6 - Sunday, March 19, 1989 - North Shore News INSIGHTS First Reform MP speaks for 275,900 Westerners DISGRUNTLED TORY PUNDITS in Alberta are dismiss- ing Deborah Grey’s victory in Tuesday’s Beaver Ridge by- election as as ‘‘aberration’’ and predict that she’l! last only one term. They must be afflicted with acute political myopia. The elec- tion of the 15-month-old Reform Party’s first MP has an important message for B.C. citizens and their western neighbors from Banff to Beausejour, Man. To say nothing of its message for Brian Mulroney. In the Nov. 21 election Ms. Grey, a highly articulate 36-year- old teacher, trailed fourth in Beaver Ridge, over 3,000 votes behind Tory victor Jobo Dahmer whose untimely death from cancer five days later led to the by-elec- tion. This time she trounced Tory candidate Dave Broda by more than 4,000 votes. A voting turn-around of over 8,000 in under four menths, in a riding that’s voted Tory for 30 un- broken years, is no ‘‘aberration.”’ ORAH GREY RicoUeager. Las responsible neighbors. their neighbors’ yards. However, the quality of care provided by both single working parents and wealthy two-income couples is similur — in both cases, children are dropped at day care and return bome to tired parents; and families thai are low-income because they have chosen to keep one purest at home with the children while the other is in the paid workforce can hardly be faulted for wan- ting to maintain a stable family unit. Responsibility, not necessarily money, is the prere- quisite for a good terant, and the Lions Ciub would be screening the residents carefully and managing the building operations. Self-eppointed iocal gatekeepers would do well to re-examine their attitudes before trying to deny select groups entry to Lynn Valley. Blind prejudice he negative reactica to a proposed low-income townhome developmeat at 27th and Mouatsin Highway by people at the Lyan Valley Com- marity Association geaeral meeting was fucled by an eHdst attitude baszd more on biind prejudice than While some pointed to increased traffic congestion as justification for rejectiag the proposal, the senti- ment underlying many of the local residents’ speeches wes ibet low-income peopie make andesirable and ir- Assumptions were made that low-income tenants would consist mainly of single parents who would not maintain their units and could not be t:usted to look after their children adequately and keep them out of It's an avalanche. The reason for the dramatic switch was undoubtedly free trade, which virtually shut out all other issues in the November campaign. Most Albertans solidly supported the Canada-U.S. pact, so for the moment Tory was still the only way to go. Free trade polarization, indeed, may well explain why Preston Manning’s fledgling party, at its first try, collected 275,000 votes in the four western provinces (75,009 in B.C. alone) yet failed to win a seat. But with the FTA assured, Beaver Ridge voters were free to say what they felt about Ottawa's disdain for western interests — especially in such matters as Senate reform, Meech Lake and special status for Quebec, futile bilin- gualism, punitive made-in-Ontario interest rates and the planned na- tional sales tax. Last week they said it in spades and clearly they spoke not for themselves alone. When a party born only a year earlier persuades well over a quarter of a million voters to dump their traditional allegiances in favor of a reasoned and prac- tical platform to win a better deal for the West within Confederation, it’s time to remove the blinkers. The challenge for the Reform Party now is to keep up the momentum of Beaver Ridge in preparation for any further by- elections during the next four years. Meanwhile, Ms. Grey will be its solitary beachhead in the Commons. Happily for them both, the lady looks and sounds well able to handle her lonely mission. eee ROCK STARS — who need to be in good physical trim — have fig- ured prominently in recent weeks on the client list of West Van fitness instructor Charles Curtis, local innovator of personalized fitness programs conducted in your home or office. He’s been keeping members of the ‘*Motley Crue’ from L.A. and Russia’s *Gorky Park’’ in shape during visits by the two groups for sessions at Little Meuntain Sound in Vancouver, rated today among the best re- cording studios in the world. Charles particularly enjoyed work- ing with the Russians who've sold seven million albums in the USSR and apparently are the first Soviet rock group permitted to tour abroad. eae SIGN-OFF: Salute Cap College's Wayne Eastcott (Studio Art) Publisher . Managing Editor Maihng rates avatable of tequest Submis welcome dul we cannot accept respensipr unselected malenat including manuscripts and p which shguid be accompanied by 4 stamped. ager enweope Peter Speck Barrett Fisher Associate Editor Noel Wright Newstoor ope aay Advertising Directur Linda Stewart Sxiiainent® _ Subscriptions 986-1337 NUNDAY | WIUNEEDAY = FRIDAY North Shore News, founded in 1969 at an independent Fax 985-3227 subutban newspaper and qualihed under Schedule 111 Paragraph It of the Excise Tar Actos pudlisned each Wednesday, Friday and Sunday by Nortn Shore Free t Entire contents “: 1989 North Shore Free Press Ltd All rights reserved. dent since 1919. How many can- dles to light? Start with 100 — then add five more! whose work will be shown at the prestigious International Biennial of Graphic Art in Ljubljana, Yugoslavia this summer ... Con- grats to North Van's James Caswell, Paul Dickson and Michael Hoff, and West Van's Nigel Witt, on winning Foundation Bursaries at Selkirk College, Castlegar ... And at Inglewood Lodge tomorrow, March 20, special birthday grectings to Muriel Reide, West Van pioneer and resi- the WRIGHT OR WRONG: It makes no difference which way the wind is blowing if a sailor doesn’t know where he's going. photo Cindy Seliamy “WELCOME, ART LOVERS!"’...Mayor Jack Loucks snips the ribbon opening the new Court Art Gallery, 1433 Lonsdale, with an assist from artist Heziber Turner (left) and manager Janet Holbans. Open 10 a.m. to 4p.m., the second-floor gallery will feature ongoing fine art shows. 980-0511 986-6222 Display Advertising Classified Advernsing Tr VOICE Lt HORT AND WE 8T WEMCOUVEN shore | 1139 Lonsdaie Avenue, North Vancouver. 8 C V7M 2H4 59,170 (average. Wednesday Friday & Sunday) . SOA DIVISION, MEMBER ————— sx & North Shore owned and managed