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Sunday, December 5, 2010
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Mayors defend muni spending
N. Shore municipalities fingered in report Jane Seyd
jseyd@nsnews.com
A report released this week by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business says municipal governments are continuing to spend at an “unsustainably high rate” and points to the three North Shore municipalities as among the worst offenders. But North Shore mayors said the picture painted by the business think tank is suspect, and puts government spending in the worst possible light. While acknowledging some real concerns, they question how the group calculates its figures. In some cases, the numbers are just plain wrong, said District of North Vancouver Mayor Richard Walton. The report, B.C. Municipal Spending Watch, said between 2000 and 2008, municipal spending in B.C. grew by more than 57 per cent — two times faster than the growth in population and inflation. The result, said the business group, is the amount local governments in B.C. spend per person has grown from an average of $866 in 2000 to $1,240 in 2008. The report’s authors said that is an unsustainable pressure on taxpayers. Among cities with more than 25,000 in population, the North Shore municipalities were ranked among the worst, with operating expenses growing See Downloading page 5
2 men seriously injured in baseball bat attack
James Weldon
jweldon@nsnews.com
TWO men are in hospital with serious injuries after they were reportedly attacked with a baseball bat during an early-morning altercation in Lower Lonsdale.
The victims, 20 and 21 years old, were in the street near the intersection of Mahon Avenue and West Fifth Street at about 5 a.m. Friday when they got into a dispute with two other men. The argument became violent, according to police, and one of the men allegedly struck both victims with the bat, leaving one of them with a fractured skull. North Vancouver RCMP raced to the area, but the suspects had fled by the time they arrived. See Police page 5
Toy story
NEWS photo Cindy Goodman
WVPD Const. Lisa Schmidtke and West Vancouver Soccer Club players Emma Dronsfield (left), 9, and Paris Khorram, 9, encourage the public to help them and the West Vancouver Fire Department make the annual Toy Drive a success. New unwrapped toys for children of all ages are wanted and may be dropped off at police headquarters or any fire station.