midweek edition WEDNESDAY, DEC. 8, 2010
Vol. 101 No. 98 • Established 1908 • West
40 41 Endangered schools promised stay of execution Holiday happenings
Field fees
Trustees endorse closure moratorium Naoibh O’Connor Staff writer
School board chair Patti Bacchus and other trustees support a moratorium on school closures. photo Dan Toulgoet
School closures to save the district money have likely been averted—at least temporarily, but the VSB still faces an anticipated $9.6 million shortfall in its next budget. If all five schools considered for closure were shut down, it would have saved roughly $1.4 million. A staff report released Sunday recommended a moratorium on school closures until March 2012. “After careful consideration of all of the information received to date and through the public consultation process, senior staff believe that more needs to be done to vitalize Vancouver public schools as central
elements of our neighbourhoods and communities. The district will work with our partners to develop a rich future for our communities and their schools,” staff concluded. Vision trustees Patti Bacchus, Mike Lombardi and Ken Clement, immediately endorsed the report, indicating they will vote to keep the schools open. COPE trustees Jane Bouey, Allan Wong and Al Blakey followed suit, welcoming the moratorium. Bacchus said the budget crunch remains, but public feedback suggested school closure was the wrong way to go. “What we heard was the cost to those communities would be far greater than the savings.” See NPA on page 4
Owner says he wanted to improve neglected garden Property owners removed dead and dying trees without permits Naoibh O’Connor Staff writer
Most of the trees knocked down without city approval on a multimillion-dollar West Side property last week were dead or in poor condition, according to an arborist report conducted after the trees
were removed. The property’s owner Arran Stephens, who also runs Nature’s Path organics with wife Ratana, commissioned the report by Norman Hol of Arbortech Consulting Ltd. Hol found 23 stumps were cut recently and of a size requiring
a permit. Five were previously dead, five were in very poor condition, 10 were in poor condition and three were in fair condition. Hol, who noted the landscape was poorly maintained, said he could “reasonably conclude” that the 10 dead or very poor trees would qualify for approval
to remove had a permit been requested.” “Notwithstanding that the evidence of the crown condition was not available, the other 13 trees (poor and fair condition) may have been viable for interim retention until such a time that the subject area of the property was
redeveloped for active land use,” he wrote. Hol indicated machinery may have caused unseen root damage and soil compaction that will likely have long-term effects on the health and recovery of the remaining backyard trees. See LAST on page 4
YOUR SOURCE FOR LOCAL NEWS, SPORTS AND ENTERTAINMENT! WWW.VANCOURIER.COM