“ ELECHRIG CHANIGAWS
AND PE ORD

LOGGING IN THE
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ENVIRONIIENTAL STANDARDS...

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NEWS VIEWPOINT

seware voter

HE MUCH-ANTICIPATED federal

election is quickly approaching, and

‘the flood of policy papers ‘and
ideological dogma is already lapping at our
doorsteps.

_ No. fewer than ‘five national parties
(Liberal, NDP, Progressive “Conservative,
Reform, and. National) have hucksters
scrambling atop their stumps te convince
us that our vote is safe with them.

~ The new. kids on the stump are convine-

‘ed that more choices are needed when that
curtain closes on voting day. The old
standbys, they claim, are out of touch and
“out of mind.

Disgruntled liberals have, according to
- the aforementioned paper flood, flocked to

: the National party, while those who feel

the conservatives have softened their song
have been wooed by the soft-spoken man
from Alberta.
Beware the summer of voter discontent.
Our neighbors to the south voted in a
president because of his drawling” promise
io ,_ Bel things done.’”~ _
in our gleaming capital, a more frac-
tured gathering of party stripes — many .
supported for their regional appeal, will
make the ‘multi-colored jacket of govern-
ment a more ill-fitting suit than it is today.
Platforms tailored to. attract specific
groups. turn to promises that must be kept
for political. survival. For a glimpse of
what ‘that means, look no. further than
Victoria.

LETTER ¢ OF THE DAY "

: End ha tred and prejudice in community

“ Dear Editor: : ;

In _ response to | Doug Collins’
column “On the Other Hand” on
. Wednesday, March 24, we must
say that. we are: appalled and
‘disgusted.

Bigotry is no’ longer acceptable
in our present day society.

Perhaps Collins should be writ-
ing for the KKK newsletter or the
Nazi newsweekly. |
*;Hatred ard homophobia will
not .be tolerated by our communi-
vty

Publisher .
.Managing Editor .

dangerous misinformation.
column is .

Peter Speck
. _ Timothy Renshaw

We certainly hope that Collins
can come out of his closet! ,

This is the ’90s! He needs to
realize that his ignorance and pre-
judice are preventing him from
seeing that AIDS is not exclusively
a gay disease and homophobia is a
sickness.

It is shameful that your paper
would even print such hatred and

A copy of Collins’
being circulated through the city

of Vancouver, and a. list of your

advertisers as well. — |

“Dispiay Advertising 980-0511
‘Real Estate Advertising 985-6982

Distribution
Subscriptions 986-1337 Bash

' Please be informed that ‘until
the North Shore News and Collins
are willing-to acknowledge that
sexism, racism and homophobia
have no place in our news media
or our society, neither your paper
nor your advertisers will have the

support of the gay community and.

anyone else who believes in

equality and an end to hatred and.

prejudice.

Nikki Gravetle
Robert Skender
Vancouver

Pa)

This newspaper

986-1337 Gays

Associate Editor
Sales '& Marketing Director. Linda Stewart
Comptroller . ..Doug Foot

‘North Shore News, founded in 1969 as an
independent suburban newspaper and qualified
under Schedule 111, Paragraph It of the Excise
Tax Act, is published each Wednesday, Friday and
Sunday by North Shore Free Press Utd. and
disinbuted to every door on the North: Shore.-
Canada Post Canadian Publications Mail Sales:
Product Agreement No. 0087238, Mailing tates
available on request Submissions are welcorne but } ic
we ‘cannol ‘accept ‘responsibility lor unsolicited *:
material including manuscnpis and piciures which a
should be accompanied bya stamped, addressed.
envelope, ! . :

:Noel Wright
Newsroom

SUNDAY +

: V7M (2H4

Classified Advertising

SEM ACCT OF MOTTE AND WEST VANCOUVER

WEDNESDAY

“+ 1139 Lonsdale Avenue,
North Vancouver,.B.C.

