A6- Wednesday, December 30, 1981 - : ve News Nothi f . |Nothing to fear... There's an old story about the man who was feeling depressed until a friend told him: “Cheer up, things could be much worse.” “So I cheered up,” said the man, “and sure enough, things soon became much worse.” The antidote to this tale was suggested to us the other day by a reader. “If we all made up our minds that things are going to get better,” he said, “things very quickly would.” We can't think of a more apt message for these dying days of 1981, which has dealt us harsher blows than most years. Abroad, they include new tensions bet- ween the nuclear superpowers and in the perennial powder keg of the Middle East. At home, an economy depressed by sky-high interest rates, continuing inflation, sagging exports, and rising unemployment -- with business. failures mounting and_ usurious mortgages threatening families with the loss of their homes. Add, for good measure, a federal government that has clearly lost the ability to cope. “That's the bad news. -The good news is a simple fact of history: all things go in‘cycles. . First signs that the cycle of our 1981 woes is beginning to reverse itself are already apparent in recently declining interest rates and a return to sanity in the real estate market. Relief in other areas will not, of course, come all at once. But there are at least some solid grounds now for believing that the worst problems of 1981 are starting , to bottom out. Nearly 50 years ago Franklin Roosevelt told Americans they had “nothing to fear but fear itself.” Today, in our own richly en- dowed country, that’s still a good thought to | carry with us into a brighter 1982. End and means Prime Minister Trudeau thinks General Jaruzelskfs military dictatorship is the best thing for Poland at the present time. After all, he himself put tanks on the streets of Montreal after invoking the War Measures Act in 1970. ° Messrs. Trudeau and Jaruzelski obviously agree that the end always justifies the means. Oddly enough, Hitler and Stalin operated on exactly the same principle. sunday 1139 Lonadale Ave news North Vancouver, B C narth shore V7M 2H4 news (604) 965-2131 ADVE RTISING NEWS 980-0511 985-2131 CLASSIFIED 086-6222 CIRCUL ATION 986-1337 Publisher Peter Speck Associate Publisher Editorin-Chiet Robert Graham Noel Wright Managing Editor Advertising Director Enc Cardwell News Editor Andy Fraser Chas Lioyd Generat Manage: Creative Administration Director Bernt Hilbard Tim Francis Production Director Rick Stonehouse Photography Elsworth Ot kaon Accounting Supervisor Circulation Director Barbara Keen Bian A EMs North Shore Newa founded we Her tigsenpre ane) cnaalified) canter oc Drecdibe WE baat WE Phare aaggneapet MU of the Purchaser faye McC one SPOEXSH rs ee Derg vere sc devert co ocpererricantely tomeame Term Act oom govatoteesPuesc) cane Wedteescdery arsct Socmeedery fy Neortt Shore Free Proos Lb ang) cheastertecterd te. every Mere oe the Nino tt Shore Second (lass Maul Heogesteatia Nomte: 144% Subscript ons 320 pe: year Entire contents All rights reserved 10961 North Shore Free Prees tid Ne FVReeeecatee FIQIES cM) grote Taner whine oot fF aermagne ve venaR yiit y moc glen Tene see ade Heved ervaabere ial te My vec ede Dees mee creep pear teased toy eo mt emeteg veyed akbonaed anvolope VEAP IE Go CURR a ATION 63,340 Wednesday 52 546 Sunday SN. THIS PAPER IS RECYCLABLE N.SHORE MAYORS LOOK TO 1982 do its part The coming year, 1982, offers many challenges and opportunities to all levels of government in our country. In view of the increasing numbers of unemployed, the housing problems faced by many Canadian citizens and the heavy burden placed on many people and businesses by high interest rates, I hope that at the federal level the government will provide the leadership and legislation that will encourage an improvement in the Canadian economy, ensure a Significant increase in the number of affordable housing units available to CONTINUED ON PAGE A7 MAYOR DON BELL North Vancouver District The coming year, 1982, offers many challenges and opportunities to Council. The three years prior to 1981 Council had been able to hold to a zero tax increase for municipal purposes despite rising costs and inflation. As a result of these pressures, and _ despite careful scrutiny of all budget items, Council was still faced with an effective tax levy increase of 14% in 1981. Costs in all sectors have continued to escalate and Council is again faced with the potential for a serious tax increase unless substantial cuts can be made in the 1982 proposed budget. Having just said that maintaining a _ reasonable municipal tax levy will be perhaps the most difficult task facing Council in the coming year, I also recognize that the = ap- JACK LOUCKS North Vancouver City plication of assessed values for property and improve- ments has a drastic impact on how the overall tax burden is shared by various classes of properties. With this in mind, I will be recommending the _ for- mation of a special task force to review this matter early in 1982. New com- mercial and_ industrial development must be ac- tively encouraged to help broaden the tax base and to provide greater employment in our community. There are areas which will require