resistance: to illness, to poverty and, by strengthening the common people, to political troubles and oppressions. When it came to organising Palestinians, a community not easily made coherent, a network of doctors, clinics and waiting rooms might serve as well as any political party. But crouching in a hut by the main road was not his normal mode of operation.......
Dr Abdel Shafi was that rarest of figures, a secular and non-sectarian Palestinian leader whose integrity and outspokenness made him a model for all the rest...... founder of the Gaza branch of the Red Crescent...  did not oppose existence of Israel... nor dislike Jews... had been in demand to ight the lamps of his Jewish neighbours...  But there had to be a spirit of "mutuality and reciprocity": two viable states, side by side, within the 1967 borders.......   was his message at the Madrid Conference in 1991 and at the Washington talks that followed-talks which he led and which were undermined, to his disgust, by secret accords made later at Oslo between Arafat and the Israelis. His speech at Madrid was perhaps the most eloquent the West had ever heard from a Palestinian: a plea for understanding, for sympathy and for territory. "What requiem can be sung", he asked, "for trees uprooted by army bulldozers? And...who can explain to those whose lands are confiscated and clear waters stolen, a message of peace? Remove the barbed wire. Restore the land."
http://www.economist.com/obituary/displayStory.cfm?story_id=9898496&fsrc=nwlehfree

=== LANGUAGE ===

:-):  For Latin (language) lovers:
        Veni, Vidi, Wiki:  http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119103413731143589.html

>  NEW WORD:
Netroots is a recent term coined to describe political activism organized through blogs and other online media, including wikis and social network services. The word is a portmanteau of Internet and grassroots, reflecting the technological innovations that set netroots techniques apart from other forms of political participation. In the United States, the term is used mainly in left-leaning circles.

> WABI-SABI
        {msg from the email list I'm on as a mbr of the BC Haiku group, called Pacifi-kana}
There is an interesting (lead) article by Richard Martin in the November 2007 issue of the  photography magazine PhotoLife. The title or the article is "Wabi-Sabi" . The teaser on the PhotoLife website (www.photolife.com) reads:
"The idea of wabi-sabi speaks of a readiness to accept things as they are. This is contrary to Western ideals that emphasize progress and growth as necessary components to daily living. Wabi-sabi's fundamental nature is about process, not final product, about decay and aging, not growth. This concept requires the art of 'slowness', a willingness to concentrate on the things that are often overlooked, the imperfections and the marks recording the passing of time. For me, this is the perfect antidote to the invasive, slick, saccharine, corporate style of beauty."
He quotes Richard Powell whose talk Pacifi-kana members enjoyed at their annual gathering on Gabriola in 2006.



    ^     ^
     o   o
  =   x   =
                         Haiku Written by Cats

The food in my bowl is old,             So you want to play             There's no dignity
and more to the point           Will I claw at dancing string?          in being sick -- which is why
contains no tuna.               Your ankle is closer.           I don't tell you where.

Seeking solitude                Tiny can, dumped in             Am I in your way?
I am locked in the closet.              plastic bowl.  Presentation:            You seem to have it backwards:
for once I need you.            one star; service: none         This pillow is taken.

Your mouth is moving;           My brain: walnut-sized.         Most problems can be   
Up and down, emitting noise.            Yours: largest among primates.          ignored.  The more difficult   
I've lost interest.             Yet, who leaves for work?               ones can be slept through.

Cats can't steal the breath             I don't mind being              So you call this thing
of children. But if my tail's           teased, any more than you mind  your "cat carrier".  I call
pulled again, I'll learn.               a skin graft or two.            these my "blades of death".

                     Toy mice, dancing yarn   /   Meowing sounds. I'm convinced:   /    You're an idiot.


