A7 - Wednesday, August 11, 1982 - North Shore News

Dear eter:

’ North Vancouver District
Council has agreed to hold a
referendum on world dis-
armament in the November
municipal elections. The
only question left to be
decided is who will foot the
bill - about $1700 is involved.

Some 15 municipalities in
B.C. have already agreed to
hold such a referendum. But
municipal affairs minister
Bill Vander Zalm is trying to
throw a monkey wrench into
the project by statements
that it would be illegal and
improper for any
municipality to spend
municipal funds in this way.

There is no doubt in my

Seniors

Dear Editor:

Thank you and Mr.H.P.
Brown for his letter asking
for information concerning
the municipal purchase of
land at the west end of
Holly burn School
playground.

West Vancouver has some
23 per cent of its citizens
over the age of sixty. A
recent study on the required
housing mix confirmed that
housing for seniors at
varying cost levels is badly
needed and that the need is
increasing annually.

mind at all that Vander
Zalm’s reasons are not based
on any legal interpretation of
the Municipal Act, ‘but
entirely political, Vander
Zalm has never earned a
reputation for thoughtful,
careful and considered
remarks. He usually shoots
from the lip and thinks after-
ward.

His affinity for
Reagonomics (escalating the
armaments race, financing
increased military budgets
through cuts in social ser-
vices, and confrontation as
the basis of foreign policy) is
well known.

But even if Vander Zalm
argues that lawyers in his

department have advised
him that it is illegal for
municipalities to spend

money on a disarmament
reféyendum, my answer is
that for every lawyer that he
can produce to agree with
him, | can produce one that

says he is wrong, that
municipal councils can
spend money on such a

referendum, that whether or
not we die in a nuclear holo-
caust (as we surely will if the
arms race is not halted and
disarmament begun) is very
much a municipal matter.
What could be more
Important to our citizens
than whether we live or die?
At some point, Vander
Zalm has to be told to stop

Disarmament is important

interfering with the rights of
municipalities which he
seems determined to under-
mine and erode.

Our District Council
decided some time = ago,
under pressure from Vander
Zalm, not to pay the cost of
such a referendum. I think it
should not reconsider and
reverse that decision. We
should be showing some
leadership on this issue of

world disarmament, not
tagging behind citizen
groups.

I'm no means alone in this
opinion. Numerous editorial
writers and newspaper
columnists have pointed out
that “Mr. Vander Zalm is
making a mistake.... What

atop priority in W. Van

This year a Committee of

expert and concerned
citizens with Alderman
Diana Hutchinson as

Chairman was commissioned
to report on the needed
priorities, the various ap-
plications of available land,
etc. for senior housing.

The land queried by Mr.
Brown is a top priority for
seniors’ residences. Plans
and designs are at present in
progress by a voluntary and
experienced society to move
towards CMHC 2 per cent
mortgage development for
seniors’ housing.

It’s New
It’s Exciting
It’s Colourful

It’s Spacious

It’s Stephanie’s
New Store - Park Royal South

Come To Our Grand Opening

10%-50% Off
OUR ENTIRE STOCK

An excellent opportunity to save
on all your ‘“‘Back To School” clothes
Boys & Girls - Infant to size 14

Shohanee

THE FASHION CENTRE FOR CHILDREN
2033 Park Royal South
Gallery West

926.5616

By land acquistion and
seniors’ housing develop-
ment such as this the
municipality will recover its
money with interest at
standard rates. We will be

able to repeat the process —

again and again in order to
accommodate the serious
seniors’ housing need.

Thank you for the space in
your columns.

Derrick Humphreys,
Mayor
West Vancouver

Visit

Ne

any one of

, Vander Zalm

the public stands to gain
from the referendum far out-
weighs their meagre cost ...
By adding our voices to the
countless others now being
expressed around the world,
perhaps we may, at least ina

, KENNEDY
McDONALD

small way, be heard before
it’s too late.”
With that I rest my case.

Ernie Crist,
Alderman,
District of N. Vancouver.

i

MEN’S WEAR
“THE FINEST IN MEN'S APPAREL”

SUMMER SALE

FOR THE FIRST TIME IN OUR SHOP AND
FOR A FEW MORE DAYS ONLY

ULTRA SUEDE JACKETS

Reg. 525.

SALE 420.

765 Park Royal
West Vancouver

Our bi-weekly
mortgage
can save you
12 years

and up to

$100,000°

* Based on a $50,000 mortgage at 18% over 25 years.

Bi weekly payments will decrease the term of your mortgage
and that can mean substantial savings

Our

Lovee cabeabe QVe meee & Siyern \ alley Beant Marte 02) Beane th Village Beant Ld. eddae be ase bs
VEEL recente Moe 124) Haewe Meomad 1O8O Marine [> DEVE U hypereuvcrsss EM ch BPD Dd ecthees. ce Phen Meereh
wne AnT) 2BO O46 9Ho 1116 989 8271 O20 Mitt

five branches and find out
ECONOMIZER can save time and money for you

(ECOnOMIZEr

North Shore Community
Credit Union

tive branches serving North Vane cuves

Reg. 550.

SALE 440.

North Mall
926-0121

how