live
Vision for the future Page 11
Sunday, March 6, 2011
travel Fairy tale ride Page 19
32 pages
your source for local sports, news, weather and entertainment!
sport
Crehan Cup trifecta Page 23
Voted Canada’s Best Community Newspaper
www.nsnews.com
Most N. Shore daycares are highly rated
Health inspectors report that 85% of facilities are in good condition
Jane Seyd
jseyd@nsnews.com
A survey of daycare inspection reports on the North Shore has found the vast majority of local childcare facilities are highly rated by provincial licensing authorities, with a relatively low number of concerns. The information comes from a database compiled by the Vancouver Sun, put together after the newspaper obtained daycare inspection reports for facilities throughout the Lower Mainland through a freedom of information request. The reports covered a wide range of licensed childcare facilities — from those caring for infants through to pre-schools and after-school care. On the North Shore, about 85 per cent of those daycares were rated by monitors as in good condition and requiring only a regular annual inspection. That compares to 73 per cent of facilities overall in the Lower Mainland that received the best rating. Inspectors from Vancouver Coastal Health’s child care licensing branch rate facilities on a set of criteria including reports of any “incidents” (including responses to children by staff deemed “inappropriate”), staff qualifications and the safety of the premises, among others. Daycares rated with a high See 6 daycares page 5
Point Atkinson lighthouse likely off the market James Weldon
jweldon@nsnews.com
THE District of West Vancouver believes it has succeeded in its effort to keep the iconic Point Atkinson Light Station, namesake of Lighthouse Park, out of private hands.
The 86-year-old building went up for sale last spring along with about 1,000 other lighthouses across the country in a bid by the federal government to unload the cost of their upkeep. The idea was to sell the structures to businesses or communities who would use them as tourist draws or for other purposes while Ottawa retained control of the lights themselves, which would be maintained by the Canadian Coast Guard. Among the buildings on offer was the famed Peggy’s Cove Lighthouse in Nova Scotia. West Vancouver, anticipating that residents wouldn’t take well to seeing See Site page 5
Books rock
NEWS photo Cindy Goodman
FOUR-YEAR-OLD Emma Jedelhauser rocks and reads at the Parkgate library in the District of North Vancouver. Her book choice, I am Not Sleepy and I will Not go to Bed, is authored by Lauren Child. Parkgate has a wide selection of children’s books for every child’s taste.
YOUR COLLISION REPAIR SPECIALIST www.elitebodyshop.ca
Elite Body Shop 142 Fell Ave NV 604.987.4408 | Elite Xpress 860 West 1st St NV 604.987.2033