FRIDAY JANUARY 13 2017
$1.25
NEWSSTAND PRICE
PULSE 13
Jim Byrnes
Busy bluesman playing shows in Deep Cove and West Van
LOOK 23
Tilley Endurables
Iconic hat store pops up at Lonsdale Quay
TODAY’S DRIVE 34
Winter driving
The tire built for Vancouver snow NORTHSHORENEWS
LOCAL NEWS . LOCAL MATTERS . SINCE 1969
INTERACT WITH THE NEWS AT
nsnews.com
Province probes Seymour access BRENT RICHTER brichter@nsnews.com
It’s the only traffic jam on the North Shore that’s perhaps more dispiriting than the Cut or the Lions Gate Bridge approaches. BC Parks is looking at options to alleviate the overcapacity problems at Mount Seymour Provincial Park, where a sunny Saturday can mean hours spent trying to access the park or Mt. Seymour ski resort. The park is simply drawing more people than it used to, said Dylan Eyers, section head for the Lower Mainland for BC Parks. “Really it’s the explosion in winter backcountry use that we’re seeing – winter hiking, snowshoeing and to some degree, backcountry skiing – and people are just loving it up there, which is awesome,” Eyers said. “But back in the day, when these parks were originally planned for and developed,
See Seymour page 4
Snowshoer Nick Meissner makes his way along a trail at sunset in Mount Seymour Provincial Park. The province is now looking for ways to alleviate congestion on the park’s access road and parking lot during peak periods. Among the ideas being considered are creating new parking lots, increasing shuttle service and building a gondola to the base. PHOTO KEVIN HILL
Province OKs Trans Mountain pipeline BRENT RICHTER brichter@nsnews.com
The provincial government has given its blessing for Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain pipeline. But local First Nations say the project will never be built.
Premier Christy Clark and Environment Minister Mary Polak made the announcement on Wednesday afternoon that the project had been granted an environmental certificate and that it had met the premier’s five conditions related to spill response, Aboriginal rights and title, and a “fair deal for B.C.” Within the hour of the announcement, however, a message
Tsleil-Waututh Nation remain steadfast in opposition posted to the Tsleil-Waututh’s official Twitter account declared “It will never get built.” “Just because this announcement occurred and the federal announcement occurred approving the environmental assessment permits, it does not mean it’s a green light,” said Tsleil-Waututh elected council member Charlene Aleck. “In order to be an effective pipeline, it needs to be 100 per cent built so if I
am just one per cent saying no, that’s not an effective pipeline.” The nation is still seeking further judicial review of the federal approval, Aleck said. “It’s back to court for us,” she said. “It’s totally breaking our Aboriginal law. We’re upholding (our laws) as a nation and if they come into our territory and start construction in our territory, there will be ways to stop them.” North Vancouver-Seymour MLA Jane Thornthwaite, whose riding encompasses Tsleil-Waututh lands and sits across Burrard Inlet from the Kinder Morgan’s Westridge Terminal, said she
1111-68 Smithe Street OPEN HOUSE SAT JAN 14TH 2-4PM
See Squamish page 7
$899,000