SUNDAY
November 2 2014
BRIGHT LIGHTS 14
Serenade to Ambleside LIVE 15
Quelling quarter life crises SPORT 25
Cavaliers on the charge L o c a l N e w s . L o c a l M at t e r s
INTERACT WITH THE NEWS at N S N E W S .C O M
Municipal report
West Vancouver tops spending list STEFANIA SECCIA sseccia@nsnews.com
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WestVancouver spends more money per person — and collects more tax dollars per resident — than any other Lower Mainland municipality, according to a recent report from the Fraser Institute. The right-leaning public policy think tank compared government finances of 17 municipalities in Metro Vancouver — including examining government spending, revenue and debt from 2002 to 2012. West Vancouver was not only the highest spender in 2012 — at $2,118 per person — but also the leader in extracting the most cash per resident at $2,548 per person. The regional average for municipal spending was $1,384 per person and for collecting was $1,916 per resident. But District of West Vancouver Mayor Michael Smith said the bottom line is
West Vancouver is a desirable place to live. “For me, the name of the game is value for money and I think our citizens think they get really good value for the property taxes they pay,” he said. “The average household receives way more services than they would in other municipalities.” In the 2014 budget approved last March, council broke its three-year pattern of not raising the residential property tax rate by increasing it by 2.92 per cent. As the average property is valued at more than $1.8 million, it means the average household pays about $93 more in residential property taxes. Council also deferred or cut about $2 million worth of projects across various departments and reported no surplus. The study also noted that West Vancouver was at the bottom of the list when it came to how much of its property tax revenue SeeValue page 9
Evidence tossed in impaired cop case Blood sample ruled inadmissible after police infringe on rights
JEREMY SHEPHERD jshepherd@nsnews.com
One of three charges faced by an RCMP officer accused of drunk and reckless driving was dropped this month after
a judge ruled the police investigation infringed on his rights. Sgt.Victor Cunha careened into a median on Highway 1 near the Caulfeild exit shortly before midnight on Nov. 30, 2012,
later trying to drive away despite having lost a wheel, according to a witness. Cunha, the head of the RCMP’s Lower Mainland explosives disposal unit, was charged with dangerous and impaired driving stemming from the crash. But a third charge of driving with a blood alcohol content higher than .08 was tossed after Judge Steven Merrick of the
North Vancouver provincial court ruled a blood sample should not be admitted as evidence in the trial. Merrick ruled West Vancouver Police Const. Arman Sardari was not diligent enough in asking if Cunha wanted to consult a lawyer.The judge also ruled the officer did not have reasonable grounds to request a blood sample
and that the officer had not checked to make sure the breathalyzer was working properly. Cunha crashed while driving back from dinner in Squamish, where he drank wine. Cunha was aggressive and “all over the road,” as he headed east on Highway 1, according to witness Brendan Grills, who testified earlier in the trial.
West Vancouver Police Department Const. Matt Plant, the first officer to arrive on the scene, testified Cunha said: “I tried to kill myself.” When asked if he wanted to consult a lawyer, Cunha responded, “No, not at this time,” according to Sardari. But Sardari “ought to See Judge page 5