additional ex- penditures, either to meet the demands of our growing population such as in the field of recreation or to provide a_ generally im- proved level of basic service im areas such as watercourse and culvert maintenance and control. Q MAYOR DERRICK HUMPHREYS West Vancouver City will District needs industry Council will be continuing its successful North Shore Channel 10 Cable Television “District Town Meeting” resident phone-in program as a means of improving public access to important issues. Now that the long awaited agreement with the Squamish Indian Band for a new bridge access into Seymour has been reached, I hope the Provincial Govern- ment will be willing to proceed quickly with its sharing of this badly needed project. On behalf of Council, I would like to extend to each resident of the District of North Vancouver, season's greetings for a happy. prosperous New Year. Don H. Bell Mayor, North Vancouver District Husks don’t nourish you much For regular observers of government antics -- at whatever level - the most confusing problem is separating the wheat from the husks. Never more so than at the year end, as one surveys the han- diwork of our political geniuses during the past twelve months and wonders what they'll get up to in the next twelve. North Shore councils, bless ‘em, are no exception Issues of burning concern to ome per cent of the population or less and sometimes of burning concern only to the aldermen themselves regularly consume hours of counciltime As the fur flares. City) Fathers will rise to inspired heights of invective and grab newspaper headhnes to match Battles over a hot dog stand on a West Van beach. hassles about a City resident's lanc allowance and the ceaseless guerrilla warfare between Erme Crist and his North Van Diastnct colleagues can make ca citing reading Which of course. as cractly what the participants have in mind By companson, the gut issucs affecting the long term interests of the community as a whole or 6 substantial part of i) sometames makc quite dull reading Totlers on the big lengthy yobs often have a public relaQons problem Headlines of no headlines what a the most) urgent business on 1982) 0 North Shore council agendas? HOMES, TAX MONEY In North Van Dastrnct ots undoubtedly the long delayed development of the arca cast of the Scymour ! The gateway to the development (in an almost literal sense) was finally opened carher this month when Mayor Don Bell and Chairman Dave Jacobs of the Squamish Band the for signed nght-of way agreement a major new highway crossing of the Seymour River through Indian land The crossing capected to replace the ludicrously inadequate single-lane Grantham Street Bailey bridge by 198) at long last gives the green hght for opening up the large tract of still virgin jand between the Seymour and Dollarton to residential developers Already served internally by the Mount Parkway the eventually provide hundreds of new No wowill provide ao Secymourft aca will homes less importantly hefty boost for the muntetpat tan basc to the bench over the long haul of all Dustrict residents benyoy the verbal youstings of Fense Crist and Jim Ball as you will But keep your cye farmly on Scymourt NEW CTTY CORE A development issuc of a different = kand = also tops North Van City’s prontics fos (he coming year what to do with the four acres of pnme Lower Lonsdale land focus Noel Wright adjoming the governments big Quay development’ Proposals at the moment are a dime a dozen provincial Lonsdale Canging all the way from stranigebyt commercial subdavasson toa shopptag centre of theatre rink Plus revised tratti cum skating complen patlerios to reduce Lower Lonsdale te: a two lane local strect Whichever plan wins out the ulttmate aims oocew and vibrant City core with all rts attendant: people and tax base benefits for Caty folk as a whole Truc bac & yard cascmenis and noisy outside cabarcts portant lo a minornty But theyre small potatoes compared to the vital future nights arc) om of Moodyville. PANHANDLED And you West = Van- couverites, don't expend ai/ your energy on hamburger concessions, marina needs and Hollyburm cabins. The biggest single West Van issue in the months ahead 1s school taxes -- far and away the highest in BC and swollen this) year by an enforced $400 000 subsidy to other school districts Neat year West Van taxpayers could be panhandled for a further $1 milhon or more in handouts to places like Ketthe Valley and Vanderhoof In a desperate bid to these punishing levies the school board has now ap phed to quit the provincial school system altogether West Van council ts also preparing to yump into the act The munmeipality gets escape the heal lor taxes in general even those momerely Collects foe others Jt will take the combined wrath of alder men school trustees and West Van citizens at large te hammer home to Vactorr the message that artificially inffated real estate sabucs have nothung to do wath ‘ability to pay especially in nearly ‘Oper cent of the residents have reached 60 and only ? per a community where cent of the howse holds have school age children A happy acw year you North Shore City Fathem (and Mothers!) And please feed us wheat a little more often in 1982 Husks may be tasty But they're not very nounshing ter all