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Mayors want minimum wage hike Walton, Mussatto join 19 other mayors seeking a $10-an-hour minimum wage James Weldon
jweldon@nsnews.com
NORTH Vancouver’s mayors are calling for a $2 hike in minimum wage.
District of North Vancouver Mayor Richard Walton and City of North Vancouver Mayor Darrell Mussatto made the demand in an open letter to Premier Gordon Campbell on Oct. 5. The document was also signed by 19 other mayors from across the British Columbia as well as the B.C. Federation of Labour. At $8 an hour, the province’s minimum rate is the lowest in Canada, said the authors. It has been at that level for eight years, despite the fact that British Columbia’s poverty rate and cost of living are among the highest in Canada, they wrote. The mayors demanded that it be increased immediately to $10 per hour, that it be raised incrementally thereafter, and that B.C.’s controversial $6 training wage be eliminated. “(This) won’t solve all our problems, (but) it is a crucial step in the fight against poverty in our communities,” they wrote. The issue is especially pressing in North Vancouver, where the cost of living can be onerous, said the city’s Mussatto in an interview. “A $10 minimum wage at least gives people a chance to have housing,” See Yamamoto page 9
Stimulus money prompts Heywood Park upgrade Benjamin Alldritt
balldritt@nsnews.com
THE City of North Vancouver’s Heywood Park will see a variety of changes and upgrades in the coming months now that city council has approved a $900,000 renovation plan. The first phase of work, to be completed by the end of March, 2011, includes replacement of the public bathrooms near the southern foot of the park, a new adventure playground and “tot lot,” and paths connecting the new play areas. A portion of this work will be paid for by $133,000 in federal stimulus money, hence the March deadline. The balance of the money comes from the city’s Marine Drive Amenity Fund, money that came from previous developer charges and sale of city land. Kevin Connery, a consultant hired by the city to help develop a plan for the park, told councillors that later in the spring work would begin on See City page 5
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Titanic effort
NEWS photo Mike Wakefield
LYNN Valley resident Cam McMillen, stone mason, sculptor and welder with his Chain Atlas. More than 400 feet of chain with some 7,000 tack welds hold this big fellow and his yellow cedar globe in place at 3315 Allan Rd., North Vancouver.
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