“e ~Wednisday, May 1, 1996 ~ North Shore News The Korth Shore Merz is published by Borth Shore Free Press Ltd, Publishar Peter Snack, trom 1139 Lonsdale Avonus Wert Vancouror, B.C., V7ik 2H4 PETER SPECK Publisher - 985-2131 (101) "Borg Foot” Dee Ghallval ~ Compboler * Human Resouroes Manager 985-2131 (133) 985-2131 wh Managing Editor 85-2151 (116) BoD | 19) °” Distribution Manager Production ae ete it _ roe Pea leeanes a ee On Fat * esa? Kerth Stace tows, founded ‘a 1969 a8 40 ndopendem suburban newaper er and qualified Sunder ‘Schedule 111, Pacegrph 111, of the , Excise Tex Aci, is published each Wednesday, * Friday and Sunday by North Shore bree Press ” Lid, and distributed to every docr on the North ' Shore. Cansda Post Canadian Publications Mail" Sales Product "Agreeraent No 0087238, Mailing rates wnibcble On request. ROVGRA : ‘ Entire contents , © 1996 North Shore Free Press Ltd. ~All right? téserved! ae | CANTICISM OF OUA | PRE-ELECTION SPENDING... % ESIDENTS IN North ‘Vancouver demanded council add some teeth to the Rethink tobacco adverts Dear Editor: Re: Tobacco advertising As a loyal reader of your quality community publication 1am greatly dismayed at your decision to carry cigarette advertisements in your paper. May I reflect on an item from your Jan. 18 edition in which the following statistics were’ published from Health Canada: WM Tobacco kills three times more people than. alcohol, AIDS, illicit drugs,. car -acci- dents, murder. and suicide,’ all, combined; & Tobacco is the leading cause J of preventable death; @ Tobacco kills over 40,000 » Canadians every year; : @ ‘Tobacco smoke contains 50 known cancer-causing chemi. cals; ~ 2 Lung cancer now kills more women than breast cancer; ® The number of female tung” cancer deaths is rising; | @ Virtually all new smokers are, adolescents (there are’ * pbout’’ 500,000. young’ smokers ‘in’: ‘Canada aged 15-19); 81 85% of smokers start before = age 16, and almost 30% before. District need some clearcut decisions & Waon the value of trees in their neighbor- hoods. And Nerth Vancouver District Coun. Sim Cuthbert could be providing some vision _in that area. He is seeing the forest for the trees. And: -both ‘are losing the battle against urban “encroachment, '© - View blocked by trees on district fand? No ‘problem.’ Chop them down while no cne is ‘Jooking. So you face 2 minimal fine? So what. Your view is‘riow clear; and you'll have long . '. departed this world before any replanted tree -grows into that view. That attitude came: to the fore recently when council heard a cast: in which a tree on district property was covertly ' felled after area residents had spent a year bylaw against such urban mischief. In response to those demands, Cuthbert is pushing to increase the current fine for ille- ‘gally removing trees from $250 to $500. Ten times thet amount would saake more pecpie stand up and take notice, but $500 is the maximum allowable penalty under the Municipal Act. Widespread notoriety should therefore be’ udded to any penalty. Jilegal tree choppers need their deeds made public and their names shouted loud and clear across the land. / . Lovers of the North Shore they are‘ not. This is rainforest country. Trees are as much a part of the North Shore’s personality as is. the rain and the mountains, If people don’t like trees they should move elsewhere. y age 13; SI Of all the 15-year‘olds cur- |; ently smoking, about one-half: | “will die from tobacco products The advenising. ‘techniques : fused by the tobacco ‘industry, i j target those iiost vulnerable to” tobacco addiction: children, Despite these. Startling: facts : the decision was made to pub- lish cigarette advertisements i in the North Shore News. As a. : health care professional con cerned with the health’ of all’. Canadians and especially our: children, 1.would : appreciate : serious rec: sideration. of your’ decision. : : Cathy Ferrow, RN. , North Vancouver : : working to spare the tree from the axe. The neighbors were justiftably upset. me at tho: TTS STILL a huge puz- zle. But they’re working hard at it and rays of hope brighten the hori- . ZON. That was the message Saturday at the annual general meeting of the B.C. Parkinson's Disease Association, attended by some 200 patients and caregivers at the Oakridge Auditorium in Vancouver. To a stranger it must have been quite an eye-opener. The buzz of animated conversation during refreshments, an upbeat and admirably brief business session, a fun-filled 10-minute exer- cise interlude and much happy socializing to wind up — these, after all, are hardly what you ‘d expect from assembled victims of a mys- terfous, unpredictable and for the moment still incurable disability. Maybe the explanation is that many of them could sul accurately be described as “happy warriors,” coping courageously with today and buoyed by at least the possibility of better things tomorrow. For the uninitiated, Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is a disorder of the nervous system which inhibits control of the muscles. It afflicts - ay. 70,000 Canadians {nearly °8,000-in B.C.), and bite. : } / men and women equally. It strikes most commonly over the age of 54, but also occurs in younger people. It is neither infectious nor con- tagious, und only 10%-15% of cases are possibly genet- ic. Moreover, it's steadily increasing. Its cause has still to be discovered, Present treat- ment consists of drugs to assist muscular control. However, until a cure is found it remains a degenera- live disease, although its progression — in some cases spread over many years — differs widely from patient to patient, The brightness on the horizon came trom keynote speaker Dr. Donald Calne, head of UBC's Neurodegenerative Disorders Centre. On the leading edge of research into the cause of PD and improved treatment for it, Dr. Caine brought his audience up to date on the latest studies and advances, including tissue trans- plants and a still highly experimental form of brain surgery called pallidotomy. But funding for PD research — a fraction of that devoted to AIDS with only about one quar- ter as many B.C. victims — remains a major obstacle to finding new solutions fast. The hither and yon same ‘goes for the support, oe of the: BCPRD tee Seep! it. ob Sears The district’s bark needs a worthy bylaw se PD ‘happy. warriors’ _ Association with its approximately ‘800 mem- bers — some 40 of them on the North Shore, « ‘ including vice-president Diane Black of North - Van. This year it’s aiming to raise membership : to 1,000. Its slim $160,000 o eperating inadget, says president David Whittle, comes from $15 ° membership fees, some special. fundraising © events and a limited number of corporate gifts. Just a few more tens of thousands would great- ly expand its capacity for much- needed support activities. But volunteers are always the key. So if you've reached the point where ycu'd like give a little of yourself to your fellow humans and want to learn more about PD — in so many.. ways a unique disability and unpredictable in whom it strikes — call the BCPDA at 662- 3240 or drop by their office at 411 Dunsmuir in Vancouver. | You'll find them a very upbeat, “can-do” bunch, with a big welcome mat out for you! MANY HAPPY returns of Saturday, May 4, to North Van birthday boy Sean Wardell.’ i WRIGHT OR WRONG: Those who marry for money frequently wind up caning every SRE IRR SE AGEN veed : OA VETTEL EEE Ee oe Aaa