City c

THE summer heat
appears to have addled
more than a few civic
brainpans,

Exhibit A: North
Vancouver City council recent-
ly invested its valuable time in
debating the number of news-
paper vending boxes that
should be allowed on city
streets.

The debate was apparently
sparked by news-box com-
plaints lodged with city hall
from local residents. Does the
well-worn phrase get a life
spring to mind here?

According to a July 7
News story, some places i in the
city have “six or seven” news-
paper vending boxes.

Yoiks! Somebody call the
cops!

On the list of city issues to
solve, the removal of news and
information from public streets
would, you might think, be off
the bottom end of the radar

Rc
jot so, it appears.

Must be that summer heat.

If you need more evidence
of its impact on council grey
matter, tune into some of the
news “box debate. ' ;

lore than simply applying
a bewildering thicket of oe
rules and regulations govern-
ing newspaper vending boxes,
some city councillors were
after much more, Removing
the boxes from city streets
altogether, for example.
un. Barbara Perrault
opined that “an outright news-
paper box ban, » except on pri-
vate property, would prevent
their proliferation.”
ose of a literary bene;

lilors sul

yarns

those who lament the crosion
of reading in our society; those
who lament the reduction of
Newspaper competition and its
attendant loss of diversity of
opinion and open discussion
would surely argue otherwise.

The proliferation of news
boxes reflects the vitality of
local press and local informa-
tion resources,

Objecting to the display of
those characteristics in a com-
munity reflects the misplaced
priorities of city fathers.

Welcome to North
Vancouver — city of sterility.

Exhibit B: There is some-
thing far more sinister afoot in
North Vancouver City’s cam-
paign to shut down the
municipality’s open market
place of ideas.

How about an Anti-Hate
Activity Policy, citizens?

Another top priority item
for this West Const cauldron
of hatred and ignorance.

Or so Coun. Darrell
Mussatto believes. 4

, presented to
coun “il fast Monday, would
place all tocal public facilities
off-limits to anyone city fathers
deem to have the wrong opin-
ions. More specifically, it
would prevent the use of those
facilities by any person or
group “that promotes views

and ideas which are likely to
promote discrimination, con-
tempt or hatred tor any person
on the basis of race, national
or ethnic origin, ancestry,
colour, citizenship, religion,
age, sex, marital status, family
status, sexual orientation, gen-
der identity, disability, political
affiliation, receipt of public
assistance or level of literacy.”

The arbitrator of what con-
stitutes views and ideas “likely”
to promote hatred or con-
tempt is anyone's guess. But
Mussatto as Municipal
Minister of Agreeable
Opinions is a distinct possibili-
ty.

If vou have been paying
attention to the anti-freedons
labours of the socialists in
Victoria and their misnamed
Human Rights Code you will
recognize the wording in
Mussatto’s motion.

It’s subtext; North
Vancouver citizens aren’t to be
trusted cither voicing or assess-
ing opinions in public.

Discussion of issucs that
might bring unpleasant light
to bear on a political party or
otherwise micht make some-
one else uncomfortabie
because of their political affilia-
tion? Not in the city, I’m
afraid.

Discussion of such issues of
the day as the recent arrival of
illegal immigrants off B.C.’s
shore? Maybe somew! here else,
but not in the city, my good
man, here we entertain only
pleasant thoughts and upbeat
opinions.

More laughable or lamen-
table, depending on which
side of the page you're on,
were initial reports on

Mussatto’s motion in the daily
press.

His motion, they stated,
followed faint-hearted g gasps
trom city library staf¥ that they
were intimidated when “more
than 100 skinheads” attended
a pair of free speech seminars
presented earlier this year by
former News columnist Doug
Collins.

A more skewed bundle of
bollocks you’d be hard-pressed
to find on a printed page any-
where.

Biggest howler of the fot:
the reterence to skinheads,

For those interested in real-
ity, there were none at the
May 14 North Vancouver
library meeting, unless people
with receding hair lines are
now considered skinheads.

There were instead a lot of
people who are passionate
about their right to express
themselves. City library folk, it
seems, find that ii intimidating.

The mecting was not a free
speech seminar; it was orga-
nized to raise funds to help
finance Collins’ battle with
provincial anti-free speech

“Native Jewetrery/
Wepbpinc Rincs”

Shabby Chic”

Sunday, August 1, 1999 - North Shore News —

ing heat stra

forces.

I also don’t recall any bat-
talions of skinheads at a subse-
quent June 5 fundraiser in
Victoriz, only rent-a-mob louts
harassing a retired newspaper
columnist and blocking his
rightful access to a public
place.

Of course, the daily press,
eager to continuc demonizing
Collins and avoid the real issue
of this province's attack on
free expression through its
Human Rights Code, initially
swallowed the Mussatto skin-

ke

head malarkey hook, line and
sinker.

Mussarto’s Anti-Hate
Activity Policy is beyond over-
heated brainpans, citizens, it is
blarant interference in your
right to free assembly and the
open discussion of issues that
need to be discussed, be they
disturbing or otherwise.

If that’s what Coun.
Mussatto believes his role is at
city hail, voters should heave
him out the door in the
upcoming civic elections.

— trenshaw@divect.ca

Pca ci 2A eee

5 ret
On, Lube & Filter
21 pt. Safety check, 15 minutes - FAST!
includes up to 5 litres of 1O0w30 Quakerstate
1362 Marine Drive 980-9115
Mon-Sat 8:00arn-6:00pm, Sun. 9:00amn-5:00pm Expres Aug 11

S.LAURSEN & SON

draperies

| Serving the Lower Mainland d for over 27 years

& blinds Itd.

wvrw.sidrapesandblinds.com
Custom Reds, Upho. &
Tait cleus fer ent Brent
For Free Estimate call
922-4975 or 987-2966
Dispery Labour $13.50 per lined.

MircaeL, Gop