WEDNESDAY AUGUST 31 2016
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FEATURE 17
Back to school
CapU students get ready to hit the books TASTE 25
Wine stores
Plenty of finds for all grape preferences SPORTS 29
CapU soccer
Blues women hope to race back into playoffs NORTHSHORENEWS
LOCAL NEWS . LOCAL MATTERS . SINCE 1969
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North Van says goodbye to bus depot Queensbury neighbours welcome move BRENT RICHTER brichter@nsnews.com
It’s the last stop for the North Vancouver Transit Centre.
Starting this weekend, TransLink is decommissioning the bus depot on Third Street at St. Davids Avenue and moving the buses to the Burnaby Transit Centre. The decision, which TransLink first announced in 2012, has been fought over the years by the City and District of North Vancouver councils and UNIFOR Local 111, the union representing the drivers. All three lobbied heavily for the transit authority to find a new location on the North Shore so, in the event of an earthquake shutting down the bridges, the North Shore would still have a fleet of buses available. “We did an extensive search of alternatives that included building a new facility on the North Shore; however, current estimates put the cost at $100 million – something TransLink cannot presently afford,” said Chris Bryan, TransLink spokesman. In 2012, TransLink estimated consolidating the Third Street depot with the Burnaby one would save $20 million over 10 years, eliminating the need for costly upgrades. In the event of a catastrophe, West Vancouver’s Blue Buses, which are marshalled at a facility off Lloyd Avenue
Fourth Street resident Jeff Murl won’t miss the bus depot when it closes this weekend. The depot is set to move across the bridge to Burnaby - a decision that could worsen North Shore gridlock according to the City and District of North Vancouver councils, who each opposed the relocation. PHOTO LISA KING can be pressed into service, Bryan added. Bus drivers will have to make their way to the Burnaby depot at about 5:30 a.m. to start the morning run and deadhead back at night, but residents who ride transit shouldn’t notice any difference in service, Bryan said. Neighbours around the depot, however, are welcoming the change. The depot
See Bus page 7
LOST HIKERS
Call-outs boost backcountry rescues to 93 for year JANE SEYD jseyd@nsnews.com
Inexperienced hikers who got lost on trails in the North Shore backcountry resulted in three helicopter rescues and an overnight stay in a remote shelter recently. On Monday evening, three
SEPTEMBER 24, 2016
members of a Burnaby family were plucked from a steep slope on the east side of Mount Fromme after getting lost on the Big Cedar Trail. A 29-year-old woman was hiking with her parents, both 59, heading to Kennedy Falls when “they got to a junction where they lost the trail,” said Mike Danks, North Shore
Rescue team leader. “They thought it would be best to head straight up the mountain.” After over two hours of uphill bushwhacking, by about 2 p.m. the group found themselves stuck on a steep slope and called for help on their cellphone. A team of North Shore Rescue members and Metro
Vancouver park rangers hiked in to the group and decided it would be simplest to haul the group out with a helicopter longline. The trio, who Danks described as inexperienced hikers who “bit off more than they could chew,” were hauled to safety by 6 p.m. The
See Hikers page 4