Entire contents ©

986-6222 Fax 985-3227 fh contains

985-2131 Administration 985-2131 B recycled fibre
ta North Shore managed . -'
ain rrr

retOay
SDA DIVISION
84,582 {average circulation, Wednesday. Friday & Sunday) .

© 1993 North Shore Free Press Ltd. All rights reserved,

anning not
essing around
over the debt

“SUBSTANCE” was a recurring word early: Tuesday, |
when Reform Party leader Preston Manning packed some
600 of the faithful and curious into a 7:30 a.m. downtown

breakfast meeting.

The occasion in the lush Water-
front Centre Hotel at Canada
Place was the unveiling of Phase
If of Reform's ‘‘Oin 3°' plan to
reduce the federal deficit to zero
within three years,

Manning isn’t messing around.
While every other political leader,
— and wannabe — in the land
except Audrey McLaughtin is
mouthing wary platitudes about
deficit-cutting, the Reformers are
getting right down to the nuts and
bolts (read “‘substance’’) of how
te do it.

Phase | of the plan, announced
two weeks ago in Toronto, focus-
ed on social spending. Manning
would keep spending at current
levels for. health care, advanced
education, the child benefit, guar-
anteed income supplement for
seniors and veterans’ pensions,

Old Age Security for house-
holds with incomes velow the na-
tional average of $54,000 would

-also be untouched — but reduced

for higher-income seniors. UIC
would be made self-financing. ©
Total Phase I savings over three

" years: almost $9 billion. -

Tuesday's Phase II of the plan
eliminated regional development
grants to business and other
business subsidies. Gone would be
the Western Economic Diver-
sification Initiative, the Atlantic
Canada Opportunities Agency,
Development Quebec and mega-
projects such as the $300 million .
Hibernia gamble. :

“{f the private sector is unwill-
ing to back a project, then why

BILLIONS.

NADA'S AATONALDEST HR HOLE”

eases Lib,
‘esa Tory

Budgets

CA

DEFICIT’ AVERAGING $30

_ billion annually\ has increased

debt by. giant’ bounds since
1984, :

Noel
Wright

iri addition, tax ‘concessions to

business would bé cut. Ditto the.

“funding of special-interest groups
‘which “should get support from
_the people they purport to repre-
"sent, not the public purse.’? These
would bring total Phase Yt savings

“+ over three years to around $4.

billion. The final Phase II is to

be presented next week in Ottawa.
Soaring government debt,’ of.

course, is hardly news any longe

and Reform'spokesmen admit:

their-plan is a: complex one to.”

_ comminicate to a public rear:

jon 20-second TV clips. But:

there’ 5 still time for.!*substance

to, become a sound Vote-catching

. ‘strategy.

Public concern over the debt
growing fast. So is the public’s

.awareness that — as Mark ‘Twai

said of the weather — other po
ticians are talking-about it lent

-but doing nothing about it:

Debt: will be the key election
issue. If Manning and: party can
use the coming months to gai

‘ public understanding of. thei

detailed debt-slashing progr
they could at least havea head.

: start on polling day over. rivals °:
: with no such program at all. :

WRAP-UP: Instructed by senior .

members, novice bowlers who
joined West Yan Lawn Bowling
Club last year became good com-

“petition bowlers, says president .
Tom Reid. The- 200-member,
‘year-round club (billiards and «.. a
carpet bowling in winter) opens its a

~ summer. season ‘April 24 and the es,

. welcome mat is again out for new. -

recruits... Public information

~ night on alcohol and drug use.’

among West Van youth, spon-
sored by West Van Parents

_ Association, takes place. Wednes- |. -
day, April 21, 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. ate”
, West Van Senior Secondary © ae

call 926-6777 for details. ... And.

. many happy returns of today, :

April 16, to West Van Coun. Don
Griffiths... © :

WRIGHT GR WRONG: The way

‘to love something is to con-..

template being about to lose