=== KIDS' QUESTIONS ===
= JACK (age 3)
was watching his Mom breast-feeding his new baby sister.  After a while he asked:  "Mom why have you got two?  Is one for hot and one for cold milk?"
= MELANIE (age 5)
asked her Granny how old she was.  Granny replied she was so old she didn't remember any more.  Melanie said, "If you don't remember you must look in the back of your panties.  Mine say five to six."
= STEVEN (age 3)
hugged and kissed his Mom goodnight. "I love you so much that when you die I'm going to bury you outside my bedroom window."
= BRITTANY (age 4)
had an earache and wanted a painkiller.  She tried in vain to take the lid off the bottle.  Seeing her frustration, her Mom explained it was a childproof cap and she'd have to open it for her.  Eyes wide with wonder, the little girl asked: "How does it know it's me?
= SUSAN (age 4)
was drinking juice when she got the hiccups. "Please don't give me this juice again," she said.  "It makes my teeth cough."
= Di (age 4) stepped onto the bathroom scale and asked:  "How much do I cost?"
= MARC (age 4)
was engrossed in a young couple that were hugging and kissing in a restaurant.  Without taking his eyes off them, he asked his dad: "Why is he whispering in her mouth?"
= CLINTON (age 5)
was in his bedroom looking worried.  When his Mom asked what was troubling him, he replied, "I don't know what'll happen with this bed when I get married.  How will my wife fit in?"
= JAMES (age 4)
was listening to a Bible story.  His dad read:  "The man named Lot was warned to take his wife and flee out of the city but his wife looked back and was turned to salt."  Concerned, James asked:  "What happened to the flea?"
= TAMMY (age 4)
was with her mother when they met an elderly, rather wrinkled woman her Mom knew.  Tammy looked at her for awhile and then asked, "Why doesn't her skin fit her face?"
= This Mom will never forget this particular Sunday sermon:  "Dear Lord," the minister began, with arms extended toward heaven and a rapturous look on his upturned face. "Without you, we are but dust."
He would have continued, but at that moment my very obedient daughter (who was listening!) leaned over to me and asked quite audibly in her shrill little girl voice, "Mom, what is butt dust?"

=== Gender Specific W= ord Definitions
THINGY (thing-ee)  n.
        Female... Any part under a car's hood.
        Male..... The strap fastener on a woman's bra.
VULNERABLE  (vul-NE-Ra-bel) adj.
        Female.... Fully opening up one's self emotionally to another.
        Male.... Playing football without a jockstrap.
        COMMUNICATION (ko-myoo-in-Kay-shon)  .
        Female... The open sharing of thoughts and feelings with  one's partner.
        Male... Leaving a note before taking off on a fishing trip with the boys.
    COMMITMENT  (ko-mit-ment) n.
                Female... A desire to get married and raise a fami
                Male...... Trying not to hit on other women while out with this one.
ENTERTAINMENT  (en-ter-tayn-ment) n.
        Female.... A good movie, concert, play or book.
        Male...... Anything that can be done while drinking beer.
FLATULENCE  (flach-u-lens) n.
      = ; Female.... An embarrassing byproduct of indigestion.
      = ; Male...... A source entertainment, self-expression, male bonding.
MAKING LOVE (may-king  luv) n.
        Female...... The greatest expression of intimacy a couple can achieve.
        Male... Call it whatever you want, just as long as we do it.
        REMOTE CONTROL (RI-moht  kon-trohl) n.
                Female... A device for changing from one TV channel to another.
                Male... A device for scanning through all 375 channels every 5 minutes.

=== QUOTATIONS ===

Clarence Darrow (1857 - 1938):  Lost causes are the only ones worth fighting for.

They deem him their worst enemy who tells them the truth. -- Plato, philosopher (427-347 BCE)

It is easier to perceive error than to find truth, for error lies on the surface while truth lies in the depths, where few are willing to search for it
                -- Goethe (1749 - 1832)
We tend to overestimate the effect of a technology in the short run and underestimate the effect in the long run.
                -- Roy Amara, engineer, futurist (b. 1925)
The automobile has not merely taken over the street, it has dissolved the living tissue of the city.  Its appetite for space is absolutely insatiable; moving and parked, it devours urban land, leaving the buildings as mere islands of habitable space in a sea of dangerous and ugly traffic.
                -- James Marston Fitch, historic preservationist (1909 - 2000)
We ought to think that we are one of the leaves of a tree, and the tree is all humanity.  We cannot live without the others, without the tree.
                -- Pablo Casals (1876 - 1973)
Oh the comfort, the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person, having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words, but pouring them all right out, just as they are -- chaff and grain together -- certain that a faithful hand will take and sift them, keep what is worth keeping, and with the breath of kindness blow the rest away.
                -- George Eliot (pen name of Mary Ann Evans), novelist (1819 - 1880)